# Homeschool Chat



## disneymom3

Since our Homeschool Thread is going to be closed soon, I thought I would be proactive and start us a new place to chat.  I also changed the title since we aren't looking for folks to see if there are enough for a subforum, just looking to talk to each other and get advice on day to day school stuff.

I would ask that if you are not a homeschooler, you be respectful of our choice to do so.  We welcome any questions about the logisitics of this and especially welcome anyone who is thinking about homeschooling and has questions.  What we would really appreciate is if you want to post about why on earth anyone would do this or the social problems that you are sure our children have or basically to attack us in anyway, that you start your own thread.  If you haven't run into this type of thing before, it may seem odd that I am bringing it up, but we are just a group of moms who are doing what we feel is the best choice for our own family--just like any other mom.  We would simply like a place to hang out and not be attacked.

Our old thread is located here http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=840970  It is pretty long so if you haven't read it, grab a cup of coffee!  

Happy Posting!!


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## teacups

Julie,

Thanks for starting this!  I for one have to say my family LOVES Home schooling. I do have to budget my daughters extra curricular activities better now though. She's doing SO MUCH more now than before we started HSing! 
Museums, dance, karate, science lab, reading group, computer, drama...  she's getting a huge education outisde of our seat-time for math, history, language and all the other must-haves.  I am also prepping to teach a pottery class to 7-10 year olds, PS and HS kids.  I really love this!  Again, thanks for the place to chat!   

Teacups


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## mommyof2princesses

Yeah a New Thread!  We rock!  Maybe it will take less than 3 years to get to 200 pages this time!


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## TheRatPack

Glad the new thread started   Is anyone else going at the end of September?  I see that the Carolina group is going at the beginning of September but we're still keeping our end of the month trip planned due to the heat..etc.  We have 2 weeks left of school...YAY.


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## belle22

Anyone know what this test is?  What to prepare?


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## Laura.bora

TheRatPack said:


> Glad the new thread started   Is anyone else going at the end of September?  I see that the Carolina group is going at the beginning of September but we're still keeping our end of the month trip planned due to the heat..etc.  We have 2 weeks left of school...YAY.



We're going mid september - the 16th - 25th.  Woo hoo Free Dining!  And that brings me to this question:
Is there a place where I can find a list of all the animals in AK?  My kids don't know we're going, but I'm making this a learning experience as always!  I was planning on having a checklist with us to play the "who can spot the most animals" game. ( a regular occurance when we hit zoos or aquariums - it's a favorite of ours).  I also want to be able to do a teaching lesson about these animals and the habitats they live in and have them do a research project about the animal of their choice.  All while unknowingly preparing them for a trip to Disney! 
And also, I've never been to AK before.  How distinct are the countries/areas?  Is it like Epcot, where it's obvious when you've traveled from MExico to Canada?  We're doing a study unit on the countries found in Epcot, and I'm wondering if I can include AK countries as well?  And any other ideas for incorperating learning with our trip ( I have a 5 year old who's very advanced, and a normal 2year old....well....I don't know how "normal she is but..... )


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## wvdislover

Julie, thanks for starting the new thread!  As a new HS mom, this has been really helpful to me.  We are taking advantage of HS our oldest DD and are doing a land/sea vacation (Beach Club/Wonder) in late Sept (9/25-10/02)!  DD6 will just have to make up the work she'll miss.  How much can a second grader miss


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## disneymom3

Laura.bora said:


> We're going mid september - the 16th - 25th.  Woo hoo Free Dining!  And that brings me to this question:
> Is there a place where I can find a list of all the animals in AK?  My kids don't know we're going, but I'm making this a learning experience as always!  I was planning on having a checklist with us to play the "who can spot the most animals" game. ( a regular occurance when we hit zoos or aquariums - it's a favorite of ours).  I also want to be able to do a teaching lesson about these animals and the habitats they live in and have them do a research project about the animal of their choice.  All while unknowingly preparing them for a trip to Disney!
> And also, I've never been to AK before.  How distinct are the countries/areas?  Is it like Epcot, where it's obvious when you've traveled from MExico to Canada?  We're doing a study unit on the countries found in Epcot, and I'm wondering if I can include AK countries as well?  And any other ideas for incorperating learning with our trip ( I have a 5 year old who's very advanced, and a normal 2year old....well....I don't know how "normal she is but..... )


I don't know about the list of animals.  Maybe you could start a thread on the Theme Parks and Attractions board.  I bet someone there would know.

As for how distinct the areas are, I think it is awesome.  Disney goes all out and does not only architecture and decor but the plants and the whole nine yards.  I think each area is quite distinct.


Has anyone done much with lapbooks?  I haven't really heard of them too much but I recall that a few years ago our state convention had a session on them and it sounded boring to me.  I came across the idea in doing a search for something else this week and decided to have my boys each pick a topic and do one.  I think I am going to employ them more and more as the next year continues.


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## gracefor5

I just wanted to say Hi. My name is Kim and I've always homeschooled my 3 sweet confused3 ?) children. It is one heck of an adventure and my hubby and I are having the time of our lives (though, it is kind of exhausting!??!?) It's so nice to find a way to talk about my two favorite pastimes...homeschooling and my infatuation with our first trip to WDW. 

We have to go in the summer due to hubby's work, but WE CAN"T WAIT!!! Sorry, didn't mean to yell but I'm a little excited....Our kidlings don't know yet and my husband is sick of talking about it every day and I have no one to talk to!!! 

Looking forward to having a place to talk to other HS'ers

Kim


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## gracefor5

disneymom3 said:


> Has anyone done much with lapbooks?  I haven't really heard of them too much but I recall that a few years ago our state convention had a session on them and it sounded boring to me.  I came across the idea in doing a search for something else this week and decided to have my boys each pick a topic and do one.  I think I am going to employ them more and more as the next year continues.



I tried to use Lapbooks when I was using Tapestry History Program. I should start by saying that the history program didn't work for us and that may have impacted the interest in the LB's but here was my conclusion. I purchased lapbooks that you printed and cut out and assembled. The info that they were asking the kids to write was a lot of regurgitation of facts. ie List the types of tools that Ship Captains used...My kids would have rather had a more openended project to complete. Now we loosely do notebooking which included maps,poems, writing,book reports,pictures etc all based on our history reading. (We use Sonlight Curriculum-American History I, but again I try not to get to tied up in the curriculum. For us, if Mommy is in box checking mode, we stop having fun   Just one opinion, but I thought I'd offer it up.

Hope it helps..
Kim


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## Laura.bora

disneymom3 said:


> I don't know about the list of animals.  Maybe you could start a thread on the Theme Parks and Attractions board.  I bet someone there would know.
> 
> As for how distinct the areas are, I think it is awesome.  Disney goes all out and does not only architecture and decor but the plants and the whole nine yards.  I think each area is quite distinct.
> 
> 
> Has anyone done much with lapbooks?  I haven't really heard of them too much but I recall that a few years ago our state convention had a session on them and it sounded boring to me.  I came across the idea in doing a search for something else this week and decided to have my boys each pick a topic and do one.  I think I am going to employ them more and more as the next year continues.



Thank you - If no one knew, Theme parks boards was where I was headed next!!  If I get an answer, I'll let you all know!!

And I'd like to know more about lapbooks - someone tried describing it to me on time, and it seemed more of a hob-podge of whatever the kid felt like throwing in the book.  Which my son would like - I just have a feeling it wasn't described very well.


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## mickeyjen

Thanks for starting a new thread!  We won't be in WDW in September, but we do have a short DL trip planned with a larger homeschool group and CAN'T WAIT!!!


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## disneymom3

gracefor5 said:


> I tried to use Lapbooks when I was using Tapestry History Program. I should start by saying that the history program didn't work for us and that may have impacted the interest in the LB's but here was my conclusion. I purchased lapbooks that you printed and cut out and assembled. The info that they were asking the kids to write was a lot of regurgitation of facts. ie List the types of tools that Ship Captains used...My kids would have rather had a more openended project to complete. Now we loosely do notebooking which included maps,poems, writing,book reports,pictures etc all based on our history reading. (We use Sonlight Curriculum-American History I, but again I try not to get to tied up in the curriculum. For us, if Mommy is in box checking mode, we stop having fun   Just one opinion, but I thought I'd offer it up.
> 
> Hope it helps..
> Kim



Yeah, I saw those ones too.  Not the thing I am going for.  My boys have each picked a topic to learn more about--one is doing bats, the other one ants.  The one doing the ants has already drawn a big picture or an ant hill and labeled various parts.  He also is doing a word search and some ant labeling things that we found on Enchanted learning. He has an ant farm so we will take pictures of that and he wants to find out all the kinds of ants in the world (yikes!!) and put pics of them in his lapbook.  The bat boy is littler and we are going to get some picture books from the library like Stella Luna and The Story of a Bat as well as a couple of Eyewitness ones and the video and then he will draw pictures and I will write out what he dictates.

For those not at all familiar with them, there is a You Tube video that I found first, don't know the exact link but I did a search on Google for lapbooks video (it was mentioned on another site) and there is a mom explaining some various lapbooks her kids have made.  It seems like  neat way to capture some of the learning that goes on without having to rely on worksheets which my boys don't do well at all.


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## teacups

Aren't there any West Coast HSers around here?  You all are driving me nutty with all the WDW talk since I cant go   .   We ARE going to DL in 10 days, so I am happy about that.   I'm only a pale shade of green.


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## teacups

Florida Beating.  How terrible. I dont watch the news too often, so I just saw this.  My heart just breaks for that poor girl, being lured inside in hopes of making friends and then to be gang-attacked.  I watched a few youtube clips and just couldnt take the replies and comments. That can be a very ugly place, can't it?    I was wondering while watching, how many parents know their kids are posting on that place?   My kids are young now but right now we each have our own laptops... but the kids do not have internet in their bedrooms. They have "Word" for creative writing, other school type programs and some games.  Why do kids need interent in their bedrooms?  Doesnt that just cause trouble? Will I change my mind in later years?


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## NHWX

Thanks for starting the new thread! I do need to come here and check in with people who are just happy to be homeschooling. I do have homeschooling friends but you guys are always here. 

NHWX


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## NHWX

We've got one planned but I'm not sure if we're actually going to take it. Our dates are 9/19-9/27 which would encompass ds12's birthday. It'd be really fun to go. I haven't delved into the free dining thread so I'm not sure if checking in with the time frame makes us eligible for free dining or not.

I noodled around with a spreadsheet, trying to figure out is it cheaper to give up our 40% discounted room and take the free dining or not. It turns out that if we go with just three table service meals and keep the discount (WL courtyard bunk beds), it's just a bit more expensive. 

But... 1) I'm not sure if we can afford it and I'd rather have the safety cushion of the 5 day cancellation window. There have been layoffs mentioned at dh's company though he assures me that his job is safe.

2) I've thought about other trips. I'd love see to see some of the great national parks like Yosemite, Grand Tetons or Yellowstone. We've never taken the kids to Washington DC for more than a morning and so they've missed the traditional eighth grade Heritage Tour. (Our middle schools do this. I'm not sure if I think it's a good idea or not.) Our boys have never been to New York City and seen all the great art there. There's tour of artwork from the Vatican  coming to Cleveland that promises to be breathtaking. And lastly, ds12 thinks he might eventually want to go into game design so there's the prospect of going to Gen Con in Indianapolis. I have this travel problem, you see. 

Oh, and then there's the price of gasoline. *sigh*

NHWX


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## Laura.bora

For all who are interested in the list of animals at AK, here's the link!
http://allearsnet.com/tp/ak/ak_anim.htm  And thank you for the heads up on the you tube lapbook video!  I'll need to go check that out!


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## Momvic5

How exciting ~ A new thread!  

I have started planning for our next school year, and while trying to get an idea of what I am going to use with my oldest, I started considering the idea of switching to a new curriculum for him in math.

I am curious.  What math curriculums do you use with your older children (6th grade and up)?  My oldest DS12 will be going into the 7th grade, and we currently use Saxon.  Most days I really like it, but then there are days when I think it is very boring.  My son likes it fine I guess.  He never complains about it, but I think he might enjoy a change for the next school year.  I am interested in what others are using and how it compares with the style of Saxon.

Thanks so much for your thoughts!


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## lori1043

Hey ya'll!!! Thanks for starting the new thread. 

I am happy to see a writer researching his readers and caring enough to try to clear things up. I think most of us agreed this was not a dis to homeschoolers, but that it could be misconstrued that way, esp during an attack that the other thread provided. Thankfully, I never visited it. He posted again on our last page(the Baby Blues writer) and he had some cool things to say.

As far as WDW in September, however tempting(and very much so for me since I have an AP that doesn't expire till next Feb!!), we are not going unless a wind fall happens(ha!!). We are saving for that cruise next December(09).

Anyway, glad we are all back and LOVING the first post. Very articulate and not too bossy!!!  

Lori


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## Denine

It has been a very long time since I have posted on this thread.  It just got too long.

Anyway, we are closing in on finishing up Kindergarten with Calvert and Horizons for math.  DD loves school!  We will continue with Calvert and Horizons for 1st grade.

We are very much looking forward to our trip to WDW in a few days.

It would be nice to go to WDW in September with the free dining and HS stuff, but we are going in October.


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## BABY_EINSTEIN'S_MOM

Hi homeschoolers! I am a former homeschooler who is considering going back to it permanently. Quick question..has anyone used either Abeka DVD or Alpha Omega switched on schoolhouse? I previously used Abeka book and it was so labor intensive! I can't see me doing that with 3 kiddos! Thanks


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## tnmomof4

BABY_EINSTEIN'S_MOM said:


> Hi homeschoolers! I am a former homeschooler who is considering going back to it permanently. Quick question..has anyone used either Abeka DVD or Alpha Omega switched on schoolhouse? I previously used Abeka book and it was so labor intensive! I can't see me doing that with 3 kiddos! Thanks



I have that same question.  I have been doing all Abeka.  I like it, but this coming year I will have to add my twins who will be doing kindergarten.  It would be great if my older boys could do the DVDs. I'm really worried I won't have enough time to do all we need to do every day.  It can take us all day now.  I made one big mistake that I really regret.  I should have picked one grade to do for history and science.  Like we could have done 4th for both of them this year and then have done the other grade next year.  Teaching 2 history lessons and 2 science lessons a day is a lot.

Anyway...I just got the booklet of info in the mail for the DVDs.  It was hard to understand how they do it.  It seems you can either pick to send in the papers and let them grade them and they keep track of all grades, or you can just send in the grades.   The one where they do the grading is more official, like accredited.   Also it seemed kind of expensive, but I'm not sure if I was reading it right.

I am calling Abeka Monday to get more info.  I can let you know what they say if you want.


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## Ellester

disneymom3 said:


> For those not at all familiar with them, there is a You Tube video that I found first, don't know the exact link but I did a search on Google for lapbooks video (it was mentioned on another site) and there is a mom explaining some various lapbooks her kids have made.  It seems like  neat way to capture some of the learning that goes on without having to rely on worksheets which my boys don't do well at all.



There is usually a lot of lapbook discussion on the Five in a Row message boards: www.fiveinarow.com. I found this link over there: http://www.homeschoolshare.com/lapbooking_resources.php

I think they sell some lapbook kits at Five in a Row also. We've never done them, but I do find them intriguing.....


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## Praise2Him

NHWX said:


> And lastly, ds12 thinks he might eventually want to go into game design so there's the prospect of going to Gen Con in Indianapolis.



Just to let you know, there's a school for that near Orlando in Winter Park.   It's called Full Sail University. My DS is a student there in Film, but they also have: Computer Animation, Digital Arts & Design, Entertainment Business, Game Art, Game Development, Graphic Design, Music Business, Recording Arts, Show Production & Touring, and Web Design & Development. You might want to check it out!



CarolinaHomeschooler said:


> Hi everyone, I'm trying to spread the word about my Disney World trip this coming Labor Day week. Since Disney has finally confirmed they're offering free dining again during the time we'll be there and we can start reserving the free dining packages this week, I'm trying to reach as many homeschoolers as possible so they can take advantage of it before availability runs out.



I saw your post on the Alabama HS board and checked it out. Last year we were there at the same time as a local HS group and attended one of the classes and it was great! But, since we have AP's we were able to just pay $30 for the class only. I didn't see that option on your website. We'd love to join you in one or more of the classes, but don't need the tickets. (We'll already be there with free dining and my DD is 17.) Is that an option with your group?



Momvic5 said:


> I am curious.  What math curriculums do you use with your older children (6th grade and up)?  My oldest DS12 will be going into the 7th grade, and we currently use Saxon.  Most days I really like it, but then there are days when I think it is very boring.  My son likes it fine I guess.  He never complains about it, but I think he might enjoy a change for the next school year.  I am interested in what others are using and how it compares with the style of Saxon.



We used Teaching Textbooks for Algebra 1 & 2 and love it! I'm not a math person so it's very user friendly for me.


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## Temair

Hi I just wanted to introduce myself.  I'm Joanne and I home educate my DD with a virtual school using K12.  We are planning our second trip to disney for sept 19 to 30, 2008.  We originally planned on next year, but due to my husband being overworked he agreed to go this year.  I'm interested in know about other educational ideas for while we are at Disney. 

I'm glad to know we have an active homeschooling group here on disboards.


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## Dani4girls

Hi everyone!! I am a homeschool mom with 4 dds. We have been homeschooling since the beginning - going on 8 years now!  We took our first family vacation to WDW in 2005: 14 days, rented house with heated pool, 10 day hopper pass, and only one rainy day  It was the best vacation we ever had/ will have.  My dh wants to go back in 2009, but I just know it won't be the same. Anyone ever feel that way?  Like another trip will somehow lesson the wonderful memories from the first?

Anyways, someone mentioned wanting to know what we use for math.  I started with A Beka for my first 4 years.  My oldest daughter did great with it, but my second was drowning. So, for 4th grade we switched to Bob Jones; she liked it and did a little better with it, but I didn't like it.  Now, they are both in Saxon.  They both hate math.  So, the question is: Do I keep switching curriculums until I find one they love?  Or do I just make them tough it out?  Many other hs moms have adviced me to tough it out, because switching math curriculums too many times can be very bad.  You end up missing too much.  So, I think we are sticking with Saxon.

And the question on lapbooks: we did one on sled dogs that I downloaded for free from Currclick.  My girls did enjoy it.  They are very creative and love cutting, pasting, coloring, etc.  But it was very time-consuming.  I don't think I would ever buy one.  That's my $.02.

Well, I think I've gone on long enough! I look forward to getting to know everyone and hearing more about WDW and homeschooling!!

Dani


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## NHWX

Praise2Him said:


> Just to let you know, there's a school for that near Orlando in Winter Park.   It's called Full Sail University. My DS is a student there in Film, but they also have: Computer Animation, Digital Arts & Design, Entertainment Business, Game Art, Game Development, Graphic Design, Music Business, Recording Arts, Show Production & Touring, and Web Design & Development. You might want to check it out!



Thanks for the information! Luckily, it's a couple of years away. I've heard of Full Sail before. In a couple of years, I'll be interested in hearing how your son enjoyed his time there. 

We live in a tiny New Hampshire town which is pretty much next to nothing. 

NHWX


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## emh1129

Happy to see the new thread!
We are in our first year of homeschooling and loving it so far.
We're planning to be at WDW Sept.14-27th (tentatively) at ASMo and would love to meet up with other HSers at some point!


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## DawnM

I won't know about September homeschooling (at Disney) for a while.  My 4 year old may be going to pre-K at the local elem. school for a year to get intensive OT.  If he does, we will be more on the school schedule, but DH does have a week of training in Orlando in Dec. so we would plan to take him out then for Disney.

Dawn


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## Momvic5

Dani4girls said:


> Anyways, someone mentioned wanting to know what we use for math.  I started with A Beka for my first 4 years.  My oldest daughter did great with it, but my second was drowning. So, for 4th grade we switched to Bob Jones; she liked it and did a little better with it, but I didn't like it.  Now, they are both in Saxon.  They both hate math.  So, the question is: Do I keep switching curriculums until I find one they love?  Or do I just make them tough it out?  Many other hs moms have adviced me to tough it out, because switching math curriculums too many times can be very bad.  You end up missing too much.  So, I think we are sticking with Saxon.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dani




I think your second trip will be great too!  We had the same experience.  Our first trip was amazing so I was a little nervous too when we went for the second time this past December.  We had a wonderful time though.  In some ways, it was more magical than the first because we slowed down and just enjoyed everything.  Anyways, don't worry ~ your trip will be great and just as magical.

How did your daughter do with the transition from Bob Jones Math to Saxon?  My DD8 is currently using Bob Jones 3rd grade, and I am switching her to Saxon next school year.  Did she adjust to the style of Saxon with ease?  Bob Jones is laid out so different from Saxon that I am a little worried about the transition.  My daughter has a tendency to want to be perfect, and it causes her to work very slow sometimes.  

Thanks for your $.02.


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## Dani4girls

How did your daughter do with the transition from Bob Jones Math to Saxon? My DD8 is currently using Bob Jones 3rd grade, and I am switching her to Saxon next school year. Did she adjust to the style of Saxon with ease? Bob Jones is laid out so different from Saxon that I am a little worried about the transition. My daughter has a tendency to want to be perfect, and it causes her to work very slow sometimes.


Your dd sounds just like mine!!  Saxon explains the lesson very well, so she didn't have a hard time learning the new stuff.  However, the lessons are very long and it was taking her FOREVER to get one lesson done!  So, at first, I let her do every other problem.  That still took forever.  Then I had her do as much as she could in 45 min.  That worked well.  Now, she is getting the hang of it and she can do every other problem in 45 minutes!!   Overall, I think it is an excellent curriculum; I just hate that they still hate math!! 

I heard that Teaching Textbooks is a great math curriculum for kids who hate math.  But as I said, I hate to keep switching them.

Hope all this helps.


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## Octoberbabiesrus

another homeschooling family just checking in!


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## cajunrose

Hi!  I'm a possible future homeschooler to my soon to be 5 year old.  I still have a few things to work out in my head...but I'm about 99% certain.  I've even been researching curriculums.  I think we are going with Sonlight (using Secularly...is that a word? ROFL) and Saxon for math.  Still looking into that though.

Just wanted to wave and say hi!

Stephenie


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## disneymom0104

cajunrose said:


> Hi!  I'm a possible future homeschooler to my soon to be 5 year old.  I still have a few things to work out in my head...but I'm about 99% certain.  I've even been researching curriculums.  I think we are going with Sonlight (using Secularly...is that a word? ROFL) and Saxon for math.  Still looking into that though.
> 
> Just wanted to wave and say hi!
> 
> Stephenie




We use Sonlight in a pretty secular way as well!  I don't toss all of the religious stuff out, but it is definitely not the main reason we use it.  We LOVE the books!   This is our first year with Sonlight and we LOVE it so far


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## cajunrose

disneymom0104 said:


> We use Sonlight in a pretty secular way as well!  I don't toss all of the religious stuff out, but it is definitely not the main reason we use it.  We LOVE the books!   This is our first year with Sonlight and we LOVE it so far




I want her to learn about religion and christianity..so I think this'll be good exposure for her..she certainly doesn't get it from us.

I have been doing more and more research on Saxon math..seeing negative reviews. I know you'll get negative from every program...but now I'm not so sure.  A friend recommended Math U See to me. It looks great..but kinda boring.  Any experience with it?  Do they get calendar, time, money from it as well or just the 'facts' type of stuff?


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## DawnM

We used Sonlight for the first few years.  We still read many of the books on the lists.

Dawn



cajunrose said:


> Hi!  I'm a possible future homeschooler to my soon to be 5 year old.  I still have a few things to work out in my head...but I'm about 99% certain.  I've even been researching curriculums.  I think we are going with Sonlight (using Secularly...is that a word? ROFL) and Saxon for math.  Still looking into that though.
> 
> Just wanted to wave and say hi!
> 
> Stephenie


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## mommyof2princesses

cajunrose said:


> I want her to learn about religion and christianity..so I think this'll be good exposure for her..she certainly doesn't get it from us.
> 
> I have been doing more and more research on Saxon math..seeing negative reviews. I know you'll get negative from every program...but now I'm not so sure.  A friend recommended Math U See to me. It looks great..but kinda boring.  Any experience with it?  Do they get calendar, time, money from it as well or just the 'facts' type of stuff?



We used Saxon for kindy and now for 1st grade and my dd loves it.  She likes the calendar and te hands on activities with lots of different manipulatives.  She also likes the little worksheets.  I happened to have all the manipulatives needed since I was a teacher, so this was a cheaper curriculum for us.  My older dd is going to use saxon for algebra next year.  We used Thinkwell math last year.  Also on the computer and kind of neat, but I don't think it went into enough depth.  I compared it to teaching textbooks, and after previewing a few lessons, we felt it didn't fully cover all the topics correctly.  JMHO!

We will also use Sonlight for my older dd next year.  I have heard such great reviews!


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## Ellester

cajunrose said:


> I want her to learn about religion and christianity..so I think this'll be good exposure for her..she certainly doesn't get it from us.
> 
> I have been doing more and more research on Saxon math..seeing negative reviews. I know you'll get negative from every program...but now I'm not so sure.  A friend recommended Math U See to me. It looks great..but kinda boring.  Any experience with it?  Do they get calendar, time, money from it as well or just the 'facts' type of stuff?



Love Sonlight and Math U See. MUS does include time, money, tally marks, Roman numerals and measurement. I don't think they do anything with the calendar though (at least not that we've seen in Primer, Alpha, Beta, or Gamma). We've done that separately (Sonlight covers it in their "Language and Thinking for Young Children" in the K Core.) The MUS workpages are not colorful or exciting at all, but my kids don't seem to mind. We had started our oldest on Horizons, which is VERY colorful, but the spiral approach wasn't working for her. She didn't mind the change to plain pages, although some kids might. My youngest draws a picture on the facing blank page every time she does math, I guess that's her way of spicing it up!


----------



## Merriwind

Hi all-

Former HS family here. I HSed DD in first grade and followed WTM's recommendations. While DD now attends a magnet school that we are very happy with, I've stuck with WTM materials/books/workbooks, etc. for summer work, as reading recomendations to get good exposure to lit and history, workbooks for travel, and just to check general progress. 

Next year, DD will be in fifth grade, which is the first year in the logic stage, so I'm looking at picking up some new items. I have the 1999 edition of WTM, but am curious about the 2004 edition. If anyone here has looked at both, can you weigh in on the differences? I'm particularly interested to know if the recommended resources have changed much. No libraries in the county have the new edition. I'd really like to know if the update is different enough to be worth purchasing.

Many thanks to anyone who can help!


----------



## nov02mom

Almost a homeschooler here!  My son will be starting Kindy sometime AFTER our 1st trip to WDW.  (although here in NC we don't have to register until age 7)

I was actually HS'd during middle school - it's facinating to see all the changes in the MANY intervening years!!

We're pretty relaxed in our approach to education.  He has Aspergers and we just follow his lead.

Looking forward to "meeting" y'all.


----------



## monkeysmamma

Oooh, a new thread.  I saw the old one, but was too intimidated by it's length to dive in.   I'm HSing my 2 boys who are 7 and 4.  We're going to WDW in May for their first trip!  I would have loved to go in Sept. for free dining, but DH didn't want to wait that long, lol.  

My boys have autism and I'm still feeling my way around with curriculum.  I've found we do a lot better with unit studies because I can tie them into something they're interested in.  

Nice to "meet" you all.   

Julia


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## emh1129

Have any of you read the book Call to Brilliance?
Here is a great interview with the author.. (the first half of this clip)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc2zatmfsYk


----------



## sha_lyn

> Hi! I'm a possible future home-schooler to my soon to be 5 year old. I still have a few things to work out in my head...but I'm about 99% certain. I've even been researching curriculum. I think we are going with Sonlight (using Secularly...is that a word? ROFL) and Saxon for math. Still looking into that though.


I looked into using Sonlight secularly but decided against it. I went with using the free Tanglewood lesson plans that blend classical and Charlotte Mason. However there is a secular Sonlight yahoo group that seemed like a  great resource.



> Next year, DD will be in fifth grade, which is the first year in the logic stage, so I'm looking at picking up some new items. I have the 1999 edition of WTM, but am curious about the 2004 edition. If anyone here has looked at both, can you weigh in on the differences? I'm particularly interested to know if the recommended resources have changed much. No libraries in the county have the new edition. I'd really like to know if the update is different enough to be worth purchasing.


I can't speak on the difference between editions of TWTM, but for the logic stage I love History Odyssey level II. It  covers history, geography and literature. I have promised a review to Jenny and other here, that I just haven't written yet. I am in the process of writing reviews starting at the beginning of our HS experience because a Friend is really interested in seeing how many of us have ended up switching philosophies and curricula.


----------



## Scuba Princess

Hello to all 

Just checking in to say hi.  We are a Homeschool family, 3 DD 16, 15, 2.


----------



## mommyof2princesses

Welcome to all our new posters!  Glad you came out of lurkdom!


----------



## sha_lyn

homeschoolbuyersco-op.org has a special right now throughl Alpha Omega


----------



## disneymom3

mommyof2princesses said:


> Welcome to all our new posters!  Glad you came out of lurkdom!



I agree!  A fresh start looks like a good thing.

I have more to say, but no time right now.  Just wanted to say hi and welcome!


----------



## disneymom0104

cajunrose said:


> I want her to learn about religion and christianity..so I think this'll be good exposure for her..she certainly doesn't get it from us.
> 
> I have been doing more and more research on Saxon math..seeing negative reviews. I know you'll get negative from every program...but now I'm not so sure.  A friend recommended Math U See to me. It looks great..but kinda boring.  Any experience with it?  Do they get calendar, time, money from it as well or just the 'facts' type of stuff?




We haven't used Saxon or Math U See.  I don't think any of the programs out there are bad- it is just a matter of finding what works best for your child.  We are using Horizons and it is going really well.  My daughter does the first grade level and we have covered calendar, time and money.  It is very fast paced, but reviews constantly and I know she is really learning it.  At this point we have no reason to switch.  We also use Miquon, which is completely different and not at all traditional.  I don't think I'd like using it alone, but I do like what it offers and how it teaches her to see outside the box


----------



## LegoMom3

Laura.bora said:


> We're going mid september - the 16th - 25th. Woo hoo Free Dining! And that brings me to this question:
> *Is there a place where I can find a list of all the animals in AK?* .......


 

I'm not sure about anything on-line that is printable, but I just picked up a copy of a book called "The Complete Walt Disney World 2008 - The Definitive Disney Handbook" by Julie and Mike Neal.  It's a great book in its own right, but in the section on AK, there is a whole guide to all the animals you'll see there.  It's really neat!

Ok, with that aside, I'll "introduce" myself and say Hi!  We are currently home schooling DS11.  We are also going for Free Dining!!     September 8 - 16.


.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Hey everyone-Julie, thanks for the new beginning!! Just wanted to say that homeschooling is a blessing and wouldn't trade it for anything 
We are close to the end of our school year(we start in July) and I have to say we are very ready for a break! We will still be doing a lot of summer time reading, but are ready for some time to just be kinda lazy about mornings!!!
We are doing a new thing for the boys next year in math. I forgot who posted(Momvic5 ?) but we are trying out Teaching Textbooks-they look great and I have only heard good things, so we'll see. We've used Five in a Row, A Beka, Bob Jones and Saxon (we are very eclectic ) and this year we are doing more unit studies.   
 I am very excited about the new things I have found and just wanted to remind ya'll and give a heads up to the newbies of hsing- if you wait to order your curriculum after the beginning of June, it takes quite a bit longer to recieve it and if you have any returning/exchanging to do, it could take a while. So get busy ordering mommys!!!!


----------



## livndisney

I hope it is ok to ask this question here. I have been considering Homeschooling my DD for 2 years now. We have tried several different schools and I feel they have all fallen way short of my expectations. (One even lost my DD ) I don't want to make an "emotional" choice-I want to make the best choice for my child.

SO my question is this: Why did YOU choose to Homeschool?


----------



## bebelle

Momvic5 said:


> What math curriculums do you use with your older children (6th grade and up)?  My oldest DS12 will be going into the 7th grade, and we currently use Saxon.  Most days I really like it, but then there are days when I think it is very boring.  My son likes it fine I guess.  He never complains about it, but I think he might enjoy a change for the next school year.  I am interested in what others are using and how it compares with the style of Saxon.
> 
> Thanks so much for your thoughts!



We are in the same spot. I am thinking of changing to Teaching Textbooks. You can go online and look at examples of their DVD lessons. Another great math curriculum is Chalk Dust but it is VERY expensive. They too have a website with examples of their DVD lessons. We are going to a home schoolers convention in May. So I may change my mind but I feel pretty strongly that we will be going with Teaching Textbooks. Hope this helps.


----------



## TheRatPack

Momvic5 said:


> How exciting ~ A new thread!
> 
> I have started planning for our next school year, and while trying to get an idea of what I am going to use with my oldest, I started considering the idea of switching to a new curriculum for him in math.
> 
> I am curious.  What math curriculums do you use with your older children (6th grade and up)?  My oldest DS12 will be going into the 7th grade, and we currently use Saxon.  Most days I really like it, but then there are days when I think it is very boring.  My son likes it fine I guess.  He never complains about it, but I think he might enjoy a change for the next school year.  I am interested in what others are using and how it compares with the style of Saxon.
> 
> Thanks so much for your thoughts!



We will be sticking with Math-U-See...we really like it and it's been easy to follow up through 6th grade so I'm hoping that it'll continue to work for us


----------



## TheRatPack

Ellester said:


> Love Sonlight and Math U See. MUS does include time, money, tally marks, Roman numerals and measurement. I don't think they do anything with the calendar though (at least not that we've seen in Primer, Alpha, Beta, or Gamma). We've done that separately (Sonlight covers it in their "Language and Thinking for Young Children" in the K Core.) The MUS workpages are not colorful or exciting at all, but my kids don't seem to mind. We had started our oldest on Horizons, which is VERY colorful, but the spiral approach wasn't working for her. She didn't mind the change to plain pages, although some kids might. My youngest draws a picture on the facing blank page every time she does math, I guess that's her way of spicing it up!




I was grading my 13 year old DS's and noticed that he also made a very elaborate 3D drawing on the blank page facing his lesson page in MUS LOL  But then this is the same kid that does his work standing on his head LOL


----------



## tnmomof4

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Hey everyone-Julie, thanks for the new beginning!! Just wanted to say that homeschooling is a blessing and wouldn't trade it for anything
> We are close to the end of our school year(we start in July) and I have to say we are very ready for a break! We will still be doing a lot of summer time reading, but are ready for some time to just be kinda lazy about mornings!!!
> We are doing a new thing for the boys next year in math. I forgot who posted(Momvic5 ?) but we are trying out Teaching Textbooks-they look great and I have only heard good things, so we'll see. We've used Five in a Row, A Beka, Bob Jones and Saxon (we are very eclectic ) and this year we are doing more unit studies.
> I am very excited about the new things I have found and just wanted to remind ya'll and give a heads up to the newbies of hsing- if you wait to order your curriculum after the beginning of June, it takes quite a bit longer to recieve it and if you have any returning/exchanging to do, it could take a while. So get busy ordering mommys!!!!




What subjects do you use A Beka and Bob Jones for?  I am using all A Beka right now and as you mentioned.... I am thinking about putting my orders in for new books/curriculum by June.  I don't know if I should stay with all A Beka or not.  This is our first year, and I don't know anything about other curriculums.


----------



## TheRatPack

livndisney said:


> I hope it is ok to ask this question here. I have been considering Homeschooling my DD for 2 years now. We have tried several different schools and I feel they have all fallen way short of my expectations. (One even lost my DD ) I don't want to make an "emotional" choice-I want to make the best choice for my child.
> 
> SO my question is this: Why did YOU choose to Homeschool?



Mine is a combination of years and years of struggling with the decision.  My best friend homeschools and I always thought it was a strange decision...that she just didn't want to let her kids go LOL  I let mine go to Elementary (the two oldest) and although there were bumps here and there...I passed them all off as 'normal school' and learning to be a part of society.  I won't go in to all the reasons here....but it was a lot of things.  Them becoming a number, teachers not caring anymore, the whole switch toward them being more concerned with peers over grades and a REAL education.  So we began homeschooling in middle school years for the oldest 2 and then with our youngest, they will not step foot in a public school as long as I can keep them home and homeschool them.


----------



## NHWX

I've got a ds14 who's completing pre-calculus now and I've been tossing around the idea of having him do a course in logic next year. I'm thinking it might help him with future math and science courses.

NHWX


----------



## TanyaS

I didn't see a thread specifically about animals in the Animal Kingdom, but they do have some of the coolest animals on earth - the okapi.  I had never seen one until my first trip to the AK.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

tnmomof4 said:


> What subjects do you use A Beka and Bob Jones for?  I am using all A Beka right now and as you mentioned.... I am thinking about putting my orders in for new books/curriculum by June.  I don't know if I should stay with all A Beka or not.  This is our first year, and I don't know anything about other curriculums.



When we first started with ABeka, we got the grade level kits. Second Year, we mixed bob jones math with 5 in a row. Third year, back to all ABeka and I remembered why I switched the year before!! Love ABeka, love the Christian theme and all the scriptures in the workbooks, but they sooooo overload the homeschoolers, that it just ends up being too much work for us. So, this year we used Bob Jones for Science and English, Saxon math and Christian Kids Explore and Apologia for Science. Another thing that my kids were having a bit of 'too much' of, was the penmanship. We used A Reason for Handwriting (&Spelling) and it was such a blessing!  If you go to Christianbook.com, and look at the homeschooling section you can find a great amount to look into. 

Look up Charlotte Mason and read about her methods, this is another reason we got out of ABeka-she really stresses more reading, "living books", and not the workbook-type of schooling we had. We really love this and would recommend it to anyone. Five in a Row has great books for this type of learning as well.


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## cajunrose

Ok, its official. I made the decision today to home school. I do have questions, concerns, and general stuff that I need help with that I hope you seasoned people can help with.

My DD is going to be 5 (at Disney) on May 31st.  I consider her very bright but I could have mommy goggles on. I think she could already be reading if she hadnt been group taught for pre k 3 and 4 (public school).  She already can ALMOST tell time on a non-digital clock.  She has a lot of concepts down, just not the logistics of it all (time, measurement, reading, etc.)  She knows all of her letters/numbers by sight but is just now starting to learn the beginning sounds and only on the major letters (s, t, m, n, b, c, etc).

I have a degree in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education but dont teach b/c I didnt like the politics in teaching (THE TEST, etc).

I wanted to give you a bit of background knowledge before I got to the questions and stuff.

I am  a curriculum oriented person. I need structure as does my daughterat least at first.  I have chosen Sonlight and am going to order this: http://www.sonlight.com/newcomer-p-4-5.html

I am on the fence for math.  So far, either Saxon or Math U See.  I like Saxon because it looks all inclusive (weight, adding, patterns, general math facts).  I like the manipulatives also but Im a hands on, gadget person.  I like Math U See because it looks like it REALLY works for truly understanding what the content is. Im just concerned about what it coversIm not really clear on it.  What am I going to have to fill in the gaps for?

Does Sonlight include phonics/beginning reading content?  Is that what Explode the Code would be for (recommended to me by a close friend on the net)?
If I get Sonlight (the one I linked), whatever Math I choose, and ETC, what else do I need to be concerned with?  Does that cover all subjects?
Is there a program out there that does the morning routine stuff?  Is that something I need to do on my own? Im talking about calendar, weather, etc.  We did Everyday Counts in the public school and I really loved it for teaching money, calendar, patterns, etc. I would love a program similar to that I think.

What about your space?  Can I see pictures of your learning area?  Storage, wall décor, desk, etc.  I will have to use my all inclusive dining room, office (2 computers, sometimes 4), foyer, crap room..lol  It is the first room that one sees when they first walk into my house.  I got an older style desk yesterday at a garage sale. Im excited about that and so is Raelee. She wants to use her table that is hooked to a chair LOL

Tell me more about lapbooks please!  I am an avid scrapbooker and this appeals to me.  Do you just choose a subject, research it and make the book?  It seems like it could be VERY time consuming if you did one on each subject.  How would I go about doing these at Raelees age? Where do I get started with it?

WHEN do I start homeschooling?  Raelee is finishing up her last month of school at the public school.  We are taking a trip to Disney (last week of May, first week of June) then we have family in the week after that.  I am extremely excited to start. Is starting in the summer a bad thing? Should I wait till Sept? I cant imagine waitingbut if its for the best..I would do it.

When do I order my materials? Should I get them now or wait and get them closer to when we will start?

Ok I think that about does it for now. Im sure Ill have more (much more) later to ask you all!

Thanks SO much for your help!!!

Stephenie


----------



## NHWX

Cajunrose - I can't speak to a lot of your questions because I started homeschooling when our two were older. 

As far as where we homeschool, it's kind of all over the place. The kids might work on a computer in our home office but with my husband working at home also, sometimes they'll move out into the kitchen or living room. A lot of work happens there. I often sit by side with my 12 year old when I teach a grammer lesson, for instance. My 14 year old frequently likes the entire kitchen table when he's working on a math problem - laptop, calculator, math book or books, and scrap paper. Of course, then it's easy to sit next to him when he's gotten to a point that he doesn't understand.

As far as start dates, you might want to check with your district or state DOE as far as the regulations go. You might have to file by a certain date or declare a start date.  If there aren't any regulations, I'd say that you could start whenever. If you have to complete so many hours or days, then it's easier if you build in some slack time. In retrospect, I think homeschooling starting with first grade would have been so much fun. Too bad I didn't know that then! Oh, and I could have saved buckets of money instead of sending them to private school.

NHWX


----------



## sha_lyn

> Is there a program out there that does the ‘morning routine’ stuff? Is that something I need to do on my own? I’m talking about calendar, weather, etc. We did “Everyday Counts” in the public school and I really loved it for teaching money, calendar, patterns, etc. I would love a program similar to that I think.


The Saxons grade math workbook covered days/dates/logged weather etc.
DD just did not get explode the code, and I often had to look up the answer to get what they were going for. I found the pictures too abstract to understand what the picture was. Usually I could follow the word pattern and figure out what word it was. The best example it a picture of what looks like a mountain peak surrounded by snow and 2 small pine trees off to the side. I believe it was "ish"words that DD had to write.
I kept looking at the picture and talking to her, just what could this picture be of. I looked up the answer and it was fish. If you turned the page just right(not quite upside down) you could see that the snow was water, the 2 peaks were actually the top and bottom 1/2s of the head (the valley between was the mouth) and the trees off to the side was a tail.

I thought it was just me, but I had several people look at the pictures and most were puzzled on how the picture portrayed the answer given.


----------



## bear74

I am so overwhelmed by the different curriculum choices.  I can't decide 
We will be doing Kindergarten


----------



## meandtheguys2

Hey all, just checking in!  Thanks for the new thread, Julie!


----------



## skoi

We're still trying to decide which curriculum for our high schooler. Dh will be deployed and it'll be the four kids and I so I'm looking for something that can mostly be done by her alone. We currently use Sonlight, but dd isn't interested in any of the high school classes, and hasn't been pleased with core 8. She also really dislikes the science texts she's used for the last two years.

Ds 9 still needs a lot of guidance with his work. He's really struggling with spelling (but only in the context of writing, can spell well when he does tests) and mechanics. We're sticking with Sonlight for him until high school.

We'll be in Disney 9/24-9/27, then we're meeting  the grandparents for a cruise. It'll be our first trip ever without dh.

Julie


----------



## Temair

I used Math U see a while back and really liked it.  My husband likes the fact that using math u see pricipals you can do advanced math using the manipulatives.  Math u see does cover measurments, and time.  If you look on thier website you can see thier scope of what is covered.  Also you can post on thier forums specific questions about the curiculum.  I've heard that some people don't like how its laid out as Division is not introduced till grade 4(after mastering multiplication), and some states test on division in grade 3.

I would have probably kept with the Math U see, but I went for a vitrual school and they provide K12.  If I go back to officially homeschooling I will probably use math u see again.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

cajun rose- sounds like you would like the Saxon, for the manipulatives they have a great kit, they also do the morning calendar.What a great decision-I have looked into Sonlight as well for my just turned 5 year old. As for ordering, do it now because after june rolls around, they get pretty busy.

Bear74-there are so many good curriculums out there. If you are wanting a kit, check out ABeka, Sonlight, Bob Jones, or Five in a Row. All these are great for starting. Blessings on your new journey!!

For all you new hsers out here, I suggest you get Cathy Duffys Top 100 Picks for Homeschool Curr. I use it every year! She takes the overwhelming amount of choices out there and narrows it down. It is great for me because I tend to forget what all I have read about and it gives you the websites and brief descriptions of each. A must have for anyone who isn't 100% sure about what's out there.


----------



## mommyof2princesses

cajunrose:
 If you go with Saxon, skip Saxon K.  It was too easy.  go right to Saxon 1.  That is what many homeschooling magazines suggest too.  Saxon 1 is very easy still, but it seems more geared to the kindergarten age.

We went with Sing, spell, read write for our dd.  She started last August and is half way through.  I like the songs, the order of the plans and dd loves the games.  It has some writing but in the beginning we skipped some of it.  By lesson 16 it says your child has learned all the sounds needed to read.  DD can read just about anything.  She is only 4 1/2 and she is small for her age, so when we are out and she reads something, they think she is a tiny genius! 

We will be using Sonlight for older dd who will be 9th grade next year.  We are mixing and matching though.  I am using it for ss and some reading, but we are doing Saxon math and Marine Biology.  The great thing about Sonlight is you can really set it up for your own needs.

Good luck!


----------



## therealleigh

Hi,  I am a new homeschooling mom.  Took my dds' out of public school the first of March.  I am still looking into all the different curriculums out there.  Looking for 5th and 7th grade.  We have just been deschooling for now.  After our trip to Disney in May, I hope to have decided on a curriculum.


----------



## bear74

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> cajun rose- sounds like you would like the Saxon, for the manipulatives they have a great kit, they also do the morning calendar.What a great decision-I have looked into Sonlight as well for my just turned 5 year old. As for ordering, do it now because after june rolls around, they get pretty busy.
> 
> Bear74-there are so many good curriculums out there. If you are wanting a kit, check out ABeka, Sonlight, Bob Jones, or Five in a Row. All these are great for starting. Blessings on your new journey!!
> 
> For all you new hsers out here, I suggest you get Cathy Duffys Top 100 Picks for Homeschool Curr. I use it every year! She takes the overwhelming amount of choices out there and narrows it down. It is great for me because I tend to forget what all I have read about and it gives you the websites and brief descriptions of each. A must have for anyone who isn't 100% sure about what's out there.



Thanks,

We are going to be at WDW Sept. 14-Sept. 22


----------



## wvdislover

skoi said:


> We're still trying to decide which curriculum for our high schooler. Dh will be deployed and it'll be the four kids and I so I'm looking for something that can mostly be done by her alone. We currently use Sonlight, but dd isn't interested in any of the high school classes, and hasn't been pleased with core 8. She also really dislikes the science texts she's used for the last two years.
> 
> Ds 9 still needs a lot of guidance with his work. He's really struggling with spelling (but only in the context of writing, can spell well when he does tests) and mechanics. We're sticking with Sonlight for him until high school.
> 
> We'll be in Disney 9/24-9/27, then we're meeting  the grandparents for a cruise. It'll be our first trip ever without dh.
> 
> Julie



Sounds like we're taking the same vacations!  We're doing a land/sea at Beach Club, then cruising for 4 nights on the Wonder.  Where are you staying?


----------



## wvdislover

therealleigh said:


> Hi,  I am a new homeschooling mom.  Took my dds' out of public school the first of March.  I am still looking into all the different curriculums out there.  Looking for 5th and 7th grade.  We have just been deschooling for now.  After our trip to Disney in May, I hope to have decided on a curriculum.



I love this term you used--deschooling.  We've been doing exactly the same thing with our DD10.  We pulled her out of school a week before Easter, and going strong (with a few bumps here and there--still working the kinks out  )


----------



## Momvic5

livndisney said:


> I hope it is ok to ask this question here. I have been considering Homeschooling my DD for 2 years now. We have tried several different schools and I feel they have all fallen way short of my expectations. (One even lost my DD ) I don't want to make an "emotional" choice-I want to make the best choice for my child.
> 
> SO my question is this: Why did YOU choose to Homeschool?




I choose to homeschool because I believe it is what God wants me to do right now.  I made the decision three years ago, and I couldn't really explain my reasoning other than I just felt like it is what I needed to do.  Two years ago right after we started our first year, my mom was diagnoised with breast cancer.  I now know why I needed to do it.  The kids and I have been able to go and stay with her for weeks at a time.  We just pack our school books and do what we need to do.



bebelle said:


> We are in the same spot. I am thinking of changing to Teaching Textbooks. You can go online and look at examples of their DVD lessons. Another great math curriculum is Chalk Dust but it is VERY expensive. They too have a website with examples of their DVD lessons. We are going to a home schoolers convention in May. So I may change my mind but I feel pretty strongly that we will be going with Teaching Textbooks. Hope this helps.



Several others have mentioned Teaching Textbooks.  I am going to check it out.  I have never even heard of it. 



tnmomof4 said:


> What subjects do you use A Beka and Bob Jones for?  I am using all A Beka right now and as you mentioned.... I am thinking about putting my orders in for new books/curriculum by June.  I don't know if I should stay with all A Beka or not.  This is our first year, and I don't know anything about other curriculums.



I use Bob Jones for English, and I love it.  I really like the way it is set up.  It has 16 chapters with 8 chapters being grammar, and the other 8 chapters being a type of writing assignment. The child will spend about two weeks on  grammar lessons, and then they will begin a writing assignment.  For example, my DS12 is finishing a historical fiction paper while my DD8 is finishing a biography.  Next they will both begin diagramming sentences.  While my son is diagramming more complex sentences, my daughter is just learning the process.  



cajunrose said:


> What about your space?  Can I see pictures of your learning area?  Storage, wall décor, desk, etc.  I will have to use my all inclusive dining room, office (2 computers, sometimes 4), foyer, crap room..lol  It is the first room that one sees when they first walk into my house.  I got an older style desk yesterday at a garage sale. Im excited about that and so is Raelee. She wants to use her table that is hooked to a chair LOL
> 
> 
> WHEN do I start homeschooling?
> 
> When do I order my materials? Should I get them now or wait and get them closer to when we will start?
> 
> 
> Stephenie




When I started homeschooling I felt like my children needed an area where they knew school was going to take place.  I moved my two DSs together into one room and made the other room our "school room."  I like having a "school room."  It helps me stay organized, and the kids work better.  Every once and awhile, my oldest DS will go to the kitchen table to work if he is being distracted by the rest of us, but for the most part, we work in our "school room."   This may change as they get older and become more independent.  Right now, I bounce back and forth between the three so the school room keeps us together.

I would start ordering your material now.  It will give you the opportunity to handle your material and prepare. 

Thanks everyone for your thoughts!


----------



## Laura.bora

livndisney said:


> I hope it is ok to ask this question here. I have been considering Homeschooling my DD for 2 years now. We have tried several different schools and I feel they have all fallen way short of my expectations. (One even lost my DD ) I don't want to make an "emotional" choice-I want to make the best choice for my child.
> 
> SO my question is this: Why did YOU choose to Homeschool?



Ok, 1st off, THEY LOST YOUR DAUGHTER??!!!???

Second, I decided to homeschool when I was in high school before I had any kids.  My cousin homeschooled her kids, and they were the most polite well mannered kids I had ever met.  That intrigued me, but I wasn't sold yet.  And then one day I took them to the zoo, and we're looking at the bald eagle exhibit and one of the girls is going on and on about how the bald eagle mates for life, the size of the nest, the wing span etc.  I'm looking for the thing she's reading off of, can't find it and ask her - "Where are you reading this from?"  Turns out she wasn't, they had just finished a study of zoology.  And then we were having a cousin/neighborhood kids arts and craft party, and we had the kids making bead pictures.  My MIL is going around asking the kids what they are making, we get the normal kid responses - a rainbow, a puppy.  Then we get to 3 year old Nora and what is she making?  An abstract.   What 3 year old knows about abstract art?????  So that was why I decided to homeschool.   And I'm ever so glad I did!


----------



## bebelle

cajunrose said:


> What about your space?  Can I see pictures of your learning area?  Storage, wall décor, desk, etc.  I will have to use my all inclusive dining room, office (2 computers, sometimes 4), foyer, crap room..lol  It is the first room that one sees when they first walk into my house.  I got an older style desk yesterday at a garage sale. Im excited about that and so is Raelee. She wants to use her table that is hooked to a chair LOL



We started out with a school room but we always seemed to migrate to the dining room. We have an open floor plan so it makes it easier for me to get some other things done while schooling, Now I have "surrendered" to using the dining room. I have a basket with my teaching books and a basket with his school books. I have a basket with misc--hole punch, white out, pens, pencils, stapler, tape, ruler, calculator, paperclips, ect...I also have a plastic hanging file box with master copies of portfolio pages, tests/quizes and other paperwork.  It is easy to pick up the baskets and store them in the hall closet. I also have a laptop and printer that I store in the bottom of my china cabinet.


----------



## bebelle

cajunrose said:


> WHEN do I start homeschooling?  Raelee is finishing up her last month of school at the public school.  We are taking a trip to Disney (last week of May, first week of June) then we have family in the week after that.  I am extremely excited to start. Is starting in the summer a bad thing? Should I wait till Sept? I cant imagine waitingbut if its for the best..I would do it.
> 
> When do I order my materials? Should I get them now or wait and get them closer to when we will start?



We start the beginning of August with just math (his least favorite subject). Then we start full-time the Tuesday after Labor Day. For the remainder of the year he has full days Monday through Thurday and a lighter day (no math) on Friday. The fact that he only has math four days a week is a great motivator for him. I have a friend whose son does not like english. She uses the same early start with english and it has made a huge deal in her son's attitude.

I don't order anything until I attend the May homeschool conference in our state. This is the first year that we will be taking our son. He wll be starting 9th grade and is excited to have more input in his curriculum.


----------



## livndisney

Thank you to the few that answered my question. Can anyone suggest other boards where I might learn more about home schooling my DD?

Thank you,


----------



## sha_lyn

MDC is the one board I keep going back to
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/index.php
seems they are having server problems again even with the big move/upgrade over the weekend, so I can't give a direct like to the sub-forum.
It is Learning At Home and Beyond.
Be certain to check out the pinned threads at the top of the page

As for why did we start homeschooling. It was a long process. We had problems and weren't really happy with PS once we move at the beginning 3rd (this was for DS DD was a newborn at the time). 3-6 it was one crazy thing after another (including major problems with the bus driver that the school constantly ignored). By the end of 5 I was looking into other options. The first week of 6 DS came home crying over the bully of a bus driver again. By the middle of 6th I realized how far behind the PS was. I started researching and found that that previous 6th grades from the school had a horrible time in middle school. The average was over 70% requiring remedial or special ed in middle and/or high school. Here I thought DS was doing great because he was in the highest math class and 2nd highest reading class in 6th. Turns out there were more than a grade behind in both subjects. That was the final straw. We really wanted to send the kids to private school (DD would be attending preK during DS 7th grade yr) but 1)we couldn't afford it 2)DS was too far behind and really should have repeated 6th even though he had a B+ average.
The original decision was the work intensely with DS for 2 years then put him back in PS. We enrolled DD in a small 3 day a week 1/2 preschool.
 The decision to HS DD actually came about after talking to her preK teacher. DD was the youngest and smallest in her class. The teacher said that DD was not physically or emotionally ready for full day K, but would be bored repeating preK. She really was the one to encourage me to home-school DD also. the end of that first yr we still weren't fully on board with Homeschooling as a way of life. We had a hard time finding a HS group that we fit with (all were extremely religious at the time).  DS was dong really well that first year, but we still had to goal of putting him in high school for 9th.
However by the end of the 2nd yr we found our HS community and the kids were thriving. DS finished up high school a few months ago and is working full time while trying to decide what he wants to do for the rest of his life. I wish he would go ahead and enroll in college and take the core classes while making up his mind, but he want some time off from school. I hope that by fall he will at least enroll in a few classes. He almost joined the coast guard with a friend but changed his mind.
Right now I can't imagine putting DD in public school although Montessori might be an option if a non-religious one ever opens near us that is affordable and goes beyond 3rd grade.


----------



## Goddessrobin

Another homeschool Mom checking in!  I have been homeschooling since my oldest son was in 3rd grade.  He is now finishing up 9th!  My younger son is in 1st.  He has never been "in the system", as we call it.

I had been considering homeschooling from the very beginning, because I had always wanted to be homeschooled as a child.  I went ahead and put my older son in kindergarten in our local public school and everything was fine at first.  

I made the decision to homeschool the day I brought my younger son home from the hospital.  So, yeah, I guess you could say that it was an emotional decision!  But, it was the best decision that I have ever made for my family.  My husband was not homeschooled, but his Step Mother homeschooled his younger brothers.  If he had not had some experience, I don't think that I would have had the courage to take that leap.  He encouraged me and I am so thankful for that.  We are a very close and strong family.  Our Boys are thoughtful and respectful of others and those are traits that are rare in the children coming out of public school in my area.  We are able to instill our values in our children.  That alone makes up for any crazy days we may have here and there. 

Sorry about the long ramble.  I am really happy about this thread.  I looked at the other one, but the number of posts was overwhelming.  I seem to be getting in on this one fairly early.  Yay, me!


----------



## gracefor5

Momvic5 said:


> How exciting ~ A new thread!
> 
> I have started planning for our next school year, and while trying to get an idea of what I am going to use with my oldest, I started considering the idea of switching to a new curriculum for him in math.
> 
> I am curious.  What math curriculums do you use with your older children (6th grade and up)?  My oldest DS12 will be going into the 7th grade, and we currently use Saxon.  Most days I really like it, but then there are days when I think it is very boring.  My son likes it fine I guess.  He never complains about it, but I think he might enjoy a change for the next school year.  I am interested in what others are using and how it compares with the style of Saxon.
> 
> Thanks so much for your thoughts!


This will be messy and long.........sorry.
I have been around and around on this.I've done, Singapore, Saxon, MathUSee with different kids...I loved MathUSee for Alpha and Beta (basically adding/subtract/single and multiple digits) I liked MathUSEe for Gamma and Delta (multiplication/division) For the latter, he has some unique approaches and that was somewhat confusing, plus he doesn't really cover much else then those topics. Very little time/money etc. I like Math Mammoth (did a few of their small units on money and time) so my son is moving to that next year for 3rd gr instead of Gamma and Delta. My 5th grader is switching to Teaching Textbook after finishing Delta. She needs a change and I like the idea of it scoring for me and keeping a running record of her year.
My plan for the youngest (probably will change) is Math U see Alpha and then Beta, switch to Math Mammoth for 3rd/4th and then go to Teaching Textbook.

Hope this makes sense and is helpful

Kim


----------



## gracefor5

cajunrose said:


> I have chosen Sonlight and am going to order this: http://www.sonlight.com/newcomer-p-4-5.html
> 
> We love Sonlight..Have used them since the beginning (with one, short, disastrous, try of a different curriculum that did NOT work for us)
> 
> I am on the fence for math.  So far, either Saxon or Math U See.  I like Saxon because it looks all inclusive (weight, adding, patterns, general math facts).  I like the manipulatives also but Im a hands on, gadget person.  I like Math U See because it looks like it REALLY works for truly understanding what the content is. Im just concerned about what it coversIm not really clear on it.  What am I going to have to fill in the gaps for?
> 
> Saxon takes a lot of time for the teacher but it covers EVERYTHING. I used Math U See because it was easier for me. I have 3 to teach and can't consistently spend 1hr doing Math with one kids (unless it is to work through a glitch, I'm talking daily teach time.) Math U SEe does have holes, I used Math Mammoth mini lessons to fill on time/money/decimals etc.
> I am now moving to Math Mammoth for my 3rd grader and Teaching Textbook for by 5th grader.
> 
> 
> Explode the Code would be for (recommended to me by a close friend on the net)? My kids, not workbook kids, really like these and learned a lot
> 
> 
> What about your space?  I had a nice "school room" set up and they kept moving to my kitchen table. So, we use the kitchen table  . I have several closets/bookshelves for storage but I turned the school room into a quiet reading/music room (meaning lots of book shelves for my "habit" and a piano!!)
> 
> Tell me more about lapbooks please!  I am an avid scrapbooker and this appeals to me.  Do you just choose a subject, research it and make the book?  It seems like it could be VERY time consuming if you did one on each subject.  How would I go about doing these at Raelees age? Where do I get started with it?
> 
> 
> When do I order my materials? Should I get them now or wait and get them closer to when we will start?   I order after the tax return . If you wait until June or later there is usually a longer delivery time. I try to order end of May when the end is in sight.
> 
> 
> Stephenie


 PM me if you have ??. I love to talk to people about homeschooling./

Kim


----------



## Neesy228

Hi everyone...I've been lurking around the Dis Boards for a few weeks and stumbled upon the homeschool chatter last week. I thought it might be a good place to meet some people and get some ideas.  

I have three kiddos - the oldest is in first grade. After some miserable teacher experiences, an overcrowded classroom, some rough kids and an all around tough year, I'm seriously considering homeschooling my son. We live in PA and I've done a decent amount of research on the homeschool laws/requirements in our state. My stumbling block is really the curriculum. I'm looking for something that will cover all of my bases. Is that possible? Or is it better to break it up based on subject? I'd prefer something secular (no offense to anyone). I'm also wondering how homeschoolers structure the days? I know there's probably vast differences, but I'd love to hear how *you* do it! 

I also really welcome any "first timer" stories or lessons learned etc etc. I'm so worried that I'm going to screw up and he's going to fall behind or that I won't be able to teach him at all... 

I really appreciate anyones willingness to share their stories and information with this newbie. I look forward to meeting you! Thanks so much. Denise


----------



## DawnM

TheHomeschoolLibrary.com

Dawn



livndisney said:


> Thank you to the few that answered my question. Can anyone suggest other boards where I might learn more about home schooling my DD?
> 
> Thank you,


----------



## Praise2Him

livndisney said:


> SO my question is this: Why did YOU choose to Homeschool?



I'm sure everyone's story is different, but here's mine... (short version)

I was a stay-at-home mom until my youngest started 1st grade. Went back to college and got a degree in Elementary/Early Childhood Education. Taught Kindergarten/1st grade for 3 years. Realized my kids were growing up fast and didn't want to miss the last years with them (oldest was a senior in high school). Decided to come back home until they were all gone. Youngest said, "Since you're going to be home anyway, why don't you homeschool me?" She was going into 8th grade at the time. I wasn't sure about teaching high school, but was very interested. She was in a private Christian school (where I taught) and it wasn't horrible, but I have to say that homeschooling has been the best decision of our lives! Also, a year and a half later, her brother (in 11th grade) decided to come home to school for his last year and a half.

We really like it because it's so flexible and they can follow their interests. DD loves sewing and piano, and she has time to develop those interests. Also, as they get older it's very easy for them to have jobs because they can work during the day when other kids are at school and do their schoolwork at night. DS was able to save over $5,000 for college by working at Sears his senior year.


----------



## Princess_Michelle

Neesy228 said:


> Hi everyone...I've been lurking around the Dis Boards for a few weeks and stumbled upon the homeschool chatter last week. I thought it might be a good place to meet some people and get some ideas.
> 
> I have three kiddos - the oldest is in first grade. After some miserable teacher experiences, an overcrowded classroom, some rough kids and an all around tough year, I'm seriously considering homeschooling my son. We live in PA and I've done a decent amount of research on the homeschool laws/requirements in our state. My stumbling block is really the curriculum. I'm looking for something that will cover all of my bases. Is that possible? Or is it better to break it up based on subject? I'd prefer something secular (no offense to anyone). I'm also wondering how homeschoolers structure the days? I know there's probably vast differences, but I'd love to hear how *you* do it!
> 
> I also really welcome any "first timer" stories or lessons learned etc etc. *I'm so worried that I'm going to screw up and he's going to fall behind or that I won't be able to teach him at all... *
> 
> I really appreciate anyones willingness to share their stories and information with this newbie. I look forward to meeting you! Thanks so much. Denise



That is exactly how I felt a few months ago!! My son isn't ready for Kindergarten yet, but almost! I was really nervous about doing it, but I recently found this really awesome Classical Education Co-Op that has "classes" two days a week. I went to the open house yesterday and it looks wonderful!! It makes me feel 100% confident that I can do this b/c for two days a week, he'll be learning from a tutor in a school like environment, and they will be evaluating him in the process. It just makes me feel better, really  

I learned about this Co-op from an a yahoo group that I found just by Googling "Homeschool in Maryland". I don't participate in the group at all, just read a few of the info. e-mails, and that's how I found it. Soooo, I suggest you google "Homeschool in PA" and just join all the groups and read the e-mails and see what's going on....try a few things out and you're sure to find somewhere to get support!

About curriculum, we're going to use Sonlight. I love it! You can buy the all-inclusive options, and it is Christian based, but set up in a way that you can leave the religion part out of it. Also, even though it is religous, they don't practice the "Shelter your children from every non-Christian concept" idea, so I think it can easily be used in a secular way. You can sign up for a free catalog on their website. www.sonlight.com 

Also, check and see when your local/state curriculum fairs are. There is one in Frederick, MD this weekend...it's the Maryland State one. Good Luck!


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## sha_lyn

> My stumbling block is really the curriculum. I'm looking for something that will cover all of my bases. Is that possible? Or is it better to break it up based on subject? I'd prefer something secular (no offense to anyone). I'm also wondering how homeschoolers structure the days? I know there's probably vast differences, but I'd love to hear how *you* do it!


Calvert was pretty good for a boxed curriculum. The only 2 problems I have with it are:
1 Too many work sheets for K...I thought I had to "do it all". If doing it again I would eliminate some of the repetition in the daily work.
2 Can't mix up grade levels except for math.

If I was starting all over with a K or 1st grader and wanted a boxed curriculum I think I would go with Oak Meadow.

What I really would like to see is a boxed set that follows the classical/The Well Trained Mind time line for history.


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## Crisgw

I'm not a Homeschooler but thought that this might be something some of you might be interested in.  I'm an Education Administrator and this is a site that was brought to our attention to cater to the needs of Homeschoolers in our district.
http://fusefly.com/


----------



## Temair

My DD has been a vitual school student for the past 2 years and we are starting to get tierd of all the rules and regulations and keeping up with the school schedule.  We would rather school year round, rather than the traditional calendar.  I've been looking around at curriculums and I'm getting very overwhlemd.  I really do love the K12 curiculum, but I dont have $1500 to pay for it myself.  I'm looking for a good solid curriculum that will teach my DD what she will need to know to eventually move onto university.  I would perfer a program that goes all the way to grade 12, but I'm willing to change for highschool.  I'm also willing to use different resources for different subjects.  My DD is 8 and doing grade 3 curriiculum at the moment.  I lean towards a more traditional or textbook/workbook type of method.  So far I'm leaning towards Math-u-see for math, but have no ideas for other subjects.  Any sugestions would be apprecited.


----------



## Princess_Michelle

Temair said:


> My DD has been a vitual school student for the past 2 years and we are starting to get tierd of all the rules and regulations and keeping up with the school schedule.  We would rather school year round, rather than the traditional calendar.  I've been looking around at curriculums and I'm getting very overwhlemd.  I really do love the K12 curiculum, but I dont have $1500 to pay for it myself.  I'm looking for a good solid curriculum that will teach my DD what she will need to know to eventually move onto university.  I would perfer a program that goes all the way to grade 12, but I'm willing to change for highschool.  I'm also willing to use different resources for different subjects.  My DD is 8 and doing grade 3 curriiculum at the moment.  I lean towards a more traditional or textbook/workbook type of method.  So far I'm leaning towards Math-u-see for math, but have no ideas for other subjects.  Any sugestions would be apprecited.



I'm going to say, again , Sonlight sounds ilke a good fit. Another thing I like about it, is that it is mostly reading and then comprehension...which is what most of college is about. That's all I did in college was read, read, read and write essays.  There is the hands on stuff too, for science and stuff, and stuff can be left out/substituted for a more individula fit....


----------



## Momvic5

Temair said:


> My DD has been a vitual school student for the past 2 years and we are starting to get tierd of all the rules and regulations and keeping up with the school schedule.  We would rather school year round, rather than the traditional calendar.  I've been looking around at curriculums and I'm getting very overwhlemd.  I really do love the K12 curiculum, but I dont have $1500 to pay for it myself.  I'm looking for a good solid curriculum that will teach my DD what she will need to know to eventually move onto university.  I would perfer a program that goes all the way to grade 12, but I'm willing to change for highschool.  I'm also willing to use different resources for different subjects.  My DD is 8 and doing grade 3 curriiculum at the moment.  I lean towards a more traditional or textbook/workbook type of method.  So far I'm leaning towards Math-u-see for math, but have no ideas for other subjects.  Any sugestions would be apprecited.




I suggest looking at Bob Jones for English!  This is our second year using it, and I have been very pleased with it.  It is both a grammar and writing curriculum.   It is more traditional, very easy to follow, not overwhelming, and available through the 12th grade.  

I attended a parent preview at a local private school two weeks ago, and while looking through their curriculums, I noticed that they use Bob Jones for English begining in 2nd grade and continue to use it through 12th grade.  This school has a reputation for producing students who excel in colleges/universities so I felt a little relieved to know that I was not the only one using it.


----------



## lori1043

Crisgw said:


> I'm not a Homeschooler but thought that this might be something some of you might be interested in. I'm an Education Administrator and this is a site that was brought to our attention to cater to the needs of Homeschoolers in our district.
> http://fusefly.com/


 

Thanks I will check it out!

I homeschool b/c I was 'called' to it. I fought it b/c I thought it was crazy, but then i became surroundd by homeschoolers in all of our extra curr. activities we were doing. So by talking to them, I learned a good bit.
Even the school principal talked to me about it at the school where our older DD attended for K and 1st. Maybe she thinks SHE planted the seed, but she didn't, she confirmed it for me, as well as others. Then came talking to DH about it, who was like, "NO" at first. After a year of pondering and meeting others that did it, he said, "okay, lets try it". At first we were going to have the kids finish elementary school where they were(b/c we liked it okay) and take them out at 4th grade. BUt eventually we decided to start young when it was easier to catch them up if we MESSED up!!! But so far, it isn't like that. They do well, we love it, it fits us and we take it year to year. The high school seed is being planted too, but we will see. Of all the things we DO, we know THIS is the right choice for our family right now. It is about the only thing I am positive I am doing right for my family. We are finishing up our third year in May!

Lori


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## merryweather's twin

Hi guys! Just checking in. Thank you for starting a new thread. We are having a great year and DS is loving it. I love seeing what you are using and  what seems to work  . I may change things up a bit for 8th grade . We are using many work books but he would like something different. We have A2 also but have used it mostly for the books. Any ideas?


----------



## Lora

Wow - 7 pages already!!  I don't know how I'm going to keep up.  I now have Disney threads to read on the Sonlight forums and homeschool threads to read on the DIS!!! 

We're in our 8th year of homeschooling.  DDs are in 7th and 5th.   We use mostly Sonlight, Singapore Math, Rod and Staff (English), some Critical Thinking stuff, Rosetta Stone, and other bits and pieces. 

We're heading to WDW in October this year - starting our trip with our first Disney Cruise.      I'm looking forward to making a feeble attempt at following this thread.


----------



## Lora

livndisney said:


> I hope it is ok to ask this question here. I have been considering Homeschooling my DD for 2 years now. We have tried several different schools and I feel they have all fallen way short of my expectations. (One even lost my DD ) I don't want to make an "emotional" choice-I want to make the best choice for my child.
> 
> SO my question is this: Why did YOU choose to Homeschool?



I chose to hs for two main reasons:

1)  I was a public school teacher and didn't like what I was seeing.  Where I taught, there were few consequences for bad choices whether it was academically or behaviorally.  Students were lacking in skills and school was just a social gather for many of them.  (Please realize that I know that all public schools are not like this, but I saw enough to turn me away.)

2)  I knew one very lovely homeschool family and was really impressed with their family bond.  I saw my friends and their older children growing further apart.   I saw the way parents are portrayed in TV shows and how parents who got involved in the schools were ridiculed by the teachers where I taught.  I wanted to preserve that special family bond and be a positive influence in my children's lives without the saturation of a peer group at such a young age.

I have since found even more reasons to _keep_ homeschooling.

1) academic excellence through one-on-one involvement
2) flexibility in our schedule and curriculum
3) time to devote to special talents and other areas (piano, theatre, creative writing)
4) avoiding agendas that are contrary to the core beliefs of my faith
5) a great homeschool community of friends


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## carmie3377

Wow, I'm so glad I found this thread.  We have recently decided to start home schooling DD9 next school year.  We'll let her finish 3rd grade, then we hope to HS on a traditional school calendar.

We are in an excellent school district, but we are still disappointed at the education our daughter receives.  She's an A student and loves all subjects, but math, which she hates.  We feel that she needs a little extra push in math but feel that she's being held back in other subjects.  She scored perfect on her Reading State Exam but that is because we pushed her at home to read higher level books.  DH was so disappointed when her teacher showed him a book she was so excited for the class to read.  It was at about half the level of what she reads at home.  We think HS will be great because we can let her excel in the areas that she does, but help her in the areas that needs help like math.

We are also disappointed in the amount of distraction in the public school system.  She had one little boy threaten her with a gun.  I'm sure he was joking, but you never know.  He'll be the kind of kid that really takes a gun to school when he gets older.

We know that it will be hard work but we feel that it will be totally worth the effort. 

We are in Texas.  I've researched and have found that there are no laws enforced in Texas.  No testing requirements, ect.  Can any that has/is HS in Texas verify that.

BTW, we are doing Disney Sept 27-Oct 4.  Anyone else going them?


----------



## Momvic5

carmie3377 said:


> We are in Texas.  I've researched and have found that there are no laws enforced in Texas.  No testing requirements, ect.  Can any that has/is HS in Texas verify that.
> 
> BTW, we are doing Disney Sept 27-Oct 4.  Anyone else going them?




Hi fellow Texan!  No, there isn't any testing requirements.  The only thing that I had to do was write a letter to our school district letting them know that I was withdrawing my children from the public school system and that I was going to be homeschooling them.  This was to insure that the children would be withdrawn from the school officially and that they wouldn't be counted under the absentee laws.


We are not going to DW in Sept but we are in December!


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## carmie3377

Momvic5 said:


> Hi fellow Texan!  No, there isn't any testing requirements.  The only thing that I had to do was write a letter to our school district letting them know that I was withdrawing my children from the public school system and that I was going to be homeschooling them.  This was to insure that the children would be withdrawn from the school officially and that they wouldn't be counted under the absentee laws.
> 
> 
> We are not going to DW in Sept but we are in December!



Thanks for the info.  We do plan on sending a letter to the school.  Glad that is all we need to do!

What part of Texas do you live in?  We live south of Houston.


----------



## skoi

wvdislover said:


> Sounds like we're taking the same vacations!  We're doing a land/sea at Beach Club, then cruising for 4 nights on the Wonder.  Where are you staying?



We'll be at the Contemporary, since there will only be five of us instead of six, we're taking advantage of being able to squeeze into the room. The two big kids love the CR.

Julie


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## Momvic5

carmie3377 said:


> carmie3377 said:
> 
> 
> 
> What part of Texas do you live in?  We live south of Houston.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I bet we are close.  We live south of Houston too ~ about 45 minutes away.
> 
> There is a great homeschool store in Houston.  It is called The Homeschool Store.  It is a hole in the wall place, but they have a ton of new and used materials and curriculums.  I can spend hours in there thumbing through things.  Check it out it you can.
Click to expand...


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## mykidsintow

Laura.bora said:


> And I'd like to know more about lapbooks - someone tried describing it to me on time, and it seemed more of a hob-podge of whatever the kid felt like throwing in the book.  Which my son would like - I just have a feeling it wasn't described very well.





I thought Lapbooks were just a crock.  Then, we did one.  My kids *LOVE* lapbooking.  Basically you get a folder and refold it.  Then you find things you like online and cut/color/paste, etc.

Here is a great website:
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/

Its like homeschool google!  It has free lapbooks, below (just pick and print the parts you want, FREE)!  There is one on CINDERELLA!  My daughter is working on cinderella.  My son is working on frogs.

http://www.homeschoolshare.com/Lapbooks_at_HSS.php

We have taken a break from our regularly scheduled program due to a lot of things going on (My mil recently passed unexpectedly, my husband is getting laid off, etc etc).  Anyway, lapbooking and Math is what we are finishing the year out with.  

If you have other ?s yell!  I hope someone hasn't already covered this.... I am catching up.


----------



## Laura.bora

mykidsintow said:


> I thought Lapbooks were just a crock.  Then, we did one.  My kids *LOVE* lapbooking.  Basically you get a folder and refold it.  Then you find things you like online and cut/color/paste, etc.
> 
> Here is a great website:
> http://www.homeschoolshare.com/
> 
> Its like homeschool google!  It has free lapbooks, below (just pick and print the parts you want, FREE)!  There is one on CINDERELLA!  My daughter is working on cinderella.  My son is working on frogs.
> 
> http://www.homeschoolshare.com/Lapbooks_at_HSS.php
> 
> We have taken a break from our regularly scheduled program due to a lot of things going on (My mil recently passed unexpectedly, my husband is getting laid off, etc etc).  Anyway, lapbooking and Math is what we are finishing the year out with.
> 
> If you have other ?s yell!  I hope someone hasn't already covered this.... I am catching up.




It looks like lapbooking is mostly for review of something you've just covered - is that right?  Thank you for the weblinks - we're on a "break" right now, but maybe I could sneak some learning in if I pass it off as Arts and crafts!


----------



## mykidsintow

Its not really review.  Its more to reinforce/activities to go along with lessons.

For example we are reading a book on the life cycle of frogs.  So to go along with that we have in our lapbook a cute cover we colored.  Then there is a life cycle wheel he got to glue in order the cycle.  We have a thing about why frogs sing, a small book of frog facts, etc.

Its reinforcing and putting into a cute book my son can show daddy and it goes along with what we would have otherwise read and put down.  Its very cool that he can show daddy and "review".  They *love* the crafty-ness of it.

I guess you could do one as a review for something you have previously covered.  Its up to you


----------



## bear74

Momvic5 said:


> Hi fellow Texan!  No, there isn't any testing requirements.  The only thing that I had to do was write a letter to our school district letting them know that I was withdrawing my children from the public school system and that I was going to be homeschooling them.  This was to insure that the children would be withdrawn from the school officially and that they wouldn't be counted under the absentee laws.
> 
> 
> We are not going to DW in Sept but we are in December!





carmie3377 said:


> Thanks for the info.  We do plan on sending a letter to the school.  Glad that is all we need to do!
> 
> What part of Texas do you live in?  We live south of Houston.



Hi fellow Texans.  I am Dripping Springs  we will be starting our fist year of HS in Aug.


----------



## mommyof2princesses

Lora said:


> I chose to hs for two main reasons:
> 
> 1)  I was a public school teacher and didn't like what I was seeing.  Where I taught, there were few consequences for bad choices whether it was academically or behaviorally.  Students were lacking in skills and school was just a social gather for many of them.  (Please realize that I know that all public schools are not like this, but I saw enough to turn me away.)
> 
> 2)  I knew one very lovely homeschool family and was really impressed with their family bond.  I saw my friends and their older children growing further apart.   I saw the way parents are portrayed in TV shows and how parents who got involved in the schools were ridiculed by the teachers where I taught.  I wanted to preserve that special family bond and be a positive influence in my children's lives without the saturation of a peer group at such a young age.
> 
> I have since found even more reasons to _keep_ homeschooling.
> 
> 1) academic excellence through one-on-one involvement
> 2) flexibility in our schedule and curriculum
> 3) time to devote to special talents and other areas (piano, theatre, creative writing)
> 4) avoiding agendas that are contrary to the core beliefs of my faith
> 5) a great homeschool community of friends



Yes, I am in the same boat.  Taught, been there, done that.  I am right there with ya!


----------



## DawnM

Oh man!  I am jelous!  I don't know if we will ever do a cruise now....once your family size is over 4, you pay way too much!

I think our next trip to WDW won't be until December.  DH has a meeting for a whole week the 2nd week of Dec. so we will have free lodging!!!!  

Dawn



Lora said:


> Wow - 7 pages already!!  I don't know how I'm going to keep up.  I now have Disney threads to read on the Sonlight forums and homeschool threads to read on the DIS!!!
> 
> We're in our 8th year of homeschooling.  DDs are in 7th and 5th.   We use mostly Sonlight, Singapore Math, Rod and Staff (English), some Critical Thinking stuff, Rosetta Stone, and other bits and pieces.
> 
> We're heading to WDW in October this year - starting our trip with our first Disney Cruise.      I'm looking forward to making a feeble attempt at following this thread.


----------



## WeDisney4

I dont think I fit a typical Homeschooling profile?

First, I think if one is even thinking about Homeschooling there must be something there?  Most either Homeschool or would never even think about it.  Does this make sense?  I do think about it, Alot!

I feel I am different in that we are not exceptionally religious, and I truly dont have a complaint w/ DDs school (1 in PK & 1 in 1st grade @ a small Catholic school in the south).  I just dont like the fact that 1st grade DD is gone from 7:30  3:30 (including commute) and still has homework.   DDs both truly like their school. 

Im by nature a procrastinator & less than well organized.  However I think Id love to unschool them!  What if its just the dreamer in me?  I did take my first formal step and borrowed The Homeschooling Book of Answers from our library.

Sorry for my short launch, I just needed to jump in & look forward to your thoughts!


----------



## Momvic5

bear74 said:


> Hi fellow Texans.  I am Dripping Springs  we will be starting our fist year of HS in Aug.



Howdy neighbor!  Dripping Springs is a beautiful area.  I guess you are in the middle of planning and preparing for next August.  It is very exciting and a little overwhelming.


----------



## Momvic5

DawnM said:


> Oh man!  I am jelous!  I don't know if we will ever do a cruise now....once your family size is over 4, you pay way too much!
> 
> I think our next trip to WDW won't be until December.  DH has a meeting for a whole week the 2nd week of Dec. so we will have free lodging!!!!
> 
> Dawn




I know the feeling.   We looked into taking a cruise but we could not get over the amount of $$$$ it took for a family of 5.  We decided to stick with the land!

We booked in December(14-20) as well!  No free lodging though!


----------



## WelovMickey!

Hi  

I am so happy I found this thread! I am new to DIS but I have been homeschooling for two and a half years now. I am a mother to 3 and I homeschool 2 of them. Their ages are 6, 9, and 1. I posted a thread about discounted Disney tickets for homeschoolers in another thread but I want to make sure all the homeschoolers read it. Its here http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1785493&page=1&highlight=

I hope that link works let me know. Well just wanted to say hi

Blessings,
Ingrid


----------



## WeDisney4

LOL ~ Im already checking for a reply, when I see I look like a crazy lady! 

Ive been a LOOOOng Time Lurker & feel like I know you.  I also just booked our Free Dining incl. reservations, so I guess all my hidden HS energy is just finally exploding!


----------



## meandtheguys2

Welcome, We!  Too funny about that energy!

There are some good unschooling books out there.  Unschooling well takes far more energy than I have!  We are always willing to add something fun to our curriculum, but I like having the stability and accountability of a regular program.  I.E., I know if math is behind, because DS is only on lesson 24, and we want to be done by May 30!

Good luck and happy hunting!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Momvic5 said:


> carmie3377 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I bet we are close.  We live south of Houston too ~ about 45 minutes away.
> 
> There is a great homeschool store in Houston.  It is called The Homeschool Store.  It is a hole in the wall place, but they have a ton of new and used materials and curriculums.  I can spend hours in there thumbing through things.  Check it out it you can.
> 
> 
> 
> We are neighbors as well! I think I already put that in,but I can't remember!! We are 1 hour and 45 min. E/NE of Bush INT. Airport! My favorite houston place-it takes us to Disney!! My best friend always shops the Homeschool store, I haven't had a chance to go-YET!
> 
> I wanted to add my reason for hsing: I knew I wanted my children to have a Christian based education. We had a great Christian school in our area where our oldest son started Kindergarten. It closed the next year,so we finished 1st grade in our local public school. I really felt the Lord was leading us to HSing, but I just had a new baby and my mother-in-law passed away that summer and dh felt we had too much going on to undertake this. So, I kept praying about it, and asked the Lord to soften dh's heart and lead him to this as well, if this was His will for our family. Well, wouldn't ya know it, we were talking one evening and hubby says, I really think we should take him out of ps and bring him home(this was the end of his 2nd grade year). He felt the Lord had really put this on his heart.   So, thank you Lord!! that was MY confirmation--after that an unbelievable amount of info. and comments about hsing started to come my way.
> It has been the greatest blessing in our families journey so far. I am ending our 4th year this Friday. Older son has been home for 3rd - 6th, my youngest son K-3rd, and little daughter, pre-K .
> 
> Our weather-as you know,fellow southeast Texans -is sooo hot and humid, we start school in early-mid July , take a few breaks and have off the month of December.(Family vacations to Disney). Then we pick it up in Jan,and cruise through April. This is where our summer vacation time begins.We usually don't take a big trip-just rest up and swim A LOT!!!!
Click to expand...


----------



## WeDisney4

Thank You! 

I am sooo sorry for starting with you all, please bear w/ me.  I guess I didn't mean unschooling.  I envision finding the right curriculum & textbooks along w/ many field trips; our museums, library, the zoo, DC, a local grist mill, etc.

How far off am I?  Im so willing for lots & lots of input!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

bear74-where is Dripping Springs? Sorry to say I have not heard of this


----------



## bear74

Momvic5 said:


> Howdy neighbor!  Dripping Springs is a beautiful area.  I guess you are in the middle of planning and preparing for next August.  It is very exciting and a little overwhelming.



very much so especially since my parents are very supportive and my mom watches my girls on the days I work at the Hospital


----------



## meandtheguys2

WeDisney4 said:


> Thank You!
> 
> I am sooo sorry for starting with you all, please bear w/ me.  I guess I didn't mean unschooling.  I envision finding the right curriculum & textbooks along w/ many field trips; our museums, library, the zoo, DC, a local grist mill, etc.
> 
> How far off am I?  I’m so willing for lots & lots of input!



That is ALL fun stuff!  I love curriculum hunting.  I have 4 copies of the Rainbow Resource catalog.  Rainbowresource.com .  And $1500 worth of new books sitting in my kitchen awaiting proper put-away!  There are several good catholic programs, too. 

You might want to check your library for notices about HS groups, too.  Then you could talk to a real person who is up to date on your state requirements, etc.  They might have some sort of get together during the summer for newbies.


----------



## bear74

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> bear74-where is Dripping Springs? Sorry to say I have not heard of this



we are about 20 minutes outside of Austin to the west toward Johnson City


----------



## mykidsintow

WeDisney4 said:


> I dont think I fit a typical Homeschooling profile?
> 
> I feel I am different in that we are not exceptionally religious, and I truly dont have a complaint w/ DDs school
> 
> Im by nature a procrastinator & less than well organized.  However I think Id love to unschool them!  What if its just the dreamer in me?
> 
> I did take my first formal step and borrowed The Homeschooling Book of Answers from our library.




Me either.... 

Me too!  I am not sure mine never went....

DITTO!  I am so unorganized and a procrastinator....  Dreaming is good...

Getting a book is always  good start!  Just don't feel you can't or shouldn't for the reaons listed above!  After all, you sound like me!


----------



## sha_lyn

> I don’t think I fit a typical Homeschooling profile?
> 
> First, I think if one is even thinking about Homeschooling there must be something there? Most either Homeschool or would never even think about it. Does this make sense? I do think about it, Alot!
> 
> I feel I am different in that we are not exceptionally religious, and I truly don’t have a complaint w/ DD’s school (1 in PK & 1 in 1st grade @ a small Catholic school in the south). I just don’t like the fact that 1st grade DD is gone from 7:30 – 3:30 (including commute) and still has homework. DDs both truly like their school.
> 
> I’m by nature a procrastinator & less than well organized. However I think I’d love to unschool them! What if it’s just the dreamer in me? I did take my first formal step and borrowed The Homeschooling Book of Answers from our library.
> 
> Sorry for my short launch, I just needed to jump in & look forward to your thoughts!



Welcome to our little community.

I don't believe there is a typical profile anymore. Home-schooling has become more mainstream/common place in the last few years. 7 years ago most home schoolers around here HS'ed for religious reasons. Most of those used one of the many religious curriculum out there. All the HS groups in the area required signing a religious statement etc. It was a very lonely beginning.
Now the HS community has grown into a very diverse community.

Now that Hs'ing is more "mainstream" I find that there are a lot of people like yourself that are just drawn to it. It just seems like a natural extension of parenting to them.

I am a very unorganized procrastinator too. At first I thought I had to have a boxed and scripted curriculum to cope with my weaknesses. However over the years I have found that since I hate structure I would keep procrastinating when it came to using a highly structured curriculum.

What works for me is dividing our year into 6-6 week sessions. I then go through each subject and divide it into 6ths. The goal is to complete 1/6 of a subject in each 6 week session. However the one thing I did have to realize it that I need to allow for DDs needs. If she needs more time on a subject I reevaluate the time needed to cover a subject and adjust accordingly.


Sorry I have to run right now. DD is finishing up her math lesson, so I need to get her started on grammar.


----------



## Momvic5

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> I wanted to add my reason for hsing: I knew I wanted my children to have a Christian based education. We had a great Christian school in our area where our oldest son started Kindergarten. It closed the next year,so we finished 1st grade in our local public school. I really felt the Lord was leading us to HSing, but I just had a new baby and my mother-in-law passed away that summer and dh felt we had too much going on to undertake this. So, I kept praying about it, and asked the Lord to soften dh's heart and lead him to this as well, if this was His will for our family. Well, wouldn't ya know it, we were talking one evening and hubby says, I really think we should take him out of ps and bring him home(this was the end of his 2nd grade year). He felt the Lord had really put this on his heart.   So, thank you Lord!! that was MY confirmation--after that an unbelievable amount of info. and comments about hsing started to come my way.
> It has been the greatest blessing in our families journey so far. I am ending our 4th year this Friday. Older son has been home for 3rd - 6th, my youngest son K-3rd, and little daughter, pre-K .




Your story just gave me the chills.  I am always amazed at how God works.  Homeschooling has definitely been a blessing for us too.   Homeschooling is  definitely a journey.  Some days are smooth sailing, and then some days are rocky mountains!


----------



## tnmomof4

WeDisney4 said:


> I dont think I fit a typical Homeschooling profile?
> 
> First, I think if one is even thinking about Homeschooling there must be something there?  Most either Homeschool or would never even think about it.  Does this make sense?  I do think about it, Alot!
> 
> I feel I am different in that we are not exceptionally religious, and I truly dont have a complaint w/ DDs school (1 in PK & 1 in 1st grade @ a small Catholic school in the south).  I just dont like the fact that 1st grade DD is gone from 7:30  3:30 (including commute) and still has homework.   DDs both truly like their school.
> 
> Im by nature a procrastinator & less than well organized.  However I think Id love to unschool them!  What if its just the dreamer in me?  I did take my first formal step and borrowed The Homeschooling Book of Answers from our library.
> 
> Sorry for my short launch, I just needed to jump in & look forward to your thoughts!




I did have lots of complaints about the private school my kids went to.  But...I know what you mean about being gone from 7:30-3:30 and still having homework.  I had many, many reasons that I decided to HS, but this was one of them.  My son that was in 4th grade would have so much homework that he would be up until 10:00 p.m.  Then he would be so tired the next day.  We were all so stressed out and tired.   It was just not good for him.   He would be in school for 7 hours and then come home and do 4 or 5 more hours of school work.   I also felt that the 7 hour he was in school that he wasn't learning what he should be learning.

We all have lots of different reasons for HS.  Some home-schoolers I know are very strict and well organized.  I am not overly strict, but I do try to stay somewhat organized since I am teaching two of my kids.  This was our first year so I have learned a lot.  I have learned from my mistakes, and I have learned what works good.   I think the most important thing to me is to do what is best for your kids and family.   There is not one reason to home-school.


----------



## disneyelaine

Hello,

I wanted to post on the new board and say Hi!  I am in my first full year of homeschooling my 5th grade son with high functioning autism.  Why do I homeschool?  Well around 4th grade things all came unglued at school.  I believe it was because he was always mainstreamed with no real supports. 
Our district claimed he was their first student with autism, but since then I've been told it's because they run them all off!  It's like, it's ok to have autism as long as your child behaves and learns normally.  Anyway, By 4th grade, he was unable to "blend" in socially with the other kids.  He is very smart, but also has apraxia and it takes him longer to get his words out.  Also he has hand writting issues, which the school OT just gave up on about 2nd grade!  Towards the end, my son did not want to be at school, and frankly they did not want him there either!  Well maybe that is harsh, but they did not know how to teach him or handle autism behaviors.  

Homeschooling has been a blessing for him.  He still has his best buddy whom he sees nearly daily.  In most ways he is a typical 11 yr old.  I am the typical mom who says "I wish I would have done it sooner."  I feel quilty for trying to make PS fit for him, when I SHOULD have caught on to homeschooling sooner.  He started off PS, a happy smiling boy.  Looking at each grades school picture, you can see the gradual sadness.  He stopped smiling in the pictures by 3rd grade, 4th grade he had a complete frown.  This was not the child I had at home.  Homeschooling has been wonderful on his self esteem!  

So we started using Sonlight Core 3 this year.  Next year we will move on to Core 4.  I love Sonlight as my son is like a sponge, and I do alot of reading to him and most worksheets we do orally.  PS has alot of "busy" writting work, which he can not do easy or quickly.  We are going to try Teaching Textbooks this year for Math.   

I still have an older son in PS.  9th grade.  It works for him, and since he is in High School now, he will just continue.  

Thanks for listening and I will keep enjoying this thread.


----------



## NHWX

Every once and a while - sometimes more often at the end of a long day - I think "Wouldn't it be nice if they did half their time at ps?" You know, so I wouldn't have to feel like I was doing everything?

Then, this week, dh and several other mentors for a school team had a meeting with the teacher-coaches who had resigned from the team a couple weeks ago and several administration officials. One of dh's big gripes about the teachers was that they'd basically asked him to lie by omission. They wanted the high schoolers on the team to only have some information; all of it is available on the net with almost no effort at all. (The information was about other competitions and demonstration days that the team might have wanted to participate in. But the teachers don't want any extra work.) And to everyone's astoundment, the principal supported them! So, if you have a principal who is willing, in a public meeting, tell an adult that it's not appropriate for teenagers to have this information so they can make a good decision, what else is she capable of? 

DS14 went to the high school for one semester. I say how it tore him up inside. But to see the lack of ethics permeating from the top down, how could you ask any child to participate in that? (Btw, ds14's first requirement for a girlfriend is that she be ethical. How's that for teaching them well?)

NHWX


----------



## Momvic5

tnmomof4 said:


> We all have lots of different reasons for HS.  Some home-schoolers I know are very strict and well organized.  I am not overly strict, but I do try to stay somewhat organized since I am teaching two of my kids.  This was our first year so I have learned a lot.  I have learned from my mistakes, and I have learned what works good.   I think the most important thing to me is to do what is best for your kids and family.   There is not one reason to home-school.




I agree!  We all have come around to homeschooling in one way or another.  The amazing thing is that what works for one family or even one child does not work for another.  I think every year that you homeschool you learn something new, and what might have worked at one time may not work the next time.   At times, you may find yourself in a strict routine and well-organized, and then there are times when you find yourself bewildered and all over the place.  Usually though, a happy medium between the two is where most of us are found.


----------



## minnie1928

Hello everyone!  I'm usually hanging out over on the Budget Board, so this is an entirely new neighborhood for me!

I was hoping some of the HS pros could help me out?  Long story short, my kids attend Montessori school currently.  My DD started at 2.5, DS started at 6, they are now 5 and 9 respectively.  We are going to be relocating from PA to NJ in early June (after school ends) and will be transferring the kids into public schools (Oakland, NJ to be specific).  However, in speaking with my DD's teachers they are highly recommending that I homeschool her when she is not in Kindergarten (which lasts only 2.5hrs/day).  She is doing very well in Montessori and I would like to keep that moving.  I thought that sending her to Kindergarten would help her get to know "the new neighbors" and also give me time to prepare for our daily work/lessons.  I am working with one of her current teachers on a home schooled Montessori program.

However, my DS is not doing as well academically speaking.  We met with his teachers a few days ago and they said that his spelling, word problem solving, and creative writing skills are not quite what they normally see at his age.  So, I began thinking that I would start this process during the summer for BOTH kids...not just DD.  I found a book/program call "Spell to Write and Read" that looked intriguing.  Has anyone used this program?  Is it worth the $100?  I thought it might be something that they could both benefit from....

Any and all advice is appreciated!  I haven't yet read all of this thread (or the earlier version) but I plan to in the coming days.

Thanks!


----------



## NHWX

I love the Paragraph Book series by EPS for writing help. You can find it here: 
http://www.epsbooks.com/dynamic/cat...66S&subjectdesc=Process+&+Skills&series=2671M

They also publish Spellwell which is by the same author as Explode the Code. I know my boys used Spellwell when they were in private school.

NHWX


----------



## Ellester

minnie1928 said:


> I found a book/program call "Spell to Write and Read" that looked intriguing.  Has anyone used this program?  Is it worth the $100?  I thought it might be something that they could both benefit from....
> 
> Any and all advice is appreciated!  I haven't yet read all of this thread (or the earlier version) but I plan to in the coming days.
> 
> Thanks!



I had friends in NC that SWORE by SWR. I looked at it and, frankly, I found the phonogram concept to be very confusing. I know that the local homeschool store in Charlotte regularly held seminars on how to use the program. You might try to find a similar thing locally to see it it would work for you and your kids. I don't know how useful it would be for only the summer, I think it works on a much longer timeframe.


----------



## Laura.bora

Momvic5 said:


> Your story just gave me the chills.  I am always amazed at how God works.  Homeschooling has definitely been a blessing for us too.   Homeschooling is  definitely a journey.  Some days are smooth sailing, and then some days are rocky mountains!



Goodness gracious do I agree withthe smmoth sailing and rocky mountains!  My son is naturally very smart for his age, and is far ahead of where most kids his age are.  When I got pregnant, we switched to a lot of ditto work so he could do it more independantly, as I get extremly sick during pregnancy.  Well, baby is born and I thought Ok, he's done really well all this time doing loads of ditto work - I'll stick withthis, not thinking God was giving Nathaniel grace with all the ditto work!  Very soon after the baby was born, it went from "It's a joy to do my school work" to "It's taken me over an hour to do 1 math sheet!!" So after a lot of struggling and prayer, we really felt the Lord telling us to just stop for a season.  And so we did!  And I can't believe how much he's been learning sinced we "stopped".  He has learned in his spare time the names of all the planets and characteristics of the planets, learning about the life cycle of a tree, and anything he can find out about dinosaurs!  So how about all of you - do you find that your kids keep learning like sponges, even during breaks? And what are they learning?


----------



## mamazaz

Hi all!  I just wanted to introduce myself and say hello!  Hello!!

I have 8 children - yes I said 8!!! 

Our oldest 2 are grown, married and have 2 children each.  I homeschooled both of them through high school.  I started homeschooling our oldest daughter in 3rd grade and our oldest son in 5th grade.  That was the beginning of our homeschooling adventure!!  (That was many moons ago! )

We have 6 at home - ds 10, ds 9, dd 7, ds 4, ds 3 & dd 2.  I homeschooled my ds 10 in kindergarten and then felt compelled to place him (5 at the time)and our ds 9 (4 at the time) both in our Christian school that is run by our church.  They seemed to do fine, although I missed them terribly.    When our dd 7 was almost 4, she went to the school for their pre-k program.  Those 3 children spent 2 years at the school before we knew in our hearts that they needed to be home, and once again we should homeschool our children.  

So I'm currently teaching 5th grade, 3rd grade and 2nd grade.

I'm using Alpha Omega and also supplementing with other curriculum based on their individual needs.  I'm using Hooked On Phonics with my dd 7 and she is really enjoying it.  

I've also started working with the little ones at home (of course) on their pre-school age basics.  It's a crazy place here most days and we kind of fly by the seat of our pants most of the time.  I need to implement more structure, but it's very hard with our life-style.  We school year-round with breaks whenever we need them.  

We're heading to Orlando in 5 days!!!!  We'll be doing WDW, of course, and also Sea World, Aquatica by Sea World and Universal Orlando.  Both grandmothers are coming along and so it will make for a really fun, and memorable vacation for all of us.  We need it, since my father-in-law passed away about 16 months ago, and my dad just passed away in February.  

Thanks for letting me introduce myself and rattle on a bit!!  Nice to meet all of you!!


----------



## Neesy228

WeDisney4 said:


> First, I think if one is even thinking about Homeschooling there must be something there?  Most either Homeschool or would never even think about it.  Does this make sense?  I do think about it, Alot!
> 
> I feel I am different in that we are not exceptionally religious,  I just dont like the fact that 1st grade DD is gone from 7:30  3:30 (including commute) and still has homework.
> Im by nature a procrastinator & less than well organized.



I think I could have written this!  We are seriously considering homeschooling my DS who is also in first grade. My real concerns are my personality (procrastinator and less than well organized are an excellent discription!) and I'm worried that we may not fit into any of the homeschool groups in our area because we too are not exceptionally religious. We live in a small-ish town and my options are somewhat limited. 

I'm still going through cirriculum options for him for fall and I'm getting excited about the possibility of some freedom in our schedule.  School really limits family time. My husband travels for work every couple of months and we used to be able to travel with him. Now, we sit at home so the kids can go to school. I feel they would learn much more traveling! 

Anyway, sorry to babble. Just wanted you to know that you are definitely not alone!  I live in Pennsylvania. Where are you from?


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Laura.bora said:


> He has learned in his spare time the names of all the planets and characteristics of the planets, learning about the life cycle of a tree, and anything he can find out about dinosaurs!  So how about all of you - do you find that your kids keep learning like sponges, even during breaks? And what are they learning?



This sounds like my younger son(8 about to be 9). He is sooo smart! We have nicknamed him the Professor!! He's into minute details You should hear him tell a story-on, and on, and on....Just because he knows so much about it and can't bear to leave out one tiny detail. Dino's, planets, and big tractors/Cat and John Deer,ie., well, he knows that suff backwards & forwards!! This is the beauty of hsing-we are constantly looking, reading, playing and therefore learning about what we are interested in. Of course he's also a lego man and loves the dump trucks and machines!! Our last day is actually tomorrow, but I think we may do a small study of dinos or something over the summer for both boys.

We love our break time, but I am considering changing our school schedule-I had posted earlier what we are currently doing, but a few months on with a few weeks off is sounding more appealing to me. Except for activities at church and local sports, we don't really need a grade to age correlation. For those of you who do this, how does it work out for you?


----------



## WeDisney4

sha_lyn said:


> Now that Hs'ing is more "mainstream" I find that there are a lot of people like yourself that are just drawn to it. It just seems like a natural extension of parenting to them.





This just sums it up Perfect for me! 

Thank You All So Much for your words of encouragement!

We stopped in our library yesterday AND saw a flyer for a HS book sale, this Saturday!  I'm definitely going to stop by, maybe find something for the summer.   Any recommendations, even though Im not positive were HSing next year?

We also, asked about the computers in the children's section, they asked if DD 4.5 had her own library card.  No, we use our library regularly; however I'm the only one w/ a card.  Come to find out we are about a 1 1/2 yrs late getting her one! I'm sure I would have known this if I were HSing.  As soon as I pick her up from PK, we're off to the library for her card and more HSing books.  We're both so excited!  

I continue to gently let DH, know I feel this is right for us.  And now I'll also ask for it in my prayers too.  

Thank You All again!

P.S. We live in NC, however DH is from PA & we lived it Pgh for awhile.


----------



## Laura.bora

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> This sounds like my younger son(8 about to be 9). He is sooo smart! We have nicknamed him the Professor!! He's into minute details You should hear him tell a story-on, and on, and on....Just because he knows so much about it and can't bear to leave out one tiny detail. Dino's, planets, and big tractors/Cat and John Deer,ie., well, he knows that suff backwards & forwards!! This is the beauty of hsing-we are constantly looking, reading, playing and therefore learning about what we are interested in. Of course he's also a lego man and loves the dump trucks and machines!! Our last day is actually tomorrow, but I think we may do a small study of dinos or something over the summer for both boys.
> 
> We love our break time, but I am considering changing our school schedule-I had posted earlier what we are currently doing, but a few months on with a few weeks off is sounding more appealing to me. Except for activities at church and local sports, we don't really need a grade to age correlation. For those of you who do this, how does it work out for you?



We homeschool year round and love it.  My kids are younger (about to be 6 and 3) so that might make a difference, but I can't honestly imagine taking a "summer break" like I used to in PS.  It just doesn't seem to flow as well.


----------



## mickeyjen

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> This sounds like my younger son(8 about to be 9). He is sooo smart! We have nicknamed him the Professor!! He's into minute details You should hear him tell a story-on, and on, and on....Just because he knows so much about it and can't bear to leave out one tiny detail. Dino's, planets, and big tractors/Cat and John Deer,ie., well, he knows that suff backwards & forwards!! This is the beauty of hsing-we are constantly looking, reading, playing and therefore learning about what we are interested in. Of course he's also a lego man and loves the dump trucks and machines!! Our last day is actually tomorrow, but I think we may do a small study of dinos or something over the summer for both boys.
> 
> We love our break time, but I am considering changing our school schedule-I had posted earlier what we are currently doing, but a few months on with a few weeks off is sounding more appealing to me. Except for activities at church and local sports, we don't really need a grade to age correlation. For those of you who do this, how does it work out for you?



Well, we are just finishing up a kindergarten year for our oldest and our youngest is in pre-k, so this may be different from older kids,  but we just use the grade level AS an age correlation.  It is just much easier for people to relate to my kids that way (plus they are very tall for their age, so people would totally believe that my son was in 2nd or 3rd grade but probably wouldn't understand why he behaves like a 6 year old, KWIM?).

So, my DS tells people he is in kindergarten when they ask, but he is using a first grade math and spelling curriculum and a 3rd - 4th grade reading curriculum.  Likewise, my DD would not be in kindy for another year and a half, so she tells everyone she is in preschool, but she is doing the kindergarten math and is using a 2nd grade reading curriculum currently.  Does that make sense?  So we move on, but they maintain their grade level more so the rest of the world can still relate to how old they are...  (plus, I get to keep them home their whole 18 years... )


----------



## Princess_Michelle

So, I just ordered "Hooked on Chinese" from Amazon for DS (almost 4). Has anyone used this before? Or any "Hooked On..." for any language? Just wanting to see if anyone has any experience/advice for teaching English and another language at the same time! DH and I both have a working knowledge of Chinese (we learned in the Army) but are not really fluent anymore. I'm just hoping I don't screw him up on both langauges!!


----------



## skoi

Princess_Michelle said:


> So, I just ordered "Hooked on Chinese" from Amazon for DS (almost 4). Has anyone used this before? Or any "Hooked On..." for any language? Just wanting to see if anyone has any experience/advice for teaching English and another language at the same time! DH and I both have a working knowledge of Chinese (we learned in the Army) but are not really fluent anymore. I'm just hoping I don't screw him up on both langauges!!



Wow, let me know how this works out. Our two big kids want to learn Chinese, and our two little kids are from China, and while dd has been here for almost 18 months and speaks English exclusively, ds might have retained some Chinese. He doesn't speak due to hearing and palate issues, but he might not have had the hearing problems for his entire life. We're not sure.

Right now, we're planning on using Rosetta Stone for Chinese. We bought it a few years ago. We use it for Spanish with oldest dd. 

Julie


----------



## KibbyCat

Laura.bora said:


> We're going mid september - the 16th - 25th.  Woo hoo Free Dining!  And that brings me to this question:
> Is there a place where I can find a list of all the animals in AK?  My kids don't know we're going, but I'm making this a learning experience as always!  I was planning on having a checklist with us to play the "who can spot the most animals" game. ( a regular occurance when we hit zoos or aquariums - it's a favorite of ours).  I also want to be able to do a teaching lesson about these animals and the habitats they live in and have them do a research project about the animal of their choice.  All while unknowingly preparing them for a trip to Disney!
> And also, I've never been to AK before.  How distinct are the countries/areas?  Is it like Epcot, where it's obvious when you've traveled from MExico to Canada?  We're doing a study unit on the countries found in Epcot, and I'm wondering if I can include AK countries as well?  And any other ideas for incorperating learning with our trip ( I have a 5 year old who's very advanced, and a normal 2year old....well....I don't know how "normal she is but..... )



Laura,

I heard from another homeschool parent on here that there's going to be a special homeschol family days event at Animal Kingdom towards the middle of September (if memory serves right, I believe it was the 14th and 15th???).  This would be awesome for your kids if you were able to alter the days you're going to be there.  I've only been there once, and it was 8 years ago, so I'm sure there are a lot of new/different things since then, but it was very fascinating.  There will be plenty for both of your kids to find enjoyable and for you to make educational.

This may sound crazy, but if you don't already have it, invest in Baby Einstein's Baby Noah DVD.  It includes all the different habitats (ocean, savannah, etc.) and the animals who live there.  My kids love this.  In fact, my daughter's preschool teacher was amazed that, at age 4, my daughter told her she wanted to "visit the savannah".  (She said she didn't think anyone at that age would even know what a savannah was!)  Anyway, we love the Baby Einstein collection, and this particular DVD teaches kids about animals and their habitats in an age-appropriate manner.  Maybe look for some reproducible color sheets to print off as reinforcement, and even your 2-year-old will be knowledgeable about animals/habitats!


----------



## bear74

KibbyCat said:


> Laura,
> 
> I heard from another homeschool parent on here that there's going to be a special homeschol family days event at Animal Kingdom towards the middle of September (if memory serves right, I believe it was the 14th and 15th???).  This would be awesome for your kids if you were able to alter the days you're going to be there.  I've only been there once, and it was 8 years ago, so I'm sure there are a lot of new/different things since then, but it was very fascinating.  There will be plenty for both of your kids to find enjoyable and for you to make educational.
> 
> This may sound crazy, but if you don't already have it, invest in Baby Einstein's Baby Noah DVD.  It includes all the different habitats (ocean, savannah, etc.) and the animals who live there.  My kids love this.  In fact, my daughter's preschool teacher was amazed that, at age 4, my daughter told her she wanted to "visit the savannah".  (She said she didn't think anyone at that age would even know what a savannah was!)  Anyway, we love the Baby Einstein collection, and this particular DVD teaches kids about animals and their habitats in an age-appropriate manner.  Maybe look for some reproducible color sheets to print off as reinforcement, and even your 2-year-old will be knowledgeable about animals/habitats!



oh where can we find info about this we will be their Sept. 14 -21


----------



## KibbyCat

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> When we first started with ABeka, we got the grade level kits. Second Year, we mixed bob jones math with 5 in a row. Third year, back to all ABeka and I remembered why I switched the year before!! Love ABeka, love the Christian theme and all the scriptures in the workbooks, but they sooooo overload the homeschoolers, that it just ends up being too much work for us.



That's because ABeka doesn't have a separate homeschool program.  All homeschoolers get the same curriculum they write for Christian schools, so it is meant to be taught to a group of kids.  Teach a lesson, do some guided practice, have them do some independent work.  For homeschoolers, this is overload.  That's why their DVD program is great, because the homeschooler feels like a part of the class, and can watch the lessons, then just do the independent work.  But for a parent to teach the lessons, there is WAY too much.  You could cut out half the lessons and still come out ahead.


----------



## KibbyCat

bear74 said:


> oh where can we find info about this we will be their Sept. 14 -21



http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/programs/programOverview?page=HSDProgramOverviewPage


----------



## minnie1928

Princess_Michelle said:


> So, I just ordered "Hooked on Chinese" from Amazon for DS (almost 4). Has anyone used this before? Or any "Hooked On..." for any language? Just wanting to see if anyone has any experience/advice for teaching English and another language at the same time! DH and I both have a working knowledge of Chinese (we learned in the Army) but are not really fluent anymore. I'm just hoping I don't screw him up on both langauges!!



We bought this last week at Borders for my DD4, she recently started watching a show called Ni Hao Kailan on tv...it's like Dora, but Chinese.  Our best friends are Taiwanese and they also speak Chinese, so this has meaning to her in that she can speak to them in their first language.  Anyway, we've used it for about 2 hours so far and really like it.  She enjoyed it and so did I!  We plan on doing some more tomorrow.

FWIW it has 2 levels in each kit.  Each level contains books, workbook and flash cards.


----------



## Princess_Michelle

skoi said:


> Wow, let me know how this works out. Our two big kids want to learn Chinese, and our two little kids are from China, and while dd has been here for almost 18 months and speaks English exclusively, ds might have retained some Chinese. He doesn't speak due to hearing and palate issues, but he might not have had the hearing problems for his entire life. We're not sure.
> 
> Right now, we're planning on using Rosetta Stone for Chinese. We bought it a few years ago. We use it for Spanish with oldest dd.
> 
> Julie



Julie, since your kids are of Chinese origin... have you considered enrolling them in a Chinese school? Do you know if there are any around you? We have a few near us, and plan on sending DS when he is a bit older. The ones near us are not that pricey...$150-$250 per semester, and it is 3 hours long on a Sunday afternoon. The teachers are all native speakers, and they also learn about the culture and traditions in addition to the language. 



> We bought this last week at Borders for my DD4, she recently started watching a show called Ni Hao Kailan on tv...it's like Dora, but Chinese. Our best friends are Taiwanese and they also speak Chinese, so this has meaning to her in that she can speak to them in their first language. Anyway, we've used it for about 2 hours so far and really like it. She enjoyed it and so did I! We plan on doing some more tomorrow.
> 
> FWIW it has 2 levels in each kit. Each level contains books, workbook and flash cards.



Awesome! I was hoping that someone would have it!! We watch Kai Lan as well. Like I said, DH and I know Chinese and I can tell you; knowing this language is garaunteed job security in our area, and there are a few other areas where it comes in handy as well. Mandarin is in HUGE demand as far as the government is concerned, and there will always be a job for those who know it, ESPECIALLY if you are clearable.


----------



## Princess_Michelle

I have another question  

I am going to my first curriculum fair this weekend!! Will I be able to buy my curriculum there and leave with it in my hands? Or will I have to wait for it to be shipped?? I am wanting to get Sonlight curriculum.....


----------



## mykidsintow

Princess_Michelle said:


> I have another question
> 
> I am going to my first curriculum fair this weekend!! Will I be able to buy my curriculum there and leave with it in my hands? Or will I have to wait for it to be shipped?? I am wanting to get Sonlight curriculum.....



We couldn't buy sonlight at our fair because it is taylored to each student.  However, I ordered from sonlight and we had box day within a week!   It was fast and painless....

We love sonlight, even tho we are currently "detoured".....


----------



## Lora

Princess_Michelle said:


> I have another question
> 
> I am going to my first curriculum fair this weekend!! Will I be able to buy my curriculum there and leave with it in my hands? Or will I have to wait for it to be shipped?? I am wanting to get Sonlight curriculum.....



You will be able to see lots of the books and the Instructor's Guides there.  I'm not sure how they do the order at the fairs.  I've always ordered online.  They ship pretty quickly and it's always FUN to unpack our SL box!!  We're doing Core 4 now, but I added Core 100 recently for DD to do on her own. She's done 4 or 5 of the books already and we've only had it a week!


----------



## bear74

KibbyCat said:


> http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/programs/programOverview?page=HSDProgramOverviewPage



thanks the page is not loading tonight, though will try again tomorrow


----------



## belle22

Anyone know of any sites that may have worksheets for Reading Comp for Kindergarten.. with answers after the story?  What about for Following directions?


----------



## tnmomof4

KibbyCat said:


> That's because ABeka doesn't have a separate homeschool program.  All homeschoolers get the same curriculum they write for Christian schools, so it is meant to be taught to a group of kids.  Teach a lesson, do some guided practice, have them do some independent work.  For homeschoolers, this is overload.  That's why their DVD program is great, because the homeschooler feels like a part of the class, and can watch the lessons, then just do the independent work.  But for a parent to teach the lessons, there is WAY too much.  You could cut out half the lessons and still come out ahead.



Have you used the ABeka DVD's?  I have been trying so hard to find someone who has used them to get some advice.   I am using all ABeka, and I am considering using the DVD's for my older boys.  I am getting so worried about next year because I will be teaching all 4 of my boys.  The younger 2 will be in Kindergarten.  It really takes us all day now to do my older boys who are in 4th and 5th. I mean it takes us a good 6 hours sometimes longer. How in the world will I fit in teaching my twins Kindergarten?   At least with the DVDs the older boys can watch the lesson instead of me teaching it.


----------



## Momvic5

tnmomof4 said:


> Have you used the ABeka DVD's?  I have been trying so hard to find someone who has used them to get some advice.   I am using all ABeka, and I am considering using the DVD's for my older boys.  I am getting so worried about next year because I will be teaching all 4 of my boys.  The younger 2 will be in Kindergarten.  It really takes us all day now to do my older boys who are in 4th and 5th. I mean it takes us a good 6 hours sometimes longer. How in the world will I fit in teaching my twins Kindergarten?   At least with the DVDs the older boys can watch the lesson instead of me teaching it.




I have never used the Abeka DVDs, but I have a friend who uses them.  He has 4 boys(K - 5th) as well, and he highly recommended them at the beginning of the year, but here recently, he said his boys have grown tired of them and that they are not using them like they should.   His thoughts were that their daily routine became too predictable and mundane for his very active boys.  He still recommends them, but he said he is going to take a break from them for a while and maybe pick them back up when his boys are older.  ~ Just thought I would share his experience.

I can relate to the overwhelming feeling of trying to get it all done with everyone.  I have three children(1st, 3rd, and 6th grades), and it can take us 6-7 hours too.  I currently use all Abeka with my 1st grade DS, and to be honest, I am beginning to hate it.  The concepts they teach are great, but it is just too much busy work sometimes, and it seems like we are doing the same type work over and over.  My older two use a variety of curriculums so I thought I would do the same with my youngest DS next year.  We are both ready for a change and maybe mixing things up a bit might help ~ I am hoping anyways.  

Don't worry about next year, somehow you will find the strength and the means to get it all done with everyone.


----------



## mykidsintow

My neighbor uses Abeka.  There is no way I could get my son to it through all of it.  Let alone use it with multiple kids.  I think i would get so overwhelming.

I guess in the end that is what got us to look at sonlight.  I have combine my children into 1 core which they do together.  We then do math and LA individually.  I couldn't imagine finishing all we do and then having to do the other kid.  We typically finish our school work in appx 2 hrs each day.  Sciece experiment days do tend to go longer, or we keep them to share with daddy on the weekend.

KUDOs to you for HSing you boys individually!  I sure don't think I could!


----------



## Laura.bora

KibbyCat said:


> Laura,
> 
> I heard from another homeschool parent on here that there's going to be a special homeschol family days event at Animal Kingdom towards the middle of September (if memory serves right, I believe it was the 14th and 15th???).  This would be awesome for your kids if you were able to alter the days you're going to be there.  I've only been there once, and it was 8 years ago, so I'm sure there are a lot of new/different things since then, but it was very fascinating.  There will be plenty for both of your kids to find enjoyable and for you to make educational.
> 
> This may sound crazy, but if you don't already have it, invest in Baby Einstein's Baby Noah DVD.  It includes all the different habitats (ocean, savannah, etc.) and the animals who live there.  My kids love this.  In fact, my daughter's preschool teacher was amazed that, at age 4, my daughter told her she wanted to "visit the savannah".  (She said she didn't think anyone at that age would even know what a savannah was!)  Anyway, we love the Baby Einstein collection, and this particular DVD teaches kids about animals and their habitats in an age-appropriate manner.  Maybe look for some reproducible color sheets to print off as reinforcement, and even your 2-year-old will be knowledgeable about animals/habitats!



Someone posted the website, and it said it was the 15th and 16th, so we'd only be there the 16th, but only 1/2 the day, so I don't know if it'd be worth it to go.  I'm pretty sure that going to MK 1st would be what my kids would want (We're surprising them, so I can't be sure).  MAybe they'll add more dates.  
And thanks for the information on Baby Noah.  We love Baby Einstein videos as well, but don't have Baby Noah - I'll have to look into that.  My son does have "Animal Genius" for his L-Max and loves it - it also teaches about the habitats of the world, predators and prey, different animal facts etc.  If you have an L-Max (or leapster) I'd recommend that game.  
And can anyone reccomend some movies that coincide with the countries of Epcot and AK?  I was going to have every Friday be movie day to wrap up the study of whatever country we were studing that week.  I want something that is age appropriate (6 and 3) and that shows the land, the culture etc.  I was thinking the Great PAnda Adventure for China, Duma for Africa, and that's as far as I got.  We don't watch a lot of TV here, so I'm kinda clueless.  The only one that's an obvious choice that I can think of for Morocco would be Alaadin, but I won't let my kids watch that yet.  (Specifically the Disney version).  Anyway, if anyone has ideas, I'd appreciate it! Thanks!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

For those asking about the ABeka DVDs, we started out with those. We had the 3rd grade and the kindy ones. The kind. dvd teacher was Ms. Baer (sp?) and my little boy loved it! But, my 3rd grader hated it. We didn't even do half the year. As far as the overload for hsers-one of my hsing friends has a friend that teaches at a christian school using ABeka. They actually do less work than the hsers-their reason (ABeka's) for giving the hsers so much extra work at home is that if they are state tested, or go back into ps they (ABeka) do not want to be held accountable for the child not being on grade level.   

I still will use the K level for my dd beginning K this year-in my opinion the phonics and lower level products can't be beat! But once they get up to around 2nd grade you can really be overwhelmed. 

We are really into the Charlotte Mason type of learning, we have been shifting into this for the last 2 years-lots of living books and no (unless necessary)workbooks. This is definitely what works for us!!


----------



## tnmomof4

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> For those asking about the ABeka DVDs, we started out with those. We had the 3rd grade and the kindy ones. The kind. dvd teacher was Ms. Baer (sp?) and my little boy loved it! But, my 3rd grader hated it. We didn't even do half the year. As far as the overload for hsers-one of my hsing friends has a friend that teaches at a christian school using ABeka. They actually do less work than the hsers-their reason (ABeka's) for giving the hsers so much extra work at home is that if they are state tested, or go back into ps they (ABeka) do not want to be held accountable for the child not being on grade level.
> 
> I still will use the K level for my dd beginning K this year-in my opinion the phonics and lower level products can't be beat! But once they get up to around 2nd grade you can really be overwhelmed.
> 
> We are really into the Charlotte Mason type of learning, we have been shifting into this for the last 2 years-lots of living books and no (unless necessary)workbooks. This is definitely what works for us!!




Thanks for that info.  I was the one asking about the DVDs.  It sounds like the DVDs might not be that great.

I guess I can see the reasoning about making sure kids are on target for their grade level.  My problem is, I don't know what to cut out to even make it less extra work.  

I do know that I need to get my boys doing the same History and Science.  That would help a lot.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

tnmomof4 said:


> I guess I can see the reasoning about making sure kids are on target for their grade level.  My problem is, I don't know what to cut out to even make it less extra work.
> 
> I do know that I need to get my boys doing the same History and Science.  That would help a lot.



It can be hard to know exactly what to cull and what to leave! As far as you combining Hist and Sci have you heard of Beautiful Feet Books? They have a website (under that name) and it's sets of books(the Childhoold of Famous American Series, and lots of Newberry award books) with a teachers guide that cover certain periods of History. This is what I am doing for my older son this year. Mystery of History is also an awesome book! We did Vol I and II so far and loved it!! There are several others out there that with a little tweaking to keep the younger ones interested can be used for both. 

For Science, the Christian Kids Explore series, or Apologia books are awesome!! If you are more comfortable with a workbook approach for science, Bob Jones has great books!


----------



## disneyelaine

Belle,

Try looking at edhelper.com.  I think they have what you are looking for.


----------



## teacups

Thought you all might like to do this.  Try calling Monday, they are not open Sunday.  

FREE Magic School Bus Book

You can get _The Magic School Bus Gets
Cleaned Up_ for free by calling the EPA's National
Service Center. Their phone number is 1-800-490-9198.
The item number for this book is 420K07001. Every
person can request a maximum of 5 copies of the book.


----------



## skoi

Princess_Michelle said:


> Julie, since your kids are of Chinese origin... have you considered enrolling them in a Chinese school? Do you know if there are any around you? We have a few near us, and plan on sending DS when he is a bit older. The ones near us are not that pricey...$150-$250 per semester, and it is 3 hours long on a Sunday afternoon. The teachers are all native speakers, and they also learn about the culture and traditions in addition to the language.



Unfortunately, though we live in a big city, there are only one or two schools, way out in the more distant suburbs. We have a large Chinese population, so I was surprised. Our older kids want to go too, though older ds is thinking he'd might want to learn Arabic.

Julie


----------



## Laura.bora

teacups said:


> Thought you all might like to do this.  Try calling Monday, they are not open Sunday.
> 
> FREE Magic School Bus Book
> 
> You can get _The Magic School Bus Gets
> Cleaned Up_ for free by calling the EPA's National
> Service Center. Their phone number is 1-800-490-9198.
> The item number for this book is 420K07001. Every
> person can request a maximum of 5 copies of the book.



Really??  Where did you find out about this?


----------



## teacups

Laura.bora said:


> Really??  Where did you find out about this?



From my local HS group.


----------



## Neesy228

I'm wondering if anyone has attempted, considered, failed miserably etc  at teaching elementary (2nd grade) without buying a lot of cirriculum materials? We are in PA and there are some pretty strict guidelines on what needs to be taught (subject-wise). I'm wondering if I could find enough material online to get through the year without purchasing books on each subject? Thanks in advance.


----------



## NHWX

I should think you'd be able to finish second grade without buying a lot. 

For social studies/geography, I'd check out National Geographic. 
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/

For spelling and simple literature/reading comprehension, I like edhelper.com but I think you have to pay a relatively small fee.

Discovery education has some good lesson plans and information under "learning adventures." http://school.discoveryeducation.com/teachingtools/teachingtools.html

For math, maybe this? http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/math/

What else do you need to cover? Music? Art? PE? 

NHWX


----------



## graygables

ARGGGG!!!  Remember the old joke about Jesus and Satan and the computer contest?  "Jesus saves?"  Well, ya'd think I'd learn b/c I kept postponing backing up DDs work (Switched on Schoolhouse) and guess what???  You got it.  Computer crashed, had to be reconfigured and lost it all.  More than half the school year vanished.  I'm sick about it.  Hubby reloaded the disks yesterday, but now I have to go through and manually unassign all the work they'd already done (if I can even remember...) It's going to take me weeks to get it all set up again.

Memo to self: BACK IT UP, ya dummy!


----------



## Laura.bora

graygables said:


> ARGGGG!!!  Remember the old joke about Jesus and Satan and the computer contest?  "Jesus saves?"  ....


Ummm....actually, no.  I don't know that one!  Could you share it.  I'd like to get a few more jokes in my son's repetoir other than "why did the shark eat a sausage??? - BECAUSE HE WAS HUNGRY!"


----------



## Neesy228

NHWX said:


> I should think you'd be able to finish second grade without buying a lot.
> 
> For social studies/geography, I'd check out National Geographic.
> 
> For spelling and simple literature/reading comprehension, I like edhelper.com but I think you have to pay a relatively small fee.
> 
> Discovery education has some good lesson plans and information under "learning adventures."
> For math, maybe this?
> What else do you need to cover? Music? Art? PE?
> 
> NHWX
> 
> Thanks for these links!
> This will be for the start of next year. In PA we need to cover (although, I'm not sure we need to cover each subject every year?):
> English (to include spelling, reading, writing)
> arithmetic
> U.S. and Pennsylvania history
> civics
> health and physiology
> physical education
> music
> art
> geography
> science
> safety and fire prevention
> 
> Some things are obviously easy to do (like fire prevention).  My son is taking piano lessons, so I guess that covers music. It seems like I should be able to put together a good cirriculum for him between the library and online resources, but I don't want to short change him. This will be my first experience homeschooling....


----------



## graygables

Laura.bora said:


> Ummm....actually, no.  I don't know that one!  Could you share it.  I'd like to get a few more jokes in my son's repetoir other than "why did the shark eat a sausage??? - BECAUSE HE WAS HUNGRY!"



Jesus and Satan were having a computer contest.  They typed and typed all day and just before the deadline, the power went out.  Satan was yelling, angry that he'd lost all his work, it wasn't right, it wasn't fair.  Jesus sat calmly, smiling.  The judge looked at their respective computers and declared Jesus the winner.  "HOW can that be???", Satan screeched, "The power went out, the work was lost!"  "Because", said the judge, "Jesus saves."


----------



## wvdislover

graygables said:


> ARGGGG!!!  Remember the old joke about Jesus and Satan and the computer contest?  "Jesus saves?"  Well, ya'd think I'd learn b/c I kept postponing backing up DDs work (Switched on Schoolhouse) and guess what???  You got it.  Computer crashed, had to be reconfigured and lost it all.  More than half the school year vanished.  I'm sick about it.  Hubby reloaded the disks yesterday, but now I have to go through and manually unassign all the work they'd already done (if I can even remember...) It's going to take me weeks to get it all set up again.
> 
> Memo to self: BACK IT UP, ya dummy!



Dawn, I'm so sorry!  I know what a pain that must be.  My DD10 is doing SOS, too.  We just started a few weeks ago, but I haven't been backing up either.  Guess I need to go out and buy a zip drive to back up her stuff.  You know how our girls can be--"guess what honey?  All that stuff you worked so hard on...it's gone" (brace for impact!).  Anyways, hope it goes well getting all of that fixed again.  Could you just totally delete the units she's done already, rather than unassigning them individually?  I think that can be done (?).  BTW, I'm still planning on having my DD10 e-mail your girls and trying to get our girls connected.  Sorry it's taken so long, but I'm trying to homeschool and work part-time, as well as work on projects at church that have been going on  Life gets TOO busy sometimes!

P.S.  Love the joke!


----------



## wvdislover

Laura.bora said:


> Ummm....actually, no.  I don't know that one!  Could you share it.  I'd like to get a few more jokes in my son's repetoir other than "why did the shark eat a sausage??? - BECAUSE HE WAS HUNGRY!"



Don't you just love the jokes like these  And the kids just think they're the funniest jokes ever written


----------



## Momvic5

bump!


----------



## skoi

Neesy228 said:


> I'm wondering if anyone has attempted, considered, failed miserably etc  at teaching elementary (2nd grade) without buying a lot of cirriculum materials? We are in PA and there are some pretty strict guidelines on what needs to be taught (subject-wise). I'm wondering if I could find enough material online to get through the year without purchasing books on each subject? Thanks in advance.



We're also in PA, and have done this in the early years. We started using Sonlight mid 4th grade, but before I did all the curriculum. We did do some workbook things for the portfolio (the cheap ones you can get in teacher supply stores), and we did buy a math program (I think Horizons Math from Alpha Omega, and we used Miquon as well). I took out the "What Your Second Grader Should Know" Core Knowledge book out of the library and used that to develop a curriculum for Social Studies and Science. We also did purchase one unit study on wolves, and a book of easy experiments with little lab write ups. We did a lot of reading and writing. I made spelling and vocabulary based on internet lists and what we were learning in science and history. PA history we sort of fudged, doing the basics about the state (official flower, dog, etc, main products, some simple geography and history).

Where in PA are you? If you want to PM me I can give you some more details about what we did before curriculum.

Julie


----------



## skoi

graygables said:


> ARGGGG!!!  Remember the old joke about Jesus and Satan and the computer contest?  "Jesus saves?"  Well, ya'd think I'd learn b/c I kept postponing backing up DDs work (Switched on Schoolhouse) and guess what???  You got it.  Computer crashed, had to be reconfigured and lost it all.  More than half the school year vanished.  I'm sick about it.  Hubby reloaded the disks yesterday, but now I have to go through and manually unassign all the work they'd already done (if I can even remember...) It's going to take me weeks to get it all set up again.
> 
> Memo to self: BACK IT UP, ya dummy!



We're considering SOS for our daughter for ninth grade next year. How do you like it? We've used Sonlight mostly, one year in a K-12 school, and when she was really young, an "eclectic" approach. We're hoping for something more structured as the work is getting harder (biology, Alg 2, etc). Would you recommend SOS? Can you print things out to put into a portfolio?

Thanks-
Julie


----------



## MiniGirl

Hi everyone. I hope ya'll are doing well. 

It has been awhile since I posted. I have been looking at the links and other resources many of you suggested. There are just so many curriculum choices out there. It really is quite overwhelming.

Anyway.... a recap and a question (or 2).  We have decided to hs our oldest dd next year. She'll be in 3rd grade. I'm am fairly certain we will keep our youngest (currently in K) in public school for at least one more year and perhaps bring her home starting in 2nd grade. My oldest is a voracious reader. I often have to tell her to watch where she's going because she will walk around with her nose in a book, but I'm not complaining. Okay..... so, since we are new to homeschooling, I want a program that has lesson plans and everything pretty much laid out for us, and I like the idea of My Father's World. I like that we can do the Adventure's curriculum next year and then start the following year with both girls. I do have some concerns though, and would like some opinions. I have heard MFW referred to as "homeschooling light" because some say it isn't as challenging as others and that it can leave the children somewhat behind. Is this true? If we use MFW for this first year, is it difficult to change curriculums for the year's following? What about after 2 or 3 years -- since it is a 5 year program? Do you use the Language Arts programs (and math) they recommend? It doesn't seem like a lot compared to some other curriculums I looked at. Is it enough or do you find you have to supplement? Are there other books/supplies I'd need to buy? Is this Adventure year challenging enough for my "advanced" reader? (I ask this because it is recommended for both 2nd and 3rd graders who are the oldest in the family.) 

I've looked at countless programs and I keep coming back to this one and Sonlight. Sonlight just seems so expensive though, and I do like that MFW lesson plans seems to ease people into homeschooling.

Anyway, I'd appreciate any and all imput and insight you can give. I told my dh that once we (read: I) have decided on curriculum I think things will come more into focus because we'll have a game plan in place. I also know that I can spend tons of time "researching" things and never make a decision.

Thanks again for all your help.


----------



## gillenkl

MiniGirl said:


> Hi everyone. I hope ya'll are doing well.
> 
> It has been awhile since I posted. I have been looking at the links and other resources many of you suggested. There are just so many curriculum choices out there. It really is quite overwhelming.
> 
> Anyway.... a recap and a question (or 2).  We have decided to hs our oldest dd next year. She'll be in 3rd grade. I'm am fairly certain we will keep our youngest (currently in K) in public school for at least one more year and perhaps bring her home starting in 2nd grade. My oldest is a voracious reader. I often have to tell her to watch where she's going because she will walk around with her nose in a book, but I'm not complaining. Okay..... so, since we are new to homeschooling, I want a program that has lesson plans and everything pretty much laid out for us, and I like the idea of My Father's World. I like that we can do the Adventure's curriculum next year and then start the following year with both girls. I do have some concerns though, and would like some opinions. I have heard MFW referred to as "homeschooling light" because some say it isn't as challenging as others and that it can leave the children somewhat behind. Is this true? If we use MFW for this first year, is it difficult to change curriculums for the year's following? What about after 2 or 3 years -- since it is a 5 year program? Do you use the Language Arts programs (and math) they recommend? It doesn't seem like a lot compared to some other curriculums I looked at. Is it enough or do you find you have to supplement? Are there other books/supplies I'd need to buy? Is this Adventure year challenging enough for my "advanced" reader? (I ask this because it is recommended for both 2nd and 3rd graders who are the oldest in the family.)
> 
> I've looked at countless programs and I keep coming back to this one and Sonlight. Sonlight just seems so expensive though, and I do like that MFW lesson plans seems to ease people into homeschooling.
> 
> Anyway, I'd appreciate any and all imput and insight you can give. I told my dh that once we (read: I) have decided on curriculum I think things will come more into focus because we'll have a game plan in place. I also know that I can spend tons of time "researching" things and never make a decision.
> 
> Thanks again for all your help.




I guess I want to put in my 2-cents for Abeka considering that your daughter enjoys reading. Also I believe they are offering free shipping right now.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Mini Girl~ 
Welcome to hsing!! It's a blast and a blessing no matter what curr. you choose! I have a friend at church that is using MFW-I am not sure about the particulars, but the kid is in 4th or 5th grade and does it all  with out her mom. She is through in 2 hours. I don't know how thorough it is, sorry... I just know that they really enjoy it. 

If your daughter is that into reading,go the the Beautiful Feet Books, website-it's literature based curr's. That is what we are doing for oldest ds this year in History. For Lang. Arts we are doing Learning Lang. Arts through Literature, for both boys. We are looooving the Charlotte Mason way to learn-this is very compatible. I don't know how this will work for you as far as plans being done for you. Just check it out and see what works for ya-best wishes!!!


----------



## bebelle

Tomorrow is "take your son or daughter to work day". So my son is going with his dad to the office. I am counting it as a school day and best of all I GET THE DAY OFF from teaching!!! Life is good


----------



## skoi

Mini Girl-

You might want to look into Sonlight if your daughter likes reading. It's pricey, but everything is nicely planned out and the early cores are great. We're switching for high school because oldest dd is just not interested in reading what they're offering, I'd like more rigorous history texts, and also, dd is going through a rebellious stage. We're Orthodox Christian, and she's in a very "anti-Protestant" period, even though I was Lutheran, she was baptized Lutheran, and for years we attended an evangelical church. 

I count my blessings though, because if becoming more faithful and observant of our religion is how she's going to show her teenage rebellion, I'm one lucky mom.  

Julie


----------



## meandtheguys2

bebelle said:


> Tomorrow is "take your son or daughter to work day". So my son is going with his dad to the office. I am counting it as a school day and best of all I GET THE DAY OFF from teaching!!! Life is good



LOL, I still have two here, though!  Actually my son is turning 14 today, so we will have a runaround party kind of day!


----------



## Momvic5

Hello All ~

I haven't posted in a while ~ the kids and I have been crazy just trying to keep up with school and life.  We have been running around all week trying to prepare for a 5 day visit to my mom's.  It is amazing what all has to be done when leaving your home for a few days.  I feel drained and guilty.  Guilty because we have not accomplished much school this week.  Just the essentials ~ math and english with a hint of history. 

This is one of those trips where you want to go and need to go, but the timing is just off or everything is just hard to do.  My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 yrs ago and she has been fighting it strong; however, these past couple of months have hit her hard so we will be going to check on her and help take care of a few things.  On a happy note though, we will be celebrating my Grandmother's 84th birthday.  The kids are looking forward to the trip.  They absolutely love grandma and great grandma, and they live about 20 miles from Six Flags ~ Fiesta TX so we promised them we would visit the park.  

Anyways, I thought I would just share my thoughts with you all.  Kind of a stressful week.  Oh...and I had an incident in Kohls this week that did not help my mental state.     I started a new thread out of shock on the incident and now I wish I hadn't ~ Kind of a heated topic.  Who knew!  

I am so looking forward to the summer break!  I think we all need some time to do absolutely nothing!


----------



## tnmomof4

Momvic5 said:


> Hello All ~
> 
> I haven't posted in a while ~ the kids and I have been crazy just trying to keep up with school and life.  We have been running around all week trying to prepare for a 5 day visit to my mom's.  It is amazing what all has to be done when leaving your home for a few days.  I feel drained and guilty.  Guilty because we have not accomplished much school this week.  Just the essentials ~ math and english with a hint of history.
> 
> This is one of those trips where you want to go and need to go, but the timing is just off or everything is just hard to do.  My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 yrs ago and she has been fighting it strong; however, these past couple of months have hit her hard so we will be going to check on her and help take care of a few things.  On a happy note though, we will be celebrating my Grandmother's 84th birthday.  The kids are looking forward to the trip.  They absolutely love grandma and great grandma, and they live about 20 miles from Six Flags ~ Fiesta TX so we promised them we would visit the park.
> 
> Anyways, I thought I would just share my thoughts with you all.  Kind of a stressful week.  Oh...and I had an incident in Kohls this week that did not help my mental state.     I started a new thread out of shock on the incident and now I wish I hadn't ~ Kind of a heated topic.  Who knew!
> 
> I am so looking forward to the summer break!  I think we all need some time to do absolutely nothing!




Don't feel guilty about not getting much school work done this week. We all have bad or busy weeks.  This has been one for me too.   You have done more school work this week than I have.   I try not to worry when life gets crazy.  The school work can always get caught up.   Homeschooling is great because we get to take care of our family whenever we need to.   

I hope you have a great time with your mom and grandmother.   The birthday party will be fun, and taking the kids to Six Flags will be great.   It sounds like you need to have this break not just to check on your mom, but also for the kids and you.   Maybe after this break you will be recharged and ready to go full force with the school work.   

By the way.... I posted on the thread you started about the rude comment made to you and your son and that whole situation.  You were absolutely, positively okay in what you did.  The terrible experience I posted about with my two DS was awful and very traumatizing.  I can never change what happened to them.  What if something worse happened to my boys, like they were actually taken.  You know what... I would have never forgiven myself for letting them go to the bathroom by themselves.   Please know you did what was right.   We have to do what we think is best for our children, and you did just that.   

So... go have a wonderful time.  I hope you all have a really great time!!!


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## disneymom3

skoi said:


> We're also in PA, and have done this in the early years. We started using Sonlight mid 4th grade, but before I did all the curriculum. We did do some workbook things for the portfolio (the cheap ones you can get in teacher supply stores), and we did buy a math program (I think Horizons Math from Alpha Omega, and we used Miquon as well). I took out the "What Your Second Grader Should Know" Core Knowledge book out of the library and used that to develop a curriculum for Social Studies and Science. We also did purchase one unit study on wolves, and a book of easy experiments with little lab write ups. We did a lot of reading and writing. I made spelling and vocabulary based on internet lists and what we were learning in science and history. PA history we sort of fudged, doing the basics about the state (official flower, dog, etc, main products, some simple geography and history).



I started homeschooling DD in 1st grade and did not buy any formal curriculum at all.  I did buy Singapore Math for second grade but that was it that year.  I have never actually used an entire packaged curriculum. For 1st and 2nd grade I used workbooks from Walmart or the book store, stuff I got off the internet (edhelper and enchanted learning have a TON just between the two of them!) and we read read read!  In second grade we did a really long study of the CA and AK goldrushes as well as Tall Tales and human body.  Janice Van Cleve has some great books out there. I definitely think it can be done and done well in the younger grades it just takes a bit more work.  When you get to the older grades particularly for math and science I think it is good to have a specific curriculum so you cover stuff in the right order and don't skip anything.


----------



## PA Princess

Neesy228 said:


> I'm wondering if anyone has attempted, considered, failed miserably etc  at teaching elementary (2nd grade) without buying a lot of cirriculum materials? We are in PA and there are some pretty strict guidelines on what needs to be taught (subject-wise). I'm wondering if I could find enough material online to get through the year without purchasing books on each subject? Thanks in advance.



I am a homeschooling mom also in PA.  I am finishing second grade with my daughter currently.  How old is your child?  I ask, because in PA if your child is not 8 you do not have to officially register to homeschool.  My daughter is not registered - her older two brothers are, but not her for this year.  

I am not saying that the intended list to be covered in second grade is not a good goal, but there is less pressure and more freedom if you do not need to register your child.  Oh, but if your child has already been in public school for earlier grades, than you would need to register.  Sorry if I am talking in circles - just thinking as I type.

There are so many resources at reasonable costs that you should be able to create a second grade curriculum on a limited budget.  Look for used book sales - this can be an awesome source of bargains.  Another option is the library.  Our local library has a special section for teachers and many great resource books.  

Finally, if you want books for free, in PA the public schools are required by law to provide you with those books if you request them.  Some schools are more cooperative than others, but they must eventually comply with the request.

I hope some of that is helpful.


----------



## Neesy228

Thanks to everyone who's responded to my original question about no cirriculum for 2nd grade. My son has been in the public schools for K and 1st so we would have to "notify" the district.  

We're in central PA, near Penn State Univ. (Go Lions!) Anyone nearby? 

I'm not 100% sure I'm going to do this yet, but it's more because of my doubts about my own abilities , not that I don't think it would be great for my son. 

Thanks again for the feedback - it at least makes me feel like I'm not completely off base. 

Denise


----------



## disneymom3

I know a lot of you have said you used Sonlight.  I am strongly considering it for next year.  Needing to know if you add on stuff to do or is it included?  I know my boys love to be read to, but just wondering if there is any hands on stuff or if I am getting right impression that it is really just a LOT of reading.  Seems like I must be missing something.


----------



## DawnM

We are heading back to SL for next year (well, starting in a couple of weeks).

the kids want to study US History, so we are getting Core 3 and then Core 4.

I use Abeka for Language
Singapore for Math
Spell to Write and Read for Spelling

and those cover our core subjects.

Dawn


----------



## Ellester

disneymom3 said:


> I know a lot of you have said you used Sonlight.  I am strongly considering it for next year.  Needing to know if you add on stuff to do or is it included?  I know my boys love to be read to, but just wondering if there is any hands on stuff or if I am getting right impression that it is really just a LOT of reading.  Seems like I must be missing something.



It is basically just lots and lots of reading, both aloud and on their own. There are no real "crafty" things in there, although the Usborne books usually have little projects interspersed. There are map and timeline activities included. We add in art, use Apologia for science, and MUS for math. We also do our own bible, since we're Catholic. We did Core K two years ago, skipped a year, and are now half way through Core1+2. We've been very happy with it, it fits me and my kids well. I enjoy the read alouds just as much as they do!


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## mommyof2princesses

I can't believe our school year is almost at an end.  We have to test in NC, so this week we are doing the IOWA's.  They look really easy, so hopefully we can get it done early everyday and have free time!

We are already looking into buying next year's curriculum.  We are thinking about SL for our older dd.  I am not 100% sure yet.  We are most likely going to do Rosetta Stone, but it is so darn expensive.  Up until last month she was using it for free through the public library.  But they recently cancelled it!  So, now we need to shell out at least $200 for Spanish 1.  I know buying 1 and 2 together is a deal, but I don't have over $300 for one course!

We are doing Saxon for Algebra and 1st grade.  Worldy Wise, Easy Grammar for high school.  Apologia for both girls.  Most likely sonlight for reading and SS for high school.  Little one is still going through Sing, spell read write and when we finish 1st grade I will just order the 2nd grade one.

Not sure what else I need.  DD will be 9th grade and I need to be sure to get all her credits in for college.  I am not worried about what the high school graduation requirements are, just the requirmenets for college admissions!


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## Praise2Him

My DD will be a senior next year. There are no requirements for college, as far as credits go, except for the ones she would normally take for high school graduation. Colleges go by their high school transcript, but mostly by their SAT/ACT scores. I'd recommend your DD take whichever test this next year for you to get an idea of her score. Then do some SAT/ACT prep classes and take it again every year to raise her scores up to the best level she can do. I've known several homeschoolers who were able to get scholarships based on their ACT scores.


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## meandtheguys2

Julie, I've got one of the sonlight courses here that we aren't going to use.  I'd be happy to send it your way, if you like.  Then you could check it out.  If you aren't interested, you could just pass it on.  It was given to me.

Michelle


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## mommyof2princesses

Colleges do require, however, that certain courses be taken.  For example, one college we are looking at requires that 4 math courses be taken in high school and they consisit of Algebra, Algebra 2, Trig and one higher course.  Also, since she wants to major in Marine biology, she needs to have biology, chemistry, (can't remember the other 2).  Also, american history is required by most colleges we looked at.  I just want to make sure she has learned what she needs to go to the college she wants, hopefully with some scholarships!


----------



## mykidsintow

disneymom3 said:


> I know a lot of you have said you used Sonlight.  I am strongly considering it for next year.  Needing to know if you add on stuff to do or is it included?  I know my boys love to be read to, but just wondering if there is any hands on stuff or if I am getting right impression that it is really just a LOT of reading.  Seems like I must be missing something.



There actually are a lot of crafty things, IF you opt to do them.  We are using Core C.  You can do a LOT of crafts to go along with history they are suggested right in the book with pictures an instructions.  We have made hats, carved soaps, etc etc.  Its all right there.

Also Science has experiements.  There is a DVD you can watch and just see the experiment, but we love to do them.... thats usually once a week.  I often have the kids coloring pics to go along with the books we are reading.  We have done lapbooks to go along with a few of the books.  

Its *not* just sitting and reading, unless thats all you want it to be.  Sure, you can do that, but we prefer doing the suggested crafty things and having lots of activities.  Makes it take longer, but its sure much more enjoyable.


----------



## meandtheguys2

mommyof2princesses said:


> I can't believe our school year is almost at an end.  We have to test in NC, so this week we are doing the IOWA's.  They look really easy, so hopefully we can get it done early everyday and have free time!
> 
> We are already looking into buying next year's curriculum.  We are thinking about SL for our older dd.  I am not 100% sure yet.  We are most likely going to do Rosetta Stone, but it is so darn expensive.  Up until last month she was using it for free through the public library.  But they recently cancelled it!  So, now we need to shell out at least $200 for Spanish 1.  I know buying 1 and 2 together is a deal, but I don't have over $300 for one course!
> 
> We are doing Saxon for Algebra and 1st grade.  Worldy Wise, Easy Grammar for high school.  Apologia for both girls.  Most likely sonlight for reading and SS for high school.  Little one is still going through Sing, spell read write and when we finish 1st grade I will just order the 2nd grade one.
> 
> Not sure what else I need.  DD will be 9th grade and I need to be sure to get all her credits in for college.  I am not worried about what the high school graduation requirements are, just the requirmenets for college admissions!



You can get Rosetta Stone courses (1 and 2) from ioffer.com for about $50.


----------



## TNKBELL

Hi everyone!! So glad to see a new thread!! Thank you Julie for starting it! 

It's been sooo long since I have posted or even cruised the dis'!

We have had a crazy 2008. We lost a baby due to miscarriage in Feb, in March the whole family came down with Influenza, and most recently, we are expecting baby #6 in November, this seems to be a healthy pregnancy, we had a sonogram last week and all is well!!

I have decided to bite the bullet so to speak and enroll the dks in a virtual charter school that uses the K-12 curriculum!  I just feel like I need the accountibility. Does anyone do this? If so, will they let ds 4 start K? He is ready, I even did the placement testing online to make sure. 

Sorry it's been so long since I posted, I have missed you all!!


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## mommyof2princesses

meandtheguys2 said:


> You can get Rosetta Stone courses (1 and 2) from ioffer.com for about $50.



Is this the homeschool version?  The homeschool one offers workbooks, tests, study guides and a teachers login to check progress.


----------



## graygables

TNKBELL said:


> I have decided to bite the bullet so to speak and enroll the dks in a virtual charter school that uses the K-12 curriculum!  I just feel like I need the accountibility. Does anyone do this? If so, will they let ds 4 start K? He is ready, I even did the placement testing online to make sure.



We did K12 through OHVA.  It was a bit too much for my DDs (code of Hammurabi in the 2nd grade...) and we're more of an unschooling personality with all of the travelling we do for my business, so we didn't mesh well.

As far as the K goes, in Ohio, the charter school was NOT permitted to enroll my DD in the K program at 4yo, so I was advised to BUY the K12 program for her which forced her into the 1st grade when she was finally old enough to start "public" school.  It worked and she is now finishing 4th grade (will be 10 in October)


----------



## meandtheguys2

mommyof2princesses said:


> Is this the homeschool version?  The homeschool one offers workbooks, tests, study guides and a teachers login to check progress.



No, but you can buy the workbook and study guide on rainbowresource for about $10 a piece.  Mine is set up so that I can check on each child's computer work.


----------



## disneymom3

MiniGirl said:


> Hi everyone. I hope ya'll are doing well.
> 
> It has been awhile since I posted. I have been looking at the links and other resources many of you suggested. There are just so many curriculum choices out there. It really is quite overwhelming.
> 
> Anyway.... a recap and a question (or 2).  We have decided to hs our oldest dd next year. She'll be in 3rd grade. I'm am fairly certain we will keep our youngest (currently in K) in public school for at least one more year and perhaps bring her home starting in 2nd grade. My oldest is a voracious reader. I often have to tell her to watch where she's going because she will walk around with her nose in a book, but I'm not complaining. Okay..... so, since we are new to homeschooling, I want a program that has lesson plans and everything pretty much laid out for us, and I like the idea of My Father's World. I like that we can do the Adventure's curriculum next year and then start the following year with both girls. I do have some concerns though, and would like some opinions. I have heard MFW referred to as "homeschooling light" because some say it isn't as challenging as others and that it can leave the children somewhat behind. Is this true? If we use MFW for this first year, is it difficult to change curriculums for the year's following? What about after 2 or 3 years -- since it is a 5 year program? Do you use the Language Arts programs (and math) they recommend? It doesn't seem like a lot compared to some other curriculums I looked at. Is it enough or do you find you have to supplement? Are there other books/supplies I'd need to buy? Is this Adventure year challenging enough for my "advanced" reader? (I ask this because it is recommended for both 2nd and 3rd graders who are the oldest in the family.)
> 
> I've looked at countless programs and I keep coming back to this one and Sonlight. Sonlight just seems so expensive though, and I do like that MFW lesson plans seems to ease people into homeschooling.
> 
> Anyway, I'd appreciate any and all imput and insight you can give. I told my dh that once we (read: I) have decided on curriculum I think things will come more into focus because we'll have a game plan in place. I also know that I can spend tons of time "researching" things and never make a decision.
> 
> Thanks again for all your help.


I have a friend who has used MFW almost exclusively since her son was in third grade.  She is very happy with it and I know there is a lot of room within each subject for levels of ability.  With the Adventures I am pretty sure there are also ideas in the booklist for more difficult readers.  I have also heard a lot about having kids continue to read at a couple of levels below what htey are really capable of. She will still get information out of it and from what I know of the books they offer, they are interesting for many ages.  This is one of the curriculums we are considering.  I am trying to decide between MFW and Sonlight.  To me either one brings the history time period to life so much better than in a textbook.  I personally could not use Abeka because it feels too much like school-at-home.  (that is me though, lots and lots of homeschoolers really like it.)

Keep in mind that your child will be doing math, spelling and writing at whatever pace and level fits her best so there wouldn't be any lag there.  Also MFW recommends Singapore Math which generally runs at least half a year ahead of American based programs like Horizons or Saxon.  DD was able to move very easily from Singapore Math 5 right into Teaching Textbooks Math 7 and my friend's son is starting Teaching Textbooks Pre Algebra after completing Singapore level 6.



mommyof2princesses said:


> Colleges do require, however, that certain courses be taken.  For example, one college we are looking at requires that 4 math courses be taken in high school and they consisit of Algebra, Algebra 2, Trig and one higher course.  Also, since she wants to major in Marine biology, she needs to have biology, chemistry, (can't remember the other 2).  Also, american history is required by most colleges we looked at.  I just want to make sure she has learned what she needs to go to the college she wants, hopefully with some scholarships!


Yes, my sitter has been homeschooled since she was 8 and is now 20.  Her mom has done highschool for all 4 of her kids and found the exact same thing. Another friend of mine was worried because the colleges her son was looking at also required world history and she was feeling like they hadn't done that.  I pointed out that her Ancient Civilizations WAS world history. 


mykidsintow said:


> There actually are a lot of crafty things, IF you opt to do them.  We are using Core C.  You can do a LOT of crafts to go along with history they are suggested right in the book with pictures an instructions.  We have made hats, carved soaps, etc etc.  Its all right there.
> 
> Also Science has experiements.  There is a DVD you can watch and just see the experiment, but we love to do them.... thats usually once a week.  I often have the kids coloring pics to go along with the books we are reading.  We have done lapbooks to go along with a few of the books.
> 
> Its *not* just sitting and reading, unless thats all you want it to be.  Sure, you can do that, but we prefer doing the suggested crafty things and having lots of activities.  Makes it take longer, but its sure much more enjoyable.






Ellester said:


> It is basically just lots and lots of reading, both aloud and on their own. There are no real "crafty" things in there, although the Usborne books usually have little projects interspersed. There are map and timeline activities included. We add in art, use Apologia for science, and MUS for math. We also do our own bible, since we're Catholic. We did Core K two years ago, skipped a year, and are now half way through Core1+2. We've been very happy with it, it fits me and my kids well. I enjoy the read alouds just as much as they do!


Hey you two--you just totally contradicted each other here!  This is not helping!  


TNKBELL said:


> Hi everyone!! So glad to see a new thread!! Thank you Julie for starting it!
> 
> It's been sooo long since I have posted or even cruised the dis'!
> 
> We have had a crazy 2008. We lost a baby due to miscarriage in Feb, in March the whole family came down with Influenza, and most recently, we are expecting baby #6 in November, this seems to be a healthy pregnancy, we had a sonogram last week and all is well!!
> 
> I have decided to bite the bullet so to speak and enroll the dks in a virtual charter school that uses the K-12 curriculum!  I just feel like I need the accountibility. Does anyone do this? If so, will they let ds 4 start K? He is ready, I even did the placement testing online to make sure.
> 
> Sorry it's been so long since I posted, I have missed you all!!


Tnkbelle--good to hear from you!  Sorry about the baby!   But congrats on the pregnancy.  Did you have a baby last year too or was that the year before?  (We have obviously been around these boards way too long now!  )

With the K-12, I have a friend who uses it privately and she is sooo happy with it.  She didn't want the oversight piece of it with the charter schools and I know there are things she skips when she doesn't feel her girls need it.  Not sure if you could do that with the charter approach though.  Seems like with all of your little ones it might be a lot of time invested at the computer.  Have you ever tried MFW, Winter Promise or Sonlight?  Just seems like something you can teach to several kids at once might be more productive for you.  Good luck though!  Whatever you decide, I am sure there will be good things and not so good things, you know?


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## disneymom3

I have to reply to myself and say "long post!"  Sorry about that guys.  I kept coming back and forth to the computer in between lessons and it got longer than I realized!


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## mykidsintow

disneymom3 said:


> Hey you two--you just totally contradicted each other here!  This is not helping!




When you get the sonlight boxes with everything in it.  No, there aren't a ton of crafty additions in te curriculum.  So, IF you order it and plan on that to be *everything* then the only activities you will actually do are science experiments.  However, I know some families don't actually even do those experiments... they simply watch the enclosed DVD, thats your choice.


HOWEVER, we are currently doing History in the Usborne book of Living Long Ago.  On the age for today was "Mediecal Banquets" and it explains everything out.  On the right hand side of the page there is an area "How to make Mediecal fish pasties"  Full directions on how to do it.  None of he supplies for these activities are included, but you totally have the option to do these activities as you go along.  Other examples in this book are:
A Roman Recipe (how to make Roman Bread Pudding)
Making a toy Cauldron
making bread
Build a model home
make a model teepee
pumpkin pie
potato pie
make a model coracle
etc etc.  There are activities to go with the lesson at least 1-2 times a week sometimes much more often (depending on what part of the book you are in).  

So thats history activities as well as science.  I also print out coloring pages to go along with what we are talking about on days there are no activities at all (a butterfly, something from roman times, etc)

In addition to those, we have also done lapbooks to go along with our read alouds.  My children are very hands-on learners.  If I sat and read they would go bonkers.  We have done lapbooks with My Grandma's Attic, The Apple and the Arrow, The Boxcar Children, one about Dolphins while we were reading the 2 dolphin books.  

Again, NONE of that is "included" in the box.  I have added it on, to have fun activities for my children.  You can totally sit and read on days or weeks thats what you want to do.... just not very often with MY kids.  The activities are there and suggested in the history, the lapooks are not hard to do, very simple and easy and it keeps busy hands while I am reading.  

The science experiments are included (most of the supplies can even be ordered with the curric and what isn't included lists in the Instructor guides what you will need for the following week).  

Good luck!  If you would like more info please feel free to contact me!


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## Laura.bora

Has anyone used Before 5 in a row before, and what did you think?  I want to do something with my daughter (turning 3) and I'm just not sure.  We are finishing up with Hands on Homeschooling age 2, which we really loved.  I'm just not sure if I want the age 3.  I felt I had trouble staying on task with her activities while doing her older brothers lessons and dealing with a newborn.  Also, any helpful hints on how to help her not get lost in the hubbub of daily homeschool life?  I feel like she gets the short end of the stick sometimes because I'm either helping him with schoolwork, or taking care of the baby, or preparing meals/household chores!  So advice on b4fiar and practical how to make this work is appreciated!!


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## Laura.bora

mykidsintow said:


> In addition to those, we have also done lapbooks to go along with our read alouds.  My children are very hands-on learners.  If I sat and read they would go bonkers.  We have done lapbooks with My Grandma's Attic, The Apple and the Arrow, The Boxcar Children, one about Dolphins while we were reading the 2 dolphin books.



Ok, so I've just discovered lapbooking, and my son and daughter are LOVING IT !  But I'm very new at this so how do you go about making a lapbook for books you are reading?  I'd love to incorporate lapbooking into our daily book time!


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## mommyof2princesses

Laura.bora said:


> Has anyone used Before 5 in a row before, and what did you think?  I want to do something with my daughter (turning 3) and I'm just not sure.  We are finishing up with Hands on Homeschooling age 2, which we really loved.  I'm just not sure if I want the age 3.  I felt I had trouble staying on task with her activities while doing her older brothers lessons and dealing with a newborn.  Also, any helpful hints on how to help her not get lost in the hubbub of daily homeschool life?  I feel like she gets the short end of the stick sometimes because I'm either helping him with schoolwork, or taking care of the baby, or preparing meals/household chores!  So advice on b4fiar and practical how to make this work is appreciated!!



I did 5 in a row with my dd when she was 3 1/2.  She enjoyed it.  We only used it for a fw weeks before moving on to Kind. work when she turned 4.


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## anabelle

Momvic5 said:


> How exciting ~ A new thread!
> 
> I have started planning for our next school year, and while trying to get an idea of what I am going to use with my oldest, I started considering the idea of switching to a new curriculum for him in math.
> 
> I am curious.  What math curriculums do you use with your older children (6th grade and up)?  My oldest DS12 will be going into the 7th grade, and we currently use Saxon.  Most days I really like it, but then there are days when I think it is very boring.  My son likes it fine I guess.  He never complains about it, but I think he might enjoy a change for the next school year.  I am interested in what others are using and how it compares with the style of Saxon.
> 
> Thanks so much for your thoughts!



We will be using teaching textbooks.   My son seems to like it.  It is a bit pricey.   But they re-sell well on Ebay


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## mykidsintow

Laura.bora said:


> Ok, so I've just discovered lapbooking, and my son and daughter are LOVING IT !  But I'm very new at this so how do you go about making a lapbook for books you are reading?  I'd love to incorporate lapbooking into our daily book time!



We have done quite a few lapbooks from here:

http://www.homeschoolshare.com/Lapbooks_at_HSS.php

We have done dolphins, manatee (on a trip to FL), Cinderella, bats, frogs, etc.

IF I luck out I use the book or a subject that fits.  If not we wing it!  I google the subject matter and click images.  I find some reasonable images and print them, cut them out.  We use a general vocabulary words pouch and make word cards.  We use a mini flapbook with title, subject, main character, best part of the book, etc things on it that I write out.  I try to find a coloring page for the front, but sometimes we have just written on the font and drawn a picture to go along with the book.  I love it because it can be anything you want and you can be as creative scrapbooky or as straight forward as you want.  

Sometimes on lapbook we have created for scratch if they are a bit "bland" we will glue some glitter or beads to spruce it up.  My kids *love* it.


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## disneymom3

mykidsintow said:


> Again, NONE of that is "included" in the box.  I have added it on, to have fun activities for my children.  You can totally sit and read on days or weeks thats what you want to do.... just not very often with MY kids.  The activities are there and suggested in the history, the lapooks are not hard to do, very simple and easy and it keeps busy hands while I am reading.
> Good luck!  If you would like more info please feel free to contact me!


Thank you! that was very very helpful!  With that in mind I think MFW is probably the way for me to go but I know I'll probably want to add in more readers in which case I will just refer to what Sonlight suggests and get them from the library.


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## Ellester

disneymom3 said:


> Hey you two--you just totally contradicted each other here!  This is not helping!



Well, we can't have it be too easy, can we?  Like _mykidsintow_ said, none of the crafty stuff is actually included in the Instructor's Guides. The Usbourne books have ideas in them, _Living Long Ago_ did have a bunch. The _Book of World History_ we're using now (Core 1+2) has a few, but not nearly as many. You would have to read ahead and plan some to do the activities. One reason I really like Sonlight is that you don't have to plan ahead, you can just open the IG and go. That works the best for us. If I have to get the things ready for an activity ahead of time we invariably get behind or off track and then I am not a happy mommy!


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## Ellester

disneymom3 said:


> Thank you! that was very very helpful!  With that in mind I think MFW is probably the way for me to go but I know I'll probably want to add in more readers in which case I will just refer to what Sonlight suggests and get them from the library.



We must have been posting at the same time! I do have a friend that used MFW for a few years but then just had too much trouble getting the right books from the library. She would try to plan ahead and get the books held but they never seemed to have what she needed at the right time. She did really like MFW, it was just our mediocre library system here sabotaged her success with it.


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## disneymom3

mykidsintow said:


> We have done quite a few lapbooks from here:
> 
> http://www.homeschoolshare.com/Lapbooks_at_HSS.php
> 
> We have done dolphins, manatee (on a trip to FL), Cinderella, bats, frogs, etc.


May I ask where you got some of your resources for the bats lapbook?  DSs are working on them right now. One of the boys is doing ants and we are finding a ton of resources, but the other is doing bats and I am having trouble finding things for him to work with. he is in K but is really beyond K and more like a first grader.  We got a book off of Enchanted Learning which I read to him and then he answered the quiz at the end, we have a bat dot to dot and a page where we wrote "What do bats eat?" and he cut pictures out of magazines of all the different things bats eat.  But now I am stuck.  I have combed the web and am just not hitting on anything else and I would like to do a bit more.  I am thinking maybe reading a book to him and having him draw a picture and dictate a summary to me would be good, but he is a "just the facts ma'am" kind of a kid and he wants it to be about real bats and not a story about bats.

I am thrilled to have stumbled upon this idea just recently.  It really perked up our school for the end of the year.  We were getting pretty darn bored there.


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## disneymom3

Ellester said:


> We must have been posting at the same time! I do have a friend that used MFW for a few years but then just had too much trouble getting the right books from the library. She would try to plan ahead and get the books held but they never seemed to have what she needed at the right time. She did really like MFW, it was just our mediocre library system here sabotaged her success with it.



Yeah, I am very blessed that we are able to access three library systems all within about a 15 minute drive from our home.  Two of them are excellent, one is so-so but does have a lot of older books that are hard to find in more updated systems so it is handy for that.  I know several people using MFW including my best friend and she hasn't mentioned having trouble with that.  I know she uses a lot of them for her kids' silent reading time each day so hopefully that won't be a holdup.


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## teacups

Did anyone else request the free Earth Day Magic School Bus books?
Mine arrived today!


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## PA Princess

disneymom3 said:


> Thank you! that was very very helpful!  With that in mind I think MFW is probably the way for me to go but I know I'll probably want to add in more readers in which case I will just refer to what Sonlight suggests and get them from the library.



I have done this also...the books from SL are very good (good quality and kids enjoy them).  We have been doing ancient history the last two years (using a unit study called Learning Adventures) and adding in SL books.  I was an English teacher before kids, so I am choosy when it comes to books.

Another curriculum I have been intrigued by is Winter's Promise.  They are literature based like SL, but much more hands on.  I am seriously considering this curriculum for us next year when we move to American history.

Happy hunting!


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## PA Princess

anabelle said:


> am curious. What math curriculums do you use with your older children (6th grade and up)? My oldest DS12 will be going into the 7th grade, and we currently use Saxon.



I have two boys finishing sixth grade math and 8th grade math (7th grade working a year ahead).  They both are using ABeka math and they like it...course it is all they have ever used.  I have contemplated switching, but they both prefer to stay with what they know.


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## disneymom3

PA Princess said:


> I have done this also...the books from SL are very good (good quality and kids enjoy them).  We have been doing ancient history the last two years (using a unit study called Learning Adventures) and adding in SL books.  I was an English teacher before kids, so I am choosy when it comes to books.
> 
> Another curriculum I have been intrigued by is Winter's Promise.  They are literature based like SL, but much more hands on.  I am seriously considering this curriculum for us next year when we move to American history.
> 
> Happy hunting!



Overall I think WinterPromise has some awesome ideas BUT they are very expensive IMO.

Night all!  Have a good homeschooling day tomorrow!


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## DawnM

My boys love lapbooking.

It really depends on what we are studying as to how to lapbook.  I will pick those things I want them to really learn and concentrate on and they will make pop outs with drawings and writings.

For example:

We did a lapbook while studying Egypt.  They folded an 8x11 paper into a triangle and made the front look like a pyramid, but when you opened it up, they had listed facts about pyramids inside.

They also made a mummy and then listed how to make a mummy under it.  

Another section was the timeline, how they lived in that time period, etc....

Dawn



Laura.bora said:


> Ok, so I've just discovered lapbooking, and my son and daughter are LOVING IT !  But I'm very new at this so how do you go about making a lapbook for books you are reading?  I'd love to incorporate lapbooking into our daily book time!


----------



## Momvic5

tnmomof4 said:


> Don't feel guilty about not getting much school work done this week. We all have bad or busy weeks.  This has been one for me too.   You have done more school work this week than I have.   I try not to worry when life gets crazy.  The school work can always get caught up.   Homeschooling is great because we get to take care of our family whenever we need to.
> 
> I hope you have a great time with your mom and grandmother.   The birthday party will be fun, and taking the kids to Six Flags will be great.   It sounds like you need to have this break not just to check on your mom, but also for the kids and you.   Maybe after this break you will be recharged and ready to go full force with the school work.
> 
> By the way.... I posted on the thread you started about the rude comment made to you and your son and that whole situation.  You were absolutely, positively okay in what you did.  The terrible experience I posted about with my two DS was awful and very traumatizing.  I can never change what happened to them.  What if something worse happened to my boys, like they were actually taken.  You know what... I would have never forgiven myself for letting them go to the bathroom by themselves.   Please know you did what was right.   We have to do what we think is best for our children, and you did just that.
> 
> So... go have a wonderful time.  I hope you all have a really great time!!!




Thank you for being so kind.  We had a very nice stay with my mom and grandmother, and though Fiesta Texas is definitely not WDW, we had a great time there too.  We are home now and are tryng to focus back on school.  Everything is beginning to wind down, and we can see an end in sight.   We will be working on science and history through the summer, but that should be a piece of cake in comparison to everything else.  

Thanks for your encouragement!


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## emh1129

TNKBELL said:


> We lost a baby due to miscarriage in Feb, in March the whole family came down with Influenza, and most recently, we are expecting baby #6 in November, this seems to be a healthy pregnancy, we had a sonogram last week and all is well!!



I'm sorry about your miscarriage, but wanted to congratulate you on your pregnancy! That's exciting news


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## SavannahBetsy

Hi everyone, My daughter is currently in PreK and I have to say I hate the school system here it has been terrible! I was wanting to look into homeschooling my daughter but I have no idea where to start or what to check out Im completly clueless, if anyone has any helpful sites/advice please pm me! thanks!


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## PA Princess

disneymom3 said:


> Overall I think WinterPromise has some awesome ideas BUT they are very expensive IMO.
> 
> Night all!  Have a good homeschooling day tomorrow!



Ah, yes, there is the rub and why I am still only considering WP instead of actually purchasing at this point. But I do love the look of some of their books and activities.


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## DisneyMaMato8

My 15 yr old is really struggling in Indy public school.  Too much drama and today she came upset because a teacher argured with her that there was no heaven and that she along with everyone else came from a monkey.  She stated that he did not want to discuss his beliefs but that he was right and everyone else was wrong.  A heated discussion with another student was there is only a hell and that is where everyone was going.  She has had trouble with other students and threats.    Is it too late to switch her to homeschooling now.  She is failing most of her subjects (she has problems taking tests but does great with hands on projects).  I want to move her from the public system but am not sure I can afford private schools and there is a waiting list for charter schools.  I would like to hear from other parents who have switched their children to HS during their high school years.


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## NHWX

My ds14 came back to homeschooling after a semester at the public high school. We'd always intended them to go to that school but it just didn't work out.



DisneyMaMato8 said:


> My 15 yr old is really struggling in Indy public school.  Too much drama and today she came upset because a teacher argured with her that there was no heaven and that she along with everyone else came from a monkey.  She stated that he did not want to discuss his beliefs but that he was right and everyone else was wrong.  A heated discussion with another student was there is only a hell and that is where everyone was going.  She has had trouble with other students and threats.    Is it too late to switch her to homeschooling now.  She is failing most of her subjects (she has problems taking tests but does great with hands on projects).  I want to move her from the public system but am not sure I can afford private schools and there is a waiting list for charter schools.  I would like to hear from other parents who have switched their children to HS during their high school years.



The short answer is, no, it's not too late to switch. 

I'm a planner by nature (works well with Disney trips!) so I felt that deciding at Christmas left me very little time to plan a second semester for him. We do have some bumps and getting used to things but he's not depressed, and he's not in that soul-sucking atmosphere. (Really an appropriate description. No respect for anyone, the language made a truck driver look polite, fights, drugs, way too much of the three B's showing, etc.)

We're using NARHS for tracking of courses and providing a transcript. A lot of people don't something like this and are content to create their own transcript. I still like the outside accountability idea and it helps motivate my son. 

What sort of thing do you need to know? There are probably as many answers as there are people on this board!

NHWX


----------



## DisneyMaMato8

NHWX said:


> My ds14 came back to homeschooling after a semester at the public high school. We'd always intended them to go to that school but it just didn't work out.
> 
> 
> 
> The short answer is, no, it's not too late to switch.
> 
> I'm a planner by nature (works well with Disney trips!) so I felt that deciding at Christmas left me very little time to plan a second semester for him. We do have some bumps and getting used to things but he's not depressed, and he's not in that soul-sucking atmosphere. (Really an appropriate description. No respect for anyone, the language made a truck driver look polite, fights, drugs, way too much of the three B's showing, etc.)
> 
> We're using NARHS for tracking of courses and providing a transcript. A lot of people don't something like this and are content to create their own transcript. I still like the outside accountability idea and it helps motivate my son.
> 
> What sort of thing do you need to know? There are probably as many answers as there are people on this board!
> 
> NHWX



Where do I start.  What are good sites to research to find out what is required and what are the best materials to teach from.  Indy does have a virtual school here but I not even sure this would work.  I teach adults so I know I can work with her but sometimes we do butt heads.  I wonder where that stubbon streak comes from.


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## mommyof2princesses

In our state we have to administer a nationally normed test each year.  My dd is used to testing as every year the schools did end of grade tests.  These tests were long and timed, but the timing was ridiculous, they were given way to much time.

We are doing the Iowa's and she didn't finish the last math section in the time given.  She is now in her room crying loudly about this stupid test.  She is 13 and has always been in the gifted program. But she always tries to set herself up for failure in testing.  I think she will do great on the test but she doesn't understand that 1. she doesn't have to pass the test 2.  there is no pass/fail on this test 3. I don't care what the results are we just have to take it for state requriements.  What will I do next year when she has to take high school level exams?  UGghhh


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## Praise2Him

DisneyMaMato8 said:


> I would like to hear from other parents who have switched their children to HS during their high school years.



We started homeschooling my DD in 8th grade. Then DS came home to school in the middle of 11th grade. We love it so much and wish that we'd started from the beginning, but it didn't work out that way. Now DS is a freshman in college and DD is finishing up her junior year in high school.

I started out by going to the library and checking out every book on homeschooling I could find. Did a lot of research, and also connected with a local homeschool group - asked lots of questions. Go to HSLDA website and find out the laws about homeschooling in your state. Most states have a hs conference in the early summer - Alabama & Georgia are coming up in the next couple of weeks. They have seminars which are very helpful - also vendors with curriculums galore. I'm sure you'll get lots of other good suggestions from people here.

Good Luck!


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## Praise2Him

mommyof2princesses said:


> In our state we have to administer a nationally normed test each year.  My dd is used to testing as every year the schools did end of grade tests.  These tests were long and timed, but the timing was ridiculous, they were given way to much time.
> 
> We are doing the Iowa's and she didn't finish the last math section in the time given.  She is now in her room crying loudly about this stupid test.  She is 13 and has always been in the gifted program. But she always tries to set herself up for failure in testing.  I think she will do great on the test but she doesn't understand that 1. she doesn't have to pass the test 2.  there is no pass/fail on this test 3. I don't care what the results are we just have to take it for state requriements.  What will I do next year when she has to take high school level exams?  UGghhh



Are you allowed to choose the test you take? Here we take the SAT (not the college one) and it is untimed.

I don't like these tests because they aren't a true picture of ability and knowledge. I'm not that smart, but I'm a GREAT test taker and always do well on them. OTOH, 2 of my kids are really intelligent - straight "A" students, but they don't test well at all. It's really frustrating, because I know what they're capable of, but the tests don't show it.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

DisneyMaMato8 said:


> Is it too late to switch her to homeschooling now.  She is failing most of her subjects (she has problems taking tests but does great with hands on projects).



NO! It is NEVER too late! And if she is doing that badly at ps her grades will only improve!! Take heart!You know the best thing for her and if she is in that type of environment with heated arguments, doesn't sound like lots of learning going on anyway. I say pull her out today.Why wait? She's miserable-getting a great education is a wonderful blessing and she's not getting that, so do what you need to do.

Go to the library and get books for her to start reading. I always say start with what she likes. For example, did she enjoy the Anne of Green Gables series? Or Little House on the Prairie? Get some today and have her start reading, she can read a whole book, or just  a few chapters and then write a short summary for you of what she read and what stood out to her. Go to any local book store and get those cheap math workbooks for what ever level she was last comfortable with. She needs to start at whatever level she has confidence in. Be it 5th grade math or 9th grade--just do what's easy for her right now. You have all summer to enquire about curriculums-even go to a homeschool convention if you can.

I have been amazed at how much knowledge my children have gleaned just from reading GOOD books. Caldecott and Newberry award winners are great for every age and the classics are very broad in what you can learn. This is going to be an exciting time for her-so just surprise her when you get home from school today and tell her that today was her last day!! What a thrill that will be for her!!Let us know what you decide! Remember-that first step is the hardest(& most nerve-racking ).


----------



## sha_lyn

> NO! It is NEVER too late! And if she is doing that badly at ps her grades will only improve!! Take heart!You know the best thing for her and if she is in that type of environment with heated arguments, doesn't sound like lots of learning going on anyway. I say pull her out today.Why wait? She's miserable-getting a great education is a wonderful blessing and she's not getting that, so do what you need to do.



I don't believe it is too late either. I have watched a girl I know just blossom over the last 1 1/2 yrs since her mother pulled her 1/2 way through 10 grade.
She was in a similar but "other side of the fence" situation. She is not Christian, and was being told left and right that she was going to hell. She was being picked on for being more interested in her horse than in dating etc.
Her grades have slowly gone down hill since middle school and her mother has hired tutor after tutor to try to get her DD caught up.
I think what it really boiled down to was she needs things hands on and she needs to see real life applications. She apprenticed for 6 months with a ferrier, and has spent the last yr learning the ins and outs of running a horse breeding and training farm. Now that she can see the "why" instead of just being told "you will need this some day", she is finally getting it.


----------



## disneymom3

mommyof2princesses said:


> In our state we have to administer a nationally normed test each year.  My dd is used to testing as every year the schools did end of grade tests.  These tests were long and timed, but the timing was ridiculous, they were given way to much time.
> 
> We are doing the Iowa's and she didn't finish the last math section in the time given.  She is now in her room crying loudly about this stupid test.  She is 13 and has always been in the gifted program. But she always tries to set herself up for failure in testing.  I think she will do great on the test but she doesn't understand that 1. she doesn't have to pass the test 2.  there is no pass/fail on this test 3. I don't care what the results are we just have to take it for state requriements.  What will I do next year when she has to take high school level exams?  UGghhh



Use the Peabody test.  It is much less time consuming and there is no fill in the bubble.  For all the kids I know who take it, it is a genuinely fun experience.  YOu have to pay someone who is certified in offerring it. Around here it is usually around $50.


----------



## Ellester

disneymom3 said:


> Use the Peabody test.  It is much less time consuming and there is no fill in the bubble.  For all the kids I know who take it, it is a genuinely fun experience.  YOu have to pay someone who is certified in offerring it. Around here it is usually around $50.



We use the Woodcock-Johnson III, which I know is accepted by the state and given in NC by PES (http://www.pesdirect.com/wj3.html). It is very low stress. The kids don't even know what they've gotten correct or incorrect. It's individually administered and you get the results instantly. Well worth the $75 we paid. It scores all the way into graduate school level as well.


----------



## mommyof2princesses

Ellester said:


> We use the Woodcock-Johnson III, which I know is accepted by the state and given in NC by PES (http://www.pesdirect.com/wj3.html). It is very low stress. The kids don't even know what they've gotten correct or incorrect. It's individually administered and you get the results instantly. Well worth the $75 we paid. It scores all the way into graduate school level as well.



I know this is a great test, but to me $75 is a lot for a test.  I paid $40 for the Iowa.  We will see how she does.  I know I can do the Stanford for about the same price and the peabody and there is one more that I can't remember.  Mostly I just hate these types of tests.  They are stressful.


----------



## kimsuenew

DisneyMaMato8 said:


> My 15 yr old is really struggling in Indy public school.  Too much drama and today she came upset because a teacher argured with her that there was no heaven and that she along with everyone else came from a monkey.  She stated that he did not want to discuss his beliefs but that he was right and everyone else was wrong.  A heated discussion with another student was there is only a hell and that is where everyone was going.  She has had trouble with other students and threats.    *Is it too late to switch her to homeschooling now. * She is failing most of her subjects (she has problems taking tests but does great with hands on projects).  I want to move her from the public system but am not sure I can afford private schools and there is a waiting list for charter schools.  I would like to hear from other parents who have switched their children to HS during their high school years.



Hello! No... not at all!  

Our DS attended the same school K-9th. 

He has a high IQ but numerous learning challenges (dysgraphia/dyslexia) and was on a 504 for the last 3 years there (which incidently the school never followed... it looked great on paper however). I cannot say all teachers did not follow but I can say that about 90% did not and it was constant calls and meetings. 

DS was a wonderful student, very polite, never a bit of problems... kind of forgotten... they dealt with the behavioral kids. 

Finally, after many problems with his plan not being followed, with a horrible 8th grade inclusion class, with the school demanding he go into a 10th grade inclusion classroom (their inclusion is 1/2 of class on IEP's/504's and the other 1/2 typical learners with 2 teachers... sounds great but it was not... we tried it in 8th, refused it in 9th, and they tried to force it in 10th) and a GPA that slipped to a 1.4, we decided to homeschool.

We home-schooled last year and this year! He will actually be a senior next year and has decided not to go back to the HS for his senior year... he is going to stay in our homeschool.

He is doing excellent!  We are proud of his effort and how far he has came! His grades have went up tremendously, he passed our state testing with flying colors, he actually feels pride in his school work now!  

PM me if you need specifics, have questions, or anything!


----------



## disneymom3

SavannahBetsy said:


> Hi everyone, My daughter is currently in PreK and I have to say I hate the school system here it has been terrible! I was wanting to look into homeschooling my daughter but I have no idea where to start or what to check out Im completly clueless, if anyone has any helpful sites/advice please pm me! thanks!



Hi there!  I don't think I have seen an answer to you.  Will your DD be in K next year then?  I would say first off books are your friend.  Books and art and games and puzzles.  I surprise myself over and over and over again with how much my kids learn when it seems like they are not doing anything.  Become friends with your local library's children's librarian.  They are a huge asset.  Choose something to learn about that you and your DD are interested in finding out more about.  Do a Yahoo search for groups in your area that you can connect with.

Check out www.hslda.org for laws in your state.  I am thinking your location says PA and there are several on here from there that might be able to help.

Also, ASK questions!  

If you are looking for a specific curriculum, I personally love My Father's World for K. I know people who have really liked Calvert (Denae used this and is around sometimes) and many people like Abeka though I prefer to be more loose than that.


----------



## nicolemomof4cuties

I just purchased Sonlight 1 ( for my 4 1/2 & 6 1/2 year olds) and Sonlight 3 Advanced (For my 7 and 9 year olds).  We did Calvert this year and it just had too many worksheets and textbooks for the kiddos...  My Oldest DD finished 2nd grade in 4 months.  No joke.  So we did review and I made up a curriculum for her be cause we had some financial difficulties.  We have been done with school for over a month because the kids all zipped right through Calvert.  Hopefully Sonlight is more challenging.   Especially with them tag-teaming it on different levels.  I am not sure when to start, however...


----------



## jinthaalor

Thought I'd drop by this thread as a homeschooling graduate!   

I was homeschooled (more unschooled/self taught - very unstructured without many textbooks or much planning) for my entire pre-college education, and didn't go to a traditional school until college.  

I started taking college classes when I was 15, and was full time in college when I was 16.  I got my AA from community college when I was 17, but then spend a LONG time exploring at university and graduated with a double BA when I was 21.  Now I'm off to law school this August, and I look back very fondly on my untraditional education.  It's definitely not for everyone, but it can definitely be amazing for some.  I got to spend a lot of time with my parents and grandparents, did my lessons on the beach (I'm from Hawaii), and got to travel all around the United States and even to other countries without having to worry about getting back in time for school.  

Keep up the good work, homeschoolers!


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## nuzmom

Laura.bora said:


> We're going mid september - the 16th - 25th.  Woo hoo Free Dining!  And that brings me to this question:
> Is there a place where I can find a list of all the animals in AK?   )



Sorry, no time to read the whole thread (yeah, and it's not even very long yet), but here's a link I've used...http://www.wdisneyw.co.uk/resorts/aklguide.html


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## Momvic5

jinthaalor said:


> Thought I'd drop by this thread as a homeschooling graduate!
> 
> I was homeschooled (more unschooled/self taught - very unstructured without many textbooks or much planning) for my entire pre-college education, and didn't go to a traditional school until college.
> 
> I started taking college classes when I was 15, and was full time in college when I was 16.  I got my AA from community college when I was 17, but then spend a LONG time exploring at university and graduated with a double BA when I was 21.  Now I'm off to law school this August, and I look back very fondly on my untraditional education.  It's definitely not for everyone, but it can definitely be amazing for some.  I got to spend a lot of time with my parents and grandparents, did my lessons on the beach (I'm from Hawaii), and got to travel all around the United States and even to other countries without having to worry about getting back in time for school.
> 
> Keep up the good work, homeschoolers!



Wow!  Very impressive!  Your parents must be very proud of you.  

 to you too!


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## lori1043

Momvic5 said:


> Wow! Very impressive! Your parents must be very proud of you.
> 
> to you too!


 

Thanks for the testimony to all of us struggling, yet loving, homeschooling!! It is a wonderful boost you gave me that we are doing right by our children!!!

Lori


----------



## teacups

jinthaalor said:


> Thought I'd drop by this thread as a homeschooling graduate!
> 
> I was homeschooled (more unschooled/self taught - very unstructured without many textbooks or much planning) for my entire pre-college education, and didn't go to a traditional school until college.
> 
> I started taking college classes when I was 15, and was full time in college when I was 16.  I got my AA from community college when I was 17, but then spend a LONG time exploring at university and graduated with a double BA when I was 21.  Now I'm off to law school this August, and I look back very fondly on my untraditional education.  It's definitely not for everyone, but it can definitely be amazing for some.  I got to spend a lot of time with my parents and grandparents, did my lessons on the beach (I'm from Hawaii), and got to travel all around the United States and even to other countries without having to worry about getting back in time for school.
> 
> Keep up the good work, homeschoolers!




Very nice to hear!!


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## graygables

In case anyone is interested in a couple of fun homeschool t-shirts, PM me!


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## lori1043

For any homeschoolers who also work outside the home...

I work in a hospital 6-8 days a month. I also take call another 1-2 days a week, in which I rarely get called out. I work mostly weekends.

On Mondays after I work 2-3 BUSY days, I am pooped. Little school gets done these days.

I have been homeschooling 3 years-moving on in the fall to year 4!!

Our original thought was that I'd be home completely by the time DD10 hit 5th grade, but that is not happening. 

I feel that I can EASILY HS with my schedule, but that it will take some more work on my part.

So far, in the fall, I am teaching  my kids(2) and 3-5 others the Apologia Astronomy science course on Mondays. Tuesdays is co-op for 3 hours. After that is yoga class for the kids. Wednesday is either AWANA or choir, depending on time of year(we do half a year of one , then the other half of the other). Saturdays is a 10am PE.

So far, I have planned for my DD10:
finish Saxon 5/4(she is on lesson 85 and will get to lesson 90 by the time we are done with this year), start saxon 6/5. LLATL (purple-also already started but just a few weeks into it),Story of the World(but not with the activity book-she has excellent comprehension skills, so I just plan on her reading it-hope this is enough at this point)

For DD8: Abeka arithemtic 3, Easy Grammar, Daily grams, Abeka History(not pushing this though!!, I'd rather see her enjoy the American Girl series)

Plus, for both: A Reason for Handwriting-transition(I feel this is important, esp manuscript), Writing with the Best(new for us and possibly 1-2x per week), Sequential Spelling, and almost weekly Drive Thu History.

I think I am covering all ground, but also feel like I can always do better as a teacher to them. I may just be "me'. Or just that I have too many things going at once.

I am seriously thinking my life would be easier if we used ONE comprehensive curr., but we like LLATL for DD10, Saxon is working well and DD8 will use it for 4th gr. I am a very hands on type person and think my kids are at this point still too. Hence the other good stuff. My kds are VERY different type learners/ people, and having them on the same thing will be good for 1, bad for the other. 

I am thinking out loud here, but any comments or ideas about a better way-or what you find do-able with having an outside job, would be welcome. I have SoS in the back of my mind, but not sure how happy we'd be with our heads constantly behind a laptop. But then it could make me more available for the more FUN subjects-like science and history. But i do like how it does so much, incl. grading(esp for my older one, whom I feel needs to get more academically sound). I hear SoS math isn't so great, but do not know. Most I know use Teaching textbooks or Saxon with all else SoS.

My kids are SAT'ing this Mon-Wed, so you can see that I am of the mind and heart that believes my kids need more mainstream academics, with that personal touch of Christianity.

I like what we do but find time short, and I guess Dis'ing less often will help!!! 

Anyway, what do you do that works for you???

Lori


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## disneymarie

disneymom3 said:


> Since our Homeschool Thread is going to be closed soon, I thought I would be proactive and start us a new place to chat.  I also changed the title since we aren't looking for folks to see if there are enough for a subforum, just looking to talk to each other and get advice on day to day school stuff.
> 
> Happy Posting!!



I am interested in enrolling my daughter in a PA Charter Cyber school. There are two, one is the PA cyber charter and the other is 21st centry, I guess country wide.

She is on Homebound right now. Anxiety panic from bullying, and schoolphobic. She has so improved being home, but she is a straight A student, and not deciplined to spend 5 hours on school work if not in class. She has 2 Days of 2 1/2 homebound tutoring at the library, and I enrolled her at www.time4learning.com

I can not hoe school her myself, I lack the academics, I have two BA's but can not do scientific reasoning, expotentials, gen. math, nor proper Language to teach it.

So I am wondering if anyone has positive things to report of Online schooling?
She will be 13 and 7th grade in Sept. 
She is in therapy and difficult to even get her there. I do nt want her agoraphobic too.

dianne


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## Temair

My DD is part of the K12 virtual schools.  We are actually with ARVA.  We are just completeing our second year with them and really like it.  K12 has a very rigourous curriculum that covers all subjects well, with the exception of music.  Most users do not like the music course as its just not easy to understand and follow.  When a student joins the virtual school they take placements tests to determine which courses they are to take.  You often have students 1 year behind.  Typically they find a public school grade 5 student will end up taking grade 4 courses.  The students quickly catch up to grade level.  There is still some parentl involvment, but at the the higher grades and highschool the student is expected to be more self movtivated.  

There are also other virtual  schools out there that use the connections academy.   This is the calvert curriuculum.  I have not used it but have heard that others like this program as well.

Good luck in finding a program that will meet your needs.


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## disneymarie

Hi thanks for the added information. I guess that is what I am trying to figure out. What is the K12 as opposed to calvert? The pros and cons of any and which would suit her and the family needs.

She is using the www.time4learning to supplement the 5 hours of home bound tutoring. They want to try to get her back to school by fall. I do not see that happening. I do not want the battles, as they do nothing to control bullying aggressivly, she does not feel save and perceives a day filled with teasing and torment. 

She is smart, not on click personalty. She did dance class, G.S and loves reading and the library. Since she was young she experimented and created. Things like making "tookies" at 2 yrs old to homemade playdoh crafts. Paints, designs fashions from cloth for paper doll size. She is honor student and not challanged. Thinks of boys as counterparts friends equally instead of potential dates.

Loves computer and DS lite games, and reading. She does not have neighbor friends her age, no one calls to visit each other anymore. 
We did go through very rough times with myself being stalked and threatened by my 50 yr old sibling over an estate issue of fraud, the the death of her sister, my older daughter last year.

She hates the therapist, he is OK...but I am waiting for a local psych in July. 
I hate to rattle on, but even my work in social work field did not prepare me for when it is my own child. 

I want a program that is less stuctures so at 9:00 am she does not have to be signed in. I do not want something that is unstructured that all she has are books and assingments.....
Something, she puts in 5 hrs a day if at 8 am or 11 am.
Computerized, 

This week I found out in class they are not using the text anymore, they do kits and eperiments and this is not avaialble for her homebound. So I will also search online for something for her. The tutor is looking for reading things, I want her to do experiments too. to log chemical reactions, changes in structures, etc. Maybe even by a microscope kit.

So bottom line is the difference from Connections a calvert or the PA Virtual charter that is K12.
How they differ and would suit our needs.
Thanks for posting the information
dianne


----------



## Temair

K12 is just a curriculum provider for the virtual schools.  They provide the curriuculum for both the AGORA cyber charter school and the pennsylvania virtual charter school.  If you go on the K12 website there is more infomarion about both of them.

Connections Academy offers curriculum to the Commonewhealth Connesciton Academy in Pennsylvania.  They also have a website you can check out.

I really don't know much about the calvert curriculum, but I really only have good things to say about the K12 curriculum.  Both are designed to work around a students schedule.  I've heard of many highschool students that work full time during the day and then school at home in the evening.  You can adapt the schedule to fit your needs.  The only requirements is that you get done by the end of the school year, and even that vaires from school to school.  I would look at your choices and then contact them about the details.  Make a list of questions to ask them all and that way you can compare the answers you get.  

Hopefully some others have used the calvert curriculum and can give you some advice there.


----------



## disneymarie

Thanks for the additional information. 
That is where I am at preparing information to ask at the programs. There is an informational program next week in Wilkes Barre and Scranton area for the PA Cyber schools. The onsite program for last thursday at 21st Century, I missed but they can scedule a one on one for us. I also wasnt to evaluate Connections....

I think after Tuesday I will get more information.
So there is even a PA Charter school and a PA Virtual charter school, ummm
What choices...I know the therapist and school system may not be supportive but I am not forcing my child back into a perceived hostile environment liike an abusive relationship to the point of everyday having irrritable bowel and stomach issues.

I am just glad to see her happy again...
di


----------



## nuzmom

cajunrose said:


> I have been doing more and more research on Saxon math..seeing negative reviews. I know you'll get negative from every program...but now I'm not so sure.  A friend recommended Math U See to me. It looks great..but kinda boring.  Any experience with it?  Do they get calendar, time, money from it as well or just the 'facts' type of stuff?



We use MUS through 3rd grade and then switch to Saxon (DS12 and DS7). Love them both, different reasons. MUS is fun and funny and times. We use the DVD and really get into using the blocks. Yes, the pages are "just" black and white, but that's never been an issue with my kids.

I switch them to Saxon Math in 4th grade because MUS seems VERY simplistic to me. I LOVE that for learning all the facts and introducing concepts, but Saxon is very challenging and I feel it better prepares them for higher level math.


----------



## nuzmom

Neesy228 said:


> Thanks for these links!
> This will be for the start of next year. In PA we need to cover (although, I'm not sure we need to cover each subject every year?):
> English (to include spelling, reading, writing)
> arithmetic
> U.S. and Pennsylvania history
> civics
> health and physiology
> physical education
> music
> art
> geography
> science
> safety and fire prevention
> 
> Some things are obviously easy to do (like fire prevention).  My son is taking piano lessons, so I guess that covers music. It seems like I should be able to put together a good cirriculum for him between the library and online resources, but I don't want to short change him. This will be my first experience homeschooling....



Here's a nice link for homeschooling in PA - http://home.comcast.net/~askpauline/index.html
You do NOT need to teach all those subjects each year!!!! This website has through explainations of PA law. Enjoy.


----------



## nuzmom

DisneyMaMato8 said:


> My 15 yr old is really struggling in Indy public school.  Too much drama and today she came upset because a teacher argured with her that there was no heaven and that she along with everyone else came from a monkey.  She stated that he did not want to discuss his beliefs but that he was right and everyone else was wrong.  A heated discussion with another student was there is only a hell and that is where everyone was going.  She has had trouble with other students and threats.    Is it too late to switch her to homeschooling now.  She is failing most of her subjects (she has problems taking tests but does great with hands on projects).  I want to move her from the public system but am not sure I can afford private schools and there is a waiting list for charter schools.  I would like to hear from other parents who have switched their children to HS during their high school years.



It's only too late when you give up!!!!
A boy in our homeschooling co-op was pulled out of PS in the beginning of his 7th grade (mid-year). He was failing everything and COULD NOT READ!!!! He was getting also into trouble and heading down a dangerous path. Well, 1 1/2 years later - he's doing AWESOME!!! He reads almost at grade level, does average with is studies, and is a well mannered, caring, helpful young man. His mom has decided to keep him 1 year "behind" - he's 8th grade, but would have been 9th grade by age. His mom was just telling us that she believes that homeschooling saved his life!!!!!


----------



## Momvic5

nuzmom said:


> We use MUS through 3rd grade and then switch to Saxon (DS12 and DS7). Love them both, different reasons. MUS is fun and funny and times. We use the DVD and really get into using the blocks. Yes, the pages are "just" black and white, but that's never been an issue with my kids.
> 
> I switch them to Saxon Math in 4th grade because MUS seems VERY simplistic to me. I LOVE that for learning all the facts and introducing concepts, but Saxon is very challenging and I feel it better prepares them for higher level math.





I agree with you about Saxon.  I think it is an excellent curriculum for encouraging the student to think beyond just math processes.  We have used it in the upper elementary grades 5th and 6th, and I like the fact that the student has to interprete a problem before forming its equaton, transfer equation/problem from worktext to paper, and then from paper back to worktext.  I think that my son's critical thinking, reasoning, and organization has been enhanced from using Saxon.  My only negative is that it can be boring for those students who need more visual stimulation and overwhelming for those students who tend to work at a slow pace.


----------



## nuzmom

I've posted on the other board and lurked quite a bit, too. I'll introduce myself:
I HS my DS12 and DS7. We participate in a HS co-op once a week. We've used MUS, Saxon Math, Apologia sciences (ALL of them - I lead physics and chemistry at co-op), Easy Grammar, Writing Strands, Spelling Power, Wordly Wise, MCP Plaid Phonics, Story of the World (1 to 3), and I'm probably forgetting some. I have an engineering degree and we "lean" towards sciences and math in my home.

Questions:
1)  would like to start foreign language for my 7th grader. Don't really want to do spanish. Am considering sign language (will that "count" as a foreign language?) or Italian, Chinese, Greek, Latin. How do you choose????? What curriculum do you use?????
We've used Rosetta stone (Italian) some when it was free from the library. Liked it, but $$$$$$

2) I have really didn't like our history that we've participated in through our co-op. We've done Story of the World for 3 years and the Light and the glory series of 3 books another year. I'm just not convinced that my kids remember anything they learned (and DS12 was always top in class).
What do you use for History???? For those that use any of the above history curriculum, how do you feel it worked for you?

Thanks for your time.


----------



## nuzmom

Momvic5 said:


> My only negative is that it can be boring for those students who need more visual stimulation and overwhelming for those students who tend to work at a slow pace.



So true.

.


----------



## mommyof2princesses

We have finished testing!   WOOPEE!     

Glad that is over and not looking forward to next year when we are doing high school testing!  Now, I can think about curricula for next year.

We are most likely buying the Rosetta Stone.  I know it is expensive,but well worth it.  And, once my dd4 gets ready to start to learn she can use it too.  Maybe we will all learn a foreign language!  We are doing Spanish, but I would love to learn german as I have a neighbor from germany and she teaches her kids german and english.


----------



## Momvic5

nuzmom said:


> I've posted on the other board and lurked quite a bit, too. I'll introduce myself:
> I HS my DS12 and DS7. We participate in a HS co-op once a week. We've used MUS, Saxon Math, Apologia sciences (ALL of them - I lead physics and chemistry at co-op), Easy Grammar, Writing Strands, Spelling Power, Wordly Wise, MCP Plaid Phonics, Story of the World (1 to 3), and I'm probably forgetting some. I have an engineering degree and we "lean" towards sciences and math in my home.
> 
> Questions:
> 1)  would like to start foreign language for my 7th grader. Don't really want to do spanish. Am considering sign language (will that "count" as a foreign language?) or Italian, Chinese, Greek, Latin. How do you choose????? What curriculum do you use?????
> We've used Rosetta stone (Italian) some when it was free from the library. Liked it, but $$$$$$
> 
> 2) I have really didn't like our history that we've participated in through our co-op. We've done Story of the World for 3 years and the Light and the glory series of 3 books another year. I'm just not convinced that my kids remember anything they learned (and DS12 was always top in class).
> What do you use for History???? For those that use any of the above history curriculum, how do you feel it worked for you?
> 
> Thanks for your time.




I also have a DS12 who will be entering into 7th grade, and we are kind of in the same boat.  

First for a foreign language my son and I are leaning towards Latin.  Mainly because my DS12 loves the study of science, and at this point, he wants to be a rocket scientist of some sort so we thought Latin would best suit his interests.  I haven't looked into a specific curriclulm yet so I will be searching soon too.

Secondly, history has been a tough one for us.  We have also used Story of the World.  I liked it OK, but I wasn't sure we were covering enough.  This year we are using Bob Jones history.  I can't say I love it, but I do think it covers more, is presented well, and interesting to read.  I modify the busy work a bit to make it less redundant.  The hardest thing for me is that I also have a 3rd and 1st grader, and it is so time consuming to work with each child and cover 3 different time periods.  It was so much easier when we all used one curriculum.  

I look forward to seeing other homeschoolers' opinions too!


----------



## MinnieVanMom

We just finished our first day of school/learning at home.  I am rather lost but we just started at the beginning with A..for apple, ant, alligator, anteater adn for each day we have a project, learning, letters to trace.  We also did addition, just 1+ and 0+ but it is a start.  

I used a few websites for art projects, facts, etc.  DS is 5 and great at math.  His hand writing is not so good but we are tracing now.  He likes art.

We also did match up word to word, only two letters and identify alphabet letters.  He knew more than he didn't with the letters.

However, all that being said and spending the entire day yesterday get just this week ready.  School today only took two hours to complete. 

We did art, songs, and all the above.

What else should I be doing?  How long should school take?  What subjects do I need to be covering?

Sorry, I a new.  I also learned to have the art projects cut out and ready to go.  5 yr olds won't wait!


----------



## meandtheguys2

It doens't take long, if the child "gets" the concepts.  That is one of the blessings of hsing.

Playing is a good use of time.  Helping you cook, taking a walk, etc. also are lovely learning experiences.  Those are the things our afternoons were filled with when my guys were young.  They still get the majority of work done in the mornings, because we start early.

Congrats on your first day!


----------



## MinnieVanMom

I just printed out the colour match the animal page from a link here and he walked up, turned the animals upside down, then picked them up and matched them to the color and walked away.

Colours, mastered.

I just want to know, is it really suppose to take an entire day to get 1 week of projects ready?  I had apples crafts, a fact sheet on apples, apple juice.  He can tell you it is a fruit and grows on trees.  Now we are going to the library to read a book about apples.  

I just don't know if I am doing this right or not?  I used enriched learning, DTLK for kids, and just kept going from link to link for pages.  

IS there an easier way?  We don't have a bunch of extra money for supplies.  But I do have a fast computer and printer.

What else should I be covering?  We have science, math, words, art and songs, english with letters and two letter words.

Did anyone else just feel lost at first?  

Things I have learned so far.  Have the work laid out and all art projects ready to go.  School goes by fast.


----------



## Ellester

MinnieVanMom said:


> I just printed out the colour match the animal page from a link here and he walked up, turned the animals upside down, then picked them up and matched them to the color and walked away.
> 
> Colours, mastered.
> 
> I just want to know, is it really suppose to take an entire day to get 1 week of projects ready?  I had apples crafts, a fact sheet on apples, apple juice.  He can tell you it is a fruit and grows on trees.  Now we are going to the library to read a book about apples.
> 
> I just don't know if I am doing this right or not?  I used enriched learning, DTLK for kids, and just kept going from link to link for pages.
> 
> IS there an easier way?  We don't have a bunch of extra money for supplies.  But I do have a fast computer and printer.
> 
> What else should I be covering?  We have science, math, words, art and songs, english with letters and two letter words.
> 
> Did anyone else just feel lost at first?
> 
> Things I have learned so far.  Have the work laid out and all art projects ready to go.  School goes by fast.



At 5, I would think 2 hours is more than enough. I think you have your bases covered. You can always get one of those "What My Kindergartener Needs to Know" type books if you think you might be missing something. There is no "right" way to homeschool. You have to determine what works best for your child and (very importantly) for you. We use Sonlight, so I have very little preparation. I make my dd10 a "to do" sheet listing the things she needs to accomplish for the week. That usually takes me 5 minutes on Sunday evening. My dd6 just does what I give her each day. If I had to spend a day each week preparing, it would drive me crazy. If you don't mind or enjoy it, then that is perfectly fine. If it makes you crazy, just try something else. We try to start by 9 or 9:30 each day and are usually done by lunch. We have additional activities thrown in here and there (gymnastics, trips to the library, park day, pottery, etc.). One of the many beauties of homeschooling is that it is much more efficient than group schooling. You can work with your one (or several) child and get everything done in a fraction of the time it takes one teacher to instruct 20+ kids of different abilities in a classroom.


----------



## Ellester

Momvic5 said:


> First for a foreign language my son and I are leaning towards Latin.  Mainly because my DS12 loves the study of science, and at this point, he wants to be a rocket scientist of some sort so we thought Latin would best suit his interests.  I haven't looked into a specific curriclulm yet so I will be searching soon too.



I think we're going to start Latin this summer. I'm leaning towards _Latina Christiana_ by Memoria Press. http://www.memoriapress.com/descriptions/index_latin.htm

We may do Rosetta Stone as well at some point. My dd10 wants to learn Hebrew!


----------



## MinnieVanMom

Thanks so much for the reply.  I didn't enjoy being on the computer and not outside but I was willing to do it for the little one.  

I am going to look at a few programs, but cost may just keep us away for  now.  I am going to get some sheets about money and add that in since it is of interest right now.

We did go to the library and got a few books.  I guess 2 hours is enough.  He just goes through it so quick.


----------



## Praise2Him

I think most of y'all have younger kids than mine (not hard, since she's in 11th grade!  ), but I'll try this anyway...

Has anyone used "Learning Language Arts Through Literature"? I'm looking for a new English program for next year (12th grade) and this one looks good, but I don't know anything about it. I'd appreciate any input - good and bad -  from anyone who has used it before. I'd also love suggestions for other great high school English curricula. We currently use Alpha Omega LifePac, but want to try something different.

Thanks!


----------



## meandtheguys2

My son, 9th grade, is using one of Smarr's courses.  He is doing intro to Lit, and it is a thorough lit program.  

http://rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?sid=1210018370-730632&subject=6&category=960


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## tnmomof4

They are trying to pass a law here in Tennessee which would require all homeschooling parents and teachers in church-related schools to have a baccalaureate degree in order to teach grades 9-12." 

This is the second time in the past few months that they are trying to hinder homeschooling in some way.  

The first time they wanted all homeschoolers and students in church-related schools to take a certain state mandated test.  That was not approved.  

Now they are trying to pass this law.  I e-mailed every representative who is for this law today urging them to vote no on this law.   Now we just have to wait and see what happens.


----------



## KibbyCat

Sorry this is long, but I hate abbreviations.  Let me start by saying that I'm sorry if I violated any unwritten homeschool rules for posting here as a non-homeschooler.  I am a certified teacher.  I was homeschooled for 4 years and loved it.  I think it was the best educational decision my parents ever made for me.  However, now I am having some doubts and wonder if anyone has advice for me concerning my own kids' education.

I taught in Christian schools before I had kids.  I wanted my children to have a good Christian education, so I put my daughters in Christian preschools.  I had always intended to use Christian schools, because I assumed I'd always be teaching in one.  However, now I'm a stay-home mom, and want to teach them at home since I can't afford tuition.  My oldest has attended a Christian elementary school for K and 1st.  I planned on homeschooling, but baby#4 came along and we knew her education would suffer, so we forked the tuition money over, and so far have been pleased with the outcome.  

But here comes my dilemma.  My daughter's best friend from K is being homeschooled this year, and now she keeps begging me to teach her at home too.  I had already paid to send her back to Christian school for 1st, since the baby was only 6 months old, but am seriously considering homeschool next year.  My younger daughter will be in Kindergarten in the fall.  I know I can do it.  I used to teach K and 2nd, so I'll be adequately prepared for both daughters' educations.  However, I still have two little ones at home, and because we're paying off tuition from the girls, can not afford to send the boys to preschool.

How will I manage 4 small kids and full-time teaching?

I looked into an umbrella program, but it seems there are only two types offered in my area: one that lets the kids take all their "electives" on campus one day a week while homeschooling for the basics, and one that offers parents a chance to "co-op" one day a week.

I don't know if the first type would be enough for me, since it is only offered on Wednesdays.  I would be paying $160 a month for my girls to go for 6 hours each week, but that doesn't seem like adequate time to teach my preschooler.  If I have to teach my girls elementary subjects, I kknow my son will get overlooked.  I need to have a little time every day, not just one day a week.  On the other hand, I feel like the co-op option isn't educational enough to help me out.  Since I'm more than qualified to teach, I don't think volunteering 5 hours a week while my kids take "craft" and "photography" classes serves any purpose.  I don't mind sharing my wealth of knowledge and expertise with other local homeschool families, but it would be taking up valuable time that I need to spend with my own kids.  I don't want to sound like we're too good for this program, but it just doesn't sound like what we are looking for as far as homeschooling groups.

While both types offer a network and testing/record-keeping services, I feel like there is a bigger need that is being overlooked, but don't know how to go about finding a program that will meet it.

Should I just keep my kids in Christian school until the baby is old enough that I can manage my time to homeschool?  Should I only pull one kid out and when I've mastered homeschooling to her needs, then do the others one-at-a-time, too?

Or should I try homeschooling a 2nd grader, kindergartener, and pre-kindergartener all at once, with a one-year-old still underfoot?

I'm used to managing a classroom with 13 kids at a time, but they were all the same grade level and developmental stage.  Plus, they were using the same curriculum.

Curious as to how you teach three different grade-levels to three different VERY DEMANDING children, while still having a non-schooler.

Thanks in advance!


----------



## disneydreamin-gang

I did not know there was a new thread out there for HS.  I have been away from Dis for awhile now.  But I'm back.  I did not read all the pages so if someone already covered it, sorry.
I have been HS for 16 yrs and have 10 more to go.  I love it and could not imagine life without it.j
Now on to the lapbooks.  I started using the Charlotte Mason method of teaching this year and absolutely love it.  It works wonders for my special needs children.  
I used the lapbooks as a way to get them show their work.  I got the basic idea of using manila folders from a convention.  They drew pictures, wrote new words on small cards and put in pockets, wrote descriptions from books we read, etc.

The curriculum we used was from Queen Homseschooling.  Again I loved the books. Sandy Queen also wrote several study guides to go along with the books.

Now on an other note.  I'm glad to see the HS thread is still alive.  It's alway neat to find others who have the same interests.


----------



## Praise2Him

meandtheguys2 said:


> My son, 9th grade, is using one of Smarr's courses.  He is doing intro to Lit, and it is a thorough lit program.
> 
> http://rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?sid=1210018370-730632&subject=6&category=960



Thank you for providing that link, because now I remember that I'd heard about that program at a seminar once and it seemed great. It really helps to hear about things other people use and like. I will definitely look into it - just have to decide between American and British lit.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

nuzmom said:


> 2) I have really didn't like our history that we've participated in through our co-op. We've done Story of the World for 3 years and the Light and the glory series of 3 books another year. I'm just not convinced that my kids remember anything they learned (and DS12 was always top in class).
> What do you use for History???? For those that use any of the above history curriculum, how do you feel it worked for you?
> 
> Thanks for your time.



We used the Mystery of History last year (Vol I & II for different levels of kids) and we loved it!! This year we needed Vol III and couldn't find it. Sooo, I began looking for something else, we were leaning toward the History guides from Beautiful Feet Books and also we found Truth Quest History. TQ is probably what I am going to use. It has a strong Christian view point and uses lots of the books suggested in the BF guide. So, I feel like I am going to be using both!! Of course, once I decided and ordered,I found out they just released the Mystery of History III! Oh well!! I know that was the best decision for us-we like lots of living books!!! Hope this helps!!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Praise2Him said:


> I think most of y'all have younger kids than mine (not hard, since she's in 11th grade!  ), but I'll try this anyway...
> 
> Has anyone used "Learning Language Arts Through Literature"? I'm looking for a new English program for next year (12th grade) and this one looks good, but I don't know anything about it. I'd appreciate any input - good and bad -  from anyone who has used it before. I'd also love suggestions for other great high school English curricula. We currently use Alpha Omega LifePac, but want to try something different.
> 
> Thanks!


First off-love your 'name'!! That would make a great license plate as well!! 
We are going to be using LLATL this year. We will have the green(7th) and the orange(4th)-this is another subject I just couldn't find anything I absolutely loved and was so thankful to come across this one!! I have looked through every thing I could find and this seems the best! The only other thing I know of would be Rod & Staff(my best friend uses this) but it's sooooo much work-really a bit of overload. I didn't want them so bogged down that they are hating their work. I think this is going to be a good balance. Some reviews said the spelling needed to be reinforced with a spelling program, but my kids are great spellers, so we will see how that goes.  I am expecting my books in at the end of this week, so I get to look through there and check it out even more! If it's not what I expected I will get back and tell ya!! Can't wait to get those boxes in!!!
In fact, my friend who does Rod & Staff is switching to LLATL this year!!!


----------



## lori1043

Praise2Him said:


> I think most of y'all have younger kids than mine (not hard, since she's in 11th grade!  ), but I'll try this anyway...
> 
> Has anyone used "Learning Language Arts Through Literature"? I'm looking for a new English program for next year (12th grade) and this one looks good, but I don't know anything about it. I'd appreciate any input - good and bad - from anyone who has used it before. I'd also love suggestions for other great high school English curricula. We currently use Alpha Omega LifePac, but want to try something different.
> 
> Thanks!


 
Before I address this, Kibbycat, so your post doesn't go ignored...
HS'ing this many kids at different grade levels IS possible and can be done. I cannot speak for it though as I only have 2 kids, both girls ,10 and 8. I HS'ed DD10 for preschool and it took about 30-45 minutes a day with a good curr.(Hands on Homeschooling-obviously very hands on). She went on to PS for K and 1st and did wonderfully. I think when you start homeschooling there is a "transition time" from regular school-it consists of everyone getting used to being around each other 24/7, and accepting that mom is ONE person. She can help one at a time. If your kids are demanding, they WILL adjust, but just give it time. If it is God-led(you said you were Christian), He will see to it that you have to tools to do it successfully(talking to myself here too,b/c it is hard and sometimes I wonder )

As for LLATL, DD10 has used it ever since we started HS'ing. So this is the end of our 3rd year using it for her. It did NOT work for DD8 though, who needs a more regimented workbook aproach. All the cut out stuff and games were just too much for her .

LLATL is a very literature based all inclusive grammar, writing, spelling(although we do not use it for spelling), language, reading curriculum.
We like it a lot, but I do feel that -at least my experience with the younger grades- it is generally a year or half year behind. Esp if you have a child who adores reading. DD10 has been on the purple book(she is in 4th) for a few months now. Somehow, she finished orange mid/late year and started on purple. So now we will end purple mid/late year, and so on, if we stick with it. I cannot see why not at this point.

Since LLATL is not an option at this point for my DD8, we have used Abeka Language and Letters and Sounds and Spelling(insert green sick smilie here)-L2 and L$S were okay, but spelling was GAG!!-hence, It did not work for us! It is good for phonics though with the Readers and the "apple book" as we call it. Next year we are using Easy Grammar, Daily grams, writing with the best and sequential spelling with her. I may get some phonics centers for her b/c that is a weak area for her b/c it BORES her. She is my reluctant reader. She can read well, but only if she HAS too!

Lori


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## Momvic5

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> We used the Mystery of History last year (Vol I & II for different levels of kids) and we loved it!! This year we needed Vol III and couldn't find it. Sooo, I began looking for something else, we were leaning toward the History guides from Beautiful Feet Books and also we found Truth Quest History. TQ is probably what I am going to use. It has a strong Christian view point and uses lots of the books suggested in the BF guide. So, I feel like I am going to be using both!! Of course, once I decided and ordered,I found out they just released the Mystery of History III! Oh well!! I know that was the best decision for us-we like lots of living books!!! Hope this helps!!




I would love to find a history program that works for all my children!  How do you do it?  Do you go back at some point and review the same material with your younger children again as they get older?  If so, is your oldest included in this review, or does he continue on with new material?  My oldest is in 6th grade, and my younger two are in 3rd and 1st grades.  Obviously, I have to modify the reading and work load to fit each child, so at what point do I go back and have my younger two review what was too much for them in the past.  I know I am probably giving it too much thought, but I just can't find peace of mind.  I would love to know how you do it or what your plans are for your younger two.

Right now, each of mine have their own history textbook.  Though it works, it is not ideal.  It is so time-consuming to do 3 different time periods.


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## Momvic5

bump!


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## heatherplus3

MinnieVanMom said:


> I just printed out the colour match the animal page from a link here and he walked up, turned the animals upside down, then picked them up and matched them to the color and walked away.
> 
> Colours, mastered.
> 
> I just want to know, is it really suppose to take an entire day to get 1 week of projects ready?  I had apples crafts, a fact sheet on apples, apple juice.  He can tell you it is a fruit and grows on trees.  Now we are going to the library to read a book about apples.
> 
> I just don't know if I am doing this right or not?  I used enriched learning, DTLK for kids, and just kept going from link to link for pages.
> 
> IS there an easier way?  We don't have a bunch of extra money for supplies.  But I do have a fast computer and printer.
> 
> What else should I be covering?  We have science, math, words, art and songs, english with letters and two letter words.
> 
> Did anyone else just feel lost at first?
> 
> Things I have learned so far.  Have the work laid out and all art projects ready to go.  School goes by fast.



Have you used learningpage.com? I really like the worksheets and theme units. As far as time spent planning lessons, I was in the same boat this year for DS kindergarten. This fall we are ordering Sonlight. I really hate to spend that much money, but we are going to try it for a year and see if its worth it.
Good luck! We've only been at it since Jan, but it seems to be getting less  already.


----------



## disneymom3

MinnieVanMom said:


> I just printed out the colour match the animal page from a link here and he walked up, turned the animals upside down, then picked them up and matched them to the color and walked away.
> 
> Colours, mastered.
> 
> I just want to know, is it really suppose to take an entire day to get 1 week of projects ready?  I had apples crafts, a fact sheet on apples, apple juice.  He can tell you it is a fruit and grows on trees.  Now we are going to the library to read a book about apples.
> 
> I just don't know if I am doing this right or not?  I used enriched learning, DTLK for kids, and just kept going from link to link for pages.
> 
> IS there an easier way?  We don't have a bunch of extra money for supplies.  But I do have a fast computer and printer.
> 
> What else should I be covering?  We have science, math, words, art and songs, english with letters and two letter words.
> 
> Did anyone else just feel lost at first?
> 
> Things I have learned so far.  Have the work laid out and all art projects ready to go.  School goes by fast.



I think it does take quite awhile to get started.  Once you have your system down it will be better.  Think about it though, someone spent a LOT of time preparing those curriculums and teachers do planning each week even WITH a prepared curriculum.\

As for what to cover and how to do it, you'll get more into the mode of schooling as life as you go along.  Learning colors for instance....have some jelly beans, talk about how many you each have of each color, line them up, group them together, who has more, can you make a pattern with them?  Look up on the internet how jelly beans are made and look at some factory pics (jellybelly.com has a virtual tour.)  Voila!  A whole day of school done.  You did colors, you did LOTS of math, you read about jelly beans (language arts AND science) and Hey, you might even pick up some history along the way. Then do some painting and go outside.  I firmly believe that a lot of homeschooling is your mindset.

As a for instance, on our last very long thread I told a story about my boys deciding they needed to go on an adventure. They were soooo busy I hated to interupt them but I also felt bad about not doing "school"  Well out of that day they learned about making maps--different kinds and what landmarks are--they did planning for what they would need on their adventure, they took books with them to read, they figured out how they would make sure they did not get lost in addition to creating maps ala Lewis and Clark etc.  They did all of this inside as it was like Jan and their camp was behind the living room couch.

RIght now, they have been outside looking for the perfect bug to feed the venus fly trap we got about a month ago.  When we got it, they found out about carnivores and herbivores in the plant world and what makes a plant a plant and not an animal.  They also learned how plants get and use energy.  They have spent much time searching for bugs and creating bug habitats so that they have a supply for the plant.  (This I admit is grossing me out!)

As you go along you are going to get more and more in tune with what works for you son and how much info he can get just through living life.

However as for websites my favorites are www.enchantedlearning.com www.edhelper.com www.starfall.com  and the Learning page one mentioned above.

Good luck and don't stress!


----------



## Praise2Him

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> First off-love your 'name'!! That would make a great license plate as well!!
> We are going to be using LLATL this year. We will have the green(7th) and the orange(4th)-this is another subject I just couldn't find anything I absolutely loved and was so thankful to come across this one!! I have looked through every thing I could find and this seems the best! The only other thing I know of would be Rod & Staff(my best friend uses this) but it's sooooo much work-really a bit of overload. I didn't want them so bogged down that they are hating their work. I think this is going to be a good balance. Some reviews said the spelling needed to be reinforced with a spelling program, but my kids are great spellers, so we will see how that goes.  I am expecting my books in at the end of this week, so I get to look through there and check it out even more! If it's not what I expected I will get back and tell ya!! Can't wait to get those boxes in!!!
> In fact, my friend who does Rod & Staff is switching to LLATL this year!!!



Thank you for the compliment on my 'name'   I never thought of using it on a license plate...something to consider  

Thanks also for your insight on LLATL. We used Rod & Staff our first year (8th grade) and I totally agree that it is very comprehensive, but a LOT of work. 

Yes, please let me know how it looks when you get it!



lori1043 said:


> As for LLATL, DD10 has used it ever since we started HS'ing. So this is the end of our 3rd year using it for her. It did NOT work for DD8 though, who needs a more regimented workbook aproach. All the cut out stuff and games were just too much for her .
> 
> LLATL is a very literature based all inclusive grammar, writing, spelling(although we do not use it for spelling), language, reading curriculum.
> We like it a lot, but I do feel that -at least my experience with the younger grades- it is generally a year or half year behind. Esp if you have a child who adores reading. DD10 has been on the purple book(she is in 4th) for a few months now. Somehow, she finished orange mid/late year and started on purple. So now we will end purple mid/late year, and so on, if we stick with it. I cannot see why not at this point.
> 
> Since LLATL is not an option at this point for my DD8, we have used Abeka Language and Letters and Sounds and Spelling(insert green sick smilie here)-L2 and L$S were okay, but spelling was GAG!!-hence, It did not work for us! It is good for phonics though with the Readers and the "apple book" as we call it. Next year we are using Easy Grammar, Daily grams, writing with the best and sequential spelling with her. I may get some phonics centers for her b/c that is a weak area for her b/c it BORES her. She is my reluctant reader. She can read well, but only if she HAS too!
> Lori



Thank you for your comments. I've looked at the list of books for high school and they seem to be mostly classics that are read in many high schools:

Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus - Mary Shelley. 
Emma - Jane Austen. 
A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens. 
The Time Machine - H.G. Wells. 
Animal Farm - George Orwell. 
The Mentor Book of Major British Poets -

Of course, she's already read "Emma" and "A Tale of Two Cities", so I guess that does kind of make your point  

Also, I know you didn't ask, so feel free to ignore, but if your DD likes workbook based subjects, you might like Alpha Omega LifePac. That's what we've been using for History and English, and we do like the History very much.


----------



## lori1043

Praise2Him said:


> Thank you for the compliment on my 'name'  I never thought of using it on a license plate...something to consider
> 
> Thanks also for your insight on LLATL. We used Rod & Staff our first year (8th grade) and I totally agree that it is very comprehensive, but a LOT of work.
> 
> Yes, please let me know how it looks when you get it!
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you for your comments. I've looked at the list of books for high school and they seem to be mostly classics that are read in many high schools:
> 
> Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus - Mary Shelley.
> Emma - Jane Austen.
> A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens.
> The Time Machine - H.G. Wells.
> Animal Farm - George Orwell.
> The Mentor Book of Major British Poets -
> 
> Of course, she's already read "Emma" and "A Tale of Two Cities", so I guess that does kind of make your point
> 
> Also, I know you didn't ask, so feel free to ignore, but if your DD likes workbook based subjects, you might like Alpha Omega LifePac. That's what we've been using for History and English, and we do like the History very much.


 
 It is funny you mention it, I am looking into it for a couple subjects.

Lori


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## NHWX

KibbyCat said:


> Curious as to how you teach three different grade-levels to three different VERY DEMANDING children, while still having a non-schooler.
> 
> Thanks in advance!



I'm not sure if you can do it, or what you can do about the tuition. Is there a chance that you can use the already paid tuition as a credit in the future?

I have two fairly demanding boys but we started homeschooling when they were older than yours, so I can't speak directly about how you might manage it. I know I felt pretty much adrift the first year. We had a co-op program set up with the school that the boys had previously attended fulltime but it just kind of fell apart. In the end, what made me feel like I had a handle on homeschooling was buying a curriculum and sticking to it. We used/use K12 and modified it to suit our family and our children's learning needs.

I wish you the best of luck in trying to decide this issue. Stop back and let us know how it's going, OK?

NHWX


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## Laura.bora

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> We used the Mystery of History last year (Vol I & II for different levels of kids) and we loved it!! This year we needed Vol III and couldn't find it. Sooo, I began looking for something else, we were leaning toward the History guides from Beautiful Feet Books and also we found Truth Quest History. TQ is probably what I am going to use. It has a strong Christian view point and uses lots of the books suggested in the BF guide. So, I feel like I am going to be using both!! Of course, once I decided and ordered,I found out they just released the Mystery of History III! Oh well!! I know that was the best decision for us-we like lots of living books!!! Hope this helps!!



We're using TruthQuest for the first time this coming year.  We are super excited. Our family is a book loving family, so it was right up our alley!



Momvic5 said:


> I would love to find a history program that works for all my children!  How do you do it?  Do you go back at some point and review the same material with your younger children again as they get older?  If so, is your oldest included in this review, or does he continue on with new material?  My oldest is in 6th grade, and my younger two are in 3rd and 1st grades.  Obviously, I have to modify the reading and work load to fit each child, so at what point do I go back and have my younger two review what was too much for them in the past.  I know I am probably giving it too much thought, but I just can't find peace of mind.  I would love to know how you do it or what your plans are for your younger two.
> 
> Right now, each of mine have their own history textbook.  Though it works, it is not ideal.  It is so time-consuming to do 3 different time periods.




I haven't done this yet, so I can't speak from experience, but you should look into Truthquest.  I know they have designed it so that it can be used with all ages.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

MomVic5-I have never had them doing the same history before!! In fact, I still don't know if I am gonna do it this year or not!! I have DS12 up to the 1300/1400 ren. period and will probably keep him there. DS8 I am putting in the first volume of Truth Quest with American History for younger students.So far....I may change my mind between now and then I am still sorting that out!! I really feel they are too far apart in age and what they have already done, to put together. I would have to modify it to fit one or the other, and for me, it's easier to do them seperately. Now, my bf has 4 kids hsing and the younger 3 she groups together because they are all about 18 mths apart, but the oldest is about 4 years older, so he's doing different stuff-that is how I would do it as well.

Laura-bora, which TQ guide did you get, and what ages are your kids that are doing it? My 4th grader is doing AHYS 1 and I 'think'  my 7th grader will be Ren & Reform. I got it in yesterday and it looked awesome I was soooo excited!!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Praise 2 Him-
I just got it in yesterday!!The LLATL looks wonderful!! Just enough work without overkill. I brought it to church last night for my friend to see b4 she orders, and she said'Oh, It's beautiful" We were so excited! I think you will be impressed with it. It did seem short (lenthwise) compared to the other grammar/LA books we have used, but they are required to read 3 books. We have the orange books, and the green books, can't wait to start!!

Also, our teaching textbooks arrived and they are awesome looking as well!! I really feel good about this next year-lots of living books and some new ideas! Blessings to all of you as you make your decisions and Happy Ordering!!


----------



## Laura.bora

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> MomVic5-I have never had them doing the same history before!! In fact, I still don't know if I am gonna do it this year or not!! I have DS12 up to the 1300/1400 ren. period and will probably keep him there. DS8 I am putting in the first volume of Truth Quest with American History for younger students.So far....I may change my mind between now and then I am still sorting that out!! I really feel they are too far apart in age and what they have already done, to put together. I would have to modify it to fit one or the other, and for me, it's easier to do them seperately. Now, my bf has 4 kids hsing and the younger 3 she groups together because they are all about 18 mths apart, but the oldest is about 4 years older, so he's doing different stuff-that is how I would do it as well.
> 
> Laura-bora, which TQ guide did you get, and what ages are your kids that are doing it? My 4th grader is doing AHYS 1 and I 'think'  my 7th grader will be Ren & Reform. I got it in yesterday and it looked awesome I was soooo excited!!



We also ordered AHYS 1 for my 5yo(turning 6 this September - this happened way too quickly!).  I'm jealous - I'm still waiting for mine to arrive!


----------



## Praise2Him

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Praise 2 Him-
> I just got it in yesterday!!The LLATL looks wonderful!! Just enough work without overkill. I brought it to church last night for my friend to see b4 she orders, and she said'Oh, It's beautiful" We were so excited! I think you will be impressed with it. It did seem short (lenthwise) compared to the other grammar/LA books we have used, but they are required to read 3 books. We have the orange books, and the green books, can't wait to start!!
> 
> Also, our teaching textbooks arrived and they are awesome looking as well!! I really feel good about this next year-lots of living books and some new ideas! Blessings to all of you as you make your decisions and Happy Ordering!!



Thank you, that's so good to know! Okay, now you're getting _me_ excited! 

BTW, we've used TT for Algebra 1 and 2 and love them!


----------



## DawnM

Who posted where to find Rosetta Stone programs for less and then where to buy workbooks to add to them?

I thought I could find it easily but I am scrolling through and can't seem to find it.

Thanks,

Dawn


----------



## disneymom3

DawnM said:


> Who posted where to find Rosetta Stone programs for less and then where to buy workbooks to add to them?
> 
> I thought I could find it easily but I am scrolling through and can't seem to find it.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Dawn



It was meandtheguys.

It is post #123 on page 13.  Sorry I'd have to have two windows open to link it.


----------



## DawnM

Thank you!  I have never used Rosetta Stone.  It is all computer based?  Is there a lot of reading involved?

Dawn



disneymom3 said:


> It was meandtheguys.
> 
> It is post #123 on page 13.  Sorry I'd have to have two windows open to link it.


----------



## NHWX

The Homeschool Buyer's Co-Op has Auralog's Tell Me More on sale for (now) $212. It's supposed to cover 4 years of language.

NHWX


----------



## Praise2Him

Here's something I got last week from my state homeschool email list:

I wanted to pass this on from another homeschool group I am on. Here is a link where you can chose from 34 different foreign languages to learn and the best thing is they are all FREE. Hope this helps those looking for a foreign language program. Once you get to the link go all the way to the bottom and click on the monthly freebie "foreign language link"

http://www.usa.gov/

We are doing French right now, so I checked it out briefly. It does look good - seems like you'd have to do a lot of printing though. But hey, it's FREE!  They do have a lot of obscure languages so if you're wanting to learn, say, Chinyanja, Hausa, Igbo, Kituba, Moré, Sinhala, Twi, or Yoruba you're all set! 

BTW, we're using Rosetta Stone, and it's all computer based. But, I think I ordered the wrong version because it didn't come with any type of book, workbook or anything


----------



## DawnM

I think if you didn't get the Homeschool version you can get the workbooks at RainbowResource.com

Dawn



Praise2Him said:


> Here's something I got last week from my state homeschool email list:
> 
> I wanted to pass this on from another homeschool group I am on. Here is a link where you can chose from 34 different foreign languages to learn and the best thing is they are all FREE. Hope this helps those looking for a foreign language program. Once you get to the link go all the way to the bottom and click on the monthly freebie "foreign language link"
> 
> http://www.usa.gov/
> 
> We are doing French right now, so I checked it out briefly. It does look good - seems like you'd have to do a lot of printing though. But hey, it's FREE!  They do have a lot of obscure languages so if you're wanting to learn, say, Chinyanja, Hausa, Igbo, Kituba, Moré, Sinhala, Twi, or Yoruba you're all set!
> 
> BTW, we're using Rosetta Stone, and it's all computer based. But, I think I ordered the wrong version because it didn't come with any type of book, workbook or anything


----------



## lori1043

*Happy 
*​*
*
* Momma's*

*Day!!!*
*To my fellow Disney fan *
*homeschoolers and those thinking about delving into this crazy but oh so fulfilling wonderful world!!*

*Lori*​


----------



## KibbyCat

NHWX said:


> I'm not sure if you can do it, or what you can do about the tuition. Is there a chance that you can use the already paid tuition as a credit in the future?
> 
> I have two fairly demanding boys but we started homeschooling when they were older than yours, so I can't speak directly about how you might manage it. I know I felt pretty much adrift the first year. We had a co-op program set up with the school that the boys had previously attended fulltime but it just kind of fell apart. In the end, what made me feel like I had a handle on homeschooling was buying a curriculum and sticking to it. We used/use K12 and modified it to suit our family and our children's learning needs.
> 
> I wish you the best of luck in trying to decide this issue. Stop back and let us know how it's going, OK?
> 
> NHWX



Thanks for the encouragement and advice.  I will definitely look into curriculums and try to find one that will work for us.  Will keep you posted....


----------



## Ellester

Bumping since we had fallen all the way to page 3! While many of our friends are winding down for the year, we are still in full swing. We school year round otherwise I just get too frustrated about what they've forgotten! We have a big homeschool field day this Friday. My oldest is down the street "training" with her friends for the relay races!


----------



## Laura.bora

Here's another who's still in full swing!  We're currently studying butterflies, and taking a trip to the Bronx Zoo next Wednesday while down on LI visiting family.  Got to love the pay what you want Wednesday!


----------



## DawnM

We are schooling year round as well.  The kids are very excited about Cub Scout camp in June (yours truely volunteered!!!!  This is the only way my 4 year old gets to go and he loved it last year.)

We are also going to MI for a wedding in June.  Hoping to combine it with some tours and things to see there.

Dawn


----------



## wondermomamy

We school year round, too. We are taking a break beginning Friday for a trip to WDW!!  We are VERY excited. When we come back, we will begin 1st grade.  Excited about that, too, but not as much as our trip!  

Amy


----------



## Momvic5

OK guys....I have been looking at different math curriculums for my oldest DS(12), and after posting a question on what all of you use with your older children, Teaching Textbooks seems to be the most recommended.  After looking at it online, it kind of reminds me of Saxon.  I could be wrong.  I could only view certain pages from the student workbook.  

For those of you who have used Saxon and Teaching Textbooks ~ other than the DVD presentations of the material, is there a huge difference in the style between the two?  What is the biggest difference?  Do you think a transition from Saxon to Teaching Textbooks can be made easily?  Why do you like Teaching Textbooks over Saxon?  

Sorry for all the picking of your brains.  My DS12 is going into the 7th grade, and right now, he enjoys math.  I would love to keep it that way, but I also want to make sure I am keeping him on target and challenging him.  Thanks for your thoughts.


----------



## wvdislover

Ellester said:


> Bumping since we had fallen all the way to page 3! While many of our friends are winding down for the year, we are still in full swing. We school year round otherwise I just get too frustrated about what they've forgotten! We have a big homeschool field day this Friday. My oldest is down the street "training" with her friends for the relay races!



What a cool idea!  Field Day is one of the things I hated that my DD10 is missing since I pulled her out of school a couple of months ago.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Momvic5 said:


> Sorry for all the picking of your brains.  My DS12 is going into the 7th grade, and right now, he enjoys math.  I would love to keep it that way, but I also want to make sure I am keeping him on target and challenging him.  Thanks for your thoughts.


Don't be sorry-you are being a good mom and you can now add education researcher to your resume' !!My 12 yo son is also going into 7th-but we are up to Pre-Algebra.The thing that drew me in is that I don't have to teach it We've just finished Saxon and this sees a little bit easier to understand. Like the concepts are made clearer. I really wanted him to understand ratios, decimals, metric measures and anything else'basic' before we moved on to Algebra next year. He had it last year, but I just wanted one more year of solid review. I also like the fact that this is giving him a professional tutor!! Saxon seemed to get a bit boring-doing the same things over and over. I don't know for sure how much is gonna be repeated with TT, but it can't be as much as the other. I 've read/heard from other homeschool moms nothing but raves over this.So, I hope it's as good as it looks!! I did look through the books a bit and it seems very attractive, the cds looked fun and it just really caught me as something I would enjoy and learn from if I was in 7th grade. Heck,I'll probably get hooked on it! I like math!!


----------



## Momvic5

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Don't be sorry-you are being a good mom and you can now add education researcher to your resume' !!My 12 yo son is also going into 7th-but we are up to Pre-Algebra.The thing that drew me in is that I don't have to teach it We've just finished Saxon and this sees a little bit easier to understand. Like the concepts are made clearer. I really wanted him to understand ratios, decimals, metric measures and anything else'basic' before we moved on to Algebra next year. He had it last year, but I just wanted one more year of solid review. I also like the fact that this is giving him a professional tutor!! Saxon seemed to get a bit boring-doing the same things over and over. I don't know for sure how much is gonna be repeated with TT, but it can't be as much as the other. I 've read/heard from other homeschool moms nothing but raves over this.So, I hope it's as good as it looks!! I did look through the books a bit and it seems very attractive, the cds looked fun and it just really caught me as something I would enjoy and learn from if I was in 7th grade. Heck,I'll probably get hooked on it! I like math!!




I went to the Teaching Textbooks website last night, and my DH and I watched a few of the sample lectures.  We were impressed.  I agree, a professional tutor is the way to go.  The only thing that is not attractive is the price, however; it will be well worth the $$ if it works and spares DS12 of mom as his tutor.  

We will be doing Pre-Algebra around here too.  I am excited about it.  I always loved algebra and hope he will too.  

Thanks for the idea on the old dusty resume'.  The Lord knows that if I ever need to use it, I will need all the help I can get.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Me Too!! doing all this has made me become more creative with titles!!! My mom told me this weekend -I don't know where she heard it, some nightly news--that they (whoever they are, I don't know) figured up what a mom's yearly income is and it was around $117,000.00.  I do not think this was hsing mommies either-so we could probably add quite a bit onto our little income!!  Now wouldn't that be nice?


----------



## nuzmom

We have an ongoing discussion at our co-op concerning Saxon Math. I have my DS12 do everything, each lesson. The timed test, mental math, lesson, practice, and problem set. He does all tests and investigations. And, yes, he completes the entire book. Math takes anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour each day. My DS scores perfect in math on standardized tests (at his grade level) and typically scores 90% or better on his Saxon tests. DS12 is 6th grade age and completed Saxon 76. (I'm convinced that he does well, in part, because of being consistent in doing his math work. I think the more math you do, the better/faster you get at it)

3 other families with children doing same math (kids are older, same grade level) do not have their kids do the timed tests or mental math and have them do 1/2 the problem sets. They also only complete about 2/3 to 3/4 of the book ("it reviews next year anyway"). Math takes them about 30 minutes.

These families are now saying that their children can "test out" of lessons next year. They're going to have them take test 1 and if they score 90% or better, skip those lessons, take test 2, 90% or better, skip those, etc. First, I can't see that happening because these kids are slow in doing problems involving math at our co-op and in my opinion, are certainly not "advanced". Has anyone heard of doing this???? What happens if you child "tests out" of 1/2 to 3/4 of the book? Skip that book?

I just got done looking at TT - looks interesting. Had DS take the pre-algebra placement test (because 7th grade looked super easy) and he scored 100%. I haven't had him take the algebra test.

So, my question is - how do you know what level to place your child? Has anyone switched from Saxon to TT? How did they compare?

I guess I should mention that I have a strong math/science background (engineer) and my children seem to follow suit. We also believe in challenging our children, not beyond ability, but it's important to us to stay at their level.


----------



## Momvic5

nuzmom said:


> We have an ongoing discussion at our co-op concerning Saxon Math. I have my DS12 do everything, each lesson. The timed test, mental math, lesson, practice, and problem set. He does all tests and investigations. And, yes, he completes the entire book. Math takes anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour each day. My DS scores perfect in math on standardized tests (at his grade level) and typically scores 90% or better on his Saxon tests. DS12 is 6th grade age and completed Saxon 76. (I'm convinced that he does well, in part, because of being consistent in doing his math work. I think the more math you do, the better/faster you get at it)
> 
> 3 other families with children doing same math (kids are older, same grade level) do not have their kids do the timed tests or mental math and have them do 1/2 the problem sets. They also only complete about 2/3 to 3/4 of the book ("it reviews next year anyway"). Math takes them about 30 minutes.
> 
> These families are now saying that their children can "test out" of lessons next year. They're going to have them take test 1 and if they score 90% or better, skip those lessons, take test 2, 90% or better, skip those, etc. First, I can't see that happening because these kids are slow in doing problems involving math at our co-op and in my opinion, are certainly not "advanced". Has anyone heard of doing this???? What happens if you child "tests out" of 1/2 to 3/4 of the book? Skip that book?
> 
> I just got done looking at TT - looks interesting. Had DS take the pre-algebra placement test (because 7th grade looked super easy) and he scored 100%. I haven't had him take the algebra test.
> 
> So, my question is - how do you know what level to place your child? Has anyone switched from Saxon to TT? How did they compare?
> 
> I guess I should mention that I have a strong math/science background (engineer) and my children seem to follow suit. We also believe in challenging our children, not beyond ability, but it's important to us to stay at their level.




OK.....you and I are in the same boat.  I posted the same question.  My DS12 is in Saxon 7/6 right now, and other than the timed tests, we do it all.  We do not skip lessons, and we complete the whole book.  Most days it takes him 45min to 1 hour as well.  

I am looking into TT too.  If we decide on it, I will start my son at Pre-Algebra.  Like you, my DH is an engineer, and my son is very good in math too, but my DH insists that we do not skip books at this level.  He feels strongly that we should keep him at a pace where he is able to move confidently and smoothly rather than pushing him too fast so that he slows down and gets frustrated.  

We did not test our son so I do not know about the placement tests.  Since your DS tested so well, he might be ready to move ahead past Pre-Algebra.  It is so hard to say when you do not have a book in front of you to flip through and study.  I have plans to visit my local Homeschool Store and see if they have any used TT so that I can thumb through it.  I know I like Saxon, and that it works for my son, but it does get boring so I am willing to try TT if it will render the same success that Saxon has given my son.

Let us know what you come up with!


----------



## nuzmom

Momvic5 - WOW, it was nice to hear that we're doing the same thing. Gives me more confidence that our approach is good.



Momvic5 said:


> I know I like Saxon, and that it works for my son, but it does get boring so I am willing to try TT if it will render the same success that Saxon has given my son.



That exactly what I'm thinking - Saxon gets a bit boring but is successful. I truly feel it's a very solid curriculum. You should have your son take the placement test, too. They're pretty easy. I'm not sure I'm convinced that TT will render the same success as Saxon. Although, having a child who gets a "bad taste" for math because it gets too boring isn't good either. It's just such a tough decision!!!!


----------



## Momvic5

nuzmom said:


> Momvic5 - WOW, it was nice to hear that we're doing the same thing. Gives me more confidence that our approach is good.
> 
> 
> 
> That exactly what I'm thinking - Saxon gets a bit boring but is successful. I truly feel it's a very solid curriculum. You should have your son take the placement test, too. They're pretty easy. I'm not sure I'm convinced that TT will render the same success as Saxon. Although, having a child who gets a "bad taste" for math because it gets too boring isn't good either. It's just such a tough decision!!!!




You mentioned your son just completed Saxon 76.  If you decide to stay with Saxon are going to have your son go into Saxon 87 or are you going to jump to Saxon Algebra 1/2?  I have been pondering this as well.  Like I mentioned earlier, my DH does not want me to skip a book, but at the same time I think Saxon reviews enough that he would be able to skip Saxon 87 and go into Algebra1/2 from Saxon 76.  Another idea I have heard and thought about was to do Saxon 87, but skip Algebra 1/2 and go straight into Algebra 1 at 8th grade.    What are your thoughts?   .....Are you feeling tired?.....I am ...too much thinking involved.

I will be so glad when I finally make my mind up.  It is a tough decision.


----------



## nuzmom

Momvic5 said:


> You mentioned your son just completed Saxon 76.  If you decide to stay with Saxon are going to have your son go into Saxon 87 or are you going to jump to Saxon Algebra 1/2?  I have been pondering this as well.  Like I mentioned earlier, my DH does not want me to skip a book, but at the same time I think Saxon reviews enough that he would be able to skip Saxon 87 and go into Algebra1/2 from Saxon 76.  Another idea I have heard and thought about was to do Saxon 87, but skip Algebra 1/2 and go straight into Algebra 1 at 8th grade.    What are your thoughts?   .....Are you feeling tired?.....I am ...too much thinking involved.
> 
> I will be so glad when I finally make my mind up.  It is a tough decision.



Yep, trying to figure that out, too. I've heard it both ways also. I have an email to a friend of mine whose son skipped either Saxon 87 or Algebra 1/2. I can't remember which, hence my email. I'll let you know what she says.

I'm the type of person that has this in the back of my mind until it's resolved. I'll feel better after it's figured out and I have a plan. Until then, it's draining my energy.


----------



## Praise2Him

Here's my 2 cents worth...

Re: skipping books - I know that when I was in school (many years ago ) I was terrible in math, so while most students went from 8th grade math to Algebra 1 in 9th grade, the rest of us had to take 9th grade math, then go to Algebra in 10th grade.

Fast forward to the present: My DD was in a private Christian school in 7th grade and used Saxon 76. They skipped to Algebra 1/2 the next year. I was told that Saxon 87 was for those students (like me) who struggled with basic math and needed some more help before going on to Algebra.

Maybe you can do some research and find out if that's true, but it makes sense to me.

Re: Saxon vs TT - our first year to homeschool DD was in 8th grade and as mentioned above had used Saxon in 7th, so we continued with that (Algebra 1/2). We had major problems with it, because, also as mentioned above, I'm not good in math, so I couldn't understand it to teach it to her. Fortunately she loves math, so we struggled through it, but she had to get most of it on her own, with help from DH (also an engineer  ).

That's the main reason we switched to TT - because it was developed by homeschooling parents and was designed to be pretty much self-taught. It's worked wonderfully for us, but if you're happy with Saxon and it's working well for you I don't see any reason to change.


----------



## lori1043

Hey ya'll!

Wondering if anyone is doing homeschool days in Sept. I talked to a girl, full of attitude!  from the Disney Youth programs. I was asking if I could buy tickets for the programs only since I may already have tickets. (it's cheaper to go with the free DDP). She said that i had to get the package through the youth programs to go to the programs, but that AP holders could get program only prices($16). I have an AP but my kids do not. IF we do this it will be for 3 nights only. We'd have to 2 days for homeschool days in MK and AK(which look wonderful) and 1 day for a waterpark. Because i am not a Florida resident, the least amount of days I can purchase through them is 3 day PH.

For $662, I can go for  3 nights /4 days, 1 adult and 2 kids(10 and 8) 2 day passes ,water park, food, hotel.

If I used the youth program , 3 nights-same hotel, 3 day PH with water park plus my AP rated homeschool programs would be $676.66 PLUS food.

I am sorry but when it comes to vacations or any other pricey thing-the $$$ factors in pretty much!!

Lori


----------



## Momvic5

Praise2Him  ~  Thank you for your thoughts!  I can see Saxon 87 being used as extra practice before starting Algebra 1/2.  It makes sense. 


Nuzmom  ~  I think we have a winner around here.  It looks like we are going to stick with Saxon!  My DS12 and I sat and watched a sample lecture from the TT Pre-Algebra curriculum, and he did not like it at all.  I should have known.  He hates change.  Anyways, he feels good about Saxon, and I know it works well for him so we will be venturing into Algebra 1/2 this coming school year.  I feel so much better now that we have made a final decision!  

Now if I could just find a Latin program.......


----------



## disneymom3

lori1043 said:


> Hey ya'll!
> 
> Wondering if anyone is doing homeschool days in Sept. I talked to a girl, full of attitude!  from the Disney Youth programs. I was asking if I could buy tickets for the programs only since I may already have tickets. (it's cheaper to go with the free DDP). She said that i had to get the package through the youth programs to go to the programs, but that AP holders could get program only prices($16). I have an AP but my kids do not. IF we do this it will be for 3 nights only. We'd have to 2 days for homeschool days in MK and AK(which look wonderful) and 1 day for a waterpark. Because i am not a Florida resident, the least amount of days I can purchase through them is 3 day PH.
> 
> For $662, I can go for  3 nights /4 days, 1 adult and 2 kids(10 and 8) 2 day passes ,water park, food, hotel.
> 
> If I used the youth program , 3 nights-same hotel, 3 day PH with water park plus my AP rated homeschool programs would be $676.66 PLUS food.
> 
> I am sorry but when it comes to vacations or any other pricey thing-the $$$ factors in pretty much!!
> 
> 
> One more thing--if you just want to do the actvities at AK, it sounds like they are having activity stations set up.  Or are you talking about the seperate/additional classes?
> Lori



I am going!  Yay!  Just booked our hotel room.  We are staying offsite though.

Are you sure it's more to do the passes through the youth program?  That doesn't seem right.  I know I figured out that for 5 day hoppers my family would save over $600. There are 5 of us though and I am only comparing that to the regular cost of the same # of days hopper.

I am sorry that you are frustrated with this.  To me, the point of going during that time is to be able to buy the tickets for cheaper.  If we hadn't been able to do that, we wouldn't be going at all for this year.


----------



## nicolemomof4cuties

Momvic5 said:


> I also have a DS12 who will be entering into 7th grade, and we are kind of in the same boat.
> 
> First for a foreign language my son and I are leaning towards Latin.  Mainly because my DS12 loves the study of science, and at this point, he wants to be a rocket scientist of some sort so we thought Latin would best suit his interests.  I haven't looked into a specific curriclulm yet so I will be searching soon too.
> 
> Secondly, history has been a tough one for us.  We have also used Story of the World.  I liked it OK, but I wasn't sure we were covering enough.  This year we are using Bob Jones history.  I can't say I love it, but I do think it covers more, is presented well, and interesting to read.  I modify the busy work a bit to make it less redundant.  The hardest thing for me is that I also have a 3rd and 1st grader, and it is so time consuming to work with each child and cover 3 different time periods.  It was so much easier when we all used one curriculum.
> 
> I look forward to seeing other homeschoolers' opinions too!



My oldest DS wants to be a scientist to!  Not something that many children want to be.  He wants to be a inventor in the medical field.  We are doing Sonlight this year.  I am pretty excited aboout it.  I am having my children start Spanish next year with Rosetta Stone.  When my DS is in 7th grade I want to start him on Latin- that will be in 2 years.


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## kloh1002

Just wanted to say Hi to everyone!

I guess you could say I am a homeschool Mommy. My DS is only 2, but our plans our to homeschool. I am enjoying reading alot of your curriculim info as we are getting closer every day. Can anyone recommend any preschool curriculim or do most just make every day experiances learning?

Also, wondering if anyone is going in December. We are taking advantage of the Mousefest room rates and ticket discounts through Mousefantravel.com.
DH, Me, and DS are all going for 6 nights: tickets and room for $950. We are really excited about be there for all the Christmas stuff and especially the Candlelight processional.


----------



## Momvic5

nicolemomof4cuties said:


> My oldest DS wants to be a scientist to!  Not something that many children want to be.  He wants to be a inventor in the medical field.  We are doing Sonlight this year.  I am pretty excited aboout it.  I am having my children start Spanish next year with Rosetta Stone.  When my DS is in 7th grade I want to start him on Latin- that will be in 2 years.



Isn't it amazing how some children just naturally know what they want to be.  An inventor in the medical field ~ how exciting.  My son wants to invent/improve instruments that are used in outer space.  He loves the idea of inventing robots that work in outer space.  We start Latin this coming school year.  I am both excited and nervous about it!



kloh1002 said:


> Just wanted to say Hi to everyone!
> 
> I guess you could say I am a homeschool Mommy. My DS is only 2, but our plans our to homeschool. I am enjoying reading alot of your curriculim info as we are getting closer every day. Can anyone recommend any preschool curriculim or do most just make every day experiances learning?
> 
> Also, wondering if anyone is going in December. We are taking advantage of the Mousefest room rates and ticket discounts through Mousefantravel.com.
> DH, Me, and DS are all going for 6 nights: tickets and room for $950. We are really excited about be there for all the Christmas stuff and especially the Candlelight processional.



My family and I will be going in December(14 - 20).  We love Christmas time.  We have been to WDW two times, and both times were in December.  We just can't bring ourselves to go at any other time.  We are excited about the Candlelight Processional too!  We didn't get a chance to see it last year.


----------



## HomeschoolMama

Just subbing...  Now I'm going back to read!


----------



## disneymom3

Hey guys.  I am leaving.  The "explanation" thread/post on the Community Board is just too much crap for me to handle.  Can't be part of this nonsense anymore.  You can find me at www.wdwwow.com

Hope to see you all there!


----------



## tnmomof4

disneymom3 said:


> Hey guys.  I am leaving.  The "explanation" thread/post on the Community Board is just too much crap for me to handle.  Can't be part of this nonsense anymore.  You can find me at www.wdwwow.com
> 
> Hope to see you all there!




Sorry to hear that.  You have always been a great help with any questions people here have.  I guess I am totally clueless as to what is going on on the community board.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

disneymom3 said:


> Hey guys.  I am leaving.  The "explanation" thread/post on the Community Board is just too much crap for me to handle.  Can't be part of this nonsense anymore.  You can find me at www.wdwwow.com
> 
> Hope to see you all there!


I hate to see you go! What thread are you talking about-I don't roam too much-also, are you gonna be under the same name on the new boards?


----------



## DawnM

It is much more economical to go for 5 days.  I think the difference in cost between the 3 day and the 5 day is all of $20 or so.  Could you do 5 days instead.

Last hs days we got the 5 day hopper with the 4 vouchers to the waterparks or DisneyQuest for $141 per person.  That is an awesome deal.  We plan to do it again in January if we can.  

Dawn



lori1043 said:


> Hey ya'll!
> 
> Wondering if anyone is doing homeschool days in Sept. I talked to a girl, full of attitude!  from the Disney Youth programs. I was asking if I could buy tickets for the programs only since I may already have tickets. (it's cheaper to go with the free DDP). She said that i had to get the package through the youth programs to go to the programs, but that AP holders could get program only prices($16). I have an AP but my kids do not. IF we do this it will be for 3 nights only. We'd have to 2 days for homeschool days in MK and AK(which look wonderful) and 1 day for a waterpark. Because i am not a Florida resident, the least amount of days I can purchase through them is 3 day PH.
> 
> For $662, I can go for  3 nights /4 days, 1 adult and 2 kids(10 and 8) 2 day passes ,water park, food, hotel.
> 
> If I used the youth program , 3 nights-same hotel, 3 day PH with water park plus my AP rated homeschool programs would be $676.66 PLUS food.
> 
> I am sorry but when it comes to vacations or any other pricey thing-the $$$ factors in pretty much!!
> 
> Lori


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Bumping! I know lots of us are already through with our school year and don't want us to slip out of sight!!! Anyone have any good summer reads planned? A year or so ago we did The Pernderwicks-WONDERFUL little family book & I told my dh I thought it should win an award....and it did!! Just saw the 2nd one out today, can't wait to get it! Also, we are reading an old book (recently revamped, I believe)Emil and the Detective. Very funny so far. I was surprised how much they enjoyed The Wind in the Door books-sorta challenging, but good. So...whatcha readin'?


----------



## AuroraBeauty

Hello friends,

I'm trying to figure out what a 'real' curriculum looks like.  I have never used a true curriculum for DD5.  She went to a French immersion school part of this school year but I took her out in Feb.  (Long story but it doesn't really matter b/c she already knew everything they were teaching).  DD will be finishing up French-K with her tutor by end of summer and moving on to French-1st.

French-K probably isn't much different since its foundational.  But, now DD will be on to 1st and I don't even if I should piece things together.  I don't want to teach to the state minimum standard and fortunately AZ is a pretty easy state for HS'ers.

DD will be 6 in Dec and would have to be in K (again) and that's just not an option.  She can read and do basic math and many other things that the 'normal' K student may only be starting to learn.

I've been looking at either Shiller or Singapore for Math.  I know there are many of you out there that have used these and recommend them.  What are pros/cons.  Or even, is there something else I should consider?  I'm pretty good at math (finished advanced calculus at the college level) so none of the math stuff scares me.

But from there what do I do?  I have one tiny concern with many of the available homeschool curriculum.  Many of them are faith-based, and not being of the Christian faith I'd prefer to have a more secular-based program to work from.  I'm not offended in any way by the Christian curriculum and I know many of them are wonderful.  However, I don't want to skip things b/c I know DD will read them and then ask questions and while I don't mind explaining other religions to her it will just take more time away from the task at hand.

So, for those of you who are veteran homeschoolers please help!  I know I need to keep working on the following:

Reading
Language/Grammar/Spelling
Math
History/Social Studies/Geography
Science


With Math I will need some form of 'curriculum'.

Grammar/Language -- any suggestions?  I've looked at the Shurley English series and they look very good.  As do the First Language Lessons for TWTM.  I'm not using TWTM but the language stuff looks good.

Do I move to a curriculum for History/Geography/Social Studies or am I best to just work a timeline and start pulling things together?

OK, I know I've asked so many questions and I apologize for not being more focused.  But, I do hope that those of you who have gone thru this can offer your sage advise as to what worked or didn't.  I know everyone has different experiences b/c the kids are each different, so I understand that none of this is the absolute answer.

I think I'm just stuck in that 'newbie' phase of paralysis and just need some help to get me to move forward.

Thank you all in advance!


----------



## trailblazer

I just wanted tell tell everyone about a new site called WDWWOW . com.  They just started and have a homeschool board all to itself. Very nice!

Hope to see you there!  Just think, a place to gather where they respect the homeschoolers enough to give them their own board!


----------



## Laura.bora

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Bumping! I know lots of us are already through with our school year and don't want us to slip out of sight!!! Anyone have any good summer reads planned? A year or so ago we did The Pernderwicks-WONDERFUL little family book & I told my dh I thought it should win an award....and it did!! Just saw the 2nd one out today, can't wait to get it! Also, we are reading an old book (recently revamped, I believe)Emil and the Detective. Very funny so far. I was surprised how much they enjoyed The Wind in the Door books-sorta challenging, but good. So...whatcha readin'?



We are currently reading Prince Caspian (and then going to see the movie and discuss how the book differed from the movie)  I think after this, we're going to read All of a kind family.  I am loving reading aloud as a family!  I'm sure you know of it, but http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/1000.html has a GREAT book list!



disneymom3 said:


> Hey guys.  I am leaving.  The "explanation" thread/post on the Community Board is just too much crap for me to handle.  Can't be part of this nonsense anymore.  You can find me at www.wdwwow.com
> 
> Hope to see you all there!



Why do you wander over there??  I'd be fed up if I wasted my time over there too!!  Either way, see you over at wowwdw!


----------



## Temair

So I'm going back and forth on sticking with the virtual school and the k12 curriculum for free or homeschooling on my own.  I know I don't have $1500 a year to do K12.  

Some of my reasons for changing is that the curriculum just doesn't seem to be working as well for my DD.  It is very writing intense, and overwhleming at times.  My DD doesn't like to do school anymore.  It drags on all day long and I end up frustrated and yelling.  I want my DD to want to do school and enjoy it, rather than just doing it to get it done.  

What we have likes was worktexts, and hands on learning.  I really like the Math-u-see curiculum and have heard only good things about it.  But when it comes to the other subjects I'm strugling to fidn the right curriculums.  I've been looking at workbook/worktext style curriclums such as Abeka, Bob Jones, Rod & Staff, ACE, A&O Lifepacs, and Christian Light Education.  I've only seen samples provided online and unfortunatly was unable to make it to our local homeschool convention the other weekend.  Has anyone used these curriculums and what is the good and bad of them.  Does anyone have any other sugestions of good curiculums.  The things I'm looking for are a good solid education that will get her into any university, enough work to learn the material, but not alot of busy work.  My DD tends to learn thigns very quickly and then gets bored doing the repetitive work.  She also likes to use games to learn materials.  She is 9 yrs old and we will be starting grade 4 in the fall.


----------



## mykidsintow

We just finished a Prince Caspian homeschool book club.  We will all be going to see the movie!

So I had my son tested today.  He is 7 yrs old, 1st grade.  He tested early 1st grade level in Math (no suprise, we really struggle with math).  Then he tested 4th gradereading comprehension!  I was floored.  I expected early 3rd grade... he does read well, but 4th?!  Wow.  

I have never been to WDWWOW or whatever it is.  I have a hard enough time keeping up with the few places I currently go!  Maybe I will find time to check it out....


----------



## tnmomof4

I am ordering all our curriculum next week.  I have decided to just stay with using all ABeka.  I like having it all laid out for me as far as what to do each day.

I am a bit nervous as I will be teaching 6th and 5th grade for my older boys and my twins will be doing K-5.  It sure seems like a lot.  

Do any of you teach any kind of computer class to your kids?  I was thinking about getting something, but I am not sure what to get.  I know when my kids were in the private school they had computer class, but it was more of a beginning typing class.


----------



## bebelle

We just got back from a HS convention. I saw the neatest curriculum using EPCOT and MK. It was around $15-30 can't remember exactly. It is geared for grade school and middle school but a little too easy for my 9th grader. You can check it out at vacationeducationbooks dot com.


----------



## nuzmom

I hope it's ok to do this... Disneymom3 asked if I let everyone know that she's not able to post here because she was banned. Something resulted from a Community Board discussion. (I don't know why ANYONE would get wrapped up in those posts over there - I keep my distance!!!!)

It is nice that the wdwwow has a dedicated home schooling board. It's MUCH easier to have specific questions answered than to try to search through 1 long thread. I forget what people have asked a few posts past it. I don't know if wdwwow will take off, but I like the idea of having our own board.


----------



## bear74

bebelle said:


> We just got back from a HS convention. I saw the neatest curriculum using EPCOT and MK. It was around $15-30 can't remember exactly. It is geared for grade school and middle school but a little too easy for my 9th grader. You can check it out at vacationeducationbooks dot com.



thanks


----------



## kimluvswdw

I homeschool my 2 daughters. We just did the end of the year testing and one daughter scored in the 93 percentile and my other daughter scored in the 99 percentile. Just makes my decision to homeschool feel that much more justified.


----------



## lori1043

She invited me over to the other board, but I am truly happy here on the Dis. I have never ventured over to wherever the other horrifying threads may be, and feel justified in saying I will not be looking for it!

Anyway, I hope those that venture over there to WDWWOW have a happy healthy homeschool thread.

No offense in this question, but HOW do you get banned from the Dis? I would think it would have to be a really HEATED and rude dialogue. Maybe I am wrong.

We don't get SAT results for a couple months! It is bugging me how my DD8 did! She came out the first day and told me she got them all right-ummmmm, that can be a BAD sign  . OR a really good one  .

Lori


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

kimluvswdw said:


> I homeschool my 2 daughters. We just did the end of the year testing and one daughter scored in the 93 percentile and my other daughter scored in the 99 percentile. Just makes my decision to homeschool feel that much more justified.



Way to go girls!   A thumbs up for both of you!!! And you too mom!!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Lori1043, I too am curious how you get banned. Also, I have never been to the community board. Is it that scary over there ?


----------



## Ellester

The headline in our paper today was that 56% of the county's 8th graders failed the CRCT test and will not move onto 9th grade unless they pass the retake after a mandatory 2 1/2 week review in June. Statewide, 40% failed.   The article went on to say that only 20% of sixth and seventh graders passed the social studies exam statewide. They expect the number to be even lower locally. I just don't see how people think the local school system is working. I feel sorry for the families who have just had their summer vacation plans rewritten by the required summer attendance!


----------



## Ellester

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Lori1043, I too am curious how you get banned. Also, I have never been to the community board. Is it that scary over there ?



Oh, there are some very heated "discussions" over there. I try not to venture over there too often. I've never seen Disneymom3 post anything overly inflammatory, but I don't know what the criterion is for banning. It is too bad though, she was a great member of the homeschooling threads for a long time.


----------



## karemore

Glad to see the new thread! I got several great links from the old thread and look forward to following this one.

We're hsing our daughter who just turned 3, and we love WDW. She's been to WDW twice already with plans to go next year too. Just one of the many perks of being a HS family!! We can travel off peak.


----------



## Mommy2three

glad to see this thread.  I am now reading over the last homeschool chat thread.  i had surgery on my foot on wednesday so i can't be on my foot at all unless its to go to the bathroom, so i have plenty of time on my hands!  Let me tell a little about myself.  I am 25 will be 26 on the 29th, and have three kids. kyla is 8 years old who has adhd, bipolar, schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, OCD, and oppositional defiance disorder (she is at public school), i have a 6 year old son Ivan, who was diagnosed with a mood disorder, and an auditory processing disorder. right now he is in a day treatment counseling program in the morning from 8 until noon and then at public school from 1230 until 251. and then i have a 2 year old daughter named izabella.  

I am a stay at home mom, i was in college until i was in an auto accident in february then had to drop my classes so I could take care of myself after the accident.  I will be taking my classes online part time starting in july.

I am convinced I want to homeschool my 6 year old son with the auditory problem.  He has a difficult time in school, and at home with simple directions, at school and at home we are using picture cards with him to help him with that.  He will be going on to first grade next year which i don't think hes ready for first grade, especially at a public school, and he would be missing the first half of the day due to the day treatment.  

My hubby says absolutley no way am I homeschooling him.  I found a wonderful local homeschool group that has monthly field trips along with other get togethers for the kids for the social aspect of it.  

so any other homeschoolers who has a child with auditory proccessing problems?   any advice i could give my hubby to reassure him or convince him?


----------



## TLHB70

Hey everyone.  
I know that I am not a regular poster here on the family board or the homeschool chat threads (I typically hang out on the theme parks, restaurant, or sometimes community board threads.), however I knew that there were several homeschoolers here.  I also homeschool.  I have been doing so for 8  years.  My oldest DD just finished 7th grade; my youngest DD just finished 4th grade.  (We finished our school year this past Friday!!!!   )    I love homeschooling, and I am proud to be a homeschool family!  
I am posting here today because I just received an email from my homeschool group.  I have forwarded it to all of my othere homeschool friends, and I thought I would share it with all of you.

I am copying and pasting the email exactly how it came to me:


Subway contest bars homeschoolers 



 I am disappointed in this.   

http://www.subwayfreshbuzz.com/kids/contest.aspx

Subway has a contest for kids that excludes homeschoolers. At the bottom of
the page you will see this paragraph:

"Contest is open only to legal US residents, over the age of 18 with
children in either elementary, private or parochial schools that serve
grades PreK-6.
No home schools will be accepted." 


Here is the web address for their comment form.

http://www.subway.com/Applications/CustService/frmCustomerService.aspx

I have not read through all of your pages so this may have already been posted.  If so, I am sorry.  If not, if this is the first time that you have learned about this, please contact Subway.  This is wrong!  I have contacted them and let them know that since they are excluding my family from their contest then I am excluding them from my restauarant choices.  I am disappointed because I do like Subway, but this is just wrong.
Please forward it on to your homeschool groups/friends, too.


----------



## HomeschoolMama

TLHB70 said:


> Hey everyone.
> I know that I am not a regular poster here on the family board or the homeschool chat threads (I typically hang out on the theme parks, restaurant, or sometimes community board threads.), however I knew that there were several homeschoolers here.  I also homeschool.  I have been doing so for 8  years.  My oldest DD just finished 7th grade; my youngest DD just finished 4th grade.  (We finished our school year this past Friday!!!!   )    I love homeschooling, and I am proud to be a homeschool family!
> I am posting here today because I just received an email from my homeschool group.  I have forwarded it to all of my othere homeschool friends, and I thought I would share it with all of you.
> 
> I am copying and pasting the email exactly how it came to me:
> 
> 
> Subway contest bars homeschoolers
> 
> 
> 
> I am disappointed in this.
> 
> http://www.subwayfreshbuzz.com/kids/contest.aspx
> 
> Subway has a contest for kids that excludes homeschoolers. At the bottom of
> the page you will see this paragraph:
> 
> "Contest is open only to legal US residents, over the age of 18 with
> children in either elementary, private or parochial schools that serve
> grades PreK-6.
> No home schools will be accepted."
> 
> 
> Here is the web address for their comment form.
> 
> http://www.subway.com/Applications/CustService/frmCustomerService.aspx
> 
> I have not read through all of your pages so this may have already been posted.  If so, I am sorry.  If not, if this is the first time that you have learned about this, please contact Subway.  This is wrong!  I have contacted them and let them know that since they are excluding my family from their contest then I am excluding them from my restauarant choices.  I am disappointed because I do like Subway, but this is just wrong.
> Please forward it on to your homeschool groups/friends, too.



hmmm...  I should have read all the way through, huh?  oops!


----------



## mykidsintow

TLHB70 said:


> Hey everyone.
> I know that I am not a regular poster here on the family board or the homeschool chat threads (I typically hang out on the theme parks, restaurant, or sometimes community board threads.), however I knew that there were several homeschoolers here.  I also homeschool.  I have been doing so for 8  years.  My oldest DD just finished 7th grade; my youngest DD just finished 4th grade.  (We finished our school year this past Friday!!!!   )    I love homeschooling, and I am proud to be a homeschool family!
> I am posting here today because I just received an email from my homeschool group.  I have forwarded it to all of my othere homeschool friends, and I thought I would share it with all of you.
> 
> I am copying and pasting the email exactly how it came to me:
> 
> 
> Subway contest bars homeschoolers
> 
> 
> 
> I am disappointed in this.
> 
> http://www.subwayfreshbuzz.com/kids/contest.aspx
> 
> Subway has a contest for kids that excludes homeschoolers. At the bottom of
> the page you will see this paragraph:
> 
> "Contest is open only to legal US residents, over the age of 18 with
> children in either elementary, private or parochial schools that serve
> grades PreK-6.
> No home schools will be accepted."
> 
> 
> Here is the web address for their comment form.
> 
> http://www.subway.com/Applications/CustService/frmCustomerService.aspx
> 
> I have not read through all of your pages so this may have already been posted.  If so, I am sorry.  If not, if this is the first time that you have learned about this, please contact Subway.  This is wrong!  I have contacted them and let them know that since they are excluding my family from their contest then I am excluding them from my restauarant choices.  I am disappointed because I do like Subway, but this is just wrong.
> Please forward it on to your homeschool groups/friends, too.





If you read the whole thing you will see at the end that the reward is playground equipment for the *school*.  They want to do gym and playground equipment for a school group, not a family.

Which I think is completely understandable....


----------



## sha_lyn

> If you read the whole thing you will see at the end that the reward is playground equipment for the *school*. They want to do gym and playground equipment for a *school group*, not a family.



So the winning family can donate the equipment to their local home-school group, many of which have more members than most private or parochial schools. Why should a student at a private school with 20-30 students qualify, when a home-schooler who is a member of a HS organization with hundreds of members, not qualify.


BTW....Perhaps subway should have a home schooler write their contests, considering the typo in the prize list.


----------



## TLHB70

mykidsintow said:


> If you read the whole thing you will see at the end that the reward is playground equipment for the *school*.  They want to do gym and playground equipment for a school group, not a family.
> 
> Which I think is completely understandable....



Yes, I am sorry that I did not point that out in my original post.
Our homeschool group has park day once a month.  I would be happy to donate the equipment to our local park where we meet once a month.  I think that would be an excellent option if they chose to let homeschoolers participate.


----------



## dis-happy

Wow, not very nice of Subway.  Anyhoo, in many states a homeschool is considered a Private School (it's that way in my state).  I'm not sure that Subway could legally exclude us since we meet the legal definition of a private school; that's all we are legally, a private school, homeschool isn't even a definition, and according to the contest rules it is declared to be open to private schools.   It doesn't say "private schools with a minimum of 100 enrolled students".  Plus, that wouldn't even work in CA where many homeschoolers operate under a private school umbrella that does enroll hundreds of students.  

The more I think about this, the more I think every homeschooler SHOULD enter the contest.  I'd like to see what the outcome would be....


----------



## dis-happy

Under the add'l Contest Rules link it says that Scholastic is sponsoring this contest.  I'd hate to see the backlash if homeschoolers (or private school educators such as I am, legally!) were to band together against them on this.  In our area they go to great lengths to get us to buy books from them.

The more I read about this contest the madder I get.  Why shouldn't any private school (including a homeschool) be allowed to win a gift basket or the child be allowed to get a free book if a Subway receipt is also submitted with the essay?  More than anything I think they are afraid of "too many homeschoolers" potentially winning all the prizes and it dilutes the value of their publicity opportunities.  Considering that the National Spelling Bee, Geography Bee, not to mention numorous local, state and national Math Contests gladly accept homeschoolers to compete, I do not see what their problem is.


----------



## TLHB70

dis-happy said:


> Anyhoo, in many states a homeschool is considered a Private School (it's that way in my state).  I'm not sure that Subway could legally exclude us since we meet the legal definition of a private school





I didn't think about that.  We are in NC, and it is the same with our family.


----------



## TLHB70

dis-happy said:


> Under the add'l Contest Rules link it says that Scholastic is sponsoring this contest.  I'd hate to see the backlash if homeschoolers (or private school educators such as I am, legally!) were to band together against them on this.  In our area they go to great lengths to get us to buy books from them.




I didn't even think about contacting Scholastic!  Great idea!  I will pass the word on to our homeschool group.  We do group orders from Scholastic.  I think that we should let them know that they have excluded us so we may have to reconsider ordering from them now.


----------



## HomeschoolMama

When I sent this out in my group, this is one of the responses I got.  
I know of several people who have already written to scholastic and 
subway. Here is Scholastics response:

"We are deeply sorry that the Subway contest has offended you and 
thank you for voicing your concern. Our intention was never to make 
independent schooled children feel discriminated against or excluded 
from this specific promotion. Throughout the course of the year 
Scholastic runs a number of contests and sweepstakes that are open 
to all teachers and students. The eligibility of this contest in 
particular was solely put in place to award a large group of 
children with the grand prize of $5,000 worth of athletic equipment. 
We do however understand how home-schooled children could benefit 
from this type of prizing and will make sure eligibility is open to 
everyone in future promotions...."


----------



## TLHB70

HomeschoolMama said:


> When I sent this out in my group, this is one of the responses I got.
> I know of several people who have already written to scholastic and
> subway. Here is Scholastics response:
> 
> "We are deeply sorry that the Subway contest has offended you and
> thank you for voicing your concern. Our intention was never to make
> independent schooled children feel discriminated against or excluded
> from this specific promotion. Throughout the course of the year
> Scholastic runs a number of contests and sweepstakes that are open
> to all teachers and students. The eligibility of this contest in
> particular was solely put in place to award a large group of
> children with the grand prize of $5,000 worth of athletic equipment.
> We do however understand how home-schooled children could benefit
> from this type of prizing and will make sure eligibility is open to
> everyone in future promotions...."



Thank you for posting this response.  I will forward it on to the group. 
I am happy to see that they will change eligibility for future promotions!


----------



## teacups

Hello All. I begand HSing my two kids mid year. My son is in K and  my daughter is in 3rd.  If we were at PS my K son would be taking part in a graduation ceremony of sorts, where the kids wear (adorable) hats and sing and etc.  I have fantastic pictures of my daughters ceremony.  Question:  Do any of you mark the end of a year, or passing of a grade at home? And if so, how?  I will do something, but not sure exactly what yet.  I will include both kids, but make it a big deal for my son to be entering 1st grade.  Thanks for any ideas.


----------



## LegoMom3

I'm just curious, how many of you posting here are full-time stay-home parents?  Or, perhaps I should be asking, who here is NOT, and still home schools??

I used to be home, but DH and I felt that I "had" to find a part-time job last fall.  I did, and I really like it, but deep down I would rather be home with all the kids.

My dilemma is in looking ahead to next fall.  We currently home school DS11 (pulled him out of a very bad middle school experience over the winter).  DS8 and DS6 are still at the local elementary school, but both want to be home next year.

I am wondering how we will ever do all three of them if I can't be home.  DH works nights, so he is home in the mornings while I"m at work.  He just barely handles getting stuff done with DS11 (not for lack of enthusiasm, but he works long hours and often has work-related tasks that need finishing).  I get home in the afternoon (about an hour before DH has to leave for work) and despite my best efforts, I find it very difficult for everyone to just switch gears after lunch and have me do the bulk of the home schooling (when the neighborhood kids are coming home off the bus, that's hardly when you want to be just _starting_ your day!!).

I am wracking my brain trying to figure out where to cut our budget so that I wouldn't need to work, but so far I'm still coming up short.  It also kind of bugs DH that despite working so many long hours, it's still not enough to get by on! (we don't have a lot of consumer debt - a couple of small cc's that will be paid off with next year's tax refund).

Anyway, I'm getting off track here.  But I'd really like to hear from any parents who do have to work and still manage to home school their kids.


.


----------



## teacups

Can you teach a HS class?  (Or, it doesnt HAVE to be HS...)   I teach art, and I HS.  I have tossed around the idea of teaching once or twice a month.   I dont know how much $$ you would have to make to help out... but it might be worth checking into.   Good luck.


----------



## disneymom3

Hi guys. Sort of back but not really.  Just wanted to assure all of you who were concerned that I did nothing that I would call inflamatory to get banned. Don't want to bring this thread into it, but if you want more info, I was not pleased by the thread on the CB that is stickied to the top regarding "hostile website."

So, as I said I didn't want to bring this thread down or OT but I did want to clear up that I didn't flip my lid or anything.  

Take care all!


----------



## Mommy2three

has anyone ever used the stevenson learning skills?  i just ordered the stevenson reading green set, which is the beginners set,  i am hoping it will work well with my son who has adhd, bipolar, auditory processing, and several other disorders, who is six years old.


----------



## tnmomof4

I went yesterday to an Abeka book display, and I ordered all our new curriculum.  

The guy was really trying to push the DVDs on me.  He said that homeschooling 4 kids is a lot, and that the DVDs would be what I would need.
He had the kids watch a sample, but they didn't really seem to like them.  It just seems like the DVDs would work for some kids, but not the ones that don't focus very well.


----------



## TLHB70

I am attending the A Beka hotel meeting/display in a couple of weeks to order our books for next year.  I will be starting the DVD curriculum with my oldest DD.  She will be in 8th grade.  I want to have a practice year with it before we hit high school.  I have used A Beka for her every year so I feel very comfortable teaching it.  I just knew that we needed the DVDs for high school because of labs, electives, etc.  I want her to have a practice year.  I will continue to teach my youngest DD on my own, without the DVDs; she will go into 5th grade.


----------



## tnmomof4

I will think about using the DVDs when my boys are in 7th or 8th grade.  A practice year sounds like a great idea!!


----------



## Denine

Just wanted to let you know that DD finished K last week and can't wait to start 1st grade.
DD already started watching the DVD music class we did last summer.  She doesn't know what to do with herself if she is not in school.

I am looking forward to a vacation before we start up again.


----------



## AQW

Greetings from another homeschool mom who just found this thread!

I have two kidlets (6yo and 3yo).  Dexter is in kindergarten, Celeste tags along for the ride.    We're in SoCal, so we do a lot of our schooling at Disneyland.    We've never been to WDW, but might be going in January.  We also have our first Disney cruise lined up for September.   

We've been pretty unschool-ish this year; I've slowly started introducing some curriculum the past couple of months.  We're doing Explode the Code for phonics (which DS *loves*) and MUS for math (which we just started).  It's been an amazing journey this first year - Dexter went from crying in September about not getting to go to school, saying things like "I have to go to school where I can learn from a teacher because only teachers know things; you're a mommy and mommies don't know as much as teachers" - to crying last week when DH teased him on a particularly squirrely day that if he didn't shape up we were going to send him to building school.    What a change!!!  

We school year-round... we "do school" when we feel like it, and don't do school when we don't feel like it.  My two primary goals for HSing right now are to read to the kids every day, and to answer all Dexter's questions with intention (rather than give a pat answer or brush him off).  Just by doing those two things, we have both learned a LOT this year!  I work part-time at an educational research lab - and yes, my status as a homeschool supporter and parent is a complete scandal around the office!  So far I haven't had any trouble balancing HSing with working two days per week; we'll see if it continues to be this easy.  

That's all I can think of - nice to be here!


----------



## mommyof2princesses

Hey all.  I am finally back from a mini vacation to the mountains.  Then I needed a few days away from DIS to get my house in order and entertain MIL who is staying a few weeks.  

We got my daughter's results back from her IOWA's and WOW!  She blew it away!  I definetly made MIL a believer now!

I have purchased much of our curriculum already although we still have a fe things to buy for next year.  We have decided to do Saxon math for Algebra.  I got a great deal at a consignment sale...the test, solutions book and DIVE cd for $20!  DD is also doing American lit and we got the one from BJB.  I paid $20 for teacher's books, text book and tests!  And it was brand new!  

I also got 3 years of Apologia for elementary for my younger DD and paid $30 for all 3 books!  Yeah me!  They are also brand new!

Gotta love consignment sales!


----------



## Tera_&_Gibson

Hi all! I am fairly new to the dis boards and thought I would post over here too 

We have ended up unschooling this year and it has been great! DS is 5 and our only. We babysit m-f 6:30am till noon. A one year old and her PS sisters that are 7 and 12. I take a bag of things for us to do or play with and that helps alot.

I keep going back and forth between unschooling that is obviously working really well for us and sonlight! Hard to trust myself I guess. 

Anyhow Hello!

Any other unschoolers here?


----------



## wvdislover

Tera_&_Gibson said:


> Any other unschoolers here?



I'm considering doing more unschooling with DD10 next year.  We're doing SOS right now, and it's going ok some days, other days are really bad.  I thought it would be great for her since she enjoys doing stuff on the computer so much and hates to write, but she gets frustrated and overwhelmed easily.  She does have Asperger's and some other issues going on, so I ordered some books from Amazon about homeschooling and AS to see what they have to say.


----------



## TLHB70

tnmomof4 said:


> I will think about using the DVDs when my boys are in 7th or 8th grade.  A practice year sounds like a great idea!!



I thought that would be safest because I want to do the A Beka program which has A Beka keeping all records.  I assume this will be the choice we need for college; this way she will have transcripts.  I wanted this practice year to have her adjust to videos before they start keeping records.
Our hotel meeting is next Tuesday.   If I order there, instead of online or by phone, I save $125!   That is great with me!


----------



## TLHB70

mommyof2princesses said:


> We got my daughter's results back from her IOWA's and WOW!  She blew it away!  I definetly made MIL a believer now!



Congratulations!     
I can't wait to get my DDs' scores back.  We tested May 21 to May 23 so we will have to wait a little longer.


----------



## AuroraBeauty

Has anyone ever done the Kyoiku Dojinshas Mathematics Workbook which accompany the Tokyo Shoseki's Mathematics for Elementary School?

My DD will be starting 1st grade HS Curriculum (for her English portion) and I'm looking to move into a more formal program rather than just 'worksheets'.  Worksheets have been very good but she does a true curriculum for her French program so I'm trying to get them more aligned.

I know there are many great math curriculum to choose from.  One catch for me is that I need to stay away from anything that might be faith-based.  I know, seems odd for a math curriculum.  (No flames please!, I'm still new at this homeschool thing).  However, we are not Christian and I would rather use a more 'secular' curriculum.

If anyone has ever used the Tokyo math curriculum, I'd like to hear about it.  Also, if you just love your 'secular' math curriculum I'd be interested in knowing why.  I know each child is different and what works for one won't necessarily work for another, but I'm trying to get a sense of what great math curriculum is out there.

Thank you in advance.


----------



## sha_lyn

> If anyone has ever used the Tokyo math curriculum, I'd like to hear about it. Also, if you just love your 'secular' math curriculum I'd be interested in knowing why. I know each child is different and what works for one won't necessarily work for another, but I'm trying to get a sense of what great math curriculum is out there.



I love love love Singapore Math (US edition, but they have recently published a CA standards edition also). It is completely secular.


----------



## lori1043

Hey sha lyn!

Waving hello as I pass on by-haven't checked in in a while. 

Welcome all the newbies, to our wonderful homeschool thread.

Has anyone ventured over to that new homeschool board that was being readily pushed by some others- In a nice decent non pushy way, but I never went. It is enough to keep up with this one. Besides, I do love the Dis even though there are people out there who have no problem containing some thoughts that can offend. But you can get that anywhere.

Wondering how that Parade poll is going. Gonna check!

Lori


----------



## AuroraBeauty

sha_lyn said:


> I love love love Singapore Math (US edition, but they have recently published a CA standards edition also). It is completely secular.



Thank you for your recommendation.  I hear a lot about Singapore Math and it seems very intuitive to use.  I'll have to look at it more closely.

Thank you again for your help.


----------



## Laura.bora

lori1043 said:


> Hey sha lyn!
> 
> Waving hello as I pass on by-haven't checked in in a while.
> 
> Welcome all the newbies, to our wonderful homeschool thread.
> 
> Has anyone ventured over to that new homeschool board that was being readily pushed by some others- In a nice decent non pushy way, but I never went. It is enough to keep up with this one. Besides, I do love the Dis even though there are people out there who have no problem containing some thoughts that can offend. But you can get that anywhere.
> 
> Wondering how that Parade poll is going. Gonna check!
> 
> Lori



I ventured over, posted once or twice - it's fine but I just love the DIS so i'm over here all the time anyway so it's easier to keep track.  Also a whole lot more people are over here, so more feedback.  I check back over there from time to time, but not like I do here.


----------



## LegoMom3

DS11 had his year-end eval. today and it went very well.  I am SO relieved and also quite glad the school year is over.  Our summers seem so short anyway, we really try to enjoy it as much as possible.

Now, I give myself about a month to just breathe, then start planning next year! 


.


----------



## Sarilas

I just wanted to jump in with a 'hey' as a new DIS board member!  I homeschooled my son (oldest of four) when he was in 4th grade, then let him go back to public school when he moved to the middle school (5th and 6th).  He's just completed 6th and begged me to homeschool him due to bullying issues, and then the final straw came when we were told he'd have to take 'regular' math (he did pre-algebra last year) because they felt they were over-taxing the other students. 

So starting in the fall, he'll be homeschooled for the foreseeable future.   

My husband and I also have a 9 year old daughter (who will stay in PS at least one more  year as she's been chosen to be a host on the in-school morning television program, and I didn't have the heart to take that from her), and 2 and 1 year old daughters.

We're planning our first trip to WDW, which is what brought me here to begin with, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a homeschool chat!


----------



## Blackunicorn

sha_lyn said:


> I love love love Singapore Math (US edition, but they have recently published a CA standards edition also). It is completely secular.



That's good to know!  The local "school" store just put Singapore Math on sale.


----------



## ~*~Michelle~*~

Hi all!  I'm new to homeschooling.  I just bought my Core Kindergarten curriculum on Sonlight today.  Just wanted to introduce myself & say hey.

BTW Lara, we live about 20 miles from Music City, USA


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Hi to all you new homeschoolers!! We are glad to have you!! HSing is a blessing and you will be soooo super-glad you made this decision. Michelle, welcome and which part of Tn. are you from? I am just wondering because we may be taking a last minute road trip in the next 2 weeks. Looking at Pigeon Forge/Gatlingerg(burg?) area-several people I know from here are headed up your way!!


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## ~*~Michelle~*~

we are about 4 hrs west of Gatlinburg.  We're right outside of Nashville


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## Sarilas

Michelle, we MUST be really close - I'm actually about 10 miles outside of town, up I-24!  VERY cool.


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## teachingmyown

~*~Michelle~*~ said:


> we are about 4 hrs west of Gatlinburg.  We're right outside of Nashville



So are we!  Only about 12 miles from downtown, and homeschooling 5th and 12th graders. 
Howdy neighbors!!


----------



## Sarilas

No way!  I have four kids, but only homeschooling one for the time being; he'll be in 7th this year, and my other school age child (daughter) has begged to stay in PS one more year, and I've conceeded.  (4th grade).  My other two children are 2 and 1, so we have a LITTLE while to go with them.


----------



## Tink561

I'm not new but I don't think I've posted in this thread yet.  My oldest son graduated from our homeschool last year, May 07.  My middle son is going to be a junior this coming year.  My youngest son will be a sophmore but he will attend the public school that he has been doing marching band with this past year.  We made a joint decision and he's going to try it full time.

Our little girl is just almost 2.5 but knows all of her letter and is learning sounds.  She wants to learn to write the letters.  She amazes me!   

My junior will be doing Sonlight history, some online classes with Florida Virtual School and group classes with our homeschool group.  He also takes classes at the local Culinary School.  He is attending a weeklong camp for h.s. juniors & seniors at Johnson & Wales University this summer.  He is very excited!

Our baby girl will be doing preschool stuff in the fall.  I'm calling it "Fairy Tale Preschool" and we'll be doing small unit studies (play based) on all of the Disney Princesses & a few other stories.  We will also be using other Fairy Tale versions in our preschool studies.  It is so much fun having a little one again!


----------



## ~*~Michelle~*~

Tink561 said:


> I'm not new but I don't think I've posted in this thread yet.  My oldest son graduated from our homeschool last year, May 07.  My middle son is going to be a junior this coming year.  My youngest son will be a sophmore but he will attend the public school that he has been doing marching band with this past year.  We made a joint decision and he's going to try it full time.
> 
> Our little girl is just almost 2.5 but knows all of her letter and is learning sounds.  She wants to learn to write the letters.  She amazes me!
> 
> My junior will be doing Sonlight history, some online classes with Florida Virtual School and group classes with our homeschool group.  He also takes classes at the local Culinary School.  He is attending a weeklong camp for h.s. juniors & seniors at Johnson & Wales University this summer.  He is very excited!
> 
> Our baby girl will be doing preschool stuff in the fall.  I'm calling it "Fairy Tale Preschool" and we'll be doing small unit studies (play based) on all of the Disney Princesses & a few other stories.  We will also be using other Fairy Tale versions in our preschool studies.  It is so much fun having a little one again!



This sounds like so much fun!


----------



## ~*~Michelle~*~

Sarilas said:


> Michelle, we MUST be really close - I'm actually about 10 miles outside of town, up I-24!  VERY cool.





			
				teachingmyown said:
			
		

> So are we! Only about 12 miles from downtown, and homeschooling 5th and 12th graders.
> Howdy neighbors!!




We're up I-65.


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## Tink561

Anyone else in south Florida?  We're in Palm Beach County.


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## Denine

Just orderd 1st grade math today.  We are doing Horizons again.  It is a great fit for DD.

Now, I need to cough up the dough and buy the first grade Calvert program.  We have used it for 2 years now and DD loves it.

Dh took DD to her first summer reading program tonight.  She loves summer reading.  Tonight it is butterflies.


----------



## ~*~Michelle~*~

we're doing Horizons math 1 as well, but we're using the Sonlight curriculum w/it.


----------



## **pixie**

Tink561 said:


> Anyone else in south Florida?  We're in Palm Beach County.



Hi neighbor!

I'm in Ft. Lauderdale and about to embark on my first year of homeschooling my soon to be 10 year old DS.  

I am alternating between excited, scared and down right panic.   I definately need to find a HS group nearby.


----------



## Denine

~*~Michelle~*~ said:


> we're doing Horizons math 1 as well, but we're using the Sonlight curriculum w/it.



I like the Sonlight program, but it would not be a good fit for DD.


----------



## sha_lyn

I'm finally getting around to writing a few reviews
Here's the one on History Odyssey
http://www.thehomeschoollibrary.com/forum/showthread.php?t=23424


----------



## Denine

I think I remember reading some time back about home schooling with the American Girl book series.  Does anyone have any info?


----------



## Tink561

**pixie** said:


> Hi neighbor!
> 
> I'm in Ft. Lauderdale and about to embark on my first year of homeschooling my soon to be 10 year old DS.
> 
> I am alternating between excited, scared and down right panic.   I definately need to find a HS group nearby.



Hi, congratulations on your journey!!!  There is a large group called Broward County Homeschoolers.  You should be able to google them.

PM me if you have any questions maybe I can help you find a group.  We used to live in Deerfield Beach when we first started.


----------



## Ellester

Denine said:


> I think I remember reading some time back about home schooling with the American Girl book series.  Does anyone have any info?



http://www.gatewaytoknowledge.com/us7.html

This is the one we used a year or so ago. I bought it right from the author's website, but it looks like she has let that domain name go (www.unitsunique.com). We enjoyed the study. I bought the books (readers and "Welcome to ***'s World" series) as I needed them from Amazon. The studies cover Felicity, Josefina, Kirsten, Addy, Samantha, Kit, and Molly. We did not do all the activities but we did do quite a few. My dd's were 8 and 5 at the time, obviously the 8yo did quite a bit more than the 5yo did.


----------



## mistymouse5001

Hi I would really like to join your thread. I'm going to have to make my final scool choice for my boy in the next few weeks. I lean towards keeping him home for many many reasons. I just don't have a firm support system for it because I seem to be the only one who thinks it's a wonderful idea! 
Where do I start?


----------



## LegoMom3

mistymouse5001 said:


> Hi I would really like to join your thread. I'm going to have to make my final scool choice for my boy in the next few weeks. I lean towards keeping him home for many many reasons. I just don't have a firm support system for it because I seem to be the only one who thinks it's a wonderful idea!
> Where do I start?


 

Welcome!!   

Well, it's a good start just coming here.  It's always good to have other home schoolers to talk to!

I would suggest starting here for the bigger picture:  www.hslda.org
On the main page, there is a drop-down menu for "About Homeschooling" and within that are many options.  One will let you choose your state and get the legal requirements, if any (very important to know and stay on top of!).  Another option lets you choose your state and see what support groups are in your area.  That would let you hook up with (or at least contact) someone local.

We have home schooled my oldest son but I am looking at bringing his two younger brothers home next year for the first time.  Yikes!!..._three_ of them!??...can I do it??!!   

Well, again, welcome to our little thread, and hope to see you here again!!   


.


----------



## Denine

Ellester said:


> http://www.gatewaytoknowledge.com/us7.html
> 
> This is the one we used a year or so ago. I bought it right from the author's website, but it looks like she has let that domain name go (www.unitsunique.com). We enjoyed the study. I bought the books (readers and "Welcome to ***'s World" series) as I needed them from Amazon. The studies cover Felicity, Josefina, Kirsten, Addy, Samantha, Kit, and Molly. We did not do all the activities but we did do quite a few. My dd's were 8 and 5 at the time, obviously the 8yo did quite a bit more than the 5yo did.



Great, thanks!


----------



## wvdislover

Ellester said:


> http://www.gatewaytoknowledge.com/us7.html
> 
> This is the one we used a year or so ago. I bought it right from the author's website, but it looks like she has let that domain name go (www.unitsunique.com). We enjoyed the study. I bought the books (readers and "Welcome to ***'s World" series) as I needed them from Amazon. The studies cover Felicity, Josefina, Kirsten, Addy, Samantha, Kit, and Molly. We did not do all the activities but we did do quite a few. My dd's were 8 and 5 at the time, obviously the 8yo did quite a bit more than the 5yo did.



This looks really cool!  I've just about decided that unit studies are going to be the way to go for my Aspie DD10 (almost 11).  It will offer her a lot more flexibility in her schooling and allow her to have more creative outlets for displaying her knowledge.  We've been doing SOS for the past few months (we didn't start hs until mid March).  She likes the computer part of it, but still gets frustrated really easily and just gives up.

Ellester, what subjects did the American Girls study cover?  The website doesn't say   Obviously, it will cover history and reading.  What else?


----------



## Ellester

wvdislover said:


> This looks really cool!  I've just about decided that unit studies are going to be the way to go for my Aspie DD10 (almost 11).  It will offer her a lot more flexibility in her schooling and allow her to have more creative outlets for displaying her knowledge.  We've been doing SOS for the past few months (we didn't start hs until mid March).  She likes the computer part of it, but still gets frustrated really easily and just gives up.
> 
> Ellester, what subjects did the American Girls study cover?  The website doesn't say   Obviously, it will cover history and reading.  What else?



It actually covers quite a bit. The "Master Overview of Skills and Content" includes:
Social Studies -Rev. War era, history & culture of N. Mexico, Pioneers, Civil War/underground railroad, suffrage, the Depression, WWII

Science - Medicine(then & now), animal classifications, desert habitats, nature journaling, tornadoes, constellations, scientists & inventors, nutrition

Biography - George Washington, Betsy Ross, Lincoln, Edison, Wright Bros., Susan B. Anthony

Geography- 13 original colonies, regions of the US, European countries and routes to America, 50 states, map skills

Math reinforcement- geometric shapes & patterns, symmetry, literature based word problems, drills

Character education - qualities of a good friend, honestly, working together, reciprocity, cooperation, allies vs. enemies

Language arts- dictionary skills, literature, grammar & usage, general writing skills, creative writing, journalism and newspaper writing

The book recommends supplementing with math, phonics for new readers only, possibly for spelling, and probably not for grammar.

We supplemented with math, Bible, spelling, art(although there was lots of art in the study), handwriting, and an analogy work book I had.


----------



## sha_lyn

Oh well I was interested in the American Girl unit study until I got to the part where is is written from a creationist POV..... So how easy would it be to leave out the religious part?


----------



## wvdislover

Thanks so much Ellester!  I showed the website to DD10 today and she was so excited!  She says she actually saw the workbook advertised on TV one day and has been looking for it at the library   Maybe she saw something that reminded her of it   Anyways, she says she wants to do this for hs this year!  It is neat to see her so excited about school!


----------



## lori1043

Shalyn- we have a Christian American Girl club, but I feel you can do AG w/out any religious aspect. I bought my books via ebay, education al stores,...and don't know what they go for now, but they are older AG books put out by Pleasant company that are Teacher Guides for each series-minus the newer ones, like Julie and maybe Kit. If you go to BAM or some other bookstore, there are books called "Welcome to ......'s World" that can be used for further study of Am history. We use AG for a lot, but mostly for complete enjoyment, and they are learning anyway! There are also cookbooks nad craft books for each historical AG girl to add in some more ideas and flavor. I feel the AG books can be used in so many fun ways. Our club is moving onto our second year and we have SO much we can do to add to it-ideas are almost endless. I feel using it as a curr. for Am history can be the same.

BTW- maybe this was crazy, but incentive for reading EVERY AG book in this family is the purchase of a doll or accessories after completing them(there are like 50-60 books!). We had to honor our own "way of getting our previously 8 year old child to read" because she DID IT! It took her a little over a year. She even went over and above and read some of the mysteries. Now, my now 8 year old(the other one is 10 now) hasn't picked up on it yet, but I am hoping she will. She is a more reluctant reader, but getting there! She reads well, but doesn't enjoy it quite as much as I'd like. But I refuse to force it b/c then it just ain't fun !!! She has read maybe 2 of them and we have read a couple to her too!

Lori


----------



## teacups

mistymouse5001 said:


> Hi I would really like to join your thread. I'm going to have to make my final scool choice for my boy in the next few weeks. I lean towards keeping him home for many many reasons. I just don't have a firm support system for it because I seem to be the only one who thinks it's a wonderful idea!
> Where do I start?



Hi!
I dont post here often (nobody ever answers me!  ) but wanted to jump in and suggest you look on Yahoo for local HS forums/groups to you. Also look in the phone book and see if there is a curriculum store in your area.  It helps to see what locals are doing, and then you dont feel like you are alone. You can take your son on field trips with ohter HSers in your area, or join a HS PE class, etc.
Good luck.  We started HSing mid year this past school year and LOVE IT!!
4th grade girl and 1st grade boy.


----------



## bear74

Ellester said:


> http://www.gatewaytoknowledge.com/us7.html
> 
> This is the one we used a year or so ago. I bought it right from the author's website, but it looks like she has let that domain name go (www.unitsunique.com). We enjoyed the study. I bought the books (readers and "Welcome to ***'s World" series) as I needed them from Amazon. The studies cover Felicity, Josefina, Kirsten, Addy, Samantha, Kit, and Molly. We did not do all the activities but we did do quite a few. My dd's were 8 and 5 at the time, obviously the 8yo did quite a bit more than the 5yo did.





Ellester said:


> It actually covers quite a bit. The "Master Overview of Skills and Content" includes:
> Social Studies -Rev. War era, history & culture of N. Mexico, Pioneers, Civil War/underground railroad, suffrage, the Depression, WWII
> 
> Science - Medicine(then & now), animal classifications, desert habitats, nature journaling, tornadoes, constellations, scientists & inventors, nutrition
> 
> Biography - George Washington, Betsy Ross, Lincoln, Edison, Wright Bros., Susan B. Anthony
> 
> Geography- 13 original colonies, regions of the US, European countries and routes to America, 50 states, map skills
> 
> Math reinforcement- geometric shapes & patterns, symmetry, literature based word problems, drills
> 
> Character education - qualities of a good friend, honestly, working together, reciprocity, cooperation, allies vs. enemies
> 
> Language arts- dictionary skills, literature, grammar & usage, general writing skills, creative writing, journalism and newspaper writing
> 
> The book recommends supplementing with math, phonics for new readers only, possibly for spelling, and probably not for grammar.
> 
> We supplemented with math, Bible, spelling, art(although there was lots of art in the study), handwriting, and an analogy work book I had.





lori1043 said:


> Shalyn- we have a Christian American Girl club, but I feel you can do AG w/out any religious aspect. I bought my books via ebay, education al stores,...and don't know what they go for now, but they are older AG books put out by Pleasant company that are Teacher Guides for each series-minus the newer ones, like Julie and maybe Kit. If you go to BAM or some other bookstore, there are books called "Welcome to ......'s World" that can be used for further study of Am history. We use AG for a lot, but mostly for complete enjoyment, and they are learning anyway! There are also cookbooks nad craft books for each historical AG girl to add in some more ideas and flavor. I feel the AG books can be used in so many fun ways. Our club is moving onto our second year and we have SO much we can do to add to it-ideas are almost endless. I feel using it as a curr. for Am history can be the same.
> 
> BTW- maybe this was crazy, but incentive for reading EVERY AG book in this family is the purchase of a doll or accessories after completing them(there are like 50-60 books!). We had to honor our own "way of getting our previously 8 year old child to read" because she DID IT! It took her a little over a year. She even went over and above and read some of the mysteries. Now, my now 8 year old(the other one is 10 now) hasn't picked up on it yet, but I am hoping she will. She is a more reluctant reader, but getting there! She reads well, but doesn't enjoy it quite as much as I'd like. But I refuse to force it b/c then it just ain't fun !!! She has read maybe 2 of them and we have read a couple to her too!
> 
> Lori


wow thanks that is one of the ideas I had for curricelum but was not sure it would work,


----------



## sha_lyn

Buying the AG dolls....... A friend does the same thing with her 2 older DDs and will with the youngest. she said since the library has all the books she figures she saves the $$ that way to pay for the dolls.

DD just started showing an interest in reading the books within the last few months (probably from talking the the 2 girls). Before she's always been more interest in fantasy, well except for reading Carol marsh mysteries. I think reading the CMM has opened her up to broadening what she reads. There is a secular AG book club that meets the same time as the CMM club. Looks like she might have to decide between the 2. I don't think I'm going to run all over town every 3rd week of the month like one friend does so that her DD can do both clubs (and so her DS can do the CMM and a classic books club). The local group that has the homeschool book clubs has them spread out all over area but not all locations has every club. I think my friend goes to 3 different meetings to cover the 4 clubs her kids are in.

I like the idea of the unit study CD pulling it all together, but it sounds like the intro books does that pretty well. 

As for getting interested in the unit study...I swear I have curriculum ADD or something
Its like.....oh look heres a shining new book to look at, don't you want it instead of what you are using? 

Our order from Rainbow Resources should be here any day. I took weeks to decide what to get for next yr, but now I'm second guessing myself. Was very comfortable continuing with Singapore math, but then saw that teaching textbooks now has 5th grade. Arggg. why do I do this to myself LOL.

So I'm of course already obsessing over highschool for DD. Really thought we would shell out the $$ and do oak meadow on line. I haven't been happy with any of the accredited programs we used for DS. From 7-12 grade we used Seascape-7th, great books academy-8th, American School-9, James Madison 10-12.  Customer service and turn around between turning in an assignment and grading was horrible with all 4 (never did receive final 1/4 from seascape or several assignments form James Madison). In the end DS didn't end up with a diploma because JM was such a horrible experience. He's decided to just go for his GED instead of continuing to fight JM at every turn.
However that little nagging bit of "mainstream" keeps telling me I need to find an accredited program for DD so she will have a "real" diploma. Arggg


teacups...LOL.... At one time this thread (or the one before it) was moving so fast I couldn't keep up. I think a lot of  questions never got answered because they got lost in the mass amount of posts.


----------



## Tink561

We can justify the $$$ for the dolls as school expenses!


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## Ellester

Sha_lyn,

I tried to answer your post earlier today, but the DIS is giving me fits today! It kept timing out. Anyway.... it would be very easy to secularize the Units Unique study. The introduction section probably contains the most Christian references. The units themselves really don't contain any religion at all. I think you'd be able to use it without much if any modification.


----------



## lori1043

Has anyone used NCCS (national center for constitution studies) for unit study or co-op study on the constitution? We are using it for co-op, for 4th-7th graders. 

Just fishing for more add on ideas.

Thanks!

Lori

BTW- the AG books I am telling you about use all the books in the series, not just book 1. I have that unit study (mentioned)also and like it, but love that the books use all of the 6 books in the series. I think you almost don't need curr. if you get the cookbooks and craft books to add to the reading.


----------



## DawnM

Who is going to Disney hs days in September?

I think we are planning on January at this point.  Just curious.

Dawn


----------



## sha_lyn

We were hoping for Jan, but right now it looks like next sept before we'll have the $$


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## lori1043

I was frustrated about homeschool days. I wanted to go this year, but that is not happening unless our financial status makes a 180 really soon!!!!!

My frustration? I wanted my cake and to eat it too. But Disney won't allow it::cop: .

I could go for HS days but not be able to attend any of the cool things they have on thier schedule b/c I wanted Free Dining, too. . hey, I tried! When it comes down to doing WDW though, HS days or not, the bottom line is what I go by. I could go with the free DDP for 3 nights(yes, a quick trip -just me and my girls) for $650!!! I have an AP that is good till next February. All I needed was to get there and get home and pay like maybe another $100 for classes. BUT homeschool days people say NO. I HAVE to get thier packages and if I want the DDP, it is added on. Hello? That was going to be over $1000 altogether, plus transportation.

So we were going to go, but then things started falling apart-the hot water heater-$1400, the camry- $2500, I got into an accident-$1000(my 2001 minivan was totalled but in great shape so we just had it fixed and kept it-it was 76% damaged in a state that says 75% is totalled), a new back door-$500, a new attic door(it wouldn't open and we hung on the string and it was stuck-we'd fixed it 2x before though!!!) that had to be refitted b/c they don't sell our size any more-$400 plus new sheetrock and painting the ceiling.

So you can see how WDW got phased out quickly. I ony hope we can recover from all this so we can pay for the cruise we have planned NEXT December 

Lori


----------



## amez

hi

Just found you guys and wanted to join in on the discussion. I homeschool three of my children and love it!!  I'm going to head back and read some of the older post.

Amy


----------



## teacups

Let's just chat amongst ourselves.
I have been HSing for less than a year. I started mid-year this past school year with my then 3rd grade daughter and K son. It is GREAT!  We'll never go back to PS unless, God forbid, we were forced to for some unforeseen reason.
I use various curriculum. I dont think I've nailed it down just yet. I bought Abeka for math on the advice of a friend, so Ill use that again this year and see what we think.  Son excels in math, daughter in writing.   BUt they're young yet. Who knows what their "thing" will be? 
I found the best place for me to get advice and help was a local yahoo forum, as other online forums were sort of clickish and didnt include newbies, which is a shame. Newbies are the ones who need the most help! HSing is hard and confusing at first! 
 I look forward to hearing both of you tell about your kids and your schooling! 
Happy Sunday!


----------



## nuzmom

teacups - I've heard about yahoo homeschool groups and have just never joined any. How do you go about finding one? I'm not familiar with yahoo groups AT ALL. Thanks for any help.

For what it's worth, we're still stuck on Saxon 87 or Saxon Algebra 1/2 this upcoming year (must decide and order soon) and what foreign language. I think curriculum is one of the hardest HS decisions!!!!


----------



## sha_lyn

Well I'm not teacups... but it is very easy to search yahoo groups.
Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/
in the search box just enter in a few key words 

IE if you are looking for eclectic home schoolers in your area just enter...
home school, Pittsburgh, eclectic


----------



## teacups

sha_lyn said:


> Well I'm not teacups... but it is very easy to search yahoo groups.
> Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/
> in the search box just enter in a few key words
> 
> IE if you are looking for eclectic home schoolers in your area just enter...
> home school, Pittsburgh, eclectic



Yep!  Easy sneezy!  Join Yahoo first, then search, then you will probably have to join that particular group. I found three in my area (there were also several religious specific ones), and they all inter-twine for field trips etc. I even joined one for a city in a different state that we were thinking about moving too, and met some super nice people there too!

LMK if you have any Q's.


----------



## amez

hi teacups and everyone else, 

My dd is 8 years old, my ds is 6 and dd 4 years. We've always homeschooled although we've changed gears at various points.  We love--it's definitely a way of life that is working well for us.  

Nuzmom,  Yahoo groups are a great way to connect locally and even globally.  When we moved to Ohio it was though yahoo groups that I met some of my now closest friends here.  We've used Yahoo groups to spread the word about a national convention we hosted and we've used them as  communication for our local group.

Nice to meet everyone!!


----------



## LegoMom3

teacups said:


> Let's just chat amongst ourselves.
> I have been HSing for less than a year. I started mid-year this past school year with my then 3rd grade daughter and K son. It is GREAT! We'll never go back to PS unless, God forbid, we were forced to for some unforeseen reason.
> I use various curriculum. I dont think I've nailed it down just yet. I bought Abeka for math on the advice of a friend, so Ill use that again this year and see what we think. Son excels in math, daughter in writing.  BUt they're young yet. Who knows what their "thing" will be?
> I found the best place for me to get advice and help was a local yahoo forum, as other online forums were sort of clickish and didnt include newbies, which is a shame. Newbies are the ones who need the most help! HSing is hard and confusing at first!
> I look forward to hearing both of you tell about your kids and your schooling!
> Happy Sunday!


 

Hi!!
I was just checking in here to see any new posts. We are heading into new territory this coming fall, so I have a feeling I may be here more often! For the first time, we will have all three of our kids home... I am SO excited and quite nervous.

We have home schooled on and off for some years, but always with our oldest son. We live in a small town with a small elementary school, and have always been comfortable having the kids go there and being involved. That has just changed!

We actually pulled DS11 out of the middle school in January of this year. He had started the year there (against my better judgement) because DH and I felt I needed to find a part-time job, so we had to put all the kids in school. DS8 and DS6 were at the elem. school and managed to have a pretty good year. The middle school was AWFUL (and the problems were teacher related, not peers!!). So, home he came and somehow we managed to successfully finish out this past year at home with him (it was definitely a tag-team effort!).

Well, our elem. school is undergoing all sorts of changes (thank you - NOT! - No Child Left Behind.... ) and we don't like any of them. In a nutshell, we are losing the parent-involved, teacher-directed local control of our little school to bigger and bigger government. 

That's my cue! 

Enter the "Well, it's high time we bring them all home for good" decision.

I am still nervous about giving up my job, but honestly I don't make all that much anyway, and it's nothing DH can't make up for with some extra odd-jobs or extra overtime.

Tighten the budget belt?....yep.

Cost of keeping my kids home?....priceless!

Right now I have absolutely no idea what we'll do for curriculum....Ugh!  I've got different kids who like different things.  I tend towards unit studies with workbooks for math and Language Arts.  I do have Math-U-See but so far I'm the one who's having a hard time with it!  Seems like it should be so simple, but I just have a hard time translating what I watch on the video to the application for my kids.  We used some Math Mammoth - purchased and downloaded right off the Internet - this spring with DS11 and he really liked it.  Very self-explanatory.

So, that's us!  Like I said, I expect to be around here more as I try to adjust to something new!

Oh, one fun thing we are doing is having each kid pick a country in Epcot.  They will research it a bit before our trip, and then see what more they can learn while they are there in September (DS11, especially, should be able to chat with a CM or two - people actually from that country!).  When we get back, they will make a little report on their country.



.


----------



## teacups

Wow!  You are in for some changes!!  I bet for the better, too.  Your kids will be so lucky to get to a regular HS situation. By regular I mean all the time.    I am going to check into your Math Mammoth!   I've used Abeka, with no real problems... but I am always on the lookout for new and better.
This summer we've been playing "Math Balls" in the pool. Instead of Cannon Balls, I ask a math problem, they answer correctly and get to cannon ball!  They came up with it,. so hey, who am I to argue?


----------



## NHWX

LegoMom3 said:


> Well, our elem. school is undergoing all sorts of changes (thank you - NOT! - No Child Left Behind.... ) and we don't like any of them. In a nutshell, we are losing the parent-involved, teacher-directed local control of our little school to bigger and bigger government.
> 
> ....
> 
> 
> Right now I have absolutely no idea what we'll do for curriculum....Ugh!  I've got different kids who like different things.  I tend towards unit studies with workbooks for math and Language Arts.  I do have Math-U-See but so far I'm the one who's having a hard time with it!  Seems like it should be so simple, but I just have a hard time translating what I watch on the video to the application for my kids.  We used some Math Mammoth - purchased and downloaded right off the Internet - this spring with DS11 and he really liked it.  Very self-explanatory.
> 
> So, that's us!  Like I said, I expect to be around here more as I try to adjust to something new!
> 
> Oh, one fun thing we are doing is having each kid pick a country in Epcot.  They will research it a bit before our trip, and then see what more they can learn while they are there in September (DS11, especially, should be able to chat with a CM or two - people actually from that country!).  When we get back, they will make a little report on their country.
> .




I live in the Conval school district. It sounds like you're in a similar situation but with a couple twists. Our 12 year old took Integrated Arts and math at our middle school (South Meadow) and while he liked his teachers, he mostly didn't like his peers. On the other hand, our now 15 year old tried the high school for just a semester and didn't like it all! So now we have both at home full time.

If anyone's interested in what is probably a fairly honest look at the staff at our high school, this is an editorial written for a local paper by a teacher. 
http://www.ledgertranscript.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080703/LEDGERTRANSCRIPT/807030414/1315

We're going to be at Disney 9/20-27, just managing to get the beginning of the Food and Wine Festival.

If your kids like Legos a lot, have you considered involving them in a FIRST team? Your children would fall into the Junior First Lego League and First Lego League team ages. 

We're using K12 (History, Lit, Music and Science), Thinkwell from homeschoolbuyerscoop-org for Math, The Paragraph Book for some supplemental work on writing and assorted programming for our soon to be eighth grader. As for the soon to be tenth grader, that's all up in the air! 

Good luck - I firmly believe you're making the right decision. 

NHWX


----------



## nuzmom

teacups - math balls -    LOVE IT!!!!!

Legomom3 - welcome. When we made the homeschooling decision, I made 2/3 of our family income. HUGE adjustment. That was 5 years ago and I wouldn't trade one moment!!!! We squeeze our finances, but we're still able to enjoy trips to WDW. I would have NEVER believed that 5 years ago. Hey, there will be plenty of time to return to work after all kids are in college!!!!


----------



## nuzmom

NHWX - interesting article. And some people wonder why we don't want our kids trying to learn in an environment of chaos??? While I was reading, I kept thinking of the ninth graders taking the english honors test during the constant fire alarms. Just think, those would be some of the "brightest" kids - boy, the school was really giving them an environment to excel.


I don't say much on these boards, but I have to share with you all what has been happening a LOT lately to us. I'm sure you can relate.

Our family is out and strangers comment on how well behaved our children are. We thank them and say that we all have our moments, but we're very blessed to have the children we do. We've been told at numerous stores that our kids are the best behaved children that they've seen. Truly, my children are NOT perfect, but you know what - they are RESPECTFUL!!!! That's the main trait that I can identify as being "different". Ok, anyway, so 1/2 the time we get "talking" with these strangers and school comes up - these people WANT to know what school they go to. "oh"   they're "homeschooled"!!! Really???? (like, how can that be - you guys seem so "normal")

And frankly, I'm SO SICK of hearing the socialization question!!!! I guess it's ok to act like a "the world revolves around me" BRAT as long as you are getting "socialization"?????

Of course, we know some very nice PS kids and families - I actually feel badly for them - having to deal with PS issues while trying to RAISE their kids (not letting the schools raise them for them). Also, my kids are not "robots" - they just speak respectfully (or are correct if they don't).

Ok, phew,  got that out of my system. That should keep me from flipping out at the next person who says "REEEAAALLYY???? They're homeschooled????". At least for a month or so.  

Thanks for listening!!!!!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

I don't know if we are allowed to post things for sale on here or not!!But, if you are interested, pm me or email me or whatever-several levels of saxon math, bob jones stuff and some ABeka. Just thought I would pass this on in case any one is interested.


----------



## LegoMom3

NHWX said:


> I live in the Conval school district. It sounds like you're in a similar situation but with a couple twists. Our 12 year old took Integrated Arts and math at our middle school (South Meadow) and while he liked his teachers, he mostly didn't like his peers. On the other hand, our now 15 year old tried the high school for just a semester and didn't like it all! So now we have both at home full time.
> 
> If anyone's interested in what is probably a fairly honest look at the staff at our high school, this is an editorial written for a local paper by a teacher.
> http://www.ledgertranscript.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080703/LEDGERTRANSCRIPT/807030414/1315
> 
> We're going to be at Disney 9/20-27, just managing to get the beginning of the Food and Wine Festival.
> 
> If your kids like Legos a lot, have you considered involving them in a FIRST team? Your children would fall into the Junior First Lego League and First Lego League team ages.
> 
> We're using K12 (History, Lit, Music and Science), Thinkwell from homeschoolbuyerscoop-org for Math, The Paragraph Book for some supplemental work on writing and assorted programming for our soon to be eighth grader. As for the soon to be tenth grader, that's all up in the air!
> 
> Good luck - I firmly believe you're making the right decision.
> 
> NHWX


 

Hey!!!....we're in ConVal too!!!!  Small world.  Our middle is Great Brook, though, and since you linked to the Ledger article on the high school, I'm sure you saw last week's "headline" regarding Pierce in Bennington....That's us!  The article was SO not the whole story.  And there was an editorial, too, that was also quite slanted.  We have really enjoyed our time at that little school, but things there are about to get turned upside down.   There is so, so, so much more going on than "poor" test scores (they are not an accurate assessment of the student population; long story that I won't get into here).  

Anyway, DS8 would be heading into 3rd grade there, in one of these new "split" classrooms of combined 3rd and 4th grades.  I dislike that "plan" for so many reasons, so he's coming home!  And DS6 would be heading to 1st grade, and I have no real problem with that scenario in and of itself, but I'd just rather have them all home, all on the same schedule, and all getting the academic attention and family dynamics that they need.

Yes, they all LOVE Legos!  I've heard of those teams and was actually thinking of looking into it.  

Thanks for your post!...I look forward to chatting with you more here!  

.


----------



## LegoMom3

nuzmom said:


> teacups - math balls -    LOVE IT!!!!!
> 
> Legomom3 - welcome. When we made the homeschooling decision, I made 2/3 of our family income. HUGE adjustment. That was 5 years ago and I wouldn't trade one moment!!!! We squeeze our finances, but we're still able to enjoy trips to WDW. I would have NEVER believed that 5 years ago. Hey, there will be plenty of time to return to work after all kids are in college!!!!


 

Thanks so much for that encouraging word!  It really helps to know others have gone through this.  When money's tight, I can't help but think "How in the world can we do this?!" and then just as quickly, I think about the alternative, and think "I'm going to sacrifice my kids for a few piddly dollars a week???!"  

It's funny, too, because we've taken all our WDW trips without any help from my current job!  The first two trips were mostly savings and one small dip into DH's line-of-credit with his work's credit union.  This year's trip package was courtesy of the Tax Rebate, and our spending money is just out of our regular savings!  So YES!...there IS hope!!   


.


----------



## wvdislover

LegoMom3 said:


> Oh, one fun thing we are doing is having each kid pick a country in Epcot.  They will research it a bit before our trip, and then see what more they can learn while they are there in September (DS11, especially, should be able to chat with a CM or two - people actually from that country!).  When we get back, they will make a little report on their country.



Here's something interesting you can check out for your trip.  Someone else posted a link to this company a while back, but they recently changed their web page to this: http://www.vacationeducationbooks.net/default.aspx  It's actually a unit study about MK and Epcot!  Looks really cool...I'm planning on getting it to work on before our Sept trip.  Even though DD6 is still in PS (DD11 is HS), it will be great for both girls to work on.  Gives me more reason to call our trip "educational" for DD6's sake (even though the school still probably will call it an unexcused absence.  Oh well    She'll probably learn more on our trip than she would at school).  Best part--it's quite inexpensive, as far as HS stuff goes!  Good luck!


----------



## LegoMom3

wvdislover said:


> Here's something interesting you can check out for your trip. Someone else posted a link to this company a while back, but they recently changed their web page to this: http://www.vacationeducationbooks.net/default.aspx It's actually a unit study about MK and Epcot! Looks really cool...I'm planning on getting it to work on before our Sept trip. Even though DD6 is still in PS (DD11 is HS), it will be great for both girls to work on. Gives me more reason to call our trip "educational" for DD6's sake (even though the school still probably will call it an unexcused absence. Oh well  She'll probably learn more on our trip than she would at school). Best part--it's quite inexpensive, as far as HS stuff goes! Good luck!


 

That

is

SO

COOL!!!

Thanks for posting that link!   


.


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## wvdislover

I thought it was, too.  Don't know who originally posted the link to it, and I was too lazy to go back and look for it, so, if you want credit, let us know  Makes the beginning of my school year easy!


----------



## Denine

WOW! The AG curriculum really covers a lot of stuff.   I was thinking of using it as summer enrichment course next year between 1st and 2nd grades.

I still need to order the MK and Epcot HS book.  That looks so cool.

Not going for HS days.  Maybe next year?  We are going on the cruise in October and also the F&W Festival.

Right now, DD is enjoying the summer reading program.  I got one of the Magic Treehouse books that we already finished.  Now we are reading Pippi Longstocking.  

I still need to order the 1st grade program and will be doing that next week or so.  I already have the math for 1st grade.  We really like HOrizons.

I am still waiting to hear from the school system regarding HSing for the 2008-2009 school year.  They have 14 days to respond, but I haven't been keeping track.  Hopefully I will hear something this week.


----------



## CruiseBoundnKY

We are new to HS'ing but not new to Disney  

My ds is 5 and dd is 10.  This year we are pulling dd out of public school and starting fresh with ds with HS.

We are very excited about it!  Thanks to the poster for the links to the MK and Epcot books.  Anyone know if there is anything about AK out there or a list of the animals at AK?  

Looking forward to our first year.  Glad to know I have disfriends that HS too.

Karen


----------



## amez

wvdislover said:


> Here's something interesting you can check out for your trip.  Someone else posted a link to this company a while back, but they recently changed their web page to this: http://www.vacationeducationbooks.net/default.aspx  It's actually a unit study about MK and Epcot!  Looks really cool...I'm planning on getting it to work on before our Sept trip.  Even though DD6 is still in PS (DD11 is HS), it will be great for both girls to work on.  Gives me more reason to call our trip "educational" for DD6's sake (even though the school still probably will call it an unexcused absence.  Oh well    She'll probably learn more on our trip than she would at school).  Best part--it's quite inexpensive, as far as HS stuff goes!  Good luck!



I got to meet Corinne (the author of the books) at our UWWG in January--very nice lady with a super sweet family.


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## wvdislover

Way cool!!!  I would have loved to have met her!  What a creative and ingenious person!


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## TheRatPack

nuzmom said:


> Truly, my children are NOT perfect, but you know what - they are RESPECTFUL!!!! That's the main trait that I can identify as being "different". Ok, anyway, so 1/2 the time we get "talking" with these strangers and school comes up - these people WANT to know what school they go to. "oh"   they're "homeschooled"!!! Really???? (like, how can that be - you guys seem so "normal")




This past year our homeschooling group ordered shirts (we order them every year but this past year was our first as a family).  They have one that says WARNING Unsocialized Homeschooler.....my son gets comments everywhere we go when he's wearing it LOL

http://www.greathomeschooltshirts.com/  This is the site, they have a sale in August, which is when we all get together and make a LARGE order , they also will screenprint your group name on the back....which is nice for group field trips..etc.


----------



## TheRatPack

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> I don't know if we are allowed to post things for sale on here or not!!But, if you are interested, pm me or email me or whatever-several levels of saxon math, bob jones stuff and some ABeka. Just thought I would pass this on in case any one is interested.



You might want to try VegSource.com too!  I get a lot of my stuff off there when I can


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## LittleBlue22

Homeschool newbie here 

I hope this is the right thread to sign in as a roll call. *Big breath* We're starting homeschool this year. 

We're using Switched on School House for my 3rd grader-
Life Pac with a 2nd grader and a KGer. 

I already have a question- How do I homeschool with a young toddler to handle too. I know I can have school while he's sleeping, but do any of you have other ideas/suggestions? 

I look forward to posting with you all. If I haven't located the right thread to post on, could some one let me know?


----------



## LegoMom3

LittleBlue22 said:


> Homeschool newbie here
> 
> I hope this is the right thread to sign in as a roll call. *Big breath* We're starting homeschool this year.
> 
> We're using Switched on School House for my 3rd grader-
> Life Pac with a 2nd grader and a KGer.
> 
> I already have a question- How do I homeschool with a young toddler to handle too. I know I can have school while he's sleeping, but do any of you have other ideas/suggestions?
> 
> I look forward to posting with you all. If I haven't located the right thread to post on, could some one let me know?


 
Hey LittleBlue!!  Yep, you're at the right place!  Welcome!!   

I can't help with the toddler question but I'm sure there are others who can!  However, I'll be hs'ing all three of my kids this year, for the first time, and I'm overwhelmed!!  

Sometimes this thread moves kind of slow, and other times it moves so fast I can hardly keep up, but I hope you'll stick around and jump in anytime!  Great to see you here!   


.


----------



## lori1043

​ 
Welcome Littleblue22!!!

She is right, sometimes it can go days without any communication and other times thre have been pages and pages in a day.

I homeschool my DD8 and DD10-going into 3rd and 5th. I am getting more nervous the older they get! 5th grade seems so "serious" and 3rd is like an in between age for me-love to play and do lots of hands on stuff but also doing more serious learning.

We use a hodge podge of curriclum(saxon, abeka, LLATL, SOTW, easy grammar and daily grams) and I question this every year, thinking I need to use one across the board b/c I also work outside the home about 6-8 days a month. may not sound like much, but it can be.
With the major inflation this year, I feel the pressure. DH likes our homeschool situation. So he can appease me well!

Have fun and lots of blessings on your first year-it is a whirlwind wonderful experience that I would not trade (if I don't have too)!!!

Come here for some uplifting words!

There is a hodgpodge of backgrounds and wonderful advice on this board, but all are one being Mickey fans and in homeschooling our children.

Lori


----------



## LittleBlue22

LegoMom3 said:


> Hey LittleBlue!!  Yep, you're at the right place!  Welcome!!
> 
> I can't help with the toddler question but I'm sure there are others who can!  However, I'll be hs'ing all three of my kids this year, for the first time, and I'm overwhelmed!!
> 
> Sometimes this thread moves kind of slow, and other times it moves so fast I can hardly keep up, but I hope you'll stick around and jump in anytime!  Great to see you here!
> 
> 
> .


 Wow! Another familiar screen name  Hello to BlackUnicorn too. HOpe she leaves her second post on this thread soon.  

Yeah, I found the right thread. 



lori1043 said:


> ​
> Welcome Littleblue22!!!
> 
> She is right, sometimes it can go days without any communication and other times thre have been pages and pages in a day.
> 
> I homeschool my DD8 and DD10-going into 3rd and 5th. I am getting more nervous the older they get! 5th grade seems so "serious" and 3rd is like an in between age for me-love to play and do lots of hands on stuff but also doing more serious learning.
> 
> We use a hodge podge of curriclum(saxon, abeka, LLATL, SOTW, easy grammar and daily grams) and I question this every year, thinking I need to use one across the board b/c I also work outside the home about 6-8 days a month. may not sound like much, but it can be.
> With the major inflation this year, I feel the pressure. DH likes our homeschool situation. So he can appease me well!
> 
> Have fun and lots of blessings on your first year-it is a whirlwind wonderful experience that I would not trade (if I don't have too)!!!
> 
> Come here for some uplifting words!
> 
> There is a hodgpodge of backgrounds and wonderful advice on this board, but all are one being Mickey fans and in homeschooling our children.
> 
> Lori


 Thank you. I need all the blessings I can get. I said to my dh years ago I would not homeschool our kids, well, karma really knows how to get cha iykwim. So, here we are our first ever year, three kids, at three different grade levels. I/we choose one curriculum b/c I don't know if I can juggle different curriculums at one time. So, for this go round, we're sticking to one set. 

I'm so glad to be here and seeing familiar names again.  

(I look forward to reading both threads and getting myself caught up)


----------



## fabumouse

I love the Dis - I just knew there'd be a group I could connect with re deciding to homeschool my soon to be 2nd grader.

Hooray!

Public school was just not working out for us and we had a few rough years.

Never ever thought I'd home school.  

But here we are.


----------



## lori1043

* Welcome Fabumouse!!!! *

*Lori *​


----------



## AngelBabyJana

I just found this thread, and wanted to say "Hello" to all of the other homeschoolers out there.   We have three children: 15yrs, 9yrs, and 4yrs. We use the Abeka curriculum, along with extra workbooks that I pick up from the bookstore. We are planning our first trip to Disney in May of 2009. Look forward to talking to all of you!


----------



## lori1043

* Welcome Angelbabyjana!! *


*Lori*​


----------



## LittleBlue22

TheRatPack said:


> This past year our homeschooling group ordered shirts (we order them every year but this past year was our first as a family).  They have one that says WARNING Unsocialized Homeschooler.....my son gets comments everywhere we go when he's wearing it LOL
> 
> http://www.greathomeschooltshirts.com/  This is the site, they have a sale in August, which is when we all get together and make a LARGE order , they also will screenprint your group name on the back....which is nice for group field trips..etc.



This is the same shirt (from the same company) with updated verbage at the bottom:







What a great shirt


----------



## sha_lyn

I like this one
http://shop.cafepress.com/design/19101559


----------



## LittleBlue22

sha_lyn said:


> I like this one
> http://shop.cafepress.com/design/19101559



 that's great too


----------



## fabumouse

Thanks for the welcome, Lori - for some reason, y'all didn't show up in my daily CP for the last few days.  Love that.


----------



## Buckalew11

Thanks, teacups for pointing me here. Looks like we need a section on the DIS for homeschoolers to chat! 

This is our first year. I have a 14 year old DD soon to be freshman. We'll probably start around the first of August.
I'm pretty nervous.

We're not going with one type either. I'm using teaching textbooks for Geometry, NotGrass World History, Literature and Bible, Apologia for Biology,Rosetta Stone for SpanishI etc. I have a few Abeka books for Econ and American Government for later years that I have already bought used.

DD was in private Christian School for 9 years so we are very familiar with Abecka although they were doing a lot of changes to what they were using lately.

I have heard VERY positive things about Teach Textbooks math programs. I read in the Sonlight catalog that they are even highly recommending them. Sounds like I made a good choice there anyway.


----------



## fabumouse

I will have to look into the Teach Textbooks programs.  I have some usborne books on the way for math and reading and a ton of other stuff I've ordered from various resources.

The one thing I'm really focusing on for my 7 year old is having her write and read every day.  She either journals or does a book report (those are about once a week).

I'm wondering how people deal with some of the emotional stuff that comes up - trying to get their children to follow through without it being a big fight.


----------



## AngelBabyJana

wvdislover said:


> Here's something interesting you can check out for your trip.  Someone else posted a link to this company a while back, but they recently changed their web page to this: http://www.vacationeducationbooks.net/default.aspx  It's actually a unit study about MK and Epcot!  Looks really cool...I'm planning on getting it to work on before our Sept trip.  Even though DD6 is still in PS (DD11 is HS), it will be great for both girls to work on.  Gives me more reason to call our trip "educational" for DD6's sake (even though the school still probably will call it an unexcused absence.  Oh well    She'll probably learn more on our trip than she would at school).  Best part--it's quite inexpensive, as far as HS stuff goes!  Good luck!



Thank you for posting this link. It looks really cool! We are definitely going to order these.

Also thank you for the "welcome" Lori!


----------



## LittleBlue22

Buckalew11 said:


> Thanks, teacups for pointing me here. *Looks like we need a section on the DIS for homeschoolers to chat!*
> 
> This is our first year. I have a 14 year old DD soon to be freshman. We'll probably start around the first of August.
> I'm pretty nervous.
> 
> We're not going with one type either. I'm using teaching textbooks for Geometry, NotGrass World History, Literature and Bible, Apologia for Biology,Rosetta Stone for SpanishI etc. I have a few Abeka books for Econ and American Government for later years that I have already bought used.
> 
> DD was in private Christian School for 9 years so we are very familiar with Abecka although they were doing a lot of changes to what they were using lately.
> 
> I have heard VERY positive things about Teach Textbooks math programs. I read in the Sonlight catalog that they are even highly recommending them. Sounds like I made a good choice there anyway.



ITA- I was surprised to find this thread in the Disney for Families section, but I guess the thread is safe here where it won't get too many flames. I'm sure there are more than two threads related to the topic. I just did a search and there are 276 pages of results. There are 25 posts per page (if I counted right) under  "homeschooling" and a total of 6900 posts on the topic. 

I think a Homeshcool forum would be great!

Eta: Has any one asked the techies for a "Homescool Forum" before?


----------



## Denine

I ordered the vacation education books.  I got the whole shebang.  They have been shipped.  I can't wait to get them.


----------



## Praise2Him

I looked at them and they look great, but I'm not sure what age/grade level they would be best for.

Will you post your opinion when you get them?

My DD is in high school and I'm afraid they'll be too "young" for her.


----------



## Ellester

LittleBlue22 said:


> Eta: Has any one asked the techies for a "Homescool Forum" before?



We've requested many times, to no avail. Feel free to add your request though, maybe we'll wear them down eventually!

On another note, I got my flier from Children's Books(www.childsbooks.com) about their annual back to school sale. They have the best prices I've found on Apologia, Memoria Press and lots of other books. They always offer 25% off readers in stock and shipping is free over $50 if you pay with a check.


----------



## Denine

Praise2Him said:


> I looked at them and they look great, but I'm not sure what age/grade level they would be best for.
> 
> Will you post your opinion when you get them?
> 
> My DD is in high school and I'm afraid they'll be too "young" for her.



I am not sure what age level they are for.  It looks like a wide variety depending on how involved you want to get.  DD will be 6 the end of September, so we will be going pretty basic.  I figured I would get them now while I know they are there instead of waiting a few years and not being able to find them.

I will let you know when they come.


----------



## amez

I have just began a website with a forum if anyone is interested in joining. I've not really started promoting it yet--but plan to in the next few weeks. So it currently is slow on the boards, but if anyone is interested in joining plesae do so and I promise I'll be promoting it more soon and getting more homeschoolers involved!!


----------



## wvdislover

Thanks, Amy...that looks really cool!  I'll have to come back later and join, but it is listed in my "favorites" list


----------



## Denine

I received the education books on MK and Epcot.  They look really cool.  They are designed as a unit study and look like they can be used with any age.  It just depends on how deeply you want to get involved.  I also got the flash card packs.  Those are more simple, but we will be able to use them.

I also ordered 1st grade today!


----------



## mom2grace

LegoMom3 said:


> Hi!!
> I do have Math-U-See but so far I'm the one who's having a hard time with it!  Seems like it should be so simple, but I just have a hard time translating what I watch on the video to the application for my kids.  We used some Math Mammoth - purchased and downloaded right off the Internet - this spring with DS11 and he really liked it.  Very self-explanatory.



I use Math U see, DD is 7, going into 2nd grade.  I watch the videos with her and that seems to work well.


----------



## LegoMom3

Well, this is it!

Today I take the plunge.

Today I mail in the envelope that contains my "Intent to Homeschool" notice for all three of my boys.

Once that envelope leaves my hands, it's a sealed deal!

And I'm scared to death!!   

Truthfully, I'm more nervous about quitting my job at the end of the summer.  I don't make much but boy some weeks it really helps to have it.

But I have DH's full support (actually his idea/urging for me to do this) and we know ultimately this is the best choice.  My boys are certainly worth more than the little paycheck I make!

So, wish me luck....

But now I get to browse the curriculum catalog!     I love shopping for stuff for home school.


.


----------



## Sarilas

I am STILL unsure of which curriculum to use for my 7th grader...  it's starting to stress me out a bit!  He's very analytical so the more academically heavy the better for him.  I can't believe I'm actually homeschooling him either!


----------



## HomeschoolMama

Sarilas said:


> I am STILL unsure of which curriculum to use for my 7th grader...  it's starting to stress me out a bit!  He's very analytical so the more academically heavy the better for him.  I can't believe I'm actually homeschooling him either!



Have you looked into Tapestry of Grace?  It's very academic, but it lays it all out in an easy to understand way for the parent.  I have loved it.
Here's a link to get a free demo:
 Tapestry of Grace

As for math, I plan on switching my DD to Saxon Math after she finishes her last year of Horizons this school year.  It's also very academic. 

Good luck!  ​


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

My oldest is going into 7th as well-I am using Teaching Textbooks for math-we have used ABeka & Saxon in the past & needed a change.You can go to their website and see which level he would need. I am very excited about it-up until this point math has been great-but Geo. and upper levels of Algebra are not my strong point.So, this has been a Godsend for me!
For History I am using Truth Quest- a history guide that lets you pick from great lists of real books-not a textbook/workbook approach. Also, very God centered. For Language Arts we are using Learning Language Arts Through Literature. Again-using real books that can be purchased or checked out from a local library. This has spelling, voc. and all in one book-so you are not working out of 5 or 6 different subject books every day.
Hope this helps you!! Don't be worried-we all learn by trial and error. What one person swears by, may not work for you at all. I would suggest you get Cathy Duffy's book-100 Top Picks for homeschool curriculum.Lots of info about most of the top-rated stuff-also includes each ones website or contact info. Also, go to Christian book distributors.com--you can look at sample pages of all the books.Just go to the Homeschool store and you can browse by subject or grade.

You are going to be so glad you chose this journey!!!


----------



## DisneyWalle

Do any of you use Mystery of History,  Sequential Spelling and Apologia Science?  I am thinking of switching over to these  programs.  I have been using BJU for the past three years and I'm really just looking for a change.  We have been homeschooling my son since the beginning and he just started his third grade year.  So any new curriculum will be for next year.

If you use these or have used them, could you provide me with some feedback?


----------



## Praise2Him

Denine said:


> I received the education books on MK and Epcot.  They look really cool.  They are designed as a unit study and look like they can be used with any age.  It just depends on how deeply you want to get involved.  I also got the flash card packs.  Those are more simple, but we will be able to use them.



Thank you for letting us know. I think I will order them - they look like fun!


----------



## HomeschoolMama

DisneyWalle said:


> Do any of you use Mystery of History,  Sequential Spelling and Apologia Science?  I am thinking of switching over to these  programs.  I have been using BJU for the past three years and I'm really just looking for a change.  We have been homeschooling my son since the beginning and he just started his third grade year.  So any new curriculum will be for next year.
> 
> If you use these or have used them, could you provide me with some feedback?



I have used the swimming animals, & flying animals apologia.  I enjoyed them.  
My only thing is that I should have given my daughter a foundation for general science before I did a specialized area like that.  Now, I'm doing an Abeka Science overview so I can put her in the general science class next year in our homeschool group.  If your child has a good idea about most things science-y, they would be a great thing to get into the things they really want to know more about.


----------



## LittleBlue22

HomeschoolMama said:


> Have you looked into Tapestry of Grace?  It's very academic, but it lays it all out in an easy to understand way for the parent.  I have loved it.
> Here's a link to get a free demo:
> Tapestry of Grace
> 
> As for math, I plan on switching my DD to Saxon Math after she finishes her last year of Horizons this school year.  It's also very academic.
> 
> Good luck! ​​




Hi, I was reading your reply to the post and saw your blinky. Did you make it yourself? I'd like some thing like it, where'd you find it?


----------



## HomeschoolMama

LittleBlue22 said:


> Hi, I was reading your reply to the post and saw your blinky. Did you make it yourself? I'd like some thing like it, where'd you find it?



What blinky are you talking about?  My blog button or the mickeys?

Generally, you right click on any picture you like and save it.  Then use a photobucket account to add it to your siggie.  To make it a button, you just highlight the picture in your siggie and click on the button to make a link.

I have found if you search photobucket you can find almost any picture you want.  That's where I got my 'homeschooling mom' button.  Does that help?


----------



## LittleBlue22

Denine said:


> I ordered the vacation education books.  I got the whole shebang.  They have been shipped.  I can't wait to get them.





Praise2Him said:


> I looked at them and they look great, but I'm not sure what age/grade level they would be best for.
> 
> Will you post your opinion when you get them?
> 
> My DD is in high school and I'm afraid they'll be too "young" for her.


Ditto. I can't wait to hear either. I'd like to investigate getting additional books too for my younger ones.



Ellester said:


> We've requested many times, to no avail. Feel free to add your request though, maybe we'll wear them down eventually!
> 
> On another note, I got my flier from Children's Books(www.childsbooks.com) about their annual back to school sale. They have the best prices I've found on Apologia, Memoria Press and lots of other books. They always offer 25% off readers in stock and shipping is free over $50 if you pay with a check.


*sigh* bummer.



LegoMom3 said:


> Well, this is it!
> 
> Today I take the plunge.
> 
> Today I mail in the envelope that contains my "Intent to Homeschool" notice for all three of my boys.
> 
> Once that envelope leaves my hands, it's a sealed deal!
> 
> And I'm scared to death!!
> 
> Truthfully, I'm more nervous about quitting my job at the end of the summer.  I don't make much but boy some weeks it really helps to have it.
> 
> But I have DH's full support (actually his idea/urging for me to do this) and we know ultimately this is the best choice.  My boys are certainly worth more than the little paycheck I make!
> 
> So, wish me luck....
> 
> But now I get to browse the curriculum catalog!     I love shopping for stuff for home school.
> 
> 
> .


Me to. I turned in my letter of intent to my kids' previous school today and asked for transcrips. The office worker said, I noticed you didn't turn in any reregistration for your family. With a big sigh, I said, I know. 

Have fun shopping for school supplies and such. LegoMom

I've got the website bookmarked. I look forward to visiting it.


----------



## LittleBlue22

HomeschoolMama said:


> What blinky are you talking about?  My blog button or the mickeys?
> 
> Generally, you right click on any picture you like and save it.  Then use a photobucket account to add it to your siggie.  To make it a button, you just highlight the picture in your siggie and click on the button to make a link.
> 
> I have found if you search photobucket you can find almost any picture you want.  That's where I got my 'homeschooling mom' button.  Does that help?



 sorry, I knew I forgot to do something, this one





thanks  I like searching photobucket. I don't have a flicker acct. so I can't capture images off it.


----------



## lori1043

LittleBlue22 said:


> Ditto. I can't wait to hear either. I'd like to investigate getting additional books too for my younger ones.
> 
> *sigh* bummer.
> 
> Me to. I turned in my letter of intent to my kids' previous school today and asked for transcrips. The office worker said, I noticed you didn't turn in any reregistration for your family. With a big sigh, I said, I know.
> 
> Have fun shopping for school supplies and such. LegoMom
> 
> I've got the website bookmarked. I look forward to visiting it.


 
I remember this day. Even more, i remember having to physically go sign my child out of school!  That is when it really hit, seeing all the people we established some kind of relationship over the previous 2 years.

I promise, you will be fine. You did not come by this decision without lots of research and so be confident you did the right thing!

Congrats!


----------



## lori1043

DisneyWalle said:


> Do any of you use Mystery of History, Sequential Spelling and Apologia Science? I am thinking of switching over to these programs. I have been using BJU for the past three years and I'm really just looking for a change. We have been homeschooling my son since the beginning and he just started his third grade year. So any new curriculum will be for next year.
> 
> If you use these or have used them, could you provide me with some feedback?


 
We started Sequential Spelling today and my DD10 has taken a co-op class on Apologia Swimming Creatures. I am teaching Apologia Astronomy in my home to my kids and a few of thier HS friends.

We like Apologia a lot, but I cannot comment on how much I like SS yet! But my hope is that SS helps my DD8,b/c even though she does well in spelling, USING it in a sentence eludes her sometimes!

MTW- DH just asked me what I was doing and I said, responding to HS'ing stuff. He looked over and said, "yeah right, on the Disboards"?, so I answered, "yeah, it's the best of both worlds!!!" to which he rolled his eyes and told me I was goofy .

Lori


----------



## LegoMom3

lori1043 said:


> I remember this day. Even more, i remember having to physically go sign my child out of school! *That is when it really hit, seeing all the people we established some kind of relationship over the previous 2 years.*
> 
> I promise, you will be fine. You did not come by this decision without lots of research and so be confident you did the right thing!
> 
> Congrats!


 

That is what is hard for us.  We live in a very small town (less than 1200 people) so if you are a parent with kids in the school, you naturally get to know just about everyone.  We've had at least one kid in that school for 3 years now, and while it's not like we're disappearing off the face of the earth, it'll just be "different", y'know?!


.


----------



## DawnM

We didn't care for SS.  We will be using All About Spelling this year.

We do use Apologia Science.....and so far we like it.

We haven't used MOH, we switched back to Sonlight for Cores 3 and then next year Core 4 to cover US History.  Then we will most likely go back to Tapestry of Grace as I have Y1 and Y2 and haven't even finished Y1....it was a little too much for my young ones....we will will keep it and go back to it when they are a bit older.

Dawn



DisneyWalle said:


> Do any of you use Mystery of History,  Sequential Spelling and Apologia Science?  I am thinking of switching over to these  programs.  I have been using BJU for the past three years and I'm really just looking for a change.  We have been homeschooling my son since the beginning and he just started his third grade year.  So any new curriculum will be for next year.
> 
> If you use these or have used them, could you provide me with some feedback?


----------



## HomeschoolMama

LittleBlue22 said:


> sorry, I knew I forgot to do something, this one
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> thanks  I like searching photobucket. I don't have a flicker acct. so I can't capture images off it.



If you have a photobucket account, can't you just search and save pics to your album?  I don't remember how I opened my account...
 

I would say you can have mine, but it links to my blog.  I did find it and several other buttons on Photobucket, though.  Good luck!


----------



## Ellester

DisneyWalle said:


> Do any of you use Mystery of History,  Sequential Spelling and Apologia Science?  I am thinking of switching over to these  programs.  I have been using BJU for the past three years and I'm really just looking for a change.  We have been homeschooling my son since the beginning and he just started his third grade year.  So any new curriculum will be for next year.
> 
> If you use these or have used them, could you provide me with some feedback?



We've been using Sequential Spelling for a year or so and really like it. My dd10 actually likes spelling now, I let her do it on a dry erase board. I like that there is no memorization of lists, I think it promotes natural spelling. We've also used Apologia. We did the astronomy book and are now about 2/3 through the flying creatures book. I do like it, but we may switch to NoEo when we are done with flying creatures. I like their topics and the program intrigues me. I have enjoyed Apologia, but I think we may be ready to change it up a bit. I have friends who love MoH, but we've not used it personally.


----------



## nuzmom

DisneyWalle said:


> Do any of you use Mystery of History,  Sequential Spelling and Apologia Science?  I am thinking of switching over to these  programs.  I have been using BJU for the past three years and I'm really just looking for a change.  We have been homeschooling my son since the beginning and he just started his third grade year.  So any new curriculum will be for next year.
> 
> If you use these or have used them, could you provide me with some feedback?



I can only comment on Apologia. We LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I have done Astronomy, Botany, Zoology flying and Zoology swimming with my DSs. I have led general science, Chemisty, and Physics at our co-op (multiple times). We'll be doing Zoology land creatures this year with youngest DS and I'll lead and older son will be doing Physical Science. (my background is in engineering and I think the apologia approach and coursework is very solid and challenging)

There are LOTS of hands on activities in Apologia. I recommend doing absolutely as many as you can.

FWIW - when we did flying creatures, we did the 2nd half of the book 1st. It's on insects and much better suited for fall. The 1st half is birds and that worked fine for the winter.

If you have any specific questions on Apologia, I'll try to answer them. Have fun with it!!!!


----------



## Sarilas

HomeschoolMama said:


> Have you looked into Tapestry of Grace?  It's very academic, but it lays it all out in an easy to understand way for the parent.  I have loved it.
> Here's a link to get a free demo:
> Tapestry of Grace
> 
> As for math, I plan on switching my DD to Saxon Math after she finishes her last year of Horizons this school year.  It's also very academic.
> 
> Good luck!  ​



I hadn't heard of Tapestry!  I did give my son the Saxon placement test and it seems like it might work well for him.



Disney Mommy 3 said:


> My oldest is going into 7th as well-I am using Teaching Textbooks for math-we have used ABeka & Saxon in the past & needed a change.You can go to their website and see which level he would need. I am very excited about it-up until this point math has been great-but Geo. and upper levels of Algebra are not my strong point.So, this has been a Godsend for me!
> For History I am using Truth Quest- a history guide that lets you pick from great lists of real books-not a textbook/workbook approach. Also, very God centered. For Language Arts we are using Learning Language Arts Through Literature. Again-using real books that can be purchased or checked out from a local library. This has spelling, voc. and all in one book-so you are not working out of 5 or 6 different subject books every day.
> Hope this helps you!! Don't be worried-we all learn by trial and error. What one person swears by, may not work for you at all. I would suggest you get Cathy Duffy's book-100 Top Picks for homeschool curriculum.Lots of info about most of the top-rated stuff-also includes each ones website or contact info. Also, go to Christian book distributors.com--you can look at sample pages of all the books.Just go to the Homeschool store and you can browse by subject or grade.
> 
> You are going to be so glad you chose this journey!!!



Thank you for the curriculum site advice!  I've got a bajillion links saved and it's hard to know what works, and where to start.


----------



## HomeschoolMama

Sarilas said:


> I hadn't heard of Tapestry!  I did give my son the Saxon placement test and it seems like it might work well for him.


Hopefully, it will be a good fit for your family.  It's nice that it has a sample.  I also went on-line and looked at the first few weeks sample.


----------



## DisneyWalle

Ellester said:


> We've been using Sequential Spelling for a year or so and really like it. My dd10 actually likes spelling now, I let her do it on a dry erase board. I like that there is no memorization of lists, I think it promotes natural spelling. We've also used Apologia. We did the astronomy book and are now about 2/3 through the flying creatures book. I do like it, but we may switch to NoEo when we are done with flying creatures. I like their topics and the program intrigues me. I have enjoyed Apologia, but I think we may be ready to change it up a bit. I have friends who love MoH, but we've not used it personally.



What is the NoEo program?  
I have been using BJU for the past three years.  I did use Abeka for Kindergarten and hated it.  So, I am not very familiar with all of the different curriculums and programs out there.

Thank you for all of the feedback I have been receiveing.  If anyone has other suggestions on programs that work best for visual and hands-on learners, I'm willing to listen.


----------



## HomeschoolMama

DisneyWalle said:


> I did use Abeka for Kindergarten and hated it.


I agree that the Abeka Science K & 1 program is just a waste of money.  I'm not sure about 2 because I haven't seen it, but 3 is good as are 4, 5, & 6.


----------



## teacups

Does anyone belong to a co-op?  
I am tossing the idea around and could use some advice.

My kids (4th and 1st) are not lacking in academics, but I would like to start a co-op simply for the bonding that I hope could take place.  We hit various classes, but you never see the same kids! (Ok, I know that can be a good thing!)  
I'd love to start something where the same group of kids meets once a month for a project or two and some free reading and playing time.  

I am an art teacher (or, was an art teacher) so I do have something legitimate to offer. I do not want to end up paying for everything though! 

Any ideas or suggestions?
How do I do this?
I'd like to "somehow" attract kids of similar ages, not just a herd of preschoolers. (Sorry PK group!)  

What makes this kind of thing either work or fail?


----------



## Ellester

DisneyWalle said:


> What is the NoEo program?
> I have been using BJU for the past three years.  I did use Abeka for Kindergarten and hated it.  So, I am not very familiar with all of the different curriculums and programs out there.



http://www.noeoscience.com/

Friends of ours have been very happy with it and several families on a loop I am on use it as well.


----------



## teacups

Dear DIS Team,

The Home School group is in desperate need of a place to discuss issues important to educating our children.  HSing is growing in popularity as people all across the USA realize the benefits to children and to families.  With one thread we can not exchange ideas, provide advice or direct new HSers to information in a reliable fashion. Many messages get skipped as they are all jumbled together and easily missed/lost.

Wont you please reconsider providing that place to your users? 

What is more important than education ?

Thank you for your consideration,
Teacups


----------



## teacups

teacups said:


> Dear DIS Team,
> 
> The Home School group is in desperate need of a place to discuss issues important to educating our children.  HSing is growing in popularity as people all across the USA realize the benefits to children and to families.  With one thread we can not exchange ideas, provide advice or direct new HSers to information in a reliable fashion. Many messages get skipped as they are all jumbled together and easily missed/lost.
> 
> Wont you please reconsider providing that place to your users?
> 
> What is more important than education ?
> 
> Thank you for your consideration,
> Teacups




Dear HS parents,

I ask that each of you create such a message. 

Teacups


----------



## TLHB70

I just received all of our books.  We are going to be doing A Beka again next year.  My oldest DD will be in 8th grade.  I enrolled her in the video school, program 1.  This will be our first time to use the videos.  My youngest DD will be in 5th grade.  I will do the normal curriculum with her.
Videos should arrive next week.  Our first day of school is August 11 since I plan to take two weeks off in October for WDW.


----------



## TLHB70

teacups said:


> Dear DIS Team,
> 
> The Home School group is in desperate need of a place to discuss issues important to educating our children.  HSing is growing in popularity as people all across the USA realize the benefits to children and to families.  With one thread we can not exchange ideas, provide advice or direct new HSers to information in a reliable fashion. Many messages get skipped as they are all jumbled together and easily missed/lost.
> 
> Wont you please reconsider providing that place to your users?
> 
> What is more important than education ?
> 
> Thank you for your consideration,
> Teacups





DIS Team,
I would also love a special homeschooling space here.
I love the DIS.    I always recommend it to friends.  I personally visit it at least once a day.  A special homeschool place would be like icing on the cake!


----------



## lori1043

teacups said:


> Dear DIS Team,
> 
> The Home School group is in desperate need of a place to discuss issues important to educating our children. HSing is growing in popularity as people all across the USA realize the benefits to children and to families. With one thread we can not exchange ideas, provide advice or direct new HSers to information in a reliable fashion. Many messages get skipped as they are all jumbled together and easily missed/lost.
> 
> Wont you please reconsider providing that place to your users?
> 
> What is more important than education ?
> 
> Thank you for your consideration,
> Teacups


 
Can we all sign this in agreement? Can we send it on to anybody?
1. teacups
2.TLHB70
3. Lori1043


----------



## karynnix

*Hello all!  My family is looking to move this year, and I plan to homeschool my kids when we get to Mississippi instead of sending them to public school.  My son has Asperger's, and I feel that a home environment will be better for him.  I have NO idea where to start.  Does each state have certain requirements?  I have checked into Abeka and Sonrise.  My question is, we do not know WHEN we will be moving (the Army likes to keep you in the dark as long as possible).  Can I start them in the middle of a year?  How do I work that out?  Would I have to pay for curriculum for the whole year?  I don't mind doing that, I just need to know what is possible.  Where do I start looking for information?

Thanks for your help!!     *


----------



## sha_lyn

ETA: dont' know where I got AL from

herre is MS info

support groups: http://www.nhen.org/support/groups/2searchall.asp

http://www.nhen.org/leginfo/detail.asp?StateCode=Mississippi

Looks like MS is a very easy state to HS in.


----------



## LegoMom3

karynnix said:


> *Hello all! My family is looking to move this year, and I plan to homeschool my kids when we get to Mississippi instead of sending them to public school. My son has Asperger's, and I feel that a home environment will be better for him. I have NO idea where to start. Does each state have certain requirements? I have checked into Abeka and Sonrise. My question is, we do not know WHEN we will be moving (the Army likes to keep you in the dark as long as possible). Can I start them in the middle of a year? How do I work that out? Would I have to pay for curriculum for the whole year? I don't mind doing that, I just need to know what is possible. Where do I start looking for information?*
> 
> *Thanks for your help!! *


 

I would start here for info on your state's HSing laws:

www.hslda.org

Roll over "About Homeschooling" at the top of the page and you'll get a drop-down menu, where you'll see Homeschooling Laws.

They can also point you to a local support group (once you get settled somewhere!).

And yes, you can start mid-year!

.


----------



## NHWX

karynnix said:


> *Hello all!  My family is looking to move this year, and I plan to homeschool my kids when we get to Mississippi instead of sending them to public school.  My son has Asperger's, and I feel that a home environment will be better for him.  I have NO idea where to start.  Does each state have certain requirements?  I have checked into Abeka and Sonrise.  My question is, we do not know WHEN we will be moving (the Army likes to keep you in the dark as long as possible).  Can I start them in the middle of a year?  How do I work that out?  Would I have to pay for curriculum for the whole year?  I don't mind doing that, I just need to know what is possible.  Where do I start looking for information?
> 
> Thanks for your help!!     *



If you buy the curriculum - textbooks, workbooks, dvds or whatever, you'll just take that with you. If you sign up for something like K12 or Calvert with an online school situation, you should be able to move, connect up your computer and start back up again. If you're only going to homeschool once you move, you might want to order early so you can look at everything before you have to deal with unpacking, etc. along with starting to home school.

You can surely start up in the middle of the year! And you can switch curriculum in the middle too.  We started out with Oak Meadow and figured out after a while that it wasn't going to work for our younger child. He liked all the projects but hated all the writing. So we switched. It turns out that he's pretty much on track with his peers for most subjects despite being behind in the curriculum's path.

Have fun!

NHWX


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

I agree-you can start in the middle! If you are sure that ABeka or whatever is what you are definitely doing, just go ahead and get started then take off the time you need for your move & pick up where you left off. I would check online for the state's requirements-they may want you to keep up with hours, or whatever.

If you aren't sure what you want for curriculum yet, you can always do a LOT of reading!The Caldecott and Newberry Award books are great! You can get spelling/vocab. work out of it, read chapters and have them narrate it back to you, or write a short narration if they are old enough. Then you can get the math workbooks from local bookstores-this is great to get you in the swing of schooling by your schedule. I have been soooo surprised how much my kids learn just by reading about what they are interested in. My middle son is a tractor/dinosaur/lego boy! We get lots of books at the library and bookstore, and he has lego sets--this really helps them with reading and comprehension because THEY are interested in what they are reading. Just jump in there and enjoy this! You are gonna be surprised how naturally it'll come to you!!


----------



## wvdislover

karynnix said:


> *Hello all!  My family is looking to move this year, and I plan to homeschool my kids when we get to Mississippi instead of sending them to public school.  My son has Asperger's, and I feel that a home environment will be better for him.  I have NO idea where to start.  Does each state have certain requirements?  I have checked into Abeka and Sonrise.  My question is, we do not know WHEN we will be moving (the Army likes to keep you in the dark as long as possible).  Can I start them in the middle of a year?  How do I work that out?  Would I have to pay for curriculum for the whole year?  I don't mind doing that, I just need to know what is possible.  Where do I start looking for information?
> 
> Thanks for your help!!     *



My DD11 has Asperger's, too.  We pulled her out of PS a week before Easter this year.  I started out de-schooling her with a unit study and some basic math work to get us started.  I then did some Switched on Schoolhouse (SOS) with her.  I thought it would work really well with her, as she loves doing stuff on the computer, but it didn't go as well as I had hoped.  I ended up having to do most of the work with her or make her redo a majority of her work, which just frustrated her even more!  This year, we are going to do unit studies, along with Teaching Textbooks Math 6.  It will allow us a lot more flexibility (a real necessity with an Asperger's child!) and she'll be learning more about and through things that really interest her, at her pace (ok, sometimes my pace, depending on the day).  My advice to you as you start out hs an Aspie is to look at his strengths and weaknesses, as well as his interests.  You don't HAVE to follow a curriculum in a lot of states, so don't feel locked into that idea if MS doesn't require that.  I looked at Abeka and Sonlight, but didn't feel like either was a good match for my DD11.  A great curriculum is no good to you if it doesn't work for your child.  Good luck!


----------



## LittleBlue22

lori1043 said:


> Can we all sign this in agreement? Can we send it on to anybody?
> 1. teacups
> 2.TLHB70
> 3. Lori1043




I added myself to the list below:



> Can we all sign this in agreement? Can we send it on to anybody?



I think a petition is a great idea  and then forward the whole list to the techie thread.  Or maybe a good dousing of individual posts/requests is in order?

-----

Dear DIS Team,

The Home School group is in desperate need of a place to discuss issues important to educating our children. HSing is growing in popularity as people all across the USA realize the benefits to children and to families. With one thread we can not exchange ideas, provide advice or direct new HSers to information in a reliable fashion. Many messages get skipped as they are all jumbled together and easily missed/lost.

Wont you please reconsider providing that place to your users? 

What is more important than education ?

Thank you for your consideration,
Teacups

1. teacups
2.TLHB70
3. Lori1043
4. LittleBlue22


----------



## homeschoolmomof4

karynix's post about homeschooling her child with Asperger's made me think that maybe I should post about this conference.


GIFTSNC Homeschooling Special Needs Conference ( www.giftsnc.com )

I went to this conference last year and it was a truly wonderful experience.  If you are homeschooling a child with special needs, I encourage you to check it out.


----------



## TLHB70

karynnix said:


> *Hello all!  My family is looking to move this year, and I plan to homeschool my kids when we get to Mississippi instead of sending them to public school.  My son has Asperger's, and I feel that a home environment will be better for him.  I have NO idea where to start.  Does each state have certain requirements?  I have checked into Abeka and Sonrise.  My question is, we do not know WHEN we will be moving (the Army likes to keep you in the dark as long as possible).  Can I start them in the middle of a year?  How do I work that out?  Would I have to pay for curriculum for the whole year?  I don't mind doing that, I just need to know what is possible.  Where do I start looking for information?
> 
> Thanks for your help!!     *



You can also check to see if you are able to find a store that sells used curriculums in your area.  That way you will not be paying full price for a new curriculum for just half a year.
You can check here.   I have bought used materials/books here before:
http://www.vegsource.com/homeschool/   (The links on the right side of the page show where to go to see items for sale.)


----------



## wvdislover

I added my name to the list, too.  Let's keep it going!

Dear DIS Team,

The Home School group is in desperate need of a place to discuss issues important to educating our children. HSing is growing in popularity as people all across the USA realize the benefits to children and to families. With one thread we can not exchange ideas, provide advice or direct new HSers to information in a reliable fashion. Many messages get skipped as they are all jumbled together and easily missed/lost.

Wont you please reconsider providing that place to your users? 

What is more important than education ?

Thank you for your consideration,
Teacups

1. teacups
2.TLHB70
3. Lori1043
4. LittleBlue22
5. wvdislover


----------



## teacups

LittleBlue22 said:


> I think a petition is a great idea  and then forward the whole list to the techie thread.  Or maybe a good dousing of individual posts/requests is in order?



I hit the little red !  and sent it.   
I hope they understand our need and help us out.  It would be GREAT of them to do so!


----------



## LittleBlue22

teacups said:


> I hit the little red !  and sent it.
> I hope they understand our need and help us out.  It would be GREAT of them to do so!



I was combing the DISigns forum late last night and got to thinking... this is an example of how one thread became its own forum. There were so many creative themed posts (on the CB) that they created a specific forum. 

If we can't have just a homeschool forum, an education forum would be great too. Preschool to University or graduate level if need be. *sigh* wouldn't that be nice 

I looked to see if your 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			
		
		
	


	




 was posted on the techie forum and alas, no.

So, with your permission, may I post your note w/ our current list of names on a tech thread? Then, I'd like to link that thread to my siggy box and see if others will sign/post their names as well.  If not, I'll come up with a plan "B".

I hope my thoughts are clear, my brain's foggy today due to sinus issues.

*ETA:* I did a search for the word "school" and got this many results- *Showing results 1to 25of 214,814*  I wish I could see how many different forums these posts/threads were posted on. I could, but I don't feel like combing through the threads THAT badly.


----------



## Ellester

Got this from a friend today, I thought it was pretty good.



Mrs. Jones prefers packaged curriculums, and every year her children work through their grade-appropriate textbooks right to the last page. Her homeschool seems so nicely structured and orderly! Mrs. Smith loves to write her own literature-based unit studies and her children wear out the numbers on their library cards. Her children's unit study notebooks are very impressive and her family seems so well read. Mrs. Thompson is more of a classical homeschooler and can't imagine a day without Latin, Greek, and logic. Her budding Rhodes scholars seem destined for academic greatness. Of course, Mrs. Peters is something of a free spirit and really loves to do hands-on projects and real life learning with her children. Last year they recreated the entire city of Rome using Sculpey clay and her children all won blue ribbons at the county fair with their homemade cheese, hand-knit afgans, and their beautiful jams.

Then there is you. You go through each day doing the best you can. While you pray for God's guidance and really do want the best for your children, you can't help but think that if you were more like Mrs. Jones or Mrs. Smith or Mrs. Thompson or Mrs. Peters, your children would be better off. After all, they each have very good reasons for doing things the way they do, and they can each make a case for their methods being the best for children.

Let me let you in on a little secret. If the textbook mama had to write her own unit studies, she would probably tear her hair out. If the laid-back mama tried to follow an intense classical program, she and her children would all be miserable. If the classical mama tried to just relax and fly by the seat of her pants, she would come undone. If the literature and unit study mama got hit up with a stack of textbooks and workbooks she would feel like she'd been thrown in jail! You see, all of those methods are good - just different.

There was a time that I would end up in tears some nights after happily settling in with a stack of new homeschool catalogs. There were just SO MANY ways to educate children! It seemed like whatever I did, my children would be missing out on some essential method or plan or approach. We need to remember different families will educate their children in very different ways. God isn't in the business of creating cookie-cutter children, and it is truly beautiful to realize that He will equip each of us to teach our children in the way that is best for them and for us.

The whole system works well until we start comparing ourselves to others in ways that defeat us. If we allow ourselves to be blown about with the winds of every homeschooling method we discover, our inconsistency will harm our educational efforts instead of h elping them. Please don't misunderstand - as our seasons in life or our circumstances change, we will find our homeschooling endeavors flexing, changing, and growing with us. If God calls a textbook mama to turn Charlotte Mason (or visa-versa), it will be a GOOD thing because God did it . . . . but if that textbook mama goes CM because she feels guilty about not having nature studies, she will just frustrate herself and her children.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Girl! That was wonderful and sooo very true. How many times have we found the right thing, then wavered because someone else had something else. That is one thing I have learned about the Lord--He knows us and our kids(and loves us more) than we do ourselves. When I have really prayed and asked His guidance for each new year, or change we felt we needed...things were so much better! I have learned every year is different-don't get stuck in a rut-just cause someone you know did ABeka(or whatever) for 18 years and 3 kids, doesn't mean we should do it! 
Thanks for that-it lifted me up!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

wvdislover said:


> I added my name to the list, too.  Let's keep it going!
> 
> Dear DIS Team,
> 
> The Home School group is in desperate need of a place to discuss issues important to educating our children. HSing is growing in popularity as people all across the USA realize the benefits to children and to families. With one thread we can not exchange ideas, provide advice or direct new HSers to information in a reliable fashion. Many messages get skipped as they are all jumbled together and easily missed/lost.
> 
> Wont you please reconsider providing that place to your users?
> 
> What is more important than education ?
> 
> Thank you for your consideration,
> Teacups
> 
> 1. teacups
> 2.TLHB70
> 3. Lori1043
> 4. LittleBlue22
> 5. wvdislover


6. Disney Mommy 3


----------



## nuzmom

wvdislover said:


> I added my name to the list, too.  Let's keep it going!
> 
> Dear DIS Team,
> 
> The Home School group is in desperate need of a place to discuss issues important to educating our children. HSing is growing in popularity as people all across the USA realize the benefits to children and to families. With one thread we can not exchange ideas, provide advice or direct new HSers to information in a reliable fashion. Many messages get skipped as they are all jumbled together and easily missed/lost.
> 
> Wont you please reconsider providing that place to your users?
> 
> What is more important than education ?
> 
> Thank you for your consideration,
> Teacups
> 
> 1. teacups
> 2.TLHB70
> 3. Lori1043
> 4. LittleBlue22
> 5. wvdislover
> 6. Disney Mommy 3
> 7. Nuzmom



Added my name 
Littleblue22 - you have permission to use my name, too. A school forum sounds like a good idea and maybe it will be given some consideration. I just know that one thread is NOT working. It's way to hard to address all the different topics and things get missed and/or skipped over. A "how to strart homeschooling" could easily be a sticky by itself. Curriculum questions need their own threads.

maybe something will happen this time.


----------



## NHWX

You can add my name too!

NHWX



nuzmom said:


> Added my name
> Littleblue22 - you have permission to use my name, too. A school forum sounds like a good idea and maybe it will be given some consideration. I just know that one thread is NOT working. It's way to hard to address all the different topics and things get missed and/or skipped over. A "how to strart homeschooling" could easily be a sticky by itself. Curriculum questions need their own threads.
> 
> maybe something will happen this time.


----------



## sha_lyn

add me too
1. teacups
2.TLHB70
3. Lori1043
4. LittleBlue22
5. wvdislover
6. Disney Mommy 3
7. Nuzmom
8 NHWX
9 sha_lyn


----------



## TLHB70

Wonderful post, Ellester!!!!
Thank you for sharing it!      I am going to pass it on to my homeschool friends now.


----------



## Momvic5

1. teacups
 2. TLHB70
 3. Lori1043
 4. LittleBlue22
 5. wvdislover
 6. Disney Mommy 3
 7. Nuzmom
 8. NHWX
 9. sha_lyn
10. Momvic5


Just added my name to the list!


----------



## grammynelliebelle

Hi Homeschoolers! My dd is a homeschool mom to dgks 8,5 and a toddler.  We will be in florida this winter and are hoping they can come for a visit.  Do you think they will have homeschool days again in Jan or Feb? I know they are now advertising for Sept.  If so, when do you think they will be or when will they advertise them.  Do you think if I call youth services they will have any info? Thanks for the advice. Grammy


----------



## fanofgrumpy

Hi Ive decided not to lurk anymore


----------



## LegoMom3

fanofgrumpy said:


> Hi Ive decided not to lurk anymore


 

HI!...and  

.


----------



## lori1043

welcome fanofgrumpy!!!

Grammy, yes, call them-Disney Youth Programs. They also have a website.

My name can be used for any help for our thread too!!!

Abeka is here tomorrow-I ahve ONE book left to buy-Arithmetic 3-student workbook-and I am DONE with my 2008/9 curriculum. We started school this week!
Lori


----------



## heatherplus3

Momvic5 said:


> 1. teacups
> 2. TLHB70
> 3. Lori1043
> 4. LittleBlue22
> 5. wvdislover
> 6. Disney Mommy 3
> 7. Nuzmom
> 8. NHWX
> 9. sha_lyn
> 10. Momvic5



11. heatherplus3

Count me in!


----------



## merryweather's twin

Please add my name to the list also. Thanks.


----------



## LittleBlue22

merryweather's twin said:


> Please add my name to the list also. Thanks.



1. teacups
2. TLHB70
3. Lori1043
4. LittleBlue22
5. wvdislover
6. Disney Mommy 3
7. Nuzmom
8. NHWX
9. sha_lyn
10. Momvic5 
11. heatherplus3


you're now added


----------



## LittleBlue22

fanofgrumpy said:


> Hi Ive decided not to lurk anymore



hello, hello


----------



## wvdislover

Ellester said:


> Got this from a friend today, I thought it was pretty good.
> 
> 
> 
> Mrs. Jones prefers packaged curriculums, and every year her children work through their grade-appropriate textbooks right to the last page. Her homeschool seems so nicely structured and orderly! Mrs. Smith loves to write her own literature-based unit studies and her children wear out the numbers on their library cards. Her children's unit study notebooks are very impressive and her family seems so well read. Mrs. Thompson is more of a classical homeschooler and can't imagine a day without Latin, Greek, and logic. Her budding Rhodes scholars seem destined for academic greatness. Of course, Mrs. Peters is something of a free spirit and really loves to do hands-on projects and real life learning with her children. Last year they recreated the entire city of Rome using Sculpey clay and her children all won blue ribbons at the county fair with their homemade cheese, hand-knit afgans, and their beautiful jams.
> 
> Then there is you. You go through each day doing the best you can. While you pray for God's guidance and really do want the best for your children, you can't help but think that if you were more like Mrs. Jones or Mrs. Smith or Mrs. Thompson or Mrs. Peters, your children would be better off. After all, they each have very good reasons for doing things the way they do, and they can each make a case for their methods being the best for children.
> 
> Let me let you in on a little secret. If the textbook mama had to write her own unit studies, she would probably tear her hair out. If the laid-back mama tried to follow an intense classical program, she and her children would all be miserable. If the classical mama tried to just relax and fly by the seat of her pants, she would come undone. If the literature and unit study mama got hit up with a stack of textbooks and workbooks she would feel like she'd been thrown in jail! You see, all of those methods are good - just different.
> 
> There was a time that I would end up in tears some nights after happily settling in with a stack of new homeschool catalogs. There were just SO MANY ways to educate children! It seemed like whatever I did, my children would be missing out on some essential method or plan or approach. We need to remember different families will educate their children in very different ways. God isn't in the business of creating cookie-cutter children, and it is truly beautiful to realize that He will equip each of us to teach our children in the way that is best for them and for us.
> 
> The whole system works well until we start comparing ourselves to others in ways that defeat us. If we allow ourselves to be blown about with the winds of every homeschooling method we discover, our inconsistency will harm our educational efforts instead of h elping them. Please don't misunderstand - as our seasons in life or our circumstances change, we will find our homeschooling endeavors flexing, changing, and growing with us. If God calls a textbook mama to turn Charlotte Mason (or visa-versa), it will be a GOOD thing because God did it . . . . but if that textbook mama goes CM because she feels guilty about not having nature studies, she will just frustrate herself and her children.



Loved this!  I just started hs mid-year, and so many times felt like I was doing things all wrong, b/c they just weren't going well.  In actuality, I think I was trying to be Mrs. Jones when I was really a Mrs. Smith.  Thanks for affirming that it's OK to go my own way and do what's right for us, rather than what everyone else thinks we should be doing


----------



## LittleBlue22

Ellester said:


> Got this from a friend today, I thought it was pretty good.
> 
> 
> 
> Mrs. Jones prefers packaged curriculums, and every year her children work through their grade-appropriate textbooks right to the last page.. . . . but if that textbook mama goes CM because she feels guilty about not having nature studies, she will just frustrate herself and her children.



What a great message before the school year starts.  Its so true.


----------



## grammynelliebelle

Please add my name to the list in support of homeschoolers. Grammynelliebelle


----------



## teacups

LittleBlue22 said:


> I added myself to the list below:
> 
> 
> 
> I think a petition is a great idea  and then forward the whole list to the techie thread.  Or maybe a good dousing of individual posts/requests is in order?
> 
> -----
> 
> Dear DIS Team,
> 
> The Home School group is in desperate need of a place to discuss issues important to educating our children. HSing is growing in popularity as people all across the USA realize the benefits to children and to families. With one thread we can not exchange ideas, provide advice or direct new HSers to information in a reliable fashion. Many messages get skipped as they are all jumbled together and easily missed/lost.
> 
> Wont you please reconsider providing that place to your users?
> 
> What is more important than education ?
> 
> Thank you for your consideration,
> Teacups
> 
> 1. teacups
> 2.TLHB70
> 3. Lori1043
> 4. LittleBlue22



LittleBlue,
I replied to your PM. Didnt see ths post here, sorry.  YES YES please use my post/letter on the forum.  Thanks!
Teacups


----------



## LittleBlue22

teacups said:


> LittleBlue,
> I replied to your PM. Didnt see ths post here, sorry.  YES YES please use my post/letter on the forum.  Thanks!
> Teacups



tacups, I got your message, thank you.  



Homeschool forum request has been created:
* Please leave a post on the techie forum. Here's the link,* http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1889690.


----------



## HomeschoolMama

Please add my name to the list too.


----------



## bear74

you can add my name too



nuzmom said:


> Added my name
> Littleblue22 - you have permission to use my name, too. A school forum sounds like a good idea and maybe it will be given some consideration. I just know that one thread is NOT working. It's way to hard to address all the different topics and things get missed and/or skipped over. A "how to strart homeschooling" could easily be a sticky by itself. Curriculum questions need their own threads.
> 
> maybe something will happen this time.


----------



## LittleBlue22

Would any of you be interested to add the petition thread link in your signature box? I think it would give the thread more visability.


----------



## grammynelliebelle

Sorry to be focusing on the homeschool days when you all are trying to get the forum request settled, but I'm really confused. Maybe someone can help me.  I did call youth services today and asked about the Jan days and was told they aren't decided yet, but probably 2 or 3 week in Jan.  I then looked at the Sept info and checked into the ticketing.  It looks like there are two days where you can buy a ticket to AK if you need one and then add on the home school ed component.  I then looked at the YES info and they have a variety of ticket options that go from three day to five day options.  I guess they are different programs. My question is: if you are a family not with a group, can you purchase the YES package and then add on the home school days part? I want to get my facts straight when I discuss this with dd and dsil! Thanks and good luck with the forum. Grammy


----------



## lori1043

Ellester said:


> Got this from a friend today, I thought it was pretty good.
> 
> 
> 
> Mrs. Jones prefers packaged curriculums, and every year her children work through their grade-appropriate textbooks right to the last page. Her homeschool seems so nicely structured and orderly! Mrs. Smith loves to write her own literature-based unit studies and her children wear out the numbers on their library cards. Her children's unit study notebooks are very impressive and her family seems so well read. Mrs. Thompson is more of a classical homeschooler and can't imagine a day without Latin, Greek, and logic. Her budding Rhodes scholars seem destined for academic greatness. Of course, Mrs. Peters is something of a free spirit and really loves to do hands-on projects and real life learning with her children. Last year they recreated the entire city of Rome using Sculpey clay and her children all won blue ribbons at the county fair with their homemade cheese, hand-knit afgans, and their beautiful jams.
> 
> Then there is you. You go through each day doing the best you can. While you pray for God's guidance and really do want the best for your children, you can't help but think that if you were more like Mrs. Jones or Mrs. Smith or Mrs. Thompson or Mrs. Peters, your children would be better off. After all, they each have very good reasons for doing things the way they do, and they can each make a case for their methods being the best for children.
> 
> Let me let you in on a little secret. If the textbook mama had to write her own unit studies, she would probably tear her hair out. If the laid-back mama tried to follow an intense classical program, she and her children would all be miserable. If the classical mama tried to just relax and fly by the seat of her pants, she would come undone. If the literature and unit study mama got hit up with a stack of textbooks and workbooks she would feel like she'd been thrown in jail! You see, all of those methods are good - just different.
> 
> There was a time that I would end up in tears some nights after happily settling in with a stack of new homeschool catalogs. There were just SO MANY ways to educate children! It seemed like whatever I did, my children would be missing out on some essential method or plan or approach. We need to remember different families will educate their children in very different ways. God isn't in the business of creating cookie-cutter children, and it is truly beautiful to realize that He will equip each of us to teach our children in the way that is best for them and for us.
> 
> The whole system works well until we start comparing ourselves to others in ways that defeat us. If we allow ourselves to be blown about with the winds of every homeschooling method we discover, our inconsistency will harm our educational efforts instead of h elping them. Please don't misunderstand - as our seasons in life or our circumstances change, we will find our homeschooling endeavors flexing, changing, and growing with us. If God calls a textbook mama to turn Charlotte Mason (or visa-versa), it will be a GOOD thing because God did it . . . . but if that textbook mama goes CM because she feels guilty about not having nature studies, she will just frustrate herself and her children.


 
I just copied this to my Homeschool organization-Thanks!

Oh and I am not sure it will fit on a siggy since the space is more limited now.

Everyone, please copy and paste and add your own name, we cannot possibly keep up with additions-or someone will be skipped or doubled.

Thanks(JMHO)
Lori


----------



## karynnix

*I really appreciate all of the helpful responses!!  I have decided to use the A Beka curriculum.  

I have another question, though.  How long is too long to wait to get them started once we move?  If they take off 2 weeks, do I need to make up the time that they miss?  Example...they go to school 70 days here in Iowa.  Do they need to do an entire 100 days of A Beka to have 170 of school days and pass the grade?*


----------



## sha_lyn

From what I have read, MS requires 180 days of instruction. Yes you would count the days they attended school in Iowa toward the 180 days.


----------



## LittleBlue22

lori1043 said:


> I just copied this to my Homeschool organization-Thanks!
> 
> Oh and I am not sure it will fit on a siggy since the space is more limited now.
> 
> *Everyone, please copy and paste and add your own name, we cannot possibly keep up with additions-or someone will be skipped or doubled.*
> Thanks(JMHO)
> Lori




ITA and it was my mistake for having part of the list duplicated. My apologies


----------



## LegoMom3

karynnix said:


> *I really appreciate all of the helpful responses!! I have decided to use the A Beka curriculum. *
> 
> *I have another question, though. How long is too long to wait to get them started once we move? If they take off 2 weeks, do I need to make up the time that they miss? Example...they go to school 70 days here in Iowa. Do they need to do an entire 100 days of A Beka to have 170 of school days and pass the grade?*


 

That will depend entirely on which state you end up in.  Some have an attendance requirement (you keep a record of which days you "did" school), others do not.  I would probably start keeping track at the beginning of your school year, just in case you do need that info when you move.

.


----------



## lori1043

LittleBlue22 said:


> ITA and it was my mistake for having part of the list duplicated. My apologies


 
See, I actually didn't see any dups AND was not pointing out anyone at all! . I just was stating it to make sure it goes smoothly and no one person is responsible for the list. Just my way of trying to help make this easier. No harm done and no apologies necessary. 

Lori


----------



## Temair

Count me in as well.

1. teacups
2. TLHB70
3. Lori1043
4. LittleBlue22
5. wvdislover
6. Disney Mommy 3
7. Nuzmom
8. NHWX
9. sha_lyn
10. Momvic5 
11. heatherplus3
12. Temair


----------



## Denine

Temair said:


> Count me in as well.
> 
> 1. teacups
> 2. TLHB70
> 3. Lori1043
> 4. LittleBlue22
> 5. wvdislover
> 6. Disney Mommy 3
> 7. Nuzmom
> 8. NHWX
> 9. sha_lyn
> 10. Momvic5
> 11. heatherplus3
> 12. Temair



13. Denine


----------



## Denine

Yesterday was "box day".

DD was so excited.  She couldn't wait to geo through everything.  She said it was like getting a present.  It is so nice to see her excited about school.  I think it will be a good year.  I just haven't decided when we are starting yet.

She just finished t-ball and will be starting swimming lessons on Monday.  It is once a week for 5 weeks.


----------



## gottagodisney

1. teacups
2. TLHB70
3. Lori1043
4. LittleBlue22
5. wvdislover
6. Disney Mommy 3
7. Nuzmom
8. NHWX
9. sha_lyn
10. Momvic5 
11. heatherplus3
12. Temair
13. gottagodisney__________________


----------



## LittleBlue22

Happy Saturday all :

I checked over on the tech forum and the hs request thread is getting confusing. Please leave a post to show your support. 

I have a question for the seasoned posters. When you requested a hs forum in the past, did you ever receive a reply post from a webmaster?


----------



## Praise2Him

grammynelliebelle said:


> Sorry to be focusing on the homeschool days when you all are trying to get the forum request settled, but I'm really confused. Maybe someone can help me.  I did call youth services today and asked about the Jan days and was told they aren't decided yet, but probably 2 or 3 week in Jan.  I then looked at the Sept info and checked into the ticketing.  It looks like there are two days where you can buy a ticket to AK if you need one and then add on the home school ed component.  I then looked at the YES info and they have a variety of ticket options that go from three day to five day options.  I guess they are different programs. My question is: if you are a family not with a group, can you purchase the YES package and then add on the home school days part? I want to get my facts straight when I discuss this with dd and dsil! Thanks and good luck with the forum. Grammy



Okay, since no one has answered you, I'll do my best...we didn't go last year, but I did check into it as a possibility.

The YES program can usually only be booked by groups with a minimum number of students (I think 10). We've done the YES program with a homeschool group from our state (last November).

However, during Homeschool Days, some of the YES programs (but not all) are offered to individual families - you are put together with other families to form the group.

Plus, during HS Days they have special programs and speakers. In January it was at Epcot, but from your post it sounds like this year it may be at AK?

About the tickets, I think there's a package that you purchase that includes Park Hopper tickets that are good for 14 days. I'm not sure about this part because we had AP's and didn't need tickets.

I know that there were some people from this board that went last year (we didn't because the YES programs available included the one we'd already done, plus a couple that my DD wasn't interested in) - so maybe they'll chime in and correct me if I'm wrong.

I hope this helps a little bit!


----------



## grammynelliebelle

Thanks Praise for your reply. What you are saying makes sense. I will probably call youth services back as things get closer and see if I can find out exactly what the story is.  DD and family are trying to decide when to plan their trip Jan or Late Feb/early March so it would be helpful to know about the hs days. Thanks again, Grammy


----------



## KibbyCat

KibbyCat said:


> Thanks for the encouragement and advice.  I will definitely look into curriculums and try to find one that will work for us.  Will keep you posted....



For anyone who cares, here's the latest, as promised:

We never got a windfall, large inheritance, or huge job promotion, so we still can't afford Christian School tuition for next year, but rather than viewing it as a negative, we've chosen to put our energy into making it a positive experience for all our children.  My oldest is actually excited about homeschooling, and since her cousin is in the same situation we are, they'll be homeschooling together.  We decided to use a mixture of Curriculum.  They're school used mostly ABeka, but we liked the Switched-on-Schoolhouse by Alpha Omega.  So we're going to start out using ABeka 2nd grade, which is advanced, then switch over and use the SOS 3rd Grade (since it starts out in 3rd) after Christmas.  We figured that if the discs proved too hard for them, we'll just save them for next year and continue with the 2nd grade books.
For my Kindergartner, I'll use ABeka and ACSI workbooks, and I'll use ACSI and Standard for my Preschooler.  My one-year-old will be the only wild card.  I'm going to sit down and make a schedule so that I can devote enough time for each child per week, and so that they have something to go by (since kids LOVE consistency).  Hopefully it will all balance out and still allow us quality family time to spend together.

Thanks!


----------



## NHWX

I've been doing the curriculum search too, and I think I've found one that will click with my younger son. It's called Tablet Class (www.tabletclass.com) and it looks like it's a) affordable, b) fun and c) comprehensive. They're going to be coming out with Algebra II this fall so we'll just start with reviewing the end of algebra and then pick up with II once they get it going.

I had my son check out Teaching Textbooks, Chalkdust, ALEKS and .... spaced it... must have been really boring. He's a thoroughly visual learner so how it looks is just as important as anything else. And I'm glad that if it doesn't pan out, $10/month at the most expensive rate is a pretty small hit.

Now if I could find something as fun, inexpensive and acceptable to all for my reluctant 15 year old for English/Lit, I'd be a good ways towards being done. Writing is not something he wants to do, at all. *sigh*

NHWX


----------



## lori1043

KibbyCat said:


> For anyone who cares, here's the latest, as promised:
> 
> We never got a windfall, large inheritance, or huge job promotion, so we still can't afford Christian School tuition for next year, but rather than viewing it as a negative, we've chosen to put our energy into making it a positive experience for all our children. My oldest is actually excited about homeschooling, and since her cousin is in the same situation we are, they'll be homeschooling together. We decided to use a mixture of Curriculum. They're school used mostly ABeka, but we liked the Switched-on-Schoolhouse by Alpha Omega. So we're going to start out using ABeka 2nd grade, which is advanced, then switch over and use the SOS 3rd Grade (since it starts out in 3rd) after Christmas. We figured that if the discs proved too hard for them, we'll just save them for next year and continue with the 2nd grade books.
> For my Kindergartner, I'll use ABeka and ACSI workbooks, and I'll use ACSI and Standard for my Preschooler. My one-year-old will be the only wild card. I'm going to sit down and make a schedule so that I can devote enough time for each child per week, and so that they have something to go by (since kids LOVE consistency). Hopefully it will all balance out and still allow us quality family time to spend together.
> 
> Thanks!


 
Sounds like a decent plan! Make sure you give yourself some "makeup days" in your schedule so IF things don't go AS planned, you will not stress out. We plan these days every 3 weeks. I give us 2 "make up" days per 3 weeks. If we are behind schedule, we catch up, if we are on target, it can be off days or get ahead days, depending on moods and waht is going on those days. I plugged these into my schedule last year and with feild trips and just needing the extra day or 2 every so often, it worked out well. We start slowly in mid July, take a month off at Christmas, and possibly a week or 2 for vacations/other holidays in the year and end in beginning/mid May. Good thing about HSing, is being able to adjust your schedule to your life!

Lori


----------



## DreadpiratK

I'm not sure if homeschooling dads are welcome here, but if so you can add my name to the list of folks petitioning for a new forum.  Mrs dreadpirat does most of the actual schooling, but I help as I can.  Nice to see so much involvement by home schoolers on this board now.  Last time I spend any time here was in 2006, and there was some homeschooling discussion then, but not as much as this now.  Looks like we've missed out by not stopping by once in a while.


----------



## LegoMom3

Of course dads are welcome!!!  Nice to have one here!   


 


.


----------



## wvdislover

Hi Mr. dreadpiratK--great to have a homeschoooling dad join us!!!  For all the hs moms out there, thanks for supporting and helping your wife out as a homeschooler!


----------



## DreadpiratK

wvdislover said:


> Hi Mr. dreadpiratK--great to have a homeschoooling dad join us!!!  For all the hs moms out there, thanks for supporting and helping your wife out as a homeschooler!



Thank you.  If it's any encouragement to y'all out that that you're doing the right thing- our 18 year old  just got accepted at RIT with a lot of scholarship money.  One of the top engineering schools in the country, and they had no problem at all with a home schooled student, it even worked in his favor.  Wish I could say it was a full scholarship, but it's not. Anyway it's sort of vindication for all those years of hard work.  For all those who told us home schooling puts kids at a dis-advantage


----------



## lori1043

I LOVE hearing stories like yours-Thank you and congrats!
I am hoping the Lord allows us to continue(financially) homeschooling. I feel we were called to it and feel convicted He will work it out-both our jobs are on the line right now! Can't do nuthin' but laugh!

Lori


----------



## jenga1030

Hello!  I just found this thread, I'm so excited-my two favorite things, homeschooling and Disney, all rolled into one!  

My name is Jennifer, I have always homeschooled my DD9 and  my DS7.  We all love it.  And it's an extra bonus that it allows us to go to Disney every year for free dining in September.   My kids don't even know what crowds are!!   

I have always used the school at home method, but as the years go on, it is getting more and more relaxed.  This year we are trying something new-unit studies.  We are all really excited about it.  I think we were all getting burned out on the school at home method.  And it just wasn't as much fun anymore.  My DD has already picked out her first 2 small units to study next month and I am preparing the different activities we'll do.  We're even going to try a unit while we're at Disney-but keep it really fun, of course!  

I look forward to getting to know you all better and reading your posts!


----------



## DreadpiratK

jenga1030 said:


> Hello!  I just found this thread, I'm so excited-my two favorite things, homeschooling and Disney, all rolled into one!
> 
> My name is Jennifer, I have always homeschooled my DD9 and  my DS7.  We all love it.  And it's an extra bonus that it allows us to go to Disney every year for free dining in September.   My kids don't even know what crowds are!!
> 
> !



My standard reply to the question of why we homeschool has always been 'Disney in September!' (of sometimes 'the beach in September') either way.  

When we can't afford Disney which is too often, we go to Ocean City NJ for a week in September- $400-$500 for a 3 bedroom house a block from the beach, and NO CROWDS.


----------



## DawnM

We went in January of last year.  We did not do any of the HS specific activities though as my kids are still quite young.

I would ASK about adding those on later.  I understand that some of them fill up quite fast though, so you may want to go ahead and plan and buy when you order tickets.

Dawn



Praise2Him said:


> Okay, since no one has answered you, I'll do my best...we didn't go last year, but I did check into it as a possibility.
> 
> The YES program can usually only be booked by groups with a minimum number of students (I think 10). We've done the YES program with a homeschool group from our state (last November).
> 
> However, during Homeschool Days, some of the YES programs (but not all) are offered to individual families - you are put together with other families to form the group.
> 
> Plus, during HS Days they have special programs and speakers. In January it was at Epcot, but from your post it sounds like this year it may be at AK?
> 
> About the tickets, I think there's a package that you purchase that includes Park Hopper tickets that are good for 14 days. I'm not sure about this part because we had AP's and didn't need tickets.
> 
> I know that there were some people from this board that went last year (we didn't because the YES programs available included the one we'd already done, plus a couple that my DD wasn't interested in) - so maybe they'll chime in and correct me if I'm wrong.
> 
> I hope this helps a little bit!


----------



## jenga1030

DreadpiratK said:


> My standard reply to the question of why we homeschool has always been 'Disney in September!' (of sometimes 'the beach in September') either way.



I hear ya!!!      Disney in September is one of my top 5 reasons for homeschooling...underneath all of those "educational" reasons, of course!


----------



## DreadpiratK

At the risk of sounding like I'm bragging about my kids, which of course I am, shamelessly, I wanted to share something that happened this morning- My DD, 16 came downstairs all excited and bouncy saying 'we've got to go the Rochester on November something"  ok, why? Well, with most kids it would be a teen heart throb or the latest airhead pop star.  Erin couldn't care less about those things so I was a little curious.  Her favorite _author_ was going to signing books on that day! Somehow, mostly by accident, we did something right.  

My wife once read me a quote that went something like "You know you've succeeded when you're kids biggest decorating worry is where to put all the book shelves"


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Jenga--Welcome 
We are glad to have you!! Is hsing not the best!! I am curious what unit studies you are doing with your daughter. My little girl is 5- and we are doing Kinder. this year-did some stuff for  Nursery 3 and pre-K;this year we are starting out with math and phonics and I was interested in maybe a small unit study, but was curious what would hold the interest of a busy 5yo 

I would love to hear from any of you with little girls what unit studies you have worked with.TIA!!


----------



## jenga1030

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Jenga--Welcome
> We are glad to have you!! Is hsing not the best!! I am curious what unit studies you are doing with your daughter. My little girl is 5- and we are doing Kinder. this year-did some stuff for  Nursery 3 and pre-K;this year we are starting out with math and phonics and I was interested in maybe a small unit study, but was curious what would hold the interest of a busy 5yo
> 
> I would love to hear from any of you with little girls what unit studies you have worked with.TIA!!



Thanks for the welcome!  Yes, I love homeschooling so much!  I stumbled on a thread here about school supplies and I am just so glad that I don't have to worry about all of the "politics" at public school.   Every day I discover a new reason that homeschooling is best for my family.   

We are starting our very first unit studies before we leave for Disney, so we are getting our feet wet with 2 one week long mini studies of my DD's choosing.  This will be to help both of us (especially me) figure it all out and work out the bugs before we start more in depth ones.   

She chose birds and cats for our 2 mini studies.  I am finding vocabulary and spelling words related to these subjects, I have art projects planned, I'm even going to let her do a "documentary" about our cat using my video camera.  We are going to study how much food a day our cat eats and how many hours a day she sleeps.  And then we'll have creative writing too.  I'll supplement the math every week and supplement other subjects whenever necessary.  My DD has helped me come up with a list of units, we have American Girls, French Revolution, Underwater Life, Civil War, pick a state, pick an animal, pick a country, etc.   In case you can't tell, I am sooo excited!  

I am even putting together a Disney book.  In it I will have questions to be answered at various parks, about countries, animals, presidents, science etc.  I want the kids to ask questions of the CMs and learn by having fun.  We are also going to record how long it takes us to drive, how many miles it is and then figure our average speed.  We are going to record temperatures as we head farther south.   

It's still a work in progress so I am trying to think of new things.  I won't make them carry the book around with them, of course, just things we can discuss and record when we're back at the hotel or on our relaxing days.    Besides being the greatest, most magical place in the world    there is so much to learn about there too!  It's the perfect place for a homeschool field trip!


----------



## teacups

DreadpiratK said:


> At the risk of sounding like I'm bragging about my kids, which of course I am, shamelessly, I wanted to share something that happened this morning- My DD, 16 came downstairs all excited and bouncy saying 'we've got to go the Rochester on November something"  ok, why? Well, with most kids it would be a teen heart throb or the latest airhead pop star.  Erin couldn't care less about those things so I was a little curious.  Her favorite _author_ was going to signing books on that day! Somehow, mostly by accident, we did something right.
> 
> My wife once read me a quote that went something like "You know you've succeeded when you're kids biggest decorating worry is where to put all the book shelves"



Ok. I LIKE YOU!


----------



## bear74

jenga1030 said:


> I am even putting together a Disney book.  In it I will have questions to be answered at various parks, about countries, animals, presidents, science etc.  I want the kids to ask questions of the CMs and learn by having fun.  We are also going to record how long it takes us to drive, how many miles it is and then figure our average speed.  We are going to record temperatures as we head farther south.
> 
> It's still a work in progress so I am trying to think of new things.  I won't make them carry the book around with them, of course, just things we can discuss and record when we're back at the hotel or on our relaxing days.    Besides being the greatest, most magical place in the world    there is so much to learn about there too!  It's the perfect place for a homeschool field trip!


Jennifer,
it looks like we will just miss you we are their Sept. 20 - Sept. 29.  We will be homeschooling DD who just turned 5.  I am still not sure what way we are going.  I am so overwhelmed.  I like the idea of unit studies.  I am going to make DD a journal with questions about her day to work on writing.


----------



## lori1043

I have 2 DD's we homeschool-10 and 8. Here are some things we have used.

Unit studies:KONOS, American Girl,Amanda Bennett's Ocean, Olympics, and some others, plus we made up an EPCOT unit study before our Feb '08 trip. Some others too.

Non basic curr. we use: Character Sketches(includes science), KONOS, SOTW

This is a Constitution study 2 moms and I are teaching at co-op...

http://www.nccs.net/constitution-week/a-more-perfect-union.html

Check it out!

Lori


----------



## DawnM

Guys, what were the actual dates of HS days last January?  Was it the 2nd or 3rd week of January?

I went and can't remember!

Dawn


----------



## Ellester

Is anyone going to do an Olympics unit study? We did a bit for the Winter Olympics in 2006, I guess I should get going if we're doing anything this year! I found this page that seems to have some good links.

http://learning-adventures.blogspot.com/2008/07/2008-summer-olympic-games-unit-study.html

The Olympics are starting on 8/8/08, eight is a lucky number in China.


----------



## lori1043

Ellester said:


> Is anyone going to do an Olympics unit study? We did a bit for the Winter Olympics in 2006, I guess I should get going if we're doing anything this year! I found this page that seems to have some good links.
> 
> http://learning-adventures.blogspot.com/2008/07/2008-summer-olympic-games-unit-study.html
> 
> The Olympics are starting on 8/8/08, eight is a lucky number in China.


 
I used Amanda Bennet's Olympic unit study in 2006- bet she has a new one! I amk not going to add anything to our day at this point-even Olympics. We will watch it though-gymnastics!!! I love the gymnastics of the summer and the winter of ice skating!

Lori


----------



## Temair

So up until now I've been schooling via a charter school and the K12 curriculum.  After last years problems and battles I'm really considering jumping ship and heading into the world of homeschooling on my own.  Since I never got much support from the school it will probably be not that different except i get to choose what we do and what curriculum to use.  So after searching and searching and debating I think I have my list ofwhat I would use.  So if I jump ship I'm ready to go.  

Math -Math-u-see Gamma and Delta
Grammer - Basic Winston Grammar
Spelling - Seplling Power
Reading - Books from home and library
writing - Journal and book reports
History - Complete book of maps and geogrpahy and library books
Science - Library Books
Art - Drawing with Children
Music - Piano Lesson Book
Typing - Typing with Timon and Pumba

I chose some of the curriculum based on what I already had on hand, and also what is affordable.  So let me know what you think.

Joanne Johnson


----------



## karynnix

*Okay, after much searching and praying, I FINALLY settled on a curriculum!! 

I am going to use Sonlight for both kids.  Since my son has Asperger's, it will be so much easier to teach them together.  I can use the same books and lessons for both of them.  

Has anyone used Sonlight and can give me some feedback?  I am so excited to move now and get started homeschooling!!!!*


----------



## Ellester

Temair said:


> So up until now I've been schooling via a charter school and the K12 curriculum.  After last years problems and battles I'm really considering jumping ship and heading into the world of homeschooling on my own.  Since I never got much support from the school it will probably be not that different except i get to choose what we do and what curriculum to use.  So after searching and searching and debating I think I have my list ofwhat I would use.  So if I jump ship I'm ready to go.
> 
> Math -Math-u-see Gamma and Delta
> Grammer - Basic Winston Grammar
> Spelling - Seplling Power
> Reading - Books from home and library
> writing - Journal and book reports
> History - Complete book of maps and geogrpahy and library books
> Science - Library Books
> Art - Drawing with Children
> Music - Piano Lesson Book
> Typing - Typing with Timon and Pumba
> 
> I chose some of the curriculum based on what I already had on hand, and also what is affordable.  So let me know what you think.
> 
> Joanne Johnson



We love Math-U-See. Gamma (multiplication) and Delta (division) are both one year programs. Your dd should be proficient in adding and subtracting to three place values to start Gamma. It is a different approach in that a new topic is totally mastered before you move on. My dd10 is just starting Delta, it took her a while to master multiplication. DD6 is almost done with Alpha. They both like doing their math, much to my delight! I haven't used any of the other curriculums you have listed. I did look at Spelling Power, but we went with Sequential Spelling instead. I think your list is pretty comprehensive, you should have a good year (with some tweaking as you go on to be expected!) if you decide to jump ship. After the problems you had with the Charter and K12, I would totally expect you to have a much smoother year just doing it on your own. 



karynnix said:


> *Okay, after much searching and praying, I FINALLY settled on a curriculum!!
> 
> I am going to use Sonlight for both kids.  Since my son has Asperger's, it will be so much easier to teach them together.  I can use the same books and lessons for both of them.
> 
> Has anyone used Sonlight and can give me some feedback?  I am so excited to move now and get started homeschooling!!!!*



We've used Core K (now C, I think) and are about 2/3 through Core 1+2. I've been very happy with the program. We don't do the Bible portion since we're Catholic, but I do use their LA program with both girls. Since dd6 is finally reading, I guess we will stick with it! Sonlight does have a pretty extensive message board if you have any specific questions or just want to glean lots of info from other users. I do know that I have learned more about ancient history in the past three years than I ever did in my school career!


On another note, I've been following some of the "School Supply" threads and every single one makes me more thankful that we homeschool! After reading some of the posts, I think I get off way cheaper too!


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## nuzmom

Temair said:


> So up until now I've been schooling via a charter school and the K12 curriculum.  After last years problems and battles I'm really considering jumping ship and heading into the world of homeschooling on my own.  Since I never got much support from the school it will probably be not that different except i get to choose what we do and what curriculum to use.  So after searching and searching and debating I think I have my list ofwhat I would use.  So if I jump ship I'm ready to go.
> 
> Math -Math-u-see Gamma and Delta
> Grammer - Basic Winston Grammar
> Spelling - Seplling Power
> Reading - Books from home and library
> writing - Journal and book reports
> History - Complete book of maps and geogrpahy and library books
> Science - Library Books
> Art - Drawing with Children
> Music - Piano Lesson Book
> Typing - Typing with Timon and Pumba
> 
> I chose some of the curriculum based on what I already had on hand, and also what is affordable.  So let me know what you think.
> 
> Joanne Johnson



Looks good. All ready to jump ship.  
We use Math-U-See and Spelling power. I agree with the other poster that it's a one year program - don't rush it, it's so important to have a SOLID foundation in Math. We also have the typing but haven't used it a whole lot, but it's fun. You may want to take science into a "unit study" direction. Have your DD choose a topic (penguins) and pick out books to read and try to find an experiment or craft to do. We're heavily into doing hands on science stuff with our kids. (I have an engineering degree, so I'm "big" on loving math and science) Have fun and happy jumping!!!!


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## Momvic5

Hello Homeschool moms and dads...I haven't posted in a while, but summer is coming to a quick end, and I haven't decided on a foreign language for my 7th grader!

I have been looking at the Rosetta Stone curriculums.  They have great reviews but they are so expensive.  I would like for my son to take Spanish, but he is not interested in Spanish at all.  He is a science guy and wants to take Latin.  My problem with Latin is that it appears to only have a Level 1 curriculum so I am not sure what we would do in the years to come.  Anyways...I thought I would get your opinions on Rosetta Stone before I handed over my $209.00 (level 1) or my $449.00(levels 1,2,& 3).  

Has anyone ever used either the Rosetta Stone Spanish or Latin curriculums?  What are your thoughts?

What other Latin curriculums do you recommend for older students?


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## Ellester

Momvic5 said:


> Has anyone ever used either the Rosetta Stone Spanish or Latin curriculums?  What are your thoughts?
> 
> What other Latin curriculums do you recommend for older students?



We are going to start Latin this year with Memoria Press's Latina Christiana(www.memoriapress.com). I've heard good things about it and it is not very expensive. Since Latin is no longer regularly spoken I'm less concerned with conversational skills, which I feel is Rosetta Stone's strong point. We will probably spring for RS's Spanish sometime this year as well. DH wants to learn along with the kids (I can already speak it somewhat fluently). I have used RS's Tagalog (Filipino) online free through the library and enjoyed it. My Filipino SIL was quite impressed with my pronunciation, RS is very strong in that. Of course, I can only say boy, girl, man, woman, cat, dog, airplane, and elephant, but it's a start!


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## Momvic5

Ellester said:


> We are going to start Latin this year with Memoria Press's Latina Christiana(www.memoriapress.com). I've heard good things about it and it is not very expensive. Since Latin is no longer regularly spoken I'm less concerned with conversational skills, which I feel is Rosetta Stone's strong point. We will probably spring for RS's Spanish sometime this year as well. DH wants to learn along with the kids (I can already speak it somewhat fluently). I have used RS's Tagalog (Filipino) online free through the library and enjoyed it. My Filipino SIL was quite impressed with my pronunciation, RS is very strong in that. Of course, I can only say boy, girl, man, woman, cat, dog, airplane, and elephant, but it's a start!



I have heard good things about Latina Christiana as well, and you are right about the Rosetta Stone Latin curriculum.  I have tried to have this conversation about Latin with my DS12 too, but he is dead set against Spanish and thinks Latin as a foreign language would be "cool."  My Dh isn't helping.  He isn't excited about Spanish either.  Dh suggested Mandarin Chinese!  Our very kind neighbors are Chinese and speak Mandarin Chinese so DH thinks they would be very helpful.  Oh....how I hope Rosetta Stone is good because just the thought of having to teach my children a foreign language makes me nervous.


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## mommyof2princesses

Hey, I have been MIA for a while, but as I was gearing up to figure out what school stuff I needed, I decided to say HI!  

Any high schooling moms?  I have dd13 who will be 9th and dd4 3/4 who will be first.  We are using the notgrass history for american history, english and religion.  Anyone use that?  Care to share how you did it?

We did take the plunge and buy 2 years of Rosetta Stone.  We used a 10% coupon for ebay and got a good deal.  We used it for most of last year for free until the library got rid of it.   So, we bought the hs one.  Figure I will use it for both kids and maybe dh and I will try it out!  I did buy a supplemental book that wsa suggestion by some for doing grammar and written work.  I am told with the review and the 2 years it will be a good sound 2 year high school course.  I hope so!


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## Momvic5

mommyof2princesses said:


> Hey, I have been MIA for a while, but as I was gearing up to figure out what school stuff I needed, I decided to say HI!
> 
> Any high schooling moms?  I have dd13 who will be 9th and dd4 3/4 who will be first.  We are using the notgrass history for american history, english and religion.  Anyone use that?  Care to share how you did it?
> 
> We did take the plunge and buy 2 years of Rosetta Stone.  We used a 10% coupon for ebay and got a good deal.  We used it for most of last year for free until the library got rid of it.   So, we bought the hs one.  Figure I will use it for both kids and maybe dh and I will try it out!  I did buy a supplemental book that wsa suggestion by some for doing grammar and written work.  I am told with the review and the 2 years it will be a good sound 2 year high school course.  I hope so!




We haven't reached the high school years just yet, but we are just around the corner.  My oldest DS is going into the 7th grade.  Today, I actually did a little research on the notgrass american history curriculum.  I have heard nothing but praise about notgrass.  After looking at it, I think I am going to start it with my son when he goes into the eighth grade.   I thought I would take it at a slower pace and do it over the course of two years.  A friend of mine emailed the notgrass company, and they were very helpful and willing to answer any questions.  They are a homeschooling family too.

I have a 10% coupon for ebay too!  I will have to check that out.


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## mommyof2princesses

Momvic5 said:


> We haven't reached the high school years just yet, but we are just around the corner.  My oldest DS is going into the 7th grade.  Today, I actually did a little research on the notgrass american history curriculum.  I have heard nothing but praise about notgrass.  After looking at it, I think I am going to start it with my son when he goes into the eighth grade.   I thought I would take it at a slower pace and do it over the course of two years.  A friend of mine emailed the notgrass company, and they were very helpful and willing to answer any questions.  They are a homeschooling family too.
> 
> I have a 10% coupon for ebay too!  I will have to check that out.



We already have the notgrass books and they look awesome.  I am just trying to decide if I need dd to use a binder with dividers to organize, or just some noteboooks!  I want to get items while they are on sale and I am not going during tax free weekend!  We start school onaugust 12 or 13...whichever works out!


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## TLHB70

Mommyof2princesses, I have a DD that just turned 13; she will be in 8th grade this upcoming school year.  We are starting school August 11.  I have all of our new books in boxes in our school room.  I said that I wouldn't do anything with them until August.    I, too, live in NC (Union County), and I do plan to go shopping for our notebooks, pencils, pens, and all other supplies this tax free weekend.  I think we will go to Office Depot or Staples.  I have tried Walmart and Target in past years, but it is too crazy!     I thought Office Depot or Staples might be calmer.  We will see.    Then, next week, I plan to work on our school room.   I need to box up last year's books and clean out cabinets for this year's materials.
BTW, we use A Beka.  I have used it with both of my DDs since K4.  My oldest is now 8th grade and my youngest is now 5th grade.


----------



## karynnix

TLHB70 said:


> BTW, we use A Beka.  I have used it with both of my DDs since K4.  My oldest is now 8th grade and my youngest is now 5th grade.



*I have floundered between Sonlight and A Beka.  When I think I have made a decision, I change my mind.  I have almost decided to try A Beka first.  Do you use the Bible curriculum?  How is the math?  I have heard that it moves quickly.  Thanks!!!*


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## TLHB70

karynnix said:


> *I have floundered between Sonlight and A Beka.  When I think I have made a decision, I change my mind.  I have almost decided to try A Beka first.  Do you use the Bible curriculum?  How is the math?  I have heard that it moves quickly.  Thanks!!!*



I have not used the Bible curriculum in a few years.  I did use it for about two years, but honestly, I found it a bit boring.  I switched and started doing different family Bible studies that I picked up at Lifeway.  I have also done a couple of the Beth Moore studies with my girls (Daniel -first part only - and Jesus the One and Only).  
Since I am switching oldest DD to the video academy this upcoming year, she will be using their Bible curriculum again.  She will be on Program I so she will be graded on the course.


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## Denine

We are starting school on Tuesday.  Unfortunately, DD is sick today.

She is really looking forward to 1st grade though.  She can't wait to start.


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## Momvic5

karynnix said:


> *I have floundered between Sonlight and A Beka.  When I think I have made a decision, I change my mind.  I have almost decided to try A Beka first.  Do you use the Bible curriculum?  How is the math?  I have heard that it moves quickly.  Thanks!!!*




I used ABeka math for my DS7 in both Kinder and 1st grade.  I really liked the math!  It does move quickly, but it is a good curriculum.   I am not sure what grade you are looking at, but if you are starting out with Abeka math, I think you will like it.  

This school year we are switching to Saxon for 2nd grade.  I am not sure how I will like Saxon in the younger years, but I have used it with my oldest son now for 2 years in upper elem/middle school years, and it has been great for him.   I thought I would go ahead and get both my DS7 and DD9 started in the program and familiar with their layout.

I am praying that I made the right choice!


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## TLHB70

I am sorry that I did not answer your math question, karynnix.  
I love A Beka math.  I taught in both public and private schools before I decided to homeschool, and I feel that A Beka math is just as advanced as what I taught in the schools.  I do think it is a lot like Saxon math (I taught Saxon in a private school.), maybe it is a little less colorful on the pages.....not a big deal.  Even though it does move quickly, there are review problems each day also to keep the skills fresh.


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## Ellester

This link was posted on our local e-mail loop. A nice, positive look at the transition from homeschooling to college.

http://www.miamiherald.com/295/story/617442.html


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## lori1043

Thanks for the article Ellester. I love being able to use things from this board and "bring" it to my HEA for encouragement!

I will do the same for you all should I run into any cool homeschool articles.

I was gungho for starting and after 3 weeks I am downright exhausted. We have had a lot go on outside school stuff with summer still being on for everyone else and we did just come off of 5 days in a row of constant visiting, BBQ's, birthdays and co-op signups, but I ahve to work tomorrow and this is my only day. They will do school(as much as they can) tomorrow, but it won't get checked till later in the weekend, if not Monday.

Anyone work in the travel agency field as a side job?
I am interested and have questions, but wonder how they get paid too.
I will do a Dis search!

Lori


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## karynnix

TLHB70 said:


> I have not used the Bible curriculum in a few years.  I did use it for about two years, but honestly, I found it a bit boring.  I switched and started doing different family Bible studies that I picked up at Lifeway.  I have also done a couple of the Beth Moore studies with my girls (Daniel -first part only - and Jesus the One and Only).
> Since I am switching oldest DD to the video academy this upcoming year, she will be using their Bible curriculum again.  She will be on Program I so she will be graded on the course.



*Thanks for the info!  I was just wondering if it was worth the extra cost for the curriculum.  I will check into Lifeway and see what they have.  That is where all of our church Sunday School comes from, so I am familiar with them.  *


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## mommyof2princesses

TLHB70 said:


> Mommyof2princesses, I have a DD that just turned 13; she will be in 8th grade this upcoming school year.  We are starting school August 11.  I have all of our new books in boxes in our school room.  I said that I wouldn't do anything with them until August.    I, too, live in NC (Union County), and I do plan to go shopping for our notebooks, pencils, pens, and all other supplies this tax free weekend.  I think we will go to Office Depot or Staples.  I have tried Walmart and Target in past years, but it is too crazy!     I thought Office Depot or Staples might be calmer.  We will see.    Then, next week, I plan to work on our school room.   I need to box up last year's books and clean out cabinets for this year's materials.
> BTW, we use A Beka.  I have used it with both of my DDs since K4.  My oldest is now 8th grade and my youngest is now 5th grade.



We are right around the corner from you in Cabarrus. I really need to clean my school room as it seems to be a junk hole right now!  It will get done!



Momvic5 said:


> This school year we are switching to Saxon for 2nd grade.  I am not sure how I will like Saxon in the younger years, but I have used it with my oldest son now for 2 years in upper elem/middle school years, and it has been great for him.   I thought I would go ahead and get both my DS7 and DD9 started in the program and familiar with their layout.
> 
> I am praying that I made the right choice!



We are using Saxon for both the girls this year.  One will be in Saxon 1 and the other in algebra... Yike!  We enjoyed saxon k, was easy, but we skipped a lot and did some of our own stuff.  We will see how it goes this year!


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## DawnM

Hey, I am in Union County too.  Are you part of any hs groups in UC?

We have done Abeka Language Arts until 4th grade.  My son is 4th grade and we got about 1/4 of the way into it and it was just too big of a jump from writing sentences to report writing without anything in between.  Now we are actively looking for an alternative for him.

Dawn



TLHB70 said:


> Mommyof2princesses, I have a DD that just turned 13; she will be in 8th grade this upcoming school year.  We are starting school August 11.  I have all of our new books in boxes in our school room.  I said that I wouldn't do anything with them until August.    I, too, live in NC (Union County), and I do plan to go shopping for our notebooks, pencils, pens, and all other supplies this tax free weekend.  I think we will go to Office Depot or Staples.  I have tried Walmart and Target in past years, but it is too crazy!     I thought Office Depot or Staples might be calmer.  We will see.    Then, next week, I plan to work on our school room.   I need to box up last year's books and clean out cabinets for this year's materials.
> BTW, we use A Beka.  I have used it with both of my DDs since K4.  My oldest is now 8th grade and my youngest is now 5th grade.


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## Momvic5

DawnM said:


> Hey, I am in Union County too.  Are you part of any hs groups in UC?
> 
> We have done Abeka Language Arts until 4th grade.  My son is 4th grade and we got about 1/4 of the way into it and it was just too big of a jump from writing sentences to report writing without anything in between.  Now we are actively looking for an alternative for him.
> 
> Dawn



Since you are looking for a new language arts curriculum, I thought I would share with you what works for us.  We use Bob Jones Writing and Grammar.  Like it reads, it is both a grammar and writing program.  It alternates between the two about every 14 lessons.  My children have done very well with it, and so far, it hasn't been overwhelming.  I have used the 2nd - 6th grade books.  It works really well if you have several children because they follow the same pattern and topics just at different levels. 

I know some homeschoolers do not like Bob Jones, but for language arts, it was worked well for us.  Just thought I would share it with you.


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## TLHB70

DawnM said:


> Hey, I am in Union County too.  Are you part of any hs groups in UC?
> 
> We have done Abeka Language Arts until 4th grade.  My son is 4th grade and we got about 1/4 of the way into it and it was just too big of a jump from writing sentences to report writing without anything in between.  Now we are actively looking for an alternative for him.
> 
> Dawn




I understand what you mean about the jump in writing.
My oldest DD LOVES to write.  That is what she enjoys doing in her spare time.  She writes short stories, plays, etc.  So the A Beka writing was not a big deal for her at all.    My youngest DD does not have the same passion for writing.   A Beka's language writing was a bit harder for her last year in 4th grade.  I am not sure how she will handle this 5th grade year because she will have her first research paper.  I may be switching language curriculum for her.  We will see how it goes.

I was a member of HOPE for two years.  However, I dropped out a year ago.  For this upcoming year I just joined PATH.  http://www.pathnc.org/  I have not been to an official meeting or activity yet because I just joined.  Quite a few of the homeschool families at my church are members so I decided to try it out.  
Are you a member of a local UC group?


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## jetprincess

Ok homeschool moms!!  I know you get tons of questions about curriculums and so forth.  But I have a question about the emotinal side of homeschooling...

How do you do it?!?  I would love to homeschool my first grader!  However, she is a very emotional and physical child.  She is quick to temper and it doesn't take much for her to end up in tears b/c she "can't do something" that is challenging.  My fear is that we would spend most of our valuable learning time fending off temper tantrums and we would both end up with high blood pressure!    

She doesn't do this with other teachers.  She tries though and thankfully she has had wonderful teachers who "had her pegged" pretty quicky and wouldn't stand for it.

I just know I could be really good at homeschooling and I love the flexiblity involved.  I am a certified teacher and I love teaching other people's children.  But my own daughter exhausts me!  I just don't know if she and I have the right personality match for it.  

So, how do you deal with the meltdowns?  How do you minimize them?


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## sha_lyn

Jetprincess
With DD I found that including her in the planning process really helps.
I break our yr into 6 6 week periods and figure out 1/6 of each subject. I show her on a calendar where we can take breaks if she completes each 6 week period etc.I believe I started it the beginning of 3rd. I found by the middle of last yr (4th grade)she would figure out breaks, how many lessons she needed to complete etc on her own.

I also make her a part of the process of picking out textbooks etc. We both like covering history and science in depth instead of taking a more spiral approach, so last yr we stop using science curricula that touches on several science subjects and covered earth science in depth. This yr we will cover space for the first 1/2 of the yr, then we will go back to a "sub" section of earth science and cover environmental science. Next yr we will cover physical science in depth, and the following yr biology. The long term plan is to then use 8 to fill in any gaps before she moves into high school level science.


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## chrissiecutie

Hi All,

I'm a new hs mom, we will be starting preschool in Sept and I can't wait!  We are doing this as kind of a "trial run" for a couple years to see how it goes.  In my state, WA, you don't have to start school until 8 so my son has a few years until we hit that deadline.  I'm assuming we'll love it and of course continue on once he does turn 8, but you never know. 

My question to everyone is...how did you break the news to your family?  DH and I have parents and stepparents who live near to us and are very close with our son.  We cherish the relationships and feel so lucky he's able to really know all of his grandparents.  

However, they are starting to talk about when he goes to Kindergarten and have even been saying things to him about it.  He, of course, doesn't really understand homeschooling or Kindergarden but is thrilled at the prospect of going to school.  To which I've enrolled him in local swim and gymnastics classes to get some "class" experience.  Not quite the same but the best I can come up with.  We did try a co-op preschool last fall and hated it!  All the kids were off doing their own things, not interacting at all and the teacher was sitting talking w/the parents.  Not a good first school experience for us unfortunatly.  My son never wanted to go and it just didn't make for a fun, enjoyable experience.  Thus prompting us actually making the decision to homeschool.  But how did you tell your family and when??  I don't want my son to get excited over going to kindergarten since that just isn't going to happen.  I know all the grandparents are just not going to understand and I'm afraid I'll have to constantly be defending our decision.  I was hoping to wait another year until it's time to actually enroll him and then just be like..."oh, he's not going to K, we are homeschooling instead..." However, will all the talk recently, I feel I must say something so they'll at least stop telling him how great K will be!

Any advice?


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## Disney Mommy 3

Jet Princess
I definitely think you can do this! My little girl is the same way--as far as getting very discouraged-she has 2 older brothers and thinks she can do what they can do. So, instead of learning letters as we look, she tries to guess from the pictures and then cries when I tell her it's not right. So, we have switched over to Explode the Code- so far we are doing great. She has a bit of liberty after I give her the intro to each new letter. The attitude your daughter has is just something that has to be worked out between you two. You know the best way to handle her, some kids do so much better with praise, while other will only stop if they are disciplined.I am sure being a teacher you know all that!! It's different with homeschooling because when it gets too much you can stop for a day if you have to. You set the pace, if you know she can do 1 hour and at 30 min. she starts acting up just let her know that even if she's at home YOU are the instructor and this IS school-u are just in a different setting. I had to do this with my oldest who had been to public and Christian school til 2nd grade. 
I told him-if you were at a diff. school with a teacher would you act like this? And of course he said no. So, I just explained that he was getting an education in p. s. and he would be getting an education at home--just that we were blessed enough to get to stay together and do it in a home setting. That really made an impact on him-I explained that I would be respected and so would the other siblings- we are all learning!
No matter what type of hser you are, she has to understand that you are giving her a wonderful opportunity and explain the benefits and then set down whatever rules work for your family. I know it's tough at first, but if you feel this is where the Lord has led your family, pray hard and stick it out!! It's a wonderful journey and you will start to see the blessings before you know it!!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Chrissiecutie,

 I would go ahead and tell them your decision. He is still gonna be "in kinder." just a different kind! If it makes them feel better to pinch in and get him some crayons or even a backpack or new school shoes that would be great! He is getting to begin his education just like all the other 5 yo boys, he just gets to do something different!!! 

Just make it clear they shouldn't make this negative for him or talk down to you or him about your decision. As long as he's excited and has fun while he learns they will probably be fine with it. if they aren't, that's really their problem and they should keep it to themselves. I think you are gonna really enjoy this!! I know I have!!


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## NHWX

JetPrincess- 

It's just one of those learning things. My 12 year old wants to avoid things that he's not good at. Too bad! You can talk about things that are hard and tell her that many times grownups don't have a chance to learn something truly new. It can be daunting. But with practice you get better at it. Tell her about your experience with something new - the first time student teaching perhaps. And then help her walk through each step, bit by bit. 

You could also try saying "We have to get this done by the end of this week or day or whatever... If you spend a half hour worrying / crying / whatever about it, then that half hour is gone. Will the crying make the work go away? Why are you doing it? Would you rather cry or do something that you enjoy?" Once you take your passion out of it (easier said than done, I know!), it becomes the student's problem. 

I love this phrase which I've repeated to my kids: School is optional, learning is not. 

And like those days when your daughter would come home with a problem, there will be issues at home. That's life!

NHWX


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## NHWX

OK, so I write this mom of two boys, just deal with it type post in response to JetPrincess and now I have to say that I haven't always paid attention to my own advice!  

ChrissieCutie - we never told my husband's family that we homeschool! Ooops! Actually we did tell his grandparents so maybe the word has spread around but no one's actually asked us. We told my side of the family that this was the best option that we'd found. And when our then 14 year old returned to homeschooling, my mom was convinced that he'd never go to college. (And never get a good job, etc.) Over a couple of months, I had to go chapter and verse about how bad the high school was, how my brother had had such a miserable time in high school that he dropped out and got his GED but still has a fine life, that gasp! he'd be getting an actual diploma from a real high school and that genuine teachers will approve all his work. *sigh* 

It doesn't matter, she'll find something to worry about. It might be that he's spending too much time with his friends, or that he doesn't get outside enough, or that he doesn't have enough friends since he's not in the high school, or that he's spending too much time/not enough time with outside activities... You get the picture. Many people have had perfectly happy lives and never been a member of the National Honor Society. 

Good luck!

NHWX


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## grammynelliebelle

Chrisie, I am a dgm of homeschoolers and have a suggestion for that might be helpful for your folks.  You might remind them that homeschooled grandkids (and all grandkids) can greatly benefit from their time and experience.  We have been fortunate enought to be able to do things with the kids that are part of the learning and educational process. ie, Trips, working with them on journals and photos of our expeditions etc.Woodworking projects, learning to make jam and can it for holiday gifts. In some cases we are learning as we are working with the kids and having a great time! DH is starting to plan a music 6 week program for dgd age 8 and dgs age 5. He will be a couple of lessons ahead of them! Good luck and follow your heart! Grammy


----------



## karynnix

*Okay, I have yet ANOTHER question.  

I will be starting homeschool in the middle of the year when we move.  I hate to spend $1000 on curriculum that I will only be using for a few months.  What could I use for just a few months of homeschool that won't be so expensive and will work?  Next year, I will start with a packaged curriculum, but I don't want to spend an enormous amount of money for just a few months.  

Any suggestions??*


----------



## TLHB70

karynnix said:


> *Okay, I have yet ANOTHER question.
> 
> I will be starting homeschool in the middle of the year when we move.  I hate to spend $1000 on curriculum that I will only be using for a few months.  What could I use for just a few months of homeschool that won't be so expensive and will work?  Next year, I will start with a packaged curriculum, but I don't want to spend an enormous amount of money for just a few months.
> 
> Any suggestions??*



 Check out my post #486 on page 33.  There is a link to a site where you can buy used books/material.  It is a great resource.  You can get the curriculum that you are interested in for a lot cheaper!


----------



## sha_lyn

karynnix said:


> *Okay, I have yet ANOTHER question.
> 
> I will be starting homeschool in the middle of the year when we move.  I hate to spend $1000 on curriculum that I will only be using for a few months.  What could I use for just a few months of homeschool that won't be so expensive and will work?  Next year, I will start with a packaged curriculum, but I don't want to spend an enormous amount of money for just a few months.
> 
> Any suggestions??*



Did you decide on a curriculum or method yet? IMHO that makes a lot of diffeence on the ways you could approch this.
However in general I would test the kids and start where they need to be and continue from there. I would complete whatever curriculum I purchased, unless it wasn't working. I think we get too hung up on grade levels because of the pass/fail mentality of public school. IMHO the better path it to "Take as long as it takes" and to experience the journey instead of getting hung up on grade levels and grades.


----------



## amez

karynnix said:


> *Okay, I have yet ANOTHER question.
> 
> I will be starting homeschool in the middle of the year when we move.  I hate to spend $1000 on curriculum that I will only be using for a few months.  What could I use for just a few months of homeschool that won't be so expensive and will work?  Next year, I will start with a packaged curriculum, but I don't want to spend an enormous amount of money for just a few months.
> 
> Any suggestions??*



Are you set on having a packaged curriculum?  There are many free or inexpensive sites that have unit studies, lapbooking, and other ideas. We use Story of the World for History and it's very inexpensive, Singapore Math runs about $30 -- library books free. We use free story prompts from the internet. We utilize free programs from our local metroparks. Explode the code for phonics books are about $5 each.  

Sorry I didn't look at the ages of your children--so my suggestions may not work, but I just wanted to give you an idea that everything doesn't have to cost a fortune, but can be just as effective.


----------



## karynnix

*I am definitely doing a packaged curriculum...either A Beka or A.C.E.  The kids will be in public school here in Iowa until we move.  Once we get our orders from the Army to move to Mississippi, I will begin homeschooling.  The only problem is, we don't know EXACTLY when that will be, so I don't want to go into a lot of expense if I will only be homeschooling for a few months.  Attending public school in Mississippi is not an option at all.  

So, I would just need to get curriculum to cover the basic subjects (math, language arts, science, history, writing...did I miss any?), and then start the program next year?  Could I just use workbooks, supplement with books and wing it for the rest of this year?  My daughter is pretty smart, and won't miss much.  My son is in 5th grade this year, but I am going to start him back with 5th grade materials next year.  He has autism, and needs to go back over some things that he has missed.  He probably should have been held back in kindergarten, but that is another story!  

Thanks so much for your replies!!  *


----------



## Temair

Well it's official I'm jumping off the cirtual ship and into the warm waters of homeschooling.  I've ordered my matirials and working on my paper work (due aug 15).  I'm really excited about this year and what my daughter may be able to learn.  I just hope the curriculum arrives soon and I don't have to wait a month for it.  We hope to start school aug 18th.  

Joanne


----------



## DawnM

Well, I have done WWEAT for a year, but we didn't do anything with them.  Most in my church are part of HINTS, but I primarily do things with Explore and Discover....it is a group with secular and Christian families.  It is all field trips, get togethers and things like bowling, lego club, that sort of thing.  

We did a coop for a while, but we realized that it really wasn't for us.  We need to do our school work at home and do social activities with hsers.  It works better for us.

Dawn

I was a member of HOPE for two years.  However, I dropped out a year ago.  For this upcoming year I just joined PATH.  http://www.pathnc.org/  I have not been to an official meeting or activity yet because I just joined.  Quite a few of the homeschool families at my church are members so I decided to try it out.  
Are you a member of a local UC group?[/QUOTE]


----------



## mommyof2princesses

DawnM said:


> Well, I have done WWEAT for a year, but we didn't do anything with them.  Most in my church are part of HINTS, but I primarily do things with Explore and Discover....it is a group with secular and Christian families.  It is all field trips, get togethers and things like bowling, lego club, that sort of thing.
> 
> We did a coop for a while, but we realized that it really wasn't for us.  We need to do our school work at home and do social activities with hsers.  It works better for us.
> 
> Dawn



hey, I am a member of explore and discover.  Haven't done anything yet with them, but I plan to this year.


----------



## jinia

If I knew someone who homeschooled there children could they also school my DS6?  I do not think I am quite capable of homeschooling my son, but I think it would suit him very well.  Split whatever costs there are...Is this something that is acceptable or done? Thank yall for your time!


----------



## LegoMom3

jinia said:


> If I knew someone who homeschooled there children could they also school my DS6? I do not think I am quite capable of homeschooling my son, but I think it would suit him very well. Split whatever costs there are...Is this something that is acceptable or done? Thank yall for your time!


 

That will vary by state.  Laws & requirements are different everywhere, so there is no flat answer.  I've heard of it being done, though.


.


----------



## mommyof2princesses

jinia said:


> If I knew someone who homeschooled there children could they also school my DS6?  I do not think I am quite capable of homeschooling my son, but I think it would suit him very well.  Split whatever costs there are...Is this something that is acceptable or done? Thank yall for your time!



In our state it is allowed.  A homeschool may consist of up to 2 families.  You will have to check your local laws.


----------



## Leader of the Club

First, you would need to check the laws in your state to see if this is even legal.

This can be a touchy subject.   I know I homeschool my kids because I like to spend time with them, I want to watch them grow, learn and discover. I do not mind having kids over to work on a project or something. I would not want to homeschool someone else's kids because no two home school families are the same and my style is like no one elses style. 

Why do you think you would not be a successful home school parent?


----------



## jinia

I would absolutely get so wrapped up in this should be done by noon today then we .... I am a procrastinator by nature, but anything important I go way overboard on time schedules/organization.  I am also concerned that I would be over critical.  I also liked the idea of sharing homeschool because DS is an only child, but after reading the wonderful posts on this board about the ways yall socialize your kids that worry has lessened!  My last concern is I am not sure if I could keep up in Math .  Thank you so much for your replies.


----------



## bear74

My parents are so not supportive of our decision to homeschool our DD.  She will be in Kindergarten  this year.  The reason my mom says she does not support us is she does not think my DH will really help me with this.  I work 3 12hr shifts a week at the hospital.  I am thinking A.C.E program or Abeka.


----------



## antree

Anyone from NJ? I homeschooled my son last year for Kindergarten and this year I am told I have to report it to the Department of Education for 1st grade. I am so nervous about doing it, I don't know why, maybe scared about what they going to say? Has anyone talk to them before? If so what is said?

Thank You.


----------



## LegoMom3

antree said:


> Anyone from NJ? I homeschooled my son last year for Kindergarten and this year I am told I have to report it to the Department of Education for 1st grade. I am so nervous about doing it, I don't know why, maybe scared about what they going to say? Has anyone talk to them before? If so what is said?
> 
> Thank You.


 

According to NJ law, you are not required to notify ANYbody.  I just read about someone who left NY for NJ specifically for this reason.  So I looked it up to verify and it is indeed the case.  Here is a link to the info:
http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/New_Jersey.pdf

It's a .pdf file (Adobe) so if you can't open it let me know and I'll copy/paste the pertinent info here for you.

There is also another link, directly from your state:
http://www.state.nj.us/education/genfo/overview/faq_homeschool.htm

Actually I just went through that one and it may clear things up for you a bit more....#4 & #5 particularly.  But I would encourage you to read it all and familiarize yourself with NJ requirements.  If you know you're doing it all "right" and legally, you'll have nothing to fear from anyone who tries to overstep their bounds!

.


----------



## karynnix

bear74 said:


> My parents are so not supportive of our decision to homeschool our DD.  She will be in Kindergarten  this year.  The reason my mom says she does not support us is she does not think my DH will really help me with this.  I work 3 12hr shifts a week at the hospital.  I am thinking A.C.E program or Abeka.



*I am planning to do everything myself because my husband works.  You should be able to work out homeschooling around your work schedule.  How does your husband feel about everything?  Is he willing to help?  

I checked into ACE and Abeka and finally decided on ACE.  Abeka seems to move VERY quickly.  Have you sent off for the ACE catalog?  It has samples of the PACES and a TON of information.  It looks to be much more doable.  

Good luck!! *


----------



## antree

LegoMom3 said:


> According to NJ law, you are not required to notify ANYbody.  I just read about someone who left NY for NJ specifically for this reason.  So I looked it up to verify and it is indeed the case.  Here is a link to the info:
> http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/New_Jersey.pdf
> 
> It's a .pdf file (Adobe) so if you can't open it let me know and I'll copy/paste the pertinent info here for you.
> 
> There is also another link, directly from your state:
> http://www.state.nj.us/education/genfo/overview/faq_homeschool.htm
> 
> Actually I just went through that one and it may clear things up for you a bit more....#4 & #5 particularly.  But I would encourage you to read it all and familiarize yourself with NJ requirements.  If you know you're doing it all "right" and legally, you'll have nothing to fear from anyone who tries to overstep their bounds!
> 
> .




I read it and that is what I thought, I didn't think I had to report it. But the school in my Township told me I had to and get approved material through the Board. Now I really feel nervous. Should I contact them anyway? Do they know he is not in school?


----------



## DawnM

Oh good!

Dawn



mommyof2princesses said:


> hey, I am a member of explore and discover.  Haven't done anything yet with them, but I plan to this year.


----------



## DawnM

Oh, we have a lot of naysayers in our families too.....by the way, my DH does ZERO percent of the schooling.  I was working part time and hsing for the first 3 years we hsed.  I am home now.

Dawn



bear74 said:


> My parents are so not supportive of our decision to homeschool our DD.  She will be in Kindergarten  this year.  The reason my mom says she does not support us is she does not think my DH will really help me with this.  I work 3 12hr shifts a week at the hospital.  I am thinking A.C.E program or Abeka.


----------



## bear74

karynnix said:


> *I am planning to do everything myself because my husband works.  You should be able to work out homeschooling around your work schedule.  How does your husband feel about everything?  Is he willing to help?
> 
> I checked into ACE and Abeka and finally decided on ACE.  Abeka seems to move VERY quickly.  Have you sent off for the ACE catalog?  It has samples of the PACES and a TON of information.  It looks to be much more doable.
> 
> Good luck!! *



he works as well.  He says he is willing to help.  He is for us homeschooling.  I know the pace system very well.  I doubt its changed much in the 18 yrs since I graduated.  This is the curriculum I did in school.  I like that ACE is more slower paced as well.


----------



## bear74

DawnM said:


> Oh, we have a lot of naysayers in our families too.....by the way, my DH does ZERO percent of the schooling.  I was working part time and hsing for the first 3 years we hsed.  I am home now.
> 
> Dawn



thanks Dawn I would love to stay home but that won't happen.


----------



## DawnM

Well, it didn't happen for us until we moved out of Southern California.  Mind you, I actually LIKE working and if I could find a perfect situation that still allowed me to hs and was worth my while, I would work again.  My plan is really year by year as I don't really like staying home if truth be told.

Dawn



bear74 said:


> thanks Dawn I would love to stay home but that won't happen.


----------



## TLHB70

My DH does ZERO percent of our homeschooling also.
He is completely supportive of hsing, he just doesn't do any teaching.  

His parents and all of his side of the family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) completely support us and think it is wonderful.

My side of the family has not spoken out against it, but they are not supportive.  My brother is a high school principal.  I have 8 cousins that are teachers.  I was a public school teacher for 6 years before I started to homeschool so we are family full of teachers.  My side of the family just doesn't get it.


----------



## DawnM

I worked in public education for over 16 years!!!!

I was a high school teacher for 12 years and then a school counselor for 4.5 years.

I miss it.

Dawn



TLHB70 said:


> My DH does ZERO percent of our homeschooling also.
> He is completely supportive of hsing, he just doesn't do any teaching.
> 
> His parents and all of his side of the family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) completely support us and think it is wonderful.
> 
> My side of the family has not spoken out against it, but they are not supportive.  My brother is a high school principal.  I have 8 cousins that are teachers.  I was a public school teacher for 6 years before I started to homeschool so we are family full of teachers.  My side of the family just doesn't get it.


----------



## mamaloya

Hi all,

I posted on the other thread ages ago, but just wanted to pop in and say hi.  All of our curriculum for the year is finally here and we start on the 11th.  Here is what we are doing.

Kindergarten is My Father's World and Abeka Math

2nd and 3rd Grade

Explode the Code 3 (for both as they are the same level here)
Abeka Language 2 & 3
Abeka Math 2 & 3
Abeka History 2 & 3
Abeka Science 2 & 3
Spellwell A (for both)
Handwriting without Tears (cursive)
Artistic Pursuits
Peter and the Wolf for music and looking for a violin teacher for all of us

6th/7th grader (one child, 2 levels)
ACE

We have 10 homeschooling families on our street with a total of 24 kids.  We do weekly soccer and will be doing art and science experiments together this year.

My non hsing neighbors were teasing me about it not being fair that their kids start Friday the 8th and mine start monday the 11th.  I told them that Friday I will do to my kids what will happen with their kids that day.  They will come downstairs for school.  I will introduce them to their teacher.  Make them label all of their school supplies and tell them where to store them.  I will assign their seats and show them their books.  I will let them know where the lunch room is and where the playground is.  I will then make them sit and be still for the rest of the day until it is time to "go home".      Luckily most of my neighbors are great about it, especially considering the fact that they are soon to be outnumbered by hsers.


----------



## mommyof2princesses

DawnM said:


> Oh, we have a lot of naysayers in our families too.....by the way, my DH does ZERO percent of the schooling.  I was working part time and hsing for the first 3 years we hsed.  I am home now.
> 
> Dawn



Yeah...dh doens't help with the hs either!  I do work part time at he disney store, but I seem to work mostly afternoon/evening so we get lots done in the am.  DD13 does most of the work on her own anyhoo.


----------



## Praise2Him

mamaloya said:


> My non hsing neighbors were teasing me about it not being fair that their kids start Friday the 8th and mine start monday the 11th.  I told them that Friday I will do to my kids what will happen with their kids that day.  They will come downstairs for school.  I will introduce them to their teacher.  Make them label all of their school supplies and tell them where to store them.  I will assign their seats and show them their books.  I will let them know where the lunch room is and where the playground is.  I will then make them sit and be still for the rest of the day until it is time to "go home".



LOL, that's funny!

Our public schools start this Thursday, and my DD17 and her best friend have decided to go out to breakfast and celebrate that they aren't back in school yet!  

We are taking our vacation (to WDW  ) Aug. 27 - Sept. 6 and we aren't starting until we get back - it's just too darn hot!


----------



## TLHB70

DawnM said:


> I worked in public education for over 16 years!!!!
> 
> I was a high school teacher for 12 years and then a school counselor for 4.5 years.
> 
> I miss it.
> 
> Dawn




I taught 3rd grade for four years.  I taught 6th grade one year.  Then my last year of teaching I taught just math to the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade.
I miss it at times.  I do still teach at church so I am getting to work with children there.  That is a lot of fun!


----------



## TLHB70

mamaloya said:


> My non hsing neighbors were teasing me about it not being fair that their kids start Friday the 8th and mine start monday the 11th.  I told them that Friday I will do to my kids what will happen with their kids that day.  They will come downstairs for school.  I will introduce them to their teacher.  Make them label all of their school supplies and tell them where to store them.  I will assign their seats and show them their books.  I will let them know where the lunch room is and where the playground is.  I will then make them sit and be still for the rest of the day until it is time to "go home".      Luckily most of my neighbors are great about it, especially considering the fact that they are soon to be outnumbered by hsers.



    
I love this!


----------



## TLHB70

Praise2Him said:


> LOL, that's funny!
> 
> Our public schools start this Thursday, and my DD17 and her best friend have decided to go out to breakfast and celebrate that they aren't back in school yet!
> 
> We are taking our vacation (to WDW  ) Aug. 27 - Sept. 6 and we aren't starting until we get back - it's just too darn hot!




I just noticed the little sign in your signature, 
"With God all things are possible."  
After my WDW trip is over and I take my ticker away, would you mind if I copied that sign into my signature?   I love it!


----------



## Praise2Him

TLHB70 said:


> I just noticed the little sign in your signature,
> "With God all things are possible."
> After my WDW trip is over and I take my ticker away, would you mind if I copied that sign into my signature?   I love it!



Of course not! Where do you think I got it?   LOL (I did ask permission first)

Oh, and I also have a degree in education and taught K and 1st grade in a private school. I've been amazed at how many HS moms I've met that are former teachers!


----------



## TLHB70

Have any of you used the 8th grade Bible curriculum for A Beka?

I have used A Beka with my DDs throughout all of our homeschooling years.  This year I have switched to their DVD academy for my oldest DD.  She will be in 8th grade.  We start next week.  The Bible curriculum requires her to read 30 minutes a week from "classic inspirational and devotional material"/books.  The examples listed are A Beka's books on David Livingstone, Adoniram Judson, Alexander Mackay, and _Through the Flood and Fame _(biographies of Protestant heroes).   I am sorry, but I don't think my DD will enjoy those.  I may be wrong.   A Beka said that these books are suggestions.  Other books that are inspirational and devotional may be read.  Do any of you have suggestions?


----------



## TLHB70

Praise2Him said:


> Of course not! Where do you think I got it?   LOL (I did ask permission first)
> 
> Oh, and I also have a degree in education and taught K and 1st grade in a private school. I've been amazed at how many HS moms I've met that are former teachers!



Thank you.  I will add it in a few months!   

I am amazed at the HS moms that are former teachers too.


----------



## AKADrea

wow, I'm SO overwhelmed!

I NEED to start researching, as my DD is 3.5 yrs old now and I plan to homeschool her and my DS (11 months old). I work 2 nights a week at the hospital but due to my son's health issues, I want to keep them out of public schools.

HOW do I even get started???  There's so much info and programs, etc....


----------



## mommyof2princesses

I am a teacher too!  Taught 4th grade for 7 years.  Decided I was tired of the whole public school system.  I miss it occasionally, but don't plan to ever go back!


----------



## disneymom3

mamaloya said:


> We have 10 homeschooling families on our street with a total of 24 kids.  We do weekly soccer and will be doing art and science experiments together this year.
> 
> My non hsing neighbors were teasing me about it not being fair that their kids start Friday the 8th and mine start monday the 11th.  I told them that Friday I will do to my kids what will happen with their kids that day.  They will come downstairs for school.  I will introduce them to their teacher.  Make them label all of their school supplies and tell them where to store them.  I will assign their seats and show them their books.  I will let them know where the lunch room is and where the playground is.  I will then make them sit and be still for the rest of the day until it is time to "go home".      Luckily most of my neighbors are great about it, especially considering the fact that they are soon to be outnumbered by hsers.


That is amazing that you have 10 homeschool familes on your street.  I would love to have even one!

It's funny you say that about the first day of school.  I do that with my kids on the first official day of school here too.  First we get in the car and drive around the neighborhood for awhile though and I tell them they have to remember their stop. Then I purposely miss it.  (Oh I also hurry them through breakfast.  DD helps with that as she went to K and was always scared she would miss the bus.  Which she never did but that's another story.)  Then we come home and get their supplies to put in their school boxes.  We have a tour of the house--don't forget to tell them where the bathroom is for potty breaks.  (My boys love to roll their eyes at that one.)  However, at the end of our tour we go out somewhere fun-a museum, a new park, out to lunch.  Just depends on what I come up with that day.



AKADrea said:


> wow, I'm SO overwhelmed!
> 
> I NEED to start researching, as my DD is 3.5 yrs old now and I plan to homeschool her and my DS (11 months old). I work 2 nights a week at the hospital but due to my son's health issues, I want to keep them out of public schools.
> 
> HOW do I even get started???  There's so much info and programs, etc....



Oh don't worry.  I know there is a lot out there, but you can go slowly.  For preschool and kindergarten you really don't have to do anything beyond read and play games. Throw in a little finger painting and you are good to go.  If your kids WANT workbooks, go to Walmart and pick up a couple of school zone ones.  My kids do not start any formal curriculum until at least 1st grade.  And that is just my youngest who is going into first grade this year. Now for history he has tagged along with his sibs and also with science, but I was mainly teaching the oldest and figured whatever he picked up was gravy.  

Here are my suggestions for K
Read
Go on a Nature Walk each week
Visit a couple of museums or places of interest each month
Read
Go to the library.  Find out if they have a homeschoolers story time. Many do
Read
Play with shaving cream, finger paint, rice, water etc.  (You can use a Rubbermand storage bin for the water or simply your kitchen sink.
Play OUTSIDE
Read  
Play Go Fish, roll dice and see who gets a higher number.
Look at a calendar every day and see what day it is today, was yesterday and will be tomorrow.
Do some activities to help them learn their address and phone number if they don't know it already.
Help them learn to write their name and if they are ready start figuring out the sounds the letters make.
*Read* 
I'm a little passionate about reading.


----------



## Denine

Today was the first day of 1st grade.  DD was happy to be back in school!  Tonight we are cooking out brats on the grill to celebrate.  Plus, she had the annual first day of school picture taken.


----------



## NHWX

We are! I feel like such a slacker but the boring, boring stuff is left to the end. On my side of things, I have to sit down with the NARS books and figure out how to grade ds's work. (We chose to go with NARS for the diploma and accountability issues. Hopefully they'll help with some course selection / college search information too.) But it's not unreasonable that they want numeric grades but I'm still working on how to grade essays or labs.

And I'm still holding off on committing to course selections too. Our local school doesn't start until 8.27 so I'm not really behind. DH's employer is being bought out by another company this month and there are very strong rumors about a layoff. I don't mind paying for curriculum but I'm going to wait for a while to figure out how much money there is available.

NHWX


----------



## fabumouse

For any homeschooling newbies, like myself.. I just discovered that the local YMCA does a homeschool PE class, once a week.  I'm hoping that we can manage it... as it looks like not only a great way to get in some physical education, but also a great way to network.

I am finding some wonderful ideas between two books: "How to write a no cost/low cost curriculum" and "The well trained mind; a guide to classical education".


----------



## Disney_Angel

Un-schooling / Cyberschooling mom here is PA!!!

    Hello everybody...we are going to WDW on September 6-20


----------



## Praise2Him

Disney_Angel - We'll just be leaving as you're arriving  

Here's something cute I received today:

*I Will Survive (the first year of homeschooling)*
Originally written and produced by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris
Originally performed by Gloria Gaynor
Mercilessly altered with apologies by Natalie Criss

============ ======== ============ ======

First I was afraid
I was petrified.
Kept thinking I could never teach
'Cause I'm not certified.
But we spent so many nights
Reteaching homework that was wrong.
I grew strong,
so now I teach my kids at home!
We study math
and outer space.
I just kept on despite the fear
with a big smile across my face.
I bought a set of Base Ten blocks.
I bought books with answer keys.
My parents think we're nuts,
but they don't even bother me

Come on, let's go walk out the door.
We're on the road now,
'cause we're not home much anymore
My friends would laugh and say we'd be unsocialized.
I heard one mumble
that I'd give up by July.
Oh no, not I!
I will survive!
As long as I know how to read
I know we'll be alright.
I've got all my life to learn.
I've got energy to burn.
and I'll survive.
I will survive.

It took all the strength I had
not to fall apart.
Decided to attend
a play date at the local park,
and I met oh so many moms
who offered eagerly to help.
They used to cry.
Now they hold their heads up high,
and so do we!
My kids are cool!
They're not those chained up little people
stuck inside at school.
So if you feel like dropping by
and just expect us to be free
you'd better call ahead first
'cause we're probably busy


----------



## LittleBlue22

TheRatPack said:


> This past year our homeschooling group ordered shirts (we order them every year but this past year was our first as a family).  They have one that says WARNING Unsocialized Homeschooler.....my son gets comments everywhere we go when he's wearing it LOL
> 
> http://www.greathomeschooltshirts.com/  This is the site, they have a sale in August, which is when we all get together and make a LARGE order , they also will screenprint your group name on the back....which is nice for group field trips..etc.


*
The shirts are on sale The shirts are on sale The shirts are on sale *

Questions- do the shirt run true to size? are they a thick or thin cotton? 
this is the shirt I want to get:






and here's the shirt colors:


----------



## NHWX

Disney_Angel,

We'll be arriving just as you're leaving! We're in Disney September 20-27.

NHWX


----------



## Disney_Angel

Praise2Him said:


> Disney_Angel - We'll just be leaving as you're arriving
> 
> Here's something cute I received today:
> 
> *I Will Survive (the first year of homeschooling)*
> Originally written and produced by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris
> Originally performed by Gloria Gaynor
> Mercilessly altered with apologies by Natalie Criss
> 
> ============ ======== ============ ======
> 
> First I was afraid
> I was petrified.
> Kept thinking I could never teach
> 'Cause I'm not certified.
> But we spent so many nights
> Reteaching homework that was wrong.
> I grew strong,
> so now I teach my kids at home!
> We study math
> and outer space.
> I just kept on despite the fear
> with a big smile across my face.
> I bought a set of Base Ten blocks.
> I bought books with answer keys.
> My parents think we're nuts,
> but they don't even bother me
> 
> Come on, let's go walk out the door.
> We're on the road now,
> 'cause we're not home much anymore
> My friends would laugh and say we'd be unsocialized.
> I heard one mumble
> that I'd give up by July.
> Oh no, not I!
> I will survive!
> As long as I know how to read
> I know we'll be alright.
> I've got all my life to learn.
> I've got energy to burn.
> and I'll survive.
> I will survive.
> 
> It took all the strength I had
> not to fall apart.
> Decided to attend
> a play date at the local park,
> and I met oh so many moms
> who offered eagerly to help.
> They used to cry.
> Now they hold their heads up high,
> and so do we!
> My kids are cool!
> They're not those chained up little people
> stuck inside at school.
> So if you feel like dropping by
> and just expect us to be free
> you'd better call ahead first
> 'cause we're probably busy



Oh thanks! This is just what I need . Everyone said we would give up...we are now entering our third year of un-schooling at home!


----------



## DAISY DUCK FAN!

Hello!
We homeschool our boys here in NJ.
We'll be in WDW on September 18th-25th.


----------



## Disney_Angel

Any suggestions of must see's in the Japan and China pavillions?
We are studying China and Feudal Japan this school year.


----------



## Disney_Angel

NHWX said:


> Disney_Angel,
> 
> We'll be arriving just as you're leaving! We're in Disney September 20-27.
> 
> NHWX



I hope you have a great time!


----------



## Disney_Angel

Any idea for un-schooling in Future World? We have a science unit on Pushes and Pulls. Last year in Innovations I remember the testing labs and I thought they had some good examples that could demonstrate this. Any thoughts  ?


----------



## lori1043

My girls loved picking out an oyster and geting pearls in Japan. They tin toy exhibit in China is cool. We taught out girls "hello" and "thank you" in all the languages EPCOT WS represents. The Chinese ladies by the KIDCOT were most impressed in all of WS. The kids had fun with them!

We made a Chinese zodiac calendar and Japanese lanterns. We had so much fun with it.

Oh and don't forget the candy lady in Japan. I think it is Japan!!!

Lori


----------



## jaycns

I have long tried to keep up a discussion about educational Disney ideas.  I didn't do such an awesome job with keeping it going.   But the thread itself (though not a recent one) has some great ideas!!  I would love to see any great ideas you all have added to it.  

We home school year round here and I base our July/August summer work on Disney inspired projects.  We all have a lot of fun and learn quite a bit while doing it.   We usually follow up our summer of learning with a fall trip to Disney (you have to love being able to travel in the off season ).

This year we are going to be staying at the WL.  We studied about our National Parks, Native Americans, trains and mammals of North America in July.  This month we are focusing on Frontierland (it just fits with the whole WL theme thing).  We are going to study the Grand Canyon, Utah, mining, read about ghost towns,and do a bit of rock collecting and geology study as tie ins to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  We will read the Brier Rabbit stories, make up our own Brier Rabbit stories, study some of the songs, art forms, foods and stories contributed by slaves to the American culture, learn about the Underground Railroad, visit a cave, learn about swamps and discuss plantation life using Splash Mountain as our Disney tie in.

I know that other Disney loving home schoolers must have even better ideas...I would love to hear them!  

Here is the thread I was talking about:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1145853


----------



## HomeschoolMama

LittleBlue22 said:


> *
> The shirts are on sale The shirts are on sale The shirts are on sale *
> 
> Questions- do the shirt run true to size? are they a thick or thin cotton?
> this is the shirt I want to get:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> and here's the shirt colors:


 I just bought a shirt there a month ago...  I bought my son who's in a 5/6 the 6-8 and it's a good fit.  If you want a 7/8, I would go up a size.  I bought the unsocialized hser shirt.    It's a nice thick, Hanes 50/50 t-shirt.


----------



## wvdislover

I just ordered my HS stuff for this year, and I'm a bundle of nerves, hoping I picked the right stuff.  My DD11 has Asperger's Syndrome and was having problems in school, both socially and academically (possibly b/c of the social issues), so we pulled her out 3/4 of the way through the year this past school year and did SOS for the last 9 weeks of school.  Didn't go as well as I'd hoped (complex issues and a schedule in front of her every day reminding her of what didn't get finished the day before  ).  This year, we're trying unit studies instead, so I ordered the Vacation Education Books studies on Magic Kingdom and Epcot to work on before, during, and right after our vacation.  I also ordered Portraits of American Girlhood (American Girls unit study--she's REALLY excited about this!) and Teaching Textbooks for math.  I have spent SO much time looking at different stuff, I'm absolutely worn out, so I really hope I have made good decisions for her.  BTW, we leave Sept 23 for WDW (Beach Club), then Sept 29 for our 4 night cruise on the Wonder!


----------



## Disney_Angel

jaycns said:


> I have long tried to keep up a discussion about educational Disney ideas.  I didn't do such an awesome job with keeping it going.   But the thread itself (though not a recent one) has some great ideas!!  I would love to see any great ideas you all have added to it.
> 
> a cave, learn about swamps and discuss plantation life using Splash MountainWe home school year round here and I base our July/August summer work on Disney inspired projects.  We all have a lot of fun and learn quite a bit while doing it.   We usually follow up our summer of learning with a fall trip to Disney (you have to love being able to travel in the off season ).
> 
> This year we are going to be staying at the WL.  We studied about our National Parks, Native Americans, trains and mammals of North America in July.  This month we are focusing on Frontierland (it just fits with the whole WL theme thing).  We are going to study the Grand Canyon, Utah, mining, read about ghost towns,and do a bit of rock collecting and geology study as tie ins to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  We will read the Brier Rabbit stories, make up our own Brier Rabbit stories, study some of the songs, art forms, foods and stories contributed by slaves to the American culture, learn about the Underground Railroad, visit  as our Disney tie in.
> 
> I know that other Disney loving home schoolers must have even better ideas...I would love to hear them!
> 
> Here is the thread I was talking about:
> http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1145853



Thanks....when learning about slavery make sure you pick up the book called "Follow the Drining Gourd"....never again will you look at the big dipper the same. Our dd particularly likes this story.


----------



## Tikitoi

Anyone who homeschools their children/child 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is something I am seriously thinking of doing for medical reasons. DD is a Type I diabetic and last year we had such a bad experience with nurse ratchet who had ZERO bed side manner qualities. Anyway, new school so new nurse this year. I'm just worried about something happening with DD being in Jr high this year and the changing of class rooms that she will be so into where she needs to go to next and with there being many teachers to deal with this year that if her sugar level is low or gets too low that she may not pay enough attention to it. I know, talk to the teachers and of course DD but I still am very concerned with this being so new to her. I am just wondering about homeschooling, since it would be up to me/parent to do it how you who do homeschool work this into your schedule every day? I mean do you work an outside job on top of it? I still have to work, since I am a single parent. And yes it would mean me getting a sitter or someone for her while I am working.  Just not sure what to really do, I geuss. 
(I had this posted on another board, but did the ol' copy/paste).


----------



## bear74

we will be at POP Sept. 20- Sept 29 We are Homeschooling our oldest who is 5


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

TIKITOI- I do not work, but I am sure some one on here does and can give you the schedule they use!! While you are away from her, this would be a good time for her to read some great classical children's stories. We use lots of books like this (we follow the Charlotte Mason approach which uses books instead of all traditional textbooks). Anyway, if you think this is best for her, it probably is!! Mom's know!! Have you discussed this with her? If you are gonna be gone for part of the day/evening this is going to require lots of consistency and she has to understand that she is really gonna have to be relied upon and make this work. 

I bet she will be relieved and grateful!. It will work out fine--you just need to decide what needs to be done and then stick to it.All hsing is a little tough at the beginning-this is a new thing for you both, but hang in there and remember---WE like to answer questions from each other & somebody else has usually went through what ever you are facing!!


----------



## Lilogirl

wvdislover said:


> I just ordered my HS stuff for this year, and I'm a bundle of nerves, hoping I picked the right stuff.  My DD11 has Asperger's Syndrome and was having problems in school, both socially and academically (possibly b/c of the social issues), so we pulled her out 3/4 of the way through the year this past school year and did SOS for the last 9 weeks of school.  Didn't go as well as I'd hoped (complex issues and a schedule in front of her every day reminding her of what didn't get finished the day before  ).  This year, we're trying unit studies instead, so I ordered the Vacation Education Books studies on Magic Kingdom and Epcot to work on before, during, and right after our vacation.  I also ordered Portraits of American Girlhood (American Girls unit study--she's REALLY excited about this!) and Teaching Textbooks for math.  I have spent SO much time looking at different stuff, I'm absolutely worn out, so I really hope I have made good decisions for her.  BTW, we leave Sept 23 for WDW (Beach Club), then Sept 29 for our 4 night cruise on the Wonder!



OOH-can you share where you found the Studies on MK and EP and the American Girls unit studies? (Please!)


----------



## Ellester

Disney_Angel said:


> Thanks....when learning about slavery make sure you pick up the book called "Follow the Drining Gourd"....never again will you look at the big dipper the same. Our dd particularly likes this story.



"Who Owns the Sun" by Stacy Chbosky is another great one. I cry every time.


----------



## Ellester

Lilogirl said:


> OOH-can you share where you found the Studies on MK and EP and the American Girls unti studies? (Please!)



http://www.gatewaytoknowledge.com/us7.html for the AG study.


----------



## bumbershoot

I just finished page 4 and the number of pages I've just opened up based on curricula mentioned is mind-blowing.  


I'm a dedicated future homeschooler in WA that is getting more and more scared as DS gets older.    He's 4 and is yearning to learn, so of course I've bought some Kumon books and another big "preschool" workbook that he's loving.  

But as time goes on, I'm getting nervous.  How do I find out what curriculum to start with?  How do I find out what kids are supposed to know by the end of their schooling?  I can picture myself helping him learn all this amazing stuff, but then he'll be 17 and I'll realize I forgot to teach him something basic, LOL.  

For those who *started* at home, what did you start with?  And when did you start?


(Now I'll go back to continuing to read through the whole thread...to page 5 I go!)


editing to add something.  Since I'm kind of asking for suggestions, it's worth noting that we are NOT religious, and so the more non-religious the suggestions can be, the better.  Though I know we can just skip things if needed...I'm just the kind of person who doesn't like skipping pages (I've not finished three books in my entire life!).


----------



## bumbershoot

Looks like if I had been patient, page 5 has just about the exact same question, with many responses.  Thanks, cajunrose, for asking in the spring all that I just asked!


----------



## LegoMom3

Lilogirl said:


> OOH-can you share where you found the Studies on MK and EP and the American Girls unit studies? (Please!)


 

Here's the link for the Epcot & MK studies:

http://vacationeducationbooks.net/Products.aspx


.


----------



## jaycns

Ellester said:


> "Who Owns the Sun" by Stacy Chbosky is another great one. I cry every time.



Thanks Ellester and Disney Angel, those books are now on my "to find" list.  Would you happen to know what grade level those books are most suited?   TIA and thanks again for the great suggestions!


----------



## Lilogirl

LegoMom3 said:


> Here's the link for the Epcot & MK studies:
> 
> http://vacationeducationbooks.net/Products.aspx
> 
> 
> .



Thank You!!!


----------



## ilovejack02

ALRIGHT... Ive finally made the decision to homeschool! 
Whew, could I have waited any longer? 
We went to open house tonight and that did it for me.
Got home and threw all the paper work they had for me to fill out etc and told my DH my plans.
 DH didnt quite know what to do with himself. He did say, just let me know what I have to do to help you make this happen, so at least he didnt freak out on me.

My first question is ......
WHERE DO I START?


----------



## sha_lyn

here are the laws in LA
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/laws/blLA.htm

I would suggest finding a local HS group to help you weed through the law
and the viable options in your area


----------



## NHWX

ilovejack02 said:


> ALRIGHT... Ive finally made the decision to homeschool!
> Whew, could I have waited any longer?
> We went to open house tonight and that did it for me.
> Got home and threw all the paper work they had for me to fill out etc and told my DH my plans.
> DH didnt quite know what to do with himself. He did say, just let me know what I have to do to help you make this happen, so at least he didnt freak out on me.
> 
> My first question is ......
> WHERE DO I START?



That's a fun way to start! http://www.wdwinfo.com/images/smilies/yay.gif


I'd recommend you look at the HSLDA website for information on what your state requires. http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp

Since school's starting already, you'll probably have to file some sort of notice with the your school district, the state, somewhere. You'll have to think about your child or children - how do they learn? Do they need some time to decompress or de-school as they say? What sort of educational goals do they need to meet? 

Over the years, we've put together curriculum, bought a packaged set of curriculum and used our state's virtual charter school. Different types learning suit different kids at different times. 

There are many great suggestions on the previous pages. Take a look through them!

NHWX


----------



## lori1043

ilovejack02 said:


> ALRIGHT... Ive finally made the decision to homeschool!
> Whew, could I have waited any longer?
> We went to open house tonight and that did it for me.
> Got home and threw all the paper work they had for me to fill out etc and told my DH my plans.
> DH didnt quite know what to do with himself. He did say, just let me know what I have to do to help you make this happen, so at least he didnt freak out on me.
> 
> My first question is ......
> WHERE DO I START?


 
Heloooooooo Jenny!!!! Call ME and i can HELP you out!!

I will PM you my cell.

You Louisiana friend, Lori


----------



## lori1043

Anyone from Ohio?

I am going there to "check things out" with DH b/c of the probably possibilties that could move us there by end of year.

It looks pretty tough to HS there. Well much more than here in Louisiana. I have taken advantage of our HS freedoms down south.

Thanks, any info would be appreciated.

Jenny, all you have to do in Louisiana is go to send in a letter to the state superintendant of education... and off you go after curriculum is chosen. Send it in soon, but you are okay on time. Look up CHEF of La for info. 
http://www.chefofla.org/page2.html

copy of letter from our HEA, but same letter for everyone, send with an SASE so they can send you a copy for your records:

http://www.tammanyhea.org/FAQ.html

Lori


----------



## nuzmom

For those who wonder, "how do I start hsing", here's my 2 cents.

1) You MUST know the hsing laws of YOUR state. They vary and can vary WIDELY!!!! Home school legal defense fund is a good place to start (as other posters have mentioned). There are also other websites that hsers have put together for each state. Try doing searches for "your state homeschoolers". However, remember, it is YOUR responsibility to know and comply with the law!!!

2) Some times the law will dictate some of the subject you must teach. Aside from that, your local school can tell you what THEY teach in what grade. You do NOT have to follow that, but it may be helpful when you're just starting out. Also, if you see what curriculum is available for each grade, that will help you know what you COULD teach.

3) You WILL be overwhelmed with curriculum choices. If you are even a smig short of being overwhelmed, be happy, VERY happy. Rainbow Resources has a HUGE catalog for home schoolers. I highly recommend it.

4) If you can attend a curriculum fair, do so. It's nice to be able to look through so much curriculum at one time. But, remember, you will get overwhelmed.

5) Create a list of subjects you're considering. You can add and subtract, but at least this will give you an idea of what to look for. Between home schooling catalogs and curriculum fairs, start LISTING what you think you might like to try. Just keep narrowing down the list. Sometimes it's helpful to look for reviews on-line or ask questions on boards like this.

6) Try to find homeschoolers in your area. If you find a homeschooling website for your state, there are sometimes hsing groups that are listed. Even if you don't join a group, many times the families are willing to help get you started and share their experiences with you.

7) I HIGHLY suggest you WRITE DOWN the reasons WHY you are homeschooling and WHAT you want to "get out of it". On your bad days (and you'll have them), you don't think straight and it is so helpful to be able to go back and remind yourself of your priorities. Every family I know that has done this highly recommends this to all homeschooling families.

I guess I should have put this as number one, but I recommend the book by Lisa Whelch, "So You're Thinking About Homeschooling". It details how 15 families homeschool. I like it because most new hsers don't realize the wide variety of homeschooling styles and this gives real life examples of each. It's a good place to start to see if you're more of an unschooler or cyberschooler or somewhere in between.

Sorry this post got a bit long, but maybe it will help someone.


----------



## ilovejack02

Thank you Nuzmom!!!

I am just so overwhelmed! I told Jack of our decision last night and he started crying. Now I  feel like a big mean Momma! 

Im going to call Lori today and hopefully she can help straighten me head out LOL. 

Im not going to call the school quite yet to drop him. His first day is tomorrow though so not sure how to handle that.   So much to think about. 

My hubby is worried that I just dont want to let him go but is supportive of what ever I decide.
DS was in a half day kinder last yr and I happily sent him on his way everyday, did even have a care in the world the first day last yr. He loved his school, they adored him. It was small and intimate and caring. If they had a full day program and had higher grades I would be singing as i dropped his little butt off everyday LMAO, But they dont and the reason they dont is because public schools are supposed to be just FAB out her. 
Well im not feeling the fabulousness , I think I could just do so much more with him in a homeschool environment. 
Ok enough rambling, Im going to get to work on what the heck Im going to do with my child. 
Im sure you all will be hearing lots more from me.


----------



## npmommie

Can any of you share what you use for a math program?  We have been using Singapore since the start and my soon to be 3rd grader seems to be getting frustrated with it.   I think its a good program although I see some things about it that I don't like ...........so I am thinking of trying something different for this coming year.
thanks!


----------



## nuzmom

npmommie said:


> Can any of you share what you use for a math program?  We have been using Singapore since the start and my soon to be 3rd grader seems to be getting frustrated with it.   I think its a good program although I see some things about it that I don't like ...........so I am thinking of trying something different for this coming year.
> thanks!



We use Math U See through 3rd grade and then switch to Saxon. Saxon can be very long and "intense", I would recommend Math U See - it tends to be "fun".


----------



## TLHB70

Ilovejack02, I just sent you a PM.  I was born and raised in Livingston Parish.  Because of DH's job, we moved from Walker in 2002.  I taught in Livingston Parish schools for 6 years.   Our entire family (grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) still lives in Livingston Parish.  As a matter of fact, my brother is a high school principal.  I have friends in the Live Oak area that homeschool.  I PMd you about possibly contacting them for help.


----------



## ilovejack02

TLHB70 said:


> Ilovejack02, I just sent you a PM.  I was born and raised in Livingston Parish.  Because of DH's job, we moved from Walker in 2002.  I taught in Livingston Parish schools for 6 years.   Our entire family (grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) still lives in Livingston Parish.  As a matter of fact, my brother is a high school principal.  I have friends in the Live Oak area that homeschool.  I PMd you about possibly contacting them for help.



AWESOME, thanks so much!
I pm'd you.


----------



## lori1043

I loveJack:
I hope I CAN help you out and am here to support you!!!

IMHO, I think homeschooling can be a great choice for honing in on what is important to you and your child. You can find curriculum and unit studies that fascinate him(and he is at SUCH a great age for the unit study fascination thing!, like butterflies and frogs and ladybug life cycle stuff-it is endless). As he gets older you can even make sure he gets in subjects that interest him for his future career choice. Or weed it out. They didn't do that at my high school. HS'ing is the opposite of that cookie cutter curriculum that schools use for every kid. And I am NOT against putting kids in the school system, I just didn't like them so much!

You are In my thoughts and prayers for a good choice for your family.
If you need curriculum ideas, you can find it here or I will PM you my personal email-or heck, call me again! It WILL be overwhelming. You WILL have days you ask yourself WH? WHY?! WHY! you did this to yourself.
Over all, it is a wonderful thing and worth all the things you have to possibly give up or postpone for it. The positives SO outweigh the negatives. 

Lori


----------



## Nik's Mom

Hi,
I'm pretty desperate right now and need help. Here is some background. We just moved to Kansas back in May. We have 2 autistic children. Back in California, they were both doing well in school. The first week that we moved here, a fire alarm went off in our hotel. It was just a false alarm, but they would not let anyone out of the building. It must have been about 10 minutes that the alarm sounded. OUr youngest ds was terrified and began to shake. He was hysterical. 

Fast forward a few days later when he started his new school. We had already explained what happened with the fire alarm and that ds was still frightened. I spent the first week of school with him just to keep him calm. On the 2nd week of school, there was a fire drill and they did not remove him before the drill!!!! After that, he refused to go back into the building.

So here we are 3 months later, and I cannot get him out of the car to go to school. He begins to shake and scream in terror. He was diagnosed yesterday with Post-traumatic-stress syndrome! The psychiatrist said that it will be a long road before he will feel safe to go back to school. In the mean time, the new school year starts next week. I'm going to talk to the principal about home schooling for now. 

The problem is, I know nothing about home-schooling. Ds is only 6 and like I said, he is autistic. Where do I begin? Do any of you have special needs children? My son should be getting speech and occupational therapy, but how if we can't get him in the building! Can anyone give some guidance about home schooling for special needs children? I'm freaking out, as you can probably tell.


----------



## 02AggieGirl

I'm a confused.   I have started to look into home school for my DD4.  If I don't go with an accredited home school and just do my own thing, how will she graduate and get into college?  Maybe I just don't understand how it works.  I hope this isn't just a really stupid question, but any advise would help.  Thanks!!


----------



## reginaastralis

Hopefully you ladies will be able to help out ... and I apologize, because I haven't read through this whole thread.

I am thinking about "homeschooling" my 3.5 year old.   use the word homeschooling very loosely, because I am not looking for a completely structured setting.  I want to be able to teach her writing, letter sounds, and all of her numbers to start with.  Has anyone ever started this young?  And, can you give me any tips on how to start?

Thanks!


----------



## sha_lyn

02AggieGirl said:


> I'm a confused.   I have started to look into home school for my DD4.  If I don't go with an accredited home school and just do my own thing, how will she graduate and get into college?  Maybe I just don't understand how it works.  I hope this isn't just a really stupid question, but any advise would help.  Thanks!!



Many colleges with go by SAT or ACT scores for home-schoolers. Other require a transcript in addition to test scores. Most colleges are very accommodating to home-schoolers.



npmommie said:


> Can any of you share what you use for a math program?  We have been using Singapore since the start and my soon to be 3rd grader seems to be getting frustrated with it.   I think its a good program although I see some things about it that I don't like ...........so I am thinking of trying something different for this coming year.
> thanks!



What seems to be the problem? Singapore is the only Math program that has worked for DD.



Nik's Mom said:


> Hi,
> I'm pretty desperate right now and need help. Here is some background. We just moved to Kansas back in May. We have 2 autistic children. Back in California, they were both doing well in school. The first week that we moved here, a fire alarm went off in our hotel. It was just a false alarm, but they would not let anyone out of the building. It must have been about 10 minutes that the alarm sounded. OUr youngest ds was terrified and began to shake. He was hysterical.
> 
> Fast forward a few days later when he started his new school. We had already explained what happened with the fire alarm and that ds was still frightened. I spent the first week of school with him just to keep him calm. On the 2nd week of school, there was a fire drill and they did not remove him before the drill!!!! After that, he refused to go back into the building.
> 
> So here we are 3 months later, and I cannot get him out of the car to go to school. He begins to shake and scream in terror. He was diagnosed yesterday with Post-traumatic-stress syndrome! The psychiatrist said that it will be a long road before he will feel safe to go back to school. In the mean time, the new school year starts next week. I'm going to talk to the principal about home schooling for now.
> 
> The problem is, I know nothing about home-schooling. Ds is only 6 and like I said, he is autistic. Where do I begin? Do any of you have special needs children? My son should be getting speech and occupational therapy, but how if we can't get him in the building! Can anyone give some guidance about home schooling for special needs children? I'm freaking out, as you can probably tell.



Check yahoo groups for special needs home-school groups and groups in your area.


----------



## npmommie

sha_lyn said:


> What seems to be the problem? Singapore is the only Math program that has worked for DD.



I think it is the way it is taught, which i do like, they learn the skill and immediately go to problem solving with it. logical thinking........but i think this frustrates my child......i think more repetition is needed before jumping to the problem solving, but she does great grasping the concept and the skill.
so i am thinking i could either add to the program with even more drills and repetition and just come back to the problem solving.
or we could try something else this year and maybe come back to singapore and try it again next year.


i have been hearing good things about math u see...........several people have recommended this to me.
i am going to look into it.


----------



## sha_lyn

If you want to try and stick with singapore math, have you tried the home instructors guide that sonlight publishes? Also you can buy the extra practice workbooks


----------



## Disney_Angel

02AggieGirl said:


> I'm a confused.   I have started to look into home school for my DD4.  If I don't go with an accredited home school and just do my own thing, how will she graduate and get into college?  Maybe I just don't understand how it works.  I hope this isn't just a really stupid question, but any advise would help.  Thanks!!



www.k12.com  

This is our THIRD year....it works for us.


----------



## AuroraBeauty

02AggieGirl said:


> I'm a confused.   I have started to look into home school for my DD4.  If I don't go with an accredited home school and just do my own thing, how will she graduate and get into college?  Maybe I just don't understand how it works.  I hope this isn't just a really stupid question, but any advise would help.  Thanks!!




Most colleges and universities are familiar with homeschooled applicants and have specific materials just for their applications since they may not have the 'traditional' state high school mandated records.  If you choose an 'accredited' program (such as various online schools) then it isn't homeschool in the same sense because there are grades and transcripts available.  Some states also have very specific requirement regarding record keeping and as such if you are from one of those states and are applying to a state college/university then the admissions office is familiar with the records you had to keep and may ask for some documentation.  Otherwise, there is no 'Graduation' or diploma per se.  Some homeschool kids I know end up taking the GED to get to college.  

Many of the Ivy League schools have specific admissions officers for homeschoolers and they do not require transcripts from homeschoolers.  

I think we, as parents who came from a traditional public/private education system, find it difficult at first to believe that major colleges and universities are welcoming homeschoolers and not making it exceptionally difficult for us and our kids.  We have to trust those who have blazed the trail for us! 




reginaastralis said:


> Hopefully you ladies will be able to help out ... and I apologize, because I haven't read through this whole thread.
> 
> I am thinking about "homeschooling" my 3.5 year old.   use the word homeschooling very loosely, because I am not looking for a completely structured setting.  I want to be able to teach her writing, letter sounds, and all of her numbers to start with.  Has anyone ever started this young?  And, can you give me any tips on how to start?



Anything a parent actively teaches their under 5/6 year old at home is homeschooling.  Homeschooling for the little ones is more hands on, game and fun oriented.  I subscribe to the IAHP program and have believe that my DD was capable of learning from birth.  So, I embarked on a learning program with her very early.  She was able to read at a very early age, she can do math, we've done science projects, we've learned about art and music and so much more.  It's not at all 'sit at a desk and listen to me stuff' but rather age-appropriate learning.  What little child wouldn't be interested in collecting 10 things and making predictions of what might sink or float in a bucket of water.  On a hot day, it is a lot of fun!  And the child is learning science but never realizes it.

That's the great thing about being a homeschooler -- learning can become fun!

Enjoy doing fun things with you little one!


----------



## NHWX

reginaastralis said:


> Hopefully you ladies will be able to help out ... and I apologize, because I haven't read through this whole thread.
> 
> I am thinking about "homeschooling" my 3.5 year old.   use the word homeschooling very loosely, because I am not looking for a completely structured setting.  I want to be able to teach her writing, letter sounds, and all of her numbers to start with.  Has anyone ever started this young?  And, can you give me any tips on how to start?
> 
> Thanks!



I agree with a previous poster, pretty much anything you do with your child now is learning so I wouldn't really worry about it. If you make cookies together, you're teaching her about measuring units. When you look at a bug together, you're doing science. When you read to her, it's literature. 

Depending on your child, she might be ready to learn more formally academic material. You might start with the ever popular preschool letter of the day.  "M" is for Maria and macaroni and maps. You can get those interlocking foam squares with a letter in each one; those are fun puzzles and sized appropriately for a three year old. But if your child hides or spaces out, take it as a sign that there's plenty of time for this later. Go back to singing and playing in the sand and all those other great three year old activities.

NHWX


----------



## NHWX

npmommie said:


> Can any of you share what you use for a math program?  We have been using Singapore since the start and my soon to be 3rd grader seems to be getting frustrated with it.   I think its a good program although I see some things about it that I don't like ...........so I am thinking of trying something different for this coming year.
> thanks!



I'll chime in with a Math-U-See recommendation. When we pulled our younger son out of school, he had some holes in his math education. (Thank you Everyday Math! Learn a little about everything but not enough about one thing.) We really focused on filling in those holes and Math-U-See was perfect. I didn't have him do every problem, just enough to show mastery. Saying something like "Try these 12 circled problems. If you get them right, we're done with this section." was a great motivator to not hurry through the problems. 

NHWX


----------



## NHWX

02AggieGirl said:


> I'm a confused.   I have started to look into home school for my DD4.  If I don't go with an accredited home school and just do my own thing, how will she graduate and get into college?  Maybe I just don't understand how it works.  I hope this isn't just a really stupid question, but any advise would help.  Thanks!!



It'll be OK.  I think previous posters have answered pretty well. There are very active email lists for parents of homeschoolers headed to college; I'm on two. There's a wealth of information out there about high school, credits, dual-enrollment, etc. but you don't really have to think about that until 7th or 8th grade at the earliest.

If you want to put together your own curriculum, there are many resources as to what children learn in each year. I'd look at the highlights personally. I've looked at some of the scope and sequence series and you'd have to be working at it 80 hours/week in order to get it all done. Your state department of ed. might be a good place to look online.

A previous poster suggested looking at K12 and I think it's a great idea. I believe that they intend that 80-90% of the material would be covered in a school year within a virtual school setting. You could look at their scope and sequence pages. (If I'm wrong here, someone please correct me!)

Homeschooling is a great option for kids of all ages. My 15 year old said something today about studying epidemiology this year. Maybe in a dedicated science and math large city high school he'd be able to get that but definitely not here.

NHWX


----------



## Temair

With the virtual schools it all varies and depends on your school/state.  I was part of the Arkansas Virtual Achool (until this year) and they required 100% completion of the materials.  We had to start when the public school started and stop when they did.  I prefer a more year round aproach and wanted things that the arkansas virtual academy could not provide.  I wanted my DD to advance at her own speed but they would only provide 1 year of curriculum.  We have chosen to go antoher route this year.  Over all the Virtual school is an excelent curriculum.  At times it's too much work, and very heavy on hand writen work.  I recomend the virtual school especially if you can not afford to homeschool but really want to.


----------



## bumbershoot

I haven't yet looked at any responses to my questions, but I've looked at the last two pages.

*Nik's Mom*...   to your son!





02AggieGirl said:


> I'm a confused.   I have started to look into home school for my DD4.  If I don't go with an accredited home school and just do my own thing, how will she graduate and get into college?  Maybe I just don't understand how it works.  I hope this isn't just a really stupid question, but any advise would help.  Thanks!!




I'm very lucky in that I worked in the Admissions office at my university between my junior and senior years.  We sent info out to prospective freshmen, and even got to see some applications, to sort them in some way I've forgotten by now.  While doing that, I vividly remember seeing a few homeschool applications, and I thought that was interesting.  I only started thinking about homeschooling later in grad school, but I did see the applications.

So just now I went looking.

My university:

5. How are homeschooled students evaluated in the admission process?

Puget Sound is dedicated to working with homeschooled students and giving them every chance of success. Please call the office of admission to speak with an admission counselor about our evaluation of homeschooled student applications.


If anyone wants to just sob with JOY, read Duke's page: http://www.admissions.duke.edu/jump/applying/apply_homeschooled.asp

That's my brother and SIL's alma mater (twice for SIL b/c she went back for a law degree) so I *have to* like it even though I don't like Gothic architecture, but I think I am a bit in love with them after reading their page.


Stanford's isn't as pretty, but oh well.  http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/basics/requirements/home_school.html


An article in Yale Daily News from 2004, and it profiles an unschooled Yale student (though she did go to high school)!  http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/12169

An article from Harvard's The Crimson: http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=512786



> In 1989, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons ’67 said that around five to 10 homeschooled students applied to Harvard yearly.
> 
> Following the rise in the number of homeschoolers nationwide, between 100 and 200 homeschooled students applied to Harvard this year, says Director of Admissions Marlyn McGrath Lewis ’70-’73. Lewis adds that many other applicants were homeschooled for part of their education.
> 
> ....
> 
> Lewis says she cannot give exact figures because the admissions office does not place homeschooled students’ applications into separate categories.



Love that last part.


OK this took me ages to find, but I did.  There's a Common Application for many colleges, including Harvard, Yale, and Brown (the school whose link I finally followed to the application).  In the section where you download the application, they have a homeschool supplement file to download and fill out.  The list of files is here: https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/DownloadForms.aspx

And this is the link to all the schools that use the Common Application: https://www.commonapp.org/CommonApp/Members.aspx


Don't tell my brother I wrote about this school, but my uncle works (or worked, not sure) in a grad level science program at UNC Chapel Hill, and he absolutely hated homeschool applications and applications from UC Santa Cruz, back before they went to grades (they used to have an evaluation much like homeschoolers have).  It was this crazy irrational thing he had in his head, and my dad (who went to and worked at UCSC) couldn't convince him otherwise.  So b/c of him, I went looking, and this is what I found.



I could go on, but I'm tired.


----------



## fabumouse

Temair - I love the year 'round approach.. all summer we have been: where do your clothes come from?  why are cars bigger here than in London?  and how does the US Mail work?  There is no reason to sit around during the summer staring at our belly buttons, just so we can resent the school calendar.   

I'm definitely feeling like homeschooling can be addictive, as what I think she needs to learn.. is what she learns.


----------



## disneymarie

02AggieGirl said:


> I'm a confused.   I have started to look into home school for my DD4.  If I don't go with an accredited home school and just do my own thing, how will she graduate and get into college?  Maybe I just don't understand how it works.  I hope this isn't just a really stupid question, but any advise would help.  Thanks!!



I have far too much on my plate so I am going with a strong accredited cyber school Connections academy. They supply the computer, text adn instrutors, I am the coach for my child. DD12 middle school had a lot of anxiety issues and bullying. 

The program is State certified and the tuition is paid from money that would ahve gone to the school district, now directed to the online school. The same text she has been using are those used in the program. There is live white board lecture, the special needs kids are piorities and even home visits and outside help brought in if needed. 

I attended an online informatioal and then a local presentation before I enrolled this year. This program was the best for us.
They are in many states then PA and are part of the Sylvan learning centers.

good luck with schooling
dianne


----------



## AuroraBeauty

disneymarie said:


> I have far too much on my plate so I am going with a strong accredited cyber school Connections academy.



This is why homeschooling is so wonderful -- everyone, individually, gets to choose what is best for their child(ren).

If it works for your kids, then that's all that really matters.

Best Wishes!


----------



## NHWX

Temair said:


> With the virtual schools it all varies and depends on your school/state.  I was part of the Arkansas Virtual Achool (until this year) and they required 100% completion of the materials.  We had to start when the public school started and stop when they did.  I prefer a more year round aproach and wanted things that the arkansas virtual academy could not provide.  I wanted my DD to advance at her own speed but they would only provide 1 year of curriculum.  We have chosen to go antoher route this year.  Over all the Virtual school is an excelent curriculum.  At times it's too much work, and very heavy on hand writen work.  I recomend the virtual school especially if you can not afford to homeschool but really want to.




I do appreciate knowing how it really works. I'd heard (though who knows how truthful it is) that the virtual school in Georgia had so much PE that no one could do it. We use some K12 as independent homeschoolers for my soon to be eighth grader. And, no we don't do all the written work. Some but not all.

Always happy to learn something!

NHWX


----------



## sha_lyn

NHWX said:


> I do appreciate knowing how it really works. *I'd heard (though who knows how truthful it is) that the virtual school in Georgia had so much PE that no one could do it.* We use some K12 as independent homeschoolers for my soon to be eighth grader. And, no we don't do all the written work. Some but not all.
> 
> Always happy to learn something!
> 
> NHWX



I have a friend who's children are both very active athletes (as in they each compete in more than one sport at any given time)and she said it was going to be hard for them to log enough time.


----------



## Disney_Angel

disneymarie said:


> I have far too much on my plate so I am going with a strong accredited cyber school Connections academy. They supply the computer, text adn instrutors, I am the coach for my child. DD12 middle school had a lot of anxiety issues and bullying.
> 
> The program is State certified and the tuition is paid from money that would ahve gone to the school district, now directed to the online school. The same text she has been using are those used in the program. There is live white board lecture, the special needs kids are piorities and even home visits and outside help brought in if needed.
> 
> I attended an online informatioal and then a local presentation before I enrolled this year. This program was the best for us.
> They are in many states then PA and are part of the Sylvan learning centers.
> 
> good luck with schooling
> dianne




Wow small world!  We use k12 curriculum with Agora Cyber Charter here in South Eastern, PA 
Let's just HOPE   Rep. Beyers isn't sucessful in taking away the cyber education option in Pennsylvania this year. 
One would think that is her ONLY platform.


----------



## TLHB70

02AggieGirl,
A Beka's video academy is accredited.   I have taught with A Beka material since my oldest DD was in K4 (though she did go to public school kindergarten.....that one year in public school was enough).  She is now in 8th grade.  I knew that I wanted to do an accredited program for her high school so I chose to do the video academy this year to get practice before the high school year.  It is like having private school experience at home.  Her classes are with teachers in the A Beka school.  There are students in the classroom so DD feels like she is part of the class.  Most of the teachers have their master's degree.  It is fully accredited so they will provide transcripts for college.  I like it because I can watch the videos with her when necessary.  I can also help when she needs it.


----------



## Laura.bora

fabumouse said:


> Temair - I love the year 'round approach.. all summer we have been: where do your clothes come from?  why are cars bigger here than in London?  and how does the US Mail work?  There is no reason to sit around during the summer staring at our belly buttons, just so we can resent the school calendar.
> 
> I'm definitely feeling like homeschooling can be addictive, as what I think she needs to learn.. is what she learns.



I couldn't agree more!  I love homeschooling year round!  I can't imagine not!


----------



## disneymom3

02AggieGirl said:


> I'm a confused.   I have started to look into home school for my DD4.  If I don't go with an accredited home school and just do my own thing, how will she graduate and get into college?  Maybe I just don't understand how it works.  I hope this isn't just a really stupid question, but any advise would help.  Thanks!!



I just wanted to add. DD goes now to a very untraditional public school. As the teacher says it is much more like one really big homeschooled class.  They assume that most of their kids are college bound as it is for highly gifted kids.  With this in mind the director and creator of the program went and visited as well as spoke to many many colleges before implementing his plan. These kids will also have a portfolio much like a homeschooled child.  The director found that many of the admissions counselors that he spoke with said that more and more they are beginning to prefer a homeschool type portfolio--with proof of work, writing samples and educational "resume" if you will, etc--than the traditional flat application.  He was told by quite a few of the Ivy League and similar class colleges that they feel a portfolio of work gives them a much better idea of the student's potential than traditional transcripts ever could.

So, who knows?  Maybe those public school kids will have to start coming up with applications to match us in the next several years.


----------



## 02AggieGirl

Thanks to everyone who responded.  My daughter will turn 5 in December and I am due with DD#3 in about 3 weeks, so I'm sure it will be awhile before I will start her in K (probably the end of next summer).  There is just so much information to sort through, I figured I would start going through it now to figure out what I want to do.   I've looked at Abeka and sonlight that others have mentioned on this thread (i've been reading all the way thru it, but not done yet).  I've written down the websites and programs people have mentioned so I can look at all of them.  So thanks to all who have listed those.

Something like Abeka or Sonlight is appealing to me b/c everything is included for you, but I think right now at DD age, I would like something less structured.  Maybe when she is older we would switch to one of these programs.  

_As far as a schedule would go for teaching K, would something like teaching reading and math daily 
science, social studies, art, etc. two times a week be a good way to start?
Is there a subject I have missed?  
As far as PE, I was thinking of enrolling her in gymnastics, ballet or some swimming classes  (Since we live in TX, you can swim throughout a lot of the year---the heat is about to kill me right now  ). _ 

I like the idea of unit theme also, but I wouldn't want to overkill a topic, so still unsure about that.


----------



## NiniMorris

Add me to the list of year round homeschooling!  I have a 6 year old with learning disabilities and he really needs the full time refreshing.  

We use Switched on Schoolhouse for my 8 year old daughter, and use Hooked on Phonics and Handwriting without Tears for my son's Kinder.  Daughter has skipped to the 4th grade and son is repeating Kinder due to his learning problems.  We hope to be able to start 1st grade in January with him.

I love the flexibility that homeshooling gives us.  We only have school on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  This gives us a long weekend to be together with 'family' stuff, as well as Mondays are heavily filled with doctor and therapy appointments.  We also watch our almost year old grand daughter during the week, so we are starting her on some 'learning' games.

This past January we went to Disney for a Field Trip.  Now tell me, where in public school can you have such great field trips?

sorry for being so long...

Nini


----------



## DisneyWalle

Hello to all!

I am so excited!  We are already in our 3rd month of school (started in June).  This means that our DW vacation is just around the corner.    Are there any other homeschooling families that plan on staying at POP around September 5th-12th?

Also wanted to say, that this is our last year using boxed curriculum.  Therefore, my plan is to use the following next year:

Kay Arthur's Bible Studies for Kids (currently using)
BJU English (currently using)
Abeka Health (currently using)
Sequential Spelling
Apologia Science
BJU Math (currently using)
Mystery of History
A Child's Geography 
Rosetta Stone -Spanish & BJU Spanish (currently using)
Classic Books for Reading

If anyone has used, "A Child's Geography" could you give me your opinion of the material?  Also, I have already been made aware by some other homeschooling families that Sequential Spelling is either a hit or miss with some children.  But I have to try something different than BJU spelling, my son's spelling is atrocious.  If someone is having or had similiar difficulty with spelling, I'm open to ideas.

In addition, what kinds of extracurricular activities are your children involved in, if any?  My son, Isaiah, is in his 2nd year of piano and 3rd year of soccer.  He is also involved in Contenders of Faith, AWANA, soccer training, our local homeschool co-op classes and after our DW trip will also be taking swimming lessons.  We have school five days a week in the morning and are gone for some kind of activity 3 to 4 of those afternoons.  And I'm still amazed at the people who say my son is not socialized enough!  

(Tell you the truth, I think they are jealous that they can't homeschool their children.)


----------



## TLHB70

DisneyWalle said:


> Hello to all!
> 
> I am so excited!  We are already in our 3rd month of school (started in June).  This means that our DW vacation is just around the corner.    Are there any other homeschooling families that plan on staying at POP around September 5th-12th?
> 
> Also wanted to say, that this is our last year using boxed curriculum.  Therefore, my plan is to use the following next year:
> 
> Kay Arthur's Bible Studies for Kids (currently using)
> BJU English (currently using)
> Abeka Health (currently using)
> Sequential Spelling
> Apologia Science
> BJU Math (currently using)
> Mystery of History
> A Child's Geography
> Rosetta Stone -Spanish & BJU Spanish (currently using)
> Classic Books for Reading
> 
> If anyone has used, "A Child's Geography" could you give me your opinion of the material?  Also, I have already been made aware by some other homeschooling families that Sequential Spelling is either a hit or miss with some children.  But I have to try something different than BJU spelling, my son's spelling is atrocious.  If someone is having or had similiar difficulty with spelling, I'm open to ideas.
> 
> In addition, what kinds of extracurricular activities are your children involved in, if any?  My son, Isaiah, is in his 2nd year of piano and 3rd year of soccer.  He is also involved in Contenders of Faith, AWANA, soccer training, our local homeschool co-op classes and after our DW trip will also be taking swimming lessons.  We have school five days a week in the morning and are gone for some kind of activity 3 to 4 of those afternoons.  And I'm still amazed at the people who say my son is not socialized enough!
> 
> (Tell you the truth, I think they are jealous that they can't homeschool their children.)




OOHHH, Kay Arthur Bible studies for kids.......tell me more!!!!!!!!!
I didn't know that she had kid studies.  I have done quite a few of her studies.  I liked them.  I would love to learn more about her kid studies.  Which ones have you done?  Tell me more about them, please.
My youngest DD is weak in spelling.  DH is also; I believe that she gets that from him.  I have no suggestions for you.  We just drill, drill, drill everyday.  I go over spelling rules.  However, honestly, in the English language there are so many exceptions to the rules.  A friend suggested putting my DD in Latin class to help.  I am not ready for that, though.
As far as extracurricular activities, we do a few.  Tuesdays my oldest DD has piano and my youngest DD has soccer.  Wednesday we do AWANA.  (I am AWANA secretary, too.)  Thursday we have tennis.  (I take tennis lessons with them, too.)  I feel like that is plenty of activity.  Soccer games are Saturday mornings.  Of course, Sunday is church day too.  It is a full week for us.


----------



## DisneyWalle

We did BJU's Bible curriculum for two years and it just became repetious and Isaiah just wasn't as involved in Bible as I wanted.  So, I went looking for something new and discovered it at our local Lifeway Store.  

Kay Arthur has written over 14 Bible studies for children called, "Discover 4 Yourself - Inductive Bible Studies For Kids."  So far, we have completed "Lord, Teach Me To Pray" and are currently working on "God's Amazing Creation, Genesis 1-2."

These studies are written for the children to do on their own, but we do them together.  They learn alongside Molly and Max as they travel on different adventures to discover more about the Bible and God's plans for them.  The studies incorporate drawing, Bible reading, morse code, prayer, verse memorization and a variety of other medias to teach the lessons.  Isaiah has throughly enjoyed them so far.  He is excited when we sit down to do Bible study and I love that!  

I'm not certain if this is all of the titles in the series, but I have listed the ones I have found so far:
Lord, Teach Me To Pray for Kids
God's Amazing Creation - Genesis 1-2
Digging Up The Past - Genesis 3-11
Abraham-God's Brave Explorer - Genesis 11-25
Joseph-God's Superhero - Genesis 37-50
How To Study Your Bible for Kids
Wrong Way Jonah
Boy, Have I Got Problems - James
You're A Brave Man, Daniel - Daniel 1-6
Jesus Awesome Power Awesome Love - John 11-16
Jesus in the Spotlight - John 1-10
Jesus, To Eternity and Beyond - John 17-21
God, What's Your Name
Extreme Adventures With God
Bible Prophecy for Kids - Revelation 1-7
A Sneak Peak Into the Future - Revelation 8-22

I hope this helps!


----------



## disneymarie

Disney_Angel said:


> Wow small world!  We use k12 curriculum with Agora Cyber Charter here in South Eastern, PA
> Let's just HOPE   Rep. Beyers isn't sucessful in taking away the cyber education option in Pennsylvania this year.
> One would think that is her ONLY platform.



I agree, but the popularity of the online/home schooling is really taking off. I certainly wish she would refocus on some real issues! Our local district wants to build a new high school, our county taxes just went up 35%  the additional New school tax increase would put us out of our home.

_Each Dept of education has Phys Ed standard. In PA, the PE time is logged as educational documentation. The health and understandung dynamics of physical activity are counted towards hours. There is a reimbursment of so much for any other activties toward the PE hours. If we decide to use the local pool once a week, horseback riding, dance class, bowling, even as a group of local charter members home school and online we can use group activities toward the hours. But frankly after what is offered in course work there are few hours outside needed.

Just because it states PE hours, they may not mean physical activity, likewise it could incorporate the health and theory part also.
I did see Georgia is in the process of having a Connections Academy open there. 

There were many, many options for PA online prorgrams.  I went with one which was not so over burderned with written work, and too consuming for my dd, nor was it one that was too easy not to challange her. 

The program uses the same text as in school, she can work at her pace.
If she moves through the work quickly and completes the 5 subjects in less time she can move on to the next day. Which is nice because of appointments and destress time. I see by day 4 of morning tutoring she is stressed out to tears, BUT loves school work and is gifted. This does not pressure her into a nonflexable school day. Her abilty to transition and flexability is helpful in the therapy she is going through. There is live Web learning and lots of options.

I do still have to talk to the Guidance office of our decision....They were willing to go half days and work in the plan to full days, but I can not even get her in the doors.

She has socialization, but it is very difficult for her to try to make friends again. She needs to heal and I hope with cyber school this is less stress for our family. 

I do not desire structured year round schooling. BUT to use the summer for flexable outside learning yes. The community activities, programs offered at parks, study programs at local Colleges, day trips to the zoo, museums etc.

One day I am willing to consider that all school will be year round, due to both parents working and no longer the need to families to need they labor of the children to run farms as they stated was the reason for 9 months from way back,........
But to each I hope and pray the right education for all our children and thankful so far that we live in a country we have options AND Schools.

Imagine how in Pakastan women could not even be educated!
dianne_


----------



## NHWX

OK - has anyone been using Tablet Class for math yet? It looked like a pretty good deal. It's either that or Thinkwell for our younger son.

Onto the older one... conversations about the validity of number theory and combinatorics not been fruitful. One upside is that by taking AP Calc this year, he'll be spreading out taking the AP tests. There's nothing like having a ton of finals all at once to do you in. 

Anyone have anything to say about AP Calc BC courses? Textbooks?

Thanks,

NHWX


----------



## NHWX

Anyone use it? Is it worthwhile? And specifically, is the unit on writing for the SAT really good? I have one child who will be thirteen soon and believe me, spending a couple years getting ready to write an SAT essay, college application essays and college papers will not be starting too early!

Thanks

NHWX


----------



## TLHB70

NHWX said:


> Anyone use it? Is it worthwhile? And specifically, is the unit on writing for the SAT really good? I have one child who will be thirteen soon and believe me, spending a couple years getting ready to write an SAT essay, college application essays and college papers will not be starting too early!
> 
> Thanks
> 
> NHWX



I have considered this as well.  My oldest DD just turned 13.  She LOVES to write!  She writes stories, scripts, poems, etc. in her spare time.  I have considered getting it for her.   I do not know anyone that has used it, though, so I have not made the jump yet.


----------



## TLHB70

DisneyWalle said:


> We did BJU's Bible curriculum for two years and it just became repetious and Isaiah just wasn't as involved in Bible as I wanted.  So, I went looking for something new and discovered it at our local Lifeway Store.
> 
> Kay Arthur has written over 14 Bible studies for children called, "Discover 4 Yourself - Inductive Bible Studies For Kids."  So far, we have completed "Lord, Teach Me To Pray" and are currently working on "God's Amazing Creation, Genesis 1-2."
> 
> These studies are written for the children to do on their own, but we do them together.  They learn alongside Molly and Max as they travel on different adventures to discover more about the Bible and God's plans for them.  The studies incorporate drawing, Bible reading, morse code, prayer, verse memorization and a variety of other medias to teach the lessons.  Isaiah has throughly enjoyed them so far.  He is excited when we sit down to do Bible study and I love that!
> 
> I'm not certain if this is all of the titles in the series, but I have listed the ones I have found so far:
> Lord, Teach Me To Pray for Kids
> God's Amazing Creation - Genesis 1-2
> Digging Up The Past - Genesis 3-11
> Abraham-God's Brave Explorer - Genesis 11-25
> Joseph-God's Superhero - Genesis 37-50
> How To Study Your Bible for Kids
> Wrong Way Jonah
> Boy, Have I Got Problems - James
> You're A Brave Man, Daniel - Daniel 1-6
> Jesus Awesome Power Awesome Love - John 11-16
> Jesus in the Spotlight - John 1-10
> Jesus, To Eternity and Beyond - John 17-21
> God, What's Your Name
> Extreme Adventures With God
> Bible Prophecy for Kids - Revelation 1-7
> A Sneak Peak Into the Future - Revelation 8-22
> 
> I hope this helps!




Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!!     I did not know this.
A Beka's Bible curriculum, to be honest, is a little boring for my DDs.  I have stopped using it and just started purchasing my own material at Lifeway.  We have done some Beth Moore studies together.  We have done some material put out for Sunday school.  However, I had no idea about Kay Arthur material for kids.  I will definitely get some for us!!!!!!   I want to start with the studies on Revelation.   We have been talking about this a lot with the girls since we did the Beth Moore Daniel study.  
Where are these shelved in the Lifeway store?  I have not seen them.  Where are they located?


----------



## DisneyWalle

Where are these shelved in the Lifeway store?  I have not seen them.  Where are they located?[/QUOTE]

Our local Lifeway store had them on endcaps with the children's books.  However, they have not carried them since I purchased them; but they did say that they could order them.  Each study runs about $8.99 to $10.99 - very inexpensive for a Bible curriculum.


----------



## lori1043

TLHB70 said:


> I have considered this as well. My oldest DD just turned 13. She LOVES to write! She writes stories, scripts, poems, etc. in her spare time. I have considered getting it for her. I do not know anyone that has used it, though, so I have not made the jump yet.


 
They use it at our co-op and I have heard wonderful things about it. Both my girls are taking the elementary one(A or B) this semester. I am using 'Writing with the Best' to give them a head start. I found it online and it was a good price PLUS the lady highly recommends using ti with Daily grams and Easy grammar which I am using for DD8. DD10 uses LLATL.

Lori


----------



## Praise2Him

I received this today from my local hs group and thought it might be helpful for those of you who are thinking about homeschooling (it is Christian, though)

Considering Homeschooling?  Good News for All Parents.

The good news for homeschooling families in California is that the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District ruled unanimously that "California statutes permit home schooling as a species of private school education," effectually reversing the opinion issued last February requiring parents who homeschool to hold teaching credentials  

This is a huge victory for all California homeschooling families, as well as families who are considering homeschooling, since the original opinion would have outlawed home education for most parents if it had remained in effect. This ruling provides complete confidence of a parent's legal right to teach their own children in California and, with the advent of SB 777 recently signed into law, may provide new "talking points" for Christian homeschoolers who want to let other parents know of the urgent need to find educational alternatives for their children.

"With school starting just around the corner, we want parents to know that our ministry assists parents who are considering homeschooling by providing a free DVD and brochure with information on why a home education in today's culture  provides the best option to support their children's spiritual, moral and academic training", said Denise Kanter, founder and director of the national outreach, Considering Homeschooling Ministry.

In a call to Christian parents and churches, Randy Thomasson of the California-based Campaign for Children and Families says, "To rescue their children, loving parents need to find an alternative to government schools, and every church needs to make it a priority to help parents be in charge of their children's education again." 

 "We are very thankful for those individuals and organizations who have worked so diligently to protect and defend parental rights and the freedom to homeschool in California, and the nation. Perhaps one way every homeschooling family can help perpetuate these freedoms is to enlighten and encourage other parents to investigate the blessings of home education", remarked Kanter.

 Considering Homeschooling Ministry, a not-for-profit national organization, with its free DVD, resources and web site (www.consideringhomeschooling.org, will encourage families to provide their children with a safe, Biblical home education.


Homeschool FAQs   Click here for answers to these questions.

·  How Many People Are Homeschooling Now?

·  What Kind of Families Homeschool?

·  Are Their Children Getting a Good Education?

·  What about Socialization?

·  How Do We Start?

·  Am I Qualified?

·  Is It Legal?

·  Can Someone Else Homeschool My Children?

·  How Do We Take Our Children Out of State/Public Schools?

·  What Curriculum Should I Use?

·  What about My Talented or Gifted Child?

·  What about My Special Needs Child?

·  I Am a Teenager Who Has Been in Public or Private School. How Should I Go about Beginning Homeschooling?


----------



## teacups

NHWX said:


> Anyone use it? Is it worthwhile? And specifically, is the unit on writing for the SAT really good? I have one child who will be thirteen soon and believe me, spending a couple years getting ready to write an SAT essay, college application essays and college papers will not be starting too early!
> 
> Thanks
> 
> NHWX



I was just reading the posts here and this sounded interesting.  I found a couple on ebay. Not something I need once I read up on it, but just FYI that's it's out there used.


----------



## NHWX

I hadn't thought to look on ebay. If it's cheap enough, I might be interested in taking just a look at it.

NHWX


----------



## TNKBELL

Disney_Angel said:


> www.k12.com
> 
> This is our THIRD year....it works for us.



We just started our first year with K-12, the first day was rough!! 
But the next day was much better!! 

The best part, at least for my DKS is the use of the laptops!!
I certainly think K-12 is a great way to homeschool because of affordability,
accountability,and accreditation. I feel like I finally have some support, each child is assigned a teacher, and all my DKS teachers are homeschool moms themselves ,currently enrolled in the K-12 program, so that makes them very understanding and helpful. 

We are all excited to continue our K-12 adventure!!


----------



## Disney_Angel

TNKBELL said:


> We just started our first year with K-12, the first day was rough!!
> But the next day was much better!!
> 
> The best part, at least for my DKS is the use of the laptops!!
> I certainly think K-12 is a great way to homeschool because of affordability,
> accountability,and accreditation. I feel like I finally have some support, each child is assigned a teacher, and all my DKS teachers are homeschool moms themselves ,currently enrolled in the K-12 program, so that makes them very understanding and helpful.
> 
> We are all excited to continue our K-12 adventure!!




We start tomorrow!!! (this is our third year) What ages are your kiddos. We have a seven year old and start language arts reading or history reading the night before the lesson.
It makes the day run smoother. KWIM? 

While in Disney we will be covering the history 2 Units on China and Japan!
We may even complete the corresponding art units on China and Japan.
I am so excited. I haven't decided what unit to complete in Science. 
It seems like Epcot was tailored for use with K12.  

  All Hail the k12 Curriculum Development Team and the mighty Bror Saxberg   

Dr. Saxberg is the head of k12 curriculum development...I belive (don't quote me) that he worked for the Core Knowledge Foundation before coming to k12. We have meet him on several ocassions...what a facinating and down to Earth guy. When DD started Math 1 in kindergarten she seemed to struggle. I posted this on the k12 forums and Bror personally responded and emailed me. He actually suggested I was moving to slow . I picked the pace and he was RIGHT....she was bored. That to me is the k12 difference. She is a year ahead in math but now slowing down the pace. The dreaded times tables.    By next year the gap will have closed more. I am just thankful we can move at her pace. 

Did you know k12 went public? It is now a publically traded stock on the NYSE.


----------



## Disney_Angel

Praise2Him said:


> I received this today from my local hs group and thought it might be helpful for those of you who are thinking about homeschooling (it is Christian, though)
> 
> Considering Homeschooling?  Good News for All Parents.
> 
> The good news for homeschooling families in California is that the California Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District ruled unanimously that "California statutes permit home schooling as a species of private school education," effectually reversing the opinion issued last February requiring parents who homeschool to hold teaching credentials
> 
> This is a huge victory for all California homeschooling families, as well as families who are considering homeschooling, since the original opinion would have outlawed home education for most parents if it had remained in effect. This ruling provides complete confidence of a parent's legal right to teach their own children in California and, with the advent of SB 777 recently signed into law, may provide new "talking points" for Christian homeschoolers who want to let other parents know of the urgent need to find educational alternatives for their children.
> 
> "With school starting just around the corner, we want parents to know that our ministry assists parents who are considering homeschooling by providing a free DVD and brochure with information on why a home education in today's culture  provides the best option to support their children's spiritual, moral and academic training", said Denise Kanter, founder and director of the national outreach, Considering Homeschooling Ministry.
> 
> In a call to Christian parents and churches, Randy Thomasson of the California-based Campaign for Children and Families says, "To rescue their children, loving parents need to find an alternative to government schools, and every church needs to make it a priority to help parents be in charge of their children's education again."
> 
> "We are very thankful for those individuals and organizations who have worked so diligently to protect and defend parental rights and the freedom to homeschool in California, and the nation. Perhaps one way every homeschooling family can help perpetuate these freedoms is to enlighten and encourage other parents to investigate the blessings of home education", remarked Kanter.
> 
> Considering Homeschooling Ministry, a not-for-profit national organization, with its free DVD, resources and web site (www.consideringhomeschooling.org, will encourage families to provide their children with a safe, Biblical home education.
> 
> 
> Homeschool FAQs   Click here for answers to these questions.
> 
> ·  How Many People Are Homeschooling Now?
> 
> ·  What Kind of Families Homeschool?
> 
> ·  Are Their Children Getting a Good Education?
> 
> ·  What about Socialization?
> 
> ·  How Do We Start?
> 
> ·  Am I Qualified?
> 
> ·  Is It Legal?
> 
> ·  Can Someone Else Homeschool My Children?
> 
> ·  How Do We Take Our Children Out of State/Public Schools?
> 
> ·  What Curriculum Should I Use?
> 
> ·  What about My Talented or Gifted Child?
> 
> ·  What about My Special Needs Child?
> 
> ·  I Am a Teenager Who Has Been in Public or Private School. How Should I Go about Beginning Homeschooling?





This is wonderful news


----------



## NHWX

It'll be fun to see how everyone's school year is going to proceed. We're still trying to decide on some curriculum for my older son.  We're happy with K12 as Consumer Direct customers; our younger son is using it for Literature, History, Science and Music. 

I'm halfway excited to close to starting and halfway not wanting summer to end.

NHWX


----------



## mommyof2princesses

We start school today!  I am not as excited as the kiddos....need another day for sleep.  But that is okay.  We are starting.  DD13 will start some of her high school courses and dd4 will be starting 1st grade.  She is so excited.  She has been going around telling everyone she is in 1st grade.  It is so cute.


----------



## Disney_Angel

mommyof2princesses said:


> We start school today!  I am not as excited as the kiddos....need another day for sleep.  But that is okay.  We are starting.  DD13 will start some of her high school courses and dd4 will be starting 1st grade.  She is so excited.  She has been going around telling everyone she is in 1st grade.  It is so cute.



That is too cute!


----------



## mommyof2princesses

Well, we are almost through day 1!   Sara beth finished her work by 11 and Ashley is finishing up her math problems.  We had a great talk about John Hancocks's speech on the boston masscre.  I may actually learn something this year.  I realy never paid attention in ss when I went through high school!

Now, we have a library trip to take and Ashley has a yearbook meeting to attend.  WoW!  A busy first day!

Anyone else out there started yet?


----------



## sha_lyn

We started Aug 5. Taking the day off today because we are both sick. We almost school yr round. We take the month off between Thanksgiving and Xmas and the month of July off. Other than that we take a few days off here and there. This past yr we did get our 180 days finished mid June, but went ahead and did a few more days to finish up a couple of things.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Yep!! We are in as well.Today actually started our 4th week-the first couple of weeks we eased in pretty slowly--slower than we usually do-we had all had a bout with sinus/allergy stuff, so I didn't want them completely worn out. But we are really getting on track now!! We usually start a couple of weeks earlier than this, so by the first of Fall we are past our 9th week mark   We usually take a 3 day weekend in there somewhere-then by Thanksgiving we are pretty much finished with the first semester-taking off all of Dec. This is great to relax for the holidays-usually we are squeezing in a Disney trip-but are lately looking at just sticking with Jan.


So, to all of you waiting to start hope your first days are blessed days!!


----------



## Temair

Today was our first official school day as homeschoolers.  We had a great time, my daughter is again enthusiastic about learning.  We did a lot of fun educational stuff in the afternoon such as playing monopoly and baked cookies.  The morning we covered the 3 R's in a way that my daughter enjoyed.  I truely I know I made the right decision to homeschool rather than virtual school this year.  I'm seeing my bright happy eager learner again.  Now if only the rest of the year goes as well as today.

Joanne


----------



## mommyof2princesses

Temair said:


> Today was our first official school day as homeschoolers.  We had a great time, my daughter is again enthusiastic about learning.  We did a lot of fun educational stuff in the afternoon such as playing monopoly and baked cookies.  The morning we covered the 3 R's in a way that my daughter enjoyed.  I truely I know I made the right decision to homeschool rather than virtual school this year.  I'm seeing my bright happy eager learner again.  Now if only the rest of the year goes as well as today.
> 
> Joanne



Yah!  Glad you enjoyed your first day!  Today is Day 2.  I am looking forward to science with dd4.


----------



## LegoMom3

I'm in a bit of disbelief at all you people who either school year-round or have already started.... Then I started to notice locations and it seems most of you are in warm climates.  Ahh!...that would explain it.

As a kid, I always looked forward to summer vacation.  That's when it actually was, indeed, summer vacation.  Nowadays the schools go so late and start so early that it's more like summer-few-weeks-off.   

But, even in homeschooling, we like our summers to be free and without much of a "schedule" of any kind.  That's because winter is sooooo long in NH, that when it actually does get warm and green outside, who wants to "do school?!!"  Not _this_ teacher!   

So, we won't "officially" start until mid-September, after Disney.  The week before, though, we will be studying Epcot a bit, as each child has chosen a country to learn more about.  I'm toying with buying that Epcot unit study and making that our first topic this year.


.


----------



## sha_lyn

Aug is usually so hot here, that we don't want to go outside. I would rather take Dec off when we can go outside without burning up.
"winter" weather here is usually mid feb to the first day of spring Yes the biggest winter storms have actually happen within the last couple of  day of winter or the first day of spring


----------



## mommyof2princesses

It is so hot here right now that staying in is really the only option.  When it gets to be 100 and very humid, no one goes out to play.  Around here, kids play outsite in mid-late fall and winter and early to mid spring.  Even schools here start next week.


----------



## skoi

Anyone know of a good, complete secular/non Creationist based biology program for high school? We need one with a lab component. I've been hearing rumblings about colleges looking at what programs/books kids are using and then not accepting them if they're seen as too religious.

We tried Alpha Omega Switched on Schoolhouse briefly, but dd does not like any of the subjects, doesn't like the interface, etc, and I'm not happy with it, either for a variety of reasons- mainly not enough reading.

We've also used Sonlight-- dd felt it wasn't rigorous enough in terms of source material, and wasn't thrilled with the American history or core books for high school.

Also looked into cybercharter with K12 (who has a great curriculum), but they're very inflexible about missing days during school, and we have two huge vacations planned in the next two years- cruise this year as a break for me while Dad is deployed, and cruise next year (surprise for kids) when Dad gets back. I love the curriculum, can't afford to buy it, especially not for high school.

Thanks for any advice.

Julie


----------



## sha_lyn

> Anyone know of a good, complete secular/non Creationist based biology program for high school? We need one with a lab component. I've been hearing rumblings about colleges looking at what programs/books kids are using and then not accepting them if they're seen as too religious.




https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_epp_offer&Itemid=323

The high school level courses are the biology and the chemistry


----------



## skoi

sha_lyn said:


> https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_epp_offer&Itemid=323
> 
> The high school level courses are the biology and the chemistry



Thanks, I'll take a look at it.

Julie


----------



## mommyof2princesses

skoi said:


> Anyone know of a good, complete secular/non Creationist based biology program for high school? We need one with a lab component. I've been hearing rumblings about colleges looking at what programs/books kids are using and then not accepting them if they're seen as too religious.
> 
> 
> 
> Julie



We use Apologia.  It is christian based, but I have never heard of a college not accepting it.  I feel it is very thorough and has great lab components.  DD is just finishing up biology and has really enjoyed it.  She has complained about some of the chrisitan aspects of it, but it really is good.  She will start Marine Biology in a month.


----------



## TNKBELL

NHWX said:


> I hadn't thought to look on ebay. If it's cheap enough, I might be interested in taking just a look at it.
> 
> NHWX





Disney_Angel said:


> We start tomorrow!!! (this is our third year) What ages are your kiddos. We have a seven year old and start language arts reading or history reading the night before the lesson.
> It makes the day run smoother. KWIM?
> 
> While in Disney we will be covering the history 2 Units on China and Japan!
> We may even complete the corresponding art units on China and Japan.
> I am so excited. I haven't decided what unit to complete in Science.
> It seems like Epcot was tailored for use with K12.
> 
> All Hail the k12 Curriculum Development Team and the mighty Bror Saxberg
> 
> Dr. Saxberg is the head of k12 curriculum development...I belive (don't quote me) that he worked for the Core Knowledge Foundation before coming to k12. We have meet him on several ocassions...what a facinating and down to Earth guy. When DD started Math 1 in kindergarten she seemed to struggle. I posted this on the k12 forums and Bror personally responded and emailed me. He actually suggested I was moving to slow . I picked the pace and he was RIGHT....she was bored. That to me is the k12 difference. She is a year ahead in math but now slowing down the pace. The dreaded times tables.    By next year the gap will have closed more. I am just thankful we can move at her pace.
> 
> Did you know k12 went public? It is now a publically traded stock on the NYSE.




Hi!! I have DS11 in 6th, DS9 in 4th, DD7 in 1st for Math and Language arts and 2nd for the rest of the curc. I also have a DS4 who is starting to read and write, so he participates with DD. It's funny, when DD7 took the enrollment assesment placement tests, she did horrible! She was only reading BOB books and very EASY readers, yet over the summer(thanks to our library reading program!) she progressed to chapter books, like Junie B. Jones and Magic Treehouse. So we are breezing through the second semester of Language arts and hopefully, we will be done by Christmas, so she can start 2nd grade LA. We are "assessing the way" through Math 1 also with the same goal!! 

I would love to be able to go to Disney and combine EPCOT with science and history!!! We just live too far, and our budget is soooo tiny this year!! 

Nice to meet you!!


----------



## Momvic5

mommyof2princesses said:


> We use Apologia.  It is christian based, but I have never heard of a college not accepting it.  I feel it is very thorough and has great lab components.  DD is just finishing up biology and has really enjoyed it.  She has complained about some of the chrisitan aspects of it, but it really is good.  She will start Marine Biology in a month.



I love Apologia too!  I have several friends with college-aged children who were taught with Apologia science, and all of them highly recommend it.   They all have entered into universities with ease.  Not oly did they enter with ease, but they felt prepared as well.


----------



## sl_underwood

We also used apologia with our college bound dd.  She was able to clep out of biology and chemistry after using those texts.  They are creation based but we just discussed the different beliefs.  She chose not to do disections and used the NAVS kits with models and pc programs instead for er bio labs.


----------



## Disney_Angel

TNKBELL said:


> Hi!! I have DS11 in 6th, DS9 in 4th, DD7 in 1st for Math and Language arts and 2nd for the rest of the curc. I also have a DS4 who is starting to read and write, so he participates with DD. It's funny, when DD7 took the enrollment assesment placement tests, she did horrible! She was only reading BOB books and very EASY readers, yet over the summer(thanks to our library reading program!) she progressed to chapter books, like Junie B. Jones and Magic Treehouse. So we are breezing through the second semester of Language arts and hopefully, we will be done by Christmas, so she can start 2nd grade LA. We are "assessing the way" through Math 1 also with the same goal!!
> 
> I would love to be able to go to Disney and combine EPCOT with science and history!!! We just live too far, and our budget is soooo tiny this year!!
> 
> Nice to meet you!!




Isn't it amazing how thigs can change dramatically over the summer? We love the Magic Tree House books. We picked up the Spiderwick Chronicles a few months ago and started those too. I an not ashamed to admit that I am enjoying the SWC myself. LOL  "Vacation Under the Volcano" has been our favorite of the MTH series so far.

First grade and second grand math had so much repition that is why DD moved fast. It sounds like your DD has a good grasp of addition and subtraction so assessing is the way to go. Best of Luck and nice to meet you!


----------



## NHWX

sha_lyn said:


> https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?option=com_epp_offer&Itemid=323
> 
> The high school level courses are the biology and the chemistry



We supplemented with our own labs, half virtual and half live.

We're going to be using the Spectrum Chemistry this year. I hope it's good!
http://www.beginningspublishing.com/version2/spectrum.htm

NHWX


----------



## wvdislover

I have gotten all of my HS books now and am SO excited about starting next week!  The Teaching Textbooks looks pretty straigtforward as to how we can time it--one lesson a day will get us through the year with some days leftover for "whatever."  The Vacation Education books look like they can either be a lot or a little bit of work, depending on how we do it.  I could probably actually spend a whole year on the MK and Epcot books if I wanted to.  I'm most excited, though, about our American Girls unit study.  There's just so much we can do!  Even better, I can save it and do it again when I start hs my DD7 when she gets older (we're probably going to wait until middle school to hs her, unless something changes).  I'm planning on starting school Tuesday (the same day her DS goes back to school).


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

wvdislover-where did you get your American Girl unit study? I think I would like this for my dd.She's only in K, but looking ahead!!!!


----------



## HomeschoolMama

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> wvdislover-where did you get your American Girl unit study? I think I would like this for my dd.She's only in K, but looking ahead!!!!


I got mine used on eBay.  It's called Portraits of American Girlhood.


----------



## wvdislover

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> wvdislover-where did you get your American Girl unit study? I think I would like this for my dd.She's only in K, but looking ahead!!!!



I got it at this website: http://www.gatewaytoknowledge.com/us7.html

It actually covers most of the elementary grades, so you may be able to use it sooner than you think.

Homeschool Mama, I'm jealous.  I looked many times on eBay for all of my hs stuff, as well as a number of other websites, and couldn't find ANY of it used.


----------



## HomeschoolMama

wvdislover said:


> I got it at this website: http://www.gatewaytoknowledge.com/us7.html
> 
> It actually covers most of the elementary grades, so you may be able to use it sooner than you think.
> 
> Homeschool Mama, I'm jealous.  I looked many times on eBay for all of my hs stuff, as well as a number of other websites, and couldn't find ANY of it used.


I'm having the opposite problem.  I'm annoyed that I tried to sell some of my stuff and eBay pulls all teacher guides and ends the auction. 

So, if anyone needs younger grade Horizon Math or Saxon Math, I'm your girl!

I got lucky on the American Girl thing.  Someone mentioned it and I went right to eBay and there was one for sale.  After I use it, I'll see if anyone here needs it.


----------



## LegoMom3

HomeschoolMama said:


> I'm having the opposite problem. I'm annoyed that I tried to sell some of my stuff and eBay pulls all teacher guides and ends the auction.
> 
> So, if anyone needs younger grade Horizon Math or Saxon Math, I'm your girl!
> 
> I got lucky on the American Girl thing. Someone mentioned it and I went right to eBay and there was one for sale. After I use it, I'll see if anyone here needs it.


 

Yeah, what is the deal with eBay and teacher editions???  Can someone explain, cuz I just don't get it!  Seems pointless to me, to be able to sell student stuff but not TEs.

There are other auction sites for homeschool stuff where you CAN sell TE's; I'll try to find some links and post them!


.


----------



## HomeschoolMama

LegoMom3 said:


> Yeah, what is the deal with eBay and teacher editions???  Can someone explain, cuz I just don't get it!  Seems pointless to me, to be able to sell student stuff but not TEs.
> 
> There are other auction sites for homeschool stuff where you CAN sell TE's; I'll try to find some links and post them!
> 
> 
> .


They said it's because it has answers in them.  Kids can come on-line and buy them and cheat.  I've never known a homeschooler who could get away with that!  They said they can't regulate what's homeschool and what's not, so it's a blanket rule.

I've sold stuff as "parent guides" before and it's been fine.


----------



## TLHB70

LegoMom3 said:


> Yeah, what is the deal with eBay and teacher editions???  Can someone explain, cuz I just don't get it!  Seems pointless to me, to be able to sell student stuff but not TEs.
> 
> There are other auction sites for homeschool stuff where you CAN sell TE's; I'll try to find some links and post them!
> 
> 
> .



vegsource.com
There is a homeschool forum and swap boards there.
You can buy used material and sell used material.
I have used it and it is safe.

ETA:  Here is the link to VegSource's homeschool page.  There are HS message boards/forums just like the DIS, but for HS questions/discussions.
You will see the links to the swap (sale/buy) boards on the right.
http://www.vegsource.com/homeschool/
The swap boards move quickly so keep checking often if you are looking for something specific to buy.


----------



## sha_lyn

Boards where Hs'ers can sell used curriculum:


http://thehomeschoollibrary.com/

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/index.php

http://www.amitymama.com/vb/index.php


----------



## LegoMom3

HomeschoolMama said:


> They said it's because it has answers in them. Kids can come on-line and buy them and cheat. I've never known a homeschooler who could get away with that! They said they can't regulate what's homeschool and what's not, so it's a blanket rule.
> 
> I've sold stuff as "parent guides" before and it's been fine.


 

Funny, given so much other junk available there, that they would suddenly have a "conscience" in this matter....   Good grief!

.


----------



## HomeschoolMama

LegoMom3 said:


> Funny, given so much other junk available there, that they would suddenly have a "conscience" in this matter....   Good grief!
> 
> .


No kidding...  You can buy Paris Hilton's eyelash, but not Teacher Edition School Guides.


----------



## slamzim

Hello, I am excited to have found this thread.  I am new to homeschooling, this is our first year.  I have 2 DD K & 1st.  I wanted to join a co-op, so we found one, went to the registration meeting tonight.  Ready to sign up for classes.  Unfortunately, all but 2 of the classes (one for each same hour) were full.  So, we are on the waiting list.  Two different people told me, well at least next semester you will be a returning memeber and be able to register earlier.  I was so disappointed and frustrated.  Like they weren't prepared, didn't realize the k-1 classes would be full.  We were #4 & 5 on the waiting list.  Just needed to vent.  BTW if anyone knows of a good co-op in Columbus Ohio let me know, I am trying to find something else.


----------



## antree

I live in NJ and I am confused if the Board of Education should be involved.
On their websiteit says;
"A parent/guardian is not required by law to notify the local board of education of the intent to educate the child elsewhere than at school.  However, they are encouraged to notify the local board of education so that questions do not arise with respect to their compliance with the compulsory education law. "

So I have called the BOE twice already and each time the lady on the phone cannot help me. She doesn't know if I need to let them know, she doesn't know if I should let them know and what can or can not happen if I don't let them know.
So I ask to speak to someone that can help me and she says the woman who took care of that no longers works there and their manager is NEVER available.

What should I do? Has anyone reported to their BOE?


----------



## npmommie

antree said:


> I live in NJ and I am confused if the Board of Education should be involved.
> On their websiteit says;
> "A parent/guardian is not required by law to notify the local board of education of the intent to educate the child elsewhere than at school.  However, they are encouraged to notify the local board of education so that questions do not arise with respect to their compliance with the compulsory education law. "
> 
> So I have called the BOE twice already and each time the lady on the phone cannot help me. She doesn't know if I need to let them know, she doesn't know if I should let them know and what can or can not happen if I don't let them know.
> So I ask to speak to someone that can help me and she says the woman who took care of that no longers works there and their manager is NEVER available.
> 
> What should I do? Has anyone reported to their BOE?



honestly since you are in one of those lucky states that doesn't require much of you........I Would write one letter as a courtesy, letting them know you are homeschooling. and that is it.
keep a copy.
here is the link from hslda about NJ
http://hslda.org/laws/analysis/New_Jersey.pdf


----------



## Praise2Him

Do you have a covering or umbrella school? Our cover school notifies the BOE for us. (We also have to sign a form saying that if we stop homeschooling they have the right to notify the BOE.)


----------



## NHWX

Hi everyone!

I'm really looking forward to using their Spectrum Chemistry curriculum. It's all planned out and comes with everything you need except distilled water. Just perfect for a Disney planner like me! 

When I emailed the earlier in the summer, they said to expect about a 3 week delay when ordering something in August. I guess the meant the beginning of August or else their sales have really taken off! I ordered last week, intending to  start in the first week of September or so. Nope - their sale completion page says to expect 4-6 weeks. I'm hoping someone here tells me that they're really prompt shippers. 

NHWX


----------



## NHWX

I checked collegeboard.com and while they list authors, they don't list specific books. Does anyone have a good AP lit book list? 

This year ds15 is doing a Classics and Composition course and I figured we might as well pull books from that list.

Oh, and any that you could point out that aren't either endlessly dry or depressing (or both!) would be appreciated.

Thanks,

NHWX


----------



## NHWX

Relevant only if you live in New England and you're not doing anything on 9/6. They're having a warehouse sale. It looks like it could be a really great thing to attend. Only problem for me - I'm going to be at a county fair in a 4-H booth. But that will be tons of fun too!

It's relevant to the thread; they have lots of homeschooling books and curriculum.

NHWX


----------



## NHWX

OK, so I'm Chatty Kathy tonight.

Anyone use this curriculum? Good, bad or indifferent? My two are fairly sensitive readers who despise writing. So language arts is always a struggle for me and them. 

Here's a link: http://www.commonsensepress.com/gold.htm

NHWX


----------



## Goingtodisneyworld

Good Morning,

 We did it we took the home schooling leap!!!  So far its been nice, however I havent had the well never look back moment.  I think its because we left a school we really liked.  

I choose Seton to help us on the journey because we are Catholic & I loved the idea of everything ready made for me = not a lot of room for me to screw up.   I am very satisfied with my 2nd graders curriculum, I feel it has everything we need packaged just right so even after completed we have time to supplement if we choose, although I havent yet.  

Now, I am not happy with my Kindergarteners curriculum.  I feel we are getting excellent phonics work, and thats it really.  I choose not to go with their math & substituted Saxon as that is what was used in their school, I am not happy here either, calendar time is fine, however day after day w/just yourself, it quickly becomes boring to a Kindergartener. 

What Im looking for is any idea how to easily supplement her work.  Ive looked at extra workbooks, & I guess the right one may help, I just dont like the idea of sitting my Kindergartener with a workbook, she also loves Starfall however it also gets old day after day.  Ive thought about unit studies however I wouldnt even know where to begin.   I had hoped wed get off the ground w/ Seton & then be able to add these after we got the basics down.  

If I had to summarize Id say we are doing schooling at home & that's fine, my hardest part is schooling a 2nd grader & a kindergartener at the same time.   

 Any help, ideas would be greatly appreciated!


----------



## mommyof2princesses

Saxon users...I have a question.  This year dd is doing algebra.  I got a great deal on the saxon set with the dive cd.  She has been watching the cd and then doing problems.  It is taking her between 1 hour and 2hours.   Last year math took less than an hour.  Do you have your children do all the problems or only some?  It seems that if she does well on some, she shouldn't have to do all?


----------



## Ellester

mommyof2princesses said:


> Saxon users...I have a question.  This year dd is doing algebra.  I got a great deal on the saxon set with the dive cd.  She has been watching the cd and then doing problems.  It is taking her between 1 hour and 2hours.   Last year math took less than an hour.  Do you have your children do all the problems or only some?  It seems that if she does well on some, she shouldn't have to do all?



We don't use Saxon but I've seen plenty of posts on here and the old HS page saying the same thing you are. The consensus seems to be to only have them do some of the problems (even or odd or every third or whatever) and if they show proficiency, move on. Personally, I see nothing killing enthusiasm for a subject faster than endless repetition. That's the beauty of homeschooling, the flexibility to fit it to your child!


----------



## Praise2Him

NHWX said:


> OK, so I'm Chatty Kathy tonight.
> 
> Anyone use this curriculum? Good, bad or indifferent? My two are fairly sensitive readers who despise writing. So language arts is always a struggle for me and them.
> 
> Here's a link: http://www.commonsensepress.com/gold.htm
> 
> NHWX



I just ordered it for this year, so I can't really help you, but I asked about it here a few months ago and several people had used it and like it.



mommyof2princesses said:


> Saxon users...I have a question.  This year dd is doing algebra.  I got a great deal on the saxon set with the dive cd.  She has been watching the cd and then doing problems.  It is taking her between 1 hour and 2hours.   Last year math took less than an hour.  Do you have your children do all the problems or only some?  It seems that if she does well on some, she shouldn't have to do all?



We do evens or odds, and if she gets most of them right, that's it. Most curriculums have a lot of repetition for those who need it, but a lot of children don't need it, so feel free to not do everything.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

NHWX said:


> OK, so I'm Chatty Kathy tonight.
> 
> Anyone use this curriculum? Good, bad or indifferent? My two are fairly sensitive readers who despise writing. So language arts is always a struggle for me and them.
> 
> Here's a link: http://www.commonsensepress.com/gold.htm
> 
> NHWX




Hey Chatty! HA!!! You are fine--we all have lots and lots of questions-there is too much out there not to.

We use LLATL and we love it! We have the green and the orange(4th & 7th).So far we are still in the first section and this is our first year. It's kinda review-ish for my 7th grader, but I know it will toughen up as the year goes on. I have done ABeka  & Bob Jones--BJ is okay--but ABeka is really a lot!!! So, he has had some of this, but LLATL is a gentler approach and it incorporates all of the Lang Arts, so we don't have separate books for everything we do. That helps! I am very pleased with it so far.We  love the Charlotte Mason approach and this is a perfect fit with all the good lit. we can use.Also, for those Charlotte Mason schoolers out there-TruthQuest is awesome for History!!! We are really enjoying that as well.


----------



## LittleBlue22

Goingtodisneyworld said:


> Good Morning,
> 
> We did it we took the home schooling leap!!!  So far it’s been nice, however I haven’t had the we’ll never look back moment.  I think it’s because we left a school we really liked.
> 
> I choose Seton to help us on the journey because we are Catholic & I loved the idea of everything ready made for me = not a lot of room for me to screw up.   I am very satisfied with my 2nd grader’s curriculum, I feel it has everything we need packaged just right so even after completed we have time to supplement if we choose, although I haven’t yet.
> 
> Now, I am not happy with my Kindergartener’s curriculum.  I feel we are getting excellent phonics work, and that’s it really.  I choose not to go with their math & substituted Saxon as that is what was used in their school, I am not happy here either, calendar time is fine, however day after day w/just yourself, it quickly becomes boring to a Kindergartener.
> 
> *What I’m looking for is any idea how to easily supplement her work. * I’ve looked at extra workbooks, & I guess the right one may help, I just don’t like the idea of sitting my Kindergartener with a workbook, she also loves Starfall however it also gets old day after day.  I’ve thought about unit studies however I wouldn’t even know where to begin.   I had hoped we’d get off the ground w/ Seton & then be able to add these after we got the basics down.
> 
> If I had to summarize I’d say we are doing schooling at home & that's fine, my hardest part is schooling a 2nd grader & a kindergartener at the same time.
> 
> Any help, ideas would be greatly appreciated!



I've suplimeted my KG with Reader Rabbit computer games. I've gotten her two different series and she loves to do "school" on the computer. The same dd loves to color, so I let ler color as much as her heart desires. You could let your dd go on Disneygames.com or pbskids.com (?) or Nickjr.com and let her play there too to fill in school work. 

I'm still figuring out how to school three kids at one time, so I'm no help there. This is our first year of hsing too, so, we're experiencing a lot of trial and error.


----------



## LegoMom3

Hey LittleBlue!!  Good to see you!  How's things?

How old are your kiddos?  I'm not new to hs'ing, but this IS the first year I'll have all three of mine home!!  Yikes....

We're starting with a unit on Epcot, which will be very hands-on!   


.


----------



## LittleBlue22

LegoMom3 said:


> Hey LittleBlue!!  Good to see you!  How's things?
> 
> How old are your kiddos?  I'm not new to hs'ing, but this IS the first year I'll have all three of mine home!!  Yikes....
> 
> We're starting with a unit on Epcot, which will be very hands-on!
> 
> 
> .



 Things are interesting. Some days go smoothly and then others get pretty bumpy. My kiddos are 8 (3rd grade), 7 (2nd grade), and 5 (KG). The oldest is doing Switched on schoolhouse (on computer) and the other two are using LifePacs. This being our first year, I didn't want to risk any creativity (except for supplimenting) with their curr. iykwim? 

A unit on Epcot?! Awesome! I wish we were close enough to do that.

LM, how old are yours if you don't mind me asking and what are you using for curr.?


----------



## SomedayI'llBe

NHWX said:


> I checked collegeboard.com and while they list authors, they don't list specific books. Does anyone have a good AP lit book list?
> 
> This year ds15 is doing a Classics and Composition course and I figured we might as well pull books from that list.
> 
> Oh, and any that you could point out that aren't either endlessly dry or depressing (or both!) would be appreciated.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> NHWX



I'm not a homeschooler, but I just finished AP Literature last year. http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/AP/APtitles.html has every title ever used on the AP exam. Good luck!


----------



## LegoMom3

LittleBlue22 said:


> Things are interesting. Some days go smoothly and then others get pretty bumpy. My kiddos are 8 (3rd grade), 7 (2nd grade), and 5 (KG). The oldest is doing Switched on schoolhouse (on computer) and the other two are using LifePacs. This being our first year, I didn't want to risk any creativity (except for supplimenting) with their curr. iykwim?
> 
> A unit on Epcot?! Awesome! I wish we were close enough to do that.
> 
> LM, how old are yours if you don't mind me asking and what are you using for curr.?


 
My boys are 11 (6th), 8 (3rd) and 6 (1st).  I'm taking it easy this year, focusing more on the big picture than how much "book learning" they get this year.  We'll do unit studies, which take a topic or theme and combine all the subjects within that (except Language Arts and math).  DS11 still has some LifePacs from last year, which even though it's "5th" grade, it won't hurt him to continue on with that...he's a little weak in that area!  Still not sure what I'll use for the other two for L.A.  For math I've used Math Mammoth (purchase/download from the Internet, then print out) and Math-u-See.  I like the concept of Math-u-See but I'm still getting the hang of applying the video demonstrations to the workbooks.  

.


----------



## NHWX

SomedayI'llBe said:


> I'm not a homeschooler, but I just finished AP Literature last year. http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/AP/APtitles.html has every title ever used on the AP exam. Good luck!



Thanks! That will be a big help. I'm going to put in a big Amazon order soon. Today I ordered more books off half.com and ebay.com. I love not having to pay full price!

NHWX


----------



## NHWX

Disney Mommy 3 and Praise2Him -

Thanks for the replies on Learning Language Arts through Literature. I think I may get it and incorporate some aspects into our Classics and Composition course for this year.

NHWX


----------



## lori1043

Saxon question- we felt the same way and now we alternate odds and evens. It was TOOO long and she was miserable. I am thinking about Teaching Textbooks for the next level, any thoughts?

LLATL- we LOVE it for DD10 but we are a half year schedule with it as it seems simplified a bit for her. She used some of the purple book in 4th gr and will finish it by the end of January for her 5th grade year. DD8 needed something a bit more "structured"-so we use Easy Grammar/daily grams for her and incorporate a writing program with both, together.

We did an EPCOT unti study the month beofre our Feb trip. It was awesome to incorporate some of the things they learned on our trip!

Lori


----------



## DawnM

Hey guys.  I have been out of the loop for a bit.  We are on week 5 of our new school year using Sonlight Core 3.  We are trying to be much more intense than we have been and have cut out a lot of activities and fooling around this year.  

Now I have some other curriculum that I am debating on selling or keeping for future use.  I plan to do SL for cores 3 and 4 and then may go back to the 2 years of something else I bought, but 4 years out seems like a LONG time!

I need a good writing program.  Both of my boys struggle with writing.  One should be 5th grade and is for math and science, but for reading and LA he is more in the 4th grade category.  I am hoping to use the next 2 years to catch up to his grade level.

Anyway, lots going on here....I am missing CA really badly these days and feeling a bit down about it right now.  DH got a huge promotion over the summer, but it has entailed much longer working hours, so I know that is part of it.

Dawn


----------



## Disney_Angel

mommyof2princesses said:


> Saxon users...I have a question.  This year dd is doing algebra.  I got a great deal on the saxon set with the dive cd.  She has been watching the cd and then doing problems.  It is taking her between 1 hour and 2hours.   Last year math took less than an hour.  Do you have your children do all the problems or only some?  It seems that if she does well on some, she shouldn't have to do all?





Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development I am not sure I like the Wiki Article) Vygotsky's was against standardized testing. He belived it was not a good measure of the inteligence of children. He felt that constant repitition was not necessary for a child who already mastered a concept. Expecting a child to do 20+ math problems when they clearly mastered the concept with the first five suggests that you move on to the next concept. Thus the child will not get bored.

Now ofcourse this does not apply when reviewing for a Unit Assesment or just checking for retention..... but I think you get the picture. I hoped this helped.


----------



## Denine

It was so nice this morning.  I went out in the cold rain to get the paper and saw all the people waiting for the school bus while DD was inside playing Jumpstart 1st Grade on the computer before we started school at 9:30.
We then completed 2 math lessons and 2 of everything else by around noon.


----------



## Disney_Angel

Denine said:


> It was so nice this morning.  I went out in the cold rain to get the paper and saw all the people waiting for the school bus while DD was inside playing Jumpstart 1st Grade on the computer before we started school at 9:30.
> We then completed 2 math lessons and 2 of everything else by around noon.




We did three units on Medieval China today...one unit in Laguage Arts...One unit in Math on estimating...and one unit in science measuring with liters. All before 1:30. She is sitting down quietly reading her Spiderwick Chronicles field guide.   I am afraid  ...very afraid it is too perfect a day!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Isn't it nice to see them learn?  Makes you feel sooo good. And it's so cozy to be snuggled up at home!! My favorite is autumn/beginning of winter when we are on break and baking cookies & goodies to go in our gift baskets!!!

Every day is a learning experience if you think about it!!


----------



## Disney_Angel

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Isn't it nice to see them learn?  Makes you feel sooo good. And it's so cozy to be snuggled up at home!! My favorite is autumn/beginning of winter when we are on break and baking cookies & goodies to go in our gift baskets!!!
> 
> Every day is a learning experience if you think about it!!




We are baking next week while practicing our measurement and multiplication.
We are taking our baked goodies with us to Disney next week!
And YES! Autumn is the best season.


----------



## Disney_Angel

Historical Offerings in Epcot --- Our Must See List

I pulled the Units on Medieval China, the Vikings and Feudal Japan (still perfecting) so we could see examples of what we have learned. I went a little out of order but she is only in second grade History and we use the k12 program so it leaves some flexibility and the online school adjusts and "remembers" where we left off.

The American Adventure offers many examples of Americana 

 featured artifacts : Abraham Lincoln's actual stovepipe hat
                            Many of his personal items including
                               - the book of Lord Byron poetry that inspired his
                                  second inagural address

                            George Washington Carver's microscopes

                            Several of Thomas Edision's inventions 
                               - Tin Foil Cylinder Players
                               - A motion picture projector

                            Senator Daniel Inouye's purple heart
                               - he was a Japanese-American WW11 hero

                            Items belonging to Rosa Park and Jackie Robinson

                            An entire section devoted to the space program
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The China Pavilion features several exhibits :

                           Tomb Warriors - Guardian Spirits of Ancient China
                               - contains a miniature recreation of the tomb of
                                  Qin Shi Huang the first emperor of China

                           Authentic tomb scupltures from Ancient China dating 
                            back 2000 years to the Han Dynasty  

                           Not to mention the talented SI XIAN and the sounds of
                            zheng - (equivalent to the Chinese harp)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Moroccan features :

                          Beautiful handcut tile work that was handmade and hand
                            cut and sent to Epcot. Then Maalems traveled to 
                            Epcot to help create a little piece of their
                            homeland (this covers a lesson on Islamic
                            Architecture and Mosaics)

                          The Gallery of Arts and History displays ancient musical 
                            instruments, jewelry and ceramic pottery.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Norway Pavilion features :

                          A scaled down version of a Stave Church

                          Collection of authentic Viking Artifacts

                          Vignettes depicting three Norwegian Viking leaders
                             - Erik the Red
                             - King Rognvald the Raider
                             -King Olaf

                          Scale model of 9th century Viking ship
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
    These are exmples of what we have preapred for ahead of time and will cover while in Disney.

  Any suggestions? 
I wish I had more time to cover all the countries in detail!!!


----------



## Belle & Ariel

This board is amazing.  
We have homeschooled our 3 since kindergarten.  We have a DD, 20 starting her 3rd year of college on the Dean's List.  Our second DD, 18, started college this week.  It was very hard for me even though they both live at home.
I still have one taught at home, DS, 14.  We have started freshman year and it is so easy to just have one!
We used mostly Abeka.  Their phonics and reading programs can't be beat.
In high school we have used Abeka Biology and Earth Science, switching to Apologia for Chemistry and Marine Biology.
We tried Saxon and Abeka for Algebra.  First DD did fine, but second struggled so we tried and love Teaching Textbooks.  
Abeka Bible studies were so expensive we used a lot of Explorer Bible Studies.  Their questions seem very repititive, so I ask them orally and just pick the better ones.
We are registered through an umbrella school which provides a transcript for college application.  It even has a school code you provide when registering for the ACT. My girls even have real diplomas.  In our state, the umbrella school provides the necessary proof of attendance to get a driver's license and also info to get a good student discount on insurance.
I am so glad I was able to homeschool our kids.  The time has gone by so fast with them here every day--I can't imagine if they were gone 8 hours every day!


----------



## Disney8704

Hi everyone! DH and I dont have any kids yet, but when we do I wanna home school them. So I hope you all dont mind if I tag along for the ride just so I can learn everything I need to learn between now and then. I was looking online for home school online, and they have a couple schools that you can do your classes online from Kindergarten to 12th grade. They are k12.com, connectionsacademy.com & etap.org. k12 and connectionsacademy are tuition-free and etap there is a tuition so it would be like going to a private school at home. Have any of you heard anything about any of these schools? Do you all go through a school online or do you just teach the kids yourself?


----------



## disneymarie

Disney8704 said:


> Hi everyone! DH and I dont have any kids yet, but when we do I wanna home school them. So I hope you all dont mind if I tag along for the ride just so I can learn everything I need to learn between now and then. I was looking online for home school online, and they have a couple schools that you can do your classes online from Kindergarten to 12th grade. They are k12.com, connectionsacademy.com & etap.org. k12 and connectionsacademy are tuition-free and etap there is a tuition so it would be like going to a private school at home. Have any of you heard anything about any of these schools? Do you all go through a school online or do you just teach the kids yourself?



My DD is registered in Connections academy, PA. They opened a new office not far from us in the Pocono area and had a grand opening tonight. Great meeting so many parents and the staff.
Many thanks to Jason, jessica and all the others for the wonderful experience.
The tutition is redirected from the school districted and pays for the books, computer, 24 PA outings a month.

So glad we made the decision. She was tested for placement and now in the gifted program along with ahead a year in math, pre algebra. They also were sensitive to her anxiety.Instead of being restricted in working at the class level she is individulized.
This program is in many states. PA first day of school is Sept 2,
Dianne


----------



## NHWX

I've just been through the most dreary couple of days of work. I am sore from sitting down so much! What did I have to do? All the end of year record keeping for ds14.

We started homeschooling him again this January when he decided the high school was not for him. It was in the middle of robotics season (huge time commitment), I didn't have any curriculum ready and I just threw things together. We're using NARS to keep track of credits and issue a diploma and I have all their books but I basically skimmed them.

So now I had all these questions that had to be answered. How the heck do I grade a physics reading course? He wrote papers because I don't know enough about the material to give a test. Art? He did it, OK? No, needs a grade. And so on. Piles of paper. Handing lab reports back to ds saying "If you don't put a hypothesis or conclusion on this, I'll have to mark it down." And I don't mind telling him now because I didn't tell him then. 

I feel like I was so horribly disorganized! I didn't even have a copy of his fall grades because they would have been handed out on the first day of the spring semester. 

So, in an effort to be more organized, I downloaded the Homeschool Tracker software. It's not going so well. Their 60+ manual doesn't seem to answer the questions I want to ask. Is there a website with an FAQ? I'm signing up for their discussion board but I'm feeling really out of my depth.

Thanks for any help you can give!

NHWX


----------



## Temair

Admitedly I don't have a highschool student yet, but from what I've heard from others is you don't nesicerilly need a transcript.  Colleges and Universities are very welcoming of portfolios that show the work a student has done.  Actually if gives them a much better idea where the student really is.  They also look at the test scores ACT, SAT.

So as long as your son learned the infomration I say move on and not to worry about it.


----------



## NHWX

I really needed to list books, field trips to art museums, topics covered in biology, etc. Those are all the things that will need to be in a homeschool portfolio that we give a college, independent of whether or not we keep using NARS.

How have other homeschoolers of high schoolers handled the organization?

NHWX


----------



## Disney_Angel

Disney8704 said:


> Hi everyone! DH and I dont have any kids yet, but when we do I wanna home school them. So I hope you all dont mind if I tag along for the ride just so I can learn everything I need to learn between now and then. I was looking online for home school online, and they have a couple schools that you can do your classes online from Kindergarten to 12th grade. They are k12.com, connectionsacademy.com & etap.org. k12 and connectionsacademy are tuition-free and etap there is a tuition so it would be like going to a private school at home. Have any of you heard anything about any of these schools? Do you all go through a school online or do you just teach the kids yourself?




Welcome!!!  

My BIL and SIL live in Odessa, DE!   Small world.  

We use k12 thru a cyber charter we love it! Accountability was important for me. Because I needed to feel accountable to someone. Other people do perfectly find on their own. I was scared to take the leap and this method was best for me. I know moms who do traditional homeschooling with three or more kids and they got it together better then me.  
BTW this is our third year. 

My godchild just started Connections Academy and his mom, my aunt could not be happier. There is mention of many curriculums on here. I think the secret is finding the "one" that works for your future child. I have a dear friend who has three kiddos. One attends traditional brick and mortar school, another uses k12 thru a cyber charter and the last is a TH using Sonlight.
That's the beauty you have the freedom to decide. Who better knows their children then their own parents? 

I will not lie to you...it is not easy. None of us made this choice because it was easy. It involves dedication and hard word but it is very rewarding. I like the freedom and flexibility.
Homeschooling famlies know all about that, if it were not for them I would not have the educational options I have today. They were the pioneers and they paved the way.


----------



## Karlzmom

new to homeschooling.  DS 1/2 is still young, but we are adding basis concepts to our play.  He already knows his colors, shapes and can count to 20+, forward and backward.   So far pretty easy.  DS wants to please ad shoew off what he knows.  

I' m thrilled that I just found the Blue Book Speller and the New England Primer to add to our books that we simply read together and let what sticks sticks.

How early did the rest of you start on an "official" should curiculum and how many simply created their s tem based on a particular book thIh. man this is a great house.


----------



## disneymom3

Karlzmom said:


> new to homeschooling.  DS 1/2 is still young, but we are adding basis concepts to our play.  He already knows his colors, shapes and can count to 20+, forward and backward.   So far pretty easy.  DS wants to please ad shoew off what he knows.
> 
> I' m thrilled that I just found the Blue Book Speller and the New England Primer to add to our books that we simply read together and let what sticks sticks.
> 
> How early did the rest of you start on an "official" should curiculum and how many simply created their s tem based on a particular book thIh. man this is a great house.



This is really going to depend on your individual child and your personal educational philosophy.  I do not believe in an academic Kindergarten.  I also think children will learn when they are ready to learn. What does that mean?   It means that for K and even for a portion of 1st, I spend a lot of time playing games and just exploring the world.  We do art activities but mainly a presentation of materials and what can you do with them.  We go on nature walks.  We read like crazy.  But as far as the traditional "sit down and work on a worksheet" I don't do much of that.  Now, I will say that my youngest has WANTED that type of thing since he was three so I have used lots of little activity books either found at Walmart or through Rod and Staff.  He also really loved the primers for Explode the Code and did all three of them twice. He is in first grade this year.  He does have a handwriting book, Singapore math workbook and then he does do the activities and listen to the reading from the science and history/geography we use.

For each child this is going to mean different things.  My DD was reading long before Kindergarten.  My middle one didn't read fluently until the end of first grade and my youngest is reading fairly well now at the beginning of first grade. The middle one I had to really work on phonics and blending letters, DD I did nothing at all and she just started reading.  For that matter math was the same way.  (I don't homeschool her anymore as I just couldn't keep up with her speed of learning. ) The youngest is kind of a middle of the road.

For me the most difficult part of homeschooling is figuring out what works best for each child and teaching them in that style.  Now, I don't HAVE to do that but since one of my reasons for homeschooling is that each child does learn in a different way, it would be silly to me if I did not do that.


----------



## Disney_Angel

Karlzmom said:


> new to homeschooling.  DS 1/2 is still young, but we are adding basis concepts to our play.  He already knows his colors, shapes and can count to 20+, forward and backward.   So far pretty easy.  DS wants to please ad shoew off what he knows.
> 
> I' m thrilled that I just found the Blue Book Speller and the New England Primer to add to our books that we simply read together and let what sticks sticks.
> 
> How early did the rest of you start on an "official" should curiculum and how many simply created their s tem based on a particular book thIh. man this is a great house.




One thing I think is so very important is a good phonics program! Even though DD taught herself to read by repition with the old Dick and Jane readers and Hop on Pop we transitioned to the ki12 phonics program in K.
It was perfect for her. But their are other great phonics programs out there.
It is sad how because of cutbacks many schools just do not have the time to teach phonics.   Phonetic awareness is the key to good reading and spelling down the road.   IMHO


----------



## Belle & Ariel

Abeka has some great phonics charts.  They start with consonants and short vowels, progressing to long vowels and blends.  eg.
br in bride
oo in tooth oo in book
ea in thread ea in steak  ea in meat
I think they follow the order used in the Blue backed speller.

They also sell little packs of books for 4 year old K that got my kids reading very young and set a great foundation.
One set of about 10 comes in a plastic ziploc type bag.
A set of 55 comes in a box.  My kids loved both.


----------



## Denine

Call me crazy but we love Calvert.  This is our 3rd year (PK, K and now 1st).  DD loves the worksheets and everything else about it.  NOw we did start with Horizons for math because DD would have been bored with Calvert math.  She is doing very well so far.

DD is reading at and end of 1st grade beginning of 2nd grade level.  I believe that will continue to advance as she gets older.  She will be 6 in 1 month.

We chose not to do an on-line program like k12, connections or even Calvert even though they were free because we did not want the oversight.

I do like a packaged curriculum though since I still work 1 day per week and have commitments related to that.  I am an RN.  I like everything laid out for me and then I can modify that to our needs.


----------



## Disney8704

Where does everyone get their books, workbooks and phonics materials? Can you find everything you need like at walmart and toysrus or is there a website online where you can find everything you need?


----------



## nuzmom

Disney8704 said:


> Where does everyone get their books, workbooks and phonics materials? Can you find everything you need like at walmart and toysrus or is there a website online where you can find everything you need?



http://www.rainbowresource.com/index.php
But beware - there is WAY TOO MUCH to look at!!!!! You can request a catalog from them, too. It's about 4 inches thick.

I also find some "light" curriculum at Sam's club, a local teachers store, and a local Christian store.


----------



## Disney_Angel

Here is what we covered for Japan....we will be leaving for the world next week we will be looking for all the elements we learned about in our travels thru the WS Japan Pavilion. MY dd is in second grade. 
Have I missed anything? Or does anyone have anything to add?

Map of Japan - explain Japan is an archipelago
-a group of islands near each other
four major islands
-Hokkaido (ho-KIY-doh)
-Honshu (HAWN-shoo)
-Shikoku (shee-KOH-koo)
-Kyushu (KYOO-shoo)
have her outline the four major islands in purple crayon 
on the map

to the west is the Sea of Japan to the east is the Pacific
Ocean.

explain what a volcano is and then tell her if their were
no volcanoes there would be no Japan

explain that long ago when volcanoes under the sea 
erupted they spit out tons of hot rock, the rock cooled
over time and became and island, in the case of Japan
many islands.

show her on the map where Mount Fugi is, have her color
it in red.
-Mt. Fuji is on the big island of Honshu

discuss the myth that the Japanese told to explain how
their home came to be
-Izanagi (iz-ah-nah-GEE) and Izanami (iz-ah-nah-MEE)

discuss the religions of Japan
-Shintoism
what are kami
what is a torii
-Buddhism
Buddist Art from Japan
-Pagodas 
the five roofs stand for parts of nature
Earth
Water
Fire
Wind
Sky
-Sansui (SAHN-soo-ee) Japanese landscape paintings
San means: mountain
Sui means: water


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## ROIE01581

I never knew you could get an education from WAlmart.  Do they let you into college with a high school education from WAlmart?


----------



## pixiepower1971

Just starting to get some special trips together for my girls this school year and I thought it would be interesting if we all listed the places in our area that offer homeschool days that others may be interested in.

Off the top of my head( I will add info later). These are ones we have participated in or we are registered for this year.

Colonial Williamsburg
Jamestown
Yorktown
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Sea World San Antonio

 I know there are a lot more out there!


----------



## NHWX

9/16 is the Home School Day there.

Good idea to list all of them!

NHWX


----------



## Belle & Ariel

Dollywood and their waterpark just had them this Thursday and Friday.  They offer a lot of classes for grade school kids.
Many states also have a day in the spring to go to the state capitol and meet your reps.


----------



## Disney8704

I wasnt talking about an actual education. I was talking about supplies.



ROIE01581 said:


> I never knew you could get an education from WAlmart.  Do they let you into college with a high school education from WAlmart?


----------



## Disney8704

Thanks for that link. Are there any other links? What phonic things does everyone use? Has anyone ever used the leapfrog or vtech systems to help with learning at a younger age like for pre-school and kindergarten? Im considering getting an early start on "teaching" with my nephew who is in pre-school. He comes over once in awhile and he LOVES to learn. So I thought this would be great pratice so I can go ahead and get some things now and get a head start.



nuzmom said:


> http://www.rainbowresource.com/index.php
> But beware - there is WAY TOO MUCH to look at!!!!! You can request a catalog from them, too. It's about 4 inches thick.
> 
> I also find some "light" curriculum at Sam's club, a local teachers store, and a local Christian store.


----------



## hsmamato2

ROIE01581 said:


> I never knew you could get an education from WAlmart.  Do they let you into college with a high school education from WAlmart?


You'd be surprised how much an intelligent person can learn from many different sources. Things like grammar,punctuation,and what should or shouldn't be capitalized. 
 BTW, I've been intending to get to Sturbridge MA for 2 years now on a homeschool day.....every time,it's been downpour rainy! I'm hoping we actually make it on Sept. 16th this year! woohoo!


----------



## 3KAR

Here is what we covered for Japan....we will be leaving for the world next week we will be looking for all the elements we learned about in our travels thru the WS Japan Pavilion. MY dd is in second grade. 
Have I missed anything? Or does anyone have anything to add?

Not sure how to do the quote thing, however.....

I love all of this!  Is it ok with you to copy and save it in one of my files?  

Kristine


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Disney 8704-
We have the Leapsters and my kids love them. They just came out with a newer version, but most games play on all systems. At least the one we have works with diff. games. They are really cool, they have a little case so you can bring them in the car, or out to eat. The games are around $25, but they last a long time.We have the green one and the pink one. Actually dd is on her 2nd one--she played the first one so much you couldn't even see the screen anymore!!!

All the LeapFrog stuff is excellent as toys & educational in my book.They are very much on their level and make learning fun. Which is important at that age--so I am a big fan of LF!!!! Can't go wrong!!


----------



## Disney8704

Great! Thanks for the reply  Oh what kind of games do they have? My nephew loves to count things and practice his numbers, so do they have like a math game? As of right now he can count up to 20. BTW he is 3 yrs old, so not really sure how far a 3 yr old should be able to count. However, he's pretty smart for someone his age. He loves to talk also, so is there any games that helps with words and maybe reading? He has a hard time saying the letter S. Like whenever he says snow, it comes out no,  . Or like spider-man, it comes out pider-man  



Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Disney 8704-
> We have the Leapsters and my kids love them. They just came out with a newer version, but most games play on all systems. At least the one we have works with diff. games. They are really cool, they have a little case so you can bring them in the car, or out to eat. The games are around $25, but they last a long time.We have the green one and the pink one. Actually dd is on her 2nd one--she played the first one so much you couldn't even see the screen anymore!!!
> 
> All the LeapFrog stuff is excellent as toys & educational in my book.They are very much on their level and make learning fun. Which is important at that age--so I am a big fan of LF!!!! Can't go wrong!!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

They have quite a variety of games. dora,bat man, 2 with the princesses,a puzzle game, pet games,thomas....Check out their website.I think TRU has most of them--Wal-Mart and Target have a bunch as well.


----------



## TNKBELL

ROIE01581 said:


> I never knew you could get an education from WAlmart.  Do they let you into college with a high school education from WAlmart?




Don't ya know, you can get anything at Walmart??!!


----------



## Disney8704

Oh they have Thomas?! My newphew LOVES Thomas. Now, if they have Disney he would be set!



Disney Mommy 3 said:


> They have quite a variety of games. dora,bat man, 2 with the princesses,a puzzle game, pet games,thomas....Check out their website.I think TRU has most of them--Wal-Mart and Target have a bunch as well.


----------



## mickeyvixie

I have a question please.   

For those of you using K12, how involved are your remote teachers?  My DD is starting K thru them this week and the teacher is new to cyber teaching this year and I dont know if it is me or not but she seems to be a little overzealous.  Very nice lady and a Disney person   I didnt realize that the teachers would be calling 2-3 times a week and planning all kinds of chat room type things at this grade level thru that PITA Elluminate (it hates me ok )

I understand she is new and learning but I wasnt sure how common this was with the K12. It is nice and all that my DD would get to know the other kids but she is not a talk on the phone type of girl( I cant even get her to talk to relatives), I so cannot picture her using a microphone to talk on the puter.    LOL...should have seen the "get aquainted" call with her teacher--the lady was lucky to get DD to respond for all of 2 minutes. 

I have some other questions but will leave those for later...one at a time


----------



## Temair

Wow your teacher is on the ball.  When my DD was with ARVA (1st and 2nd grade) we hardly ever heard from the teacher.  We had monthly phone calls, not required to attend chat sessions, and not much input from her. But my daughter was doing curriculum a grade level ahead of where she was so they basically ignored her and focused on the kids needing help.  There was a strong push on students behind grade level to make up the work and be on grade level.  Things also vary from school to school depending on state rules and regulations.


----------



## TNKBELL

We also use K-12 and each of my Dks' teachers schedule phone conferences twice per month. I have been very impressed with them, I feel comfortable contacting them via email, that seems to be very effective for us.

It sounds like she is excited. My Dks would be a little intimidated as well, and they are outgoing for the most part. 

We really like the flexibility of the program.


----------



## Disney_Angel

3KAR said:


> Here is what we covered for Japan....we will be leaving for the world next week we will be looking for all the elements we learned about in our travels thru the WS Japan Pavilion. MY dd is in second grade.
> Have I missed anything? Or does anyone have anything to add?
> 
> Not sure how to do the quote thing, however.....
> 
> I love all of this!  Is it ok with you to copy and save it in one of my files?
> 
> Kristine



Ofcourse!!!   I made the outline from the  information contained in DD's  Japan unit---6 lessons.   Please help yourself to anything I may post in the future too.


----------



## Disney_Angel

ROIE01581 said:


> I never knew you could get an education from WAlmart.  Do they let you into college with a high school education from WAlmart?




Yup!

And they $4.00 Rx too  
Aisle 7 has ponies, woodland elves and ogres.

I think you misunderstood she meant the supplies for schooling at home.


----------



## Disney_Angel

We have conferences one to two times a month. In the mean time if I ever have a problem I e-mail the teacher (the rule is she is suppose to answer within 24hrs) I usually hear back within the day.  

Work Samples sent every month.

Elluminates vary usually once a week but could be up to 2x a week. My dd LOVES elluminate. The first time she was hesitent but after the next few sessions you would have thought she was a pro.  

All the k12/cyberschool teachers are enthusiastic. I think k12 grows them in a super secret labortory somewhere.  
I honestly have never meet one grumpy teacher or administrator.  I adore my dd's principle. She has been integral in the fight to keep cyber education an option here in PA. Oh heck, I could go on and on...  


k12 is not for everybody but we are thrilled with it...


----------



## disneymom3

Disney8704 said:


> Where does everyone get their books, workbooks and phonics materials? Can you find everything you need like at walmart and toysrus or is there a website online where you can find everything you need?



If you are teaching a preschooler or even Kindergartener some workbooks from Walmart would be okay.  Just to introduce concepts or for "extras."  Otherwise you are really going to want to research some actual curriculums.  My third grader does use a math workbook from Walmart when we are going on a long drive somewhere so he can still do math as his actual textbook is too cumbersome.


----------



## disneymom3

Denine said:


> Call me crazy but we love Calvert.  This is our 3rd year (PK, K and now 1st).  DD loves the worksheets and everything else about it.  NOw we did start with Horizons for math because DD would have been bored with Calvert math.  She is doing very well so far.
> 
> DD is reading at and end of 1st grade beginning of 2nd grade level.  I believe that will continue to advance as she gets older.  She will be 6 in 1 month.
> 
> We chose not to do an on-line program like k12, connections or even Calvert even though they were free because we did not want the oversight.
> 
> I do like a packaged curriculum though since I still work 1 day per week and have commitments related to that.  I am an RN.  I like everything laid out for me and then I can modify that to our needs.



Denine--I wanted to say I am so glad that you are really happy with Calvert!  I remember back when you were trying to decide what to use and you really were a bit nervous about it.  That is great that it has worked out so well and you found a good fit.

I agree about the oversight of an online school.  It would make me crazy. I am glad the option is there but I don't feel the need or desire to send my kids work to someone else to have it verified etc.  I am glad the option exists for those who want it and glad the options I chose exist as well.


----------



## mickeyvixie

Disney_Angel said:


> We have conferences one to two times a month. In the mean time if I ever have a problem I e-mail the teacher (the rule is she is suppose to answer within 24hrs) I usually hear back within the day.
> 
> Work Samples sent every month.
> 
> Elluminates vary usually once a week but could be up to 2x a week. My dd LOVES elluminate. The first time she was hesitent but after the next few sessions you would have thought she was a pro.
> 
> All the k12/cyberschool teachers are enthusiastic. I think k12 grows them in a super secret labortory somewhere.
> I honestly have never meet one grumpy teacher or administrator.  I adore my dd's principle. She has been integral in the fight to keep cyber education an option here in PA. Oh heck, I could go on and on...
> 
> 
> k12 is not for everybody but we are thrilled with it...



We are working with Agora.   The Elluminate isn't mandatory is it?  I would prefer she not participate in chat rooms at the kindergarten level.  They have time to do that kind of stuff when they get older.     I am more of a- give me the cirriculum and lesson plans and if I have a question I will call you type person.  I dont want to insult the teacher ( I do like her) but I may have to tell her to please limit her calls as it interupts the actual time my DD is learning.  I have been shutting the phone off 

Thanks for the help


----------



## Disney8704

Just wondering, those who do not do an online school, how do you go about getting their HS diploma and transcripts for like college?


----------



## disneymom3

mickeyvixie said:


> We are working with Agora.   The Elluminate isn't mandatory is it?  I would prefer she not participate in chat rooms at the kindergarten level.  They have time to do that kind of stuff when they get older.     I am more of a- give me the cirriculum and lesson plans and if I have a question I will call you type person.  I dont want to insult the teacher ( I do like her) but I may have to tell her to please limit her calls as it interupts the actual time my DD is learning.  I have been shutting the phone off
> 
> Thanks for the help



Are you able to do that?  Limit the calls I mean?  I would feel really...I don't know...invaded is the only word that comes to mind, but it's a little strong....if someone were calling and checking up on me all the time.

At any rate, we are starting the geography portion of our curriculum tomorrow and I am so excited about it. We started science on Friday and it was GREAT.  I am using the Prelevel 1 Biology from Real Science 4 Kids this year and I seriously could not be more pleased.  My third grader was ready to read the whole book on Friday.


----------



## TNKBELL

disneymom3 said:


> Are you able to do that?  Limit the calls I mean?  I would feel really...I don't know...invaded is the only word that comes to mind, but it's a little strong....if someone were calling and checking up on me all the time.
> 
> At any rate, we are starting the geography portion of our curriculum tomorrow and I am so excited about it. We started science on Friday and it was GREAT.  I am using the Prelevel 1 Biology from Real Science 4 Kids this year and I seriously could not be more pleased.  My third grader was ready to read the whole book on Friday.



I just wanted to respond and assure those who may be interested in a virtual school like K-12, that my experience so far has been wonderful! 

 I don't consider it "checking up on me" when the teachers call for the conference, it's just to see if we need help or suggestions with any of the subjects, and most of the teachers are homeschool moms themselves(at least in our area) and are EXTREMELY UNDERSTANDING.  I was very hesitant to enroll and was worried about being "watched", but my fears have been alleviated completely.

This is a great option for those who want their child to be in an accredited school and also for affordablility as well as support, these are the reasons we decided to go with K-12. They also allow the child to develope at their own pace, ahead or behind(encouraging them to catch up and offering resources to help with this). 

Please don't "knock it" unless you have tried it.


----------



## disneymom3

TNKBelle--I so glad to hear that!  I know you were hesitant about it.  Thanks for posting your experience with it. That gives a very different feel from what I was supposing.  As my boys get older I may end up going that road myself but those fears were definitely holding me back.

Also wanted to say that I was not at all knocking it and I am so sorry to those who use an online school if that was the way it came across.  It was my own concerns and how I would feel that I was talking about.  As I said, I am thankful for all of the choices we have educationally.


----------



## TNKBELL

disneymom3, I'm sorry if I misunderstood. 
When I posted about using a virtual academy on my local Homeschool yahoo group, I received many negative responses, all sent by moms who had never used a VA before. I guess I'm just used to defending it. 

The way I see it, is that the school system is now validating and acknowledging that homeschooling is effective and a great way for students to learn. Another thing they are learning is the fact that financially this is more advantageous with the eliminated expenses of buildings, maintenance, teachers(except for the few that work from home to be available to parents), school nurses, buses, bus drivers, inspections, etc...
I feel like our family is part of a representation of the effectiveness and success of homeschooling. In our area the local virtual school LVS, has been overwhelmed by the growing response and they are quickly trying to provide books and computers to all the families as well as educational support personel. I could go on and on, but many of you would fall asleep!! 

However we choose to do it, homeschooling is WONDERFUL!!!


----------



## Disney8704

For those who are doing online programs, is it sorta like work at your own pace. Like my college gave me 2 yrs to complete my course. And it was at my own pace. So I could do a lesson a week or a lesson once a month, or even a lesson every 2 months if I chose to do. So do they give you like a certain time the schooling needs to be done by for each grade and let them go at their own pace or are they strict on what needs to be done by a certain point? Also if it is set for things to be done by a certain point, do you find it hard to take a vacation during the year besides summer time or are they very flexible?


----------



## TNKBELL

Disney8704 said:


> For those who are doing online programs, is it sorta like work at your own pace. Like my college gave me 2 yrs to complete my course. And it was at my own pace. So I could do a lesson a week or a lesson once a month, or even a lesson every 2 months if I chose to do. So do they give you like a certain time the schooling needs to be done by for each grade and let them go at their own pace or are they strict on what needs to be done by a certain point? Also if it is set for things to be done by a certain point, do you find it hard to take a vacation during the year besides summer time or are they very flexible?




We can pretty much work at our own pace, they recommend completing 10% per subject per month. They give you an online calendar to fill out to project your ending date. I have taken several vacation days off and our projected ending date will be early June. This doesn't take into account for working ahead. One way we work ahead ,if I feel like my Dks have mastered a subject, is to take the Unit Assessment and if they do well, we move on to the next unit. This eliminates having to do lessons on subjects they already understand. The idea is to finish subjects prior to the start of the next school year, this year it is Sept. 2nd. We have been working since mid August. If they complete a subject before summer, they can start the next level to be ahead for the next semester. Only certain subjects are "required" and this varies by the State requirements, we are only required to finish Math and Language Arts for the younger students, the other subjects are not 
considered "core subjects". We will finish all subjects, though. If you finish the elective course by the end of the first semester, you can move on to the next elective up to 3 per year. Currently we are on art, I would like to move on to Spanish if we can finish up sooner.


----------



## Denine

disneymom3 said:


> Denine--I wanted to say I am so glad that you are really happy with Calvert!  I remember back when you were trying to decide what to use and you really were a bit nervous about it.  That is great that it has worked out so well and you found a good fit.
> 
> I agree about the oversight of an online school.  It would make me crazy. I am glad the option is there but I don't feel the need or desire to send my kids work to someone else to have it verified etc.  I am glad the option exists for those who want it and glad the options I chose exist as well.



Good memory!

It is always nerve wracking doing something the first time.  You are afraid of making a mistake.  I really wanted to use Sonlight, but I realized it just wouldn't be a good fit for DD.


----------



## disneymom3

LOL--yes I do have a good memory.  Drives DH insane!

I really like the idea of Sonlight too, but I know my boys need way more hands on.  If money were no object I probably would have used Sonlight for DD and MFW for my boys.  However she got stuck with MFW and we just added more books for her to read.  My claim is that once my kids are old enough to be independent I am going to do Sonlight for myself!  You adn I could have a book group!


----------



## Disney_Angel

mickeyvixie said:


> We are working with Agora.   The Elluminate isn't mandatory is it?  I would prefer she not participate in chat rooms at the kindergarten level.  They have time to do that kind of stuff when they get older.     I am more of a- give me the cirriculum and lesson plans and if I have a question I will call you type person.  I dont want to insult the teacher ( I do like her) but I may have to tell her to please limit her calls as it interupts the actual time my DD is learning.  I have been shutting the phone off
> 
> Thanks for the help



OMGosh....we are with Agora too! This is our third year. The Elluminate chatrooms are only available white the session is live and the teacher see EVERYTHING the students type.  And at the kindergarten,
first and second grade levels you have nothing to worry about.

 In the kindergarten the elluminate was more like circle time. The teacher will put up an activity on the while board and ask each child a question this will give them the opportunity to circle the answer with their mouse. Later on your teacher may ask the children to read one by one from their phonics readers or the teacher may do a one on one with your child. As always you are welcome to sit next to your child and watch.

In first grade the elluminates consist of reading or discussing a book they read in language arts, answering math questions, fire safety, the teacher may also check for fluency of sight words. I can't remember if they were mandatory in K but in first grade DD was required to attend...they will take attendance. 

Much of your correspondance will be through k-mail but you and your child will be required to conference at least once a month. Agora teachers are excellent with communication. I assure you she will let you know, in advance, she will be calling on this day between the time of this and that. She will not be calling you three or for times a week. last year I knew that dd's teacher would be calling every third Friday. It only changed during the holidays/days off and I always knew the month prior.


----------



## Disney_Angel

TNKBELL said:


> However we choose to do it, homeschooling is WONDERFUL!!!



 

  Many homeschool families have been persecuted by the government because of oversight issues. They have fought long and hard to have the right to school their children without government interference. 

 Cyber education is overseen by the government or in my case the Pennsylvania Department of Education. When speaking to folks who have no clue what cyber education is I say "homeschool" but in reality we cyber school..."un-schooling" at home. Now if they are really interested I will go on to explain the difference. But after a battle of explaining why my child is not an un-socialized, un-educated freak one rather thinks the finer points of homeschooling and cyber schooling is a moot point.  And that is just on the DIS


----------



## mickeyvixie

Disney_Angel said:


> The Elluminate chatrooms are only available white the session is live and the teacher see EVERYTHING the students type.  And at the kindergarten,
> first and second grade levels you have nothing to worry about.
> *NOt really worried, and I know it is a cyberschool, just my personal opinon but at that age they dont really NEED to be learning how to even use a chat room atmosphere. Kinda hard to explain but more like...let them be a kid a bit longer thing, does that make more sense? *
> 
> In the kindergarten the elluminate was more like circle time. The teacher will put up an activity on the while board and ask each child a question this will give them the opportunity to circle the answer with their mouse. Later on your teacher may ask the children to read one by one from their phonics readers or the teacher may do a one on one with your child. As always you are welcome to sit next to your child and watch.
> *Well she may be missing  those regardless for a few months since it will be awhile before we get her puter hooked up to the net in the schoolroom upstairs and this one hates Elluminate apparently   Actually it is a Java issue with it I had a techie friend look at it and he said it is a problem with both Elluminate and Java. I can access everything else on the K12 site but the E.  OH well, cant help it.  I am just doing the online stuff (videos and such) on here and printing out the other stuff to take upstairs with me to work on.*
> 
> I can't remember if they were mandatory in K but in first grade DD was required to attend...they will take attendance. .



Speaking of attendance...how do I do this tomorrow?   Do I stay logged in the whole 5 hours? Or just log in and out as I do things on the computer?  Do they know?  Do they care?  I love  the cirriculum just a little disappointed that they seemed to leave out important stuff.  What I dont understand is why none of this (the elluminate thing mainly) was mentioned in the info online(I did see the E bit but thot it was for info for the parents, not a chat room for the younger children) and by the reps from the school. They made it out to be less monitored ??? overseen???then what it is.  OH well I will make the best of it for now I suppose.

**********PLease no one take this as a dis to Cyber schooling in general I just dont like being surprised with things that should be basic info for something like this.  Thank you to those who have given me all the help so far.  I will muddle thru or ask more stupid questions  


*OT*>>>>>>>>Disney_Angel----------Whatcha DOING SUNDAY?  We are having a get together at the MK and I see you will be down then too.  PM if you are intrigued.


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## disneymarie

Disney8704 said:


> Just wondering, those who do not do an online school, how do you go about getting their HS diploma and transcripts for like college?



There is a graduation ceremony and diplomas are passed out. All transcripts can be sent to the colleges. The connections academy my dd is attending has a young man at Harvard now.

It is picking the right online school. Some are not as challanging, some extensive writting assingments and then the ones that are good blends and support.

It took me a long time to decide, but after going back to college myself, I am very glad I spent months investagating our options. I only wish I had started her last year.

All supplies, books and computer are supplied. Her books are the McGraw -Hill that she has been using. My dd is gifted and ahead in many subjects, her friend a grade ahead takes more time to absorb classwork and math. I am the same way, no clue what my dd is doing with absolutes and intergers  . The structure of the program accomdates both girls individule needs.

I woould have had no oppertunity to place her in a private school for her needs. Plus her friend would be falling behind as the class moved on.....
Just our two families experiences.
dianne


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## Disney_Angel

Gotcha about the elluminate/chatroom   No computer from school yet?
Darn...that could be frustrating!    I have heard about the problems with elluminate and java.... oh boy have I heard.  I am waiting for Science 2 Core kit.  

Join us at the Agora / Yahoo group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K12-Agora/

    ---- that is if your not already a member  


*OT*>>>>>>>>Disney_Angel----------Whatcha DOING SUNDAY? We are having a get together at the MK and I see you will be down then too. PM if you are intrigued.[/quote]

 

 I am PMing you!


----------



## mickeyvixie

Disney_Angel said:


> Gotcha about the elluminate/chatroom   No computer from school yet?
> Darn...that could be frustrating!    I have heard about the problems with elluminate and java.... oh boy have I heard.  I am waiting for Science 2 Core kit.
> 
> Join us at the Agora / Yahoo group
> 
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K12-Agora/
> 
> ---- that is if your not already a member
> !



We got the school computer...nicer then ours I might add   I figure if it comes down to it, I can just copy all the lessons to disc (print feature) then just put them on the hers to save my ink.   GOOD, glad to know I am not the only one with issues about it.

We haven't gotten our any of the Math, some of the extra Language Arts Books that are on the invoice and part of the Science listed on it too.  Then again I just signed up 2 weeks ago so we are doing good I suppose

May just do the yahoo group thing after we get back... I STILL NEED TO PACK


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## Disney8704

Thanks for the info..but I was asking about if you did NOT go to an online school, how do you get the diploma and transcripts?



disneymarie said:


> There is a graduation ceremony and diplomas are passed out. All transcripts can be sent to the colleges. The connections academy my dd is attending has a young man at Harvard now.
> 
> It is picking the right online school. Some are not as challanging, some extensive writting assingments and then the ones that are good blends and support.
> 
> It took me a long time to decide, but after going back to college myself, I am very glad I spent months investagating our options. I only wish I had started her last year.
> 
> All supplies, books and computer are supplied. Her books are the McGraw -Hill that she has been using. My dd is gifted and ahead in many subjects, her friend a grade ahead takes more time to absorb classwork and math. I am the same way, no clue what my dd is doing with absolutes and intergers  . The structure of the program accomdates both girls individule needs.
> 
> I woould have had no oppertunity to place her in a private school for her needs. Plus her friend would be falling behind as the class moved on.....
> Just our two families experiences.
> dianne


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

disneymom3 said:


> You adn I could have a book group!



Me too!!!


----------



## Denine

disneymom3 said:


> LOL--yes I do have a good memory.  Drives DH insane!
> 
> I really like the idea of Sonlight too, but I know my boys need way more hands on.  If money were no object I probably would have used Sonlight for DD and MFW for my boys.  However she got stuck with MFW and we just added more books for her to read.  My claim is that once my kids are old enough to be independent I am going to do Sonlight for myself!  You adn I could have a book group!



Sounds great!


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## disneymom3

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Me too!!!



It's a deal!   I have about 6 years minimum before I can do that and that is only if my boys do go off to middle school.


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## fortheluvofpooh

Hi there I have a ??? does virtual charter school count as homeschooling? Anyone do this, we are considering PAVCS.org Would like to know what anyone/everyone thinks about this. I am an extremely busy SAHM, I babysit and take care of my ageing mom. I am concerned though that my children are not being challenged enough by their school. Our school is great if you have a special need child, but not so much if your child is smart. They do not seperate children therefore my son who is an honor student is also put into a class with a child who is barely getting by. I feel he is being held back, and not being presented with challenges to meet his needs.


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## mickeyvixie

fortheluvofpooh said:


> Hi there I have a ??? does virtual charter school count as homeschooling? Anyone do this, we are considering PAVCS.org Would like to know what anyone/everyone thinks about this. I am an extremely busy SAHM, I babysit and take care of my ageing mom. I am concerned though that my children are not being challenged enough by their school. Our school is great if you have a special need child, but not so much if your child is smart. They do not seperate children therefore my son who is an honor student is also put into a class with a child who is barely getting by. I feel he is being held back, and not being presented with challenges to meet his needs.



It is just another name for cyber school. (AKA...homeschooling on the computer through a website that provides curriculum, etc)  I looked into them when choosing one for my DD.  PAVCS seemed (to me anyway) to be much more regimented with hours, etc so if you are as busy as you say I would shop around a bit before choosing a homeschooling program.  

Depending on the child's age ability and/or type of program chosen it can be timeconsuming.  PA state requirements for the cyberschools/virtual charter schools are 5 hours a school day for elementary age (cant remember High School but it is a bit more) and 180 days attendance per year.

Suggestion as an alternative.......not sure how old your son is but what about giving him some challenges yourself afterschool hours.?  Get him some workbooks to do (check out teacher stores and even walmart and the Dollar Tree carry them).  Have him take a class at a museum or a science center.  Check around your area for groups that he can belong to.  Scouts, chess clubs, book clubs, gardening clubs.  Even special events can be challenging, have him figure out the velocity of a roller coaster.   Lots of choices even in small town.  Ask the school if he can help tutor the students that are struggling.  THAT of course would depend on his age.  I wouldnt do that until Middle school level.  
Good luck


----------



## mickeyvixie

Well the above said........ any one else having fun logging onto Agora today...OY!   Took me longer to eventially get back in then it did for DD to do the lessons.  Teacher called, said it was a glitch.  UMMMM>..no...the site is getting pounded cause it is the first day.


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## nuzmom

mickeyvixie said:


> Suggestion as an alternative.......not sure how old your son is but what about giving him some challenges yourself afterschool hours.?  Get him some workbooks to do (check out teacher stores and even walmart and the Dollar Tree carry them).



I was actually warned against doing this with my gifted son (2nd grade at the time). I was told that many gifted children will take this as a "drawback" to being gifted. They will quickly decide to not do quite so well so that they don't have to do extra work. This ended up being a part of our decision to home school.

However, when my DS was in kingergarten, it was only 1/2 day. He viewed it as "play time" and he did "school" after he came home.


----------



## mickeyvixie

nuzmom said:


> I was actually warned against doing this with my gifted son (2nd grade at the time). I was told that many gifted children will take this as a "drawback" to being gifted. They will quickly decide to not do quite so well so that they don't have to do extra work. This ended up being a part of our decision to home school..



Good point but it would really depend on the child and their age. Also how it is presented to them. (again depending on the kiddo) If made into fun instead of extra work and involve parent/child time then it could succeed and some of the workbooks could at least provide a stepping stone to making up your (generic your) own challenges.  I loved those books when I was younger couldnt wait till my mom bought me a new one.


----------



## Disney_Angel

fortheluvofpooh said:


> Hi there I have a ??? does virtual charter school count as homeschooling? Anyone do this, we are considering PAVCS.org Would like to know what anyone/everyone thinks about this. I am an extremely busy SAHM, I babysit and take care of my ageing mom. I am concerned though that my children are not being challenged enough by their school. Our school is great if you have a special need child, but not so much if your child is smart. They do not seperate children therefore my son who is an honor student is also put into a class with a child who is barely getting by. I feel he is being held back, and not being presented with challenges to meet his needs.



Home schooling and cybcer education are two different options available to families who choose to school at home. It all depends on what style of learning is best for your family and how much oversight you feel comfortable with.

I almost went with PAVCS back in 2006 when my dd entered kindergarten. At the last moment we chose Agora. I loved the k12 curriculum and wanted to use it exclusively. I urge you to compare the two and decide how much of a workload you want. From my understanding back in 2006 parents were leaving because the cyber school was requiring too much work. k12 is pretty intense and to me that curriculum alone was more then enough. But it is all personal preference.

Agora has a Yahoo group that is parent run and I believe so does PAVCS.
Come join us there are many parents that have used both school and would love to answer your questions.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K12-Agora/

Whatever you choose best of luck!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

I have been thinking about homeschooling, i've been reading through these posts over the last few days!  My dd9 just started 3rd grade yesterday and my dd7 is in 1st grade.  My youngest is 4.
  I feel this will work for my family! And the more I read posts here and think about it, I really want to start looking into this. This thread seems so helpful. I don't know anyone who homeschools, so I would be completely new to this.
  Where do I start and what do I need to look into?? Thanks in advance for any responses.


----------



## Lora

3princesses+aprince said:


> I have been thinking about homeschooling, i've been reading through these posts over the last few days!  My dd9 just started 3rd grade yesterday and my dd7 is in 1st grade.  My youngest is 4.
> I feel this will work for my family! And the more I read posts here and think about it, I really want to start looking into this. This thread seems so helpful. I don't know anyone who homeschools, so I would be completely new to this.
> Where do I start and what do I need to look into?? Thanks in advance for any responses.



Welcome!  We've just started our 9th year of homeschooling.  Since homeschooling was new territory for many of us when we started, we can understand where you are right now.  The first thing you need to do is educate yourself on your state's homeschool laws.  You can find the basics at www.hslda.org by searching your state.

Next, I would recommend getting a couple (or few) books on homeschooling from your library or other source.  You need to read a bit to start discovering what direction you want your homeschool to take.   There's a wide spectrum of homeschooling styles and philosophies out there.  Take some time to write down your reasons for wanting to homeschool and your goals as a family.  

You can then start researching homeschool groups in your area.  It will be helpful for you to have some support so you don't have to "reinvent the wheel".  We've been involved in co-ops, field trip groups, etc. and that's where we met many of our friends.  If you can't find local groups, you can find a plethora of groups on the internet.  This thread is great, but since it is just that - a thread, it's a bit difficult to find what you need sometimes.  Since I use Sonlight Curriculum, I go to their forums with questions and for fun.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

3princesses+aprince said:


> I have been thinking about homeschooling, i've been reading through these posts over the last few days!  My dd9 just started 3rd grade yesterday and my dd7 is in 1st grade.  My youngest is 4.
> I feel this will work for my family! And the more I read posts here and think about it, I really want to start looking into this. This thread seems so helpful. I don't know anyone who homeschools, so I would be completely new to this.
> Where do I start and what do I need to look into?? Thanks in advance for any responses.



Yes!! You can definitely do this!! Go to your local library and see if they have any books you can get about homeschooling. I like the one by Lisa Whelchel"So You Are Thinking About Homeschooling"--actually I got this one from LifeWay-most bookstores carry it. Also, anything by Karen Andreola is good. check out the HSLDA--they will list the laws required by your state. Here in Texas, if we homeschool we have to turn a letter into the school stating that we will be hsing from now on to get the kids un-enrolled from the school. That's it here-I don't know what other schools require. 

Another good book is by Cathy Duffy-100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum---she lists her favorites,tells all about them and lists some websites for you to look at.Again, this can be bought at local bookstores. Are you interested in a Christian based schooling? Do you want it all packaged and sent to you by grade level? Do you want to do an eclectic schooling? These are some basic ?s to point you in the right direction. You will know what works best for your family after you start doing some research.We started out with ABeka and we loved it. But after a couple of years, we found that it wasn't working for us!! It's wonderful, but just tooooo much with 3 kids!!(for us anyway-may just be your thing---and it is good for starters because you aren't having to spend your first year in total confusion!!HA!).We now do a Charlotte Mason approach---more reading of literature and biographies for our studies and less workbooks. This has really worked for us. Now, for my daughter in Kind. she of course has workbooks for Math and Phonics, but we are working to learn to read,so she will be switching over before too long.

Sorry this got overwhelmingly long!!!! I just love to help people get pointed in the right direction for hsing. It has been the biggest blessing for our family and we love to share our experience with others!! All of us hsers on this board will be happy to help you!! By the way, this is our 5th year to hs and so far it's the best!!!


----------



## Denine

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Yes!! You can definitely do this!!
> 
> Another good book is by Cathy Duffy-100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum---she lists her favorites,tells all about them and lists some websites for you to look at.Again, this can be bought at local bookstores. Are you interested in a Christian based schooling? Do you want it all packaged and sent to you by grade level? Do you want to do an eclectic schooling? These are some basic ?s to point you in the right direction. You will know what works best for your family after you start doing some research.We started out with ABeka and we loved it. But after a couple of years, we found that it wasn't working for us!! It's wonderful, but just tooooo much with 3 kids!!(for us anyway-may just be your thing---and it is good for starters because you aren't having to spend your first year in total confusion!!HA!).We now do a Charlotte Mason approach---more reading of literature and biographies for our studies and less workbooks. This has really worked for us. Now, for my daughter in Kind. she of course has workbooks for Math and Phonics, but we are working to learn to read,so she will be switching over before too long.



I love this book!  I look at it a lot toward the end of the scool year to see what may work for us in the future.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Thank you so much for your quick responses, you are all so helpful here.
I'm going to go check that website out right now to check on our state's laws. And i'm definately going to go get a few books on homeschooling. I don't want to rush into this, I definately want to take my time, and find out all I need to know.
 I did think about all of the reasons why I want to homeschool, and I do feel this would work out so well for my family compared to sending the kids to public school. And there were quite a few reasons, which makes me feel even better about it.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Denine said:


> I love this book!  I look at it a lot toward the end of the scool year to see what may work for us in the future.



That's exactly what I do!!! Do you use ChristianBook.com ? I looove their website!! They show lots of excerps that other sites don't. I know lots of people use Rainbow Resources, but CBD is my favorite!!!


----------



## Lora

3princesses+aprince said:


> Thank you so much for your quick responses, you are all so helpful here.
> I'm going to go check that website out right now to check on our state's laws. And i'm definately going to go get a few books on homeschooling. I don't want to rush into this, I definately want to take my time, and find out all I need to know.
> I did think about all of the reasons why I want to homeschool, and I do feel this would work out so well for my family compared to sending the kids to public school. And there were quite a few reasons, which makes me feel even better about it.



I forgot to mention one more thing...

I would not attempt to hs without the support of my dh.  At first he was not at all interested, but after several months of research (before my oldest even started school), he was convinced that it was the best thing for us.   I wouldn't hesitate, however, to go ahead and hs without the support of extended family.     I do have the support of mine now, but I've heard some interesting stories from others!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

I checked out the hslda website and there was so much information!! I could probably read it for hours, of course my 4 yr old is home with me, so I'll have to read some more later. But I did look into my state's laws, and the support groups they have in our state, there are actually 2! So that's exciting.!

 Lora, I do have my dh's support.  Not sure about extended family, I havn't brought it up to anyone else yet. I know I would have my Mother, Father, and Brother's support, and that is all I need to start out with. Everyone else can either fall into place or not.  
 I did casually mention it to a friend of mine, and her response was that they would be sheltered, and get bored! So i'm sure I will hear things just as many others do. But I know in the end, it is my kids and my family that will be happy with this. It will not matter what "bobbyjo" down the street thinks!


----------



## TNKBELL

Lora said:


> I forgot to mention one more thing...
> 
> I would not attempt to hs without the support of my dh.  At first he was not at all interested, but after several months of research (before my oldest even started school), he was convinced that it was the best thing for us.   I wouldn't hesitate, however, to go ahead and hs without the support of extended family.     I do have the support of mine now, but I've heard some interesting stories from others!



This is soooo true! When I began researching prior to our oldest starting, Dh wasn't so sure but he did offer his support, but now he could never have it any other way!! A friend of mine who has been wanting to hs, told me that she never could get her dh to agree, so they were going the traditional school route, I told her that your marriage comes first, and to have dh's support is the most important.

 No matter what anyone does, not everyone will support you, not just about hs, religion, political choices, the way you wear your hair....etc 

Welcome aboard, it sounds like you have lots of support already!


----------



## NHWX

3princesses+aprince said:


> I did casually mention it to a friend of mine, and her response was that they would be sheltered, and get bored! So i'm sure I will hear things just as many others do. But I know in the end, it is my kids and my family that will be happy with this. It will not matter what "bobbyjo" down the street thinks!



That seems to be one of the most persistent myths about homeschooling. I'm sure there are some children on a deserted island or at the top of 20K foot mountain that are isolated and homeschooled but I have yet to meet one in person!

My two belong to a 4-H team which is mostly about FIRST robotics teams. On Sunday, the team met for 8 hours, then today another 3. Tomorrow, they'll help set up a tent for the county fair. Then over the weekend, we'll be there two or three days with other teams, teaching people about what the teams do.  (We've been building a new robot just to take to the fair. It's a stone soup robot!)

Thursday, our oldest will be starting a philosophy discussion/book group held here in town with other homeschoolers. 

I still have to respond to an email about another teen homeschool group which meets once a month. Plus all the other area/regional homeschool groups which meet once a week or twice a month. Some days I just want to say "Stay home long enough to get your schoolwork done!"

Oh, and yes, there's just hanging out with friends. 

But they might be sheltered from drug deals, violence in the halls, smoking and drinking in the woods outside the high school, etc. I'm OK with that. Our older son went to the high school for a semester last year and we heard about plenty of this activity.

NHWX


----------



## NHWX

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> That's exactly what I do!!! Do you use ChristianBook.com ? I looove their website!! They show lots of excerps that other sites don't. I know lots of people use Rainbow Resources, but CBD is my favorite!!!



If you're in New England, they're having their warehouse sale this Saturday starting at 7AM.

We can't go.  But we'll be at the county fair with a bunch of kids from a robotics based 4-H club. Pray that Hanna goes out to sea, OK?

NHWX


----------



## NHWX

Disney8704 said:


> Thanks for the info..but I was asking about if you did NOT go to an online school, how do you get the diploma and transcripts?



Some people don't get a diploma from an accredited institution. Many colleges accept what's known as "Mommy diploma". There's a girl whose mom was on two of the homeschooling high school email lists I'm on and she got into both Yale and Harvard without a diploma. (Mind you, she's brilliant. Among other things she took 13 AP tests.) Some get a GED. Some people go with a credit collecting school. 

We're using NARS which collects up all the transcripts and reviews all of our homeschooling classes, guarantees it's all high school level work and will issue a diploma and a transcript.

Here's a pretty good article about homeschooling and high school: http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/Issues/C/CollegeEntrance.asp

NHWX


----------



## disneymom3

nuzmom said:


> I was actually warned against doing this with my gifted son (2nd grade at the time). I was told that many gifted children will take this as a "drawback" to being gifted. They will quickly decide to not do quite so well so that they don't have to do extra work. This ended up being a part of our decision to home school.
> 
> However, when my DS was in kingergarten, it was only 1/2 day. He viewed it as "play time" and he did "school" after he came home.



Ha ha.  Same for DD. When they went to full day she was really bummed as she told me they were not going to teach her anything she did not already know.

As for the challenges I would suggest finding somethign your child is interested in and having them discover more about it on their own and come up with a way to present it to others.  For instance, my son is currently researching Northwester Coastal Indians.  (He liked that group because they did a lot of fishing.)  He is creating "artifacts" and drawing maps etc and will ultimately put together a display on a card table and we will have grandma and grandpa over to see it.  SAdly, he is also wanting to make some food--remember that whole fish thing.  Ick.

However, what I would suggest most is homeschooling a gifted child UNLESS you can find a program that is specifically geared toward gifted children WITH teachers who have master's levels of education IN gifted education.  Today was a good example of that. DD is in a school for the highly gifted. They are doing things a bit differently this year and have a teacher from the high school teaching Language Arts. Today she commented that yesterday they were a little "boisterous" and then asked if anyone knew what that meant.  These kids are 5th 6th and 7th grade highly gifted kids.  DD was quite offended. Says most of them just sat there until they realized she really wanted an answer.  "Mom," she says, "we assumed it was a rhetorical question."  Teachers of hte gifted cannot possibly get paid enough.  That is why I sent DD to school after 6 years.


----------



## Denine

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> That's exactly what I do!!! Do you use ChristianBook.com ? I looove their website!! They show lots of excerps that other sites don't. I know lots of people use Rainbow Resources, but CBD is my favorite!!!




I get their catalog.  I haven't looked at their website much.

I do love the RR catalog too.  I could spend sooooo much money.  We wouldn't have time to do everything, but I love  the stuff.

I told DD we were only going to do one math lesson today because she has 2 workhseets to do.  She saw the next page (fractions) and asked if we could do just one more page!  So we are doing 2 lessons and the worksheets.   I love that we can do this!


----------



## Denine

DH is actually the one that talked ME into HS.  I had to do a lot of research to decide if it was something that I wanted to do or felt I could do.
Three years later....


----------



## nuzmom

Denine said:


> I told DD we were only going to do one math lesson today because she has 2 workhseets to do.  She saw the next page (fractions) and asked if we could do just one more page!  So we are doing 2 lessons and the worksheets.   I love that we can do this!



I agree - this is definitely one of my favorite aspects of hsing. When kids get excited about learning and you're able to "run with it".


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

I have read alot on the hslda website and went around to other websites as well. I ordered a few books to read from Borders website. I am so lost, there is just so much out there


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## nuzmom

3princesses+aprince said:


> I have read alot on the hslda website and went around to other websites as well. I ordered a few books to read from Borders website. I am so lost, there is just so much out there



Yes, it can be confusing, but don't get discouraged. Just take one topic at a time. I'm sorry if you've already posted - but do you have specific questions or have the "where do I start" question?


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

nuzmom, yes, I posted the where do I start question yesterday. I went to the hslda website to check on my state laws, and saw that my state has 2 support groups going.

Today I started looking into what I would be interested in using, I was just on Sonlight.com, but also looked at a few others.

My main question right now is how many of you teach multiple kids with 1 program, and how do you make it work. I was reading on sonlights website that many people do that. My daughters are all 2 years apart, My youngest will be 5 in March, and my other two are 7 and 9.


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## nuzmom

3princesses+aprince said:


> My main question right now is how many of you teach multiple kids with 1 program, and how do you make it work. I was reading on sonlights website that many people do that. My daughters are all 2 years apart, My youngest will be 5 in March, and my other two are 7 and 9.



I'm not the best to comment on a "program". I choose the subjects and then choose the curriculum I want to use. For instance, Saxon math or Math-U-See, Easy Grammar, Wordly Wise, MCP plaid phonics, spelling power, Apologia science, etc.

I have a DS12 and DS7 and have been hsing for 5 years. I belong to a group that meets once per week for some group instruction. We do science, literature, history, and a flex class together. These groups are DEFINITELY multi-aged groups. Those subjects are perfect for combining different ages.

For the elementary levels of Apologia sciences, older children do more research and writing. Experiments and textbook reading is done by all.

Similar situation with history. More advanced work is required by older students, but the main curriculum is used by multiple elementary aged kids.

Literature is broken up by smaller groups and is based on reading ability, but a few grade levels can be combined.

Personally, I can't imagine using the same LEVEL of vocabulary, math, grammar, spelling, and phonics. However, I do find it easier when they use the same curriculum. Once you learn how a system works, most levels are taught the same. Now that my children are older, science can no longer be combined either.

As far as teaching different ages, I tend to teach a lesson to one child and make sure they get started on the questions/problems correctly. Then, I go to another child and get him started. Then back to check the first one's work, etc.


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## disneymom3

3princesses+aprince said:


> My main question right now is how many of you teach multiple kids with 1 program, and how do you make it work. I was reading on sonlights website that many people do that. My daughters are all 2 years apart, My youngest will be 5 in March, and my other two are 7 and 9.



You have GREAT ages for schooling together!  My boys are 2 years apart in school, my oldest is 4 years ahead of oldest son.  She has gone into school in a nearby district this year and life has gotten easier having the boys together and not having to worry about middle school challenge, though a LOT of moms do it and do it well.

If you have looked at Sonlight, you know that they have a lot of suggestions on how to mix ages.  My Fathers World is also a good one for that.  Somewhat similar to Sonlight, but with a 5 year cyclical approach and more hands on as well as a few books that are more textbook-y than Sonlight uses.  Their website is www.mfwbooks.com and they also have a message board you can link from there.

For math, reading, writing and those types of "Three Rs" classes, I have always taught my kids seperately.  For science, history, geography, music and art I teach them together.  Different expectation as Nuzmom said for my older one, slightly different for the younger two.  For instance, we did Apologia Astronomy year before last.  After each chapter, we had a notebook that each of them were putting together.  DD had to write a paragraph including at least 3 facts about the planet and make an illustration that demonstrated at least one of the facts.  DS who was 6 at the time had to make a drawing about something we had read and dictate to me including two facts and I would write his paragraph for him.  DS who was 4 drew a picture about the planet--his often included space men and rocket ships--and tell me what he remembered so I could write it down.

Last year we studied US Geography.  DD used a book called The Trailblazers Guide to US Geography and had a lot of written work in her notebook.  The boys did activities from a book called Little Hands Across America. (DD did most of those activities too.)  We all cooked recipes together.  DD also did much more advanced map work than the boys did.  And so on.

This year I am using Exploring Countries and Cultures from My Father's World.  It is working really well for my boys but I am leaving out quite a bit as it is designed for 3-6th grade and my boys are 1st and 3rd.

For your first year, what I often recommend to people is to get your math and reading/writing picked out as far as what you think will fit your kids learning styles. Don't be surprised to be wrong.  I have been a LOT!  Then, choose a time in history that YOU want to know more about.  Or somewhere in the world you want to learn more about.  Get books--both fiction and activity ones.  Rainbow Resources is a good place to look for those as is your local library.  Get a basic science book like Science With Water, Science in the Kitchen by Usborne or a Janice Van Cleave book such as her ".....For Every Kid" series.  (Human Body, Astronomy, and many others.) And go from there.

My *most important *mantra for new homeschoolers is--kids do not remember everything they learned in school each year.  From second grade I remember that i hated my reading teacher and we learned about money.  I suppose I must have learned some social studies but I have no idea what.  And the *second thing *to remember is that RARELY do they finish the book in public school.

I will stop now as I don't want to write a book.  Keep asking questions!


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## adoptionmomma4

Does anyone used or are currently using Rocket Phonics?  I am very interested in it.  It is $100 and I do have a reading/phonics curriculum.  However I do not LOVE it, so I am looking again.  Thanks in advance for any help 

BTW- I am Lacy.  I am a homeschooling mom of 4.  I have a DS in grade 2, DS in grade 4 and DD in grade 5.  

We use a very eclectic mix of curriculum and I am always looking for something new.  I think looking for new school stuff is becoming as bad as my Gymboree obsession


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## Disney Mommy 3

Three princesses+aprince~ I have 3 kids and the only thing we have ever done together is Bible and this year I added Geography(to combine). I have a 7th grader,4th grader and K. My oldest was so far ahead of the  middle one when we started (because he had been in scool for 3 years) the stuff I was going to use that year would have been a repeat and boring for him. So, we just do seperate. I guess because that's the way I have always done it, it works fine and doesn't seem to be a problem for me.

Just keep researching and find all the different approaches and narrow it down to what works for your family.Knowing what your state requires should help you get a feel for how much record keeping you need to do, and how many days/hours per week/year you should have.Remember also, no matter what curriculum you choose, I bet you they learn more at home the first semester than you ever thought they would.And as far as retaining---it's crazy how much more my son who went to ps remembers from hsing than he did at ps! Several friends of mine who have broght their kids home from ps say the same thing. I guess maybe because they have fewer distractions or they can focus more?  Whatever--it works!!!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Ladies (& gentelmen!!)  
Have we heard or read anything more of maybe getting a Homeschool Board on here instead of just threads? I know someone mentioned it a while back, did anything come of it?


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## disneymom3

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Ladies (& gentelmen!!)
> Have we heard or read anything more of maybe getting a Homeschool Board on here instead of just threads? I know someone mentioned it a while back, did anything come of it?



It has been asked for pretty regularly on and off for several years.  Personally I don't think it is going to happen.  I read this thread here, occassionally post on a few other boards but spend most of my disney and homeschooling posting on another board I have found that does have one.  This is a great thread and I can't leave it but it is hard to keep up with everything when it gets so long.


Disneymommy 3--I am curious.  Do your kids do totally different subjects as far as say, history or the same time period just at different levels?  I would have a hard time keeping track of all of what each person needed to do I think.  I am VERY organizationally challenged.


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## mykidsintow

3princesses+aprince said:


> nuzmom, yes, I posted the where do I start question yesterday. I went to the hslda website to check on my state laws, and saw that my state has 2 support groups going.
> 
> Today I started looking into what I would be interested in using, I was just on Sonlight.com, but also looked at a few others.
> 
> My main question right now is how many of you teach multiple kids with 1 program, and how do you make it work. I was reading on sonlights website that many people do that. My daughters are all 2 years apart, My youngest will be 5 in March, and my other two are 7 and 9.





I have Ds 7, DD 5.  My 7 yr old is gifted in reading (he tested 4th grade reading comprehension), but he is behind in math.  My 5 yr old is ahead across the board.  Her one struggle is handwriting, but she has physical challenges and its not a big deal.  

We do seperate reading/phonics.  I have my son read to DD and myself and then when he is working on something else I do her phonics/reading.  They each do handwriting, but seperately (their own level).  Both are working on the same history... We are using Story of the world.  However, they may have slightly different activities (at their level) or questions after a lesson.  Same with science we combine and activities related are at their level or they answer questions together.

Math is seperate.... I don't even have them on the same programs.  My son is struggling with math and I don't want him to realize his sister is ahead of him  

We started our first yr with a boxed set (sonlight).   There were aspects I loved and other things I didn't care for at all.  This left me researching and throwing together things myself.  

It all comes together.  It can be overwhelming... you research and jump in head first.  If somethign doesn't work, tweek it for your family and off you go.  The next yr you have learned and know better what your family/children need differently.  Of course as they grow needs change and you continue.... it can be frustrating, but its all completely worth it in the end .


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## Disney Mommy 3

disneymom3 said:


> Disneymommy 3--I am curious.  Do your kids do totally different subjects as far as say, history or the same time period just at different levels?  I would have a hard time keeping track of all of what each person needed to do I think.  I am VERY organizationally challenged.



They do the same thing, just different levels. For ex.-History we did Mystery of History last year, this year we switched to TruthQuest-oldest is in Ren and Ref, middle is in Am. Hist 1. For Science we use Apologia, 7th grade and one of the elem levels for the 4th grader-Lang arts--LLATL, green book and orange book(color by grade level), and so on. It's not as hard as it looks!! But, I do keep them in the same curriculum--just diff grade levels. this will help you to become organized---cause if you don't IT'LL KILL YOU!!! 
It really does help to have some level of organization just for your own sake!!


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## TNKBELL

Hey fellow homeschoolers, just a reminder that you can still sign up for the book it program online, each participating child will receive coupons for 1 free personal pan pizza each month of the program(October-March).
Here's the link:

http://www.bookitprogram.com/


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## happypooh

TNKBELL said:


> Hey fellow homeschoolers, just a reminder that you can still sign up for the book it program online, each participating child will receive coupons for 1 free personal pan pizza each month of the program(October-March).
> Here's the link:
> 
> http://www.bookitprogram.com/



I have a 3y old and looked at the bookit beginners program but it says you have to be a licensed child care center or preschool to participate and cannot join as an individual - so not sure that this would work for homeschoolers unless you are registered with at least 4 kids.....


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## TNKBELL

happypooh said:


> I have a 3y old and looked at the bookit beginners program but it says you have to be a licensed child care center or preschool to participate and cannot join as an individual - so not sure that this would work for homeschoolers unless you are registered with at least 4 kids.....



There is a homeschool sign up form, I just registered yesterday...here's the direct link 

http://www.bookitprogram.com/enrollment_online/homeschoolform.asp

I should have put this link instead of the other one!!


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## Lilogirl

I am new to Home Schooling and belong to a "group". But everytime someone new asks a question, someone makes them feel "stupid" for asking. Can anyone recommend some boards where asking questions is ok?

Thank you-


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## sha_lyn

> I am new to Home Schooling and belong to a "group". But everytime someone new asks a question, someone makes them feel "stupid" for asking. Can anyone recommend some boards were asking questions is ok?
> 
> Thank you-




http://www.mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?f=50
http://thehomeschoollibrary.com/
http://www.amitymama.com/vb/alternative-learning/


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## Ellester

Lilogirl said:


> I am new to Home Schooling and belong to a "group". But everytime someone new asks a question, someone makes them feel "stupid" for asking. Can anyone recommend some boards were asking questions is ok?
> 
> Thank you-



We're pretty friendly on this board too!  Ask away!


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## 3princesses+aprince

Does anyone use A beka Academy?  Program 1, where they keep records and issue a diploma?

Thank you all for being patient with me, I know i've been asking alot of questions.


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## TLHB70

3princesses+aprince said:


> Does anyone use A beka Academy?  Program 1, where they keep records and issue a diploma?
> 
> Thank you all for being patient with me, I know i've been asking alot of questions.



We just started it this year (We are now in week 5.) with my oldest DD.  She is in 8th grade.   We wanted the records, transcripts, etc. for high school and then college.
I love it!   My youngest DD (now in 5th grade) has asked to do it next year.  I am still teaching her this year with A Beka material, but I am doing the teaching.


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## lori1043

*Welcome, 3princesses+aprince!!!*

*Lori*​


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## 3princesses+aprince

TLHB70, that's good to hear. It really does sound good to me that records are kept! I like that feeling.

  Lori1043, thanks for the welcome. 


  Does anyone have children who they homeschool and children that also go to Public school.  Homeschooling sounds like the PERFECT option for my dd9 in every way possible, but when it comes to my dd7, i'm just not sure. She loves the school environment and loves to go everyday.  I think she would be asking me "ok, but when am I going back to school" If we did homeschooling with her. So, I was thinking about maybe starting with my dd9, and if my dd7 feels that she would like to do it as well, great, but I don't feel comfortable making that decision without her really understanding that she wouldn't be going to school, she would be learning at home. This is tough 

  I know I have plenty of time as well, we just started the new school year at Public School of course, and I don't think I would want to start this half way through the year, this is probably something I would start next fall. Unless dd9 ends up having too much of a hard time, and I feel I should do it sooner for her.


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## wvdislover

I have a DD11 that I homeschool, and a DD7 who is still in public school.  My DD11 has several special needs that the school was not able to meet, so we brought her home at the end of 3rd quarter last year.  DD7 LOVES school, and does very well, so we are leaving her there for now, and will just take it one year at a time.  We are thinking of probably hs her during middle school, but we'll see--that's a long way away!  Right now, DD11 needs to be home alone to get her work done, anyways.  Good luck in your decision!  Just remember, it can be done!


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## bumbershoot

Disney8704 said:


> Just wondering, those who do not do an online school, how do you go about getting their HS diploma and transcripts for like college?



I know this post was from a week ago, but I just ran into it. 

I have no idea if this will help, since I got no feedback on it, LOL, but this sort of thing helps me.  Since you're looking so far ahead, you might as well really dig into it.  I did a little bit of looking around, and posted this about colleges and homeschooling.

For me, from there I can see that the good colleges are really very open about their requirements.


And also, with your state, there will be different requirements.  As far as I know, I have to keep good records for WA state, so once we start proper homeschooling (DS is only 4) records will be kept.

There's a state homeschooling group here that hosts a graduation, with caps and gowns and everything!  Not sure about the diploma bit; diplomas have never been anything but a piece of paper that no one has ever asked to see in my own life.  It's the transcript that's everything, and we as parents create those.


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## Mommy2three

I am really starting to consider to pull my DS7 out of public school and start homeschooling him.  He is in the 1st grade and he is special needs.  He has AdHD, bipolar, auditory processing disorder, sensory integration disorder, just to name a few, oh and only has an IQ of 78 which is borderline from what I understand.  He is in a regular first grade class, as our school district no longer pulls out for special education classes, they have been integrated into the regular classroom now.  Well last year in Kindergarten there was this boy in his class that bullied him, even punched his two bottom front teeth out last year, they eventually had to move the other boy to another room.  Well guess what?  they put my DS and this boy in the same class again this year.  and we have had nothing but problems from the other boy.  There was an incident the first day of school, then again two days later where he was pushing my DS down at recess time, and then yesterday at lunch recess punched my DS in the mouth.  The school isn't wanting to do anything about it.  The teachers said if they move him to another classroom then he won't get the special help that he needs.  He fears going to school and I had to fight with him to get him to go this morning because he is afraid of this boy.  He wouldn't even tell the principle today or his teacher that it was this boy that did it, he said it was someone else.  but when he came home and i asked him again about it, he said he didn't tell the principle or the teacher about it because he is afraid of the boy.

I cannot continue to let my DS go to school in fear of this boy, and have to worry everyday and have anxiety attacks everyday, or fight with him everyday to go to school.  Any advice?


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## Disney Mommy 3

I am sending you a  private message.


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## disneymom3

Ellester said:


> We're pretty friendly on this board too!  Ask away!



That was my thought as well!


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## wvdislover

Mommy2three said:


> I am really starting to consider to pull my DS7 out of public school and start homeschooling him.  He is in the 1st grade and he is special needs.  He has AdHD, bipolar, auditory processing disorder, sensory integration disorder, just to name a few, oh and only has an IQ of 78 which is borderline from what I understand.  He is in a regular first grade class, as our school district no longer pulls out for special education classes, they have been integrated into the regular classroom now.  Well last year in Kindergarten there was this boy in his class that bullied him, even punched his two bottom front teeth out last year, they eventually had to move the other boy to another room.  Well guess what?  they put my DS and this boy in the same class again this year.  and we have had nothing but problems from the other boy.  There was an incident the first day of school, then again two days later where he was pushing my DS down at recess time, and then yesterday at lunch recess punched my DS in the mouth.  The school isn't wanting to do anything about it.  The teachers said if they move him to another classroom then he won't get the special help that he needs.  He fears going to school and I had to fight with him to get him to go this morning because he is afraid of this boy.  He wouldn't even tell the principle today or his teacher that it was this boy that did it, he said it was someone else.  but when he came home and i asked him again about it, he said he didn't tell the principle or the teacher about it because he is afraid of the boy.
> 
> I cannot continue to let my DS go to school in fear of this boy, and have to worry everyday and have anxiety attacks everyday, or fight with him everyday to go to school.  Any advice?



I am SO SORRY that this is happening to your son.  My DD11 has the same issues as your DS and we did pull her out last year b/c of kids picking on her, making fun of her, saying mean things to her, etc.  While we still have some issues at home, she is a much happier person.  She says she never wants to go back to school.  I would be pulling him out in a heartbeat.  Who wants to send their child to school fearful and anxious.  Your little one has enough on his plate as it is.  Why add to it?  Bring him home and give him some time to de-stress from the situation.  I found it helpful to "de-school" my DD (still working on it, actually).  I wish you lots of luck and send lots of hugs and prayers  Let us know what happens!


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## Mommy2three

My husband and I got into an argument last night because he is totally against it.  He feels that our DS needs to face the bully, because in life you can't run from your problems.  I disagree with him and told him our son has enough on his plate to deal with.  Just let me homeschool him the rest of this school year and when open enrollment comes around then I will get him into another school district in our area.  I feel like i'm stuck in between a rock and a hard spot, the school won't do anything, my husband doesnt want me to pull him out, I want to pull him out and homeschool him, I don't know what to do.


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## Lilogirl

wvdislover said:


> I am SO SORRY that this is happening to your son.  My DD11 has the same issues as your DS and we did pull her out last year b/c of kids picking on her, making fun of her, saying mean things to her, etc.  While we still have some issues at home, she is a much happier person.  She says she never wants to go back to school.  I would be pulling him out in a heartbeat.  Who wants to send their child to school fearful and anxious.  Your little one has enough on his plate as it is.  Why add to it?  Bring him home and give him some time to de-stress from the situation.  I found it helpful to "de-school" my DD (still working on it, actually).  I wish you lots of luck and send lots of hugs and prayers  Let us know what happens!





I completely agree with this. My DD was the victim of a bully. The school refused to deal with the problem. I brought her home for the end of last year. She is doing SO much better with her lessons now. She is happy again and WANTS to learn. She does not want to go back to school. I don't think of it as avoiding the bully. (She is well socialized outside the home and we have had no further issues with bullies). I am providing a safe place for my child to learn. (Something the school failed to do)

Hugs to you and your son.


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## Lilogirl

Can anyone recommend a good Language Arts book for 2nd graders? The book we have is by Instructional Fair and it is just not working for my DD.


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## Ellester

Mommy2three said:


> My husband and I got into an argument last night because he is totally against it.  He feels that our DS needs to face the bully, because in life you can't run from your problems.  I disagree with him and told him our son has enough on his plate to deal with.  Just let me homeschool him the rest of this school year and when open enrollment comes around then I will get him into another school district in our area.  I feel like i'm stuck in between a rock and a hard spot, the school won't do anything, my husband doesnt want me to pull him out, I want to pull him out and homeschool him, I don't know what to do.



I am SO sorry you are having to go through this. What exactly does your husband expect your son to do to face this bully? Punch him back, so your son can get in trouble? In real life, if someone is harassing or attacking you, you go to the authorities. You have done that and it hasn't helped a bit. I would be tempted to file a police report against the bully, he has BATTERED your son and that is against the law. Maybe that will get the school's attention. Personally, I would pull him out immediately. Now I know that my DH would be behind me and yours is not. That is definitely something that figures into the equation. But, my goodness, your little guy is only 7 years old and has enough issues all on his own without having to fear for his life. I think you are running the risk of emotionally damaging him for a long time if something is not done soon. What "special help" is he getting in his current class other than living in fear and being humiliated on a regular basis? Sorry if this is sounding harsh, but my heart is just breaking for you and your little guy. No child should have to endure terror at the thought of going to school. My prayers are with you and your family.


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## Mommy2three

Ellester said:


> I am SO sorry you are having to go through this. What exactly does your husband expect your son to do to face this bully? Punch him back, so your son can get in trouble? In real life, if someone is harassing or attacking you, you go to the authorities. You have done that and it hasn't helped a bit. I would be tempted to file a police report against the bully, he has BATTERED your son and that is against the law. Maybe that will get the school's attention. Personally, I would pull him out immediately. Now I know that my DH would be behind me and yours is not. That is definitely something that figures into the equation. But, my goodness, your little guy is only 7 years old and has enough issues all on his own without having to fear for his life. I think you are running the risk of emotionally damaging him for a long time if something is not done soon. What "special help" is he getting in his current class other than living in fear and being humiliated on a regular basis? Sorry if this is sounding harsh, but my heart is just breaking for you and your little guy. No child should have to endure terror at the thought of going to school. My prayers are with you and your family.



My husband and I don't see eye to eye on anything to do with parenting.  Our parenting styles are completly different from each others.  The only special help my son is getting at school is help in reading and math and then speech and language, which is nothing, I can help him out with those at home. In my basement I have a whole schoolroom.  Each of my three kids have their own school desk, i have the all the workbooks, reading books, computer games, etc that I would possibly need to homeschool any of my three children. My husband doesn't think I could do it, stick with it, etc.  I know my children need their education and I am willing to provide it at home, he just doesn't have faith in me.


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## lori1043

Mommy2three said:


> My husband and I don't see eye to eye on anything to do with parenting. Our parenting styles are completly different from each others. The only special help my son is getting at school is help in reading and math and then speech and language, which is nothing, I can help him out with those at home. In my basement I have a whole schoolroom. Each of my three kids have their own school desk, i have the all the workbooks, reading books, computer games, etc that I would possibly need to homeschool any of my three children. My husband doesn't think I could do it, stick with it, etc. I know my children need their education and I am willing to provide it at home, he just doesn't have faith in me.


 
This is a mixed group of homeschoolers in the area of faith, but since I am a Christian, I will tell you that you are being lifted up in a prayer right now, as is your hubby-for open heart, open mind and some faith to lead you in the right direction. 
You sound ready and prepared, but homeschooling life is that much better when DH is on board. Plus, you really cannot do much about it unless he gives a little and lets you try. Maybe ask him to give you 1 year, and see where that goes-he may be totally sold after that!

Lori


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## Disney Mommy 3

Lilogirl said:


> Can anyone recommend a good Language Arts book for 2nd graders? The book we have is by Instructional Fair and it is just not working for my DD.



Learning Language Arts Through Literature (LLATL)--we started using LLATL for this school year and we love it!! We are 7th and 4th grade, but I am sure the 2nd grade is just as good. I know some other people on here use it as well. I have never heard any complaints---it's very gentle in it's approach, but it gets the message across. Also, it's combined --grammar, handwriting, spelling,vocabulary--as they go and it is so much easier having all that in one subject/book-& not several.


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## wvdislover

Mommy2three said:


> My husband and I don't see eye to eye on anything to do with parenting.  Our parenting styles are completly different from each others.  The only special help my son is getting at school is help in reading and math and then speech and language, which is nothing, I can help him out with those at home. In my basement I have a whole schoolroom.  Each of my three kids have their own school desk, i have the all the workbooks, reading books, computer games, etc that I would possibly need to homeschool any of my three children. My husband doesn't think I could do it, stick with it, etc.  I know my children need their education and I am willing to provide it at home, he just doesn't have faith in me.



I wanted to homeschool my DD11 from the beginning, but my DH, too, didn't think I could do it.  We had a couple of incidents in kindergarten, first grade was OK (as best as I remember), a few more incidents in 2nd grade, 3rd grade was really bad (b/c of both kids and the teacher).  In terms of how the kids treated my DD, things just went downhill from there.  In 3rd grade, my DD was wishing she was dead and has threatened several times to kill herself...and she's only recently turned 11    I knew that if I didn't pull my DD out of school, eventually, she would either commit suicide or become the next Columbine shooter (no flames, please.  I'm quite serious here).  DH made the decision last year that we should indeed pull our DD out of school.  We did it and have never looked back, except to see how much more was going on at school that we didn't have a clue about.  We know we did the right thing. 
I pray that your husband will be able to see your perspective and support you in your efforts to educate your son in a safe, non-threatening environment.  Again, lots of hugs to you, your son, and your family as you face this difficult issue


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## sms

My 5yr old just started Kindergarten in PS. He is not happy at all. Neither am I. I want to take him out and HS him. I am a single mom and I know it will be hard but I think I can do it. I haven't found any groups or organizations in my county yet so I'm going to need you guys! Money is very tight though. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to start him with. I really want something Christian based. I have enjoyed reading about everyones feelings on HS. My mother doesn't think its a great idea but I think I can convince her. Not that she has any choice in the matter, I would just like her to see all the good things about HS. "Its always nice to have a moms approval".


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## mykidsintow

Single and still HSing?

I would love to hear from others that are managing to Homeschool but are single.  My husband has decided he has found someone else he should be in love with.  We have 2 special needs kids, one is immune compromised.  I know that money is going to be tight (I am not sure how tight until I meet an atty).  However, I also know catching everything coming and going could kill my daughter.  I have always been a stay at home parent and I am not sure how that my change..... 

I was just wanting to hear the experience of others have have made it work... how?  Or that haven't managed to make it work?

Beth


----------



## Ellester

sms said:


> My 5yr old just started Kindergarten in PS. He is not happy at all. Neither am I. I want to take him out and HS him. I am a single mom and I know it will be hard but I think I can do it. I haven't found any groups or organizations in my county yet so I'm going to need you guys! Money is very tight though. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to start him with. I really want something Christian based. I have enjoyed reading about everyones feelings on HS. My mother doesn't think its a great idea but I think I can convince her. Not that she has any choice in the matter, I would just like her to see all the good things about HS. "Its always nice to have a moms approval".



Where are you at in NC? We used to live in Charlotte and I know there are several groups in that area. Since he has already been in school, you will have to file with the NC Dept. of Nonpublic Education. http://www.ncdnpe.org/ It's a very easy process, the hardest part may be coming up with a name for your "School". Since he is 5, I would suggest looking at Five in a Row (www.fiveinarow.com). You can get most of the books from the library and they do have a Bible supplement. Very inexpensive and covers so much. You should be able to check out "Homeschool Your Child for Free" from the library. There are tons of resources in there. www.starfall.com is free as are the basic things on www.enchantedlearning.com. We use Sonlight. We do buy our books from them as I have several children who will be doing the same cores later on, but most of the books they use are available at the library so you could get by just buying the Instructor Guide (which you may be able to find used). Personally, I don't feel K needs to be that structured so there are lots of ways to do it for free/almost free. It will be a little more work since you are a single mom, but I'm sure it can be done.


----------



## Mellie2162

I have a question and thought it might best get answered here. I am new to homeschool this year and my kids are doing SOS. My county requires 5 hours per day of English, math, science, social studies, art, music, health, and PE. My question is this, do you have your kids do art, music, and PE every single day or do they do it a few times per week to equal the number of hours required? Also what ideas do you have for music? We have the art and PE covered, but I don't have a clue about music? My kids are 4th and 8th grade. Thanks for any help.


----------



## sms

Ellester said:


> Where are you at in NC? We used to live in Charlotte and I know there are several groups in that area. Since he has already been in school, you will have to file with the NC Dept. of Nonpublic Education. http://www.ncdnpe.org/ It's a very easy process, the hardest part may be coming up with a name for your "School". Since he is 5, I would suggest looking at Five in a Row (www.fiveinarow.com). You can get most of the books from the library and they do have a Bible supplement. Very inexpensive and covers so much. You should be able to check out "Homeschool Your Child for Free" from the library. There are tons of resources in there. www.starfall.com is free as are the basic things on www.enchantedlearning.com. We use Sonlight. We do buy our books from them as I have several children who will be doing the same cores later on, but most of the books they use are available at the library so you could get by just buying the Instructor Guide (which you may be able to find used). Personally, I don't feel K needs to be that structured so there are lots of ways to do it for free/almost free. It will be a little more work since you are a single mom, but I'm sure it can be done.



Thank you so much for all the info. I'm in lumberton so, the closet group I can find is in fayetteville, but I'll still check them out.


----------



## Elaine R

Mellie,

The only subjects we  do every day are reading, math, writing, and religion.
All other subjects are rotated.  (My DS is 6.)

Music can be music appreciation or learning to play an instrument.  You could check out something like _How to Introduce your child to classical music in 52 Easy Lessons_ or the _Music Masters _series.  Evern learning about different composers or styles could count.  Emmanuelbooks.com has quite a few resources.


----------



## npmommie

good website i found for learning about the states
http://www.netstate.com/states/index.html


I also found a good workbook last week at the Christmas Tree Shop, its all about the states, and has a nice cd with it.
it was a $15 book, but their price was $3.99


----------



## disneymom3

I am wondering if I could hear from those of you who pulled your kids out midyear?  I know I am legal, I have no qualms or questions about homeschooling but I am not sure how to go about actually withdrawing DD from school. The school she has been attending this fall is not working out adn we are going to pull her and bring her back home next week.

Any advice on how you handled it would be great.


----------



## livndisney

disneymom3 said:


> I am wondering if I could hear from those of you who pulled your kids out midyear?  I know I am legal, I have no qualms or questions about homeschooling but I am not sure how to go about actually withdrawing DD from school. The school she has been attending this fall is not working out adn we are going to pull her and bring her back home next week.
> 
> Any advice on how you handled it would be great.



I pulled mine out the last month of school. I went into the office and told them I wanted to withdraw. They gave me a form (and told me a bunch of garbage I already knew was not true) to sign. I sent my letter to the county and that was it.


----------



## NHWX

disneymom3 said:


> I am wondering if I could hear from those of you who pulled your kids out midyear?  I know I am legal, I have no qualms or questions about homeschooling but I am not sure how to go about actually withdrawing DD from school. The school she has been attending this fall is not working out adn we are going to pull her and bring her back home next week.
> 
> Any advice on how you handled it would be great.



We had our younger son switch hs curriculum mid-year two years ago and he's never really caught up. Next year when he starts ninth grade, he'll be at grade level for all or all but one course, because at some point in time, he just needs to be on track. 

Our older son hated our ps high school last year, and we took him out at the end of the fall semester. Luckily, all the courses there run on a semester or quarter basis so he didn't lose any credits. We had to scramble for curriculum and some wasn't the best choice but it was better than the high school.

Overall, both boys were much better off as a result of making the transition. If you're not concerned with high school or university level courses, then I really wouldn't be concerned about it.

NHWX


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## npmommie

Anyone catch saturday night live last night?
what did you think of the quiz bowl with the homeschool family?


----------



## sha_lyn

Didn't see that but did catch a segment on HS'ing on one of the Sunday AM shows. Was pretty good over all but they had one college professor ( or dean?) that drove me nuts.
First he tried to say that HS'ers needed more regulation and that the parents needed to be certified because home-schoolers were getting a poor education. The interviewer called him on that and pointed out test scores. He then tried to claim that HS'ers had no social skills, don't interact with peers etc. They told a home-schooler what he said and I while I loved her reply I can just see the anti crowd jumping on he. She had this shocked look on her face and said "anyone who says that must be insane".


----------



## Mellie2162

Elaine R said:


> Mellie,
> 
> The only subjects we  do every day are reading, math, writing, and religion.
> All other subjects are rotated.  (My DS is 6.)
> 
> Music can be music appreciation or learning to play an instrument.  You could check out something like _How to Introduce your child to classical music in 52 Easy Lessons_ or the _Music Masters _series.  Evern learning about different composers or styles could count.  Emmanuelbooks.com has quite a few resources.



Thanks for your answer. My dd actually got a dvd on learning how to play the guitar, so I am using that for now. Also we joined a co-op and have signed up for some art classes. 

I can take all the advice I can get right now.


----------



## disneymom3

NHWX said:


> Overall, both boys were much better off as a result of making the transition. If you're not concerned with high school or university level courses, then I really wouldn't be concerned about it.
> 
> NHWX



Thanks for the advice.  I am guessing you don't recognize my screen name but I am on here a lot and have been homeschooling for 7 years.  I really appreciate your reassurance that it will work out.    What I am trying to figure out though is what to do on the school end.  Not sure if I just call them or what.  My thought right now is that I will wait until they leave for the camp they are going to on Tuesday and then call the school office and simply ask them what the protocol is.  I don't want to deal with the director of the program and the teachers trying to convince me not to withdraw her.  They would.


----------



## NHWX

Sorry I sounded like I didn't recognize your name! I probably posted late at night and failed to read your post completely. I've been caught in the high school credits and preparing for college circus, hence the focus on credits.

As far as withdrawing, I just called the guidance office and told them. Then I called the SAU (district office) told them and asked if there was anything I needed to give them besides the standard letter. We've had some legislative changes and I didn't know if they applied yet. Nope!

Is your daughter in public or private school? That will make a difference, I'm sure.

I remember you talking about your daughter's school and thinking it sounded ideal. I'm sorry it's not working out. But it's good that she's happy to come home!

NHWX


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## nuzmom

I pulled my son out of public school 3 1/2 months into 2nd grade. It was Thanksgiving break and we decided that he just wasn't going back. In PA we have to file an affidavit with the school district, so I called him off as absent the first day back. I called the second day and told them my intent to homeschool, called him off absent, told them I'd drop off the paperwork the next day, and they said that they would gather his personal belongings. The next day, I dropped off his affidavit and picked up his items.

Sad thing, I ran into his teacher a month later at a teachers supply store. She asked me how he was doing. I was a little confused and she explained that she thought he left school because he was sick. Apparently, the school office didn't tell her the reason for his leaving!!! She then asked if it was something she did. In hindsight, I would have sent a note to his teacher, however I ASSUMED the office would tell her.

Well, that's what I did.


----------



## Mommy2three

I am still working on my husband.  He says I have to prove to him that I am capable of sticking to a plan and teaching our son.  I sat down yesterday with him in our school room in the basement, along with our 8 year old DD and almost 3 year old DD and we had school.  We did letters, numbers, counting, math, and patterns with my DS that i want to pull out of school due to bullying.  He really enjoyed it, and enjoyed being able to lay on the carpet and squirm around while he did his work, he told me he would rather stay home and do school then go to school.  I honestly feel he will do alot better learning at home than in a school setting with his disabilites.  The school just won't meet his needs.  And with the bully being in his classroom at school, they were supposed to move my DS to another classroom, but that has yet to be seen!


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## DawnM

This thread is getting so few posts!  What is up?

We are hanging in there.  I know I am homeschooling THIS year, that is as far as I can commit these days!  

Today we are doing school but we are also cleaning like mad.  I have company coming tomorrow evening!  Dh invited them and then let me know!  In some ways I am glad.  DH doesn't have that many friends, just doesn't feel he needs them!  So, I am happy he actually likes a few people enough to invite them over.

But, we are remodeling our master bedroom downstairs so there is a mess everywhere!  GRRR!!!

Dawn


----------



## sha_lyn

things are good but busy. The girlscout yr started off with some problems we are having to deal wth. DDs school work is going great. She starts guitar drama and choir on Monday


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## TNKBELL

We have started our first year with K-12 and we are still learning the ropes!! But we all really like it!

DawnM your DH sounds like mine, I always feel bad about having lots of friends(not that I am always having them over, mostly just chatting on the phone) and he only has a few, but he says that he is happiest at home and just being with us! 

I wish everyone well!


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## nuzmom

Our school year is going great. Since we'll be missing most of October, it makes me feel better that we're staying on track. We've had lots of unscheduled interuptions lately, but we're still plugging away. In the past, I've hated having the kids make up work in the evenings and weekends, but we do that now and it's pretty nice. They don't mind doing a subject or two on the weekend if we didn't get everything covered during the week.

As always, time seems to still fly by. I schedule my kids work 2 or 3 weeks at a time. I was just looking at their log books and next week is blank! Seems like I just did the scheduling - time flies!!!


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## Lora

nuzmom said:


> Our school year is going great. Since we'll be missing most of October, it makes me feel better that we're staying on track.



We'll be at WDW in October as well.  I'm trying to work diligently to get as much done as possible before we go.  

I thought I recognized your username.  I checked back in my PM's and I realized we tried to do a meet up a few years ago...without success.      Maybe we'll run into each other some day.  After all, we have Disney and Homeschooling in common.  I'm sure we'd find something to talk about!


----------



## Mommy2three

Well I finally did it.  I sent in the paperwork today to the department of public instruction to pull my son out of public school and homeschool.  I am just sick and tired of fighting with the teachers and principal to get him what he needs.  They did put my son into another room but for only 2 hours in the morning from 8-10 and then the rest of the day he is in the other room with the bully, and all my son has been doing the last 2 weeks is sitting under table crying and refusing to come out from under the table, and I never got a phone call or a note stating that this was happening.  So I went in and told the teachers AGAIN yesterday that I need a daily note so we can track his behaviour and work it out with his counselor, they sent a note home yesterday, but nothing today.  I have requested a daily note everyday several times this year and nothing.  And now since they wont meet his needs at school, not that they can't because they can, but they wont give him a new IEP even though i requested one, I have to drive him a few times a week 45 minutes away to have OT to help with his sensory disorder.  Which will take alot away from his learning if in a public school, missing 2 days a week, and then hes not learning anything anyways if he's just sitting under the table crying all day.  I'm so fed up and frustrated with the school.  They do an excellent job with my special needs 8 year old daughter, just not with myt 6 year old son, who has the same teacher this year that my daughter had last year.


----------



## mickeyvixie

I am muddling thru so far with the K-12.  Thanks for all the advice. It is pretty easy to follow and we are catching up on the week we missed while on vacation.  It is taking a while for the brat child to get used to doing something everyday on a sort of schedule. (me too actually) She is flying through some of the assignments so catching up is not bad.  (gotta love educational programming...lol)  

The teacher isnt calling quite so many times but the phone does get shut off while we are schooling which unfortunately coincides directly with the teacher's official office hours   HEHEHE! I have a message on my voicemail with _our_ "OFFICE" hours now.. 

I do need some advice tho in general (not necessarily K-12 specific).  Like I said the brat is flying thru most of the stuff but seems to have this horrible mental block on rhyming.    She does ok if there is a visual (like a worksheet)  but just CAN'T seem to grasp the concept when it is verbal.  EXP (From the actual cir.) ...... "what are the rhyming words in ?".....

_Twinkle twinkle little star
how I wonder what you are_

When I ask her which words sound the same/rhyme, she repeats the whole line to me.  Any suggestions on how to help her "GET IT"   I dont want to overdo it by constantly bombarding her with schoolwork (she needs to rest her little brain occasionally ) but I have no idea how to make her understand it better. Help!


----------



## DawnM

Looks like I am heading to Disney the 2nd week of November AND 2 weeks in January.

I sure hope so.  DH has a conference in Chicago that week and I plan to just take off with the kids for a fun week.

DH hasn't quite agreed yet, but I am working on some persuasion!     Esp. if he ends up getting that TV he is eyeing!  (yes, we do have cash for it, I just think he should look at craigslist for people who seem to need to upgrade every few months for a better deal!)

Why do I homeschool?????  To go to Disneyworld at any time!  Of course!  Why would you homeschool otherwise?   

Dawn


----------



## LegoMom3

Mommy2three said:


> Well I finally did it. I sent in the paperwork today to the department of public instruction to pull my son out of public school and homeschool. I am just sick and tired of fighting with the teachers and principal to get him what he needs. They did put my son into another room but for only 2 hours in the morning from 8-10 and then the rest of the day he is in the other room with the bully, and all my son has been doing the last 2 weeks is sitting under table crying and refusing to come out from under the table, and I never got a phone call or a note stating that this was happening. So I went in and told the teachers AGAIN yesterday that I need a daily note so we can track his behaviour and work it out with his counselor, they sent a note home yesterday, but nothing today. I have requested a daily note everyday several times this year and nothing. And now since they wont meet his needs at school, not that they can't because they can, but they wont give him a new IEP even though i requested one, I have to drive him a few times a week 45 minutes away to have OT to help with his sensory disorder. Which will take alot away from his learning if in a public school, missing 2 days a week, and then hes not learning anything anyways if he's just sitting under the table crying all day. I'm so fed up and frustrated with the school. They do an excellent job with my special needs 8 year old daughter, just not with myt 6 year old son, who has the same teacher this year that my daughter had last year.


 

Wow, what an awful experience!!  I'm glad hs'ing is an option for you.  I can't imagine how ANY child could put up with that sort of school day for very long.  He will probably be a much happier little boy.   

.


----------



## LegoMom3

DawnM said:


> ......
> Why do I homeschool????? To go to Disneyworld at any time! Of course! Why would you homeschool otherwise?
> 
> Dawn


 

It's certainly a bonus to be able to travel when you please!  

Had my kids been "in" school this year, I would have been pulling them out for our trip last week during one of those big district-wide standarized tests.  They (the school, not the kids!) would have had a hissy fit for sure!  Esp. since the school "failed" the so-called No Child Left Behind deal for the last two years.  They are "on probabtion" or whatever this year and as a result it's all about test scores there right now.  Blah!

Meanwhile, here at home we're doing a unit on kings and queens and the Middle Ages and will be planning a big Medieval feast for the finale!  Eating without utensils....a boy's dream!    

.

.


----------



## DawnM

I want a boo!  Can someone boo me?

Dawn


----------



## LegoMom3

DawnM said:


> I want a boo! Can someone boo me?
> 
> Dawn


 

   PM'd you!

.


----------



## DawnM

Thank you!  I will figure it out after our company leaves.  They were supposed to come at 5pm and it is now 6:03pm and they aren't here yet!  ARGH!   DH just told me if they aren't here in 25 min. he is going to go ahead and eat!

Crud, can't figure it out right now.

Dawn



LegoMom3 said:


> PM'd you!
> 
> .


----------



## lori1043

LegoMom3 said:


> Meanwhile, here at home we're doing a unit on kings and queens and the Middle Ages and will be planning a big Medieval feast for the finale! Eating without utensils....a boy's dream!


 
Are you doing KONOS??? We did that Medieval feast thing and we had soooo much fun. We did iot with another family doing the same unit study and we had the kids entertain us one at a time.
We made bread bowls with beef stew(McCormicks-easy) and had homemade spiced apple cider. The big kids helped with the bread and the little opnes stirred and helped make the cider. We played music, like celtic stuff that sounded like that time period.
It was a blast!

Lori


----------



## LittleBlue22

We've been on a field trip/ life science trip the last two days. We went to Chicago, IL. We saw the botanical gardens and downtown Chig.  

On another note, my mom asked today, "why don't you just send them to public school?".


----------



## sfarmbo

mickeyvixie said:


> I am muddling thru so far with the K-12.  Thanks for all the advice. It is pretty easy to follow and we are catching up on the week we missed while on vacation.  It is taking a while for the brat child to get used to doing something everyday on a sort of schedule. (me too actually) She is flying through some of the assignments so catching up is not bad.  (gotta love educational programming...lol)
> 
> The teacher isnt calling quite so many times but the phone does get shut off while we are schooling which unfortunately coincides directly with the teacher's official office hours   HEHEHE! I have a message on my voicemail with _our_ "OFFICE" hours now..
> 
> I do need some advice tho in general (not necessarily K-12 specific).  Like I said the brat is flying thru most of the stuff but seems to have this horrible mental block on rhyming.    She does ok if there is a visual (like a worksheet)  but just CAN'T seem to grasp the concept when it is verbal.  EXP (From the actual cir.) ...... "what are the rhyming words in ?".....
> 
> _Twinkle twinkle little star
> how I wonder what you are_
> 
> When I ask her which words sound the same/rhyme, she repeats the whole line to me.  Any suggestions on how to help her "GET IT"   I dont want to overdo it by constantly bombarding her with schoolwork (she needs to rest her little brain occasionally ) but I have no idea how to make her understand it better. Help!




My grandson is in kinder, we have worked on this for about 3 weeks. He finally got it when I dropped the first letter and asked him to to add a letter to the ending sounds. og=dog, bog, tog, fog.. at= bat, cat, fat, hat.
This worked like a charm. He had it by the end of the day.


----------



## Mommy2three

I was just wondering if anyone here uses time4learning.com.  I found the site last week and have been curious if anyone here uses it, and if so how do you like it, and do you use it as a full curriculum or just as an addition?


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Mommy2three~ Just wanted to say I am proud of you for sticking up for your kids! You are doing the right thing!!! I think your husband is going to really be surprised in the changes you see in your son. It will probably be slowly and gradually, but he is gonna be a much happier little guy!! WAY TO GO!!


----------



## nuzmom

Lora said:


> We'll be at WDW in October as well.  I'm trying to work diligently to get as much done as possible before we go.
> 
> I thought I recognized your username.  I checked back in my PM's and I realized we tried to do a meet up a few years ago...without success.      Maybe we'll run into each other some day.  After all, we have Disney and Homeschooling in common.  I'm sure we'd find something to talk about!



Wow, that is so cool. We must think alike 
Are you "ready" for your vacation? I feel like I still have so much that I want to do. We have a family wedding in Atlanta prior to WDW and will be spending the first 4 days there. I think this will feel a little odd for us. When we leave home, I'm sure it will feel like we should arrive in Orlando, not Atlanta.


----------



## wvdislover

mickeyvixie said:


> I am muddling thru so far with the K-12.  Thanks for all the advice. It is pretty easy to follow and we are catching up on the week we missed while on vacation.  It is taking a while for the brat child to get used to doing something everyday on a sort of schedule. (me too actually) She is flying through some of the assignments so catching up is not bad.  (gotta love educational programming...lol)
> 
> The teacher isnt calling quite so many times but the phone does get shut off while we are schooling which unfortunately coincides directly with the teacher's official office hours   HEHEHE! I have a message on my voicemail with _our_ "OFFICE" hours now..
> 
> I do need some advice tho in general (not necessarily K-12 specific).  Like I said the brat is flying thru most of the stuff but seems to have this horrible mental block on rhyming.    She does ok if there is a visual (like a worksheet)  but just CAN'T seem to grasp the concept when it is verbal.  EXP (From the actual cir.) ...... "what are the rhyming words in ?".....
> 
> _Twinkle twinkle little star
> how I wonder what you are_
> 
> When I ask her which words sound the same/rhyme, she repeats the whole line to me.  Any suggestions on how to help her "GET IT"   I dont want to overdo it by constantly bombarding her with schoolwork (she needs to rest her little brain occasionally ) but I have no idea how to make her understand it better. Help!



We used to (and still do, actually) play "the rhyming game" a lot.  We'd play it while we were outside swinging (works really well), when we're riding in the car, or when we're waiting somewhere (in line, doctor's office, etc).  Making a game out of it may be more fun and not seem like work.  Take turns rhyming words back and forth, and hopefully she'll get it soon


----------



## Ellester

DawnM said:


> This thread is getting so few posts!  What is up?



Guess I've been too busy reading the homeschooling slams on some of the other posts to post here.  I'm sure many of you have noticed the fairly new DIS member who posts on almost every family board thread who doesn't think most parents are "qualified" to homeschool. I admit I get too wrapped up in reading her ridiculous assertions. 

We are actually on our fall break this week. Our "official" school year with the county goes from Oct. 1-Sept. 30 and we finished up our required days in August. We have schooled this month, but I'm taking the rest of it off to try to get some things done around the house/yard before I get too big to move! Of course, we'll still have our two park days this week along with tennis and reader's theater class. Too bad I'm always stuck at home with these poor unsocialized kids...  




Mommy2three said:


> Well I finally did it.  I sent in the paperwork today to the department of public instruction to pull my son out of public school and homeschool.  I am just sick and tired of fighting with the teachers and principal to get him what he needs.  They did put my son into another room but for only 2 hours in the morning from 8-10 and then the rest of the day he is in the other room with the bully, and all my son has been doing the last 2 weeks is sitting under table crying and refusing to come out from under the table, and I never got a phone call or a note stating that this was happening.  So I went in and told the teachers AGAIN yesterday that I need a daily note so we can track his behaviour and work it out with his counselor, they sent a note home yesterday, but nothing today.  I have requested a daily note everyday several times this year and nothing.  And now since they wont meet his needs at school, not that they can't because they can, but they wont give him a new IEP even though i requested one, I have to drive him a few times a week 45 minutes away to have OT to help with his sensory disorder.  Which will take alot away from his learning if in a public school, missing 2 days a week, and then hes not learning anything anyways if he's just sitting under the table crying all day.  I'm so fed up and frustrated with the school.  They do an excellent job with my special needs 8 year old daughter, just not with myt 6 year old son, who has the same teacher this year that my daughter had last year.



GOOD FOR YOU!  I know your son will benefit from being out of that hostile environment. Please give him time to decompress and "deschool", the poor little guy has been through so much. It really breaks my heart to think of him sitting under the table crying. Shame on his teacher! I have not heard of the website you asked about but I'm guessing someone who has will chime in soon.


----------



## sha_lyn

Ellester said:


> Guess I've been too busy reading the homeschooling slams on some of the other posts to post here.  I'm sure many of you have noticed the fairly new DIS member who posts on almost every family board thread who doesn't think most parents are "qualified" to homeschool. I admit I get too wrapped up in reading her ridiculous assertions.
> 
> We are actually on our fall break this week. Our "official" school year with the county goes from Oct. 1-Sept. 30 and we finished up our required days in August. We have schooled this month, but I'm taking the rest of it off to try to get some things done around the house/yard before I get too big to move! Of course, we'll still have our two park days this week along with tennis and reader's theater class. Too bad I'm always stuck at home with these poor unsocialized kids...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> GOOD FOR YOU!  I know your son will benefit from being out of that hostile environment. Please give him time to decompress and "deschool", the poor little guy has been through so much. It really breaks my heart to think of him sitting under the table crying. Shame on his teacher! I have not heard of the website you asked about but I'm guessing someone who has will chime in soon.




I rarely even click on  "Disney For Families"
I just check my subscriptions to see if anyone has posted on this thread. I
don't know if I want to even look at the other threads LOL.
I have a strange feeling of who that poster might be. She's recently showed back up on the community board with an alias that somehow failed to get banned with all her others.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

OH NO!! I think I know who it is (was). Who is she now? I don't want to read anything she puts out!


----------



## sha_lyn

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> OH NO!! I think I know who it is (was). Who is she now? I don't want to read anything she puts out!



I sent you a PM


----------



## mommyof2princesses

Unfortunetly, there are always going to be people who are hateful to others...whether it is about homeschooling or nursing or anything.

We are getting ready for Disney.  I am having such a hard time focusing on schoolwork!  Wednesday I take Sara beth to see the play Peter Pan!  She is very excited and wants to wear her Tinkerbelle dress.  then her 5th b-day in thursday, we have grandma and papa over Friday to celebrate her b-day and Saturday we pack!


----------



## livndisney

mommyof2princesses said:


> Unfortunetly, there are always going to be people who are hateful to others...whether it is about homeschooling or nursing or anything.
> 
> We are getting ready for Disney.  I am having such a hard time focusing on schoolwork!  Wednesday I take Sara beth to see the play Peter Pan!  She is very excited and wants to wear her Tinkerbelle dress.  then her 5th b-day in thursday, we have grandma and papa over Friday to celebrate her b-day and Saturday we pack!



Hey! A friend from the boutique board!!!!  

Once again, I am clueless, I must have missed negativity about Home schooling. But I am learning to stay off other threads, there are some SCARY people out there LOL


----------



## mommyintn

Just wanted to say "Hi!".  I used to be a regular on the disboards then we started homeschooling and then I started posting on homeschool board.  This is my second year homeschooling and my boys are in K & 4th.  Nice to meet some other disney loving homeschoolers!


----------



## lori1043

I tend to ignore the negarive threads(although I HAVE succumbed once or twice!) as I try to come here for advice, education, "friendship" and fun!

Our year is rolling right along with TUESDAYS as the killer day-but I haven't visited in a day or so- so I am cramming it in this morning!

Anyway- happy homeschoolin' ya'll! 

Lori


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

3princesses+aprince said:


> TLHB70, that's good to hear. It really does sound good to me that records are kept! I like that feeling.
> 
> Lori1043, thanks for the welcome.
> 
> 
> Does anyone have children who they homeschool and children that also go to Public school.  Homeschooling sounds like the PERFECT option for my dd9 in every way possible, but when it comes to my dd7, i'm just not sure. She loves the school environment and loves to go everyday.  I think she would be asking me "ok, but when am I going back to school" If we did homeschooling with her. So, I was thinking about maybe starting with my dd9, and if my dd7 feels that she would like to do it as well, great, but I don't feel comfortable making that decision without her really understanding that she wouldn't be going to school, she would be learning at home. This is tough
> 
> I know I have plenty of time as well, we just started the new school year at Public School of course, and I don't think I would want to start this half way through the year, this is probably something I would start next fall. Unless dd9 ends up having too much of a hard time, and I feel I should do it sooner for her.



 Ok, so a few weeks ago I posted quite a few questions on getting started and everybody here was so helpful.  I was really thinking about starting this next school year. Well things have changed, my dd9 is having a hard time, I'm ready to go now. I believe I'm going to give myself a week or two to get everything together, and send a letter to the school.
My poor dd9 struggles in school. She has already been tested, she is not special needs, so i'm not sure what is up. Parents night at the school last night did it in for me. There were papers hung up on the wall of the kid's hopes and dreams. I read through a bunch and they were all silly and happy things that a 3rd grader would say, One said he hoped everyone here would someday win a gold medal at the olympics, the other one hoped for a room full of legos, another wanted a to go a chocolate factory and so on...
My daughter HOPED(in capital letters) and prayed that she could read and write better, like everyone else can. I wanted to cry right there. She is a happy , silly girl, but not in school. She tells me her stomach knots up every morning when she has to go in there. Now she has always been like this, but I'm noticing it more now. And I believe i'm noticing it more now because I realized homeschooling was an option. It never crossed my mind before, so I believe I tried to ignore the way she felt about school because what could I do, she has to go to school.
  This morning I mentioned it to her and her eyes lit up, she was so excited we talked about it all morning and the things we would do.
  I'm pretty sure we are going to order the curriclum from Abeka. I hope i'm making the right decision with who I  go through. There is just so much out there for someone just beginning, I feel going through a set up program like that would be my best option. Sonlight looked good as well, but much more expensive. Sorry such a long rant, i'm nervous, but excited to get going at the same time. 
  Thanks for listening and thanks for all of the great advice.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

MOMMY2THREE


           I was reading your posts and was torn apart, your poor son. Some kids are so cruel.
           My dd9, who I am pulling out in a few weeks to homeschool used to cry in school on a regular basis(not from bullying though) I think she would still cry in school if she wasn't embarrassed.

            So, CONGRATULATIONS to you for pulling him out to HS, he will be so much happier. That's what I keep thinking about my dd, I think we are going to see happier kids for doing this. We're such wonderful Moms and Dads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Good Luck getting started, i'm in the same boat as you are!


----------



## GlendaO

Mommy2three said:


> I was just wondering if anyone here uses time4learning.com.  I found the site last week and have been curious if anyone here uses it, and if so how do you like it, and do you use it as a full curriculum or just as an addition?



We used it last year as a supplement. The girls loved it! After we finished schoool for the day. I 'let' them go to time4learning for an hour, then the Playground for 1/2 hr.

We'll be signing up again when we get back from WDW.


----------



## livndisney

3princesses+aprince said:


> Ok, so a few weeks ago I posted quite a few questions on getting started and everybody here was so helpful.  I was really thinking about starting this next school year. Well things have changed, my dd9 is having a hard time, I'm ready to go now. I believe I'm going to give myself a week or two to get everything together, and send a letter to the school.
> My poor dd9 struggles in school. She has already been tested, she is not special needs, so i'm not sure what is up. Parents night at the school last night did it in for me. There were papers hung up on the wall of the kid's hopes and dreams. I read through a bunch and they were all silly and happy things that a 3rd grader would say, One said he hoped everyone here would someday win a gold medal at the olympics, the other one hoped for a room full of legos, another wanted a to go a chocolate factory and so on...
> My daughter HOPED(in capital letters) and prayed that she could read and write better, like everyone else can. I wanted to cry right there. She is a happy , silly girl, but not in school. She tells me her stomach knots up every morning when she has to go in there. Now she has always been like this, but I'm noticing it more now. And I believe i'm noticing it more now because I realized homeschooling was an option. It never crossed my mind before, so I believe I tried to ignore the way she felt about school because what could I do, she has to go to school.
> This morning I mentioned it to her and her eyes lit up, she was so excited we talked about it all morning and the things we would do.
> I'm pretty sure we are going to order the curriclum from Abeka. I hope i'm making the right decision with who I  go through. There is just so much out there for someone just beginning, I feel going through a set up program like that would be my best option. Sonlight looked good as well, but much more expensive. Sorry such a long rant, i'm nervous, but excited to get going at the same time.
> Thanks for listening and thanks for all of the great advice.



  To you and your DD.
My DD was the same way last year. I woke up one morning and said-enough! Took her to school to say goodbye and withdraw her. We haven't looked back! She is reading so well now. She is so much happier and wants to learn everything! (Drives me nuts with all the questions   LOL).  We are also using Abeka. It works for her.


----------



## Mommaof3

I encourage all of you to keep going,  I just started my 14th year homeschooling.  I have seen it all, used it all, and heard it all.  But I have NEVER regretted my doing this.  Many times I have cried because it IS hard sometimes.  It is so worth it all.  My twin boys are juniors this year.  They will finish next year by taking courses at the Jr. college.  They work at a Target store part time.  They are polite and hard workers.  They have girlfriends and do "normal" things.  So keep going everyone!  Do what you know is right for your child.  When you don't know what to do next, ask questions here and others places that strive to HELP, but keep going.  It is so worth it

Melissa


----------



## Ellester

Mommaof3 said:


> I encourage all of you to keep going,  I just started my 14th year homeschooling.  I have seen it all, used it all, and heard it all.  But I have NEVER regretted my doing this.  Many times I have cried because it IS hard sometimes.  It is so worth it all.  My twin boys are juniors this year.  They will finish next year by taking courses at the Jr. college.  They work at a Target store part time.  They are polite and hard workers.  They have girlfriends and do "normal" things.  So keep going everyone!  Do what you know is right for your child.  When you don't know what to do next, ask questions here and others places that strive to HELP, but keep going.  It is so worth it
> 
> Melissa



Thanks for the encouragement! It's always nice to get a boost from a veteran!  Good for you for sticking with it, I'm sure your boys are great young men.



3princesses+aprince said:


> Ok, so a few weeks ago I posted quite a few questions on getting started and everybody here was so helpful.  I was really thinking about starting this next school year. Well things have changed, my dd9 is having a hard time, I'm ready to go now. I believe I'm going to give myself a week or two to get everything together, and send a letter to the school.
> My poor dd9 struggles in school. She has already been tested, she is not special needs, so i'm not sure what is up. Parents night at the school last night did it in for me. There were papers hung up on the wall of the kid's hopes and dreams. I read through a bunch and they were all silly and happy things that a 3rd grader would say, One said he hoped everyone here would someday win a gold medal at the olympics, the other one hoped for a room full of legos, another wanted a to go a chocolate factory and so on...
> My daughter HOPED(in capital letters) and prayed that she could read and write better, like everyone else can. I wanted to cry right there. She is a happy , silly girl, but not in school. She tells me her stomach knots up every morning when she has to go in there. Now she has always been like this, but I'm noticing it more now. And I believe i'm noticing it more now because I realized homeschooling was an option. It never crossed my mind before, so I believe I tried to ignore the way she felt about school because what could I do, she has to go to school.
> This morning I mentioned it to her and her eyes lit up, she was so excited we talked about it all morning and the things we would do.
> I'm pretty sure we are going to order the curriclum from Abeka. I hope i'm making the right decision with who I  go through. There is just so much out there for someone just beginning, I feel going through a set up program like that would be my best option. Sonlight looked good as well, but much more expensive. Sorry such a long rant, i'm nervous, but excited to get going at the same time.
> Thanks for listening and thanks for all of the great advice.



Your poor dd, I'm sure seeing that paper just tore you apart, I know it would have me. Just remember that if the curriculum you choose doesn't work out, you can always change. Even right in the middle, that is one of the many advantages of homeschooling. You may want to see what you can get used first to try Abeka (or whatever curriculum) out. I know some families who absolutely love Abeka and others that weren't so thrilled. A lot depends on your dd's learning style, which may take you a while to figure out. Also, I've seen the general rule many times to allow your dd a week or two for every year she's been in PS to adjust to homeschooling. So if your dd is in 3rd this year, you can expect an adaptation period of at least 4-8 weeks. I also subscribe to the theory that the first year is a learning period for mom and kids, don't get overly stressed out. It can be overwhelming at first, but you can do it!


----------



## sha_lyn

3princesses+aprince said:


> Ok, so a few weeks ago I posted quite a few questions on getting started and everybody here was so helpful.  I was really thinking about starting this next school year. Well things have changed, my dd9 is having a hard time, I'm ready to go now. I believe I'm going to give myself a week or two to get everything together, and send a letter to the school.
> My poor dd9 struggles in school. She has already been tested, she is not special needs, so i'm not sure what is up. Parents night at the school last night did it in for me. There were papers hung up on the wall of the kid's hopes and dreams. I read through a bunch and they were all silly and happy things that a 3rd grader would say, One said he hoped everyone here would someday win a gold medal at the olympics, the other one hoped for a room full of legos, another wanted a to go a chocolate factory and so on...
> My daughter HOPED(in capital letters) and prayed that she could read and write better, like everyone else can. I wanted to cry right there. She is a happy , silly girl, but not in school. She tells me her stomach knots up every morning when she has to go in there. Now she has always been like this, but I'm noticing it more now. And I believe i'm noticing it more now because I realized homeschooling was an option. It never crossed my mind before, so I believe I tried to ignore the way she felt about school because what could I do, she has to go to school.
> This morning I mentioned it to her and her eyes lit up, she was so excited we talked about it all morning and the things we would do.
> I'm pretty sure we are going to order the curriclum from Abeka. I hope i'm making the right decision with who I  go through. There is just so much out there for someone just beginning, I feel going through a set up program like that would be my best option. Sonlight looked good as well, but much more expensive. Sorry such a long rant, i'm nervous, but excited to get going at the same time.
> Thanks for listening and thanks for all of the great advice.



Your story sounds a lot like ours.

The school started insisting around 4 grade that DS had ADD. Ped ruled it out and asked for the school to test DS for LD. School refused and claimed that they didn't do testing. I had to "remind" them that the mother of one of DS's classmates was one the psychologist that did the testing for the system. They insisted that it was just be better if I found a Dr that would write a prescription for ADD meds. They even offered to to give me the name of osmeone who would write a prescription. I wish now that I had taken the name and reported the Dr. 
DS used to love school, but by 5th grade he hated it. He came home the first day of 6th grade crying. DH and I felt the same way you mentioned. What could we do, DS ha to go to school and we couldn't afford private school.   Then one day DS came home from school and I had an appointment that afternoon. I said something like "we need to leave at at quarter til 4". At 3:25 DS asked me why i wasn't ready to go. I told him we still had 20 min.
Anyway to make a long story short, my 13DS who was in the highest math level in 6th grade thought 1/4 equaled 25 because 1/4 of a dollar is 25 cents.

After my appointment that day we went grocery shopping. In a matter of about 10 min using a produce scale and some fruit I had DS understanding the concept of fractions. I knew I had to do something and that little lesson in the produce section of Walmart gave me the drive to look into homeschooling.

I started looking at the test scores for that school and the system. They were horrible. That yr the system lost accreditation for a short period and was but on probation for a time. That finalized my homeschooling decision. This was probably mid April or so. I think there was only 6 weeks or so of school left. We decided to leave DS in school for the remainder of the yr. When we talked to DS about homeschooling it was like a dark cloud was lifted from the entire house.


----------



## mickeyvixie

Mommaof3 said:


> I encourage all of you to keep going,  I just started my 14th year homeschooling.  I have seen it all, used it all, and heard it all.  But I have NEVER regretted my doing this.  Many times I have cried because it IS hard sometimes.  It is so worth it all.  Do what you know is right for your child.  When you don't know what to do next, ask questions here and others places that strive to HELP, but keep going.  It is so worth it
> 
> Melissa



Thanks for the encouragement and thank you to the others that responded to my "i need ideas" question about rhyming.  It is still a struggle  but I am just re-adapting that part of the phonics lesson to help her understand it more.  She was so excited that she could read a few words that she had to go tell her "CRUSH" across the way at 8:30 at nite.    LOL She just LOOOOOVES  the teenage neighbor boy and he is great with her and the mom thot it was cute that she wanted to come show him.   Once she got there she wouldnt talk tho...oh well. LOL


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Sha Lyn , that last sentence you just wrote "It was like a dark cloud was lifted from the entire house"
  That is exactly what went on here this morning as dd and I talk about homeschooling.
  You know, sometimes as a parent you're not sure if you're making the right decision. Then something happens and you feel so good because you do know that you are making the right decision. That is how I feel right now, I am so ready to start, I can't wait. My dd is going to be so much happier 
  I'm so glad this thread was here on the disboards because this is where alot of my first questions were answered.

                     THANK YOU AGAIN TO EVERYONE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

So , I'm about to make my first step. The letter of intent!

  Would someone be able to share a sample letter with me either here or through a pm. Or if anyone knows where I can find a sample letter that would be great too. Thanks Alot


----------



## LadyShea

Although DS is only 2.5, we are seriously considering homeschooling (already people ask us when we're sending him to preschool!) and I wanted to subscribe to this thread and ask a question.

Our state has no curriculum or testing requirements for homeschooled kids (only attendance and enrollment in a recognized church school umbrella group). This leaves it wide open for me.

Anyone in this thread "un-school" or make up your own curriculum, or do most follow something specific?


----------



## mommyintn

LadyShea said:


> Although DS is only 2.5, we are seriously considering homeschooling (already people ask us when we're sending him to preschool!) and I wanted to subscribe to this thread and ask a question.
> 
> Our state has no curriculum or testing requirements for homeschooled kids (only attendance and enrollment in a recognized church school umbrella group). This leaves it wide open for me.
> 
> Anyone in this thread "un-school" or make up your own curriculum, or do most follow something specific?



There are so many options on curriculum it can really make your head spin!   This is our 2nd year homeschooling and the first year I used a boxed curriculum (My Father's World) which was great because everything was laid out for me.  It was more of a Charlotte Mason style of homeschooling.  This year we are more eclectic with a Charlotte Mason Bent.  I just pick and choose from different curriculums and it is working for us.  Homeschooling gives us the opportunity to give our kids a "custom" education which is why I love it.

Our state requires no testing and we pick our own curriculum, and we have to school 180 days 4 hrs per day.  We can also register with an umbrella school or through the district.  HTH some!


----------



## sha_lyn

3princesses+aprince said:


> So , I'm about to make my first step. The letter of intent!
> 
> Would someone be able to share a sample letter with me either here or through a pm. Or if anyone knows where I can find a sample letter that would be great too. Thanks Alot




here's the offical one for GA
www.ghea.org/media/docs/declaration.doc

If you aren't in GA you could probably fiddle with it a little and make it fit what you need.


----------



## Ellester

3princesses+aprince said:


> So , I'm about to make my first step. The letter of intent!
> 
> Would someone be able to share a sample letter with me either here or through a pm. Or if anyone knows where I can find a sample letter that would be great too. Thanks Alot



It depends on what state you are in. We've homeschooled in Georgia, where you have to send a notice of intent to the county school board each year, and in North Carolina, where you have send a notice of intent the state's Department of Non-Public Education just once. Both had to include basic information, but they were different. For NC, I had to prove that the instructor (me) and the principal (dh) of our school had at least a GED. Georgia didn't require that, but I do have to submit attendance once a month, which I did not have to do in NC. I had to test every year in NC, only every 3 years starting in 3rd grade in GA (although you don't submit the scores to anyone in either state, you just have to keep the info in your files).  If you go to www.hslda.org you can find the information you need about your state.


----------



## Disney_Angel

Ellester said:


> Guess I've been too busy reading the homeschooling slams on some of the other posts to post here.  I'm sure many of you have noticed the fairly new DIS member who posts on almost every family board thread who doesn't think most parents are "qualified" to homeschool. I admit I get too wrapped up in reading her ridiculous assertions.
> 
> 
> The poster that is anti-homeschooling is IMHO unstabble. She said it was parents like me who teach children to disrespect authority and when the homeschooling fails we will send our emotional imature and socially neglected children to public school where they will act out violently.
> 
> My daughter is the sweetest child and goes out of her way to think of others.
> 
> She went on and on about ill-educated parents
> Her behavior affirmed why I decided to school at home.


----------



## sha_lyn

Disney_Angel said:


> The poster that is anti-homeschooling is IMHO unstabble. She said it was parents like me who teach children to disrespect authority and when the homeschooling fails we will send our emotional imature and socially neglected children to public school where they will act out violently.
> 
> My daughter is the sweetest child and goes out of her way to think of others.
> 
> She went on and on about ill-educated parents
> Her behavior affirmed why I decided to school at home.



What no .....the only career a homeschooler will have is asking "Would you like fries with that?"

I'm dissapointed LOL


----------



## Ellester

http://www.colstate.edu/mathcontest/index.php

This is run by our local college, but is accessed around the world. Pretty cool questions. I had not heard about it until it was mentioned in our paper today.


----------



## Ellester

sha_lyn said:


> What no .....the only career a homeschooler will have is asking "Would you like fries with that?"
> 
> I'm dissapointed LOL


----------



## DawnM

I must have missed that one, or I don't remember (because I am poorly educated!)

I get tired of explaining anything to anyone.   Sometimes I just want to say, "Go away and leave me alone."  

Wow, guess I am a bit irritated today.

Dawn



Disney_Angel said:


> Ellester said:
> 
> 
> 
> Guess I've been too busy reading the homeschooling slams on some of the other posts to post here.  I'm sure many of you have noticed the fairly new DIS member who posts on almost every family board thread who doesn't think most parents are "qualified" to homeschool. I admit I get too wrapped up in reading her ridiculous assertions.
> 
> 
> The poster that is anti-homeschooling is IMHO unstabble. She said it was parents like me who teach children to disrespect authority and when the homeschooling fails we will send our emotional imature and socially neglected children to public school where they will act out violently.
> 
> My daughter is the sweetest child and goes out of her way to think of others.
> 
> She went on and on about ill-educated parents
> Her behavior affirmed why I decided to school at home.
Click to expand...


----------



## LittleBlue22

Hello fellow hsing parents! 

I am experiencing difficulties with my ds (2nd grade). I've never thought until now that he has either ADD and/or ODD issues. I guess I've been in denial that MY SON would have ADD/ODD. 

I'm struggling with him to get his work done and I'm lucky to get two completed units out of him in a day. I try to sit him in a spot where there'd be no temptation to goof around, but he always finds a way to get his focus off of his work. I've tried reading some of the problems to him, him reading the material to me, leaving him alone.... I still haven't found what works for him to get his daily school work done. I'm frustrated, angry, and sad that my boy isn't motivating himself or wanting to get tasks done. 

So, parents of ADD/ODD kids, what do you do to get your kid to do his/her school work?


----------



## DawnM

When you figure it out, let me know!  LOL!

My oldest is somewhere on that spectrum.  

For him, very clear expectations, charts, lists of things to do, etc....have worked the best, but I can't always pull it together for him.  Sometimes I feel like he would be better off in a school that could offer better help.

I have reread your post.  My son is a bit different than you are describing.  He has been preliminarily diagnosed as ADHD but it manifests differently.

Dawn



LittleBlue22 said:


> Hello fellow hsing parents!
> 
> I am experiencing difficulties with my ds (2nd grade). I've never thought until now that he has either ADD and/or ODD issues. I guess I've been in denial that MY SON would have ADD/ODD.
> 
> I'm struggling with him to get his work done and I'm lucky to get two completed units out of him in a day. I try to sit him in a spot where there'd be no temptation to goof around, but he always finds a way to get his focus off of his work. I've tried reading some of the problems to him, him reading the material to me, leaving him alone.... I still haven't found what works for him to get his daily school work done. I'm frustrated, angry, and sad that my boy isn't motivating himself or wanting to get tasks done.
> 
> So, parents of ADD/ODD kids, what do you do to get your kid to do his/her school work?


----------



## disneymom3

LittleBlue22 said:


> Hello fellow hsing parents!
> 
> I am experiencing difficulties with my ds (2nd grade). I've never thought until now that he has either ADD and/or ODD issues. I guess I've been in denial that MY SON would have ADD/ODD.
> 
> I'm struggling with him to get his work done and I'm lucky to get two completed units out of him in a day. I try to sit him in a spot where there'd be no temptation to goof around, but he always finds a way to get his focus off of his work. I've tried reading some of the problems to him, him reading the material to me, leaving him alone.... I still haven't found what works for him to get his daily school work done. I'm frustrated, angry, and sad that my boy isn't motivating himself or wanting to get tasks done.
> 
> So, parents of ADD/ODD kids, what do you do to get your kid to do his/her school work?


I have to catch up, but wanted to respond to this first.  I have my son in OT and many would have thought this kid was ADHD before we started.  I thought it myself some days.  Long story, he is not. But the OT has given me some awesome tips on feeding a "sensory" diet.  So, DS does some funky things to keep him focus. MAN would these NOT work in a tradtional classroom.  First off, he doesn't like the feel of paper soooo...did you know that dry erase markers work on sliding glass doors?   He does his math on there.   He also spells his words aloud to me while jumping on a mini trampoline--one letter for each bounce.  When he has to sit and listen to me read he holds some kind of squishy ball in his hands. Anything from a Koosh to a stress ball type thing. What happens is that by providing these other stimulations, his body gets the sensory input it is craving and his mind is able to focus on what he needs to for a much longer period of time.

I suggest you try it.


----------



## LegoMom3

disneymom3 said:


> I have to catch up, but wanted to respond to this first. I have my son in OT and many would have thought this kid was ADHD before we started. I thought it myself some days. Long story, he is not. But the OT has given me some awesome tips on feeding a "sensory" diet. So, DS does some funky things to keep him focus. MAN would these NOT work in a tradtional classroom. First off, he doesn't like the feel of paper soooo...did you know that dry erase markers work on sliding glass doors? He does his math on there. He also spells his words aloud to me while jumping on a mini trampoline--one letter for each bounce. When he has to sit and listen to me read he holds some kind of squishy ball in his hands. Anything from a Koosh to a stress ball type thing. What happens is that by providing these other stimulations, his body gets the sensory input it is craving and his mind is able to focus on what he needs to for a much longer period of time.
> 
> I suggest you try it.


 

This sounds a lot like us.  First of all, remember that boys are boys - cliche though that sounds.  They are made to move and be busy!  That said, my DS11 also functions much like that.  It's getting a little better as he gets older, but has not gone away.  We have not had him tested for ADD but I have my suspicions.  Anyway he does much better with school work if his hands are busy.  If I'm reading something to him, he will take in what's being said much better if he's fidgeting with a Lego or a squishy ball or SOME thing.  If I "make" him sit still (like a classroom would!!) then most of it goes right past him and he gets very distracted.

Don't give up!!  Everyone struggles at the start of home schooling to find their place.  You will find yours!  

.


----------



## Eeyore's Girl

3princesses+aprince said:


> Ok, so a few weeks ago I posted quite a few questions on getting started and everybody here was so helpful.  I was really thinking about starting this next school year. Well things have changed, my dd9 is having a hard time, I'm ready to go now. I believe I'm going to give myself a week or two to get everything together, and send a letter to the school.
> My poor dd9 struggles in school. She has already been tested, she is not special needs, so i'm not sure what is up. Parents night at the school last night did it in for me. There were papers hung up on the wall of the kid's hopes and dreams. I read through a bunch and they were all silly and happy things that a 3rd grader would say, One said he hoped everyone here would someday win a gold medal at the olympics, the other one hoped for a room full of legos, another wanted a to go a chocolate factory and so on...
> My daughter HOPED(in capital letters) and prayed that she could read and write better, like everyone else can. I wanted to cry right there. She is a happy , silly girl, but not in school. She tells me her stomach knots up every morning when she has to go in there. Now she has always been like this, but I'm noticing it more now. And I believe i'm noticing it more now because I realized homeschooling was an option. It never crossed my mind before, so I believe I tried to ignore the way she felt about school because what could I do, she has to go to school.
> This morning I mentioned it to her and her eyes lit up, she was so excited we talked about it all morning and the things we would do.
> I'm pretty sure we are going to order the curriclum from Abeka. I hope i'm making the right decision with who I  go through. There is just so much out there for someone just beginning, I feel going through a set up program like that would be my best option. Sonlight looked good as well, but much more expensive. Sorry such a long rant, i'm nervous, but excited to get going at the same time.
> Thanks for listening and thanks for all of the great advice.



Good for you and DD9!! Although she's struggling academically, the more critical concern is the condition of her spirit - which is being crushed at school. Who knows, after schooling at home with you for a year or so, she may catch up and be ready to go back into a traditional classroom. If not, no big deal. There's a world of opportunity for the two of you to explore and learn from during her time at home. Enjoy!!


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## Belle & Ariel

Mommyintn,
It is very easy to register with an umbrella school.  As your kids get older, you will have to and it is alot easier if they have records from earlier years.  We had to get proof of attendance to get a driving permit; the umbrella school gave a grade report that got us the discount on insurance.  If you want to do dual enrollment in college, you have to have permission from the umbrella school.  It even helps with the lottery scholarship.  If you pm me, I can recommend one and tell why some are not so great.
Dawn,
Your child with ADD would be worse off in a classroom.  You have more patience to deal with him and are not responsible for 20 others like a teacher would be. One of the biggest benefits of homeschooling is that we can custom each kid's education.  I have found that curriculums that work for one are not as good for another--I have used Abeka, Saxon, and Teaching Textbooks for high school math depending on the child.
I homeschooled 2 from k to graduation which are in college now--the oldest takes 18 hours a semester and has a 3.98 gpa on 82 hours.  Her one B was from a religion class--she did not have an open worldview LOL.  The other started this fall.  I am on the homestretch with just one left in my school.  
Many people have been shocked over the years that our kids are homeschooled because they do not fit in the stereotype.  I always say that public school kids are not all clones of each other and neither are we.


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## sha_lyn

Belle & Ariel said:


> Mommyintn,
> It is very easy to register with an umbrella school.  *As your kids get older, you will have to and it is alot easier if they have records from earlier years*.  We had to get proof of attendance to get a driving permit; the umbrella school gave a grade report that got us the discount on insurance.  If you want to do dual enrollment in college, you have to have permission from the umbrella school.  It even helps with the lottery scholarship.  If you pm me, I can recommend one and tell why some are not so great.
> Dawn,
> Your child with ADD would be worse off in a classroom.  You have more patience to deal with him and are not responsible for 20 others like a teacher would be. One of the biggest benefits of homeschooling is that we can custom each kid's education.  I have found that curriculums that work for one are not as good for another--I have used Abeka, Saxon, and Teaching Textbooks for high school math depending on the child.
> I homeschooled 2 from k to graduation which are in college now--the oldest takes 18 hours a semester and has a 3.98 gpa on 82 hours.  Her one B was from a religion class--she did not have an open worldview LOL.  The other started this fall.  I am on the homestretch with just one left in my school.
> Many people have been shocked over the years that our kids are homeschooled because they do not fit in the stereotype.  I always say that public school kids are not all clones of each other and neither are we.



That is one option, but it is not the only option.
The other option for highschool is that one of the parents have a BA in any field and you must include a list of courses with the letter of intent.
You can also file for an exemption to the teacher requirements (BA for 9-12, Highschool diploma or GED for K-8) but I don't know what is the
 likely hood of one being granted .


----------



## mommyintn

Belle & Ariel said:


> Mommyintn,
> It is very easy to register with an umbrella school.  As your kids get older, you will have to and it is alot easier if they have records from earlier years.  We had to get proof of attendance to get a driving permit; the umbrella school gave a grade report that got us the discount on insurance.  If you want to do dual enrollment in college, you have to have permission from the umbrella school.  It even helps with the lottery scholarship.  If you pm me, I can recommend one and tell why some are not so great.



I think it was another poster that was asking questions about being new to homeschooling.  I am already registered with a local umbrella school but last year we were with a state wide umbrella.  If heard of few that people had some bad experiences, I'd be curious which ones have the bad rep.  PM me if you'd like to.   Nice meeting someone so close, we are in Knoxville.


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## TLHB70

I just wanted to let everyone know that I just received an email from a homeschool friend.  It said that this upcoming Monday, September 29, Starbucks is giving a free cup of Pike Roast (Is that a flavor there???) coffee to homeschool parents.  I don't drink coffee so I am sorry to say I deleted the email.  I remembered after deleting it that I should post it here.  There was a link with more information.
I have just sent my friend an email asking her to resend the message.  If I get it again, I will post with more information.


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## TLHB70

My friend just sent me the email again.  I have copied and posted it for you below:


This coming Monday, September 29, homeschool parents will be able to pick up a complimentary tall size (12 fl. oz.) cup of Pike Place Roast coffee from Starbucks.   See http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/200809231.aspfor all the details. (You will have to show proof.)


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## Belle & Ariel

Sha lyn, 
I wasn't talking about the education parents needed but the red tape to get scholarship money, college admissions, and driving privileges. 
We came from a state that did not have any registration requirements and had to basically research histories of immunizations, report cards, attendance (we counted hours, not days), tests, etc.  My recordkeeping more than met the requirements where we lived, but was not what was important here.
Mommyintn,
I would not say any umbrella school is bad, some just take forever to get back to you.  We had a really hard time getting approval for dual enrollment because they said the parents should do all the teaching--no co-ops, de, etc.
Another one was ridiculous about immunization records--would not accept my little green book from the hospital but wanted bills from each shot--now my kids were 16, 14, and 10 and there are alot of records to collect.
We are with Homelife now and very pleased.  
We went through Knoxville a couple weekends ago for a youth retreat in Sevierville.


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## mommyintn

Belle & Ariel said:


> Mommyintn,
> I would not say any umbrella school is bad, some just take forever to get back to you.  We had a really hard time getting approval for dual enrollment because they said the parents should do all the teaching--no co-ops, de, etc.
> Another one was ridiculous about immunization records--would not accept my little green book from the hospital but wanted bills from each shot--now my kids were 16, 14, and 10 and there are alot of records to collect.
> We are with Homelife now and very pleased.
> We went through Knoxville a couple weekends ago for a youth retreat in Sevierville.



We were with homelife last year and had no problems.  I went through a local umbrella this year (Berean).  That's strange about the shot records, wow I'm sorry about that and no co-ops?  We'll be down your way for a wedding this weekend so we'll wave as we go through!


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## Ellester

sha_lyn said:


> That is one option, but it is not the only option.
> The other option for highschool is that one of the parents have a BA in any field and you must include a list of courses with the letter of intent.
> You can also file for an exemption to the teacher requirements (BA for 9-12, Highschool diploma or GED for K-8) but I don't know what is the
> likely hood of one being granted .



I think it depends on your state. In Alabama, I'm pretty sure you HAVE to be enrolled in an umbrella school to legally homeschool. Then you can enroll in an "accredited" program or do your own curriculum. I'm hoping the GA laws will change before we get to high school. Right now, one of the local colleges will not dual-enroll homeschoolers but do dual-enroll private and public high schoolers. Several families have gone round and round with them, it's really aggravating. One of my friends just recently gave up and had her DS take the GED (another exercise in ridiculous bureaucracy) at 16 so he could take college classes. And I'm sure you know about the whole HOPE scholarship discrimination. So frustrating sometimes....


----------



## sha_lyn

Ellester said:


> I think it depends on your state. In Alabama, I'm pretty sure you HAVE to be enrolled in an umbrella school to legally homeschool. Then you can enroll in an "accredited" program or do your own curriculum. I'm hoping the GA laws will change before we get to high school. Right now, one of the local colleges will not dual-enroll homeschoolers but do dual-enroll private and public high schoolers. Several families have gone round and round with them, it's really aggravating. One of my friends just recently gave up and had her DS take the GED (another exercise in ridiculous bureaucracy) at 16 so he could take college classes. And I'm sure you know about the whole HOPE scholarship discrimination. So frustrating sometimes....



I was speaking specifically about TN


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## Ellester

sha_lyn said:


> I was speaking specifically about TN



Ah, my bad then. 

I'm off to drink that yummy sugar water for my 28 week glucose test.


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## TNKBELL

Ellester said:


> Ah, my bad then.
> 
> I'm off to drink that yummy sugar water for my 28 week glucose test.



My doctor never had me take the glucose test this time. He didn't with my last 2 either, but my previous doctors tested me. I always hated those tests, and mine were timed and I couldn't finish the sludge in time and the nurses would always get a little tiffed at me. 

Good luck with your test, hopefully they have improved the flavor!!


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## sha_lyn

oh the wonderful glucose test. I had gestational diabetes with DS so I had to do the test just about every time I went to the Dr


What about the GA HS laws would you like to see changed?
Personally I want the laws left alone.


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## Ellester

sha_lyn said:


> What about the GA HS laws would you like to see changed?
> Personally I want the laws left alone.



Well, the big thing would be to have the HOPE scholarship available to incoming college freshmen. Now they can qualify their sophomore year and supposedly get reimbursement for the freshman year. But I know several families that have had trouble getting their reimbursement. Personally, I'd like the attendance to be like it was in NC. I had to keep track, but didn't have to submit it each month. And it would be nice if all public colleges were required to dual-enroll HS'ers if they allow public and private High Schoolers to dual-enroll. Also, there is some difficulty with drivers licenses. The same friend whose son recently took the GED had to jump through all these hoops to keep his license since to take the GED he had to certify that he "dropped out" of school and if you are a "drop out" you have to give up your license. And to qualify for the GED, he had to have 12 hours of "seat time" in a GED prep class even though his SAT's are off the charts. It was really ridiculous the hoops they had to jump through. 

I agree that the laws are not too bad here, much less restrictive than many other states.


----------



## Ellester

sha_lyn said:


> oh the wonderful glucose test. I had gestational diabetes with DS so I had to do the test just about every time I went to the Dr





TNKBELL said:


> My doctor never had me take the glucose test this time. He didn't with my last 2 either, but my previous doctors tested me. I always hated those tests, and mine were timed and I couldn't finish the sludge in time and the nurses would always get a little tiffed at me.
> 
> Good luck with your test, hopefully they have improved the flavor!!



I've had to do it each time (this is #4), in three different states. Just lucky I guess. I've passed each of the previous times, so I'm hoping for good numbers today. Now I have to drop off my three at a friend's and head to the lab.


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## sha_lyn

What worries me about changing HOPE, requiring dual enrollment etc is that I am afraid that it  would lead to more regulation/oversight of curriculum etc.

As for drivers license, all we had to do with DS is have someone in the Dept of Ed office sign the paper. All he did was check to see if we had filed a declaration of intent and attendance reports.
I see how the GED situation would make it sticky and I'm certain that some counties aren't as easy to deal with as ours. So I would agree that it probably does need to be addressed.



On another note:
I was researching last night (night before?) homeschooling laws in Kansas to answer a question on Yahoo Answers.
I ran across some info on HSLDA that really bugged me.
It said that enrollment in any secular program was enrollment in public school and therefore disqualified one from joining.
Also I received the email about Starbucks and it it HSLDA takes credit for "forcing" Starbucks into extending their teacher appreciation day to home schoolers and goes on to say that an ID card from them is official proof that someone home schools.

I completely get that they provide a service that many want, but as I have said before, I do not like their tactics at all.


----------



## lori1043

sha_lyn said:


> On another note:
> I was researching last night (night before?) homeschooling laws in Kansas to answer a question on Yahoo Answers.
> I ran across some info on HSLDA that really bugged me.
> It said that enrollment in any secular program was enrollment in public school and therefore disqualified one from joining.
> Also I received the email about Starbucks and it it HSLDA takes credit for "forcing" Starbucks into extending their teacher appreciation day to home schoolers and goes on to say that an ID card from them is official proof that someone home schools.
> 
> I completely get that they provide a service that many want, but as I have said before, I do not like their tactics at all.


 
Forgive my ignorance of *all* that is HSLDA(really) but don't they say they are a Christian organization up front? I think many Christian homeschoolers could use a public school curr. on top of any extra 'class' on thier particular beliefs easily, so that staement DOES baffle me too. As far as Starbucks, I don't see the reason for HSLDA fighting for coffee rights??!!! THAT baffles me too! If they are goig to protect homeschooling, in general, I do not think coffee is a big issue. Bookstore, sure, but coffee???

Now, I am a member of HSLDA, but only for the protective rights they can offer me. I am Christian also and use Christian curriculum, but use some secular curr. too. They do not ask you for the curr. choices you use when you fill out an application, so how do they know?

Anyway, NEWS to me!!

Glucose tolerance-took it for #1, not for #2!

Lori


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## sha_lyn

Actually no they don't say uo front (on their website) that they are a Christian organization

IE their mission statement is 



> The Foundation’s mission is to provide assistance to homeschooling families in need, preserve parental freedoms, promote homeschooling, and support like-minded organizations.



You have to look pretty deep to find the info that they are a Christian group


Also secular does not equal public school.
K12, Calvert, Timeforlearning etc are are secular programs. However they are not "public school" yet HSLDA wording on the one doc I found makes it sound like they would refuse membership of anyone who uses those programs. The more likely situation is that they would accept membership payment but refuse to represent when needed ,as they have a history of doing if the "homeschool" doesn't live up to their idea of homeschooling. 

I actually started to fill out an application yrs ago(I would guess 6 yrs) and was infact thrown off because they did ask about curriculum. At that point I hadn't hit any info on their website (or elsewhere) about their religious stance. It was their detailed questions on curriculum and hrs spent on homeschooling that turned me off.


----------



## sha_lyn

I alos noticed they have changed their name to 
The Homeschool Foundation. There was speculation a while back that they were gong to get in trouble for inplying that they can provide legal services to those who do not live in TX. First and foremost they are a lobbist group.
A lobbiest group that IMHO pushes for laws that make it harder for non-Christians to homeschool.


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## Ellester

I am not a huge fan of HSLDA's tactics either, I am not a member. I do find their links useful from time to time though.

As far as GA changing their laws, I agree that it is a slippery slope. I would consider my thoughts more of a wish list. I certainly don't think we need more oversight, less would be better in my opinion!

Well, I failed my glucose test by 8 points (needed to be under 140, mine was 148). So now I have to go back Monday for the three hour test. Sigh..... And I'm slightly anemic, so I have to go fill a scrip for iron pills. Same as last PG, so I wasn't too surprised.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Hey girls!! Haven't posted in a while. Just wanted to pop in and say HI!! It's 3 months til Christmas today!!!! Get that shopping done!!

For all 3 of my kids I had to do the Glucose test-it was always that Orange Crush taste --always made me queasy!!! 

Well, hope that ya'lls school year is going smoothly. We had quite a bit to catch up on this week thanks to Ike. We only suffered Power out's here. But, we were gone for a week-so that's double duty for school days. We will be all caught up tomorrow 

Talk to you soon!!


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## sha_lyn

Ellester...I hope you "pass" the 3hr test. The one after that is really crazy if they still do it the same way as they did 19yrs ago. Don't remember what all was involved but I do remember it was crazy


----------



## LittleBlue22

DawnM said:


> When you figure it out, let me know!  LOL!
> 
> My oldest is somewhere on that spectrum.
> 
> For him, very clear expectations, charts, lists of things to do, etc....have worked the best, but I can't always pull it together for him.  Sometimes I feel like he would be better off in a school that could offer better help.
> 
> I have reread your post.  My son is a bit different than you are describing.  He has been preliminarily diagnosed as ADHD but it manifests differently.
> 
> Dawn





disneymom3 said:


> I have to catch up, but wanted to respond to this first.  I have my son in OT and many would have thought this kid was ADHD before we started.  I thought it myself some days.  Long story, he is not. But the OT has given me some awesome tips on feeding a "sensory" diet.  So, DS does some funky things to keep him focus. MAN would these NOT work in a tradtional classroom.  First off, he doesn't like the feel of paper soooo...did you know that dry erase markers work on sliding glass doors?   He does his math on there.   He also spells his words aloud to me while jumping on a mini trampoline--one letter for each bounce.  When he has to sit and listen to me read he holds some kind of squishy ball in his hands. Anything from a Koosh to a stress ball type thing. What happens is that by providing these other stimulations, his body gets the sensory input it is craving and his mind is able to focus on what he needs to for a much longer period of time.
> 
> I suggest you try it.





LegoMom3 said:


> This sounds a lot like us.  First of all, remember that boys are boys - cliche though that sounds.  They are made to move and be busy!  That said, my DS11 also functions much like that.  It's getting a little better as he gets older, but has not gone away.  We have not had him tested for ADD but I have my suspicions.  Anyway he does much better with school work if his hands are busy.  If I'm reading something to him, he will take in what's being said much better if he's fidgeting with a Lego or a squishy ball or SOME thing.  If I "make" him sit still (like a classroom would!!) then most of it goes right past him and he gets very distracted.
> 
> Don't give up!!  Everyone struggles at the start of home schooling to find their place.  You will find yours!
> 
> .




Thanks for your replies, its just so frustrating. Its going to be a long year or ds will be in 2nd grade for a loooong time. I've been waking up with the thought, maybe today will be better. Today's tactic was to time him on his lessons and give him a penny for each completed lesson under the time limit. The combined coins will equal some thing - I haven't figured that out yet, but I'm leaning toward Pokemon cards (breaking the card set up for each coin or some combo there of). Thank you for the encouragement. 

On another note:

Ellester, I hope you'll pass the next glucose test w/o problems. Could you request a redo of test #2?


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## lori1043

Ellester said:


> I am not a huge fan of HSLDA's tactics either, I am not a member. I do find their links useful from time to time though.
> 
> As far as GA changing their laws, I agree that it is a slippery slope. I would consider my thoughts more of a wish list. I certainly don't think we need more oversight, less would be better in my opinion!
> 
> Well, I failed my glucose test by 8 points (needed to be under 140, mine was 148). So now I have to go back Monday for the three hour test. Sigh..... And I'm slightly anemic, so I have to go fill a scrip for iron pills. Same as last PG, so I wasn't too surprised.


 

Sha_lyn and Ellester, thank you for the info. I am sorry, I knew that secular curr. doesn't = public. Thanks for clarifying. I do not remember filling out curr. info on my app. From thier monthly newsletters, I was under the impression the Homeschool Foundation was something they started/support to help homeschool families obtain much needed curr, for whatever reason(hurricane, death of spouse, hardship). I will look more into it the next time it is time to enroll. I have done the 2 year plan 2x so far. Thanks for the info. 

Lori


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## TLHB70

I just wanted to post that I am not a member of HSLDA.  I received the Starbucks news from a friend.  

I hope I didn't offend anyone.  I don't drink coffee so I will not be getting a cup on Monday.  I just thought I would share the news in case anyone is near a Starbucks on Monday and would like to get a free cup.


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## sha_lyn

TLHB70 said:


> I just wanted to post that I am not a member of HSLDA.  I received the Starbucks news from a friend.
> 
> I hope I didn't offend anyone.  I don't drink coffee so I will not be getting a cup on Monday.  I just thought I would share the news in case anyone is near a Starbucks on Monday and would like to get a free cup.



Oh no, no offense at all. I just found it funny that they fought(or claimed to have fought) for the right to a free cup of coffee LOL


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## Ellester

sha_lyn said:


> Ellester...I hope you "pass" the 3hr test. The one after that is really crazy if they still do it the same way as they did 19yrs ago. Don't remember what all was involved but I do remember it was crazy





LittleBlue22 said:


> Ellester, I hope you'll pass the next glucose test w/o problems. Could you request a redo of test #2?



Thanks! Unfortunately no redo on the 1 hour. I just have to suck it up. The Dr. is pretty sure I'll pass, as am I. They told me to eat normally today, but I probably should have skipped lunch to be safe. Plus I made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast  . My mom is diabetic, but my blood sugar is usually pretty darn low so I'm not too worried. I'll just be hungry, grumpy, and bruised (4 blood draws in 3 hours and no food from midnite until the test is over at noon).

My dad sent me this, I though it was pretty funny. If only it were on the table as a real solution!

*Subject: The Birk Economic Recovery Plan*


I’m against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.

Instead, I’m in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend.

To make the math simple, let’s assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.

Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, womanand child.
So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..

So divide 200 million adults 18+  into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person age 18+
We Deserve It Dividend.

Of course, it would NOT be tax free.  So let’s assume a tax rate of 30%.

Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes.
That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.

But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.
A husband and wife has $595,000.00.

What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?
Pay off your mortgage – housing crisis solved.
Repay college loans – what a great boost to new grads
Put away money for college – it’ll be there
Save in a bank – create money to loan to entrepreneurs.
Buy a new car – create jobs
Invest in the market – capital drives growth
Pay for your parent’s medical insurance – health care improves
Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean – or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+  including the folks
who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company
that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we’re going to re-distribute wealth let’s really do it...instead of trickling out
a puny $1000.00 ( “vote buy” ) economic incentive that is being proposed by
one of our candidates for President.

If we’re going to do an $85 billion bailout, let’s bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG – liquidate it.
Sell off its parts.
Let American General go back to being American General.
Sell off the real estate.
Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.

Here’s my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn’t.

Sure it’s a crazy idea that can “never work.”

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party!

How do you spell Economic Boom?

I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion
We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC.

And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned
instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.

Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

Birk
T. J. Birkenmeier, A Creative Guy & Citizen of the Republic                                                                                                                                                                                              
PS:  Feel free to pass this along to your pals as it’s either good for a laugh
or a tear or a very sobering thought on how to best use $85 Billion!!


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## kathianne

Just my suggestion--my son has ADD, he tends to fidget through homeschooling, now I set times for breaks, lunch, etc, and write them on our write board.  Our schedule varies somewhat daily so its not always the same.  If he starts to fidget I ask him how much more time until the next break, he calculates it, then seems satisfied and goes back to work.  The timeline helps him focus. 

I really think he learned how to play his teachers like a violin in school.  He just started fidgeting and they decided he was "getting stressed' so he needed a break.  It was so obvious!  This kid is smart and quickly learns cause and effect, I fidget-- get break.  I tried explaining they were just allowing the tail to wag the dog but they never realized their part in his "ADD". 

He's learning to self-regulate, because he can't "situation regulate".


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## Disney Mommy 3

Ellester--love it! Tell your dad to go to Washington ASAP and submit his idea. After all, the worst they can do is say forget it. He will definitely get some spotlight time out of it!!!


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## 3princesses+aprince

Hello all, 

      I'm very excited this week!  I got in touch with my states local homeschool group and got in touch with a Mom from my city. She was able to give me so much advice on how to get started. This group that I just registered with is very active, they have so much going on, there are 2 field trips in October, and always other things going on. Right now they are taking sign ups for a cooking class that someone is holding at their house!! Unfortunately we can't sign up for that, my dd is still in school until 10/24 but it just shows me how much they always have going on. My dd is very excited to get started.  They have a bowling league that dd is also very excited about.
   We're ordering all of our books next week through Abeka, we're ordering the 3rd grade kit!  dd is counting down the days until we start, we're ready to go 
   Another perk is that we are going to Disney in March, not over a school break, and I don't have to worry about dd9 missing a week then trying to catch back up. I'm not worried about my dd7, she's in first grade and her teacher is wonderful, she will work with dd7 on the work she'll miss.


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## Belle & Ariel

3Princesses,
Welcome to homeschooling.  I think you made a great choice with Abeka.  Third grade was my 3 kids' favorite year for social studies--it is done chronologically in biography form.  Hope you love it as much as we did!
And you have already discovered a benefit--going to Disney when everyone else is in school.  Two of mine are in college now and it makes travel difficult.
Hope you have a great year!


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## TNKBELL

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Ellester--love it! Tell your dad to go to Washington ASAP and submit his idea. After all, the worst they can do is say forget it. He will definitely get some spotlight time out of it!!!



Terrific Idea!!!


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## Ellester

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Ellester--love it! Tell your dad to go to Washington ASAP and submit his idea. After all, the worst they can do is say forget it. He will definitely get some spotlight time out of it!!!





TNKBELL said:


> Terrific Idea!!!



Well, too be fair, he didn't come up with it. He forwarded an e-mail from my uncle, I'm not sure where the idea originated. I could think of a bunch of ways to spend my cut though. A two week deluxe Disney stay could be towards the top of the list!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Ellester said:


> Well, too be fair, he didn't come up with it. He forwarded an e-mail from my uncle, I'm not sure where the idea originated. I could think of a bunch of ways to spend my cut though. A two week deluxe Disney stay could be towards the top of the list!



I totally agree!! Wouldn't 14 nights in any room you wanted with the DxDp and unlimited tickets be the BOMB!!!! Holy cow!! I would love that!!


----------



## TNKBELL

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> I totally agree!! Wouldn't 14 nights in any room you wanted with the DxDp and unlimited tickets be the BOMB!!!! Holy cow!! I would love that!!



Could you just imagine the crowd??? Heck, we could travel the world!


----------



## LittleBlue22

Ellester said:


> Thanks! Unfortunately no redo on the 1 hour. I just have to suck it up. The Dr. is pretty sure I'll pass, as am I. They told me to eat normally today, but I probably should have skipped lunch to be safe. Plus I made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast  . My mom is diabetic, but my blood sugar is usually pretty darn low so I'm not too worried. *I'll just be hungry, grumpy, and bruised (4 blood draws in 3 hours and no food from midnite until the test is over at noon).*
> 
> My dad sent me this, I though it was pretty funny. If only it were on the table as a real solution!
> 
> *Subject: The Birk Economic Recovery Plan*
> 
> 
> Im against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.
> 
> Instead, Im in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend.
> 
> To make the math simple, lets assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.
> 
> .......
> 
> And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned
> instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.
> 
> Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.
> 
> Birk
> T. J. Birkenmeier, A Creative Guy & Citizen of the Republic
> PS:  Feel free to pass this along to your pals as its either good for a laugh
> or a tear or a very sobering thought on how to best use $85 Billion!!



Make sure you have a fiber bar or some thing to get your sugar level back up after the test just in case or visit the closest drive thru so you don't get faint. 

The above plan makes sense to me and I'm all for it, however, its too logical for Washington. Why do some thing that would punish the company who created their own trouble and actually help Americans?  Sorry, I'll stop.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

TNKBELL said:


> Could you just imagine the crowd??? Heck, we could travel the world!



NO kidding!! I would go to Switzerland, Austria, Vienna, Berlin,London... the list goes on!! Definitely an in depth European tour!!!!


----------



## Denine

Gee, and all I wanted to do was pay off my mortgage and buy a new car!  More traveling would be a perk!

My dad sent me this e-mail yesterday.


----------



## LadyShea

I found this on the HSDLA website 



> 4. Is HSLDA a Christian organization?
> 
> Yes; however, HSLDAs mission is to protect the freedom of all homeschoolers. Although our officers and directors are Christians, HSLDA membership is not limited to religiously based homeschoolers. We respect parents' rights to make the appropriate choices for the upbringing of their children. We have no agenda to make all public and home-based classrooms religious or conservative. Our primary objective is to preserve the fundamental right of parents to choose home education, free of over-zealous government officials and intrusive laws. We do put on a national conference annually and invite the board members of state organizations with whom we have worked for many years. Most, if not all, of those organizations have Christian leaders, but many serve all homeschoolers regardless of religious affiliation, as we do.


----------



## Disney_Angel

I just wanted to share one of our favorite websites...

www.storynory.com  
Free audio books they are also availble on iTunes for a charge, I believe.

Enjoy!


----------



## DawnM

Sorry to burst the bubbles on all those plans, but 85,000,000,000 divided by 200 million (200,000,000) is only $425 per person.  I don't know if this was a joke to see if people could figure out the error or if the person writing it just didn't add zeros when dividing.

$450 won't even get me enough Disney tickets for the family for a week.

Sigh.

Dawn


----------



## DawnM

Hey, where did everyone go????  HELLO?????

DH and I are discussing next year.  We have a couple of charter schools here that are great, but they are hard to get in to (lottery).  I have a Kindergardener next year and there are more positions open for K than any other grade, so I do plan to put him name in the lottery.  Apparently if he gets in then the others will automatically get in for the FOLLOWING school year.

This is just one idea.  I may continue to hs for a while.  

My son who will be K is going to be far different than my older kids.  I can already tell a difference.  He is extremely smart and thrives with other teachers and not with me.  

I would like to get a job at that same charter school as it is a K-12 and we could all go and leave from the same place daily, but I have applied before and haven't even gotten an interview, so I am not holding out much hope on that.

Dawn


----------



## wvdislover

kathianne said:


> Just my suggestion--my son has ADD, he tends to fidget through homeschooling, now I set times for breaks, lunch, etc, and write them on our write board.  Our schedule varies somewhat daily so its not always the same.  If he starts to fidget I ask him how much more time until the next break, he calculates it, then seems satisfied and goes back to work.  The timeline helps him focus.
> 
> I really think he learned how to play his teachers like a violin in school.  He just started fidgeting and they decided he was "getting stressed' so he needed a break.  It was so obvious!  This kid is smart and quickly learns cause and effect, I fidget-- get break.  I tried explaining they were just allowing the tail to wag the dog but they never realized their part in his "ADD".
> 
> He's learning to self-regulate, because he can't "situation regulate".



What a great idea!  DD11 and I have done this some, but I think I need to do it more and set up a better schedule.  Now that we're back from vacation and don't have vacation planning and packing going on, maybe we can get going better and in a more structured way.


----------



## mousebouncer

I just saw this and was so excited!  Disney and homeschooling...my 2 favorites!  I've been homeschooling DD 4 years.  I was wondering, if anyone out there has had children graduate high school "early" by 2 or more years?  Did they go on to college, workforce, etc?  TIA


----------



## DawnM

Most states allow dual enrollment in the community colleges at age 16.   NC does and so did CA.  

Dawn



mousebouncer said:


> I just saw this and was so excited!  Disney and homeschooling...my 2 favorites!  I've been homeschooling DD 4 years.  I was wondering, if anyone out there has had children graduate high school "early" by 2 or more years?  Did they go on to college, workforce, etc?  TIA


----------



## OhioMom

Hi everyone.  We do not homeschool but I thought that you would be the parents I could ask for help.  I am not pleased with certain aspects of the math curriculum at my daughter's school and was wondering if I could get some ideas from you on resources for "old fashioned" math curriculums that I could use at home for enrichment.  We have flash cards but I would like some additional materials or books for learning the basics.  My daughter is nine years old and in the fourth grade.  Thank you!


----------



## NHWX

OhioMom said:


> Hi everyone.  We do not homeschool but I thought that you would be the parents I could ask for help.  I am not pleased with certain aspects of the math curriculum at my daughter's school and was wondering if I could get some ideas from you on resources for "old fashioned" math curriculums that I could use at home for enrichment.  We have flash cards but I would like some additional materials or books for learning the basics.  My daughter is nine years old and in the fourth grade.  Thank you!



What curriculum is she using now? What parts don't you like? I can think of a couple but they might contain those aspects you're trying to eliminate! 

NHWX


----------



## OhioMom

NHWX said:


> What curriculum is she using now? What parts don't you like? I can think of a couple but they might contain those aspects you're trying to eliminate!
> 
> NHWX



Hi...they use Everyday Mathematics.  I would like to have a curriculum that stresses the traditional ways of presenting addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  The basics is what I'm looking for.  I realize that in order to "pass" her class she will have to learn their variety of ways of doing math, but I see alot of holes in what she does and doesn't know.  The Everyday Mathematics is the curriculum they have been using each year but I am really starting to be concerned with where she is at.  I have two older sons, ages 23 and 21, so I've been around the block, so to speak, but this is the first time that I was concerned about the curriculum being used and I believe I need to see what I can do to get her on track.  Thanks!


----------



## NHWX

Both are very popular. I used Math-U-See with my younger son who had previously used Everyday Math in school. He really needed some help with fractions and Math-U-See gave him the foundations and plenty of practice. 

Many, many people are happy with Saxon, and many school systems use it. I know that it's in our middle schools here. (I'm mentioning this just in case your daughter mentions it to her teacher, her teacher should be familiar with it.)

NHWX


----------



## bumbershoot

sha_lyn said:


> Actually no they don't say uo front (on their website) that they are a Christian organization





sha_lyn said:


> I alos noticed they have changed their name to
> The Homeschool Foundation.




Hmm.



> About HSLDA
> 
> Home School Legal Defense Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization



And like someone else mentioned, there's the "Is HSLDA a Christian organization?  Yes" part under Who We Are.

And there's nothing up there right now, but in the past they've had some pretty darned obvious things...bits of not-education-related legislations and whatnot that they were urging support or non support for...that show that they are heavily religious.




I saw the Starbucks thing mentioned over on mothering...figured I could probably make a strong case for being a homeschooler with my "school aged" kid out of school, and our little Kumon workbooks etc (DS is only 4 but is desperate for official learning so I've promised that we'll do stuff every day that DH is at work), but at the end did NOT go b/c I don't like their plain coffee, so what's the point?


----------



## LegoMom3

Ok  I don't know if this is worth bringing up but it's been bugging me so here goes...   HSLDA *did not* "change" their name to The Homeschool Foundation.  The latter was _founded_ by HSLDA, but they are separate entities with separate web sites, leaders, goals, etc..

.


----------



## sha_lyn

I wish I had included the link back when I said it. At that time, their website most certainly said they had changed their name. It said something to the efect of: Our Name Change reflects our goal to .............
Yes that is no longer there, but it was there at the time.

I still stand by my statement that the info on it being a Christian organzation is not "right up front". It is not a part of their mission statement as I had previously c/p here.
It isn't in their about us facts either until you get the the frequently asked questions:


> About HSLDA
> 
> Home School Legal Defense Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. Through annual memberships, HSLDA is tens of thousands of families united in service together, providing a strong voice when and where needed.
> 
> 
> HSLDA advocates on the legal front on behalf of our members in matters which include conflicts with state or local officials over homeschooling. Each year, thousands of member families receive legal consultation by letter and phone, hundreds more are represented through negotiations with local officials, and dozens are represented in court proceedings. HSLDA also takes the offensive, filing actions to protect members against government intrusion and to establish legal precedent. On occasion, HSLDA will handle precedent-setting cases for nonmembers, as well.
> 
> 
> HSLDA advocates on Capitol Hill by tracking federal legislation that affects homeschooling and parental rights. HSLDA works to defeat or amend harmful bills, but also works proactively, introducing legislation to protect and preserve family freedoms.
> 
> 
> HSLDA advocates in state legislatures, at the invitation of state homeschool organizations, by assisting individual states in drafting language to improve their homeschool legal environment and to fight harmful legislation.
> 
> 
> HSLDA advocates in the media by presenting articulate and knowledgeable spokesmen to the press on the subject of homeschooling. HSLDA staff members are regularly called upon for radio, television, and print interviews, and their writings are frequently published in newspapers and magazines across the country. HSLDA’s own bimonthly magazine, The Home School Court Report, provides news and commentary on a host of current issues affecting homeschoolers. And its two-minute daily radio broadcast, Home School Heartbeat, can be heard on nearly 500 radio stations.
> 
> 
> HSLDA advocates for the movement by commissioning and presenting quality research on the progress of homeschooling. Whether it’s in print, from the podium, or on the air, HSLDA provides insightful vision and leadership for the cause of homeschooling.
> 
> 
> Home School Legal Defense Association . . . tens of thousands of American families working through more than 50 dedicated staff members to preserve each other’s right to homeschool . . . together, “Advocates for Family & Freedom.”



Also while their claim is that they do not limit membership to Christians, there are many accounts out there of people who had paid for membership for yrs then were denied help.
As also mentioned, at the bottom of the PDF for the state I was looking at the other day, Said that secular programs were"public school" and were not eligible for membership


----------



## OhioMom

NHWX said:


> Both are very popular. I used Math-U-See with my younger son who had previously used Everyday Math in school. He really needed some help with fractions and Math-U-See gave him the foundations and plenty of practice.
> 
> Many, many people are happy with Saxon, and many school systems use it. I know that it's in our middle schools here. (I'm mentioning this just in case your daughter mentions it to her teacher, her teacher should be familiar with it.)
> 
> NHWX



Thank you for your recommendations!


----------



## OhioMom

Also...are there places where I can see some of these curriculums in person, hands on.  I've been checking out websites today but I'm just not getting a true feel for them. Thanks!


----------



## Ellester

OhioMom said:


> Also...are there places where I can see some of these curriculums in person, hands on.  I've been checking out websites today but I'm just not getting a true feel for them. Thanks!



Curriculum fairs/homeschooling conventions are the best places, but most of them take place in the spring/summer. If you can hook up with some local homeschoolers, many would probably be willing to let you take a peak at what they have. The very fortunate have a homeschooling store somewhere near by, we don't have one here but we did in Charlotte, NC. Some larger curriculum companies (Abeka comes to mind) will have shows at local hotels from time to time. It is tricky without having it right there in front of you to thumb though. That's why the fairs/conventions can be invaluable.


----------



## Ellester

DawnM said:


> Sorry to burst the bubbles on all those plans, but 85,000,000,000 divided by 200 million (200,000,000) is only $425 per person.  I don't know if this was a joke to see if people could figure out the error or if the person writing it just didn't add zeros when dividing.
> 
> $450 won't even get me enough Disney tickets for the family for a week.
> 
> Sigh.
> 
> Dawn



Yeah, my dh brought that up as well. Of course, now that the package is up to $700 billion, I would take my $3K+ and head down to Disney.  



DawnM said:


> Hey, where did everyone go????  HELLO?????
> 
> Dawn



I was getting caught up in all the family board drama lately, I guess! Time to get refocused! We started our Fall co-op on Friday. I'm helping in an Animal Habitats class for the littles (4-6 yo's) and teaching a class on elections to the 10-14 yo's. DS is taking preschool activities and a preschool Bible study, DD7 is taking Tae Kwan Do and Exploring the Human Body, and DD10 is taking Famous Weather and my Election class. 

A bunch of us went to Chik-Fil-A for lunch afterward and I really appreciated seeing "socialization" in action. When a child came to tell me that DS4 was crying on the playground, a friend's DS10 immediately said "I'll go help him" and ran off to rescue him. My DD10 was sitting at a table with her best friend, who is 13. They were both playing their DS's while the mom's visited. A little boy, about 3, kept coming over to see what they were doing. (no one knew this boy, he was with another non-homeschooling group of moms). The 13yo automatically positioned her screen so he could watch what she was doing. I just thought that was so sweet, the 13yo doesn't have any younger siblings either. I so enjoy seeing different ages play together and get along.


----------



## TNKBELL

Ellester said:


> Yeah, my dh brought that up as well. Of course, now that the package is up to $700 billion, I would take my $3K+ and head down to Disney.
> 
> 
> 
> I was getting caught up in all the family board drama lately, I guess! Time to get refocused! We started our Fall co-op on Friday. I'm helping in an Animal Habitats class for the littles (4-6 yo's) and teaching a class on elections to the 10-14 yo's. DS is taking preschool activities and a preschool Bible study, DD7 is taking Tae Kwan Do and Exploring the Human Body, and DD10 is taking Famous Weather and my Election class.
> 
> A bunch of us went to Chik-Fil-A for lunch afterward and I really appreciated seeing "socialization" in action. When a child came to tell me that DS4 was crying on the playground, a friend's DS10 immediately said "I'll go help him" and ran off to rescue him. My DD10 was sitting at a table with her best friend, who is 13. They were both playing their DS's while the mom's visited. A little boy, about 3, kept coming over to see what they were doing. (no one knew this boy, he was with another non-homeschooling group of moms). The 13yo automatically positioned her screen so he could watch what she was doing. I just thought that was so sweet, the 13yo doesn't have any younger siblings either. I so enjoy seeing different ages play together and get along.



 That is the best part about homeschooling!!!!


----------



## Denine

OhioMom said:


> Also...are there places where I can see some of these curriculums in person, hands on.  I've been checking out websites today but I'm just not getting a true feel for them. Thanks!




Hi OhioMom.  I am in North Ridgeville.  Where are you?

We use Horizon's for math and DD loves it.  We are doing 1st grade math, but she is almost 1/2 way through it.  We will start 2nd grade when she is done. She just turned 6 a week ago.


----------



## Belle & Ariel

We used Abeka  from K-8th and loved it.  My youngest is 1/4 of the way through Algebra I using another curriculum and has not encountered anything he did not already know, so we feel Abeka definitely prepared him for high school.  It uses the basics and is very heavy on reviewing past concepts.


----------



## sha_lyn

OhioMom said:


> Hi everyone.  We do not homeschool but I thought that you would be the parents I could ask for help.  I am not pleased with certain aspects of the math curriculum at my daughter's school and was wondering if I could get some ideas from you on resources for "old fashioned" math curriculums that I could use at home for enrichment.  We have flash cards but I would like some additional materials or books for learning the basics.  My daughter is nine years old and in the fourth grade.  Thank you!




We have been using Singapore math for several years.
I think it covers the basics well, although I don't know if you would call it "old fashioned."

What exactly are you looking for? If your main focus is to get her to memorize math facts, I would suggest many of the free worksheets available on line. Just search for Math drills.


----------



## baloo's girl

Hey All,
I spent several days reading all 67 pages! I am very new to homeschooling. Ok, technically, I haven't pulled my dd out of PS yet, but will do so at the end of the 9 weeks (next week). I've followed many recommended reading suggestions and have a document for all the curriculum ideas too. 

I'm pulling dd out of 1st grade because I'm just not happy with the way they are pushing the kids to read. I feel like my dd isn't making some of the connections (learning styles of school and dd aren't matching up). She's a happy child and well behaved. But she does not finish her work. I believe she would fall in the category of "attention" issues. I've tried working the system, but I just don't think its the way to go. I'm so inspired by all the wonderful stories shared here. And I'm excited to begin homeschooling.

I am a SAHM, but prior to children, I was a teacher for special ed and gifted. I suppose I'm going to need more "de-schooling" than my dd! LOL I'm very interested in Charlotte Mason and unit studies. I have been reading up on right-brain learners because I think this type of learner describes my dd. Phonics is very slow going for her and it seems like she's having a difficult time moving beyond the basic consonant vowel consonant words. She's not a fan of reading and never has been (I'm a book lover myself). She's amazing with a set of kinex, though I don't know how she constructs the objects she does. I realize that she and I are totally different in our learning styles.

For those of you who have right brain learners, what have you found has helped your child learn to read? Should I just lay off and wait till comes? Should I focus on sight words? She loves to sing, and I've seen posts about Sing, Spell, Read, Write (I assume this is phonics based, do you think she could get it if she's singing)? I don't want a whole curriculum for all subjects at home, just perhaps something to help with the reading. We live in MS, so the homeschooling laws here are very lax. I can do what I want. What would you do with that freedom?


----------



## TNKBELL

balloo's girl.. After talking to a friend of mine about the "push" for reading, I think it's in part to the "No Child Left Behind Act" and my friend has been frustrated too! My Dd 7 had the same issues as your DD last year! In fact she couldn't read beyond a Bob book by the end of the year, but over the summer, we signed up for the library reading program and she loved having a goal to reach and by the end of summer she could read Junie B Jones chapter books. The crazy thing is that I did nothing to spark this interest(except lots of prayers! ) she was just ready. Maybe you could offer incentives such as with the Pizza Hut Book It program and have her read a few pages a day, or whatever her limit might be, slow but sure will win the race!!

 I just remembered that with my DS 11, when he was learning to read, he and I were both stressed out! So we started playing games, like treasure hunt, I would make simple and easy to read clues as to where to find the next clue, ending with a sweet treat at the end, it progressively got more challenging each hunt. I also wrote stories with words and characters that he loved(Star Wars) but I drew pictures and he loved this(even though I AM NO artist.) also we played action commands, I would write simple things like dog or cat or bug or whatever according what level he was at, and he would draw them out of a hat and then act them out and I would guess what he was. I also put a "mailbox"(paper bag) on his bedroom door and sent him letters. In his case we really needed to think outside the box!! To reassure you, he is now an excellent reader and literature is his favorite subject, I am constantly scolding him to put down his book and get back to his other work!!


----------



## NHWX

We played lots of computer games that were storybooks where the computer read the words and the individual words were highlighted when they were said. They're part of the Living Books series which I'm surprised to say, is still available! Here's one: http://www.kidsclick.com/descrip/harry_haunted.htm
Dr. Suess' ABCs was another. There was also one about the Tortoise and the Hare. Something too about going to the beach with a little brother.

I also would start reading with my younger son who was worried that he couldn't do it. I would start a story and ask him to read just the last bit on the page. Or I'd read most of a story and then "have to check the spaghetti" or whatever, knowing that he was hooked enough to try to read the last sentence or whatever.

I also have pointed out lots of sight words that kids already know. Everyone knows "STOP" when they see it on a sign. If you make a game of it when kids are in a good mood, you can tell them something like "Oh, no, that's not right. That says it's mushroom flavor cookies, that's why their brown." Most kids will look at you like you're nuts and point to "Oreos" and they'll tell you that is says "Oreos!" Of course, you remind them, you do know how to read many words. 

I liked another poster's ideas about games, etc. I'd definitely try that.

NHWX


----------



## Belle4mygrl

HI all, I am new to this thread.  PLease forgive me if this has already been discussed.

I am needing a program for my son.  He will be in the 9th grade next year.  My DD15 uses the Abeka Academy but he is not disciplined to do that.  I have looked into Kentucky virtual high school, he wouldnt' be disciplined enough for that either.  What other accredited programs do you suggest?

Also, I will be starting Kindergarten with my dd4 next year.  I definitely need suggestions for her.  I began homeschooling the older 2 in 3rd and 5th grade and I used Abeka books and Saxon Math.  You think I should use that since I am familiar with it?  I really like Saxon Math so we will stick with that but I need something for reading/phonics.

Thanks!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Belle4mygrl & Baloos girl~
Welcome!!

For phonics, my boys used Abeka. My dd did Abeka last year for Pre-K and all we did was the vowels!!

I don't know if she was just too little-personally I think so, she's smart, but she has such an imagination, she just wasn't ready to buckle down yet.Anyway, this year we are doing Explode the Code. She absolutely loves it!! It starts with books A,B,C,-these are your consanants--we are halfway through the C book right now. In book 1, we will add vowels and short words. But for about a week, she has been watching the letters as I read to them and picking out letters and sounding out the words.!! I highly recommen ETC-the pictures are all drawn by kids, so it's kid-friendly and there are several pages of games, tracing and linking for each letter.Way more relaxed than ABeka. until this year I would have said ABeka hands down-but the ETC is really great!

Baloosgirl~I too do the Charlotte Mason approach & coming out of ABeka it's so unstressful!! I do love ABeka-I know it sounds like I am beating them up, but if they could just take about half of it out-my kids would have done so much better!!! It's just too much for homeschooling, really. They are really doing so good with this approach-we are book lovers and so this is perfect for us. I haven't studied the right-brain learners, but I think CM would be a good fit for you too. Especially if traditional school doesn't work for your child.They learn sooo much just from you reading a great book!

I have done Saxon and ABeka math. They are good-and the ABeka will put your kids above grade level quickly--but if your kids are overwhelmed by lots of work at a time, this might not work out. My boys are now using Teaching Textbooks--it's for 5th grade & up. They add a grade level or two every year-so next year maybe they'll have at least 4th grade. This is unbeleivable-everyone should use it!!!

My dd in K is using Horizons math and we are really liking it so far. It is moving pretty quickly, but it's not so many problems that it's too much-also,it's kid friendly as well!!!


----------



## Mickeypooh99

Hi everyone.  I have been thinking about asking you all a question for weeks now, but wasn't sure if I should since I don't homeschool.  I like to supplement my children's education at home.  Our school does not offer language classes until 6th grade.  My son age 7 has been taking spanish lessons from a great tutor, but she just moved to Texas last week.  I've known for a month that she was leaving, but I can't find another tutor.  Have any of you ever used Rosetta Stone?  If not do you know of another good spanish program?  My boys are 6 and 7.  I was planning on starting the 6 year old with the tutor next summer.  I do not know spanish so I'm not much help to them.  I'm just so upset that the tutor (who was also a good friend) has moved away.  A computer program can't replace her.  Also Rosetta Stone is very expensive.  I would love to hear from someone who has used it before making the purchase.  Thanks in advance.


----------



## Ashley Kees

I just had to share with people I knew would appreciate this, DM and DMil just don't get it, you know?  I was (as ever) at Half Price Books last week doing my weekly loadup, and happened into the educational section.  After browsing the seemingly endless array of SAT and GRE prep books, I gazed upwards to the topmost shelf, where I saw a large aqua box covered in 1's.  I nearly scaled the shelf to grab it down!  Once I had it in my hot little hands, I stood for nearly a full minute (I'm sure) with my mouth literally hanging wide open.  A used, but fully complete Saxon Math 1...which my eldest will need in a matter of months...for, get ready for it...$14.00!!  BEFORE my educator discount!!!  I almost hid it under my shirt getting it to the register, so sure was I that someone would try to snatch it out of my hand!    After discount and tax, $13.64!!  I checked it out, and all I will need is a new meeting book ($13.50 on Saxon site, I KNOW I can get a better price on eBay).  Total price with tax for Ashley $28.25...new from Saxon, $96.50 pretax!!  Can we say banana dance? I think we can!!


----------



## Ashley Kees

Mickeypooh99 said:


> Hi everyone.  I have been thinking about asking you all a question for weeks now, but wasn't sure if I should since I don't homeschool.  I like to supplement my children's education at home.  Our school does not offer language classes until 6th grade.  My son age 7 has been taking spanish lessons from a great tutor, but she just moved to Texas last week.  I've known for a month that she was leaving, but I can't find another tutor.  Have any of you ever used Rosetta Stone?  If not do you know of another good spanish program?  My boys are 6 and 7.  I was planning on starting the 6 year old with the tutor next summer.  I do not know spanish so I'm not much help to them.  I'm just so upset that the tutor (who was also a good friend) has moved away.  A computer program can't replace her.  Also Rosetta Stone is very expensive.  I would love to hear from someone who has used it before making the purchase.  Thanks in advance.



I use Hooked on Spanish, my daughters are 4 and 5.  We have been using it twice a week for 3 weeks, and they have greetings, colors, and counting to 10 down.  I have the three-level basic system, and really like it.

DH has Rosetta Stone and likes it, but I would say it's not for little ones unless they have a good grip on reading already.  However, a dear friend of mine actually has a PhD in how kids learn (educational theory and psychology, something like that) and says that Rosetta Stone is a great tool once you're old enough, because it simulates immersion, and that's really the best way to learn.

Hope this helps.


----------



## Ellester

Mickeypooh99 said:


> Hi everyone.  I have been thinking about asking you all a question for weeks now, but wasn't sure if I should since I don't homeschool.  I like to supplement my children's education at home.  Our school does not offer language classes until 6th grade.  My son age 7 has been taking spanish lessons from a great tutor, but she just moved to Texas last week.  I've known for a month that she was leaving, but I can't find another tutor.  Have any of you ever used Rosetta Stone?  If not do you know of another good spanish program?  My boys are 6 and 7.  I was planning on starting the 6 year old with the tutor next summer.  I do not know spanish so I'm not much help to them.  I'm just so upset that the tutor (who was also a good friend) has moved away.  A computer program can't replace her.  Also Rosetta Stone is very expensive.  I would love to hear from someone who has used it before making the purchase.  Thanks in advance.



Some public library systems have Rosetta Stone available online for free for their members. When we lived in NC, our library offered it. You might ask your local library.

I've used it (the free version) for Tagalog (Filipino) and enjoyed it, but I agree that it is much better for a strong reader. We will probably buy the Homeschool version sometime in the next year as dd10 has expressed an interest.


----------



## Ellester

Ashley Kees said:


> I just had to share with people I knew would appreciate this, DM and DMil just don't get it, you know?  I was (as ever) at Half Price Books last week doing my weekly loadup, and happened into the educational section.  After browsing the seemingly endless array of SAT and GRE prep books, I gazed upwards to the topmost shelf, where I saw a large aqua box covered in 1's.  I nearly scaled the shelf to grab it down!  Once I had it in my hot little hands, I stood for nearly a full minute (I'm sure) with my mouth literally hanging wide open.  A used, but fully complete Saxon Math 1...which my eldest will need in a matter of months...for, get ready for it...$14.00!!  BEFORE my educator discount!!!  I almost hid it under my shirt getting it to the register, so sure was I that someone would try to snatch it out of my hand!    After discount and tax, $13.64!!  I checked it out, and all I will need is a new meeting book ($13.50 on Saxon site, I KNOW I can get a better price on eBay).  Total price with tax for Ashley $28.25...new from Saxon, $96.50 pretax!!  Can we say banana dance? I think we can!!



Gotta love a bargain! Good for you!


----------



## Mickeypooh99

Ashley Kees said:


> I use Hooked on Spanish, my daughters are 4 and 5.  We have been using it twice a week for 3 weeks, and they have greetings, colors, and counting to 10 down.  I have the three-level basic system, and really like it.
> 
> DH has Rosetta Stone and likes it, but I would say it's not for little ones unless they have a good grip on reading already.  However, a dear friend of mine actually has a PhD in how kids learn (educational theory and psychology, something like that) and says that Rosetta Stone is a great tool once you're old enough, because it simulates immersion, and that's really the best way to learn.
> 
> Hope this helps.




Thanks for the info.  My boys have already done jump start spanish and learned colors, greeting, and numbers.  I'm really looking for something more challenging for the 7 year old.  He is a really advanced reader.  We had him skip from 1st to 3rd grade this fall with the full support of the school.  His reading is tested at 6th grade level.  (Sorry, I'm not trying to brag, just stating facts)  My 6 year old is more an average reader so he probably will not be ready for Rosetta Stone yet.  Maybe I will try the hooked on spanish for him.

Good idea on checking the library.  I think I will do that.


----------



## Belle4mygrl

Mickeypooh99 said:


> Thanks for the info.  My boys have already done jump start spanish and learned colors, greeting, and numbers.  I'm really looking for something more challenging for the 7 year old.  He is a really advanced reader.  We had him skip from 1st to 3rd grade this fall with the full support of the school.  His reading is tested at 6th grade level.  (Sorry, I'm not trying to brag, just stating facts)  My 6 year old is more an average reader so he probably will not be ready for Rosetta Stone yet.  Maybe I will try the hooked on spanish for him.
> 
> Good idea on checking the library.  I think I will do that.



ummmm don't apologize for bragging about your child.  I praise you in your efforts.  Just send me some of that knowledge on how you did it.


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## NHWX

How about Power Glide? We're doing ours without  teacher support mostly because a) I couldn't afford it and b) I need to get a family friend to tutor. (Still haven't gotten that going yet.) I think it would be fine if you didn't need to show written competency. I simply can't correct the suggested written work so I'm not having my son do it. Our friend who will tutor will be tasked with that part.

NHWX


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## sha_lyn

We have both the Jr and the regular version f Pwoer Glide Spanish. DS learned a lot with the regular versioin. I believe he did it for 8 & 9 grade. 
I've started the Jr version with DD 2x )k & 2nd I believe)and found she just wasn't getting it. I'll probably give it one more try this yr


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## Belle4mygrl

Thank you Disney Mom 3 for the warm welcome and info.

I did look up the Explode the code.  The price seems decent.


----------



## Mickeypooh99

Belle4mygrl said:


> ummmm don't apologize for bragging about your child.  I praise you in your efforts.  Just send me some of that knowledge on how you did it.



I just apologize because some people don't like it when I talk about my DS and his grade skip.  I get people saying he should be with his age peers, and that I am pushing him.  I never push him.  He just loves to learn, and I don't know how he got to be that way.  He asks me to homeschool him during the summer, because he doesn't want to waste all summer playing. He would rather go to the book store than the toy store.  He would rather read than watch tv.   If he wants to learn, then I want to give him the chance.  

I have never heard of power glide spanish.  I will check into that too.  Thanks.


----------



## Neesy228

Hi everyone...not a homeschooler yet, but seriously thinking about it! 

My DS7 was recently diagnosed with dyslexia. He's in second grade and I've suspected he was since kindergarten, but couldn't get the school to react until they went through all the "proper channels"....so, finally here we are. The problem, now, is that they don't have any solid multi-sensory methods in place at his school to teach him.  

I could go on...but what I'm really hoping is that someone on this thread is also teaching a dyslexic child in a homeschool setting? I could really use some guidance and pointers! 

TIA!


----------



## Tink215

Hi all, I have been on these boards forever, But recenty due to some issues with my little one and her school I have decided that i am going to homeschool her...
First a little about us, we are a Family of 2 girls 7 & 4. I am a SAHM but was a former Preschool teacher. Hubby is a Police Officer....

Since Hubby has real odd hours he never sees the girls awake....and its been tougher the longer the kids are in school, he asked me during the summer to do research the Home Schooling scene as several of his coworkers and some of our friends do it...I really never gave it thought cause I never thought I was smart enough to do it...While doing my research I have come to realize this is something I can defenitley do with my children but said I would do it next year so I would be totally prepared and had all my resources in hand and in place....

Next school year my DD's will be entering 3rd grade and Kindergarten.....But I am having issues with the school were the little one attend VPK(Voluntary Preschool)SO Her last day will be on Halloween, if I even make it to that date....

My Oldest suffers from some serious Testing anxiety and While she is in 3rd grade she will be taking the F-cat, a standerised test that pases or fails your child.....This will be my number one reason for Homeschooling along with a long list of other things......

My question to you all is How do you talk to your children about Homeschooling, My kids dont seem very excited about it....How do I make it exciting and a positive thing....

ALso how do you handle the "WHy on earth are you doing this" With the family, Like  Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, Most of them are not liking that we are homeschooling and are rather upset with us. I try and educate them about is as much as possible, i was called a Hippie the other day  by a family member and my neighbor and I got into a very heated discussion cause she said i am not qualified to do this......

Sorry its long, Didnt mean it to turn out so long.....

Thank you for Understanding....

Tink215


----------



## Belle4mygrl

Tink, I have been homeschooling my children for the past 6 years.  You will come into contact with people who disagree with what you do almost weekly.  Fortunately, my family has been respectful of my decision but complete strangers will tell me why it is important for me to send my children to school.  I politely listen and then tell them "I know what is important for my child and my family."  And I leave it at that.

I am new to this thread so I am positive the vets on here can give you better advice.

 Good luck.


----------



## sha_lyn

Tink....
My family was/is pretty supportive especially after my aunt (a PS teacher for almost 40 yrs) spoke highly of homeschooling.

However I did lose a friend and have ran into many negative comments. The most negative being right here on the DIS. 

I tried to save the IRL friendship but her comments were so negative that I had no other choice. IE she said that the only reason people homeschool is because they are too lazy to get their kids up to get on the bus.

I used to let the negative DIS'ers get to me too, but I've realized that I can't let their ignorance affect me negatively.


----------



## lori1043

Shalyn- AWESOME bargian!!! Gotta love Half Price books! 

I found the entire American Girl collection at one in Dallas(in fact i hit 2 or 3 of them after my bargain find!!!) for about $65-70. There are 6 books of like 9 historical characters at $6 each. So that would have been $324 plus tax if i'd paid reg. price. This was when DD10 just started getting into it about 3 years ago. She has read every last one and DD8 is now working on them. I wish we had Half Price books here!! I can barely pay full price for the Julie books b/c of that experience!

Lori


----------



## sha_lyn

lori1043 said:


> *Shalyn- AWESOME bargian!!! Gotta love Half Price books! *
> I found the entire American Girl collection at one in Dallas(in fact i hit 2 or 3 of them after my bargain find!!!) for about $65-70. There are 6 books of like 9 historical characters at $6 each. So that would have been $324 plus tax if i'd paid reg. price. This was when DD10 just started getting into it about 3 years ago. She has read every last one and DD8 is now working on them. I wish we had Half Price books here!! I can barely pay full price for the Julie books b/c of that experience!
> 
> Lori




Huh?


----------



## taximomfor4

Been lurking for a few days but decided to finally post here.  My 10yr old dd is in 5th grade now. Every year, she has a lot of trouble at school. Has some special needs (qualified for services in preschool, but not in K-5).  Fighting for testing, to get a 504 or an IEP, has been a losing battle every year. I think she might have a Nonverbal LD.  

Now that next year she is to move up to middle school, I am sure she won't be able to handle it. She already moves at too slow a pace, can't remember to turn in homework (3 zeros in ONE class, last week. All work she'd done!)  I can't go to school with her and turn it in for her. 

Anyway, I am staring at the very real possibility of homeschooling her. Scared to death, and she LOVES being with her friends at school (is popular). Just can't have her butting her head against the wall (figuratively speaking) daily.

Anyone here have experience homeschooling a kid who'd prefer to go to school? Due to NVLD?


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

OK...here's my situation.  DS is 10.  We have him in a private school (he's been there since age 3) and we're staring middle school in the face.  

His school is unique as they do a lot of outward bound curriculum and that's starting to become a HUGE problem for us as DS's asthma has gotten substantially worse over the past 2 years.  I can't see breaking his spirit and forcing him to sit in a public school classroom for the next 3 years with 1 field trip (maybe) per year when he's used to a experiential form of education (with field trips at a whim!).  At the same time...because of his asthma, I'm scared to death to have him gone camping and backpacking for a week or two at a stretch roughing it with no electricity and being several hours away from home and medical help!  I've looked at other private schools in the area and I just don't like them....reputation for most of them is either a) kids in school all day and then 4+ hours of homework per night  OR b) extraordinarily snobby with tuition at $22,000+ per year  !

I had a long conversation with a friend of mine who homeschools her 2 kids WHILE she works full time (her parents are VERY supportive and help her during the days) and she assures me that I can do it too.  Quitting my job is NOT an option...where I work, my DS will have free college tuition or 1/2 of my University's tuition to use at ANY other accredited institution in the world!  Yeah...no quitting there!

DS has always been a self-directed learner.  Socially, he's very much an extrovert and we've addressed to his satisfaction how we will keep him in touch with his friends and help him expand his social circle through enrichment activities (art, drama, foreign language, PE, etc.).

Hubby is very supportive and so are grandparents.  So, what are my worries...well (and please forgive me for saying this...I mean no harm or insult to anyone and I apologize for the judgementalism) I always thought that homeschooled kids were from "Christian Fundamentalist" homes and that's just not us!  I honestly don't want a Christian focused curriculum and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for me.  Also, I'm worried about transition to high school.  Have any of you ever faced the "judgement" of teachers/administrators when your child transitions to high school?  How were you able to substantiate that your child was achieving grade level expectations?

Sorry, I never thought I would lean toward this and am surprising myself for even considering it.  But the options seem so limitless that I'm kicking myself for judging others who have/are homeschooling and for never having a more open mind.

Hmmm...and I thought I was progressive.  Ah well....as you can see this is very much a new process for me and I'd sincerely appreciate hearing why others have selected this option, how your children have benefitted and how they have also maybe "lost" somethings in the eyes of others.  

I appreciate your patience and again (kicking self here) apologize for my previous attitude.  Let's just say that this mom has A LOT to learn!

K


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

bumping...looking for ideas.


----------



## Ashley Kees

sha_lyn said:


> Huh?



I think she meant me (Ashley).  I got an awesome deal on Saxon Math at HPB and posted on the prior page.


----------



## Ashley Kees

Pixie Dust for Me! said:


> OK...here's my situation.  DS is 10.  We have him in a private school (he's been there since age 3) and we're staring middle school in the face.
> 
> His school is unique as they do a lot of outward bound curriculum and that's starting to become a HUGE problem for us as DS's asthma has gotten substantially worse over the past 2 years.  I can't see breaking his spirit and forcing him to sit in a public school classroom for the next 3 years with 1 field trip (maybe) per year when he's used to a experiential form of education (with field trips at a whim!).  At the same time...because of his asthma, I'm scared to death to have him gone camping and backpacking for a week or two at a stretch roughing it with no electricity and being several hours away from home and medical help!  I've looked at other private schools in the area and I just don't like them....reputation for most of them is either a) kids in school all day and then 4+ hours of homework per night  OR b) extraordinarily snobby with tuition at $22,000+ per year  !
> 
> I had a long conversation with a friend of mine who homeschools her 2 kids WHILE she works full time (her parents are VERY supportive and help her during the days) and she assures me that I can do it too.  Quitting my job is NOT an option...where I work, my DS will have free college tuition or 1/2 of my University's tuition to use at ANY other accredited institution in the world!  Yeah...no quitting there!
> 
> DS has always been a self-directed learner.  Socially, he's very much an extrovert and we've addressed to his satisfaction how we will keep him in touch with his friends and help him expand his social circle through enrichment activities (art, drama, foreign language, PE, etc.).
> 
> Hubby is very supportive and so are grandparents.  So, what are my worries...well (and please forgive me for saying this...I mean no harm or insult to anyone and I apologize for the judgementalism) I always thought that homeschooled kids were from "Christian Fundamentalist" homes and that's just not us!  I honestly don't want a Christian focused curriculum and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for me.  Also, I'm worried about transition to high school.  Have any of you ever faced the "judgement" of teachers/administrators when your child transitions to high school?  How were you able to substantiate that your child was achieving grade level expectations?
> 
> Sorry, I never thought I would lean toward this and am surprising myself for even considering it.  But the options seem so limitless that I'm kicking myself for judging others who have/are homeschooling and for never having a more open mind.
> 
> Hmmm...and I thought I was progressive.  Ah well....as you can see this is very much a new process for me and I'd sincerely appreciate hearing why others have selected this option, how your children have benefitted and how they have also maybe "lost" somethings in the eyes of others.
> 
> I appreciate your patience and again (kicking self here) apologize for my previous attitude.  Let's just say that this mom has A LOT to learn!
> 
> K




Hi Tink.  First off, this... because you sound STRESSED OUT!!  Take a deep breath.  

I can help some.  Let me tell you my story...
When DD5 was born, we started looking at private schools for her.  We grew up in this town ourselves, and went through the public school system, no way are we sending our kids there.  Private schools tended to be A) too expensive, B) too snobby, C) too religious, or D) all of the above.  We decided by her first birthday that we would homeschool.  She is Kindergarten aged now, her sister is 4 and her brother is 1.  The two girls are homeschooled, and we LOVE it!  I understand our situations are different, you are facing pulling DS out of school and a change of lifestyle for him as well as you, my babies know no different.  But what I can help with is secular homeschool materials.

We are pretty religious, but we make it a point to only use secular educational materials.  Why?  That's what we learned with, and that's what we are comfortable using.  You MUST be comfortable with the curriculum you use, period.  Get online and find homeschool coalitions in your area, and find out when they do their curriculum fairs, then make sure you go.  Out here, every publisher of homeschool materials within a 500 mile radius shows up, it's insane.  Luckily, if you are looking for secualr materials, it cuts the search down A LOT!  Take a peek at them, get a feel for them.

I don't know where you live, but here in Texas, we are VERY homeschool friendly.  So much so that Texas Tech University and University of Texas have online K-12 available if you so choose.  You can do the whole thing from home, online, on your own time (more or less) and everything is graded and the curriculum set by a licensed Texas teacher.  At Tech it's called the Texas Tech U Independent School District, and at graduation they even recieve an official TTUISD high school diploma.  I don't use them, BUT, I went on their website and took a look at the book requirements for the grades and classes I was interested in, and used that as a jumping off point.  Because it is essentially a public school, they are only allowed to use secular materials.

Mardel is a Christian bookstore, but if there is one in your area, they carry some secular curriculums, like Saxon Math (which is the math curriculum used by TTUISD).  They also have an excellent selection of school things like math manipulatives, science equipment (microscopes, slides, etc.) and anything else you find in a regular classroom.  They also are online at www.Mardel.com (no, I don't work there, just like them a lot).

Type in "secular homeschool" on Yahoo groups and see if you can find one n your area, and start asking questions.  They are great support if you need it.

Finally, ask your son what he feels about it.  Let him guide you, he'll be the best judge (at his age) of what curriculums will help him learn.

If you get lip from someone about how homeschooling is bad (and you will, trust me) refer them to this... 
http://www.nhen.org/dads/default.asp?id=383
and then hop on here and vent.  We have all been through it.

As far as transitioning back into High School, it is possible to homeschool through high school, almost every college in America (including Ivy League) accepts homeschoolers, some even seek them out now.  If you want to send him back, he may have to take a placement test, but homeschooled kids are SMART so that shouldn't be a problem.  Keep excellent records of what he does, curriculum and activity-wise and you may not even need a placement test.

Good luck!


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

Thanks a million and yes, I am a bit stressed out!  I never thought I'd be in this position but it just seems so logical I wonder why I never considered it before!  (Yes, I feel like I just had a classic "V8" moment!)

I appreciate the referrals to curriculum.  So far the resources I've found in St. Louis are focused on a Christian education and that's just not for us.  As an example, I found a PE program, run by a mom with a Master's in PE and I thought...how awesome!  Then I read through the "focus of the class" and just about lost it when I read how they say a prayer before class and at the end of class and that "developing your body is honoring Christ."  I'm sure that the approach works for some...but it's just NOT us!  (Again, I mean no offense to anyone.  I understand that some people are deeply religious and I respect that.)

DH and I are very confident that DS will transition back to a high school.  We both want him to have that high school experience (and the experience of dealing with a wide cross section of people) BEFORE he goes to college and has to deal with it (relatively) independent of us.

If anyone knows of any "secular" groups in the St. Louis area, I'd appreciate hearing about them.

My deepest thanks,

K


----------



## Mermaid02

Hi Everyone! I posted before and we are still in Public School- but 6th grade isn't going very well. The Guidance counselor told me Friday that it "isn't working- even when he's here I don't think he's getting anything out of it." I think he's right. With his anxiety, my son is only in "survival mode" as the school psychologist put it. 

He said we might have to do 3 hours of school and 2 hours at home tutoring. I'd really just rather do it all myself.


----------



## Ashley Kees

Pixie Dust for Me! said:


> Thanks a million and yes, I am a bit stressed out!  I never thought I'd be in this position but it just seems so logical I wonder why I never considered it before!  (Yes, I feel like I just had a classic "V8" moment!)
> 
> I appreciate the referrals to curriculum.  So far the resources I've found in St. Louis are focused on a Christian education and that's just not for us.  As an example, I found a PE program, run by a mom with a Master's in PE and I thought...how awesome!  Then I read through the "focus of the class" and just about lost it when I read how they say a prayer before class and at the end of class and that "developing your body is honoring Christ."  I'm sure that the approach works for some...but it's just NOT us!  (Again, I mean no offense to anyone.  I understand that some people are deeply religious and I respect that.)
> 
> DH and I are very confident that DS will transition back to a high school.  We both want him to have that high school experience (and the experience of dealing with a wide cross section of people) BEFORE he goes to college and has to deal with it (relatively) independent of us.
> 
> If anyone knows of any "secular" groups in the St. Louis area, I'd appreciate hearing about them.
> 
> My deepest thanks,
> 
> K



Looks like Missouri is pretty homeschool friendly, too.  I searched for literally 2 minutes, and here's what I found for ya:

Homeschool Resources for Missouri:
http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/states/missouri.php
and
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/Missouri.htm

All-inclusive St. Louis support group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeSchoolFamiliesofstlouis/

St. Louis Secular Homeschool support group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/STLhomeschool/

Non-online groups:

• St. Louis Secular Homeschoolers Co-Op, not religiously or politically affiliated, offers support, field trips, idea exchange and classes. Contact: Dannielle, dannielle@stlsecularhomeschool.org, 314-298-3778. 

• HomeSchool Families of Greater St. Louis offers monthly meetings and field trips; bimonthly playgroup. Contacts: Denise, KAurora0614@aol.com.


• Families for Home Education (FHE) claims to be the lobbying group for all home educators in the state of Missouri. Not affiliated with any religious, political organization or special interest group, FHE works to win support for home education among the general public as well as lawmakers and public officials. Focused on monitoring state legislative activity through their registered lobbyist, FHE also provides legally accurate information to anyone interested in home education. Website: www.fhe-mo.org

This is a listing of secular homeschool curriculums available that was posted to one of my locals groups.  Take a look (It's in the first few posts, scroll down a bit.):
http://www.dfwareamoms.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1299100

This is only a little bit of what I saw.  Good luck!


----------



## Ashley Kees

Mermaid02 said:


> Hi Everyone! I posted before and we are still in Public School- but 6th grade isn't going very well. The Guidance counselor told me Friday that it "isn't working- even when he's here I don't think he's getting anything out of it." I think he's right. With his anxiety, my son is only in "survival mode" as the school psychologist put it.
> 
> He said we might have to do 3 hours of school and 2 hours at home tutoring. I'd really just rather do it all myself.



Sorry to hear your baby is having a hard time.  I speak with so many parents just in my neighborhood who say after the amount of homework their kids have to do, they might as well be homeschooling.  You know what's best for your son.  If it's anxiety attacks, he probably would do better in a more comforting learning environment, and Mom is pretty comfy!   I wish you luck, and if you need any help, you know where to come.


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

Ashley Kees said:


> Looks like Missouri is pretty homeschool friendly, too.  I searched for literally 2 minutes, and here's what I found for ya:
> 
> Homeschool Resources for Missouri:
> http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/states/missouri.php
> and
> http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/Missouri.htm
> 
> All-inclusive St. Louis support group:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeSchoolFamiliesofstlouis/
> 
> St. Louis Secular Homeschool support group:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/STLhomeschool/
> 
> Non-online groups:
> 
>  St. Louis Secular Homeschoolers Co-Op, not religiously or politically affiliated, offers support, field trips, idea exchange and classes. Contact: Dannielle, dannielle@stlsecularhomeschool.org, 314-298-3778.
> 
>  HomeSchool Families of Greater St. Louis offers monthly meetings and field trips; bimonthly playgroup. Contacts: Denise, KAurora0614@aol.com.
> 
> 
>  Families for Home Education (FHE) claims to be the lobbying group for all home educators in the state of Missouri. Not affiliated with any religious, political organization or special interest group, FHE works to win support for home education among the general public as well as lawmakers and public officials. Focused on monitoring state legislative activity through their registered lobbyist, FHE also provides legally accurate information to anyone interested in home education. Website: www.fhe-mo.org
> 
> This is a listing of secular homeschool curriculums available that was posted to one of my locals groups.  Take a look (It's in the first few posts, scroll down a bit.):
> http://www.dfwareamoms.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1299100
> 
> This is only a little bit of what I saw.  Good luck!



Wow, you know where to look.  I go out and google and get overwhelmed!  Thanks so incredibly much for the resources.  People on the DIS are the BEST!!!!


----------



## Mermaid02

How hard is it to take your child out halfway through the year?? I'm thinking about giving it until Christmas and then if things are still this bad- making the change.


----------



## Ellester

Mermaid02 said:


> How hard is it to take your child out halfway through the year?? I'm thinking about giving it until Christmas and then if things are still this bad- making the change.



I don't have personal experience, but I don't see how it matters overall. You will still have an adjustment period whether you pull your child midyear, midweek, or just wait until the summer. Your individual district will have it's own withdrawal rules, you'll just have to find out what they are.

I'm sorry your son is going through all that anxiety. From your posts, it sounds like he would be much better off at home.


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## Ellester

Pixie Dust for Me! said:


> bumping...looking for ideas.



Welcome to the board! I also had many preconceptions about homeschoolers before we entered the fray. While there are many fundamentalist hs'ers, there are many, many, many others as well. Even many of the Christian curriculums can be modified to express your own beliefs. We are Catholic, but use Sonlight which is a evangelically based program. I just edit, drop and add as suits our needs.  

I can't really answer the transitioning to high school question. My oldest 10 and we are planning on HS'ing the whole way unless something dramatically changes.


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## Pixie Dust for Me!

Thank you Ellester and others for the very warm welcome.  Mermaid...My $.02 is this...take him out now or later...whatever works for you!  If he's not having his needs met at school I think that waiting only harms him academically (and perhaps socially).  The other poster was right....there will always be a transition, it's just a matter of when YOU want to make that transition.

K


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## Disney Mommy 3

Mermaid02 said:


> How hard is it to take your child out halfway through the year?? I'm thinking about giving it until Christmas and then if things are still this bad- making the change.



It isn't hard to do at all!! I am not sure about your state's laws for what they need to unenroll him. Ours just needed a letter stating I was taking him out and I would be homeschooling him from such-&-such date onward.

If you are unsure where to start or whatever, pm me---I'ld be glad to help you!!!


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## lori1043

Wow, I have been here for a while and the thread these past few pages has been overwhelmingly sweet and outgoing and helpful. This is what brings us all together, regardless of belief system. You are teaching me something valuable. I do so love this board! Yay, Mickey!!! and Yay to homeschooling, which I hafta go do!!!!!

Lori


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## Mermaid02

Ellester said:


> I don't have personal experience, but I don't see how it matters overall. You will still have an adjustment period whether you pull your child midyear, midweek, or just wait until the summer. Your individual district will have it's own withdrawal rules, you'll just have to find out what they are.
> 
> I'm sorry your son is going through all that anxiety. From your posts, it sounds like he would be much better off at home.





Pixie Dust for Me! said:


> Thank you Ellester and others for the very warm welcome.  Mermaid...My $.02 is this...take him out now or later...whatever works for you!  If he's not having his needs met at school I think that waiting only harms him academically (and perhaps socially).  The other poster was right....there will always be a transition, it's just a matter of when YOU want to make that transition.
> 
> K





Disney Mommy 3 said:


> It isn't hard to do at all!! I am not sure about your state's laws for what they need to unenroll him. Ours just needed a letter stating I was taking him out and I would be homeschooling him from such-&-such date onward.
> 
> If you are unsure where to start or whatever, pm me---I'ld be glad to help you!!!



Okay- so this is the scoop. My son has a severe school anxiety (crying, panic attacks etc) and he also has adhd, pdd and a mood d/o. If I had ANY clue things were going to be this bad- I would NEVER have started working- but I did and now we are used to the income. I only work 20hours a week however, and $35 per week goes to before and after school care. I think we could swing it (by making some changes in our spending- nothing too drastic though) but my dh hasn't been so sure. I just need to prove to him that this is a doable thing.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Well, you can deduct the $35 from what you would need to have, and the extra little $$ that comes up at school. We all know that you are asked to donate something at some point, for plays, dinners, whatever.

And really--if he's having this hard of a time--you can't put a price on it. He would do better at home!!


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## wvdislover

I agree...if things are bad now, especially with his different issues, I would bet that it's not going to get better, only worse, as school gets harder academically, and all the "cliques" are formed.  In terms of your job, if you need it, can you take your son with you, or do you have friends or family nearby who can watch him while you're working?  There's no rule that says homeschooling has to be done between 8 and 4.  Some families do their hs in the evenings or finish up on weekends.  One of the best parts of homeschooling, especially with a child with extra or special needs, is the flexibility hs offers.  Good luck!


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## lori1043

Mermaid02 said:


> Okay- so this is the scoop. My son has a severe school anxiety (crying, panic attacks etc) and he also has adhd, pdd and a mood d/o. If I had ANY clue things were going to be this bad- I would NEVER have started working- but I did and now we are used to the income. I only work 20hours a week however, and $35 per week goes to before and after school care. I think we could swing it (by making some changes in our spending- nothing too drastic though) but my dh hasn't been so sure. I just need to prove to him that this is a doable thing.


 
I work an average of 6-7 days per month-most Fridays and some weekends.
Anyway, I feel that you can do it if you have someone to watch him on those times you are at work or are able to bring him along. I have a nurse friend who homeschools and has to work also and she feels that although she knows she can do a better job if she picked out curr. that required more of her time- her kids would benefit greatly, BUT since she cannot do that-Switched On Schoolhouse is better then putting them in the school system FOR HER. I think my feelings are getting to that point although I do so enjoy hands on activity with my kids. Not sure i will make that jump, but it is an option for those who have to work on top of homeschooling.
JMHO

Our ultimate goal is for me to quit, but I am not sure it will happen anytime soon, but I have hope!

Lori


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## sha_lyn

Great article 
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/16/garden/16unschool.html?_r=2&ref=garden&oref=slogin&oref=slogin


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## Disney Mommy 3

Sha lyn- thanks for the article. I too, know lots of people that have said we are weird. But, these same people don't like spending more time with their kids than they have to. so, tit-for-tat. I don't harangue them for putting their kids in daycare, because they 'can't stand to be with their kids more than they HAVE to' I mean, this came out of their mouths!! So, why should we take insults from people like this? I loved the line--not just a stay-at-home- mom, but an out-in- the-world mom.  Just because I am not getting a paycheck & the kids don't leave here on a bus, doesn't mean we are trapped in this house all day long. I think that's a BIG misconception on a lot of people's part. Don't you?

I feel for those mommies that have to work and want to be home with their children--I have friends that have to-single moms or the dad just can't get a good enough job to make ends meet.It makes me sooooo thankful that God has blessed Mike with a wonderful career and I can stay home and do what I was born to do!!!!


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## Disney Mommy 3

lori1043 said:


> I work an average of 6-7 days per month-most Fridays and some weekends.
> Anyway, I feel that you can do it if you have someone to watch him on those times you are at work or are able to bring him along. I have a nurse friend who homeschools and has to work also and she feels that although she knows she can do a better job if she picked out curr. that required more of her time- her kids would benefit greatly, BUT since she cannot do that-Switched On Schoolhouse is better then putting them in the school system FOR HER. I think my feelings are getting to that point although I do so enjoy hands on activity with my kids. Not sure i will make that jump, but it is an option for those who have to work on top of homeschooling.
> JMHO
> 
> Our ultimate goal is for me to quit, but I am not sure it will happen anytime soon, but I have hope!
> 
> Lori



You are right Lori--you do it however you have too!!! No one says it has to be at 8 am!!! Just a nugget-for those who are leary of teaching math...once they hit 5th grade, invest in Teaching Textbooks. I can not say enough about it!!! I have a 7th grader in Pre-Algebra and a 4th grader in 5th grade math. It was a godsend!!!The older one took Saxon 8/7 last year--so he could have moved up--but I felt like he needed to spend time making sure he knew those math facts and really had a good base. I found TT and decided to let my younger son use it too.This year they had added 5 & 6th grade. They really like it!! I love doing hands on, with other subjects, but these are Harvard guys and I think they are doing a great job!!!! Hopefully next year they will add 3rd and 4th grade so more kids can enjoy it!!!


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## baloo's girl

I just wanted to add an update for us. I went ahead and pulled my dd out of school this past Friday. It was so simple. Even though I had a lot of anxiety about how the school would react, the experience was rather anticlimatic. A friend of mine said, they didn't care when your child was in class, what makes you think they'll care when she leaves? LOL She had a good point.

We are loving homeschooling so far. We've done several field trips, projects, and one on one time for some academics. Its been incredibly easy. We are going slow this week, for the transition.

For those considering it, go for it!! I kept thinking, I'll wait till Dec, then I moved it up to Thanksgiving, then I was like, "what am I waiting for?" I just pulled her out at the 9 weeks mark. I think it was my own fears more than a reality. My dd (1st grade) was content in school. But she is ecstatic at homeschooling.  I know we made the right decision for our family. 

Good luck to everyone contemplating this decision.


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## sha_lyn

> Just because I am not getting a paycheck & the kids don't leave here on a bus, doesn't mean we are trapped in this house all day long. I think that's a BIG misconception on a lot of people's part. Don't you?



ITA.  The other huge misconception being that the mom does all the teaching without any help or outside resources.

As for Teaching Textbooks....I'm seriously thinking of switching to TT next yr unless we decide to go with Oak Meadow


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## Disney Mommy 3

baloo's girl said:


> I just wanted to add an update for us. I went ahead and pulled my dd out of school this past Friday. It was so simple. Even though I had a lot of anxiety about how the school would react, the experience was rather anticlimatic. A friend of mine said, they didn't care when your child was in class, what makes you think they'll care when she leaves? LOL She had a good point.
> 
> We are loving homeschooling so far. We've done several field trips, projects, and one on one time for some academics. Its been incredibly easy. We are going slow this week, for the transition.
> 
> For those considering it, go for it!! I kept thinking, I'll wait till Dec, then I moved it up to Thanksgiving, then I was like, "what am I waiting for?" I just pulled her out at the 9 weeks mark. I think it was my own fears more than a reality. My dd (1st grade) was content in school. But she is ecstatic at homeschooling.  I know we made the right decision for our family.
> 
> Good luck to everyone contemplating this decision.



Good for you!! I know--why wait? I know you will enjoy it. something else that we do-check out the caldecott or newberry books -or anything you enjoyed growing up to read, just for a reader. My kids loooove reading time, & we have read some really good books. This helps them with grammar,spelling, articulation. All kinds of things,--if they hear it correctly then learning it in upper levels will be lots easier. Case in point- my 9 year old. We started 'grammar' last week and most of it just clicked-it's been very painless!! also, we are using Learning Language Arts Through Literature--it's another I just have to rave about. Check into it for your daughter--you might really enjoy it!!!



sha_lyn said:


> ITA.  The other huge misconception being that the mom does all the teaching without any help or outside resources.
> 
> As for Teaching Textbooks....I'm seriously thinking of switching to TT next yr unless we decide to go with Oak Meadow



I haven't heard of Oak Meadow-- I am going to look it up!!! I like TT because these guys are so easy to understand--it starts out very basic and gently moves them up. The 5th grader does his all on the computer-paper for scratch work, but quizzes (no tests for 5th) and class work answers are all on there and it automatically keeps scores--it even has a grade book. Very handy. The other one is lecture on computer and example only. He does the classwork and tests on paper.


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## TNKBELL

baloo's girl said:


> I just wanted to add an update for us. I went ahead and pulled my dd out of school this past Friday. It was so simple. Even though I had a lot of anxiety about how the school would react, the experience was rather anticlimatic. A friend of mine said, they didn't care when your child was in class, what makes you think they'll care when she leaves? LOL She had a good point.
> 
> We are loving homeschooling so far. We've done several field trips, projects, and one on one time for some academics. Its been incredibly easy. We are going slow this week, for the transition.
> 
> For those considering it, go for it!! I kept thinking, I'll wait till Dec, then I moved it up to Thanksgiving, then I was like, "what am I waiting for?" I just pulled her out at the 9 weeks mark. I think it was my own fears more than a reality. My dd (1st grade) was content in school. But she is ecstatic at homeschooling.  I know we made the right decision for our family.
> 
> Good luck to everyone contemplating this decision.




Congrats!! This time that we have with our children passes much too quickly, we will never regret spending extra time with them!! 
When I hear of elderly people being interviewed, I have never heard one them say, " I spent too much time with my children." It's usually the opposite.


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## sha_lyn

Oak Meadow is a Waldorf inspired boxed curriculum that slowly moves away from Waldorf as you move into middle and high school. If we decide to go with an accredited high school program it is the one we will go with.
http://www.oakmeadow.com/


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## baloo's girl

I'm very interested in LLATL. I believe my dd is a right brain learner. She struggles a bit with phonics. Do you think this program addresses different learning styles?


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## Disney Mommy 3

I would say so, because my boys are both different learners and they both love it. Go to CBD.com and look it up--check out the sample lessons and different pages that they show. It's MY favorite Lang so far!


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## Ashley Kees

Mermaid02 said:


> Okay- so this is the scoop. My son has a severe school anxiety (crying, panic attacks etc) and he also has adhd, pdd and a mood d/o. If I had ANY clue things were going to be this bad- I would NEVER have started working- but I did and now we are used to the income. I only work 20hours a week however, and $35 per week goes to before and after school care. I think we could swing it (by making some changes in our spending- nothing too drastic though) but my dh hasn't been so sure. I just need to prove to him that this is a doable thing.



You can do it.  Your son's health is more important.  We are a family of five with one income, and it's only $43,000.  Part of most homeschool moms' jobs is making that budget STRETCH!  You can do it.  I promise.

  I'll bet that your son's stress is also causing stress at home.  

I will also say, it's AMAZING how much control you gain over you life when you homeschool and have to "make the money work".  I feel so much more confident about myself now that I do all this.


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## Disney Mommy 3

I agree--this is 100% doable!! Libraries are life savers as well! Also, finding people or places that sale used but nice books help a ton!!!! It's amazing how much your kids can learn just from good classic books. And of course the research stuff at the library is good too.For ex-2 years ago, our library had a book sale- I got a '92 edition of Encyclopedias for $25 bucks, last year, the old Science Library set, for $10 and the Junior Classics set for $10--they are both older sets, but- with classics and science stuff-how can you beat that? I know info (in Science) may change-but the law of gravity and stuff like that never will!! So, we got a steal!! You learn to research and what's good for your family. different kids need different things depending on their age--what worked for math this year, may not work for little Jr. when he gets there, and you need a different curr---it's just learning as you go.

Be Brave!! You can do this thing!!!!


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## Disney Mommy 3

I was curious--not to pry, but what is ppd and Mood d/o? I don't think I am familiar with this. I have a friend whose son is severe adhd--he's my sons best friend---when he's off his meds, he just CANT focus-I feel bad for him. Last year she kept him off over summer and the end of school last year, and he just had to get back on it. They were worried, because when hes on the meds he doesn't eat. He's the skinniest little fella!! And he's pretty short for his age-so kids pick on him when he tells them he's 13---going on 14.


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## DawnM

Never mind.


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## sha_lyn

A friend just sent me this link. Looks good
http://www.historyforkids.org/
He ran across it looking up something on Medieval history and knew I'm always looks for stuff for homeschooling


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## npmommie

I don't know if anyone remembers when I posted about looking for a new math program? we had been using Singapore............well I decided to stick it out with singapore a little while longer and things are good now, I think it is a great program and it is working very well for us now.......so I am glad I stuck it out a bit more........my dd is really enjoying it more, and liking math again!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Glad you found a fit!!!


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## Mermaid02

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> I was curious--not to pry, but what is ppd and Mood d/o? I don't think I am familiar with this. I have a friend whose son is severe adhd--he's my sons best friend---when he's off his meds, he just CANT focus-I feel bad for him. Last year she kept him off over summer and the end of school last year, and he just had to get back on it. They were worried, because when hes on the meds he doesn't eat. He's the skinniest little fella!! And he's pretty short for his age-so kids pick on him when he tells them he's 13---going on 14.


Sorry I have been MIA. Things are NOT going well- we have a meeting today with Guidance and the school Psychologist. PDD is an autism spectrum disorder- he's too social with adults to be considered Asperger's. Mood disorder is simply depression. Depressed kids tend to "act out" instead of be sullen like adults. 

My dh thinks our son should "tough it out" and go to school and stay there- no matter what. I disagree- he's so unhappy and it just kills me. Advice?? What do you do when your spouse disagrees???


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## Ashley Kees

Mermaid02 said:


> Sorry I have been MIA. Things are NOT going well- we have a meeting today with Guidance and the school Psychologist. PDD is an autism spectrum disorder- he's too social with adults to be considered Asperger's. Mood disorder is simply depression. Depressed kids tend to "act out" instead of be sullen like adults.
> 
> My dh thinks our son should "tough it out" and go to school and stay there- no matter what. I disagree- he's so unhappy and it just kills me. Advice?? What do you do when your spouse disagrees???



I don't have an answer for you, not knowing your husband and having never been in your situation.  Just wanted to give you this   and tell you to stay strong in your fight to do what's right for your son.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Loreli~ I agree with the previous poster, I don't know exactly what you should do. But I know one thing for sure I would do....start praying. seriously. Ask the Lord to open doors for you, and show your husband that whatever he shows you, will be shown to him. And that he will soften your husbands heart-maybe the Lord will allow your hubby to be around the next time one of the situations(school-related) comes up and he can see first hand what's really going on. In the mean time, research, research, research!!! You need to be well-armed in your little boys condition, and the home school arena! Know what your state requires, start learning about curriculums, forems to join, what style would work for you. Have a plan! You may find out some info that will sway your husband by seeing that you are capable and this is for the best!!!!  I'll be prayin for you! These are tough times for kids--at the best---medical issues shouldn't be traumatizing and hindering their childhood. So, if the school environment is making him worse----learn all you can about what you can do to make it better. If you come to your husband informed, you may be able to make him understand why this is such a passion for you. Hope this helps!! Keep us posted!!


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## lori1043

A little ray of hope...
My Dh did not want to homeschool at first.
We were not having issues though either with kids at school. I just felt "called" to do it and still do. It was confirmed so many times in the year leading up tp taking them out of public school. I told DH about my felings early on and he said "no'. I was convicted that we were not homeschooling unless I had his support(in whatever capacity). 3-6 months later, he was open to "hearing about it" as we met others who did it. A 2-3 months after that we decided that we'd pull them out after elementary school(after 3rd gr) and homeschool till freshmen year then put them in a private school. A few months after that we decided to try it out while they were younger, in case it was a mistake for us it would be easier to "catch up". 
My DH, now in our 4th year of homeschooling swears by it-he loves the freedom we have as a family and time spent. He likes that we do not have homework worries and concerns about being bullied or whatever. he lies that we have a "litle bit more control" over who they hang around. But he also agrees that we need to have a balance and wants them to learn to hold thier own. He insists on testing them every year(SAT) and I convinced him to hold off on our younger child till 2nd grade. I was hesitant at first about testing at all, but agreed -and I am SO thankful we do that yearly so we can see how things are going in the "real world" academically. I have been pleasantly surprised.

I REALLY suggest, as the above poster said, to pray about it. Prayer works whether it is a yes or no answer.

It worked for us, even though it took a year! Think about how life would be without his support-and how much it would affect your marriage, which is #1 for you and your kids.

Lori


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## TNKBELL

Mermaid02....I'm in complete agreement with prayer, it's the only answer to seemingly impossible situations!!  I too will be praying for you and your Dh. 

At first, my Dh was not sure, but researching and talking to other homeschool families really helped "arm" me with info to help "enlighten" him. Now, after 7 years, he wouldn't have it any other way.

One suggestion is to have him tell you his concerns and we could help you with info and advice to share with him. 

God Bless you!!!!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Just wanted to add I agree with Lori and Tink--I was in the same situation-that's how I know praying about it works-dh wasn't for it-I kept praying & the Lord put it on his heart as well and this is our 5th year and he loooooves that we do it!! I was going to tell you that in my previous post-but it got long!! Sorry!!


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## Temair

I'm looking for some advice.  I am currently homeschooling my 9 yr old DD.  I plan on sticking it through highschool.  Lately I've been considering having a second child.  So we are talking about a 10 year age difference, and adding a baby to the homeschool routine.  I'm concerned about how schooling would work with a baby.  Obviously I can't be there helping her every step of the way, but she is also at an age where she is doing more work independently.  Am I crazy?  How do you do it?  Anyone else with kids with such a large age difference?  And adivce is apreciated.


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## Ellester

Temair said:


> I'm looking for some advice.  I am currently homeschooling my 9 yr old DD.  I plan on sticking it through highschool.  Lately I've been considering having a second child.  So we are talking about a 10 year age difference, and adding a baby to the homeschool routine.  I'm concerned about how schooling would work with a baby.  Obviously I can't be there helping her every step of the way, but she is also at an age where she is doing more work independently.  Am I crazy?  How do you do it?  Anyone else with kids with such a large age difference?  And adivce is apreciated.



Well, multiple kids is a challenge. But well worth it in my opinion. We'll be adding #4 in December, the older kids are 10, 7, (both girls), and 4 (boy). The new baby is another girl. I haven't homeschooled with a newborn before, my oldest was in public school when my youngest was born. But, I know lots of parents who have done it so I know it's possible. I look at all the biology and homelife skills my kids are learning as part of their education. All the kids are looking forward to helping with the new baby (and having a few weeks off school as well!). It would definitely be a bump in your routine, but I don't know of two many families who have regretted having another child even with a big age difference. One of my good friends is actually due the day after I am and her two older kids are 17 and 13! This baby was a total surprise and has completely thrown their plans for a loop, but they are looking forward to having another chance at having a little one in the house. Good luck with whatever you decide!


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## Ashley Kees

Temair said:


> I'm looking for some advice.  I am currently homeschooling my 9 yr old DD.  I plan on sticking it through highschool.  Lately I've been considering having a second child.  So we are talking about a 10 year age difference, and adding a baby to the homeschool routine.  I'm concerned about how schooling would work with a baby.  Obviously I can't be there helping her every step of the way, but she is also at an age where she is doing more work independently.  Am I crazy?  How do you do it?  Anyone else with kids with such a large age difference?  And adivce is apreciated.



I can't help with the large age difference, but I have been homeschooling with a baby in the house.  We started my oldest in Kindergarten this time last year (she was nearly 5 at the time).  Her sister was 3 and the baby was 7 months old.  It was really easy, frankly, at the beginning, even with my having to help Layla (the Kindergartener) every step of the way.  We would have "formal sit down school time" while I was breastfeeding and when the baby was napping.  Now that he's old enough to only take one nap, we do "school" (with both girls, now) and he sits up at the dining table with us with crayons and paper.  While the girls are doing reading or math, he colors and listens, (hopefully learning by osmosis!).  While the girls are doing worksheets or reading independently, I will do flashcard with him at the table, or Hooked on Phonics for babies.  Sometimes he just plays with toys under the table, he likes puzzles and blocks.  The girls tune him out, no problem.  Science and social studies are pretty much just books that I read to them right now, plus learning the pledge/address/phone numbers, and he listens to all that with us.  It's normal for all of us.

On the plus side, my 4 and 5 year olds actually know how to diaper, hold, feed (bottlefeed) and burp a baby already!  Not that I let them do it that often, but when they asked, I would.  Now my friend just had a baby, and we all go over to help.  It adds a level to their education that they really can't get at "big school" (what my kids call traditional schools).

You'll do fine.  

Ashley


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## Disney Mommy 3

Go for it!! My first year, my oldest was 3rd grade, the next was Kindergarten and the baby was a little over a year. Not an infant, but still nursing and needing lots of mommy time. She has learned to play by herself well, and has a great imagination--the other 2 have learned a lot about helping at home, and they all play great together and we really enjoy it.I would have another baby today if hubby would let me!!! The more the merrier!!! it's definitely easier to be hsing with a newborn than getting it up and out so early to take the older one to school- and then back out (at nap time) to pick her up!!  I say do it!!!!


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## Mermaid02

Well, we had a meeting at the school with the school psychologist and guidance counselor. They are going to try having Jack do a half day regular school and then hire a tutor to come in the second half and work one on one with him. School will be DONE for him at 2:30 (NO HOMEWORK!!!) We have to present it to the Director of Special Ed on Monday. Wish us luck. I think this is a pretty good compromise (if approved) and if not I will approach homeschool again (My first choice!)


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## PoohBear

Temair said:


> I'm looking for some advice.  I am currently homeschooling my 9 yr old DD.  I plan on sticking it through highschool.  Lately I've been considering having a second child.  So we are talking about a 10 year age difference, and adding a baby to the homeschool routine.  I'm concerned about how schooling would work with a baby.  Obviously I can't be there helping her every step of the way, but she is also at an age where she is doing more work independently.  Am I crazy?  How do you do it?  Anyone else with kids with such a large age difference?  And adivce is apreciated.



I have three boys 15, 11 & 2yo. I am having a hard enough time with the 2yo simply because he is much more troublesome than the other two ever were (think Dennis the Menace on caffeine and steroids). Add to this that I just started homeschooling the older two this year. High school is a challenge by itself and I feeled overwhelmed many days. However, I would not do things any different. I know that I need to be patient and we will find our way.

I don't know if I can offer any homeschooling advice, since I am new to this, but I think getting your DD comfortable and established with her routine before the baby will make it easier on you. As far as the boys themselves are concerned, the 2yo is the apple of their eye.  He is a blessing to us all. I think, because of the age difference, you will see a whole new side of your DD that will amaze you.


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## DawnM

Disney has their homeschooling dates out for January.  Anyone going?  We are!  We went last year and had a fabulous time.  This year we are going to take it a little easier.  We will go for 2 weeks and get the 5 day hopper with 4 vouchers and go to Kennedy Space Center and a couple of other things too.

Dawn


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## mykidsintow

2 questions:

What are the Homeschool Dates for Dis in Jan?


I know there are a few ppl here that live in SC.  What are SC homeschool laws like?  We are considering where our lives may go and one of my options seems to be SC.  Here in KY we have to write a letter of intent to homeschool and thats it.  We have to keep records of attendance, but unless someone comes a knockin on your door, thats it.  How is SC?  Are there any active groups you know of around the Myrtle Beach area?  We are looking at Murrells/Pawleys areas....


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## LadyShea

Here's a .pdf summary of SC homeschool laws 
http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/South_Carolina.pdf


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## mykidsintow

Thank you for that Information.  It actually reads similar to KY.  However, KY does not require you submit anything... the just *could* require it.  They also don't require the parents have any education, but I have a degree so its unimportant in our case.

Do the children actually participate in sate testing?  In KY they are *suppose* to, but they do not inforce this and actually have no way to inforce it at all.  The superintendent told me that it was required and I said "And if we don't?" she said "Then you don't, there is nothing we can do about it."


So the laws seem ok its not like PA requiring a ton of documentation.... but if they do actually require all this, then it is a bit more strict than KY.

Thanks again!


----------



## OneBlessedFamily

Hi!  We are relatively new to Disboards.  We are a family of 6, hopefully 7 very soon, and live in Missouri and Illinois.  We started homeschooling this year while my son was in and out of the hospital for heart surgery.  My 8 year old loves it so much that we may continue HSing her, but probably not my 6 year old (who misses the classroom on a daily basis).

I look forward to connecting with more HSing families!

And....there are dates for HSers to go to Disney????

Mary


----------



## Ellester

OneBlessedFamily said:


> And....there are dates for HSers to go to Disney????
> 
> Mary





mykidsintow said:


> 2 questions:
> 
> What are the Homeschool Dates for Dis in Jan?



The dates are January 12 & 13 and the programs are at DHS this time around. 
http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/programs/programOverview?page=HSDProgramOverviewPage

Our newest will be a little too new then, we'll be going on our own in February. One of these times we'll be able to take advantage of the HS Days I hope!


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## wvdislover

I'd love to see if I can go.  However, I'd like to know what the hs activities are before registering, so I know whether my kids would enjoy it or not   When do they advertise what those will be?  All I could find on the weblink was the dates and ticket options (definitely a good price!).


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## DawnM

I haven 't looked at that yet.  We didn't do them last year because our kids are really young.  You do NOT have to attend them.....they are added bonuses, you can just do the parks.

Dawn



wvdislover said:


> I'd love to see if I can go.  However, I'd like to know what the hs activities are before registering, so I know whether my kids would enjoy it or not   When do they advertise what those will be?  All I could find on the weblink was the dates and ticket options (definitely a good price!).


----------



## wvdislover

I saw that it has something to do with Narnia, which our whole family loves.  However, we just got back from a 10 day Land/Sea vacation, so I'm just not sure I can pull it off.  DD7 is still in school, and missed 8 days this past trip; I'm not sure what they would say about me pulling her out again   Sometimes, I think it would be a lot easier if I pulled her out and hs her with DD11, but DD11 wouldn't be able to work as well (much too easily distracted and needs total quiet to work) and DD7 LOVES school and her friends (she's quite the social butterfly!).  Still, it would be fun to do!


----------



## TNKBELL

wvdislover said:


> I saw that it has something to do with Narnia, which our whole family loves.  However, we just got back from a 10 day Land/Sea vacation, so I'm just not sure I can pull it off.  DD7 is still in school, and missed 8 days this past trip; I'm not sure what they would say about me pulling her out again   Sometimes, I think it would be a lot easier if I pulled her out and hs her with DD11, but DD11 wouldn't be able to work as well (much too easily distracted and needs total quiet to work) and DD7 LOVES school and her friends (she's quite the social butterfly!).  Still, it would be fun to do!



They also have Homeschool Days in September, the dates are not available yet. Maybe, that would be an option for you, it would be a different school year. At least they had it last year, I guess we will see, we are planning a trip in October, so if HS days are at the end of September, we will try to go then.


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## wvdislover

True, but I hate to give up my free dining.  I saw that you can just buy passes for the hs days events for around $16 if you have an AP.  I wonder if we could do this with our  free dining package?


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## disneymom3

Hmmm, do they check if you show up or not?  I am just thinking that DD would be a lot more interested in the topics than my youngest who is 6.  I suppose she and I could go to the class and DH adn the boys could meet us later.  It would be nice if there were more info on there about WHAT the actual workshops are.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Hello everybody!  I haven't had much school stuff to discuss lately, so I haven't ventured over here!!!! How are you all doing? I am winding down our first semester. We start earlier in summer ( I don't know if you remember-we start around mid-July) and stop with Thanksgiving. So, we actually have 8 days of schooling left!!  We are ready for a much needed break-time!! How are your days shaping up? I know we had some on here new to HSing and I was curious how you have held up!!! It takes a bit to get into the swing of it, then you are off like a racehorse!!!

I am not sure what I can post about this-I know we can't buy/ sale, but with one semester coming to a close, I know some of us will start with new curriculum in January. I am getting some of our stuff out to make room for new books and things and wondered if any of you would be interested in my curriculum we aren't using anymore. Does anyone know if I can at least list the sub/grade I have and then you could pm me if interested in any of it? Just curious!! I am not sure where the mod's draw the line with too much info.!!! If I can't do that -just pm if you are wanting more info on what I have and I 'll let you know what I have!!

Well, only 10 days left till Thanksgiving!!! I can't believe we are so close to the end of the year!!!! Hope you all get as much done this week as possible so you can enjoy all your family next week!!!


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## wvdislover

How exciting!  We basically follow the PS calendar, since I still have DD7 in PS, while I HS DD11.  I won't tell her you're almost done for the semester--she'd be really jealous!


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## sha_lyn

I was really hoping we would be finished with the first 1/2 of the yr by Dec19 but looks like we'll miss it by a few days


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## KibbyCat

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Hello everybody!  I haven't had much school stuff to discuss lately, so I haven't ventured over here!!!! How are you all doing? I am winding down our first semester. We start earlier in summer ( I don't know if you remember-we start around mid-July) and stop with Thanksgiving. So, we actually have 8 days of schooling left!!  We are ready for a much needed break-time!! How are your days shaping up? I know we had some on here new to HSing and I was curious how you have held up!!! It takes a bit to get into the swing of it, then you are off like a racehorse!!!
> 
> I am not sure what I can post about this-I know we can't buy/ sale, but with one semester coming to a close, I know some of us will start with new curriculum in January. I am getting some of our stuff out to make room for new books and things and wondered if any of you would be interested in my curriculum we aren't using anymore. Does anyone know if I can at least list the sub/grade I have and then you could pm me if interested in any of it? Just curious!! I am not sure where the mod's draw the line with too much info.!!! If I can't do that -just pm if you are wanting more info on what I have and I 'll let you know what I have!!
> 
> Well, only 10 days left till Thanksgiving!!! I can't believe we are so close to the end of the year!!!! Hope you all get as much done this week as possible so you can enjoy all your family next week!!!



I also started in July, and we are also almost done.  I am in the same boat as you...needing to unload my 3rd grade curriculum and get 4th.

I haven't been on here in months, but I did notice that they STILL have not honored our request for our own forum.

However, I'm so excited that my husband's vacation requests were approved today, so we will be going to WDW Jan. 10th - 20th.  Can't wait to call and reserve a pkg using that super-cheap new discount.


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## emh1129

There is a website that I'm trying to find.. it has reviews of the different curriculums and compares/contrasts them. Do any of you know what I'm talking about? Could you post a link? Thanks!


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## GlendaO

KibbyCat said:


> I also started in July, and we are also almost done.  I am in the same boat as you...needing to unload my 3rd grade curriculum and get 4th.
> 
> I haven't been on here in months, but I did notice that they STILL have not honored our request for our own forum.
> 
> However, I'm so excited that my husband's vacation requests were approved today, so we will be going to WDW Jan. 10th - 20th.  Can't wait to call and reserve a pkg using that super-cheap new discount.



For both those that start in July and finish at Thanksgiving, please tell me how?!  

We have to do 180 days, do you guys not have requirements like that?

TIA!!


----------



## Laura.bora

emh1129 said:


> There is a website that I'm trying to find.. it has reviews of the different curriculums and compares/contrasts them. Do any of you know what I'm talking about? Could you post a link? Thanks!



would that be www.homeschoolreviews.com
IT might be review not reviews.  



GlendaO said:


> For both those that start in July and finish at Thanksgiving, please tell me how?!
> 
> We have to do 180 days, do you guys not have requirements like that?
> 
> TIA!!



I believe that she meant she coming up to a break, not she's finished for the year.  That's what we do too.  We school year round.  We start in July, take a week off for thanksgiving, do a light load of schoolwork from after Thanksgiving till Christmas and then we have  afew more breaks as the year continues.  We don't take 3 months off in the summer like the public schools and a lot of other homeschoolers.

I'm in NY - so we have requirements - we need to have 900 hours of learning in per year.  (like the public schools have 900 hours of learning! HA!)


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## teacups

delete


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## sha_lyn

emh1129 said:


> There is a website that I'm trying to find.. it has reviews of the different curriculums and compares/contrasts them. Do any of you know what I'm talking about? Could you post a link? Thanks!



there are lots of reviews at


http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/


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## Disney Mommy 3

emh1129 said:


> There is a website that I'm trying to find.. it has reviews of the different curriculums and compares/contrasts them. Do any of you know what I'm talking about? Could you post a link? Thanks!



Are you talking about Cathy Duffys 100 Top Picks for HomeschoolCurriculum? She does give her opinion about the most used curr. and kind of matches it with learning types. It has websites for all the stuff in her book--very handy! One of my favorites!!



GlendaO said:


> For both those that start in July and finish at Thanksgiving, please tell me how?!
> 
> We have to do 180 days, do you guys not have requirements like that?
> 
> TIA!!



Well, I know the days of the year you have to have vary from state to state-but when you get those days is not regulated. We don't have a certain # that we have to follow, but I keep it pretty close to our local ps. We have 18 weeks the first semester and 16-18 the second--depending on our curriculum. We do take a summer break-we usually need it!!! I start mid to end of July because it's sooooo very hot and humid here in Texas!! Middle of the day your not fit to kill, and they can't play outside really-we have heat waves!! So, I decided a few years back that I would use that time to our advantage!!We work 9 weeks and if we need a week off, we take it. Usually we use it during hurricane season. Then we resume for the next 9 weeks and end at Thanksgiving-we are then out till Jan when the ps goes back. We do still do reading over the holidays-but we have family birthdays and that use to be our Disney vacation time. We don't take days off that the ps has, so we probably actually have more school days than they do! For example, no teacher workdays, Columbus day and things like that we discuss and talk about why it is a holiday, but we still do our work--I have to keep on schedule! We usually finish mid-end of April, have May and June out and part of July.Then we start all over again!!! Hope this answers your question!!!


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## mykidsintow

http://www.homeschoolreviews.com/


----------



## sha_lyn

GlendaO said:


> For both those that start in July and finish at Thanksgiving, please tell me how?!
> 
> We have to do 180 days, do you guys not have requirements like that?
> 
> TIA!!




I believe they meant they finished the first 1/2 of the year not the entire yr.


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## Ashley Kees

GlendaO said:


> For both those that start in July and finish at Thanksgiving, please tell me how?!
> 
> We have to do 180 days, do you guys not have requirements like that?
> 
> TIA!!



Not in Texas, we don't.  Yay for the best homeschool state in the Union!! (Well, pretty close to no. 1, anyway!)


----------



## LisaMommy

Hello all you other home-schooling moms. I'm a newbie here, and only _verrry_ recently started home-schooling my son. Well, I love it, and I'm so happy that I can modify the curriculum to suit us! Huzzah! Even my DD has been doing bits and pieces of work. I always heard people talking about the joys of home-schooling but you never really know it 'til you try it, do you? Anyway, just saying hi.


----------



## tethermagee

Hi all!  Is the room for another Disney loving homeschool mama?  I've 3 kids, ages 14, 11 and 9. We've homeschooled since the beginning, and use an eclectic curriculum of my own favorites.


----------



## Denine

Haven't been on in a while.  DD is over 1/2 way done with 1st grade math and we are 20 lessons away from being 1/2 way done with 1st grade.
We will take 3 days off next week for Thanksgiving.  We only have school 4 days a week since I work on Fridays.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

LisaMommy said:


> Hello all you other home-schooling moms. I'm a newbie here, and only _verrry_ recently started home-schooling my son. Well, I love it, and I'm so happy that I can modify the curriculum to suit us! Huzzah! Even my DD has been doing bits and pieces of work. I always heard people talking about the joys of home-schooling but you never really know it 'til you try it, do you? Anyway, just saying hi.





tethermagee said:


> Hi all!  Is the room for another Disney loving homeschool mama?  I've 3 kids, ages 14, 11 and 9. We've homeschooled since the beginning, and use an eclectic curriculum of my own favorites.



Welcome to you both!! We are glad you are here with us! Yes, it is a blessing and anyone who doesn't homeschool will never understand that!!! I am so very thankful that I followed the Lord and made this decision-one of the best I ever made! I too use an eclectic mix!!! What a blast!!!


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## DawnM

Well, sort of.  We have to check off the days that they are present.  Um, yeah, they are with me 365 days a year, so they are HERE!

The 180 days of instruction does not have to be rigorous instruction.  Learning anything is instruction.  

I was a teacher for over 16 years.  I can assure you that there are many, many wasted days within those 180.  Field trips, assemblies, field day, parties, fire drills, you name it.  But those are counted by your state as instructional days.....so you can count them too.  

Here is where I stand on homeschooling.....if my children are performing at grade level, they are doing just fine.  I am not going to stress out about it.

Also, in traditional schools, teachers do not cover all 200 pages (or whatever) in each subject of each book.  They also don't always do all the numbers of questions or problems on every assignment.  Many times the teachers will ask students to answer numbers 1-10 only, or odd numbers only, or whatever.  

Homeschool parents tend to stress about things that schools don't even get concerned about.

Dawn



GlendaO said:


> For both those that start in July and finish at Thanksgiving, please tell me how?!
> 
> We have to do 180 days, do you guys not have requirements like that?
> 
> TIA!!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Yes, Dawn-that's how I feel as well! I do try to finish our books-but not every problem on every page! Especially if we have mastered it & mastered it well!!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Ashley Kees said:


> Not in Texas, we don't.  Yay for the best homeschool state in the Union!! (Well, pretty close to no. 1, anyway!)



    3 cheers for Texas!!! One of the main reasons I would be flippin' out if we moved to another state!! I do regulate the lessons, keep up with days and stick to our schedule- but for me, not because I have to do it~!


----------



## Ellester

DawnM said:


> Well, sort of.  We have to check off the days that they are present.  Um, yeah, they are with me 365 days a year, so they are HERE!
> 
> The 180 days of instruction does not have to be rigorous instruction.  Learning anything is instruction.
> 
> I was a teacher for over 16 years.  I can assure you that there are many, many wasted days within those 180.  Field trips, assemblies, field day, parties, fire drills, you name it.  But those are counted by your state as instructional days.....so you can count them too.
> 
> Here is where I stand on homeschooling.....if my children are performing at grade level, they are doing just fine.  I am not going to stress out about it.
> 
> Also, in traditional schools, teachers do not cover all 200 pages (or whatever) in each subject of each book.  They also don't always do all the numbers of questions or problems on every assignment.  Many times the teachers will ask students to answer numbers 1-10 only, or odd numbers only, or whatever.
> 
> Homeschool parents tend to stress about things that schools don't even get concerned about.
> 
> Dawn



When we lived in NC, the wording to me was such that you could have school one day a month for 9 months and meet their legal requirements! It simply says you are good: "so long as the school operates on a regular schedule, excluding reasonable holidays and vacations, during at least nine calendar months of the year". Of course, they highly "recommend" a 180 day schedule. Here in GA, we are supposed to have 180 days of 4-1/2 hours of instruction. I know my dd never had 4 1/2 hours of instruction during a normal day of PS! Like you said, fire drills, waiting in line for the bathroom, parties, walking to the lunch room, etc. took up much of the day. But, whatever, I'll fill out my little form and e-mail it in by the 10th of the next month to keep us legal.


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## Ashley Kees

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> 3 cheers for Texas!!! One of the main reasons I would be flippin' out if we moved to another state!! I do regulate the lessons, keep up with days and stick to our schedule- but for me, not because I have to do it~!



I agree, I was so happy when DH got a new job with a large company that has 5 branches, all of which are in the lonestar state.  Even if he gets transferred, we're still homeschool-friendly!

Oh, I keep good records, just in case some screwball tries to overturn Arlington in the next seventeen years or so.    

Incindentally, we don't really keep DDs on "grade level".  we let them learn at their own pace.  Right now, Layla is in Kindergarten math (1/2 done) and 1st grade reading and grammar (1/4 done).  The other subjects (science, social studies, Spanish, fine arts) are piecemealed curriculums that don't have exact grade levels (i.e.: science is for grades K-2, social studies is grades 1-3, etc.).  Binx isn't 5 yet, so she isn't required to be enrolled in any school, so I let her pick what she wants to do.  Once she's 5, she'll be in the same situation as Layla.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Ashley Kees~
I just noticed your countdown---3 days till Yeah for you!!!!!


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## LittleBlue22

DawnM, I appreciate your posts and other prior/fellow teachers. Its encouraging to read your insights on things.  

This being our first year hs'ing, I'm starting to cross out material I feel my kids don't have to complete due to being repetative.

 to the thread new HS parents.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

LittleBlue22 said:


> DawnM, I appreciate your posts and other prior/fellow teachers. Its encouraging to read your insights on things.
> 
> This being our first year hs'ing, I'm starting to cross out material I feel my kids don't have to complete due to being repetative.
> 
> to the thread new HS parents.



It's so great when you know they have truly learned something and that you don't have to keep going over & over it again!!!


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## feedthebirds

Hello everyone!  We are a family with 3 homeschoolers (5 kids total).  This year I have 2 on SOS (5th and 7th)and one on Lifepacs (1st).  You all seem like such a friendly group, a nice place to share our ups and downs with homeschooling!


----------



## Ashley Kees

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Ashley Kees~
> I just noticed your countdown---3 days till Yeah for you!!!!!



Thanks!  My gracious, everyone in my house is SUPER EXCITED!  I have so much schoolwork to do for myself, plus HS the girls, and clean house, and PACK (slightly important, I know  ) and now DH is snoring in the recliner next to me with a heating pad due to a pulled back!  AAAACCCKKKK!!!!  

And on top of all that, this silly family still wants me to FEED THEM!!  Can you believe the unmitigated gaul?


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

feedthebirds said:


> Hello everyone!  We are a family with 3 homeschoolers (5 kids total).  This year I have 2 on SOS (5th and 7th)and one on Lifepacs (1st).  You all seem like such a friendly group, a nice place to share our ups and downs with homeschooling!




HI!!! We are glad you are joining us!!! How are the Lifefacs and the SOS working out for you? I haven't done more than math on our computer-curious how it really works!



Ashley Kees said:


> Thanks!  My gracious, everyone in my house is SUPER EXCITED!  I have so much schoolwork to do for myself, plus HS the girls, and clean house, and PACK (slightly important, I know  ) and now DH is snoring in the recliner next to me with a heating pad due to a pulled back!  AAAACCCKKKK!!!!
> 
> And on top of all that, this silly family still wants me to FEED THEM!!  Can you believe the unmitigated gaul?



I know girl, some kids insist on eating when there is work to be done!!! How long are you going for and where are you staying? I am soooo excited for you!! I am hoping you get zero lines /crowds!!


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## The Moonk's Mom

Hi all!  I am in need of help!  We are thinking of HS...but here is my big question...how do you get your kids to agree?  My children love going to school and I fear that they will really fight being hs and that may keep them from being receptive to the entire idea.  I want this to be enjoyable for them and am really kinda tired of what is going on in PS here.   Also, can you guys send me to some resources that you trust than I can learn more of what I need to be prepared for?  TIA!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Hi Kim! I know we would all love to help you! First of all-transition--unless they are really ecountering some tough issues personally at school, the older they are, the harder it is to convince them they should be home--so the sooner the better!!! Are you wanting to bring them home at mid-term or let them finish the year? You can do either. You need to go to the Home School Legal Defense Assoc and check out the HS(homeschooling) guidelines for your state.Once you know what is required, you can go from there. You really need to sit down with your kids once you and hubby have decided this is the way it will be, and have a family discussion-listen to their fears & doubts and be able to answer them with some information! This will take some research from you. 

books: "So, You Are Thinking About Homeschooling" By Lisa Whelchel---fabulous little book that describes the different types of home schooling and a peek into diff families & how they use each method

100 Top Picks for Home School Curriculum by Cathy Duffy-tells about the diff types of learners you may have, how to tell what they are, and her fav 100 curriculums and how they work with each type of learner. Both Cathy and Lisa have websites you can go to.

There are tons of places to order from as well-I personally love the Christianbook.com,  lots of my friends also use RainbowResources. Of course you can find some great used stuff as well.

You can google homeschool and get loads of info!! Hope this helps you a wee bit!! Keep asking questions!! Welcome aboard!!!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Kim, I also wanted to say that this is such a big decision that I personally, put a LOT of prayer into this before I did it. I knew without a doubt this is where the Lord was leading our family. I don't know how you feel about that, but for me, it gave me such peace, I knew that I could handle whatever would come with the decision. That being said--I did get some flack from people. Mostly people with no kids!!  Isn't that funny how they ALWAYS have the best advice! But, I could say with firmness and conviction that I was doing the best thing for my kids! And God opened so many doors for me-it was all confirmation that this is what I should do. Keep us posted!


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## The Moonk's Mom

Thanks so much for the book info...I'm heading to the library today.  My DH has been trying to talk me into it for some time.  We moved a year ago and the schools in our new area and not up to par with where we moved from.  Plus our old school really was great and everyone there was a part of the community in so many ways.  Our current school is going thru a transistion with administration and really I am not sure what to think...last year or last year.  Now this year, we are having a real problem with one of our kids not getting what we want as far as things that I think should be left to parents...I hope that makes sense!  Anyway, I guess my other concern is me...am I really smart enough for this?  I worry, what if I amd the reason my kids don't suceed!  I would die if I was the reason for them not being prepared!  

My oldest would be the hardest...she is one of those kids that is not bothered by things.  She had another student really picking on her at the beginning of the year and she just turned her cheek to him.  I was proud of her for finding a way to deal with it, but I hated seeing her going thru it.  

I worry that she will really fight us on this.  She loves her friends that she has and would miss seeing them everyday...but I am really tired of their time getting wated on stuff that teaches them NOTHING!  Ugh!  What to do!


----------



## Temair

It's great to hear how everyone is doing with homeschooling.  With this being our first official homeschooling year, (Virtual school for 2 years) I feel we are doing very well.  MY DD still hasn't gotten that eagerness to learn, and just picking up a book to read.  But I'm sure that will come in time.  We've focused on the three r's so far and are just adding in science and history.  I bought the Vol 4 The Story of the World to follow the K12 History Curriculum.  For science we have started a hydroponics lettuce garden.  Disney inspired us with the Living in the Land and Behind the Seeds Tour.  We still have our struggles at times, but my DH has really helped by stepping in and helping in my weak areas.  Right now her is doing the composition and doing a much better job than I ever could have.  My daughter is actually writing whole paragraphs and complete sentences.  

For all you new homeschools one thing I've found helpfull is if something doesn't work for a curriculum feel free to drop or change it to something that will work.  You can always resell your used items and buy used to save money as well.


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## LittleBlue22

feedthebirds said:


> Hello everyone!  We are a family with 3 homeschoolers (5 kids total).  This year I have 2 on SOS (5th and 7th)and one on Lifepacs (1st).  You all seem like such a friendly group, a nice place to share our ups and downs with homeschooling!



!

We have SOS and Lifepac too. I'm am pleased with their material. The only frustration I get with SOS is some of the video voices are garbled. Maybe its just my video application  . 

When people ask, "what do you do with your toddler while schooling", I feel like giving them  as I describe what I try to do  . 

I have a book called, _Home Schooling at the Speed of Life_. This book might give you insight too Mooonks Mom.

Have a great day moms!


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## Ellester

The Moonk's Mom:

Since you are in NC, head to http://www.ncdnpe.org/. In NC, homeschooling falls under the Department of Non-Public Education. The requirements are not too bad. You will have to prove that you (as instructor) and your DH (presumably as principal) have at least a high school diploma, come up with a name for your school, keep attendance (although you don't have to turn it in unless they ask and I've never heard of anyone who had to), and test once a year (again, you don't turn in results unless they ask). 

Your kids are young enough that you could present it as a trial effort. We've always said we'll evaluate each year to determine our course for the next year. I don't see us ever going back to PS, but you never know. Your kids may soon realize the benefits themselves (like my dd10, who decided to get up early today and finish all her seatwork before breakfast so she could play Webkinz by 9:00am!). You can still line up play dates with her school friends. I would also find the local homeschooling group, I'm sure there are some around Salisbury (we used to live in Charlotte), I know there are a few in Concord. Find out if there are local park days, field trips, etc. Once your kids see the benefits in their own lives (more time to play, more time with mom, no more rushing out the door in the morning), they may embrace it. Good luck!


----------



## Ashley Kees

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> I know girl, some kids insist on eating when there is work to be done!!! How long are you going for and where are you staying? I am soooo excited for you!! I am hoping you get zero lines /crowds!!



We leaving Friday morning and coming back on Thanksgiving Day. (I got a REALLY cheap flight for coming home on T-Day).  DH, DD5, DD4, DS1, and DB15 are staying at ASMu in a Fam suite and DMil and DFil have a preferred room, hopefully (cross fingers!) next to ours.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Kim~if you are unhappy with the school and she is what, 4th grade? Now is the time to change it. Tell her she can still see her friends on the weekend, or whatever is best for you--but, I would consider taking her out at mid-term---especially if you husband is pursuing this. 

Yes, you ARE smart enough for this--you more than any one know your kids best. If you pull them out at mid-term (or even if you wait till schools out) I have always heard (and actually did this for awhile) that for a few weeks, until you get curriculum picked and bought, that it's great to spend a couple of days just resting. Then hit the library!! Get CLASSIC BOOKS--not just easy readers. She can get those for herself, but for an allotted amount of time per day, read the classics to them. This is great for developing all your Language Art skills.Spelling, grammar, pronunciation, etc... all without picking up a pencil!! This will help ease into a transition for you and she's getting educated without you or her getting too stressed at first. Also, books off the Caldecott and Newberry list work great too!!!


----------



## Ashley Kees

Moonks Mom,

I think you should go ahead and talk to your kids, to save yourself some stress.  They *might* surprise you.  My DB is 15, REALLY popular, etc., and we all assumed he would balk at being homeschooled. Then this year, my mom just asked him about it, as a rhetorical question, and he was all for it.  He said he could still see his friends, he just wouldn't have to waste time learning at everyone else's pace.  He said the only thing he would really miss is the extracurriculars (wrestling and orchestra, odd I know) but he could find all those outside the school, as well.  

And yes, you ARE smart enough to teach your children.  You went through the school system yourself, right?   It's not really a question of "smart enough", it's all about confidence and research, research, research!

Bottom line, do your research, then talk to your kids.  Don't leave them out of the decision.  If they feel they have some control, they will be far more willing to be homeschooled.


----------



## crl

Hi Ladies!
I haven't had a chance to read through all the posts (just the most recent ones). We are a homeschooling family of a k'er and a 2 yr old. So far we love it. Just wanted to say hi and thanks for having a place for us to congregate.
Crystal


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## Ashley Kees

crl said:


> Hi Ladies!
> I haven't had a chance to read through all the posts (just the most recent ones). We are a homeschooling family of a k'er and a 2 yr old. So far we love it. Just wanted to say hi and thanks for having a place for us to congregate.
> Crystal


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## TLHB70

Hi everyone.  
I know that I haven't been around here lately.  However, our school year is going well.   Next week we will take off and head to the mountains in TN.  We are looking forward to that.  We are meeting up with friends from Texas.  

I wanted to let you know about a wonderful devotional book that I use each morning.  It was written by a homeschool mom and it is written to homeschool moms.  A homeschool friend gave it to me for Christmas last year.  It is a wonderful way to be encouraged each morning before I start my day.  Some of you might know about it.  However, I know that some of you are new to homeschooling and might not know about it.  Here is the information:  http://www.aophomeschooling.com/homeschool-resources/other-resources/ar8001.prod

Also, while looking for the link for this devotional, I came across an announcement for a homeschool giveaway!   You can register to win the devotional book or an entire curriculum!   
Here is the link for the contest:  http://www.aop.com/news/alpha-omega-publications-announces-homeschool-giveaway

ETA:  I just registered for the contest.  When you fill out the entry form, there is a blank that you can check to receive the daily devotionals by email each day!  That way you can get it for free without buying the book!!!!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Thanks, I gotta check that out!!!


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## crl

I get an email version of the Daily Focus and it's great. (Plus it saved me a few dollars).

Edited to add: I see that if you sign up for their free drawing, signing up for the Daily Focus is a box that you can check off.


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## LittleBlue22

TLHB70 said:


> Hi everyone.
> I know that I haven't been around here lately.  However, our school year is going well.   Next week we will take off and head to the mountains in TN.  We are looking forward to that.  We are meeting up with friends from Texas.
> 
> I wanted to let you know about a wonderful devotional book that I use each morning.  It was written by a homeschool mom and it is written to homeschool moms.  A homeschool friend gave it to me for Christmas last year.  It is a wonderful way to be encouraged each morning before I start my day.  Some of you might know about it.  However, I know that some of you are new to homeschooling and might not know about it.  Here is the information:  http://www.aophomeschooling.com/homeschool-resources/other-resources/ar8001.prod
> 
> 
> 
> Also, while looking for the link for this devotional, I came across an announcement for a homeschool giveaway!   You can register to win the devotional book or an entire curriculum!
> Here is the link for the contest:  http://www.aop.com/news/alpha-omega-publications-announces-homeschool-giveaway
> 
> ETA:  I just registered for the contest.  When you fill out the entry form, there is a blank that you can check to receive the daily devotionals by email each day!  That way you can get it for free without buying the book!!!!




Thank you for sharing  I hadn't heard of it.


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## feedthebirds

The Moonk's Mom said:


> Hi all!  I am in need of help!  We are thinking of HS...but here is my big question...how do you get your kids to agree?  My children love going to school and I fear that they will really fight being hs and that may keep them from being receptive to the entire idea.  I want this to be enjoyable for them and am really kinda tired of what is going on in PS here.   Also, can you guys send me to some resources that you trust than I can learn more of what I need to be prepared for?  TIA!



I also second the recommend for the Lisa Welchel book!  Great stuff.  

My older girls really resisted the idea of homeschooling.  I made sure to involve them, but also kept in mind that as children, they were seeing something they were unfamilliar with, something unsure.  As an adult, I had a different perspective than they did, as a parent I feel that my kids do not always know what is best for them.  For me, I had to remember that I was doing what my dh and I felt needed to be done for our family at that time. Now that my kids know what it is all about, they love it.  They really had a good time loading the software on the computer, getting hands on with things.  They have their old friends (and we are now free of a few bullies we were dealing with, though not my reason for homeschooling) and now they have new friends we have met through a homeschooling group.  I also noticed a change in their overall attitude for the better.  My 12 year old says she never wants to go back to ps, she truthfully was bored, she reads at a 12 gr level and was overall not challenged enough. I am able to meet her needs better at home.


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## feedthebirds

LittleBlue22 said:


> !
> 
> We have SOS and Lifepac too. I'm am pleased with their material. The only frustration I get with SOS is some of the video voices are garbled. Maybe its just my video application  .




Thank you for the welcome!

I have not had any problems with my videos with SOS, I wish I could help you! (though I did have to buy a new sound card for my computer after we moved).  Did you call them?  They have an excellent tech department.   

Thanks for the info on the devotional TLHB70!

Wishing you all a wonderful learning day tomorrow!


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## Temair

My dd is 9 and doing grade 4 curriculum.   The last 2 years we have been with a virtual school and this is our first year of really homeschooling where I'm in charge, and make sure everything is done.  My DD had an assignment to read any book and write a book report.  It took her 3 days to read the book and then 2 weeks to write the report.  It was terrible.  I will never claim to be a great writer, I did enough to pass highschool but never really understood what I was suposed to do 
i just followed the forumla and filled in the blanks kind of thing.  My DH is more talented in this area and took what my DD wrote and has been helping her to rewrite it in more detail, and in a better format.  The problem he has found is my DD can read the words and the sentence but she just doesn't understand what she just read.  My DH says the best thing is to continue o do book reports and that will help her reading comprehension.  Any other advice?  Is this normal for kids?


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## sha_lyn

I wish I had some advice for you, but I'm going through the exact same thing with 11DD. She is taking forever to write her paper on Macbeth


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## mykidsintow

Sounds like you need to be reading ahead of her and asking questions.  Its comprehension she needs help with.  So I would ask lots of questions on each chapter and then on each book.  After reading a lesson, ask question to followup and see what she is getting from it.  

Its fairly common for kids to master reading and struggle with comprehension.  I would definitely work on questions.  I am sure there are many books that have questions that go along with them...

Good luck!  One of the moms in my local grouping is struggling with this same thing with her 5th grader.


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## graygables

Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/ is having a huge sale through the 28th.  They are lap books (we use the ebook versions) that cover a plethora of subjects.  We just finished Ancient Rome and Ohio and are working on Thanksgiving.

I joined their super membership ($60) and saved 45% off of all the lap books I ordered for the rest of the school year!  Plus, I get access to free books each months and all kinds of printables.  

I love this product; for the first time, my girls come to me and ask when we are going to work on them.  They are great for anyone who likes to cut, color, glue, and create.  They are also easy to travel with, so we'll be taking ours to Disney for the month of January.


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## Ashley Kees

Temair said:


> My dd is 9 and doing grade 4 curriculum.   The last 2 years we have been with a virtual school and this is our first year of really homeschooling where I'm in charge, and make sure everything is done.  My DD had an assignment to read any book and write a book report.  It took her 3 days to read the book and then 2 weeks to write the report.  It was terrible.  I will never claim to be a great writer, I did enough to pass highschool but never really understood what I was suposed to do
> i just followed the forumla and filled in the blanks kind of thing.  My DH is more talented in this area and took what my DD wrote and has been helping her to rewrite it in more detail, and in a better format.  The problem he has found is my DD can read the words and the sentence but she just doesn't understand what she just read.  My DH says the best thing is to continue o do book reports and that will help her reading comprehension.  Any other advice?  Is this normal for kids?



First off,  .  Don't get discouraged.  
Secondly, I REALLY suggest you put a moratorium on the book reports and go back to basics, so to speak.  Her issue is reading comprehension, so you need to start smaller than a book.  
1.  Give her some "quizzes" similar to spelling tests.  Read one sentence out loud, then have her write down what you said.  Reciting the words she sees does not require her to actually PROCESS the words, but hearing the words and then writing them down forces her to process meaning.
2.  Give her worksheets with a short paragraph at the top, and a few questions regarding content at the bottom.  As she gets better, give her longer paragraphs, short stories, etc. until she works her way up to books again.
Alternatively, you can have her read the paragraph out loud to you, and then you ask her questions.  

If you really want to stay with books, try doing a short "report" over each page or chapter instead of the whole book at once.  

You're doing great, and she'll get it soon!


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## Disney Mommy 3

I agree Ashley Kees!! We do that with the Charlotte Mason method-Narration. Read to them and have them answer back to you what they just heard. You can do it page by page, paragraph by paragraph, whatever until the comprehension kicks in.

Ashley---You leave tomorrow!!!! YIPPEE for you!!! post some pictures for us when you get back!! Oh, I am VERY curious how the EMH hours are working without writstbands!!! Have fun!!!


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## Ellester

We've also been working with comprehension with our dd10. She is an avid reader, but has trouble getting across what she has read. I got her a reading comprehension workbook and I think that it has helped dramatically. Ours is from Seton (http://www.setonhome.org/curriculum/seeinside.php?ToView=P-RD05-15), but I'm sure there are non-Catholic ones out there. Hers is an ongoing story about two boys in ancient Egypt. Each week she reads basically a chapter (one page) and has to answer 8-10 questions on the passage. Sometimes she does great, other times I am amazed that she can't get what seem to me to be the simplest questions right. But, week to week I have seen an improvement. I decided on this over book reports for now because I don't want her to stop liking to read, which was what was happening when I asked too many questions about the "fun" books she was reading.

We also used "Diamond Notes" from Sonlight (http://www.sonlight.com/RL67.html) to work on writing skills. I really liked the format and I think it was a nice, gentle way to introduce basic writing skills.


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## tethermagee

We always jsut talked about the books we read.  No book reports.  Whether they would be the book lovers now, had we done the same thing, I don't know.

Either way, one can check for comprehension, and teach a child to pay more attention.  I think it is an individual thing.


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## feedthebirds

Have any of you used Rosetta Stone?  We are considering French or Japanese (my cousin's daughter speaks Japanese and I think this would be fun for them to chat over the phone for conversation skills).  Any other language curriculum suggestions?


----------



## Nicolepa

Hi all! I finally made it thru all 76 pages! I am Nicole, mom to an 8yo (3rd), 6yo (1st) and 9 month old.  My oldest is highly gifted and in a great program in our district and typically works 1-2 years ahead.  

We are thinking of hs our son next year.  I love his teacher this year and the school overall is fine.  The principal has rules for the sake of having rules and it is driving me crazy.  My son has a 504 for a mild hearing loss.  I feel because of that they are throwing a bunch of remedial reading class and an extra PE class (which the PE teaches says he probably doesn't need) etc.  He got an almost perfect score on his evaluation for the reading class this period so I also question why he is there.  

I am trying to figure out what cirriulum(s) to use that will work well for me (a Producer) and my son (an Inventor) with our different learning styles.  I thrive on structure, lists, due dates etc.  He is very tactile has to touch everything etc.  So I am at a loss as to what would work well for us.

Any help or thoughts would be appreciated!


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## graygables

Nicolepa said:


> I am trying to figure out what cirriulum(s) to use that will work well for me (a Producer) and my son (an Inventor) with our different learning styles.  I thrive on structure, lists, due dates etc.  He is very tactile has to touch everything etc.  So I am at a loss as to what would work well for us.
> 
> Any help or thoughts would be appreciated!



I am becoming a huge proponent of lap books.  My post on 11/20 has the link to where we purchase ours.  They offer enough structure, but still lots of hands on.  We print ours out on white cardstock, so there is a LOT of coloring/art involved as well as the cutting out, folding, etc.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Nicolepa said:


> Hi all! I finally made it thru all 76 pages! I am Nicole, mom to an 8yo (3rd), 6yo (1st) and 9 month old.  My oldest is highly gifted and in a great program in our district and typically works 1-2 years ahead.
> 
> We are thinking of hs our son next year.  I love his teacher this year and the school overall is fine.  The principal has rules for the sake of having rules and it is driving me crazy.  My son has a 504 for a mild hearing loss.  I feel because of that they are throwing a bunch of remedial reading class and an extra PE class (which the PE teaches says he probably doesn't need) etc.  He got an almost perfect score on his evaluation for the reading class this period so I also question why he is there.
> 
> I am trying to figure out what cirriulum(s) to use that will work well for me (a Producer) and my son (an Inventor) with our different learning styles.  I thrive on structure, lists, due dates etc.  He is very tactile has to touch everything etc.  So I am at a loss as to what would work well for us.
> 
> Any help or thoughts would be appreciated!



First of all WELCOME!! We are glad you are here...that was a lot to catch up on!!! I have talked about this book a page or so back-the 100Top Picks by Cathy Duffy-you gotta read it. It talks about diff learning styles and what curr. might work best for that-with websites so you can look specifically at each one and see what might be a great fit. Sorry your little man is having to deal with that-He will thrive even more at home!! Just keep reading!! To him,and with him-I love, love ,love all the Dr. Suess books-we are never to old to read them!! Ha!!!!


----------



## Praise2Him

feedthebirds said:


> Have any of you used Rosetta Stone?  We are considering French or Japanese (my cousin's daughter speaks Japanese and I think this would be fun for them to chat over the phone for conversation skills).  Any other language curriculum suggestions?



My DD is using Rosetta Stone French. This is her 2nd year and she loves it. I'm not crazy about it because I don't like to sit down at the computer to learn. I also think I bought the wrong version because it didn't come with any workbooks or tests (except on the computer), so make sure you get the Homeschool version!

I also found this website which looks pretty good, but haven't actually started it yet. It's a free language learning program from the State Dept. and has all kinds of languages, even obscure ones.

http://www.fsi-language-courses.com/

Also, our local library has a language program on their website that is free. I haven't looked at it yet, but supposedly you can chat with native speakers from other countries to improve your skills.

Finally, we have the book, "French for Dummies", as a resource to look up words we don't know. It also comes with a CD.

Hope this helps! I begged her to learn Spanish because it's so much more useful, but she wanted to learn French.  Although, she plans to go into Fashion Design and live in Paris for a year to study, so maybe it will come in handy in a few years.  

Oh yes,  that reminds me - we did try one semester of Spanish using Power Glide. I loved it - she hated it! So I guess it all depends on your learning style.


----------



## Nicolepa

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> First of all WELCOME!! We are glad you are here...that was a lot to catch up on!!! I have talked about this book a page or so back-the 100Top Picks by Cathy Duffy-you gotta read it. It talks about diff learning styles and what curr. might work best for that-with websites so you can look specifically at each one and see what might be a great fit. Sorry your little man is having to deal with that-He will thrive even more at home!! Just keep reading!! To him,and with him-I love, love ,love all the Dr. Suess books-we are never to old to read them!! Ha!!!!



I have checked the 100 top picks out of the library.  I am also reading Discover your child's Learning Style.  I am confused by 100 top picks.  She will give it a 3 or 4 for his learning style and then when I go online and look at her site it will say good for all BUT Competent Carl.  LOL.

One example is Saxon.  I was going to use that as I've heard so many good things.  Then I look online and she says it's good for all BUT Competent Carl.  I think he would like Singapore but I don't know how long I'll keep him home so I am hesitant to use it since it teaches things "out of order".


----------



## feedthebirds

Praise2Him said:


> My DD is using Rosetta Stone French. This is her 2nd year and she loves it. I'm not crazy about it because I don't like to sit down at the computer to learn. I also think I bought the wrong version because it didn't come with any workbooks or tests (except on the computer), so make sure you get the Homeschool version!
> 
> I also found this website which looks pretty good, but haven't actually started it yet. It's a free language learning program from the State Dept. and has all kinds of languages, even obscure ones.
> 
> http://www.fsi-language-courses.com/
> 
> Also, our local library has a language program on their website that is free. I haven't looked at it yet, but supposedly you can chat with native speakers from other countries to improve your skills.
> 
> Finally, we have the book, "French for Dummies", as a resource to look up words we don't know. It also comes with a CD.
> 
> Hope this helps! I begged her to learn Spanish because it's so much more useful, but she wanted to learn French.  Although, she plans to go into Fashion Design and live in Paris for a year to study, so maybe it will come in handy in a few years.
> 
> Oh yes,  that reminds me - we did try one semester of Spanish using Power Glide. I loved it - she hated it! So I guess it all depends on your learning style.




Thank you so much for the info.  I was looking at the For Dummies series, and I thought that would be helpful too as a resource.  I had no idea about the State Dept. site, thanks!

I have a friend who used Power Glide and her son did not like it at all but they stuck it out!

Best wishes to your daughter.  My former neighbor's sister went to Paris to study fashion and ended up being a model (she had no intention of doing any modeling).  She now does modeling in here in the US as well as fashion design (she's 23).

Thanks again!


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## DawnM

Pulling this back to the front page!

Dawn


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## Disney Mommy 3

good!! How are ya'll doing with the holidays coming up? Is everyone about ready to take off for Christmas? We are!!!!! We were very ready for break-time!!!! We have some days scheduled where we are going to do absolutely NOTHING!!! Glorious!!!!


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## DawnM

We haven't done anything for days and days as it is.....kids have been quite sick.

I have just ordered a few things online and hope they come this week.  It is projects based and the kids will really enjoy it I hope! 

Christmas shopping some.  Hate it every year!  Never know what to get for inlaws.

Dawn


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## gottagodisney

Same here.

Ready for a break- so are the kids.  The whining is getting to me.  I always feel so guilty about not being as productive as the start of the year.  We just ordered some new math texts.  Hopefully that will change things up enough for awhile.

Hang in there everyone!  I'm trying to do the same.


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## nuzmom

We've been sidetracked for several weeks. My DS12 was in an accident on Nov. 12th (he had a 500 pound tombstone fall on top of him) and was in the hospital for 4 days. He's home and doing GREAT and we're now back to the point of TRYING to get back into our routine.

His pelvis is broken in 3 places, but everything is lined up and healing beautifully. No pins, braces, surgery were needed. He also has 2 breaks in his left hand (he's right handed) which are doing just fine. We were orginally told it would be 4-6 weeks in a wheelchair but he was given the ok to go with OR WITHOUT crutches after 2 weeks!!!!! Praise the Lord.

Anyway, we've done SOME school work up until now, but today we're trying to get back to "normal". It's going slow. Too much time spent sitting around watching TV, playing Wii, and on the computer for both he and his little brother (DS7)!!!!


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## Ashley Kees

We've been sidetracked, too.  Last week we were at Disney (sniff, and now we're back home) and this week is MY finals week, plus unpacking, both of my parent's birthdays, Thanksgiving, and getting some Christmas stuff up.  We'll do a bit when the kids want to from now until the end of the year, and Jan 1st is "nose to the grindstone" time.  Well, as much as homeschooled kindergardeners can have their noses to grindstones, anyway!


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## asfarrell

I posted this in the wrong place and was re-directed here...thank you.

Our DS is in 4th grade, our elementary only goes to 4th grade...then on to the DREADED 5th grade center (no way will I EVEN let him go there)..So we are in such a delimma. I grew up in this city and know all the local "Private Schools", which are basically where the "bad kids" are sent after being kicked out of public school (ok, it's not all that, but pretty much).

I work full time but he can go to work with me and can have his own "office and computer"....we are considering homeschool (only for 5th grade), until we decided where we want to move.

I found South East Academy online and a couple others...they offer an Internet Curriculum Program, everything is done online. I know this would appeal to him, way more than me trying to teach him. 

I am not trying to have a "Is she qualified" discussion, just asking if anyone else does online school for a younger school aged child? Thanks, it's keeping me up at nights!!

Thank you DawnM for helping me find this thread...


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## Ashley Kees

asfarrell said:


> I posted this in the wrong place and was re-directed here...thank you.
> 
> Our DS is in 4th grade, our elementary only goes to 4th grade...then on to the DREADED 5th grade center (no way will I EVEN let him go there)..So we are in such a delimma. I grew up in this city and know all the local "Private Schools", which are basically where the "bad kids" are sent after being kicked out of public school (ok, it's not all that, but pretty much).
> 
> I work full time but he can go to work with me and can have his own "office and computer"....we are considering homeschool (only for 5th grade), until we decided where we want to move.
> 
> I found South East Academy online and a couple others...they offer an Internet Curriculum Program, everything is done online. I know this would appeal to him, way more than me trying to teach him.
> 
> I am not trying to have a "Is she qualified" discussion, just asking if anyone else does online school for a younger school aged child? Thanks, it's keeping me up at nights!!
> 
> Thank you DawnM for helping me find this thread...




I don't do it myself, but I have a couple friends who use Texas Tech University Independent School District, which is the same thing.  One has a 5th grader and the other has a 1st grader in it.  They love it!  They were too nervous to come up with their own curriculums, and didn't feel comfortable without someone else doing the grading, so they signed up.  So far, everything has been peachy.

It is important for you to be comfortable.  If you aren't comfortable doing ALL of the planning/teaching/grading yourself, the online programs are a GREAT resource. 

Good luck, and good for you for putting your child's well-being above social pressures!

***Edited to add***

OOH! I see you are also in Texas.  If you go to the Texas Tech website, you can find the links to TTUISD.  It is considered a true school district by the state, which means at graduation your child will get a Texas high school diploma, and will be eligible for "traditional" state scholarships and college admittence, if that is something you are looking for.
here it is:
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ode/TTUISD/

UT does something similar:
http://www.utexas.edu/cee/dec/services/index.php?page=partners

If you are enrolled in that school, you shouldn't have ANY trouble with your local superintendent, not that you should anyway, thank to the AWESOME Texas homeschool laws.


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## graygables

We used both a local e-school and the K12 version of charter schooling with our DDs.  The local e-school, not so great, but the K12 curriculum was very good, albeit advanced.  We wound up going to a mix of traditional/unschooling because of my schedule. We prefer year-round schooling and I couldn't keep up within the school calendar and my travel schedule.  The girls liked it well enough, but like what we do now better.

As for the holidays, we aren't taking much of a break.  We'll be working on Christmas lapbooks up until Christmas Eve, then we'll be driving to OK and on to WDW from 12/27-1/1.  After that, it's back to business as usual (yes, they are still going to be doing school work the month that we are at WDW, poor dears.)


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## disneymom3

nuzmom so sorry to hear about your son but glad he is doing okay.

We are in a bit of a rut here too.  I would really like to be happy with My Father's World but the reality of it is that I am not.  I have tried three different years now and it just doesn't fit me or the kids.  I have never made it through the full year or anything, just tried!    We are doing world geography this year and while we will keep up with the topic I am going to be using our two week break at Christmas to figure out what ELSE I am going to do so that we are not all BORED.  I have a couple of friends who are using the same year or already have done it and htey love it. 

At any rate, I am trying my darndest to keep going over the next few weeks until break. DD 12 is doing quite well. She has gotten As on both science units so far so I am very pleased with that.  My boys are making progress in their various topics but I just feel like we are all bored and not getting the Joy piece of this journey at all right now.


As for online curriculums I have not used one but a friend of mine does have her kids in the online K-12 program.  She likes some of the materials but is very frustrated by the sheer amount of time that it takes to get everything done.  I know she is planning to "drop out" in Jan.  I would think for a working parent though that it would be ideal.

Nicole--I agree about Cathy Duffy's book and would also suggest Homeschooling The Gifted Child by Lisa Rivero.  It really helped me out when I started homeschooling my oldest who is frighteningly quick.  In fact, in light of my frustrations above, I need to get that out and reread some parts of it!


----------



## KibbyCat

asfarrell said:


> I found South East Academy online and a couple others...they offer an Internet Curriculum Program, everything is done online. I know this would appeal to him, way more than me trying to teach him.
> 
> I am not trying to have a "Is she qualified" discussion, just asking if anyone else does online school for a younger school aged child? Thanks, it's keeping me up at nights!!



We got Alpha Omega's Switched On Schoolhouse for my 2nd grader.  She came from Christian school and we couldn't afford to keep her there.  Anyway, I'm a teacher, but wanted something EASY since I work part time and have 4 children.  I didn't want to have to write lesson plans, grade papers, etc.  I like SOS because it is all Cd-Rom, and it has all the lessons planned out, and even grades them for you.  It's cool, because you don't HAVE to have an internet connection to use it (although we have Verizon Fios, so ours is always on), which is nice for when we have to go places that we're not sure will have internet.  

SOS starts at 3rd grade (my daughter's school was advanced, so she's able to do the work just fine, although I do it with her) and is self-paced.

The entire year's curriculum is around $350 but you can buy it used off ebay for a lot less.  You can also just buy the subjects you want.  (The curriculum is based on 5 core subjects: Bible, Math, Language Arts, History & Geography, and Science.  But if you plan on sending him back to public school and don't want the Bible, you wouldn't have to use it.)  You can also pick and choose from the units and lessons within the subjects (I omitted the units on technology and space, since I thought those would be too advanced for my 7-year-old.  I can just add them back in next year.  I also took out certain science projects that didn't appeal to us or that used items we didn't have on hand.)

Anyway, if you're looking for a cheap alternative to some online programs, you might want to check it out:
http://www.aophomeschooling.com/

Let me know if I can answer any other questions for you.  Good luck!


----------



## labdogs42

Anyone know anything about homeschooling options in PA?  My son is only 3, but I'd like to investigate all of my options before he goes to kindergarten!  Thanks!


----------



## Leader of the Club

My 20 year old unschooled daughter was accepted into Miami University starting January 2009! This was the first and only school she applied to.

When she was 16 she decided that she wanted to spend some time in Japan and study the Japanese language and culture.  She did odd jobs, babysat, made beautiful jewelry for extra money. She started working at Limited Too at the mall when she was 17 and the day she turned 18, they made her a manager. This was her "senior year." (BTW-she hated LTD2 and left there to work at the Disney Store!--my kinda girl!)

She saved like crazy and made her dream of living and studying in Japan come true.

Two months after returning home she was helping a woman that was going through a very nasty divorce, by watching her kids so this woman could look for work. On the way home she was in a terrible auto accident. They were hit head-on by a well-known delivery company.

After many months of physical therapy she is still in pain, but ready to start college.

She went to take her placement tests today and scored in the 90's on everything. 

Not bad for a kid that never went to school or used a curriculum. She learned what she wanted, when she wanted, how she wanted and for as long as it interested her. She was allowed to dream and do nothing when it suited her. She was encouraged to follow her interests always.

I am more proud than I can say.


----------



## Ashley Kees

labdogs42 said:


> Anyone know anything about homeschooling options in PA?  My son is only 3, but I'd like to investigate all of my options before he goes to kindergarten!  Thanks!



Here ya go!

Homeschool Legal Defense Association web page for Pennsylvania:
http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/PA/

listing of homeschool support groups in your area (a great resource):
http://www.home-school.com/groups/PA.html


----------



## DawnM

What????  Oh my gosh!  How did that happen?

I am so sorry.

Dawn



nuzmom said:


> We've been sidetracked for several weeks. My DS12 was in an accident on Nov. 12th (he had a 500 pound tombstone fall on top of him) and was in the hospital for 4 days. He's home and doing GREAT and we're now back to the point of TRYING to get back into our routine.
> 
> His pelvis is broken in 3 places, but everything is lined up and healing beautifully. No pins, braces, surgery were needed. He also has 2 breaks in his left hand (he's right handed) which are doing just fine. We were orginally told it would be 4-6 weeks in a wheelchair but he was given the ok to go with OR WITHOUT crutches after 2 weeks!!!!! Praise the Lord.
> 
> Anyway, we've done SOME school work up until now, but today we're trying to get back to "normal". It's going slow. Too much time spent sitting around watching TV, playing Wii, and on the computer for both he and his little brother (DS7)!!!!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

DawnM said:


> We haven't done anything for days and days as it is.....kids have been quite sick.
> 
> I have just ordered a few things online and hope they come this week.  It is projects based and the kids will really enjoy it I hope!
> 
> Christmas shopping some.  Hate it every year!  Never know what to get for inlaws.
> 
> Dawn



Harry and Davids fruit baskets....prices range from okay(not really cheap) to elaborate-they come in decorated boxes or baskets and are delivered!!!!



nuzmom said:


> We've been sidetracked for several weeks. My DS12 was in an accident on Nov. 12th (he had a 500 pound tombstone fall on top of him) and was in the hospital for 4 days. He's home and doing GREAT and we're now back to the point of TRYING to get back into our routine.
> 
> His pelvis is broken in 3 places, but everything is lined up and healing beautifully. No pins, braces, surgery were needed. He also has 2 breaks in his left hand (he's right handed) which are doing just fine. We were orginally told it would be 4-6 weeks in a wheelchair but he was given the ok to go with OR WITHOUT crutches after 2 weeks!!!!! Praise the Lord.
> 
> Anyway, we've done SOME school work up until now, but today we're trying to get back to "normal". It's going slow. Too much time spent sitting around watching TV, playing Wii, and on the computer for both he and his little brother (DS7)!!!!



Praise the Lord--that's a miracle!! Can I ask how that happened? Man--that's scary!!!!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

asfarrell said:


> I posted this in the wrong place and was re-directed here...thank you.
> 
> Our DS is in 4th grade, our elementary only goes to 4th grade...then on to the DREADED 5th grade center (no way will I EVEN let him go there)..So we are in such a delimma. I grew up in this city and know all the local "Private Schools", which are basically where the "bad kids" are sent after being kicked out of public school (ok, it's not all that, but pretty much).
> 
> I work full time but he can go to work with me and can have his own "office and computer"....we are considering homeschool (only for 5th grade), until we decided where we want to move.
> 
> I found South East Academy online and a couple others...they offer an Internet Curriculum Program, everything is done online. I know this would appeal to him, way more than me trying to teach him.
> 
> I am not trying to have a "Is she qualified" discussion, just asking if anyone else does online school for a younger school aged child? Thanks, it's keeping me up at nights!!
> 
> Thank you DawnM for helping me find this thread...



Just wanted to say HEY to another Texan!!!! Hope you find what you are looking for!!! It does take a lot of stress off of you to get a plan and know what to do!!!


disneymom3 said:


> nuzmom so sorry to hear about your son but glad he is doing okay.
> 
> We are in a bit of a rut here too.  I would really like to be happy with My Father's World but the reality of it is that I am not.  I have tried three different years now and it just doesn't fit me or the kids.  I have never made it through the full year or anything, just tried!    We are doing world geography this year and while we will keep up with the topic I am going to be using our two week break at Christmas to figure out what ELSE I am going to do so that we are not all BORED.  I have a couple of friends who are using the same year or already have done it and htey love it.
> 
> At any rate, I am trying my darndest to keep going over the next few weeks until break. DD 12 is doing quite well. She has gotten As on both science units so far so I am very pleased with that.  My boys are making progress in their various topics but I just feel like we are all bored and not getting the Joy piece of this journey at all right now.
> 
> 
> As for online curriculums I have not used one but a friend of mine does have her kids in the online K-12 program.  She likes some of the materials but is very frustrated by the sheer amount of time that it takes to get everything done.  I know she is planning to "drop out" in Jan.  I would think for a working parent though that it would be ideal.
> 
> Nicole--I agree about Cathy Duffy's book and would also suggest Homeschooling The Gifted Child by Lisa Rivero.  It really helped me out when I started homeschooling my oldest who is frighteningly quick.  In fact, in light of my frustrations above, I need to get that out and reread some parts of it!



A friend of mine used MFW last year and wasn't impressed with it.


Leader of the Club said:


> My 20 year old unschooled daughter was accepted into Miami University starting January 2009! This was the first and only school she applied to.
> 
> When she was 16 she decided that she wanted to spend some time in Japan and study the Japanese language and culture.  She did odd jobs, babysat, made beautiful jewelry for extra money. She started working at Limited Too at the mall when she was 17 and the day she turned 18, they made her a manager. This was her "senior year." (BTW-she hated LTD2 and left there to work at the Disney Store!--my kinda girl!)
> 
> She saved like crazy and made her dream of living and studying in Japan come true.
> 
> Two months after returning home she was helping a woman that was going through a very nasty divorce, by watching her kids so this woman could look for work. On the way home she was in a terrible auto accident. They were hit head-on by a well-known delivery company.
> 
> After many months of physical therapy she is still in pain, but ready to start college.
> 
> She went to take her placement tests today and scored in the 90's on everything.
> 
> Not bad for a kid that never went to school or used a curriculum. She learned what she wanted, when she wanted, how she wanted and for as long as it interested her. She was allowed to dream and do nothing when it suited her. She was encouraged to follow her interests always.
> 
> I am more proud than I can say.



Congrats & glad to hear that she's doing well!!!


----------



## cerberus

Hi! I am new to this thread, but have been reading through to get ideas. My DDs are 3yo and a 20 months old. 
My DD turned 3 at the end of August. She does go to preschool for the socialization (twice per week for 2.5hours), she is very shy. 
But we work alot together at home on basic learning. Wondering how much "school" (for lack of better word) do you plan each day for a 3yo? I mean pretty much all day is about learning, picking out colors in a book, or counting blocks, etc. But should we be doing more structured sit down time? I hope that makes sense


----------



## nuzmom

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Praise the Lord--that's a miracle!! Can I ask how that happened? Man--that's scary!!!!



My DSs were over at a hsing friends house for a birthday party sleepover. There were 7 boys all together, ranging from my younger DS7 to a 17 yr old big brother of the birthday boy. The birthday boy is a pastor's son and they live in the church manse - with a cemetary in their "backyard".

The kids are permitted to play in the newer parts of the graveyard (because the older parts have unstable stones) and they enjoy playing "army" there. My DS12 was hiding behind one of the stones and another boy snuck up and bumped into the stone while trying to "shoot" my son. The stone wasn't anchored properly (to say the least) and fell on top of my son (who had attempted to get away from it). 5 of the 7 boys were all playing there together.

The 17 yr old and a 14 yr old LIFTED the stone off of my DS (took a few tries to get it completely off, but they never moved my son) while the 2 other boys went running for the mom. Those 2 boys thought my son was dead - he was white, still, and staring (he had passed out).

The 17 yr old prayed with my son while the mom ran to them. She called 911, called me, kept my son from moving, rode to the hospital with him, etc., etc. Another mom "happened" to show up while they were waiting for the ambulance and stayed with the boys (including my younger son) and helped them cope with what happened.

Thankfully, my younger son did NOT see his brother hurt - he was told what happened, saw the ambulance, saw the worry in his friends eyes, but did not see the accident.

The whole thing was extremely frightening and my husband and I couldn't get to each other and my son quick enough - although we made it to the hospital (in Pittsburgh!!!) 6 minutes after the ambulance had arrived!!!!!

There were ups and downs in the hospital - DS ended up needing a blood transfusion the night of the accident due to some minor internal bleeding. He was also in ICU for about a day so he could be watched closely (his heart rate was too high and slow to drop back to normal). HOWEVER, today is 3 weeks from the accident and he is walking WITHOUT CRUTCHES!!!!!

God had his protective hand over my son from the start. In those early critical moments, everything was done perfectly (some of which by 11-14 yr old boys)!!! He also gave my son, and our whole family, a sense of peace and comfort during this time. The healing that has taken place is beyond what I was afraid to even ask for (so glad to have friends that could). We are so unworthy of God's goodness - I can certainly be sure to give Him the glory and praise.


----------



## Ellester

cerberus said:


> Wondering how much "school" (for lack of better word) do you plan each day for a 3yo? I mean pretty much all day is about learning, picking out colors in a book, or counting blocks, etc. But should we be doing more structured sit down time? I hope that makes sense



Welcome to the thread! At 3, I personally don't think you need any seat work at all. If your daughter really wants to sit and do something, then of course, that is fine. My ds is 4 1/2 and we rarely do seat work. He will sit with a workbook or paper occasionally when his sisters (10 and 7) are doing their work, but I don't force him. He's just not ready for that yet. He can write his name, all the Wiggles' names (he's a bit on the obsessive side), knows his letters, numbers, colors, shapes, etc. We have worked on very little of that officially, he's just picked it up. Like you say, much of the day is about learning without even trying! Enjoy it while they are young, parts of speech and long division will arrive before you know it! 



nuzmom said:


> God had his protective hand over my son from the start. In those early critical moments, everything was done perfectly (some of which by 11-14 yr old boys)!!! He also gave my son, and our whole family, a sense of peace and comfort during this time. The healing that has taken place is beyond what I was afraid to even ask for (so glad to have friends that could). We are so unworthy of God's goodness - I can certainly be sure to give Him the glory and praise.



Wow! What a story! God certainly was watching out for your family. Sending prayers for a continued miraculous recovery!


We are getting ready for our big Christmas/new baby break. I'm trying to finish up a few things so we can start fresh in January, but I have to admit we are all losing steam quickly! We finished our science a week ago and are almost done with our latest Sonlight core. I plan on taking three weeks totally off when the baby arrives (sooner than later, I hope!) and then probably another few weeks of lighter school as we get used to our new routine. Thankfully, dd10 is pretty self motivated. She likes to get her work out of the way. Dd7 is a whole different matter. But, she is getting a little better.


----------



## nuzmom

cerberus said:


> Hi! I am new to this thread, but have been reading through to get ideas. My DDs are 3yo and a 20 months old.
> My DD turned 3 at the end of August. She does go to preschool for the socialization (twice per week for 2.5hours), she is very shy.
> But we work alot together at home on basic learning. Wondering how much "school" (for lack of better word) do you plan each day for a 3yo? I mean pretty much all day is about learning, picking out colors in a book, or counting blocks, etc. But should we be doing more structured sit down time? I hope that makes sense


Welcome. I agree with what Ellester said, there's no need to do any structured sit down work right now. Enjoy reading books, playing with playdoh, coloring, painting, etc. Counting, abc's, recognizing letters and numbers are just around the corner so you could do activites gearing up for those. We used to pick a different letter every few days. We make a craft with that letter, wear a shirt with the letter on it somewhere, read a book that focuses on that letter, etc. Oh, and started with letters in child's name and "easy" letters. It was completely "light" learning and so fun, but it was amazing what my DSs picked up.
Enjoy your "fun time" with your little ones. Time goes fast!!!


----------



## Embel

I don't homeschool, but I hope some of you might be able to help me.  I have a 7 yr old, a 6 yr old, and a very active 2 yr old boy.  Homework takes about an hour each night.  I find it very hard to focus on school work for only 1 hour with a 2 yr old present- I have great respect for those of you who do it all day!

I would love any suggestions for occupying him during this time.  I would happily plop him in front of a TV, but it doesn't interest him at all.  Plus, he just wants to be part of what the rest of us are doing.  Sadly, he doesn't stay still or quiet, and nothing holds his interest for long. Any ideas?  Thanks!


----------



## LittleBlue22

cerberus said:


> Hi! I am new to this thread, but have been reading through to get ideas. My DDs are 3yo and a 20 months old.
> My DD turned 3 at the end of August. She does go to preschool for the socialization (twice per week for 2.5hours), she is very shy.
> But we work alot together at home on basic learning. Wondering how much "school" (for lack of better word) do you plan each day for a 3yo? I mean pretty much all day is about learning, picking out colors in a book, or counting blocks, etc. But should we be doing more structured sit down time? I hope that makes sense


 I get the workbooks from Wal Mart /Target or even the teacher supply store. There's simple dot to dots, or coloring matching pictures. Like the other poster said, have fun with her, even get computer games. I have a preschool program (recognizing colors shapes) from Disney with Mickey and the gang. Very simple and fun. Also, you can go online to PBSkids*org, or noggin.com and play there too. We're a techy kind of family so online works for us (along with constant internet supervision).



Embel said:


> I don't homeschool, but I hope some of you might be able to help me.  I have a 7 yr old, a 6 yr old, and a very active 2 yr old boy.  Homework takes about an hour each night.  I find it very hard to focus on school work for only 1 hour with a 2 yr old present- I have great respect for those of you who do it all day!
> 
> I would love any suggestions for occupying him during this time.  I would happily plop him in front of a TV, but it doesn't interest him at all.  Plus, he just wants to be part of what the rest of us are doing.  Sadly, he doesn't stay still or quiet, and nothing holds his interest for long. Any ideas?  Thanks!


I would have the older boys tag team play with the youngest brother. I have a 16mo old boy as well and I get my older girls to tag team watch him as I work with one or two other kids at a time. That seems to work for us. Also, maybe have him be on the computer as well. Maybe the noggin. nickjr, or pbskids would interest him too. If anything, there's fisherprice*com and some where on their site are simple banging games for toddlers. They just bang on any key and the picture or shape changes.


----------



## Praise2Him

nuzmom said:


> God had his protective hand over my son from the start. In those early critical moments, everything was done perfectly (some of which by 11-14 yr old boys)!!! He also gave my son, and our whole family, a sense of peace and comfort during this time. The healing that has taken place is beyond what I was afraid to even ask for (so glad to have friends that could). We are so unworthy of God's goodness - I can certainly be sure to give Him the glory and praise.



That is an amazing story and I also praise the Lord with you


----------



## Praise2Him

Leader of the Club said:


> My 20 year old unschooled daughter was accepted into Miami University starting January 2009! This was the first and only school she applied to.
> 
> When she was 16 she decided that she wanted to spend some time in Japan and study the Japanese language and culture.  She did odd jobs, babysat, made beautiful jewelry for extra money. She started working at Limited Too at the mall when she was 17 and the day she turned 18, they made her a manager. This was her "senior year." (BTW-she hated LTD2 and left there to work at the Disney Store!--my kinda girl!)
> 
> She saved like crazy and made her dream of living and studying in Japan come true.
> 
> 
> She went to take her placement tests today and scored in the 90's on everything.
> 
> Not bad for a kid that never went to school or used a curriculum. She learned what she wanted, when she wanted, how she wanted and for as long as it interested her. She was allowed to dream and do nothing when it suited her. She was encouraged to follow her interests always.
> 
> I am more proud than I can say.



Thank you for sharing - your story makes me feel a lot better. My DD is a Senior and although we have a curriculum we really don't do great about keeping up with it. But, she does read ALL the time and loves learning. She wants to go into Fashion Design and has taught herself how to sew. She also wants to study in Paris and is doing great with learning French. It's just so hard not to feel guilty about not finishing all the work and tests in the curriculum!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

cerberus said:


> Hi! I am new to this thread, but have been reading through to get ideas. My DDs are 3yo and a 20 months old.
> My DD turned 3 at the end of August. She does go to preschool for the socialization (twice per week for 2.5hours), she is very shy.
> But we work alot together at home on basic learning. Wondering how much "school" (for lack of better word) do you plan each day for a 3yo? I mean pretty much all day is about learning, picking out colors in a book, or counting blocks, etc. But should we be doing more structured sit down time? I hope that makes sense



I agree with what everybody has said-she's probably doing enough! We used books from the time they were big enough to sit up in my lap. I am a book lover, so I feel it's never too early to introduce that to children.

Nuzmom~ What a wonderful Testimony for your son/family!! Praise the Lord that the boys-and the 17 yo knew what to do and prayed with him!!! That's so awesome--God gets the Glory!!!


----------



## crl

nuzmom said:


> God had his protective hand over my son from the start. In those early critical moments, everything was done perfectly (some of which by 11-14 yr old boys)!!! He also gave my son, and our whole family, a sense of peace and comfort during this time. The healing that has taken place is beyond what I was afraid to even ask for (so glad to have friends that could). We are so unworthy of God's goodness - I can certainly be sure to give Him the glory and praise.



Wow! That's so amazing! It's really great that the boys were all so responsible when it happened. I'm impressed that the boys also remembered to pray. Even as an adult, I tend to panic first, pray later. Glad your son is doing well on his recovery.


----------



## crl

cerberus said:


> Hi! I am new to this thread, but have been reading through to get ideas. My DDs are 3yo and a 20 months old.
> My DD turned 3 at the end of August. She does go to preschool for the socialization (twice per week for 2.5hours), she is very shy.
> But we work alot together at home on basic learning. Wondering how much "school" (for lack of better word) do you plan each day for a 3yo? I mean pretty much all day is about learning, picking out colors in a book, or counting blocks, etc. But should we be doing more structured sit down time? I hope that makes sense



I agree with the others. With my almost 3 yr old, I'm playing games with blocks to do colors and counting. He is slowly making an ABC book where we take a notebook page and cut out things that begin with A last week then B for this week.


----------



## labdogs42

Ashley Kees said:


> Here ya go!
> 
> Homeschool Legal Defense Association web page for Pennsylvania:
> http://www.hslda.org/hs/state/PA/
> 
> listing of homeschool support groups in your area (a great resource):
> http://www.home-school.com/groups/PA.html



Thanks!


----------



## sha_lyn

nuzmom......... I don't know know what to say. I'm so glad his recovery has been so quick. I can't imagine what those first few days were like.

cerberus.... lots of great advice so far. I would also suggest working on gross and fine motor skills, hand eye corordination etc.

I found several sites with fun activites doing a yahoo search.

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt...e+motor+skills&y=Search&fr=slv8-tyc7&ei=UTF-8

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt...s+motor+skills&y=Search&fr=slv8-tyc7&ei=UTF-8


----------



## Ashley Kees

cerberus said:


> Hi! I am new to this thread, but have been reading through to get ideas. My DDs are 3yo and a 20 months old.
> My DD turned 3 at the end of August. She does go to preschool for the socialization (twice per week for 2.5hours), she is very shy.
> But we work alot together at home on basic learning. Wondering how much "school" (for lack of better word) do you plan each day for a 3yo? I mean pretty much all day is about learning, picking out colors in a book, or counting blocks, etc. But should we be doing more structured sit down time? I hope that makes sense



Hi!  We started homeschooling both DD at 3.  Every day we did alphabet flashcards, and I picked up a "preschool" worksbook at Walmart for $10, and they did the anywhere from 1-4 worksheets per day, depending on how they felt about it.  We worked primarily on colors, shapes, numbers and counting, holding the pencil correctly, staying inside the lines, stuff like that.  I went and got science and social studies related kids books at Half Price books (10% discount for homeschool teachers, by the way!) and we read at least one "learning" story a day.  Total sit-down "structured learning" time per day was around 45 minutes total.  That doubled by the age of 4, DD5 spends about 2-3 hours a day now.  I let them tell me how much sit down time they want each day.  

The rest of pre-homeschool was learn-by-live; children's museum, science museum, kids day at the art museum, PBS, nature walks, etc.


----------



## Ashley Kees

Embel said:


> I don't homeschool, but I hope some of you might be able to help me.  I have a 7 yr old, a 6 yr old, and a very active 2 yr old boy.  Homework takes about an hour each night.  I find it very hard to focus on school work for only 1 hour with a 2 yr old present- I have great respect for those of you who do it all day!
> 
> I would love any suggestions for occupying him during this time.  I would happily plop him in front of a TV, but it doesn't interest him at all.  Plus, he just wants to be part of what the rest of us are doing.  Sadly, he doesn't stay still or quiet, and nothing holds his interest for long. Any ideas?  Thanks!



Hi!  My son is almost 2, and most days he still takes a nap for about 2 hours, so most of the schooling is done during that time.  When he is awake, he sits at the table with us and mimcs us.  For example:
If the girls are doing flashcards or Hooked on Phonics, he does his own little flashcards with me, and I let him play with them.
If the girls are doing math, I let him play with the manipulatives
If the girls are doing worksheets, he is coloring pictures from his "workbook" (coloring book)
If the girls are reading stories, he listens, too!

Get him involved, it's never too early to start learning.  

When he gets bored or out of control, he plays with toys in his room, or Daddy takes him outside to play.


----------



## prittfamily98

I am pulling my 10yoDD out of school. Her last day is Friday Dec 12. We are headed
((just me-mom-and the 3 kids-hubby can't go do to work))to WDW on Dec. 14th .
I am so sick of how my DD is being taught by the teacher and what she is NOT being taught and what she is being taught. My DD went from A's to B's and C's. To top it off the teacher has done nothing. I have sent notes, had conferences with the teacher and principal and NOTHING!
I have all my paper work in order for the state(Fl). 
MY biggest problem is curriculum. Oh MY there is so much. Abeka is so popular but I don't want everything to be centered around GOD. 
Does anyone have any curriculum suggestions?
Thank you for the thread Disney and Homeschool...I'm excited.


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## graygables

I'm a huge fan of Hands of a Child lapbooks.  Easy-peasy, fun to do, builds your portfolio as you go, kids enjoy it, I enjoy it.  They come in many subjects and they frequently have sales.  I joined their "club" for year-round savings, plus lots of free printables and projects.  I do all of ours in PDF, so I can print as many as I need and don't have to pay for shipping.  

For math, we are using Math U See.  LOVE it, too.  Lots of good repetition and reinforcement.


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## Family Loves Disney

just subscribing


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## kesharn81

well i am new to this..


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## storybookmum

I didn't realize this was here.

I'm going to have some reading to do, I see!

I've been homeschooling my girls from the beginning - they've never been to school.  From Caroline's grade 2 year (she's in 5 now) we've been using Sonlight - we're almost finished Core 3, but we modify it for use as Canadians, which stretches it out a long way!

I run a homeschooling group in Windsor, Ontario, called Family Village Homeschooling Association, and I write for Homeschooling Horizons Magazine (Canadian publication).  

We use lots of other material, of course - hard not to spread around.  Caroline's using A Beka for LA and Meredith uses MCP Phonics and sometimes Explode the Code. We use Apologia Elementary for science, and Right Start Math for both girls, which we love. 

I'm glad to have the connection at the Disboards for homeschooling, too, that's fun.


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## mickeyvixie

Hi all...havent been on for a while...school stuff, you know how it is.

There is a new board available for those you who use K12 with Agora in PA.

  For now it is a public board but parts may become private for protection of the kiddies.  I personally dont post anything too incriminating  

Anywho....here ya go.  I am the same name over there.
http://s1.zetaboards.com/AgoraParentsForum/index/


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## Ashley Kees

prittfamily98 said:


> I am pulling my 10yoDD out of school. Her last day is Friday Dec 12. We are headed
> ((just me-mom-and the 3 kids-hubby can't go do to work))to WDW on Dec. 14th .
> I am so sick of how my DD is being taught by the teacher and what she is NOT being taught and what she is being taught. My DD went from A's to B's and C's. To top it off the teacher has done nothing. I have sent notes, had conferences with the teacher and principal and NOTHING!
> I have all my paper work in order for the state(Fl).
> MY biggest problem is curriculum. Oh MY there is so much. Abeka is so popular but I don't want everything to be centered around GOD.
> Does anyone have any curriculum suggestions?
> Thank you for the thread Disney and Homeschool...I'm excited.



Hi there!  Anther secular homeschool family here.  We have no problem with religion, but we choose to homeschool secularly for many reasons.  I made a LOOOONG post a couple months ago on this thread about secular resources, many of which probably don't apply to you, it was for another state, but there may have been something for you if you want to check it out.  Here's some more:

1.  I use Saxon Math, Hooked on Phonics, Hooked on Spanish, Grammar workbooks for the appropriate grade level from Walmart (for now), books (novels and biographies) as well as citizenship workbooks from Mardel (not Christian-based) for social studies, and science-related kids books (Magic School Bus, Charlie Brown encyclopedia) and a grade-appropriate science experiment book for science (also from Mardel).  My kids are younger than yours, but that gives you an idea.

2.  Find a curriculum fair in your area, if you can.  Most have passed, but some start back up in early spring.  They can be a little overwhelming, but the secular materials make up a small percentage, so it's a little easier for us!

3.  The Homeschool Place - an online store that carries both Christian and secular materials.
http://www.thehomeschoolplace.com/

4.  The education section of Half Price Books.  I find great deals here, and since everything is used, you can actually LOOK through them and see if you like them!

5.  Here are some general secular homeschool resources for you.  

Secular Homeschool (national):
http://secularhomeschool.net/

Secular Homeschoolers Association of Florida:
http://oursheaf.org/

Florida Parent-Educators Association: (has a wealth of information, plus a calendar of events)
http://www.fpea.com/

Northwest Florida homeschool convention:
http://www.nwfhc.com/

Florida Homeschool groups (including secular)
http://www.midnightbeach.com/hs/Florida.html

Florida Groups, events, and activities:
http://www.homeschoolclassifieds.com/show_state.asp?st=FL

Good luck!
Ashley


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## Denine

Hi to all the new people.

We use Calvert which is not religious.  We do use Horizons for math which is supposed to be Christian, but I have seen very little reference to religion.


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## Ellester

Children's Books is having their annual winter sale. I have found their prices to be about the best anywhere. Just wanted to put it out there for anyone who can use it.

www.childsbooks.com


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## cerberus

cerberus said:


> Hi! I am new to this thread, but have been reading through to get ideas. My DDs are 3yo and a 20 months old.
> My DD turned 3 at the end of August. She does go to preschool for the socialization (twice per week for 2.5hours), she is very shy.
> But we work alot together at home on basic learning. Wondering how much "school" (for lack of better word) do you plan each day for a 3yo? I mean pretty much all day is about learning, picking out colors in a book, or counting blocks, etc. But should we be doing more structured sit down time? I hope that makes sense



I wanted to say thank you to all that answered my post!!! Thanks for the few new ideas too!
It sounds like I am on the right track and I am guessing we have made good progress because she can count to 20, knows almost all her ABCs (she misses occasional letter like L or N), she has her basic colors down. We now started working on counting things like someone here posted, so that has been fun. 
We do 1 hour on the computer once a day. Does anyone have anyother good free sites for toddlers/preschool other than starfall? We have Reader Rabbit and I just ordered Jumpstart.


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## crl

My daughter likes PBSkids.org. And it does have some good learning games. For general fun games, she enjoys playhouse disney online and nickjr.com.


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## cerberus

crl said:


> My daughter likes PBSkids.org. And it does have some good learning games. For general fun games, she enjoys playhouse disney online and nickjr.com.



Thank You!


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## Nicolepa

Ellester said:


> Children's Books is having their annual winter sale. I have found their prices to be about the best anywhere. Just wanted to put it out there for anyone who can use it.
> 
> www.childsbooks.com




How often do they run a sale like this?  Thanks!


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## Ellester

Nicolepa said:


> How often do they run a sale like this?  Thanks!



I think they do their big sale twice a year. But even without a sale, their prices are pretty good. They are usually at the bigger HS curriculum fairs in the south and beat everyone else's prices, in my experience.


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## PoohBear

Since we just started our homeschooling this year, I am making lots of mistakes. I am having trouble finding good curriculums. Can you please share with me what curriculum you use for each subject for your kids? This will help me by giving me at least an idea on which ones I should be researching. I have never even heard of some of these programs until I see someone post it here. My local homeschool group helps but because it is small a lot of them use the same curriculum, which does not give us much choice.

A lot of the ones I find on the internet sound good and I have spent a lot of money on them but then when it comes it's just a list take to the library. I don't mind the cost, I just want more than a pamphlet for the money. The only one we have found that works for us so far is my 9th grader's Spanish. We got Rosetta Stone and he loves it. The 6th grader is doing it, too.

Your experiences will help us. We are working on 6th and 9th grades now but I can also use ideas for when my 3 year old starts. I appreciate your taking the time to share with us. Thanks!


----------



## cerberus

Ashley Kees said:


> Hi!  We started homeschooling both DD at 3.  Every day we did alphabet flashcards, and I picked up a "preschool" worksbook at Walmart for $10, and they did the anywhere from 1-4 worksheets per day, depending on how they felt about it.  We worked primarily on colors, shapes, numbers and counting, holding the pencil correctly, staying inside the lines, stuff like that.  I went and got science and social studies related kids books at Half Price books (10% discount for homeschool teachers, by the way!) and we read at least one "learning" story a day.  Total sit-down "structured learning" time per day was around 45 minutes total.  That doubled by the age of 4, DD5 spends about 2-3 hours a day now.  I let them tell me how much sit down time they want each day.
> 
> The rest of pre-homeschool was learn-by-live; children's museum, science museum, kids day at the art museum, PBS, nature walks, etc.



I got the Walmart workbooks, they are great. Thanks!


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## Ashley Kees

cerberus said:


> I got the Walmart workbooks, they are great. Thanks!



Yay!  I'm glad you like them.  I'm off to get another one today, DD4 has blown through the first one.


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## Praise2Him

PoohBear said:


> Since we just started our homeschooling this year, I am making lots of mistakes. I am having trouble finding good curriculums. Can you please share with me what curriculum you use for each subject for your kids? This will help me by giving me at least an idea on which ones I should be researching.
> 
> Your experiences will help us. We are working on 6th and 9th grades now but I can also use ideas for when my 3 year old starts. I appreciate your taking the time to share with us. Thanks!



We started homeschooling when DD was in 8th grade, so all I know about is upper grades. The ones we've liked the best were:

Math - "Teaching Textbooks"
Spelling - "Spelling Workout"
Science - "How the ______ Works" (Universe, Body, Earth, etc.) series up through 9th grade, then "Abeka" for Biology, Chemistry, etc.

We use "Alpha Omega" for everything else and like it pretty well. Although, this year we're using "Learning Language Arts through Literature" and so far it's going good.

When we started out I read "The Well Trained Mind" and was set on doing a classical education, including Latin! But, as you're finding out, it's a lot of trial and error - what works for others won't necessarily work for you and/or your child (and of course, each child is different, so what works for one may not work for the other!) (Yes, that was a run-on sentence, LOL)

Anyway, hope this helps a little bit. This thread is a great resource and you'll probably get lots of other helpful suggestions. Just keep experimenting until you find what works best for your family.


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## Ellester

PoohBear said:


> Since we just started our homeschooling this year, I am making lots of mistakes. I am having trouble finding good curriculums. Can you please share with me what curriculum you use for each subject for your kids? This will help me by giving me at least an idea on which ones I should be researching. I have never even heard of some of these programs until I see someone post it here. My local homeschool group helps but because it is small a lot of them use the same curriculum, which does not give us much choice.
> 
> A lot of the ones I find on the internet sound good and I have spent a lot of money on them but then when it comes it's just a list take to the library. I don't mind the cost, I just want more than a pamphlet for the money. The only one we have found that works for us so far is my 9th grader's Spanish. We got Rosetta Stone and he loves it. The 6th grader is doing it, too.
> 
> Your experiences will help us. We are working on 6th and 9th grades now but I can also use ideas for when my 3 year old starts. I appreciate your taking the time to share with us. Thanks!



Here is what we use with our 5th grader (our 2nd grader does most of the same on her level):

History, social studies, and language arts: Sonlight
Math: Math-U-See
Science: Apologia (We're trying Noeo for our next unit, I just need a change. We've done Flying Creatures and Astronomy from Apologia's Elementary series)
Latin: Latina Christiana
Spelling: Sequential Spelling
Reading comprehension: Seton
Religion: Faith and Life (we're Catholic)
Handwriting: A Reason for Handwriting
Geography: MCP Maps & Charts
Art: Barry Stebbing's series
Grammar: Grammar Ace 

Our little guy is 4, I have some Kumon workbooks for him and will probably start Five in a Row with him sometime in the spring.

I am happy with most of our choices right now, they seem to work well with our kids' learning styles. I've been told many times to consider the entire first year of HS'ing as an experimental work in progress for both parents and children. I think that is very good advice, it can take quite a while to "get in the groove" and even then bumps are bound to occur now and then. The fact that if something isn't working, you can change it. That's one of the best benefits of HS'ing in my opinion.


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## Nicolepa

I know many of you use Saxon for math.  I'm looking at either the 2nd grade & the 54.  Are they meant to be one lesson a day?  How long do they take?  Can they easily be split over 2 days? 

Thanks.


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## Ashley Kees

Nicolepa said:


> I know many of you use Saxon for math.  I'm looking at either the 2nd grade & the 54.  Are they meant to be one lesson a day?  How long do they take?  Can they easily be split over 2 days?
> 
> Thanks.



There are 12 lessons a month, with the meeting book running from September through June.  The days that you don't start a new lesson, are either free or meant for review.

I use Saxon K at the moment, and Layla spends 20 minutes a day doing it.  We sart a new lesson each time we do formal schoolwork, about 4 times a week, so we are ahead (I think in early February) but I just adapt it, it's easier than you think.  

We love it!


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## dis-happy

Nicolepa said:


> I know many of you use Saxon for math.  I'm looking at either the 2nd grade & the 54.  Are they meant to be one lesson a day?  How long do they take?  Can they easily be split over 2 days?
> 
> Thanks.



Saxon K is set up to be 4 days IIRC, so don't go by that schedule for 2nd grade and 54.  The lessons are supposed to be one per day but can be stretched out if necessary (ie. your child needs more time to understand the material).  There are around 140 per year, so basically one per day but you can add in extra test days for 54 if you want.  Really, Grade 2 goes pretty quickly, it takes us about 30 minutes per day including the Meeting, lesson, time test, and doing the worksheet.  One reason I would try not to stretch it out is the Meeting (calendar time).  Not only are you writing the date, etc. but you are doing the skip counting; I think the daily repetition is what gets kids to really know the numbers well.  Finally, the calendar book is blank, you can start and end when you want, just write in the months as you go along; there are 10 months in there.

If you doing 54 and up, you may want to look into the DIVE cd's.  I love those things!!!  So do my kids!  They aren't sold by Saxon but do follow the lessons, google "DIVE into Math" for more information.


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## MelliRobi2

we have been homeschooling for 5 years with Sonlight...and we purchase all our materials through them...with the exception of religion...we get that through Catholic Heritage Curricula.  We love Sonlight because you use real books as opposed to textbooks..and the schedules are great...everything is done for you.


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## Nicolepa

dis-happy said:


> Saxon K is set up to be 4 days IIRC, so don't go by that schedule for 2nd grade and 54.  The lessons are supposed to be one per day but can be stretched out if necessary (ie. your child needs more time to understand the material).  There are around 140 per year, so basically one per day but you can add in extra test days for 54 if you want.  Really, Grade 2 goes pretty quickly, it takes us about 30 minutes per day including the Meeting, lesson, time test, and doing the worksheet.  One reason I would try not to stretch it out is the Meeting (calendar time).  Not only are you writing the date, etc. but you are doing the skip counting; I think the daily repetition is what gets kids to really know the numbers well.  Finally, the calendar book is blank, you can start and end when you want, just write in the months as you go along; there are 10 months in there.
> 
> If you doing 54 and up, you may want to look into the DIVE cd's.  I love those things!!!  So do my kids!  They aren't sold by Saxon but do follow the lessons, google "DIVE into Math" for more information.



Thanks for the info on the DIVE.  I will have to check them out.  I saw a package that included them and i had no idea what it was!

The reason I was asking about breaking the lessons is that I was thinking of using them as a supplement.  My sons school is really lacking in math.  This is an area where he thrives but they don't break kids up for different levels until like 3rd grade.  So my thought was to get the Saxon and start using it with him so when we try out hs'ing this summer he will already be used to it.  

I thought I'd get a program for my daughter and she can work on it on days she doesn't really have a lot of homework.  She loves doing math so I'm hoping it would help motivate her to do the rest of her work in a timely manner.


----------



## storybookmum

PoohBear said:


> Since we just started our homeschooling this year, I am making lots of mistakes. I am having trouble finding good curriculums. Can you please share with me what curriculum you use for each subject for your kids? This will help me by giving me at least an idea on which ones I should be researching. I have never even heard of some of these programs until I see someone post it here. My local homeschool group helps but because it is small a lot of them use the same curriculum, which does not give us much choice.
> 
> A lot of the ones I find on the internet sound good and I have spent a lot of money on them but then when it comes it's just a list take to the library. I don't mind the cost, I just want more than a pamphlet for the money. The only one we have found that works for us so far is my 9th grader's Spanish. We got Rosetta Stone and he loves it. The 6th grader is doing it, too.
> 
> Your experiences will help us. We are working on 6th and 9th grades now but I can also use ideas for when my 3 year old starts. I appreciate your taking the time to share with us. Thanks!



*Bible:*  Sonlight, along with devotional readings (I just picked up two new ones for January start, but I'm sorry, can't remember what they were), Adventures in Odyssey discussion-studies that I put together.
*History:*  Sonlight + Canadian studies put together by me
*Geography:* Sonlight + several Canadian me-assembled materials
*Language Arts:*  A Beka, MCP Phonics (my younger daughter), and The Writer's Jungle (more of a mom-thing than a program for the kids).  We do independent creative writing assignments.
*Math:*  Right Start (no good for you, probably, the program isn't developed for the older grades yet - your sixth grader could probably use it for a year or two).
*Science: * Apologia Elementary
*Reading:* Sonlight readers
*Literature:*: Sonlight read-alouds, several Canadian historical fiction titles, and anything else we feel like getting out hands on.
*Art:*:  Artistic Pursuits
*French:* a personalized, picture-book doctored version of Nallenart's L'art de lire and L'art de dire.  We use the books, but reinforce the vocabulary with picture books, puppets, and games.  Nallenart illustration and supplementary materials are horrible, but their approach is solid and sensible.

We also do violin (Meredith) and piano (Caroline).  Meredith uses Suzuki, and Caroline is in the RCM and some other books.  Music appreciation - we have lots of classical music, and several systematic guides like the Story of the Orchestra, Classical Kids, and the like.


----------



## NHWX

PoohBear said:


> Since we just started our homeschooling this year, I am making lots of mistakes. I am having trouble finding good curriculums. Can you please share with me what curriculum you use for each subject for your kids? This will help me by giving me at least an idea on which ones I should be researching. I have never even heard of some of these programs until I see someone post it here. My local homeschool group helps but because it is small a lot of them use the same curriculum, which does not give us much choice.
> 
> A lot of the ones I find on the internet sound good and I have spent a lot of money on them but then when it comes it's just a list take to the library. I don't mind the cost, I just want more than a pamphlet for the money. The only one we have found that works for us so far is my 9th grader's Spanish. We got Rosetta Stone and he loves it. The 6th grader is doing it, too.
> 
> Your experiences will help us. We are working on 6th and 9th grades now but I can also use ideas for when my 3 year old starts. I appreciate your taking the time to share with us. Thanks!



My first six months or a year weren't up to my standards either. Remember though that teachers have mentors, curriculum guidelines, etc. when they're just starting out.

I have a tenth grader and an eighth grader and I'm still learning about what works and what doesn't. And it's different for each child.

Some suggestions - homeschoolbuyerscoop.com has group buys on a number of items. We've used the Thinkwell math programs and it's worked for one child and not for the other. Half.com is a good source for used textbooks. I'm currently looking at http://mathwithoutborders.com/Algebra-II/ and http://www.askdrcallahan.com/Products/AlgebraIIwTrig.html as alternatives to the not-working-for-one Thinkwell. 

We're using Spectrum Chemistry http://www.beginningspublishing.com/ for our tenth grader. I liked the fact that it comes with nearly all the lab equipment. The downside - it could use a bit more explanation at times, one piece of the lab equipment (a curved tip eye dropper) didn't work right and you have to keep track of the errata sheet.

We've also used our state's virtual charter school for some high school courses. 

www.power-glide.com has some relatively low cost language courses but I'm also using a local person to tutor for conversation and written work. 

BYU online high school's courses are reasonably priced and accredited. 

My eighth grader is finishing up this year with K12 which I like quite a bit.

NHWX


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## sha_lyn

Oh the spectrum chemestry looks amazing


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## MiniGirl

Hi everyone. I have posted here a couple of times and find the advice and encouragement ya'll give to be invaluable, so I am back to ask another question.

First some background.... We have 2 girls -- 3rd and 1st grades. Last spring, my oldest asked if she could be homeschooled. After much prayer and discussion we decided to do it. However, my dh and I felt it would be best to keep our younger dd in public school. (There are several reasons for this. Some are no longer valid, but some still are.) Anyway, this year has not gone well for her. She hasn't wanted to go to school and got off the bus yesterday crying and refused to get on the bus this morning. In speaking with her yesterday, she was upset because she couldn't answer some questions on a test they were doing. Nobody said anything to make her feel bad. She just couldn't answer them, and I guess she didn't feel she could ask the teacher for help. Anyway, I drove her to school this morning to speak to the teacher, and she was unaware of any of this. She said she went over everything beforehand and that my dd didn't finish because she was walking around the room and visiting with the other students. I believe her because that is very much my dd. Anyway, I hate seeing my dd so unhappy and not liking school. She absolutely loved it last year, but 1st grade has been more work than play and she has not adapted well to that. 

So, I am seriously thinking of having her go until Winter Break and then not sending her back. Have any of you started homeschooling mid-year? We are using Adventures in My Father's World this year with my 3rd grader, and I figure I could just include her in that and pick up some workbooks for math and language arts and find something for spelling. I am wanting to avoid buying a curriculum for just half the year, KWIM? Is there something else I would need? My dh left all these decisions up to me, and I went with Adventures because I liked that the lesson plans were already done for me and stuff like that since I really didn't know what I was doing. I still don't feel comfortable about picking out this stuff on my own. Then I think... it is first grade, and only half a year at that. Certainly I won't scar her for life if I leave something out of her curriculum as we finish up the school year.

Anyway, thanks for *listening* to my ramblings and I would love to hear your opinions. And yes, I feel certain I know what you will say and I think I have already made up my mind. I guess I'm just looking for confirmation, but please do give honest opinions.


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## Tink561

Eva,
 When we started in 1999, I pulled my sons out mid-year and they were older.  She will be fine!  Let her follow along and she will pick up lots.  Yes, get her 1st grade work books at Barnes & Noble or similar to give her grade appropriate skills.  It will work.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Good Morning Eva!!
Definitely take her out!! I wanted to take my ds out of 2nd at mid-term,but hubby wanted me to wait--I should have taken him out!! The problems with the teacher/classroom really went downhill after they came back from Christmas. So, yes, I say do it. If she can make it 2 more weeks knowing she doesn't have to go back later, it'll be easier for her I think. Just encourage her to do her best and stick it out "for Mommy!!" and she'll be fine. I think letting her listen in on the sister's work is fine. Get her a workbook from a book store or wal-mart for math. Does she have her own library card? If not-let that be the first homeschool thing to do. My kids have soooo much knowledge just from books they have read that interests THEM. 

My oldest is a dog fanatic-he likes fiction stories of boys and their dogs. My middle son is a Lego, dinosaur man-you wouldn't believe what he knows about machines, animals.... my daughter is just happy to read what I help her pick out. We read all different kinds of books---anything with a Caldecott or Newberry Award generally goes over well. The Five in a Row curriculum has great book lists. Also, the book Honey for a Child's Heart is awesome!!! I suggest that for anyone--it has lists of all the great classics(and some not so old!) for diff ages and genres.( Let me add-my dd can't read-I read to her, I think that reads oddly the way I wrote that!)

Christian book is a website I look at a lot for hs curriculum-I love their site because they give you several sample pages to read--you can really see what's in the book!! You have plenty of time to order for next year-just do lots of reading with her and some math--let her have time to be creative too. My boys didn't love this as much as my daughter does. Just little things like construction paper, glue , pipe cleaners and beady eyes from Wal-Mart keep her busy!!! And that stuff is cheap!!!!

Let us know how it goes!!!! Blessings to you!!


----------



## PoohBear

Thank you all for sharing your wealth of info with us. The websites you listed were handy, too. I forgot to ask about those. There are many resources on the internet but it is so hard to know which are reputable. That co-op idea sounds great. Are there other discounts/deals homeschool teachers should be aware of? You have given me great ideas.
I may look into certain classes for cyber school, as well. We live in PA. I have much to look into here. I steered away from this because we did not want to be pinned to a specific place and time. But I did recently hear that there is a way to do it on your own schedule. I am not sure if you can just take one class, though. I am not good with English/Writing. So, I would consider classes for that purpose.
I think the hardest part is probably scheduling. Some days we set out with the best of intentions....  We get so involved and we can end up talking about the Constitution for six hours. The 3yo is very demanding of our attention. This does not help our schedule. I am hoping, with time, he will be able to entertain himself on occasion.
Thank you all, again. It takes a village!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Just wanted to comment on something you said:"We can talk about the Const. for 6 hours". That's awesome!! Do you think your kids could do that in ps? No way!!! Anything that holds there attention or that you are all interested in will stick with them forever!!! Much better than skimming through it and saying "Yeah, I read it, Mom". Yeah for you!!!


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## storybookmum

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Just wanted to comment on something you said:"We can talk about the Const. for 6 hours". That's awesome!! Do you think your kids could do that in ps? No way!!! Anything that holds there attention or that you are all interested in will stick with them forever!!! Much better than skimming through it and saying "Yeah, I read it, Mom". Yeah for you!!!



I really have to agree here.  One of the beauties of homeschooling is that you can tailor it to your child's needs, interests and abilities.  The ability to hyper-focus is a "luxury" of homeschooling that can really serve to hone _your own understanding_ of where your child is likely to head in the future.


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## Ellester

PoohBear said:


> Are there other discounts/deals homeschool teachers should be aware of?



I have teacher discount cards at Barnes & Nobel and Jo-Ann Crafts/Fabrics. You can also sign up for the Pizza Hut Book-It program (may have to wait until next year) and if you live near a 6-Flags, they do a reading program too that gives the kids a free ticket. Just keep your eyes open for "Educator" discounts around town, you should be eligible for most, if not all of them.


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## Nicolepa

OK, I gave my 3rd grader the Saxon test last night and she placed in 65.  I thought she'd be 54 or 65 so that is right on.  I asked her if she just wanted the book or if she'd like the CD to teacher her the lessons and she got really excited about them.  So I will order her 65 w/DIVE.

Now I need to give the test to my 1st grader.  We shall see how that goes.


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## kpatcamp

We are taking our 3 children to Disney in January. I was wondering if any other Homeschoolers counted days at any of the Disney parks as School days (field trips). I was thinking of counting days at Epcot and Seaworld as days, but does anyone have any opinions on this??

I have 3rd, 2nd and K-5 graders.  

Thanks so much!

Kim


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## storybookmum

kpatcamp said:


> We are taking our 3 children to Disney in January. I was wondering if any other Homeschoolers counted days at any of the Disney parks as School days (field trips). I was thinking of counting days at Epcot and Seaworld as days, but does anyone have any opinions on this??
> 
> I have 3rd, 2nd and K-5 graders.
> 
> Thanks so much!
> 
> Kim



Are you required to count school days for your state regulations?  If so, then I'd consider it.  If not, I wouldn't worry one way or another.  

I know my older daughter did some journalling and scrapbooking last time we went, and I thought of it, cheerfully to myself, as educational!


----------



## kpatcamp

Yes I am required to count school days (160 for the year).  We are spending a total of 10 days in Orlando. We will have 7 at Disney and 2 at Seaworld. I know they will learn a lot at Seaworld and I am sure Epcot will also be educational. What does everyone think of Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios educational wise?? Does anyone have any ideas on how to make any of these parks more educational??

Thanks for any input!

Kim in Alabama


----------



## Praise2Him

MiniGirl said:


> Have any of you started homeschooling mid-year?



Yes! We started homeschooling DD in 8th grade. DS was in 10th grade in Public School and loved it - lots of friends and playing in the band, so never even considered homeschooling him. The next year, a couple of months into the year HE decided that he wanted to come home to school  So he finished out marching season, then I withdrew him the week of Thanksgiving and he never went back. I did buy a curriculum for him, since he's older and I knew that DD would be using it a couple of years later, but with a 1st grader I wouldn't worry about it.



PoohBear said:


> Are there other discounts/deals homeschool teachers should be aware of?



I have a teacher discount card from Office Max. Every year in August they have a "Teacher's Day" where they give you a tote bag with some stuff in it (pen, notepad, etc.) Plus you earn points when you buy things.

Also Books A Million, if you have them where you live.

Scholastic Books (where you order books). Twice a year they have a warehouse sale where you can go and buy books at a discount (if you have one near you).

I've heard that Hollywood Video Store will let you check out movies for FREE if you show your teacher ID card (for educational purposes, of course!)


----------



## happypooh

kpatcamp said:


> Yes I am required to count school days (160 for the year).  We are spending a total of 10 days in Orlando. We will have 7 at Disney and 2 at Seaworld. I know they will learn a lot at Seaworld and I am sure Epcot will also be educational. What does everyone think of Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios educational wise?? Does anyone have any ideas on how to make any of these parks more educational??
> 
> Thanks for any input!
> 
> Kim in Alabama


I totally think of  WDW as educational...AK has a wealth of info on animals and birds - you could do animals from different continents, bugs, reptiles, dinosaurs, fish etc...just think trip to a very very very cool with shows an rides and way better...I know that I always learn something from going there!
As for Hollywood studios - there is alot to be learned about animation and also the history of hollywood and the type of movies that have been popular, how a movie is shot or how animation is done.  You could do a unit study on costumes, acting and drama, merchandise and marketing (that would apply wherever you go in WDW!), customer service, I could go on and on...and for the Magic Kingdom - there's the presidents, tom saywer, trains, carousel of progress (if that's still there!) - the history of how things used to be - even the animatronics of the country bears could be discussed from a historical point of view!  Then all the stories that come out of the parks - Cinderella, Pocohontas, Snow White, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo - if you read every book each night while you were there or did a book report on each story that would be cool.  I don't know how old your kids are but I really do think Disney is a very educational place to go to!  You could even teach them digital photography and how to set up the best photos etc...or if you are able to take some of the tours that would be neat.  I can't wait til my kids are old enough to do some of those tours!


----------



## graygables

kpatcamp said:


> Yes I am required to count school days (160 for the year).  We are spending a total of 10 days in Orlando. We will have 7 at Disney and 2 at Seaworld. I know they will learn a lot at Seaworld and I am sure Epcot will also be educational. What does everyone think of Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios educational wise?? Does anyone have any ideas on how to make any of these parks more educational??
> 
> Thanks for any input!
> 
> Kim in Alabama



My educational philosophy: Wake up. Start learning.  We have a "school day" 365 days per year, no matter where we are.

For the parks, Animal Kingdom is VERY "educational". Take the time to stop and talk to the CMs who are showing the animals.  If you have time, go over to the AKL for the day and do some of the activities there.  They have many different things that teach kids about conservation and Africa.  There are cards at Boma and Jiko that have information about the different countries represented.  You don't have to eat there, just stop at the desk for the cards. LOTS of CMs from Africa who love to talk about their homes.

Magic Kingdom: go on Carousel of Progress.  Have the kids find similarities in the technologies from the older scenes.  Have them discuss the "future" scene and see how it compares with reality.  TTA is powered by magnets.  Discuss why pirates are "fun" if they are in the 18th century, but negative headline news today.  How are pirates the same? How are they different (or are they?) 

DHS: There is a wonderful attraction about Walt Disney: One Man's Dream.  LOTS of historical, technological, and cultural information.  The Magic of Disney Animation is an art lesson with a free souvenir.  If your kids are interested, you could talk about velocity, etc in Tower of Terror.

Epcot: well, you know.  Ask a CM at each country how to teach you a word, such as "thank you". Ask questions, you never know what fun things you'll learn!  I learned that the very yummy treat in Norway called "school bread" is called that b/c the older children are allowed to go out to eat for lunch to local bakeries and that is the item of choice.  If they are naughty, they have to stay in the school over lunch and don't get their school bread so they never want to be naughty!  

In general around the parks, look at name tags.  If someone is from somewhere interesting, ask them about their home town.  You'll learn something and you've given them the gift of being interested in them and not just how fast they can ring you up!  Give your kids a gift card for their expenses and teach them some budgeting skills.  My girls carry a notebook and write down where they see something, the SKU, and the price, then decide later what they really want to spend their money on.

Every day is a school day for all of us, no matter where we are!


----------



## DawnM

Right there with you.....every day that my children are with me, they learn something!

Now, if you really want to be schoolish about it.....

I would have the kids take their own pictures, get them developed, and then have each child keep a sort of journal about their experiences at each place.  Writing, grammar, spelling, History, photography, science, you name it.

Science is great.....The Land has a great ride showing how to grow things and be "green" about it.  The dinosour ride is great for History and taking care of the earth (even if you don't believe in evolution, it brings up great discussion with the kids.)

I was a teacher for many years.....give me any topic and I can come up with a lesson plan!  

 

Dawn

PS:  By the way, I just did a quick google search for Disney and lesson plans and it came up with quite a few things!



graygables said:


> My educational philosophy: Wake up. Start learning.  We have a "school day" 365 days per year, no matter where we are.
> 
> For the parks, Animal Kingdom is VERY "educational". Take the time to stop and talk to the CMs who are showing the animals.  If you have time, go over to the AKL for the day and do some of the activities there.  They have many different things that teach kids about conservation and Africa.  There are cards at Boma and Jiko that have information about the different countries represented.  You don't have to eat there, just stop at the desk for the cards. LOTS of CMs from Africa who love to talk about their homes.
> 
> Magic Kingdom: go on Carousel of Progress.  Have the kids find similarities in the technologies from the older scenes.  Have them discuss the "future" scene and see how it compares with reality.  TTA is powered by magnets.  Discuss why pirates are "fun" if they are in the 18th century, but negative headline news today.  How are pirates the same? How are they different (or are they?)
> 
> DHS: There is a wonderful attraction about Walt Disney: One Man's Dream.  LOTS of historical, technological, and cultural information.  The Magic of Disney Animation is an art lesson with a free souvenir.  If your kids are interested, you could talk about velocity, etc in Tower of Terror.
> 
> Epcot: well, you know.  Ask a CM at each country how to teach you a word, such as "thank you". Ask questions, you never know what fun things you'll learn!  I learned that the very yummy treat in Norway called "school bread" is called that b/c the older children are allowed to go out to eat for lunch to local bakeries and that is the item of choice.  If they are naughty, they have to stay in the school over lunch and don't get their school bread so they never want to be naughty!
> 
> In general around the parks, look at name tags.  If someone is from somewhere interesting, ask them about their home town.  You'll learn something and you've given them the gift of being interested in them and not just how fast they can ring you up!  Give your kids a gift card for their expenses and teach them some budgeting skills.  My girls carry a notebook and write down where they see something, the SKU, and the price, then decide later what they really want to spend their money on.
> 
> Every day is a school day for all of us, no matter where we are!


----------



## grammynelliebelle

Anybody going to do the Jan Homeschool days at WDW? I assume they are having them again this year. Grammy


----------



## NHWX

I'm not sure if we'll do the Disney YES programs; how are they for 8th and 10th graders? Do they separate kids by ages? Otherwise, I'd imagine that what would be interesting for the K-2 crowd would be pretty different from the high school group, for instance. 

But, yes!, happy, happy! We've booked a room right now. I'm going to hold off on any dining plans purchasing until we're much closer. Dh's job is sort of a sick yo-yo of despair and hope. Yesterday was a good day with plenty of work outlined for 2009. But the week previous was layoff-city.

Do the disboard homeschoolers plan a mini-meet? Does anyone want to even think about it? 

NHWX
(happy!)


----------



## NHWX

MiniGirl said:


> So, I am seriously thinking of having her go until Winter Break and then not sending her back. Have any of you started homeschooling mid-year?



We pulled our oldest our mid-year in high school! Talk about unnerving! We'd homeschooled before and it was so very clear that the high school was not a good place for him. But I really wanted him to make the decision if he was to stay there or not. And after Christmas vacation, he knew he just couldn't do a whole year. Luckily, the school operates on a semester basis so he didn't lose any credits.

As I tell my boys "I wouldn't feed you garbage, would I?" I'm not putting the same in their minds. (Video games are a source of struggle here!) So, if the school situation is making your child ill - physically, emotionally, spiritually, then it's time to change something. If she wants to stay for some parts, can you do part-time enrollment? Some states/districts will let you just go for gym or drama or whatever attracts your child.

Unless you have really stringent state requirements, I think that first grade must be totally fun to teach. Think of all the cool projects you can do! 

Good luck in whatever decision you make. You can change your mind too!

NHWX


----------



## DawnM

We are going the following 2 weeks after homeschool days this time.  It couldn't be helped.  We are also getting APs this year though, so it worked better for us.

Dawn


----------



## storybookmum

What's that all about - never heard of it!  I would be interested in hearing more.  We're not there till January 29th anyway, but still!

Well - here we go, found the link, and it's not around our dates, but for anyone else curious who hasn't seen it yet:

http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/programs/programOverview?page=HSDProgramOverviewPage


----------



## graygables

Thanks for the reminder!  We're going down in January for me to do an internship at WDW (currently College Program, still hoping for the Professional one to come through...) so I just signed my girls up!


----------



## Ashley Kees

Does anyone here know what the dates for the homeschool days over the last few years have been?  I'd like to get an idea of when they are usually held.

Thanks!
Ashley

Edited to add***

Holy cats!  I just checked out the prices for the 5 day park hoppers you can get on those homeschool days, and they are literally half price!!  Is that for real??  It can't be, there must be some kind of mistake...


----------



## graygables

Now we're even more psyched...we just looked up the speaker, Vicky Beeching, and we have several of her songs on our iPod!  DDs are very excited that they will get to hear from someone *famous* (btw, "famous" means that THEY have heard of the person before.  Eartha Kitt standing in line next to us at Soarin' did NOT qualify in the "famous" category...  )


----------



## Ashley Kees

graygables said:


> Now we're even more psyched...we just looked up the speaker, Vicky Beeching, and we have several of her songs on our iPod!  DDs are very excited that they will get to hear from someone *famous* (btw, "famous" means that THEY have heard of the person before.  Eartha Kitt standing in line next to us at Soarin' did NOT qualify in the "famous" category...  )



DH and I would have lost our marbles if Eartha Kitt had been next to us on Soarin'!  That TOTALLY counts as famous round here!


----------



## borntoshop96

I was really hoping we would be finished with the first half of the year by Dec17 but might be we will miss by a few days...


----------



## graygables

Ashley Kees said:


> DH and I would have lost our marbles if Eartha Kitt had been next to us on Soarin'!  That TOTALLY counts as famous round here!



My girls were completely unimpressed, even after I'd told them that she was our CP narrator that night.  STILL not "famous" enough for them, I guess.


----------



## DawnM

It is typically around the 24th of September and around the 15th of January.  So, I guess the 3rd week of Sept. and the 2nd week (or is that the 3rd week) of January.

Dawn



Ashley Kees said:


> Does anyone here know what the dates for the homeschool days over the last few years have been?  I'd like to get an idea of when they are usually held.
> 
> Thanks!
> Ashley
> 
> Edited to add***
> 
> Holy cats!  I just checked out the prices for the 5 day park hoppers you can get on those homeschool days, and they are literally half price!!  Is that for real??  It can't be, there must be some kind of mistake...


----------



## crl

Due to work schedules, we always miss the Jan homeschool days by a week or so. And this year is no exception.   Maybe we'll be able to do it in a few years.

We're potty training this week, so schooling is slow going for DD.


----------



## labdogs42

kpatcamp said:


> Yes I am required to count school days (160 for the year).  We are spending a total of 10 days in Orlando. We will have 7 at Disney and 2 at Seaworld. I know they will learn a lot at Seaworld and I am sure Epcot will also be educational. What does everyone think of Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios educational wise?? Does anyone have any ideas on how to make any of these parks more educational??
> 
> Thanks for any input!
> 
> Kim in Alabama



I'm not a homeschooler (yet), but I would think that you could have a wonderful music lesson at any of the parks, but especially the magic Kingdom.  Take the time to seek out the Dapper Dans and learn about four part harmony, seek out the Notorious Banjo Brothers and Bob and compare/contrast their music to the Dans.  Even check out Sonny eclipse and try to figure out what style of music he sings!  I think Music around the world could be a great topic for learning during your trip.


----------



## asfarrell

I posted a question a couple of weeks ago..then ...BOOM...I couldn't get on our computer at home.

I am taking everyones suggestions and will start doing "research" to see what is our best option.

Special thanks to KibbyCat and Ashely Kees...I appreciate the links.


----------



## HomeschoolMama

I'm struggling and so torn up about trying to decide about putting my oldest in public school.  She's been home with me since 3rd grade and she's in 6th now.

I'm wondering if I'm able to do all three of my kids at one time.  I want her to be smarter than me and I don't know if I can do the upper grades and subjects.  I'm a smart person, so I know I could learn (re-learn?) along with her, but it's my sanity I worry about.  I'm so stressed and overwhlemed lately.

To even think about public school and voice this hurts my heart and makes me feel like a failure and a traitor.  

I just don't know who I can talk to about this.  My homeschool friends will all be against public school and the moms of the dance team girls are against homeschooling.  I wish I had someone who has been a homeschooling mom and had to make this decision I could talk to.


----------



## graygables

HomeschoolMama said:


> I just don't know who I can talk to about this.  My homeschool friends will all be against public school and the moms of the dance team girls are against homeschooling.  I wish I had someone who has been a homeschooling mom and had to make this decision I could talk to.



BTDT.  In our district, the only way to get on the advanced math track was to start in the 8th grad. No transfers, no testing, start in the 8th grade.  I have a B.A. in English for a reason. It is a 4 letter word spelled M-A-T-H.   

I put my oldest in PS for the 8th grade.  She struggled, but found her way, mostly b/c she was headstrong and didn't give a rat's behind about cliques and politics.  She had a very strong musical ability that was not being met in our small district, however, so at 16, she moved to my parents to pursue music with my former teacher and to start college early.  She wound up doing the Disney College Program and is now F/T at WDW while finishing her coursework online.

I put my 2nd DD in PS for the 8th grade.  She struggled a LOT.  She is a much more social creature and was much more in tune with the drama that is junior high.  It was disastrous and she came back home midway through the 10th grade.  Her personality completely changed and she, too, moved to my parents' at 16, but for entirely different reasons.  She finally said, "to heck with it", aced the GED at 17 and started college early.  She wound up doing the Disney College Program and now lives with my oldest while working P/T at WDW while finishing her coursework online.

I have to tell you, 6-8 grades is a very tough time to transition into or between schools.  I moved from Germany to the US between 7th and 8th grades and it set me up for a living hades for the rest of my high school years.  I *begged* to be released from my suffering.  I was younger than my grade-mates and had taken chemistry and computer science in the 7th grade (back when computers used punch cards and classes were not even offered in high schools yet). Being smart didn't help me much in the game of public school.

I also used to be an English teacher for 7-12 graders and can tell you that was the primary reason I chose to homeschool.  I did not like what I was seeing in the schools (the things the kids don't tell their parents about) and I did not want my children exposed to that.  7th-9th were particularly bad.

My commitment to my younger 2, now that I've been through it with the older ones is, if I can't figure out how to teach it or you can't figure it out on your own, we will find someone who can.  I'll hire tutors or teachers or find a co-op if necessary.

I've said it before, my philosophy of education is simple: Wake up. Start learning.  There are ways to teach different grade levels at the same time in various subjects.  I think it's important not to get tied up in curriculum and schedules and keeping to the perfectly designed school calendar, but just let the kids learn at their own pace.  Most people I know who are successful with multiple levels and at maintaining their own sanity and some semblance of a house with food, do so without paying attention to the outside pressures.

Now may be a good time to consider your reasons for homeschooling.  What kind of compromises will you make by sending her to PS? What are the risks and what mitigation techniques do you think you will have?  Is your daughter prepared for the sex, drugs, and peer pressure that are prevalent at the 7-12th (even in the 6th) grades now?

Someone once told me that this journey would never be an easy one.  I would face criticism from the outside, criticism from my family, and even criticism from my children at times.  Whenever I'm feeling discouraged, I remember the poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.


----------



## HomeschoolMama

graygables said:


> BTDT.  In our district, the only way to get on the advanced math track was to start in the 8th grad. No transfers, no testing, start in the 8th grade.  I have a B.A. in English for a reason. It is a 4 letter word spelled M-A-T-H.
> 
> I put my oldest in PS for the 8th grade.  She struggled, but found her way, mostly b/c she was headstrong and didn't give a rat's behind about cliques and politics.  She had a very strong musical ability that was not being met in our small district, however, so at 16, she moved to my parents to pursue music with my former teacher and to start college early.  She wound up doing the Disney College Program and is now F/T at WDW while finishing her coursework online.
> 
> I put my 2nd DD in PS for the 8th grade.  She struggled a LOT.  She is a much more social creature and was much more in tune with the drama that is junior high.  It was disastrous and she came back home midway through the 10th grade.  Her personality completely changed and she, too, moved to my parents' at 16, but for entirely different reasons.  She finally said, "to heck with it", aced the GED at 17 and started college early.  She wound up doing the Disney College Program and now lives with my oldest while working P/T at WDW while finishing her coursework online.
> 
> I have to tell you, 6-8 grades is a very tough time to transition into or between schools.  I moved from Germany to the US between 7th and 8th grades and it set me up for a living hades for the rest of my high school years.  I *begged* to be released from my suffering.  I was younger than my grade-mates and had taken chemistry and computer science in the 7th grade (back when computers used punch cards and classes were not even offered in high schools yet). Being smart didn't help me much in the game of public school.
> 
> I also used to be an English teacher for 7-12 graders and can tell you that was the primary reason I chose to homeschool.  I did not like what I was seeing in the schools (the things the kids don't tell their parents about) and I did not want my children exposed to that.  7th-9th were particularly bad.
> 
> My commitment to my younger 2, now that I've been through it with the older ones is, if I can't figure out how to teach it or you can't figure it out on your own, we will find someone who can.  I'll hire tutors or teachers or find a co-op if necessary.
> 
> I've said it before, my philosophy of education is simple: Wake up. Start learning.  There are ways to teach different grade levels at the same time in various subjects.  I think it's important not to get tied up in curriculum and schedules and keeping to the perfectly designed school calendar, but just let the kids learn at their own pace.  Most people I know who are successful with multiple levels and at maintaining their own sanity and some semblance of a house with food, do so without paying attention to the outside pressures.
> 
> Now may be a good time to consider your reasons for homeschooling.  What kind of compromises will you make by sending her to PS? What are the risks and what mitigation techniques do you think you will have?  Is your daughter prepared for the sex, drugs, and peer pressure that are prevalent at the 7-12th (even in the 6th) grades now?
> 
> Someone once told me that this journey would never be an easy one.  I would face criticism from the outside, criticism from my family, and even criticism from my children at times.  Whenever I'm feeling discouraged, I remember the poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken:
> Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
> And sorry I could not travel both
> And be one traveler, long I stood
> And looked down one as far as I could
> To where it bent in the undergrowth;
> 
> Then took the other, as just as fair,
> And having perhaps the better claim,
> Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
> Though as for that the passing there
> Had worn them really about the same,
> 
> And both that morning equally lay
> In leaves no step had trodden black.
> Oh, I kept the first for another day!
> Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
> I doubted if I should ever come back.
> 
> I shall be telling this with a sigh
> Somewhere ages and ages hence:
> Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
> I took the one less traveled by,
> And that has made all the difference.


Wow.  Thank you so much for taking the time and posting all that.  I prayed for an answer last night and I feel like that was it.  It was just right to remind me why I'm doing this and give me renewed strength.  Thank you so much!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Dawn~ I totally agree with what the PP said!!! Middle school for me was a nightmare!!! And that was back in the late 80s. My older son is now in 7th grade and that is an age I would never consider putting a kid back in ps. It's a totally different world out there now! He was in ps for part of 1st and then for 2nd-not good! He's very friendly and loves his friends, but they see each other at church twice a week, and they play together as often as all of us hs mommies are sane!!!!  He ( and my other 2) go to work with their daddy a lot-that's always fun and educational!! He's a contractor/land developer, so there's a lot to learn--just by listening.

I think you should not worry about multiple level-teaching. It is not that hard --REALLY!!! Just look at it as a personal challenge!!HA!! I have a 7th grader, 4th grader and a kindergartener. We just work our schedule out so that I can help each one as I need to. I have the boys on Teaching Textbooks for math and that has been such a blessing!!!! That was one of our biggest time consumers-just reviewing facts and intro a new lesson--then the daily work. This really condenses the time and is VERY effectual. I wouldn't NOT use it ever again!!! It's on the agenda from here on out!!!

I do still get some criticism from people--not as much as I used to. Lots more people I know have started hsing since I began 5 years ago.But, just try not to feel 'bad' about what they say. They are usually people who wouldn't hs for the same spiritual or emotional reasons you do, and all the talking in the world isn't going to let them see your point of view. I just kinda change the conversation, or walk away! Most are people I don't even know-just random comments at public places. Just keep the peace--especially if your kids are standing right there~!! HA!!! Not good to blow up at people to defend what you believe in. I know. 

There are so many websites now, and so much to choose from.And according to whatever state you are in(Aren't u in Texas also?), so much freedom.Texas is the best for hsing!!! But even in states where you have to keep up with curr. choices and days to be fulfilled--we still have freedom to pick and choose what works for each kid. My friend that does Story of the World for History, has it on CD, so every time they get in the car, it's playing. So, she can make good use of traveling time-even if it's just to church, or the store, or whatever. We can find soooo many ways to make it work!!!Blessings to you!!! Keep us posted!!!


----------



## disneymom3

HomeschoolMama--I have been in your shoes.  Honestly I think (and hope) that 6th grade is the hardest year to homeschool when you have younger kids too.  I did it last year and felt like I was failing everyone. The youngest weren't getting anything out of what we were doing because it was too hard and the oldest wasn't because it was too easy.  I felt like alternately pulling out my hair and crying depending on the day.  I did put DD back in school for the third trimester and that went well actually.  It was however in an alternative school for gifted kids that at the time was highly selective. When she went back this fall however, things had changed. Suddenly her class size had doubled with no more staff and the age range instead of being middle school and high school was now ages 6-16.  They fell into the trap of what I consider most of the problem with public school--they try to be all things to all people and it cannot be done.  So, we brought her back home.

The difference in this year vs last is just amazing and what has made the difference is #1 I don't try to teach science and geography/social studies/history together anymore as I always have.  My boys in 1st and 3rd have one curriculum and she has her own.  The science I am using for her is just about all self directed so she works on her own. Geography we talk about together, she does her assignments and then I check them. Math same deal.  Spanish is totally on her own unless she gets stuck.  She is just so much more independent in her learning these days.  I am here more as a resource than truly teaching her at this point.

So, my encouragement is to hang in there!  And come here when you need to vent or cry or whatever!  




DawnM said:


> We are going the following 2 weeks after homeschool days this time.  It couldn't be helped.  We are also getting APs this year though, so it worked better for us.
> 
> Dawn


I was surprised when I priced everything out that if you are going to stay onsite, going during the pay for 4, stay for 7 promotion is even cheaper than using the homeschool tickets.  (The promotion is not available for the homeschool days time period.)  So, we think we will be going in Feb.  We could stay offsite but are really thinking we want to be on this time.  Just have it in our heads, I guess.


labdogs42 said:


> I'm not a homeschooler (yet), but I would think that you could have a wonderful music lesson at any of the parks, but especially the magic Kingdom.  Take the time to seek out the Dapper Dans and learn about four part harmony, seek out the Notorious Banjo Brothers and Bob and compare/contrast their music to the Dans.  Even check out Sonny eclipse and try to figure out what style of music he sings!  I think Music around the world could be a great topic for learning during your trip.



I am ansering the person you quoted here.  As for education at Animal Kingdom.  Study the different habitats represented by the various areas and then see the animals in replicas of their natural habitats.  So, you have savanna, mountains and....why am I blanking on this...is it rainforest?  Anyway, you get the idea. Make sure to go over to the area that has the animal hospital building--you take the little train there.  (I am doing so well on my Disney terminology today.)  Lots of hands on science throughout the whole place. REally stop and talk to the guides there and you have some geography in there too.  Not book studies but I bet your kids will remember a lot about the various areas.


----------



## Mouseketeer67

Hi everyone,
Are there any homeschoolers from Louisiana here?

Angie


----------



## Ashley Kees

HomeschoolMama said:


> I'm struggling and so torn up about trying to decide about putting my oldest in public school.  She's been home with me since 3rd grade and she's in 6th now.
> 
> I'm wondering if I'm able to do all three of my kids at one time.  I want her to be smarter than me and I don't know if I can do the upper grades and subjects.  I'm a smart person, so I know I could learn (re-learn?) along with her, but it's my sanity I worry about.  I'm so stressed and overwhlemed lately.
> 
> To even think about public school and voice this hurts my heart and makes me feel like a failure and a traitor.
> 
> I just don't know who I can talk to about this.  My homeschool friends will all be against public school and the moms of the dance team girls are against homeschooling.  I wish I had someone who has been a homeschooling mom and had to make this decision I could talk to.




You know, homeschoolers have a notorious reputation for being anti-PS, but really, we all just want what is best for our kids, and aren't afraid to try something new.  You clearly have your child's best interest in hand, try to focus on that.  Ignore the "what if I am not smart enough??" demon.  He is a bad man.  The fact is, you are.  You went through these grades, and anything new or just foggy can be suplemented.  Homeschooling isfar easier now thanks to the internet, you literally have a universe of knowledge available to you.  You can find tutors, other homeschool moms who are great at calculus and chemistry but are maybe not so comfortable with Shakespeare that you can swap with.  It just takes creativity.

And if you decide that DD needs to go to PS, that is *gasp* fine.  Hard to believe, I know, but there again, we all just want what is best for our child.  Noone besides you and your family knows what's best for your family.  Period.  Anyone who makes you feel bad about your decisions is not worth listening to, and us homeschool moms know that mantra by heart.

So, to summarize:
1) You're doing great. We all support you.
2) We all have faith that you can do this.
3) Homeschooling with three isn't that difficult, it's just a timing issue.  Give yourself time to get into the groove.  Everyone makes mistakes, you are allowed to, too!
4) If you really don't feel like you can, but you still want to, there's lots of assistance you can get.
5) If you and your family decide PS is the way to go, do it!  Be that mom who always chaperones, always volunteers, always helps with the homework, etc.  Just because she's going to PS doesn't mean you can't be involved in it.
6)  I really do think you can do it.  

Ashley


----------



## Ashley Kees

graygables said:


> BTDT.  In our district, the only way to get on the advanced math track was to start in the 8th grad. No transfers, no testing, start in the 8th grade.  I have a B.A. in English for a reason. It is a 4 letter word spelled M-A-T-H.
> 
> I put my oldest in PS for the 8th grade.  She struggled, but found her way, mostly b/c she was headstrong and didn't give a rat's behind about cliques and politics.  She had a very strong musical ability that was not being met in our small district, however, so at 16, she moved to my parents to pursue music with my former teacher and to start college early.  She wound up doing the Disney College Program and is now F/T at WDW while finishing her coursework online.
> 
> I put my 2nd DD in PS for the 8th grade.  She struggled a LOT.  She is a much more social creature and was much more in tune with the drama that is junior high.  It was disastrous and she came back home midway through the 10th grade.  Her personality completely changed and she, too, moved to my parents' at 16, but for entirely different reasons.  She finally said, "to heck with it", aced the GED at 17 and started college early.  She wound up doing the Disney College Program and now lives with my oldest while working P/T at WDW while finishing her coursework online.
> 
> I have to tell you, 6-8 grades is a very tough time to transition into or between schools.  I moved from Germany to the US between 7th and 8th grades and it set me up for a living hades for the rest of my high school years.  I *begged* to be released from my suffering.  I was younger than my grade-mates and had taken chemistry and computer science in the 7th grade (back when computers used punch cards and classes were not even offered in high schools yet). Being smart didn't help me much in the game of public school.
> 
> I also used to be an English teacher for 7-12 graders and can tell you that was the primary reason I chose to homeschool.  I did not like what I was seeing in the schools (the things the kids don't tell their parents about) and I did not want my children exposed to that.  7th-9th were particularly bad.
> 
> My commitment to my younger 2, now that I've been through it with the older ones is, if I can't figure out how to teach it or you can't figure it out on your own, we will find someone who can.  I'll hire tutors or teachers or find a co-op if necessary.
> 
> I've said it before, my philosophy of education is simple: Wake up. Start learning.  There are ways to teach different grade levels at the same time in various subjects.  I think it's important not to get tied up in curriculum and schedules and keeping to the perfectly designed school calendar, but just let the kids learn at their own pace.  Most people I know who are successful with multiple levels and at maintaining their own sanity and some semblance of a house with food, do so without paying attention to the outside pressures.
> 
> Now may be a good time to consider your reasons for homeschooling.  What kind of compromises will you make by sending her to PS? What are the risks and what mitigation techniques do you think you will have?  Is your daughter prepared for the sex, drugs, and peer pressure that are prevalent at the 7-12th (even in the 6th) grades now?
> 
> Someone once told me that this journey would never be an easy one.  I would face criticism from the outside, criticism from my family, and even criticism from my children at times.  Whenever I'm feeling discouraged, I remember the poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken:
> Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
> And sorry I could not travel both
> And be one traveler, long I stood
> And looked down one as far as I could
> To where it bent in the undergrowth;
> 
> Then took the other, as just as fair,
> And having perhaps the better claim,
> Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
> Though as for that the passing there
> Had worn them really about the same,
> 
> And both that morning equally lay
> In leaves no step had trodden black.
> Oh, I kept the first for another day!
> Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
> I doubted if I should ever come back.
> 
> I shall be telling this with a sigh
> Somewhere ages and ages hence:
> Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
> I took the one less traveled by,
> And that has made all the difference.



Amazing, inspirational post!  You rock!  In the words of my DD5, "That post was Awesome Possum!!"


----------



## Ashley Kees

asfarrell said:


> I posted a question a couple of weeks ago..then ...BOOM...I couldn't get on our computer at home.
> 
> I am taking everyones suggestions and will start doing "research" to see what is our best option.
> 
> Special thanks to KibbyCat and Ashely Kees...I appreciate the links.



You're welcome!


----------



## DawnM

It may be, but the tickets we got were $152 each and included 5 park hopper days and 4 vouchers for DisneyQuest and the waterparks.  With the stay 4 and play 7, do you get anything other than the parks?

We aren't staying on site, so it doesn't matter anyway.  It is still far cheaper to stay off site for us and get APs.

Dawn



disneymom3 said:


> I was surprised when I priced everything out that if you are going to stay onsite, going during the pay for 4, stay for 7 promotion is even cheaper than using the homeschool tickets.  (The promotion is not available for the homeschool days time period.)  So, we think we will be going in Feb.  We could stay offsite but are really thinking we want to be on this time.  Just have it in our heads, I guess.


----------



## DawnM

I taught English for many years (12) too.  I was also a school counselor for an additional 4 and a half years.   I think there are a couple of things I would comment on in your post.

I do not plan to send my children to the local ps for middle or high school, but most people do have some options that are far better and don't necessarily include peer pressure for sex, drinking, etc....

Magnet programs, charter schools, and private schools are all options. 

What I like about the above choices is that many of them are so different than the local ps.  There are fewer kids, so the hoard mentality is not as prevelent, parents are typically FAR more involved, and the academic pressure is higher, leaving far less time to get into trouble.

This next year, since my youngest will finally be school age, I do plan to do the lottery for all of my kids into the local K-12 Charter school.  There is also a great new 6-12 school (charter) that just started.  It currently has only 120 students and only grades 6 and 7.  They will add a grade level each year.  

I just don't think that it has to be an all or nothing approach.

I miss working terribly, and I am hoping that we might all be at the same school or near one another in the next year or two.

Dawn





graygables said:


> BTDT.  In our district, the only way to get on the advanced math track was to start in the 8th grad. No transfers, no testing, start in the 8th grade.  I have a B.A. in English for a reason. It is a 4 letter word spelled M-A-T-H.
> 
> I put my oldest in PS for the 8th grade.  She struggled, but found her way, mostly b/c she was headstrong and didn't give a rat's behind about cliques and politics.  She had a very strong musical ability that was not being met in our small district, however, so at 16, she moved to my parents to pursue music with my former teacher and to start college early.  She wound up doing the Disney College Program and is now F/T at WDW while finishing her coursework online.
> 
> I put my 2nd DD in PS for the 8th grade.  She struggled a LOT.  She is a much more social creature and was much more in tune with the drama that is junior high.  It was disastrous and she came back home midway through the 10th grade.  Her personality completely changed and she, too, moved to my parents' at 16, but for entirely different reasons.  She finally said, "to heck with it", aced the GED at 17 and started college early.  She wound up doing the Disney College Program and now lives with my oldest while working P/T at WDW while finishing her coursework online.
> 
> I have to tell you, 6-8 grades is a very tough time to transition into or between schools.  I moved from Germany to the US between 7th and 8th grades and it set me up for a living hades for the rest of my high school years.  I *begged* to be released from my suffering.  I was younger than my grade-mates and had taken chemistry and computer science in the 7th grade (back when computers used punch cards and classes were not even offered in high schools yet). Being smart didn't help me much in the game of public school.
> 
> I also used to be an English teacher for 7-12 graders and can tell you that was the primary reason I chose to homeschool.  I did not like what I was seeing in the schools (the things the kids don't tell their parents about) and I did not want my children exposed to that.  7th-9th were particularly bad.
> 
> My commitment to my younger 2, now that I've been through it with the older ones is, if I can't figure out how to teach it or you can't figure it out on your own, we will find someone who can.  I'll hire tutors or teachers or find a co-op if necessary.
> 
> I've said it before, my philosophy of education is simple: Wake up. Start learning.  There are ways to teach different grade levels at the same time in various subjects.  I think it's important not to get tied up in curriculum and schedules and keeping to the perfectly designed school calendar, but just let the kids learn at their own pace.  Most people I know who are successful with multiple levels and at maintaining their own sanity and some semblance of a house with food, do so without paying attention to the outside pressures.
> 
> Now may be a good time to consider your reasons for homeschooling.  What kind of compromises will you make by sending her to PS? What are the risks and what mitigation techniques do you think you will have?  Is your daughter prepared for the sex, drugs, and peer pressure that are prevalent at the 7-12th (even in the 6th) grades now?
> 
> Someone once told me that this journey would never be an easy one.  I would face criticism from the outside, criticism from my family, and even criticism from my children at times.  Whenever I'm feeling discouraged, I remember the poem by Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken:
> Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
> And sorry I could not travel both
> And be one traveler, long I stood
> And looked down one as far as I could
> To where it bent in the undergrowth;
> 
> Then took the other, as just as fair,
> And having perhaps the better claim,
> Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
> Though as for that the passing there
> Had worn them really about the same,
> 
> And both that morning equally lay
> In leaves no step had trodden black.
> Oh, I kept the first for another day!
> Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
> I doubted if I should ever come back.
> 
> I shall be telling this with a sigh
> Somewhere ages and ages hence:
> Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
> I took the one less traveled by,
> And that has made all the difference.


----------



## graygables

DawnM said:


> Magnet programs, charter schools, and private schools are all options.
> 
> What I like about the above choices is that many of them are so different than the local ps.  There are fewer kids, so the hoard mentality is not as prevelent, parents are typically FAR more involved, and the academic pressure is higher, leaving far less time to get into trouble.



I do agree with you to a certain extent, however, in my area, none of these are options.  We have an online charter school, but it did not work with my schedule. We prefer year-round school and the charter was on a traditional calendar.  There were other issues.  There are no B&M charter schools, no magnet programs, and only 1 private school that is the catch-all for the public school rejects (as many private schools are becoming).  I also taught in a private school and the kids there were no different than those in public school except many of them had more money and free time to get into even more trouble.

I believe that parents should carefully weigh ALL of their education options for their families to decide what is best for them.  If you have charter or magnet programs, by all means, they should be considered, but it's important to remember that there are probably more areas WITHOUT them than areas that do have them.


----------



## disneymom3

DawnM said:


> It may be, but the tickets we got were $152 each and included 5 park hopper days and 4 vouchers for DisneyQuest and the waterparks.  With the stay 4 and play 7, do you get anything other than the parks?
> 
> We aren't staying on site, so it doesn't matter anyway.  It is still far cheaper to stay off site for us and get APs.
> 
> Dawn



Oh, I agree completely!  We almost always stay offsite...I know, I know, shocking isn't it??   I was just saying that I was surprised that even with the same tickets the pricing was more in our favor to stay onsite and use the 7/4 deal at another time a few weeks later than to stay onsite and use the homeschool tickets. That surprised me since the HS tickets are such a great price.


----------



## Disneynut5

Hi all!  Joining this thread.  I am a HS mom in TX who is taking her first family trip to WDW in Sept.  The last time I went was 1985 but am so excited about it!  My kids are 3 and 7 but will be 4 and 8 when we go.  I also HS my 10 year old niece but she will not be going with us.  

We are planning to stay at POFQ and do the Deluxe dining if they offer free dining for Sept - then I will upgrade to Deluxe.  If not we will survive with the regular plan.  

We could stay off site or at Shades of Green (Dh is reserves) but I want the whole Disney experience this first time.  We are renting a car so that should help with getting to our resort reservations.  Dh and I have always loved to eat out so I think we will really enjoy dining at Disney.

Back to HSing.  We are an eclectic homeschooling Christian family.  I was a private Christian school teacher before kids but love HSing!  This is our 3rd year of HSing.  We use Horizons Math, Mystery of History Volume 1, Sonlight Science 2, Spellingtime.com, the Day by day Bible, Artistic Pursuits, Growing with Grammar...  Can you tell I LOVE curriculum?  We also have a home library of about 2,000 books!  My mother blessed us with most of them by going to thrift stores and Half Price Books daily for years.  She passed away this summer after living with us for the past year.  We all miss her very much!  

Anyway, that is me....  Glad to see other Hsers here.  

I have not made my reservations yet but we are probably going the Sunday after Labor Day and staying for 8 days.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Disneynut5~ Hello and welcome aboard!!

And hidy-ho to a fellow Texan Christian hser!!!!!! I too looooove curriculum and we have tons of books here as well!!!!

Congrats on getting to go to Disney!!! The time will fly and you'll be counting down before you know it!!!


----------



## DawnM

I am agreeing with you.  All options should be considered and each family has to decide what is best for them.  I just don't want to label all schools as X, just like I don't want all HS families labeled from one person's experience with one family.  We have all experienced labeling.  All of our experiences will be different as well.

I will also say that due to my DH's job (and our preference), we will always live in or near a major city, so we do have a huge variety of options for schooling and probably will, even if we move.

Dawn



graygables said:


> I do agree with you to a certain extent, however, in my area, none of these are options.  We have an online charter school, but it did not work with my schedule. We prefer year-round school and the charter was on a traditional calendar.  There were other issues.  There are no B&M charter schools, no magnet programs, and only 1 private school that is the catch-all for the public school rejects (as many private schools are becoming).  I also taught in a private school and the kids there were no different than those in public school except many of them had more money and free time to get into even more trouble.
> 
> I believe that parents should carefully weigh ALL of their education options for their families to decide what is best for them.  If you have charter or magnet programs, by all means, they should be considered, but it's important to remember that there are probably more areas WITHOUT them than areas that do have them.


----------



## princessofcandles

Hi, another TX HSing family here.  Actually DH is a work@home dad so HE (yes, he) does the actual HSing.  I am more organized so I set up the day but daddy does the work.  We have very young kids (DD 2 1/2 and DS 1).  So really we are in the very very begining.  We have opted to start with "Before five in a row" and continue with "Five in a row" supplementing as needed.  Love to hear from other HS families.

ohhhh best part of HSing..... flexability.  We were planning a grand gathering with my BIL's family.  They were trying to make spring break work for them but ultimately had to scrap the idea.  So we are going without..... during 4+3, with $200, and off-peak prices.  Thankyouverymuch.

Do you think sending them a postcard saying "wish you were here" would be rude?


----------



## joeatdisney2008

we have been homeschooling for 5 years with Sonlight...and we purchase all our materials through them...with the exception of religion...we get that through Catholic Heritage Curricula. We love Sonlight because you use real books as opposed to textbooks..and the schedules are great...everything is done for you.
thanks.


----------



## Pixiedust34

joeatdisney2008 said:


> we have been homeschooling for 5 years with Sonlight...and we purchase all our materials through them...with the exception of religion...we get that through Catholic Heritage Curricula. We love Sonlight because you use real books as opposed to textbooks..and the schedules are great...everything is done for you.
> thanks.



We're on our 6th year of homeschooling with Sonlight.  I do tweak some lessons now and then, but we love the literature and the way that the readers and read alouds tie in with the history lessons!


----------



## Praise2Him

princessofcandles said:


> Actually DH is a work@home dad so HE (yes, he) does the actual HSing.  I am more organized so I set up the day but daddy does the work.



I was talking to some friends last night and they just pulled their 6th grader out of PS recently to HS him. The mom is a doctor and works full time. The dad is an RN and works part-time, but is mostly the at-home dad, so he's the one doing the HSing. I think it's wonderful, no matter who does it!  



princessofcandles said:


> Do you think sending them a postcard saying "wish you were here" would be rude?



LOL, you are so funny!


----------



## Mommy2three

does anyone go through connections academy? I was thinking about enrolling both DS soon to be 7, and DD soon to be 9 next year through connections academy, through our state, WI.  My ds is thriving in homeschooling, he is a totally different kid since i pulled him out of public school this year. My DD is having a ton of problems at school now, 2nd grade, she has many psychological issues, adhd, bipolar, odd, schizophrenia, DID, ocd to name a few, and her teacher this year is letting her not do her classwork.  My dd will cry and throw a fit saying its too hard, so they will tell her she doesnt have to do it, so she sits at her table, cross armed all day, and refuses to do ANY of the work.  And when it gets sent home, she will do it because she knows I will NOT play into her games of saying its too hard and the crying and throwing a fit, she gets it done with no tears, or arguments, and she can do it on her own with very little, or no help at all.  The school is just not trained to deal with a child with her problems.  They dont have expierence with multiple personalities, schizophrenia, etc.  I think connections academy will be a good fit for us, as I do like the curriculum the public school provides, and connections academy has that same curriculum.  There is another one, wisconsin virtual academy, but they go with the K12.com curriculum and I dont like that one at all.  I used that to supplement PS with my DD 2 years ago, and I hated it!


----------



## DawnM

WhooHoo, heading out to go skiing tomorrow for homeschool ski days~!  Half price, empty slopes, need I go on????

 

Dawn


----------



## HomeschoolMama

I just had a whole post typed out and the dumb spelling book fell on my keyboard and closed my window.   I guess it's a homeschooling hazzard!  

So, essentially, I said thanks for the help and that I looking into a online writing class for my oldest to take next fall.  I think everything else is managable.  

The girls (6th and 2nd) are pretty easy to teach and deal with.  My son is another story.  He just turned 6 in November and is extremely smart and articulate.  The problem is he's a stubborn little thing and doesn't want to learn the things in the books.  He'd rather play the game cube and watch t.v.

When he decides he wants to do school, he wants to do what's in the kinder workbooks, but he's not ready.  he finally learned the letters names and how to write them, but he doesn't know the sounds.  I bought a Learn and Go lap top , and a Leap Frog letters DVD for him.  I think if he would watch it a few times inthe next few weeks, and play the phonics games, he'd be in pretty good shape.  But he throws a fit and cries when I have him do something other than he wants.      He makes trying to do school so hard.  I have to send him out of the room a lot to do school with the girls.  So, I worry he's been ignored, but he's so confrontational.   

What do you guys think?  Have you had to deal with a stubborn child who doesn't want to do school unless it's his way?  How did you balance that with the other kids in the family?


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

princessofcandles said:


> Hi, another TX HSing family here.  Actually DH is a work@home dad so HE (yes, he) does the actual HSing.  I am more organized so I set up the day but daddy does the work.  We have very young kids (DD 2 1/2 and DS 1).  So really we are in the very very begining.  We have opted to start with "Before five in a row" and continue with "Five in a row" supplementing as needed.  Love to hear from other HS families.
> 
> ohhhh best part of HSing..... flexability.  We were planning a grand gathering with my BIL's family.  They were trying to make spring break work for them but ultimately had to scrap the idea.  So we are going without..... during 4+3, with $200, and off-peak prices.  Thankyouverymuch.
> 
> Do you think sending them a postcard saying "wish you were here" would be rude?



I have used FIAR with my kids and we loved it!! They get so much from just one-on-one reading with you. I love it! Especially the younger age!! I think the post card would be hilarious~ if they are jokey people-if not, I don't know if I would do it!! 


HomeschoolMama said:


> What do you guys think?  Have you had to deal with a stubborn child who doesn't want to do school unless it's his way?  How did you balance that with the other kids in the family?



My little girl is sorta like him. Not throwing fits or crying, just thinking she knows everything and getting upset when I correct her. It was worse last year(pre-K). This year she has matured quite  a lot. Just keep him interested in it as much as you can(or as much as he wants too) and maybe after the holidays, or even when you start school next year, he'll be mature enough to stick with it. Boys are always less mature than their girl counterparts-usually at every age. Not always, but it sounds like he just isn't ready. I know some people firmly stick with the old fashioned-practice of not teaching boys until they are 8--they just feel that's optimal time for them. He may be like that--don't sweat it!! Just go with what feels right and what he likes. Not to the point he NEVER does anything, but just keep watching for little progresses!!! You'll know it when it happens!!


----------



## HomeschoolMama

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> My little girl is sorta like him. Not throwing fits or crying, just thinking she knows everything and getting upset when I correct her. It was worse last year(pre-K). This year she has matured quite  a lot. Just keep him interested in it as much as you can(or as much as he wants too) and maybe after the holidays, or even when you start school next year, he'll be mature enough to stick with it. Boys are always less mature than their girl counterparts-usually at every age. Not always, but it sounds like he just isn't ready. I know some people firmly stick with the old fashioned-practice of not teaching boys until they are 8--they just feel that's optimal time for them. He may be like that--don't sweat it!! Just go with what feels right and what he likes. Not to the point he NEVER does anything, but just keep watching for little progresses!!! You'll know it when it happens!!


I have tried so hard to be patient with him and let him learn at his pace.   I know we shouldn't care about what other people think, but when your families don't agree with your choices and "quiz" them on things they think he should know, it makes life so uncomfortable.  I also wonder about his attitude and if I let him not do school, if he's getting away with being a fart.  

He threw a fit about wanting to do the workbook and I made him go down and watch the letter sounds DVD.  Now he's doing the laptop games and he's doing great.  So, I wonder if it's an attitude thing.  Who am I foolin'? That kid was born annoyed!


----------



## Praise2Him

DawnM said:


> WhooHoo, heading out to go skiing tomorrow for homeschool ski days~!  Half price, empty slopes, need I go on????
> 
> 
> 
> Dawn



Where!?! In North Carolina? That sounds awesome!

Our family LOVES to ski & snowboard (surprisingly, since we live in Alabama  ).

We've been to  Gatlinburg, TN, Boone, N.C., West Virginia & Colorado so far.

We're planning a big family trip to Winter Park, CO next April to celebrate all 3 kids graduations - Oldest DS is graduating from college this Friday  , DD (youngest) is graduating from High School next May  , and Middle DS is graduating from College (Film School) next June 

I never knew they had Homeschool Days for skiing, though!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Dawn,
Only you know if he's just being a little turkey!!!! If he is, then it's better to get a handle on it now! If he's not, try not to let your families dictate what you feel is best for you. Easier said than done, believe me, I know!!! My husbands family makes comments (to each other, that conveniently come back to me) about how weird hs kids are, and that they grow up to be the weirdos of society and have no friends and so sooo religious. YIKES! Are we a little judgy here? I know it's frustrating and ugly. But, if that's what I have to hear to do the right thing for my kids...so be it!! People are just rude. Bottom line! I have learned that the hard way. Just because I wouldn't do that to someone else, doesn't give me a free pass for others not to do it to me. It's hard, but I just really try to pray through a lot of that garbage and move on. I am not gonna let someone else's choices and words keep me bitter-my kids deserve better than that! 
My goal is to be the BEST HSing mamma I can be!!! We have fun and so I have to assume everyone else is ignorant of the blessing it is and /or they are jealous! Of course, that just makes me feel better-doesn't make it true!


----------



## graygables

HomeschoolMama said:


> I know we shouldn't care about what other people think, but when your families don't agree with your choices and "quiz" them on things they think he should know, it makes life so uncomfortable.  I also wonder about his attitude and if I let him not do school, if he's getting away with being a fart.



Oh my heavens, I HATE when my mother does this!!!  Her big thing is multiplication tables.  Well, sorry, I've objected to memorizing multiplication tables since *I* was in the 4th grade (I told my teacher I had better things to do with my brain cells... )  I think it's more important for them to understand HOW it works and WHY it works, the memory will come with time.  Mine learn math concepts slowly, much like I did.  What really ticks me off is that my mother flunked out of college b/c she couldn't pass the remedial math class!  

The other one was "Betsy Ross".  How on earth did a 4th and 6th grader NOT know all about Betsy Ross??? (insert mortified face here).  Well, ask them about ancient Rome, maybe, or Mesopotamia, perhaps.  We just haven't GOTTEN there yet b/c there is SO much more history to this planet than the last couple hundred years.  Having travelled in Europe so much, you'd think she'd realize that...

When someone starts the pop quiz, I shut it down and intervene to redirect to what we ARE working on at the moment.  Nothing like making a kid feel badly over what they may or may not know...  

As to your son, although I don't have boys, I agree that they are slower to mature enough to manage "traditional" learning.  On the other hand, I also believe that a child should never be allowed to be beligerent, disrespectful, or hissy-fitty when a parent tells them to do something.  I had a friend who had a child like that.  I don't know if you watch the Dog Whisperer, but he talks about being "calm assertive" with dogs, and it applies very much to kids.  You will sit down and you will do as you are told.  It's not about being "authoritarian", it's about being the parent.  My friend applied some of those techniques, she even used the "ch!" if he started acting out  and it didn't take long for him to realize that she is the Alpha Mom and is not to be messed with.  He had to EARN video game/TV time with poker chips from doing what he was asked, whether it was school or chores.  If he decided to be a putz, he got to sit on a welcome mat in the middle of the floor with no entertainment.  

When my youngest starts to object to math, she gets "The Look" followed with an "Excuse me?" that I mastered when I was a school teacher.  It works and she hunkers down.


----------



## HomeschoolMama

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Dawn,
> Only you know if he's just being a little turkey!!!! If he is, then it's better to get a handle on it now! If he's not, try not to let your families dictate what you feel is best for you. Easier said than done, believe me, I know!!! My husbands family makes comments (to each other, that conveniently come back to me) about how weird hs kids are, and that they grow up to be the weirdos of society and have no friends and so sooo religious. YIKES! Are we a little judgy here? I know it's frustrating and ugly. But, if that's what I have to hear to do the right thing for my kids...so be it!! People are just rude. Bottom line! I have learned that the hard way. Just because I wouldn't do that to someone else, doesn't give me a free pass for others not to do it to me. It's hard, but I just really try to pray through a lot of that garbage and move on. I am not gonna let someone else's choices and words keep me bitter-my kids deserve better than that!
> My goal is to be the BEST HSing mamma I can be!!! We have fun and so I have to assume everyone else is ignorant of the blessing it is and /or they are jealous! Of course, that just makes me feel better-doesn't make it true!


 Thanks!  You're right, of course!  
Are you in central Texas?  I'm a little north of SA. 



graygables said:


> Oh my heavens, I HATE when my mother does this!!!  Her big thing is multiplication tables.  Well, sorry, I've objected to memorizing multiplication tables since *I* was in the 4th grade (I told my teacher I had better things to do with my brain cells... )  I think it's more important for them to understand HOW it works and WHY it works, the memory will come with time.  Mine learn math concepts slowly, much like I did.  What really ticks me off is that my mother flunked out of college b/c she couldn't pass the remedial math class!
> 
> The other one was "Betsy Ross".  How on earth did a 4th and 6th grader NOT know all about Betsy Ross??? (insert mortified face here).  Well, ask them about ancient Rome, maybe, or Mesopotamia, perhaps.  We just haven't GOTTEN there yet b/c there is SO much more history to this planet than the last couple hundred years.  Having travelled in Europe so much, you'd think she'd realize that...
> 
> When someone starts the pop quiz, I shut it down and intervene to redirect to what we ARE working on at the moment.  Nothing like making a kid feel badly over what they may or may not know...
> 
> As to your son, although I don't have boys, I agree that they are slower to mature enough to manage "traditional" learning.  On the other hand, I also believe that a child should never be allowed to be beligerent, disrespectful, or hissy-fitty when a parent tells them to do something.  I had a friend who had a child like that.  I don't know if you watch the Dog Whisperer, but he talks about being "calm assertive" with dogs, and it applies very much to kids.  You will sit down and you will do as you are told.  It's not about being "authoritarian", it's about being the parent.  My friend applied some of those techniques, she even used the "ch!" if he started acting out  and it didn't take long for him to realize that she is the Alpha Mom and is not to be messed with.  He had to EARN video game/TV time with poker chips from doing what he was asked, whether it was school or chores.  If he decided to be a putz, he got to sit on a welcome mat in the middle of the floor with no entertainment.
> 
> When my youngest starts to object to math, she gets "The Look" followed with an "Excuse me?" that I mastered when I was a school teacher.  It works and she hunkers down.


I know.  I am generally very strict and expect certain things, but with my surgery this summer, my hormones have been out of whack making me tired, grouchy and forgetful.  It's a challenge to get the energy together to deal with him sometimes.    I know if I don't, though, I'll have a monster on my hands!


----------



## Mommy2three

they have homeschool ski days here in southern wisconsin too, but its too cold for me to venture out, yesterday and today it has been -25 outside.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Dawn~ when you get yourself all lined out and feel more like "you" it'll be better!! The old hormones do kinda throw us outta whack don't they? And it's holiday season~ give yourself til after the Holidays--maybe you need to get on vitamins, or something. I only know when I feel weird, school, housework, hubby, everything feels soooooo monumental! And It's soooo easy to just get behind and feel like you can't keep up.AND, you know that little boy knows how to work you!! Especially if he senses you are feeling off! I think they have built in detectors sometime!!!

We are in Southeast Texas~ about an hour and a half east (northeast) of Houston. S.A. is about a 5 hour drive from here.


----------



## HomeschoolMama

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Dawn~ when you get yourself all lined out and feel more like "you" it'll be better!! The old hormones do kinda throw us outta whack don't they? And it's holiday season~ give yourself til after the Holidays--maybe you need to get on vitamins, or something. I only know when I feel weird, school, housework, hubby, everything feels soooooo monumental! And It's soooo easy to just get behind and feel like you can't keep up.AND, you know that little boy knows how to work you!! Especially if he senses you are feeling off! I think they have built in detectors sometime!!!
> 
> We are in Southeast Texas~ about an hour and a half east (northeast) of Houston. S.A. is about a 5 hour drive from here.


True!  
He sure does.  He's my baby.


----------



## DawnM

Yes, it is a good deal.  I just wish we lived closer to the slopes.  It is $20/each and that includes lift ticket, ski rentals, and a one hour lesson!

Dawn



Praise2Him said:


> Where!?! In North Carolina? That sounds awesome!
> 
> Our family LOVES to ski & snowboard (surprisingly, since we live in Alabama  ).
> 
> We've been to  Gatlinburg, TN, Boone, N.C., West Virginia & Colorado so far.
> 
> We're planning a big family trip to Winter Park, CO next April to celebrate all 3 kids graduations - Oldest DS is graduating from college this Friday  , DD (youngest) is graduating from High School next May  , and Middle DS is graduating from College (Film School) next June
> 
> I never knew they had Homeschool Days for skiing, though!


----------



## DawnM

Wow, how did we end up with THREE homeschooling Dawns on this board?  I hardly ever run into Dawns, much less homeschool moms!

 

Dawn


----------



## graygables

DawnM said:


> Wow, how did we end up with THREE homeschooling Dawns on this board?  I hardly ever run into Dawns, much less homeschool moms!
> 
> 
> 
> Dawn



I went to school in Germany with *6* Dawns.  3 of us had the same class, so the teacher wound up calling me by my last name, one by her middle name, and the other one was just Dawn.  I, personally, am not a fan of my name but that goes back to having "Delta Dawn" belted out poorly, loudly, and in German so many times in my childhood...

ETA: then there were the jokes about the 'crack of dawn' and 'it just dawned on me'.  haha.  So funny.

Maybe we're hippie chicks and that's why homeschooling appeals...


----------



## NHWX

HomeschoolMama said:


> The girls (6th and 2nd) are pretty easy to teach and deal with.  My son is another story.  He just turned 6 in November and is extremely smart and articulate.  The problem is he's a stubborn little thing and doesn't want to learn the things in the books.  He'd rather play the game cube and watch t.v.
> 
> ...
> 
> What do you guys think?  Have you had to deal with a stubborn child who doesn't want to do school unless it's his way?  How did you balance that with the other kids in the family?



Married to a stubborn man with stubborn sons, I can definitely relate. My suggestion - get something really cool: a new computer game, a new game cube game (Animal Farm, my kids suggest) that you simply can't do without reading. Let your girls ooh and ah over it but explain that it's for your son "when he's old enough (or big enough or ready) to play it." End of argument. Then he'll probably stubbornly learn to read.  

My two are much older. I'll frequently tell them "Schooling is not optional. Where you learn is optional."

NHWX


----------



## HomeschoolMama

NHWX said:


> Married to a stubborn man with stubborn sons, I can definitely relate. My suggestion - get something really cool: a new computer game, a new game cube game (Animal Farm, my kids suggest) that you simply can't do without reading. Let your girls ooh and ah over it but explain that it's for your son "when he's old enough (or big enough or ready) to play it." End of argument. Then he'll probably stubbornly learn to read.
> 
> My two are much older. I'll frequently tell them "Schooling is not optional. Where you learn is optional."
> 
> NHWX


Good idea!    Thanks!


----------



## HomeschoolMama

graygables said:


> I went to school in Germany with *6* Dawns.  3 of us had the same class, so the teacher wound up calling me by my last name, one by her middle name, and the other one was just Dawn.  I, personally, am not a fan of my name but that goes back to having "Delta Dawn" belted out poorly, loudly, and in German so many times in my childhood...
> 
> ETA: then there were the jokes about the 'crack of dawn' and 'it just dawned on me'.  haha.  So funny.
> 
> Maybe we're hippie chicks and that's why homeschooling appeals...


We have 2 Dawns and 2 Donnas in our hs group.


----------



## graygables

I need some advice.  My 12yo didn't start reading until she was 8+.  She had vision tracking difficulties that took some time to diagnose and treat along with all of the frustrations that go along with not being able to read when everyone around you can.  She also has Asperger's, so if it's not within her realm of interest, forget it.

I cannot get this girl to read.  Early on, she enjoyed Nancy Drew, but she received one as a gift out of numerical order and that threw her off.  I don't get it, but that's the way it is.

She's getting to the point where she simply HAS to be reading some literature and classics.  It's not enough to have the story told to you or watch the movie, no matter how true it is to the story.  She also has comprehension issues that are tied to her simply not wanting to read, so it doesn't stick.  She can even read out loud and have no clue of what she just said.

I hate to have to crack the whip, but as a former English teacher, who had read the complete works of Shakespeare the summer before my 12th birthday, I'm at a loss.  Teaching my children to read was always my most terrifying challenge b/c I don't remember learning how to read, I just always could (skipped K and they wanted me to skip 2nd) and I was always an avid reader as a child.

How do I get her to read something she's simply not interested in and sees no value in?


----------



## DawnM

Were they Americans or Germans?  I grew up in Kenya, but went to an American school.  There were 3 Dawns, but we were all different ages, so it wasn't a problem.

Dawn



graygables said:


> I went to school in Germany with *6* Dawns.  3 of us had the same class, so the teacher wound up calling me by my last name, one by her middle name, and the other one was just Dawn.  I, personally, am not a fan of my name but that goes back to having "Delta Dawn" belted out poorly, loudly, and in German so many times in my childhood...
> 
> ETA: then there were the jokes about the 'crack of dawn' and 'it just dawned on me'.  haha.  So funny.
> 
> Maybe we're hippie chicks and that's why homeschooling appeals...


----------



## graygables

DawnM said:


> Were they Americans or Germans?  I grew up in Kenya, but went to an American school.  There were 3 Dawns, but we were all different ages, so it wasn't a problem.
> 
> Dawn



They were Americans, it was a DoD school.


----------



## wvdislover

graygables said:


> I need some advice.  My 12yo didn't start reading until she was 8+.  She had vision tracking difficulties that took some time to diagnose and treat along with all of the frustrations that go along with not being able to read when everyone around you can.  She also has Asperger's, so if it's not within her realm of interest, forget it.
> 
> I cannot get this girl to read.  Early on, she enjoyed Nancy Drew, but she received one as a gift out of numerical order and that threw her off.  I don't get it, but that's the way it is.
> 
> She's getting to the point where she simply HAS to be reading some literature and classics.  It's not enough to have the story told to you or watch the movie, no matter how true it is to the story.  She also has comprehension issues that are tied to her simply not wanting to read, so it doesn't stick.  She can even read out loud and have no clue of what she just said.
> 
> I hate to have to crack the whip, but as a former English teacher, who had read the complete works of Shakespeare the summer before my 12th birthday, I'm at a loss.  Teaching my children to read was always my most terrifying challenge b/c I don't remember learning how to read, I just always could (skipped K and they wanted me to skip 2nd) and I was always an avid reader as a child.
> 
> How do I get her to read something she's simply not interested in and sees no value in?



OK, we REALLY need to get our girls together!!!  We've talked about it before, and I've planned to get them e-mailing together, but I guess I need to really get on the ball  

It is driving me crazy that I can't get my DD11 (Sarah) to read what I want her to.  She would rather read easier readers and comic books.  Yes, I know, at least she's reading, but OH MY GOSH!!!  Enough already!  Why is it so difficult to just sit and read a chapter book, especially one SHE picked out!  This Asperger's thing drives me crazy some days.  There are some days I just wish she would wake up and just DO her hs work, without having to spend an hour fighting about the fact that it has to be done, regardless of whether she wants to or not.  School is not optional!  It is 10:15am, and she's still in bed, pretending to be asleep, so she won't have to work (or so she thinks).  So, if anyone out there has some advice (that works!) about how to get our Aspie kids reading and working, we will love you forever and ever!!!


----------



## graygables

a bit O/T, but I couldn't remember if I'd "announced" it or not...I was accepted into the WDW College Program, so DDs and I are leaving in 9 days to head toward Florida!  We'll be there 5 months, so if you're heading down from mid-Jan to mid-May, try to find me!  I'll keep you posted where my work location winds up being.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

graygables said:


> a bit O/T, but I couldn't remember if I'd "announced" it or not...I was accepted into the WDW College Program, so DDs and I are leaving in 9 days to head toward Florida!  We'll be there 5 months, so if you're heading down from mid-Jan to mid-May, try to find me!  I'll keep you posted where my work location winds up being.



How fun!!! Yes keep us posted!! We are going the end of Jan!!! What a blast!!!

I have no idea about the Asperger's thing. My neighbor's son has it and he does act different than his brother. He's not really bad--as in not mean or anything, but I do notice that he pushes her as far as she can go!! I don't know if it's because he has it, or he just knows how to push her buttons. But, if they are playing outside she is constantly getting on to him and saying his name  1000xs over and over. He just acts oblivious. he was going to a special school for a while and seemed to do pretty good. But his dad( they are divorced) pulled him out and put him in their local ps because it was easier for his new wife not to have to drive any farther to get him on their days.  I don't know how the ps thing is working out-he was supposed to get a special helper/teacher.


----------



## KibbyCat

1. teacups
2. TLHB70
3. Lori1043
4. LittleBlue22
5. wvdislover
6. Disney Mommy 3
7. Nuzmom
8. NHWX
9. sha_lyn
10. Momvic5
11. heatherplus3
12. Grammynelliebelle
13. bear74
14. HomeschoolMama
15. karynnix
16. taz
17. GIOny
18. Temair
19. gottagodisney
20. Denine
21. Laurabora
22. Belle68
23. DisneyWalle
24. KibbyCat
25. Sorsha
26. truedisneyfan
27. GoofyWaterCoaster
28. dvcbnd
29. T1NK3RP00H!
30. OregonDisneyFanatic
31. Beach Bum
32. lpe_bratz
33.Onetreehill
34.jacensolo3
35. daddysgirl12
36. minnie squeaks
37. PrincessKelsz
38. Eeyorefan1
39. ::Snow_White::
40. JulielovesDisney
41. cra_z_dude_17
42. MuskratSusie
43. GRAYWIFE
44. Ellester
45. plc001



This is the petition to get our own forum.  If you're new to this list, please kindly go to: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1889690&referrerid=182988
and add your name.  Thanks!!!


----------



## DawnM

What is the WDW college program?

Dawn



graygables said:


> a bit O/T, but I couldn't remember if I'd "announced" it or not...I was accepted into the WDW College Program, so DDs and I are leaving in 9 days to head toward Florida!  We'll be there 5 months, so if you're heading down from mid-Jan to mid-May, try to find me!  I'll keep you posted where my work location winds up being.


----------



## graygables

DawnM said:


> What is the WDW college program?
> 
> Dawn



Guess I should have clarified!  I'm in grad school, so I applied for a professional internship at WDW for the Spring semester.  Thanks to the mean ol' economy, most of the professional internships were cancelled  (I'm guessing upwards of 95% of them)  I decided to apply for the College Program instead.  It is a paid "internship" and is how Disney hires a great number of its employees. Most of the college-aged kids working around the parks are College Program participants (something like 9,000 of them!)  Disney provides them with housing and transportation, they work for minimum wage or a bit more, guaranteed 30 hours per week, from 5-8 months, depending on if it's a regular or an "advantage" season (I'm regular Spring).  It's a foot in the door at WDW for those who want it.  Both of my older DDs started their Disney careers that way and now it's Mom's turn!

It is an excellent opportunity for anyone who is interested in getting a job at WDW or just to have Disney on the resume.  They also offer classes and activities.  My older girls had a blast on their programs.  I'll be living offsite with my kids, so I'll "miss out"  on some of the college "fun"  but that's OK with me.  I just read on the College Board of people who knew CPers in their 50s, so now I don't feel so old!

There are a number of roles available, mine is merchandise, so I'll be somewhere on property in retail.  I won't know my location until January 8th, so I'll be sure to let everyone know where to look for me!


----------



## DawnM

Ah, ok.

My husband actually did his internship with Disney, but it was not the same as you are describing.  He got his MA in Business Taxation through USC and worked for Disney's Tax office in Glendale, CA for a year until they decided to outsource to Price Waterhouse.  He made more than min. wage thankfully though and he lived at home.    

Yours sounds more fun!  His was thousands of pages of 7 year old backlog from all Disney subsidiaries to go through and get taxes done!  They had such a high turnover rate they had to outsource!

Dawn



graygables said:


> Guess I should have clarified!  I'm in grad school, so I applied for a professional internship at WDW for the Spring semester.  Thanks to the mean ol' economy, most of the professional internships were cancelled  (I'm guessing upwards of 95% of them)  I decided to apply for the College Program instead.  It is a paid "internship" and is how Disney hires a great number of its employees. Most of the college-aged kids working around the parks are College Program participants (something like 9,000 of them!)  Disney provides them with housing and transportation, they work for minimum wage or a bit more, guaranteed 30 hours per week, from 5-8 months, depending on if it's a regular or an "advantage" season (I'm regular Spring).  It's a foot in the door at WDW for those who want it.  Both of my older DDs started their Disney careers that way and now it's Mom's turn!
> 
> It is an excellent opportunity for anyone who is interested in getting a job at WDW or just to have Disney on the resume.  They also offer classes and activities.  My older girls had a blast on their programs.  I'll be living offsite with my kids, so I'll "miss out"  on some of the college "fun"  but that's OK with me.  I just read on the College Board of people who knew CPers in their 50s, so now I don't feel so old!
> 
> There are a number of roles available, mine is merchandise, so I'll be somewhere on property in retail.  I won't know my location until January 8th, so I'll be sure to let everyone know where to look for me!


----------



## Mommy2three

Well I just ordered singapore math, along with the singapore grammer, and science, for both my DS6 in first grade and my DD8 in 2nd grade.  My son is currently homeschooled due to issues with the public school at the beginning of the school year, and now i will be pulling my DD out due to them not being able to do their job, and let my daughter get away with not doing her work just because she cries and says its too hard, which its not, because when she comes home, she will sit and do her homework with no problems, its because she knows I won't play into her games and let her get away with it. And time after time I have spoke to DD's teachers, reg classroom teacher, and special ed teacher and the school psychologist to not do that, but I just think they dont want to deal with pulling teeth to get her to do it.  She has many psychological issues, adhd, bipolar, schizophrenia, Dissociative identity disorder, odd, ocd, just to name a few and honestly the school is not trained to handle kids with her types of problems. I just hope I'm making the right choice with her by pulling her out.  I pulled my DS out and he has thrived and has become a different kid since I have pulled him out.  He would spend his days in first grade hiding under the table screaming and crying, and not once was I ever told about this, until right before I had decided to pull him, and that was the final straw for me. My DD is failing in all her subjects, and at the beginning of the school year was thriving, but has gone way down hill, so I am hoping this is the right choice for her as I dont want her to spend a second year in second grade, she spent two years in first grade, and I really think it would damage her self esteem if her brother caught up to her and was in the same grade as her.  Any advice?  Who here uses singapore math?  I would love any reviews that you may have.  Next year I am planning on going thru connections academy WI for both of them.  The subjects through singapore were surprisingly priced great!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Mommy2three~ I don't use that curriculum, but just wanted to say I think you are doing the right thing. She'll will probably get caught up before May!! I sometimes think people are too timid about teaching their own kids, when in reality they will do better than someone else. Some schools just arent equipped to handle certain problems--like your daughters, yet they would rather have them on the school roll, than be honest and admit they are not helping them. Keep us posted and I am sure someone will tell you all about the Singapore stuff!!


----------



## sha_lyn

We use Singapore math and love it. However IMHO the Singapore Grammar is a bad choice. It uses British spelling and terminology instead of American.
The science it OK.


----------



## DawnM

I still have problems remembering which spelling to use.  

I went to an American school, but it was in a former British colony and a lot of the text books we used were British and we had quite a few European students, so the teachers all allowed us to use either spelling in our work and not get counted down for it.  Most of us used the British spellings because our text books used them.

I don't find it a huge deal now, but using a British text in the US might be harder.

Dawn



sha_lyn said:


> We use Singapore math and love it. However IMHO the Singapore Grammar is a bad choice. It uses British spelling and terminology instead of American.
> The science it OK.


----------



## crl

We use Singapore math for K and it's pretty easy for DD. We suplement with Math-U-See which she really enjoys doing.


----------



## DawnM

Where did all the hsers go?  

Are you all out shopping?????

I can't bear to brave the crowds so whatever is not gotten is just not gotten!


----------



## wvdislover

DawnM said:


> Where did all the hsers go?
> 
> Are you all out shopping?????
> 
> I can't bear to brave the crowds so whatever is not gotten is just not gotten!



I'm still home, but I've been busy cooking, cleaning (mother-in-law arrived yesterday), and wrapping (still not done with that, though!).  I do still have a couple of things to pick up, but I don't have to battle crowds too much where I need to go.

Merry Christmas everybody!!!


----------



## Denine

We have been busy.  Just finishing up school for the week.  This completes the first half of 1st grade.  We have 2 days next week then we are going to visit friends in Richmond, VA for New Years.

I have to go finish getting ready for CE dinner since church is at 4, but we need to be there at 3PM to get a good seat.

DD has 13 more days of 1st grade math.

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!


----------



## graygables

I've been trying to pack for our move, finish 2 papers for school, and finishing our Symbols of Christmas and 12 Days of Christmas lapbooks.  Did you know the 12 Days of Christmas is actually a Christian teaching song???  I had NO idea and I now have a much greater appreciation for it!

Hubby's birthday is today, so in addition to the Christmas cooking/baking I have to do, I have to bake his cake and make his stuffed shells dinner.  

Did I mention PACKING???  We leave in 3 days and my to-do list is longer than Santa's!


----------



## storybookmum

graygables said:


> Did you know the 12 Days of Christmas is actually a Christian teaching song???  I had NO idea and I now have a much greater appreciation for it!




Now that has me curious!  When you're not busy, lol - tell us what that means!


----------



## graygables

storybookmum said:


> Now that has me curious!  When you're not busy, lol - tell us what that means!



I'm taking a breather, so here goes:

1st Day, Partridge in a Pear Tree: Jesus (Luke 13:34)

2nd Day, Two Turtle Doves: the Old Testament and the New Testament (2 Tim 3:16)

3rd Day, Three French Hens: the Three Theological Virtues, Faith, Hope, Love (1 Corinthians 13:13)

4th Day, Four Calling Birds: the 4 gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

5th Day, Five Golden Rings: the first 5 books of the Old Testament, also called the Torah or the Pentateuch, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.  They "give the history of man's sins and God's response".

6th Day, Six Geese a'Laying: 6 days of Creation (Genesis 1:31)

7th Day, Seven Swans a'Swimming: 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit:
Propehcy
Ministry
Teaching
Exhortation
Giving
Leading
Compassion (Romans 12:6)

8th Day, Eight Maids a'Milking: the 8 Beatitudes (Matt 5: 3-10)

9th Day, Nine Ladies Dancing: 9 Fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23)
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-Control

10th Day, Ten Lords a'Leaping: the Ten Commandments

11th Day, Eleven Pipers Piping: the 11 Faithful Apostles  (Luke 6:13-16)

12th Day, Twelve Drummers Drumming: 12 Point of Doctrine in the Apostle's Creed:

1. I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of
heaven and earth.
2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
4. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
died, and was buried. He descended into hell.
5. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into
heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the
Father.
6. He will come again to judge the living and the
dead.
7. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
8. The holy catholic Church (catholic, as used in the
creeds, is a term from old Greek that describes the
universal Christian church, not the Catholic
denomination),
9. The communion of saints,
10. The forgiveness of sins,
11. The resurrection of the body,
12. And life everlasting.

We really enjoyed working the lapbook for this one and I had NO idea!  The song has taken on new meaning and we will sing it much more often now.

ETA: "me" in the song is the Church and "my true love" represents God


----------



## NHWX

Though it wasn't too relaxing for most of the day with all the cooking and cleaning the downstairs. Somehow upstairs has gotten forgotten. I'm banished out of the kitchen for a while so that the kids can make me something for Christmas. 

I've been thinking about schoolwork that will change with Jan. '09. My younger son just isn't clicking with his math and I think it's time to put it away and try something new. So I've been doing some research on that. Our K12 contract for him (independent homeschoolers) runs out 2/8/09 and so I've been thinking about what might be good to do. I think we'll probably continue the Literature and History classes. I think we might do a self-directed unit on astronomy for winter quarter science class.

Our older son finished the math test from heck last Friday. I can definitely recommend that you never try to have a child do an enormously long calculus mid-term during a 12 day power outage. The poor kid is working so hard on this course (at time, other times he's a slacker, go figure!), no one would ever say that he's cheating if they looked at his grades. He needs something interesting to put in this spring as a semester course. We've been tossing around ideas but nothing has really seemed perfect.

I still need to wrap gifts and clean the aforementioned upstairs! 

NHWX


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Graygables~ Thanks!! That is awesome!! I heard that somewhere a looooong time ago,but forgot most of it!! I am going to print this out for my kiddos!!!!

Merry Christmas all!!!!


----------



## DawnM

I had to look this up!

Apparently it is controversial as to whether this is actually the reason the song was written/intended, but that doesn't matter to me.....if you can find meaning and apply it, that works for me.

I will have to do this next year.

Where did you order the lap book?

Dawn



graygables said:


> I'm taking a breather, so here goes:
> 
> 1st Day, Partridge in a Pear Tree: Jesus (Luke 13:34)
> 
> 2nd Day, Two Turtle Doves: the Old Testament and the New Testament (2 Tim 3:16)
> 
> 3rd Day, Three French Hens: the Three Theological Virtues, Faith, Hope, Love (1 Corinthians 13:13)
> 
> 4th Day, Four Calling Birds: the 4 gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
> 
> 5th Day, Five Golden Rings: the first 5 books of the Old Testament, also called the Torah or the Pentateuch, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.  They "give the history of man's sins and God's response".
> 
> 6th Day, Six Geese a'Laying: 6 days of Creation (Genesis 1:31)
> 
> 7th Day, Seven Swans a'Swimming: 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit:
> Propehcy
> Ministry
> Teaching
> Exhortation
> Giving
> Leading
> Compassion (Romans 12:6)
> 
> 8th Day, Eight Maids a'Milking: the 8 Beatitudes (Matt 5: 3-10)
> 
> 9th Day, Nine Ladies Dancing: 9 Fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23)
> Joy
> Peace
> Patience
> Kindness
> Goodness
> Faithfulness
> Gentleness
> Self-Control
> 
> 10th Day, Ten Lords a'Leaping: the Ten Commandments
> 
> 11th Day, Eleven Pipers Piping: the 11 Faithful Apostles  (Luke 6:13-16)
> 
> 12th Day, Twelve Drummers Drumming: 12 Point of Doctrine in the Apostle's Creed:
> 
> 1. I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of
> heaven and earth.
> 2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
> 3. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
> and born of the virgin Mary.
> 4. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
> died, and was buried. He descended into hell.
> 5. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into
> heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the
> Father.
> 6. He will come again to judge the living and the
> dead.
> 7. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
> 8. The holy catholic Church (catholic, as used in the
> creeds, is a term from old Greek that describes the
> universal Christian church, not the Catholic
> denomination),
> 9. The communion of saints,
> 10. The forgiveness of sins,
> 11. The resurrection of the body,
> 12. And life everlasting.
> 
> We really enjoyed working the lapbook for this one and I had NO idea!  The song has taken on new meaning and we will sing it much more often now.
> 
> ETA: "me" in the song is the Church and "my true love" represents God


----------



## graygables

DawnM said:


> I had to look this up!
> 
> Apparently it is controversial as to whether this is actually the reason the song was written/intended, but that doesn't matter to me.....if you can find meaning and apply it, that works for me.
> 
> I will have to do this next year.
> 
> Where did you order the lap book?
> 
> Dawn



Our curriculum this year has been lapbooks from http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/  We're using Math U See and lapbooks.  I joined as a super-member back when they were having a huge sale and stocked up on about 15 different e-books,  It's been fantastic and my DDs are actually asking to do schoolwork!


----------



## DawnM

Great!

We are doing a unit study to compliment Sonlight.  We are using Time Travelers.

I do have a lapbook that was a freebie from handsofachild.com but we haven't used it yet.  I will be using it next....Colonial Times I think it is.

My kids are really enjoying Time Travelers too.....

Oh, just looked it up.....I have the Moon Unit from handsofachild that I got as a freebie......the Colonial Freebie I have is from Knowlegebox Central.

Dawn



graygables said:


> Our curriculum this year has been lapbooks from http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/  We're using Math U See and lapbooks.  I joined as a super-member back when they were having a huge sale and stocked up on about 15 different e-books,  It's been fantastic and my DDs are actually asking to do schoolwork!


----------



## DawnM

Hands of a Child question:

What are the memberships?  It says one per month.....are those ones THEY choose, or do you get to pick?

thanks,

Dawn


----------



## graygables

DawnM said:


> Hands of a Child question:
> 
> What are the memberships?  It says one per month.....are those ones THEY choose, or do you get to pick?



I haven't had a chance to really look into it yet, but I believe the free ones are ones they design/choose (I think they may be previews of the privately commissioned ones before they offer them to the public).  The membership gets you a discount on the regular books, too, in addition to all the freebies.


----------



## storybookmum

Thank you for the 12 Days of Christmas, Graygables.  That's pretty neat.


----------



## DawnM

Ah, ok.  I would rather choose mine as we follow a curriculum and this would be a supplement.  $60 a year wouldn't be worth it for the discount as it is only 10% of a discount and I wouldn't buy nearly that amount ($600 worth) to break even.

Thanks,

Dawn



graygables said:


> I haven't had a chance to really look into it yet, but I believe the free ones are ones they design/choose (I think they may be previews of the privately commissioned ones before they offer them to the public).  The membership gets you a discount on the regular books, too, in addition to all the freebies.


----------



## wvdislover

I may look into these.  We need to revamp what we're doing with DD11.  We've been doing a unit study on American Girls (Portraits of American Girlhood), but I've been having trouble getting her to do a lot of the activities.  She doesn't think they're "fun" (although I've told her school isn't always going to be fun...there is also some work involved).  I think with her Asperger's, it hasn't been appealing to her, b/c it isn't personal to her.  The assignments have no meaning to her.  There's no "purpose" in her life to many of the assignments.  She enjoys reading the books, and I enjoy her learning about history from a personal perspective, but I'm tired of fighting with her on all the assignments.  Part of the problem is, she just doesn't like to do anything where she has to exert physical or mental energy (who does?), but with the AS, the problem is compounded.  I need to find a new way for her to learn, but make it more interesting to her, so maybe she'll work at it more.  I've even looked at going back to SOS for some stuff, but she didn't get much out of that last year, or doing some kind of workbook, so she can see a beginning and end to her work each day


----------



## mommyof2princesses

Has anyone every attended the homeschool days at Colonial Williamsburg?  We are thinking of going next month but I wanted to make sure that we get to do everything that a normal admission would.  Anyone ever gone?


----------



## PoohBear

mommyof2princesses said:


> Has anyone every attended the homeschool days at Colonial Williamsburg?  We are thinking of going next month but I wanted to make sure that we get to do everything that a normal admission would.  Anyone ever gone?



We have not been there with the kids. We have been wanting to take them and this would be a great opportunity. I will have to look into this myself.
Thanks for the heads up


----------



## Nicolepa

So I ordered Saxon Math for my kids.  Math 2 for my 1st grader and 6/5 w/dive for my 3rd grader.  I will be HS my son next year but my daughter will remain at school.  For right now I am wanting to use these as a supplement for them.  

So my question is do you think is it enough for my 1st grader to do just the first page of the worksheets and only do the second if he has problems?  I was thinking for now, until school ends we would do the Saxon 3x a week or so, first page only unless he had a problem.

My daughter I will let work at her own pace on this while school is in and then for the summer a lesson a day.

So does that sound OK?


----------



## Denine

I didn't even know they had HS days at Williamsburg.  That is cool.  When are they?
We are actually going there tomorrow.  We are here in Richmond visiting friends.


----------



## mommyof2princesses

The homeschool days are at the end of Feb through the begining of march.  It is only $5 a person for 1 day, $7 a person for 2 days or $11 a person for 5 days.  This includes admission to all buildings including the governers palace and tours.

During the same exact time, Jamestown is doing their homeschool days.  It is $10.50 a person but is good for the entire homeschool days period.  It includes classes, tours and admission on all days.

If you look up the prices for regular admission you will save A LOT!  We are going the begining of March and stay for the week to do it all.


----------



## Denine

That is soo cool.  DD really enjoyed her day today.  We didn't buy tickets and she wanted to go in some of the buildings.  We promised her we would have tickets the next time, but we only had today.
I will have to check into the HS days.


----------



## Denine

Are there certain ages for the HS'rs?  DD is 6 and in 1st grade.  The spring program seems like it would be interesting for her.  The fall program not so much at this age.


----------



## mommyof2princesses

Denine said:


> Are there certain ages for the HS'rs?  DD is 6 and in 1st grade.  The spring program seems like it would be interesting for her.  The fall program not so much at this age.



Those who are 5 and under are free.  All ages are welcome.  The Jamestown one has a class for pre-k through 2nd grade.  I am signing up dd5 for it and there is another class for highschoolers I will sign dd14 up for.


----------



## Denine

Thanks!  If we can arrange it, we may just do this.


----------



## disneymom3

wvdislover said:


> I may look into these.  We need to revamp what we're doing with DD11.  We've been doing a unit study on American Girls (Portraits of American Girlhood), but I've been having trouble getting her to do a lot of the activities.  She doesn't think they're "fun" (although I've told her school isn't always going to be fun...there is also some work involved).  I think with her Asperger's, it hasn't been appealing to her, b/c it isn't personal to her.  The assignments have no meaning to her.  There's no "purpose" in her life to many of the assignments.  She enjoys reading the books, and I enjoy her learning about history from a personal perspective, but I'm tired of fighting with her on all the assignments.  Part of the problem is, she just doesn't like to do anything where she has to exert physical or mental energy (who does?), but with the AS, the problem is compounded.  I need to find a new way for her to learn, but make it more interesting to her, so maybe she'll work at it more.  I've even looked at going back to SOS for some stuff, but she didn't get much out of that last year, or doing some kind of workbook, so she can see a beginning and end to her work each day



For the AG stuff have you looked at the Activity kinds of books that go with them. Like Felicity's World, Addy's World etc?  My kids get a lot more out of hands on stuff than just assigned work.  No idea of course, what you are currently doing but maybe it would help make it more personal if it was things she created.  I also found my kids like to follow on a map where a book is set.  (That works great with Addy since she travels quite aways.)

Good luck.

We are starting some new things here this week too. (I am typing furiously as they are on a break.)  I have been using My Father's World Exploring Countries and Cultures and it just isn't working for us.  I want it to, but it's not lighting any fires.  So, we are sticking with cultures and geography but we are adding in a lot more history, literature etc.  Also doing lapbooks which the kids are excited about--expecially DD since she didn't get to do one last time we made them.  Right up her alley!

Off to start China!


----------



## wvdislover

Thanks for your reply!  We started school again this morning--wasn't as big of a battle as I had anticipated    I think what I'm going to do is continue with some of the AG stuff, but taylor the assignments (many of which are hands on, but she doesn't want to do  ) more for her.  For instance, she had to do a comparison/contrast assignment, using a Venn diagram (she's supposed to c/c an aspect of the natives of NM to the Mexican immigrants, such as their art, faith, dwellings, or food--we had a lot of problems researching this stuff, too).  Instead of doing the NM/Mexico stuff, I am having her c/c school and homeschool (we just pulled her out of school near the end of last year).  Maybe this will help her appreciate hs more, too  .  I think this is going to be more meaningful to her.  At least I'll be able to see that she can effectively c/c, using a Venn diagram.  BTW, we have checked out the Felicity's World, Josefina's World, etc books--she was really bored with them (had nothing to do with her, I guess--Aspie kids can be a bit self-centered...at least mine can).

We're also going to use the Vacation Education books that I had ordered and decided to put off.  Now is a good time to pull those back out and use them.  We're going back to WDW in Sept, so having an educational background of MK and Epcot will be helpful.  She seems more excited about it, anyways.  It has some really interesting information to it, too.

On top of this stuff, I'm just going to come up with stuff for her to do, using Internet resources, workbook pages, and myself (if God led us to do this, He's going to help us with it, right?!?).  So, anyways, we'll see how things go, and maybe try something different next year   I'm planning on going to a curriculum fair or 2 this spring to get some ideas.  It's hard to choose something, just by going on what someone's website says about their curriculum.  I need to see stuff and touch it to know for sure.  Good luck with your new stuff, too!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Just wanted to tell you that you are right--God will help you through this and show you what will work for you dd!!!Be Encouraged!!!! This is my 5th year to hs and I am very comfortable now with mixing and matching what works for each kid!


----------



## arielmomma

Hello.  I just wanted to peek into this thread and introduce myself.  My name is Joy and I am a Disney-loving homeschooling mother of 2.  I just  wanted to say "hi" and I look forward to chatting with all of you.


----------



## graygables

We did math yesterday morning with zebra grazing outside our Animal Kingdom Lodge villa.  10yo went and did the animal tracking activity afterward and said she "could get used to this"  (psssst...so could I!)

We arrived safely (finally!) and are settling in for our 26 days here before moving to our new home.

I got a call last week from the Homeschool Days coordinator here at WDW and they changed the speaker series from both days to one day (NOT the day I'd scheduled DDs YES class for, of course  ), so I don't know if it's due to lack of interest on the part of homeschoolers or if it's the economy.  I'll post next week and let everyone know how it went.  My mom and oldest DD will be taking them, since I'll most likely be training.


----------



## Denine

When does this get easier?  This is our 3rd year and every year has been easier, but it is so hard for me to get anything done around the house.  DD is in 1st grade.
I can stick a load of laundry in during school and a few small things, but only during math where she is pretty independent.  The rest of the time I need to be with her.
I want to keep HS'ing her next year, but it seems to be getting harder for me.
Help!


----------



## Denine

Has anyone given the CAT?  I need to give it to DD this Spring so I can have the test results for the next school year.

Can I administer it or does it need to be given by a teacher?

DD is in 1st grade.


----------



## DawnM

You can give it at home.  It is very user friendly and easy to give.

Dawn



Denine said:


> Has anyone given the CAT?  I need to give it to DD this Spring so I can have the test results for the next school year.
> 
> Can I administer it or does it need to be given by a teacher?
> 
> DD is in 1st grade.


----------



## disneymom3

Denine, my babysitter's mom always did the CAT and administered it herself.  I have never used it. We do the Peabody which does require someone else to administer it.

As for when it gets easier, after 6 years of this I have just tried to accept that I cannot do it all.  Consider--you have a full time job IN YOUR HOME by teaching your daughter. Then you have the fact that you all are there all day messing it up, doing projects that most people do not have going on in their homes, plus all of the normal homestuff.  Do you involve your dd in cleaning activities around the house?  My kids at 6 were dusting, cleaning windows (vinegar and water) scrubbing the toilet with the toilet wand, vacuuming the stairs, swiffering the floors and a few other jobs. They might not be done the way I always would but when we split it up, it makes the work go faster and more gets done.  Plus, they LOVE to clean!    Wish I had their passion for it!

Graygables are you spending 26 days at Animal Kingdom villas?? How completely awesome!!


----------



## Denine

Glad to hear I can administer the CAT at home.

DD does "help", but I am a perfectionist and it gets hard to deal with after a while.


----------



## mommyof2princesses

We started back today after taking 2 weeks off for the holidays....maybe I shouldn't have taken so much time off.  It took an hour for dd5 to get through her math.  Usually it takes 20 min!  She was driving me looney!  DD13 was fine, although she kept day dreaming.  I have to work tonight but I am off after that till Sat.  This wonderful econony is not helping me keep hours at work!


----------



## HomeschoolMama

mommyof2princesses said:


> We started back today after taking 2 weeks off for the holidays....maybe I shouldn't have taken so much time off.  It took an hour for dd5 to get through her math.  Usually it takes 20 min!  She was driving me looney!  DD13 was fine, although she kept day dreaming.  I have to work tonight but I am off after that till Sat.  This wonderful econony is not helping me keep hours at work!


My kids were the same way yesterday.    Today's better, but not like it normally is.


----------



## graygables

disneymom3 said:


> Graygables are you spending 26 days at Animal Kingdom villas?? How completely awesome!!



Yes, we are.  I {heart} my Disney Vacation Club!  We had the daydreamies today, too, with the random run to see what animals were hanging about.  It took 2 hours to do what usually gets done in 1.  I will tell you laundry and dishes are MUCH easier when there's a giraffe out the window!


----------



## amez

If anyone is interested we are finalizing our plans for our 2nd Annual Unschoolers Winter Waterpark Gathering held at the awesome Kalahari Resort in Sandusky Ohio.  We have some amazing speakers planned, funshops for all ages, a winter carnival, talent show, movie night and a Medieval Princess Ball Dance. check out ugoevent.com and hopefully you can join us in Feb.

Thanks
Amy


----------



## Villainess

Hi.  My name is Danielle.  I am a single mom to a DD, 2yrs, and a DS, 14 mos from NJ.  I have been seriously considering homeschooling my children for the past 5 months and am at the point of decision - I definately want to do it and believe they will ultimately get a much richer, diverse education this way.  I still need to discuss this w /exDH, but it is something that I feel very strongly about.

I am enrolling both children in Gymboree for more social interaction with children their ages.  Their cousins, all similar in age, live 30-1 hr away so we don't see them that often, and while there are young children in the neighborhood, the parents are not friendly.  I have friends who have twins DD's age, however they are almost always sick from daycare and have aggressive tendencies so I limit the amount of time DD and DS are with them.  They will also be starting swim lessons (if not next month, then next session - I haven't decided yet), and I am also looking into dance classes for DD as she loves to dance and twirl around the house in the tutus I make her.

I guess I am looking for a curriculum to begin with DD.  We do basics already (colors, shapes, counting), but I guess I am looking for path to follow and ways to organize the day.  I found this one http://www.first-school.ws/INDEX.HTM and this one http://www.abchomepreschool.com/ in my searches so far.  

A little bit of a long introduction, but I am looking forward to chatting with you all some more, and learning from you as well!


----------



## Belle & Ariel

I'm a homeschooling mom who has 2 in college (homeschooled K-12) and a h.s. freshman at home.  It has its challenges but I was definitely the right choice for us.

We talked about the 12 Days of Christmas in Sunday School a few weeks ago.  It was written during persecution and many things at that time were in code between believers.  The song could be innocently sung as a kind of silly, fun song but the Christians knew the real meaning.

Is there a website for the Williamsburg homeschool days?


----------



## KibbyCat

Belle & Ariel said:


> We talked about the 12 Days of Christmas in Sunday School a few weeks ago.  It was written during persecution and many things at that time were in code between believers.  The song could be innocently sung as a kind of silly, fun song but the Christians knew the real meaning.



I'd love this info, if you have it.


----------



## mommyof2princesses

Belle & Ariel said:


> I'm a homeschooling mom who has 2 in college (homeschooled K-12) and a h.s. freshman at home.  It has its challenges but I was definitely the right choice for us.
> 
> We talked about the 12 Days of Christmas in Sunday School a few weeks ago.  It was written during persecution and many things at that time were in code between believers.  The song could be innocently sung as a kind of silly, fun song but the Christians knew the real meaning.
> 
> Is there a website for the Williamsburg homeschool days?



WOW!  2 in college!  I have a hs freshman and she will be my first going through high school.  It is tough!  I never realized how hard algebra was!


----------



## arielmomma

amez said:


> If anyone is interested we are finalizing our plans for our 2nd Annual Unschoolers Winter Waterpark Gathering held at the awesome Kalahari Resort in Sandusky Ohio.  We have some amazing speakers planned, funshops for all ages, a winter carnival, talent show, movie night and a Medieval Princess Ball Dance. check out ugoevent.com and hopefully you can join us in Feb.
> 
> Thanks
> Amy


I went to the website and I was curious what the group rate is.  I am an enrighment coordinator for a homeschool group in MI and some of our participants may be interested.


----------



## Denine

The Kalahari meet would be fun, but we can't do it this year.

Williamsburg: History.org    It takes a bit of searching to find the HS info.

Danielle: Congrats on your decision to HS.  I think what you are doing now is fine.  You don't need a curriculum for a 2 year old.  Read, read, read to your kids.  I started DD with a curriculum when she was 4.  We did Pre-k through Calvert.  I did that mainly to get used to "doing" school for both of us.

WOW!  26 days at the AK.  That is awesome!


----------



## amez

arielmomma said:


> I went to the website and I was curious what the group rate is.  I am an enrighment coordinator for a homeschool group in MI and some of our participants may be interested.



http://ugoevent.com/accommodations.htm

this page lists the prices, and describes the accommodations.  There are no conference fees and it is a lot of fun!


----------



## Belle & Ariel

mommyof2princesses said:


> WOW!  2 in college!  I have a hs freshman and she will be my first going through high school.  It is tough!  I never realized how hard algebra was!



It was harder for me than I remembered in H.S. myself.  We used Abeka from Kdg to ALgebra.  We tried Saxon.  It was better for my oldest who is a real type A personality.  For my second and now my son we use Teaching Textbooks.  They are amazing--I can do this!!!


----------



## Belle & Ariel

KibbyCat said:


> I'd love this info, if you have it.



I will get the email and send pm you.


----------



## lori1043

Hi, I homeschool 2 DD's and have posted here in the past. We used Abeka math for K-2nd, then  for DD11, we did Saxon 5/4 for 4th grade. She hated it, but it did boost her up a level. It is a good math program. Well, I work PRN and was looking for a math that was more independent and do-able on thier own-so we started Teaching Textbooks. I started with TT5 and DD11 started it in Sept and is done, so TT6 just came in today for her to start tomorrow. I took DD9 off of Abeka math for 3rd gr and put her on TT5. She is at a slower, or more normal pace, but is doing well! She is on lesson 31(she did not start it till end of fall) and it is just getting more challenging, but this is due to her not perfecting her mult. tables before starting it. So,we stopped for a week and we are focusing on those. She'll be back on it by Monday. I feel she will do fine as math is one of her stronger subjects. Teaching Textbooks is a good solid program for math, and although I feel Saxon is better, TT fits our LIVES well. 

Lori


----------



## dvcbnd

Hi, we did it!! We began homeschooling our dd 9 and ds 7 this year. I posted least year and mentioned that my dh and I were seriously thinking about it. Our kids were in a private catholic grammar school. Our oldest had been there since pre-k and he graduated from 8th gr last June. He now attends a catholic high school, but wants to be homeschooled also. My dh is not sure if it's the best thing for him and I'm a little scared of the "high school" level. I truly love having them home and find it so rewarding that I would love to be able to homeschool him also. Right now we're using Seton and like it so far. I'm researching their high school courses now and am keeping an open mind. On a different note, I'm glad to see that we're not the only ones having a tough time getting back into the swing of things since our two week break. Today was a much better day.


----------



## mommyof2princesses

Belle & Ariel said:


> It was harder for me than I remembered in H.S. myself.  We used Abeka from Kdg to ALgebra.  We tried Saxon.  It was better for my oldest who is a real type A personality.  For my second and now my son we use Teaching Textbooks.  They are amazing--I can do this!!!



We are using Saxon this year.  I feel I need a refresher course.  She has the DIVE cd so that helps.  I jsut need to read the chapters so I can remember!


----------



## DawnM

We are looking at changing math programs.  We are going back and forth between Math U See and Right Start Math.  We are currently using Singapore and it is fine, but my middle son is struggling more with math and I think he needs more visuals/manipulatives.

I also have an upcoming K student who I plan to get a math program for by Spring and start him off.  I am not as worried about K, but I may as well order it all at once and save on shipping.

Anyone have a preference for MUS or RSM?

Dawn


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Villainess said:


> Hi.  My name is Danielle.  I am a single mom to a DD, 2yrs, and a DS, 14 mos from NJ.  I have been seriously considering homeschooling my children for the past 5 months and am at the point of decision - I definately want to do it and believe they will ultimately get a much richer, diverse education this way.  I still need to discuss this w /exDH, but it is something that I feel very strongly about.
> 
> I am enrolling both children in Gymboree for more social interaction with children their ages.  Their cousins, all similar in age, live 30-1 hr away so we don't see them that often, and while there are young children in the neighborhood, the parents are not friendly.  I have friends who have twins DD's age, however they are almost always sick from daycare and have aggressive tendencies so I limit the amount of time DD and DS are with them.  They will also be starting swim lessons (if not next month, then next session - I haven't decided yet), and I am also looking into dance classes for DD as she loves to dance and twirl around the house in the tutus I make her.
> 
> I guess I am looking for a curriculum to begin with DD.  We do basics already (colors, shapes, counting), but I guess I am looking for path to follow and ways to organize the day.  I found this one http://www.first-school.ws/INDEX.HTM and this one http://www.abchomepreschool.com/ in my searches so far.
> 
> A little bit of a long introduction, but I am looking forward to chatting with you all some more, and learning from you as well!



Danielle~ Glad to have you here!!! Congrats on your decision! I agree with the PP about reading!! You can never do too much. They really get a wonderful grasp of vocabulary and grammar--as they are hearing correct sentence usage and sometimes exotic words!! For Kindergarten and Pre-K, lots of people choose differnet curriculum based on the kid. ABeka lower levels are good--you may need to tweak it as it's a lot of material!! Horizons, by Alpha-Omega, My Father's World, any of those. Also, Five in a Row is awesome!! I used that in the earlier years, after we did ABeka phonics----my dd now is using Explode the Code (she's in Kindergarten) and we really like it. It's just as good as ABeka, but not as much $$, smaller portions to digest daily. It's not Christian, but that's okay, we have other books that are, so I am not worried about that aspect.
Let us know how you are doing!!!!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

mommyof2princesses said:


> We are using Saxon this year.  I feel I need a refresher course.  She has the DIVE cd so that helps.  I jsut need to read the chapters so I can remember!



I just wanted to say that we did Saxon--it was okay, but we switched to Teaching Textbooks this year and we sooooo love it!!! We have 5th grade math, and Pre-Algebra. Oldest did pre-alg last year with Saxon--but I felt like he needed a little more prep time(he's a year ahead in math) , so before we get to the really big stuff, we re-did with TT. It's been awesome having that reinforcement--especially from guys who really know their stuff and make it so easy for the kids!!


----------



## Ellester

DawnM said:


> Anyone have a preference for MUS or RSM?


We haven't used RSM, but I am very happy with MUS. We've used Primer, Alpha, Beta, Gamma and oldest dd is now in Delta. I really like the way he teaches the concepts and doesn't overload the kiddos with worksheets if they don't need the reinforcement. DH and I both have technical backgrounds (I'm an engineer and he's a computer scientist) and we have both been impressed with the program.


----------



## disneymom3

Need help guys!  I have scanned our 80+ pages here and can't find it. When have the Sept homeschool days at Disney been historically? The week after Labor Day is sounding right to me.  I need to book an RCI exchange and have to figure out dates and would REALLY like it to correspond with the Sept dates this year.

Don't they know that we compulsive planners need more notice!!?? Do you think they would tell me if I called??


----------



## wvdislover

I think it's somewhere around there  They probably haven't scheduled the Homeschool Days for September yet.  When I was at WDW last February, they had still not scheduled the Homeschool Days for this past September.  I think they finally announced the dates 2 or 3 months later.  It wouldn't hurt to call, though...maybe they've got their act together better now, since they've done it a few more times, now.  If you find out, let us know...we're scheduled go to sometime in September, and I would love to schedule our trip around HS days, too!


----------



## GPA1015

Just wanted to stop by and say HI- I have not seen the HS thread before and I guess I got on the boards at the right time to where it was bumped to the top.  Anyhow....

I am a HS mom with 3 boys - only really schooling one right now- 1st grade.  The others are on his heals though!  We are going to Disney in a few weeks and very excited.  I am looking forward to meeting everyone here!

Stacy


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

GPA1015 said:


> Just wanted to stop by and say HI- I have not seen the HS thread before and I guess I got on the boards at the right time to where it was bumped to the top.  Anyhow....
> 
> I am a HS mom with 3 boys - only really schooling one right now- 1st grade.  The others are on his heals though!  We are going to Disney in a few weeks and very excited.  I am looking forward to meeting everyone here!
> 
> Stacy



Welcome!! We are going right at the same time!! I think I leave a day before you! We are gonna have a blast!!!!
Ask any ? and someone is SURE to have an answer or suggestion for you!!!


----------



## Denine

It looks like we are going to go to homeschool days in Williamsburg  

We just have to finalize the details.


----------



## disneymom3

I am going to wait until after this week's homeschool days are done and then I will call and ask about September.


----------



## DawnM

The third week of Sept.  This last year it started Sept. 15th or so.
Tickets are good the week before the event and the week after, so you have a 3 week window.  So, I would look at the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th week in Sept.

Dawn



disneymom3 said:


> Need help guys!  I have scanned our 80+ pages here and can't find it. When have the Sept homeschool days at Disney been historically? The week after Labor Day is sounding right to me.  I need to book an RCI exchange and have to figure out dates and would REALLY like it to correspond with the Sept dates this year.
> 
> Don't they know that we compulsive planners need more notice!!?? Do you think they would tell me if I called??


----------



## DawnM

I waited until after Sept to ask about Jan.....they told me they would post it around the end of Oct but didn't know the dates before then!!!!

 

Dawn



disneymom3 said:


> I am going to wait until after this week's homeschool days are done and then I will call and ask about September.


----------



## dvcbnd

Denine said:


> It looks like we are going to go to homeschool days in Williamsburg
> 
> We just have to finalize the details.




Looks like we might be going also. We're going down to SC to visit family during President's week (my ds is in highschool - we homeschool our two youngest) so we thought that we'd stop on our way back up north. We still have to finalize our plans also. This will be our first time ever experiencing homeschool days and are so looking forward to it.


----------



## disneymom3

DawnM said:


> The third week of Sept.  This last year it started Sept. 15th or so.
> Tickets are good the week before the event and the week after, so you have a 3 week window.  So, I would look at the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th week in Sept.
> 
> Dawn



Thanks Dawn.  I think the timeshare we are trying to get is Sept 19th check in date.  I think they are nuts not getting those dates out earlier. Heck, you used to have to plan dining 6 months out!!


----------



## Belle & Ariel

I did not know Disney had homeschool days.  Can you all tell me everything you know?


----------



## Denine

dvcbnd said:


> Looks like we might be going also. We're going down to SC to visit family during President's week (my ds is in highschool - we homeschool our two youngest) so we thought that we'd stop on our way back up north. We still have to finalize our plans also. This will be our first time ever experiencing homeschool days and are so looking forward to it.


We will be visiting friends in Richmond.  This will also be our first time doing homeschool days anywhere.  I am really excited.  It looks like we will be going the last weekend in February.

Right now though we are dealing with a sick cat. He is in liver failure, so this could complicate our trip in 2 weeks to WDW or HS days in Williamsburg.  We just found out this week and are trying to sort out all the details.  He acts fine right now though, he is just losing weight.  This will be very hard on DD (6).  She doesn't remember losing our other kitties and she and Jazzy are good buddies.  It is also very hard on me and DH.


----------



## Denine

Hey we will actually be in WDW for HS days this year.  We are going the end of Sept into Oct for DD's birthday.

What do they do for HS days and are there any specfic ages or grades?  DD will be in 2nd grade by then.


----------



## Ellester

Denine said:


> Right now though we are dealing with a sick cat. He is in liver failure, so this could complicate our trip in 2 weeks to WDW or HS days in Williamsburg.  We just found out this week and are trying to sort out all the details.  He acts fine right now though, he is just losing weight.  This will be very hard on DD (6).  She doesn't remember losing our other kitties and she and Jazzy are good buddies.  It is also very hard on me and DH.



So sorry to hear about your kitty. It is always tough to face serious illness in the fuzzy members of the family. We had to have our dog put down about 18 months ago and we still miss him.


----------



## wvdislover

So sorry about your cat.  We've had to put 2 dogs down, and know how hard it is.


----------



## Minnie Squeaks

i think ill start posting here
started homeschoolin back up 
hiya!


----------



## dvcbnd

Denine, so sorry to hear about your cat. Having gone through putting our dog down a few years ago, I know how hard it is. Especially on the little ones.


----------



## cdhheidi

Hi All!

New to this part of the DIS, we have been on 2 cruises and are new DVC members but have homeschooled for...   17 yrs or so? Anyway...  we are planning a trip in fall 2010 to explore our nations history (we live in Idaho) just read on here about Williamsburg Homeschool days. It sounds wonderful, has anyone here gone?  Any other places you would reccomend along the Eastern seaboard that has special homeschool activities in the fall?  This MIGHT be an extended trip, as we have friends we could stay with along the way (as in maybe even 3 months on the road).  

My youngest (12) is disabled so we tend to not do the hurry up and get it all done in a rush, and he is a HUGE history buff so this would be a dream trip for him.  In the past we have done the Oregon Trail from St Louis to Boise, took 4-5 weeks to follow it and it was a wonderful adventure. 

Anyway, any suggestions would be great!  We would of course end up at WDW, staying at our new home, BWV...   

Thanks!


Heidi


----------



## Villainess

I thought I would post an update: I talked with exDH about homeschooling and he is open to it, and when I explained the positives - many which he never thought could be positives, he was very interested in me showing him what I have found on curriculums (more for kindergarten - forward, than preschool).  His biggest concern was their socialization but I told him about the various programs they are getting involved with or will be w/in the year.  I'm very excited!


----------



## Denine

Thanks everyone.  It has been a tough week trying to sort everything out with our kitty.  I have one more med I am waiting for.  I have decided he may have a curable liver disease.  He will need a few months of antibiotics, but that is what the vet gave us.  It is not FIP so they are thinking cancer.  He doesn't even act sick.  So, I don't buy that it is cancer.  I am going to talk to the vet again on Monday.


Hello to the newbies!

We are going to finish 1st grade math this week and then start 2nd grade.  DD is excited.  We use Horizon's for math.


----------



## disneymom3

Villainess said:


> I thought I would post an update: I talked with exDH about homeschooling and he is open to it, and when I explained the positives - many which he never thought could be positives, he was very interested in me showing him what I have found on curriculums (more for kindergarten - forward, than preschool).  His biggest concern was their socialization but I told him about the various programs they are getting involved with or will be w/in the year.  I'm very excited!



Wow. Congrats. That is great that you and your ex can talk about this and he is open to it!

Denine, good to hear the cat might not be so sick as thought. 

I was not able to call this week to find out if they have any plans for Sept homeschool days.  I will try this week and let you all know what happens.

As for the folks who asked about it, I have not been myself but from what I can gather there are a couple of general sessions focusing on whatever the theme they decide on each time.  They have done Epcot, AK and DS as the main locations in the past.  Then you can also sign up your children for various other classes through the Youth Education Series and those are geared toward specific age ranges.  The other perk is that you get to purchase your tickets at the homeschool group rate for your family without having to meet the minimum group size.


----------



## MiniGirl

disneymom3 said:


> I was not able to call this week to find out if they have any plans for Sept homeschool days.  I will try this week and let you all know what happens.
> 
> As for the folks who asked about it, I have not been myself but from what I can gather there are a couple of general sessions focusing on whatever the theme they decide on each time.  They have done Epcot, AK and DS as the main locations in the past.  Then you can also sign up your children for various other classes through the Youth Education Series and those are geared toward specific age ranges.  The other perk is that you get to purchase your tickets at the homeschool group rate for your family without having to meet the minimum group size.



I sent off an e-mail asking about future Homeschool Days at Disney, and here is the response I received.......

Good morning Eva~

My name is Sarah and I am one of the coordinators with Disney Youth
Programs.  Thank you for your interest in Disney's Home School Days.
Our next event will be in September.  We do not have dates or a theme
for the event.  Please continue to check our website for updates.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Thank you!

Sarah

Sarah Russell
Sales Coordinator
Disney Youth Group Programs
(888) 779-1757 ext 7647


Me again: So, it looks like the theme and even the dates are still up in the air.


----------



## kinntj

I'm hoping someone on here can help me.  DH and I are talking about enrolling our DD's into Catholic school or keeping them in Public school and start teaching religious curriculum at home.  

Any ideas on what curriculum I should research for this?  I just feel since we're not huge church going folk (sporadic) going to a Christian school or supplementing at home would be great.  

We're just tossing the idea around at this time.  Like you guys, we take education seriously and want what is best for our kids.  

Thank you for any information you can give.


----------



## Ellester

kinntj said:


> I'm hoping someone on here can help me.  DH and I are talking about enrolling our DD's into Catholic school or keeping them in Public school and start teaching religious curriculum at home.
> 
> Any ideas on what curriculum I should research for this?  I just feel since we're not huge church going folk (sporadic) going to a Christian school or supplementing at home would be great.
> 
> We're just tossing the idea around at this time.  Like you guys, we take education seriously and want what is best for our kids.
> 
> Thank you for any information you can give.



Are you specifically looking for Catholic religious education? If so you can look at Seton (setonhome.org), Mother of Divine Grace (motherofdivinegrace.org), Kolbe  (kolbe.org) or CHC (chcweb.com). These are whole curriculum providers, but you can usually just buy the religious education curriculum separately. If you are looking for Protestant education, I know there are plenty of posters who can also help you there.


----------



## disneymom3

Minigirl, thanks for posting the reply you got.  Aack.  Compulsive planners have to hope for the best I guess.

As for the Christian curriculum--the other option if you are looking for Catholic is to just talk to your local church.  I know the one we used to attend had a teach at home option for religious ed.

If you are looking for more general, any Christian bookstore is going to have a nice family study--daily devotionals etc.  You could try www.cbd.com


----------



## Ellester

Just a heads up that Barnes & Noble is having their "Educator Appreciation" week from 1/17-1/25. Teachers (including homeschoolers) can get 25% off most books for classroom OR personal use and 10% of DVDs and CDs. Our store usually has breakfast for educators one morning along with all kinds of door prizes. Have fun shopping!


----------



## CookingMama

The Homeschool Ultimate Fieldtrip we know about is Sept 7t -13th. We wanted to go last year but couldnt.
I am jumping in to introduce my family. We are funschoolers, eclectic & very relaxed, did some natural structure kindof Montessorri at home the early years. 
  My 20 yr old is graduating from UNT this yr & has been on the Dean's list, he has his AA and an AS with honors from community college he is doing Economics and minor Chemistry. He was our first hs graduate. He did the Tort Law thing at Patrick Henry one summer and loved it so who knows what he will end up choosing to do next year   14 yr old is into swimming, zoology, and Spore. 11 yr old wants to have a video game store & is learning Japanese, dd wants to be a vet then retire on her own farm & rescue animals.  We have homeschooled in 4 states now and love to travel. Husband job takes him teaching global so I hold down the fort. We came to TX for ds20 so he could be a TX resident & we could sell our so CA house before the market went down.

We are Catholic and IME the best Catholic Curriculum is CHC. And when you buy from them you support a Catholic homeschooling family.


----------



## MeetingMickeyin2006

Hi everyone! So glad to have found this thread! We're in our second year of homeschooling. I have a 6 year old first grader and a 2 year old girl. After many, many canceled trips, we'll be taking our first trip to Disney this summer. 

Can't wait to get to know you all!


----------



## dvcbnd

Ellester said:


> Just a heads up that Barnes & Noble is having their "Educator Appreciation" week from 1/17-1/25. Teachers (including homeschoolers) can get 25% off most books for classroom OR personal use and 10% of DVDs and CDs. Our store usually has breakfast for educators one morning along with all kinds of door prizes. Have fun shopping!



Thanks so much for the info! I've been wanting to go over to B&N and get my educator's disct card and just haven't had the chance. This seems like the perfect time to do so. Thanks again.


----------



## Minnie Squeaks

kinntj said:


> I'm hoping someone on here can help me.  DH and I are talking about enrolling our DD's into Catholic school or keeping them in Public school and start teaching religious curriculum at home.
> 
> Any ideas on what curriculum I should research for this?  I just feel since we're not huge church going folk (sporadic) going to a Christian school or supplementing at home would be great.
> 
> We're just tossing the idea around at this time.  Like you guys, we take education seriously and want what is best for our kids.
> 
> Thank you for any information you can give.




well im 15..
name is Amanda btw 
and I use the SOS program..stands for Switched on Schoolhouse
it is bible,christian based
there is even a bible class
the program is pretty easy to use and I like it for the most part  hope that helps?


----------



## graygables

Mini Homeschool Days report...

10 & 12yo DDs went to Homeschool Days last week at DHS. I had to work (I'm a CM at Dinoland in AK right now), so my 20yo DD took them. The speaker was at 930am and everyone said she was awesome.  They got her autograph on her CD and a photo with her.  At 1230, my girls did the YES program, Disney's Productions Arts and Sciences, which was a 3 hour tour  including ToT (ride and backstage) and learning about facade, flats, and forced perspective.  They were assigned various roles in a "production", took some photos, and did some editing.  DDs enjoyed that part, too, but there were a couple of kids that were not very well behaved that kind of impacted their enjoyment.

I met up with them after the YES program and we hopped to Epcot for the evening where I listened to them in "magpie-stereo" tell me all about their day.  All in all, it was a good experience and we'd do it again.


----------



## desparatelydisney

Hi everyone, I am new to this thread and have looked around a little but I confess to not having read the entire thread.

I have a second grader in private school who has not made lower than a 98 all year, a 4 year old, and a 3 year old who is ready to start reading.  I am considering homeschooling next year for the 3rd grader, putting our middle child in kindergarten at the private school, and continuing the little guy in preK but supplementing it at home with a kindergarten program.

However, my husband and I also run our own business & I am a home-based travel agent.  Days around here can be slow or CRAZY!!  I have a friend who homeschools and I have looked at a lot of curricula.  We are Methodist Christians but (please don't take offense) we do not want a religious based curriculum.  So far I am most interested in the Calvert curriculum with the ATS option so that there is outside testing done regularly.

Does anyone else have experience with this curriculum that would like to share their thoughts?  I want a challenging curruculum that is well laid out and has outside testing.

Thanks for your help!


----------



## HomeschoolMama

Ugh, ladies...  I've been stressed lately with school stuff.  I've been full time home schooling my kids since my 6th grader was in 2nd grade.  Now I have three (6th, 2nd, and K) I'm schooling.   I love it, but I feel like it's time for my oldest to take some classes elsewhere.  
I plan on enrolling all three of the kids in classes this fall with the home school co-op at my church.  I know they test them to see what level they will be on.  I'm trying to decide if I should switch to their curriculum so she'll test on level or just stick with what I already have (and paid for) and hope it's going to work out.  

Also- does anyone have any suggestions on preparing them for taking a test?  We do the tests in the books we use.  Will that be enough?   Man, the stress of wondering what level they'll be on is...  

Did I mention the guilt I feel for "quitting" as their full time teacher?   Then again, I feel excited that life will be less stressful for me.  I will still be their co-teacher on T/Th when they are home with me.  So, I guess it's the best of both worlds, so why do I feel so bad?


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

I can't say what is right for you--that's between you, hubby and the Lord! Pray about it, and whatever he leads you to do, is the only thing to do!! And don't feel guilty! If He leads you somewhere,then that is the best plan for your child!!!! Why feel guilty about that!! We are all doing what's best for our own kids!!!


----------



## Denine

Hi!

We have used Calvert for 3 years, this is our 3rd year.  DD is in 1st grade.  We do not use the math though.  We use Horizon's for that.
I have not used ATS yet, but I plan to in the future.


----------



## Leader of the Club

desparatelydisney said:


> Does anyone else have experience with this curriculum that would like to share their thoughts?  I want a challenging curruculum that is well laid out and has outside testing.
> 
> Thanks for your help!



We used Calvert one half of one year. It wasn't for us. We are way too laid back and it was way strict for us.

That said, if you really want something secular (we're Methodist Christians, too so no offense here), challenging and well laid out, you cannot beat Calvert.


----------



## Leader of the Club

I have been looking at Elementary Success Deluxe 2009 at Sam's club. I just wanted to use it as a review for my 11 year old. Has anyone used it? Whattya think?


----------



## Belle & Ariel

Abeka is Christian but I heard it is very challenging.  I don't think it is preachy; I know some primary readers were a very abridged Pilgrim's Progress and a Bible reader. I think some penmanship pages were Bible verses. Of course science is creation based and refutes evolution.  We used it though 8th grade exclusively and all but math (Teaching Textbooks) and science (Apologia) in h.s.  The phonics program is wonderful.


----------



## Belle & Ariel

Sam's Club has test prep books for each grade in their book section.  They will have practice tests at the end.


----------



## TLHB70

Belle & Ariel said:


> Abeka is Christian but I heard it is very challenging.  I don't think it is preachy; I know some primary readers were a very abridged Pilgrim's Progress and a Bible reader. I think some penmanship pages were Bible verses. Of course science is creation based and refutes evolution.  We used it though 8th grade exclusively and all but math (Teaching Textbooks) and science (Apologia) in h.s.  The phonics program is wonderful.



We have used A Beka each year also, K4 - now.  My oldest DD is in 8th grade now.  What made you switch curriculums for math and science in high school?  DD is doing the video academy this year because I thought we would do that for high school.  I wanted a practice year to make sure she liked it.  So far, so good.............


----------



## GPA1015

Love the Abkea reading!  I am looking into Saxon phonics. Anyone have any insight on it- I can not seem to get a hold of a book to look at it.  And I refuse to pay the high price to look at it!


----------



## Denine

Calvert is structured, but that is what DD needs, so it works great for  us.

The only problem now is the reading program.  DD is reading at a 3-4 grade level, but we are still doing 1st grade reading.  Right now, I just use it to get the basics for comprehension.  She still needs the spelling program.  We do use the phonics, but she doesn't need that much anymore.

We use Horizon's for math because the Calvert math was too easy for her.  THis program is supposed to be more advanced and she will finish 1st grade math on Friday.

I love that DD can go at her own pace and not be stuck behind with kids that don't understand math.  (Like me at her age.)


----------



## TLHB70

I just replied to a thread about this on the CB, but I thought it would be especially great to share here.  I am sure that some of you, like me, have these days where we feel invisible.
Take a moment to watch this, and let it be an encouragment to you.  I have it saved in my favorites so I can rewatch it when I need it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YU0aNAHXP0


----------



## disneymom3

graygable--thanks for the mini report. Sounds very cool--glad your girls had a good time.


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

graygables said:


> Mini Homeschool Days report...
> 
> 10 & 12yo DDs went to Homeschool Days last week at DHS. I had to work (I'm a CM at Dinoland in AK right now), so my 20yo DD took them. The speaker was at 930am and everyone said she was awesome.  They got her autograph on her CD and a photo with her.  At 1230, my girls did the YES program, Disney's Productions Arts and Sciences, which was a 3 hour tour  including ToT (ride and backstage) and learning about facade, flats, and forced perspective.  They were assigned various roles in a "production", took some photos, and did some editing.  DDs enjoyed that part, too, but there were a couple of kids that were not very well behaved that kind of impacted their enjoyment.
> 
> I met up with them after the YES program and we hopped to Epcot for the evening where I listened to them in "magpie-stereo" tell me all about their day.  All in all, it was a good experience and we'd do it again.



Newbie here...how did you find out about this?  My DS would LOVE (and I mean love) to do this next year.  He's been saying since he was 7 that he wants to be an imagineer when he grows up and this would be a terrific experience for him.  TIA for any information you can provide.

Karen


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

TLHB70 said:


> I just replied to a thread about this on the CB, but I thought it would be especially great to share here.  I am sure that some of you, like me, have these days where we feel invisible.
> Take a moment to watch this, and let it be an encouragment to you.  I have it saved in my favorites so I can rewatch it when I need it.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YU0aNAHXP0



Checked out the youtube---EXCELLENT!! I had read an excerpt from that before, but never watched it 'live'. Thanks----I needed that!!! God is so good!!-Is He not?!!!


----------



## kinntj

Ellester said:


> Are you specifically looking for Catholic religious education? If so you can look at Seton (setonhome.org), Mother of Divine Grace (motherofdivinegrace.org), Kolbe  (kolbe.org) or CHC (chcweb.com). These are whole curriculum providers, but you can usually just buy the religious education curriculum separately. If you are looking for Protestant education, I know there are plenty of posters who can also help you there.



Sorry for taking awhile to get back on here.  You guys move along pretty good here.  

We're Lutheran, but was looking into Catholic schools in the area.  I looked for Lutheran, but they aren't very good in this area.  My neighbor said the Catholic schools around here are wonderful and you can stay in through High School.  We can go either way on teaching.  

Thank you!

I will look in the local Christian bookstores or SOS as someone else posted.  
Thanks for the websites for Catholic instruction.  I'll look into them.


----------



## DawnM

Hey, we are here for another week and a half.....are you there everyday?

I will stop in and say hi!

Dawn



graygables said:


> Mini Homeschool Days report...
> 
> 10 & 12yo DDs went to Homeschool Days last week at DHS. I had to work (I'm a CM at Dinoland in AK right now), so my 20yo DD took them. The speaker was at 930am and everyone said she was awesome.  They got her autograph on her CD and a photo with her.  At 1230, my girls did the YES program, Disney's Productions Arts and Sciences, which was a 3 hour tour  including ToT (ride and backstage) and learning about facade, flats, and forced perspective.  They were assigned various roles in a "production", took some photos, and did some editing.  DDs enjoyed that part, too, but there were a couple of kids that were not very well behaved that kind of impacted their enjoyment.
> 
> I met up with them after the YES program and we hopped to Epcot for the evening where I listened to them in "magpie-stereo" tell me all about their day.  All in all, it was a good experience and we'd do it again.


----------



## wvdislover

TLHB70, thanks.  I really needed that.  I, myself, have been feeling quite "invisible" for some time now.  Thank you.


----------



## dvcbnd

TLHB70 said:


> I just replied to a thread about this on the CB, but I thought it would be especially great to share here.  I am sure that some of you, like me, have these days where we feel invisible.
> Take a moment to watch this, and let it be an encouragment to you.  I have it saved in my favorites so I can rewatch it when I need it.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YU0aNAHXP0




Thanks so much for sharing that!! I really needed it, as I too have been feeling "invisible" lately.


----------



## dvcbnd

Hi all,
I'm so excited because I just faxed over my Home Educator's Ticket Order form for Colonial Williamsburg in Feb. We only have time for one day, but we thought that it would be a good start. We'll be there on Sunday, Feb 22nd. This will be our first ever Home Educators Program and we're so looking forward to it!!


----------



## TLHB70

dvcbnd said:


> Thanks so much for sharing that!! I really needed it, as I too have been feeling "invisible" lately.





wvdislover said:


> TLHB70, thanks.  I really needed that.  I, myself, have been feeling quite "invisible" for some time now.  Thank you.





Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Checked out the youtube---EXCELLENT!! I had read an excerpt from that before, but never watched it 'live'. Thanks----I needed that!!! God is so good!!-Is He not?!!!



I am so glad that you were able to be encouraged by it!


----------



## desparatelydisney

Denine said:


> Calvert is structured, but that is what DD needs, so it works great for  us.
> 
> The only problem now is the reading program.  DD is reading at a 3-4 grade level, but we are still doing 1st grade reading.  Right now, I just use it to get the basics for comprehension.  She still needs the spelling program.  We do use the phonics, but she doesn't need that much anymore.
> 
> We use Horizon's for math because the Calvert math was too easy for her.  THis program is supposed to be more advanced and she will finish 1st grade math on Friday.
> 
> I love that DD can go at her own pace and not be stuck behind with kids that don't understand math.  (Like me at her age.)



So would you say that neither the math nor the reading are particularly challenging?  Not sure if that sounds too good


----------



## NiniMorris

OK, I'll jump in here....(I started reading, but after about 5 pages, jumped ahead to the end!!)

I have been homeschooling for a little over two years now.  My older dd was in 2nd grade, reading on a 6th grade level, maxed all the standardized tests (even won an award from the school board for having the highest test scores in the county for first grade!) but they would not consider testing her for advanced classes.  She was bored out of her mind! Then another little boy in her class threatened her because she was of mixed race heritage, and the school did NOTHING about it!

My ds was 6 and in Kinder.  He had suffered a severe brain injury and has severe learning disabilities as well as emotional problems (the doctors did not even think he would LIVE, much less anything else...we are very bl,essed!) In Pre-K he was in Special Ed classes, but they insisted on mainstreaming him for Kinder.  Then they cut out the para pro...I ended up having to go to school at least once a day to handle behavioral problems...they didn't know what to do with him.  He had an IEP that said he needed his own para-pro but they said that wasn't in the school budget!  To make a very long story as short as I can, after a call from my lawyer they put him in a special ed class...with 5th graders!  Did not work!

We pulled them both out in October.  We advanced the older one to the third grade (Switched On Schoolhouse)and used the hooked on phonics and Handwriting without Tears for the younger one.  Was the BEST decision we ever made!

It was so nice last January when we made an impromptu trip to Disney and did not have to get anyone's permission to go!

We are going again next January and I am making plans to include some learning experiences prior to the trip as well as during and after.  My older daughter is looking forward to helping with the planning, and my younger is excited that he will be tall enough to ride almost all the rides this time!  (yes, he is the one that pulled out his leash and said he was ready to go!)

Sorry for the long post, but I tend to be very long winded!


...now if I could just figure out how to keep my quilting business going while babysitting my one year old granddaughter and homeschooling everything would be fine!


----------



## mommyof2princesses

dvcbnd said:


> Hi all,
> I'm so excited because I just faxed over my Home Educator's Ticket Order form for Colonial Williamsburg in Feb. We only have time for one day, but we thought that it would be a good start. We'll be there on Sunday, Feb 22nd. This will be our first ever Home Educators Program and we're so looking forward to it!!



We are going March 3 and 4th.  And then to jamestown on the 5 and 6.  We are excited.  Well, dh just got a call about a job opportunity in Wisconsin...so we will see what happens....Itsn't it cold up there?


----------



## Denine

dvcbnd said:


> Hi all,
> I'm so excited because I just faxed over my Home Educator's Ticket Order form for Colonial Williamsburg in Feb. We only have time for one day, but we thought that it would be a good start. We'll be there on Sunday, Feb 22nd. This will be our first ever Home Educators Program and we're so looking forward to it!!



Good for you.  We haven't done ours yet.


----------



## Denine

desparatelydisney said:


> So would you say that neither the math nor the reading are particularly challenging?  Not sure if that sounds too good



Math: It depends on where your child is in the math department.  Some people love the math.  DD is good at math and even finds the more challenging progam easy.

Reading: Again, it depends on where your child is.  There are people that would do Calvert just for the reading and phonics program.  However, I think that is why DD is reading above her grade level.  KWIM?


----------



## mommyof2princesses

I got my confirmation in the mail yesterday for Colonial Williamsburg!  Yah!!  And I am about halfway through making my youngest a colonial dress to wear!  I haven't received anything from Jamestown yet....hopefully soon!


----------



## KibbyCat

I've been "invisible" for about 15 years...but whenever I start throwing myself a pity party, I remember that it's _*not*_ about *me*.

I just wanted to mention to anyone on here looking for curriculum:
I am done with my Alpha Omega Switched On Schoolhouse Grade 3 and would like to offer it for trade.  This is a 5-subject program with installation disc.  I am open to just about any offer.


----------



## tnmomof4

I was just wondering if anyone could give me some advice?  I need it very, very badly.

I just started homeschooling my 4 kids.  They are in grades 6th, 5th, and twins in kindergarten.

I decided to use all ABeka.  I love ABeka for the most part.  

It is just very overwhelming trying to teach two history classes and two science classes.  I think ABeka history and science are great, but it is just getting to be too much for us.  

I was thinking that it would be so much easier if I could teach my 5th and 
6th grader the same history and the same science.  

I also was thinking about how much I want them to learn the basics of history and science.   

Right now my 5th grader is trying to learn the state bird and flower for each state.  They have to also be able to identify every state bird and flower by sight.   Now.... this is okay, but I just feel it's not necessary to learn this.  I do think it is necessary to know the different kinds of trees, and how a leaf changes color, etc....  I also think it is good to learn the state bird and flower for your own state.  Maybe I am wrong.

I just wish I could do a week of learning about trees, and a week on how a leaf changes colors, and then a week on birds, a week on the sun, etc...

Same thing with history.  I just want them to learn the important things. I want to study the Declaration of Independence for a week, the Civil War for a week, etc....

Does any of this make sense?  

I just feel like ABeka drags some of these subjects out.  Plus if I can teach both of them the same thing, it would help me so much.

If it does, is there any curriculum out there like this.  I know when I was little I went to an ACE school for a while, and we did paces.  Maybe something like that, or just weekly studies.

Does anyone have any help for me?  I hate feeling like I am failing my kids.  Their education is my responsibility, and I want to do my best.  I want them to learn the things that are important.


----------



## wvdislover

I don't know what the exact requirements are for what Tennessee says your kids have to learn, but I would say teach your kids what YOU think is important for them to learn.  Just b/c you started with A Beka, doesn't mean you HAVE to finish with A Beka, does it (unless maybe you're doing the Academy)?  I think since your kids are so close in age, it wouldn't be a problem at all to teach them the same stuff in social studies and science (or all the subjects, for that matter).  Just go off of your kids and see what they can do together.  You could do some great unit studies or lap books, if you want.  Maybe use the information A Beka has given you as a springboard for what you want your kids to learn.  Remember, one of the reasons you chose to homeschool, probably, was so you could teach your kids what you think they should learn.  Good luck!  And welcome to the Homeschooling Thread!


----------



## emh1129

I'm wondering if any of you could help me with 1st grade curriculum ideas for my ds.
He is 6, soon to be 7 and has high functioning autism. He has trouble with attention span, so we can only work in brief sessions together.
My time is really becoming more and more limited due to nursing school, so I just don't have as much time to create our own plans. I'd appreciate any recommendations. Thanks!


----------



## feedthebirds

tnmomof4-

Have you looked at Tapestry of Grace?  Not sure if it would be a good fit for your family, just thought I"d throw it out there.  I have a friend that uses that and she loves it.  I have never used it myself, but may give it a try next year.


----------



## graygables

To both emh1129 and tnmomof4:

I HIGHLY recommend using lapbooks.  We get ours from http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/.  They offer e-books that I can download and print what I need as I need it.  We can do as many or as few of the activities as we like and adjust them to DDs' needs.  They also are designed to cover an age span, which is helpful since mine are 5th & 7th grades.  We can do a single lesson together and I just make it more challenging for the older one.  My oldest has Asperger's and my youngest has ADHD, so the lapbooks have really helped us move forward in ways that traditional curriculum just wasn't cutting for us.  The lapbooks cover science, social studies, and language arts (we are currently doing Australia and Animal Classification) and we use Math U See for our math curriculum.  Some of the lapbooks include a math element, but most of the ones we've done so far have not, so we do use the MUS for that (which works well, too, as the lessons are short).

To be honest, I think of my husband and how much he hated literature classes.  He knew he was never going to use it for anything and grew to detest reading because of it.  Had he been encouraged to read books about stone and masonry, however, it might have been a different story altogether.  Yes, I know, as a former English teacher, "critical reading" can be an important skill, but not at the loss of the love of reading altogether.  Same goes for social studies or science or math.  I have found that my girls are much more likely to pursue learning that interests them and their attention spans are much longer that way.  Did they need to know about the Constitution in the 4th grade?  No, but now that they are hearing about it and how it related to the inauguration, they've had their little Googlers going and have learned more than any textbook could have told them about it and WHY it matters.  

Stepping off my soapbox now...I'm not a fan of highly structured curriculum and we {heart} lapbooks!


----------



## Denine

Denine said:


> Math: It depends on where your child is in the math department.  Some people love the math.  DD is good at math and even finds the more challenging progam easy.
> 
> Reading: Again, it depends on where your child is.  There are people that would do Calvert just for the reading and phonics program.  However, I think that is why DD is reading above her grade level.  KWIM?



I forgot to mention that you can get custom math with Calvert after K, but since we started with Horizons, we just kept using it.


----------



## Denine

I still need to decide on Williamsburg.  Right now it depends on our cat.  He has cancer since everything else was ruled out.  He is doing fine now so we are continuing with our trip to WDW on Friday, but who knows in another month?  We really want to go.

We started 2nd grade math today!


----------



## crl

emh1129 said:


> I'm wondering if any of you could help me with 1st grade curriculum ideas for my ds.
> He is 6, soon to be 7 and has high functioning autism. He has trouble with attention span, so we can only work in brief sessions together.
> My time is really becoming more and more limited due to nursing school, so I just don't have as much time to create our own plans. I'd appreciate any recommendations. Thanks!



I'm not sure if you are looking for a Christian program or not. If so, Heart of Dakota has some great programs that work great for short attention spans and wiggly boys. They break it down into nice 15 minute segments so you can pick it up and do a little throughout the day or sit down and do it all at once if you want. Their website is heartofdakota.com and they have a placement chart to help you place your child in the correct program. The author also replies to the message board or email if you have further questions.


----------



## emh1129

graygables said:


> To both emh1129 and tnmomof4:
> 
> I HIGHLY recommend using lapbooks.  We get ours from http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/.  They offer e-books that I can download and print what I need as I need it.  We can do as many or as few of the activities as we like and adjust them to DDs' needs.  They also are designed to cover an age span, which is helpful since mine are 5th & 7th grades.  We can do a single lesson together and I just make it more challenging for the older one.  My oldest has Asperger's and my youngest has ADHD, so the lapbooks have really helped us move forward in ways that traditional curriculum just wasn't cutting for us.  The lapbooks cover science, social studies, and language arts (we are currently doing Australia and Animal Classification) and we use Math U See for our math curriculum.  Some of the lapbooks include a math element, but most of the ones we've done so far have not, so we do use the MUS for that (which works well, too, as the lessons are short).
> 
> To be honest, I think of my husband and how much he hated literature classes.  He knew he was never going to use it for anything and grew to detest reading because of it.  Had he been encouraged to read books about stone and masonry, however, it might have been a different story altogether.  Yes, I know, as a former English teacher, "critical reading" can be an important skill, but not at the loss of the love of reading altogether.  Same goes for social studies or science or math.  I have found that my girls are much more likely to pursue learning that interests them and their attention spans are much longer that way.  Did they need to know about the Constitution in the 4th grade?  No, but now that they are hearing about it and how it related to the inauguration, they've had their little Googlers going and have learned more than any textbook could have told them about it and WHY it matters.
> 
> Stepping off my soapbox now...I'm not a fan of highly structured curriculum and we {heart} lapbooks!



Thanks so much for the info. We aren't fans of highly structured _anything_, so this sounds like it might be right up our alley  



crl said:


> I'm not sure if you are looking for a Christian program or not. If so, Heart of Dakota has some great programs that work great for short attention spans and wiggly boys. They break it down into nice 15 minute segments so you can pick it up and do a little throughout the day or sit down and do it all at once if you want. Their website is heartofdakota.com and they have a placement chart to help you place your child in the correct program. The author also replies to the message board or email if you have further questions.



I don't mind a Christian program but I want DH to be as involved as possible and I think he would prefer a non-religious curriculum.
I will look into your recommendation, though. 15 minutes sounds doable. Going to look at it now.. thanks!


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

Well, we did it today.  We pulled our DS out of 5th grade.  We are now officially a homeschool family!  It was quite a process (are we making the right decision?  What about x, y, & Z) but now, it's just a huge relief!  

Thanks for the support (that you may not have even known you have given).

K


----------



## wvdislover

Congrats, and good luck!  I know it can be really scary at first...we pulled DD11 out of 5th grade just last year.  Things aren't perfect, but they're a whole lot better than they were when she was in school.  Know that you'll always have friends here to offer advice, support, and a listening ear.  Welcome to homeschooling!!!


----------



## OneTreeHillAddict

Hello everyone! I'm Tammy. Mother of three. The HS will be directed towards DD 7 (1st grade....in this district they do not get "grades" 'til grade 3) & DS 9 (4th grade) He is in the GT program at his current school and his testing in every area always exceeds grade level. I don't even know how to say this but the teacher he got this year is HORRIBLE! We had P/T conferences and thought everything had been worked out. Not so much. I don't want him bored out of his mind at school and that's all she has to say about him. "The work is done too fast and then he has nothing to do"....yadda yadda yadda. Well his GT teacher is great but he is only there a few hours a week. This is one issue I am debating my decision on.

The other...attendance poilicies in SC! The first week of school we went to Disney for X amount of days. All five days missed at school were excused by the Principal. Those did not count against the kids. Work was made up, etc. The week before school let out in December we planned another trip. I went to both teachers and asked if there would be a problem. They said no and that they'd give them work to do. (DD's teacher never makes her do work...she just tells her to have fun and say Hi to Eeyore. We do bring her word wall words and books along though.) We also talked to the Principal to make sure things would be okay. Again...he said, "Write me a letter like you did last time." So we booked our trip. I wrote the letter like I was asked to. He wrote me back and said these absences would be counted as a parent note and to have a great time at Disney. Well a couple of weeks ago I get a summons to appear in court. DH went today and was forced to sign an agreement stating my kids would not be tardy or absent EVER until their 17th birthdays! In SC you can supposedly miss 10 days a year or 5 per semester if you have split courses. Now this was a pre approved trip, granted months before we took it. All work was completed and turned in. My son is on the honor roll!? It's not like his trip to Disney affected his learning in any way. Yeah, they missed out on a class Christmas Party, the Story of Santa Claus, and the making of Christmas Tree Ornaments but work? No. I am very disappointed right now. I think this is completely absurd.

So I considered my options. One ~ pay my lawyer a fortune and see what he can do. Two ~ let them make us feel like **** and fear the alarm clock not going off one morning. (A sub station is being built next to us right now...they turn our power off 2-3 times a week...sometimes as early as 7 in the morning!) Or 3 ~ take them out of school completely. This last option we have considered many times already but I feared going through with it. What if I can't do it? What if I ruin their lives somehow by removing them from school? They want to attend college...maybe even medical school. (DS currently wants to be a plastic surgeon.~ ) Will our HS kids get the same chance at all this? I know you all have the answers and I want to listen to what all of you have to say. Please give me any advice, whether it be good or bad. The district is sending the paper work and I have to meet with the school board on Feb 17th. They tell me to come prepared. I'm not exactly sure what they mean by this. I'd love your opinions and advice! Thanks in advance! 


                                     Tammy


----------



## NHWX

OneTreeHillAddict said:


> So I considered my options. One ~ pay my lawyer a fortune and see what he can do. Two ~ let them make us feel like **** and fear the alarm clock not going off one morning. (A sub station is being built next to us right now...they turn our power off 2-3 times a week...sometimes as early as 7 in the morning!) Or 3 ~ take them out of school completely. This last option we have considered many times already but I feared going through with it. What if I can't do it? What if I ruin their lives somehow by removing them from school? They want to attend college...maybe even medical school. (DS currently wants to be a plastic surgeon.~ ) Will our HS kids get the same chance at all this? I know you all have the answers and I want to listen to what all of you have to say. Please give me any advice, whether it be good or bad. The district is sending the paper work and I have to meet with the school board on Feb 17th. They tell me to come prepared. I'm not exactly sure what they mean by this. I'd love your opinions and advice! Thanks in advance!



Well, that's quite an experience and not one I'd care to go through. Sorry the school or district was so horrible!

First off, I'd find out what the laws are for homeschooling in your state. I'd start here: http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp

Secondly, does your never absent or tardy also apply to sick or injured kids? If that's the case, I'd get ready to homeschool now! Kids do get sick and sometimes they also get hurt.

There are homeschoolers who do everything from get a job to attend Caltech after they're done with high school. I'm a member of a homeschool to college yahoo group and there are two students who are now attending Yale and Caltech. 

For my family, I think that my kids will probably take the occasional class at our local public high school. Who knows, they might even up there full time for a year or two. Right now, I'm happy to give them the choice.

I wouldn't worry about high school now. Just worry about first and third grades. 

NHWX


----------



## npmommie

tnmomof4 said:


> It is just very overwhelming trying to teach two history classes and two science classes.  I think ABeka history and science are great, but it is just getting to be too much for us.
> 
> I was thinking that it would be so much easier if I could teach my 5th and
> 6th grader the same history and the same science.
> 
> I also was thinking about how much I want them to learn the basics of history and science.
> 
> Right now my 5th grader is trying to learn the state bird and flower for each state.  They have to also be able to identify every state bird and flower by sight.   Now.... this is okay, but I just feel it's not necessary to learn this.  I do think it is necessary to know the different kinds of trees, and how a leaf changes color, etc....  I also think it is good to learn the state bird and flower for your own state.  Maybe I am wrong.
> 
> I just wish I could do a week of learning about trees, and a week on how a leaf changes colors, and then a week on birds, a week on the sun, etc...
> 
> Same thing with history.  I just want them to learn the important things. I want to study the Declaration of Independence for a week, the Civil War for a week, etc....
> 
> Does any of this make sense?
> 
> I just feel like ABeka drags some of these subjects out.  Plus if I can teach both of them the same thing, it would help me so much.
> 
> If it does, is there any curriculum out there like this.  I know when I was little I went to an ACE school for a while, and we did paces.  Maybe something like that, or just weekly studies.
> 
> Does anyone have any help for me?  I hate feeling like I am failing my kids.  Their education is my responsibility, and I want to do my best.  I want them to learn the things that are important.



I agree you do not have to stick with Abeka,  there is no reason not to teach them together, you can adapt each as needed.......why not spend a week on the sun, a week or more on the civil war, etc..........that is the beauty of homeschooling you can do that. You can incorporate activities in with what you are teaching at the moment. field trips etc.
I don't use a set curriculum, I piece things together........we use Story of the World for history social studies, it goes chronologically and to me makes sense.
we use Singapore math and science, and Learning language arts thru literature.
I have changed some things we do, some we have stuck with , such as Singapore.


----------



## OneTreeHillAddict

NHWX said:


> Well, that's quite an experience and not one I'd care to go through. Sorry the school or district was so horrible!
> 
> First off, I'd find out what the laws are for homeschooling in your state. I'd start here: http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp
> 
> Secondly, does your never absent or tardy also apply to sick or injured kids? If that's the case, I'd get ready to homeschool now! Kids do get sick and sometimes they also get hurt.
> 
> There are homeschoolers who do everything from get a job to attend Caltech after they're done with high school. I'm a member of a homeschool to college yahoo group and there are two students who are now attending Yale and Caltech.
> 
> For my family, I think that my kids will probably take the occasional class at our local public high school. Who knows, they might even up there full time for a year or two. Right now, I'm happy to give them the choice.
> 
> I wouldn't worry about high school now. Just worry about first and third grades.
> 
> NHWX



It applies to everything! If you go to a funeral you have to bring in PROOF of it??? Pictures of the dead body!? My God? Really. If your kid is sick it counts unless you take them to the DR and bring in a note. You can't even pick them up early! Do they honestly think ANY family at all will _never_ miss a single day, get picked up early, or arrive late? Life happens. I am so fed up. 

I have a lot of teachers on my trip reports and many have PM'ed me saying GET OUT OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL AS FAST AS YOU CAN! This is scary...it's coming from nice people I've been talking to for months. I think it's best for us to do this now. If things change they do but for now...I have to give HS a shot. I'm new at this and don't even know where to start. I hope to find some answers here. I'm going to search this link now. Thanks for posting it.


----------



## emh1129

OneTreeHillAddict said:


> Hello everyone! I'm Tammy. Mother of three. The HS will be directed towards DD 7 (1st grade....in this district they do not get "grades" 'til grade 3) & DS 9 (4th grade) He is in the GT program at his current school and his testing in every area always exceeds grade level. I don't even know how to say this but the teacher he got this year is HORRIBLE! We had P/T conferences and thought everything had been worked out. Not so much. I don't want him bored out of his mind at school and that's all she has to say about him. "The work is done too fast and then he has nothing to do"....yadda yadda yadda. Well his GT teacher is great but he is only there a few hours a week. This is one issue I am debating my decision on.
> 
> The other...attendance poilicies in SC! The first week of school we went to Disney for X amount of days. All five days missed at school were excused by the Principal. Those did not count against the kids. Work was made up, etc. The week before school let out in December we planned another trip. I went to both teachers and asked if there would be a problem. They said no and that they'd give them work to do. (DD's teacher never makes her do work...she just tells her to have fun and say Hi to Eeyore. We do bring her word wall words and books along though.) We also talked to the Principal to make sure things would be okay. Again...he said, "Write me a letter like you did last time." So we booked our trip. I wrote the letter like I was asked to. He wrote me back and said these absences would be counted as a parent note and to have a great time at Disney. Well a couple of weeks ago I get a summons to appear in court. DH went today and was forced to sign an agreement stating my kids would not be tardy or absent EVER until their 17th birthdays! In SC you can supposedly miss 10 days a year or 5 per semester if you have split courses. Now this was a pre approved trip, granted months before we took it. All work was completed and turned in. My son is on the honor roll!? It's not like his trip to Disney affected his learning in any way. Yeah, they missed out on a class Christmas Party, the Story of Santa Claus, and the making of Christmas Tree Ornaments but work? No. I am very disappointed right now. I think this is completely absurd.
> 
> So I considered my options. One ~ pay my lawyer a fortune and see what he can do. Two ~ let them make us feel like **** and fear the alarm clock not going off one morning. (A sub station is being built next to us right now...they turn our power off 2-3 times a week...sometimes as early as 7 in the morning!) Or 3 ~ take them out of school completely. This last option we have considered many times already but I feared going through with it. What if I can't do it? What if I ruin their lives somehow by removing them from school? They want to attend college...maybe even medical school. (DS currently wants to be a plastic surgeon.~ ) Will our HS kids get the same chance at all this? I know you all have the answers and I want to listen to what all of you have to say. Please give me any advice, whether it be good or bad. The district is sending the paper work and I have to meet with the school board on Feb 17th. They tell me to come prepared. I'm not exactly sure what they mean by this. I'd love your opinions and advice! Thanks in advance!
> 
> 
> Tammy



Tammy- wow. That is so ridiculous! I can't believe they would waste so much time and money to give parents like you guys a hard time. I mean, I believe it- I've heard stories like this before- but it makes no sense! I think absurd is right. And I'm sure incredibly frustrating on your part.
As for your ds- I think that's too bad that he's not being challenged. I think children have an innate desire to learn and to understand how the world around them works and it's so important to nurture that.
As for college- I know that homeschooled children have attended excellent universities across the U.S. but I don't have first hand experience with the process, so hopefully someone else will come along with more information about that.


----------



## Praise2Him

Sadly, many homeschoolers are former teachers who know firsthand how bad the schools are becoming (including me) - even the supposedly "good" schools.

The schools receive money from the government based on attendance, so that's why they don't want kids to be absent.

I would definitely not worry about college - there are many homeschoolers who've gone to first class colleges with no trouble. Once your children are in high school they can even do dual enrollment at your local college.


----------



## NHWX

Well, OneTree, I'll toss in a couple of suggestions.

If you think your school board might give you a hard time about curriculum "Certified teachers develop curriculum, not parents", I'd pick an accepted curriculum for the remainder of this year. And I'm not sure how the virtual schools work in South Carolina, but that might be a possibility for next year.

I know that many people are great at putting together a curriculum, and I've seen some wonderful examples here. I tried doing that and I wasn't satisfied with my results. So I ended up buying curriculum.

If you have to account for the number of days taught, I'd recommend software called Homeschool Tracker. I'm still using the free version but plan to convert to the paid one for better reports come the spring time. 

www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org frequently has great group buys on all kinds of homeschool material. I've used them several times and been very happy. 

www.rainbowresource.com is a huge catalog of homeschooling material. And www.christianbook.com has a decent selection too. I've bought math software there, for instance, that didn't have anything to do with any religion!

There's probably a yahoo or google group out there for homeschooling groups in your region/town. The people on those lists might be able to give you first hand knowledge about local resources.

And remember, like anything, there are good days and bad days.

NHWX


----------



## Denine

Tammy: Good luck and pull them out now or you will get nothing but grief from them until they graduate from high school.

I agree with checking out the home school laws in your state. 
It may be easier to get a boxed curriculum to start  since everything you need is in there.

I still  use a boxed curriculum cause I just don't have the time or energy to come up with my own, but that may change.


----------



## wheelerkidz3

hi all! i've been lurking here on this thread for quite a while now...a few months i think! i've been considering hs'ing my oldest ds who is in 5th grade. he really struggles with school, and we feel he has been passed along from one grade to the next. he is required (due to poor test scores) to have extra help, but the school says that due to budget cuts, he gets what he gets. his 5th grade teacher is trying really hard to bring him up to date, but he just continues to struggle and get further behind. we find that when he comes home from a full day of school, he's doing homework here for a few hours too, and he is just a plain grump! he's got no time to be a kid, and it's making him and us miserable!! 
it seems lots of people hs their kids because the child is not being challenged enough at school. can it work if it's the opposite? will it be bad for my ds because he is already behind? i'm afraid of him falling even further behind. he has a pretty good attention span, i think he just doesn't do well, cuz he needs a little more one on one. (at least i'm hoping this is the case! he does ok when i try to help him with homework and stuff.)
i've checked out the link to that was provided above. 
is there anyone else on this board that homeschools and is from NY? i don't remember seeing anyone else from ny, and i just wondered if there was any from here. 
i'm sure i'll have tons of questions too!! you all seem so friendly to each other and so helpful....thanks!


----------



## KibbyCat

Tammy,

Let me reassure you.  I was homeschooled, but I went to college, finished my degree in 3-and-half-years, graduated with honors, and made the Dean's List or President's List every semester.  I don't think being homeschooled is a handicap.  If you ever get to a point where you think that you're not doing enough for your kids, you can seek help through a homeschool support group.  There are also curriculum programs that are university-based or online, so that you can get your son what he needs for giftedness, and have professional help.
Homeschooling is no longer limited to mom and kids poring over boring texts and workbooks at the kitchen table.  You can make what you want of the whole experience.

Now, for a bit of encouragement.  I love this article, and it really speaks for homeschoolers and the opportunities now afforded to them.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=382004

Hope that helps!


----------



## wvdislover

wheelerkidz3 said:


> hi all! i've been lurking here on this thread for quite a while now...a few months i think! i've been considering hs'ing my oldest ds who is in 5th grade. he really struggles with school, and we feel he has been passed along from one grade to the next. he is required (due to poor test scores) to have extra help, but the school says that due to budget cuts, he gets what he gets. his 5th grade teacher is trying really hard to bring him up to date, but he just continues to struggle and get further behind. we find that when he comes home from a full day of school, he's doing homework here for a few hours too, and he is just a plain grump! he's got no time to be a kid, and it's making him and us miserable!!
> it seems lots of people hs their kids because the child is not being challenged enough at school. can it work if it's the opposite? will it be bad for my ds because he is already behind? i'm afraid of him falling even further behind. he has a pretty good attention span, i think he just doesn't do well, cuz he needs a little more one on one. (at least i'm hoping this is the case! he does ok when i try to help him with homework and stuff.)
> i've checked out the link to that was provided above.
> is there anyone else on this board that homeschools and is from NY? i don't remember seeing anyone else from ny, and i just wondered if there was any from here.
> i'm sure i'll have tons of questions too!! you all seem so friendly to each other and so helpful....thanks!



Hi Shannon--welcome!  I am homeschooling my DD11 now, b/c she was struggling in school.  I pulled her out near the end of 3rd quarter in 5th grade.  Your DS is only getting more frustrated while you leave him in school.  If you bring him home, it may be much easier to get him caught up, since he'll be getting the one-on-one help he so needs.  He may be a much happier kid, since he won't feel the pressure he's under at school, and you can work more at his pace.  Good luck!


----------



## wheelerkidz3

wvdislover said:


> Hi Shannon--welcome!  I am homeschooling my DD11 now, b/c she was struggling in school.  I pulled her out near the end of 3rd quarter in 5th grade.  Your DS is only getting more frustrated while you leave him in school.  If you bring him home, it may be much easier to get him caught up, since he'll be getting the one-on-one help he so needs.  He may be a much happier kid, since he won't feel the pressure he's under at school, and you can work more at his pace.  Good luck!



that is reassuring! thanks!! i get so nervous making this move...but i think it's the only way. i thought about pulling him back at the end of the first marking period, but then i figured i'd wait...i don't know what for though! ugh! he's only doing worse since then...


----------



## Denine

Shannon: That is the beauty of homeschooling.  You can teach them at their level and work up as they are ready.  You spend more time on things they don't understand and can challenge them when they do understand.  Good luck!


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

wheelerkidz3 said:


> i thought about pulling him back at the end of the first marking period, but then i figured i'd wait...i don't know what for though! ...



Shannon, I'm in that club too!  The "don't know what I waited for..."  I think we only do things like that because we're trying to make sure it's the "right" answer.  

Good luck,

Karen


----------



## wheelerkidz3

Pixie Dust for Me! said:


> Shannon, I'm in that club too!  The "don't know what I waited for..."  I think we only do things like that because we're trying to make sure it's the "right" answer.
> 
> Good luck,
> 
> Karen



how is it going? you just pulled your ds on monday right? are you de-schooling now? i'm so nervous to make the move!! i need to get looking into curriculum to get this started.


----------



## desparatelydisney

Okay, I have pretty much made up my mind that I (we) are going to do this.  The kicker today was when my 2nd grader brought home his STAR report-he is reading at a 5.2 grade level and the AR book he brought home - 3.2!  His teacher just doesn't get it!

I originally thought that I really wanted a boxed curriculum and was very drawn to Calvert but I have slowly become "awakened" to why the unit study program is so good.  I feel good about Math, History, LA/Reading, Writing, Spelling, Art...but not Science.

Last night I found the _Andrew Lost_ book series and teacher guides.  Does anyone use these?  Other suggestions?  As someone with a MS degree, I really want a non-creation based text with lots of fun experiments - Bill Nye the Science Guy type stuff

TIA!


----------



## Tink561

I really will be starting over soon.  My boys went to school when they were little but now they are 15, 16 and 19.  We've been homeschooling for 9 years.

Now I'm preparing to get preschool curriculum for our daughter who just turned 3.  She will be 3.5 in the summer and we will do preK next year.  I've decided to do Calvert with her.  I really like that everything comes in the box and is planned out.  I also like that we can do it all the way through middle school if we choose.

I've done all sorts of things with the boys over the years.  I have unit studies, Charlotte Mason, Classical Ed., etc.  I really don't want to do all that planning again and I'm not sure unit studies would be as fun with just one child so I think we're going the boxed route.

Any recent opinions on Calvert pre-K with a 3.5 year old?


----------



## OneTreeHillAddict

Thanks everyone for all the links and advice. I am definitely doing this no matter what obstacles I face. I want to make it happen ASAP. With that being said we have already ordered thew paper work from the county. It's being sent. Here are some questions I have...

About how long will it take to get them out of school?

Someone mentioned that since DS is in G/T and has high scores I may get a hard time from the school...what should I expect? Has this happened to anyone personally? Did you have to get a lawyer involved?

Another thing...although we are a Christian family we do not attend church on a regular basis. Most curriculums I've found deal with religion, as do the social groups. Will they look down upon us for not going to church all the time?

DD (1st grade) is excellent in Math but struggles a little in reading. What curriculum would you suggest for her?

DS (4th grade) is the one in GT whose test scores are way out there. What would you all suggest for him? 

So many of you have PM'ed me and I really appreciate it. You guys have been so much help! We're for sure going to do this so any advice is appreciated. As of right now I'm trying to get the supplies in order. Being we're already in the second semester is there a way their current school can share their curriculum with us? Do they do this kind of thing or will they be hateful towards us for pulling the kids out?

Thanks again for all your help!


                                           Tammy


----------



## wheelerkidz3

OneTreeHillAddict said:


> Thanks everyone for all the links and advice. I am definitely doing this no matter what obstacles I face. I want to make it happen ASAP. With that being said we have already ordered thew paper work from the county. It's being sent. Here are some questions I have...
> 
> About how long will it take to get them out of school?
> 
> Someone mentioned that since DS is in G/T and has high scores I may get a hard time from the school...what should I expect? Has this happened to anyone personally? Did you have to get a lawyer involved?
> 
> Another thing...although we are a Christian family we do not attend church on a regular basis. Most curriculums I've found deal with religion, as do the social groups. Will they look down upon us for not going to church all the time?
> 
> DD (1st grade) is excellent in Math but struggles a little in reading. What curriculum would you suggest for her?
> 
> DS (4th grade) is the one in GT whose test scores are way out there. What would you all suggest for him?
> 
> So many of you have PM'ed me and I really appreciate it. You guys have been so much help! We're for sure going to do this so any advice is appreciated. As of right now I'm trying to get the supplies in order. Being we're already in the second semester is there a way their current school can share their curriculum with us? *Do they do this kind of thing or will they be hateful towards us for pulling the kids out?*
> Thanks again for all your help!
> 
> 
> Tammy




this is what i worry about too. i have a dd in 3rd grade and my youngest ds is in kindergarten. my dd does great in public school, so my plan for now is to leave her and youngest ds there. dd however wants me to hs her!! i prob will next year, but i'm afraid of getting overwhelmed right now. i do in home daycare, and i should be able to help my oldest during naptime, but i'm afraid if i have all 3 of my kids plus my daycare kids, i may be taking on too much!!
what kind of responses have others gotten from the school? do they treat your children left in ps differently? thanks again for all your time!!


----------



## MiniGirl

desparatelydisney said:


> Okay, I have pretty much made up my mind that I (we) are going to do this.  The kicker today was when my 2nd grader brought home his STAR report-he is reading at a 5.2 grade level and the AR book he brought home - 3.2!  His teacher just doesn't get it!
> 
> TIA!



Not that I'm trying to get you to keep your child in school. I'm just trying to perhaps offer some insight. My youngest is in 1st grade, but she is an amazing reader. She was also bringing home books that were well below her ability, so I spoke with her teacher about it. Her teacher said that it can be very difficult to find books that are apporpriate for early advanced readers. Most of the books written for that reading level are written for older kids and so the younger ones simply are not interested in them or some of them contain subjects such as bullying or crushes on boys, etc. Also, eventhough my dd is reading at a late 4th/early 5th grade level, she is still just 6 and her attention span is still not where it should be to read some of those chapter books. Sometimes she wants to just sit down with a simple picture book. It could be the same with your son.


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

wheelerkidz3 said:


> how is it going? you just pulled your ds on monday right? are you de-schooling now? i'm so nervous to make the move!! i need to get looking into curriculum to get this started.




I'm lucky.  My son is adapting beautifully (I think it's because I was the one teaching him math and grammar anyway because his teacher was doing other things!).  My mom and dad are keeping him during the day while I work.  He does his "homework" assignments there and we do lessons at night.  

I didn't know what to do about curriculum.  I know he's weak in math and that he's never had US history or civics of any kind so I kinda started there.  We have a wonderful store where I live called Bradburns and another called the Teacher's Lounge.  I went there on Monday evening and browsed for a long time.  I found 4 really good math workbooks, and a Weekly Reader series dealing with Civics that I liked a lot.  So right now, we're just doing math workbooks to emphasize some of the basics while we move into decimals and fractions, and civics which will tie in with a trip I have to DC in March (again, thank goodness grandparents will come along on this trip!).  We're also working on multiple drafts of a book report on Science Fair by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.  His writing is good, but he's never learned how to edit and tighten his own writing.

My advice is don't wait until you're "ready" with everything in place.  Just do it and you'll be amazed at how quickly it falls into place.

Karen


----------



## MiniGirl

wheelerkidz3 said:


> this is what i worry about too. i have a dd in 3rd grade and my youngest ds is in kindergarten. my dd does great in public school, so my plan for now is to leave her and youngest ds there. dd however wants me to hs her!! i prob will next year, but i'm afraid of getting overwhelmed right now. i do in home daycare, and i should be able to help my oldest during naptime, but i'm afraid if i have all 3 of my kids plus my daycare kids, i may be taking on too much!!
> what kind of responses have others gotten from the school? do they treat your children left in ps differently? thanks again for all your time!!



We hs our oldest (3rd grade) and our youngest (1st grade) is still in public school. Our youngest has not been treated any differently, but her teacher seems to be pro-homeschooling and welcomes my oldest into the classroom for class parties, etc. When my oldest asked about homeschooling, I told her we could but with certain conditions -- one of which was additional household chores. (I wanted to be sure my dd really wanted to do this and knew it wouldn't be sitting at home all day watching tv and playing on the computer.) My youngest was not willing to do this and she choose to go back to school. Since I didn't really know what I was doing, I picked a boxed curriculum that came with everything I needed including lesson plans. 

My dd and I have really enjoyed our time together this year, and I will say that it has been easier than I thought. I don't feel that I have done any "teaching" though. We have read books together and discussed them, and she can recall them months later; so I guess I am teaching afterall. LOL!!! It has been great, and I look forward to keeping my youngest home next year as well. Truthfully, I'd pull her out now, but my dh wants her to finish out the school year. There have been a lot of fun things we have not done because I didn't want my youngest to feel left out, and we are still tied to the public school schedule, too. I will also say that while my youngest really enjoyed school last year, she has not enjoyed it this year. The main reason is because she doesn't want to be there. She wants to be home. 

All this is a long-winded way of saying I understand what it is like to have 1 in public school and 1 at home. If I were you, I'd make sure your dd knows what would be involved with her staying home, and make sure she isn't running from conflict at school that she should deal with. If she still wants to hs, then bring her home, too. Maybe next year (or the year after) you can then bring your youngest home, too.


----------



## desparatelydisney

MiniGirl said:


> Not that I'm trying to get you to keep your child in school. I'm just trying to perhaps offer some insight. My youngest is in 1st grade, but she is an amazing reader. She was also bringing home books that were well below her ability, so I spoke with her teacher about it. Her teacher said that it can be very difficult to find books that are apporpriate for early advanced readers. Most of the books written for that reading level are written for older kids and so the younger ones simply are not interested in them or some of them contain subjects such as bullying or crushes on boys, etc. Also, eventhough my dd is reading at a late 4th/early 5th grade level, she is still just 6 and her attention span is still not where it should be to read some of those chapter books. Sometimes she wants to just sit down with a simple picture book. It could be the same with your son.



Thanks for your advice. I fully understand what you mean.  However, the books he is bringing home are chapter books with very few pictures, they're just at a lower level.  But, we also run into the issue sometimes that he wants a book with lots of pics but also one that takes an hour to read 

If that was the only issue, I wouldn't be considering HS (or maybe only a little bit).  Unfortunately, it's just one of several.  He goes to private school.  They raised tuition last year by only $500 per child but because of that, we lost 1/3 of our student body.  As such, they have cut back everything.  There is absolutely nothing extra to provide for him (no GT/AG, no extra assignments, no individual attn) and they have gone from 2 classes in 1st grade with 12 kids each to 1 big class in 2nd with 23 kids.  I would consider pulling him and putting him public school next year (the elementary school is considered the best in the county) but our daughter will start K next year and I cannot consider putting her at the public K.

So, that would leave me with one in public 25 minutes north of our house from 8:15 to 2:45, one in private 30 minutes west of our house from 8:05 to 3:10 and one in pre-K 15 minutes west of our house from 9:00 to 12:00 - a completely non-workable situation - not even mentioning the fact that my husband and I run our own business AND I am a home-based travel agent.

We are trying to figure out what would be best for each of them...and that is the hard part...


----------



## Denine

Tink561 said:


> I really will be starting over soon.  My boys went to school when they were little but now they are 15, 16 and 19.  We've been homeschooling for 9 years.
> 
> Now I'm preparing to get preschool curriculum for our daughter who just turned 3.  She will be 3.5 in the summer and we will do preK next year.  I've decided to do Calvert with her.  I really like that everything comes in the box and is planned out.  I also like that we can do it all the way through middle school if we choose.
> 
> I've done all sorts of things with the boys over the years.  I have unit studies, Charlotte Mason, Classical Ed., etc.  I really don't want to do all that planning again and I'm not sure unit studies would be as fun with just one child so I think we're going the boxed route.
> 
> Any recent opinions on Calvert pre-K with a 3.5 year old?



We used calvert PK 2 years ago.  DD loved it.  There were lots of projects in all subject areas.  I liked it cause I didn't have to come up with a curriculum.


----------



## Denine

OneTreeHillAddict said:


> Thanks everyone for all the links and advice. I am definitely doing this no matter what obstacles I face. I want to make it happen ASAP. With that being said we have already ordered thew paper work from the county. It's being sent. Here are some questions I have...
> 
> About how long will it take to get them out of school?
> 
> Someone mentioned that since DS is in G/T and has high scores I may get a hard time from the school...what should I expect? Has this happened to anyone personally? Did you have to get a lawyer involved?
> 
> Another thing...although we are a Christian family we do not attend church on a regular basis. Most curriculums I've found deal with religion, as do the social groups. Will they look down upon us for not going to church all the time?
> 
> DD (1st grade) is excellent in Math but struggles a little in reading. What curriculum would you suggest for her?
> 
> DS (4th grade) is the one in GT whose test scores are way out there. What would you all suggest for him?
> 
> So many of you have PM'ed me and I really appreciate it. You guys have been so much help! We're for sure going to do this so any advice is appreciated. As of right now I'm trying to get the supplies in order. Being we're already in the second semester is there a way their current school can share their curriculum with us? Do they do this kind of thing or will they be hateful towards us for pulling the kids out?
> 
> Thanks again for all your help!
> 
> 
> Tammy



I can't help you with 4th grade but I do have a 1st grader who is really good in math.  We use Horizons.  It is a "Christian" program, but really it just mentions Christmas and stuff like that.  It is supposed to be a more advanced program.  It uses a spiral approach which some people don't like.  DD, however, loves it.  She finished 1st grade math last week and started 2nd grade math this week.  For the rest of our curriculum, we use Calvert.  It is secular.  The reading program is very good.  It uses a phonics approach.  Some people would use Calvert just for their reading program.


----------



## MeetingMickeyin2006

Just a little vent here. I am so tired of hearing misinformed, preconceived biases about homeschooled children. I hear the same one all the time--in fact, it was brought up in a thread about the Duggars here on the CB board the other day. It went something like this--"all of those kids are homeschooled, I wonder how their social skills are with non-family?" This has to be my LEAST favorite stereotype about homeschoolers. My son is probably the most social little boy I have ever met. He LOVES people, he loves talking, he's not shy in the least. In fact, he's much more outgoing than I am, and I went to public school, so I should be a regular social butterfly, right?   The funny thing is, I can remember kids from my school who were so painfully shy, that it was difficult for them to even answer a question when called upon! I would love for some of these people who are so worried about homeschooled kids' social skills, to come along on one of our cub scout meetings, field trips, PE classes, get-togethers, or activities, so they can see how "anti-social" all of these kids are.  

What "homeschool stereotype" really gets under your skin?


----------



## Tink561

MeetingMickeyin2006 said:


> Just a little vent here. I am so tired of hearing misinformed, preconceived biases about homeschooled children. I hear the same one all the time--in fact, it was brought up in a thread about the* Duggars here on the CB board the other day. It went something like this--"all of those kids are homeschooled, I wonder how their social skills are with non-family?" This has to be my LEAST favorite stereotype about homeschoolers. *My son is probably the most social little boy I have ever met. He LOVES people, he loves talking, he's not shy in the least. In fact, he's much more outgoing than I am, and I went to public school, so I should be a regular social butterfly, right?   The funny thing is, I can remember kids from my school who were so painfully shy, that it was difficult for them to even answer a question when called upon! I would love for some of these people who are so worried about homeschooled kids' social skills, to come along on one of our cub scout meetings, field trips, PE classes, get-togethers, or activities, so they can see how "anti-social" all of these kids are.
> 
> What "homeschool stereotype" really gets under your skin?



That has been my biggest one since we started in 99.  But, with families like the Duggars being in the spotlight that is an image that is out there.  Of course I don't think most homeschooling families are like them at all and I'm glad.  

The other thing that gets to me is that people think everyone homeschools to protect their children from the outside world.  That annoys me.


----------



## Tink561

Denine said:


> I can't help you with 4th grade but I do have a 1st grader who is really good in math.  We use Horizons.  It is a "Christian" program, but really it just mentions Christmas and stuff like that.  It is supposed to be a more advanced program.  It uses a spiral approach which some people don't like.  DD, however, loves it.  She finished 1st grade math last week and started 2nd grade math this week.  For the rest of our curriculum, we use Calvert.  It is secular.  The reading program is very good.  It uses a phonics approach.  Some people would use Calvert just for their reading program.



I agree about Horizons math.  There may be a Bible verse, etc. on the page but it isn't preachy at all.  It doesn't have the same tone that Abeka has in their text books.  It is a very good, solid math program.


----------



## Tink561

Denine said:


> We used calvert PK 2 years ago.  DD loved it.  There were lots of projects in all subject areas.  I liked it cause I didn't have to come up with a curriculum.



How old was your daughter when you started?  My dd will be 3.5 when I plan to start.  I've heard from people who used it for 4 and over who thought it was too easy.  My dd knows her colors, shapes, letters and some numbers but I think the review will be good.  I also think some of the activities for motor skills, etc. will be beneficial.  

Would you mind giving me an example of some of the projects, etc?

That is exactly why I'm leaning that way - so I don't have to plan it out myself.  You really can't go wrong with Calvert academically either.  Two of my sons used it for one year and I enjoyed the program.  I wish we had started that way instead of eclectic and unit studies.  I don't want to go that way again.


----------



## wheelerkidz3

what is the best way to "research" curriculum?? i'm pretty sure i need a boxed type to start...i'm too nervous to do it any other way right now. i've seen lots of opinions on diff ones used here on the board. are most of these christian based? when you buy a boxed set, does that include everything that you would need? are there some non-religious boxed sets? sorry for silly questions, but thanks for the help!!!


----------



## Tink561

wheelerkidz3 said:


> what is the best way to "research" curriculum?? i'm pretty sure i need a boxed type to start...i'm too nervous to do it any other way right now. i've seen lots of opinions on diff ones used here on the board. are most of these christian based? when you buy a boxed set, does that include everything that you would need? are there some non-religious boxed sets? sorry for silly questions, but thanks for the help!!!



Calvert is non-religious based boxed type.  With them you do get everything, even down to the pencils.   www.calvertschool.org.  It is an actual school in Baltimore and is highly rated.  Theirs is the oldest homeschooling program around.  

There are lots of homeschool sites to visit and ask about curriculum.  Feel free to PM me and I will give you some.  Where do you live?  Your state homeschool convention is a great place to start too.


----------



## disneymom3

npmommie said:


> I agree you do not have to stick with Abeka,  there is no reason not to teach them together, you can adapt each as needed.......why not spend a week on the sun, a week or more on the civil war, etc..........that is the beauty of homeschooling you can do that. You can incorporate activities in with what you are teaching at the moment. field trips etc.
> I don't use a set curriculum, I piece things together........we use Story of the World for history social studies, it goes chronologically and to me makes sense.
> we use Singapore math and science, and Learning language arts thru literature.
> I have changed some things we do, some we have stuck with , such as Singapore.



The fun thing is you don't even have to follow your OWN plan.  I scrapped our preplanned curriculum in Dec. It just wasn't working for us.  If you spend money on a program it should work for you, not you working for it and that is how I felt.   We decided to learn about China for the month of Jan.  But you know what?  We aren't done.  So next week we are on vacation and the week after that, we are doing more on China.


----------



## HomeschoolMama

wheelerkidz3 said:


> what is the best way to "research" curriculum?? i'm pretty sure i need a boxed type to start...i'm too nervous to do it any other way right now. i've seen lots of opinions on diff ones used here on the board. are most of these christian based? when you buy a boxed set, does that include everything that you would need? are there some non-religious boxed sets? sorry for silly questions, but thanks for the help!!!


You could start with this book: 100 Top Picks for Homeschool curriculum.  I found it very helpful when I started out.   Most bookstores like Barnes & Noble have it in stock. 

I too piece things together for what works for my kids.  We do History and Science as a family and tailor Math and Grammar to each child's level.  Several of the math curriculum have placement tests on their websites. So, that would be a good place to start too.

Also- I don't feel like we have to do every page when a child is gifted.  If she gets it, she gets it and we move on and review later.  That's something that took me a long time to do.  I always felt like they had to do every single thing or they wouldn't be smart enough or be confused, but sometimes, it just clicks and they don't need to do it all.  I also didn't want to exasperate my kids and have them hate school, so we focus on what they love and do the basics on what they don't.   

Good luck!  We're all here for you!!!


----------



## Denine

Tink561 said:


> How old was your daughter when you started?  My dd will be 3.5 when I plan to start.  I've heard from people who used it for 4 and over who thought it was too easy.  My dd knows her colors, shapes, letters and some numbers but I think the review will be good.  I also think some of the activities for motor skills, etc. will be beneficial.
> 
> Would you mind giving me an example of some of the projects, etc?
> 
> That is exactly why I'm leaning that way - so I don't have to plan it out myself.  You really can't go wrong with Calvert academically either.  Two of my sons used it for one year and I enjoyed the program.  I wish we had started that way instead of eclectic and unit studies.  I don't want to go that way again.



DD was probably 3.5 when we started PK.  We did a lot of projects that involved cutting pictures out of magazines.  I think that was the year we did colors.  We cut out all red pictures, then all green pictures, etc and pasted them on poster board.  Cutting, pasting does it get any better?  We did another poster board project with seasons, but they may have been K.  I can't remember.  DD also knew her colors and how to count to 10 and her shapes when we started.  It was a fun way to get her used to school and me used to teaching.  I am an RN by trade.  We read a lot of stories too.
I like unit studies, but it is too much work on my part.  I still work and have requirements for my job.  I need a curriculum that is already done for me.
DD is 6 now and started 1st when she was 5.  We are on lesson 97.


----------



## Denine

wheelerkidz3 said:


> what is the best way to "research" curriculum?? i'm pretty sure i need a boxed type to start...i'm too nervous to do it any other way right now. i've seen lots of opinions on diff ones used here on the board. are most of these christian based? when you buy a boxed set, does that include everything that you would need? are there some non-religious boxed sets? sorry for silly questions, but thanks for the help!!!



Calvert is secular.  You get everything you could possibly need in the box.  DD loves "box day".  That is the day the box comes and she gets to go through it to see all the books and stuff.  Heck, I still have construction paper from PK.


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## Denine

I agree with Dawn.  I love that book.  I still look at it for info even though I know we are going to use Calvert again next year.

I also skim over stuff DD has a good grasp on.  However, she does do all the work pages just because she loves them.


----------



## Denine

I know someone sent me a PM, but I can't access my PM's right now.

We leave for WDW tomorrow, but I will try to look before we go so I can answer the question.


----------



## wheelerkidz3

Denine said:


> I know someone sent me a PM, but I can't access my PM's right now.
> 
> We leave for WDW tomorrow, but I will try to look before we go so I can answer the question.



i sent you a pm! i was just asking a bit more for your opinion on the calvert curriculum. 
wish i was going to wdw tomorrow!! hope you guys have lots of fun!!!


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## disneyfinatics

wheelerkidz3 said:


> what is the best way to "research" curriculum?? i'm pretty sure i need a boxed type to start...i'm too nervous to do it any other way right now. i've seen lots of opinions on diff ones used here on the board. are most of these christian based? when you buy a boxed set, does that include everything that you would need? are there some non-religious boxed sets? sorry for silly questions, but thanks for the help!!!



Hope you don't mine if I join in.  I've always homeschooled my two boys.  They're in the 6th & 7th grade.  You can usually search sites like aop and see when a homeschool fair is going to be.  They are a Christian curriculum, but the fairs have a number of vendors.  I just don't know any other sites to check.  It's great to see the material in person.  I hope this helps.
Shelly


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## Denine

wheelerkidz3 said:


> i sent you a pm! i was just asking a bit more for your opinion on the calvert curriculum.
> wish i was going to wdw tomorrow!! hope you guys have lots of fun!!!



Glad you replied!  I just tried again and can't get my PM's.

This is our 3rd year using Calvert and we will use it again for 2nd grade.  DD and I both love it.  For me it is user friendly and a good academic program.  For DD, it keeps her interested and she loves the work pages for reading.  We also have computer lessons that she loves.
Also, they reference websites for more info which makes it more interseting for DD again.  She gets to do word searches for her spelling words every week on the computer.
They have a lot of neat enrichment programs you can buy too.  I have the music one.  I wanted to get science but it wasn't in the finances last summer. 
I also like that everything you could possible need comes inthe box.  DD loves it too.  She can't wait to open it when it comes.  It is a little pricey over do it yourself curriculums, but it is worth it to me.
You can get custom math too except in K.  I think you just need to test into it.
DD said her favorite subject is science cause she likes to learn about plants and animals.


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## wheelerkidz3

Denine said:


> Glad you replied!  I just tried again and can't get my PM's.
> 
> This is our 3rd year using Calvert and we will use it again for 2nd grade.  DD and I both love it.  For me it is user friendly and a good academic program.  For DD, it keeps her interested and she loves the work pages for reading.  We also have computer lessons that she loves.
> Also, they reference websites for more info which makes it more interseting for DD again.  She gets to do word searches for her spelling words every week on the computer.
> They have a lot of neat enrichment programs you can buy too.  I have the music one.  I wanted to get science but it wasn't in the finances last summer.
> I also like that everything you could possible need comes inthe box.  DD loves it too.  She can't wait to open it when it comes.  It is a little pricey over do it yourself curriculums, but it is worth it to me.
> You can get custom math too except in K.  I think you just need to test into it.
> DD said her favorite subject is science cause she likes to learn about plants and animals.



thanks for getting back to me so quickly! i am really leaning towards this curriculum. do you know how it works when you start it half way thru the year? and what is the ats portion? is that just if you want the extra testing? i'm soooo confused by all this! thanks for your help though!!!


----------



## DawnM

I thought I would throw out another suggestion or two for you.

We personally use Sonlight, but a boxed type set that impressed me recently was a curriculum called "Moving Beyond the Page."  I plan to get a book or two from them next year to supplement a few books we are reading in Sonlight.

It is a secular program, you could add Bible on your own if you wanted it, but it is not a religious program at all.

http://movingbeyondthepage.com/

Dawn



wheelerkidz3 said:


> what is the best way to "research" curriculum?? i'm pretty sure i need a boxed type to start...i'm too nervous to do it any other way right now. i've seen lots of opinions on diff ones used here on the board. are most of these christian based? when you buy a boxed set, does that include everything that you would need? are there some non-religious boxed sets? sorry for silly questions, but thanks for the help!!!


----------



## wheelerkidz3

DawnM said:


> I thought I would throw out another suggestion or two for you.
> 
> We personally use Sonlight, but a boxed type set that impressed me recently was a curriculum called "Moving Beyond the Page."  I plan to get a book or two from them next year to supplement a few books we are reading in Sonlight.
> 
> It is a secular program, you could add Bible on your own if you wanted it, but it is not a religious program at all.
> 
> http://movingbeyondthepage.com/
> 
> Dawn



thanks....i'm gonna check that out now! does anyone here use this curriculum and have an opinion on it?


----------



## Denine

wheelerkidz3 said:


> thanks for getting back to me so quickly! i am really leaning towards this curriculum. do you know how it works when you start it half way thru the year? and what is the ats portion? is that just if you want the extra testing? i'm soooo confused by all this! thanks for your help though!!!



ATS is the extra testing.  I plan on doing it in the future but didn't see any need for it at this age.

I am not sure how it works when you start 1/2 way through, but I am sure the education counselors could help you.


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## Denine

I liked Sonlight but I knew it wouldn't work for my DD.

I never heard of the other.  I will have to check it out.


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## sukaryan

Hi other homeschooling Dis-ers!  It is nice to find my social subsets all in one place!  I don't know many other people who love Disney the way I do (so I look weird)  and I homeschool (double weird).  Looking forward to chatting with you all!  
In response to what preconcieved ideas I hate about homeschooling:  I have to agree about the social aspect.  I think that my children have a better socialization than public school.  They are friendly with all age groups.  No leaving little brother or sister out because they are too young.  And even though we have all girls, they are comfortable playing with boys too, because of the interaction we have with other homeschool families.  I don't notice this mixing of sexes and ages among public schooled kids.  Anyone else noticed this?


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## Disneynut5

Hi, another hs mom going to Disney for the first time as a family in September 09.  We are so excited.  My son will be 8 and my daughter 4.5!  I also hs my niece who is 10 but she will not be making the trip with us.  She has already been twice!  

We are Christian hsers and we use a variety of curriculum  - Horizons math, Sonligh Science and Real Science for kids, THe Mystery of History, SPellingtime.com, etc.  We also have a large home library of about 3,000 books - most used.  I have most of the Sonlight books in grades k-4.  

So, will there be other school age kids at Disney in late September?  I guess it really does not matter.


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## DawnM

Shannon,

If you have looked at the website, you may know this by now, but what I liked about it was that it tied all the subjects together.  It is more like a Unit Study approach.  

I may even look at getting one full unit to do this summer and see what I think.  I am impressed with it so far, but I have a full curriculum load right now and don't want to switch mid-stream.

Dawn



wheelerkidz3 said:


> thanks....i'm gonna check that out now! does anyone here use this curriculum and have an opinion on it?


----------



## bebelle

I need help finding an art curriculum for my very talented 15 year old DS. I have been unable to find any sort of local classes. He is a very good artist and would like to go to art school. We looked at our state HS convention but there was nothing there that he felt was challenging enough.


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## MiniGirl

Disneynut5 said:


> Hi, another hs mom going to Disney for the first time as a family in September 09.  We are so excited.  My son will be 8 and my daughter 4.5!  I also hs my niece who is 10 but she will not be making the trip with us.  She has already been twice!
> 
> We are Christian hsers and we use a variety of curriculum  - Horizons math, Sonligh Science and Real Science for kids, THe Mystery of History, SPellingtime.com, etc.  We also have a large home library of about 3,000 books - most used.  I have most of the Sonlight books in grades k-4.
> 
> *So, will there be other school age kids at Disney in late September?  I guess it really does not matter*.



Welcome to the DIS!! Do you have your dates for Sept already? The next Disney Homeschool Days will be sometime in Sept, but as of a week or so ago, the dates hadn't been set yet.


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## HomeschoolMama

I was hoping someone here would have some idea of a good reading program for my reluctant 6 year old son.  I've bought the Scaredy Cat reading system, Sing, Spell, Read and Write, 100 Easy Lessons...  
He doesn't seem to want to focus and look at the words he's learning.  He gets frustrated easily.  I don't want something he has to do a lot of writing with because that will just frustrate him further.  

It wasn't as big of a deal to me when he reads, but I putting everyone in a two day homeschool co-op in the fall.  He'll be tested for his classes in the fall in June and I'm stressed.  I don't want my almost 7 yr old in kindergarten again next year.  

I'm so frustrated I could cry.


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

HomeschoolMama said:


> I was hoping someone here would have some idea of a good reading program for my reluctant 6 year old son.  I've bought the Scaredy Cat reading system, Sing, Spell, Read and Write, 100 Easy Lessons...
> He doesn't seem to want to focus and look at the words he's learning.  He gets frustrated easily.  I don't want something he has to do a lot of writing with because that will just frustrate him further.
> 
> It wasn't as big of a deal to me when he reads, but I putting everyone in a two day homeschool co-op in the fall.  He'll be tested for his classes in the fall in June and I'm stressed.  I don't want my almost 7 yr old in kindergarten again next year.
> 
> I'm so frustrated I could cry.



I have sorta been where you are.  I couldn't get my DS (now 10) to write.  We had him in a private school at the time (he was in 1st grade) and our first grade teacher told us that boys sometimes develop their reading and writing skills a bit later than girls...and there are variances within boys.  Also, not every child comes out of Kindergarten reading!  We were given the "dolch" guide.  Here's the kindergarten guide:

 Complete Kindergarten List

all  am  are  at ate  be  black  brown but  came  did  do  eat  four  get  good 
have  he  into  like  must  new  no  now  on  our  out  please  pretty  ran ride 
saw say  she  so  soon  that  there  they  this  too  under  want  was well  went  what  white  who  will   with  yes 

Maybe you need to put the curriculum away for a while and dig out his favorite picture books.  Take turns reading pages OR make flash cards of the Golch Kindergarten list and ask him to point them out in the story?

Trust me, it will come.  Boys are squiggly and impatient at times.  What I found worked well for my DS was to do his reading lessons toward the end of the day when he was more relaxed and less squiggly.

Unless you think there is an underlying issue, I'd relax.  

Karen


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## mickeyjen

HomeschoolMama said:


> I was hoping someone here would have some idea of a good reading program for my reluctant 6 year old son.  I've bought the Scaredy Cat reading system, Sing, Spell, Read and Write, 100 Easy Lessons...
> He doesn't seem to want to focus and look at the words he's learning.  He gets frustrated easily.  I don't want something he has to do a lot of writing with because that will just frustrate him further.
> 
> It wasn't as big of a deal to me when he reads, but I putting everyone in a two day homeschool co-op in the fall.  He'll be tested for his classes in the fall in June and I'm stressed.  I don't want my almost 7 yr old in kindergarten again next year.
> 
> I'm so frustrated I could cry.



I'm sorry you are frustrated.  I agree with PP that they all learn in their own timeframe.  

To answer your question, we had really good luck with Hooked on Phonics.  There is no writing involved whatsoever, and each lesson is read along with a cd (and then by themselves).  At the end of several lessons, they read a book that contains only the sounds they've so far learned, so it is very encouraging for them.  If your son already knows all his letters and sounds, I recommend starting with the HOP kindy set (sometimes you can get a bundle with k-2 so you can start whereever necessary).  If he doesn't know his letters, I don't recommend learning them with HOP.  LeapFrog Letter Factory and Word Factory (and other leapfrog items) were much more useful and quick for us.

Good luck!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Homeschool Mama~ Maybe just do some fun books with him like Dr. Suess, or something along those lines that's repetitive. Maybe he's bored with the books he has had since they are lessons. Just hang in there--what is totally great for one kid will not work for another. On the other hand, some kids really catch it when they do something out of the box!!!


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## mom2princessj

mickeyjen said:


> I'm sorry you are frustrated.  I agree with PP that they all learn in their own timeframe.
> 
> To answer your question, we had really good luck with Hooked on Phonics.  There is no writing involved whatsoever, and each lesson is read along with a cd (and then by themselves).  At the end of several lessons, they read a book that contains only the sounds they've so far learned, so it is very encouraging for them.  If your son already knows all his letters and sounds, I recommend starting with the HOP kindy set (sometimes you can get a bundle with k-2 so you can start whereever necessary).  If he doesn't know his letters, I don't recommend learning them with HOP.  LeapFrog Letter Factory and Word Factory (and other leapfrog items) were much more useful and quick for us.
> 
> Good luck!



I wonder if this would work for my son???  We don't homeschool although I supplement ALOT at home...both kids in preschool and my son is just 4 but has an awful attention span.  I've got ALOT of work to do before my son enters pre-k next year although there is no requirement I'd like to have him ready for kindergarten without worrying he'll struggle.  We used letter factory and both of my kids easily learned their letter sounds.  He just has no interest in sitting down to color or do any type of activities.  He loves circle time and ofcourse choice/play time but unless they keep him busy he can't sit still to do projects or color.  It's a big concern of mine 

I do have another question...my dd will be going to a catholic school next year (starting kindergarten) and the one thing this particular school doesn't have that the others in our area do is spanish for the kindergarteners.  they don't start spanish at this school until 4th grade.  I'd like to actually start spanish at home with her and continue with her until she gets it at school.  Are there any programs that anyone can point me to that are good starters for young children?  She's watched Dora and has a Dora game that teaches minimal words but if I could find a computer program/website or anything that will help me get her going I could do it with her once per week and that would definitely be enough.

I've gotten great info from your threads (I'm a lurker for programs I can use at home with my kids) so I thank you all for giving your advice and input!


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

No attacks intended, I promise...but why are we as parents so focused on getting our kids ready for school?  And why do we think this means that they have to sit still, color inside the lines, know their letters (or even know how to read) and know how to tie their shoes?

I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm starting to think (and I stand up and raise my hand as I did it too when my DS was little) that we push our kids too much to learn that learning isn't fun.

So, I've been homeschooling for 1 week and I have to say it's the best thing I've ever done!!!!!!!!  Why oh why did I wait?  Why oh why did I think homeschooling parents were (sorry) religious zealots or freaks?

I am so sorry to everyone I've misjudged for homeschooling their children (she said with a voice filled with shame)!!!!!

Let me tell you what my DS said today, "Mom, I love homeschool.  I get to move at my pace (faster on somethings and slower on others) and it's creative!  I get to do fun stuff like converting fractions within recipes to learn fractions....and using measuring cups to make fractions add up to whole numbers!"  I think the best thing about homeschool for my DS is that it is not "regimented" like his old school was.  We are accomplishing just as much (if not more) and he's learning things that he wasn't learning before (like how to check and edit his work!).

Sorry to ramble.  I guess I just have a series of random (yet connected) thoughts about how we are educating our children.  Moms of little ones, take it from this mom, enjoy your children.  Help them learn creatively.  Don't worry if they know how to read going into kindergarten.  Instead, enjoy a picnic, snuggle under a blanket, run around with them and the rest will come in due time!

Again, no offense or attacks meant toward anyone...it's just my odd ramblings.

Karen


----------



## tnmomof4

Can someone explain to me what the Charlotte Mason approach is?  What is the difference between that and other approaches?


----------



## HomeschoolMama

Pixie Dust for Me! said:


> No attacks intended, I promise...but why are we as parents so focused on getting our kids ready for school?  And why do we think this means that they have to sit still, color inside the lines, know their letters (or even know how to read) and know how to tie their shoes?
> 
> I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm starting to think (and I stand up and raise my hand as I did it too when my DS was little) that we push our kids too much to learn that learning isn't fun.
> 
> So, I've been homeschooling for 1 week and I have to say it's the best thing I've ever done!!!!!!!!  Why oh why did I wait?  Why oh why did I think homeschooling parents were (sorry) religious zealots or freaks?
> 
> I am so sorry to everyone I've misjudged for homeschooling their children (she said with a voice filled with shame)!!!!!
> 
> Let me tell you what my DS said today, "Mom, I love homeschool.  I get to move at my pace (faster on somethings and slower on others) and it's creative!  I get to do fun stuff like converting fractions within recipes to learn fractions....and using measuring cups to make fractions add up to whole numbers!"  I think the best thing about homeschool for my DS is that it is not "regimented" like his old school was.  We are accomplishing just as much (if not more) and he's learning things that he wasn't learning before (like how to check and edit his work!).
> 
> Sorry to ramble.  I guess I just have a series of random (yet connected) thoughts about how we are educating our children.  Moms of little ones, take it from this mom, enjoy your children.  Help them learn creatively.  Don't worry if they know how to read going into kindergarten.  Instead, enjoy a picnic, snuggle under a blanket, run around with them and the rest will come in due time!
> 
> Again, no offense or attacks meant toward anyone...it's just my odd ramblings.
> 
> Karen


I agree.  That was well said.  

I think that's part of why I'm so upset about this reading thing.  I've let him learn at his pace with fun games and activities.   Now that they are going to participate in the co-op on M/W, I have to push him to get him to learn certain things so he won't be "behind".  

He such a smart kid, he's just not interested in reading right now.


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

HomeschoolMama said:


> I agree.  That was well said.
> 
> I think that's part of why I'm so upset about this reading thing.  I've let him learn at his pace with fun games and activities.   Now that they are going to participate in the co-op on M/W, I have to push him to get him to learn certain things so he won't be "behind".
> 
> He such a smart kid, he's just not interested in reading right now.




OK...so cook with him.  Ask him how many eggs are needed for chocolate chip cookies.  Play board games with him and ask him to help you read the directions.  Read fun books at bedtime (I know I read Dinosaur Roar until I thought I'd keel over when my DS was 2 to 3...and we won't talk about the Foot Book or Mr. Brown Can Moo!).  Have him cut out specific words (with safety scissors) out of (your) magazines!  Take him for story time at the library or puppet shows.  Buy him simple comic books...ask him to help you write a play that you act out together.  There's a million things you can do with reading that won't seem like work.

Hang in there.  Maybe putting away the "curriculum" right now and getting out your creativity and imagination is the best thing to do right now.

Let us know how you are doing.  The best part about this board is that we're all here for each other (and I sure am grateful for that!).

Karen


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

tnmomof4 said:


> Can someone explain to me what the Charlotte Mason approach is?  What is the difference between that and other approaches?



OOhhh~ let me tell you!!! I love the CM approach. It's mainly the idea of reading good books. (in a nut shell). Not cheesy or what she calls "dumbed-down" books;just great classic stories. Check out the website Yesterdays Classics to get an idea of one type of book. They are usually older books from days gone by. Things like Robin Hood, Anne of Green Gables,Caldecott & Newbury Winners. Things that are interesting yet teach at the same time. The History I went with this year--Truth Quest----utilizes this approach. For example, we have this year read, The Sign of the Beaver, Island of the Blue Dolphins, the Matchlock Gun,In Freedoms Cause, Otto of the Silver Hand.....just a smattering of what we are doing for History. Karen Andreola has written several books on CM that I highly recommend. Our library actually had one--but I loved it so much I went and bought it!! Also, Catherine Levinson(sp?) has some that are great. Google Charlotte Mason--you will get lots of info. This approach lets you visit the library a lot!! Things for littler kids, like Pooh, Beatrix Potter--The story About Ping.... I love this and it's one of my HSing passions!!!!  Check these sites out and see what you think. I feel that it's very liberating--don't you wish we could have just read great literature instead of some boring History book? I know I do.  It also proves the fact that kids learn a lot of grammar from reading good lit. So, when they are old enough to study verbs, or punctuation, it's more natural for them because they understand the flow--whether they know they are learning or not!!!!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Karen- I agree. Why do we feel so much pressure? I think we really let others 'control' us more than we realize. I don't mean that in an ugly way, but you don't realize how freeing hs is until you do it.  I have loved it from day one and am just so thankful that the Lord did lead me here!!!! It's been an awesome journey and I am sad for those who could do this, but for whatever reason are so against it. Time with our kids can never be brought back, and is NEVER wasted! Ok, off the soap box!!!!! Just wanted to chime in and say I agree!!!


----------



## mommyof2princesses

bebelle said:


> I need help finding an art curriculum for my very talented 15 year old DS. I have been unable to find any sort of local classes. He is a very good artist and would like to go to art school. We looked at our state HS convention but there was nothing there that he felt was challenging enough.



My daughter is using Exploring America by Notgrass.  It has American History, Literature and Religion (although you can skip this if you aren't looking for a religion class).  It is challenging and my dd does enjoy it.  She is 14 but very advanced for her age.  It is actually an 11th grade curriculum.  She loves the reading and has taught me alot about history!  For math we use Saxon and she finds it challenging.  She really enjoys Apologia science. She loved the experiments in Biology last year, and this year she is really having fun with Marine Biology!  WE too had a very hard time finding a single curriculum for her so we did it piecemeal.

She also is a very good artist, but finding something for her for artistry is hard.  Last year, each week, she researched an artist and had to try her hand at an art piece in that artists' style.  She really learned a lot.  This year, she is really doing a lot of sketching and painting.  She goes to free classes at the library when they are offered, and I am looking into a class with local art teachers.

Hope that helps.


----------



## HomeschoolMama

Pixie Dust for Me! said:


> OK...so cook with him.  Ask him how many eggs are needed for chocolate chip cookies.  Play board games with him and ask him to help you read the directions.  Read fun books at bedtime (I know I read Dinosaur Roar until I thought I'd keel over when my DS was 2 to 3...and we won't talk about the Foot Book or Mr. Brown Can Moo!).  Have him cut out specific words (with safety scissors) out of (your) magazines!  Take him for story time at the library or puppet shows.  Buy him simple comic books...ask him to help you write a play that you act out together.  There's a million things you can do with reading that won't seem like work.
> 
> Hang in there.  Maybe putting away the "curriculum" right now and getting out your creativity and imagination is the best thing to do right now.
> 
> Let us know how you are doing.  The best part about this board is that we're all here for each other (and I sure am grateful for that!).
> 
> Karen


I know my son is only 6, but he's more like a 10 year old.  He doesn't like cartoons (think: Leap Frog Letter Factory), storytime at libraries, crafts, etc.  It's really difficult after having two girls  who love a workbook approach to figure out what a hands on boy would enjoy.    

We pulled out magnets and played games to learn the sounds.  Now I need to figure fun ways to teach reading several letter sounds smooshed together. 

We read the first of the Animal Antics Now I'm reading books today.  I just helped him with it and we read it once two different times.  He read it to his dad a few minutes ago.  Each time is better, so I'm happy with that.  

I bet I can google 'reading activities' and come up with a bundle of them.  Thanks for the ideas.  Keep them coming if anyone else has come too!


----------



## desparatelydisney

Hey guys, I need to vent a little bit so please pardon the rambling...as I have ventured into the world of possible homeschooling I have encountered so many feelings inside of myself.  I was prepared for others comments but not so much for my own feelings.  I have truly come to believe that homeschooling is "right" for our family...so why do I keep second guessing myself?  If I know this is the right thing to do, why do I keep beating myself up and wondering if I am being "eccentric"?  More importantly, why have we come to believe as a society that being different is wrong?  Only one person has said to me "I wish I could do that".  Why isn't homeschooling the preferred option and everyone else is "doing what they fell they have too"?

The State of NC actually says in a state written article on the Dept of Non-Public Education's webpage - "Any educator would agree that "one-on-one" academic instruction from a caring and competent instructor is an ideal setting for learning."  When a commentator talks of an Olympic athlete they are always quick to point out that they have a "private tutor" to assist them with their studies since competition and practice takes up so much of their time.  Ever notice they don't say they are "homeschooled".  Perhaps we should quit calling it homeschooling and tell everyone that we are going to begin "privately tutoring" our children. 

I don't know what my point is here other than that we are so trained to "to be a sheep", to follow the masses that it is nearly impossible to go against that grain; to stand up and say "I want to do something different for my family and I have that right".

Well, sorry if all of this had made no sense at all...I just needed it to come out and this seemed like the best place.


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## graygables

desparatelydisney said:


> Well, sorry if all of this had made no sense at all...I just needed it to come out and this seemed like the best place.



That made perfect sense.  Let me guess, you are a product of a "traditional school" of some kind.  That is the whole point of traditional schooling, to minimize creativity and encourage group-think.  It is VERY difficult to get those tapes to stop playing over and over in your head.  You have been programmed that only "trained professionals" can teach children (newsflash: I *AM* a "trained professional" and I don't WANT to teach other people's kids...  )  The public at large has been primarily exposed to the "eccentric" homeschoolers and paints us all with the same brush, thanks to the teachers' unions.  The unions HATE us and have a lot more money and organization to put the messages out there that we are somehow not "normal".  

As you begin the journey, it is not at all uncommon to question your decisions.  Just keep your eye on the goal and those voices will begin to fall behind as time passes.  I've been homeschooling for 12 years and, believe me, I have my "put 'em on the bus" days still, but by remembering that what they are learning and HOW they are learning it is SO much better for them, I snap out of that fairly quickly.  Those are the days we leave the books on the shelf and just have some fun together. 

It gets better!


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## NHWX

Been there, done that but with writing. At some point when you're past primary grades, there's a point to say "You just have to do this. Stop complaining." But now is the fun time.

Take him grocery shopping. Go to the cereal aisle. Any child can tell you which one has the free car. In a completely straight face tell him with your finger going past the word "FREE!!", "It says "Contains green beans. You won't like it." " He'll go on and on, and maybe you'll have to concede that he does know how to read the word "FREE! Inside! Matchbox!" or whatever. 

And then, you might give him a note that says something like "snowballs". Once you and he sound out the word, you go outside and throw around snowballs. 

Or how about computer/video games? Pick a new one with required reading. Leave it around but don't install it yet. Or do install it, but don't start it for him. 

I'm willing to bet that once there's a clear reason to learn to read, he'll be more interested. Bob books are probably not a good enough reason. Captain Underpants has gotten many a reluctant reader past a certain hump. www.guysread.com is a great site for book recommendations. Jon Scieszka's website's pretty funny too. If you scroll down on this page http://www.jsworldwide.com/worth_a_thousand_words.html, you get to my favorite part: the writing draft. 

Have fun!

NHWX



HomeschoolMama said:


> I was hoping someone here would have some idea of a good reading program for my reluctant 6 year old son.  I've bought the Scaredy Cat reading system, Sing, Spell, Read and Write, 100 Easy Lessons...
> He doesn't seem to want to focus and look at the words he's learning.  He gets frustrated easily.  I don't want something he has to do a lot of writing with because that will just frustrate him further.
> 
> It wasn't as big of a deal to me when he reads, but I putting everyone in a two day homeschool co-op in the fall.  He'll be tested for his classes in the fall in June and I'm stressed.  I don't want my almost 7 yr old in kindergarten again next year.
> 
> I'm so frustrated I could cry.


----------



## desparatelydisney

thanks graygables (and sorry for all the spelling errors I just found on my re-read )


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

desparatelydisney said:


> Hey guys, I need to vent a little bit so please pardon the rambling...as I have ventured into the world of possible homeschooling I have encountered so many feelings inside of myself.  I was prepared for others comments but not so much for my own feelings.  I have truly come to believe that homeschooling is "right" for our family...so why do I keep second guessing myself?  If I know this is the right thing to do, why do I keep beating myself up and wondering if I am being "eccentric"?  More importantly, why have we come to believe as a society that being different is wrong?  Only one person has said to me "I wish I could do that".  Why isn't homeschooling the preferred option and everyone else is "doing what they fell they have too"?
> 
> The State of NC actually says in a state written article on the Dept of Non-Public Education's webpage - "Any educator would agree that "one-on-one" academic instruction from a caring and competent instructor is an ideal setting for learning."  When a commentator talks of an Olympic athlete they are always quick to point out that they have a "private tutor" to assist them with their studies since competition and practice takes up so much of their time.  Ever notice they don't say they are "homeschooled".  Perhaps we should quit calling it homeschooling and tell everyone that we are going to begin "privately tutoring" our children.
> 
> I don't know what my point is here other than that we are so trained to "to be a sheep", to follow the masses that it is nearly impossible to go against that grain; to stand up and say "I want to do something different for my family and I have that right".
> 
> Well, sorry if all of this had made no sense at all...I just needed it to come out and this seemed like the best place.



Oh do I understand that!  I'm just starting to get to the point (after one week, I add proudly) of thinking that maybe sending our kids to school is really the weird part!  I mean think about it.  We won't let our children go play at just anyone's home...but we'll turn them over to a school with plenty of unknown adults just because they have "teacher" or "principal" credentials and a school is supposed to be a safe place.

So, I say go for it....find your new sense of normal.  Be adventurous and don't look back (trust me you won't like the picture in your rear view mirror anyway!).

Karen


----------



## HomeschoolMama

Thanks for the ideas, NHWX.    You must know my son.  Those all sound like reasons he'd get busy learning to read!   

Today I searched for phonics activities and for Starfall's website.  People told about it before, but I thought it was just printing worksheets.  I found the section where there's a game for two ending sounds and a book to read on-line.  Then I printed the worksheets of the words he knows so he could put them in a folder like a trophy.  He liked the books because after he read the sentence I let him click on the picture which always had a silly thing happen on it.  He was laughing and reading!  
He wants to come back and do more later and if he's got a good attitude, we will. 

I'm excited about this program and it's FREE!


----------



## dvcbnd

wheelerkidz3 said:


> hi all! i've been lurking here on this thread for quite a while now...a few months i think! i've been considering hs'ing my oldest ds who is in 5th grade. he really struggles with school, and we feel he has been passed along from one grade to the next. he is required (due to poor test scores) to have extra help, but the school says that due to budget cuts, he gets what he gets. his 5th grade teacher is trying really hard to bring him up to date, but he just continues to struggle and get further behind. we find that when he comes home from a full day of school, he's doing homework here for a few hours too, and he is just a plain grump! he's got no time to be a kid, and it's making him and us miserable!!
> it seems lots of people hs their kids because the child is not being challenged enough at school. can it work if it's the opposite? will it be bad for my ds because he is already behind? i'm afraid of him falling even further behind. he has a pretty good attention span, i think he just doesn't do well, cuz he needs a little more one on one. (at least i'm hoping this is the case! he does ok when i try to help him with homework and stuff.)
> i've checked out the link to that was provided above.
> is there anyone else on this board that homeschools and is from NY? i don't remember seeing anyone else from ny, and i just wondered if there was any from here.
> i'm sure i'll have tons of questions too!! you all seem so friendly to each other and so helpful....thanks!



Hi!
Sorry that it took so long to post this, but this is the first chance that I had to jump on in a little over a week. We had a family medical emergency and had to go down to SC. We're from the NYC area and this is our first year hs'ing. We love it!! Our dd is in the 4th grade and ds is in the 2nd. Prior to  us hs'ing, they were in a private catholic school since pre-k. Our oldest is still in catholic school. He just began highschool this year. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions that I can possibly help you with.


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## DawnM

Makes perfect sense!

I am also in NC if you have any questions.

Dawn



desparatelydisney said:


> Hey guys, I need to vent a little bit so please pardon the rambling...as I have ventured into the world of possible homeschooling I have encountered so many feelings inside of myself.  I was prepared for others comments but not so much for my own feelings.  I have truly come to believe that homeschooling is "right" for our family...so why do I keep second guessing myself?  If I know this is the right thing to do, why do I keep beating myself up and wondering if I am being "eccentric"?  More importantly, why have we come to believe as a society that being different is wrong?  Only one person has said to me "I wish I could do that".  Why isn't homeschooling the preferred option and everyone else is "doing what they fell they have too"?
> 
> The State of NC actually says in a state written article on the Dept of Non-Public Education's webpage - "Any educator would agree that "one-on-one" academic instruction from a caring and competent instructor is an ideal setting for learning."  When a commentator talks of an Olympic athlete they are always quick to point out that they have a "private tutor" to assist them with their studies since competition and practice takes up so much of their time.  Ever notice they don't say they are "homeschooled".  Perhaps we should quit calling it homeschooling and tell everyone that we are going to begin "privately tutoring" our children.
> 
> I don't know what my point is here other than that we are so trained to "to be a sheep", to follow the masses that it is nearly impossible to go against that grain; to stand up and say "I want to do something different for my family and I have that right".
> 
> Well, sorry if all of this had made no sense at all...I just needed it to come out and this seemed like the best place.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Pixie Dust for Me! said:


> Oh do I understand that!  I'm just starting to get to the point (after one week, I add proudly) of thinking that maybe sending our kids to school is really the weird part!  I mean think about it.  We won't let our children go play at just anyone's home...but we'll turn them over to a school with plenty of unknown adults just because they have "teacher" or "principal" credentials and a school is supposed to be a safe place.
> 
> So, I say go for it....find your new sense of normal.  Be adventurous and don't look back (trust me you won't like the picture in your rear view mirror anyway!).
> 
> Karen




Amen Sister!!!! I whole-heartedly agree! And we all know how bad the crime, bullying,etc is getting in school. We live in a very 'safe' place as far as most crimes are concerned. Mostly around here, police will tell you, it's DWI's or Domestic stuff-not shootings, stabbings and all that. Well, the next town north of us (we lived there for 5 years) is a little country town, quite smaller than where we are now---the High School there is crazy!!! The kids have to all have badges with id,they walk in through a security frame around the door, and they can search them with a wand or whatever--kinda like at the airport. They have police at diff parts of the building at ALL times. It's really nutty. The building is about 4 or 5 years old-it's a very nice facility, but the first day of school in that new building-Emergency #1. A guy stabbed another guy in the lungs with a big 'ole knife he brought from home.....and that's how it is there. 

I know I don't want my kids going to schools like that. I have friends that work at several schools around here, the things that are going on would totally blow your mind!And we are in a 'good' school district. Someone mentioned earlier the comments that drive you crazy. Well, mine is when it comes from someone who you know well enough to have seen their children in action, or the kids they hang with and ask you about YOUR childs socialization.I just want to say"Yeah, I am concerned. I have been watching your kids and there is NO way I want them acting like that. So, we are kinda monitoring who they socialize with". WOW! I wonder would that would do!!!???
All the activities we are in or places we go(dentist, dr., etc.) they always comment on how much better behaved HS kids are and they could pick them out of a crowd.They are usually more polite, smarter, and get along with siblings and all ranges of people well. That's what I like to hear!!!!!!


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## Ellester

Wow! I don't check the board for a few days and look at all the posts! 

Welcome to all the newcomers! I'd like to go back and quote lots of the posts, but the baby is sleeping so I know I don't have much time. 

Anyway, my biggest recommendations to the new hs'ers are:

1) Don't drop a ton of money on any one curriculum right away, get to know your child's learning style first. See if you can hook up with local hs'ers and check our their choices. You don't want to spend $500+ on a package just to discover that you and your child hate it.

2) Along that path, make sure you pick programs that YOU like as well. Trust me, if you don't like to teach it you will find plenty of ways to put that subject off as long as possible!

3) If you are bringing them home from public/private school don't be afraid to take some time off to allow your child to decompress and get used to being at home. The general rule of thumb is to allow one to two weeks per year spent in "building" school (as my kids sometimes call it) for adjustment. Meaning, if you pull out a 5th grader you may need 6 to 12 weeks of adjustment. 

4) Remember that many homeschool parents second guess themselves frequently. I have an engineering degree, but still wonder from time to time if I have the skills to teach elementary math and science.  

Guess that's it for now. I have packing to do. Going to Disney in the off season is not the least important perk of homeschooling!


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## graygables

Ellester said:


> Going to Disney in the off season is not the least important perk of homeschooling!



Just thought I'd share this...I was visiting with my Cast Services manager at Animal Kingdom yesterday and we were talking about homeschooling.  She told me not to forget that just spending a day at the parks here and there was PERFECT to count as a school day for them and fun for me.   I appreciated that she "got it" b/c I haven't met a lot of homeschooler/CMs here...


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## Ellester

graygables said:


> Just thought I'd share this...I was visiting with my Cast Services manager at Animal Kingdom yesterday and we were talking about homeschooling.  She told me not to forget that just spending a day at the parks here and there was PERFECT to count as a school day for them and fun for me.   I appreciated that she "got it" b/c I haven't met a lot of homeschooler/CMs here...



Oh, I totally agree. I'm sure I'll count most of next week as school. I think a day at Epcot or AK should count as a WEEK of school based on all the learning opportunities.  

Are you going to be at AK next Thursday? (2/12) That's the day we're planning for that park. We'll try to look for you if you're there.


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## graygables

Ellester said:


> Oh, I totally agree. I'm sure I'll count most of next week as school. I think a day at Epcot or AK should count as a WEEK of school based on all the learning opportunities.
> 
> Are you going to be at AK next Thursday? (2/12) That's the day we're planning for that park. We'll try to look for you if you're there.



I'm on the schedule, but that may change.  In case you may be interested, they are supposed to be doing a tiger annual physical at Rafiki's Planet Watch on Monday from 930-1030.  I'm planning on sending my girls to see how they brush a tiger's teeth and trim its nails!


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## tictac

Hello everyone, I just wanted post and encourage everyone here for the great things you are all doing.  The thread is very long, but I can see you are doing this for the benefit of your children (off season at disney is not a bad thing either)  We personally have no kids due to my illness.  Although, in the future if we ever adopt we have already decided homeschool is the way to go. 
Have an educational day and may cheers to all of you


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## dvcbnd

tictac said:


> Hello everyone, I just wanted post and encourage everyone here for the great things you are all doing.  The thread is very long, but I can see you are doing this for the benefit of your children (off season at disney is not a bad thing either)  We personally have no kids due to my illness.  Although, in the future if we ever adopt we have already decided homeschool is the way to go.
> Have an educational day and may cheers to all of you



Thank you!!


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## Belle & Ariel

TLHB70 said:


> We have used A Beka each year also, K4 - now.  My oldest DD is in 8th grade now.  What made you switch curriculums for math and science in high school?  DD is doing the video academy this year because I thought we would do that for high school.  I wanted a practice year to make sure she liked it.  So far, so good.............



We had a hard time with Abeka algebra.  I have a friend who teaces h.s math and she said they did not explain things well and we did not feel it gave a good foundation for upper level math.  Teaching textbooks has cd's that give the lesson, another one that works every problem, and one that works every problem on tests.  They teach so well that we have never needed to use them, but it has been an incredible security!
We do use Abeka for 9th grade physical science and 10th grade biology.  We use Apologia for 11th grade Chemistry and 12th grade we love the Marine Biology they offer.


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## Belle & Ariel

Pixie Dust for Me! said:


> Well, we did it today.  We pulled our DS out of 5th grade.  We are now officially a homeschool family!  It was quite a process (are we making the right decision?  What about x, y, & Z) but now, it's just a huge relief!
> 
> Thanks for the support (that you may not have even known you have given).
> 
> K




Congrats on your decision!  I have heard middle school is the toughest socially on kids.  
We are originally from the St. Louis area, so if you are near there, they have a great homeschool support group.  PM me if you want details.


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## Belle & Ariel

MeetingMickeyin2006 said:


> Just a little vent here. I am so tired of hearing misinformed, preconceived biases about homeschooled children. I hear the same one all the time--in fact, it was brought up in a thread about the Duggars here on the CB board the other day. It went something like this--"all of those kids are homeschooled, I wonder how their social skills are with non-family?" This has to be my LEAST favorite stereotype about homeschoolers. My son is probably the most social little boy I have ever met. He LOVES people, he loves talking, he's not shy in the least. In fact, he's much more outgoing than I am, and I went to public school, so I should be a regular social butterfly, right?   The funny thing is, I can remember kids from my school who were so painfully shy, that it was difficult for them to even answer a question when called upon! I would love for some of these people who are so worried about homeschooled kids' social skills, to come along on one of our cub scout meetings, field trips, PE classes, get-togethers, or activities, so they can see how "anti-social" all of these kids are.
> 
> What "homeschool stereotype" really gets under your skin?



I have a great story about your pet peeve.  We went on a cruise a couple years ago to Bermuda.  We were on a 25 minute ferry from one part of the island to another and seated across from the director of the teen club on the ship.
She talked to my 19 year old daughter who had been a cabin counselor at a camp the summer before.  After a few minutes of talking, she told my daughter she would be great in the kids' club and offered her a job on the ship.  She was very persistent and told how she could be flexible and work a week here and there on college breaks, etc.
Then the worker proceeded to tell me how much she was enjoying my son.  She told me he was so funny and had made up a story that he was homeschooled.  She said everyone knew he was joking because he was one of the most outgoing and popular kids that week and "I have had homeschool kids before and they are soooo nerdy".
Well, the look on her face was priceless when I told her both my daughter and him had never been to school but were indeed homeschooled their whole lives.
It's really sad that so many trained to work with kids have such narrow minds and prejudge our kids.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Belle & Ariel said:


> I have a great story about your pet peeve.  We went on a cruise a couple years ago to Bermuda.  We were on a 25 minute ferry from one part of the island to another and seated across from the director of the teen club on the ship.
> She talked to my 19 year old daughter who had been a cabin counselor at a camp the summer before.  After a few minutes of talking, she told my daughter she would be great in the kids' club and offered her a job on the ship.  She was very persistent and told how she could be flexible and work a week here and there on college breaks, etc.
> Then the worker proceeded to tell me how much she was enjoying my son.  She told me he was so funny and had made up a story that he was homeschooled.  She said everyone knew he was joking because he was one of the most outgoing and popular kids that week and "I have had homeschool kids before and they are soooo nerdy".
> Well, the look on her face was priceless when I told her both my daughter and him had never been to school but were indeed homeschooled their whole lives.
> It's really sad that so many trained to work with kids have such narrow minds and prejudge our kids.



Oh my!!!!  Even if she thought that...HOW RUDE!!! What is wrong with people? I mean if we act like that about people concerning religion, or race or whatever, they are sooo quick to retaliate. But when it comes to our children, they feel the right to say whatever they like---no matter how rude, and right in front of them too! Geesh.


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## sl_underwood

Has anyone had any experiences with Real Science 4 Kids?  I am looking at it for my dd (5th grade) and kindergartener.  
Lora


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## Denine

Hello everyone.  We are back from our week in WDW.

I am bummed that we won't be able to go to homeschool days in Williamsburg.  It just isn't in the financial cards after our Disney trip.  I also don't want to leave our sick cat again so soon.

For fun learning: Jumpstart World.  It is a computer game that is amazingly fun for DD.  We just downloaded 2nd grade for her right before vacation.  They also have a 1st grade version.  This is not the regular jumpstart, but one that is more interactive.


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## disneytriplets

I am new to homeschooling and I would appreciate some help from all you experienced homeschoolers. I have triplets who will be starting Kindergarten in September and I am trying to figure out how all this works and if I should homeschool or send them to public school. Ive checked out my states laws and know I dont need to report anything until they are eight. I found out there is a local organization we can join and they will do the required testing for the kids along with provide transcripts and a diploma. There is a curriculum fair (I guess thats what its called) near us in June so I plan on going there to learn more because I dont know anything about the curriculums. I have a few questions

1. What is included in the curriculums? I currently do a preschool program (Mother Goose Time) and it comes with all the art/craft and worksheet supplies for each day. You have to supply some things, but overall everything is included. 

2. Ive heard of Abeka, Sonlight and Alpha Omega. Can you tell me anything about these or other Kindergarten curriculums? Is there one that is way above the rest?

3. What do you do with younger children during school time? My little guy (who is two) is not very good with keeping himself busy. I plan to do school time during his nap, but Im not sure hell be asleep the entire time.

4. How many hours do you spend for Kindergarten? I know I dont need to report anything to the state yet, but I want to make sure the kids are keeping up with their public schooled peers. Public school Kindergarten around here is half days but I dont know what they do during their school time or how much time they spend doing actual school work vs. play time.

Thank you so much for your help!

Denise


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## Disney Mommy 3

Good Morning Denise~ And welcome aboard!!!!!
Well, first let me say congrats on your decision (or consideration) to homeschool!!! It's such a blessing! There are days when you think-I have totally lost my mind, why am I doing this again??? But, then you will look at those sweet little faces and it will all be worth it!! I have a daughter in Kindergarten this year and I am schooling her differently than I did my younger son when he started Kindergarten. I did ABeka with him(the dvd's)-he learned from it, but it was rather long & he got tired before it was over. I still did his letters with him when 'class' was over, and helped with math, so I thought--I should have just done this myself-without the videos!!! This time, I switched to Explode the Code for phonics. Both are great, but ABeka is just a bit more rigid and more time consuming. I def. like the Christian aspect behind the curriculums, but in K, it's not going to make that much difference! Just get some good books that have morals/Bible lessons/verses and that's all they need. Actually, for her Bible lesson/character values, we are reading a book from Rod & Staff with a color book that coincides with each lesson. I highly recommend R & S,as well!! I didn't realize they had K stuff until after we ordered and began our ETC. Def., go to the book fair and look at all of it-sometimes just looking through a book will give enough 'feel' to decide if it's right for your family or not. Until then, look up homeschooling curriculums on line--there are tons of sites. Also, go to Christian Book Distributers..they actually have sample pages you can look through-& if you are really confused, you can call and they will put you with a hs person who has answers. R&S is just rodandstaffbooks.com. 

Kindergarten doesn't really need to be all day--it's an intro of things to come and a great time to learn basics. Following rules, learning your letters, numbers, shapes. For math, we are using Horizons--again, great company,good curriculum-moves about as fast as ABeka, but not sooooo much work!! If you are really thinking you like the idea of all your work scheduled at this point in your life, and everything in a set, ABeka pre-k and K are awesome!! Just be aware they are loaded with lots do to!!! Feel free to cut out some things and don't feel like EVERYTHING has to be done! I did do pre-k with my daughter using it--by K we were ready for something new!!

Another thing I have done with all three is Five in a Row. It's an awesome study using great childrens books.(It sometimes referred to as FIAR) and they have message boards and phone #s. It uses a book per week & you read it 5 days in a row. One day is math, then lang., then art, and so on. We really enjoy this curr.

As for your little guy, just let him sit along and color or play. Try to get things done when he's napping, or what ever is easier for you as a family. If he feels included & not shoved away because you 3 are busy, he will do better. I know, that's what worked when mine youngest was that age!!!


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## Denine

Welcome Denise!  We used Calvert for PK and K.  The K is the equivalent of all day K, but it only took 1-1/2 to 2 hours to complete per day.  It was fun and DD loved it.  We are now using Calvert for 1st.  We use Horizons for math.


----------



## herodrx1

Hello everyone.  Although I am not new to the DISboards, I will be new to homeschooling.  We are planning on going the homeschool route after this year completes.
I have a 13 y/o going into 8th grade and a 9y/o going into 4th grade.  We are all a bit nervous about the transition.  We all agree that this is what we want to do but are still unsure of ourselves.

I look forward to getting to know you guys better and will thank you in advance for the support that I know I'll find here.


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## Praise2Him

herodrx1 said:


> Hello everyone.  Although I am not new to the DISboards, I will be new to homeschooling.  We are planning on going the homeschool route after this year completes.
> I have a 13 y/o going into 8th grade and a 9y/o going into 4th grade.  We are all a bit nervous about the transition.  We all agree that this is what we want to do but are still unsure of ourselves.
> 
> I look forward to getting to know you guys better and will thank you in advance for the support that I know I'll find here.



Congratulations on your decision to homeschool! I started HSing my DD when she was going into the 8th grade also. Now she's a Senior and will be graduating in a few months. These 5 years have flown by, and I wouldn't trade them for anything!


----------



## herodrx1

Thanks for the encouragement, Lisa.  Some of my fear was that I had waited to late to do this.  You know, that they had got so used to traditional school that they would have a hard time switching over.
There just seems to be so much wasted time at school.  My son is a bright student and I think that he is getting bored at school.  He keeps complaining about other kids bugging him and teachers getting upset with him.  It just seems like a good time to take control of his education.
My daughter has vision issues and I think now is a good time to start giving her more one-on-one teaching.  I don't want her to start to fall behind b/c she can't keep up with the reading.


----------



## Belle & Ariel

Denise,
Welcome to the boards.  We used Abeka for Kindergarten.  I will say that the phonics program is wonderful.  I have two in college now and they got perfect/near perfect scores on the reading/language sections and I attribute it to the great foundation they got from Abeka.  
They also sell a little box of about 66 books, more like leaflets.  Each is a separate story using and building on a phonics rule.  My kids loved them and it developed a love for reading.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

I just wanted to say hello. I actually posted on this thread a few months ago. I have been wanting to take my dd out of school to homeschool, but everytime I feel I am ready to go, I feel like I shouldn't be doing this. Why do I feel this way? My dh is all for it too, so I have back up. I actually submitted a letter to the school dept. already, and everything was all set to go.
I have 2 younger dds in school. one in preschool, the other in 1st. they are doing good in school right now, so to start off it would only be dd9.
I think if it were all three of them it would be an easier decision for me. But I would have to homeschool, and get the other 2 back and forth to school. Then I figured after a while the other 2 would want to stay home as well. and that would be what i would want also, but I don't know if it would be the best thing for them. I don't know I'm so confused. This is alot more emotional than I thought it would be when i first started thinking about it.
Sorry just felt better letting it all out here.


----------



## Praise2Him

herodrx1 said:


> Thanks for the encouragement, Lisa.  Some of my fear was that I had waited to late to do this.  You know, that they had got so used to traditional school that they would have a hard time switching over.
> There just seems to be so much wasted time at school.  My son is a bright student and I think that he is getting bored at school.  He keeps complaining about other kids bugging him and teachers getting upset with him.  It just seems like a good time to take control of his education.
> My daughter has vision issues and I think now is a good time to start giving her more one-on-one teaching.  I don't want her to start to fall behind b/c she can't keep up with the reading.



It's never too late! When I started HSing DD, DS was in 10th grade and loved going to public school, so I didn't even expect him to HS. Believe it or not, the next fall he decided for himself that after marching season (he was in the band) he wanted to withdraw and come home to school. So the week before Thanksgiving in 11th grade he started HSing! He graduated and is now about to graduate from college in June.  
You are right - there is a lot of wasted time at school. DS was able to have a job during his senior year to save money for college. Also, they can spend more time focusing on the subjects they really love.



Belle & Ariel said:


> Denise,
> Welcome to the boards.  We used Abeka for Kindergarten.  I will say that the phonics program is wonderful.  I have two in college now and they got perfect/near perfect scores on the reading/language sections and I attribute it to the great foundation they got from Abeka.
> They also sell a little box of about 66 books, more like leaflets.  Each is a separate story using and building on a phonics rule.  My kids loved them and it developed a love for reading.



I taught Kindergarten in a Christian school using ABeka. It is an excellent phonics program and I highly recommend it for teaching Reading.
It is very worksheet intensive, especially the Math. I would definitely feel free to skip over a lot of the worksheets.  



3princesses+aprince said:


> I just wanted to say hello. I actually posted on this thread a few months ago. I have been wanting to take my dd out of school to homeschool, but everytime I feel I am ready to go, I feel like I shouldn't be doing this. Why do I feel this way? My dh is all for it too, so I have back up. I actually submitted a letter to the school dept. already, and everything was all set to go.
> I have 2 younger dds in school. one in preschool, the other in 1st. they are doing good in school right now, so to start off it would only be dd9.
> I think if it were all three of them it would be an easier decision for me. But I would have to homeschool, and get the other 2 back and forth to school. Then I figured after a while the other 2 would want to stay home as well. and that would be what i would want also, but I don't know if it would be the best thing for them. I don't know I'm so confused. This is alot more emotional than I thought it would be when i first started thinking about it.
> Sorry just felt better letting it all out here.



Hi! I don't have any advice for you, but just want to give you some encouragement  Don't be afraid to get your feet wet. Just take it one small step at a time. If you look at the big picture it is overwhelming, so it helps to just start and not look at the future. The great thing about life is that we can always change, so if you were to decide that HSing isn't for you, you can always go back to regular school. It's not a permanent decision! (sorry, I guess that was advice after all!) 
Only you and your DH know what is best for your family, so I know you'll make the right decision for you!


----------



## Denine

Welcome to the new people.  It must be hard to make the decision to pull the kids out of school.  Luckily, we started with PK, so DD has never gone to school.  Good luck on your decisions!

I ordered a practice test for the CAT today.  I need to give the school system test scores for next year.  It is either test scores or a written evaluation from a teacher.


----------



## Princess_Michelle

3princesses+aprince said:


> I just wanted to say hello. I actually posted on this thread a few months ago. I have been wanting to take my dd out of school to homeschool, but everytime I feel I am ready to go, I feel like I shouldn't be doing this. Why do I feel this way? My dh is all for it too, so I have back up. I actually submitted a letter to the school dept. already, and everything was all set to go.
> I have 2 younger dds in school. one in preschool, the other in 1st. they are doing good in school right now, so to start off it would only be dd9.
> I think if it were all three of them it would be an easier decision for me. But I would have to homeschool, and get the other 2 back and forth to school. Then I figured after a while the other 2 would want to stay home as well. and that would be what i would want also, but I don't know if it would be the best thing for them. I don't know I'm so confused. This is alot more emotional than I thought it would be when i first started thinking about it.
> Sorry just felt better letting it all out here.



Our DS will start a Homeschool Co-op this fall and we are SO excited! I have had moments in the past when I wonder if I am doing the best thing for him. But now, we feel like NOT doing this would be a disservice to him. 

Kinda funny, but kinda not... when I read all the threads on this board from people who are having problems/issues with public schools, it just reinforces the fact that he will be better off without it! When I read about the bullying, the incompetence, the WEAPONS, the fights, etc. etc. etc. and add that to what I remember from school, (and I went to 11 different schools growing up, all over the country) it just makes our decision seem that much better!

My suggestion is to find a good Co-op or other support group to utlilize. Ours hire tutors that come in and teach the kids 2 days a week. They make up the lesson plans and teach them most of the material, then we just follow the lesson plan for the other 3 days of the week and there are regular field trips, etc. It rocks! He can't wait.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

thank you for the advice


----------



## Myhappythought5

I wanted to stop by and say HI. It looks like I will actually be a homeschool mom next year. I have a DD 9, DD6 and DS 2. I have had a lot of opposition, so I have been a little scared to take this leap. Also my Dh didn't want to take them out. However now he is up for it. I will be starting next year with the Online local school program. I figure if I start with this and get just comfortable being their teacher I can move on to a program I have more control over. 
I am just really excited to be doing this and knowing this group is out there for support.


----------



## TLHB70

I received an email message from a homeschool friend that has a homeschool relative in NH.   I thought I would share it since it could possibly have ramifications for us later.




Dear friends, 

I don't normally send out a mass email, but you are homeschooling families, so I thought you would want to see this.  This excerpt was included in a recent email with a relative of mine homeschooling in NH.  They have had infringements in the past, but this is far worse.  I apologize that this didn't get sent until during the actual meeting, but will you please pray over this.  It could certainly have ramifications for us down the road.

Thanks,
Kelly



Please be praying for NH homeschoolers on Wednesday the 11th.  We are facing a terrible proposed homeschooling law
(House Ed. Comm Hearing at 1:00) which is super regulated.  Hoping to defeat it in committee before it comes up for vote
in March.

I am working doubletime helping to organize talking points, HSLDA lawyers coming, and directing messages!  We've got NEA'ers
proposing legislation regularly- every session- but this one is by far the worst, a doozie!  

This is a spiritual battle, too. If this passes, among many other problematic points, Superintendents will be given
the right to deny homeschooler the right to homeschool for any reason, including because they don't want to approve Christian resources.  
Honestly, it's unbelievable!  We will also have to test at school annually , provide a detailed portfolio review annually-- both at homeschooling
parents expense ($75 + $42 per child!), and they are removing the DOE as a fall back reporting agency in case the family and Superintendent
disagree as to what makes an "appropriate educational program".  House Bill:  HB367 and 368.

Oh Kelly-- please have everyone you know pray over this one.  Our speakers need wisdom, composure and to make articulate points.  The enemy
needs to be bound and rendered impotent, and may the Lord be with us as we try to legally homeschool our children in freedom.  It's a battle!


----------



## skjj2009

We will be new to homeschooling next year.  My dd will be in kindergarten.   We knew we didn't want to do our public school system and then we looked into private schools.  The drive was a factor so we decided we'd give homeschooling a try.  My son will be in pre-k and I'm not pulling him out...I'd like to get my barrings about me before getting into curriculum with two kids.

Can you all give me some ideas on curriculum or where I can get started?  The catholic school we were looking at used Saxon...does anyone recommend saxon?  Also, the catholic school was going to teach spanish which I liked...does anyone teach spanish to their children and if so can you recommend a program for me?  I'm not looking for anything too indepth but just something we can do for an introduction.  She's learned words from Dora and her leapster but I'd like something just a little bit more structured but obviously not too advanced for a 6 year old.  
Any advice you can give me I'd appreciate it.  she does work well on the computer so I'm thinking of looking into curriculum that we can do on the computer.  She enjoys that and learns quite well from it.  
I don't really have any friends that homeschool and will be looking into homeschool groups for support in my area but right now I could just use some pointers in the right direction.  All of the curriculum can be overwhelming (as seen on some homeschool forums) so if there are some that stand out or you like more than others I'd love to hear about them so I can look into it some more!  Thanks again


----------



## disneytriplets

Thank you for the information and suggestions!  I'm off to look at the curriculums everyone listed.  I'm sure I'll be back with more questions!  

Thanks again!

Denise


----------



## Denine

TLHB70 said:


> I received an email message from a homeschool friend that has a homeschool relative in NH.   I thought I would share it since it could possibly have ramifications for us later.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dear friends,
> 
> I don't normally send out a mass email, but you are homeschooling families, so I thought you would want to see this.  This excerpt was included in a recent email with a relative of mine homeschooling in NH.  They have had infringements in the past, but this is far worse.  I apologize that this didn't get sent until during the actual meeting, but will you please pray over this.  It could certainly have ramifications for us down the road.
> 
> Thanks,
> Kelly
> 
> 
> 
> Please be praying for NH homeschoolers on Wednesday the 11th.  We are facing a terrible proposed homeschooling law
> (House Ed. Comm Hearing at 1:00) which is super regulated.  Hoping to defeat it in committee before it comes up for vote
> in March.
> 
> I am working doubletime helping to organize talking points, HSLDA lawyers coming, and directing messages!  We've got NEA'ers
> proposing legislation regularly- every session- but this one is by far the worst, a doozie!
> 
> This is a spiritual battle, too. If this passes, among many other problematic points, Superintendents will be given
> the right to deny homeschooler the right to homeschool for any reason, including because they don't want to approve Christian resources.
> Honestly, it's unbelievable!  We will also have to test at school annually , provide a detailed portfolio review annually-- both at homeschooling
> parents expense ($75 + $42 per child!), and they are removing the DOE as a fall back reporting agency in case the family and Superintendent
> disagree as to what makes an "appropriate educational program".  House Bill:  HB367 and 368.
> 
> Oh Kelly-- please have everyone you know pray over this one.  Our speakers need wisdom, composure and to make articulate points.  The enemy
> needs to be bound and rendered impotent, and may the Lord be with us as we try to legally homeschool our children in freedom.  It's a battle!



That is scary.  I hope it doesn't pass!


----------



## NHWX

TLHB70 said:


> I received an email message from a homeschool friend that has a homeschool relative in NH.   I thought I would share it since it



I was there today! It was packed. I'm not sure if we made any headway though I certainly hope so. We'll have to find out when they vote in committee. I am beginning to detest our state's Democrat leadership though. For state with a motto "Live Free or Die", they certainly seem willing to change it to "Live Regulated".

NHWX


----------



## TheMorgans

We are considering homeschooling our daughter.  I have completed the research on Illinois laws and have the required material to be in compliance.  I purchased (off of ebay) the same textbooks that she is using in her current public school classroom.  I also have some independant study type materials.  We are considering begining the homeschooling for the last grading period of this school year. 

  I just don't know where to start after that?  Where do I turn next?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  She is in the 7th grade -- if that matters.


----------



## TLHB70

NHWX said:


> I was there today! It was packed. I'm not sure if we made any headway though I certainly hope so. We'll have to find out when they vote in committee. I am beginning to detest our state's Democrat leadership though. For state with a motto "Live Free or Die", they certainly seem willing to change it to "Live Regulated".
> 
> NHWX



Thank you for updating us.  I have emailed my friend and asked her to keep me updated, but since the information comes through her relative I am not sure how often I will get updates.
Please keep us informed on this issue.


----------



## herodrx1

TheMorgans said:


> We are considering homeschooling our daughter.  I have completed the research on Illinois laws and have the required material to be in compliance.  I purchased (off of ebay) the same textbooks that she is using in her current public school classroom.  I also have some independant study type materials.  We are considering begining the homeschooling for the last grading period of this school year.
> 
> I just don't know where to start after that?  Where do I turn next?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  She is in the 7th grade -- if that matters.



We are going to start our kids at the end of this school year.  My DS will be finishing the 7th grade this year, so we'll start on 8th grade stuff.  We are going to stick to a traditional curriculum to start with b/c he thinks that he will do better since that is what he is used to doing.  We really like the Saxon Algebra 1/2 that he is using this year so we are going to continue that style of math.  As for the other subject, we just wrote down what he would be taking during the year (english, general science, etc..) and went looking at different text/work books that we thought looked good.  
There are several good informational websites that list different book choices if you google 8th grade curriculum.
I know I didn't share a lot of info. but wanted to let you know that someone else was just starting at the same point you are at.


----------



## Denine

Yes, please keep us updated on the situation in NH.


----------



## maigheann

Is the hs'ing community around Orlando larger (i.e. more dense) than in other areas of the US?  If we lived around there, I could see doing lots of interesting learning activities  in and around WDW, Seaworld, Kennedy Space Center and having an AP to each.  (a nice dream to have anyway ...)


----------



## graygables

maigheann said:


> Is the hs'ing community around Orlando larger (i.e. more dense) than in other areas of the US?  If we lived around there, I could see doing lots of interesting learning activities  in and around WDW, Seaworld, Kennedy Space Center and having an AP to each.  (a nice dream to have anyway ...)



I wish I could answer your question.  We are living here temporarily (that may change) for me to be in the WDW College Program and I've tried to join a couple of Yahoo groups, but have been rejected for membership.  They are pretty uptight about who they let in and have rules about attending and being invited, blah, blah, blah.  We did do the Homeschool Days at Disney which my DDs enjoyed, but again, it was very much everyone doing his/her own thing and no one seemed interested in networking.  I'm trying to see if any other CMs homeschool, but have come up with nothing so far.  I can't imagine that it's really that unheard of, but it just seems to be an exclusive club that I can't figure out how to join.


----------



## desparatelydisney

For those of you who use or have used Switched on Schoolhouse for History and language arts can you tell me how much the Bible is weaved into lessons?  Is it to the same extent as Abeka?  I am hoping it's to a lesser extent...  I really want to keep Sunday School and Regular School as separate as possible.

TIA


----------



## snjmorrison

Has anyone used Seton home study for high school? I live in Louisiana and will be homeschooling my daughter for high school. I would like to take advantage of the TOPS college tuition program if possible after graduation. Seton is accredited and give a diploma at the end of the program. They also seem very reasonably priced-about 600 - 700 for the year. Thanks for any information.


----------



## dvcbnd

I would also love to hear from someone who is or has used Seton's high school program. We're currently using them for the grade school levels (2nd & 4th grds) and are happy with their program so far. Since our ds is currently a freshman in catholic high school, I'm very much interested in hearing about homeschooling at the high school level. TIA


----------



## dvcbnd

Hi,
We're getting ready for our trip next weekend to Colonial Williamsburg. We're so excited about it!!  
Is anyone else planning on attending? Has anyone ever experienced a homeschooling event @ Colonial Williamsburg in the past? If so, do you have any helpful tips. Also, if you had to choose between the Jamestown Settlement or Yorktown Victory Center, which one would you recommend. Our children are ds14, dd9, and ds7. Thanks for any information and maybe we'll see you there.


----------



## Denine

dvcbnd said:


> Hi,
> We're getting ready for our trip next weekend to Colonial Williamsburg. We're so excited about it!!
> Is anyone else planning on attending? Has anyone ever experienced a homeschooling event @ Colonial Williamsburg in the past? If so, do you have any helpful tips. Also, if you had to choose between the Jamestown Settlement or Yorktown Victory Center, which one would you recommend. Our children are ds14, dd9, and ds7. Thanks for any information and maybe we'll see you there.



I wish we were going and had planned on going, but we had to decide to skip it this  year.  I think Jamestown would be more interesting.  When I checked out their list of events, they looked really neat.


----------



## Praise2Him

We haven't been to homeschool days, but we've been to W'burg and I agree that Jamestown is more interesting for kids. Ours were 14, 11 & 9 when we went.


----------



## dvcbnd

Thanks so much for the advice. I really appreciate it. Looks like if we have to make a choice, it'll be Jamestown.


----------



## dvcbnd

Denine, sorry that you won't be able to make Williamsburg this year. How is your cat doing?


----------



## Denine

dvcbnd said:


> Denine, sorry that you won't be able to make Williamsburg this year. How is your cat doing?



Thanks.

Our cat is doing surprisingly well.  He is starting to gain weight and the jaundice is gone from his ears.  He is even friskier than he has been in a long time.

Hopefully we can go to Williamsburg next year.  

Bring back a full report!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Hello everyone!
 I usually start trying to decide which direction I will go with school curriculum around this time of year. We end our year about a month earlier than the local public school, but we start a month earlier as well!!! So, I try to order my material by the end of March or mid-April. I also like to get ahead of everyone else so our stuff isn't backordered. All this to say, I am getting rid of material we won't be using anymore!!! Which is a great deal for someone else!!! If anyone is interested in used ( but taken GREAT care of) curriculum, let me know and I will tell you what's available. I don't know how much info I can put on here!!!! I do have ABeka and Bob Jones and Saxon--just pm  me if you are interested. Thanks!


----------



## Denine

What is a good "real history" history program for 2nd grade?

I am not sure I am liking the Calvert 1st grade history and was wondering what else is out there?  It is pretty dry to this point.
I don't know what their 2nd grade program is like and can't really tell from reading the on-line description.
I know  a lot of places like their 4th grade history book though.


----------



## cdhheidi

Denine said:


> What is a good "real history" history program for 2nd grade?
> 
> I am not sure I am liking the Calvert 1st grade history and was wondering what else is out there?  It is pretty dry to this point.
> I don't know what their 2nd grade program is like and can't really tell from reading the on-line description.
> I know  a lot of places like their 4th grade history book though.



Not sure what you mean by "real history" Denine, we started using the Mystery of History recently, and Sean LOVES it. We started at the beginning of history (staring with level one) and creation, and it has a little bit of history each day, along with pretests, exercises, we make a time line for the wall (although you could do it in a binder as well if you prefer).  We also have a box of memory cards that we have made to go along with it.  I have enjoyed it as much as Sean, as it really puts into perspective when things have happened in history. It gives activities to go along with each lesson as well, based on the age of the student, so it can even be used for multiple grades OR used again several years from now...

We have also used and enjoyed History of the World, which gives more activities in their activity book (which is separate from the reading book, and also has a CD that has the book read aloud for you).  

Just a few thoughts from a rather eclectic mom in Idaho!


----------



## Belle & Ariel

dvcbnd said:


> Hi,
> We're getting ready for our trip next weekend to Colonial Williamsburg. We're so excited about it!!
> Is anyone else planning on attending? Has anyone ever experienced a homeschooling event @ Colonial Williamsburg in the past? If so, do you have any helpful tips. Also, if you had to choose between the Jamestown Settlement or Yorktown Victory Center, which one would you recommend. Our children are ds14, dd9, and ds7. Thanks for any information and maybe we'll see you there.



Our kids preferred Jamestown.  It was long ago, right after the Pocahontas movie.  
Our experience at Yorktown was that busloads of schoolkids were there and we were constantly told to move aside so they could do a presentation for them.  Very frustrating.  We left without seeing much.
Enjoy Williamsburg.  I wish we were going--maybe in the summer.


----------



## Belle & Ariel

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Hello everyone!
> I usually start trying to decide which direction I will go with school curriculum around this time of year. We end our year about a month earlier than the local public school, but we start a month earlier as well!!! So, I try to order my material by the end of March or mid-April. I also like to get ahead of everyone else so our stuff isn't backordered. All this to say, I am getting rid of material we won't be using anymore!!! Which is a great deal for someone else!!! If anyone is interested in used ( but taken GREAT care of) curriculum, let me know and I will tell you what's available. I don't know how much info I can put on here!!!! I do have ABeka and Bob Jones and Saxon--just pm  me if you are interested. Thanks!



We have a homeschool curriculum fair in the summer.  Most books go for half of the original price.  You might see if your area has one--it beats messing with shipping.


----------



## dvcbnd

Belle & Ariel said:


> Our kids preferred Jamestown.  It was long ago, right after the Pocahontas movie.
> Our experience at Yorktown was that busloads of schoolkids were there and we were constantly told to move aside so they could do a presentation for them.  Very frustrating.  We left without seeing much.
> Enjoy Williamsburg.  I wish we were going--maybe in the summer.




Thanks! It's funny that you mentioned the Pocahontas movie. We all just watched it again yesterday in prep for our trip. The kids really enjoyed it and are very excited about going. We also watched the American Girl movie "Felicity" to prep for Colonial Williamsburg.


----------



## dvcbnd

Denine said:


> Thanks.
> 
> Our cat is doing surprisingly well.  He is starting to gain weight and the jaundice is gone from his ears.  He is even friskier than he has been in a long time.
> 
> Hopefully we can go to Williamsburg next year.
> 
> Bring back a full report!




I'm so glad that your cat is doing well.  

I'll let you know how our trip went.....getting ready to leave soon!!


----------



## mommyof2princesses

dvcbnd said:


> Hi,
> We're getting ready for our trip next weekend to Colonial Williamsburg. We're so excited about it!!
> Is anyone else planning on attending? Has anyone ever experienced a homeschooling event @ Colonial Williamsburg in the past? If so, do you have any helpful tips. Also, if you had to choose between the Jamestown Settlement or Yorktown Victory Center, which one would you recommend. Our children are ds14, dd9, and ds7. Thanks for any information and maybe we'll see you there.



Oh..we go begninng of march!  Jamestown is much better if you had to choose.  It has great things for the kids to do.  Dd13 was 5 last time she went and had a blast!  Now I have another dd who is 5 and we are hoping she will have a great time too!  Your dd14 might like both, especially if she is into history and learning.  hope you have a blast!


----------



## Praise2Him

dvcbnd said:


> We also watched the American Girl movie "Felicity" to prep for Colonial Williamsburg.



When we went, DD was 9 and actually had the Felicity dress and mini doll. She wore the dress at Williamsburg and was so cute! We got lots of great pictures and she got a lot of attention from the workers.


----------



## FreeTime

Help me! I was excited to come across this thread on my favorite website. However, I have tried reading through it and there is so much going on! We are considering HS our girls 8 & 9 next year. I am considering using Ohio Virtual Academy does anyone have any thoughts on this? I just don't know where to start. Also, does anyone work FT and HS their kids? We were planning on having class from 730-12 (then I would go to work) and grandpa would then help them with any work that I give them and take them to extra curr. Is this enough time each day? Maybe HS isn't for us. 

Thanks for any advice you can give me.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Hello FreeTime!
What an awesome decision! If you have someone to help in the afternoons, there is no reason why you shouldn't try it!  I don't know about virtual academy, but check out the HSLDA to find out what's required from your state. I bet your local public library could hook you up with some other hsing mom--since we all tend to frequent the public library a lot!!! My kids are usually doing school around 3 hours a day. So, you should have plenty of time. Of course, the virtual thing may take longer, I don't know. But, welcome aboard and let us know what you decide!!


----------



## Denine

cdhheidi said:


> Not sure what you mean by "real history" Denine, we started using the Mystery of History recently, and Sean LOVES it. We started at the beginning of history (staring with level one) and creation, and it has a little bit of history each day, along with pretests, exercises, we make a time line for the wall (although you could do it in a binder as well if you prefer).  We also have a box of memory cards that we have made to go along with it.  I have enjoyed it as much as Sean, as it really puts into perspective when things have happened in history. It gives activities to go along with each lesson as well, based on the age of the student, so it can even be used for multiple grades OR used again several years from now...
> 
> We have also used and enjoyed History of the World, which gives more activities in their activity book (which is separate from the reading book, and also has a CD that has the book read aloud for you).
> 
> Just a few thoughts from a rather eclectic mom in Idaho!



Thanks for the idea.  I mean something that isn't just dry facts, the stuff is presented in stories that make it more interesting and easier to remember.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Denine,
I used Mystery of History last year and we really liked it. But, I wanted more books to read, to help tie things together and this year we are using the TruthQuest History! It's wonderful. You get the guide for which period you are studying and she has it broken down into sections. You have the choice of a few 'spine' books for each section then a list of fiction/non-fiction books to go with each time period. My older son is in Ren.and Reformation(1400s) and we have read some really great stuff-Otto of the Silver Hand, the Magna Charta, Robin Hood, etc.
My middle one is in early amer.HIst., one thing he read was the Sign of the Beaver--all great books---we are going to spend quite a lot of time on George Washington- Ben Franklin was great too!!!
Check out the website and see what you think!


----------



## Denine

That sounds great.  I wrote it down and will have to look into it.  Thanks!


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## avic77

ummm hello all  I just started a thread for homeschoolers becuase the search thing didnt find anything. After I made a thread I redid the search and it found this one  which has obviously been here longer then 10 minutes  
Well I have a link in my siggy to the thread I started it's on the community board


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## Honeymooner04

I'm subscribing to this thread.  I'm kind of toying with the idea of home schooling my daughter who is now three so I have some time before I have to *really* get started.  I'm just trying to gather information as I go!  Thanks!


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## Buckalew11

TheMorgans said:


> We are considering homeschooling our daughter.  I have completed the research on Illinois laws and have the required material to be in compliance.  I purchased (off of ebay) the same textbooks that she is using in her current public school classroom.  I also have some independant study type materials.  We are considering begining the homeschooling for the last grading period of this school year.
> 
> I just don't know where to start after that?  Where do I turn next?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  She is in the 7th grade -- if that matters.




We've only been HSing for this school year but we love it. DD is almost 15 and a freshman. One thing I have found is that the way DDs curriculm is written is much more reader friendly than her regular classroom books--esp. math. Science also though. It is like the book was written like the teacher is talking to you and she has really enjoyed it (Biology). I highly recommend Teaching Textbooks for math. DD is doing terrific in Geometry this year and her best friend at public school is hating it (and not doing well). I can't help her with it so if she needed help, we'd have to get outside help but Teaching Textbooks is so thorough and it is giving her a lot of confidence when it comes to math.


In elementary school she used a lot of ABeka books at her private christian school and for the most part she enjoyed them. in fact, she kept a lot of the reading books and history books. They helped her fall in love with World history and geography (plus she had a great teacher).



desparatelydisney said:


> For those of you who use or have used Switched on Schoolhouse for History and language arts can you tell me how much the Bible is weaved into lessons?  Is it to the same extent as Abeka?  I am hoping it's to a lesser extent...  I really want to keep Sunday School and Regular School as separate as possible.
> 
> TIA



I don't know how much Bible is in them but DH's cousin's DD used that curriculum and really enjoyed it.
ABeka has a lot, however, if you attend SS and all, ABeka definitely ties things together so that the Bible and History don't seem to be two separate subjects. Using ABeka during her early years at scool seems to have really given DD a good understanding of where History and the Bible connect and cross over and parallel. Just something to think about unless you'd rather stay away from Biblically based curiculums. I am sure those are probably harder to come by. good luck to you!


----------



## hudsonsinaf

Hi all!  I am a homeschooling mom of a 5 yo, 3 yo, almost 2 yo, and 5 week old.  I have noticed that people keep mentioning homeschool programs at different locations, including Disney and Williamsburg.  Where have you guys learned about these?  Where can I go to find a list and learn more about what is offered?  Thank you so much for your help and I look forward to "schooling" with you 

Shannon


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## Denine

Regarding the real history books.  I found some really neat stuff in the Rainbow catalog that I think will be perfect to supplement history next year.  The stuff was pretty cheap too.  If you have the money, you can get anything you want in that catalog!

I would love to know about more HS'ing programs too if anyone knows about any.  I so wanted to go to Williamsburg this year.


----------



## dvcbnd

Hi! We're back from our trip to Williamsburg, VA and we had a blast!! 
Thanks to all who recommended the Jamestown Settlement, my kids truly LOVED it!!!  They keep talking about it and can't wait to go back.  They were thrilled with the fact that there was so many hands-on activities for them. That was their one complaint about Colonial Williamsburg. They weren't allowed to "touch" anything. 
As it turned out, with did have to make a choice between visiting Jamestown and Yorktown. We really felt bad that we didn't have time to visit Yorktown, but there's always next year. We did spend an entire day visiting Colonial Williamsburg on Sat. The homeschooling schedule of events seemed to be focused more on the weekdays, so we weren't able to take advantage of those. All in all, we had a great time and the kids learned quite a bit about what life was like during the 17th & 18th centuries. I can't tell you how happy I am that they really enjoyed themselves and the entire experience.  
This home schooling event takes place over the next two weeks and they are running it again from Sept 12 - 27th. I highly recommend it and maybe we'll see you there!!


----------



## dvcbnd

Praise2Him said:


> When we went, DD was 9 and actually had the Felicity dress and mini doll. She wore the dress at Williamsburg and was so cute! We got lots of great pictures and she got a lot of attention from the workers.



That sounds like so much fun, what a great idea! She must have looked adorable. I know my dd9 always loved to dress like the disney princesses while walking through WDW. I never would have thought about doing that in Colonial Williamsburg. I think that it's a great idea!!

When we were there, I did see a place where you can rent costumes to wear while visiting Colonial Williamsburg. It was located in the Visitor Center. I didn't have a chance to look into it though. Hopefully next time.


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## dvcbnd

hudsonsinaf said:


> Hi all!  I am a homeschooling mom of a 5 yo, 3 yo, almost 2 yo, and 5 week old.  I have noticed that people keep mentioning homeschool programs at different locations, including Disney and Williamsburg.  Where have you guys learned about these?  Where can I go to find a list and learn more about what is offered?  Thank you so much for your help and I look forward to "schooling" with you
> 
> Shannon




Hi Shannon!
I came across info about different programs by searching the web and checking out different places that we would like to visit (or have already visited before we began homeschooling). 

I just recently discovered that the Crayola Factory in PA dedicates the entire month of February for homeschoolers. I know that Kennedy Space Center offers a program. I am also going to look into Mystic Seaport in Ct and the Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth, Mass. I'll post whatever info I find. 

If anyone has more info to add, I too would love to know. 
Thanks,
Joanne


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## OneTreeHillAddict

Anyone on here close to the Myrtle Beach area?


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## Praise2Him

hudsonsinaf said:


> I have noticed that people keep mentioning homeschool programs at different locations, including Disney and Williamsburg.  Where have you guys learned about these?  Where can I go to find a list and learn more about what is offered?



I've learned about them through my local homeschooling group, a statewide homeschool group on the internet, and here on the DIS!

I'm not sure where you are located, but in the Southeast I know of homeschool days at Dollywood, Chattanooga Aquarium, Six Flags Atlanta, and Stone Mountain. I'm sure there are probably more too. One group in our state is even organizing a homeschool cruise to the Bahamas!


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## Pixie Dust for Me!

Praise2Him said:


> One group in our state is even organizing a homeschool cruise to the Bahamas!




Wow, I'd love to join THAT group!!!


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## wvdislover

Me too!  Me too!  Me too!


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## Denine

dvcbnd said:


> Hi! We're back from our trip to Williamsburg, VA and we had a blast!!
> Thanks to all who recommended the Jamestown Settlement, my kids truly LOVED it!!!  They keep talking about it and can't wait to go back.  They were thrilled with the fact that there was so many hands-on activities for them. That was their one complaint about Colonial Williamsburg. They weren't allowed to "touch" anything.
> As it turned out, with did have to make a choice between visiting Jamestown and Yorktown. We really felt bad that we didn't have time to visit Yorktown, but there's always next year. We did spend an entire day visiting Colonial Williamsburg on Sat. The homeschooling schedule of events seemed to be focused more on the weekdays, so we weren't able to take advantage of those. All in all, we had a great time and the kids learned quite a bit about what life was like during the 17th & 18th centuries. I can't tell you how happy I am that they really enjoyed themselves and the entire experience.
> This home schooling event takes place over the next two weeks and they are running it again from Sept 12 - 27th. I highly recommend it and maybe we'll see you there!!



Glad to hear it was such a good experience!  I am really looking foward to going next year!


----------



## Ellester

snjmorrison said:


> Has anyone used Seton home study for high school? I live in Louisiana and will be homeschooling my daughter for high school. I would like to take advantage of the TOPS college tuition program if possible after graduation. Seton is accredited and give a diploma at the end of the program. They also seem very reasonably priced-about 600 - 700 for the year. Thanks for any information.





dvcbnd said:


> I would also love to hear from someone who is or has used Seton's high school program. We're currently using them for the grade school levels (2nd & 4th grds) and are happy with their program so far. Since our ds is currently a freshman in catholic high school, I'm very much interested in hearing about homeschooling at the high school level. TIA



I have a good friend who is using Seton for hs (she's used it from the beginning,I think her ds is in 10th this year). From talking to her it seems to be fairly rigorous. You may want to see what conferences they will be at this year, the reps there are usually long time users. I use some of their stuff, but not the whole curriculum and not high school yet.


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## OneTreeHillAddict

Hello again. Sorry to be a pain but we're starting homeschool today and I have some questions. I am trying to find a website that will give me reading comprehension tests/quizzes on various books. I tried to search for Kingdom Keepers and couldn't find a thing. (Just as an example) 

And the other thing...is there a place where I can find samples of lesson plans you guys have used at WDW? What kinds of things are you doing to incorporate lesson plans into your vacation? Any help would be appreciated.


                                                                                Tammy


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## Disney Mommy 3

Tammy, I am not sure of an exact website, but go to Christianbook.com and then to their homeschool section. They have a # you can call them and speak with a homeschool rep--they are pretty up todate on all the new stuff and can probably point you in the right direction. Some times they even have booklets they sell that you could order! Hope this helps. Did you Google it? Sometimes the site is hit/or/miss for homeschool subjects.


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## scrapbookingmanda

OneTreeHillAddict said:


> Hello again. Sorry to be a pain but we're starting homeschool today and I have some questions. I am trying to find a website that will give me reading comprehension tests/quizzes on various books. I tried to search for Kingdom Keepers and couldn't find a thing. (Just as an example)



 Try searching "Literature Unit". These are full units with several different activities across the subjects for each book. Most should include quizzes and vocabulary etc.

This is my first post to this thread, since I recently decided I would be homeschooling my ds next year for kindergarten. I have been researching a lot and have gotten over that initial overwhelmed feeling, but I do still have a few questions. Does anyone make their own curriculum instead of purchasing one? Also, in schools that use Abeka curriculum they have two different phonics programss for Kindergarten, K and AK(advanced). Does anyone know which one of these the homeschool version is? The reg. version spends quite a while on the letter sounds, while the advanced version only reviews them and goes straight into reading within a few weeks if that helps anybody out.

Thanks, Amanda


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## hsingmomto3

scrapbookingmanda said:


> Try searching "Literature Unit". These are full units with several different activities across the subjects for each book. Most should include quizzes and vocabulary etc.
> 
> This is my first post to this thread, since I recently decided I would be homeschooling my ds next year for kindergarten. I have been researching a lot and have gotten over that initial overwhelmed feeling, but I do still have a few questions. Does anyone make their own curriculum instead of purchasing one? Also, in schools that use Abeka curriculum they have two different phonics programss for Kindergarten, K and AK(advanced). Does anyone know which one of these the homeschool version is? The reg. version spends quite a while on the letter sounds, while the advanced version only reviews them and goes straight into reading within a few weeks if that helps anybody out.
> 
> Thanks, Amanda




Amanda, 
For K and 1st I did mainly my own thing with my son and have so far with my daughter.  I have gotten many free worksheets and curricula ideas from just googling the subject that I want to teach about.  When my son was in 2nd grade I started to piece together different curricula so that he was well rounded in what he was learning.  The only real curriculum that we have followed is he American Story 1 and Animals and their World from Winterpromise.  We love those, very little prep time for mom (yay), plus it gives a sheet where the student needs to do a little something on their own, when they are older.  I love WP and am looking forward to placing an order for next year curricula for the kids.


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## hsingmomto3

Hi everyone I'm Courtney.  I am a homeschooling mom to 3 (hence the screen name  lol).  My son (8) is doing 3rd this year with Winterpromise American Story 1, Easy Grammar with the Daily Grams, and Wordly Wise for vocabulary and spelling.  I do my own thing with him with math right now but have had good success with Math U See.  My daughter (6) is doing K basically just learning the letters and numbers and phonics and then what ever else I toss in there.  With all 3 of them we are doing the Animals and their Worlds curriculum from Winterpromise as well.  

I've been homeschooling my kids since my son was in K, I pulled him out of K when we moved here and was having a really hard time with the teacher and with many different conferences with the teacher it didn't make it any better.  Brought him home, gave him a small amount of time to adjust and have been going strong ever since....of course with some bumps because who doesn't have bumps?  It is a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to our trip next week as our "spring break".  Looking forward to having other homeschooling moms to talk with!


----------



## avic77

Anyone got a suggestion for a Science and History that I can do for both a 4th grader and 1st grader (next year)
We tried Story of the World and it's ok I guess but I feel like there isn't enough and I hate looking for the suppliment material that is suggested.
Science we have been doing the animal kingdom own our own with Lapbooks. We have enjoyed it but again I want something that is all put together and doesnt have me searching for supplimental material. I guess I need Science in a box


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## desparatelydisney

avic77 said:


> Anyone got a suggestion for a Science and History that I can do for both a 4th grader and 1st grader (next year)
> We tried Story of the World and it's ok I guess but I feel like there isn't enough and I hate looking for the suppliment material that is suggested.
> Science we have been doing the animal kingdom own our own with Lapbooks. We have enjoyed it but again I want something that is all put together and doesnt have me searching for supplimental material. I guess I need Science in a box



I am looking at using Noeo or RealScience4Kids for K and 3 next year.  It wil be my first year HSing, but I have done A TON of research so far.


----------



## OneTreeHillAddict

Day two and things are good so far. I'm still a little overwhelmed but I expect it to be this way for a little while. I bought some books last night from Sam's club. I bought the 5th grade for my son who is in 4th grade and 2nd grade for my daughter who is in 1st. He was in GT at his old school so they did mostly 5th grade work anyway. DD is very advanced in Math so I bought the extra books for her to use for that. The school "supposedly" gave me all of the books the kids need along with the workbooks. I realized today there was an actual Math book to go along with the workbooks so I called and asked for it. (And got it along with some other stuff they'd "forgotten" to give me) I asked about Reading, Spelling, or Language Arts books and they said they didn't have them!?   Does this sound right to you guys? 

I still fear I'm forgetting something or not doing things the right way. I wanted to ask those of you who have been doing this for a while for your opinions on the supplement books I purchased. One set is called *BrainQuest*. Another is *The HomeBase Big Book of Second/Fifth Grade Skill Practice*. It includes Language Arts, SS, Science, & Math. The last set is *COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM of Basic Skills *which includes Reading and RCom, English, Spelling, and Math. 

I enjoy working with the county school books. It's a lot of work for me since I have to make up my own tests and quizzes. I'm not sure if the teachers would appreciate me asking for that kind of thing.  

I'd love to hear about or see some of the homeschool activities other moms have used for WDW. Thanks!


----------



## mommyof2princesses

dvcbnd said:


> Hi! We're back from our trip to Williamsburg, VA and we had a blast!!
> Thanks to all who recommended the Jamestown Settlement, my kids truly LOVED it!!!  They keep talking about it and can't wait to go back.  They were thrilled with the fact that there was so many hands-on activities for them. That was their one complaint about Colonial Williamsburg. They weren't allowed to "touch" anything.
> As it turned out, with did have to make a choice between visiting Jamestown and Yorktown. We really felt bad that we didn't have time to visit Yorktown, but there's always next year. We did spend an entire day visiting Colonial Williamsburg on Sat. The homeschooling schedule of events seemed to be focused more on the weekdays, so we weren't able to take advantage of those. All in all, we had a great time and the kids learned quite a bit about what life was like during the 17th & 18th centuries. I can't tell you how happy I am that they really enjoyed themselves and the entire experience.
> This home schooling event takes place over the next two weeks and they are running it again from Sept 12 - 27th. I highly recommend it and maybe we'll see you there!!



Glad you and the kdis enjoyed it!  We leave Monday to go to VA and we will be in CW tuesday and wEd, then on Thursday we will be at Jamestown and fri Yorktown.  My kids are excited to go.


----------



## wvdislover

OneTreeHillAddict said:


> Day two and things are good so far. I'm still a little overwhelmed but I expect it to be this way for a little while. I bought some books last night from Sam's club. I bought the 5th grade for my son who is in 4th grade and 2nd grade for my daughter who is in 1st. He was in GT at his old school so they did mostly 5th grade work anyway. DD is very advanced in Math so I bought the extra books for her to use for that. The school "supposedly" gave me all of the books the kids need along with the workbooks. I realized today there was an actual Math book to go along with the workbooks so I called and asked for it. (And got it along with some other stuff they'd "forgotten" to give me) I asked about Reading, Spelling, or Language Arts books and they said they didn't have them!?   Does this sound right to you guys?
> 
> I still fear I'm forgetting something or not doing things the right way. I wanted to ask those of you who have been doing this for a while for your opinions on the supplement books I purchased. One set is called *BrainQuest*. Another is *The HomeBase Big Book of Second/Fifth Grade Skill Practice*. It includes Language Arts, SS, Science, & Math. The last set is *COMPREHENSIVE CURRICULUM of Basic Skills *which includes Reading and RCom, English, Spelling, and Math.
> 
> I enjoy working with the county school books. It's a lot of work for me since I have to make up my own tests and quizzes. I'm not sure if the teachers would appreciate me asking for that kind of thing.
> 
> I'd love to hear about or see some of the homeschool activities other moms have used for WDW. Thanks!



I've always used the Comprehensive Curriculum books from Sam's, as either a supplement, or as homeschool material (that's all we started with when we pulled DD11 out of school last year).  It seems better for review than actual in-depth learning.  However, you could use it to work on language arts skills, since the school didn't have any books for that.  As for reading, just have your kids read books from the library or books you already have at home (if you're like me, you already have your own library at home!), and then pull spelling words out of those books, or make up your own spelling lists.  Glad to hear your first couple of days have gone well.  Have a great trip!


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## hsingmomto3

avic77 said:


> Anyone got a suggestion for a Science and History that I can do for both a 4th grader and 1st grader (next year)
> We tried Story of the World and it's ok I guess but I feel like there isn't enough and I hate looking for the suppliment material that is suggested.
> Science we have been doing the animal kingdom own our own with Lapbooks. We have enjoyed it but again I want something that is all put together and doesnt have me searching for supplimental material. I guess I need Science in a box



You should check into winterpromise.  I am doing Animal and their worlds with a 3rd grader and K...oh and a toddler/preschooler.  They also have a history program and other different programs too.  I like how I just have to open the guide book and go.  Makes it much easier.  With doing these programs everything is in the package.  And all you need to gather is supplies that you need for projects.  You don't have to do all the projects and you can pick and choose which ones you want to do and when.  Its a nice program.   I  winterpromise lol


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## OneTreeHillAddict

wvdislover said:


> I've always used the Comprehensive Curriculum books from Sam's, as either a supplement, or as homeschool material (that's all we started with when we pulled DD11 out of school last year).  It seems better for review than actual in-depth learning.  However, you could use it to work on language arts skills, since the school didn't have any books for that.  As for reading, just have your kids read books from the library or books you already have at home (if you're like me, you already have your own library at home!), and then pull spelling words out of those books, or make up your own spelling lists.  Glad to hear your first couple of days have gone well.  Have a great trip!



I think that too. They're nice for "busy" work. I was always good at Language Arts in school so I can teach that pretty well as long as I have an age appropriate guide to help me. We do have a ton of books. Probably 500 or more. I have a huge bookcase underneath the staircase and it's full. I have to use the public library too. My oldest can read a book like Kingdom Keepers in less than two hours! At his age it would have taken me a week. He joined a book club yesterday. He has read that book twice already. Thankfully I wont have a problem with that. I just have to do reading at the _end_ of the day. I wish I could find some Disney "field trip" ideas.


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## graygables

Time 4 Learning???  Anyone use it?

We're using Math U See, which I love, and have been lapbooking some, but with my crazy WDW College Program hours, plus my grad school work, homeschooling hasn't been as consistent as I like.  Fortunately, DDs are pretty good about unschooling and have done a great job so far, but I'd like to redirect them to a bit more structure.  I looked into Time 4 Learning as a possibility for language arts, social studies, and science.  Any thoughts?


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## avic77

I have been working the younger kids' Curriculum list for next year. I was about to go post it on a Homeschool Forum but for some reason it will not let me sign in! I have tried to reregister with a different email adress but it still doing that same thing  
So I am coming here to beg for advice and suggestions for next years curriculum. This is what I have for DS(almost)7. He will be doing mostly 1st grade stuff.
*Phonics*
Adventures in Phonics level A and B (i just want to run through A as a refresh) by Chritian Liberty Press
*Reading*
Chritian Light Reading Grade 1
*English/Grammar/Language Arts*
First Language Lessons (we have been doing this a little this year and DS loves the poem memorization)
*Spelling*
Building Spelling Skills Grade 1(Christian Liberty Press)
*Handwriting*
Christian Liberty Press Handwriting with Diligence
*Math*
Alpha Omega Lifepacs Grade 1
*Science*
   I HAVE NO CLUE YET   
I will be doing Science with my DS7 and DD10 together so this one is tricky
*History*
Chritian Liberty Press History for Little Pilgrims 
DD10 wants to do her own History this year so we will not be useing Story of the World again.
*Spanish* maybe
Kidspeak Spanish CDROM
*Art* maybe
Creativity Express CDROM

It seems like alot but this year the kids were done within 3 hours and I want them to have a well rounded education.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Victoria~
Sounds like you have it all together!! I have some of the CLP books for science/nature (C L Nature Readers). Have you looked into Apologia for your Science? We use that and we looooove it!!!!! I am sure you've done tons of curriculum scouting, but we use A Reason For Handwriting and that's great too! I am not familiar with the handwriting you are using. That was just a little peek into what has worked for us in that area!!! I think A Reason For ...also has some Science kits that you can do just for fun projects...I am going to be looking into that for some summer fun!!!!


----------



## avic77

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Victoria~
> Sounds like you have it all together!! I have some of the CLP books for science/nature (C L Nature Readers). Have you looked into Apologia for your Science? We use that and we looooove it!!!!! I am sure you've done tons of curriculum scouting, but we use A Reason For Handwriting and that's great too! I am not familiar with the handwriting you are using. That was just a little peek into what has worked for us in that area!!! I think A Reason For ...also has some Science kits that you can do just for fun projects...I am going to be looking into that for some summer fun!!!!


We did handwriting without tears this year and liked it but both kids are pretty good at handwriting and It's not something I feel I should invest alot of money on. So We are just going to use the ones from Christian Liberty Press this year as they are only $7.25. I would prefer to save moeny there and spend more in Math or Science. 
I am looking at Apologia Exploring Creation with Astronomy or R.E.A.L Science Earth and Space


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## wvdislover

Hi everybody!  Just wanted to let you know, I just found out the dates for September Homeschool Days at WDW are going to be September 21-22!  They don't have any details about programming yet, but the dates have been scheduled.  Can't wait!


----------



## Disneynut5

wvdislover said:


> Hi everybody!  Just wanted to let you know, I just found out the dates for September Homeschool Days at WDW are going to be September 21-22!  They don't have any details about programming yet, but the dates have been scheduled.  Can't wait!



Cool!  WE are going Sept 19-27 so we will be there.  Can't wait to find out what they have planned and see if it fits into our schedule.


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## avic77

I have been watching this Thread here on the Dis boards and boy does it make me happy I am Homeschooling my kids!


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## wvdislover

Disneynut5 said:


> Cool!  WE are going Sept 19-27 so we will be there.  Can't wait to find out what they have planned and see if it fits into our schedule.



We'll be there Sept 17-27!  Maybe we'll see you there!


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## OneTreeHillAddict

wvdislover said:


> Hi everybody!  Just wanted to let you know, I just found out the dates for September Homeschool Days at WDW are going to be September 21-22!  They don't have any details about programming yet, but the dates have been scheduled.  Can't wait!



What is that all about? I'd love to hear more.


----------



## graygables

OneTreeHillAddict said:


> What is that all about? I'd love to hear more.



This last one in January was held at the Studios.  There was a speaker, Vicky Beeching (contemporary Christian artist and C.S. Lewis expert).  My girls LOVED listening to her speak/sing.  They also received a goody bag with CDs and Narnia stuff.  They offered 2 classes, one was production where they saw the ToT storyboards, rode the ride, and did several activities, learning about editing, forced perspective, facade, etc.  The other class I'm fuzzy on since mine didn't take it.  From what I understand, they rotate parks, so the Sept ones will most likely be somewhere else.

My girls said it was well worth it, so I'm hoping WDW hires me permanently or I get my professional internship and we can be here in Sept, too!


----------



## DawnM

I am looking into this as well.  My oldest son is struggling in a couple of areas and I think he will like this.

I plan to have them play with the sample lessons this week and then decide if I should subscribe.

Dawn



graygables said:


> Time 4 Learning???  Anyone use it?
> 
> We're using Math U See, which I love, and have been lapbooking some, but with my crazy WDW College Program hours, plus my grad school work, homeschooling hasn't been as consistent as I like.  Fortunately, DDs are pretty good about unschooling and have done a great job so far, but I'd like to redirect them to a bit more structure.  I looked into Time 4 Learning as a possibility for language arts, social studies, and science.  Any thoughts?


----------



## Twoboysnmygirl

Hello fellow homeschooling DISers!  I had no idea this thread was here!!!  

My daughter and I went with another homeschooling friend & her daughter to WDW Homeschool Days last Sept. 2008(it was at AK)  and it was fun!  AND, the park ticket prices were amazing, so we've scheduled a Jan. 2010 trip for the whole family, IL's included,  during the time I think they will have a Jan. 2010 Homeschool Days. The 3rd mon & tues is MLK day so I'm guessing the 11th & 12th which is the 2nd mon & tues of Jan.   I hope I guessed the right days b/c I'm planning on those cheaper park tickets!   

I have 3 children, 8, 13, & 14 and we've been homeschooling since my oldest was half way through 2nd grade and I pulled both of them out.  My youngest has never been to school.  We were very eclectic over the years, using lots of different resources.  This year we're using Oakmeadow (Oakmeadow.com) and I love it, but, I'm not sure if I'll use it for high school too.  Still researching that, I have until fall, right?!?!?   

I love homeschooling, I would never go back.  Spending every day with my kids has taught us all so much about each other and although it can be tiring sometimes, I can't imagine the alternative.  We've got a great homeschool group in our area and have parties and weekly playgroups/field trips.


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## OneTreeHillAddict

graygables said:


> This last one in January was held at the Studios.  There was a speaker, Vicky Beeching (contemporary Christian artist and C.S. Lewis expert).  My girls LOVED listening to her speak/sing.  They also received a goody bag with CDs and Narnia stuff.  They offered 2 classes, one was production where they saw the ToT storyboards, rode the ride, and did several activities, learning about editing, forced perspective, facade, etc.  The other class I'm fuzzy on since mine didn't take it.  From what I understand, they rotate parks, so the Sept ones will most likely be somewhere else.
> 
> My girls said it was well worth it, so I'm hoping WDW hires me permanently or I get my professional internship and we can be here in Sept, too!



That's sounds great. My kids would love something like that. Where can I read more about it? Is there a link somewhere?


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## Twoboysnmygirl

Here is where we found the info:

http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/programs/programOverview?page=HSDProgramOverviewPage


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## desparatelydisney

graygables said:


> From what I understand, they rotate parks, so the Sept ones will most likely be somewhere else.



_Join us September 21 and 22 for a trip around the "World" with Disney Homeschool Days at Epcot®. You will be inspired with a special guest speaker series and will encounter eye-opening experiences around every corner through self-guided education materials._


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## Denine

desparatelydisney said:


> _Join us September 21 and 22 for a trip around the "World" with Disney Homeschool Days at Epcot®. You will be inspired with a special guest speaker series and will encounter eye-opening experiences around every corner through self-guided education materials._



That sounds awesome, but we aren't getting there until the 25th of September, bummer.


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## bellebud

I hope someone here can help me.  I had another thread on the family board about my ds's recent 1st reconciliation (titled *catholics - what do you think about this*) ... anyhow, I'm 99% sure i'm pulling my dd9 and ds7 out of school and homeschooling them.  

I'm in NY, and am feeling overwhelmed about this (as i'm sure most everyone does at first).  I've read lots of homeschooling sites, and tried to join what seems to be the only local group for me, the Orange County homeschoolers yahoo group, but they won't let people join who aren't actually homeschooling yet (which I understand), and they emailed that they have a few people who are willing to talk to people who haven't taken the plunge yet.  So I'm waiting to hear back from them. 

I'm nervous to pull my kids out 'right now' - the paperwork I guess is what's confusing.  If I pull my kids out now, I'd have to get them year-end assessed, right?  In june??  And a 4th quarter report submitted???  I was thinking of letting them finish the end of the year, just so everything's neat and tidy.  But dh is finally on board woohoo: ), and is saying "if we're going to do it, let's just do it!  why wait????"

I'd love to just 'do it', but I feel like I'm doing something wrong or illegal.  

I'd love to hear from any NY people who have dealt w/ the same paperwork and regulations I'll be dealing with.  

tia if anyone can help me!


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## Twoboysnmygirl

I really feel for you, I read your thread the other day and didn't respond, but my heart went out to your son.  It's awful and completely unacceptable to call a child stupid! And if you heard THAT, what have you NOT heard that has been said to him?!  

Well, NY is a slightly more difficult state to homeschool in, but many do it!  I live in Missouri, so I can't help you with the law, but it CAN be done and you can do it!  Testing and keeping records, etc. is a breeze once you get a good idea of what to do, I'm sure you will get a lot of help from the homeschoolers in NY. 

What I can tell you is that we've all been there in some way or another.  We've all been scared to take that plunge, to just do it!  I've met people who regretted waiting, who wished they had homeschooled sooner, but I have never met someone who regretted homeschooling once they made the choice.  READ, READ, READ, books, websites, anything you can get your hands on.   The more you know about it, the less nervous you will be!  It's not as hard as it seems from the outside and it will be a wonderful journey for you and your children.


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## Pixie Dust for Me!

Hi twoboys....I'm in MO too.  Where are you?  I'm in South St. Louis County.

Karen


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## Twoboysnmygirl

Karen, I'm out in Rolla now, but we just moved here from STL 5 years ago!  I grew up there.  Uh...I may know you, in fact! 

I lived in South County too, Lemay at one time and Oakville.  Were you ever in a homeschool group in StL?  

My name is Karen too!


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## Twoboysnmygirl

*Homeschool Days question* for anyone who might know this. 

We went to HS Days last fall with a friend and her daughter.  We got the 5 day park hopper passes (through the HS days program) and went to the parks starting the Thursday before the actual hs days, finishing up our trip to WDW with the hs days.  Following me so far?  

I'm planning a family trip for Jan. 2010 and based on previous dates, I believe they will be having a HS Days on Monday and Tuesday Jan. 11th & 12th.  We plan on getting there on the 6th or 7th and doing something similar, BUT, I don't know how long the tickets are good for.  Can they only be 5 days out from the actual homeschool days or can it be longer?  We were hoping to start going to the parks on Wed. the 6th but I'm not sure if the tickets will work that soon and not sure how it works.  Anyone who has bought tickets through the homeschool days that has any idea, let me know!  Thx!


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## Denine

Hello everyone.

We have been doing practice tests for the CAT which I ordered yesterday.  This will be DD's first standardized test, so I am glad I got the practice book.

I have the test scheduled to come so I can give it the week of April 6th.

Is there really any writing on the 1st grade test?

The practice tests don't cover science and social studies, but I believe they are covered on the actual test.


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## Praise2Him

Twoboysnmygirl said:


> BUT, I don't know how long the tickets are good for.  Can they only be 5 days out from the actual homeschool days or can it be longer?  We were hoping to start going to the parks on Wed. the 6th but I'm not sure if the tickets will work that soon and not sure how it works.  Anyone who has bought tickets through the homeschool days that has any idea, let me know!  Thx!



I think I remember someone who went last year saying that they were good for 14 days.


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## bellebud

I'm still looking for NYer's - anyone... anyone....

alright, i'm sure someone will come along at some point, but I just wanted to say how happy and excited I am dh and I decided to homeschool dd9 and ds7.  we're going to have them finish up the year at their catholic school, so ds can receive his communion (since dd did - we want them to be *even*) and this gives me time to get things in place, since this just popped up this week. 

DH was pretty happy when I told him the money we'll save being able to travel whenever we want (we love to travel), instead of only during 'high' season.  

I already feel "free" (even though we haven't started yet).  My mom is even excited since she just retired and lives a mile from us, and always says she's getting bored being retired.  she can come hang w/ us.  the kids can't wait too.  

I'm trying to read everything I can, but I still haven't found the NY convention - is there one is pretty much every state, every year?  can someone direct me?

so glad this thread is here!


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## Twoboysnmygirl

Here are some sites to get you started, some of them may even have state info for you:

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/

http://www.homeschooloasis.com/art_deschooling_tips.htm

http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp

http://www.youcanhomeschool.org/starthere/default.asp?bhcp=1

http://www.homeschool.com/


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## HA_Mom

I'm in NY and debating whether or not to homeschool next year as well.  My son will be making his first communion this year and I would like him to finish up.  My decision is not made yet though.  I had an IEP meeting today and his ADD traits are really getting in the way of his classwork.  He isn't on any medication right now.  (I need to do more research on that!) He does fine in small group resource room but not in the classroom.  I'm not sure if I can get my DH on board though.  I'll also be eagerly awaiting someone's advice on homeschooling in NY.


----------



## bellebud

Twoboysnmygirl said:


> Here are some sites to get you started, some of them may even have state info for you:



thank you so much for the sites!  





HA_Mom said:


> I'm in NY and debating whether or not to homeschool next year as well.



My ds7 can be somewhat hyper, but does well in school (grades are fine and isn't hyper in school), but when he gets home, watch out!  It's like he can't control himself at times.  I'm hoping homeschooling will help him w/ this.   Our lives are SO hectic and stressful in the mornings and after school, and while most children handle it fine (like my dd), I think the stress really gets to my ds.  He has even started making this funny motion w/ his head/neck - he says he's cracking his neck because it feels funny... my friend who is a nurse saw him doing this when we went away together for a weekend, and she thinks it might be a tick.  He's never had a tick before, but she tells me there's another boy in our neighborhood who is a super-high achiever and very pushed by his mom, and he's had many ticks over the past few years, so she's seen them a lot.  I've specifically asked ds "are you doing that on purpose?" and he says yes (like he *knows* he's doing it), but I'm concerned it's a tick.  I just don't know, but all his stress is adding up to things I don't like, and again, I'm hoping the slower pace and no stress of homeschooling allow him to relax.  

I'm also so excited about allowing my children to follow their interests and learn in their own styles.  

Last night I found a meeting w/ a local group i'll be attending in 2 weeks.  I couldn't be more excited!!!!!  I can't wait to meet other local families who homeschool - hoping the little bit of nervousness I have left about this goes away!


----------



## dvcbnd

bellebud said:


> I'm still looking for NYer's - anyone... anyone....
> 
> alright, i'm sure someone will come along at some point, but I just wanted to say how happy and excited I am dh and I decided to homeschool dd9 and ds7.  we're going to have them finish up the year at their catholic school, so ds can receive his communion (since dd did - we want them to be *even*) and this gives me time to get things in place, since this just popped up this week.
> 
> DH was pretty happy when I told him the money we'll save being able to travel whenever we want (we love to travel), instead of only during 'high' season.
> 
> I already feel "free" (even though we haven't started yet).  My mom is even excited since she just retired and lives a mile from us, and always says she's getting bored being retired.  she can come hang w/ us.  the kids can't wait too.
> 
> I'm trying to read everything I can, but I still haven't found the NY convention - is there one is pretty much every state, every year?  can someone direct me?
> 
> so glad this thread is here!



 I have some info on Catholic conferences if you're interested. I rec'd this information thru Seton's newsletter. There are two conferences located in our area, but unfortunately they are not in NY. One is taking place in Harrisburg, PA on April 18th and the other one is taking place in Berlin, NJ on April 25th. If anyone would like the contact info, just let me know. 
I haven't been to one as of yet, so I can't help with any insight as to how they are. We would like to attend one in the future.


----------



## dvcbnd

mommyof2princesses said:


> Glad you and the kdis enjoyed it!  We leave Monday to go to VA and we will be in CW tuesday and wEd, then on Thursday we will be at Jamestown and fri Yorktown.  My kids are excited to go.



Can't wait to hear all about your trip!!


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## Belle & Ariel

scrapbookingmanda said:


> Try searching "Literature Unit". These are full units with several different activities across the subjects for each book. Most should include quizzes and vocabulary etc.
> 
> This is my first post to this thread, since I recently decided I would be homeschooling my ds next year for kindergarten. I have been researching a lot and have gotten over that initial overwhelmed feeling, but I do still have a few questions. Does anyone make their own curriculum instead of purchasing one? Also, in schools that use Abeka curriculum they have two different phonics programss for Kindergarten, K and AK(advanced). Does anyone know which one of these the homeschool version is? The reg. version spends quite a while on the letter sounds, while the advanced version only reviews them and goes straight into reading within a few weeks if that helps anybody out.
> 
> Thanks, Amanda



Abeka has a 4 year old Kindergarten program and I would bet the advanced K is for kids who have done that.


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## DisneyMom5

I didn't realize there was still a homeschool chat hanging around!
We live in Michigan and homeschool our seven children (5 are currently school aged, but the other two think they are doing school also. LOL)

Always glad to meet other homeschoolers, especially WDW fanatics!


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## HA_Mom

My DS chews on things when stressed.  Drives me crazy since if he can't find anything better he'll chew at this fingernails/fingers.  I got the results back from his educational testing and he can do everything that he is supposed to be able to do at his age but only if he's not distracted by other kids in the room.  Like that's going to happen in a room full of elementary school kids!

I'm going for a meeting with his Dr. to see if any meds/therapy can help his since he isn't too keen on the idea of homeschool.  But if that doesn't work, he's coming home for next school year.


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## HA_Mom

Sorry don't know how to quote. I received by son's educational report and it seems like he can do the work if he is allowed to test/work alone. He gets distracted by the other kids. He doesn't want to homeschool right now so I am going to talk to his doctor about meds/therapy for his ADHD. 
If that doesn't work, then he and I will have no choice but to try homeschool next year. 

FYI for anyone in NY, if you want services through your district (ie OT, Speech), you have to make the request to the CSE by June 1 for the following year or they can deny you just on the fact that you asked/applied after June 1.


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## fabumouse

HA Mom - well, that's the sneaky thing about ADHD - it often comes with very bright kids who can keep up with the school work until about the third grade and who wants to wait until their child is hopelessly behind before medication and/or homseschooling?  Good luck!


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## momforchrist7778

TLHB70 said:


> I received an email message from a homeschool friend that has a homeschool relative in NH.   I thought I would share it since it could possibly have ramifications for us later.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Dear friends,
> 
> I don't normally send out a mass email, but you are homeschooling families, so I thought you would want to see this.  This excerpt was included in a recent email with a relative of mine homeschooling in NH.  They have had infringements in the past, but this is far worse.  I apologize that this didn't get sent until during the actual meeting, but will you please pray over this.  It could certainly have ramifications for us down the road.
> 
> Thanks,
> Kelly
> 
> 
> 
> Please be praying for NH homeschoolers on Wednesday the 11th.  We are facing a terrible proposed homeschooling law
> (House Ed. Comm Hearing at 1:00) which is super regulated.  Hoping to defeat it in committee before it comes up for vote
> in March.
> 
> I am working doubletime helping to organize talking points, HSLDA lawyers coming, and directing messages!  We've got NEA'ers
> proposing legislation regularly- every session- but this one is by far the worst, a doozie!
> 
> This is a spiritual battle, too. If this passes, among many other problematic points, Superintendents will be given
> the right to deny homeschooler the right to homeschool for any reason, including because they don't want to approve Christian resources.
> Honestly, it's unbelievable!  We will also have to test at school annually , provide a detailed portfolio review annually-- both at homeschooling
> parents expense ($75 + $42 per child!), and they are removing the DOE as a fall back reporting agency in case the family and Superintendent
> disagree as to what makes an "appropriate educational program".  House Bill:  HB367 and 368.
> 
> Oh Kelly-- please have everyone you know pray over this one.  Our speakers need wisdom, composure and to make articulate points.  The enemy
> needs to be bound and rendered impotent, and may the Lord be with us as we try to legally homeschool our children in freedom.  It's a battle!




I am so glad that we moved !!!! Hi everyone ....I am Sarah! I have been homschooling since Dec. 2007 after the kids had been in public school. We originally started in NH but were on our way to Texas so I just took them out of school for the move and homeschooled until we left. I love homeschooling and go on the UFT homeschool get together at Disney though I am missing it this year by 1 week! We are going September 15-29 with free dining and my DS (11) is paying for the entire trip himself!


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## MiniGirl

So, tell me.... what does a typical day in your homeschool "look" like? 

This is our first year homeschooling, and we have been enjoying ourselves and lately, we have gotten lazy. The past several weeks we haven't finished our work and have been playing catch-up. I even took one week "off" a couple of weeks ago to get caught up. My dd has been wanting to do nothing but play on the computer and watch tv. Getting her to do anything else has been a fight that, quite frankly, I haven't felt like fighting. I'm feeling a bit better now, and have told my girls that I am limiting their tv and computer time. Right now, we only homeschool our oldest. Next year we will homeschool both and I really feel the need to develop a schedule of some sort now while it is just 1 at home. I do understand that flexibility is one of the great joys and advantages to homeschooling. 

So, would you be willing to share your schedule -- especially if you have more than 1 at home?


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## HomeschoolMama

Anyone else have a perfectly capable, yet uninterested reader?  My son is 6.5 and hates "baby" stuff.  All the normal reading things I've tried aren't working- the cute laptop, the phonics sets, starfall.com, the phonics dvds... 

I don't know what to do.  I have been patient with him leading me (which is so not my nature), but I feel like he's just being lazy at this point.  
Anyone have any ideas?


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## dvcbnd

MiniGirl said:


> So, tell me.... what does a typical day in your homeschool "look" like?
> 
> This is our first year homeschooling, and we have been enjoying ourselves and lately, we have gotten lazy. The past several weeks we haven't finished our work and have been playing catch-up. I even took one week "off" a couple of weeks ago to get caught up. My dd has been wanting to do nothing but play on the computer and watch tv. Getting her to do anything else has been a fight that, quite frankly, I haven't felt like fighting. I'm feeling a bit better now, and have told my girls that I am limiting their tv and computer time. Right now, we only homeschool our oldest. Next year we will homeschool both and I really feel the need to develop a schedule of some sort now while it is just 1 at home. I do understand that flexibility is one of the great joys and advantages to homeschooling.
> 
> So, would you be willing to share your schedule -- especially if you have more than 1 at home?




I can't help in giving what our "typical" day would be like, because right now our days seem to be a bit chaotic. In fact, I found your post somewhat comforting, because we've been falling behind also. Reading your post made me feel like I'm not alone and I found it reassuring.  
I'm also trying to get the kids to catch up. Thank goodness for flexibility. We seem to be working at many different times of the day (even weekends), just to catch up.
My ds7 is being a somewhat difficult. He just wants to spend his time playing and seems to be giving me a struggle when it comes to schoolwork. My dd9 is more cooperative and does what she needs to do. 
As for me, I'm feeling a bit of the winter blues myself and seem to have less energy. Maybe, this is rubbing off on the kids.  This is our first winter homeschooling, so I'm curious as to if anyone else is going thru what we're experiencing.


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## dvcbnd

HomeschoolMama said:


> Anyone else have a perfectly capable, yet uninterested reader?  My son is 6.5 and hates "baby" stuff.  All the normal reading things I've tried aren't working- the cute laptop, the phonics sets, starfall.com, the phonics dvds...
> 
> I don't know what to do.  I have been patient with him leading me (which is so not my nature), but I feel like he's just being lazy at this point.
> Anyone have any ideas?




My son is 7 and is capable of reading, although it's not one of his favorite things to do. The books he seems to enjoy the most are The Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne. We set some time aside to read and take turns while reading each paragraph out loud. Then we talk about each chapter, so I know that he's comprehending what he read. This seems to be working for us so far.


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## wvdislover

MiniGirl said:


> So, tell me.... what does a typical day in your homeschool "look" like?
> 
> This is our first year homeschooling, and we have been enjoying ourselves and lately, we have gotten lazy. The past several weeks we haven't finished our work and have been playing catch-up. I even took one week "off" a couple of weeks ago to get caught up. My dd has been wanting to do nothing but play on the computer and watch tv. Getting her to do anything else has been a fight that, quite frankly, I haven't felt like fighting. I'm feeling a bit better now, and have told my girls that I am limiting their tv and computer time. Right now, we only homeschool our oldest. Next year we will homeschool both and I really feel the need to develop a schedule of some sort now while it is just 1 at home. I do understand that flexibility is one of the great joys and advantages to homeschooling.
> 
> So, would you be willing to share your schedule -- especially if you have more than 1 at home?



I, too, am having the same problems with my DD11 (it seems to get worse every day  ) She got up around 9 this morning and took over an hour to do her math lesson, and then fell asleep again after doing some punctuation work.  Now, if I told her she could just watch tv and play computer all day, she'd wake up in a heartbeat, probably   I don't really have a schedule for her, which probably doesn't help, so I'm planning on instituting more of a schedule for next year.  We spent the first half of the year doing a unit study that didn't work well for us, so now we're just trying to do some work in different subjects each day.  I try to do math first thing every day (her least favorite subject), then I have different workbooks I've picked up for history, science, and language arts.  Sometimes, we'll watch something "educational" on tv (right now, we're watching the "Colonial House" miniseries PBS did a few years ago, since we're studying Colonial Times in history...she stayed awake for all of that, since it was "so interesting").  If only she could learn everything she needs to learn by watching movies on tv!  Life would be much simpler!


----------



## Denine

MiniGirl said:


> So, tell me.... what does a typical day in your homeschool "look" like?
> 
> This is our first year homeschooling, and we have been enjoying ourselves and lately, we have gotten lazy. The past several weeks we haven't finished our work and have been playing catch-up. I even took one week "off" a couple of weeks ago to get caught up. My dd has been wanting to do nothing but play on the computer and watch tv. Getting her to do anything else has been a fight that, quite frankly, I haven't felt like fighting. I'm feeling a bit better now, and have told my girls that I am limiting their tv and computer time. Right now, we only homeschool our oldest. Next year we will homeschool both and I really feel the need to develop a schedule of some sort now while it is just 1 at home. I do understand that flexibility is one of the great joys and advantages to homeschooling.
> 
> So, would you be willing to share your schedule -- especially if you have more than 1 at home?



I only have the 1 DD who is 6 and in 1st grade.

We start at 9:30 in the morning.  Math is always first.  DD has already finished 1st grade math and is now doing 2nd grade math.  I use a boxed curriculum (calvert) so everything is pretty much laid out for us.  We finish around 12:30 to 1:30 PM.  We have school 4 days a week usually.  This week it is 5 since I am not working on Friday.


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## Twoboysnmygirl

We're very laid back and it goes in cycles for us.  Sometimes during the year we are doing more hands-on stuff, going to parks, exploring our world, reading more than anything else, and sometimes we slack and are busy doing other things.  We also have periods where we "buckle down" and catch up, and do lots.  It's a pretty natural flow for us, but doesn't look much like school in the way most people see it.  We get what we need covered though and I feel my kids have a pretty good grasp on their academics with lots of fun and natural learning too.  

Wasn't THAT a mouthful!


----------



## avic77

MiniGirl said:


> So, tell me.... what does a typical day in your homeschool "look" like?
> 
> This is our first year homeschooling, and we have been enjoying ourselves and lately, we have gotten lazy. The past several weeks we haven't finished our work and have been playing catch-up. I even took one week "off" a couple of weeks ago to get caught up. My dd has been wanting to do nothing but play on the computer and watch tv. Getting her to do anything else has been a fight that, quite frankly, I haven't felt like fighting. I'm feeling a bit better now, and have told my girls that I am limiting their tv and computer time. Right now, we only homeschool our oldest. Next year we will homeschool both and I really feel the need to develop a schedule of some sort now while it is just 1 at home. I do understand that flexibility is one of the great joys and advantages to homeschooling.
> 
> So, would you be willing to share your schedule -- especially if you have more than 1 at home?



I have 3 at home this year. Our schedual is pretty steady as I live by a list. 
We get up at 8am (the little ones are usually already awake and have gotten something to eat and are watching TV they still wake up around 6:30 or 7am) the kids get breakfast while I get DH up and off to work ( iron his clothes make his lunch and so forth) He leaves around 845am. I eat breakfast while the kids get the table cleaned off and their school books out. DD14 writes the Bibles lesson title on the dry earse board. While DS6 and DD9 copy the Bible story title on their paper DD 14 starts her school work. DS7 is slow about writing and DD9 usually gets started with Math while waiting on him. Once he gets it copied DD14 teaches a bible lesson and asks the younger 2 questions about the lesson. DD9 then writes a brief summery of the lesson and DS6 draws a picture about the story.
After that is done the little ones do Math then Spelling, DD14 does her subjects in what ever order she sees fit to do them in. After spelling or around 10am they get a 15 minute break for snack and a drink. After break we do English, Reading, Science (Tues and Thurs) or History (on M,W,F). We are almost always done by noon with the main subjects. The kids are then allowed to play educational computer games read or watch educational TV programs (Discovery Channel) or do chores until 3 when the PS bus comes through and they are allowed to go outside to play with their cousins from next door. We have dinner at 5:30 and kids go to bed at 8pm dd14 goes to bed at 9.
That is basically our day. 
The second tuesday of every month we have Science lab. The second friday we have club days, and the fourth tuesday we have park days. We usually have 2 other fieldtrips a month and a couple days for running around.


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## Mommy2three

I am wanting to teach my daughter about the changes her body will make while getting older, she is 9 years old, but I know several kids who are 10 and have already gotten their menstrual cycle.  So my question is does anyone know any good books or sites to use to teach her about the changes she will be going through?


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## MiniGirl

Thanks everybody. It is so nice to know that we aren't the only ones going through this. I've never had to limit tv and the computer before. My girls just haven't been the type to spend too much time in front of them -- except during the summer when it really is too hot to do much else, so this is new. I'm sure we'll manage. I am also limiting my own computer time. Ack!!! We have enjoyed schooling. My oldest and I are very laid back and just like to do whatever whenever, and as long as it all got done, I didn't worry. My youngest though likes having a schedule, so I'm going to try to work something out. It will also benefit us, too. Thanks again.



Mommy2three said:


> I am wanting to teach my daughter about the changes her body will make while getting older, she is 9 years old, but I know several kids who are 10 and have already gotten their menstrual cycle.  So my question is does anyone know any good books or sites to use to teach her about the changes she will be going through?



We are using "The Care and Keeping of You." It is an American Girl book, and it written in easy to understand language. My dd is 9, but has already started to develop. She and several of her friends now wear deoderant, and bras (or camis) on a daily basis and have been for a year or so.


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## graygables

MiniGirl said:


> We are using "The Care and Keeping of You." It is an American Girl book, and it written in easy to understand language. My dd is 9, but has already started to develop. She and several of her friends now wear deoderant, and bras (or camis) on a daily basis and have been for a year or so.



LOVE this book, used it with all 4 girls from 23 to 10.  Their copies are all dog-eared and very well-read.  It opened up a huge line of communication.

As far as what days look like...yipes.  Since I've been working at WDW, my days have been crazy!  My girls do math every day and do some kind of unschooling activity, usually researching some interest on the internet that we discuss over dinner or whatnot.  On my days off, we've been working on lapbooks of animal classification and Australia.  I think I'm going to sign them up with Time 4 Learning this week, however, b/c they've been slacking off a little too much and when that happens, the bad-ittude crops up and makes Mom unhappy.


----------



## wvdislover

I, too, love this book.  It made it really easy to explain things to my DD11, who I was sure would just freak out over what was to come  Fortunately, the book explained things in a factual, but girl-friendly manner that made it easy to understand.  We read the book together, and discussed any questions she had.  She reads it often, so I know she'll be as prepared as she can when the "time" comes.


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## DawnM

How many computers do you have?

We have one desktop and one laptop, but DH uses the desktop for work if he works from home.

Dh is adament about not getting one of those inexpensive ones, but I am saying that is all the kids need to do their work and play games on it.

Anyway, thought I would ask you guys.

Dawn


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## dvcbnd

We also have 2 (one desktop and one laptop). For us though, my dh uses the laptop for work and the kids and I share the desktop. This seems to work for us.


----------



## Denine

We have 2 computers.  I have the laptop in the school room and there is the desktop in the office.  DH has a laptop he uses for work, but it belongs to work.


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## MiniGirl

DawnM said:


> How many computers do you have?
> 
> We have one desktop and one laptop, but DH uses the desktop for work if he works from home.
> 
> Dh is adament about not getting one of those inexpensive ones, but I am saying that is all the kids need to do their work and play games on it.
> 
> Anyway, thought I would ask you guys.
> 
> Dawn



Our family of 4 has 5 computers. Dh and I each have a lap top. We have a computer in the "office" that dh and I mostly use, and we have one in the family room for the girls. We also have one that we use strickly for our business. We do use all of them almost every day though.


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## anabelle

DawnM said:


> How many computers do you have?
> 
> We have one desktop and one laptop, but DH uses the desktop for work if he works from home.
> 
> Dh is adament about not getting one of those inexpensive ones, but I am saying that is all the kids need to do their work and play games on it.
> 
> Anyway, thought I would ask you guys.
> 
> Dawn



We have a laptop for each child and my husband.   I get the desktop unit.   My hubby got great deals on Ebay for the kids' laptops.


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## fabumouse

I think an inexpensive laptop with internet access is a great way to go for homeschooling.  We have that one in the kitchen and it is almost solely used for that (plus a little webkinz here and there).  As long as it's a reasonable speed, for playing math or reading games, really, what more do they need?


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## NHWX

Umm... we're really bad. I have two teenagers so getting them up and moving in the morning is a good goal.  

Pretty much, our schedule is get enough work done during the week so you can have fun during the weekend. It can be hard to block out a schedule for my older child because some of his work takes a variable amount of time. He has a German tutor who sends him translations once a week. That can take between one hour and three hours to do. Then he meets with the tutor and a study group and that is a variable amount of time. Sometimes his political science work takes four hours in a week, sometimes considerably more. 

Our younger son is using a mix of K12, a math book from The Art of Problem Solving and a hands-on-science botany project from topscience.org. His work is much more easily broken down into daily chunks. For him, I try to make sure each day's work is done by supper time. Sometimes he'll trade grammar assignments in place of history, for example, but overall it needs to all get done by the end of the week.

NHWX


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## NHWX

We have too many computers. We bought the boys each a laptop when we started homeschooling a couple years ago and then replaced them this summer. The old ones still exist as old program storage, more than anything else. I have a laptop and a large Mac, but that was bought for business purposes. DH works out of the home so he has his work laptop and his personal laptop.

Because our sons are teenagers and do a lot of work online, we pretty much couldn't share.

NHWX


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## NHWX

http://www.topscience.org/

Pretty darn accessible science! We're using the radishes one now and will move onto corn and beans in a month. I wasn't sure if we could get anything to grow in New Hampshire's dim March sunlight so I figured I'd start with the smaller and quicker growing plant. 

I'm really enjoying it, both from the subject perspective and the ease of implementation.

NHWX


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## NHWX

Last year, ds13 did Algebra 1 at the local middle school. I didn't want to put in the high school this year for Algebra 2 and Geometry. So we started with a introductory look at both of them and realized by December that it just wasn't meant to be for this year. He needs a year to grow. 

Instead, we're working with this book for the spring: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Books/AoPS_B_Item.php?item_id=202

It has all those types of problems that befuddle me and are always left to the end of the book: permutations, combinatorics, restricted counting, etc. You know the ones that go like this: How many sets of three numbers between 0 and 500 can you pick if one number is the average of the other two? For example 2 is the average of 1 and 3, so one set is 1, 2, and 3. But they actually teach you how to figure these things out.

If nothing else, go to the artofproblemsolving.com and watch the little applets on the left hand side. They're pretty entertaining!

NHWX


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## Denine

Yeah, we finished school for the week!


----------



## momz

I'm a lurker on this thread.  I've been looking for alternatives to public school and I'm not sure if Homeschooling is for us.  However, I'm also not sure if private school is either.  My daughter is currently a 2nd grader in our local public elementary.  And my son will start kindergarten in August.  I feel that we are ok...for now.  But middle school isn't that far away.  I'm told that the drug culture is rampant in the middle and high schools where we are.  (incidentally this seems to occur regardless of public/private).  I'm also told that the "attitudes" of the students are very negative in that they really don't care about anything.  That there is a general disrespect for authority.  I recently talked to an 8th grade student who switched to a local charter school.  She told me that while at the middle school, she was scared everyday that she would "get beat up".  And this is coming from a kid who doesn't go around looking for trouble.  In light of this, it would seem that the solution is pretty simple...homeschool.  Well, there's more to it.  I am employed part-time (twice weekly 12 hour shifts) and my husband is full time.  We are dependant upon both of our incomes.  So, technically I would have the time to homeschool.  But the problem comes with childcare on the days I'm working.  We currently use a local daycare for before and after care while I am working.  Unfortunately, they do not provide care school agers during school hours.  Any thoughts on this situation?  Are there other mothers that homeschool and also work part-time?  How do you arrange for care of your children while you are working?

Sorry to be so long-winded.  There are many factors I am considering, but the bottom line is that I want to do what is right for my kids.


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## graygables

Momz,
You are facing a challenging situation, but not one that is insurmountable!  I've known single moms who homeschool while working full-time, so if there's a will, there's a way, it seems.

Right now, I'm living with my 2 adult DDs and we're homeschooling my 2 school-aged DDs.  We all work pretty much full-time (we're all WDW Cast Members at the moment), so balancing the schedule has been a bit tricky.  I'm also fortunate that my younger 2 are almost 13 and 10.5, so leaving them at home alone for short periods of time isn't difficult.  The hardest thing has been getting the work done with crazy schedules. 

Since your DD has already seen "school", she may be very indoctrinated into what "school" should look like, but if you are having to do it differently, that may be difficult for her.  I had this problem with my oldest 2 when I brought them home.  My younger 2 have never seen "school", except on TV, which they already know is make-believe (anyone who has been in a public school lately can tell you that TV is total fantasy when it comes to that!).  As such, they've never had a problem with school on Saturdays or at 8 o'clock at night, if need be.  Learning happens wherever and whenever we happen to be.  Every once in awhile, now that they are entering those "tween" years, I get the "why do we have to do math on Saturday?" and I just remind them that it's so we can go to the Magic Kingdom on Thursday, thankyouverymuch.  

You might want to see if you can network with other homeschooling families.  Sometimes families with older kids are happy to let them come babysit in your home, I've known a few that even tutor the younger kids.  Sometimes families will take your kids into their home and include them in their school activities.


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

Hi there,

I'm a working mom -- work full time (!) and DH also works full-time...but we home school!  How do we do this...well, I'm blessed, my parents live about 10 minutes from me and they watch my DS during the day while I work.  We do "school" at night and on weekends and have homework time and project time during the day.  All in all, we get in about 30 to 40 hours per week of school in (not counting PE, music lessons and such) and our DS is doing fine.  If I didn't have my parents though, it would be impossible!  

Now some may ask, why do I home school and work...well, I work at a private university (with somewhat flexible hours) and the benefits are amazing!  In fact, when my DS is ready for college, he gets free tuition to the school where I work or 1/2 of the school's tuition to use at any other accredited institution in the world!  Since tuition is more than $30,000 per year, it's a great deal that I'm not giving up.

Also, when DS is doing project work (for example, right now he is doing a research paper about President Truman) he has the University's library as a resource and is able to go there and write (or stay in my office).

Not everyone has a job like mine, but so far (since we've only been doing this since January) I've been amazed how we make it work.

Good luck and I know how hard it is to figure out what to do when it comes to our kids.  We just want the best for them and it's hard to figure out what that is.

K


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## wondermomamy

I'm also a lurker on this thread, but I'm a homeschooler and I work part-time. I work with college students, so my hours change with each semester. When DH and I have to work the same hours, I either have my older kids watch my littles for a few hours or have my mom come over (yay, mom!). 

I second the suggestion to network with local homeschoolers, especially if you don't have family who can help out. You may get to know families who could offer childcare or who may at least know of other local options. 

Good luck to you with whatever you decide!

Amy


----------



## wvdislover

momz said:


> I'm a lurker on this thread.  I've been looking for alternatives to public school and I'm not sure if Homeschooling is for us.  However, I'm also not sure if private school is either.  My daughter is currently a 2nd grader in our local public elementary.  And my son will start kindergarten in August.  I feel that we are ok...for now.  But middle school isn't that far away.  I'm told that the drug culture is rampant in the middle and high schools where we are.  (incidentally this seems to occur regardless of public/private).  I'm also told that the "attitudes" of the students are very negative in that they really don't care about anything.  That there is a general disrespect for authority.  I recently talked to an 8th grade student who switched to a local charter school.  She told me that while at the middle school, she was scared everyday that she would "get beat up".  And this is coming from a kid who doesn't go around looking for trouble.  In light of this, it would seem that the solution is pretty simple...homeschool.  Well, there's more to it.  I am employed part-time (twice weekly 12 hour shifts) and my husband is full time.  We are dependant upon both of our incomes.  So, technically I would have the time to homeschool.  But the problem comes with childcare on the days I'm working.  We currently use a local daycare for before and after care while I am working.  Unfortunately, they do not provide care school agers during school hours.  Any thoughts on this situation?  Are there other mothers that homeschool and also work part-time?  How do you arrange for care of your children while you are working?
> 
> Sorry to be so long-winded.  There are many factors I am considering, but the bottom line is that I want to do what is right for my kids.



These are EXACTLY the reasons we are homeschooling our DD11, and will also be hs our DD7, when she gets to middle school, if not before (DD11 has some health issues, which may make it difficult to hs both at the same time right now, and DD7 LOVES school and is thriving right now).  I also work part-time (though not in 12 hour shifts), and am able to take my DD with me to work, since we own the business, fortunately.  However, there are times when I have asked friends to watch her for me for a while during the day, when I've had activities going on when I am unable to have her accompany me.  You CAN make it work, especially if you think it's important for your kids well-being!  Check around and see if there is a local homeschool group in your area, and if so, ask for their help/advice!  Lots of luck!


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## bellebud

I just had to share this... (first, reintro - we'll be starting homeschooling in sept for dd9 and ds7)... so we've been talking about it a lot - what we'll be doing, schedules, playtime, fieldtrips... the kids have tons of ideas of course.so today, saturday, dd9 wakes up and wants to have a 'practice run' of homeschooling for the day.  She made up a school book (a big notebook), named our school, drew a picture, made up a lunch menu, daily schedules for each subject and day of the week, attendance page, jobs page, etc.  Then ds7 wakes up, cranky as usual, and doesn't even want to talk about school, it's saturday for goodness sakes (typical boy!)  I tell dd to give him some time to wake up, so dd and I do some activities (a science experiment w/ water and oil and temperature, print out calendars, etc).  DS still doesn't want to participate, so I explain to dd to just leave him alone, don't force school on him on a saturday (she had also made up a few worksheets for ds to do lessons, and she wanted him to do them).  So I go up to shower, and ds comes up while I'm in there and says "MOM!  she won't stop talking about school to me!"  So I have to explain to dd, he's not attending school today.  DD can't believe brother doesn't want to do schoolwork, and ds can't believe sister thinks schoolwork is fun.  

I really can't wait to begin!  DH and I have decided that I'll school them Tuesday thru Saturday, since that's when dh works.  Then sunday and monday will be the weekend for all of us.  I have my first get together this coming wednesday w/ the local homeschooling group - I'm so excited and nervous!  My mom is really excited, since she lives close and just retired and is getting bored.  My mil is also onboard - I really thought she wouldn't be, but she seems like she thinks it's a good idea. 

And since we've decided this is for sure, I feel such freedom already!  Even on our school days when I'm dropping them off, I keep thinking "only a few more months", and I'm just so happy!


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## Mommy2three

BelleBud- I, too, love the freedom of homeschooling.  If you are sick, you can just take that day off and then use one of your weekend days to make up the time, or sit and watch some educational stuff on the TV.  I homeschool my two oldest DD 9 and DS 7, both who have some psychological challenges, ADHD, bipolar, schizophrenia, DID, ODD, OCD along with some behavior problems too, especially in the public school setting.  My son would sit and hide under the table at school and cry all day long, my daughter would sit and cry all day long because she didnt want to do the work and the teacher didn't want to listen to it so would tell her that she didnt have to do the work, she just sit around the classroom all day, but then she would bring the homework home she would sit and get it all done in just a few minutes.  So I decided I would pull her out in December during Xmas break, and have kept her home since.  My son was only in first grade for about the first 2 months of school then I pulled him out.  I am a stay at home mom, and my DH is the worker in the family.  I don't have really much choice but to stay at home right now as my two oldest have so many appointments. We have counselors that come into our home for 4 hours on monday, tue, and wednesday, and then they have their medication appointments, on top of having school time, and my son also has OT an hour away once a week.  So for my family homeschooling is the best thing since they would be missing so much time in the public school, and they can't handle being in a public school setting. 

The curriculum thing was a bit tough for me to pick, but Ive got that down pat now.  Now next school year I am getting them into one of the virtual charter schools in Wisconsin.  They provide EACH child with their own laptop, and provide all the curriculum and everything, but still has the freedom of homeschooling as there is no set time during the day they have to do their work.   OH and we can take the 9 days off to go to disney world in september!


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## TLHB70

I have not been on this thread in a few weeks.
This may have been posted already.  However, I just found out about it, and I am AMAZED that the courts can do this!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is so scary what is allowed!!!!!!!!   
This is my home state, also!  

http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=91397


ETA:  I had to correct my spelling of the word _*scary*_.  I made a typo and spelled it incorrectly the first time.  It has been driving me nuts because I see it quoted with the incorrect spelling.   Sorry.


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## DisneyMom5

TLHB70 said:


> I have not been on this thread in a few weeks.
> This may have been posted already.  However, I just found out about it, and I am AMAZED that the courts can do this!!!!!!!!!!!!
> It is so scarey what is allowed!!!!!!!!
> This is my home state, also!
> 
> http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=91397



Yikes, yet not totally surprising.  Divorce definately complicates matters.
But to go so far as to order a mental evaluation of the mother and not the father???   

I'm sure HSLDA will be all over this (I hope she was a member!)


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## KibbyCat

TLHB70 said:


> I have not been on this thread in a few weeks.
> This may have been posted already.  However, I just found out about it, and I am AMAZED that the courts can do this!!!!!!!!!!!!
> It is so scarey what is allowed!!!!!!!!
> This is my home state, also!
> 
> http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=91397



Whew...I'm so glad I have my education degree.


----------



## TLHB70

KibbyCat said:


> Whew...I'm so glad I have my education degree.



  I also have an education degree.  I, too, am so thankful for that! 
However, I can't help but think about my two daughters.  One DD wants to go into writing/journalism.  My other DD wants to go to culinary school and become a chef.  They both have expressed a desire to homeschool once they have children.  Until the time they have children, though, these are the careers that they would like to pursue.  What about them?  What about the moms on this thread that do not have an education degree?  I just cannot believe that the courts have the right to do this!  I could understand if the children were suffering in their learning......if they were being isolated.  However, the article states that they were ahead of their grade levels in standardized testing.  They were involved in swim teams and other sports.  They were not isolated.  Apparently they were learning.  As a matter of fact, the article even states that the dad admitted that the mom/wife had done a good job teaching them!
I am still shocked!


----------



## desparatelydisney

TLHB70 said:


> I have not been on this thread in a few weeks.
> This may have been posted already.  However, I just found out about it, and I am AMAZED that the courts can do this!!!!!!!!!!!!
> It is so scarey what is allowed!!!!!!!!
> This is my home state, also!
> 
> http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=91397



Having read the blog, I have to believe that this has a lot more to do with the divorce than anything else.  It's obviously an ugly divorce with a lot of hurt to spread around.  The father probably sees it as one more way to disrupt the life of the mother and, whether he truly feels the way he says or not, if one parent wants the children in school, the courts probably have a hard time denying that.

This isn't a case of outside intervention into a homeschooling family.  It is a case of one parent asking the court to remove their children from homeschooling.  Tragic as it may be, it may set a bad precedent if not overturned on appeal but it isn't a case of the state going after homeschoolers, especially as NC is a very "homeschool friendly" state.


----------



## DisneyMom5

KibbyCat said:


> Whew...I'm so glad I have my education degree.



Honestly, I don't believe that it would have helped in this case.  The Judge was not concerned about her credentials, just that the kids have a DIFFERENT educational experience from this point out.

Even though it was a nasty divorce, my concern is that a Judge can force you to send your kids to a different school, even when they are succeeding where they are at.  They could have been in private school or public school, and the Judge could have sent them to a different school.

There were NO grounds to remove them from homeschooling, with the exception of an adulterous father's complaint that he doesn't like homeschooling.  Since Mom's the one who would be doing it anyway, and the children are THRIVING (which should be the deciding factor), how does the Judge have the right to decide that???

Okay, I'm off my soapbox now.  LOL

Got to go actually SCHOOL my children!  
[Sooo thankful my dh is on board with homeschooling!  Whew.]


----------



## TLHB70

desparatelydisney said:


> Having read the blog, I have to believe that this has a lot more to do with the divorce than anything else.  It's obviously an ugly divorce with a lot of hurt to spread around.  The father probably sees it as one more way to disrupt the life of the mother and, whether he truly feels the way he says or not, if one parent wants the children in school, the courts probably have a hard time denying that.
> 
> This isn't a case of outside intervention into a homeschooling family.  It is a case of one parent asking the court to remove their children from homeschooling.  Tragic as it may be, it may set a bad precedent if not overturned on appeal but it isn't a case of the state going after homeschoolers, especially as NC is a very "homeschool friendly" state.



Yes, I agree with this.  I know that NC has seemed to be a homeschool friendly state.  That is why this has shocked me so much.  I do believe that it is not so much against the homeschool as it is one parent wanting to cause change.    It is so sad for these children!   


DisneyMom5 said:


> Honestly, I don't believe that it would have helped in this case.  The Judge was not concerned about her credentials, just that the kids have a DIFFERENT educational experience from this point out.
> 
> Even though it was a nasty divorce, my concern is that a Judge can force you to send your kids to a different school, even when they are succeeding where they are at.  They could have been in private school or public school, and the Judge could have sent them to a different school.
> 
> There were NO grounds to remove them from homeschooling, with the exception of an adulterous father's complaint that he doesn't like homeschooling.  Since Mom's the one who would be doing it anyway, and the children are THRIVING (which should be the deciding factor), how does the Judge have the right to decide that???
> 
> Okay, I'm off my soapbox now.  LOL
> 
> Got to go actually SCHOOL my children!
> [Sooo thankful my dh is on board with homeschooling!  Whew.]



 I agree with this.  Again, I agree that I don't think it is necessarily targeting homeschool.  I think the judge would have made them change if they were in private school.  I am just so upset that a court can do this!


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## KibbyCat

Just another sad example of someone who just doesn't "get" homeschooling, and using it as the target.


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## Denine

How scary.  My eyes bugged out when the judge wanted a different experience for the children.  I hope they don't get away with this.


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## TLHB70

Yes, it is so scary!!!!!


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## bellebud

I feel so badly for that mom and her kids.  I hope her kids do well w/ the transition if they're forced to attend the public school.  

On another note - I need a little hand holding right now - I picked dd9 up from school today, and she cried on the way home about typical kid stuff - a couple of kids in class today 'making fun' of her (actually making fun of her lunch).  As silly as the whole thing is, she was crying - feeling made fun of, having no idea why, etc.  This happens at least once a week this year and last year.  I'm tired of it, and I got so mad on the way home, I told her she's done w/ going to school and we're going to start homeschooling tomorrow (we were going to start in september).  

I got home, called the public school (my kids are in a catholic school) and talked to them about it.  I'm sending my letter of intent tomorrow.  We're done!  (well, actually, I have to ask ds7 what he wants to do - he's at a friends house right now.  he can stay the rest of the year if he wants to make his communion, or he can stay home now w/ sister).  The woman from the superintendent's office was SOOOO NICE!  She said she knows my sil and is a customer in my and dh's store - so she sort of knows me.  She told me her kids are in their 20's, and if she could do it again, she would have homeschooled them.  She was recommending a few different curriculums, told me most of her friends at her Christian group homeschool, and she knows lots of homeschooling families in our district.  She actually just finished up the homeschoolers list for the district, and she'll add me right at the bottom.  I was so happy to hear all this from an employee of the school district.  I was so afraid they were going to give me a hard time.  

I'm nervous, but thrilled!!!  

DD wants to officially *start* tomorrow.  I thought I'd give them 1 day off, but she'll have none of it!     Too cute!  I'm sure ds7 will want the day off!     We're going to meet my sil and toddler nephews at the park tomorrow for a little while too - recess time maybe?  DD will want to add it to her schedule she made up.  

So I guess I really need to decide on a cirriculum now and order it???  I'm not prepared for this!  Any advice??


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## NHWX

You could start with edhelper.com for language arts and math. Tops Science (www.topscience.org) has great science units done with commonly available items. For art and music, I'd look into community offerings - music in the park, children's art classes at the art museum, etc. Or just buy some cool supplies and listen to different types of music while you do art. I'm not sure about history...

NHWX


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## wvdislover

bellebud, I'm so sorry to hear this...I know how hard it is to have your child made fun of on a regular basis (this is part of why we homeschool, too).  Kids, especially girls, can be SO cruel!  I'm glad you made the decision to let her go ahead and start homeschooling.  It sounds like she's really excited!  Maybe you can check with a local "parent-teacher" store and see what they have to offer, maybe some workbooks that will get you through the school year.  Would the school loan you the books she was using to finish out the school year?  If not, for history, maybe "A Child's Story of History" or "Story of the World" books (check Rainbow Resource).  Of course, you could always just go to your local library and check out some books about history, either nonfiction or historical fiction, which can be a more fun and interesting way to learn about history.  Lots of luck!  Think of this as a "practice run" for next year   Have fun!


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## fabumouse

Bellebud - actually, no, it doesn't sound silly to me about the lunch.  While it was not a major source of teasing for my daughter who was in First Grade, the fact that she ate sandwiches with whole grains, cheese and vegetables, was enough to get her targeted by the Crustables and chocolate bar crowd.  It was ludicrous.

She now gets to enjoy her V-8 in peace.   

It's daunting, but in the end so much stress re the public schools (nasty teachers, late school buses, tardy slips) goes away in a big sigh of relief.


----------



## MiniGirl

bellebud said:


> DD wants to officially *start* tomorrow.  I thought I'd give them 1 day off, but she'll have none of it!     Too cute!  I'm sure ds7 will want the day off!     We're going to meet my sil and toddler nephews at the park tomorrow for a little while too - recess time maybe?  DD will want to add it to her schedule she made up.
> 
> So I guess I really need to decide on a cirriculum now and order it???  I'm not prepared for this!  Any advice??



I'm sorry your dd is being teased -- esp to the point of tears. Personally, I think some time off is a good idea. Many people will tell you children that have been going to school need time to "de-school." I also wouldn't go out and order a full curriculum. I would do like others have mentioned and just use work books or some unit studies on things that interest her until the school year is over, and then start fresh in the fall (or whenever you plan to start). For example, is she into American Girl? There are a couple of American Girl unit studies out there she could use. Stuff like that.

So, what about your son? Will he finish out the year or is he coming home, too?

Have a great time. I know I have learned quite a bit right along with my dd. It's funny though. I tell people that I don't feel like I'm "teaching." We just read things and talk about them. I know she is retaining it though because months later she'll mention something from some of the books we read. Our read-alouds have become a favorite for us. Either she'll read to me while I fold clothes or I'll read as she folds. It has really been a lot of fun.

What state are you in, btw? We're in Florida. Next year I will have both dds home, and we plan to start soon after the July 4th holiday and then hopefully move into a year round school schedule with lots of breaks for play and travel.


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## Twoboysnmygirl

I agree, the transition can be a little harder than it seems.  She may be excited, but if you go too fast or try to sit down and "do school" all day long, she will grow tired of it quickly and things may go downhill from there.  Try to take it easy, do some work, take a walk, PLAY together, enjoy! 

I was teased as a child and remember coming home crying.  It SHAPED WHO I AM and has taken years to overcome. I have though and maybe I'm better for it, but would never want my children to experience that.   My mother once told me that she didn't know about homeschooling or if it was even legal or she probably would have homeschooled me.  It's not the main reason I homeschool, I do it b/c I don't care for the schools where I live and I LOVE being with my  children!  

Good luck to you, and remember to have FUN!!


----------



## graygables

bellebud said:


> DD wants to officially *start* tomorrow.  I thought I'd give them 1 day off, but she'll have none of it!     Too cute!  I'm sure ds7 will want the day off!     We're going to meet my sil and toddler nephews at the park tomorrow for a little while too - recess time maybe?  DD will want to add it to her schedule she made up.
> 
> So I guess I really need to decide on a cirriculum now and order it???  I'm not prepared for this!  Any advice??



I'm also in the decompression camp.  While it's very sweet that she's created a schedule, that is part of the programming of the public school that needs to be undone.  I hear lots of "well, how are they ever going to hold down a job" and I remind them that a schedule is a whole different animal from time management.  Time management allows for a bit of flexibility and creativity.

As for curriculum, I highly recommend http://www.handsofachild.com/shop/.  I download them, so we can use them immediately, plus I can print off whatever we decide to use.  You can choose something that interests both kids, or each one individually and start there.  It's inexpensive, interesting,  and fun.  My DDs really enjoy lapbooking b/c we can take it with us to work on and they like showing them off to people (particularly doctors who frown on homeschooling...when 10yo showed her doc the Ancient Rome lapbook, he was VERY impressed and we spent most of the appointment talking about homeschooling in a whole different light).

I also recently signed mine up with Time 4 Learning for a trial. They are enjoying that, too, so you might look into that for the rest of the year.  It's $35/mo for the 2 kids.


----------



## bellebud

thanks so much for the replies everyone!  

DS is home too!  He's very excited!  I called the catholic school this morning and told the secretary (the principal was in a meeting).  

DD was teased about her lunch because she had a salad... my kids both have a genetic disorder - it's a form of muscular dystrophy (it's call hyperkalemic periodic paralysis).  It's a very rare disorder, but it runs in families.  My dh has it, and my kids had a 50/50 chance of inheriting it (of course they both got it).  My mil has it, as does many aunts, uncles, cousins.  It's a condition that when there's an abundance of potassium in their muscles, they get an 'attack', which can be anything from muscle weakness to full paralysis (temporary paralysis).  Different things bring on attacks - cold, sitting down too long, exercise, food w/ potassium, sleep changes, throwing up.  The weakness or paralysis can last anywhere from a few hours to a week.  My dh lasts a week, which we're finding out is pretty rare - most people's weakness only lasts hours.  I think my ds has it really bad like my dh does.  He's been paralyzed 2x's (after throwing up from the flu) where I had to carry him around the house for days.  Both kids have mild attacks all the time - after playing, early in the mornings.  This makes going to school difficult - doable, but difficult.  Sitting at a desk is very hard.  Sometimes holding a pencil can be hard.  Gym and recess can be difficult and embarassing.  My dh made it through school, but he says it was torture.  So while we started looking at homeschooling because of social issues, it really will be best for my kids because of this.  So anyway, dd's salad - it was a good lunch for her to have that day because of her condition - and a girl turned around and just said something like "what kind of dressing is that???? it looks soooooo weird!!" just in a nasty, kid sort of way.  then a boy chimes in "yeah, it's so weird looking" and they giggled together.  Nothing horrible, but dd was just like "huh???" and very hurt.  So silly!!!  But I've had enough.  

If you looked at my kids or dh, you'd never know they have a condition, so it's like a hidden disability.  they're all actually very athletic, but they have a 'glass ceiling' so to speak.  DS was asked to be on the gymnastics team at our local place once, but he had attacks after each practice session, so while they can do sports for fun and do them very well, their bodies don't have the stability to continue practices day after day.  It breaks my heart, but I try to remind myself that things could always be worse.  

Thanks for the advice to not buy a whole curriculum right now.  I'll take it slow and easy.  DD was begging for work this morning, so I made her up a math sheet.  I also just signed us up for a local homeschooling 'class' on native american/nature studies and building drawing for tuesdays.  I'm excited for us to meet other homeschoolers.  

And I know what you guys mean about the teasing not being good for kids.  I firmly believe having to deal w/ constant teasing does not build anyone up - it breaks people down and makes them think something is wrong with them.  

So glad to be a part of this thread!!


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## Denine

Bellebud: Congrats on making that final decision to bring your DD home now!  Good luck.  I don't know about bringing home a child that has been to school since DD has never been to school, but your kids may need some time to adjust.


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## desparatelydisney

Okay, I am finalizing my curriculum decisions for next year (yes, I am a planner)...

DS will be in 3rd.  He scores 99th percentile on standardized tests in math and has gotten an A+ in math each six weeks this year.  He has been using Saxon math at his school since K.  He is very good at math but thinks it is boring.  

Should I continue with Saxon, switch to Singapore, look at enrolling him in Stanford/John Hopkins gifted math program, something else?  All suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

MMM


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## 8disneyfans

To Minigirl:
We will be moving to FL in the next few months.  Can you give me any advice on homeschooling there?  How is the state with homeschooling.  Where we live now it is very pro-homeschool.

bellebud: I am glad to hear that it is working out.  As parents it is our job to protect our children and that includes from teasing.  I can't stand when people say "it builds character" no it doesn't!!! It builds hurt!  I think it was the best choice we ever made.  Good luck and the advice you have been getting is great!!! I am going to look into a few websites myself!


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## dvcbnd

bellebud: Congratulations on your decision!!


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## rjthkids

Just found this thread, I'm so glad to have a place to say "hi!" 

I'm a homeschooling mom of four, soon to be 5.  One of my absolute FAVORITE things about homeschooling is the ability to be flexible....take vacations when *we* want to, schedule breaks when *we* think they best fit *our* needs and not have to live and die by some calendar set up by a school board.

3 of our children have disabilities that would qualify them for IEPs under the public school model. Our oldest (will be 7 soon) is blind and has a significant cognitive disability (finally verbal at 5 years old, functions around 2 years of age and a little lower in functional communication). Our middle has a genetic disorder that also manifests with high functioning autism like traits and will definitely struggle with severe dyslexia given his condition. He will be 5 in April. 

One of our two three year old also has a developmental disability and we'll see where that takes us as he approaches school age. Our other three year old only has medical issues. 

So far I've only really been homeschooling the oldest, which doesn't take a ton of time because the real focus is not so much on academics (though we certainly address them) but on functional skills. She will never be able to live independently and will always require 24/7 supervision, but I'm hoping that we can get her to the point where she could be employed in a sheltered workshop environment. 

Because the new baby is being born in November, I'm going to go officially on the books with my son who will be five in April as soon as his birthday hits. That way we can school all through the summer and take our "summer break" for 6 weeks after the new baby is born. I already have him on a pretty good schedule of activities right now, it will just be a matter of adding him to my "official" roster and maintaining records for him the way I do for my oldest. 

Our state doesn't require much, but I keep records like a crazy-woman. Mainly because of my children's special needs. I do have a fairly healthy paranoia about the fact that if someone challenges my homeschooling I will need strong evidence pointing to the fact that I am diligently teaching my children. 

So, we're loving the homeschooling life! Glad to meet others who are enjoying it as well!


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## NHWX

desparatelydisney said:


> Okay, I am finalizing my curriculum decisions for next year (yes, I am a planner)...
> 
> DS will be in 3rd.  He scores 99th percentile on standardized tests in math and has gotten an A+ in math each six weeks this year.  He has been using Saxon math at his school since K.  He is very good at math but thinks it is boring.
> 
> Should I continue with Saxon, switch to Singapore, look at enrolling him in Stanford/John Hopkins gifted math program, something else?  All suggestions are greatly appreciated!!
> 
> MMM



I'm a planner too. Also a budget board person too.

And I think a lot about math.  I've never used Saxon but I've been told that it does a lot of spiraling. That might be why your ds thinks it's boring. Many times gifted kids get a concept very quickly and only need some practice to master a topic. Mind you, most people have areas where they excel and others where they need help. You might need more practice there.

So, consider teaching a concept (however), having him do 5-10 really instructive problems and if he's made gotten 80-90% correct, assume he understands. For instance, you wouldn't want someone to ask you to make a grilled cheese sandwich 30 times to make sure you knew how to do it, would you?

So... we've used the Johns Hopkins math program for pre-algebra, algebra, cryptography, and calculus. We have two boys so they've used it at different times for different classes. This year our 15 year old is doing the calculus and it's not really what I had expected based on our earlier experiences. So I don't think I can really give you a blanket recommendation especially since we didn't use it in the younger grades. We really, really enjoyed it earlier!

We used Math-U-See for one year for our younger son and liked it quite a bit but he needed remediation in one specific area. (fractions) 

I like the Art of Problem Solving folks' website. 
http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Books/AoPS_B_Rec_Homeschool.php

Is your son a year or two ahead of his peers in math? Or more like four or five? Or more? If he's four or more years ahead, now is a good time for making some preparations. Children with exceptional gifts pretty much need non-traditional schooling.

Unfortunately, I can't give you stellar recommendations for your son. You might find some of the material here interesting: http://main.edc.org/centers/center_mathematics_education_cme

Hopefully some of this helps!

NHWX


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## desparatelydisney

Thanks, NHWX.  He has been going to private school for the last 3 years; 09/10 will be our first year homeschooling.  I have not done any placement tests for him yet, so I'm not sure where he is going to fall with regard to his peers and grade level.  The problem with saying he is ahead in math would be that he hasn't covered some of those later year topics yet - for instance they have just started learning multiplication & haven't even discussed division.  I am sure he would master these skills quickly, but they have to be introduced.  That is one reason I was interested in the JH/Stanford programs, because it seemed that they will start him where he needs to be but move him through as quickly as he is ready.  From your experience (albeit in different levels) do you feel that this is how it actually works?


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## Denine

Good Thursday morning.  

We like Horizons math, it is a spiral approach though.  DD is doing 1st and 
2nd grade math in 1 school year.  She is closing in on the 1/2 way point through 2nd grade math.  We just started multiplication.

Today we are going to a homeschool program at the park to learn about rocks.  This will be our first time doing a HS program so I am excited to meet others that HS.  There are a few more programs next month.

This is the last day of school for the week.  I work tomorrow.


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## DisneyMom5

I use Singapore Math through 6B (around seventh grade) and then switch to Teaching Textbooks for Pre Algebra, etc.

Singapore is a very approachable workbook format, pages not as cluttered.  
Not too many problems per lesson.

Teaching Textbooks is a reusable textbook with a CD-Rom teacher support.
It does do a bit of a spiral approach, but not excessive.  
There is usually only 21-14 problems per lesson.

Happy to answer any questions about either.

We use Sonlight (loosely scheduled) for our History, etc.

We tend to use their science books and Apologia Elementary (just found them and love them!) and then Apologia upper levels.

Language Arts we don't use one particular curriculum, 
but have used Sonlight LA and some Winston Grammar.  
Haven't found one thing I like really well.
(I have a BA in English, but tend to be an intuitive about Grammar, 
so it's hard to teach!)

Have started just working through a College English Handbook with my dd15,
and am considering getting the CD-ROM version of Editor in Chief as back up.

Am getting certified to administer the IOWA through Bob Jones, and hope to do some testing this year.  (Not required here.)

We school year round so that we can have time off when Daddy has time off, and so we can go to WDW during free dining every other year.  
(That's not really the reason, but it's a good one, no?  LOL)
I really like the flexibility that homeschooling gives us,
and that my children are thriving.

Oh, and we have one special needs child (traumatic brain injury) and have private therapists that are able to come to our house (and we have also gone to their center a 1/2 hour away at times.)
He is thriving above what he would be at school, because we can take the time to work with him.
He is well integrated into our homeschool group, and I don't think he even realizes there is something wrong with him!  LOL

Happy to discuss any of the above with anyone!


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## TLHB70

DisneyMom5 said:


> Am getting certified to administer the IOWA through Bob Jones, and hope to do some testing this year.  (Not required here.)



I give the IOWA test each year to my DDs and go through Bob Jones.  I signed up with them to be a tester in our area.  However, they have never notified me, or had a family notify me, that they need me to test another student.  I just test my DDs each year.


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## Goofyest mom

I need some convincing that HS is a good idea. My hubby and I have been playing the thought back and forth for quite some time. With the way that education is headed right now, I think that our children would benefit better from us.
So, with that said I still think that I need a little extra push. 
Also, we dont know where, how or when to start.


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## Pixie Dust for Me!

Goofyest mom said:


> I need some convincing that HS is a good idea. My hubby and I have been playing the thought back and forth for quite some time. With the way that education is headed right now, I think that our children would benefit better from us.
> So, with that said I still think that I need a little extra push.
> Also, we dont know where, how or when to start.



I don't think any of us here can convince you it is a good idea.  Unfortunately, only you can decide that for your family.  My DS went to a private school from Pre-K through 1st semester of 5th grade.  We became increasingly frustrated with the school's curriculum starting in 4th grade and by the end of the 1st semester of 5th grade decided that enough was enough!  We had looked at our local public school for 1st grade and didn't like it so we knew that wasn't an option.  We've been doing the homeschool thing since January.  I can tell you that it is a lot of work and is very rewarding!  

What I've learned is that families choose to homeschool their children for many, many, many reasons that are unique to their family and their children.  What I've also learned is that homeschool is not necessarily outside the mainstream and that homeschool children are well adjusted and smart!

Give us an example of your questions/concerns and perhaps we can help you work through them.

Karen


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## fabumouse

I totally agree with Karen.  

Many people on this board are homeschooling b/c of religious beliefs, or how those fit in with their lifestyle, that would not be true for us.  Many have children with significant physical challenges - again, not true for us.

I homeschool because I drew the line the day I saw an ADHD kid (my daughter is ADHD) being punished for jumping around and not staying in line, by being forced to sit against a wall during an outdoor field event, moon jump day - while watching all the other kids.  And I just couldn't accept that my daughter was going to continue in a public school which clearly had no concept of what it takes to address ADHD.

But I have the time and the resources to work this homeschooling thing.  I do not have a larger community of homeschoolers, besides this board - although it seems like most here do.

I would never convince anyone to homeschool because it not only changes the way you view conventional schooling     but also rules your life.   The day we left public- 7:30am on the bus to 3:30 off - was the day I gave up the gym.  

The best parts - the days I can roll my eyes at a particular segment of math or reading or whatever and toss it over my shoulder to do something else. The days we've watched PBS series while eating popcorn on my bed, so we can use the laptop to find out exactly how *big* is Alaska??

It depends on what you're hoping for


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## wondermomamy

fabumouse said:


> I homeschool because I drew the line the day I saw an ADHD kid (my daughter is ADHD) being punished for jumping around and not staying in line, by being forced to sit against a wall during an outdoor field event, moon jump day - while watching all the other kids.  And I just couldn't accept that my daughter was going to continue in a public school which clearly had no concept of what it takes to address ADHD.



This is exactly why we homeschool. I had always liked the idea, but when my four year old was in trouble EVERY DAY for not staying in line, I decided he (and I) had had enough!



> The best parts - the days I can roll my eyes at a particular segment of math or reading or whatever and toss it over my shoulder to do something else. The days we've watched PBS series while eating popcorn on my bed, so we can use the laptop to find out exactly how *big* is Alaska??
> 
> It depends on what you're hoping for



The best part of homeschooling!

Amy


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## NHWX

desparatelydisney said:


> Thanks, NHWX.  He has been going to private school for the last 3 years; 09/10 will be our first year homeschooling.  I have not done any placement tests for him yet, so I'm not sure where he is going to fall with regard to his peers and grade level.  The problem with saying he is ahead in math would be that he hasn't covered some of those later year topics yet - for instance they have just started learning multiplication & haven't even discussed division.  I am sure he would master these skills quickly, but they have to be introduced.  That is one reason I was interested in the JH/Stanford programs, because it seemed that they will start him where he needs to be but move him through as quickly as he is ready.  From your experience (albeit in different levels) do you feel that this is how it actually works?



I'm not sure how it works in the lower grades. In the upper grades, JHU is using the Thinkwell curriculum for many classes. JHU has created their own tests though. http://cty.jhu.edu/ctyonline/math/courses/algebra1.html I looked at the grade 4 material and I can't tell how they're delivering the information. 

In general though, you pay for a specific length of time for a math course and however much math you get through during the time period is what you get. You can, of course, buy an extra month to finish up. When our younger son was in sixth grade, I think he did pre-algebra and cryptography in the same time chunk. I always suspend the course for Christmas, winter vacation, etc. so it's not a continuous use of the course time.

Our experience has been that you can proceed as fast as possible. For instance, our older son is currently doing three calculus lessons a day now. He's pretty motivated because he wants to have spring vacation as a vacation and not calculus-land.

NHWX


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## desparatelydisney

Thanks for your help NHWX.   

I spent a lot of time on the CTY webpage yesterday, and we are going to pursue that route.  I filled out the application online and now we are just waiting for his paperwork so we can schedule the SCAT.  We will see how that goes and proceed from there.  His math and verbal scores last year on the Stanford standardized test were 98.9 so hopefully he will do well on the SCAT.  
They have an advanced language arts program that I am interested in as well (he is currently 3 grade levels ahead in reading).

Anyway, thanks again for your input and cross your fingers that the SCAT goes well.

MMM


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## Denine

We HS for a variety of reasons, but I do love the flexibility.  
Each person has to come up with their own reason and I find more every day.

We are going to be doing the CAT in April.


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## bellebud

it's probably been discussed before, so sorry if repeating...

what do you guys think of the books "what your ___ grader needs to know" by E.D. Jr Hirsch?

We just started homeschooling last week and I wasn't prepared.  I am taking a little time off as everyone has suggested (which is honestly SO hard to do!)... I've printed out some worksheets for my 4th and 2nd graders and put them in folders and told them they're there if they feel like doing something (my dd9 is such a 'worksheet' kid - my ds7 is pretty much ignoring the folder).  Just what I thought would happen. 

We'll read and are meeting lots of local homeschool groups (today is our 2nd meeting, and we have more scheduled).  

Anyway, I thought these books might help me finish out the year?  I don't mind printing out worksheets and making up my own, instead of buying ciriculums for the rest of the year.  And maybe buying a workbook in Sams Club to supplement?  

any thoughts???  tia!!!  Liz


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## Twoboysnmygirl

> what do you guys think of the books "what your ___ grader needs to know" by E.D. Jr Hirsch?



I LOVE THEM!  I used these books for my boys and just wish they had 7th grade and up!  It was a great guide for me to get ideas of what they should be learning each year and they build on each other.  I used these a couple years as our only curriculum and just added complimentary worksheets.  Great resource.


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## TLHB70

I wanted to give an update on that court case here in NC that I posted about earlier.
Here is NCHE's (North Carolinians for Home Education) official statement:



> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- March 21, 2009
> 
> Recent  Divorce  Court  Ruling  Does Not  Threaten  Homeschooling  Says  NCHE
> 
> (RALEIGH) 
> Recently a Wake County divorce court judge issued a ruling which will require a mother to place her three homeschooled children into the public school system at the beginning of the next school year.  This is a civil divorce court decision that awarded joint custody of three children to parents that disagree on a number of issues concerning the rearing of their children. One of those disagreements is about how their children will be educated. The ruling does not interpret any law dealing with the well-established parental right to homeschool in North Carolina.   Furthermore, it does not decide the superiority of any one educational methodology over another.
> North Carolinians for Home Education (NCHE) is aware of divorce cases since the late 1980s where families were forced to stop homeschooling, and these rulings have had no ill effects on our homeschool statutes as a result of these decisions. Therefore, we believe this ruling represents no threat to our right to educate our children at home.
> 
> ###############
> 
> North Carolinians for Home Education was founded in 1984 to protect the right to homeschool in North Carolina, to promote homeschooling as an excellent educational alternative, and to provide support and encouragement for families interested in home education.  For twenty five years, North Carolina homeschoolers have joined member-supported NCHE for information, assistance, networking, and more.  To find out more about homeschooling in North Carolina, contact our Raleigh office at (919) 790-1100, e-mail NCHE@nche.com, or visit our website, http://nche.com


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## bebelle

I am looking for a different approach to history for next year. I am thinking about Drive Thru History w/Dave Stotts as a jumping off point for my 10th grader. DS is very bright but getting bored by "read this-answer this". Any opinions or suggestions?


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## Denine

Anyone use Bill Nye the Science Guy to supplement science for younger kids?


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## bebelle

It is too secular for us. But I have a friend who uses it and loves it.


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## desparatelydisney

Denine said:


> Anyone use Bill Nye the Science Guy to supplement science for younger kids?



DS 7 LOVES Bill Nye and knows all the old episodes by heart.  He has a new series coming out too...you should take a look at his webpage.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Hi 

     I've posted here before, I'm still in the middle of whether or not I am going to be homeschooling my dd9. She has had problems in school since day 1 of Kindergarten, but now, in 3rd grade she is even worse off. She says her stomach feels sick every morning walking into school. She has this one friend in the class that apparently rules her every move, and i'm just finding out about this now. She has severe test anxiety, and it makes her sick if she has to do something in front of the class or school.
I actually put in a request to homeschool in october, but took it back, because something felt "wrong" And now I have the teachers and pyschologists telling me if I take her out of school for anxiety, her anxiety will only get worse, and she most likely will not attend college for the fear. So, what if that is true, I don't want to doom her I am so at a loss here. I don't know what to do. 
The school psychologist called me today. I agreed to let her talk to her once, and then she'll call me and we'll decided if I want to sign a consent to let her see her regularly. I just don't know if I want to do that. When a child has a problem at school I feel like it is the school VS the parent. I feel like the school has no intent to work WITH the parent. I feel like they always want to blame children't issues on what's going on at home. So, i'm thinking maybe I should set dd9 up with a pyschologist not associated with the school.
 When this stuff comes up I know I want to homeschool her, but I don't want to do it if it's going to be sheltering her from her anxiety and making it worse as she gets older and has to go out in the world.
  What is your advice if you've taken your child out of school for anxiety or similar issues.
Any advice at all will help actually ,even if you've decided to homeschool for a different reason.
 Dh agrees with me too by the way, he is all for it to homeschool her, why do I feel like it is the wrong thing to do. Why do I care what other people are going to think(That bothers me too for some reason)
HELP


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## Twoboysnmygirl

> And now I have the teachers and pyschologists telling me if I take her out of school for anxiety, her anxiety will only get worse, and she most likely will not attend college for the fear.



That's ridiculous!  Next time they tell you that, ask them for some scientific data to back that up.  THAT, is just OPINION and coming from people who don't homeschool and don't know about homeschooling. 

First off, homeschooling has little to do with college.  MANY MANY homeschoolers go to college and do VERY well b/c they are self-motivated.  2nd off, people who say that she will get worse are assuming that the only way to deal with anxiety is to face it head on.  Not always so, at all.  If it is a person causing this problem, removing her from the situation and giving her time to grow AWAY from this person/situation would be more beneficial.  

You are going to have to listen to your GUT and your HEART on this one and stop listening to nay-sayers.  There will always be people who disagree with your choices as a parent, but in my opinion, the sign of a great parent is one that ignores all that and does what they feel in their heart is best for their child!  Good luck to you and there is TONS of support for homeschoolers out there if/when you need it!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

desparatelydisney said:


> Should I continue with Saxon, switch to Singapore, look at enrolling him in Stanford/John Hopkins gifted math program, something else?  All suggestions are greatly appreciated!!
> 
> MMM


Iam not sure if they have released it yet for 4th grade,but we use Teaching Textbooks and love it!! We have the 5th grade now, it was the lowest grade available last summer when I ordered my stuff. check on it tho'--it's awesome!!!



bellebud said:


> thanks so much for the replies everyone!
> 
> DS is home too!  He's very excited!  I called the catholic school this morning and told the sexcited for us to meet other homeschoolers.
> 
> So glad to be a part of this thread!!



Glad to have you! Great decision on your part to pull them out early! I just think right now should be your time to research curriculum choices and let them learn at a super relaxed pace. Learn to love your library! Nows a great time to just get good books and read. For workbooks, like math, local bookstores such as Barnes and Noble or Books-A-Million have great little books.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Twoboysnmygirl said:


> That's ridiculous!  Next time they tell you that, ask them for some scientific data to back that up.  THAT, is just OPINION and coming from people who don't homeschool and don't know about homeschooling.
> 
> First off, homeschooling has little to do with college.  MANY MANY homeschoolers go to college and do VERY well b/c they are self-motivated.  2nd off, people who say that she will get worse are assuming that the only way to deal with anxiety is to face it head on.  Not always so, at all.  If it is a person causing this problem, removing her from the situation and giving her time to grow AWAY from this person/situation would be more beneficial.
> 
> You are going to have to listen to your GUT and your HEART on this one and stop listening to nay-sayers.  There will always be people who disagree with your choices as a parent, but in my opinion, the sign of a great parent is one that ignores all that and does what they feel in their heart is best for their child!  Good luck to you and there is TONS of support for homeschoolers out there if/when you need it!




Thank you very much for your response. I know I would be cheating my dd if I did not do this because of what others think. I've been thinking alot about this!
And I would have support, There is a pretty large homeschool group in my area that puts on a lot of classes, like baking, and science experiments. They even have a bowling league, and plan monthly field trips. I know my dd would love that. I know she would learn very well, not being in an environment that gives her anxiety....... With all of that said, I just don't know why the decision is so hard for me.


----------



## Twoboysnmygirl

I think we've all been where you are, but I'll say it again (b/c I've said it hundreds of times over the years...) I have met plenty of parents that WISHED they had homeschooled or regretted that they hadn't done it sooner, but NEVER met anyone who regretted homeschooling once they took the leap.  

Once you actually make the choice and do it, you realize it's not as scary as it looked.  Kind of like EE! (you should have seen me fretting over that ride and when it was over I went...THATS IT???)


----------



## Temair

We are finishing up our first year of homeschooling and I have to say I'm loving it. We can study at my DD's pace and she is starting to love school again.  

The problem is I really didn't do a lot of formal science this past year.  We have planted a garden, been to museums, but nothing formal.   One of the big things holding me back from buying a set curriculum is I'd rather it be secular and almost all of them are very expensive.  I'm not against christian curriculum, I'd just rather teach both sides of creation and evolution and let her figure it out for herself.  And cost is important in that I'm on a budget.  Right now we are reading a book on different types of animals, but my DD says she would like to learn more about Astronomy.  That's fine by me and I have several books on that subject.  I'm worried that by doing different subjects each year she wont have a solid base when she goes to college. I'm just not sure if I'm doing the right thing.


----------



## DisneyMom5

3princesses+aprince said:


> Hi
> 
> I've posted here before, I'm still in the middle of whether or not I am going to be homeschooling my dd9. She has had problems in school since day 1 of Kindergarten, but now, in 3rd grade she is even worse off. She says her stomach feels sick every morning walking into school. She has this one friend in the class that apparently rules her every move, and i'm just finding out about this now. She has severe test anxiety, and it makes her sick if she has to do something in front of the class or school.
> I actually put in a request to homeschool in october, but took it back, because something felt "wrong" And now I have the teachers and pyschologists telling me if I take her out of school for anxiety, her anxiety will only get worse, and she most likely will not attend college for the fear. So, what if that is true, I don't want to doom her I am so at a loss here. I don't know what to do.
> The school psychologist called me today. I agreed to let her talk to her once, and then she'll call me and we'll decided if I want to sign a consent to let her see her regularly. I just don't know if I want to do that. When a child has a problem at school I feel like it is the school VS the parent. I feel like the school has no intent to work WITH the parent. I feel like they always want to blame children't issues on what's going on at home. So, i'm thinking maybe I should set dd9 up with a pyschologist not associated with the school.
> When this stuff comes up I know I want to homeschool her, but I don't want to do it if it's going to be sheltering her from her anxiety and making it worse as she gets older and has to go out in the world.
> What is your advice if you've taken your child out of school for anxiety or similar issues.
> Any advice at all will help actually ,even if you've decided to homeschool for a different reason.
> Dh agrees with me too by the way, he is all for it to homeschool her, why do I feel like it is the wrong thing to do. Why do I care what other people are going to think(That bothers me too for some reason)
> HELP



We have friends whose son suffers from an anxiety disorder. 
They pulled him out of school BECAUSE he had it.

The time at home allowed him to focus on academics,
AND, consequently, gave him a LOT more self confidence,
which, in turn, helped with the anxiety.

He has anxiety to the point of using medication.  
But they were able to get a better read of "normal" by homeschooling him
[i.e. they could better tell what was "extra" anxiety that needed medical attention].

We're supposed to be building them UP, not tearing them down so they'll be USED to being torn down!!!

I think that the most important person in this WHOLE situation that you have to consider is YOUR child.

If homeschooling would be better for her NOW, then homeschool her.

Do you intend to never let her out of the house?  Of course not!
So how sheltered would she actually be?
There are FORTY families in our homeschool group.  
My kids have PLENTY of exposure to the "outside world."  LOL

Not to mention, if she continues to be tortured by school, she will never WANT to go to college!  Why subject herself to more of the same!

You are absolutely right about the school (as an entity, not always individuals there) taking over as parent.
In their defense, some parents aren't as involved as you are.
No excuse, for sure!  They need to learn when to back off.

Make sure you if you withdraw her, that you have ALL your ducks in a row before you do.
Contact HSLDA NOW, so that you know what legally the school can ask of you, and what they cannot.

Maybe that will give you peace.

Having a dh that's on board is a BIG help!  

In the end, it REALLY IS your decision what schooling will be best for her, 
and you do not need their permission or advice.

Hoping you find the answer!


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

3princesses+aprince said:


> Thank you very much for your response. I know I would be cheating my dd if I did not do this because of what others think. I've been thinking alot about this!
> And I would have support, There is a pretty large homeschool group in my area that puts on a lot of classes, like baking, and science experiments. They even have a bowling league, and plan monthly field trips. I know my dd would love that. I know she would learn very well, not being in an environment that gives her anxiety....... With all of that said, I just don't know why the decision is so hard for me.



Hi there,

Why is it hard for you...because you want to do the "right" thing for your daughter.  The fact is that there are so many version of "right" and you simply have to pick what you believe, at the time, is the best "right" answer.

My DS has anxiety as well.  He sees a psychologist routinely and it is amazing to see how far he has progressed.  To be honest with you, I don't have anxiety issues and I have a really hard time understanding my son's anxiety over what I believe is "trivial stuff."  What I've learned in working with him and his psychologist is that the "trivial stuff" in my book is MAJOR to him and that's what counts!

If it were my child I would NOT have them see the psychologist at school.  Think of it this way....would you want to see your psychologist at work?  If school is a threatening environment to her, then her psychologist needs to be in a different atmosphere in order to have the maximum effect.  Interestingly enough, when my son goes to see his psychologist he plays games the entire time he is there (oh, yes, and they talk too!).  My DS doesn't feel "weird" for seeing his psychologist, he actually looks forward to going and seeing Dan and playing games!

Now, this nonsense about your daughter never going to college if you pull her from school.  I'm sorry, but that's a load of garbage! (Oh, by the way, I'm sorry, but I tend to be very blunt and direct.  I'm not trying to offend anyone and I'm sorry if this is too direct.)  I will say that if your daughter is not successful in her education she'll have a very hard time going to college...but otherwise...NO!

Finally, let me give this last piece of advice.  We removed our DS from school because 1) we weren't happy with the curriculum and his education (math was a joke and there was NO history, etc...) and 2) he had consistent run ins with a specific teacher who was verbally abusive and threatened physical harm.  My DS just couldn't take it anymore and I don't blame him one little bit.  When we went to the psychologist and said, we're thinking about this but I'm worried about the message it sends...essentially allowing him to run away from a problem, psychologist said to me 1) he's 10, why can't he run away from a problem; 2) he's directly confronted the teacher (with your support) and has told the teacher how his behavior makes DS feel and the teacher has demonstrated he is incapable of changing -- why should your DS have to live with it!  Then the psychologist told me, if you were working for an abusive boss wouldn't you change your work environment by finding a new job -- why can't your son do the same thing!

If you want to PM me I'd be happy to tell you more, but please don't believe that you are allowing your child to run away.  In all honesty, what I learned is that making them confront some things in life is just not all that healthy and if a change is warranted, then a change (whatever that may be) should happen!

Karen


----------



## wvdislover

I am SO sorry to hear about the problems your DD is having.  We, too, pulled our DD out of school, partially b/c of kids making fun of her and picking on her.  Our DD had become suicidal by 5th grade b/c of this.  If you need convincing, think of where her anxiety could take her if you leave her in this negative situation.  Think of all the positive things you could do for her at home.  I just don't think the school's idea to leave her in school to learn how to "deal" with her anxiety is a good thing to do.  Good luck!  My prayers are with you as you make what seems like a difficult decision now (later, you'll be so glad you did it!  I was shaking when I went into our school board to give them my letter of intent!  We are doing fine, now)


----------



## MiniGirl

3princesses+aprince said:


> Hi
> 
> I've posted here before, I'm still in the middle of whether or not I am going to be homeschooling my dd9. She has had problems in school since day 1 of Kindergarten, but now, in 3rd grade she is even worse off. She says her stomach feels sick every morning walking into school. She has this one friend in the class that apparently rules her every move, and i'm just finding out about this now. She has severe test anxiety, and it makes her sick if she has to do something in front of the class or school.
> I actually put in a request to homeschool in october, but took it back, because something felt "wrong" And now I have the teachers and pyschologists telling me if I take her out of school for anxiety, her anxiety will only get worse, and she most likely will not attend college for the fear. So, what if that is true, I don't want to doom her I am so at a loss here. I don't know what to do.
> The school psychologist called me today. I agreed to let her talk to her once, and then she'll call me and we'll decided if I want to sign a consent to let her see her regularly. I just don't know if I want to do that. When a child has a problem at school I feel like it is the school VS the parent. I feel like the school has no intent to work WITH the parent. I feel like they always want to blame children't issues on what's going on at home. So, i'm thinking maybe I should set dd9 up with a pyschologist not associated with the school.
> When this stuff comes up I know I want to homeschool her, but I don't want to do it if it's going to be sheltering her from her anxiety and making it worse as she gets older and has to go out in the world.
> What is your advice if you've taken your child out of school for anxiety or similar issues.
> Any advice at all will help actually ,even if you've decided to homeschool for a different reason.
> Dh agrees with me too by the way, he is all for it to homeschool her, why do I feel like it is the wrong thing to do. Why do I care what other people are going to think(That bothers me too for some reason)
> HELP



I volunteered at my dds' school a lot last year. When word got out that we were homeschooling our oldest (also 9 and in 3rd grade), I was also asked if I wanted the school psychologist to talk to her. It was said in a way that made it sound like my dd must have a problem for not wanting to go to school. KWIM? I was given the whole "you can't shelter them forever" speech, too. Thing is I know I can't shelter them forever, and I don't want to. I also don't want them to grow up too fast either though. My oldest is a good kid and very bright, but is uncomfortable in social settings. This year, however, I have really seen her improve a lot in this area. Having me with to help guide her or just give a little smile of approval when she shakes and adult's hand or looks a person in the eye to speak to them has done a world of good. In fact, a couple of weeks ago at church some one mentioned how much more confident my dd seems to be lately, so I know I'm not imagining it.

I thanked the staff person for the offer, but said we had already made up our mind. Bottom line.... I know and care about my dd so much more than anyone at that school. I know there are those that do care about the kids, but the cynic in me feels they wanted to keep her in school for the funding. Our local school's enrollment numbers have been going down, so keeping every student they can is important. Next year my youngest will be at home, too.

Anyway, now I'm rambling. Sorry. I don't think homeschooling our kids will keep them out of college. My girls will be able to go to the local community college and get used to a classroom setting before going to a big state university, and they will have the confidence to know they can succeed, too.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Thank you all for your responses, it really helps to talk about this with others that have been there already. I just read through briefly because I have to go get the kids off the bus, and then get ready for work, but I will come back and post tonight, Thank you all again for your time and advice.


----------



## rjthkids

double post, sorry


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## rjthkids

We allowed my oldest daughter to go the public school's special needs preschool program for one year and their kindergarten program for one year. My daughter was a micropreemie (born at 24 weeks) and she has significant and multiple disabilities as a result. I knew we were always planning on homeschooling but I needed some time to catch up on my own learning curve and getting the equipment she needed. I took the two years she was in school to get certified in braille and purchase things for the house that we would lose once she wasn't in school.

I got *enormous* pressure not to homeschool her. My daughter has an I.Q. of 42 and was nonverbal until she was 5 1/2 and now has the vocabulary of an average toddler, with almost no pragmatic language skills (can't have a conversation, just mindlessly repeats phrases). She is also incredibly sweet and mild mannered. You could stick my daughter in a classroom and she'd happily press her eye and twirl her hair for hours without bothering anyone. 

As nice as her school staff was, DD sacrificed her needs for the needs of the group. She did not learn as effectively or as efficiently in her classroom as she did at home, with me. And she had a ton of off days when she was school. I had the rule if she was crying on and off for an hour at school they needed to call me and I would come bring her home, because she clearly wasn't learning if she was spending the whole day crying. I routinely got called to come get her about once a week, often times more. She wasn't able to effectively learn the life skills she really needed, and no one was really bothering to teach her braille because her I.Q. score puts her in a range where reading is considered a skill "unlikely" to be mastered. 

Yet somehow they wanted me to believe that "they" the "professionals" with 8 kids just like my daughter in one room with one teacher and one paraeducator where somehow better equipped to meet my daughter's needs than I was, the mere "mother". When reality is *I* have been perfectly equipped over them: I have all the time in the world, up until this year she has been my only student (graduating to two students with my son's birthday), I know just what she needs and I can provide exactly what she needs, when she needs it, without having to wait on anyone else or anything else. We are able to focus on the skills she will need for her future. 

And the proof is in the pudding. Since we've been homeschooling DD she has made tremendous progress on her life skills, her verbal skills, and academic skills that no one thought was possible. What DD needed wasn't a ton of "professionals" she needed constant, consistent, 1:1 instruction. And she has thrived with that.

I have a secret for you---- I was a teacher in my pre-mommy days. Schools desperately want you to believe that there is some secret set of skills you NEED in order to educate a child. That is such a load of baloney. You don't need a degree or some fancy training.... the skills most needed from a teaching degree have to do with classroom management and some curriculum management things. But when you are teaching your own kids, in your own house, all you need is a desire and a willingness to ensure you know what you are trying to help you children learn and a willingness to be intentional about helping your child learn. That's it. No Ph.Ds or Master Degrees or titles or letters after your name. And because they are *your* children and you can provide 1:1 instruction, they'll do BETTER with "lil ol' Mom" than they ever would in a classroom.

That's why public schools in general get threatened by homeschooling. Because they know they can't actually compete and provide better than what a homeschooling family can. They'll never have 1:1 or 1:4 teaching ratios. They'll never be able to individualize like a homeschooler can. They'll never perfectly match needs and instruction like a homeschooling family can. Public School can never match what a homeschooling family can do. They don't have a true answer for it.


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## Twoboysnmygirl

> Schools desperately want you to believe that there is some secret set of skills you NEED in order to educate a child. That is such a load of baloney. You don't need a degree or some fancy training


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## bellebud

is there no more search tool??

I'm trying to find opinions on time4learning.  I am about to sign up for the free 14 day trial just to see if the kids respond to it.  

I'd love opinions.  tia!

Liz


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## Praise2Him

Temair said:


> We are finishing up our first year of homeschooling and I have to say I'm loving it. We can study at my DD's pace and she is starting to love school again.
> 
> The problem is I really didn't do a lot of formal science this past year.  We have planted a garden, been to museums, but nothing formal.   One of the big things holding me back from buying a set curriculum is I'd rather it be secular and almost all of them are very expensive.  I'm not against christian curriculum, I'd just rather teach both sides of creation and evolution and let her figure it out for herself.  And cost is important in that I'm on a budget.  Right now we are reading a book on different types of animals, but my DD says she would like to learn more about Astronomy.  That's fine by me and I have several books on that subject.  I'm worried that by doing different subjects each year she wont have a solid base when she goes to college. I'm just not sure if I'm doing the right thing.



We used the Reader's Digest books, "How _________ Works" and LOVED them! They are individual books on things like The Earth, Science, Nature, The Weather, The Body, etc. They are easy to read and understand and have simple experiments using things you probably already have at home. We used 2 books per year. 

Here's a link to one on Amazon. If you scroll down you can see some of the others.

http://www.amazon.com/How-works-how-universe-Works/dp/089577576X

I wouldn't worry about college at this point, just follow her lead in studying what she's interested in. You can always add other stuff later. Besides, in high school they have different subjects each year - Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, etc.


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## graygables

bellebud said:


> is there no more search tool??
> 
> I'm trying to find opinions on time4learning.  I am about to sign up for the free 14 day trial just to see if the kids respond to it.
> 
> I'd love opinions.  tia!
> 
> Liz



I asked the same question a few weeks back   I decided to go ahead and sign my girls up for it b/c I needed to do something different with my current life situation (working F/T as a WDW CM).  They are 12 & 10 and are doing just fine with it.  It's certainly no K12, but the price is right and I'm happy with it for now.  BTW, I am still using Math U See, so DDs don't do anything with the math in the program yet.


----------



## MiniGirl

graygables said:


> I asked the same question a few weeks back   I decided to go ahead and sign my girls up for it b/c I needed to do something different with my current life situation *(working F/T as a WDW CM).*  They are 12 & 10 and are doing just fine with it.  It's certainly no K12, but the price is right and I'm happy with it for now.  BTW, I am still using Math U See, so DDs don't do anything with the math in the program yet.




Sorry to go OT, but where are you working? I'm a seasonal CM at the Studios, but I haven't worked since Oct (I think) and it was a long time before I could get that shift. 

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming.


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## graygables

3princesses+aprince said:


> Hi
> now I have the teachers and pyschologists telling me if I take her out of school for anxiety, her anxiety will only get worse, and she most likely will not attend college for the fear.



School teachers and psychologists will do everything in their power to convince you/husband/DD that she needs to stay within their control.  That is their number 1 mission, to prevent independent and creative thought by keeping children and tax dollars within the confines of their 4 walls.  I've been a teacher, I know.  If your DD has anxiety disorder, I highly recommend you find a private psychiatrist who is open to various educational paths to treat her.  I have also learned in my days as a student/teacher, that the school psychologists are there mostly for testing and b/c they couldn't make it in a private practice.

My youngest has developed panic disorder and general anxiety disorder in the last year due to witnessing the aftermath of her pet duck being eaten by a predator.  We have visited with both a psychologist (for counseling) and a psychiatrist (for treatment).  Neither are big fans of homeschooling, but once we showed them DD's lapbooks and educated them on how we learn, they were much more understanding of the process.  Neither of them EVER encouraged me to put DD in public school as a "treatment" for her disorder and both of them agreed that being at home was most helpful.  I was, however, encouraged to keep DD in activities and involved in homeschool groups which I have done.

All of that said, my hubby has anxiety disorder and OCD.  He attended PS all his life and was unable to go to college due to the anxiety.  He has been a mason/masonry contractor for almost 30 years now.  I strongly believe that there are many paths and those who suffer from these horrid disorders will have a much better, happier, and fulfilled life if they are allowed to follow their interests early on and given the opportunities to find their own way. College is not a necessity in my house (coming from someone who is in grad school), but if it is the tool necessary to achieve their dreams, then it is encouraged.  If their dreams do not include college, that's fine with us and we will support whichever path they choose to take.  Without the pressures of conformance and non-creative thought, it's much easier for children to explore their own hopes and dreams and pursue them with passion.  I have seen that when DD is passionate about something, that overrides some of the anxiety and gives her confidence to do whatever it is.


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## graygables

MiniGirl said:


> Sorry to go OT, but where are you working? I'm a seasonal CM at the Studios, but I haven't worked since Oct (I think) and it was a long time before I could get that shift.
> 
> Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming.



I'm on the College Program, working at Dinoland at AK.  I've applied for Professional Internships as well as a CP extension b/c the hours are so scarce right now for seasonal.


----------



## Denine

desparatelydisney said:


> DS 7 LOVES Bill Nye and knows all the old episodes by heart.  He has a new series coming out too...you should take a look at his webpage.



Cool, thanks.

I just ordered a bunch from the library.


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## desparatelydisney

Any thoughts on K12 vs. Christa McAuliffe (sp?)?  We are definitely HSing our oldest son next year but not settled on what to do for our upcoming Kindergartener and her brother who will only be a year behind her.  DH isn't convinced that they shouldn't do at least K & 1 at the Private School our oldest has been attending.  We are very interested in the distance learning programs and would appreciate any thoughts on either of these two programs.  Feel free to PM me if you would rather.

TIA!

MMM


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## NHWX

We've used K12 for middle school courses for literature, history, science, music and art. The science is good but could be improved. I really liked all the other courses. We also used their German 2 via power-glide.com. We used them as an independent too. I understand that matters quite bit.

I know that doesn't help you with elementary ages. You can request a demo. There are also yahoo groups for middle and high school ages so I'd expect that you might find an elementary grade one too.

NHWX


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## NHWX

bebelle said:


> I am looking for a different approach to history for next year. I am thinking about Drive Thru History w/Dave Stotts as a jumping off point for my 10th grader. DS is very bright but getting bored by "read this-answer this". Any opinions or suggestions?



I'd love to hear suggestions here too! This year's history is a killer for me because I'm always bugging him to do the writing portion. I'd like to do American History next year. I'll have a ninth and eleventh grader and it would be so nice to get that done for both of them at once.

NHWX


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## NHWX

Temair said:


> The problem is I really didn't do a lot of formal science this past year.  We have planted a garden, been to museums, but nothing formal.   One of the big things holding me back from buying a set curriculum is I'd rather it be secular and almost all of them are very expensive.  I'm not against christian curriculum, I'd just rather teach both sides of creation and evolution and let her figure it out for herself.  And cost is important in that I'm on a budget.



Does your state list curriculum frameworks by grade? That might be a good jumping off point when planning curriculum for next year. If they provide the information about what's considered appropriate for grade level, you could use library books and simple experiments from Tops Science to round them out. How about edhelper.com? It's pretty inexpensive. If you want a textbook, how about just borrowing one from your elementary school? Our schools are required to lend materials if they have them available.

NHWX


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## beautybelle

I have to ask a question.  I homeschooled my son for his 4th grade year and although I loved it, he hated it.  He wanted to go back to be with his friends.  When the new school year started we let him go back to PS.  I cant even begin to tell you how bad I hate PS (thats a whole other thread) but anyway I really have regretted letting him go back.  Its not that hes not doing good in school, its the whole school politics thing that I dont like.   Ive mentioned to him more than once about him coming back home and he wont even consider it.  His sister is 3 and I have decided that she will never set foot in PS and that way I wont have the "I miss my friends" thing with her.  But I would really really love for son to come back and homeschool but I dont want to make him.  Whats your opinion?  I mean should I just drop it and grin and bear it where the school is concerned or keep trying to persuad him otherwise?.....................I heard that in a neighboring school there was a gang starting up called "The Bloods" and I was talking to my mom and we were talking about schools and I told her that if I even get a whiff that sons school was starting up a gang he was coming home, end of story.  
So WWYD?


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## Lora

bebelle said:


> I am looking for a different approach to history for next year. I am thinking about Drive Thru History w/Dave Stotts as a jumping off point for my 10th grader. DS is very bright but getting bored by "read this-answer this". Any opinions or suggestions?




Have you looked into Sonlight?


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## graygables

beautybelle said:


> I have to ask a question.  I homeschooled my son for his 4th grade year and although I loved it, he hated it.  He wanted to go back to be with his friends.  When the new school year started we let him go back to PS.  I cant even begin to tell you how bad I hate PS (thats a whole other thread) but anyway I really have regretted letting him go back.  Its not that hes not doing good in school, its the whole school politics thing that I dont like.   Ive mentioned to him more than once about him coming back home and he wont even consider it.  His sister is 3 and I have decided that she will never set foot in PS and that way I wont have the "I miss my friends" thing with her.  But I would really really love for son to come back and homeschool but I dont want to make him.  Whats your opinion?  I mean should I just drop it and grin and bear it where the school is concerned or keep trying to persuad him otherwise?.....................I heard that in a neighboring school there was a gang starting up called "The Bloods" and I was talking to my mom and we were talking about schools and I told her that if I even get a whiff that sons school was starting up a gang he was coming home, end of story.
> So WWYD?



This may be an unpopular opinion, but no 5th grader in MY house gets to make choices much beyond what clothes s/he's going to wear and what to have for breakfast.  I don't operate a democracy, either, and "'persuasion" at my house is "The Look".  There.  Persuaded.  I make the educational decisions for my children until they are old enough to make their own, somewhere between 16-18 years of age, depending on how well they've accumulated knowledge.  I'd tell him tough beans, suck it up, and learn to bloom where you are planted.  Life isn't always about getting what you want, so you will be a much better person for finding creative ways to make what seems to be an unpleasant situation work for you.  My own 5th grader is in the midst of that right now.  We moved from Ohio to FL for me to work at WDW on an internship.  She left behind her BFF, albeit with a cell phone on our plan.   OMGoodness, I moved across an OCEAN from my BFF back in the day when we could only write letters and you'd think I'd taken DD's world away from her.  She's learning to adjust and learning that sometimes life happens in such a way that we don't like, but it's better/easier to make it work.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Twoboysnmygirl said:


> I think we've all been where you are, but I'll say it again (b/c I've said it hundreds of times over the years...) I have met plenty of parents that WISHED they had homeschooled or regretted that they hadn't done it sooner, but NEVER met anyone who regretted homeschooling once they took the leap.
> 
> 
> Once you actually make the choice and do it, you realize it's not as scary as it looked.  Kind of like EE! (you should have seen me fretting over that ride and when it was over I went...THATS IT???)



I keep thinking of that, I don't want to not do it and regret it later down the road. You only have 1 chance.



DisneyMom5 said:


> We have friends whose son suffers from an anxiety disorder.
> They pulled him out of school BECAUSE he had it.
> 
> The time at home allowed him to focus on academics,
> AND, consequently, gave him a LOT more self confidence,
> which, in turn, helped with the anxiety.
> 
> He has anxiety to the point of using medication.
> But they were able to get a better read of "normal" by homeschooling him
> [i.e. they could better tell what was "extra" anxiety that needed medical attention].
> 
> We're supposed to be building them UP, not tearing them down so they'll be USED to being torn down!!!
> 
> I think that the most important person in this WHOLE situation that you have to consider is YOUR child.
> 
> If homeschooling would be better for her NOW, then homeschool her.
> 
> Do you intend to never let her out of the house?  Of course not!
> So how sheltered would she actually be?
> There are FORTY families in our homeschool group.
> My kids have PLENTY of exposure to the "outside world."  LOL
> 
> Not to mention, if she continues to be tortured by school, she will never WANT to go to college!  Why subject herself to more of the same!
> 
> You are absolutely right about the school (as an entity, not always individuals there) taking over as parent.
> In their defense, some parents aren't as involved as you are.
> No excuse, for sure!  They need to learn when to back off.
> 
> Make sure you if you withdraw her, that you have ALL your ducks in a row before you do.
> Contact HSLDA NOW, so that you know what legally the school can ask of you, and what they cannot.
> 
> Maybe that will give you peace.
> 
> Having a dh that's on board is a BIG help!
> 
> In the end, it REALLY IS your decision what schooling will be best for her,
> and you do not need their permission or advice.
> 
> Hoping you find the answer!




My DD already tells me she does not want to go to college. I think at that point she knows it's optional.
I already looked into everything I have to do to withdraw her, so that is all set. I have a letter of intent.



Pixie Dust for Me! said:


> Hi there,
> 
> Why is it hard for you...because you want to do the "right" thing for your daughter.  The fact is that there are so many version of "right" and you simply have to pick what you believe, at the time, is the best "right" answer.
> 
> My DS has anxiety as well.  He sees a psychologist routinely and it is amazing to see how far he has progressed.  To be honest with you, I don't have anxiety issues and I have a really hard time understanding my son's anxiety over what I believe is "trivial stuff."  What I've learned in working with him and his psychologist is that the "trivial stuff" in my book is MAJOR to him and that's what counts!
> 
> If it were my child I would NOT have them see the psychologist at school.  Think of it this way....would you want to see your psychologist at work?  If school is a threatening environment to her, then her psychologist needs to be in a different atmosphere in order to have the maximum effect.  Interestingly enough, when my son goes to see his psychologist he plays games the entire time he is there (oh, yes, and they talk too!).  My DS doesn't feel "weird" for seeing his psychologist, he actually looks forward to going and seeing Dan and playing games!
> 
> Now, this nonsense about your daughter never going to college if you pull her from school.  I'm sorry, but that's a load of garbage! (Oh, by the way, I'm sorry, but I tend to be very blunt and direct.  I'm not trying to offend anyone and I'm sorry if this is too direct.)  I will say that if your daughter is not successful in her education she'll have a very hard time going to college...but otherwise...NO!
> 
> Finally, let me give this last piece of advice.  We removed our DS from school because 1) we weren't happy with the curriculum and his education (math was a joke and there was NO history, etc...) and 2) he had consistent run ins with a specific teacher who was verbally abusive and threatened physical harm.  My DS just couldn't take it anymore and I don't blame him one little bit.  When we went to the psychologist and said, we're thinking about this but I'm worried about the message it sends...essentially allowing him to run away from a problem, psychologist said to me 1) he's 10, why can't he run away from a problem; 2) he's directly confronted the teacher (with your support) and has told the teacher how his behavior makes DS feel and the teacher has demonstrated he is incapable of changing -- why should your DS have to live with it!  Then the psychologist told me, if you were working for an abusive boss wouldn't you change your work environment by finding a new job -- why can't your son do the same thing!
> 
> If you want to PM me I'd be happy to tell you more, but please don't believe that you are allowing your child to run away.  In all honesty, what I learned is that making them confront some things in life is just not all that healthy and if a change is warranted, then a change (whatever that may be) should happen!
> 
> Thank you for your response. I'm glad to hear others say that it would not be helping her "run away" from her problems, but taking her out of a situation she does not want to be in.
> I really do want to set her up to talk with someone out of school.
> Also like you I do not suffer from anxiety, so I really have no idea what she is thinking, or going through, because I am just now learning that things are bothering her that really are not an issue(for me anyway)
> 
> Karen





wvdislover said:


> I am SO sorry to hear about the problems your DD is having.  We, too, pulled our DD out of school, partially b/c of kids making fun of her and picking on her.  Our DD had become suicidal by 5th grade b/c of this.  If you need convincing, think of where her anxiety could take her if you leave her in this negative situation.  Think of all the positive things you could do for her at home.  I just don't think the school's idea to leave her in school to learn how to "deal" with her anxiety is a good thing to do.  Good luck!  My prayers are with you as you make what seems like a difficult decision now (later, you'll be so glad you did it!  I was shaking when I went into our school board to give them my letter of intent!  We are doing fine, now)



That's just it, I think I will be fine once it's done, it's just getting it done. But that is scary to think what could become of her, if something does not change.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

MiniGirl said:


> I volunteered at my dds' school a lot last year. When word got out that we were homeschooling our oldest (also 9 and in 3rd grade), I was also asked if I wanted the school psychologist to talk to her. It was said in a way that made it sound like my dd must have a problem for not wanting to go to school. KWIM? I was given the whole "you can't shelter them forever" speech, too. Thing is I know I can't shelter them forever, and I don't want to. I also don't want them to grow up too fast either though. My oldest is a good kid and very bright, but is uncomfortable in social settings. This year, however, I have really seen her improve a lot in this area. Having me with to help guide her or just give a little smile of approval when she shakes and adult's hand or looks a person in the eye to speak to them has done a world of good. In fact, a couple of weeks ago at church some one mentioned how much more confident my dd seems to be lately, so I know I'm not imagining it.
> 
> I thanked the staff person for the offer, but said we had already made up our mind. Bottom line.... I know and care about my dd so much more than anyone at that school. I know there are those that do care about the kids, but the cynic in me feels they wanted to keep her in school for the funding. Our local school's enrollment numbers have been going down, so keeping every student they can is important. Next year my youngest will be at home, too.
> 
> Anyway, now I'm rambling. Sorry. I don't think homeschooling our kids will keep them out of college. My girls will be able to go to the local community college and get used to a classroom setting before going to a big state university, and they will have the confidence to know they can succeed, too.





rjthkids said:


> We allowed my oldest daughter to go the public school's special needs preschool program for one year and their kindergarten program for one year. My daughter was a micropreemie (born at 24 weeks) and she has significant and multiple disabilities as a result. I knew we were always planning on homeschooling but I needed some time to catch up on my own learning curve and getting the equipment she needed. I took the two years she was in school to get certified in braille and purchase things for the house that we would lose once she wasn't in school.
> 
> I got *enormous* pressure not to homeschool her. My daughter has an I.Q. of 42 and was nonverbal until she was 5 1/2 and now has the vocabulary of an average toddler, with almost no pragmatic language skills (can't have a conversation, just mindlessly repeats phrases). She is also incredibly sweet and mild mannered. You could stick my daughter in a classroom and she'd happily press her eye and twirl her hair for hours without bothering anyone.
> 
> As nice as her school staff was, DD sacrificed her needs for the needs of the group. She did not learn as effectively or as efficiently in her classroom as she did at home, with me. And she had a ton of off days when she was school. I had the rule if she was crying on and off for an hour at school they needed to call me and I would come bring her home, because she clearly wasn't learning if she was spending the whole day crying. I routinely got called to come get her about once a week, often times more. She wasn't able to effectively learn the life skills she really needed, and no one was really bothering to teach her braille because her I.Q. score puts her in a range where reading is considered a skill "unlikely" to be mastered.
> 
> Yet somehow they wanted me to believe that "they" the "professionals" with 8 kids just like my daughter in one room with one teacher and one paraeducator where somehow better equipped to meet my daughter's needs than I was, the mere "mother". When reality is *I* have been perfectly equipped over them: I have all the time in the world, up until this year she has been my only student (graduating to two students with my son's birthday), I know just what she needs and I can provide exactly what she needs, when she needs it, without having to wait on anyone else or anything else. We are able to focus on the skills she will need for her future.
> 
> And the proof is in the pudding. Since we've been homeschooling DD she has made tremendous progress on her life skills, her verbal skills, and academic skills that no one thought was possible. What DD needed wasn't a ton of "professionals" she needed constant, consistent, 1:1 instruction. And she has thrived with that.
> 
> I have a secret for you---- I was a teacher in my pre-mommy days. Schools desperately want you to believe that there is some secret set of skills you NEED in order to educate a child. That is such a load of baloney. You don't need a degree or some fancy training.... the skills most needed from a teaching degree have to do with classroom management and some curriculum management things. But when you are teaching your own kids, in your own house, all you need is a desire and a willingness to ensure you know what you are trying to help you children learn and a willingness to be intentional about helping your child learn. That's it. No Ph.Ds or Master Degrees or titles or letters after your name. And because they are *your* children and you can provide 1:1 instruction, they'll do BETTER with "lil ol' Mom" than they ever would in a classroom.
> 
> That's why public schools in general get threatened by homeschooling. Because they know they can't actually compete and provide better than what a homeschooling family can. They'll never have 1:1 or 1:4 teaching ratios. They'll never be able to individualize like a homeschooler can. They'll never perfectly match needs and instruction like a homeschooling family can. Public School can never match what a homeschooling family can do. They don't have a true answer for it.



Thank you all for sharing your stories with me, it makes me feel like I am not alone, although, I do feel that way.


----------



## DisneyMom5

RE: High School History

I'm using Sonlight Core 100, which contains an American History set.
It uses History of US, and some really great histories/biographies and novels set in the time periods to back it up.  I LOVE it!
You wouldn't have to buy a whole core if you didn't want the other literature.


----------



## DawnM

The thing for me to ask is, "What about YOUR son?"  Do you like the friends that he is choosing?  Is he making wise decisions?  When he gets to middle school I would watch closely to what is going on with him.

When I look at my 3 kids, each one is SOOOO different!  My middle son would honestly problably survive anywhere I put him.  He is a fun lovin' kid who makes friends wherever he goes.  But he is also my kids who says, "whatever you want me to do" when I ask him if he wants to stay home or go back to school!

What about the rest of your family?  Are you married?  What does your husband say about it?  My DH wants me to homeschool more than I want to homeschool!  That actually helps because there are days I am ready to go back to work and stick the kids in school.  He really encourages me to keep going.

Ultimately, you are the parent and you can have the say as to his schooling.  

Dawn




beautybelle said:


> I have to ask a question.  I homeschooled my son for his 4th grade year and although I loved it, he hated it.  He wanted to go back to be with his friends.  When the new school year started we let him go back to PS.  I cant even begin to tell you how bad I hate PS (thats a whole other thread) but anyway I really have regretted letting him go back.  Its not that hes not doing good in school, its the whole school politics thing that I dont like.   Ive mentioned to him more than once about him coming back home and he wont even consider it.  His sister is 3 and I have decided that she will never set foot in PS and that way I wont have the "I miss my friends" thing with her.  But I would really really love for son to come back and homeschool but I dont want to make him.  Whats your opinion?  I mean should I just drop it and grin and bear it where the school is concerned or keep trying to persuad him otherwise?.....................I heard that in a neighboring school there was a gang starting up called "The Bloods" and I was talking to my mom and we were talking about schools and I told her that if I even get a whiff that sons school was starting up a gang he was coming home, end of story.
> So WWYD?


----------



## saremca

beautybelle said:


> I have to ask a question.  I homeschooled my son for his 4th grade year and although I loved it, he hated it.  He wanted to go back to be with his friends... I would really really love for son to come back and homeschool but I dont want to make him.  Whats your opinion?



If it were me, I'd find out specifically from him what he missed while he was homeschooling.  Hanging out?  Playing sports?  Specific classes?  Once you determine what he needs you can better help him design a homeschooling life that suits him.  If he's just terribly social and needs more contact with other kids, do you have a homeschool support group you can join?  My oldest is very social like her father and craves time with other kids in her age range.  Our local community center offers a homeschool phys ed class every Friday from 1-3 and she went to that for years and loved it.  She made some really good friends there and still socializes with the same group of kids (she's almost 18 now).  I also connected with other moms with kids her age through our support group and we do monthly movie nights for the teens with pizza and movies.  We take turns hosting and it's been a lot of fun for everyone, even the parents.  

I think if your kid is unhappy then you really should try to find out why and how you can help him not be unhappy.  If he's miserable with the current method of homeschooling and you take the "too bad for you" attitude, well you're both probably going to end up unhappy and frustrated, and who needs that?  

As always, YMMV.


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## Disney Mommy 3

beautybelle said:


> I have to ask a question.  I homeschooled my son for his 4th grade year and although I loved it, he hated it.  He wanted to go back to be with his friends.  When the new school year started we let him go back to PS.  I cant even begin to tell you how bad I hate PS (thats a whole other thread) but anyway I really have regretted letting him go back.  Its not that hes not doing good in school, its the whole school politics thing that I dont like.   Ive mentioned to him more than once about him coming back home and he wont even consider it.  His sister is 3 and I have decided that she will never set foot in PS and that way I wont have the "I miss my friends" thing with her.  But I would really really love for son to come back and homeschool but I dont want to make him.  Whats your opinion?  I mean should I just drop it and grin and bear it where the school is concerned or keep trying to persuad him otherwise?.....................I heard that in a neighboring school there was a gang starting up called "The Bloods" and I was talking to my mom and we were talking about schools and I told her that if I even get a whiff that sons school was starting up a gang he was coming home, end of story.
> So WWYD?



YIKES!! That's tough! I did bring my older son home at the end of 2nd grade, he is the one that occassionally brings up wanting to go back. But, he knows that it's just his opinion-not his decision. I am the parent and I will decide what is best for him. 5th grade is waaaaayyy too young to make decisions like that for themselves. If you and your husband (or you, if you are single) feel this is the right thing to do, DO it! don't ask him. I am all for sitting down and discussing it, seeing what his likes/dislikes are and seeing where they could be adjusted. But after that, it's your call. If I felt that strongly, I would pull him out. As far as the gang talk-it may be just talk, but with so many kids getting out of control at younger ages, it would make me a little bit leary.
And, my eldest, really does like it at home--but if he has had a bad day, or if he is feeling bad, he'll say"Iwant to go to ps next year". But, he really does like hsing. He tells us all the time how blessed he is that he's home. Or how thankful he is that he doesn't have to put up with the kid-junk that was going on.So, that's what I would do! Let us know how it goes for you


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## beautybelle

Exactly Saremca!  I could do the Im the boss and you'll do what I say and it doesnt matter if you're unhappy or not thing, but I really care how he feels too. I want him to come home but I want him to be happy when he does and thats what Im looking for.
Actually theres been a change since last night believe it or not.  He woke up sick and throwing up so I kept him home today, we got to talking and Ive known for a long time that every time he eats at his school he gets sick so we've been packing his lunch forever.  Well yesterday we all overslept and I didnt have time to pack it and he ended up eating at school and sure enough he got sick.  Well I think he's getting tired of it....yippee for me.....I told him that if he just gave it up and come home he wouldnt have to worry about bad food (yeah, im baiting, I know. LOL) and I think  it working.
I know that a lot of you are thinking that I should "be the mom and just do it" well just let me say this, I am his mom and I , like the rest of you, are trying my very best to do what is good for him.  Pulling him out kicking and screaming wouldnt do either of us any good at all, trust me.  He is a very good child and I dont have any problems with him at all so I feel like he deserves a little consideration too.
Now what can you all tell me about SOS?  I took a peek at it last night and it seems interesting, however, in the science aspect is it heavily bible based?  Dont get me wrong I dont have anything against bible based curriculum but in the science area I think I would like something a little more secular.  What do you think?


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## Praise2Him

One thing to remember is that this isn't a permanent decision. Why not explain to him that you are going to try it for a year and see how it goes. Then you can reevaluate at the end of the year. If he knows that it's not forever then he may be more willing to try it.


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## beautybelle

Well we homeschool for his 4th grade year and he hated it, however, his little sister was just a little over 1 at the time and she required a lot of time and I was trying to homeschool him and run a grooming shop all at the same time.  It wasnt pretty.
Ive told him that things will be different this time because for one im not working nearly as much as before and little sis is now 3 and shes more able to entertain herself for periods of time.
Pray for me please to make the right decision for us.


----------



## liv luvs disney

New to this forum, but I've been home schooling for 7 years.  Neither of my children have ever been to "school"; we've home schooled from the beginning and love it.  Just wanted to say hi and when I get the time, I am looking forward to reading through the HS posts.  We are planning on going to HS days at Disney this year and I'm looking forward to that as well.


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## Disney Mommy 3

beautybelle said:


> Well we homeschool for his 4th grade year and he hated it, however, his little sister was just a little over 1 at the time and she required a lot of time and I was trying to homeschool him and run a grooming shop all at the same time.  It wasnt pretty.
> Ive told him that things will be different this time because for one im not working nearly as much as before and little sis is now 3 and shes more able to entertain herself for periods of time.
> Pray for me please to make the right decision for us.



that will make a big difference for you and him! I pmed you!!


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## NHWX

Beautybelle -

Reading all the posts reminds me about one time when we had just starting hs'ing our two boys. I think they were in sixth and fourth grade then. I asked my older one why he was complaining about doing the work; it was pretty reasonable and while challenging not unreasonably so. He told me that in his former private school, he only had to think for about 5 minutes per hour! I think that experience gave him the bad habit of trying to do just enough; something I struggle with him even now. He was getting A's but not learning how to learn. 

Sometimes he still gets really frustrated with significantly hard work. I want to say "Get over it! That is the real world!"

NHWX


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## beautybelle

Well we've been talking more about it today and I bought a book that had a lot of side comments from kids who were homeschooled their whole life and they all said that they had their good times and their bad times too, so that really helped ease sons mind. 
 Ive been on here digging up support groups near us but geez we live so far back in the woods that the nearest groups to us is like 2 hours away.

He's very very social so I want to keep him busy.  Heres what Ive got going on and you tell me if you think this is enough "socialization"  be brutally honest,  We go to church on Sundays and Wednesday nights and he has boy scouts on Monday evenings and the library has a "teen time" on Friday mornings.  So, too much, not enough, what?


----------



## saremca

beautybelle said:


> Heres what Ive got going on and you tell me if you think this is enough "socialization"  be brutally honest,  We go to church on Sundays and Wednesday nights and he has boy scouts on Monday evenings and the library has a "teen time" on Friday mornings.  So, too much, not enough, what?



I think it depends on him.  If he's happy with that level of social stuff then it's enough.  If you live way out, then he's going to have to be understanding of that situation too.  It's a good lesson in learning to compromise, and if he knows you're trying your best for him he will appreciate that.

While my older daughter is super social girl, my younger two are not.  They couldn't care less about outside stuff.  They like it when we go to functions with the support group, but they don't crave it like Sarah (oldest DD) does.  So I don't think there is a one size fits all answer.  What you have set up for him so far seems like enough to me.  He has 4 or 5 different opportunities to connect with other kids and be social.  If anything, I'd say you're at a good starting point and you can see how he does with that and go from there, and make adjustments where you see the need.


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## wvdislover

liv luvs disney said:


> New to this forum, but I've been home schooling for 7 years.  Neither of my children have ever been to "school"; we've home schooled from the beginning and love it.  Just wanted to say hi and when I get the time, I am looking forward to reading through the HS posts.  We are planning on going to HS days at Disney this year and I'm looking forward to that as well.



Welcome to the DIS, and welcome to our homeschooling thread!  Glad you could join us!  Have fun reading...maybe we'll see you during HS days in Sept.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Beatybelle~ That sounds like enough social time to get you started! You can always find more things to do, or have play times with his friends on the weekends. My boys just started baseball, and that plus church and drum lessons, and school--we think our calendar is jammed! Ha!!


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## lisalonglash

Hi all 

Our boys are almost 10yo and almost 7yo - we have homeschooled them from the beginning, neither of them has ever gone to school.  We are registered as homelearners with a local homeschooling organization here in BC.

On another thread (maybe the free dining thread? sorry, can't remember which one lol) I read this morning, someone posted about WDW Homeschool Days.  I'd never heard of this before, so I looked into it.  It's on the regular WDW site in the Education section, along with another educational Disney entity that I'd never heard of - Youth Education Series (here's the direct link to that section - http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/programs/programOverview?page=YESProgramOverviewPage).  It looks fantastic!  The only real issue with this is that the YES Program is only available to groups of 10 or more.  Well, we homeschool two children and could attend the Homeschool Days, but my boys would really prefer to take a couple of the classes listed in the YES program (chemistry and synergy in science).

One of the big advantages of the YES program is that the park tickets are discounted significantly and also include the educational classes!

Any thoughts on how I could get together a group of families in order to reach the minimum group numbers?   It'll be quite a hard sell to get local families here interested - Vancouver, BC to Orlando, FL is quite a trek kwim?

We're planning on going to WDW in mid-September, so we could work our dates to include the Homeschool Days, but if we could figure out how to get into the YES program, that would be better!

Any input would be appreciated!


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## Praise2Him

I'm in Alabama, but get emails from a HS group in North Carolina. They go to HS Days at Disney every September and anyone is welcome to join them. I just looked and it seems that they are offering both classes you want, on Mon. Sept. 7th & Tue. Sept. 8th. I'm not sure how those dates work for you, but here's a link in case you're interested (or anyone else). I've never been with them, but it seems very organized and well run. 

http://www.carolinahomeschooler.com/travelwdw.htm

They also offer other trips, including NYC and a cruise to the Bahamas! I know some of you had expressed interest in that one earlier, although the group I had mentioned was in Alabama, and I didn't realize that the NC group had one too.

I'm kinda sad that DD is graduating this year and we won't be able to go on any of these cool trips.


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## wvdislover

lisalonglash said:


> Hi all
> 
> Our boys are almost 10yo and almost 7yo - we have homeschooled them from the beginning, neither of them has ever gone to school.  We are registered as homelearners with a local homeschooling organization here in BC.
> 
> On another thread (maybe the free dining thread? sorry, can't remember which one lol) I read this morning, someone posted about WDW Homeschool Days.  I'd never heard of this before, so I looked into it.  It's on the regular WDW site in the Education section, along with another educational Disney entity that I'd never heard of - Youth Education Series (here's the direct link to that section - http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/programs/programOverview?page=YESProgramOverviewPage).  It looks fantastic!  The only real issue with this is that the YES Program is only available to groups of 10 or more.  Well, we homeschool two children and could attend the Homeschool Days, but my boys would really prefer to take a couple of the classes listed in the YES program (chemistry and synergy in science).
> 
> One of the big advantages of the YES program is that the park tickets are discounted significantly and also include the educational classes!
> 
> Any thoughts on how I could get together a group of families in order to reach the minimum group numbers?   It'll be quite a hard sell to get local families here interested - Vancouver, BC to Orlando, FL is quite a trek kwim?
> 
> We're planning on going to WDW in mid-September, so we could work our dates to include the Homeschool Days, but if we could figure out how to get into the YES program, that would be better!
> 
> Any input would be appreciated!



Hey, Lisa, you mentioned the great discount on tickets for homeschool days.  It is a great discount, but the number of days you can purchase at that price is limited (don't know how long you're planning on being there) and I don't think you can combine that discount with free dining (someone said last year that you couldn't).  However, during the homeschool days they had in Jan. of this year, AP holders could purchase a ticket to the hs activities (very inexpensive).  I e-mailed someone in the YES program and asked if you could just buy your own park tickets (that way I could get the free dining...a better deal for my family), as though you were an AP holder, but she e-mailed me back that they haven't yet decided on how they are going to price out tickets or on what activities they are going to sponsor.  She told me to just keep watching the site.

I think DawnM (?) posted last summer that her hs group in NC was holding their own hs days right after Labor Day this past September, and that they did this each year (someone please correct me if I'm wrong ), and she gave an open invitation to anyone who wanted to piggyback on their trip.

Good luck on figuring something out!  Maybe we'll see you there!

Missy


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## anabelle

wvdislover said:


> Hey, Lisa, you mentioned the great discount on tickets for homeschool days.  It is a great discount, but the number of days you can purchase at that price is limited (don't know how long you're planning on being there) and I don't think you can combine that discount with free dining
> Missy



From what I understand, you have to buy at least a one day base ticket in order to get the free dining.     You can buy that one day ticket then buy the Educational tickets you need for the week.   You can save the one day ticket for later or use it during the Homeschool week if you want.


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## wvdislover

anabelle said:


> From what I understand, you have to buy at least a one day base ticket in order to get the free dining.     You can buy that one day ticket then buy the Educational tickets you need for the week.   You can save the one day ticket for later or use it during the Homeschool week if you want.



That's true, but I just checked the YES website, and they are only listing ticket packages for up to 5 days.  We're going to be there for 11 days, so buying their ticket packages isn't going to be a great deal for us, as we'll be going to the parks for at least part of almost all or all of those days.  For a shorter trip, it probably would work well to do it the way you suggested


----------



## anabelle

wvdislover said:


> That's true, but I just checked the YES website, and they are only listing ticket packages for up to 5 days.  We're going to be there for 11 days, so buying their ticket packages isn't going to be a great deal for us, as we'll be going to the parks for at least part of almost all or all of those days.  For a shorter trip, it probably would work well to do it the way you suggested




The Carolina group is offering a 8 day premium pass for $200.   If you add the one day you get from the free dining with all the plusses you could have a great vacation pretty cheap.   They are going Labor day week.


----------



## DawnM

No, it isn't a group I am part of.  Her name is Dianna and she is in SC.

I dont' know her personally, but she posts on several groups I am on.

I will be going in September or Oct. but this year we bought APs so we don't need the hs tickets.

The hs tickets were great last year though.  We went for 9 days and with 5 tickets and 4 vouchers to the water parks and Disney Quest, we filled up our days just fine and were able to take a break in between some of the days and just do the pool or tour the on-site hotels.  It was very relaxing.

Dawn



wvdislover said:


> Hey, Lisa, you mentioned the great discount on tickets for homeschool days.  It is a great discount, but the number of days you can purchase at that price is limited (don't know how long you're planning on being there) and I don't think you can combine that discount with free dining (someone said last year that you couldn't).  However, during the homeschool days they had in Jan. of this year, AP holders could purchase a ticket to the hs activities (very inexpensive).  I e-mailed someone in the YES program and asked if you could just buy your own park tickets (that way I could get the free dining...a better deal for my family), as though you were an AP holder, but she e-mailed me back that they haven't yet decided on how they are going to price out tickets or on what activities they are going to sponsor.  She told me to just keep watching the site.
> 
> I think DawnM (?) posted last summer that her hs group in NC was holding their own hs days right after Labor Day this past September, and that they did this each year (someone please correct me if I'm wrong ), and she gave an open invitation to anyone who wanted to piggyback on their trip.
> 
> Good luck on figuring something out!  Maybe we'll see you there!
> 
> Missy


----------



## lisalonglash

Wow, that's some great feedback and information, ladies!  Thank you!   We're currently booked Sept. 12-19, but we're willing to move our dates to later in September if it means that our boys can experience a couple of the homeschooling or YES program courses kwim?

I wonder if we should just make change our dates for FD from Sept. 12-19 to Sept. 12-26?  We'll still end up going for only 7 or 8 nights, but that way, whichever dates work, we'll already be booked, right?

As we're Canadian, I wonder if it's even allowed for us to "join in" with an American homeschooling group? Like if an American homeschooling group signs up for X number of YES courses or whatever courses are offered during Homeschooling Week, can Canadians join the group?


----------



## anabelle

lisalonglash said:


> Wow, that's some great feedback and information, ladies!  Thank you!   We're currently booked Sept. 12-19, but we're willing to move our dates to later in September if it means that our boys can experience a couple of the homeschooling or YES program courses kwim?
> 
> I wonder if we should just make change our dates for FD from Sept. 12-19 to Sept. 12-26?  We'll still end up going for only 7 or 8 nights, but that way, whichever dates work, we'll already be booked, right?
> 
> As we're Canadian, I wonder if it's even allowed for us to "join in" with an American homeschooling group? Like if an American homeschooling group signs up for X number of YES courses or whatever courses are offered during Homeschooling Week, can Canadians join the group?




I don't think that Disney cares about what country you are from.    You will have to register for the event in order to get the discount tickets.   They ask basic things about you and your children.   The form is not up yet, so I can't verify what is on the registration.


----------



## anabelle

Sorry double post


----------



## disneymom3

lisalonglash said:


> Wow, that's some great feedback and information, ladies!  Thank you!   We're currently booked Sept. 12-19, but we're willing to move our dates to later in September if it means that our boys can experience a couple of the homeschooling or YES program courses kwim?
> 
> I wonder if we should just make change our dates for FD from Sept. 12-19 to Sept. 12-26?  We'll still end up going for only 7 or 8 nights, but that way, whichever dates work, we'll already be booked, right?
> 
> As we're Canadian, I wonder if it's even allowed for us to "join in" with an American homeschooling group? Like if an American homeschooling group signs up for X number of YES courses or whatever courses are offered during Homeschooling Week, can Canadians join the group?



When you go during homeschool days your family is considered your homeschool group and you no longer have to meet the minimum numbers.  You can just sign your kids up for the workshops that are offerred during the homeschool days. In the past they have had extra classes for an extra fee in addition to what was offerred on a general basis.

If you find a group to join in with for other times of the year, Disney does not care where you are located geographically.  You can for instance be an online support group to qualify as a homeschool group.


----------



## wvdislover

anabelle said:


> The Carolina group is offering a 8 day premium pass for $200.   If you add the one day you get from the free dining with all the plusses you could have a great vacation pretty cheap.   They are going Labor day week.



Wow, that is a great deal.  I don't know if my DH would want to change our dates or not, though.  Definitely something to think about.  I already have my free dining booked for Sept 17-27, though.  Wonder if there'll still be availability at BC after Monday?  DH doesn't want to stay anywhere else.  What is there website, so we can check it out?  I wish WDW would hurry up and post their HS days info (location, classes, etc)!


----------



## wvdislover

Has anyone here used TruthQuest History?  I'm looking at starting DD11 in it for 7th grade this fall, using the Ancient Egypt/Greece book to start.  Would love to hear your thoughts on it.  TIA!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

We use TQ! We really like it. I have an older one in Ren & Ref. and a younger one in AHYS1.  I love that you pace it as you need it and you can pick which spines you will use. Have a few books that we've read that are really great!  Older will finish R & R and move into Age of Rev. 1 and the younger one is going to be in this book for 2 years. We are about to get into George Washington and I reallllly want to take our time with key people like this. We have found lots of the books are available at the library in the town right south of us.  Some of the books, such as the D'Aulaire books or ones by Genevieve Foster have been very good and the kids enjoy them.Any thing I can help you with referring to TQ, let me know!!!


----------



## wvdislover

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> We use TQ! We really like it. I have an older one in Ren & Ref. and a younger one in AHYS1.  I love that you pace it as you need it and you can pick which spines you will use. Have a few books that we've read that are really great!  Older will finish R & R and move into Age of Rev. 1 and the younger one is going to be in this book for 2 years. We are about to get into George Washington and I reallllly want to take our time with key people like this. We have found lots of the books are available at the library in the town right south of us.  Some of the books, such as the D'Aulaire books or ones by Genevieve Foster have been very good and the kids enjoy them.Any thing I can help you with referring to TQ, let me know!!!



Thanks!  I'm getting really excited about it!  I'll let you know if I have any questions.  Has anybody else used TruthQuest History?


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Ok, so I posted a few pages back about starting to homeschool and how i've been thinking about it for a while. 

Well we're going to do it after we finish this school year in June. My dd9 is of course happy and I asked my dd7 if she would like to do this as well and she was very excited about it too. Which surprised me because she is so social and loves her friends at school! I am glad though because she has developmental delays and next year for second grade they move over to a different school(where my dd9 is now, for 2nd-5th grade) and as soon as my dd9 got there her extra help stopped, and she struggled even more. Now my dd7 has an IEP, so she would of course still get assistance, but it's minimal at that school, and dd7 loves to learn, I think I can do so much with her. My youngest dd who just turned 5 says she wants to go to school. I'm not taking them out if they want to be at school, I would feel too wrong. But I do think that she will change her mind over the summer as the other two will be getting their books ready and talking about it.  Right now my dd5 is in preschool, so it is all fun and games anyway, who wouldn't want to do that. But I figured even if she sticks with wanting to go to school, after K she'll most likely be ready to be homeschooled, we'll see. It would just be so much easier and nicer if they were all home. I have a local homeschool group that does alot. They have field trips and field days in the fall, they get groups together for science projects and baking. But this group is about a half hour away, so with dd5 in half day K, unfortunatley i'm going to miss out on alot of those things, because i'll have to be back to pick her up

Well, I guess we'll see how it goes. Now...I also know that little children can be persuaded so easily. But is it wrong for me to do that? Because I know I can "talk" her into it, but I don't want to make the decision for her and than she's mad at me later for doing it. What do you think?


----------



## graygables

3princesses+aprince said:


> Well, I guess we'll see how it goes. Now...I also know that little children can be persuaded so easily. But is it wrong for me to do that? Because I know I can "talk" her into it, but I don't want to make the decision for her and than she's mad at me later for doing it. What do you think?



I've said it before and I'll say it again...a child's education isn't one of the things they get to make decisions about, that is the parents' job.


----------



## anabelle

graygables said:


> I've said it before and I'll say it again...a child's education isn't one of the things they get to make decisions about, that is the parents' job.




Agreed !!!

We started homeschooling in Middle school.   So we got the "this isn't fair" plea too many times to count.    It is hard when it comes to you from their grandparents, aunt and uncles as well.  We stood firm.   They warmed up to it.   They have made incredible friends and even won their State Homeschool basketball championships.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

3princesses+aprince said:


> Well, I guess we'll see how it goes. Now...I also know that little children can be persuaded so easily. But is it wrong for me to do that? Because I know I can "talk" her into it, but I don't want to make the decision for her and than she's mad at me later for doing it. What do you think?



I think she's 5 and you are her mom and you know what's best for her! If you feel she needs to be home, she needs to be home. She is 5...not 18! You shouldn't be ugly or put the 'because I am the boss' attitude out there,just say that it's something you are doing that's best for the family and next year is going to be different.

If you are thinking about doing hs activities with your older girls, and that's going to be hampered by picking the little one up from school, realize now that it's going to cause friction. AND stress for you!! One thing I love about hs, is that our morning are so calm and easy. It's going to be hard on you, to get one out of 3 up and out the door every day, when the other 2 don't have to. You may want to play that point up to your littlest one!! That always sounds good---how is she going to do about it come fall, if the 2 older sisters are in bed and she's having to rush around and leave for school. Also, I think she will eventually feel left out-ya'll are going to have some awesome days just being together! And, you are going to miss her! so, no, it's not wrong. Why would it be? You are changing something in your family for their betterment(her included) you need to make the decision. She's just too young. I think you would regret it more if you didn't keep her home than if you did. Homeschooling has been such a blessing for us, I wouldn't want any of my kids to miss out!


----------



## anabelle

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> We use TQ! We really like it. I have an older one in Ren & Ref. and a younger one in AHYS1.  I love that you pace it as you need it and you can pick which spines you will use. Have a few books that we've read that are really great!  Older will finish R & R and move into Age of Rev. 1 and the younger one is going to be in this book for 2 years. We are about to get into George Washington and I reallllly want to take our time with key people like this. We have found lots of the books are available at the library in the town right south of us.  Some of the books, such as the D'Aulaire books or ones by Genevieve Foster have been very good and the kids enjoy them.Any thing I can help you with referring to TQ, let me know!!!





We love the Genevieve Foster books as well.   It gives such great opportunities for time lines ..


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

graygables said:


> I've said it before and I'll say it again...a child's education isn't one of the things they get to make decisions about, that is the parents' job.



I agree with this as well



anabelle said:


> Agreed !!!
> 
> We started homeschooling in Middle school.   So we got the "this isn't fair" plea too many times to count.    It is hard when it comes to you from their grandparents, aunt and uncles as well.  We stood firm.   They warmed up to it.   They have made incredible friends and even won their State Homeschool basketball championships.




My side of the family is all fine with it, dh's side of the family is all fine with it, except for his parents. So listening to the stupidity from them is annoying. But we are not very close to them, they are not very loving grandparents, so I ignore them well, but they will say things around the kids, I just now it. But my kids will know not to listen to them.




Disney Mommy 3 said:


> I think she's 5 and you are her mom and you know what's best for her! If you feel she needs to be home, she needs to be home. She is 5...not 18! You shouldn't be ugly or put the 'because I am the boss' attitude out there,just say that it's something you are doing that's best for the family and next year is going to be different.
> 
> If you are thinking about doing hs activities with your older girls, and that's going to be hampered by picking the little one up from school, realize now that it's going to cause friction. AND stress for you!! One thing I love about hs, is that our morning are so calm and easy. It's going to be hard on you, to get one out of 3 up and out the door every day, when the other 2 don't have to. You may want to play that point up to your littlest one!! That always sounds good---how is she going to do about it come fall, if the 2 older sisters are in bed and she's having to rush around and leave for school. Also, I think she will eventually feel left out-ya'll are going to have some awesome days just being together! And, you are going to miss her! so, no, it's not wrong. Why would it be? You are changing something in your family for their betterment(her included) you need to make the decision. She's just too young. I think you would regret it more if you didn't keep her home than if you did. Homeschooling has been such a blessing for us, I wouldn't want any of my kids to miss out!



Yes, I kind of figured if I didn't start with her right away, half way through the school year she would want to stay home as well. And , yes I would have to miss out on alot of homeschool activities because of pick up time. I think my dd5 is too young to really explain homeschooling too, so I guess once we start, she'll figure it out, and she'll really enjoy the activities that we do with the group and the work we do at home.

I would like to sign all of them up for girl scouts this fall as well. My dd9 would be fine being a hermit in the house for the rest of her life, that's just how she is. My my dd7 and dd5 are very social, so I want them to get as much interaction as possible. I would like my dd9 to get it as well, I already told them we're doing girlscouts!

Thanks for the replys!!!!


----------



## LeeLee2U

I just found this thread and am so excited!!  I just started homeschooling my DS9 this past month.  he had been on HomeBound from the school due to medical issues and as I've been tossing @ the idea of HS for 2 years i decided to go ahead and do it as it would make our life easier with all of our appt. and issues right now.  It is a trial and error period to see how well it works for us (Really to prove to myself if I CAN do it or not!!) and if we will continue.  I had always planned to start by the time he reached 6th grade so this is just a few years early for us!!
I am currently using Horizons Math and Penmanship as Math is what he lost a lot of while he was in the hospital and they also started learning cursive while he was out.  We are mainly focusing on those areas right now. 
i pulled up the National Spelling Bee list and he knew ALL the third grade words and we are going through the 4th grade list.  He knows most of them as well so far so I'm not stressed about his spelling.
I am using a lot of my own stuff right now for History and my sister who has homeschooled her DD for the past 3 yrs is sharing her science with my son.  I am really enjoying it and have noticed a HUGE improvement in my sons attitude and work!  He's always been an A/B student but now he's taking pride in it.
I plan to go to a homeschool conference in June and love to hear about other curriculems people are using so I can try to decide what we will use next year.
I can't wait to read more on here as I know it will be a big help!


----------



## Denine

I agree with the other's.  HS your 5yo is not her choice, but yours.  My DD is 6 and has always been schooled at home, even pre-school.  She is now in 
1st grade , but 2nd grade for math.

Welcome to the new one's!


----------



## disneymom3

I have been doing this for 7 years now. Not as long as many but long enough to know that kids are going to say they hate being homeschooled and don't want to do it.  One thing that helped me early on was knowing that all those other kids going to public school didn't want to do it either.  My response to my kids has always been, "Sorry.  This is the choice Daddy adn I feel is best for our family."

Also, as to her being happy right now.  I think we often underestimate how much our children need to be around us as they are growing up.  If you look back at history, or throughout much of hte world, children are not sent off somewhere else for 7 or 8 hours a day.  Family is the foundation of it all and kids have a need for that safety and stability that honestly only mom or dad can offer.  I know it's a crazy old fashioned view of the world, but calling me old fashioned is something I will smile at.


----------



## DisneyMom5

LeeLee2U said:


> I just found this thread and am so excited!!  I just started homeschooling my DS9 this past month.  he had been on HomeBound from the school due to medical issues and as I've been tossing @ the idea of HS for 2 years i decided to go ahead and do it as it would make our life easier with all of our appt. and issues right now.  It is a trial and error period to see how well it works for us (Really to prove to myself if I CAN do it or not!!) and if we will continue.  I had always planned to start by the time he reached 6th grade so this is just a few years early for us!!
> I am currently using Horizons Math and Penmanship as Math is what he lost a lot of while he was in the hospital and they also started learning cursive while he was out.  We are mainly focusing on those areas right now.
> i pulled up the National Spelling Bee list and he knew ALL the third grade words and we are going through the 4th grade list.  He knows most of them as well so far so I'm not stressed about his spelling.
> I am using a lot of my own stuff right now for History and my sister who has homeschooled her DD for the past 3 yrs is sharing her science with my son.  I am really enjoying it and have noticed a HUGE improvement in my sons attitude and work!  He's always been an A/B student but now he's taking pride in it.
> I plan to go to a homeschool conference in June and love to hear about other curriculems people are using so I can try to decide what we will use next year.
> I can't wait to read more on here as I know it will be a big help!



Hi LeeLee2U!  I remember talking with you a while ago.  

Welcome to the wonderful world of homeschooling!  
Sounds like you are doing a GREAT job already!


----------



## DisneyMom5

Well, I just ordered the IOWA test for my dd15, for the first time since I was certified to administer it.  
We haven't done testing in years (not required here,) and previously we used the CAT.
Is there much difference?

Now I'm waiting for them to finish verifying that we are homeschoolers so I can receive it and administer it.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Denine said:


> I agree with the other's.  HS your 5yo is not her choice, but yours.  My DD is 6 and has always been schooled at home, even pre-school.  She is now in
> 1st grade , but 2nd grade for math.
> 
> Welcome to the new one's!



  Thanks, I believe that she will be fine with homeschooling once we start, I just think right now because she does not know any different and watched her big sisters go to school, that that's what she wants to do. So I think she will be Ok. She'll be in plenty of other activities and programs with our homeschool group for friends.



disneymom3 said:


> I have been doing this for 7 years now. Not as long as many but long enough to know that kids are going to say they hate being homeschooled and don't want to do it.  One thing that helped me early on was knowing that all those other kids going to public school didn't want to do it either.  My response to my kids has always been, "Sorry.  This is the choice Daddy adn I feel is best for our family."
> 
> Also, as to her being happy right now.  I think we often underestimate how much our children need to be around us as they are growing up.  If you look back at history, or throughout much of hte world, children are not sent off somewhere else for 7 or 8 hours a day.  Family is the foundation of it all and kids have a need for that safety and stability that honestly only mom or dad can offer.  I know it's a crazy old fashioned view of the world, but calling me old fashioned is something I will smile at.



That is true, when I think about it, we send our kids away for 6 hours a day. I think that's been killing me lately because I work nights 4 nights a week. So when they are getting off the bus at 3:30, I am leaving for work to be there for 4pm, and I don't get home until midnight. I do that wed - sat. So when we homeschool, I will have much more time with my kids, and won't feel guilty for working. That....I have to do!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

So, I just wanted to thank everyone for your replies to homeschooling my 5 yr old!  You made me feel much better about doing that. So I will be homeschooling my 3 daughters 9, 7 and 5 in the fall. I'm going to let them finish out where they are now. My dd9 is having the most problems, but It will be very stressful for me to take her out now, without any plans, and curriculums, but she is fine with waiting, the school year is almost over. My dd5 and dd7 would not want to leave now anyway, it will be much easier for them to transition over the summer, so we are already home.  In 2 weeks we have 1 week off for spring break, and then a few weeks after that we will be in Disney for 8 days Anyway!!!!! 
Next year when we go back to Disney we will not have to worry about the kids coming back to school with work that they missed and days worth of make up homework.

I am going to use A Beka. I've been searching through curriculums and I want to make sure they are getting the best and I feel this is a very thorough curriculum, I hope i'm right. I have never heard anything bad about it. A Beka is holding a few Materials Displays in my area over the next few months. When ordering from a Display you get free shipping, so between May-July I will have everything ordered. Kind of expensive, so I'll order 1 kit at a time. Expensive, but I feel like it will be worth it. 

I just emailed the leader for my local homeschool group. I was in touch with her a few months back when I was thinking about pulling my dd9 out. She was very excited that I'm starting in the fall, and asked me to come to the monthly meeting this thursday. Too bad, I have to work, I told her for sure I would be able to switch my days and come to next months. I went to their website and filled out the registration form, she added me to the email list. I was going through the website, and they have so many upcoming activities, this is going to be great.

I want to say thank you so much to all here. I have the support of my dh, family and friends, but that seemed to not be enough. It honestly was you all here that made me strong enough to do this. 
THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!!!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

CarolinaHomeschooler said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> Join Carolina Homeschooler this September as we make our fourth trip to Disney World! We'll explore theme parks, splash in water parks, play virtual reality games at Disney Quest, and participate in special educational programs and group activities - all at great discounts.
> 
> Read more about our adventure at:
> http://www.carolinahomeschooler.com/travelwdw.htm
> 
> If you'd like to receive updates about this trip or any of our other trips, please subscribe to our Traveling Homeschoolers newsletter at:
> http://www.carolinahomeschooler.com/lists.htm
> 
> Happy Traveling,
> Dianna




Thanks, I signed up for the newsletter, We have our big Disney Trip in May, but i'm already planning on joining you for next September's Disney Trip.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

We are going to be using A Beka. Obviously for Math , Language arts, reading and writing they will be at their own different levels. What about History, and Science. I was thinking about doing 1 lesson for all 3 of the kids. My youngest is 5, then 7, then 9. My 9 yr old will be working on 4th gr material in Sept. My 7 yr old will be on 2nd gr, would a 3rd gr Science and History lesson be OK, or would I be better off just doing different lessons for all of them with science and history? Thanks!!!

I've just been thinking that multiple lessons of these two courses will be very time consuming, not to mention the science projects we'll be doing. I just figure it will be more fun to do projects like this together? 
I don't know, any opinions, Thanks


----------



## Octoberbabiesrus

hey everyone, I've subscribed to this thread for awhile. read up a lil bit, and then forgot to post. So I just wanted to say hi! I'm Ashley and a homeschool mom of a six year old Alex and soon 17 month Davin.


----------



## Belle & Ariel

3princesses+aprince said:


> So, I just wanted to thank everyone for your replies to homeschooling my 5 yr old!  You made me feel much better about doing that. So I will be homeschooling my 3 daughters 9, 7 and 5 in the fall. I'm going to let them finish out where they are now. My dd9 is having the most problems, but It will be very stressful for me to take her out now, without any plans, and curriculums, but she is fine with waiting, the school year is almost over. My dd5 and dd7 would not want to leave now anyway, it will be much easier for them to transition over the summer, so we are already home.  In 2 weeks we have 1 week off for spring break, and then a few weeks after that we will be in Disney for 8 days Anyway!!!!!
> Next year when we go back to Disney we will not have to worry about the kids coming back to school with work that they missed and days worth of make up homework.
> 
> I am going to use A Beka. I've been searching through curriculums and I want to make sure they are getting the best and I feel this is a very thorough curriculum, I hope i'm right. I have never heard anything bad about it. A Beka is holding a few Materials Displays in my area over the next few months. When ordering from a Display you get free shipping, so between May-July I will have everything ordered. Kind of expensive, so I'll order 1 kit at a time. Expensive, but I feel like it will be worth it.
> 
> 
> I just emailed the leader for my local homeschool group. I was in touch with her a few months back when I was thinking about pulling my dd9 out. She was very excited that I'm starting in the fall, and asked me to come to the monthly meeting this thursday. Too bad, I have to work, I told her for sure I would be able to switch my days and come to next months. I went to their website and filled out the registration form, she added me to the email list. I was going through the website, and they have so many upcoming activities, this is going to be great.
> 
> I want to say thank you so much to all here. I have the support of my dh, family and friends, but that seemed to not be enough. It honestly was you all here that made me strong enough to do this.
> THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!!!




Welcome to homeschooling.

We have used Abeka (my kids are now 21, 19, and 15) and been very pleased.

I do have 2 suggestions.
When you order for the oldest, order the books they will write in for all your kids.  My oldest were just 2 grades apart and I found that when I went to order workbooks for the 2 child, they had been revised.  For example, I remember math for my oldest had tests in every lesson ending with 1 and 6--11,16,21,26...  In the revised edition, tests ended in 2 and 7.  Every lesson varied a little. Sometimes the workbook would have things to dictate to them that did not match my book.  It was not a huge problem, but it just made planning easier when my old teacher's guide matched the workbook.
The other thing is that my wonderful Abeka rep suggested not buying whole sets.  He suggested instead of buying teacher books and student readers to just buy the teacher's edition and since you are usually sitting side by side to share.  We did that for reading, history, science, and health.  You do need to look at the display because I remember some years the answers to science section questions were printed in the text.
Abeka is wonderful.  My girls are doing very well in college.  My oldest told me last night that at the college Bible Study a couple girls did well at some game and joked about them both using Abeka and that was it.
I think you could combine history or science for 2 of the kids and do the grade in between, but 3 would be a stretch with Abeka.  Maybe others on here know of a curiculuum that does this.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Belle & Ariel said:


> Welcome to homeschooling.
> 
> We have used Abeka (my kids are now 21, 19, and 15) and been very pleased.
> 
> I do have 2 suggestions.
> When you order for the oldest, order the books they will write in for all your kids.  My oldest were just 2 grades apart and I found that when I went to order workbooks for the 2 child, they had been revised.  For example, I remember math for my oldest had tests in every lesson ending with 1 and 6--11,16,21,26...  In the revised edition, tests ended in 2 and 7.  Every lesson varied a little. Sometimes the workbook would have things to dictate to them that did not match my book.  It was not a huge problem, but it just made planning easier when my old teacher's guide matched the workbook.
> The other thing is that my wonderful Abeka rep suggested not buying whole sets.  He suggested instead of buying teacher books and student readers to just buy the teacher's edition and since you are usually sitting side by side to share.  We did that for reading, history, science, and health.  You do need to look at the display because I remember some years the answers to science section questions were printed in the text.
> Abeka is wonderful.  My girls are doing very well in college.  My oldest told me last night that at the college Bible Study a couple girls did well at some game and joked about them both using Abeka and that was it.
> I think you could combine history or science for 2 of the kids and do the grade in between, but 3 would be a stretch with Abeka.  Maybe others on here know of a curiculuum that does this.



Thank you for all of your advice. And thanks a lot for the advice on ordering workbooks for the other 2 at the same time, I would have never though about that. 
I'm Ok with teaching 2 History and Science lessons, but 3. Wow. Maybe what I could do is teach my 4th grader seperately and combine my 5 and 7 yr old. My 7 yr old has developmental delays, so she is about a yr behind, so I think that would work out well !!!! Thanks again.
If anyone else has any advice I will gladly take it!!!


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## anabelle

3princesses+aprince said:


> Thank you for all of your advice. And thanks a lot for the advice on ordering workbooks for the other 2 at the same time, I would have never though about that.
> I'm Ok with teaching 2 History and Science lessons, but 3. Wow. Maybe what I could do is teach my 4th grader seperately and combine my 5 and 7 yr old. My 7 yr old has developmental delays, so she is about a yr behind, so I think that would work out well !!!! Thanks again.
> If anyone else has any advice I will gladly take it!!!



Do you want to use Abeka for History and Science as well?   A lot of people use unit studies (Like Sonlight) for children of various ages.   That way the whole family is studying the same thing at the same time.   Older children might get more challenging books added to their reading list.


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## DisneyMom5

I use Sonlight (not really a unit study, I would call it literature based).
I combine children as much as possible.  

I recommend if you use Sonlight, to use the level of the younger of two children, or at the least, use the level between them.
It's best not to try to spread it out over more than 3 years age difference.
So I have my  9th and 7th grader together (Sonlight Core 100- Am. Hist), my 4th grader sits in on their history this year (Core 3 - Am. Hist), but has had his own before, and then I have my 1st, K, and PreK together (Core 1 - Intro to World Hist).  
For science, the oldest two now do their own (Apologia), but have been together up until this year.  The 4th grader reads science to the littles.
They all have their own math, handwriting, and Lang. arts.
I read Bible to all of them together (my own thing) and the oldest two also have a Bible Study workbook.

It has really been helpful to me to have 1) a literature based curriculum vs. textbooks/workbooks (math/handwriting is still workbook), 
and 2) have olders read to youngers.
You can read a book to more than one kid at a time, rather than having several different textbooks.
This helps me to be free to assist with math and language arts.

Sonlight can be expensive, but it's mostly reusable, which is a big plus to us.
Also, it has a money back guarentee for up to 18 WEEKS of using it.  
And they have started doing payment plans.

Just a thought for those of you worried about spreading yourselves too thin.

P.S. - I don't do everything in the Instructor's Guides for Sonlight, nor do I always accomplish them on the days assigned.  You have to give yourself grace if you like to check things off.  It can be overwhelming!

Happy to answer any questions on Sonlight -- I have been using it since 2000!


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## 3princesses+aprince

anabelle said:


> Do you want to use Abeka for History and Science as well?   A lot of people use unit studies (Like Sonlight) for children of various ages.   That way the whole family is studying the same thing at the same time.   Older children might get more challenging books added to their reading list.



I was thinking about using all Abeka, but, like I said, i'm new to this, so if anyone has suggestions, i'd be happy to listen to all of them. I'll check out the sonlight website and see if that would be better for us for History and Science.



DisneyMom5 said:


> I use Sonlight (not really a unit study, I would call it literature based).
> I combine children as much as possible.
> 
> I recommend if you use Sonlight, to use the level of the younger of two children, or at the least, use the level between them.
> It's best not to try to spread it out over more than 3 years age difference.
> So I have my  9th and 7th grader together (Sonlight Core 100- Am. Hist), my 4th grader sits in on their history this year (Core 3 - Am. Hist), but has had his own before, and then I have my 1st, K, and PreK together (Core 1 - Intro to World Hist).
> For science, the oldest two now do their own (Apologia), but have been together up until this year.  The 4th grader reads science to the littles.
> They all have their own math, handwriting, and Lang. arts.
> I read Bible to all of them together (my own thing) and the oldest two also have a Bible Study workbook.
> 
> It has really been helpful to me to have 1) a literature based curriculum vs. textbooks/workbooks (math/handwriting is still workbook),
> and 2) have olders read to youngers.
> You can read a book to more than one kid at a time, rather than having several different textbooks.
> This helps me to be free to assist with math and language arts.
> 
> Sonlight can be expensive, but it's mostly reusable, which is a big plus to us.
> Also, it has a money back guarentee for up to 18 WEEKS of using it.
> And they have started doing payment plans.
> 
> Just a thought for those of you worried about spreading yourselves too thin.
> 
> P.S. - I don't do everything in the Instructor's Guides for Sonlight, nor do I always accomplish them on the days assigned.  You have to give yourself grace if you like to check things off.  It can be overwhelming!
> 
> Happy to answer any questions on Sonlight -- I have been using it since 2000!



Thanks, I'm going to check out the sonlight website and if I have any questions, i'll ask.
What I was thinking about with Abeka, was to let my 4th grader do her own and combine my 5 and 7 yr old. I don't think for K that History and Science is required anyway, so this will be a good practice year for the combined lesson between them two.

Thanks again, I have received so much useful information from this thread


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## KibbyCat

If you haven't already done so, please go here to add your name to the list: 

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=31179987

We're trying to get the DISboards people to give us our own Home School forum.

(Thanks, 3princesses+aprince for signing and bumping the thread back up!)


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## 3princesses+aprince

No problem Kibbycat, I am new to homeschooling and would LOVE to have our own place here for it. I've searched around the internet for homeschool forums, but I always want to come here with my disney friends. 



I also wanted to say that my best friend and I just planned to go to Disney together next September, between us there will be 8 kids...So much fun, but the best part will be I will not be stressing out over the kids missing school work and having to get back to school and be stressed out making it all up. They are still in PS right now until the end of the school year, so for our May trip they will be missing 8 days of school No more worries about that!!!!!!!! After June that is! So next year we will be studying a lot that has to do with Disney World before we go. How much fun will it be to learn about Disney.


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## disneymom3

i wish you all luck with the request for the forum.  After MANY years of many of us asking the same thing, I will not be putting my name on the list.  I have found a disney board that is very open to homeschoolers and has a seperate forum for us. Though I love this thread, i have just never felt that my homeschooling part of me was very welcome on the DIS.

However, I do hope that those of you asking now fare better than we have in the past.


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## 3princesses+aprince

I hope we get the forum, but if not, we can just continue on in our thread here. I know a forum would be GREAT ,but we can still enjoy talking with the homeschoolers that come onto this thread.



On a fun note, I just spent the last 2 hours going through drawers in my hutch in the living room, which is where we will be doing our work. In one draw I had winter hats, and gloves (they don't really belong there.) In another I had a years worth of things the kids brought home from school or colored for me (No need to save Januarys returned homework) In another, for some reason there were Christmas gift bags and tissue paper (no need, I have an entire closet for Chrismtas stuff.)
So, i'm all cleaned out, and I have room for so much stuff. I want to be very organized. I know at work when my papers are all over the place I feel like i'm forgetting to do things. So as I start buying the things we need and books I will find a nice neat place for them. Each girl will have their own draw for their books. I have alot of space, I'm very happy.


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## Disney Mommy 3

congrats on getting started!! I too started out with ABeka, as that is what we were familiar with from the christian school. It is awesome, and for phonics and getting started, it's very organized!! My only word of caution is not to do every single thing in the book, and you don't have to buy everything they try to sell you at the booksales! We have evolved into  other curriculums over the years, but if you don't want to do their History and Science, so you can group all your kids together, check into Apologia Science and for history Mystery of History or TruthQuest. All of these are wonderful! another good science series is Christian Kids Explore....Chemistry, Biology. these were also written by a homeschooling mom.  And just remember that on days when life is crazy, it's okay to just step out of school for a while and do nothing!! We have days here and there where we get off schedule and just go get a good book and read, or watch cartoons, or just do NOTHING!! This is needed sometimes and it's perfectly okay to do it!!!! Keep us posted on how things are going!


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## CantWaitToGo2007

Hello.  I haven't read the whole thread, just the last couple of pages, but I have a question and am hoping someone here can point me in the right direction.

My son is currently in 7th grade and I will be homeschooling him when he gets to 9th grade (I would love to do it starting next year, but I am a single parent and I have to work during the day).  I know that he would be able to handle completing any assingments I leave for him during the day, and then we could go over it when I got home.  While I am 98% sure that he will be homeschooled (the social aspect of school is extremely overwhelming to him, he will still have social gatherings with kids his own age outside of schooling) I want to learn more about it.  I've heard that there is an online curriculum that he could use that the school district pays for (we live in Washington state - north kitsap school district).  Does anyone know if this is true?  Where can I go to find out?  What type of curriculum did you use for your 9th grade student?  

Any help and advice is greatly appreciated 

Thanks
Nanette


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## Nicolepa

CantWaitToGo2007 said:


> I've heard that there is an online curriculum that he could use that the school district pays for (we live in Washington state - north kitsap school district).  Does anyone know if this is true?  Where can I go to find out?  What type of curriculum did you use for your 9th grade student?
> 
> Any help and advice is greatly appreciated
> 
> Thanks
> Nanette



Go to www.wava.org.  I can't comment on the cirriculum yet but we are planning on using it next year for our 7yo.  They are doing a lot of infor session right now.  Look for one and check them out.


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## wvdislover

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> congrats on getting started!! I too started out with ABeka, as that is what we were familiar with from the christian school. It is awesome, and for phonics and getting started, it's very organized!! My only word of caution is not to do every single thing in the book, and you don't have to buy everything they try to sell you at the booksales! We have evolved into  other curriculums over the years, but if you don't want to do their History and Science, so you can group all your kids together, check into Apologia Science and for history Mystery of History or TruthQuest. All of these are wonderful! another good science series is Christian Kids Explore....Chemistry, Biology. these were also written by a homeschooling mom.  And just remember that on days when life is crazy, it's okay to just step out of school for a while and do nothing!! We have days here and there where we get off schedule and just go get a good book and read, or watch cartoons, or just do NOTHING!! This is needed sometimes and it's perfectly okay to do it!!!! Keep us posted on how things are going!



Hey, Shawna, how would you compare Mystery of History to Truthquest?  Or Truthquest to Sonlight (they seem similar)?  Thanks!


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## 3princesses+aprince

Disneymommy3, Thanks for the advice! I have heard that Abeka can be A LOT. I am going into it knowing that. I'm glad I know , because i'm sure I would have been driving myself crazy I just keep looking at so many different curriculums and I feel Abeka would be best for us this year as we're just getting started. I'm one of those Moms that need to know I have good enough material to teach my kids, and this just seemed like the one.
I will look into Mystery of History and Apologia Science too though. I'm actually going to go look that up right now. If at all possible I know the more I can group the kids together the more time we'll have to spend on that particular subject. Thanks, i'll let you know what I think.


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## Disney Mommy 3

wvdislover said:


> Hey, Shawna, how would you compare Mystery of History to Truthquest?  Or Truthquest to Sonlight (they seem similar)?  Thanks!



I haven't actually used Sonlight-I have visited the website and have a friend that just loves it! I think it's a little more 'put together' for you with a lesson plan.

Mystery of History is all in that one book-with some extra activities added after lessons. It's good-we used it last year, but when we needed the 3rd volume it hadn't been printed yet, so I had to find something else for my eldest son. This is how I stumbled upon TQ.

TruthQuest is a guide with topics-under large topics will be smaller topics/people that were important, but maybe not so known. You have several 'spine books' that you can choose from to be your base history book for the year. After you read your section in the guide book, and your reading passage from you spine book, you then have listed books that you can add for additional reading. For example, we are in colonial american times with my middle son, and for extra reading, I chose Johnny Tremain, by Eshter Forbes. He started reading that book last week, but we have had some things come up that keep interrupting his reading time, I found it on cd. It has been awesome hearing it read by someone else (not me!) and we are all getting to enjoy it!!

If you really like MoH better since it's more contained in the one book, you can always add books as readers to make it more alive. I love both, but I do like the rich literature of TQ.  TQ has 'ThinkWrite' sprinkled throughout where you can have them write about certain questions she puts to them. MoH has tests. Check them out and let me know what you think. I am going to look at Sonlight for my older son for next year. I will probably just stay with TQ since we are in the swing of it already!


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## 3princesses+aprince

Ok, so I just looked into Apologia Science, and I'm 98% sure we are going with that instead of Abeka Science. 

Do I have this correct, the elementary books that say they are for grades K-6 can be used for all three of my girls! That's exciting, it sure beats doing 2 Science lessons, and when we work on projects, we'll all be doing them together. So there are no workbooks or tests that come along with this though, it's just the book?

I also glanced at Truthquest and Mystery of History, but I'll have to look into those a little more. With just a quick glance I like the Abeka better, but I'll do some more researching, because to group them together would be really nice.


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## saremca

We love Apologia Science.  I use the books with my two younger ones together.  It's nice to be able to do science together with them both at once.


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## 3princesses+aprince

saremca said:


> We love Apologia Science.  I use the books with my two younger ones together.  It's nice to be able to do science together with them both at once.





Yeah, I just checked out the website and couldn't believe that I could teach them all together. I do like the looks of the Abeka Science, but Apologia doesn't seem to be to different from what the Abeka teaches in it's lessons. I'm just so darn excited right now!!!!!!!!

I change my mind from 98% sure to 100% sure.

THANKS SO MUCH DISNEYMOMMY3


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## Disney Mommy 3

3princesses+aprince said:


> Yeah, I just checked out the website and couldn't believe that I could teach them all together. I do like the looks of the Abeka Science, but Apologia doesn't seem to be to different from what the Abeka teaches in it's lessons. I'm just so darn excited right now!!!!!!!!
> 
> I change my mind from 98% sure to 100% sure.
> 
> THANKS SO MUCH DISNEYMOMMY3



You are most welcome!! I have used ABeka for Science and I just really like Apologia better. My kids love this Science. We have used the Astronomy, Botony, Animals of the 5th day, and my oldest is finishing the 7th grade Gen. Sci. We think they are very thorough & interesting--and have a Creation science view. ABeka does have a thorough Science, but Apologia holds their attention better. I think it comes across more as 'life' instead of facts to be drilled and tested over. Kids are smart--they pick up on that really early in our studies and have always learned more from books that aren't just drilling facts to be tested over later. I am so glad you are excited! You can also spread out the Apologia and do science 2 or 3 days a week instead of 5. depending on your school calendar. For the elem. level sciences anyway. I have to say I have learned so much from Apologia!!!!


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## 3princesses+aprince

Sorry, 1 more question about the Apologia Science. I see a few different books listed , do each one of those take you through 1 "schoolyear" or do they only provide a few months worth of work? Thanks!


OK, one more question, What do you all do for Health, i'm just wondering if I would be able to combine my girls with that too, they're 5 , 7 and 9. Right now I plan on using Abekas and combining my 5 and 7 yr old and having my 9 yr old do her own.


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## Disney Mommy 3

I wanted to share something with ya'll like we really enjoy. We switched halfway through the year to Rod & Staff and we are really happy with it. We have used various lang. curriculums and this is really a breath of fresh air. It has very simple/ straightforward lessons. They are usually short lessons with oral and class review. Then we just go over the oral part and do a worksheet. We have just sped through this with so much more being comprehended that ever before. It's not so short that its useless, or so long that they are bored and forgetting what they learned.

Another thing we like are the books from Yesterdays Classics. We got some of our Spine books for History from this site, and just some classic stories. I ordered Grammar-Land a few weeks ago and plan to read it after we finish our Rod & Staff. It's a story about Judge Grammar and his viceroys: the parts of speech-Mr. Noun for example. I have said before how much more you can learn from things being in story form and this little story is wonderful. I have only read the beginning of it --can't wait to read it to the kids! 

For math if you have kids doing 4th grade math and up, I must recommend Teaching Textbooks! This has been a great blessing for us!!!

Well, just wanted to pass along a few things we enjoy, seeing as time for getting next years stuff is upon us!!!!


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## Disney Mommy 3

3princesses+aprince said:


> Sorry, 1 more question about the Apologia Science. I see a few different books listed , do each one of those take you through 1 "schoolyear" or do they only provide a few months worth of work? Thanks!
> 
> 
> OK, one more question, What do you all do for Health, i'm just wondering if I would be able to combine my girls with that too, they're 5 , 7 and 9. Right now I plan on using Abekas and combining my 5 and 7 yr old and having my 9 yr old do her own.



Apologia-if you do Science everyday, it'll take about a semester. If you only do Sci. 2 or 3 days a week you can do a school year.

We did ABeka Health--it's pretty good. We didn't use one this year.In the lower levels, Health is lots of hygiene teaching and basic body knowledge.These are discussed regularly around here, so we havent used a book for it this year.Some states may require it, so I think whatever curr. you choose will be fine!Or, any of those little body books geared towards girls/boys by age will probably serve the purpose just as well.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Ok, thanks, So I think I will do Science 3 days a week then to make it last the year. I'd rather do that than do it half the yr and have no Science the second half. My 9 yr old is very into Science, so she wouldn't be very happy if we were done halfway through. Her HOT items for Christmas were a Telescope and Microscope And I see that the first book on the list was Astronomy, so that sounds PERFECT!

And I think we'll stick with Abeka's Health books then!!


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## DisneyMom5

Re: Apologia science - I just wanted to mention that the Lower levels of Apologia science can be used past 6 th grade, they might just take a quicker pace.
My just going into 7th grade son was NOT getting the Gen. science (I was having him do it with his older sister) so I borrowed the Apologia Swimming creatures.  Well, he just ATE it up, and made the diorama and everthing.
Then, when he finished that, I borrowed the Botany book.
Now he has started in on the Gen. Sci, and is doing much better.  I think the math type concepts in it were too advanced at the time he first tried.

So my almost done with 9th has just finished the Gen. Sci, and is doing Phys Sci, and my almost done with 7th has just started Gen. Sci.

I haven't done the lower levels with a group, but several friends are doing that and love it!  I don't tend to like text books, but I do like these!

I don't really worry about testing and grades in elementary.  I can usually tell if they are getting stuff or not.  And I make them redo their math until they can get it, so mastery is my measuring stick.
When they get to high school level, I grade anything I can measure.  : )


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## 3princesses+aprince

Thanks for your opinion and advice Disneymom5.  That is good to know!!!


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## Denine

We are testing this week.  We did a review today and start the CAT tomorrow.
Hopefully it will go well.


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## csk470

Hello!
I'm Tracey and i am married to Mike, we are currently stationed at Fort Bliss El Paso Tx I am the mom to 4 two of which are adults but i have a boy 14 and a boy 8 at home. This is our first duty station and let me tell you its a far cry from small town ohio!! My boys were in ps back home and were in school here for 6 weeks, until my 8 yr old was being hurt by another child (finger marks on neck from being choked) and then being punched in the face a week later by yet another child for being "new" said he had to be taught to fit in WHAT THE HECK!? So first i pulled him and 2 days later my 14 yr old had issues with kids stealing and blaming him hes the new kid they dont know him....so i wasnt going to stand by and let these people change them, they are good boys and polite and i want them to stay that way... we started out using time4learning and then decided to start with a virtual academy as i like having the help from the teachers. We have made a wonderful choice for the boys, they are doing soooo much better now and it has been the one thing in the past year that is staying constant for them my husband just deployed for a year and here we sit in this awful place I have made some really good friends here and almost all of them have since pulled their kids from the same school and are now homeschooling their kids in one form or another all of us using what is good for your families!! We even have a SAHD his wife is the soldier and he is doing a great job!! we have been having our own homeschooling get togethers and have been finding others in our area and branching out!! At an outing today i was told that since the first of the year the school that i took my little one out of has lost 10% of their enrollment to homeschooling oops i started a revolt!!!!! there are alot of things i like about homeschooling the way we are doing it we have the VA but i teach as i want as its a progressive program and i have added other things i want to use such as a Bible study and spanish and keyboarding and  now looking for some sort of music program maybe looking for an electric piano lesson not sure yet! anyway didnt mean to get long winded here but wanted to say hi and i look forward to getting to know you all! oh and i have been reading all the thread from the very first post its been 3 days lolol
                                                    Tracey


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## 3princesses+aprince

Denine said:


> We are testing this week.  We did a review today and start the CAT tomorrow.
> Hopefully it will go well.



Good luck with your tests!



csk470 said:


> Hello!
> I'm Tracey and i am married to Mike, we are currently stationed at Fort Bliss El Paso Tx I am the mom to 4 two of which are adults but i have a boy 14 and a boy 8 at home. This is our first duty station and let me tell you its a far cry from small town ohio!! My boys were in ps back home and were in school here for 6 weeks, until my 8 yr old was being hurt by another child (finger marks on neck from being choked) and then being punched in the face a week later by yet another child for being "new" said he had to be taught to fit in WHAT THE HECK!? So first i pulled him and 2 days later my 14 yr old had issues with kids stealing and blaming him hes the new kid they dont know him....so i wasnt going to stand by and let these people change them, they are good boys and polite and i want them to stay that way... we started out using time4learning and then decided to start with a virtual academy as i like having the help from the teachers. We have made a wonderful choice for the boys, they are doing soooo much better now and it has been the one thing in the past year that is staying constant for them my husband just deployed for a year and here we sit in this awful place I have made some really good friends here and almost all of them have since pulled their kids from the same school and are now homeschooling their kids in one form or another all of us using what is good for your families!! We even have a SAHD his wife is the soldier and he is doing a great job!! we have been having our own homeschooling get togethers and have been finding others in our area and branching out!! At an outing today i was told that since the first of the year the school that i took my little one out of has lost 10% of their enrollment to homeschooling oops i started a revolt!!!!! there are alot of things i like about homeschooling the way we are doing it we have the VA but i teach as i want as its a progressive program and i have added other things i want to use such as a Bible study and spanish and keyboarding and  now looking for some sort of music program maybe looking for an electric piano lesson not sure yet! anyway didnt mean to get long winded here but wanted to say hi and i look forward to getting to know you all! oh and i have been reading all the thread from the very first post its been 3 days lolol
> Tracey




Oh, wow, that is terrible. What kind of animals do they have out there? Your poor boys. Glad you are all happy now though! Thank God homeschooling is an option! And that is great that you have a group of homeschoolers going on there for your support.


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## CantWaitToGo2007

Nicolepa said:


> Go to www.wava.org.  I can't comment on the cirriculum yet but we are planning on using it next year for our 7yo.  They are doing a lot of infor session right now.  Look for one and check them out.



Thank you so much!  I bookmarked the site so I can go back and check it out later - I'm so tired at the moment I can barely type 

thanks again 

Nanette


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## Disney Mommy 3

Hi Tracey!! Welcome~
I am as far on the other side of Texas from you as I can be! I am in SE Texas-closer to La. I wanted to welcome you to Texas and say I was horrified to read of your traumatic experience. Kids can be so horrid! And these people that say things like, Oh, they are just kids. Or, They don't mean it--it's just the way kids are....They either don't have kids or they are in la-la land. I too was bullied as a kid, so I know how devastating it can be. I am truly sad for your boys-& we are supposed to be the friendly state for cryin' out loud! But, I guess kids are gonna be mean no matter where they are from.

I am glad you have a community that supports you and you have people to 'talk' with about it -especially since your dh is away right now.  I too am married to a Mike, so I know your hubby is a great guy!! I have never done a virtual school, so I am glad to hear that it works for you. Hopefully your boys will be able to forgive the kids that acted this way and be better men for it! I am sure they are great little guys!

You mentioned getting a Bible study for them-have you checked into the one by Rod & Staff? We think theirs is the best Bible & Readers Program we have came across. check it out and see what you think!


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## 3princesses+aprince

I just wanted to post, because I am mad. Ok, I had a meeting with my dd9's teachers, principle and the school pyschologist(which I do not like) about 3 weeks ago. Dd9 is reading below grade level and is not up to speed with all of her spelling words. Well the school Psychologist was there because she felt she needed to be part of it because dd9 gets sick to her stomach every morning going into school. Nothing that keeps her home , she just says her stomach feels like she's nervous. Yes everyday, but most days now, she doesn't even say anything. 
So the psychologist just called me and said ,we ( the teachers/staff) met up this morning and dd9 is now reading at grade level and has been doing much better with her spelling words. Ok.......So 3 weeks ago she was behind, now she's all caught up. She's been behind in reading since day 1, but now she's fine. What are they trying to pull? I don't get that one! And the pyschologist has wanted to have regular meetings with dd9, so she asked me at the last meeting if she could talk to her just once, to see what she would say to her. So I allowed her one visit, and she called me about a week and a half ago to tell me that dd9 has anxiety issues(NO KIDDING) and she was telling me things that dd9 was saying, and this Pysc. was asking her alot of questions about home. And I told her that dd9 doesn't really have anything to be anxious about at home, and she said..."welllllllll(just like that, ya know long and drawn out) Oh, my, I was steaming.!!!!!!!!! I am a wonderful mother and no School Pyschologist is going to BUG my child about her home life trying to put her school issues on that. NO WAY. I am so pissed off right now!
So the Pysch. just asked me on the phone a few minutes ago if I wanted her to start seeing her regulary. I was supposed to send in a note giving her the Ok. I told her right out. No, I will let you know if anything changes, but right now, No ( Really it will never happen) So then.....Here it comes... She says, Oh, well then can I at least have permission to talk to her today to tell her why I won't be seeing her anymore( The idiot only talked to her 1 time, she's acting like she's a family member i'm pulling away) She said, I don't want her to think I just abandoned her. I said, Ok, sure! Bye now, thanks for the call. Oh, man I AM SO MAD
Does anyone have anything to say on this stupid situation!!!!!!


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## Disney Mommy 3

I don't know girl, but that sounds really weird to me. Do they know you are planning to hs next year?I wouldn't say anything at this point if you haven't already. i would be leary of what she is saying to her--why is she so desperate to talk with your kid now that the year is almost over? 

yes, that would have really upset me too.


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## Denine

3princesses+aprince said:


> I just wanted to post, because I am mad. Ok, I had a meeting with my dd9's teachers, principle and the school pyschologist(which I do not like) about 3 weeks ago. Dd9 is reading below grade level and is not up to speed with all of her spelling words. Well the school Psychologist was there because she felt she needed to be part of it because dd9 gets sick to her stomach every morning going into school. Nothing that keeps her home , she just says her stomach feels like she's nervous. Yes everyday, but most days now, she doesn't even say anything.
> So the psychologist just called me and said ,we ( the teachers/staff) met up this morning and dd9 is now reading at grade level and has been doing much better with her spelling words. Ok.......So 3 weeks ago she was behind, now she's all caught up. She's been behind in reading since day 1, but now she's fine. What are they trying to pull? I don't get that one! And the pyschologist has wanted to have regular meetings with dd9, so she asked me at the last meeting if she could talk to her just once, to see what she would say to her. So I allowed her one visit, and she called me about a week and a half ago to tell me that dd9 has anxiety issues(NO KIDDING) and she was telling me things that dd9 was saying, and this Pysc. was asking her alot of questions about home. And I told her that dd9 doesn't really have anything to be anxious about at home, and she said..."welllllllll(just like that, ya know long and drawn out) Oh, my, I was steaming.!!!!!!!!! I am a wonderful mother and no School Pyschologist is going to BUG my child about her home life trying to put her school issues on that. NO WAY. I am so pissed off right now!
> So the Pysch. just asked me on the phone a few minutes ago if I wanted her to start seeing her regulary. I was supposed to send in a note giving her the Ok. I told her right out. No, I will let you know if anything changes, but right now, No ( Really it will never happen) So then.....Here it comes... She says, Oh, well then can I at least have permission to talk to her today to tell her why I won't be seeing her anymore( The idiot only talked to her 1 time, she's acting like she's a family member i'm pulling away) She said, I don't want her to think I just abandoned her. I said, Ok, sure! Bye now, thanks for the call. Oh, man I AM SO MAD
> Does anyone have anything to say on this stupid situation!!!!!!



Talk about being manipulative!  How much longer do they have to be in this school?


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## Denine

First day of CAT testing is done.  We will continue tomorrow.  I am nervous as to how well she is doing.  I know she got some answers wrong.  What bugs me is that I can't go over them with DD and tell her why they are wrong since I have to send the test in for scoring.


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## Twoboysnmygirl

Yep, I have warning bells going off in my head after reading your post!  My guess is that you already told them you were thinking of homeschooling (or she did) and they are going to try and convince her that she doesn't want to homeschool!  It's CRAZY how manipulative they can be.


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## graygables

Is it too late for you to withdraw that permission???  I'd get down there NOW and put my body between her and DD if at all possible.  She is definitely up to something and is violating your parental rights if she is talking about anything but school issues without your express permission (that's why she needed the note).  If it were me, I'd pull DD out of school now, just to let them know that they aren't going to get away with that crap and are no longer going to manipulate my child, planting Lord knows what kinds of seeds in her head.


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## csk470

Thank you for the welcome and i will look online at the Rod and Staff to see about that program its always nice to have imput! We are doing ok and the boys know that there are just mean people in the world for whatever reason and that maybe they just dont know any better and we "feel" sorry for them and forgive them! Those are the qualities that i am trying to keep in my children and not turn them into the people we are away from now. We are only about 10 min from the mexican boarder so we are really close to all the bad stuff that filters over, also the schools here are not DOD schools so anyone that wants to put there kids here can. so we have a really large mix of people and very low scores plus they have to teach down since alot of the kids dont speak very good english. Its just really weird here! But the VA is working out great for us!!
                                                           Tracey


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## 3princesses+aprince

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> I don't know girl, but that sounds really weird to me. Do they know you are planning to hs next year?I wouldn't say anything at this point if you haven't already. i would be leary of what she is saying to her--why is she so desperate to talk with your kid now that the year is almost over?
> 
> yes, that would have really upset me too.



I have mentioned at a previous meeting that I was thinking about it, in which they told me if I do that she will never get over her anxiety and may not go to college I am very upset. And it sounds like they are just trying to pretend everything is all better right now. I guess because they know I would like to HS. I mean come on, I know she has been behind in reading and writing since day 1, don't tell me because we had a meeting 3 weeks ago and you thought I might hs that she is now reading on grade level and her spelling is fine, that's quite a joke.



Denine said:


> Talk about being manipulative!  How much longer do they have to be in this school?



Their last day of school is June 24th! It can't come soon enough. Oh, minus our week in Disney World Can't wait for a vacation, that's for sure.





Twoboysnmygirl said:


> Yep, I have warning bells going off in my head after reading your post!  My guess is that you already told them you were thinking of homeschooling (or she did) and they are going to try and convince her that she doesn't want to homeschool!  It's CRAZY how manipulative they can be.



You are absolutely correct, they know from me that I was thinking about it, and dd has told a few friends at school. They are being very manipulative.



graygables said:


> Is it too late for you to withdraw that permission???  I'd get down there NOW and put my body between her and DD if at all possible.  She is definitely up to something and is violating your parental rights if she is talking about anything but school issues without your express permission (that's why she needed the note).  If it were me, I'd pull DD out of school now, just to let them know that they aren't going to get away with that crap and are no longer going to manipulate my child, planting Lord knows what kinds of seeds in her head.



Ok, I did not give her permission to talk to my dd. She just told me she was going to tell her that she wouldn't be having sessions with her. I'm going to ask dd what was said to her as soon as she gets home, if it was anything but that, I will go down to the school. I would like to take her out know. But I'm not 100% sure. I don't know what to do I can't wait until she gets home from school so I know what was said.


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## graygables

3princesses+aprince said:


> Ok, I did not give her permission to talk to my dd. She just told me she was going to tell her that she wouldn't be having sessions with her. I'm going to ask dd what was said to her as soon as she gets home, if it was anything but that, I will go down to the school. I would like to take her out know. But I'm not 100% sure. I don't know what to do I can't wait until she gets home from school so I know what was said.



I took my DDs out mid-year and it was not a problem at all. I simply sent in the required paperwork for notification and that was that.  Honestly, what are they going to cover in the next 8 weeks that you can't handle?  It would also make your vacation a lot more peaceful and less hectic with all of the busy work they are sure to make you mess with when you get back.  I'm just sayin'...


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## wvdislover

The school definitely doesn't want to lose your DD!  If she leaves the school, they lose money (they get money for each child enrolled at the school).  Sounds like manipulation to me, too.  Are they trying to convince your DD that things are bad at home, so she won't want to homeschool  I think I'd be getting her out of there sooner, rather than later.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Thanks for the replys. dd said that the Mrs. "D" did not talk to her today. So i'm not sure why she said that to me and then didn't even end up saying anything to dd. Maybe it was just to make me feel like I was doing wrong from "keeping her from getting help" with the her. I don't know I'm thinking of taking her out at the end of the week, which would be thursday, there's no school friday for Good Friday and next week is our Spring vacation. It will be stressful anyway for dd to come back from Disney and make up 7 days of work(although 2 of those days will be field trips), so taking her out now will end that too. I'm not sure if they're going to give me a hard time about taking her out for the week while she's struggling, and they'll probably end up making me mad about that also. I'll let you know what I decide, my dd7 is sleeping with a fever right now, I had to pick her up from school a half hour before it was over.( As I was driving to the school, I was thinking, if they were home, she wouldn't have been sitting in school all day feeling horrible.) We're going to color our Easter Eggs tonight and then when the kids go to bed, i'm going to talk to dh, and tell him what happened today and see what he thinks we should do.
I figure too If I take her out now, we'll have a head start on knowing what it's going to be like in the fall when we really start.
I'll keep ya posted, Thanks again.


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## csk470

thank you for the information on Rod and Staff i think this is the study program we are going to go with!! 
                                      Tracey


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## WeDisney4

We did it!  Jumped in at the last minute & started homeschooling last August!!!  We are Catholic & So I went w/ Seton w/ Saxon math for my 2nd grader & Kindergartener.  It was perfect for us, except for Science.  I am looking for a new Science program for next year.  (Girls will be 3rd & 1st.)

So far Ive read opinions on:  Apologia elementary science, NOEO science, 106 Days of Creation Studies, Science in a Nutshell, Dinah Zike's Great Science Adventures.

I want to teach science to them together, simply modifying to fit the grade.  Hands-on and already put together are a Huge plus for us!!

Id love for your advice!  I lurked here, I think even posted while we were in the should/shouldnt I, how to convince DH stage.  I am so grateful to be posting as a Homeshooling Mama!!!

P.S. I apologize ~ Im sure this has been covered, Ill also start reading backwards & try to catch up w/ you all!


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## 3princesses+aprince

I don't have any advice for you because this coming year will be our first year homeschooling, we'll be starting in August! But i've heard good things about Apologia, and looked into it, we're going with that.
I'm going with all Abeka, but looked into this when I heard it could be used for more than 1 child. I was excited! It sure beats doing 2 or 3 Science lessons and different projects for each child. It will be so much fun to do it together.
I wanted to group them for history too, but the curriculums i've looked into for that, i'm not too sure of. I really love the looks of Abeka's History, so we'll start out with that this year and see how it works out.


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## Denine

3princesses: Keep us posted on what you do.  Remember we are here to support you.

Day 2 of testing has gone well.  I did my own grading today and DD got 100% on the language part and 96% and 91% on the math tests.  She would have gotten higher on the 2nd test, but she forgot to fill in a circle.  Instead, she wrote the numbers in.  She would have had the right number.

We have the science and social studies parts to do yet.

I think I will go back and "grade" yesterdays tests too.

I don't know how it works out percentile wise, but I am guessing pretty well.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Denine said:


> 3princesses: Keep us posted on what you do.  Remember we are here to support you.
> 
> Day 2 of testing has gone well.  I did my own grading today and DD got 100% on the language part and 96% and 91% on the math tests.  She would have gotten higher on the 2nd test, but she forgot to fill in a circle.  Instead, she wrote the numbers in.  She would have had the right number.
> 
> We have the science and social studies parts to do yet.
> 
> I think I will go back and "grade" yesterdays tests too.
> 
> I don't know how it works out percentile wise, but I am guessing pretty well.




Thank you denine, I know I receive a lot of support from this thread, I check it daily, and have even been going through the older posts, and the posts from the first thread that was made. It really helps, because a lot of people have been through this and I can read about their situation, what advice was given to them, and how it turned out in the end for them. 
I am still thinking about whether to take her out this week or wait until the end of the year. She is having major anxiety right now thinking about what she will be missing when we are in Disney World next month. I feel bad, if we're going to homeschool next year anyway, I SHOULD just pull her out now and end her misery. We'll be on a nice vacation and she will not have anything to worry about. Oh, I don't know!!! I know what I should do, so i'm getting aggrivated wondering why I just don't do it.
She's home with me today anyway, she had a Dr's appt. So all is well today, although not really because she is worrying about what she is missing. I told her I could bring her in after the appt. but that was a NO. So, I called the teacher and left a message to see if she could leave her work and i'll pick it up after school, so she can do it tonight.


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## saremca

csk470 said:


> thank you for the information on Rod and Staff i think this is the study program we are going to go with!!
> Tracey



My kids have all used R&S and love it.  We use R&S, Apologia, and ABEKA mostly.


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## wvdislover

3princesses+aprince said:


> Thank you denine, I know I receive a lot of support from this thread, I check it daily, and have even been going through the older posts, and the posts from the first thread that was made. It really helps, because a lot of people have been through this and I can read about their situation, what advice was given to them, and how it turned out in the end for them.
> I am still thinking about whether to take her out this week or wait until the end of the year. She is having major anxiety right now thinking about what she will be missing when we are in Disney World next month. I feel bad, if we're going to homeschool next year anyway, I SHOULD just pull her out now and end her misery. We'll be on a nice vacation and she will not have anything to worry about. Oh, I don't know!!! I know what I should do, so i'm getting aggrivated wondering why I just don't do it.
> She's home with me today anyway, she had a Dr's appt. So all is well today, although not really because she is worrying about what she is missing. I told her I could bring her in after the appt. but that was a NO. So, I called the teacher and left a message to see if she could leave her work and i'll pick it up after school, so she can do it tonight.



If she's this anxious over everything, I would go ahead and pull her out.  What's the point in leaving her there, esp. if you're going to be HS her next year, anyways  Think of it as a "practice time" for next year   Your whole family will probably be much happier when the major source of your DD's anxiety is eliminated.


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## Disney Mommy 3

My 2 cents?....definitely pull her out-celebrate Easter and let the vacation be the big What Are You Celebrating!!!!!!! this would be a celebration vacation!! How awesome and cool would that be? I say do it--fill out whatever you have to tomorrow and take to your school saying you are un-enrolling ----go to your library  (or buy at your bookstore)and get her 3 or 4 really good books like Little House on the Prairie or Anne of Green Gables and just let her read for a few weeks and get out of all that school pressure. Literature that's really good does wonders for children--you will feel so much better if you go ahead and pull them out. Of course, dh has to be on board----but what's 6 or 8 weeks early? Not enough for her to be upset about!


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## 3princesses+aprince

Right now I am leaning towards taking her out now. I will let my dd7 and dd5 finish off the school year! They would want to. Lizzie's teacher right now is so amazing, she has developmental delays and is in an integrated classroom with a Teacher, Special ed. Teacher and 3 teacher assistants. The classroom is a great setting ,but it's more like a K class with a lot of stuff always going on. And poor dd7 has a concentration problem, she cannot sit through anything. My main concern for her is for next year when she goes to 2nd grade, it's a different school, which is where dd9 is now. I'm afraid she would not get the help she needs, that's when my dd9 went "under the bus" They do not have classroom with Special ed teachers in them all day, it's just the one teacher and 1 assistant, I know my dd7 needs more than that. So hs next year for her is going to be great. And my dd5 loves her preschool and friends. I hope she'll be fine with HS, i'm sure once we start and start participating with the HS group and she meets new friends she'll like it. I mean how could she tell me she wants to go back to school after we've been taking field trips and doing projects with the HS group. It's going to be fun.

I got the name and email address to a homeschooler in my city from the leader of our HS group. I've been talking with her through email and I remember her dd from 1st grade, she was in with my dd. They were in different classrooms though. It was after 1st gr she pulled her dd out. She also has a son who is 5 just like my youngest. We are meeting them at the park next week. dd9 is so excited she's going to meet another homeschooler and this woman said her dd was excited too. Maybe my dd will have a new best friend with alot in common. She was also taken out of school for anxiety issues. She was making herself sick every morning.

I would like to decide for sure by tomorrow so I can let the school now. I actually already submitted a Letter of Intent back in October, but decided to leave her in. So my letter is already in, and of course it was aproved for the 08-09 school year, so I think all I have to do is let them know. I will find out for sure what I have to do!


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## Denine

3princesses+aprince said:


> Thank you denine, I know I receive a lot of support from this thread, I check it daily, and have even been going through the older posts, and the posts from the first thread that was made. It really helps, because a lot of people have been through this and I can read about their situation, what advice was given to them, and how it turned out in the end for them.
> I am still thinking about whether to take her out this week or wait until the end of the year. She is having major anxiety right now thinking about what she will be missing when we are in Disney World next month. I feel bad, if we're going to homeschool next year anyway, I SHOULD just pull her out now and end her misery. We'll be on a nice vacation and she will not have anything to worry about. Oh, I don't know!!! I know what I should do, so i'm getting aggrivated wondering why I just don't do it.
> She's home with me today anyway, she had a Dr's appt. So all is well today, although not really because she is worrying about what she is missing. I told her I could bring her in after the appt. but that was a NO. So, I called the teacher and left a message to see if she could leave her work and i'll pick it up after school, so she can do it tonight.



I say just do it now.  She is miserable and you are miserable.  If you take her out now, you can start fresh after Easter break or vacation.  You won't have much to do since it is the end of the year anyway.  Then when you start up in the fall, you will both be ready.


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## Denine

The CAT test is done and mailed.
We were going to finish tomorrow, but we are going down to Amish country instead.
Overall, I think DD did very well and I am proud of her.  She got 100% on 2 of the tests and in the 90's on most of the others.  I am anxious to see how it correlates with the percentile score.  We should get the results in 1-3 weeks.


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## saremca

Denine said:


> The CAT test is done and mailed.
> We were going to finish tomorrow, but we are going down to Amish country instead.
> Overall, I think DD did very well and I am proud of her.  She got 100% on 2 of the tests and in the 90's on most of the others.  I am anxious to see how it correlates with the percentile score.  We should get the results in 1-3 weeks.



You'll probably be very pleasantly surprised.  I always am when my kids' scores come back.


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## bellebud

3princesses+aprince said:


> I am still thinking about whether to take her out this week or wait until the end of the year.



You may have already read my older posts, but wanted you to know I was in a similar situation.  We were fairly certain we were going to start hsing next september (dd9 and ds7).  My ds was going to make communion in may and I didn't want him to miss that (we were at a catholic school), and I didn't want a dramatic exit from the school, and I was unsure about what I had to do to start hsing and just nervous about the whole thing, so I thought I needed some time to get myself used to the idea and research more before we started.  

then 3 weeks ago, I decided to just do it, immediately.  I was really mad about my dd9 crying about a silly incident (typical girl social stuff) - not mad at my dd, just mad this goes on and on and my daughter wasn't really "happy" anymore... I needed my anger to give me a shove.  

Now 3 weeks later, I'm SOOOO happy!!  I'm not nervous at all (I really thought I would be)... there's nothing to be nervous about.  If you know your state laws, just do what you need to do, and that's it.  The school doesn't own your kids, but sometimes they act like they do.  What state are you in?

I see a change in my ds7 already for the better (my dh has noticed too).  He's calmer, happier, more content.  And ds was very happy w/ school and he wasn't even sure he wanted to homeschool.  And he still isn't 100% sure, but I am now that I see this change in him.  He was a very good boy in school, but at home he was a total handful.  It's like he was holding it all together for school hours, then letting it all out at home.  And our home life was suffering.  And I think he was developing a tick.  Not good!  Our house is calmer, our family life is better, my kids relationship w/ each other is better... I'm so glad I didn't wait to pull them!

I jumped right into hs networking locally - I joined all the local yahoo groups, and have been attending everything w/in an hours drive for the past 3 weeks.  We're now picking and choosing which of these groups we feel comfortable with, and sticking w/ a few.  But I think jumping in like that helped us all a lot - the kids see they can have friends other than at school (ds was worried about that), and I have talked w/ so many other hsing parents and I see how much there really is to do out there for hser's - and my area doesn't have a lot of hsing networks - it's here and there, but putting them all together has let us get together w/ people at least 3 times a week (and it could be more if we wanted).  We'll probably stick w/ 2 times a week, and a once a month book club, and field trips.  

And we're taking it easy for the remainder of the school year.  Every hsing parent has told me to 'deschool' for a while.  We're reading, doing lapbooks, doing things w/ other hser's (social and co-op classes).  We're not doing the classic 'textbook' work (although I did buy a 4th grade and 2nd grade textbook at sam's club, and the kids have done a few pages when they felt like it)... but I don't want to "bring school home".  And I've decided we'll school all year - at a relaxed pace - so I'm not worried about keeping up w/ the school calendar.  After easter vacation (we leave for florida today actually - we live in NY), I'll do a little more of a schedule for math and spelling, and everything else we'll do in a fun way (science, history, writing, reading).  

Good luck w/ your decision and keep us updated!


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## 3princesses+aprince

Thank you for your post bellebud! And you're leaving for Florida today, Have fun, my niece and nephew just got to Disney World last night! And we're leaving in 33 days, I cannot wait 


So it sounds like you were in the "same" situation as I am with deciding to HS next year, but having to think about doing it sooner. I was finally content with my decision to start in the fall, and then all of this "stuff" happening with the school has had me really stressed out this week. And I know I've mentioned before dd9 has anxiety issues and is already dwelling on our Disney trip next month and how her teacher is going to make her stay in and complete all missed assignments. (and she will, she only brings home homework, but missed school work, she'll have the kids stay in from recess to complete them.) I know as we're nearing the end of our trip THAT is what she's going to be thinking about!  dd is a very slow worker with everything, she is that kid in class that always finishes with a test or any assingment last. So you can imagine the anxiety she gets from that, so not only is she upset because she's "last", but she knows that when the time is up, she will be done and finish it at recess time, which is call "tutorial" It's for when homework or schoolwork is missed because of an absence or work is not completed.
We had a really nice talk last night about everything that bothers her and I feel really bad. It's not just school stuff, although that is the brunt of her "issues" she says she worries about stuff alot, like something bad happening to a family member. She says when she's bored and starts to daydream, only thoughts that worry her come into her head. I know I am going to ask her Pediatrician for a referral for her to talk to someone, I can talk to her, but I am not a professional and don't really know what to say, other than, try to think of something happy like Disney World. But she says she's tried, and that doesn't work.  I don't really know what else to say to her to help.   And ya know, the funny thing is that you'd never know she was "bothered" she's always happy , and doing crazy things. But I think that's why everything is getting worse, she's keeps it inside and it just builds up there.


Anyway, long post You'll be happy to know that.........................










































She is not in school today, i'm going to call the school department and see if there is anything I need to do. I mentioned before that I already submitted a Letter of Intent in October and got approved, but of course decided not to start. So, i'm already approved, I just don't know if maybe I need to send in a letter letting them know we are starting now!


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## 3princesses+aprince

This Easter Vacation is going to be so nice. My other daughters are not in school today either, but that's because dd7 is really sick. she's got a fever and a nasty cough. but they will finish out the school year. dd7 may not want to when she sees dd9 home, so we'll see how it goes. so our vacation starts today, of course there's no school tomorrow for Good Friday.

Anyway, we're meeting a homeschooler next week, dd9 is excited, and I just got an email from my hs group and every tuesday in May from 1-2pm they meet at a field and play kickball or Tball, good exercise for dd, we've signed up for that. dd5 will already be home from preschool and dd7 doesn't get off the bus until 3:30. Although we will be in Disney for 2 of those "field days" at least on May 5th and the 26th we can go and hang out with some homeschoolers, I know that will be good for me.
 I got an email last week saying they were all going bowling yesterday, of course Lizzie was sick but They're always doing things, this is going to be so much fun. We're going to get to meet so many people and do so much!

I'll let you know what happens after I contact the school department . dd9 is still sleeping I think she is getting sick too now, she was coughing until she finally fell asleep at 10pm last night. So she does not know the decision yet  I'll let you know what she thinks about that too!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Yeah for you!! I bet once you bring her home her anxiety level, and bad thoughts will diminish. I know if I am getting sick, or just feel run down, my mind will wander. If she's already upset, it's not a far jump for her to start thinking other sad or scary thoughts. Give her time to get school out of her  system and see if she doesn't get better. If she isn't better in a couple of months, maybe ask your pastor about someone who's good with children. 

I am excited for her that she won't be dreading school while she's at Disney!!!Way to go mom!!!


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## 3princesses+aprince

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Yeah for you!! I bet once you bring her home her anxiety level, and bad thoughts will diminish. I know if I am getting sick, or just feel run down, my mind will wander. If she's already upset, it's not a far jump for her to start thinking other sad or scary thoughts. Give her time to get school out of her  system and see if she doesn't get better. If she isn't better in a couple of months, maybe ask your pastor about someone who's good with children.
> 
> I am excited for her that she won't be dreading school while she's at Disney!!!Way to go mom!!!



Thank you. Maybe I will wait a few months, maybe over the summer. Then we'll see how she's doing at that point and go from there. Thanks alot!! who knows maybe everything will be much better.


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## 3princesses+aprince

I contacted the school dept. earlier but was waiting for a call back. She just called me and said everything is all set, just mail and fax over again your letter of Intent so they have it on file, and you're all set. She was extremely pleasant as well.
Right now dd9 and I are packing. Yes I know we still have 33 days to go, but it's been in the 40s here and we're sure not wearing our tanks and flip flops anytime soon so we began our packing . dd9 is in charge of "the list" she is writing down for me how many outfits, and pj sets each person has as it goes into the suitcase. I made that mistake the last time we traveled and I packed early  then had to unpack everything because I had NO IDEA what was in the suitcase So we are prepared this time.
dd9 was of course thrilled that we were starting hsing. I have this great dinosaur/fossil chapter book i'm going to have her read. (Animal Kingdom)
And we are going to learn alot about the countries that can be found in Epcot....Fun Fun
We'll be going to the library for some books


----------



## wvdislover

I'm so glad to hear about your decision and that you're happy with it.  It broke my heart to hear about all your DD has been keeping bottled up inside her  We don't realize all the burdens our children can carry sometimes.  It'll be fun to see how your DD changes for the better, now that she is free from the major source of her anxiety issues.  Hopefully, getting out of that environment will help her a lot.  Have a great spring break!  Hope all the kiddos get well soon!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

wvdislover said:


> I'm so glad to hear about your decision and that you're happy with it.  It broke my heart to hear about all your DD has been keeping bottled up inside her  We don't realize all the burdens our children can carry sometimes.  It'll be fun to see how your DD changes for the better, now that she is free from the major source of her anxiety issues.  Hopefully, getting out of that environment will help her a lot.  Have a great spring break!  Hope all the kiddos get well soon!




Thanks!


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## Disney Mommy 3

3princesses+aprince said:


> I have this great dinosaur/fossil chapter book i'm going to have her read. (Animal Kingdom)
> And we are going to learn alot about the countries that can be found in Epcot....Fun Fun
> We'll be going to the library for some books



That is fantastic!!! Remind her that the princesses can be found in Epcot for Autographs as well and she can get books about each of their countries too!! I just loooove the library!!  Good idea about the packing as well. Something we do---if we are getting kind of close to the end of toothpaste, or shampoos, deoderant, stick them in a special small rubbermaid that's labeled "Travel" and when you are doing your toiletry bag, you have products already and can get rid of the containers at WDW. No need to repack and bring home!!! And of course, we always use tons of Ziplocks!!!!  We went mid-May 2 years ago and it was great! Pretty warm, but not sweltering yet.  You are going to have such a good time!!!


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

3princesses+aprince said:


> We had a really nice talk last night about everything that bothers her and I feel really bad. It's not just school stuff, although that is the brunt of her "issues" she says she worries about stuff alot, like something bad happening to a family member. She says when she's bored and starts to daydream, only thoughts that worry her come into her head. I know I am going to ask her Pediatrician for a referral for her to talk to someone, I can talk to her, but I am not a professional and don't really know what to say, other than, try to think of something happy like Disney World. But she says she's tried, and that doesn't work.  I don't really know what else to say to her to help.   And ya know, the funny thing is that you'd never know she was "bothered" she's always happy , and doing crazy things. But I think that's why everything is getting worse, she's keeps it inside and it just builds up there.



As a mom of a son with GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) I can share with you some tools that we have been given.  Here you go:

1.  Tell your daughter that she need to sit down for 15 to 20 minutes and either think about all her worries or write all her worries down.  Some kids are writing resistant and that's OK....just thinking about them quietly is OK too.  She doesn't need to verbalize her worries or share her list -- it's private.  Then when "worry time" is over, that's it...she has to store up her worries for her next "worry appointment."  We did this 3 times per week and it was amazing the difference it made -- DS knew that he needed to tell himself, when he was worrying -- that it wasn't worry time yet and he needed to "store" it.
2.  We were given "tools" called TBIC 
T is thinking or positive self talk -- I can do this, it's OK, etc.
B is breathing -- remember to breathe evenly and slowly and quietly -- focus on it, out and in, out and in and keep it even.
I is imagery -- imagine the BEST place on the earth and then imagine yourself there and what you are doing and how it feels.
C is challenge -- challenge yourself in small measured steps.  If anxiety is caused by tall escalators, tell yourself that you can last just another 10 seconds -- it's not much and I can do that.  Or if the anxiety issue is being in an elevator then say, well, I have to go to the 40th floor and I'm on floor 2 so I just need to keep going one at a time -- there I've done 4 floors which is about 10% so I'm getting closer and just keep talking yourself through the challenge.

Those 4 simple things have worked wonders for us.  What doesn't work is me telling my DS that it's OK or his worry is silly.  What does work is letting him know that HE can manage his worry and I'm there to support him.  If he needs me to stand with him, I can do that...but I can't remove the worry -- he's the only one with that power.

I'm glad you took your DD out of the school environment.  When we took our DS out it was like he was a different child -- much happier and focused on school than worried about how his teachers would behave or react.

Hope this helps a bit.

Karen


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## 3princesses+aprince

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> That is fantastic!!! Remind her that the princesses can be found in Epcot for Autographs as well and she can get books about each of their countries too!! I just loooove the library!!  Good idea about the packing as well. Something we do---if we are getting kind of close to the end of toothpaste, or shampoos, deoderant, stick them in a special small rubbermaid that's labeled "Travel" and when you are doing your toiletry bag, you have products already and can get rid of the containers at WDW. No need to repack and bring home!!! And of course, we always use tons of Ziplocks!!!!  We went mid-May 2 years ago and it was great! Pretty warm, but not sweltering yet.  You are going to have such a good time!!!




Thanks, we are so waiting for this trip. I am the most excited, I just want to be there. The kids will be more excited when we're ready to go! But me, as soon as our countdown hit 60 I was thrilled, so with just 32 days to go, you can imagine my excitement!!!!!
And that's a great idea on the items your running low on. I wish I hadn't bought all of our travel sized everythings yet I just went super crazy for this trip!!



Pixie Dust for Me! said:


> As a mom of a son with GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) I can share with you some tools that we have been given.  Here you go:
> 
> 1.  Tell your daughter that she need to sit down for 15 to 20 minutes and either think about all her worries or write all her worries down.  Some kids are writing resistant and that's OK....just thinking about them quietly is OK too.  She doesn't need to verbalize her worries or share her list -- it's private.  Then when "worry time" is over, that's it...she has to store up her worries for her next "worry appointment."  We did this 3 times per week and it was amazing the difference it made -- DS knew that he needed to tell himself, when he was worrying -- that it wasn't worry time yet and he needed to "store" it.
> 2.  We were given "tools" called TBIC
> T is thinking or positive self talk -- I can do this, it's OK, etc.
> B is breathing -- remember to breathe evenly and slowly and quietly -- focus on it, out and in, out and in and keep it even.
> I is imagery -- imagine the BEST place on the earth and then imagine yourself there and what you are doing and how it feels.
> C is challenge -- challenge yourself in small measured steps.  If anxiety is caused by tall escalators, tell yourself that you can last just another 10 seconds -- it's not much and I can do that.  Or if the anxiety issue is being in an elevator then say, well, I have to go to the 40th floor and I'm on floor 2 so I just need to keep going one at a time -- there I've done 4 floors which is about 10% so I'm getting closer and just keep talking yourself through the challenge.
> 
> Those 4 simple things have worked wonders for us.  What doesn't work is me telling my DS that it's OK or his worry is silly.  What does work is letting him know that HE can manage his worry and I'm there to support him.  If he needs me to stand with him, I can do that...but I can't remove the worry -- he's the only one with that power.
> 
> I'm glad you took your DD out of the school environment.  When we took our DS out it was like he was a different child -- much happier and focused on school than worried about how his teachers would behave or react.
> 
> Hope this helps a bit.
> 
> Karen




Thanks for this advice, it sure won't hurt to try it. It sounds great. I am just not a worrier, I am the opposite, so it's been so hard for me to understand where this is coming from with her, but I am learning and trying to figure it out. My best friend is a lot like my dd, so she has been giving me advice also. We're getting there. And with school being what was stressing her out the most, I'm sure i'll see improvements as the months go by!!!
Right now we're just doing a lot of Disney Planning. This is our first trip, we are so excited!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

What's everyone up to today? Are you all getting ready for Easter tomorrow? Today is a cold rainy day here, tomorrow is supposed to be a little warmer but not much! I think 45 degrees


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## Lora

3princesses+aprince said:


> What's everyone up to today? Are you all getting ready for Easter tomorrow? Today is a cold rainy day here, tomorrow is supposed to be a little warmer but not much! I think 45 degrees



We're doing our normal "sick day" activity: watching old home movies.  DD11 has a fever.  It looks like at least a couple of us will miss church on Easter.


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## Temair

I'm working on my garden today.  Planted the strawberries, potatoes, tomatoes, and some herbs.  My peas a growing good and about 2 inches tall.  I'm looking forward to eating for my own garden this summer.


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## dvcbnd

Hi, we've been running errands all day in preparation for tomorrow...bakery, Italian food specialty store, payless (for dd's shoes), etc. Now we're boiling some eggs for coloring. I'd like to wish everyone a very Happy Easter. May you all have a wonderful day!


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## 3princesses+aprince

!!!happy easter!!! I hope everyone is having a nice day


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## DawnM

Have you done the scavenger hunt for kids at Animal Kingdom?  We did it this last time and the kids learned quite a bit about animals!  And they got a little passport book fully stamped to keep.

Dawn



3princesses+aprince said:


> I contacted the school dept. earlier but was waiting for a call back. She just called me and said everything is all set, just mail and fax over again your letter of Intent so they have it on file, and you're all set. She was extremely pleasant as well.
> Right now dd9 and I are packing. Yes I know we still have 33 days to go, but it's been in the 40s here and we're sure not wearing our tanks and flip flops anytime soon so we began our packing . dd9 is in charge of "the list" she is writing down for me how many outfits, and pj sets each person has as it goes into the suitcase. I made that mistake the last time we traveled and I packed early  then had to unpack everything because I had NO IDEA what was in the suitcase So we are prepared this time.
> dd9 was of course thrilled that we were starting hsing. I have this great dinosaur/fossil chapter book i'm going to have her read. (Animal Kingdom)
> And we are going to learn alot about the countries that can be found in Epcot....Fun Fun
> We'll be going to the library for some books


----------



## DawnM

Our local schools are out this week....NOT US!  We will keep trudging along sinc we will be going to Disney World the first week of May!    Of course, Disney isn't really vacation, right?  It is a FIELD TRIP!  Yeah, that's it.....

Hope everyone had a good day for Easter.  We went to church and have had a relaxing afternoon.  We are cooking a nice Easter dinner for our evening meal......a rotisserie turkey, dill potatoes, corn, salad, and nutter butter banana pudding!  Can't wait.

Dawn


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## 3princesses+aprince

Hey Dawn!! Your going to Disney in May too?
I have not heard of a scavenger hunt in Animal Kingdom? Have you done it?


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## Pixie Dust for Me!

3princesses+aprince said:


> Thanks for this advice, it sure won't hurt to try it. It sounds great. I am just not a worrier, I am the opposite, so it's been so hard for me to understand where this is coming from with her, but I am learning and trying to figure it out. My best friend is a lot like my dd, so she has been giving me advice also. We're getting there. And with school being what was stressing her out the most, I'm sure i'll see improvements as the months go by!!!



I know exactly what you mean.  I'm not a worrier either, but these tools have helped DS significantly (oh, and changing his school to home school has helped too!).

Good luck!

K


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## DawnM

Yes, we did it.....I had been to AK many times and never even knew it was there.....each "station" has a little informational talk about the animals in that region and then they look for things (like at one station they find indiginous bugs and at another they look for varying animal (fake) scat/poop) and identify them.

If you pick up a map when you fist get there it has the stations marked and you can start at any one of them.

Dawn




3princesses+aprince said:


> Hey Dawn!! Your going to Disney in May too?
> I have not heard of a scavenger hunt in Animal Kingdom? Have you done it?


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Ooo, that sounds like something my kids will like. I will check that out. Thanks!!!
Today I'm working on my Letter of Intent. I sent one in October, and they just told me I have to send that back over and I cannot for the life of me find it. So I'm working on another, I have to go google samples again to jog my memory!


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## HomeschoolMama

3princesses+aprince said:


> Ooo, that sounds like something my kids will like. I will check that out. Thanks!!!
> Today I'm working on my Letter of Intent. I sent one in October, and they just told me I have to send that back over and I cannot for the life of me find it. So I'm working on another, I have to go google samples again to jog my memory!


I just used the one off of HLSDA's website.


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## Denine

3Princesses: I am so happy to hear your decision. I am sure your DD will be much happier.

We had a park program this morning and have 2 more this week.

We had a busy weekend and are looking forward to leaving for WDW a week from Saturday.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Pixie Dust for Me! said:


> I know exactly what you mean.  I'm not a worrier either, but these tools have helped DS significantly (oh, and changing his school to home school has helped too!).
> 
> Good luck!
> 
> K



Thanks!



HomeschoolMama said:


> I just used the one off of HLSDA's website.



Oh, Ok, thanks I will go check that one out!!



Denine said:


> 3Princesses: I am so happy to hear your decision. I am sure your DD will be much happier.
> 
> We had a park program this morning and have 2 more this week.
> 
> We had a busy weekend and are looking forward to leaving for WDW a week from Saturday.



All right, another one going to Disney Soon!! I cannot wait!!!! And now don't have to worry about dd9 coming back to school and being a nervous wreck because she has to make up assignments!


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## Denine

3princesses+aprince said:


> Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All right, another one going to Disney Soon!! I cannot wait!!!! And now don't have to worry about dd9 coming back to school and being a nervous wreck because she has to make up assignments!



That will be very nice for your whole family!

Yep, we will be there for my birthday and won't come home for almost 2 weeks!

I haven't heard about the AK scavenger hunt either.  I'll have to check it out.


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## OneTreeHillAddict

I was wondering about how much work you guys give your kids per day. I feel like I may be giving too much. My kids are in 1st and 4th grades. The 4th grader is a GT student so his is mostly 5th grade work. 

My oldest gets about 4-6 worksheets per day in Math and Lang Arts each. In SS or Science we do about one chapter per day. Is this too much?


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## Goofyest mom

Ok. Hubby and I are leaning towards homeschooling. We are looking into the Keystone Middle School. Does anyone use this program and how is it working out for you?


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## DisneyMom5

OneTreeHillAddict said:


> I was wondering about how much work you guys give your kids per day. I feel like I may be giving too much. My kids are in 1st and 4th grades. The 4th grader is a GT student so his is mostly 5th grade work.
> 
> My oldest gets about 4-6 worksheets per day in Math and Lang Arts each. In SS or Science we do about one chapter per day. Is this too much?



My kids (k-4) do 2 pages of math a day (workbook style).  One page of handwriting, and sometimes one page of a supplemental language arts.  They read (or are read to) a chapter of each reading subject (science, soc. studies, read aloud, and reader)

You might be doing a bit too much of worksheets, if that's 4-6 per subject.
Lower elementary should usually take 3 or less hours.  
[Not including outside things like sports, or maybe extra reading.]


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## 3princesses+aprince

Has anyone ever subscribed to IXL.com, I just stumbled upon it while searching for some math sheets to print out for my dds for tomorrow. It looks great. It is 9.95 per month, and 2 dollars more to add another child. It would be 13.95 a month for us and they seem to have so much tailored to each grade level, it even keeps track of their scores. It looks like a lot of fun too. You can go on and sample it, and I was having fun with some of the word problems, it was very challenging. It's not like time4learning, it's not meant to be a curriculum or anything, just challenging math games and questions. It looks like a great way to spend an hour. The kids love to play on the computer, they would love this. I'm excited about this find.


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## OneTreeHillAddict

DisneyMom5 said:


> My kids (k-4) do 2 pages of math a day (workbook style).  One page of handwriting, and sometimes one page of a supplemental language arts.  They read (or are read to) a chapter of each reading subject (science, soc. studies, read aloud, and reader)
> 
> You might be doing a bit too much of worksheets, if that's 4-6 per subject.
> Lower elementary should usually take 3 or less hours.
> [Not including outside things like sports, or maybe extra reading.]



We have to work for at least 4.5 hours according to state law. My oldest son would read all day if I let him. He read his entire history book over Spring Break just for fun.  Thank you so much for your input.  Sounds like I am doing a little too much at one time.


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## WeDisney4

Hi All,  I posted last week re. kicking up our Science & am very happy to post I've gone w/ Apologia!    Now, I'd just love to find the pre-made kits to go w/ each!  I've scoured the public homeschool classifieds & have only found 2 posts, 1 was already sold & the 2nd never replied to both my requests, so I'm guessing also sold.  Does anyone have any advice on where to find them or should I just settle down & possibly build our own?  

Specifically ~ I'm looking for the Zoology 1, 2 & 3 kits.  If you know of any boards I may be missing or need to become a member of please do let me know.

Finally if anyone else is looking for them (as I believe they've recently become hard to find w/ the new gov. restrictions) I found both the Apologia -Astronomy Advanced Kit & the Botany Kit for $93.55 total w/ PM shipping, about as close to $45 per kit as I could come.  These were from the OnlineScienceMall w/ a 10% discount code.

Have a Magical Day


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## Denine

I am really beginning to love the park programs.  Today we go to learn about the Underground Railroad.


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## Goofyest mom

We are looking into the Keystone Middle School. Does anyone use this program and how is it working out for you?


----------



## livndisney

Any suggestions for a math program for a child that *hates* math? We use Abeka now, simply because it was was she was "used" to. But it is a struggle each day. She will be in 3rd grade next year and I really want her to atleast understand math. (and maybe not hate it so much LOL)


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## WeDisney4

Hi Livndisney,

I would Highly suggest Saxon!!!  The Catholic school where DD was for K & 1before we started homeschooling used it & DD really enjoyed it.  So we stayed w/ it & now both DDs love it, even feel they are very good at it, which means so much!!  

BTW this yr the Catholic school quit Saxon & I believe actually lost a couple of middle school students because of this & the lower grades do Not like the new series nearly as much!


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## disneymom3

OneTreeHillAddict said:


> I was wondering about how much work you guys give your kids per day. I feel like I may be giving too much. My kids are in 1st and 4th grades. The 4th grader is a GT student so his is mostly 5th grade work.
> 
> My oldest gets about 4-6 worksheets per day in Math and Lang Arts each. In SS or Science we do about one chapter per day. Is this too much?


Do you use a curriculum for each of those topics?  I have my kids do one lesson a day whatever that may mean.  So, in math (I use Singapore) they do lesson #23 for instance. Sometimes that is one page sometimes it is up to four pages.  For Social Studies/geography I do that myself and we usually work about half an hour to sometmes over an hour on that depending on the day.


Goofyest mom said:


> Ok. Hubby and I are leaning towards homeschooling. We are looking into the Keystone Middle School. Does anyone use this program and how is it working out for you?


Is that an online charter school?  I have not heard of it.  If it is, I think experiences vary greatly.  Seems that system works great for some who want that structure and for others it gets to be too much.  Do you have to pay for it?  If not, I would think it wouldn't hurt to try it.


OneTreeHillAddict said:


> We have to work for at least 4.5 hours according to state law. My oldest son would read all day if I let him. He read his entire history book over Spring Break just for fun.  Thank you so much for your input.  Sounds like I am doing a little too much at one time.


Can you do PE in those hours that you have to school?  I would think reading time would count.  I also consider mind challenging games to be school time.


livndisney said:


> Any suggestions for a math program for a child that *hates* math? We use Abeka now, simply because it was was she was "used" to. But it is a struggle each day. She will be in 3rd grade next year and I really want her to atleast understand math. (and maybe not hate it so much LOL)


I hate to disagree with the pp but to me Saxon is a LOT of drill and if your DD hates math I think that would push her over the edge.  I have a DD who has gone in circles of loving and hating math. She really liked Singapore as the lessons are short but clear. They use a lot of word problems which I like.  

For one that young I also strongly suggest math games.  Peggy Kaye has a book called Games for Math that seems to be at most libraries and it's really worth a read.  My boys love a game we do out of there where I put number cards on the floor and then ask each a question outloud and they have to find and run to the answer on the floor.  We also do a game using just a sheet of paper and some dice.  You write out the numbers of a multiple of something, say 8 up to times 12.  So, your numbers are going to say 16, 24, 32, 40 etc up to 96.  You each have a sheet of paper with the same numbers. Take turns rolling the dice and covering a number each time you get it.  Whoever covers their numbers first wins.  You can do that with adding, subtracting, division etc.

If that doesn't make sense let me know, if you want more game ideas, I can post those too, I just don't want this to get too long.


----------



## disneymom3

I forgot my own question. 

I am trying to figure out homeschool days for next January.  It looks like they have done them the week before MLK day.  At least this last year.  Can anyone confirm for the year before that.

I know this sounds nutty, but I am trying to trade into DVC with a timeshare week and I can't wait for the long awaited release of dates by the Disney youth education group.  I'll miss out on available weeks!  Right now, I have a choice of either beginning Sunday the 10th or the 17th.  It's stressing me out!


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## 3princesses+aprince

Disneymom3, I would love to also hear some more of your math game ideas, I'm going to check that book out as well. My kids don't hate math , but they don't have the easiest time with it, so games are probably a good idea for them too.

And I posted a question earlier to see if anyone has ever heard of ixl.com before, I was just searching for things on google and came across it. And now I see it at the bottom of this page as an advertisement!! Too funny!! We are definitely going to sign up for that this week!!!
Livndisney, you should check this website out, it's not a curriculum, but looks like a lot of fun!


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## disneymom3

3princesses+aprince said:


> . And I know I've mentioned before dd9 has anxiety issues and is already dwelling on our Disney trip next month and how her teacher is going to make her stay in and complete all missed assignments.
> We had a really nice talk last night about everything that bothers her and I feel really bad. It's not just school stuff, although that is the brunt of her "issues" she says she worries about stuff alot, like something bad happening to a family member. She says when she's bored and starts to daydream, only thoughts that worry her come into her head. I know I am going to ask her Pediatrician for a referral for her to talk to someone, I can talk to her, but I am not a professional and don't really know what to say, other than, try to think of something happy like Disney World. But she says she's tried, and that doesn't work.  I don't really know what else to say to her to help.   And ya know, the funny thing is that you'd never know she was "bothered" she's always happy , and doing crazy things. But I think that's why everything is getting worse, she's keeps it inside and it just builds up there.



I read this post before but somehow missed this part.  I am not one to give out worst case scenarios or be an alarmist but this really touched my heart.  My DD has anxiety in a big way.  After we took her out of school in K things got much better for a long time.  However, she did all of that extreme worrying stuff too. Same deal with the daydreaming always being bad or scary stuff.  She couldn't get to sleep well because when she let her defenses down to relax all this bad stuff would come crowding in.  

I don't share this a lot, but once we did get DD into a child psychologist, we found out during the evaluation that she thought of killing herself everyday.  She didn't understand why that worried people. She thought everyone thought like that because to her it was so normal.  She was only 10 at the time.  My DD takes medication now.  Therapy didn't work--honestly it doesn't for most bright kids as they figure out quickly what the therapist wants to hear and they tell them that.  She is a lot better now but we still have some pretty big road bumps. Course, she is also almost 13 so I am sure some of it comes from adolescence.

I encourage you not to be scared but to be aware and to get your DD evaluated.


----------



## WeDisney4

Ddisneymom3 don't worry about disagreeing w/ me  that's what so great about this thread!  

The only thing I would add is I completely agree Saxon is not for everyone.  However we truly don't see it as a drill math.  I guess we just really enjoy the hands on reinforcement at the beginning of each class (for simplicities sake I bought the Saxon manipulative kit ~ slightly $$, but I'm sure I can sell it some yr. when we no longer use it).  Also we very rarely do the B side of the lesson unless DD needs extra work.  Because of the way Saxon builds daily on each lesson, this is not very often & when we do it gives DH some time to help DD w/ her "Math Homework". 

I have heard good things about Singapore but dont know much about them.  1 more thing I do know about Saxon is w/ the daily counting exercises (by 3s, 4s etc. forwards & back) both DDs are very proficient in their Math drills.  Even so far as in 2nd grade w/ multiplication & I truly never get complaining!  

For what it's woth hope this helps, & hope you enjoy shopping math curriculums as much as Ive enjoyed looking for our science.  Best of luck to you w/ your decision!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

disneymom3 said:


> I read this post before but somehow missed this part.  I am not one to give out worst case scenarios or be an alarmist but this really touched my heart.  My DD has anxiety in a big way.  After we took her out of school in K things got much better for a long time.  However, she did all of that extreme worrying stuff too. Same deal with the daydreaming always being bad or scary stuff.  She couldn't get to sleep well because when she let her defenses down to relax all this bad stuff would come crowding in.
> 
> I don't share this a lot, but once we did get DD into a child psychologist, we found out during the evaluation that she thought of killing herself everyday.  She didn't understand why that worried people. She thought everyone thought like that because to her it was so normal.  She was only 10 at the time.  My DD takes medication now.  Therapy didn't work--honestly it doesn't for most bright kids as they figure out quickly what the therapist wants to hear and they tell them that.  She is a lot better now but we still have some pretty big road bumps. Course, she is also almost 13 so I am sure some of it comes from adolescence.
> 
> I encourage you not to be scared but to be aware and to get your DD evaluated.




Thank you for your story and advice, I will definitely have her talk to someone. I figured we'll get all of the school stuff out of the way and then deal with the rest.  My dd is the same way at night, she does not go to sleep until a few hours after she lays down  Thinking about stuff like that all of the time must be so stressful!


----------



## feedthebirds

Hello!

Any thoughts/experience regarding Landmark Baptist homeschool materials?  Thanks for any advice!


----------



## PurpleTurtle

Hi there - I HS four - ages 10, 8, 5, and 5.  We're going back to WDW next Feb. for my 40th b-day.  WooHoo!  We'll be staying at SSR, probably, and may spend a few nights at BLT.  I'm excited and we still have 9 1/2 months to go.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

PurpleTurtle said:


> Hi there - I HS four - ages 10, 8, 5, and 5.  We're going back to WDW next Feb. for my 40th b-day.  WooHoo!  We'll be staying at SSR, probably, and may spend a few nights at BLT.  I'm excited and we still have 9 1/2 months to go.



Welcome purpleturtle, we're going on our First Disney World trip in 27 days, I am so excited!!!! We've been wanting to take the kids for the past few YEARS!!!

Your kids ages are similar to mine. My youngest is 5 and my 9 and 7 yr olds will be 10 and 8 in June!!!!


----------



## PurpleTurtle

3princesses+aprince said:


> Welcome purpleturtle, we're going on our First Disney World trip in 27 days, I am so excited!!!! We've been wanting to take the kids for the past few YEARS!!!
> 
> Your kids ages are similar to mine. My youngest is 5 and my 9 and 7 yr olds will be 10 and 8 in June!!!!



3princesses+aprince  - You won't believe how dingy I am, but I even put the wrong age for my 2nd dd.  She's actually 7, not 8!  I've been so excited about planning our trip for next year, when she will be 8, that I practically forgot that she is still 7!  That's really bad.  I think there is a good chance I am actually losing my mind.  Have a great trip.  We were at Disney last May/June, and had a wonderful trip.  I know that you all will have the absolute best time.  Swimming is GREAT this time of year.  Our kids loved the pool and Blizzard Beach better than the theme parks.

Have fun!


----------



## disneymom3

3princesses+aprince said:


> Thank you for your story and advice, I will definitely have her talk to someone. I figured we'll get all of the school stuff out of the way and then deal with the rest.  My dd is the same way at night, she does not go to sleep until a few hours after she lays down  Thinking about stuff like that all of the time must be so stressful!



talk to your pediatrician of course, but what has helped both of my kids--and myself some nights--is melatonin. It's a chemical or whatever that is naturally released by your body when you go to sleep but by taking the pill you cue your brain to release it.  You can get it in the vitamin section at any store.

PurpleTurtle that is too funny about your child's age!   I can totally see myself doing that!

I will get back to you all with more math game ideas.  I am in the midst of making dinner right now so this is more of a flyby.


----------



## wvdislover

livndisney said:


> Any suggestions for a math program for a child that *hates* math? We use Abeka now, simply because it was was she was "used" to. But it is a struggle each day. She will be in 3rd grade next year and I really want her to atleast understand math. (and maybe not hate it so much LOL)



Not sure if it'll help for next year, but we are using Teaching Textbooks and LOVE it!  My DD11 has learned so much this year and is finally understanding concepts she hasn't ever been able to figure out.  I just got an e-mail from TT that they are taking pre-sell orders for their new Math 4 program (can be used for 4th grade or advanced 3rd graders).  Since your DD has been using Abeka, she may be further along than your typical 2nd grader (you didn't say clearly whether she was getting the math concepts at this time).  TT is on a CD-Rom and also comes with an optional workbook, and they use lots of fun pictures with some of the math problems, and you can choose a "buddy" who encourages you as you work (little animals or kids who each have their own persona).  Also, you get instant grading with your work, and if you don't understand a problem that you've missed, there is a tutorial for each problem.  It's definitely worth checking into.  Good luck!  I know how hard it is to have a child who HATES math


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## 3princesses+aprince

Purpleturtle, that is too funny about your dd's age. I would definitely do that. We are so obsessed with planning our Disney trips that we have blinders on to the real world. Ahh, that is what is so wonderful about Disney though!!! It's like a wonderful dream! I cannot wait! And it's after midnight, so 26 more days. WOW

And disneymom3, thanks again!!!!


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## 3princesses+aprince

So earlier today I printed out a few different maps showing where all of the World Showcase countries were located.(In the real world) We're going to take a few days to learn about different things for each country. I found a neat website that lists the population and a whole bunch of interesting facts. We'll go over them and dd can write down what she finds interesting. So when we are in Disney in a few weeks she will know what these countries really are about. And she is such a picky eater, but maybe learning about what they eat she will be brave enough to sample something other than chicken fingers at Epcot.
So that is what we are going to be working on before our trip. And of course she'll be reading and writing everyday.
I'm also going to have her study her multiplication table, she needs to be a little quicker with that. And we're just going to do a lot of work with multiplying until the end of this school year. She knows how, she just has to get a better handle on it. She is not very comfortable with it yet. Over the summer we will work on division! She was starting with fractions this year and is so lost with them Abeka's math has them ready and waiting for her in the fall


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## NHWX

3princesses+aprince said:


> And she is such a picky eater, but maybe learning about what they eat she will be brave enough to sample something other than chicken fingers at Epcot.



Even our very picky eater is happy to snack around the world! How can you go wrong with what is basically Mom saying "OK, go ahead and have three or four sweets today!" Of course, when I eat the same sweets, I come home with a couple extra pounds. 

NHWX


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## NHWX

Goofyest mom said:


> Ok. Hubby and I are leaning towards homeschooling. We are looking into the Keystone Middle School. Does anyone use this program and how is it working out for you?



The only comment that I've heard about them is that their AP courses are less than PA Homeschoolers AP courses. Sorry I can't help there! If anyone on this board has used their AP courses, I'd like to hear about that!

I can help with K12's middle school school work for independent users, assorted math courses from Johns Hopkins and one essay course from their and two courses from Brigham Young University's online high school.  Oh, and Oklahoma State's German 3 course. 

NHWX


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## NHWX

OneTreeHillAddict said:


> I was wondering about how much work you guys give your kids per day. I feel like I may be giving too much. My kids are in 1st and 4th grades. The 4th grader is a GT student so his is mostly 5th grade work.
> 
> My oldest gets about 4-6 worksheets per day in Math and Lang Arts each. In SS or Science we do about one chapter per day. Is this too much?



I don't know how long that takes. You can also add in music, art, recess, morning news, etc. into your school day and modify the core academics, if you think they're not getting enough balance in their day. 

8-12 worksheets in just two subjects could be a serious amount of work or it could be just busywork. Ask yourself; is it kill and drill? Or are they teaching valuable information? The right amount of reinforcement? It's the joy and difficulty of homeschooling! 

Remember in brick and mortar school, you've got all kinds of learning that isn't about seat work too. There's practicing for the history play, nature walks, math games and field trips to the fire department. Don't feel like you have to give up all of that fun!

NHWX


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## DawnM

Maybe you can take a picture of her in front of each country and have her make a scrapbook with her info about each country.

Dawn



3princesses+aprince said:


> So earlier today I printed out a few different maps showing where all of the World Showcase countries were located.(In the real world) We're going to take a few days to learn about different things for each country. I found a neat website that lists the population and a whole bunch of interesting facts. We'll go over them and dd can write down what she finds interesting. So when we are in Disney in a few weeks she will know what these countries really are about. And she is such a picky eater, but maybe learning about what they eat she will be brave enough to sample something other than chicken fingers at Epcot.
> So that is what we are going to be working on before our trip. And of course she'll be reading and writing everyday.
> I'm also going to have her study her multiplication table, she needs to be a little quicker with that. And we're just going to do a lot of work with multiplying until the end of this school year. She knows how, she just has to get a better handle on it. She is not very comfortable with it yet. Over the summer we will work on division! She was starting with fractions this year and is so lost with them Abeka's math has them ready and waiting for her in the fall


----------



## wvdislover

DawnM said:


> Maybe you can take a picture of her in front of each country and have her make a scrapbook with her info about each country.
> 
> Dawn



Ooh!  Cool idea, Dawn!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Oh, great idea Dawn, we'll definitely be doing that!!!  We can start putting a "book" together now with all of the information we find and then we'll just have to add the pictures.
Thanks for that idea, that's great!!!!!


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## saremca

wvdislover said:


> Not sure if it'll help for next year, but we are using Teaching Textbooks and LOVE it!



I was just going to say that.  All three of mine are using TT this year and they all absolutely love it.  One liked Saxon well enough but the other two hated it.  Singapore was good until the oldest got into 7th grade and then it was torture.  My oldest DD, and resident math hater has not complained about math ONCE this whole year, and that my friends is some kind of record.  She is QUEEN of the math haters.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Good Morning Everyone~~
Just wanted to chime in about the math. We used Teaching Textbooks this year and it was phenomenal!! I plug it on here all the time. We used Pre-Al. and 5th grade. My kids are a little advanced in math from ABeka, so it worked. My older son actually was supposed to do Alg. I, but I wanted him to be rock solid in the concepts, so we did it again this year with the TT program. It was definitely a wise move. He is very sure of what's going on and actually told me the other day that he is really enjoying math now. It did kill him to admit it, but it was good to hear!!Yes!!!!!

My younger son just breezed through the 5th grade program, he's actually 4th grade age, but very advanced in math---he's a math lover! Last year he was having trouble with quick recall of the xs table. He knew, it just took him a second...this year he has gotten a lot faster. I think the way we are doing math is so different now, that he isn't realizing it's still the same math. He is just having fun.  I also got the pre-sale notification about the 4th grade program, but I think they need to be pretty solid in xs tables before they use this one.

Hooray for all who have a Disney trip looming before them!! I have a tentative ticker for next January, but the actual dates may change. It just looked so bare without one!! Ha!! Have a great day all~!!


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## livndisney

To those that recommend Teaching texts, the site I found
http://www.teachingtextbooks.com/v/vspfiles/tt/Math4.htm

shows it starts with 4th grade-is that right? I am looking for 3rd grade.


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## Disney Mommy 3

livndisney said:


> To those that recommend Teaching texts, the site I found
> http://www.teachingtextbooks.com/v/vspfiles/tt/Math4.htm
> 
> shows it starts with 4th grade-is that right? I am looking for 3rd grade.



Yes, that is right. They add a lower level each year. If they are advanced 3rd-knowing mulitplication and all that they can use it. If not, I would wait till next year.


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## Denine

For the newer members of this thread I bought a couple of books a few months ago.  They are Vacation Education books.  One is about Epcot and the other is about the MK.  They are so cool.  You can even get a little deck of cards with interesting facts for when you are standing in line.  I will have to find the website.

We use Horizons for math and DD loves it.  We have used it for K, 1st and now 2nd.


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## cdhheidi

WeDisney4 said:


> Hi All,  I posted last week re. kicking up our Science & am very happy to post I've gone w/ Apologia!    Now, I'd just love to find the pre-made kits to go w/ each!  I've scoured the public homeschool classifieds & have only found 2 posts, 1 was already sold & the 2nd never replied to both my requests, so I'm guessing also sold.  Does anyone have any advice on where to find them or should I just settle down & possibly build our own?
> 
> Specifically ~ I'm looking for the Zoology 1, 2 & 3 kits.  If you know of any boards I may be missing or need to become a member of please do let me know.
> 
> Finally if anyone else is looking for them (as I believe they've recently become hard to find w/ the new gov. restrictions) I found both the Apologia -Astronomy Advanced Kit & the Botany Kit for $93.55 total w/ PM shipping, about as close to $45 per kit as I could come.  These were from the OnlineScienceMall w/ a 10% discount code.
> 
> Have a Magical Day



we love apologia...    and have loved the following site for getting our science tools as well.

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/ca...riculum/cat_kits-for-apologia-curriculum.html

Heidi


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## lori1043

hey gals! It ihas been a while since I have been around. Things were getting ugly a while back and it just turned me off...

Like said, it has been a LONG time...

I also use Apologia-we weill use it through HS I think! We use their notebooks and links and just finished a year of Astronomy. We are doing Land Animals next year. The kids did Flying animals in co-op a couple years back. Now we do them at home with a couple other kids and moms. We are doing Ch1 of Flying Animals to boost thier memories about kingdon/phylum/class/family-etc,etc... I need mine refreshed too!

We also use Teaching textbooks. Mid year,My 3rd grader had done about 30 lessons of TT5 really well, then was getting stumped(long story why we are using TT5 with her). Sooo, we stopped and did a lot of refresher work, got those mult facts down right and used our old Abeka flashcards for general math facts, plus a lot of math games and worksheets. I was trying desperately not to have to buy TT4, since I already had 5 and 6. I think TT is a year behind, academically-or maybe b/c I came from using Abeka and Saxon, it is on target.I do not know. Anyway, DD9 is back on using TT5 and doing well. She just needed a little boost since she was on TT5 and that was a grade or 2 ahead of her. We'll just be on the half year schedule for math! No biggie.

Anyway- happy to be back!!

Lori


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## disneymom3

Lori--I agree with you about TT being a bit lower than some other curriculums out there.  I consider DS 9 to be quite far behind in math and when I was looking at the Teaching Textbooks website eariler today to check out Math 4, I was very surprised because I think he might be able to pass that placement test. There were very few things he would not know how to do, all of which were in the second section.  That said, having math on the computer for him really appeals to me because he has a lot of trouble with writing and our OT has suggested seeing if I could find something where he could type in his answers.

Your comment about stopping and reviewing midway really encouraged me.  I somehow "forgot" I would be able to do that if it moved too fast.  That whole lettting the curriculum use you instead of using the curriculum.  I fall into that trap WAY too easily.


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## disneymom3

livndisney said:


> To those that recommend Teaching texts, the site I found
> http://www.teachingtextbooks.com/v/vspfiles/tt/Math4.htm
> 
> shows it starts with 4th grade-is that right? I am looking for 3rd grade.



It does say somewhere on the site that they expect Math 3 to be available by fall of 09.  I sent them an email to see if they knew when the placement test would be online.  I will let you know here when I hear back from them.


----------



## lori1043

disneymom3 said:


> Lori--I agree with you about TT being a bit lower than some other curriculums out there. I consider DS 9 to be quite far behind in math and when I was looking at the Teaching Textbooks website eariler today to check out Math 4, I was very surprised because I think he might be able to pass that placement test. There were very few things he would not know how to do, all of which were in the second section. That said, having math on the computer for him really appeals to me because he has a lot of trouble with writing and our OT has suggested seeing if I could find something where he could type in his answers.
> 
> Your comment about stopping and reviewing midway really encouraged me. I somehow "forgot" I would be able to do that if it moved too fast. That whole lettting the curriculum use you instead of using the curriculum. I fall into that trap WAY too easily.


 
Your welcome. Anyway, my DD11, took the placement tests for TT5 and TT6-she passed the 5th gr one and was ONE off of the TT6. So I got TT5 to help boost confidence. Well, she did 90 TT5 lessons in about 4 months!! So I ordered TT6 and she is doing great-getting A's consistently. I know I did the right thing. So, DD9 was doing Abeka 3rd gr and since TT5 seemed so simple, i tried her on it. She was making consistent A's till about lesson 30. So, it must have been a lot of review! But I looked closely at it and lots of it was new to her , but after lesson 30 it was getting to mult double digits(top #). So we stopped, like said, and made sure Mult. was really strong. I even ordered something called Times Tales, which has really helped. It is a wierd program, but it DOES work. It is meant for the harder mult facts. We went from there to teach mult doubles and just took off from there making sure she got a well rounded time off from TT5. I figured she could pick back up in a few weeks. She started back this week and is doing fine. She needs to hear it and see it on paper, then work ou the problems.



disneymom3 said:


> It does say somewhere on the site that they expect Math 3 to be available by fall of 09. I sent them an email to see if they knew when the placement test would be online. I will let you know here when I hear back from them.


 
Try out TT4, if you haven't already. I think if they get ONE more wrong from what it says, that they can move to that level.

Blessings, Lori


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## lori1043

I guess I should let you know, for those who don't remember me or are newer, that I have been homeschooling 5 years(so not a vet yet!!IMHO). I have 2 girls, 9 and 11.

We live in a great homeschooling state and have a great governor who advocates homeschooling. 

Lori


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## wvdislover

livndisney said:


> To those that recommend Teaching texts, the site I found
> http://www.teachingtextbooks.com/v/vspfiles/tt/Math4.htm
> 
> shows it starts with 4th grade-is that right? I am looking for 3rd grade.



I just read on an a link they sent me that they will be coming out with Math 3 in the fall!  It also says that the new Math 4 has all kinds of new drills and games to help kids with their math facts.  Parents can also go in and change a grade on a lesson or on a problem.  I wish they would adjust that on the higher math programs.


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## cdhheidi

Just wanted to share... in case you don't know about it already. There is a great site that offers free downloads each day, today is all about Paul Revere (this weekend is the anniversary of that great ride you know!). 



http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/

Each weekday this site has a new free download of some kind, ranging from ebooks to audio, some for young kids, some for older or for parents. My family has especially enjoyed the audio from homeschool radio shows, much of which is old time radio from the 30's-60's.  

Just wanted to pass it on!!

Heidi


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## Denine

Proud mom moment.

DD (6), took the CAT test last week.  We got the scores back yesterday and she scored in the 98th percentile overall.
I need the scores to turn into the school system for next year.


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## disneyfinatics

http://www.greathomeschooltshirts.com/
This website has some great t-shirts!  I like giving people the answer before they ask.  Has anyone else ever noticed how they can clear out other moms in a social situation when asked, "Where does your child go to school?"  I use to feel like I had the plague, now I like to see how many seconds it takes them to run from the freak!  I've found a surprising number of teachers that are actually supportive of the fact that we home school. I'm so not ready for my yearly review.  
Anyone have advice for a curriculum for a child struggling w/math?  We use Switched on Schoolhouse & I know we need to go to a book, but not sure which one.


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## Disneymom3304

Hello.  I wanted to come on and maybe get some opinions from others that know honest answers on home schooling and not just heresay.  My daughter's bday is at the end of August and the cut off for Kindergarten here is September 1st.  I decided to hold her back an extra year because of the Kindergarten she would be put in and because she was still a little shy.  During her extra year of Pre-K I started looking into home schooling and thought this could be another option for us.  The K teacher she would have is the same one I did my field work with in college, I cannot see her thriving in an environment where kids don't come first.  Just my opinion but this teacher should not be teaching and it scares me that she would be teaching my child!  So I have come up with some options, the charter school in the area or just putting her into first grade.  Now I am seriously considering homeschooling.  My close friends are worried that socially she will hurt and that I could never teach her as much as the school can.  How and where did you start?  I find info here and there on the web and this forum is great too,but I just can't get a grasp as to where to start or what I may need to start.  Any opinions would be so greatly appreciated!  

Thank you for reading this long post!


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## graygables

disneyfinatics said:


> Anyone have advice for a curriculum for a child struggling w/math?  We use Switched on Schoolhouse & I know we need to go to a book, but not sure which one.


 My DDs had some pretty significant gaps in the knowledge between K12 and SOS, so we started using Math U See with good results.  I like it.



> Now I am seriously considering homeschooling. My close friends are worried that socially she will hurt and that I could never teach her as much as the school can.



Stepping on my soapbox...she is not your "friends'" child.  She is YOUR child.  It's none of their business how you choose to school her.  You can actually teach her MORE than the school can.  My DDs have learned about Michelangelo, Botswana, photography, and more, none of which they would have EVER been able to learn at all, much less in elementary school.  The "socialization" issue is a weak response of frightened people who have been socially engineered through the public school model to believe that there is only one right way to educate children.

There is a plethora of activities for homeschooled children providing true socialization.  When was the last time you had a job that was ONLY 44-45 year olds?  When was the last time you were in the breakroom at work only to be pushed down and your lunch stolen?  When was the last time you were in the restroom and had someone offer you marijuana?  Precisely NOT the kind of "socialization" I'm interested in, thankyouverymuch.  True socialization comes from interacting with people of all ages in positive and healthy ways, even if there is conflict.

In our experience, my 2 older DDs started out in PS (I was a high school English teacher, after all...) and it was VERY difficult to pull them out and re-educate them because of the social programming that had already taken place.  We struggled with our decision, even though another child had raged and threatened to kill my daughter and they were only in the 2nd grade.  He received no discipline and was allowed to continue to harass her, so we pulled them both out of the school.  My younger 2 have never been in a "school" and have done very well.  We are a hybrid of "unschooling" and "homeschooling" in that we use some curriculum, but a LOT of what my DDs learn is interest-based and self-driven.  We had a lizard in our house this week, so it was straight away to Google to see what we could learn. We didn't know what kind of lizard it was at first, but DDs did some quick searching and discovered that is was a Mediterranean Gecko.   Lo and behold, it's not native to Florida and is the only nocturnal lizard we have here.  We've recently worked on a lapbook about animal classification, so they were able to add the information about our new "friend" to their books.

My educational philosophy is, "Wake up. Start learning." My second philosophy is "I've SEEN the village.  I don't want their help, thank you."  My third? "Mind your own beeswax"   You have to make the choice that is best for YOU, YOUR child, and YOUR family.  It may very well be a public, private, or charter school, but understand that there is a degree of de-schooling that has to happen if they start out that way.  I always say it's easier to start them at home and put them in school later than the other way around.


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## wvdislover

disneyfinatics said:


> http://www.greathomeschooltshirts.com/
> This website has some great t-shirts!  I like giving people the answer before they ask.  Has anyone else ever noticed how they can clear out other moms in a social situation when asked, "Where does your child go to school?"  I use to feel like I had the plague, now I like to see how many seconds it takes them to run from the freak!  I've found a surprising number of teachers that are actually supportive of the fact that we home school. I'm so not ready for my yearly review.
> Anyone have advice for a curriculum for a child struggling w/math?  We use Switched on Schoolhouse & I know we need to go to a book, but not sure which one.



Read some of the posts above yours  Several of us love using Teaching Textbooks for math.  It comes with a workbook and uses a CD-Rom, but is much better (and easier to use) than SOS, IMHO.


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## yanni2

I am a homeschooling mom to 2 girls, 10 (11 in May) and 8.  I have been homeschooling for 5 years now....my oldest went to public school for kindergarten, but we were not happy with it.  Lots of wasted time and busy work. 

I started out with a charter school (K12) for the first 3 years and then branched out to doing my own thing last year.  We are now part of a Christian homeschooling group in our area.  

We seem to be using a little bit of everything right now....Sonlight, Excellence on Writing, Science = Exploration Education, Rosetta Stone...etc.  Next year we are switching to Teaching Textbook for math since my children love anything having to do with being on the computer.

Both my girls are also competitive gymnasts so that keeps us pretty busy with practice and competitions.  The girls enjoy being the only ones not having worry about homework getting done.

We have been to Disney World twice in the last 4 years...both during school months (LOVE THAT!).  We would love to go for homeschool days, but it would have to be in January since September is competition season.

I enjoy reading everyones posts and learn about new curriculum possibilities.  Can't wait to continue reading more.


----------



## wvdislover

Disneymom3304 said:


> Hello.  I wanted to come on and maybe get some opinions from others that know honest answers on home schooling and not just heresay.  My daughter's bday is at the end of August and the cut off for Kindergarten here is September 1st.  I decided to hold her back an extra year because of the Kindergarten she would be put in and because she was still a little shy.  During her extra year of Pre-K I started looking into home schooling and thought this could be another option for us.  The K teacher she would have is the same one I did my field work with in college, I cannot see her thriving in an environment where kids don't come first.  Just my opinion but this teacher should not be teaching and it scares me that she would be teaching my child!  So I have come up with some options, the charter school in the area or just putting her into first grade.  Now I am seriously considering homeschooling.  My close friends are worried that socially she will hurt and that I could never teach her as much as the school can.  How and where did you start?  I find info here and there on the web and this forum is great too,but I just can't get a grasp as to where to start or what I may need to start.  Any opinions would be so greatly appreciated!
> 
> Thank you for reading this long post!



And why don't they think you can't teach your own child?  I find that the school isn't really teaching my DD7, who's still in PS, a whole lot.  She learns a lot more in life, learning things on her own.  I agree with Dawn (graygables) about the socialization issues.  My DD11 had a lot of negative "socialization" in school, too, and it has taken us over a year to partially get over that.  She still has a lot of healing left to do.  I'm realizing it would have been a lot easier to hs my DD's from the beginning.  When I ask DD7 if she would like to hs, she says, "no, no!  I want to stay in school."  At this point, we'll probably let her stay for now (we plan on taking her out by middle school), since we really don't have a "good" reason to pull her out.  She's doing great in school, I have no issues with the school at this time, and she has lots of friends, and is really thriving.  It would, however, make my life easier and less hectic, but I don't feel that's a valid reason right now, since she is doing so well.  It would have been easier if I had started off and she didn't have to make a choice, and SHE'S the one I always said would be a piece of cake to HS!  Anyways, you need to do what YOU think is the right thing to do...who knows, maybe your friends will follow suit when they see what a great job you do!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Ditto what Gray Gables has to say!! Socialization is always brought up to me by people who have family in the public school system, or don't mind telling me that they dont want to spend all day with their kids. So... I don't jive with that, so I really don't care what their opinion is of social time for my kids anyway.!! I really don't like the way most of their kids behave anyway--speaking of people who have said this to me, not the public in general.  I wonder what people would think if we openly criticized things about them we didn't agree with,the way they feel they have the freedom to comment onmy educational choices for my children!  Personally, I don't smoke, and I have allergies that are truly bothered when I am in contact with it for long, but,do I walk up to smokers and start to berate them for 'polluting the air my children and I breathe'? NO. and why, because it's rude! See what I am saying, I really don't understand why this one issue is EVERYBODY'S  business. I know lots of people don't understand why we are doing it, but what makes them feel they can freely condemn us, especially in front of the kids? WOW   Ok, so following GrayGables, I will now pass the turn for the soapbox to someone else!!!! And I am not picking on smokers, that just was something that is  a personal problem for me and an issue which lots of people debate,so thanks for understanding that I am not flaming you.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Amid all that I forgot to extend a hearty welcome to Yanni2! We are glad to have you. Jump right in and get to talking!!!!


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## lori1043

graygables said:


> My DDs had some pretty significant gaps in the knowledge between K12 and SOS, so we started using Math U See with good results. I like it.
> 
> 
> 
> Stepping on my soapbox...she is not your "friends'" child. She is YOUR child. It's none of their business how you choose to school her. You can actually teach her MORE than the school can. My DDs have learned about Michelangelo, Botswana, photography, and more, none of which they would have EVER been able to learn at all, much less in elementary school. The "socialization" issue is a weak response of frightened people who have been socially engineered through the public school model to believe that there is only one right way to educate children.
> 
> There is a plethora of activities for homeschooled children providing true socialization. When was the last time you had a job that was ONLY 44-45 year olds? When was the last time you were in the breakroom at work only to be pushed down and your lunch stolen? When was the last time you were in the restroom and had someone offer you marijuana? Precisely NOT the kind of "socialization" I'm interested in, thankyouverymuch. True socialization comes from interacting with people of all ages in positive and healthy ways, even if there is conflict.
> 
> In our experience, my 2 older DDs started out in PS (I was a high school English teacher, after all...) and it was VERY difficult to pull them out and re-educate them because of the social programming that had already taken place. We struggled with our decision, even though another child had raged and threatened to kill my daughter and they were only in the 2nd grade. He received no discipline and was allowed to continue to harass her, so we pulled them both out of the school. My younger 2 have never been in a "school" and have done very well. We are a hybrid of "unschooling" and "homeschooling" in that we use some curriculum, but a LOT of what my DDs learn is interest-based and self-driven. We had a lizard in our house this week, so it was straight away to Google to see what we could learn. We didn't know what kind of lizard it was at first, but DDs did some quick searching and discovered that is was a Mediterranean Gecko. Lo and behold, it's not native to Florida and is the only nocturnal lizard we have here. We've recently worked on a lapbook about animal classification, so they were able to add the information about our new "friend" to their books.
> 
> My educational philosophy is, "Wake up. Start learning." My second philosophy is "I've SEEN the village. I don't want their help, thank you." My third? "Mind your own beeswax"  You have to make the choice that is best for YOU, YOUR child, and YOUR family. It may very well be a public, private, or charter school, but understand that there is a degree of de-schooling that has to happen if they start out that way. I always say it's easier to start them at home and put them in school later than the other way around.


 
GO girl!! Love your spririt and response!!  So true so true. The "social" card gets pulled on me all the time! Whatever!

I will "borrow" the "I've seen the village and don't want thier help, thank you!"

Lori


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## yanni2

I figure between church, dance, bible study, and gymnastics, etc.... my girls get more positive socialization with a wide variety of ages (between coaches, other friends, parents etc) than if they were in school.  As to kids who are anti-social, you can get those whether they are home schooled or not.  The more comfortable a child is the more social they will be.  

I have been told, by people who do not know we homeschool, that they would have never guessed my girls are home schooled.  They are both extremely social and would most likely be in trouble in school for talking.  It is all a matter of what works for you child and no one can tell you otherwise.


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## emh1129

graygables said:


> My second philosophy is "I've SEEN the village.  I don't want their help, thank you."




Wow. Love it!


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## 3princesses+aprince

Disneymom3304, I had quite a time figuring out if I really wanted to homeschool too. Well I knew I wanted to, but it was a tough decision to make. Sometimes I still sit here and think, "what am I doing"'
I just pulled my dd9 out of school and will HS her til the end of the school year and see how it works for us!! And we'll go from there. I have 2 other daughters, 5 and 7, that do not really want to HS, so we'll see how that works out too!!! Oh, if I only thought of homeschooling before they all started school we'd be so much better off right now.


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## beautybelle

We started homeschooling as of today!!!  Im so excited and im glad we went ahead instead of waiting till next year.  It really take a huge load off.   I hated the public schools around here so Im glad we're free from it now.


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## saremca

3princesses+aprince said:


> Disneymom3304, I had quite a time figuring out if I really wanted to homeschool too. Well I knew I wanted to, but it was a tough decision to make. Sometimes I still sit here and think, "what am I doing"'



We're finishing up our 11th year of homeschooling and my oldest is graduating this year.  I *still* have days where I think "What am I doing?"  It never ends!


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## Disneymom3304

Thank you all for such nice comments.  It's nice to finally hear positive responses to HS.  I am more than capabale of HS my daughter and think I could provide her with a more detailed curriculm than any of the schools around us.  I don't think my friends/family are intentionally trying to put me down, but it is just such a tough decision to make and one that my DH and I need to make on our own.  We do try to take in some of their concerns but it is nice to hear the other side that has no voice.  I want to be able to defend our decision and help my husband get over other's comments too.  He is slowly warming up to my HS idea and seeing the real advantages in it.  However when a family member steps in and throws in one of their comments it always throws him another step away.  He too seems to think "socializing" is such a big thing!  I remind him all the time of the negative affects of the wrong types of socializing and that she is on a soccer team, takes gymnastics and swim, all good socializing.  Nobody said this parenting thing was easy!  Thank you so much for all the positive posts and helpful comebacks!


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## WeDisney4

How Blessed we all are to be Homeschooling Disney Families!!!

Thanks again for the Apologia excitement!  Our books should arrive any day & we cant wait!!  We also received their catalog today & its beautiful!  I noticed they are adding an Astronomy Notebooking Journal, and just wondered what you thought??  I know theyll still offer the free notebook pages on the website, but I thought I might try them.  

BTW ~ Christianbook.com is having an Apologia sale Apr. 15  30 which puts the Journals to only $16.99 each, and 32% off textbooks!  

On another site I also saw Apologia Astronomy Lesson Plans, I would also welcome any advice on these/do you think we need them?  

Lastly I also wondered if we could mix it up a bit.  The books are K-6 & well have Astronomy, Botany, Zoology 1, 2 & 3.  Now what if we didnt want to do Astronomy all yr & only did a 1/3 of it followed by 1/3 of Botany & 1/3 of Zoology 1, & repeat until were finished?  Then we could mix Zoology 2 & 3.  

In my head it would be OK as my 1st & 3rd grader would just be building on what theyve already learned, & each time we went back to a book they'd be just a little older.  However I wasnt sure of the logistics & just wondered if anyone had tried it?  This will by my first subject officially teaching both girls at once.

Happy Saturday ~ Christine


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## tenoraddict

I am really happy to have found this site, but have spent a lot of time just reading the posts from the day the thread was started!  I hope I'm not breaking forum etiquette by asking a question that's already been answered, but here goes:  Has anyone done lesson plans around a trip to WDW?  We will begin to homeschool our sons next year (6th, 4th, and 1st), and have planned a trip to WDW at the beginning of October (free food! yeah!).  I had originally thought to call it our "fall break," since we're going to start schooling in August, but then realized the enormous learning potential that Disney offers.  The boys will be reading bios of Walt Disney (and Neil Armstrong, since we'll take a trip to Kennedy while we're in FL), which we'll incorporate into our language arts program.  

We took a trip to WDW in 12/07, pulling the boys out of school for a week.  Since they had to return to school "caught up," we had to do work (math worksheets, spelling and history tests, etc) while on vacation.  My goal with this trip and homeschooling is for them to be learning without really even knowing it because it will be so much fun.  I would love to glean from anyone else's experiences.  Also, I'd like to try to figure out how to plan "backstage educational experiences" that are only available to groups, so if anyone else will be in WDW from 10/3-10/7 and is interested, please let me know.

For what it's worth, here's my planned response to the socialization question:  The only time that children should "socialize" in school is during lunch and recess.  My children have spent long days at school, only to come home and do hours of homework.  School has ruled our lives to the point that we have been unable to allow them to participate in extra-curricular activities.  My children's opportunity to "socialize" will explode once we take them out of school.



Denine said:


> For the newer members of this thread I bought a couple of books a few months ago.  They are Vacation Education books.  One is about Epcot and the other is about the MK.  They are so cool.  You can even get a little deck of cards with interesting facts for when you are standing in line.  I will have to find the website.


Denine, I found the website.  I tried to add it as a link, but I'm still a newbie, so the forum won't let me.  The website is vacationeducationbooks.net  It's fantastic!  Thank you so much!  Between their AK book and the soon-to-be-released Epcot book (hopefully released by August!), I think I've found my science curriculum for our first term...and from a Christian perspective, too?  It almost seems too good to be true!  

Thanks!


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## wvdislover

Hey tenoraddict, the Epcot book is already out there.  MK and Epcot have both been available for quite a while (I bought both of those last August).  The AK book has just recently come out, and they're coming out with a SeaWorld book soon.  There is good information in there...you can use it for some short stuff before you go and while you're there (the "scavenger hunt" cards are great--really kept my DD's occupied while we waited in line!), or you can spend a great deal of time on them prior to/after your trip, using them as a unit study of sorts.  You can go really deep, or just brush the surface, especially with the Epcot book, where you can do some real in-depth studies of each of the countries.


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## lori1043

Hey Dis HS friends!

This year has been crazy. We are commited to homeschooling, and thankfully, the WE is my hubby and I. he was laid off in January and is still unemployed. We are blessed with a great severance, but I ahve been all but begged at my PRN job to come in more often. I have fought it, kicking and screaming, till I realized how DUMB I have been. DH is willing to homeschool till a job happens(has a VERY probable prospect for next month!), and I just don;t wanna be back out there in the job world in any more capacity than i have been(1x per week)-BUT I have stopped fighting the inevitable, and I am (cringing) going to take work up on thier offer.

I am just thankful he is bored and aggravated enough to WANT to go back-being home is killing him, but I feel homeschooling HAS occupied his mind. Plus he is getting some good quality time with the kids. Some hubby's woulldn't do it. So I should feel blessed right?!

Just, for those of you who do pray, keep us in there-me for acceptance and him for a job!

Lori


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## disneymom3

Lori--keeping you in mind for your upcoming job changes all around!  My DH also took over the homeschooling for a period of time during job loss. He was working nights at Target and I worked days somewhere else.  (Thankfully he was home in time to get sleep before I left.) So, he did much of the schooling during that time. It worked out really well as the kids got to have a different type of instruction and he got see how things worked while he was usually gone.




WeDisney4 said:


> On another site I also saw Apologia Astronomy Lesson Plans, I would also welcome any advice on these/do you think we need them?


I didn't.  I just stopped at the point of the book where it had you answer some questions about what you had learned so far and then picked up there and finished the chapter the next time.  We did science on Weds and Fridays and that worked well.  I did buy the General Science lesson plans for DD this year, but as it turns out we are not using them. She is doing better at pacing herself.


tenoraddict said:


> IFor what it's worth, here's my planned response to the socialization question:  The only time that children should "socialize" in school is during lunch and recess.  My children have spent long days at school, only to come home and do hours of homework.  School has ruled our lives to the point that we have been unable to allow them to participate in extra-curricular activities.  My children's opportunity to "socialize" will explode once we take them out of school.



As a homeschooler for 7 years, I have noticed that this question comes up less and less as homeschooling becomes more popular and well known.  However, I would encourage you to not have such a long response.  Really, people aren't going to listen. And do you care what they think?  Not to be rude to them, but it's not like you are going to go "Oh, my!  I hadn't thought of that!  I don't know what we'll do." when they ask.  (I often wonder if people do expect us to have never considered all the aspects of it.)  At any rate, when people ask me if I am worried about socialization I simply say "No.  We are involved in plenty of groups and they have a lot of friends."  They aren't really thinking about the amount of time or anything else.  I think people just don't know how kids have friends if they don't go to school.


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## tenoraddict

wvdislover said:


> Hey tenoraddict, the Epcot book is already out there.


I was on the website last night, and it said, "Coming soon..." so I assumed that it wasn't published yet.  I'll check Amazon.  Thanks!

To Disneymom3:  Thanks for the advice.  In what I wrote, I realize that I combined my response with an explanation to all of you.  My response will be more along the lines of, "My children have much more opportunity to socialize now that they're not in traditional school."  Truly, most of the negative comments will come from family members.  While what they think won't affect our decision or confidence, it's going to be good to have a planned response.  We live in a state with A LOT of homeschoolers, so we don't expect many questions from the "general public."


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## 3princesses+aprince

Ooo, I'm going to go check out that website for the Epcot and AK books, those sound like a lot of FUN for our upcoming Disney Trip!!!!!

And Lori, I'll keep you in mind also and hope that your job situations get settled soon


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## lori1043

disneymom3 said:


> Lori--keeping you in mind for your upcoming job changes all around! My DH also took over the homeschooling for a period of time during job loss. He was working nights at Target and I worked days somewhere else. (Thankfully he was home in time to get sleep before I left.) So, he did much of the schooling during that time. It worked out really well as the kids got to have a different type of instruction and he got see how things worked while he was usually gone.
> .


 
Thank you for the encouragement. He was going to get a PT job, but I am blessed with a really great hourly income(as an cardiac ultrasound tech) and so I was working there more, but not as much as they needed someone. I am giving in and hoping he gets something soon. We should find out this week about a job he may get hired for.



3princesses+aprince said:


> Ooo, I'm going to go check out that website for the Epcot and AK books, those sound like a lot of FUN for our upcoming Disney Trip!!!!!
> 
> And Lori, I'll keep you in mind also and hope that your job situations get settled soon


 
Hey, we did an EPCOT WS unit study the month before our 2/08 trip. I took each country, about 2-3 days a week (11countries) and looked up a craft, dinner, game and how to say "thank you" and "hello" in whatever language was spoken there. The Kidcot station employees form that country were pretty impressed with them talking to them in thier language-esp China and Japan-they were the most impressed. I counted our EPCOT WS day as a school day. I have written some of it, but never finished. My kids looked forward to it every week-I think the further we got along with it , the sooner they knew the trip would be!

If my DH is employed soon, I am hoping to be able to go to WDW in Sept-for free dining!

Thank you for the thoughts and well wishes-we certainly need and appreciate them!

Lori


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## wvdislover

tenoraddict said:


> I was on the website last night, and it said, "Coming soon..." so I assumed that it wasn't published yet.  I'll check Amazon.  Thanks!
> 
> Check the website again...I just checked it and it's the SeaWorld that is coming soon  You can go ahead and get the Epcot book and start looking at it and deciding what you want to do with it!  Have fun planning!


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## Denine

I didn't realize they came out with an AK book.  I will have to get that too.  I hadn't looked at the website in a while

I guess I am a little different when it comes to people's opinions on HS'ing.  I don't care.  My husband and I made the decision after careful thought and decided what was right for us.  Not everyone has agreed with it and we don't care.  I know how well our DD is doing which is better than she would have done in school, not to mention she would be bored out of her mind.  She is in 
1st grade, but 2nd grade for math.  She is reading at 3-4th grade level.  If we sent her to school, she would be in K.  DD goes to Sunday school and plays t-ball.  She took swimming lessons for a while.  She has friends all over the neighborhood.  She can communicate with kids older and younger than herself.  She does very well with adults as well.  What I am saying is do what is right for you and your family.  You don't need to explain yourself to anyone.


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## Praise2Him

graygables said:


> My second philosophy is "I've SEEN the village.  I don't want their help, thank you."



That is GREAT - I LOVE it! 



Denine said:


> I guess I am a little different when it comes to people's opinions on HS'ing.  I don't care.



I'm the same way, Denine. It doesn't really matter to me what anyone else thinks! I've actually never had anyone react negatively when I say that we homeschool, and I'm guessing it's because I'm so confident and positive about it, or maybe it's just becoming more accepted, I don't know.


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## tenoraddict

wvdislover said:


> Check the website again...I just checked it and it's the SeaWorld that is coming soon  You can go ahead and get the Epcot book and start looking at it and deciding what you want to do with it!  Have fun planning!


I did, right after I got off this forum this morning, and I (obviously!) found the same thing you did.  I must've seen Sea World, but thought Epcot.  Must get more sleep!


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## wvdislover

tenoraddict said:


> I did, right after I got off this forum this morning, and I (obviously!) found the same thing you did.  I must've seen Sea World, but thought Epcot.  Must get more sleep!



Sleep?!?  Does such a thing really exist?  I thought I was imagining it! 

Glad you found it!  Now, GO TO BED!!!


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## WeDisney4

3princesses+aprince thanks so much, you were the first to encourage me to switch to Apologia.  I posted before however I'm afraid some may have missed it.  Sure would be nice if we had a thread .  

Anyways, I just wanted to share w/ you & anyone else looking for Apologia,   Christianbook.com is having an Apologia sale until 4/30 & I thought their prices were great!  

We just started homeschooling last yr. & this yr. will be making the change to Apologia.  I did find our books used however had to buy the 1st 4 in the series for $20 ea.  Then I went searching for the new Notebooking Journal to go w/ Astronomy & found it at Christianbook.com for only $16.99.  Plus I could have bought the text books new for just under $24 ea and just what I needed, not the $80.00 investment.  Their s/h is also very reasonable.   Just wanted to share hope it helps.  

 I am already extremely excited about the Apologia series!!!


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## 3princesses+aprince

WeDisney4 said:


> 3princesses+aprince thanks so much, you were the first to encourage me to switch to Apologia.  I posted before however I'm afraid some may have missed it.  Sure would be nice if we had a thread .
> 
> Anyways, I just wanted to share w/ you & anyone else looking for Apologia,   Christianbook.com is having an Apologia sale until 4/30 & I thought their prices were great!
> 
> We just started homeschooling last yr. & this yr. will be making the change to Apologia.  I did find our books used however had to buy the 1st 4 in the series for $20 ea.  Then I went searching for the new Notebooking Journal to go w/ Astronomy & found it at Christianbook.com for only $16.99.  Plus I could have bought the text books new for just under $24 ea and just what I needed, not the $80.00 investment.  Their s/h is also very reasonable.   Just wanted to share hope it helps.
> 
> I am already extremely excited about the Apologia series!!!




Glad I could help you! Someone here just suggested Apologia to me a few weeks ago, and after I looked into it, I JUST LOVED IT!!!
Thanks for the heads up on the sale, I think i'll go check it out right now!! 
Oh and you're right , our own board for this would be GREAT!!


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## 3princesses+aprince

This is a great website. I actually found out by going through the first homeschooling thread that was formed! It's superkids.com. They have great math worksheets. You actually sort of form your own and they create them and you print them out.  I just printed out a bunch for multiplication. It's free, they also have games to play online.


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## Denine

Two days of school before we leave for WDW!  Today and tomorrow.  It is tough to get through for both of us.


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## MiniGirl

We were looking at buying a few software programs and notice that some have an "Academic" software package that schools, etc may purchase. As homeschoolers, can we purchase these, too? The price is sometimes considerably lower. If we can, is it the same basic software we'd get if we purchased the program in a store? TIA.


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## MiniGirl

Oh, and I wanted to mention..... I was at Jo-Ann's Fabrics yesterday and my dd and I saw some really cute charms in the jewelry making section. They had charms that represented several different countries as well as different continents. I think we are going to stick with MFW next year and do their Exploring Countries and Cultures, and I thought these would be cute on some lapbook pages. Also all jewelry making supplies are on sale 40% off and you can use your teacher discount there for an additional 15% off. I just bought the Australia set (my dd's current interest and our VBS theme), but I think I'm going to go back and get one of each set they have and save them for next year.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Denine said:


> Two days of school before we leave for WDW!  Today and tomorrow.  It is tough to get through for both of us.




Oh WOW, you must be so excited!!!! I am excited at 20 days out, I can't even imagine how I will NOT be able to function at 2 days out!!!!!! If I don't get to tell you before you leave, I hope you have a wonderful trip!!!! How many nights are going for, and where are you staying?


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## desparatelydisney

A friend and I want to start a local homeschooling group as the nearest ones to us are 45 minutes away.  Has anyone here done this?  If so, do you have any advice?

TIA!
MMM


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## Denine

3princesses+aprince said:


> Oh WOW, you must be so excited!!!! I am excited at 20 days out, I can't even imagine how I will NOT be able to function at 2 days out!!!!!! If I don't get to tell you before you leave, I hope you have a wonderful trip!!!! How many nights are going for, and where are you staying?



We are all very excited.  We are leaving on Saturday (my birthday).  We are flying down and starting on Sunday we will be at Old Key West.  We are coming home on May 6th.  Saturday night we are staying off property since it was an add on day.

!0 days in the sunny, warm weather with no school or work!


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## 3princesses+aprince

Denine said:


> We are all very excited.  We are leaving on Saturday (my birthday).  We are flying down and starting on Sunday we will be at Old Key West.  We are coming home on May 6th.  Saturday night we are staying off property since it was an add on day.
> 
> !0 days in the sunny, warm weather with no school or work!





Oooo Old Key West, that sounds nice! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! I can't wait for my sunny days too!


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## Denine

3princesses+aprince said:


> Oooo Old Key West, that sounds nice! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!! I can't wait for my sunny days too!



Thanks!

Today is the last day!!!!!!!!!!


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## Pixie Dust for Me!

Disneymom3304 said:


> Hello.  I wanted to come on and maybe get some opinions from others that know honest answers on home schooling and not just heresay.  My daughter's bday is at the end of August and the cut off for Kindergarten here is September 1st.  I decided to hold her back an extra year because of the Kindergarten she would be put in and because she was still a little shy.  During her extra year of Pre-K I started looking into home schooling and thought this could be another option for us.  The K teacher she would have is the same one I did my field work with in college, I cannot see her thriving in an environment where kids don't come first.  Just my opinion but this teacher should not be teaching and it scares me that she would be teaching my child!  So I have come up with some options, the charter school in the area or just putting her into first grade.  Now I am seriously considering homeschooling.  My close friends are worried that socially she will hurt and that I could never teach her as much as the school can.  How and where did you start?  I find info here and there on the web and this forum is great too,but I just can't get a grasp as to where to start or what I may need to start.  Any opinions would be so greatly appreciated!
> 
> Thank you for reading this long post!



Well, as a newbie to homeschooling, let me tell you that I completely understand!  I removed my DS (he'll be 11 next week) from private school in January and WOW....what a difference!  He loves school (always has) but now he talks about what he's learning and he is so confident in his skills.

As for socialization, it's not a problem.  We do so much more now that our schedule isn't driven by school!  Think of it this way...do you (or does your hubby) only socialize at work?  Well, kids don't only socialize at school!

As far as where to start, we didn't start with a "canned" curriculum and I'm not sure that I would ever use one.  Find a "teacher's store" in your area and go look at the resources that are there.  I'm sure you know your child far better than a teacher ever will and you'll get a feel for where to begin.  Also, check your state's Dept. of Education website.  Chances are they will give you "curriculum mapping" information that shows what is "grade level appropriate" and then you can work to ensure she achieves that (and so much more!).

Karen


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## Twoboysnmygirl

> A friend and I want to start a local homeschooling group as the nearest ones to us are 45 minutes away. Has anyone here done this? If so, do you have any advice?



I started my own homeschool group and it has grown to a fairly large group now!  It takes some time and consistency, but if you build it, they will come! 

When I moved to this area, there wasn't a group (rural area) so I made a yahoogroup and I knew of 2 other families at the time that I invited.  We picked Thursday's for our playgroup and met religiously every Thursday to play at a park.  We switched up the parks, went swimming in the summer, etc.  and slowly the group began to grow.  4 years later we have probably about 20 families and well over 30 kids!  We have seasonal parties, field trips, and still have that weekly playgroup.  

I think the consistency of having a weekly date to meet helped people and the yahoogroup email list is a GREAT way to communicate.  You can put out flyers at your local library and grocery store and before you know it, you'll have a group!  

You'll also want to decide if your group is exclusive or all inclusive.  We made a group that includes ANYONE who homeschools and we love it that way.  Lots of diversity.


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## 3princesses+aprince

I just went to check out the yahoo homeschool groups, i've heard of them but never checked it out before. I found one in my state, but there was no activity on it since last month , but there were so many, so i'm sure i'll find a nice one!


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## lori1043

I forgot about something I wanted to share and was reminded by seeing some newbies to homeschooling on here or people thinking about it.
I have been homeschooling 5 years and although I have seen this book, I have never bought it or even looked in it.

It is Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum...

http://www.cathyduffyreviews.com/books-for-sale/100-top-picks-homeschool.htm

It has this "quiz" type thingy in the beginning that helps you find out what type of homeschooler you tend/would tend to be. It was VERY helpful to me. I came out to be a Classical/Charlotte Mason/unit study homeschooler(in that order and I was pleasantly surprised). While obvious in my approach, I never had a name for it and curriculum was all over the place for me. It truly has helped me to narrow down curriculum choices. I feel blessed that some friends had a meeting (Preparing the Way Home-a friend wrote this and I admit I have never read it, but she has meetings every other week to help newbies and direct vets too) that introduced this to me. I wish I had this info 4 years ago!

Lori


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## desparatelydisney

Twoboysnmygirl said:


> I started my own homeschool group and it has grown to a fairly large group now!  It takes some time and consistency, but if you build it, they will come!
> 
> When I moved to this area, there wasn't a group (rural area) so I made a yahoogroup and I knew of 2 other families at the time that I invited.  We picked Thursday's for our playgroup and met religiously every Thursday to play at a park.  We switched up the parks, went swimming in the summer, etc.  and slowly the group began to grow.  4 years later we have probably about 20 families and well over 30 kids!  We have seasonal parties, field trips, and still have that weekly playgroup.
> 
> I think the consistency of having a weekly date to meet helped people and the yahoogroup email list is a GREAT way to communicate.  You can put out flyers at your local library and grocery store and before you know it, you'll have a group!
> 
> You'll also want to decide if your group is exclusive or all inclusive.  We made a group that includes ANYONE who homeschools and we love it that way.  Lots of diversity.



Thanks for the suggestions


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## lori1043

Happy Tuesday gals!

For those going on vacations-have fun!!

We head to Destin the minute Stanford testing is done-next Wednesday!

Lori


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## 3princesses+aprince

desperatelydisney, I see that you're leaving for Disney soon, we are too. We have 14 days to go. We'll be staying at All Star Movies for 7 nights We may run into each other and never even know it!!!


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## carissanboys

Hello homeschoolers! 

I have a question and am hoping all of you may be able to help me.

We homeschooled our oldest for kindergarten and first grade. Then he and our middle son attended public school for the past two years. We are getting ready to move at the end of May down to Virginia Beach (husband is Navy) and have decided to homeschool next year (for many reasons). 

The last day of school at their current school is June 10th. So, if we took them out at the end of May they'd miss the last 10 days. VA Beach's school year ends June 18th. I've already spoken with the VA Beach homeschool liaison person and she said if we put in a letter of intent to homeschool when we move down for those final three weeks, we'll still need to show achievement (which is usually testing) for the year (I don't really want to do this and think it's silly for only 3 weeks). I am not sure yet if the boys' current school will promote them if they miss the final ten days of school. 

I'm not sure what to do. If we just pull them out at the end of May and do not register as homeschoolers down in VA Beach until the summer for the following school year, could we run into any issues?? At this point we plan to homeschool through highschool, but who knows what the future holds?

Also, are there any homeschooling families on here from the Hampton Roads area?? 

Thanks for the help!


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## 02AggieGirl

Hi, I'm new to this thread!  I'm gonna start home schooling my oldest dd in the fall--she will be starting K.  I've kind of read thru some of this, but it's a lot of info (which is good!)   I was hoping some of you that have used *Abeka* and *sonlight* might be able to give me the *good and bad* of it.  I'm not sure if I want to do that or just pull together the curriculum from different resources....thanks!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Hi Aggiegirl!
I have used ABeka. I would avoid buying the entire  K kit. She really just needs  the phonics program. It's good and solid. Also the numbers (math) book would be great. If she's an artsy kid and enjoys crafts and coloring, the K art book is fun. You can just read lots of good books that you already have,and make friends with your local library.  I have not used Sonlight--the History program we do uses some of the same books tho---it just seems too much for me. I bought the kits from ABeka my first year, and it was too overwhelming for me. That's just my 2 cents, but with my daughter doing K this year, we scaled wayyyy back. She still needs lots of play time--don't rush them just because they are 5 and the 'state' says thats time to learn. They pick up a lot just from being at home. Hope this was helpful!!


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## SCHBR'smom

I haven't read thru all of this yet.  I plan on it as soon as I get the time.  We've been talking about homeschooling since before oldest DD went to kinder.  She's now in 4th.  We debate it all the time, I just worry about being able to do it.  I'm sure it is a huge responsibility.  DH suggested I try it over the summer to see how it would actually be.  I wish we had thought of that sooner!  So, where should I start?  I'll have a 1st grader and a 5th grader.  DD4 would be in preschool.  Thanks for any help!


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## Eeyore's Girl

SCHBR'smom said:


> I haven't read thru all of this yet.  I plan on it as soon as I get the time.  We've been talking about homeschooling since before oldest DD went to kinder.  She's now in 4th.  We debate it all the time, I just worry about being able to do it.  I'm sure it is a huge responsibility.  DH suggested I try it over the summer to see how it would actually be.  I wish we had thought of that sooner!  So, where should I start?  I'll have a 1st grader and a 5th grader.  DD4 would be in preschool.  Thanks for any help!



You're right - it IS a huge responsibility and requires a commitment. How are you at organizing your time? I would assume you've got it under control, considering you have 4 kiddos and you're even considering hsing. HSing becomes a lifestyle - you can't fit it in around your schedule. In general, it helps to consider schooling as your "job" that you work at for a particular span of time each day. Those who unschool typically don't feel this way, but for me, any time I tried to squeeze the school work into my day, it seemed to fall apart. Of course, just as with traditional school, there will be days of exception due to illness, field trips, dr. appts., etc.

I think your DH idea of a trial run during the summer is a fabulous idea, if you're seriously considering hsing. You would get a head start on the new school year, which the rest of us won't start until Aug. or Sept., giving you some extra days to build up and use later. I recommend using extra days in December. Remember - you'll still have Christmas (or whatever holiday you observe) shopping, decorating, cooking to do even if you're hsing. I know a couple of families that start school a month early so they can take the entire month of December off. Not a bad idea.

I didn't read any previous posts, so forgive me if I am restating anything. I will say the absolute best resource I found while reading various hsing books/info was "The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling". The author is Deborah Bell. Although it's obvious she's a homeschooling parent, she doesn't gloss it over - the good, the bad, and the ugly are all included in her book.

Good luck!!


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## 02AggieGirl

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Hi Aggiegirl!
> I have used ABeka. I would avoid buying the entire  K kit. She really just needs  the phonics program. It's good and solid. Also the numbers (math) book would be great. If she's an artsy kid and enjoys crafts and coloring, the K art book is fun. You can just read lots of good books that you already have,and make friends with your local library.  I have not used Sonlight--the History program we do uses some of the same books tho---it just seems too much for me. I bought the kits from ABeka my first year, and it was too overwhelming for me. That's just my 2 cents, but with my daughter doing K this year, we scaled wayyyy back. She still needs lots of play time--don't rush them just because they are 5 and the 'state' says thats time to learn. They pick up a lot just from being at home. Hope this was helpful!!



Thanks that's the kind of info I was looking for!


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## yanni2

02AggieGirl said:


> Hi, I'm new to this thread!  I'm gonna start home schooling my oldest dd in the fall--she will be starting K.  I've kind of read thru some of this, but it's a lot of info (which is good!)   I was hoping some of you that have used *Abeka* and *sonlight* might be able to give me the *good and bad* of it.  I'm not sure if I want to do that or just pull together the curriculum from different resources....thanks!



I am using Sonlight for the first time this year.  I have a 5th grader and a 3rd grader and we are doing Core 3.  I have enjoyed the curriculum.  I am not completely impressed with the Language Arts so we are using something else for that.  The books are wonderful and we have enjoyed almost all we have read so far.  I do feel it is A LOT of reading and am planning on picking and choosing which books we use next year.  My children are not enthusiastic readers, and it can be a lot at times.  I am  planning on focusing more on covering the time periods a little more generally for now, and then more in-depth as they get older.

I am not sure if that helps much.  Basically we are enjoying it but it is a lot.  I am not sure how the lower grades are in terms of amount of work since this is my first year using it.


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## Lora

02AggieGirl said:


> Hi, I'm new to this thread!  I'm gonna start home schooling my oldest dd in the fall--she will be starting K.  I've kind of read thru some of this, but it's a lot of info (which is good!)   I was hoping some of you that have used *Abeka* and *sonlight* might be able to give me the *good and bad* of it.  I'm not sure if I want to do that or just pull together the curriculum from different resources....thanks!



We have been using Sonlight since K.   My girls are now in 6th and 8th.   At first, I thought I would just pull stuff together.   I have a degree in Elem. Ed, so I figured, "no problem".  I had checked out the Sonlight catalog, and I really loved what they had for their history/literature programs starting in about 3rd grade.  I thought I'd wait until then to start using it.  After about 4 months of "pulling stuff together", I finally decided I had spent about as much money on the "stuff" as I would have on the whole program, and figured it would just be easier to purchase a core (back then it was called "Basic").   It was one of the best homeschooling choices I've made.  We had stayed with Sonlight ever since.  (Just FYI - I had already purchased a phonics program, so I never did their program for that.  Nor did I ever purchase their LA programs. I have used their science programs, though.  

The only Abeka I ever used was a science book and Bible in maybe Kindergarten.  I considered their LA for a while, but decided to go with Rod and Staff English instead.


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## 02AggieGirl

yanni2 said:


> I am using Sonlight for the first time this year.  I have a 5th grader and a 3rd grader and we are doing Core 3.  I have enjoyed the curriculum.  I am not completely impressed with the Language Arts so we are using something else for that.  The books are wonderful and we have enjoyed almost all we have read so far.  I do feel it is A LOT of reading and am planning on picking and choosing which books we use next year.  My children are not enthusiastic readers, and it can be a lot at times.  I am  planning on focusing more on covering the time periods a little more generally for now, and then more in-depth as they get older.
> 
> I am not sure if that helps much.  Basically we are enjoying it but it is a lot.  I am not sure how the lower grades are in terms of amount of work since this is my first year using it.


Thanks!  Yeah, I am concerned about the amount of work that she would have to do--I obviously want her to learn but I don't want it to seem overwhelming to her (or me!) 



Lora said:


> We have been using Sonlight since K.   My girls are now in 6th and 8th.   At first, I thought I would just pull stuff together.   I have a degree in Elem. Ed, so I figured, "no problem".  I had checked out the Sonlight catalog, and I really loved what they had for their history/literature programs starting in about 3rd grade.  I thought I'd wait until then to start using it.  *After about 4 months of "pulling stuff together", I finally decided I had spent about as much money on the "stuff" as I would have on the whole program, and figured it would just be easier to purchase a core (back then it was called "Basic"). *  It was one of the best homeschooling choices I've made.  We had stayed with Sonlight ever since.  (Just FYI - I had already purchased a phonics program, so I never did their program for that.  Nor did I ever purchase their LA programs. I have used their science programs, though.
> 
> The only Abeka I ever used was a science book and Bible in maybe Kindergarten.  I considered their LA for a while, but decided to go with Rod and Staff English instead.


That is a thing with me too...once I start looking at everything, it almost seems like purchasing a whole program would make sense.  
Thank you to everyone who has responded, it's all very helpful information!!


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## wvdislover

carissanboys said:


> Hello homeschoolers!
> 
> I have a question and am hoping all of you may be able to help me.
> 
> We homeschooled our oldest for kindergarten and first grade. Then he and our middle son attended public school for the past two years. We are getting ready to move at the end of May down to Virginia Beach (husband is Navy) and have decided to homeschool next year (for many reasons).
> 
> The last day of school at their current school is June 10th. So, if we took them out at the end of May they'd miss the last 10 days. VA Beach's school year ends June 18th. I've already spoken with the VA Beach homeschool liaison person and she said if we put in a letter of intent to homeschool when we move down for those final three weeks, we'll still need to show achievement (which is usually testing) for the year (I don't really want to do this and think it's silly for only 3 weeks). I am not sure yet if the boys' current school will promote them if they miss the final ten days of school.
> 
> I'm not sure what to do. If we just pull them out at the end of May and do not register as homeschoolers down in VA Beach until the summer for the following school year, could we run into any issues?? At this point we plan to homeschool through highschool, but who knows what the future holds?
> 
> Also, are there any homeschooling families on here from the Hampton Roads area??
> 
> Thanks for the help!



Hey Car!  It's good to see you on another of my favorite threads.  Wow, this sounds like it's becoming more difficult than it originally sounded in your TR  I wish I could tell you exactly what to do, but since I don't live in that area, I can't really give more than my opinions.  If you're going to HS in the fall, I would go ahead and start homeschooling the boys now, and try to get involved in a local hs group, so they can make some friends.  Does the Hampton Roads area allow a portfolio option?  That may be an option for you...a lot easier than trying to get the boys tested for 3 weeks worth of work.  If that's just too much, I think you said in your TR that you would rather not have to stay in a hotel while DH goes to VA.  Maybe you and the boys could stay with a friend or two until school in MD gets out.  Then you could say you had finished the school year in MD and not worry about school at all when you get to VA   Maybe the school will just sign off that you completed the school year in MD, and you won't have to worry about it at all.  I don't think I've been much help, but I wanted to offer what advice/ ideas I could to try to help you out.  Good luck!
Missy


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## lori1043

hey gals! There is good chance we will be moving back to Texas(we were there 12 years ago and had DD11 there). The only thing that has me excited about going is homeschooling there-it is easy to HS there-even easier than here. I will have to look up the laws to make sure they are the same,of course.

If it happens the 2 things we will miss most are our homeschool and church families.

Lori


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## Disney Mommy 3

Lori~ you can pm me if you don't want to broadcast on here where in Tx you will be coming too. I loooooove hsing here!!! I know u will miss your church home and hs families, but hopefully we'll be a truly texan-friendly bunch and make you feel at home in no time When will you be moving? I am sure you aren't looking forward to humidity! Unless you have some where you are now.


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## MiniGirl

02AggieGirl said:


> Hi, I'm new to this thread!  I'm gonna start home schooling my oldest dd in the fall--she will be starting K.  I've kind of read thru some of this, but it's a lot of info (which is good!)   I was hoping some of you that have used *Abeka* and *sonlight* might be able to give me the *good and bad* of it.  I'm not sure if I want to do that or just pull together the curriculum from different resources....thanks!



Welcome, AggieGirl. I didn't homeschool either of my girls for K, and I don't currently use either of those programs, so I really can't speak about them. Sonlight, however, had 2 articles on their site that I found interesting. One was "25 Reasons to Use Sonlight" and the other was "25 Reasons to Not Use Sonlight" -- or something like that. I found both articles very interesting and thought they gave a good balanced description of the pros and cons of that program.


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## MiniGirl

SCHBR'smom said:


> I haven't read thru all of this yet.  I plan on it as soon as I get the time.  We've been talking about homeschooling since before oldest DD went to kinder.  She's now in 4th.  We debate it all the time, I just worry about being able to do it.  I'm sure it is a huge responsibility.  DH suggested I try it over the summer to see how it would actually be.  I wish we had thought of that sooner!  So, where should I start?  I'll have a 1st grader and a 5th grader.  DD4 would be in preschool.  Thanks for any help!



Welcome, SCHBR'smom, to the wonderful world of homeschooling. We are just finishing up our first year and have really enjoyed it. My oldest is in 3rd grade. We kept her home this year while my youngest stayed in the public school (1st). Next year both will be home with us.

If this has been on your heart for so long, then I definitely think you should do it. How do your kiddos feel about it though. I wanted to start a few years ago, but my oldest really didn't want to. Then last spring, out of the blue, she said she wanted to homeschool, so I knew the timing was right to start.

Fortunately, for you, you live in a very homeschool-friendly state, but you do need to see what your state requires of you. You also need to decide which curriculum you want to use. Do you want one that is faith-based or secular? Do you want one that is Classical in its approach or one that involves a lot of reading or hands-on projects. Would you prefer a computer-based program or do you want to do traditional schooling at home? Most people do a combination of these things. For our first year, I bought a complete program. I was completely overwhelmed by all the choices out there, so I picked one program (Adventures in My Father's World) and went with that and also ordered everything they recommended. For this coming year, I am choosing a computer-based math program for my oldest. I am hoping that will free up some time so I can work with my youngest, and our school day will still be nice and short with plenty of free time.

I think a trial run in the summer could be good, but I really think the commitment needs to be for an entire school year. Your kids, especially your oldest, needs some time to deschool and have fun before starting up right away. That wouldn't leave much time for your trial run and it really took longer than a month or so for us to get into a routine that worked for us. I would really consider making the trial run for a full year. If it doesn't work for you, they can go back to school the following year. Just take it one year at a time. That is what we are doing. We have a wonderful public school here and haven't had any real problems, so I have no problem having them there. However, we need to commit to an entire year either at home or at school.

Good luck to you. It is an awesome and wonderful responsibility. There are many times when I wonder if my dd is learning anything because I often don't feel like I am "teaching." We are just reading many wonderful books and having some great conversations about how things were back in those days. Then months later, something will come up and she'll mention something we read or discussed and I know it is all getting through AND being retained.

Let us know what you decide.


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## dfluvsmick

Hi.  My name is Dawn and I will be homeschooling my ds (12) starting next year.  We are a Christian family and absolutely love the idea of my children being taught by the people that God entrusted them to.  My dh and I!!! I do believe that each child learns differently, and where my dd's are thriving in school, my ds is just not.  He absolutely needs to be taught one on one.  I did homeschool him in 3rd grade and we both loved it.  I then gave birth to my special needs dd (almost 4), and I just felt overwhelmed.  With depression hitting after her birth and all the work she needed, it just wasn't fair to him.  I put him back in school and he absolutely hates it!  Now my dd is in a preschool disabled class and he is begging to be home again.  How can I not???  Now that you all know the basics,  I just want to say that this is an awesome site.  
As far as what I will be doing... I have done so much research.  He is going into 7th grade and these are my choices:  Saxson Math, Easy Grammer, Worldly Wise, Apologia General Science, Abeka World History and Health.  
So, what do you think?   Am I doing too much.  I am just trying to cover what they would teach in school?  I have to tell you that on Tuesdays he will be going to "FAITH Center" (Fine Arts in the Home).  It is a group that meets once a week that teaches Art, Instruments, Vocal, Computers, and Drama).  It is home to about 300 homeschoolers in our area.  He is super excited about that.!!!  
HI.  I hope I get to talk to you all !!!!
..Dawn


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## Denine

Just wanted to say a quick hello from WDW!


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## lori1043

aww! Ask Mickey to send some magic this way. Our job situation is getting old-he's been laid off almost 6 months now. We had such big ideas and dreams for this time and none have really happened, yet!

I love your tag too!

DH is going to be offered a job with his old boss, and one of the very possible moves was Orlando. But that got nixed yesterday. We are very bummed.

Texas or staying home are the alternatives. They woud want us in Texas over staying home though, b/c Texas is booming so much more over Louisiana(home).

We THOUGHT we'd know today, but no.

This is getting old.

Didn't even do school today-kids cleaned their rooms-which was a BIG thing! We all need recharging!

Destin cannot come too soon- going after testing next week!

Lori


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## Disney Mommy 3

dfluvsmick said:


> Hi.  My name is Dawn and I will be homeschooling my ds (12) starting next year.  We are a Christian family and absolutely love the idea of my children being taught by the people that God entrusted them to.  My dh and I!!! I do believe that each child learns differently, and where my dd's are thriving in school, my ds is just not.  He absolutely needs to be taught one on one.  I did homeschool him in 3rd grade and we both loved it.  I then gave birth to my special needs dd (almost 4), and I just felt overwhelmed.  With depression hitting after her birth and all the work she needed, it just wasn't fair to him.  I put him back in school and he absolutely hates it!  Now my dd is in a preschool disabled class and he is begging to be home again.  How can I not???  Now that you all know the basics,  I just want to say that this is an awesome site.
> As far as what I will be doing... I have done so much research.  He is going into 7th grade and these are my choices:  Saxson Math, Easy Grammer, Worldly Wise, Apologia General Science, Abeka World History and Health.
> So, what do you think?   Am I doing too much.  I am just trying to cover what they would teach in school?  I have to tell you that on Tuesdays he will be going to "FAITH Center" (Fine Arts in the Home).  It is a group that meets once a week that teaches Art, Instruments, Vocal, Computers, and Drama).  It is home to about 300 homeschoolers in our area.  He is super excited about that.!!!
> HI.  I hope I get to talk to you all !!!!
> ..Dawn




Hey Dawn! Welcome Aboard!! Way to go for bringing your little man home. I know he is gonna be thrilled.
My son is finishing 7th grade right now. I just wanted to run something by you...we do Apologia as well and we looooove it! Have you looked into doing Teaching Textbooks for his math? It is done on the computer--you buy the disks and books and it's lectured to your child. We really liked this as math is usually our longest part of the day,,, and by 7th grade they really need to be secure in the basics. That was just my view and I felt relieved to have a "tutor".  For English we used Rod & Staff this year. It was the first time I used it and I was very impressed. The one thing I liked was that the lessons were short and to the point. They learned a lot this year and they didn't get bored due to the shorter lessons. 
We used ABeka History for 5th grade and it was a lot! I don't know about 7th grade though. We used a history that uses more literature. If he's doing the FAITH group as well, I think that he's gonna have plenty to do!!!! 
Oh, we did use Wordly Wise last year and it was fun---I think you'll like that.
That's just a peek at what we did this year... for what it's worth!!!


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## desparatelydisney

3princesses+aprince said:


> desperatelydisney, I see that you're leaving for Disney soon, we are too. We have 14 days to go. We'll be staying at All Star Movies for 7 nights We may run into each other and never even know it!!!



 I think you said you check in the 11th?  We check out on the 13th.  The 12th is MK day for us and the 13th is probably back to MK but maybe AK instead


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## 3princesses+aprince

desparatelydisney said:


> I think you said you check in the 11th?  We check out on the 13th.  The 12th is MK day for us and the 13th is probably back to MK but maybe AK instead




Hey, we'll be in the same parks then. I actually check in on the 12th. My plane lands at 9:05am We'll probably head over to the MK around 3 or 4 and stay until it closes!!! The 13th will be our AK day because it has EMH night  We also have a dismeet at AK on the 13 at 12pm at the safari!!!! Cannot wait for that, I will be meeting about 4 other families. How exciting!!!! Maybe we'll see ya there. Check out my pre trip report for pics, if you recognize us there, say hello!!!!


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## 3princesses+aprince

Ok, I finally decided on  Truthquest, I was just looking over it again, and it looks great, and best of all, it looks like I can use it with all 3 of the girls (5,7,and 9)
 I'm just as excited about History now as I am when I decided on Apologia for Science. YaHoo!!!!


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## WeDisney4

3princesses+aprince said:


> Ok, I finally decided on  Truthquest, I was just looking over it again, and it looks great, and best of all, it looks like I can use it with all 3 of the girls (5,7,and 9)
> 
> I'm just as excited about History now as I am when I decided on Apologia for Science. YaHoo!!!!




I was just coming to post we are usuing TQ!  I didn't do as much research as science because we were just going to stay w/ the hisrtory from Seton, but someone from our HS group was selling it for $8.  

So far I really, really like it, the only problem I see is our library did not have many of the books, maybe 1 or 2 out of 10.  

I actually go today to pu the ones the library does have & see if we can make them work, otherwise I'm sure I can find a few used at decent prices.  

Our Apologia science kits just arrived & the notebooks that were on backorder, just shipped!  We are soooo excited we are going to continue yr. round!    We Love Homeschooling!

Have a magical weekend!


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## Disneynut5

I am struggling with History and Science also.  I wish that I coudl find a curriculum that did not require so much from me on these two subjects.  We are using Mystery of History Volume 1 right now and are no where near finishing it but it does require a lot from me and I am not sure my children are really remembering much!  

Any suggestions.  I think my kids need more worksheets in this are and most history curriculums are all about reading...we read a lot but my kids need some worksheets to reinforce the readings.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Disneynut5 said:


> I am struggling with History and Science also.  I wish that I coudl find a curriculum that did not require so much from me on these two subjects.  We are using Mystery of History Volume 1 right now and are no where near finishing it but it does require a lot from me and I am not sure my children are really remembering much!
> 
> Any suggestions.  I think my kids need more worksheets in this are and most history curriculums are all about reading...we read a lot but my kids need some worksheets to reinforce the readings.



We're new at this, so I don't have any experience, but I was thinking the same thing about History. "If there are no worksheets and we'll just be reading, how on earth are they going to remember it all" Then I was thinking, i'd make up my own little worksheets along the way. Maybe 1 or 2 for each chapter/section, with a few little questions to refresh their memories and make sure they were paying attention. Cause I know far too well how easy it is for the mind to wonder when being read to Now my 5 yr old, and even my 7 yr old(who has dev.delays) may not be able to answer too many questions, but I can have them color something or draw pictures related to who or what we were reading about.


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## 3princesses+aprince

I was just looking through one of the books on Truthquest's website and it seems like a lot(which is better than not enough)

For those who have used this, do you finish it within the "schoolyear"?
And how many times a week do you do History?

I know you don't HAVE to finish everything, they don't in public school, but I don't want to waste any material that we could have learned about, I would like enough time to get to everything. Like I said this upcoming school year will be my first year, so maybe i'm expecting too much. Please tell me if I am or not? I don't want to drive the kids and especially myself NUTS!!!
Thank You!!!


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## wvdislover

I just ordered Truthquest's Ancient Egypt and Greece for us to use next year!  Very excited about it!  Now, I have to figure out which Apologia to use with DD11 (she'll be in 7th grade).  I am looking forward to attending the NC Homeschool Conference later this month, so I can look at the books and make a better decision.  Anyone else going to this?


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## DisneyMom5

1) We use Sonlight and I love, love, love it!  All my pre-planning is done.
We've used it since 2000, and have used everything from K to 100.
I don't always do everything they list, nor do I always do it in their order, but I have so much fun pre-reading all those awesome books, and I have learned more history than I did in all of my schooling.
We don't currently use their LA, though I think it is a great program, just too hard for me to use with 7 kids.  We have most of their science books, but don't do the worksheets.  Now we're using a lot of Abeka.

2) Anyone use *Queen Homeschool Language Arts* by Sandi Queen?
I am leaning toward this, but would love some thoughts.


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## Disney Mommy 3

3princesses+aprince said:


> I was just looking through one of the books on Truthquest's website and it seems like a lot(which is better than not enough)
> 
> For those who have used this, do you finish it within the "schoolyear"?
> And how many times a week do you do History?
> 
> I know you don't HAVE to finish everything, they don't in public school, but I don't want to waste any material that we could have learned about, I would like enough time to get to everything. Like I said this upcoming school year will be my first year, so maybe i'm expecting too much. Please tell me if I am or not? I don't want to drive the kids and especially myself NUTS!!!
> Thank You!!!



Okay, my older son did Ren. & Reform. this year and we finished it. My middle on is in AHYS 1--we got about 3/4 way through. We are going to do some over the summer and (just a bit) finish it next semster. (Fall of 09)....
You can do what you feel is important to learn--some of the people that are brought up are minors in History---people that I  don't EVER remember hearing about in ps.!!! so, if you can't find a book about them, check the encyclopdia, or Wikipedia and don't sweat it. People like Ben Franklin, Eric the Red, Leif the Lucky, George Washington, we take longer with. the books by Genevieve Foster are large, but they are touching on all aspects of the world at the time of the person you are studying, so you get a larger view than you would at a regular history class. She is one of the authors you can choose from in the TQ guide. I do like her books----also, books read on cd make a long impression as well. We just finished Johnny Tremain----History on the way to the store is a great burden off of me.  Another good author in the TQ that I absolutely love is the D'Aulaires. They are incredible, I did purchase all the books by them. In fact I had a few already!!!!! I haven't seen  a need to do worksheets, or test. I do ask them ?s to make sure they are understanding what's going on...especially with different ways of speech some of the older books are written in. Every once in a while, if I can find a good coloring sheet to go with a story, that's a nice break too! They seem to retain a lot more just from it being in story form/literature than memorizing dates. My 9 yo I don't push dates yet, just that he knows what things in History go together is enough for now. My 13 yo is old enough to start putting dates with happening. 



wvdislover said:


> I just ordered Truthquest's Ancient Egypt and Greece for us to use next year!  Very excited about it!  Now, I have to figure out which Apologia to use with DD11 (she'll be in 7th grade).  I am looking forward to attending the NC Homeschool Conference later this month, so I can look at the books and make a better decision.  Anyone else going to this?



My son was 7th grade this year -starting the year he was 12.We did Gen. Sci. They urge you to do Math & Science together. for example, Gen Sci, is supposed to be done the year you have pre-algebra, or Alg I... Next year he is supposed to go into Algebra I, but he loved the Astronomy series so much last year he asked to do it again next year! I may do it with him over the summer. I will tell you the G. Sci. has LOTS of info. We did it every day of the week and it took all year. We just did small portions each day. That was better than lots of reading 3 days a week--it's just a lot to retain. but I did love it and thought it was awesome.This is the only Science we will ever use! since she's just 11, you may want to look into the Science listed as elementary. We have done Astronomy, Botony, and Flying Birds of the 5th day.


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## wvdislover

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> My son was 7th grade this year -starting the year he was 12.We did Gen. Sci. They urge you to do Math & Science together. for example, Gen Sci, is supposed to be done the year you have pre-algebra, or Alg I... Next year he is supposed to go into Algebra I, but he loved the Astronomy series so much last year he asked to do it again next year! I may do it with him over the summer. I will tell you the G. Sci. has LOTS of info. We did it every day of the week and it took all year. We just did small portions each day. That was better than lots of reading 3 days a week--it's just a lot to retain. but I did love it and thought it was awesome.This is the only Science we will ever use! since she's just 11, you may want to look into the Science listed as elementary. We have done Astronomy, Botony, and Flying Birds of the 5th day.



Thanks for the advice Shawna.  I am planning on putting her in pre-alg. this year (we'll do some work in Math 7 over the summer...we use TT for math).  I was thinking the elementary science might be better to start her with, since we haven't done Apologia before (we're just now finishing up our first full year of homeschooling), and she has some learning issues.  I've shown her the elementary books online, and told her to think about which she thinks she'd like to learn about in science next year.  I'm hoping she'll be more excited about it, if she has had a hand in picking what we're doing.  Maybe we'll do science in the afternoons, after DD7 has gotten home from school (unless we decide to homeschool her, too).


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## 3princesses+aprince

Thank you for the advice DisneyMommy3, I'm ready to begin now Well, after our Disney trip anyway!! I want to say, my kids will probably be ready to start earlier than September, i'm assuming we'll end up starting out in August. Even if it's not everything, cause we have a street full of neighbors who will be out of school still, plus my stepson that is here alot in the summer. So we'll probably start out with small things in August, this way they'll get the "hang" of what it will be like. Although, we'll be doing alot over the summer anyway, my 7 yr old has developmental delays and is reading so well right now, we don't want her to loose any of that.
Speaking of my 7 yr old. Does anyone here have a special needs child? my dd7 has mild to moderate developmental delays. I know I can teach her one on one better than they can teach her in a group at school. She has alot of trouble keeping concentration during a lesson to the whole class, and that's the main reason of why i'm happy to homeschool her next fall. In second grade i'm sure there is alot more sit at your desk and listen to this lesson
I am starting to get a little nervous though, does anyone ever wonder if they are doing enough for their special needs child. I know with HSing you wonder that even with regular ed. kids, but i'm worried with her especially! I just hope I have enough knowledge to figure out how she learns best and the best way for me to explain difficult things. I know right now even just with homework sometimes it's so hard for me to explain certain things to her.

I guess i'll be fine, i'm trying not to even think about it, i'm just telling myself, "just wait and see how it goes" I'm sure I'll be just fine!
I do have an excellent homeschool group in my area as well, so i'm sure I can get help and advice from them when needed also.


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## Disney Mommy 3

wvdislover said:


> Thanks for the advice Shawna.  I am planning on putting her in pre-alg. this year (we'll do some work in Math 7 over the summer...we use TT for math).  I was thinking the elementary science might be better to start her with, since we haven't done Apologia before (we're just now finishing up our first full year of homeschooling), and she has some learning issues.


 We love TT here!!! It's awesome isn't it? I think especially with learning issues, you should get one of the Elem Sciences. You can always order the Gen Sci (which is recommended for 7th) later. This way you can both see how they approach things, and how long you want to spend on Science each week. Like I said earlier, we do a little bit every day. Maybe just get one and start reading it over the summer--keep it to a page or so every couple of days, just to keep your hand in, and have something interesting to do over those hot summer days!! 



3princesses+aprince said:


> Thank you for the advice DisneyMommy3, I'm ready to begin now Well, after our Disney trip anyway!! I want to say, my kids will probably be ready to start earlier than September, i'm assuming we'll end up starting out in August. Even if it's not everything, cause we have a street full of neighbors who will be out of school still, plus my stepson that is here alot in the summer. So we'll probably start out with small things in August, this way they'll get the "hang" of what it will be like. Although, we'll be doing alot over the summer anyway, my 7 yr old has developmental delays and is reading so well right now, we don't want her to loose any of that.
> Speaking of my 7 yr old. Does anyone here have a special needs child? my dd7 has mild to moderate developmental delays. I know I can teach her one on one better than they can teach her in a group at school. She has alot of trouble keeping concentration during a lesson to the whole class, and that's the main reason of why i'm happy to homeschool her next fall. In second grade i'm sure there is alot more sit at your desk and listen to this lesson



Don't Be Nervous!!! You are going to be fine I don't know personally about a special needs child, but I would think home would be the best place for her! This way on good days you can really get through a lot and accomplish what needs to be done, and a little more if possible. On days when she has trouble, slack off and take more breaks. I agree that keeping her reading over the summer is the best thing for both of you. Hit that library girl!! Get her some Dr. Suess, or whatever she is good at reading and load up! Maybe you could do your own reading program over the summer with her. We do it along with our library sometimes. They read the required 10 or 20 for the library, but then we keep it going at home. Each level, another 5 or another 10, gets another reward. Keep a list....you'll be amazed how fast they want to read and it gets hard to remember how many you've done. 

Reading( in my opinion-for what it's worth) is the best education you can give a kid! there is sooooo much to learn in books-you can imagine people however you want them to look, travel to places you can never actually go, learn about all kinds of life in different parts of the world. All while increasing reading speed, learning correct grammar, vocabulary, spelling, even History!!!! 

We start early here too. It's just so hot in Texas, that some days really are dangerous to be out hanging around in 110 with a heat index of 120. so, we start History, or Science reading then, and sort of phase everything else in by the first of Aug. This way when T-day & Christmas come, we can take off a few weeks. We have our 18 week semester over at Thanksgiving!!! So, if you have to keep hours for your state, count all those library trips and reading days as school.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Thanks again Disneymommy3 we'll definitely be at the library all summer, my girls love going to the libraray And we'll be signed up for their summer programs!

I was thinking about doing a couple of little "projects" over the summer too. Basically on whatever they pick, like seashells or fish. Then we'll do some research on the computer, print out some pictures, go to the library and check out some books that go along with it, and then go to the beach for seashells and/or the aquarium to check out the fish. I now I have to keep my dd9 writing a lot, that's where her troubles lie. So these fun projects will help with that. And they'll all go along with stuff that the girls love to do all summer anyway, like going to the beach, the aquarium, the zoos and parks! It will be a nice summer, I can't wait for this school year to end


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## 3princesses+aprince

I'm back with another question that I forgot about.
Ok, i'm using abeka for Language arts! The Language 2 book looks great, as well as the spelling book.
Now what about the cursive writing, I do not feel that my dd7 is ready for cursive.
#1: Do they have to write in cursive in the spelling and language 2 book( from the examples it didn't appear that way)
#2: Should I buy something besides abeka for writing( that is not in cursive) or would that make things trickier with the Abeka products that we'll have.

I think she definitely needs another year of writing before starting cursive. If the language books require cursive then I may have to look into something different for her language arts.

Thanks in advance for your help!!!!!
I wish their was an option to do cursive like they offer for K.


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## wvdislover

A lot of people, including myself, find that their children can actually write better in cursive than print.  My DD11 also has some dev. delays, and her cursive writing (she started in 3rd grade) is MUCH prettier than her printing.  The curves and curls are easier for kids to form than the straight lines they have to use when printing.  For handwriting help, check into Handwriting Without Tears.


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## 3princesses+aprince

wvdislover said:


> A lot of people, including myself, find that their children can actually write better in cursive than print.  My DD11 also has some dev. delays, and her cursive writing (she started in 3rd grade) is MUCH prettier than her printing.  The curves and curls are easier for kids to form than the straight lines they have to use when printing.  For handwriting help, check into Handwriting Without Tears.



Ok, thanks alot, i'll look into Handwriting without tears, and maybe give the cursive a try!! She does have pretty neat handwriting, so maybe it will be easy for her.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Just wanted to say Happy Cinco de Mayo!!! There is an awesome video on the History Channels website all about how it started with the Frenchman invading Mexico. It's really neat. It's the section called "The History of the Holidays" There is a video/story for every Holiday, all about how they got started!!!


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## Disney Mommy 3

A friend of mine uses Hand. w/out Tears and loves it. We use A Reason for Handwriting. Used to do ABeka, and then we found this---used it for the last 2 years... you can start her on any level, the first few are print, the next ones are cursive. they even have a transition book. It pretty much just depends on which book you like best, they are both great!


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## Tink561

Do any of you use Abeka in the early years?  I just ordered the K4 for my daughter to start this summer.  I know they now teach cursive writing first which I was initially against and then intrigued by it.  I ordered the cursive kit so we'll see how it goes.  I love their phonics program.  My oldest son, now 19, used it in a private school in K and did well.  My younger sons struggle more with reading in what was used with them in school.


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## Disney Mommy 3

I used it with my 2 boys,, the younger one has really pretty handwriting. I did it differently with my daughter-starting her with print, but  I will probably let her start some cursive this year!


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## Temair

Wow this school year has gone quickly.  Only a month till we take our summer vacation.  We plan on doing educational things, but taking a break from the curriculum.  My DD is finishing up MUS Delta this week, we will go ahead and start Epsilon next week.  DD has become so much more independent and mature this year.  
I now have the problem that I have time on my hands and I'm not sure what to do.  Any suggestions on maybe a work from home job that I could do?  Or maybe some sort of project i could get involved in.  I wouln't mind to make a few extra $$ to help towards our financial goals.  That way I can get back to Disney faster.


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## Twoboysnmygirl

We just finished up our year!  It's summer break!  I don't know who's more excited, me or the kids! 

Sometimes I just NEED a break from all of it.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Thanks for all of the handwriting tips!! I still need to think about what I want to do. She has neat handwriting, but I need her to concentrate on what she is learning and doing and not having all the concentration going on writing out each word. Does that make sense? Ugh, every time I figure something out, something else comes up that has me baffled. I'm not stressing out about it or anything, I have plenty of time, but I am doing some research on it. I'm not going to start buying curriculum until we come back from our Disney trip anyway! Then i'll start purchasing what I know i'll be using for sure! There are Abeka displays going on close by in June, July, and August, so I'll start there. I know for dd9, It's all abeka besides History and Science. I'm actually going to go check out A Reason for Handwriting, and Handwriting without tears right now!

Also, seeing how alot of you are nearing the end of your school year, what do you do during the day, do you still have them doing a lot of reading? I'm afraid of ending the school year and having the kids just run around the house like madwomen!!!!! What does everyone do?


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## 3princesses+aprince

Oooo, I really like the looks for Handwriting without tears, that looks like the best way to start off with dd7. I would feel more comfortable giving her 1 more year without cursive. I may even use that one for dd9 and dd5 too.

We had a frustrating night with homework tonight I can't wait until this school year is over!
We went out to the Disney store tonight to buy the girl's bathing suits for Disney, and we got home and they had to do homework, but they were just so over excited that it was choas. I just can't wait to have more freedom than having to do that at night!


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## Disney Mommy 3

3princesses+aprince said:


> Also, seeing how alot of you are nearing the end of your school year, what do you do during the day, do you still have them doing a lot of reading? I'm afraid of ending the school year and having the kids just run around the house like madwomen!!!!! What does everyone do?



I let them run around the house like madpeople Ha!! We do have just some crazy days! But, we are still in baseball, ballet & gymnastics, so I have to kind of keep their days a little regimented.

We let them get in the pool this afternoon for a bit, by the end of the week it should be perfect-we are already in the 80s. So, that' ll take a lot of the energy out of 'em!! My older son will be finished with Science Friday, but other than that last Friday was our last day!!! We are looking forward to 12 weeks of LAZY!!!! I need it!!!


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## Crisgw

I'm not a homeschooler but I am a Director at an Educational Consulting Firm and one of our clients is a homeschooling network called Fusefly.  It's like Facebook (but really safe with places for parents/etc...) but exclusively for homeschoolers.  It's free and it's pretty neat 
http://www.fusefly.com/


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## Disney Mommy 3

Crisgw,,,thank you!


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## wvdislover

Thanks crisgw!  Looks pretty cool!


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## 3princesses+aprince

Thanks crisgw, I'll have to go check it out, it sounds pretty neat!!!


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## graygables

3princesses+aprince said:


> Also, seeing how alot of you are nearing the end of your school year, what do you do during the day, do you still have them doing a lot of reading? I'm afraid of ending the school year and having the kids just run around the house like madwomen!!!!! What does everyone do?



Since we are not agrarian and don't need the kids to work in the fields  we actually school year round, 6 days a week.  We pace ourselves so it works out.  I also figure that I work year round without long breaks in the summer, so it teaches the kids a similar work ethic. Our time of concentrated curriculum use is probably shorter than most; DDs work on that 2-2.5 hours per day.  The rest of their day is spent in unschooling activities.  They do have breaks when I have breaks, for instance, I was off yesterday to go to my WDW College Program graduation, so they went with me and we spent the day celebrating in the parks.  Here next week when we head home, they'll have about 3 weeks off to visit friends/family and prepare to come back to WDW for my management internship.  I had them ask me only once why they didn't get a summer break "like the rest of the kids" and I told them because they get to go to WDW (or New England or Atlanta/American Girl or wherever) when the "rest of the kids" are in school for 8+ hours per day.  They seemed to like that answer.


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## Disney Mommy 3

I have had my kids ask me stuff like that--I think it was field trips or something, I gave them pretty much the same answer you gave yours!! And...Disney is the Ulitmate Field Trip!! Ha!!

Those books that are about Disney--the Education Vacation or whatever the title is, do ya'll buy them from books stores, or do you have to order them from their website. I can't remember, but I am interested in checking into it, or getting opinions from you that have the books. thanks


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## NiniMorris

Hi all... I haven't checked in her in a while...life has been busy!

We finish up our school year on May 30 and start our new school year on June 1.  We were thinking about sending our 9 year old back to public school.  Partly to give me more time to spend with my spec ed 7 year old, and partly because she has decided not to do as she is told.  (long story)

We have a Disney trip planned for September.  Since our school year starts a month prior to the public school year, I thought one week out of school was no big deal.  WRONG!!!  They just informed me not only would it be unexcused, but they may consider criminal prosecution....  I can't believe this!  We are only required to have 180 days of school per year, and we end up with over 200.  We do year round school, because my youngest has severe retention problems.  

So, now it looks like IF we decide to put my oldest back in public school it will be after our trip to Disney.  I don't see how they can say anything about that!  ARGH!!!!

(sorry, just needed to vent.)

I saw someone had asked something about Handwriting without Tears.  I can tell you nothing but great things about it!  It was designed by an occupational therapist for use with children that have fine motor problems.  My son is doing so well with this even his OT can't believe it!  When we started this 2 years ago, he couldn't even hold the pencil in his hand.  Now he has mastered all the capitals and 90% of the lower case letters.  This is a real big deal with him.  Public school had given up on him being able to ever write.  (he was left handed prior to an accident that paralyzed his left side)

Guess I have rambled on long enough... got to check on some more DISigns for our trip in September(...just what I needed another obsession!)

Nini


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## 3princesses+aprince

I too, think that when this school year ends and we start homeschooling it will be more of a year round thing as well!!!
My 7 yr old with dev. delays would not do well with long summer breaks either, she needs to keep going.


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## KARAJ

We are also one that homeschool's year round. I find it gives us a LOT more flexibility to merge with daddy's schedule which is erratic (Army), and to go visit Grandma for a couple days etc.. Also we are lucky that we live in a very homeschool friendly state, TX, so I am able to be more liberal on our dates.


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## Disney Mommy 3

KARAJ said:


> We are also one that homeschool's year round. I find it gives us a LOT more flexibility to merge with daddy's schedule which is erratic (Army), and to go visit Grandma for a couple days etc.. Also we are lucky that we live in a very homeschool friendly state, TX, so I am able to be more liberal on our dates.



Texas is awesome! I love our liberalness!! Ha!!! Is that even a word? It's great because I know how many days our local schools go, and I am pretty close to their allotted time, but I can shift it around as I need too.

I thought about hisng over the summer, but we really love our pool from now to the end of July. By July's end, if we aren't finished with our pool time by about 10:30, it's too blooming hot! So, that signals the start of school for us!! Besides, I like to have a long break to study up which books we are going to use next semester----I need that time off!!!


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## gerberdaisy1234

Hi, I am new to this thread.  Just discovered a couple weeks ago.  

We are in Maryland, DD 10 and DS 6. We have been homeschooling for 5 years.  

We homeschool year round also. It gives us more flexibility.  We do less hours in the Summer. Still plenty of time at the pool. 

Here are some benefits of year round- eliminate review time at beginning of school year, maintain some sort of routine (even though our routine is crazy, it is ours), allows opportunity for more activities (karate, ice skating, lacrosse, basketball, swimming, choir, piano, rock climbing, hiking, etc) and more field trips (endless choices living in Baltimore/D.C. area) 

Not to mention able to take off or reduce hours when family visits or take vacations at cheaper/less crowded times.

Thanks to those who were talking about Apologia Science. We just received Botany and Astronomy.  Looks great.

And I also learned about Teaching Textbooks here.  DD has tried a couple of sample lessons.  I think they are going to be great for DD.  DD's strength is Language Arts and DS's strength is Math and you can guess their challenge areas- yes- DD-Math, DS-Language Arts.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Gerberdaisy1234~ Welcome!!! We are glad you found us!!!! My best friend just moved to Maryland --got in their house the week of Christmas!! They are over in Pasadena-not sure how close that is to you---I am not really familiar with that area, but I think she's really liking it! They want us to stay with them and we can take a 'field trip' to DC. I am looking forward to that. I would love to be on the east coast! Ya'll are blessed with many opportunities to visit such a plethora of Historical places!!!!!! You will have to give me some pointers of what to do and when!

You are gonna really enjoy that science and the math!!! Great choices! Well, don't be a stranger!!


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## bellebud

just popping in to say how much we LOVE our new hschooling adventure (we just started in march).

we're doing a few weekly co-op classes and weekly playtime w/ other families, the kids have made good friends, we're doing homeschool 4H, monthly hschool book discussion club at the library, just did an archeological camp (had to miss the last 2 days though for medical reasons - but the kids loved the time we were there), we're heading to disney tomorrow (we're surprising the kids!  they'll figure it out when we get to the airport), we have a few group field trips on the calendar, our hschool group is planning a williamsburg trip in sept when it's hschool days there... the funny thing is WE'RE NEVER HOME!! 

I'm deschooling right now - just doing our classes (history, science, art), the library group and 4H group, and having them play w/ their educational DS games I bought (math tutor, word/spelling games, spanish tutor), oh, and horseback riding lessons we just started... I know it sounds like a lot, but i'm not doing a 'real' schedule yet.  but boy are the kids learning... ds7 has totally learned the concept of multiplication by us playing yahtzee a few times - that was easy!  and spelling has continued by us playing boggle, bananagram (love that game!), scrabble, even that webkinz word game. 

we're definitely going to 'school' year-round too... all this learning in non-conventional ways is actually fun, and I wouldn't want it to stop.  For our bookclub, I'm reading the book to the kids (dd9 and ds7) - they could read it themselves, but they're loving storytime and so am I.  and this way I know they can discuss the story at book club.

just wanted to let anyone thinking of hschooling how wonderful it can be!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Hi Bellebud~ Glad you decided to join us!!  

sounds like ya'll are having a blast! Good to hear. Have a wonderful trip--let us know how it goes!!!


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## 3princesses+aprince

Hi bellebud, we're just getting into homeschooling too! That's great that you are having so much fun... And we're leaving for Disney on Tuesday!!! Have a blast, I can't wait!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

I was thinking about making an Epcot Passport, for getting them stamped at all of the different countries. I found a design on the Disign thread and was wondering if anyone here ever made them and what they came out looking like? Thanks

Or if anyone has a picture of one that you buy in Epcot, would you mind posting it.

I've just been so creative with this trip, I figured i'd try to make them. I made personalized autograph books and t shirts with the designs that were made from disers here!!!

Thanks


----------



## mickeyjen

3princesses+aprince said:


> I was thinking about making an Epcot Passport, for getting them stamped at all of the different countries. I found a design on the Disign thread and was wondering if anyone here ever made them and what they came out looking like? Thanks
> 
> Or if anyone has a picture of one that you buy in Epcot, would you mind posting it.
> 
> I've just been so creative with this trip, I figured i'd try to make them. I made personalized autograph books and t shirts with the designs that were made from disers here!!!
> 
> Thanks



We didn't do the passports - the kids were just as excited about the kidcot masks!  They stamp them at each world, and because we were there at Christmas time, we got each representative to write out "Merry Christmas" and our kids' name in their language.  It was SO neat and got the kids talking to the representatives and asking them other questions about their countries as well (especially the ones that don't generally celebrate Christmas! ).    If you DO decide on the passports (which might be easier to keep once their home) be sure to ask them to write in their language!


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

3princesses+aprince said:


> I was thinking about making an Epcot Passport, for getting them stamped at all of the different countries. I found a design on the Disign thread and was wondering if anyone here ever made them and what they came out looking like? Thanks
> 
> Or if anyone has a picture of one that you buy in Epcot, would you mind posting it.
> 
> I've just been so creative with this trip, I figured i'd try to make them. I made personalized autograph books and t shirts with the designs that were made from disers here!!!
> 
> Thanks




http://s143.photobucket.com/albums/r132/donatalie/Passports/Passport 2/

This is a link from one of the people here. She has amazing designs.  I think you will love her passport pages.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

mickeyjen said:


> We didn't do the passports - the kids were just as excited about the kidcot masks!  They stamp them at each world, and because we were there at Christmas time, we got each representative to write out "Merry Christmas" and our kids' name in their language.  It was SO neat and got the kids talking to the representatives and asking them other questions about their countries as well (especially the ones that don't generally celebrate Christmas! ).    If you DO decide on the passports (which might be easier to keep once their home) be sure to ask them to write in their language!



Oh, I forgot about the masks too!! Thanks



gerberdaisy1234 said:


> http://s143.photobucket.com/albums/r132/donatalie/Passports/Passport 2/
> 
> This is a link from one of the people here. She has amazing designs.  I think you will love her passport pages.



Thanks a lot, i'm going to go check it out!

I don't know why I just though about this yesterday!! I don't have much time left!!


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## 3princesses+aprince

I was just reading a pre trip report, and she was asking about homeschool days in September at Epcot. She has a daughter in 1st grade and a son in K. She was wondering if this was too young? Does anyone know?

Thanks, I can let her know. I did direct her too, i'm not sure if she has found this homeschool chat yet or not?


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## Disney Mommy 3

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!! To all my hsing mom friends!!!! hope your day is spectacular and full of blessings!


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## Tink&PirateMama

3princesses+aprince said:


> I was just reading a pre trip report, and she was asking about homeschool days in September at Epcot. She has a daughter in 1st grade and a son in K. She was wondering if this was too young? Does anyone know?
> 
> Thanks, I can let her know. I did direct her too, i'm not sure if she has found this homeschool chat yet or not?



Hi- thanks!  That's me!!

Yes, I have two kids and will be there during homeschool days- I was wondering if the first day would be appropriate for that age range?  And what others have thought of the programs in the past?   It really looks fantastic!!  

Thank you!


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## gerberdaisy1234

Just wanted to say Happy Mother's Day

I received my favortie flowers- Gerber Daisies

But one was extra special- 2 blooms 1 stem

You are special! You are unique! Happy Mother's Day to all of you extra special moms.


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## gerberdaisy1234

Actually I guess it is 2 stems fused as one but it still pretty cool


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## Denine

I am  back from a fabulous vacation at WDW!

Back to school today.

I was wondering about Homeschool Days in September.  I was looking at the website and wanted to register, but all it had was ticket packages.  We have annual passes and don't need tickets, so how do I register?


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Actually I guess it is 2 stems fused as one but it still pretty cool



Whatever you call it--it's cool!! I love that picture!! Thanks for sending it to us! 


Denine! How was the trip!? Hopefully not too big of crowds!!!!


----------



## Denine

Our trip was awesome!  DD got to be picked for Jedi training and to fight a pirate in Captain Jack's show at the MK.  She was so excited.   She has wanted to do both for a long time, but never got picked.


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## Denine

OK, I found the information for tickets for HS days in WDW.  They are $16 per ticket.  Now, do I need a ticket for DD plus 2 parents or just DD?


----------



## graygables

Denine said:


> OK, I found the information for tickets for HS days in WDW.  They are $16 per ticket.  Now, do I need a ticket for DD plus 2 parents or just DD?



We had to have a ticket for each person who attended the event in January.  The speaker was Vicky Beeching and she talked about CS Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia.  My girls had a fabulous time.  They also received a bag of Narnia goodies (CD, poster, trading cards), be warned, though, that it was one per family, so that didn't go over very well with 4 daughters who love Narnia...


----------



## Denine

graygables said:


> We had to have a ticket for each person who attended the event in January.  The speaker was Vicky Beeching and she talked about CS Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia.  My girls had a fabulous time.  They also received a bag of Narnia goodies (CD, poster, trading cards), be warned, though, that it was one per family, so that didn't go over very well with 4 daughters who love Narnia...



Thanks!  I will buy 3 tickets then.  DD is too young for the YES programs still.  At least we only have 1 child, so no fighting over stuff.


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## littlepeppers

We are homeschooling our oldest starting late July.

We are taking the family to DW Sept/Oct.  I hope we can make it an educational experience also.  This will be our oldest childs 4th trip and our little one's 2nd trip.

We would love to hear any tips on making DW and educational experience w/o it taking away from the outing.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

littlepeppers said:


> We are homeschooling our oldest starting late July.
> 
> We are taking the family to DW Sept/Oct.  I hope we can make it an educational experience also.  This will be our oldest childs 4th trip and our little one's 2nd trip.
> 
> We would love to hear any tips on making DW and educational experience w/o it taking away from the outing.



  Glad to have you!! I have to ask...did your name have anything to do with the book, The Five Little Peppers....? Just curious, I loved that book as a kid!!!! also, we are kinda neighbors--I am on the East side of Texas-bout an hour from Lake Charles. We also start school in late July. Weather dictated!!!! anyway....to answer your concern-OF COURSE you can make Disney educational. You can always study a little about each country in the World Showcase Pavilion before you go, and then let them learn a few more interesting facts when you get there. You can hang out for a bit in the Innoventions part of Ecpot and learn a little there too!!!

Animal Kingdom has some neat places where you can learn about different animals/species. The Flights of Wonder (bird show) is really neat and they pick up tidbits about different bird species.

Of course, math for meals, and figuring out time between rides and such are always handy. My middle son is getting into timing things with his watch lately! Our last trip he timed how long it took from place to place. I can tell you exactly how long it is from the TTC to our room at the Poly. He made sure to tell me EVERY night!  There have been books mentioned on here, I forget the website, but I think they are called Vacation Education (someone help me out here). A family created these to enhance their vacations since they are homeschoolers too. Wanted to make the most of the trip.

I know somewhere they were offering a station where kids could work with a chef. I don't know if they are still doing that or not. That would be cool! Okay, well, hope I could help you a little bit!!!! These ladies have some awesome ideas!!!!


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## Lindabelle

Wow!  I just found this thread,  and it is so great to know there are so many other home school families on this board!  We have been homeschooling for 8 years and been to WDW more times than I can count,  but this is the first time I've heard of their Home Schooling Days.  Does anyone know where I could find out the dates for 2010?  It sounds like a great program.


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## wvdislover

Unfortunately, they don't schedule them this far out.  They've actually only recently scheduled the dates for this September (9/21-22).  Typically, the Homeschool Days are held in September and January (near MLK holiday).

Glad you found us!  Hope you'll hang around!  Welcome!


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## NHWX

Next year, I'm trying to use an old copy of Biology: Concepts and Connections by Campbell and Reece for my ninth grader. I'm using an old edition because I found it for $10 at a bookstore, rather than paying $$$ for a new one.

But I'm not too confident of myself so I'd like to find the teacher's textbook and any associated books that the publisher offered in 2003. Does anyone know where I can find this? I've tried searching the publisher's website and ended up with a stacked array of confusing windows. Or better yet, what might be available for sale? For cheap?

Thanks,

NHWX


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## gerberdaisy1234

NHWX said:


> Next year, I'm trying to use an old copy of Biology: Concepts and Connections by Campbell and Reece for my ninth grader. I'm using an old edition because I found it for $10 at a bookstore, rather than paying $$$ for a new one.
> 
> But I'm not too confident of myself so I'd like to find the teacher's textbook and any associated books that the publisher offered in 2003. Does anyone know where I can find this? I've tried searching the publisher's website and ended up with a stacked array of confusing windows. Or better yet, what might be available for sale? For cheap?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> NHWX



Hi I don't know about the program but found some really good resources.  
http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/academic/product/0,,080536627X,00+en-USS_01DBC.html#
This is a webpage that will give you ISBN #s for resources related to that book.
http://www.abebooks.com/book/Instructors-Guide-to-Text-and-Media/9780805368031
This is abebooks.com after I put in the ISBN # for Instructores Guide to Text and Media- really cheap books. 

You can search for other ISBNs that you are interested in.  Good luck and hope this helps.


----------



## NHWX

I just ordered the instructor's manual for $3.97, including shipping. I'm thrilled!

NHWX


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## gerberdaisy1234

Glad you were able to use info


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## NHWX

Oh, and while I was finding extra cheap books I also ordered the instructor's manual for the labs too. Personally, I like directions. I'm married to a man and have two sons who would much rather figure it out than read the directions. But all those manuals will make me feel good.

NHWX


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## littlepeppers

NHWX said:


> Next year, I'm trying to use an old copy of Biology: Concepts and Connections by Campbell and Reece for my ninth grader. I'm using an old edition because I found it for $10 at a bookstore, rather than paying $$$ for a new one.
> 
> But I'm not too confident of myself so I'd like to find the teacher's textbook and any associated books that the publisher offered in 2003. Does anyone know where I can find this? I've tried searching the publisher's website and ended up with a stacked array of confusing windows. Or better yet, what might be available for sale? For cheap?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> NHWX


If you have any questions during the course, I'm a certified Biology teacher.  I just hung that hat up.

Jennifer


----------



## lori1043

Hey Jennifer-another south Louisiana chic!!! We are in Covington and have a fabulous homeschool association. If you live nearby I can help you out....

On another note, to my southeast Texas homeschool Dis'ers-I am moving your way! I have no idea where we will live in the Houston area  but we really wanna live as close to home as possible, so any suggestions on east/northeast Houston would be greatly appreciated. We do not have to commute so living further out is preferrred, but somehwere within 10-15 minutes from Stuffmart and Target is our plan.

DH got a job!!!

I will be needing a Christian based(mutidenominational- we are methodist, but I like a sweet mix of good ole Christian homeschoolers) homeschool association with a co-op for art and other fun subjects. We will probably be doing many field trips to start out our new adventure to get to know the area and excite my youngest about this move.

We are very nervous and hate leaving home. We have been in this home for 10 years and have brought home our youngest here and battled leukemia here with our oldest. Plus we will be 5 hours further from the Mouse. 

I will probably work on a contract basis(as a cardiac sonographer) or at a church or something-or not at all. I work about 1 day a week down here, but the new job has brought some new possible scenarios-all I know is I wanna get home often(roadtrip!) to family and be able to afford a vacation here and there-so that is what I will be aiming for-the vacation $$!!!

Thank you so much-Lori


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## Disney Mommy 3

hey Lori!! Glad to see you'll be comin' our way!!!! I really don't have any idea what to say about where you should move tho'. I know lots of people that live in the Kingwood/Atascasita area love it there. My SIL used to live over there---I don't know if that's geographically where you need to be. Also, Beltway 8 has some great looking subdivisions...and close to Bush Airport!!! But, as far as Houston itself....not sure. i just know I cringe thinkin' about that traffic! Ha!!! But, at least you won't be fighting the morning rush since you are a homeschooler. When will the move take place? Keep us posted!!


----------



## lori1043

Well, he will not be going downtown except for occasional meetings, he will office near wherever we get a house. I am glad of this so we do not have to deal with too much traffic. Right now we live about 40 minutes outside of New Orleans and would like the same type community we live in now as far as not having to deal with too much traffic and living 10 minutes away from wherever he would office at. Not country, not city.

And we'd prefer the east side of the city for weekend runs home to family.

I hope we find a place that fits this, or as close too.

I will check out the areas you mentioned-thank you!

Lori


----------



## littlepeppers

Hi Lori

We live way in South La.  Lafourche parish.

I am the only one left here.  My clan picked up & move to Fort Worth.
They like TX & I'm sure you will too.

I'm stuck w/ the hurricanes.

Southwest runs some great deals on flights.  No need to drive.
$300 gas, $250 on hotels both going to & from DW, $100 food on the way, $200 TV/DVDs/video games so you don't kill you kids on the way, $50 oil change, $50 tire rotation = $950

2 1/2 plane ride, rested parents, no "are we there yet" from the kids, & everyone still alive = priceless ($740 to fly all 4 of us)

Good luck w/ the move.


----------



## party-of-five

Just found this thread and thought I would say hello.   I'm so excited to see so many other HS families that share my interest in Disney!   We took our first trip in 2007 and now I'm hooked!   We're in our 3rd year of homeschooling and LOVE it!!!   I love being with my children all day watching them explore their world and learn new things.   Sure, a break would be nice every once in a while.      DH and I feel that they grow so fast... we'll just enjoy it now and rest later!


----------



## disneymom3

littlepeppers said:


> Southwest runs some great deals on flights.  No need to drive.
> $300 gas, $250 on hotels both going to & from DW, $100 food on the way, $200 TV/DVDs/video games so you don't kill you kids on the way, $50 oil change, $50 tire rotation = $950
> 
> 2 1/2 plane ride, rested parents, no "are we there yet" from the kids, & everyone still alive = priceless ($740 to fly all 4 of us)
> 
> Good luck w/ the move.



Holy smokes girl, you travel expensively!!   We got to FL and back from MN for much less than that. Course we have a DVD player in the car and I will admit that helps some but we really don't watch it much.  Books on tape or CD are your friends!  We have listened to such great books in the car.  Plus we get to learn geography as we go--two things we have learned....Most of WY is really boring and that mommy NEVER would have made it in a covered wagon.  She would have gone insane long before we reached the mountains  AND that CO has a LOT of mountains if you try to traverse them directly.  Interstates are a beautiful thing!

I realize that I never came back and gave my other ideas for math games so I have a few minutes today to do that.  Mainly they don't have names so sorry about that.  I really recommend Peggy Kaye's Games for Math.  I know some of my ideas came from her but I don't recall which ones so I am not making any claims to originality here.  Just sharing ideas.

With cards and unit blocks/base 10 blocks we play a game to make the idea of carrying/regrouping make sense.  Take out the face cards and aces equal one.  Everything else is the value shown on the card.  Take turns drawing cards and then take the number of unit blocks shown.  You can never have more than 9 unit blocks, once you get to 10 you have to trade them in for a ten strip and then whatever leftover unit blocks you keep.  Whoever reaches 100 first wins.

I know I mentioned the one where you roll a dice and do multiples of a particular number but I neglected to say that we also do adding and subtracting the same way.  So, take the numbers from 1-12 plus or minus whatever number you are working on and put those on a sheet with circles or whatever around them.  Not in order but just randomly around the page.  Then you roll the dice, add  your target number and find the answer covering it with a penny or a bean or whatever you have.

We have another one that is a file folder game with three spinners(got this from a friend) One spinner has only plus and minus and the others have numbers 1-12.  Inside the board I made a track like a game board with stickers.  Each turn you spin all three dials (I just cut arrows out of card stock and attached them with those little metal brads.)  You either add or subtract depending on what you landed on and use the numbers you spin too.  One of the hidden gems in this is that it cements the idea that you can add backwards adn forwards but you have to start with the biggest number to subtract.

An active game we play is that I will give the kids a math problem--answers are kept fairly low--and then something they have to do that many times.  Jumping jacks, sit ups, cross toe touches etc.  So, 2 + 4 they have to do 6 jumping jacks.  We do that with spelling too where they spell the word and with each letter they jump or bounce on the yoga ball or whatever we can think of.

Last week we did math outside on the driveway.  We took the chalk and I gave everyone a math problem to figure out. They wrote it out and then gave me the answers.  Poor DD is working on solving for x and simplifying math sentences so hers were reaching all the way across practically.   (For her I cheated and had her book with me!)

I have a kid with sensory integration disorder and looks like some memory issues as well so I have to get creative. If he has to sit in a chair for too long, he pretty much falls apart as it's just not in his nervous system make up to handle it. He spends so much time focused on sitting in the chair that he can't concentrate on his work so we work outside the box as much as I can think of.  Somedays I am really boring and we just do workbooks so don't think this is an everyday thing around here!!   (Other days it is just too darn nice outside so we don't do anything....shhhhh )


----------



## littlepeppers

disneymom3 said:


> Holy smokes girl, you travel expensively!!   We got to FL and back from MN for much less than that. Course we have a DVD player in the car and I will admit that helps some but we really don't watch it much.  Books on tape or CD are your friends!  We have listened to such great books in the car.  Plus we get to learn geography as we go--two things we have learned....Most of WY is really boring and that mommy NEVER would have made it in a covered wagon.  She would have gone insane long before we reached the mountains  AND that CO has a LOT of mountains if you try to traverse them directly.  Interstates are a beautiful thing!
> 
> I realize that I never came back and gave my other ideas for math games so I have a few minutes today to do that.  Mainly they don't have names so sorry about that.  I really recommend Peggy Kaye's Games for Math.  I know some of my ideas came from her but I don't recall which ones so I am not making any claims to originality here.  Just sharing ideas.
> 
> With cards and unit blocks/base 10 blocks we play a game to make the idea of carrying/regrouping make sense.  Take out the face cards and aces equal one.  Everything else is the value shown on the card.  Take turns drawing cards and then take the number of unit blocks shown.  You can never have more than 9 unit blocks, once you get to 10 you have to trade them in for a ten strip and then whatever leftover unit blocks you keep.  Whoever reaches 100 first wins.
> 
> I know I mentioned the one where you roll a dice and do multiples of a particular number but I neglected to say that we also do adding and subtracting the same way.  So, take the numbers from 1-12 plus or minus whatever number you are working on and put those on a sheet with circles or whatever around them.  Not in order but just randomly around the page.  Then you roll the dice, add  your target number and find the answer covering it with a penny or a bean or whatever you have.
> 
> We have another one that is a file folder game with three spinners(got this from a friend) One spinner has only plus and minus and the others have numbers 1-12.  Inside the board I made a track like a game board with stickers.  Each turn you spin all three dials (I just cut arrows out of card stock and attached them with those little metal brads.)  You either add or subtract depending on what you landed on and use the numbers you spin too.  One of the hidden gems in this is that it cements the idea that you can add backwards adn forwards but you have to start with the biggest number to subtract.
> 
> An active game we play is that I will give the kids a math problem--answers are kept fairly low--and then something they have to do that many times.  Jumping jacks, sit ups, cross toe touches etc.  So, 2 + 4 they have to do 6 jumping jacks.  We do that with spelling too where they spell the word and with each letter they jump or bounce on the yoga ball or whatever we can think of.
> 
> Last week we did math outside on the driveway.  We took the chalk and I gave everyone a math problem to figure out. They wrote it out and then gave me the answers.  Poor DD is working on solving for x and simplifying math sentences so hers were reaching all the way across practically.   (For her I cheated and had her book with me!)
> 
> I have a kid with sensory integration disorder and looks like some memory issues as well so I have to get creative. If he has to sit in a chair for too long, he pretty much falls apart as it's just not in his nervous system make up to handle it. He spends so much time focused on sitting in the chair that he can't concentrate on his work so we work outside the box as much as I can think of.  Somedays I am really boring and we just do workbooks so don't think this is an everyday thing around here!!   (Other days it is just too darn nice outside so we don't do anything....shhhhh )



These are the best ideas.  We have been doing interactive (jumping, fly swatting, chalk.......) things all year trying to keep him up.   We need to do some of these.  His present school believes in flash cards & memorizing.  He is a wholistic learner.  If will not get any of it until he gets all of it, boy but when he does watch out.  This is one of the reasons we are homeschooling next year.  Traditional class of 30 kids isn't working for him.  They suggested that I accept that he is a "C" student.


----------



## littlepeppers

I thought we are going for cheap this time.  We are staying at a value resort (kind of nervous about the bus lines).  It is $1000 less than our trip last year.

Please give me your $ saving tips.  I quit teaching last year, so we are still trying to adjust to our new budget restrictions.  We used to waste my check on whatever.  Life is better now.  Slower now.  More whole.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

littlepeppers said:


> I thought we are going for cheap this time.  We are staying at a value resort (kind of nervous about the bus lines).  It is $1000 less than our trip last year.
> 
> Please give me your $ saving tips.  I quit teaching last year, so we are still trying to adjust to our new budget restrictions.  We used to waste my check on whatever.  Life is better now.  Slower now.  More whole.



Hi littlepeppers!! 
 well, I personally like the value resorts, and we never really waited long for buses---only once or twice at night leaving Epcot. There were just lots of people and had to wait for the second bus as we couldn't fit on the first one. But, they come to the resort every morning like every 15 minutes. sometimes we only waited 10.

 I know one thing that really adds up for us-letting us all get drinks instead of water when we eat out. they have really gotten expensive. (I mean regular drinks, not alcoholic). It' s quite ridiculous!!!!  And, no appetizers if we are not splitting a meal-we don't need it. And no dessert. They are usually very proud of those desserts!!!!  Ummm, let me think. Oh, clothes--I always get the kids most of their clothes at Target, Wal-Mart, JCPenney always has 50% off stuff. Especially their summer stuff, as they are outside sweating and playing in the dirt more.  Also, we use our credit card for our business and big purchases, like the kids clothes, Dentist visits, gas --it all goes toward airline miles. Granted ,we charge huge amounts at a time,we are home builders so it really pays for us. The last 3 trips we have gotten 'free' airfare.  I know lots of folks here use the Disney Visa--you may want to check into that. Also, check local websites or your local homeschool groups/friends that are selling used hs books---especially the teacher guides.


----------



## floydfamily4

Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself.  I am from Houston,TX and currently homeschool my 4 year old twins with 2 other moms and their 4 year olds using the Abeka curriculum.  It has been an exciting and wonderful year and we will continue next year.  I haven't had much time to read through the 2000 posts so I will just start reading and joining in from here

Take care!


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## disneymom3

Money saving at the parks...we always bring snacks for the backpack as well as breakfast items.  My kids would much rather have little cereal cups in the hotel room watching tv than have to go out somewhere anyway. We bring cereal boxes--the travel ones--granola bars, trail mix, pop tarts...not the healthiest but it's vacation so I don't worry about that.  Then I get individually packaged snacks for daytime.  We average one treat a day per person and sometimes not even that. When my boys were smaller, we would split a couple of Mickey bars between the five of us.  They all got eaten that way and I always figure we can buy more if we want but once we have them melting everywhere, that's it.  We also share drinks--but a bottle of water and take drinks, get the large lemonade instead of the small and all three kids share it and DH share another drink.  Works for us.


----------



## Corinne Johnson

I just joined the DisBoards, and feel very blessed to have found a space just for homeschoolers. After our first trip to Disney (about 6 years ago) we started to design unit studies based on each of the exhibits in the park. After four years, we developed a whole series of them. It was more fun than any other curriculum I've ever tried. Does anyone else do anything like this?


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## lori1043

awww laaawwdyy-don't get me started on being frugal at WDW-it is a favorite thing!!

We bring our lunches in and it saves sooooo much time and we just plop down somewhere under a tree or a beautiful spot and eat there. No lines, no wait..... and yes we bring snacks too and my family are also not big breakfast people so cereal, grits, oatmeal, little white donuts, and granola bars do us just fine for b/fast.

On another note- we ahve been scouring the Houston metro map and are trying to pin point a region to look for homes. I think we are going to want to be North/north east, like somehweher b/t 249 and 90.

Any help is appreciated! You can PM me if needed. We want out furtrher but not country. We are also thinking Conroe, maybe. All i know is i don't want city traffic. I wanna be able to hit stuffmart withing 10-15 minutes, no/little traffic.

We want a neighborhood/subd where the kids can ride thier bikes and not threaten getting run over.

Thanks-Lori


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## Corinne Johnson

Is anyone going on the Ultimate Field Trip in September? We would like to and are trying to save up enough money to go. I think it would be really cool to attend with a huge group of homeschoolers from all over the country.


----------



## lori1043

I just have an issue with not being able to get free dining if you book with the homeschool field trip stuff.

I asked and they said it isn't possible with thier packages.

Lori


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## disneymom3

lori1043 said:


> On another note- we ahve been scouring the Houston metro map and are trying to pin point a region to look for homes. I think we are going to want to be North/north east, like somehweher b/t 249 and 90.
> 
> Any help is appreciated! You can PM me if needed. We want out furtrher but not country. We are also thinking Conroe, maybe. All i know is i don't want city traffic. I wanna be able to hit stuffmart withing 10-15 minutes, no/little traffic.
> 
> We want a neighborhood/subd where the kids can ride thier bikes and not threaten getting run over.
> 
> Thanks-Lori



I know someone who is a realtor in the Houston area. email me if you want more info about her.  tastfullyj@yahoo.com  Sorry can't pm.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

littlepeppers said:


> I thought we are going for cheap this time.  We are staying at a value resort (kind of nervous about the bus lines).  It is $1000 less than our trip last year.
> 
> Please give me your $ saving tips.  I quit teaching last year, so we are still trying to adjust to our new budget restrictions.  We used to waste my check on whatever.  Life is better now.  Slower now.  More whole.



Our last trip we did moderate with free dining before cruise and a value at 40% off after cruise.  As far as buses we did not have much luck in either case.  We always needed the bus that took 20-40 minutes to come around!  However, buses for other parks would come by 2-3 times while we waited...so next time we are renting a car. (Not to mention standing after long day all the way back to resort.)

Also, this time we are looking at staying at Windsor Hills. It is just as close as some Disney resorts and for same price you get 3 bedrooms, a couple bathrooms, and a kitchen.  I figure that should help save on food. Plus most come with free wireless internet, another savings.

After the cruise when we did not have free dining, we booked late (@3:00) lunches.  They were cheaper than dinner and we mainly snacked rest of day.  ALso, less crowed. Our 3:00 lunch at Garden Grill was the best- characters came around 3 times.

After I trip I discovered this tip on mousesavers, if you ask to not have mickey tray that comes with kids meals- you save $1.50!

Oh, huge mega savings...for @$7 costco.com will ship a case of water to your hotel.  Just make sure to include arrival date and reservation number along with hotel address on the ship to information.

Our biggest savings our next trip will be skipping the cruise.  We are excited about more nights at Disney.  Epcot is our favorite and we have only scratched the surface.

One way I save for the trip is convert our rolled coins and little rebate checks to $2 bills. We use these for tips.


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## wvdislover

lori1043 said:


> I just have an issue with not being able to get free dining if you book with the homeschool field trip stuff.
> 
> I asked and they said it isn't possible with thier packages.
> 
> Lori



I thought you could still get the free dining if you bought a separate 1 day pass, that you can either save or use as an extra day before or after your hs field trip stuff.  Try pricing it out--it may still save you some money--their ticket prices are really good!  We thought about rescheduling our trip to go with them, but decided we just wanted to be on our own, later in Sept.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Oh my word...were you asking about ways to save money AT disney? sorry!! thought you meant before you go!! HA! Well, I always bring granola bars for breakfast--we usually do early lunches, so we are ok there. Then we have trailmixes and snax in our backpacks-even with the ddp you sometimes have days where they just need more snax between meals, or we use them for bottled waters. And, actually the Ddp does save us $$$. Depending on if your kids are on the child/adult menu check into it. besides you don't have to 'pay' for every meal--it's done before you leave home and you just need money for tips, or drinks if you want them.

Floydfamily... Welcome!! We are neighbors---I am about an hour and a half or so North/Northeast of ya!!!


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## Corinne Johnson

We are looking at going in September with the Ultimate Field Trip, and FREE DINING is absolutely part of our package. We are a family of eight and Free food makes a HUGE difference to us. Maybe you were looking to go with a different group? UFT is run by 3D Travel, and they DO offer free dining as part of their trip. You have to stay in a Disney resort, but you don't have to buy any extra park tickets.


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## littlepeppers

We are goint Sept 29-Oct 6.  We have to go around my hubby's work schedule.  I'm hoping for a low attendance, since most will be in school & it is too early for Columbus Day vacations.

Last year we packed poptarts and snack crackers/cookies in our suitcases. 

Oct 2nd is my b-day since I will already have a multi-day ticket, I'm getting the Fun B-day Card worth the one day park pass.  This should give my kids$75 to spend on junk in the stores.  We do splurge on Park Hopper passes.  We like going to any park & then hitting our favorite (Wishes) before hitting the hotel.  We could watch Wished everynight.

My hubby wants to do the Holloween party again.  I thought that is was more crowded than it was during the day.

I love the using of tap w/ the little flavor pack idea.  We will have the free dining for most of our trip. 

We were hit really bad by Gustav last year (we were in the eye).  If we get another one this year, we will have to cancel the trip.  Our wind damage deductable is $5300.  Lets all pray for an uneventful season.

I love the pay it forward theme from other threads.  I think that I'm going to make some little cards to leave notes at Guest Relations for great CMs.  It will be a great lesson for my kids.  They will enjoy searching for kindness & hopefully not even notice the negative people around us.


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## lori1043

Corinne Johnson said:


> We are looking at going in September with the Ultimate Field Trip, and FREE DINING is absolutely part of our package. We are a family of eight and Free food makes a HUGE difference to us. Maybe you were looking to go with a different group? UFT is run by 3D Travel, and they DO offer free dining as part of their trip. You have to stay in a Disney resort, but you don't have to buy any extra park tickets.


 
That is sooo cool!! I checked with Disney last year about thier homeschool days package and they said you could not get both discounts at all. I called multiple times b/c i wanted to see if someone else would tell me a different story. We always stay on property. We have September booked with free dining, but with our move, we are unsure it will happen. I have another couple months to decide. 

Lori


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## Denine

First: Money saving ideas for WDW.  We take a soft cooler with us and bring pop and water.  We buy a gallon of water for .99 and then refill bottles of pop that we generally buy at the airport.  We also buy pop at the store and take cans with us.  I buy  cereal and milk for mornings and then take cereal in baggies for snacking later.  I usually have some other snacky stuff too that I put in baggies.

I don't think we are ever going to finish the school  year.  DD is just poking through everything!  It is driving me nuts!


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## wvdislover

littlepeppers said:


> I love the pay it forward theme from other threads.  I think that I'm going to make some little cards to leave notes at Guest Relations for great CMs.  It will be a great lesson for my kids.  They will enjoy searching for kindness & hopefully not even notice the negative people around us.



??? What is this?  Sounds interesting, but I've never heard of it


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## lisalonglash

Well, it turns out that we're going to be there Sept. 12-20, so we'll miss the HD this year , but there's always next year! 

We just received the Rosetta Stone Homeschool French level 1 program yesterday - it is soooo cool!  Has anyone here used this program?  We're really looking forward to setting it up on our computers this weekend


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## littlepeppers

wvdislover said:


> ??? What is this?  Sounds interesting, but I've never heard of it



the pay it forward & be nice to CM stuff is somewhere on this thread my friend sent me.

Ohhhhhh,  it will not let me put the link.  It is on one of the threads that the CMs. frequent.

It also has some really nice stories about giving away unused fastpasses (we already do that b/c my DS can be a chicken & doesn't want to ride w/ me after the parent swap w/ his dad).  Stories about buying people on a budget meals w/ extre CS.  We never have extra anything.  We have one under 3 who must eat & doesn't qualify for a dining pass yet.


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## Corinne Johnson

Rosetta Stone? We've used the German (husband's 1st choice), and we were very impressed by it. We didn't stick with it, because our daughter decided that she wanted to do ASL for her foreign language credits (she was already learning a lot of signs for a drama ministry). But, I do know a few German words just from watching the kids us the RS.


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## emh1129

If any of you are HSing a HFA/Aspie child, I'd love to talk to you, just for some general support, etc.
Thanks


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## Tink&PirateMama

HI!

I posted once before, but I thought I'd try again  I'm a homeschooling mama to two beautiful young ones, going into K and 1.  We basicly did K all this year, but my DS isn't quite ready for 1st so we'll be doing both this fall.

Anyway, we happen to be going to WDW during the Homeschool days in Sept, and we got tickets earlier this week- I'm so excited!  We are only going for one day, to the cultural thing in epcot.  My kids seemed young for the rest, and we have a full rest of our vaction (vow renewal, sea world, MNSSHP!). 

However, we are thinking of going to the January HSdays too.  I'm wondering if any of you have gone before, and if you know how the tickets work if you order the 5 day park hopper?  It seems a good deal, and we will be going in January fairly often anyway.  How many days do you have to use it up?  I assume it's not just five days?  Any help is very appreciated!  

Thank you!!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Hello Tink & Pirate mom~~
 I can't answer your questions about the hs days, just wanted to say welcome and we have been in Jan our last 2 trips and we reallllly love it!!!  I didn't even realize they do hs days in January!!! Where have I been? I only knew about September. Maybe someone can help us both out!!


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## 3princesses+aprince

I just wanted to come in and say Hello, we just got back from Disney on Wednesday morning. We had such a wonderful time, it was amazing. 

 Now all of this talk about the homeschool days is getting me excited because we are planning to go back September 2010, specifically for homeschool days, and I know we'll enjoy the Halloween decorations that should be up!!!

 Can't wait to hear about everyone's experience with HS days after they go!


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## williamson_ja

emh1129 said:


> If any of you are HSing a HFA/Aspie child, I'd love to talk to you, just for some general support, etc.
> Thanks



I have homeschooled my 12 yr old for the past 3 years. He is either HFA/or AS depending on who is doing the testing.  I finally pulled him out after 3 years of fighting with the district over giving him services and getting nothing... all the while ds would come home from school crying every day because he just couldn't deal with normal school. That was enough for me. I can honestly say that we have our good days and bad days, but we have found what works for us. 
AND we can have awesome experiences like going to WDW homeschool days. I can honestly say that I had no idea that WDW did a homeschool day. We got our reservations 2 months ago (w/ non-refundable airline tickets) and just found out yesterday that we WILL be there on the same day as homeschool days!! How cool is that? We are going to try to do the history YES class on the 22nd. Has anyone done this one? I thought it was cool that you get to go into the MK park before it opens to the public and get to go onstage at the Hall of Presidents. I am the history teacher for our homeschool group, so this totally seems like something we would LOVE!!
Anyway, you can email me personally if you have questions about homeschooling with Asp/HFA.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

williamson j, I can't wait to hear about the HS days after you get back, I can't wait to do it next year!!!



So, I just ordered our very first homeschool book for the fall. I ordered our Science book. We went with Apologia, and we chose Zoology, Land and Animals. It looks like a lot of fun. I can't wait to get it and check it out

Does anyone have this book? How did you like it?


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## lori1043

Hello-I am using Apologia Land Animals this upcoming year too. WE are going to make it last the whole year, following our 10 week per semester co-op. We are adding some field trips to the zoo, aquarium and insectarium plus some other nearby cool animal places. Of course, halfway through the year we will be moving but I am going to continue after we settle into a new place.

WE did Apologia Astronomy last year and we loved it! We did it with a few others-we will be doing Land Animals with a few others too.

Lori


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## Disney Mommy 3

3princesses+aprince said:


> williamson j, I can't wait to hear about the HS days after you get back, I can't wait to do it next year!!!
> 
> 
> 
> So, I just ordered our very first homeschool book for the fall. I ordered our Science book. We went with Apologia, and we chose Zoology, Land and Animals. It looks like a lot of fun. I can't wait to get it and check it out
> 
> Does anyone have this book? How did you like it?



These are the books we have and they are unbelievable. The kids retain a lot of information, because it's so intriguing and doesn't read like a traditional Science book. We get lots of animal books from the library too,(my middle one anyway) and so he is a walking encyclopedia with all this. They have some really neat stuff in these books that I don't remember learning. We have the Botany book and he can tell you all about Photosynthesis, and the inner parts of stems and leaves. It's incredible.  I wish I could have had books like this growing up----I am learning so much with them. And I was an honor student. I wonder what did i really know? You can do Science everyday and finish in 1 semester or spread it out to do in 1 year. He loved it and wanted to do it every day, so we went through 2 books this year.

Glad you had an awesome trip!!! How were the crowds?


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## graygables

williamson_ja said:


> We are going to try to do the history YES class on the 22nd.



I'm going to try to get DDs into this one, too.  It will all depend on my work schedule, however, which I won't know until sometime in July, most likely. My 13yo DD is an Aspie and NOT happy about being signed up for it, but like most things, I tell her "too bad, chica".


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## locolala

We don't have kids just yet, but we're thinking we'll end up home schooling our kids. DH and I were both in the gifted program from K thru 12, and when we were in mainstream classes, we were both stupidly bored. I know there's no way to be sure that our kids will be the same way, but I have an odd feeling they'll be bored in mainstream schools. The thing I love about the idea of home schooling is that we can do things at our pace. If they finish a subject before the school year is over, that's awesome. DH is military, so we'll be moving a lot, another bonus to home schooling there . What I'm wondering are what secular HS programs are the best, since neither of us are religious.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Thanks Disney Mommy 3. If I want to spread it out to last a year, should I do Science 2 or 3 times a week? Thanks

And the crowds were not bad at all. For the popular rides like Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror, and expedition Everest, Test Track and Soarin, they were like 50-60 minute waits, so we always grabbed fast passes, but actually the day we rode everest was an EMH night and we only waited 15 minutes. For everything else we normally didn't wait for more than 15-20 min. But the norm was like 10-15 minutes. Oh except Ariel's line. We waited 45 minutes for her, but I expected that!!! And then there were plenty of 5 minute wait rides also. I was happy with the crowds!!! I'm looking forward to even less for next year when we go in September!


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## wvdislover

emh1129 said:


> If any of you are HSing a HFA/Aspie child, I'd love to talk to you, just for some general support, etc.
> Thanks



That would be me, for one.  Anything I can help you with, I'll be happy to do (or at least try!).  I've homeschooled my DD11 for one whole school year, and about 11 weeks last year.  While it can definitely be challenging, to say the least, it also has its rewards  My DD is SO much happier now than when she was in school


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## Twoboysnmygirl

> What I'm wondering are what secular HS programs are the best, since neither of us are religious.



Welcome!  We use Oak Meadow, which is a secular curriculum.  I like it, but like all curriculum, we usually add our own stuff and mix it up a bit.  That's the joy of homeschooling, you can add things, do more, work on something longer...lots of choices!


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## wvdislover

I just got back from my first homeschooling conference (in NC)...oh my gosh!  So many people, SO MUCH curriculum!  My mom and I went to only 3 workshops, and then spent the rest of the 1 1/2 days in the bookfair.  I think I've decided on what I'm using next year with my DD11 (she'll be in 7th grade): Teaching Textbooks (Pre-Algebra); LLATL (tan book...the literature used looked more like it would interest her); for history, a combination of TruthQuest and Drive-Thru History (plus, I found some cool "comic books" about mythology by y.kids), studying Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome; Apologia for science (I'm pretty sure I'm going to do General Science with her); and possibly Total Language Plus for reading.  I also "discovered" all that Rainbow Resource has to offer, and spent probably more than I should have with them, but it was cool stuff, and they had really good prices  

Now, I just need to figure out if we're going to hs DD7 (she'll be in 3rd grade)  It really is going to depend on a lot of stuff.  She just qualified for the gifted program at school, so I have her IEP meeting at school Friday, and will have to see what they're going to offer to do to challenge her (they hinted a few weeks ago that budget cuts may affect the gifted program ).  Right now, they pull the gifted kids out of class once/week for other activities.  I also wonder, if I decide to hs her, would she still be able to participate in the pull-out program (called SOS)  Then, she would still be able to participate with her friends, something that is very important to her.  I go back and forth on whether I should hs her now, or wait until middle school as we had planned.  I'm really waiting on God for this...


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

3princesses.... I would see how many weeks you are doing school next year--then see how many chapters are in the book you are using. Divide that by 2 and then 3 to see how many pages you have to have finished for each week.  3days a week would probably get you through the book faster. 2 days a week and a library book would take all year. My son usually liked to have a book about whatever he was learning in Science. some subjects take a little longer to get through, so i just kinda gave him 3-5 pages to read every day.That took us one semester--some stuff he really liked and he read through it quicker than what I had scheduled.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

wvdislover said:


> I just got back from my first homeschooling conference (in NC)...oh my gosh!  So many people, SO MUCH curriculum!  My mom and I went to only 3 workshops, and then spent the rest of the 1 1/2 days in the bookfair.  I think I've decided on what I'm using next year with my DD11 (she'll be in 7th grade): Teaching Textbooks (Pre-Algebra); LLATL (tan book...the literature used looked more like it would interest her); for history, a combination of TruthQuest and Drive-Thru History (plus, I found some cool "comic books" about mythology by y.kids), studying Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome; Apologia for science (I'm pretty sure I'm going to do General Science with her); and possibly Total Language Plus for reading.  I also "discovered" all that Rainbow Resource has to offer, and spent probably more than I should have with them, but it was cool stuff, and they had really good prices
> 
> Now, I just need to figure out if we're going to hs DD7 (she'll be in 3rd grade)  It really is going to depend on a lot of stuff.  She just qualified for the gifted program at school, so I have her IEP meeting at school Friday, and will have to see what they're going to offer to do to challenge her (they hinted a few weeks ago that budget cuts may affect the gifted program ).  Right now, they pull the gifted kids out of class once/week for other activities.  I also wonder, if I decide to hs her, would she still be able to participate in the pull-out program (called SOS)  Then, she would still be able to participate with her friends, something that is very important to her.  I go back and forth on whether I should hs her now, or wait until middle school as we had planned.  I'm really waiting on God for this...



I used a lot of this stuff with my 7th grader this year too. The LLATL was ok, but he was super bored. She may like it--I did!! I ended up switching him to Rod and Staff. But, I am probably going to use the LLATL blue book for my 1st grader this year. I like the program. 
I agree you should wait on the Lord about your dd. If you aren't sure, wait! He will guide you--His timing is so different from ours. You'll know when the time is right.


----------



## wvdislover

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> I used a lot of this stuff with my 7th grader this year too. The LLATL was ok, but he was super bored. She may like it--I did!! I ended up switching him to Rod and Staff. But, I am probably going to use the LLATL blue book for my 1st grader this year. I like the program.
> I agree you should wait on the Lord about your dd. If you aren't sure, wait! He will guide you--His timing is so different from ours. You'll know when the time is right.



Thanks, Shawna.  I know hs her would make my life easier, but it's not all about me.  I need to do what's right for her.  We have told her that she will definitely be hs in middle school (there is NO WAY I would send my kids to the middle school we're assigned to!), and she is fine with that.  My wise 2nd grader told me recently, "I want to hs in middle school and high school, b/c that's when you have all the bullies in school, and I don't want to be around them."  Pretty scary that a 2nd grader has this figured out


----------



## disneymom3

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Hello Tink & Pirate mom~~
> I can't answer your questions about the hs days, just wanted to say welcome and we have been in Jan our last 2 trips and we reallllly love it!!!  I didn't even realize they do hs days in January!!! Where have I been? I only knew about September. Maybe someone can help us both out!!



It is generally the week after Martin Luther King I believe.  I know some one here has gone to it....gray gables maybe?  Chime in if it's you.  I want to go too and have to get my timeshare days down.  Really wanted to go in Sept and take advantage of free dining, but we have 5 so the cheapest we can do is the mod that sleeps five which is escaping my memory right now.  Plus we have access to timeshare trades through my ILs and $180 for the week is simply impossible to beat. So, we are waiting til Jan.  I have MS and the temps should be more friendly to my stamina then too.

For the one who asked about something/Aspie, I don't have one with that, but my middle one has sensory integration disorder, motor planning issues and we are testing next week (using a Mel Levine test) to figure out what area of his memory is not connecting.  We think it is tranferring to long term from short term and then accesssing long term for working memory.  So, we have to do a LOT of non traditional stuff.  He pretty much can't write and I have been trying for 3 years now with daily practice and he really hasn't improved.  Makes some areas of learnign very very challenging.

wv--I LOVE homeschool conferences for the shopping!  This year I was bummed though because almost all of what I planned to buy AT the conference was either sold out or they didn't have it all. (Like Sonlight  you had to go on the website after the conference and order it.  Plus they didn't even have the level of LA I was looking at for DD.  So sad!)

Highly recommend any Apologia science you can get your hands on.  We have used the Exploring Creation with...for several topics as well as DD doing General Science for 7th grade this last year.  Going to a used sale and hoping to lay my hands on Physical Science for 8th grade.


----------



## wvdislover

disneymom3 said:


> For the one who asked about something/Aspie, I don't have one with that, but my middle one has sensory integration disorder, motor planning issues and we are testing next week (using a Mel Levine test) to figure out what area of his memory is not connecting.  We think it is tranferring to long term from short term and then accesssing long term for working memory.  So, we have to do a LOT of non traditional stuff.  He pretty much can't write and I have been trying for 3 years now with daily practice and he really hasn't improved.  Makes some areas of learnign very very challenging.
> 
> Doesn't it, though!  Don't give up, though...it could still click
> 
> wv--I LOVE homeschool conferences for the shopping!  This year I was bummed though because almost all of what I planned to buy AT the conference was either sold out or they didn't have it all. (Like Sonlight  you had to go on the website after the conference and order it.  Plus they didn't even have the level of LA I was looking at for DD.  So sad!)
> 
> What a bummer!  I looked at Sonlight, but they didn't have ANY of the readers for the 7th grade curriculum.  I wanted to see how difficult they would be for DD11 to comprehend.  So sorry they didnt' have the LA you needed, either
> 
> Highly recommend any Apologia science you can get your hands on.  We have used the Exploring Creation with...for several topics as well as DD doing General Science for 7th grade this last year.  Going to a used sale and hoping to lay my hands on Physical Science for 8th grade.



Good luck at the used sale!  Hope you can find what you want!  I am excited about the Apologia.  I looked at a science curriculum by Beginnings Publishing House, called Rainbow, and was thinking about maybe using it (it looked really interesting), but I think I'm going to stick with Apologia, since so many people love it.  Plus, a friend of mine has a General Science Apologia book I can have!


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## graygables

disneymom3 said:


> It is generally the week after Martin Luther King I believe.  I know some one here has gone to it....gray gables maybe?  Chime in if it's you.



Yep, my DDs went in January.  I had just started my College Program, so my older DDs had to take the younger ones.  It was at DHS and the speaker was a musician who was a C.S. Lewis expert.  They REALLY enjoyed her.  They took the production class which was interesting.  I arrived for the tail end of it and thought my girls were a wee bit bored by that point.  I'm hoping the American History one at MK in September is better.


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## lori1043

My DD11 uses LLATL and we both love it for her-we are in the tan book. I do find it 1/2-1 year behind literature wise, but she is an avid reader. It didn't work for my DD9, not an avid reader. She is a workbook kid-so we use Easy Grammar and Daily Grams. DD11 uses Daily Grams too but not daily.

WE just LOVE Apologia- we make it last a year. Some chapters can be done in a week, some take 2 weeks. We did science 2x per week-once for reading and notebooking(used Apologia book extras for notebook pages), drawing/charting and once for the experiments and projects in each chapter. We have our Land Animals year mapped out if you would like a peek I can PM it to you. The first semester is more drawn out as we take one semester at a time and we are moving- so semester 2 will be up to just ME. Right now 2 other moms and I plan together.

I am doing Biblioplan with 2 other moms next semester too-then i am on my own till I get to know some like minded classical homeschoolers in Texas. I like doing classes with just about 4-5 kids, incl my own-it is FUN and they share thier work and retain it well. We played Astronomy Jeopardy on our last day of class. I have that in a word doc too if anyone is interested.

happy summer!

Lori


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## graygables

About Apologia...it says it's "creation-based", but what, exactly does that mean?  Is there intelligent design discussed at all?  Does it make any claims as to the Earth's age (and, if so, what are those claims?)  Not much info on the website...


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## lori1043

graygables said:


> About Apologia...it says it's "creation-based", but what, exactly does that mean? Is there intelligent design discussed at all? Does it make any claims as to the Earth's age (and, if so, what are those claims?) Not much info on the website...


 

Ok so this is part my opinion and part your specific answer-hope I do not offend at all, just differentiating! I have a hard time seperating the 2 sometimes....


Apologia-Creation based means it follows the bible view of when creation began(like 3,000-4,000 BC). It does NOT talk about the big bang or any other theories. It mentions them mostly in disclaiming them. I am a Christian and always thought we were millions of years old from my education and from a big bang-but was introduced to complete creation based theory this past year. It all is VERY interesting! I am learning with them! _While I have NO idea, nor does anyone else, when the earth came about, I DO know that God created it all_. So I just tell my kids all the theories and possibilities out there, and that we are going to choose to beleive in the creation theory b/c we beleive what the bible says. I am one to tell my kids all of it so they can think about it and question these things themselves as the grow and learn. Some people I know do not touch the big bang with a big stick - that just doesn't work for us.

I think it does refer in it's disclaiming any other theories, the age of the earth, but I do not remember the specifics and I sold the Astronomy book already!! I do not know what your reference to "intelligent design" quite means at all. If you mean it was made intelligently, for a purpose, and in some kind of order-well of course!!! It WAS made intelligently!

All in all, Apologia is a great and fun science curriculum and as far as a secular/athiestic homeschooler using it, I think it would be hard to do b/c there are bible quotes and references to our beleifs all over the chapters.  Secular homeschoolers can use it if they are comfy with a bit of Christianity in thier curriculum.

Also, it can help to look up Apologetics-learning how to deal with just the kind of questions you and I ask about these things- in a well founded Christian manner. Or something like that!

Hope I helped a bit-Lori


----------



## graygables

VERY helpful, Lori, thank you.  By "intelligent design", I guess I meant evolutionary creation, so I'm guessing that's a "no" if it's saying creation began 3-4,000BC (which is a theory I've been hearing a lot about lately and not in a good way...whole other story).  It sounds like it's pretty flexible, though.

Thanks again!


----------



## Tink&PirateMama

Hi!  My internet's been down a few days so I'm slow to post- thanks for the responses



Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Hello Tink & Pirate mom~~
> I can't answer your questions about the hs days, just wanted to say welcome and we have been in Jan our last 2 trips and we reallllly love it!!!  I didn't even realize they do hs days in January!!! Where have I been? I only knew about September. Maybe someone can help us both out!!


We were there in January last year, and February the year before, and loved it.  We are new DVC members and plan to go regularly in January- my kids are SO excited about this- and now I can say it's an official school trip



3princesses+aprince said:


> I just wanted to come in and say Hello, we just got back from Disney on Wednesday morning. We had such a wonderful time, it was amazing.
> 
> Now all of this talk about the homeschool days is getting me excited because we are planning to go back September 2010, specifically for homeschool days, and I know we'll enjoy the Halloween decorations that should be up!!!
> 
> Can't wait to hear about everyone's experience with HS days after they go!



I'll be sure to post how it went for us!


----------



## NiniMorris

DisneyMom3,
I hope the testing gives you the answers that help you.  We have been working on handwriting for 4 years now, at public school, OT and now at homeschool (for 3 years)...we have finally 'graduated' to the first grade writing with Handwriting Without Tears.  He is really excited about going to the 'first grade'! I am planning on it taking at least 2 years to go through all the first grade stuff.  

My DS7 has severe short term memory issues, but we are beginning to see some hope of the integration of short and long term memory.  It is showing up mainly in his inability to read...flashcards he can read, but stories and sentences...not so much!  We have made the decision to read his lessons to him so he can go on with History and Science and such...and keep plugging away on the reading/phonics.

My kids are really into the Vacation Education series.  They look forward to 'Disney School' every day.  We plan on going through the series twice, once pre-trip and then again a few weeks after we get back.  This should help to reinforce some of the things they observed on their own and hopefully encourage then to delve a bit deeper into a subject.  Especially my 5th grader.

Since we do year round schooling, we really don't take much of a break...we will do 4 days this week, mostly Disney related stuff, and then start our new year on June 1.  For the first month we will do a limited amount of work, focusing on more fun stuff, then after the July Fourth holiday start doing school in more depth.  Here in GA the weather will be hot enough by then that the kids would rather be inside in the air conditioning, so it is a win/win!

Nini


----------



## DawnM

This is where we are as well.  I grew up with a very "new earth" way of learning and didn't even study any evolution until I was an adult.  I really felt out of touch with the way people thought growing up so restrictive.

Sonlight curriculum has many who believe in new earth (the earth is only 7,000 years old or so) and many who believe in the old earth theology.....that God created it no matter WHEN it actually took place and there could be a period of millions of years.

We use Sonlight for History and Science.  

Dawn




lori1043 said:


> Ok so this is part my opinion and part your specific answer-hope I do not offend at all, just differentiating! I have a hard time seperating the 2 sometimes....
> 
> 
> Apologia-Creation based means it follows the bible view of when creation began(like 3,000-4,000 BC). It does NOT talk about the big bang or any other theories. It mentions them mostly in disclaiming them. I am a Christian and always thought we were millions of years old from my education and from a big bang-but was introduced to complete creation based theory this past year. It all is VERY interesting! I am learning with them! _While I have NO idea, nor does anyone else, when the earth came about, I DO know that God created it all_. So I just tell my kids all the theories and possibilities out there, and that we are going to choose to beleive in the creation theory b/c we beleive what the bible says. I am one to tell my kids all of it so they can think about it and question these things themselves as the grow and learn. Some people I know do not touch the big bang with a big stick - that just doesn't work for us.
> 
> I think it does refer in it's disclaiming any other theories, the age of the earth, but I do not remember the specifics and I sold the Astronomy book already!! I do not know what your reference to "intelligent design" quite means at all. If you mean it was made intelligently, for a purpose, and in some kind of order-well of course!!! It WAS made intelligently!
> 
> All in all, Apologia is a great and fun science curriculum and as far as a secular/athiestic homeschooler using it, I think it would be hard to do b/c there are bible quotes and references to our beleifs all over the chapters.  Secular homeschoolers can use it if they are comfy with a bit of Christianity in thier curriculum.
> 
> Also, it can help to look up Apologetics-learning how to deal with just the kind of questions you and I ask about these things- in a well founded Christian manner. Or something like that!
> 
> Hope I helped a bit-Lori


----------



## DawnM

My 11 year old has Asperger's.

Dawn



emh1129 said:


> If any of you are HSing a HFA/Aspie child, I'd love to talk to you, just for some general support, etc.
> Thanks


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Lori,
How do you like Easy Grammar/Daily Grams? I like Ruth Beechicks method of learning Grammar-if you have never read her stuff she is awesome! She believes that once you learn basic Grammar rules and parts of speech,etc., that you don't have to do the same lessons year after year. My older son has done Lang. Arts forever! He is going into 8 grade this year. I don't necessarily make them stay on grade level--once we learn it, we move on. He had a really great course last year with Rod and Staff. They are very thorough and we both learned a lot. So much I forgot since college Anyway, I don't feel that he needs a whole year again this year for grammar. I am looking at Daily Grams for him-just to keep things fresh, and doing a writing program. I have looked at Story Starters--this is a subject I am reviewing right now to see what's out there. Can you tell me what you like/dislike about EG and DG? I may switch my middle one to this too. He did Rod & Staff 4th grade last year. He ended with learning the basics of diagramming sentences. I think DG and a writing program for him may work as well. What do you think? I don't know anyone that's used it for these grades.


----------



## Praise2Him

lisalonglash said:


> We just received the Rosetta Stone Homeschool French level 1 program yesterday - it is soooo cool!  Has anyone here used this program?  We're really looking forward to setting it up on our computers this weekend



My DD is using it and she loves it!



Tink&PirateMama said:


> However, we are thinking of going to the January HSdays too.  I'm wondering if any of you have gone before, and if you know how the tickets work if you order the 5 day park hopper?  It seems a good deal, and we will be going in January fairly often anyway.  How many days do you have to use it up?  I assume it's not just five days?  Any help is very appreciated! Thank you!!



I haven't been to HS days, but I think I remember others saying that you have 14 days to use them.


----------



## lori1043

I like EG and DG for my youngest(9) b/c she doesn't need bows and whistles for learning this. I also learned that once you know it that is it. I was even told by another HS mom that you don't NEED to do grammar at all till the jr high grades b/c it is really not something that builds on top of something else(she is a mom of 5, 4 of which are in or have gone to college on scholarships, so I take her word seriously!)-it is just there, just facts and if you can diagram a sentence(which is also a questionable skill) or just know what is a noun, verb, subject, predicate, etc, etc... that that is all you need to know! It is not like math, where you need to know one step to get to the next. 

I think DG and a writing program sounds great if he has conquered grammar. Writing is sooo important. I think we will be using an online writing program-well you get your assignment online and send it in each week for grading/fixing or whatever they call it! DG gives just enough refresher. My LLATL DD also uses that a couple times a week. I was about to take her off of LLATW, but realized she IS getting it! I just think EG and DG are just more direct.

here si the Write at Home site I am thinking of using for our spring semester for my 6th grader:

http://www.writeathome.com/Display.aspx?tabid=1

Hope it helped, sorry if it was vague!

Lori


----------



## littlepeppers

My son is having trouble reading.  He has decoding issues.

He is finishing 1st grade at a private school on Friday.  (Our public schools are a joke.)  He missed somthing w/ the reading this year.  There are many tears being shed right now.

We are trying a program called Fast Forward this summer to try to get him reading before we start HS.  Has anyone tried it?


----------



## disneyelaine

We did use Fast Forword for my son at about that age.  He did good with it.  I purchased it and his spec ed teacher tutored him with in during the summer.  I'd try it, but if you continue to have issues with his reading, I highly suggest the Lindamood Bell program.  We did both these before my son turned 8.  We did not homeschool him until he was 10/11.  These were 
programs we had to pay privately for, no way would our public school provide Lindamood Bell.  Heck, even our Director of Special Ed sent her son there for his reading issues!  It is expensive, but good.


----------



## littlepeppers

disneyelaine said:


> We did use Fast Forword for my son at about that age.  He did good with it.  I purchased it and his spec ed teacher tutored him with in during the summer.  I'd try it, but if you continue to have issues with his reading, I highly suggest the Lindamood Bell program.  We did both these before my son turned 8.  We did not homeschool him until he was 10/11.  These were
> programs we had to pay privately for, no way would our public school provide Lindamood Bell.  Heck, even our Director of Special Ed sent her son there for his reading issues!  It is expensive, but good.



Thanks a million.  I looked into this one, but we live in the sticks.  I doubt there is a center anywhere near us.  I'm a certified secondary teacher & don't want to do the extensive training that is required to use that program.  (English/Language Arts is not my thing.)  

I found a site that said that ABeCeDarian Reading Program is easier to do at home.  Anyone hear of this one.  

It breaks my heart to see him struggle.  My DS was born 6wks early at only 4lbs 5oz.  I had PIH & was starving him of oxygen & nutrients.  We always thought that he had dodged most of the premature issues.  This is the first setback that he has ever had.  I hope that my DD doesn't come up w/ some late onset issues.  I had PIH w/ her too, but she was 8wks early & only 2lbs 15oz.


----------



## Denine

Hello again.  Haven't had much time to post lately, but I should be back now.

We were just in Virginia for 4 days visiting friends and took a side trip to Williamsburg.  We didn't have any tickets cause it wasn't a planned trip to the historical area.

We are so ready for school to be over for the summer.  DD has lost all concentration.

Secular curriculum: We use Calvert and really like it.  This is our 3rd year.  We have used pre-k, k and 1st.  I am going to use it for 2nd as well.


----------



## wvdislover

littlepeppers said:


> Thanks a million.  I looked into this one, but we live in the sticks.  I doubt there is a center anywhere near us.  I'm a certified secondary teacher & don't want to do the extensive training that is required to use that program.  (English/Language Arts is not my thing.)
> 
> I found a site that said that ABeCeDarian Reading Program is easier to do at home.  Anyone hear of this one.
> 
> It breaks my heart to see him struggle.  My DS was born 6wks early at only 4lbs 5oz.  I had PIH & was starving him of oxygen & nutrients.  We always thought that he had dodged most of the premature issues.  This is the first setback that he has ever had.  I hope that my DD doesn't come up w/ some late onset issues.  I had PIH w/ her too, but she was 8wks early & only 2lbs 15oz.



I wouldn't be overly concerned about his reading issues, esp. if you are going to be hs him this fall.  The issues may have nothing to do with his being a premie, esp if he hasn't had any issues up till now  Maybe he's just a late reader.  I was at a homeschool conference last weekend, and in one of the workshops, the speaker told us that 2 of his kids actually didn't read until they were 10  Sounds shocking, but he said they didn't worry about it, and the kids learned to read on their own time.  He said those 2 are now the best readers in the family, and that once they started, they took off.  One of those kids is only 11 or 12 now, but can read a 300 page book in only a day or two   There IS hope!  Don't give up!  And tell him not to give up, either...one day it just may "click."  Good luck!


----------



## littlepeppers

Denine said:


> Hello again.  Haven't had much time to post lately, but I should be back now.
> 
> We were just in Virginia for 4 days visiting friends and took a side trip to Williamsburg.  We didn't have any tickets cause it wasn't a planned trip to the historical area.
> 
> We are so ready for school to be over for the summer.  DD has lost all concentration.
> 
> Secular curriculum: We use Calvert and really like it.  This is our 3rd year.  We have used pre-k, k and 1st.  I am going to use it for 2nd as well.



We are going w/ Calvert this year.  Do you use the ATS?  

I still need to find a good Catholic 2nd gd religion book to supp. CCD classes (no one ever listens at them).  I want my DS to understand the sacraments that he will recieve.


----------



## littlepeppers

wvdislover said:


> I wouldn't be overly concerned about his reading issues, esp. if you are going to be hs him this fall.  The issues may have nothing to do with his being a premie, esp if he hasn't had any issues up till now  Maybe he's just a late reader.  I was at a homeschool conference last weekend, and in one of the workshops, the speaker told us that 2 of his kids actually didn't read until they were 10  Sounds shocking, but he said they didn't worry about it, and the kids learned to read on their own time.  He said those 2 are now the best readers in the family, and that once they started, they took off.  One of those kids is only 11 or 12 now, but can read a 300 page book in only a day or two   There IS hope!  Don't give up!  And tell him not to give up, either...one day it just may "click."  Good luck!



Maybe it will be like potty training.  One day is just "clicks".  Where is the Elmo book for this one.


----------



## Corinne Johnson

NiniMorris said:


> DisneyMom3,
> 
> My kids are really into the Vacation Education series.  They look forward to 'Disney School' every day.  We plan on going through the series twice, once pre-trip and then again a few weeks after we get back.  This should help to reinforce some of the things they observed on their own and hopefully encourage then to delve a bit deeper into a subject.  Especially my 5th grader.
> 
> Nini



Hi Nini,
Glad to hear that you guys are having fun with the Vacation Education Books. We used the Epcot book every year for four years, approaching the countries from a different angle each year.
We also school all year.
This summer we are working on organizing a high school plan for our daughter. She is entering 8th grade, so we are trying to prepare for this next year to be a year of 'transition' from "little girl" school to "big girl" school. Now, we have to think about colleges, and scholarships and the FUTURE! It's all new and exciting.
Corinne Johnson, author, vacationeducationbooks


----------



## heatherplus3

littlepeppers said:


> My son is having trouble reading.  He has decoding issues.
> 
> He is finishing 1st grade at a private school on Friday.  (Our public schools are a joke.)  He missed somthing w/ the reading this year.  There are many tears being shed right now.
> 
> We are trying a program called Fast Forward this summer to try to get him reading before we start HS.  Has anyone tried it?



Have you checked out lindamood-bell kits at ganderpublishing.com? My DS also has decoding issues and we are doing the Seeing Stars kit. It was expensive but it really has been worth it. The decoding problems can be a real booger! My poor son was so frustrated, I felt so bad for him. PM me if you have more questions!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Wow, I've been hearing so much about the vacation education books and I just went to the website to check them out, and they look like a ton of FUN!!! We just got back from our first Walt Disney World trip and are going back again in September 2010. That leaves enough time to go through these books!!!

So for the ones who use them during "school" do you have enough time to put them in along with everything else you have to get done every day. I would like to buy them all.  Although I couldn't put the AK one in my cart, it wouldn't select, is that one out to buy yet?

I would like to buy them and start using them when we start school in August/September. I kids will absolutely look forward to them all of the time, I will too!

So can you give me your experience with these books. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks so much!!


----------



## emh1129

williamson_ja said:


> I have homeschooled my 12 yr old for the past 3 years. He is either HFA/or AS depending on who is doing the testing.  I finally pulled him out after 3 years of fighting with the district over giving him services and getting nothing... all the while ds would come home from school crying every day because he just couldn't deal with normal school. That was enough for me. I can honestly say that we have our good days and bad days, but we have found what works for us.
> AND we can have awesome experiences like going to WDW homeschool days. I can honestly say that I had no idea that WDW did a homeschool day. We got our reservations 2 months ago (w/ non-refundable airline tickets) and just found out yesterday that we WILL be there on the same day as homeschool days!! How cool is that? We are going to try to do the history YES class on the 22nd. Has anyone done this one? I thought it was cool that you get to go into the MK park before it opens to the public and get to go onstage at the Hall of Presidents. I am the history teacher for our homeschool group, so this totally seems like something we would LOVE!!
> Anyway, you can email me personally if you have questions about homeschooling with Asp/HFA.



Thanks for your response! I just pulled my son out of school one week ago tomorrow. So it hasn't been very long. We were planning to do it at the end of the school year, but he was so miserable and begging to homeschool, so DH and I talked about it and decided that the ultimate purpose was to have a happy child- and we knew that his needs weren't being met there, anyway.
So- we are happily homeschooling now. I worry about the battle of wills, so to speak, that come up fairly frequently. I know I'm going to have to keep it fresh and exciting for him & keep our sessions short before his attention fades.
And we might be going in January, anyway, so I'll have to find out more info about those homeschooling days!



wvdislover said:


> That would be me, for one.  Anything I can help you with, I'll be happy to do (or at least try!).  I've homeschooled my DD11 for one whole school year, and about 11 weeks last year.  While it can definitely be challenging, to say the least, it also has its rewards  My DD is SO much happier now than when she was in school



Great- I'm sure that I will have lots of questions for you!
Ds seems.. relieved, I think, to not have the pressure of school hanging over him anymore.
He looked at me yesterday- after we had read about seven books together (and he is starting to read on his OWN now, which is so exciting, we've spent so much time together working on it) and he says "Thanks for teaching me how to read, Mom."  It brought tears to my eyes!



DawnM said:


> My 11 year old has Asperger's.
> 
> Dawn



Thanks, Dawn! It's nice to know there are others who are successfully homeschooling


----------



## NHWX

locolala said:


> We don't have kids just yet, but we're thinking we'll end up home schooling our kids. DH and I were both in the gifted program from K thru 12, and when we were in mainstream classes, we were both stupidly bored. I know there's no way to be sure that our kids will be the same way, but I have an odd feeling they'll be bored in mainstream schools. The thing I love about the idea of home schooling is that we can do things at our pace. If they finish a subject before the school year is over, that's awesome. DH is military, so we'll be moving a lot, another bonus to home schooling there . What I'm wondering are what secular HS programs are the best, since neither of us are religious.



Been there, done that but without the moving as a result of a military job. We've used an eclectic mix of curriculum. Currently we're using 

- K12.com (www.k12.com)
- a Johns Hopkins' CTY course (www.cty.jhu.edu)
- German Online (http://germanonline.okstate.edu/)
- Brigham Young University's online high school (http://ce.byu.edu/is/site/)
- texts from Art of Problem Solving (http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/)

If either you or your DH (or both!) are math/CS people, I'd love to chat with you about math/cs/engineering courses for my two boys, especially the math. It's one of the good and bad points about homeschooling - you have the freedom to choose coursework but the corresponding responsibility to choose well. Anyone else want to chat about when to fit statistics into a math program? Or is it relevant? How about taking a year off from calculus? Anyone have thoughts about discrete math or cryptoanalysis? 

NHWX


----------



## GoofyG

Newbie over here in the homeschooling department.  My oldest is 5 and going to Kindergarten in Aug.  She's been going to a private pre school, and I already pd for her next yr at a private school.  But I'm starting to look at homeschooling when she starts 1st grade, I'm also trying to find things for her to do during the summer.  She is already wanting to do math, so we have been working on addition, she also can read some.  Her pre-school did Abeka.  I'm also looking for something to start working with my 3yr old.  I'm a total newbie and feel overwhelmed by all of the stuff out there.  I don't know where to start, what books are best.  I'm also concerned if I do homeschool, I have ADHD and a Learning Disability (Math)  Will this become a problem with my kids, I'm not concerned with the ADHD as th LD.

Any info would be great, I kow I'm not going to get the moral support from my family.  But I know I can't afford private school, and I'm not really into the public school.  Though my 3yr old will be doing speech through them when school starts in Aug.


----------



## Denine

littlepeppers said:


> We are going w/ Calvert this year.  Do you use the ATS?
> 
> I still need to find a good Catholic 2nd gd religion book to supp. CCD classes (no one ever listens at them).  I want my DS to understand the sacraments that he will recieve.



I have not used ATS yet, but may in the future.

DD starts PSR in the fall.  Try Catholic Heritage Curriculum.


----------



## littlepeppers

Denine said:


> I have not used ATS yet, but may in the future.
> 
> DD starts PSR in the fall.  Try Catholic Heritage Curriculum.



I don't want a catholic curriculum.  I don't want a slanted version of science & history.  I'm looking for a seperate religion book.

My DS is going to use the 2nd gd Calvert series.  I would feel more comfortable w/ the ATS, but I'm a certified teacher & can't justify the extra cost when I'm trained to keep a rollbook & grade papers.

Have you ordered your Calvert set yet?  We are ordering it next month.  My DS still has to get through the Fast Forward program this summer.  I'm going to school 12mos so we can slow down & master topics.  My DS is a wholistic learner.


----------



## graygables

I have 2007 SOS in 4th and 6th I'm selling if anyone is interested, PM me!


----------



## Denine

littlepeppers said:


> I don't want a catholic curriculum.  I don't want a slanted version of science & history.  I'm looking for a seperate religion book.
> 
> My DS is going to use the 2nd gd Calvert series.  I would feel more comfortable w/ the ATS, but I'm a certified teacher & can't justify the extra cost when I'm trained to keep a rollbook & grade papers.
> 
> Have you ordered your Calvert set yet?  We are ordering it next month.  My DS still has to get through the Fast Forward program this summer.  I'm going to school 12mos so we can slow down & master topics.  My DS is a wholistic learner.



You don't have to use the curriculum.  They have a bunch of stuff in the catalog that you can buy separately.

I have not yet ordered 2nd grade.  I will sometime this summer.
We use Horizons for math.


----------



## Corinne Johnson

3princesses+aprince said:


> Wow, I've been hearing so much about the vacation education books and I just went to the website to check them out, and they look like a ton of FUN!!! We just got back from our first Walt Disney World trip and are going back again in September 2010. That leaves enough time to go through these books!!!
> 
> So for the ones who use them during "school" do you have enough time to put them in along with everything else you have to get done every day. I would like to buy them all.  Although I couldn't put the AK one in my cart, it wouldn't select, is that one out to buy yet?
> 
> I would like to buy them and start using them when we start school in August/September. I kids will absolutely look forward to them all of the time, I will too!
> 
> So can you give me your experience with these books. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks so much!!


So sorry that you had trouble with the AK add to cart button. I'll look into it. Thanks for checking out our site. Corinne Johnson, author, Vacation Education Books


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Hey Corinne~ I pmed you last week, then talked to my friend and said, No Way---that's not her. I don't think she's even hsing anymore!! So, sorry about that!!! I was sure you were her!!!
Anyway, I love the look of your books---I think I am gonna go ahead and order them and we can look over them thru the summer----especially the Epcot countries. They won't even think of that as school----Disney can't be school, right.  Can't wait to try this out!!!!!


----------



## lori1043

Hey gals!
I thought about getting those books too,but I wound up making
My own for EPCOT WS. I also enjoy the architecture guides
To each park from the bookstore. For younger kids,we also 
Enjoyed an old set of mickey books about different countries 
When I get home I will give the exact names. Even my older
One thought they were cute and read them. I bought them off
eBay.

Lori


----------



## NiniMorris

3princesses+aprince said:


> Wow, I've been hearing so much about the vacation education books and I just went to the website to check them out, and they look like a ton of FUN!!! We just got back from our first Walt Disney World trip and are going back again in September 2010. That leaves enough time to go through these books!!!
> 
> So for the ones who use them during "school" do you have enough time to put them in along with everything else you have to get done every day. I would like to buy them all.  Although I couldn't put the AK one in my cart, it wouldn't select, is that one out to buy yet?
> 
> I would like to buy them and start using them when we start school in August/September. I kids will absolutely look forward to them all of the time, I will too!
> 
> So can you give me your experience with these books. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks so much!!



We love it!  I have been using it as a 'reward' for getting everything done.  It is helping my 5th grader see the need for my struggling Kinder to get his work done.  We spend anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours each day on the 'Disney School'.  Just really depends on how interested they are in whatever the 'subject' is.  My kinder mainly justs listens as we talk and read through it (although he enjoys coloring pictures of various animals); while I let my 5th grader determine how in depth we go into a subject. We started with Animal Kingdom, and so far we are doing some really indepth stuff on the various animals.

My daughter has even marked a few things she wants to go back to once we get back home.  My plans are to go through all 3 books before we go in September.  

By the way...Corrine, is there going to be one for Hollywood Studios?  I know you have included some things about the movies of Disney through out, but was wondering if there was going to be one for that park alone...although it would probably be mainly just film history....

Nini


----------



## npmommie

GoofyG said:


> Newbie over here in the homeschooling department.  My oldest is 5 and going to Kindergarten in Aug.  She's been going to a private pre school, and I already pd for her next yr at a private school.  But I'm starting to look at homeschooling when she starts 1st grade, I'm also trying to find things for her to do during the summer.  She is already wanting to do math, so we have been working on addition, she also can read some.  Her pre-school did Abeka.  I'm also looking for something to start working with my 3yr old.  I'm a total newbie and feel overwhelmed by all of the stuff out there.  I don't know where to start, what books are best.  I'm also concerned if I do homeschool, I have ADHD and a Learning Disability (Math)  Will this become a problem with my kids, I'm not concerned with the ADHD as th LD.
> 
> Any info would be great, I kow I'm not going to get the moral support from my family.  But I know I can't afford private school, and I'm not really into the public school.  Though my 3yr old will be doing speech through them when school starts in Aug.



First I would say slow down, don't worry about getting books etc for the 3 yo...........not necessary, just using imagination and play they learn thru living life! here is a great article
http://www.besthomeschooling.org/articles/lillian_jones_ps_kdgtn.html

when you say you have a learning disability in math, what do you mean?
you hate math, can't learn it, can't do it, had lots of trouble understanding?


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Thanks Corinne, maybe it's just something I did wrong with the AK book!!! I'm looking forward to ordering them, I can't wait to start those. Being that we just came back from Disney and now that is all my kids talk about, they will be THRILLED to do some Disney work everyday in anticipation for our next trip!

Thanks for sharing your experience Ninimorris, they sound like so much fun


And speaking of ordering books, I just received my Science book from Apologia, my dd9 picked the Zoology, Land Animals, It looks awesome, we were breezing through it. Well, I was, she won't put it down!


----------



## Tink561

Corinne Johnson said:


> I just joined the DisBoards, and feel very blessed to have found a space just for homeschoolers. After our first trip to Disney (about 6 years ago) we started to design unit studies based on each of the exhibits in the park. After four years, we developed a whole series of them. It was more fun than any other curriculum I've ever tried. Does anyone else do anything like this?



I was checking your site and tried to see the sample page for the MK book and I got an error.  Is there a way to check it out?  What are the target ages for your units?


----------



## NiniMorris

Quick question for anyone going to Disney for the Homeschooling Days in Sept...I got an email telling me to register for the fun...but the link sent me to a page to order tickets...I already have my park tickets.  Is there something else I need to do?

We want to try and get in some of the fun...but don't need to order tickets.  We are getting ours through the military salute...


Nini


----------



## wvdislover

NiniMorris said:


> Quick question for anyone going to Disney for the Homeschooling Days in Sept...I got an email telling me to register for the fun...but the link sent me to a page to order tickets...I already have my park tickets.  Is there something else I need to do?
> 
> We want to try and get in some of the fun...but don't need to order tickets.  We are getting ours through the military salute...
> 
> 
> Nini



Good question...we have MYW tickets with free dining, so we don't need tickets, either.  I wonder if we can just pay the $16(?) like the AP holders can, and go to the hs activities.

Another question...the YES site is a bit confusing.  If the kids want to do a YES program, do they have to pay $25, or is that just a cost for parents who feel they need to stay with their kids?  Are the YES programs listed on the homeschool days the only YES programs they're offering during hs days?  I'm just not sure if my kids would enjoy any of the programs they're offering


----------



## lori1043

I called about this last year and was told that we couldn't get in on all the cool options with them unless we bought our package through them, but I wanted free dining b//c it was less $$, but was told more than once I could not just pay the $$ to enjoy all the extras. I was told on here that i was wrong, so PLEASE call them and let us know what they say. I have a trip planned for this time with free dining too but gave up on combining the 2 since I was told no last year.

 I was also willing to pay for the activities seperately.

 I tried many different ways and called them many times-it was very discouraging. It all came down too getting thier package, which had good priced tickets and all the extras, but no free dining, which saved us more.

Please let us know what you learn...

Lori


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Ooo, I would love to know the answer to this as well. We're going back next September and will be booking to get the free dining if it is offered again, I thought we'd still be able to enjoy the HS activities. Bummer. 

Lori, were there any activities you were able to participate in, or were you not able to do anything with the HS days at all?


----------



## Corinne Johnson

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Hey Corinne~ I pmed you last week, then talked to my friend and said, No Way---that's not her. I don't think she's even hsing anymore!! So, sorry about that!!! I was sure you were her!!!
> Anyway, I love the look of your books---I think I am gonna go ahead and order them and we can look over them thru the summer----especially the Epcot countries. They won't even think of that as school----Disney can't be school, right.  Can't wait to try this out!!!!!



Nothing to apologize for. I don't even know how to get personal messages. I'm just barely figuring out how to navigate this site.  

Our family is still homeschooling... even starting to plan high school curriculum now.


----------



## Corinne Johnson

NiniMorris said:


> We started with Animal Kingdom, and so far we are doing some really indepth stuff on the various animals.
> 
> My daughter has even marked a few things she wants to go back to once we get back home.  My plans are to go through all 3 books before we go in September.
> 
> By the way...Corrine, is there going to be one for Hollywood Studios?  I know you have included some things about the movies of Disney through out, but was wondering if there was going to be one for that park alone...although it would probably be mainly just film history....
> 
> Nini



No plans for a specific Hollywood Studios book at the moment. Thinking about SeaWorld next (it would be similar in design to AK, except more about marine life and oceanography). Next year, I want to write updated versions, and I may pull together a Studios one then. 

I'm thinking of offering the countries individually as mini units on the site; like instead of buying the whole Epcot book, you could just buy Mexico. Any thoughts? I love to hear other peoples ideas!


----------



## Corinne Johnson

littlepeppers said:


> I don't want a catholic curriculum.  I don't want a slanted version of science & history.



Our daughter was just confirmed this year, and she had a class of boys that talked a lot about sports. She didn't feel like she was really understanding the faith that she was being confirmed into from the class. We worked with her at home using the catechism book. We went through the question and answer sections, referenced the corresponding Scriptures and surrounding passages, and made sure that she had a good understanding. We didn't want her to stand before God and say she believed something that she didn't truly. I would suggest using your Bible and your catechism book directly, and not worry about finding a curriculum for this. Just my opinion.


----------



## Corinne Johnson

Tink561 said:


> I was checking your site and tried to see the sample page for the MK book and I got an error.  Is there a way to check it out?  What are the target ages for your units?



I think I fixed that link just yesterday, and I am working on posting more samples (little by little). 

We put the books together using our homeschool co-op kids (about 18 of them ages 4-14). Some of the literature based units in Magic Kingdom do have some more advanced concepts for the older kids.


----------



## Corinne Johnson

GoofyG said:


> Newbie over here in the homeschooling department.  My oldest is 5
> 
> Any info would be great, I kow I'm not going to get the moral support from my family.



Just a word of encouragement. We've been homeschooling 8 years, and my experience is that the people who are your strongest opposition today will likely be your biggest supporters later. This is because they are the people who care the most about your children. My mom was certain I was screwing up (even abusing) her grandchildren when we first started; now she loves to take the kids out on "school" days and show them off, saying, "MY DAUGHTER homeschools, see how wonderful her children are."

It takes time for some people to come around, but those who care for you now, will still care for you later, and they will see the results in the young men and women that you are raising.


----------



## Corinne Johnson

lori1043 said:


> I called about this last year and was told that we couldn't get in on all the cool options with them unless we bought our package through them, but I wanted free dining b//c it was less $$, but was told more than once I could not just pay the $$ to enjoy all the extras. I was told on here that i was wrong, so PLEASE call them and let us know what they say. I have a trip planned for this time with free dining too but gave up on combining the 2 since I was told no last year.
> 
> I was also willing to pay for the activities seperately.
> 
> I tried many different ways and called them many times-it was very discouraging. It all came down too getting thier package, which had good priced tickets and all the extras, but no free dining, which saved us more.
> 
> Please let us know what you learn...
> 
> Lori



We've gotten great info. from 3DTravel (they host the Ultimate Field Trip for homeschoolers every year). The agents that work there are homeschoolers and cater specifically to homeschoolers. They ARE authorized Disney agents, also, which means they can usually work through any Disney restrictions and help you get what you want. I know that if you book through them, you can get in on all the educational group activities and get togethers (these are an extra fee), and still get free dining. We did get a quote from them for this coming September, and were very happy with the service/prices, etc.

I don't know the specific answers to your questions, but I think they would.


----------



## lori1043

3princesses+aprince said:


> Ooo, I would love to know the answer to this as well. We're going back next September and will be booking to get the free dining if it is offered again, I thought we'd still be able to enjoy the HS activities. Bummer.
> 
> Lori, were there any activities you were able to participate in, or were you not able to do anything with the HS days at all?


 
No , but Corinne mentions a place (above) that you can try. I may try them next time, but I am already booked. Don't think badly of me now, but if we do get to go on the Seote 2009 trip, I am so wigged out over the move thing that I don't wanna do anything educational-I just wanna relax and have fun!!I tend to educational things anyway, so i sure some will get in thier little brains, but man! we are stressed.



Corinne Johnson said:


> No plans for a specific Hollywood Studios book at the moment. Thinking about SeaWorld next (it would be similar in design to AK, except more about marine life and oceanography). Next year, I want to write updated versions, and I may pull together a Studios one then.
> 
> I'm thinking of offering the countries individually as mini units on the site; like instead of buying the whole Epcot book, you could just buy Mexico. Any thoughts? I love to hear other peoples ideas!


 
Thank you Corinne, for the info. 

Please post your website(again, if you've done it, please), I am interested. I think I have seen it before while browsing. I have a half written WS curriculum that we did Jan 2008 and loved it, but I never finished it. I think it is cool what you are doing!

A Sea World one sounds great-esp b/c we are moving closer to one!


 Lori


----------



## NiniMorris

Corinne Johnson said:


> No plans for a specific Hollywood Studios book at the moment. Thinking about SeaWorld next (it would be similar in design to AK, except more about marine life and oceanography). Next year, I want to write updated versions, and I may pull together a Studios one then.
> 
> I'm thinking of offering the countries individually as mini units on the site; like instead of buying the whole Epcot book, you could just buy Mexico. Any thoughts? I love to hear other peoples ideas!



Corrine...I love the idea of a mini unit on each country!  Our next visit won't be for 2 years...bummer...that would give a lot of exra time to add and supplement.  

BTW, we just started EPCOT (about half way through Animal Kingdom) and my daughter was upset that we were through with Mexico!  She is actually WANTING to research on her own!  

Nini


----------



## disneyelaine

Has anyone used Winter Promise here?  Did you like it ok?  We have used Sonlight 3 & 4 and I am thinking of Quest for Ancient World Winter Promise this year.  I really HAVE to have a boxed type set, that tells me what to do each day.  I liked Sonlight, but it seems we only get thru half the books each year.  It is way too much reading & I hate not getting thru in one year!  But it did work ok.  I hear Winter Promise is similar, but not as much reading.
Anyone have any experience? 

One year I bought the Whole Calvert Grade 5 set and only got to use it about a week before I tossed that aside.  It was too much textbook.  Costly
mistake.  So I don't want to do that again.  BTW, if anyone wants the Calvert Grade 5, PM me.  I will let it go cheap!  

I bought Oak Meadow once, but was able to send it back.  Did not like it at all.


----------



## GoofyG

Corinne Johnson said:


> Just a word of encouragement. We've been homeschooling 8 years, and my experience is that the people who are your strongest opposition today will likely be your biggest supporters later. This is because they are the people who care the most about your children. My mom was certain I was screwing up (even abusing) her grandchildren when we first started; now she loves to take the kids out on "school" days and show them off, saying, "MY DAUGHTER homeschools, see how wonderful her children are."
> 
> It takes time for some people to come around, but those who care for you now, will still care for you later, and they will see the results in the young men and women that you are raising.



Thanks for the encouraging words!


----------



## GoofyG

npmommie said:


> First I would say slow down, don't worry about getting books etc for the 3 yo...........not necessary, just using imagination and play they learn thru living life! here is a great article
> http://www.besthomeschooling.org/articles/lillian_jones_ps_kdgtn.html
> 
> when you say you have a learning disability in math, what do you mean?
> you hate math, can't learn it, can't do it, had lots of trouble understanding?



I had to go into a lab class for my math.  Like I said it was a learning disability.  Alot of times, it was needing different wording.  I had to have IEP's in school and everything.


----------



## Denine

disneyelaine said:


> Has anyone used Winter Promise here?  Did you like it ok?  We have used Sonlight 3 & 4 and I am thinking of Quest for Ancient World Winter Promise this year.  I really HAVE to have a boxed type set, that tells me what to do each day.  I liked Sonlight, but it seems we only get thru half the books each year.  It is way too much reading & I hate not getting thru in one year!  But it did work ok.  I hear Winter Promise is similar, but not as much reading.
> Anyone have any experience?
> 
> One year I bought the Whole Calvert Grade 5 set and only got to use it about a week before I tossed that aside.  It was too much textbook.  Costly
> mistake.  So I don't want to do that again.  BTW, if anyone wants the Calvert Grade 5, PM me.  I will let it go cheap!
> 
> I bought Oak Meadow once, but was able to send it back.  Did not like it at all.




I have looked into Winter Promise and was intrigued.  DD likes Calvert though so we are not switching.


----------



## lori1043

I am SOOOO graduating my kids in Disney. 3D travel has some awesome.

Lori


----------



## graygables

wvdislover said:


> Good question...we have MYW tickets with free dining, so we don't need tickets, either.  I wonder if we can just pay the $16(?) like the AP holders can, and go to the hs activities.
> 
> Another question...the YES site is a bit confusing.  If the kids want to do a YES program, do they have to pay $25, or is that just a cost for parents who feel they need to stay with their kids?  Are the YES programs listed on the homeschool days the only YES programs they're offering during hs days?  I'm just not sure if my kids would enjoy any of the programs they're offering



Yes, you can just order the tickets separately (I'm a Cast Member, so our admission is already covered  )  The YES programs are $25 per person, with a limit of one adult ticket for each child ticket (both parents can't attend with one child).  Each attendee must have his own ticket.  I did not attend w/ my DDs, so I just bought them tickets.  As for the programs, yes, those are the only ones offered during the homeschool days.  I was a bit disappointed with the choices myself.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Ok, I don't want to sound dumb here but are the YES programs different from other programs offered? Or are they the only ones? I thought I remember reading a trip report one time where they had tables set up through the park to stop at and participate in an activity! Do you have to pay for those separately, besides the $25 for the YES program? 

Thanks


----------



## Corinne Johnson

lori1043 said:


> Thank you Corinne, for the info.
> 
> Please post your website(again, if you've done it, please)
> 
> 
> Lori



Our website is www.vacationeducationbooks.net
Thanks for asking.


----------



## Corinne Johnson

NiniMorris said:


> Corrine
> BTW, we just started EPCOT (about half way through Animal Kingdom) and my daughter was upset that we were through with Mexico!  She is actually WANTING to research on her own!
> 
> Nini



That is so great to hear!


----------



## Corinne Johnson

lori1043 said:


> I am SOOOO graduating my kids in Disney. 3D travel has some awesome.
> 
> Lori



I just got the email about their graduation too! Very cool!
For those who are wondering, 3D travel is partnering with Disney to do homeschool graduation in May.


----------



## theduck619

My wife and I are considering home schooling our twins starting next year.  I have seen a few curriculums online and they seem pretty expensive.  Do you have any you would recommend?


----------



## emh1129

Corinne Johnson said:


> I just got the email about their graduation too! Very cool!
> For those who are wondering, 3D travel is partnering with Disney to do homeschool graduation in May.



That is so neat!


----------



## littlepeppers

Corinne Johnson said:


> Our daughter was just confirmed this year, and she had a class of boys that talked a lot about sports. She didn't feel like she was really understanding the faith that she was being confirmed into from the class. We worked with her at home using the catechism book. We went through the question and answer sections, referenced the corresponding Scriptures and surrounding passages, and made sure that she had a good understanding. We didn't want her to stand before God and say she believed something that she didn't truly. I would suggest using your Bible and your catechism book directly, and not worry about finding a curriculum for this. Just my opinion.



I haven't seen his cat. book yet, so I don't even know how it is set up.  I think that I may check out that option before spending more $.  He is very distracted by his surroundings.  This is one of the many reasons that Catholic school wasn't working.

Thanks for the $ saving thought.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

theduck619 said:


> My wife and I are considering home schooling our twins starting next year.  I have seen a few curriculums online and they seem pretty expensive.  Do you have any you would recommend?



That's pretty broad!!!! They have so many now. What are you looking for--or do you know yet? Do you want one that is a curriculum set, with everything planned and boxed for you? Or do you just want to start out slow, and cover some basics?  Also, are you wanting books with a Christian viewpoint? Before I list my 1000 favorites, tell us what you are leaning toward!! And remember--at this age, you don't need tons of stuff!!! Lots of reading to them at this point is wonderful. Anything they like, Dr. Suess, Winnie-the-Pooh, Beatrix Potter, anything that ya'll have or things at the library they are interested in. They learn a lot just from being with you and playing at this stage in life. Hope we can help ya!!!   And   We are glad you found us!!!!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

for all you Teaching Textbook lovers out there....start ordering!! ha!!! I ordered mine today for the boys---Alg I and 6th grade.They emailed me back saying that the 6th grade is already short. Hopefully they can ship it on June 29.  I start school the end of July, so I really want it to ship then. I like to have all my stuff planned. Just thought I would pass that on--I know we just got out, but it stinks when things start getting backordered close to the start dates.

I think I have asked ya'll before, but I can't remember. What Writing programs do you like? We are not gonna do Grammar in itself this year, but focus more on writing. We (the boys!) cringe at the word "writing". I want to have a year to work on this and make it not so scary for them. They can talk and tell stories all day long, but writing ... They freeze!


----------



## lori1043

http://www.writeathome.com/Display.aspx?tabid=1 

This is a writing curr I am thinking about for my 6th grader.

Lori


----------



## disneymom3

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> for all you Teaching Textbook lovers out there....start ordering!! ha!!! I ordered mine today for the boys---Alg I and 6th grade.They emailed me back saying that the 6th grade is already short. Hopefully they can ship it on June 29.  I start school the end of July, so I really want it to ship then. I like to have all my stuff planned. Just thought I would pass that on--I know we just got out, but it stinks when things start getting backordered close to the start dates.
> 
> I think I have asked ya'll before, but I can't remember. What Writing programs do you like? We are not gonna do Grammar in itself this year, but focus more on writing. We (the boys!) cringe at the word "writing". I want to have a year to work on this and make it not so scary for them. They can talk and tell stories all day long, but writing ... They freeze!


I think Writing Strands is quite good as well as Jump In: a guide for eager and reluctant writers.


theduck619 said:


> My wife and I are considering home schooling our twins starting next year.  I have seen a few curriculums online and they seem pretty expensive.  Do you have any you would recommend?



For Kindergarten, if you are Christian I would strongly recommend My Father's World. Wonderful K curriculum with every thing included and LOTs of hands on.


----------



## disneymom3

disneyelaine said:


> Has anyone used Winter Promise here?  Did you like it ok?  We have used Sonlight 3 & 4 and I am thinking of Quest for Ancient World Winter Promise this year.  I really HAVE to have a boxed type set, that tells me what to do each day.  I liked Sonlight, but it seems we only get thru half the books each year.  It is way too much reading & I hate not getting thru in one year!  But it did work ok.  I hear Winter Promise is similar, but not as much reading.
> Anyone have any experience?
> 
> One year I bought the Whole Calvert Grade 5 set and only got to use it about a week before I tossed that aside.  It was too much textbook.  Costly
> mistake.  So I don't want to do that again.  BTW, if anyone wants the Calvert Grade 5, PM me.  I will let it go cheap!
> 
> I bought Oak Meadow once, but was able to send it back.  Did not like it at all.


I so know what you mean.  I used WinterPromise a couple of years ago for the American Crossing (something like that.)  It was the first year it was available and I was REALLY disappointed in it.  They said there was lots of hands on activities but they all came out of books that you had to buy with the teacher guide.  AND they were almost all paper based things like making mini books and three D maps.  I had two little boys who did not consider a 3D map of Jamestown to be hands on OR fun.  At all!  I ended up dropping it too.  However, I am still really drawn to the whole idea of many of their curriculums.  I am intrigued by the middle ages one and I am almost certain I am going to try the Adventures in the Sea and Sky for my boys in a year or two.  So, that is a mixed review for you!  I have heard that they hvae gotten better over the last couple of years.  The year I used them was the first year they really took off.


----------



## danjoealexis3006

I am thinking of homeschooling my boys next year. They are 10 & 7. My ten year old has stuggled in school for entire time. He has been diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD (inattentive). He is reading at a beginning 3rd grade level and cannot keep up in math ( this is usually his best subject) and can not spell very well. He recieves services from the school and has an IEP. The school has informed me that he will no longer be able to provide group instuction (4 kids to a group) because of staffing cuts. I am very tired of fighting with the school. All I have gotten is a kid who thinks he's stupid ( he is very bright) and I am sick of it! So I have a few questions:

1. How do you teach two grades at the same time? My youngest is reading a higher level than my oldest ( this will be a problem) and he demands my attention when both my DS's sit down to do homework. This is VERY distracting to my DS10 who will get mad and yell at him. And then it is difficult to get my DS10 on task again.

2. How do you know if what you are teaching is what your suppose to be for that grade level ( my 10 year old has a lot of catching up to do)?

3. How do you keep the kids entertained all the time?

4. How do I tell my husband I want to put graduate school off for a year.? 

Sorry this is so long! I just want my son to be happy like he was before I put him on that bus for the first day in preschool.


----------



## wvdislover

graygables said:


> Yes, you can just order the tickets separately (I'm a Cast Member, so our admission is already covered  )  The YES programs are $25 per person, with a limit of one adult ticket for each child ticket (both parents can't attend with one child).  Each attendee must have his own ticket.  I did not attend w/ my DDs, so I just bought them tickets.  As for the programs, yes, those are the only ones offered during the homeschool days.  I was a bit disappointed with the choices myself.



So, how much would just the homeschool days tickets cost?  And, would the YES program tickets cost us $100 (2 kids, 2 adults)?  I don't know if my kids would enjoy these programs THAT much.  Thanks!  BTW, are you still going to be down working in September?  It might be neat to get our Sarahs together to meet in person (I still need to get my Sarah to e-mail your Sarah   I keep forgetting!)


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

danjoealexis3006 said:


> I am thinking of homeschooling my boys next year. They are 10 & 7. My ten year old has stuggled in school for entire time. He has been diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD (inattentive). He is reading at a beginning 3rd grade level and cannot keep up in math ( this is usually his best subject) and can not spell very well. He recieves services from the school and has an IEP. The school has informed me that he will no longer be able to provide group instuction (4 kids to a group) because of staffing cuts. I am very tired of fighting with the school. All I have gotten is a kid who thinks he's stupid ( he is very bright) and I am sick of it! So I have a few questions:
> 
> 1. How do you teach two grades at the same time? My youngest is reading a higher level than my oldest ( this will be a problem) and he demands my attention when both my DS's sit down to do homework. This is VERY distracting to my DS10 who will get mad and yell at him. And then it is difficult to get my DS10 on task again.
> 
> 2. How do you know if what you are teaching is what your suppose to be for that grade level ( my 10 year old has a lot of catching up to do)?
> 
> 3. How do you keep the kids entertained all the time?
> 
> 4. How do I tell my husband I want to put graduate school off for a year.?
> 
> Sorry this is so long! I just want my son to be happy like he was before I put him on that bus for the first day in preschool.




Ok, i'm sure you'll get more advice than I can give, because I am starting out this year too!! But your story made me feel bad because that's what I feel about my dd9(almost 10) She HATES going to school, she actually has anxiety issues.  She is very smart but does not do well on tests and with homework. She is reading below level and struggles in math too.

So, for teaching 2 grades at the same time. I'll be doing that too, my dd7 has an IEP in school right now and I know will need a lot of help from me. I know someone who currently does this can answer the question, but I don't have experience in it yet but I'm just going to jump into it and see how it goes. I'm thinking if there's a subject that they both need my help in, like math, maybe i'll have them do it at different times this way I can sit down with both of them. So i'll do math with dd9 while dd7 colors or anything else that she can do on her own. There are subjects like History and Science that are for various ages, we're doing Apologia Science and we're all going to be able to do that together, along with Truthquest, for history, same thing.

As for knowing what level they are on and what curriculum to get, look around and view some sample pages. We are going mostly with Abeka, and on their website you can view sample pages to see if that book will be good for your child. My dd7 is going into 2nd grade this fall, but after viewing the sample pages I realized their 2nd grade math would be too hard for her, she is behind in math, and i'm going to use the 1st grade math book along with the 2nd grade Language, and writing. You can pick and chose. Trust me I just started looking and curriculums recently and it is very overwhelming, but keep at it and you'll figure it all out. And i got most of my help right here from these wonderful homeschoolers.

How to keep the kids entertained? I'm still thinking about that too, but most of the people that I know that homeschool say that is never a problem, so I think that's something that we'll have to figure out when we start


----------



## lori1043

theduck619 said:


> My wife and I are considering home schooling our twins starting next year. I have seen a few curriculums online and they seem pretty expensive. Do you have any you would recommend?


 
Ok, so there are way too many choices, so, I suggest starting with Cathy Duffy...

http://www.cathyduffyreviews.com/

If you buy that book off to the right, there are some of those "tests" that the parent can take to figure out what type of curriculums/ways of teaching you will tend toward, and some questions about your children's learning styles. I wish I had this resource 5 years ago, then maybe not so much money spent on curriculum that I hated but finished b/c I had bought it already(on a budget here!). I took it a few months back, and although I was already going in the direction of the categories I fit into, it confirmed it for me that I was going in the right direction for my family, my kids.

I wish you luck on your search and hope you find something that fits you. There are always transitiions and such, but they are mostly for the better!

Lori


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

danjoealexis3006 said:


> I am thinking of homeschooling my boys next year. They are 10 & 7. My ten year old has stuggled in school for entire time. He has been diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD (inattentive). He is reading at a beginning 3rd grade level and cannot keep up in math ( this is usually his best subject) and can not spell very well. He recieves services from the school and has an IEP. The school has informed me that he will no longer be able to provide group instuction (4 kids to a group) because of staffing cuts. I am very tired of fighting with the school. All I have gotten is a kid who thinks he's stupid ( he is very bright) and I am sick of it! So I have a few questions:
> 
> 1. How do you teach two grades at the same time? My youngest is reading a higher level than my oldest ( this will be a problem) and he demands my attention when both my DS's sit down to do homework. This is VERY distracting to my DS10 who will get mad and yell at him. And then it is difficult to get my DS10 on task again.
> 
> 2. How do you know if what you are teaching is what your suppose to be for that grade level ( my 10 year old has a lot of catching up to do)?
> 
> 3. How do you keep the kids entertained all the time?
> 
> 4. How do I tell my husband I want to put graduate school off for a year.?
> 
> Sorry this is so long! I just want my son to be happy like he was before I put him on that bus for the first day in preschool.




First of all  , we are glad you came over!!!  I think you are making a great choice. Let me answer #4 first. You are a mom!! You are putting your son first at a time when he needs you. That's how you tell him This is what mommies do! You have tried school for quite some time, and it's obvious he doesn't respond there and needs a change. Now is the time. 

#3--Entertainment--Well, for a while it might take quite a few days for you to get into the rhythm you need and some days might need to be just sitting around with you reading books to them and letting them work on a few math problems. If things start to get hairy, send them to play. Imagination is a wonderful thing. Your 10 yo will probably benefit from it since school has gotten so emotional for him. Just relax for a while!!

#1&2- Different states require different things, so if you are in a place where they  should be tested, that might help you keep on track. If not, you can buy scope & sequence books, or What Your Child Should Know in the _ grade books.  In hs, you don't have to keep it on grade level---once something is mastered, move on. If one kid reads at a high school level, and is in 6th grade, you wouldn't make him only check out 6th g.level books at the library! If he found a really thick book he liked at a higher level, you would let him have it. Same way with school at home. Grade levels are just grouping kids and keeping them together by age. Some might always be at g.l. others won't. Teaching 2 at a time isn't as hard as you think. You will get in the groove once you get going. work on 2 diff. things at a time. for example, while you do math with one, have the other work in handwriting. Lang with one while the other copies his spelling words. Juggle them this way and when you see what subject they really need you the most with, start the day with that. For your 10yo, start with him on his hardest thing in the morning, when he's fresh. Have the other one read to himself and then rotate. 

I always think the answer to most hs stuff is lots of reading. They learn sooooo much from good literature. Spelling, grammar, how it should sound. Then when they hear it incorrectly they know something isn't quite as it should be. You reading a lot to them even over the summer will help your older son. Start with anything. Whatever ya'll like and you will enjoy reading. One good book you should get is Honey For a Childs Heart by Gladys Hunt. She has book lists for different ages with great lit. by list. I love this book---lots of great classic little stories. Just keep it easy for a while and not too much pressure--ease into it. That's gonna keep you all from being anxious and thinking someone isn't very smart. Start with lots of lower level math and letters and reading--build up at whatever pace they work well with. This will keep them from feeling that they are going backward! 
Hope this helps ya!!


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## theduck619

I think we want something slow to cover the basics and to get us acquainted with teaching them formally.  I don't think the "canned" curriculums would work well for us.  I am not over religious but I do want my daughters to learn and know God so I would eventually like to include some religous education in.  Thanks for all of your advice.  We have loved reading through all of the posts.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Theduck~ Lori or someone mentioned My Father's World, that is a good basic starting Curriculum. Also, something like Explode the Code for phonics beginning would be good. For math Singapore at the lower level is good. ABeka is very good at those levels-they are definitely Christian in their view--good solid math base and phonics.


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## Corinne Johnson

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> I think I have asked ya'll before, but I can't remember. What Writing programs do you like? We are not gonna do Grammar in itself this year, but focus more on writing. We (the boys!) cringe at the word "writing". I want to have a year to work on this and make it not so scary for them. They can talk and tell stories all day long, but writing ... They freeze!



A local co-op did IEW last year, and said of the 15 kids who participated (we didn't), only one kid didn't like it. All the moms said they loved it. 

It is expensive, but they do allow you to go in together and use it as a group, just buying one workbook per child. I think they paid around $25 per family?


----------



## Corinne Johnson

danjoealexis3006 said:


> I am thinking of homeschooling my boys next year.
> 
> 1. How do you teach two grades at the same time? My youngest is reading a higher level than my oldest ( this will be a problem) and he demands my attention when both my DS's sit down to do homework. This is VERY distracting to my DS10 who will get mad and yell at him. And then it is difficult to get my DS10 on task again.
> 
> 2. How do you know if what you are teaching is what your suppose to be for that grade level ( my 10 year old has a lot of catching up to do)?
> 
> 3. How do you keep the kids entertained all the time?
> 
> 4. How do I tell my husband I want to put graduate school off for a year.?
> 
> Sorry this is so long! I just want my son to be happy like he was before I put him on that bus for the first day in preschool.



Just one opinion here
1.Give them different schedules. My oldest helps me out all day, and I give her personal one on one time in the evening when little ones are sleeping.
2.There is a series called, "what your X grader needs to know" goes k-6. It is secular, but easy to use and I sometimes look over it just to see if there is anything we missed. Mostly, to put my own mind at ease.
3.I don't entertain my children. I have six, so they pretty much entertain each other, but I do read out loud to them a lot. I try to choose books with lots of action and fast moving stories. We loved the Narnia series.
4.I wouldn't be able to homeschool at all if it wasn't for my wonderful husband, so I would suggest getting him on board with your plans.
Lastly, from my experience (we did 1.5 years in PS, then homeschooled for the last eight years), I believe that you could do a little of this and a little of that, do a lot of nothing and your kids would still be better off at home with you.


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## graygables

Ultimate Field Trip disappointment. 

Just for kicks I requested a quote so I could get an idea of the schedule, cost for YES programs, etc.  I got a quote, BUT they are not offering any of the YES programs due to lack of interest!  Also, the group dining is full, which didn't particularly interest me, anyway.  I don't need the package, being a CM and all, but would have booked it for a mini-vacation if it meant getting to do the YES programs.

I'm very bummed about it as there are several my DDs would like to do, but none are offered during Disney's Homeschool Days.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Corinne Johnson said:


> A local co-op did IEW last year, and said of the 15 kids who participated (we didn't), only one kid didn't like it. All the moms said they loved it.
> 
> It is expensive, but they do allow you to go in together and use it as a group, just buying one workbook per child. I think they paid around $25 per family?



 What is IEW?


----------



## beautybelle

What do you all know about the quality of the "deluxe" curriculum in the homeschool supercenter?  Im thinking about ordering that for my son because is almost half as expensive as my other choice which is Abeka.  Son is going into 6th grade.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

danjoealexis3006 said:


> I am thinking of homeschooling my boys next year. They are 10 & 7. My ten year old has stuggled in school for entire time. He has been diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD (inattentive). He is reading at a beginning 3rd grade level and cannot keep up in math ( this is usually his best subject) and can not spell very well. He recieves services from the school and has an IEP. The school has informed me that he will no longer be able to provide group instuction (4 kids to a group) because of staffing cuts. I am very tired of fighting with the school. All I have gotten is a kid who thinks he's stupid ( he is very bright) and I am sick of it! So I have a few questions:
> 
> 1. How do you teach two grades at the same time? My youngest is reading a higher level than my oldest ( this will be a problem) and he demands my attention when both my DS's sit down to do homework. This is VERY distracting to my DS10 who will get mad and yell at him. And then it is difficult to get my DS10 on task again.
> 
> 2. How do you know if what you are teaching is what your suppose to be for that grade level ( my 10 year old has a lot of catching up to do)?
> 
> 3. How do you keep the kids entertained all the time?
> 
> 4. How do I tell my husband I want to put graduate school off for a year.?
> 
> Sorry this is so long! I just want my son to be happy like he was before I put him on that bus for the first day in preschool.



One thing you can try is time4learning.com This is a wonderful online program that will engage your children and you can adjust levels for each subject area.  It is very easy to review lessons from previous grade level or go up to next level.  This might be good to try for the summer.  Even if you decide not to continue into school year it will give you an idea of where they are and give them the positive reinforncement they need.


----------



## lori1043

OK so I am no language arts/writing phd, but I did NOT like IEW. It is more like a "how to take notes from a passage and put the same paragraph back together in your own words" class but with extra words(adjectives and adverbs called dress-ups).

I was REALLY unhappy with the course and so they only took it one semester at our co-op. BUT every other mom, besides me and maybe 2 others, LOVE it.

My oldest handled it well, but there is little room for thier own words. My youngest hated it. She is a lot like me though!

I just wanted something more like creative writing I guess.

You live, you learn.

Lori


----------



## Corinne Johnson

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> What is IEW?



It stands for Institute for Excellence in Writing.
They produce a writing program that works on skills using a checklist system, and sequentially building from one skill to the next.
We did not participate in the classes offered here, but all the moms who did are raving about it. Most of them plan to use it again next year.
I am an author, I love writing, it was never an issue for me. But, I do think the IEW is more geared towards the kid who needs to know how to write a term paper academically, but is not interested in writing for writing sake.
It's pretty pricey, so I wouldn't spend for it, but maybe you can ask around and get it used, or borrow, or share like our group did.
As a side note: the group here is fairly confident that they will be able to sell the one they bought on Ebay and get most of their money back when they are done with it.


----------



## danjoealexis3006

First off I want to thank you for making me feel welcome! I am feeling a little overwhelemed so keep the suggestions comming. 



> Ok, i'm sure you'll get more advice than I can give, because I am starting out this year too!! But your story made me feel bad because that's what I feel about my dd9(almost 10) She HATES going to school, she actually has anxiety issues. She is very smart but does not do well on tests and with homework. She is reading below level and struggles in math too.



I want to say hi to 3princesses&aprince, it is nice to have someone starting out where I am. I feel the same as you do, my son is under so much stress that he has been getting chest pain ( DR said it is stress related). I know how you feel. 



> You are a mom!! You are putting your son first at a time when he needs you. That's how you tell him This is what mommies do! You have tried school for quite some time, and it's obvious he doesn't respond there and needs a change. Now is the time.



Thanks for the advice Disney Mommy 3. Your're right I am a mom first and foremost! I have stayed home with my kids for 11 years and recently I finished my BSW degree in the last two years. However, in my heart I know that this is the right thing to do. I am having lunch with my husband today and I think this will be a good time to talk about it ( I hope he's having a good day). This subject has came up in the past and he has never been on board but last night he said he was worried about DS and the next school year! I wanted to go further but then the phone rang in the office and we never got back around to it. Wish me luck



> There is a series called, "what your X grader needs to know" goes k-6. It is secular, but easy to use and I sometimes look over it just to see if there is anything we missed. Mostly, to put my own mind at ease.



I have seen these at my local library, I will check them out and maybe it could give some guidance of what we need to do to get back on track. I am going to take things slow with him though.

There is a lady at my church that hs her kids so if my DH gets on board I will give her a call and see if we can meet. I am not sure about the laws here in Michigan and I am sure she can help out. Thanks again everyone and I am looking forward to being a perment part of this board. Now all I need is a little pixie dust!


----------



## lori1043

Corinne Johnson said:


> Just one opinion here
> 1.Give them different schedules. My oldest helps me out all day, and I give her personal one on one time in the evening when little ones are sleeping.
> 2.There is a series called, "what your X grader needs to know" goes k-6. It is secular, but easy to use and I sometimes look over it just to see if there is anything we missed. Mostly, to put my own mind at ease.
> 3.I don't entertain my children. I have six, so they pretty much entertain each other, but I do read out loud to them a lot. I try to choose books with lots of action and fast moving stories. We loved the Narnia series.
> 4.I wouldn't be able to homeschool at all if it wasn't for my wonderful husband, so I would suggest getting him on board with your plans.
> Lastly, from my experience (we did 1.5 years in PS, then homeschooled for the last eight years), I believe that you could do a little of this and a little of that, do a lot of nothing and your kids would still be better off at home with you.


 
#4-AMEN to that. I think all hubbys need to be on board for HS'ing-IMHO
#1- love that-sweet



Corinne Johnson said:


> It stands for Institute for Excellence in Writing.
> They produce a writing program that works on skills using a checklist system, and sequentially building from one skill to the next.
> We did not participate in the classes offered here, but all the moms who did are raving about it. Most of them plan to use it again next year.
> I am an author, I love writing, it was never an issue for me. But, I do think the IEW is more geared towards the kid who needs to know how to write a term paper academically, but is not interested in writing for writing sake.
> It's pretty pricey, so I wouldn't spend for it, but maybe you can ask around and get it used, or borrow, or share like our group did.
> As a side note: the group here is fairly confident that they will be able to sell the one they bought on Ebay and get most of their money back when they are done with it.


 
This is how I feel about it. Maybe having girls, and we all like to write stories and such, we needed more wiggle room. I just didn't like it at all. And it is SO popular, so I guess it is great for others.


Lori


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## theduck619

Is three to four hours per day a good start for pre-school/kindergarten?  We want to make sure they get enough but we want them to be kids as well. 

Thanks to everyone who posts on this thread.  the info i have seen is amazing!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

theduck619 said:


> Is three to four hours per day a good start for pre-school/kindergarten?  We want to make sure they get enough but we want them to be kids as well.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who posts on this thread.  the info i have seen is amazing!



That is the time frame I was thinking on for my 5 yr old this fall as well, maybe even a little less some days!!


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## lori1043

honestly, you can spend about 1-2 hours on preK IMHO. I did a wonderful preK curr called Hands On Homeschooling and it literally took about 45 minutes, so we doubled up a lot!! It was one of those Christian curriculums that was FUN, she learned and we had lots of bonding time. I am a firm beleiever in letting the kids be kids when they are this young. Yes, they are teachable, but attention spans are pretty short.
You can get a LOT in thier little sponge brains in litle time. Enjoy these years!!

Lori


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## Disney Mommy 3

Personally, I think that's way too long for that age group. I tend to lean toward Charlotte Masons ideas and she says around 30 minutes per subject--depending on the child----some kids won't last 30 minutes at 4 years old. We do phonics for about 30 minutes, depending on the day we are having. Some days we go longer, some days a wee bit shorter. Math is the same way. Each subject you add as they get older follows the same pattern. If after 30 minutes they aren't doing it or are having trouble, just put it away till next time.  Like I said before, lots of reading to them is ideal. Plus time to cut, paste, color, paint, whatever your family has fun with. Then just lots of 'pretend' or play time. They are still very young at the Pre-K or K level.

The longer you school with them, the more you will learn their little habits and patterns, and it will come more easily to you. Remember it's okay to have fun during 'school' time!!


----------



## NHWX

theduck619 said:


> Is three to four hours per day a good start for pre-school/kindergarten?  We want to make sure they get enough but we want them to be kids as well.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who posts on this thread.  the info i have seen is amazing!



I think our public kindergarten is only 3.5 hours long and that includes recess, snack, calendar time, pledge of allegiance, announcements, collecting milk money, etc. I think our state requires that nap time be available for 4 year olds. So, I'd say if you put in an hour of academics and another hour in other learning (calendar, looking at bugs, painting, etc.) you'd be good to go.

NHWX


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## NHWX

I'd definitely recommend skipping writeguide.com. We used it for a month last year to prep one son for the essay portion of the SAT. The tutor basically ended up saying "Your son doesn't like to write and doesn't write well. I can't help him." but in a more round about way. Essentially when he didn't write like you might expect, she didn't know how to teach the material. Luckily, I didn't pay for more than a month. And Duh! If he was a good writer, I wouldn't have paid for a tutor.

We're going to try writeathome.com this year.

fingers crossed,

NHWX


----------



## lori1043

NHWX said:


> I'd definitely recommend skipping writeguide.com. We used it for a month last year to prep one son for the essay portion of the SAT. The tutor basically ended up saying "Your son doesn't like to write and doesn't write well. I can't help him." but in a more round about way. Essentially when he didn't write like you might expect, she didn't know how to teach the material. Luckily, I didn't pay for more than a month. And Duh! If he was a good writer, I wouldn't have paid for a tutor.
> 
> We're going to try writeathome.com this year.
> 
> fingers crossed,
> 
> NHWX


 
My friend uses this and loves it. I am going to use it for my 6th grader this year. not sure if I will use it a whole year or one semester.

Lori


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## graygables

theduck619 said:


> Is three to four hours per day a good start for pre-school/kindergarten?  We want to make sure they get enough but we want them to be kids as well.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who posts on this thread.  the info i have seen is amazing!


Placing soapbox: 

I look at it this way: how many hours a day did pioneer children spend in "school" when they were 3, 4, 5, 6, 7yo? (in PA: 1895: Compulsory Education Act mandated that children between 8 and 13 years old attend school for at least four months per year)  Probably not much, if any at all.  They played, the followed their parents around and asked, "why?" ad nauseum.  They played some more.  They learned to wash the dishes and sort the clothes and pick beans and help as much as they were able.  They might have learned their ABCs and to count.  Important foundations that are laid in those early play/why/helper years, not learning to recite the times tables at 5yo. These children grew up to be doctors, lawyers, teachers, inventors, mechanics, ranchers, bankers, you name it.  There were some pretty smart cookies some of whom may have only had 2.5 years of formal education by today's 8 month standards.

I recently read research (I'm looking to find the references) that indicated that children should NOT begin formal education until around 8 (funny correlation between the early compulsory ed laws...) years old.  They are still maturing their verbal and motor skills and aren't ready for structured learning yet, either in the schools or at home.  Once they hit 8 or 9 (for ADHD students, the brain matures later) they explode into their skill sets and can really assimilate the information passionately and with purpose.

My 13yo was a non-reader, non-writer, non-speller and I, the English teacher, was mortified and really struggled with it.  I took her to a tutor, we had her tested, we did everything to beg this child to read.  We did learn that she had a tracking problem and that was taken care of with vision therapy, but she still wasn't a reader/writer/speller. Then, BOOM.  9yo came along and suddenly, she was reading on level, she was writing, and her spelling has improved dramatically.  I didn't do anything different, I just let her "grow into" her learning.

I think we spend too much time worrying what other people think about our kids and how we rear/teach them and we would be better off if we worried about it ALL a lot less.  I'm not saying that they should be left to roam and be feral children (like my nieces and nephew...whole other story ), but at the same time, let them play and learn and play some more.  TRAVEL with them.  Take them places. Let them touch and feel and see and explore.

I spent less time in a classroom than I spent IN one growing up.  No, my parents are NOT homeschoolers or even supportive of it, but I was sick a lot and they were all about travel.  We lived in Germany and whenever my Dad had a long weekend, we were in our 15' camping trailer going SOMEWHERE.  Maybe over to a flea market in France, maybe sledding in the Black Forest, maybe to a museum in Switzerland.  Once stateside, we kept it up, museums, zoos, road trips.  My folks were NEVER about "perfect attendance" and we'd go to Dallas for a few days or the Grand Canyon when it suited my Dad's work schedule.  Travel is one of the reasons I chose to homeschool.  

Don't sweat the hours. Don't sweat the facts.  Answer the whys and let them play.

Picking up soapbox...


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## cattayhi

My daughter and I have done a couple of lapbooks and they were lots of fun!  Our first was about the Life cycle of butterflies with games a Mini Eric Carle book, charts to color in English and French and more.  
She seemed to enjoy learning about the life cycle and remembers it well!


----------



## danjoealexis3006

Well my DH said that he thinks its a good idea to hs DS10 but he doesn't think that my DS7 needs to stay home with me ( I don't know how DS7 will react to knowing that his big brother gets to stay home all day with mom??) We talked to my DS10  last night and he says he's worried about not seeing all of his friends. We assured him that he will still get to see some of them, play baseball, and still learn the trumpt but he's still worried about it. I am not sure how to ease this fear. He did say that he did like the idea of not having to see his special ed teacher anymore. I made it clear that the only way I would be able to help him is if he worked with me and he agreed.

I have a few more questions:
1. Does anyone know of a good reading program for a dylexic. 
2. Has anyone used Math U See. We need to learn our multiplication tables. We also need to review division and fractions (reducing). 
Thanks!


----------



## wvdislover

danjoealexis3006 said:


> Well my DH said that he thinks its a good idea to hs DS10 but he doesn't think that my DS7 needs to stay home with me ( I don't know how DS7 will react to knowing that his big brother gets to stay home all day with mom??) We talked to my DS10  last night and he says he's worried about not seeing all of his friends. We assured him that he will still get to see some of them, play baseball, and still learn the trumpt but he's still worried about it. I am not sure how to ease this fear. He did say that he did like the idea of not having to see his special ed teacher anymore. I made it clear that the only way I would be able to help him is if he worked with me and he agreed.
> 
> I have a few more questions:
> 1. Does anyone know of a good reading program for a dylexic.
> 2. Has anyone used Math U See. We need to learn our multiplication tables. We also need to review division and fractions (reducing).
> Thanks!



I have not used Math U See; we use Teaching Textbooks.  I have heard a lot of good things about MUS, but it is also expensive (manipulatives, etc).  My DD11 has learned SO much with TT this year!  We have gone from struggling in all areas to being able to find place value; do long addition, subtraction, mult., and division; work with fractions; greater than/less than; etc.  I have stopped focusing, however, on her trying to learn all her multiplication facts, and am focusing on making sure she understands all the processes, instead.  As my DD's special ed teacher from PS told me, "No one walks around asking you what 7x8 is...they just whip out a calculator."  She uses a calculator, math chart, and most recently, a Magic Math multiplication facts "board" (a yellow plastic thing with all the facts listed on it on buttons that you have to push to see the answers).  She knows a few of them, and I am still working with her on trying to learn as many as we can, but I'm not going to hold her back from learning other stuff, just so she can get those facts down.  They may come, they may not.  She does know how to get the answers she needs, though, which I deem as much more important.  Maybe work on the facts some with your DS, but don't try to hammer then into his head.  He'll be homeschooling--you get to decide what he needs to learn (for the most part!).

Also, while you'd like to have both of your sons home with you, it might be more advantageous for your DS10 to be home alone with you, at least for the first year, so he can get more of the one-on-one time he needs.  It's something you just really have to look at.  Good luck!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

danjoealexis3006 said:


> Well my DH said that he thinks its a good idea to hs DS10 but he doesn't think that my DS7 needs to stay home with me ( I don't know how DS7 will react to knowing that his big brother gets to stay home all day with mom??) We talked to my DS10  last night and he says he's worried about not seeing all of his friends. We assured him that he will still get to see some of them, play baseball, and still learn the trumpt but he's still worried about it. I am not sure how to ease this fear. He did say that he did like the idea of not having to see his special ed teacher anymore. I made it clear that the only way I would be able to help him is if he worked with me and he agreed.
> 
> I have a few more questions:
> 1. Does anyone know of a good reading program for a dylexic.
> 2. Has anyone used Math U See. We need to learn our multiplication tables. We also need to review division and fractions (reducing).
> Thanks!



Can't answer those 2 questions, but just tell him about the friend-thing that he will still see them. I had to deal with that with my older son. He is the one that talks about friend time. The other 2 are content to see their friends on Wed night and Sunday at church, and then when we get together for them to play or spend the night. That's just something that is part of the give & take of HS. No, he probably won't see them EVERY day, but he will see them sometime! Maybe just having him home for at least the 1st semester will be good for both of you---maybe after Christmas holiday your hubby will be more open for the 7yo to come home too!!!


----------



## theduck619

I really appreciate your input.  The great thing about these boards is you get to throw out different ideas.


----------



## Denine

Hello to all the newbies!

Definitely no more than 2 hours a day for a PK/K student.

We finished 1st grade today!  DD is officially a 2nd grader!  She still needs to finish 2nd grade math, but that won't take her long.  She loves math.


----------



## disneytriplets

Hi! I posted several months ago when I started to look into different curriculum and now Im back looking for help. Quick background, I will be homeschooling my triplets for Kindergarten. I was doing a preschool program for them called Mother Goose Time. I really enjoyed this program because it came with everything I needed and there was minimal prep. I think Im looking for a curriculum using real books instead of text books and some workbooks but not workbooks for every subject, every day. 

Ive been really looking into Sonlight. I love that everything comes together with the instructors guides and it seems easy to use. But I have a few issues:
1. Kindergarten will cost about $1000 if I buy the readers. I checked our local library and they only have 1/3 of the necessary books. The preschool program I did cost about $700 a year, but it also came with lots of craft supplies. 
2. Im not sure how my kids will do listening to me read books that are not picture books. At this point they aren't interested in books without pictures. 
3. I don't believe there are many/any hands-on crafty things. 
4. The Bible portion seems to have a mix of good and bad reviews.

My Fathers World was mentioned a few posts back and I found their curriculum interesting and the price was great. I like how they include character traits into each lesson.
1. I read reviews stating the curriculum was very slow and lacked a good phonics/language program.

Can anyone give more insight on either of these curriculums or suggest something different? Might I be better off creating my own curriculum by piecing each subject together from various vendors? I am attending a curriculum/book fair in two weeks so I will be able to get my hands on some things, but it is small and not many curriculums vendors will be attending (Some of those attending are Alpha Omega, BJU, Math-U-See, A beka).

I welcome ANY suggestions!!!  My head is spinning with all this info!


----------



## Corinne Johnson

How many hours should we spend on school?
I say all of them AND none at all.
We are always learning, kids and adults. We read blogs, articles, magazines, newspapers, and books all the time (no schedule, no limits).
I suggest (my personal opinion only) that you lay out your school year goals and plans based on what you want to accomplish, rather than how many hours or minutes per day. But, if you want to finish book Z in nine months, then break it down into X pages per day, and you spend how ever much time it takes.
One of the great things about homeschooling is that your kids can learn naturally, not in a prefabbed time slot. Sometimes, it's okay to skip school and play trains and cars all day, or sit on the porch and finish reading that novel because you just can't wait to see how it ends. That's life and it's wonderful.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Corinne Johnson said:


> How many hours should we spend on school?
> I say all of them AND none at all.
> We are always learning, kids and adults. We read blogs, articles, magazines, newspapers, and books all the time (no schedule, no limits).
> I suggest (my personal opinion only) that you lay out your school year goals and plans based on what you want to accomplish, rather than how many hours or minutes per day. But, if you want to finish book Z in nine months, then break it down into X pages per day, and you spend how ever much time it takes.
> One of the great things about homeschooling is that your kids can learn naturally, not in a prefabbed time slot. Sometimes, it's okay to skip school and play trains and cars all day, or sit on the porch and finish reading that novel because you just can't wait to see how it ends. That's life and it's wonderful.



Well Said!!!!!!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Disney Triplets~
Well, if you are veering away from Sonlight becuase of the money, look at it as $333 per kid for the year. That's not bad. Abeka is gonna run that much for sure, if you get the teacher guides and the all inclusive package. We started with ABeka because we were familiar with it. Kindergarten/1st grade is good. Wonderful basics for math and solid phonics course. But...it starts piling up really quick. We quit using it because they were (in my opinion) cramming too much at a time.  I like a slower pace, that I can increase as  I need to. My daughter is a year older than your triplets--we did Explode the Code last year, and we are using the Horizons workbook #2 right now. She was pretty bored with ETC--but we did books A, B, and C, and #1 this last year, so it was time for a little change!!! I am using Singapore Math 1A (did Horizons, didn't like it) right now and after this will probably go to Rod & Staff math. Another good program for phonics/ reading is by Sandi Queen--Language Lessons for the Very Young. I will be using this after we finish this workbook. All these are slow and not a haried pace--if you want to do 4 pages one day and one the next, it's up to you.

I just add lots of books that we like as family reads. anything at the library and any classic or favorite books you already have. If they like art and craft stuff, the ABeka art books do have a lot of fun stuff!!  Just remember that you can pick and choose with ABeka, you DON'T have to buy the whole kit or the dvds!! I know our local rep. is pretty pushy about that. He tries to sell you the whole kit---even if you have some already!!! Just take your time and visit websites. 
I love Cathy Duffys 100 Top Picks (I have the book too), Homeschool Review, and CBD.com.  They are still young, just read lots of good stories and have fun!! Don't get too overwhelmed. Make sure you know your states hs laws and if you need to keep track of days/times or anything like that.


----------



## bumbershoot

disneytriplets said:


> I am attending a curriculum/book fair in two weeks so I will be able to get my hands on some things, but it is small and not many curriculums vendors will be attending (Some of those attending are Alpha Omega, BJU, Math-U-See, A beka).



I just wanted to thank you for reminding me that the homeschool fair in my state is coming up soon.  I almost forgot!  Thank you!!!!


----------



## wahmtexas

so excited I found this thread on here, I homeschool my 2 children in Texas and work with Work at Home United part time to fund it LOL
I love to communicate with other homeschoolers and am looking forward to the conversation


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Hey!! Welcome!!! We are neighbors!! I love to see people from Texas here!!! We are glad to have you.


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

Just wondering if there is anyone else here from the St. Louis, MO area?


----------



## crocko

Just found this thread.  My wife and I are homeschooling and are in the OKC area in case anyone is a nearby DISer.


----------



## DisneyMom5

disneytriplets said:


> Hi! I posted several months ago when I started to look into different curriculum and now Im back looking for help. Quick background, I will be homeschooling my triplets for Kindergarten. I was doing a preschool program for them called Mother Goose Time. I really enjoyed this program because it came with everything I needed and there was minimal prep. I think Im looking for a curriculum using real books instead of text books and some workbooks but not workbooks for every subject, every day.
> 
> Ive been really looking into Sonlight. I love that everything comes together with the instructors guides and it seems easy to use. But I have a few issues:
> 1. Kindergarten will cost about $1000 if I buy the readers. I checked our local library and they only have 1/3 of the necessary books. The preschool program I did cost about $700 a year, but it also came with lots of craft supplies.
> 2. Im not sure how my kids will do listening to me read books that are not picture books. At this point they aren't interested in books without pictures.
> 3. I don't believe there are many/any hands-on crafty things.
> 4. The Bible portion seems to have a mix of good and bad reviews.
> 
> My Fathers World was mentioned a few posts back and I found their curriculum interesting and the price was great. I like how they include character traits into each lesson.
> 1. I read reviews stating the curriculum was very slow and lacked a good phonics/language program.
> 
> Can anyone give more insight on either of these curriculums or suggest something different? Might I be better off creating my own curriculum by piecing each subject together from various vendors? I am attending a curriculum/book fair in two weeks so I will be able to get my hands on some things, but it is small and not many curriculums vendors will be attending (Some of those attending are Alpha Omega, BJU, Math-U-See, A beka).
> 
> I welcome ANY suggestions!!!  My head is spinning with all this info!



There is NO way you should have to spend $1000 on K even with Sonlight.  Do NOT get the new comer's package (if that's what you are looking at).  Get the core, decide what math, LA, and Science you want to use, or just get some of the science books, and if you don't want the map and timeline, don't get it.

Look it over carefully and see what you really need and what you don't!
I believe in getting full cores from Sonlight, when possible, because I like to support such a great company. [Their customer service is second to none.]

BUT, there is a used Sonlight forum on the Sonlight boards, and you can get some really good deals.  Not to mention there are full cores on ebay.  Sometimes it's an older version, but still good.  You could upgrade a couple of books for what you save if you have to have the newest.

Not to mention, it is reusable for all your kids, and, if you don't have a lot of kids, resaleable if you keep it in good condition.

Happy to answer any other questions about Sonlight, or saving money while still buying the cores.


----------



## DisneyMom5

Oh, and wanted to add: it's easy to find hands on matching your subject for free on the internet.

BUT...if you want a more hands on approach, Winter promise is getting really popular with people who like Sonlight with extras.

Hope that helps!


----------



## littlepeppers

Ok, I need to know where you all are getting those cook countdowns in your signatures.


----------



## lori1043

littlepeppers said:


> Ok, I need to know where you all are getting those cook countdowns in your signatures.


 
double click on one and it should bring you to the website.


----------



## Temair

I'm contemplating A&O SOS for next year.  I'm looking for something more independent for my DD so that when #2 is born I don't have to worry so much.  Anyone like or not like A&O SOS?  Any other suggestions for more independent curriculum?  And other general advice for homeschooling while pregnant or with a newborn?


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Can I ask what exactly a Homeschool co op is? I got an email from the leader of my new homeschool group and there is a meeting next week to find out all about it and sign up if we want to. Well, I have to work that night. I am going to email her back with questions, but i figured i'd start here so I don't look like a total dum dum. I want to have some idea on what one is. 

Thanks so much!


----------



## DisneyBrat

Just wanted to share with all my Dis friends my son has finished homeschooling       Yes after many years of hard work we've gotten to the light at the end of that tunnel.    Now if we  can only get him through college we will be even more estatic LOL 

Just had to share this before I burst!!!!!


----------



## disneymom3

3princesses+aprince said:


> Can I ask what exactly a Homeschool co op is? I got an email from the leader of my new homeschool group and there is a meeting next week to find out all about it and sign up if we want to. Well, I have to work that night. I am going to email her back with questions, but i figured i'd start here so I don't look like a total dum dum. I want to have some idea on what one is.
> 
> Thanks so much!



GEnerally a co-op is where you go to gather with other families to have the kids learn certain subjects together. Sometimes the moms take turns teaching, some have hired teachers, it will just depend.  The co-op we are in now has about 25 families with kids ages infants through about 10th grade. (For now, anyway.)  Our babies and toddlers just play but have an actual room where they are while the moms are either in mom's time or teaching or assisting.  Our moms who teach are paid a small amount for doing that.  Our preschool is run much like a traditional preschool with gym time, art, circle time etc.  Our K-3 have art, music, gym and another class the topic of which changes year to year.  As the kids get older they have more and more choices for electives but everyone has gym and everyone does the theme of the year's class which we call Discovery.

I have also been in a co-op where the moms taught or assisted the whole time and the kids stayed in the same class all morning--so you taught all three subjects that were being learned instead of just being the gym teacher and having the kids come to you. That was a lot harder and I honestly left pretty wiped out. So did my kids.

Let us know what you find out.  My kids have made some wonderful important friends in co-op that they get together with year round.


----------



## disneymom3

disneytriplets said:


> Ive been really looking into Sonlight. I love that everything comes together with the instructors guides and it seems easy to use. But I have a few issues:
> 1. Kindergarten will cost about $1000 if I buy the readers. I checked our local library and they only have 1/3 of the necessary books. The preschool program I did cost about $700 a year, but it also came with lots of craft supplies.
> 
> 
> My Fathers World was mentioned a few posts back and I found their curriculum interesting and the price was great. I like how they include character traits into each lesson.
> 1. I read reviews stating the curriculum was very slow and lacked a good phonics/language program.


I love My Father's World for Kindergarten.  I think their phonics program is great and actually with one of my boys I didn't use it at all because he wasn't ready for even what they had.  (See below for more on that.)  The built in science is awesome and the favorite part for my kids.

However, my best friend uses Sonlight and LOVES it.  She has four little boys and just adds things on her own for hands on stuff.  She doesn't buy the whole core from Sonlight. She uses what books she can from the library.  (Be sure to check into all library systems in your area. Usually you can join other counties or what have you with your card from you local system.  I belong to three.)  And then she also finds a lot of books off of Amazon, ebay or Rainbow Resource for quite a bit less.


graygables said:


> Picking up soapbox...


Thank you....can you pass it over here now?  Thanks. 

I agree very much with graygables. To me, as a homeschooler for 8 years with kids in 8th 4th and 2nd this next year, I would never spend more than 45 min doing table work at a preschool/kindergarten age and especially in preschool that would only be if they WANTED to do table work.

We spend so much time and energy in this country freaking out about early early early and miss the fact that the country that scores highest in literacy rates year after year doesn't start their kids reading until the age of 7.  Parents are actually discouraged from working with their kids at home.  (That would be Finland by the way.) Singapore out scores the US by miles on math...have you seen their Kindergarten math curriculum?  It's a lot about looking at a picture and talking about it etc.  And yet, by the time you get to about the middle of first, it's a year ahead of most US curriculums. And the kids GET it.

Hang out on the couch and read books about all kinds of interesting things--fairy tales from other lands, tall tales, books about snakes, whatever turns your kids on.  Lay on the floor and play board games or card games or whatever.  Go for walks, visit museums that have hands on areas.  Play with playdough and finger paint and shaving cream.  Plant a garden--do it inside if it's winter. Add random kitchen ingredients together and see what happens.  (Accidentily discover what happens when you put baking soda into lemon juice.)  Follow a simple recipe. Do household chores like sorting laundry and emptying the dishwasher.

As the school days get longer and recess gets cancelled for table work, our kids continue to get more and more overweight.  I don't think it's a coincidence.

Graygables, I am now done with your soapbox, thank you.


----------



## DawnM

Sonlight

We are long time Sonlight users.  I have always bought used.  We are big time into staying out of debt.  We buy almost nothing new, ever.

I have found great deals.  I got a Sonlight 1st grade, including science for $150.  It was 7 years old....but my thinking is:  if it worked 7 years ago, it is still good!  

I have friends who only buy the Instructor's Guide and use the library, paperback swap, garage sales, etc...to get what they can, and then get the rest on Amazon.

I found Cores 3 and 4 complete for $125 each last year and snagged up both years because it was such a good deal.

Our yearly budget up until now has been $300/year for actual curriculum.

We have an upcoming Kindergardener this year.  This is what we are doing so far (found most items at the used curriculum store.)

Horizons K math ($5 each book, you DO NOT need the teacher guide for K)
Veritas Press language arts workbook ($9 barely used)
100 EZ Lessons ($12)
Sonlight Core (used with previous kids, maybe $100 when purchased used)

The rest of the time he listens in on the older boys' lessons and then we will learn things like months, days, that sort of thing.

Dawn


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Hi, I just discovered a great website.  It cost 19.99 for a year subscription but it is pretty cool.  

We homeschool year round but I wanted to concentrate on DS reading/writing and DD math this summer. This website generates some really cool activities.

www.edHelper.com


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

disneymom3 said:


> GEnerally a co-op is where you go to gather with other families to have the kids learn certain subjects together. Sometimes the moms take turns teaching, some have hired teachers, it will just depend.  The co-op we are in now has about 25 families with kids ages infants through about 10th grade. (For now, anyway.)  Our babies and toddlers just play but have an actual room where they are while the moms are either in mom's time or teaching or assisting.  Our moms who teach are paid a small amount for doing that.  Our preschool is run much like a traditional preschool with gym time, art, circle time etc.  Our K-3 have art, music, gym and another class the topic of which changes year to year.  As the kids get older they have more and more choices for electives but everyone has gym and everyone does the theme of the year's class which we call Discovery.
> 
> I have also been in a co-op where the moms taught or assisted the whole time and the kids stayed in the same class all morning--so you taught all three subjects that were being learned instead of just being the gym teacher and having the kids come to you. That was a lot harder and I honestly left pretty wiped out. So did my kids.
> 
> Let us know what you find out.  My kids have made some wonderful important friends in co-op that they get together with year round.




Thanks for giving me a basic understanding. They have a meeting set up, that , like I said i will not be able to attend, but i'll find out more from the leader of the homeschool group now.


----------



## lori1043

We go to co-op and it is an amazing thing. Moms teach things that they are gifted at , or want to learn themselves, or even ones they want thier kids to take. We have about 100 families that particiapte in co-op. Tuesdays are reminiscent of my HS days for 4 hours-kids everywhere in the hallways of a church building that opens thier doors for us.We love it.

It is pre-K through senior year. Some of us are wondering if it will eventually turn into something like Veritas Academy or something.

My kids have taken everything from art and PE, to history and literature pockets to geography and book club. There are CPR classes and yearbook club, study hall and board game time(for those with an extra hour for younger kids while thier older ones take classes), botnay, biology, IEW classes, civics, Constitution, sign language, etc etc. It is a blessing.

I hope you are able to participate. My kids LOVE it.

I also hope that we find a good co-op wherever we move to in the Houston area.

Lori


----------



## mrstamil

I also recommend time 4 learning. If you pay quarterly, it's as low as $15 a month.  Plus, I suspend our membership for the summer to save even more $.   I believe there's a discount for additional children. 

We had tried an EXPENSIVE school in the box, but my son would lose attention.  Also, I had to answer the phone, the door, etc... it got too crazy.  I felt like my entire life was spent trying to plan ahead, study tomorrow's lesson, keep his attention, find time for MY chores, etc. 

He can work on T4L MOSTLY on his own, with some guidance from me when he doesn't understand.  Also, the interactive lessons refresh MY memory on how to do the math.   The cartoons DEFINITELY help keep his attention.  

After using t4l for more than I year, I THINK I have figured out exactly how it works for us.  My son signs in himself.  For next year (6th grade), he has to complete 2 math lessons a day, and on M,W,F he has to complete 2 lessons of SS and LA, on T,Th he has to complete 2 science lessons a day. I also add in some writing on T, Th and Spellingcity.com EVERY day.  

I've printed out ALL (a LOT) of the worksheets for the next year, and have them in a 3" 3 ring binder, separated by subjects.  If his lesson says "resource" under it, he knows he has a worksheet to do. 

With T4L can go into their folder and see how long they spent on their lesson and how their grades were.  (If they spend 15 seconds on a lesson, you know they didn't do it, if their grades were low, you know they didn't understand and you can go over it again).

I add writing because I feel it's necessary.  Currently, I'm using a 4 square workbook and add my own ideas for him to build on.

I add spelling city because it builds his spelling while making it fun. We tried a LOT of online spelling programs, and the others made him angry.  With SC you can make your own spelling list according to their weaknesses, or use lists already there.  They can hear the word (not a robot voice), hear the word spelled, play games with the words and even take an online test (I have him print his results so I can see the words he missed and retest later on just them).

At the end of the year I can print reports showing exactly what he covered, and what his grades were. 

I like that this program helps him become independent.  Also, he's learning that if he APPLIES himself, work can be FUN and it gets done a LOT quicker. 

I also purchase "What Your ____ Grader need to Know" to make sure we're covering everything we should.  Plus, he enjoys the added story time as I read to him from LA, SS, Science, Arts, etc.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

lori1043 said:


> We go to co-op and it is an amazing thing. Moms teach things that they are gifted at , or want to learn themselves, or even ones they want thier kids to take. We have about 100 families that particiapte in co-op. Tuesdays are reminiscent of my HS days for 4 hours-kids everywhere in the hallways of a church building that opens thier doors for us.We love it.
> 
> It is pre-K through senior year. Some of us are wondering if it will eventually turn into something like Veritas Academy or something.
> 
> My kids have taken everything from art and PE, to history and literature pockets to geography and book club. There are CPR classes and yearbook club, study hall and board game time(for those with an extra hour for younger kids while thier older ones take classes), botnay, biology, IEW classes, civics, Constitution, sign language, etc etc. It is a blessing.
> 
> I hope you are able to participate. My kids LOVE it.
> 
> I also hope that we find a good co-op wherever we move to in the Houston area.
> 
> Lori




Thanks, a co op does sound nice. I'm sure my kids will love getting together with others to learn. I'm going to contact the leader of our HS group and see if I can get some more info on this particular co op and sign up for the fun.


----------



## emh1129

This might be old news (and I apologize if it is!) but we were in Staples yesterday afternoon and they had some GREAT prices!! Workbooks (all different levels, all different kinds) that were normally 3.95-6.95 were 50 CENTS. I think I bought 12 different ones. The kids like those sometimes.

Dry erase flash cards were marked down to 50 CENTS.
Dry erase placemat type things (math, writing, etc.) were 50 CENTS.
Lace cards were also 50 CENTS.
Huge flash cards were marked down from $10.49 to $2.49
There were so many deals, I'm sure that I'm forgetting some.. but really great prices to supplement homeschooling.


----------



## OneTreeHillAddict

Hey you guys! Hope everyone's having a great Summer! I was wondering if anyone can send me the link to the WDW home school events page? I saw it on here once and can't find it now. Thanks.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Lori, just curious if your search for a new hometown was productive!! I wondered what area you searched and if you found anything that ya'll might like.  Are you gonna try to be somewhere before school starts back up?

I got my older sons Algebra I Teaching Textbooks in yesterday!!! i was soooo excited!! He just looked at me like, are you kidding? We just got out!!!! Ha!! I love to have all my ducks in a row!!!


----------



## Denine

DisneyBrat said:


> Just wanted to share with all my Dis friends my son has finished homeschooling       Yes after many years of hard work we've gotten to the light at the end of that tunnel.    Now if we  can only get him through college we will be even more estatic LOL
> 
> Just had to share this before I burst!!!!!



That is exciting!  Way to go!


----------



## Denine

Tomorrow will be the 2nd day with no school except for math.

DD is already saying she is going to miss science and reading and spelling etc..

I am signing her up for summer reading at the library tomorrow, so that takes care of that.

Does anyone know of some kind of science program or something that a 6yo can do by herself?  She has Big Backyard magazines, but I need a break from teaching and would like her to do something independent if she can.
I do a lot of gardening, so she can learn about plants and stuff, but what else?


----------



## disneytriplets

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Disney Triplets~
> Well, if you are veering away from Sonlight becuase of the money, look at it as $333 per kid for the year.


 
You make a very valid point! Thank you for all your information!



bumbershoot said:


> I just wanted to thank you for reminding me that the homeschool fair in my state is coming up soon. I almost forgot! Thank you!!!!


 
No problem! Glad I could be of help! 



DisneyMom5 said:


> There is NO way you should have to spend $1000 on K even with Sonlight. Do NOT get the new comer's package (if that's what you are looking at). Get the core, decide what math, LA, and Science you want to use, or just get some of the science books, and if you don't want the map and timeline, don't get it.
> 
> Look it over carefully and see what you really need and what you don't!
> I believe in getting full cores from Sonlight, when possible, because I like to support such a great company. [Their customer service is second to none.]
> 
> BUT, there is a used Sonlight forum on the Sonlight boards, and you can get some really good deals. Not to mention there are full cores on ebay. Sometimes it's an older version, but still good. You could upgrade a couple of books for what you save if you have to have the newest.
> 
> Not to mention, it is reusable for all your kids, and, if you don't have a lot of kids, resaleable if you keep it in good condition.
> 
> Happy to answer any other questions about Sonlight, or saving money while still buying the cores.


 
Thank you for this info! Yes, I did pick the newcomer package and I added two extra of all the consumable items. I started looking at the books and I'm thinking I can get them cheaper at Amazon. Many of the required books are on Amazon in the 4 for the price of 3 section.

Can I get to the used curriculum section on Sonlight by joining for the 30 day free trial? How much does it cost to be a member of the forums?

One big question I have with Sonlight is, which curriculum level is best for my kids? I've gone back and forth between the 4/5 and K. I read several times on the Choosing Sonlight Curriculum forum that there are sensitive materials in some of the books, but I don't know what core(s) these are in or what do they mean by sensitive. I'm guessing K is "safe"? 



disneymom3 said:


> I love My Father's World for Kindergarten. I think their phonics program is great and actually with one of my boys I didn't use it at all because he wasn't ready for even what they had. (See below for more on that.) The built in science is awesome and the favorite part for my kids.
> 
> However, my best friend uses Sonlight and LOVES it. She has four little boys and just adds things on her own for hands on stuff. She doesn't buy the whole core from Sonlight. She uses what books she can from the library. (Be sure to check into all library systems in your area. Usually you can join other counties or what have you with your card from you local system. I belong to three.) And then she also finds a lot of books off of Amazon, ebay or Rainbow Resource for quite a bit less.


 
Thank you for the input! It looks like I need to find out the rules for other libraries!



DawnM said:


> We are long time Sonlight users. I have always bought used. We are big time into staying out of debt. We buy almost nothing new, ever.
> 
> I have found great deals. I got a Sonlight 1st grade, including science for $150. It was 7 years old....but my thinking is: if it worked 7 years ago, it is still good!
> 
> I have friends who only buy the Instructor's Guide and use the library, paperback swap, garage sales, etc...to get what they can, and then get the rest on Amazon.
> 
> I found Cores 3 and 4 complete for $125 each last year and snagged up both years because it was such a good deal.
> 
> Our yearly budget up until now has been $300/year for actual curriculum.
> 
> We have an upcoming Kindergardener this year. This is what we are doing so far (found most items at the used curriculum store.)
> 
> Horizons K math ($5 each book, you DO NOT need the teacher guide for K)
> Veritas Press language arts workbook ($9 barely used)
> 100 EZ Lessons ($12)
> Sonlight Core (used with previous kids, maybe $100 when purchased used)
> 
> The rest of the time he listens in on the older boys' lessons and then we will learn things like months, days, that sort of thing.
> 
> Dawn


 
Thank you! I have a question about the Horizon's K math. What information is in the teacher's handbook? Is it just the answers or do they give you other information. I'm pretty sure I can handle K math  so I wouldn't need it if it's just answers. 


 and now back to the researching and recalculating!


----------



## Canyon girl

Disneytriplets,  I currently homeschool a 3rd grader (4th this fall) year round.  I will add DS this fall in K.  I started DD with Horizon Phonics and Math in K.  Personally, at this young age, I really think that all the sitting down time they need is for Phonics (reading, writing included) and math.  I read science and history books to my DD as well.  I am returning to Horizon for my DS, but I have found Math U See in the interim and switch DD as well.  I really like the approach of Math U See.  It teaches to mastery instead of the cyclic nature of most programs.  I would highly encourage you to look into it.  www.mathusee.com.  As for the contents of the Horizon math teacher's manual, there will be more than answers in it.  Most teacher's manuals give you an idea or even script of what to say to teach your child.  Having said that, most people that I have come across said that they didn't need the K teacher's manual to teach their children math at that level.  So, next year, my DS will be taking Horizon Phonics program, Math U See Primer level, and listen in on some of his sister's science program (and be read K BJU science textbook) and history (read from K BJU history textbook).  HTH


----------



## DisneyMom5

OneTreeHillAddict said:


> Hey you guys! Hope everyone's having a great Summer! I was wondering if anyone can send me the link to the WDW home school events page? I saw it on here once and can't find it now. Thanks.



Is this what you're looking for???

http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/programs/programOverview?page=HSDProgramOverviewPage



disneytriplets said:


> Thank you for this info! Yes, I did pick the newcomer package and I added two extra of all the consumable items. I started looking at the books and I'm thinking I can get them cheaper at Amazon. Many of the required books are on Amazon in the 4 for the price of 3 section.
> 
> Can I get to the used curriculum section on Sonlight by joining for the 30 day free trial? How much does it cost to be a member of the forums?
> 
> One big question I have with Sonlight is, which curriculum level is best for my kids? I've gone back and forth between the 4/5 and K. I read several times on the Choosing Sonlight Curriculum forum that there are sensitive materials in some of the books, but I don't know what core(s) these are in or what do they mean by sensitive. I'm guessing K is "safe"?
> 
> thanks: and now back to the researching and recalculating!



Depending on your kids, it's always better to go with a slightly lower rather than slightly higher.  If they are going to be six in this school year, and can handle sitting through chapter books, K should be fine.

If not, go with the PK4/5.  

If you get the free 30 day trial, you can access the for sale forum, I THINK.

I can't remember how much a yearly membership is.  Mine is free for life, because I've purchased more than 4 or 5 whole cores.

There are different levels of memberships based on purchases, so keep that in mind when you are ordering.

Like I said, sometimes it is WAY easier (and actually cheaper, when you figure in the 10% discount AND free shipping) to buy an entire Core directly from Sonlight.  Figure that out before you decide.

But I would never buy the Newcomer's.  I think you can pick out your own math, handwriting, etc., and may not need all the science at once....you get my point.

As I said, it MIGHT not be cheaper to piece it together using NEW books.  figure it out.

USED books, yes.

It is EASIEST to purchase an entire used Core than  to piece it together.

If you decide on Core K, you probably can find one used.

And don't worry if it is older, or has the old science, or whatever.  It was good then, it will be good now.  Knowledge really doesn't expire.  [Some books do get outdated, but you know what I mean.]

Hope that helps!


----------



## Phalene

I'm hoping someone can help me, even though I don't homeschool.  My son just finished 1st grade at a wonderful charter school where he did Saxon Math 2.  He loves math and has been basically begging me to get Math 3 for him, and I know Saxon has a homeschool program.

My question is where to purchase it.  I see it for many different prices online but I'm unfamiliar with the website and company.  I'm trying to find the best price for the home study kit, from a reliable company-does anyone have suggestions?

TIA!


----------



## Temair

I'm looking for some advice from you experienced homeschoolers.  What is it like homeschooling while pregnant and with a newborn?  I just recently found out I'm expecting my second child Due Feb 11, 2010.  I am currently homeschooling DD who is 9 and doing grade 5 work.  I'm considering the possibility of changing curriculum to A&O SOS so my daughter could have more independence and free me up to focus on the baby.  Any advice would be great.


----------



## DisneyMom5

Temair said:


> I'm looking for some advice from you experienced homeschoolers.  What is it like homeschooling while pregnant and with a newborn?  I just recently found out I'm expecting my second child Due Feb 11, 2010.  I am currently homeschooling DD who is 9 and doing grade 5 work.  I'm considering the possibility of changing curriculum to A&O SOS so my daughter could have more independence and free me up to focus on the baby.  Any advice would be great.



I found that I had to sit a lot anyway, nursing the baby, so that was the perfect time to do school together.  And, make the older child still feel special.  Newborns are MUCH easier to school with than two year olds, so you might want to leave the more self-directed till then.  Just a thought.

I also thought I'd take a lot of time off after each baby was born, but the older kids needed the structure of continuing school.

Blessings on the new baby!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Temair said:


> I'm looking for some advice from you experienced homeschoolers.  What is it like homeschooling while pregnant and with a newborn?  I just recently found out I'm expecting my second child Due Feb 11, 2010.  I am currently homeschooling DD who is 9 and doing grade 5 work.  I'm considering the possibility of changing curriculum to A&O SOS so my daughter could have more independence and free me up to focus on the baby.  Any advice would be great.



I think you should just expect to add in a little longer time in the day, though not too much. You will be feeding the baby and rocking for certain parts of the day, and you can still teach your daughter at this time. She is old enough to spend some time on her own after you get her started, but there are going to be plenty of opportunities to continue schooling her yourself!! I personally haven't done SOS,, I only know a couple of people who have done it. They seemed pleased with it, but I would rather have my kids be on the computer for less of the learning time, than more of it. But, if you check into it and are comfortable with it, it may work for you. For math, have you checked into Teaching Textbooks? That's what we use for our boys and we love it!!! Math is usually the longest part of a day, so having my time freed up with this subject has been a blessing. I hs all 3 of our kids, so that bit of help is welcomed. It's like having a personal math teacher/tutor. She would probably enjoy it.  Congrats on the new little blessing!!!!


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## mommyof2princesses

Has anyone done the homeschool days in sept before?  We are going to be there that week - Just made ressies!!!  - and are going to buy the homeschool tickets...what a deal.  Any feedback on the homeschool days!


----------



## Nicolepa

My girlfriend is looking for addition reading help for 2 of her boys for the summer.  (She does not homeschool.)  Does anyone have any thoughts on what would be good for them.  They are going into 1st & 4th grade.  She is thinking she needs something that allows her to step out of the picture a bit more.  

I was thinking of an online game or something like that where they could "play" for 20 minutes a day or something.  

Does anyone have any ideas for her?  Thanks!


----------



## DawnM

I have only done January hs days, but we are going in September this year, just not during hs days....we are going the first full week of Sept (after labor day) as we have APs this year.

Dawn



mommyof2princesses said:


> Has anyone done the homeschool days in sept before?  We are going to be there that week - Just made ressies!!!  - and are going to buy the homeschool tickets...what a deal.  Any feedback on the homeschool days!


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Temair said:


> I'm looking for some advice from you experienced homeschoolers.  What is it like homeschooling while pregnant and with a newborn?  I just recently found out I'm expecting my second child Due Feb 11, 2010.  I am currently homeschooling DD who is 9 and doing grade 5 work.  I'm considering the possibility of changing curriculum to A&O SOS so my daughter could have more independence and free me up to focus on the baby.  Any advice would be great.





Nicolepa said:


> My girlfriend is looking for addition reading help for 2 of her boys for the summer.  (She does not homeschool.)  Does anyone have any thoughts on what would be good for them.  They are going into 1st & 4th grade.  She is thinking she needs something that allows her to step out of the picture a bit more.
> 
> I was thinking of an online game or something like that where they could "play" for 20 minutes a day or something.
> 
> Does anyone have any ideas for her?  Thanks!



A suggestion for both of these is www.time4learning.com

I started time4learning this year for my DD10 because I was wanting her to be able to work more independantly.  She has a wonderful imagination and sometimes a story or drawing take precedence over her current work. The time4learning curriculum engages her, so she stays focused.  It also does the record keeping for you that might be helpful with a new little one.

For the second post...it is also a great way to focus on any area.  My DS7 loves it.  The feedback that it gives is very motivating.  It is great because you can change the grade level up or down very easy.  I have a friend that uses Calvert curriculum but uses time4learning for reading for her DD7 for extra help.

If you know a friend that has a time4learning list their name as referring and the will get a $20 check.


----------



## Nicolepa

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> A suggestion for both of these is www.time4learning.com
> 
> For the second post...it is also a great way to focus on any area.  My DS7 loves it.  The feedback that it gives is very motivating.  It is great because you can change the grade level up or down very easy.  I have a friend that uses Calvert curriculum but uses time4learning for reading for her DD7 for extra help.
> 
> If you know a friend that has a time4learning list their name as referring and the will get a $20 check.




Thank you!  I forwarded this on to her so she can check it out.

Now I have another question.  I really need to work on ds handwriting.  In school they do denelian.  But the k12 program that we are using next year will use handwriting without tears.  I want to order him grade 1 for the summer.  What all do I need to order?  Just the workbook?  What about the teacher guide, or slate?  I don't want to order too much because I know he will get the 2nd grade stuff in the fall.  

Thanks!


----------



## bentleygirl22

we have started thinking of homeschooling our 2 kids , 
any info you guys can give me would be great 
my kids will be in 2nd & 3rd grade...


----------



## KristyBDJ

Hi everyone!
 I have been thinking on and off about homeschooling since my oldest was born but have never really pursued it. I'm seriously considing it now but have no idea where to even begin. Any help you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated. TIA guys!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

bentleygirl22 said:


> we have started thinking of homeschooling our 2 kids ,
> any info you guys can give me would be great
> my kids will be in 2nd & 3rd grade...





KristyBDJ said:


> Hi everyone!
> I have been thinking on and off about homeschooling since my oldest was born but have never really pursued it. I'm seriously considing it now but have no idea where to even begin. Any help you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated. TIA guys!




Well, i'll start, seeing how I started considering it a few months ago. We're going to be homeschooling in the fall. My kids will be in 4th grade, 2nd grade and K. My dd5 really enjoys school and said she does not want to learn at home, she wants to go see her friends in school. So i'm not sure if i'm going to continue sending her. We'll decide over the summer. What I would like to do is HS all of them and they will see that with our HS group they will make a lot of friends, and will still see their other friends.

It's not an easy decision to make, emotionally. I went back and forth for months, I still do, but i'm set on doing this fall. I already ordered our Science book. I was worried what family and friends would think, and if my kids wouldn't be getting what they need.

I tell myself if this is something that I really want to do, which it is, I will regret not doing it when my kids are grown. And if it doesn't work out, they can always go back to school next year. But i'm sure once we start we'll be happy with it. And whether we do it for 1 year or the rest of their schooling we will have memories of the time spent together learning.

And we won't have to worry about make up work when we get back from Disney next September We had an overload of that when we got back a few weeks ago!!!

I am also telling myself, how could I not do this in fear of what others would think. This is no one else's life but my own and why would I care. If me, my dh and my kids are happy, then we're all happy!!!! And that's all that matters!!!!

As for choosing what curriculum to go with. That is overwhelming. There is so much out there. Just start looking into things that you hear others are using, that's where I started. Right here on this board is where I found out about everything that we'll be using in the fall. And from there you can search other things, but there is really just so much.
Everyone here is so nice and helpful, any questions that you have, feel free to ask! I know I asked a lot and I'm pretty sure we're ready to go.

Oh, also start with seeing what your states laws on HSing are.  They all have slightly different rules on what subjects are covered and what you have to submit to them at the end of the year.

Good luck, and i'm sure you'll get lots of good advice here.


----------



## theduck619

My wife and I are attending our first homeschool book sale at our library this coming Monday.  I wanted to get opinions on what a good price would be for used curriculum.  Our daughters are pre-k and we are considering My fathers World and maybe Math U See Me.  Anything else you would recommend looking for or comparing?

Thanks,


----------



## thebeesknees

theduck619 said:


> My wife and I are attending our first homeschool book sale at our library this coming Monday.  I wanted to get opinions on what a good price would be for used curriculum.  Our daughters are pre-k and we are considering My fathers World and maybe Math U See Me.  Anything else you would recommend looking for or comparing?
> 
> Thanks,



I know several people who have used Math U See and really liked it. The manipulatives make it very easy for the kids to understand and remember. I have 2 friends that have used My Father's World. They both liked it a lot for Pre-K and Kindergarten, but felt that it started to lack some substance for older children. The best thing to do is to go and look at everything and decide what looks best for YOUR children. What works this year may not be the best for next year. I'm constantly evaluating to be sure that what we are doing is best for us. You can get all your curriculum from one source (A Beka, for example), or use different publishers for different subjects (this worked better for me because my son is 7 years old, but tests 6th grade for reading, 3rd for math, etc.). The nice thing about those used-curriculum sales is that you can flip through everything instead of trying to buy it online without getting a good look at it. And if it doesn't work out for you, at least you haven't dropped a bundle on it.  It's really overwhelming at first, but you will get your feet under you pretty soon! It's great that you are starting with Pre-K. You will get a good feel for how to juggle everything without the pressure of being tested by the state at the end of the year.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Bentleygirl and kristy~ Welcome!!! First of all you need to read up on your states requirements and so forth. Depending on how many guidelines you need to follow, you may wish to check out the HSLDA. You can join for around $115 a year per family,not per kid. These people will go to bat for you if you ever need legal counsil or just feel better with some support legally. We did join this year, I went for the first few years without it, but it was something I kept meaning to do and always forgot. Anyway... check all that  out and see where you stand. After that it's time to choose what kind of curriculum you want to use.
  I always refer people to Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks book. It touches on major methods of hsing, and reviews of favorite things available and their websites.  Maybe read up on Ruth Beechick and Charlotte Mason, if you want to do schooling that's not so rigid and teaches you how to use real books instead of all textbooks or workbooks.   The Well Trained Mind is good if you lean toward a 'classical' method.  And always become friendly with your library and just read, read, read!!! Kids get soooo much out of good books!! Not just chapter books--they can do that for quiet time, but the good classics can't be beat. Pooh, Anne of Green Gables, Little House series. Anything your family will enjoy--or what they have on cd. Children instintively pick up good grammar from these types of books. We spend lots of time in books that are family reads.  
  Well, these ladies all have different advice and opinions, so hopefully we can help you out!!! It's nice to hear from so many hsers and glean from their experiences!!


----------



## littlepeppers

bentleygirl22 said:


> we have started thinking of homeschooling our 2 kids ,
> any info you guys can give me would be great
> my kids will be in 2nd & 3rd grade...





KristyBDJ said:


> Hi everyone!
> I have been thinking on and off about homeschooling since my oldest was born but have never really pursued it. I'm seriously considing it now but have no idea where to even begin. Any help you guys could give me would be greatly appreciated. TIA guys!



We are hs our 7yr old DS starting this fall.  We just ordered Calvert 2nd gd curr. today.  It is pricy, $810, but our state does require that our kids keep up w/ their public schools.  I'm a certified teacher & a *Nervous Nelly*.  I know what an good lesson contains & I don't want to have to put the time and effort into developing one from scratch.  I want to spend my time on finding ways to enhance the lessons  (field trips, labs, projects.........).  I was the science teacher.  Love the labs & hands on stuff.  

I'll let you all know how the Calvert stuff is working throughout the year.

My DS is also a nontraditional learner.  Hearing it & a worksheet or two might not get it for him.  He often needs to be taught things from multiple angles to get it.

Hopefully one day I can get a curr. that is cheaper, but for the 1st yr. I'm going w/ the security blanket.  You can even get them to grade the work for you (for a fee of course).  I did it for a living, so I didn't choose that option.  Weird thing is they will give me the test, but not the answers.


----------



## NHWX

I've used Home Science Tools before and been very happy with their service. They have science kits to go with specific curriculum like A Beka and Switched-On Schoolhouse plus plenty of other individual pieces. They have a great collection of chemicals, for instance. 

If you spend over $150, you can use PDISC69 for $10 off plus free standard shipping. The discount ends 6/20.

And if you spend more than $250 at Carolina Biological Supply, use code HB for 15% off before 6/30. Carolina has also done a good job on shipping, etc. They don't have a homeschool focus but some of their labs or extra materials are very appropriate for high school homeschool students. Last year, I had six or seven other kids at my house as we did some labs in a group setting.

NHWX


----------



## Lindabelle

Temair said:


> I'm looking for some advice from you experienced homeschoolers.  What is it like homeschooling while pregnant and with a newborn?  I just recently found out I'm expecting my second child Due Feb 11, 2010.  I am currently homeschooling DD who is 9 and doing grade 5 work.  I'm considering the possibility of changing curriculum to A&O SOS so my daughter could have more independence and free me up to focus on the baby.  Any advice would be great.



I have never homeschooled while pregnant or having a newborn around,  but I did use A&O SOS for a few subjects when my children were in 6th and 7th grades.  They did not like it and found it annoying.  They would often get problems wrong due to spelling or punctuation,  and if their answer did not match identically to what the computer wanted to hear it was marked wrong.  For example,  if a problem had 2 answers,  and you typed them in the answer the opposite way the text had it,  it would automatically be marked wrong.  I spent a lot of time going over their complaints about problems the program marked wrong,  only to find my children were correct and I would have to manually grade things.  It made more work for me than I was expecting.  This was 5 years ago and my then 7th grader has just graduated HS so it is possible that they fixed some of these glitches.  I have started using teaching textbooks for math this year and it is wonderful.  My daughter watches her lesson on the computer,  does her work,  and the computer grades it for us.  She gets 2 chances to get a problem right,  so if she gets it wrong the first time,  I sit down with her and help.  The computer will also show the solution if she can't figure it out.  I am really happy with it.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

We're going to be there next September and I see that this year the HS days are on the 21 and 22. Do they always do them around the same dates. If so I would love to attend next year, that is the week we'll be there.

I was looking at Disney's website and saw the ticket packages you could buy for this. Would I be able to buy from them or do you have to go in with a group. If so, how does everyone get them? 

Thanks, I really hope it works out, HS days sound like a lot of fun!!!

(same thing with the YES program, can I just buy passes for my family?)

Thank You


----------



## theduck619

Is anyone else here from Indiana?  I have been looking into the requirements and they are pretty loose.  Apparantley we do not have to have our children tested at all.  

Has anyone else been in this situation before?  Do you still have your kids tested at some point to see where they are?


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

We are from Texas, and we aren't required to test either. We have been homeschooling since the oldest started 3rd grade and he is entering 8th. My middle one is going to 6th and my youngest 1st---I don't feel the need to test them with standardized tests, because most of the curr. we use have tests in them. They do really well, & I know day by day what they are understanding or what they aren't. Dh on the other hand wants them tested. I really don't understand why. He says he just wants to see where they are--well, both boys are 1-2 grade levels above what actual grade they would be in for Math, and they have always read well, and had good comprehension. They have a wide vocabulary and are great spellers. They both do really well in Science as well. So.... I guess he just wants scores on paper from a 'test'. A friend of mine did the CAT on her kids this past year and she said they scored well above average---but she still wasn't sure how reliable that was because the test is so old.  I know both boys need more writing skills --that is the area they are weakest in---this is what we are focusing on this year instead of solid grammar---so I really don't want to pay $400 or so for a tester to tell me this. anyone else have an opinion on this?

Sorry--didn't mean to take over your question!! It got kinda long I think!!!


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

In our county in Maryland you can choose to have your children participate in the standardized testing through the public schools.  We choose not to participate.

I taught for ten years in public school before staying home.  I disagreed with standardized testing then so I certain choose not to have my children particpate. The whole testing process goes against everything they teach potential teachers in college about children.  

I have observed to many examples of how test fail to properly evaluate a learner. I observed the stress children were under during the process.  I observed how much teaching was geared to "a test" instead of life long learning.  Testing is a soapbox issue for me so I will end my response here...but I could go on...

Have you every looked at ....stop me...

LOL Have a great day


----------



## Praise2Him

DisneyBrat said:


> Just wanted to share with all my Dis friends my son has finished homeschooling       Yes after many years of hard work we've gotten to the light at the end of that tunnel.    Now if we  can only get him through college we will be even more estatic LOL
> 
> Just had to share this before I burst!!!!!



Congratulations!  Where is he going to college?

My DD also just graduated 2 weeks ago  It's happy and sad at the same time for me. I can't believe that I won't be homeschooling anymore, but I'm proud of her accomplishments. She is actually planning on attending college in Orlando, so it'll be fun to go and visit her!


----------



## littlepeppers

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> In our county in Maryland you can choose to have your children participate in the standardized testing through the public schools.  We choose not to participate.
> 
> I taught for ten years in public school before staying home.  I disagreed with standardized testing then so I certain choose not to have my children particpate. The whole testing process goes against everything they teach potential teachers in college about children.
> 
> I have observed to many examples of how test fail to properly evaluate a learner. I observed the stress children were under during the process.  I observed how much teaching was geared to "a test" instead of life long learning.  Testing is a soapbox issue for me so I will end my response here...but I could go on...
> 
> Have you every looked at ....stop me...
> 
> LOL Have a great day



Aren't those test great.  I taught for 11 yrs in public schools & I did oral testing my last year.  The answer to the cell resp/photosynthesis question wasn't even a choice.  I actually taught one of the students I was testing & he looked at me like "but.....".  All I could do was repeat the question & directions.   

I even began to doubt myself.  I got on the internet & in my college txt to make sure I was right and I was.  The correct answer wasn't a choice.  Yeah LA.  No wonder we are at the bottom in ed.

We can take the test for free too.  Don't you think that the bubbling in, style, being timed, ...... is a good experience for them to have sinc ACT, SAT & many other college test are like that.  It would also be a great confidence booster to yoour kids and yourself to compare their score to the ones that the newspaper reports for the public schools.  It could be yet another reminder of why you hs.


----------



## littlepeppers

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> We are from Texas, and we aren't required to test either. We have been homeschooling since the oldest started 3rd grade and he is entering 8th. My middle one is going to 6th and my youngest 1st---I don't feel the need to test them with standardized tests, because most of the curr. we use have tests in them. They do really well, & I know day by day what they are understanding or what they aren't. Dh on the other hand wants them tested. I really don't understand why. He says he just wants to see where they are--well, both boys are 1-2 grade levels above what actual grade they would be in for Math, and they have always read well, and had good comprehension. They have a wide vocabulary and are great spellers. They both do really well in Science as well. So.... I guess he just wants scores on paper from a 'test'. A friend of mine did the CAT on her kids this past year and she said they scored well above average---but she still wasn't sure how reliable that was because the test is so old.  I know both boys need more writing skills --that is the area they are weakest in---this is what we are focusing on this year instead of solid grammar---so I really don't want to pay $400 or so for a tester to tell me this. anyone else have an opinion on this?
> 
> Sorry--didn't mean to take over your question!! It got kinda long I think!!!



In our state you have 2 opt.  

If you establish yourself as a private school, you don't have to report anything to the state about your child's progress.  You also give up the rights to state testing & the college tuition program.  

If you do tohe home study program, you have to keep your kids up w/ the public schools (like that's hard) and send them a letter from a teacher saying that they are keeping up w/ the public schools.  My mother-in-law, myself, & my DH are all certified teachers, so we can write the letter.  You have to keep samples of their work & test incase they want to review them.  Kind of like keeping your tax info. incase you get audited.


----------



## AuroraBeauty

littlepeppers said:


> I even began to doubt myself.  I got on the internet & in my college txt to make sure I was right and I was.  The correct answer wasn't a choice.



The thing that made me more fully understand that the test was not an evaluation of what I know was when I moved in 10th grade and the test directions specifically stated to 'darken the circle of the _*credited response*_'.  What is that?  How do I know which one is the credited response?  Why can't I mark the right answer?  Right!  B/C it's not there!!  

The developers of these standardized tests aren't looking for the 'correct answer' but rather they want the student to selected the response that is 'most correct' (er, least wrong?).  How's that for a test?  Which one is least wrong?  

That is why the teachers have to teach to a test.  It continues on after elementary, middle, high school.  Graduate school entrance exams are like this too.  Many state licensing tests (insurance, real estate, law) offer prep courses so you can know the answers ahead of time b/c you wouldn't ever get it right if you were looking for the least wrong answer.


----------



## littlepeppers

It it like we are teaching people that you need to cheat to get things right.  We should be teaching them confidence in their knowledge instead.

I don't miss the red tape of the teaching profession.


----------



## Denine

littlepeppers said:


> We are hs our 7yr old DS starting this fall.  We just ordered Calvert 2nd gd curr. today.  It is pricy, $810, but our state does require that our kids keep up w/ their public schools.  I'm a certified teacher & a *Nervous Nelly*.  I know what an good lesson contains & I don't want to have to put the time and effort into developing one from scratch.  I want to spend my time on finding ways to enhance the lessons  (field trips, labs, projects.........).  I was the science teacher.  Love the labs & hands on stuff.
> 
> I'll let you all know how the Calvert stuff is working throughout the year.
> 
> My DS is also a nontraditional learner.  Hearing it & a worksheet or two might not get it for him.  He often needs to be taught things from multiple angles to get it.
> 
> Hopefully one day I can get a curr. that is cheaper, but for the 1st yr. I'm going w/ the security blanket.  You can even get them to grade the work for you (for a fee of course).  I did it for a living, so I didn't choose that option.  Weird thing is they will give me the test, but not the answers.



I still give DD the test even though we don't use ATS.  If you can't figure out the answers yourself at this grade, well....
Good luck!
I will order 2nd grade next month or the end of this month.


----------



## Denine

littlepeppers said:


> Aren't those test great.  I taught for 11 yrs in public schools & I did oral testing my last year.  The answer to the cell resp/photosynthesis question wasn't even a choice.  I actually taught one of the students I was testing & he looked at me like "but.....".  All I could do was repeat the question & directions.
> 
> I even began to doubt myself.  I got on the internet & in my college txt to make sure I was right and I was.  The correct answer wasn't a choice.  Yeah LA.  No wonder we are at the bottom in ed.
> 
> We can take the test for free too.  Don't you think that the bubbling in, style, being timed, ...... is a good experience for them to have sinc ACT, SAT & many other college test are like that.  It would also be a great confidence booster to yoour kids and yourself to compare their score to the ones that the newspaper reports for the public schools.  It could be yet another reminder of why you hs.



I did the CAT with DD this  year since I need to have test scores or a written evaluation by a certified teacher.  DD scored in the 98th percentile.  I don't know a certified teacher that could write and eval for me, so the test it is.  I will not teach to a test.  I do use a boxed curriculum (calvert), and whatever else we teach her in life.


----------



## DawnM

You give up the state tuition program?  Really?  That is not fair by a long shot.

In SC my hs friends still get the state tuition program for their kids.

Dawn



littlepeppers said:


> In our state you have 2 opt.
> 
> If you establish yourself as a private school, you don't have to report anything to the state about your child's progress.  You also give up the rights to state testing & the college tuition program.
> 
> If you do tohe home study program, you have to keep your kids up w/ the public schools (like that's hard) and send them a letter from a teacher saying that they are keeping up w/ the public schools.  My mother-in-law, myself, & my DH are all certified teachers, so we can write the letter.  You have to keep samples of their work & test incase they want to review them.  Kind of like keeping your tax info. incase you get audited.


----------



## DisneyMom5

I got certified to do the IOWA this year through Bob Jones Press.   It was an easy process, and required that I have a Bachelor's deg.
I wanted to give my kids testing practice without doing the state's test (MEAP).  We're not required to test here in Michigan.

The local Christian School has offered to let our homeschooled students take any test they offer.  So they do the MEAP, but they also do the Sanford(sp?).  As well as the PSAT and the ACT.  My dd15 will be taking the PSAT with them this fall.  This was a good option for us.

Hope everyone is having a good week.  We're supposed to be schooling through the summer, but this week so far hasn't been so organized, and now the kids are all sick.  Ah the joys of big families!  LOL


----------



## littlepeppers

DisneyMom5 said:


> I got certified to do the IOWA this year through Bob Jones Press.   It was an easy process, and required that I have a Bachelor's deg.
> I wanted to give my kids testing practice without doing the state's test (MEAP).  We're not required to test here in Michigan.
> 
> The local Christian School has offered to let our homeschooled students take any test they offer.  So they do the MEAP, but they also do the Sanford(sp?).  As well as the PSAT and the ACT.  My dd15 will be taking the PSAT with them this fall.  This was a good option for us.
> 
> Hope everyone is having a good week.  We're supposed to be schooling through the summer, but this week so far hasn't been so organized, and now the kids are all sick.  Ah the joys of big families!  LOL



How is schooling through the summer.  We haven't started hs yet.  I want my DS to decompress a little, but I want his HS to be a part of his life & not a burden.  How do you spread the curr. out?  I know that we have to teach 180 days for the state & keep up w/ their public schools.


----------



## herodrx1

Hi there!  I wanted to jump in here and introduce myself.  My family has just started to Homeschool as of June 1st 2009.  I have a 9 y/o daughter and a 13 y/o son.  So far everything is going pretty good.  There has been some moaning and groaning but that is to be exptected, I imagine.

I'm glad I've found you guys and hope to be posting.


----------



## disneymom3

littlepeppers said:


> Aren't those test great.  I taught for 11 yrs in public schools & I did oral testing my last year.  The answer to the cell resp/photosynthesis question wasn't even a choice.  I actually taught one of the students I was testing & he looked at me like "but.....".  All I could do was repeat the question & directions.
> 
> I even began to doubt myself.  I got on the internet & in my college txt to make sure I was right and I was.  The correct answer wasn't a choice.  Yeah LA.  No wonder we are at the bottom in ed.
> 
> We can take the test for free too.  Don't you think that the bubbling in, style, being timed, ...... is a good experience for them to have sinc ACT, SAT & many other college test are like that.  It would also be a great confidence booster to yoour kids and yourself to compare their score to the ones that the newspaper reports for the public schools.  It could be yet another reminder of why you hs.


Here is what I think about the "experience" of test taking.  They aren't going to take those tests until high school.  You don't need 10 years of experience filling in bubbles to get used to it. So, in 9th grade get them an SAT prep book from Barnes and Noble and have them practice. Ta da. The public school system is all about preparing the child for the next test. What about preparing them for learning what they need to know how to learn and find out the information they are seeking. Or even a desire to learn it at all.


AuroraBeauty said:


> The thing that made me more fully understand that the test was not an evaluation of what I know was when I moved in 10th grade and the test directions specifically stated to 'darken the circle of the _*credited response*_'.  What is that?  How do I know which one is the credited response?  Why can't I mark the right answer?  Right!  B/C it's not there!!
> 
> The developers of these standardized tests aren't looking for the 'correct answer' but rather they want the student to selected the response that is 'most correct' (er, least wrong?).  How's that for a test?  Which one is least wrong?
> 
> That is why the teachers have to teach to a test.  It continues on after elementary, middle, high school.  Graduate school entrance exams are like this too.  Many state licensing tests (insurance, real estate, law) offer prep courses so you can know the answers ahead of time b/c you wouldn't ever get it right if you were looking for the least wrong answer.


Yep, I am licensed in Real Estate.  At the level one class it is all about prepping for the test. They straight out tell you, "You are not going to handle this situation like this in real life.  You have to know this for the test.  After you pass the test, forget this info."  They were right, too.


----------



## DisneyMom5

littlepeppers said:


> How is schooling through the summer.  We haven't started hs yet.  I want my DS to decompress a little, but I want his HS to be a part of his life & not a burden.  How do you spread the curr. out?  I know that we have to teach 180 days for the state & keep up w/ their public schools.



We counted our new year from July 1 last year, and hit 180 days a few weeks ago.  And this is with keeping a fairly loose schedule, off when Daddy's off, etc.  That's part of why I go year round.  We don't have a day or hour requirement here, but I like to shoot for 180.

We just keep going in curriculum.  If they finish a math book, we start the next one.  That way we don't feel pressure to finish a book by year's end, OR to skip parts just to start a new book.  We're aiming for mastery, so if a book takes longer than a year, I'm ok with that.  I have the luxury of teaching my children until they understand vs. having to have a certain book done by June 1.  

We're trying to do math every day, and get done what else fits into whatever we're doing.  The little kids are doing less than the bigs.  

Got to have something accomplished before the end of August so we can go to WDW!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Little Peppers~ Texas public schools go about 170-180 days--I think it's 180.
We do 18 weeks from the end of July to Thanksgiving. With a week off mid-Sept for hurricane season!! We go back when the New Year holiday is over and go for about 16-17 weeks. We do NOT take a spring break!!! It's just tooo crazy everywhere---the last 2 Januarys have been Disney trips, so that's our week off. Texas doesn't require we keep a certain amount of days, but we usually work out this way----and I enjoy May, June and the first of July off. I need some down time and the kids can enjoy outdoors before its inhumanely hot!!! Of course,lots of my time is spent looking up curriculums and what's needed for the next school term.


----------



## sl_underwood

For those of you who have used Noeo or Real Science 4 Kids, please share your experience.  I am looking for my 6th grade dd.  She is not a textbook learner, needs something engaging and interesting.  So far these are the two I have seen that might meet her requirements, what do you all think?  And are there any other programs that might just do the trick?


----------



## feedthebirds

I am looking for anyone who has had experience with Queen Homeschool Supplies (Charlotte Mason).  My dd 13 and dd 11 really like the catalog/samples. My dd 5 loves copywork (her own idea, not mine) and this may fit her well also.  I saw Queen at my hs convention and briefly browsed, I had never heard of them.  If I had known then that my dds might be interested, I would've looked more closely.  Thanks for any feedback!

I really need to buy my curriculum, I am so indecisive right now!  We just finished up SOS for the older ones and lifepacs for ds 7 and I don't think we will go that route this next year.  Sonlight and MFW are not on my list either. 

My dd 11 is really having a hard time with multiplication.  Her 4th grade teacher did not focus a lot on this and I have spent this year struggling in math with her. I had to go back in math quite a bit (before multiplication).  It amazes me that her teacher gave her a B in math, yet she struggles so much with simple math facts, including division.  Had I known this, I would've given her extra help long ago in previous grades.  She is improving, but we still spend a fair amount of time on multiplication memorization and old math.  I loved Teaching Textbooks at the hs convention, but need help in which level to start her in. Any suggestions?


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Feed the birds~ first of all, we do T.T. and we loooove them!! They are supposed to have the 4th grade available this summer, and I read somewhere possibly 3rd.  Have you checked their website? I think they might have a placement test---not sure, but do you ever go to Christian Book.com? They have a # just for homeschool helps. The lady I talked to last year is the one who encouraged me to use it for my boys---one of the best hs decisions I ever made!!! If she is struggling so hard with multiplication, 4th grade might be good after some work over the summer. I am not sure where they pick up for 4th in this program. I just know we loved it. I already have my math for when we go back in July!!! 
For math and the Queen question--have you seen the copybook for math facts they have? My friend used it last year and said it was phenomenal!! I ordered a couple of copywork books for my boys and the Lang Lessons 3 for my dd. I was super impressed with the way it's put together. It just came in and I have already looked through all 3 books. It's gentle, but thorough. I am looking forward to using all this in the upcoming year.

For the rest of your curriculum, have you looked at Apologia for Science? We really enjoyed it this year.  Christian kids explore.... is a good curr. also. 
For History we like Mystery of History and TruthQuest. MoH is all in one book,and TQ is a guide that you use a spine with and any additional 'real books' that are related to your topic study. Hope this helps you!!


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## Tink561

I was just looking at the Queen site today.  I think I will order the Language Lessons for Little Ones for my daughter.  I would have loved those things with my sons when they were younger.  What age/grade is the math fact copy book for?


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## Disney Mommy 3

Tink561 said:


> I was just looking at the Queen site today.  I think I will order the Language Lessons for Little Ones for my daughter.  I would have loved those things with my sons when they were younger.  What age/grade is the math fact copy book for?



I am not sure--I am not sure if it's just multiplication or add and sub. also. i think they have a contact # or email addy for ?s.


----------



## P.I. Squirrel

Does anyone here have an afternoon instead of morning learning routine?

I work overnight, so here are my choices:


Sleep in the morning, kids have a morning routine, and DW goes it alone.
Sleep in the morning, kids have an afternoon routine, I assist DW teaching, or
I sleep in afternoon, kids have morning routine, I assist DW teaching.

Which would you guys suggest?


----------



## graygables

P.I. Squirrel said:


> Does anyone here have an afternoon instead of morning learning routine?
> 
> I work overnight, so here are my choices:
> 
> 
> Sleep in the morning, kids have a morning routine, and DW goes it alone.
> Sleep in the morning, kids have an afternoon routine, I assist DW teaching, or
> I sleep in afternoon, kids have morning routine, I assist DW teaching.
> 
> Which would you guys suggest?



My DDs do their "school" after lunch.  We tend more toward unschooling anyway, but I am using a curriculum for a few things. Mornings generally start later for us and involve a few chores and outside time.  We skewed toward late nights due to my work schedule this Spring, but it may change depending on my new schedule.  Even so, we'll wait until afternoon for school.  It's too hot to go outside and there's usually a thunderstorm rolling through by then.


----------



## DisneyMom5

feedthebirds said:


> I am looking for anyone who has had experience with Queen Homeschool Supplies (Charlotte Mason).  My dd 13 and dd 11 really like the catalog/samples. My dd 5 loves copywork (her own idea, not mine) and this may fit her well also.  I saw Queen at my hs convention and briefly browsed, I had never heard of them.  If I had known then that my dds might be interested, I would've looked more closely.  Thanks for any feedback!




I just got Queen Lang Lessons for 5 of my kids.  
We are using Little ones 1 & 2, Elementary 1, and Secondary 1.  
It is a very light load, but "educationally compact," if you understand what I mean.  Doesn't feel like very much, but it's really good.  
I REALLY love the Secondary 1, and my non-creative writing ds12 has already written a very nice story!!!
What I love about it is all the instructions are in the workbook, so no teacher's guide needed.  
There is space for all the writing assignments, so no additional workbook needed.  
There IS an answer key for Elementary and up, I think.

We have only done a tiny bit, as we've taken some time off the last couple of weeks, but I think it's going to be a good fit for us.  
I don't see the need for any additional copy work books, as this has some in it, but if your child really likes copy work, then go for it.  
Maybe substitute that for a handwriting program?
Hope that helps!


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## Disney Mommy 3

P.I.Squirrel~ First off, I think it's great you are wanting to help teach your kids!!!! We usually do mornings, just so when we are through, the rest of the day is open for what we have to do. BUT, we start in July, so at this time (while it's still summer) I sometimes let them swim earlier in the morning and then come in during the heat of the day and do our work then. It's just tooooo hot out there. All that to say, whatever will work for your whole family---their is no right or wrong time. Maybe during summer you can all sleep in and do school during the afternoon and then later go to mornings if you want.

DisneyMom5~ I have 2 boys that do not like writingWe are going to focus on that this year. We had a great grammar curr last year, so we are just gonna work on that writing monster!!! I have looked at Writing With Ease, and that's one of my top choices. Do you know how that compares to the Secondary from Queen? I really don't want to be flopping in my decision, but I need to decide soon and order it all. That's the biggest decision I have yet to make-so I need to compare the options and just order!!!  I liked the WWE because you have a teaching/guide book, and workbooks that correspond for them to write out of--but the book has ways to teach different levels. So, if we start at the low level and they rapidly progress, I can just keep moving up until we are where we should be. Is that clear or did I jumble it badly?


----------



## DisneyMom5

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> DisneyMom5~ I have 2 boys that do not like writingWe are going to focus on that this year. We had a great grammar curr last year, so we are just gonna work on that writing monster!!! I have looked at Writing With Ease, and that's one of my top choices. Do you know how that compares to the Secondary from Queen? I really don't want to be flopping in my decision, but I need to decide soon and order it all. That's the biggest decision I have yet to make-so I need to compare the options and just order!!!  I liked the WWE because you have a teaching/guide book, and workbooks that correspond for them to write out of--but the book has ways to teach different levels. So, if we start at the low level and they rapidly progress, I can just keep moving up until we are where we should be. Is that clear or did I jumble it badly?



I'm not familiar with WWE.  Queen combines grammar and writing, so if you're good on grammar, probably not.

I'm the WORST when it comes to writing assignments, and I'm an ENGLISH major!  
I did recently teach a homeschool co-op composition class using techniques I gleaned from a homeschool convention class on IEW style writing.  
I don't own the program though.  
I just found that the idea of teaching to write keywords, link them into sentences, then paragraphs, paragraphs into a report, and reports into research papers was brilliant!  
My composition class went really well!

The key to good writing, in my opinion, is read, read, read, and good stuff, not fluff.  
Read to them, have them read, you get the idea.  
In my class, the kids who read a lot were naturally good writers, 
and the kids that were only familiar with textbook style teaching (think packaged school-like curriculum) were not.  
Cautionary tale, I guess.


----------



## Praise2Him

P.I. Squirrel said:


> Does anyone here have an afternoon instead of morning learning routine?
> 
> I work overnight, so here are my choices:
> 
> 
> Sleep in the morning, kids have a morning routine, and DW goes it alone.
> Sleep in the morning, kids have an afternoon routine, I assist DW teaching, or
> I sleep in afternoon, kids have morning routine, I assist DW teaching.
> 
> Which would you guys suggest?



That's the great thing about HSing - you can be as flexible as you want/need to be!

My DD just graduated, but for the past 2 years I've worked from 9:30 - 12:30, 4 days a week. She, being a teenager, would rather stay up late and sleep late. So she would get up whenever and work on her school work, then when I got home I would check it. She's not really a morning person, so most of the time she didn't even start until after lunch. Of course, when they're older, they do most of their work on their own so it's easier.

But, I'd go with whatever schedule works better for you. Would you rather sleep in the morning or afternoon? Does your DW want you to help or is she okay with doing it on her own? You might want to try it one way, and if that doesn't work, try something else. You'll eventually find out what works best for you and your family!


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## Disney Mommy 3

DisneyMom5~ We do read lots of good books!! I am big on that--I agree that it does subcon. teach them good grammar and sentence structure. And it's FUN!!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

What is your opinions of Writing Strands? I am looking at that (level 3)with both boys, or the Writing with Ease. don't know if any of you have experience with these or not.


----------



## P.I. Squirrel

Thanks all for your input.


----------



## feedthebirds

Thank you all for your comments about the Queen homeschool stuff, I really appreciate it.  I am going to go ahead and order it.  We will be doing a co-op for history, science and bible, so my main concern was for the english and math.  I have read very few negative reviews of TT and Queen.  The more I look at things and discuss them with dh, the more I am pretty sure they will be a good fit for us.


----------



## theduck619

I wanted to give a heads up to my fellow newbies to homeschooling.  We just went to a Home School Book Fair/Swap at our local Library.  It was Awesome .  A good deal of the information reinforced what I had learned on here and much of the advice was similar in terms of age, curriculums (differs for everybody) and why we homeschool.

i also wanted to give a big heart felt thanks to all of the posters who have answered my many questions 

We know there will be ups and downs but we know that this is the right choice at this moment in time!!

Thank you


----------



## Beavers5

Hello everyone!  I hope you are enjoying your summer "break".  If you are like me, though, you are busy planning away for fall.    I was wondering if any of you have had any experience with Calvert?  DS is going into fifth grade and I am considering using their full course with teacher support this year.  Any opinions or advice?  

TIA!


----------



## littlepeppers

Our Calvert curr. came in today.   I wanted to review it before jumping in.  We will hopefully start sometime in late July or early Aug.  I like that the book part can be done in less than 3hrs a day.  That leaves time for more reading & my fav., science.

I knew that my DS wasn't doing well in school for a reason.  Now that I see his 2nd gd curr., I can see that he was doing 2nd gd. work in the 1st grade.  There really isn't anything in the curr. that they didn't do, but the 3rd gd. one is too hard.

He didn't learn much last year.  Atleast not master anything.  He had all B's and and A in science of course, but not much was learned for retention.  It was learned b/c today is Friday & we have to take the test every Friday.

I think that we will just stay in the 2nd gd curr.  It meets all the objectives that the public schools cover.  We can strive for mastery.

I hope he learns to spell better then I do.  I can't stand English & Language Arts.  Maybe going through this w/ him will help me also.


----------



## littlepeppers

Beavers5 said:


> Hello everyone!  I hope you are enjoying your summer "break".  If you are like me, though, you are busy planning away for fall.    I was wondering if any of you have had any experience with Calvert?  DS is going into fifth grade and I am considering using their full course with teacher support this year.  Any opinions or advice?
> 
> TIA!



We are doing Calvert, but not w/ the ATS.  I taught for 11yrs & my DH taught for 2yrs, so I can't see paying someone to grade papers for us.  I did want the lesson plans.  I can do the math & science, but the ELA.  God help us all.  

They always told us that every teacher was certified to teach ELA.  I told them that if they wanted the kids to have any hope of passing the state test (LEAP), then I shouldn't be allowed near an ELA classroom.  I used to tell my students that I went into science and math for a reason.   In sciencethe words were so big that no one would miss a letter or two, and math has very few words.


----------



## chicagoshannon

Hi everyone.  We are heavily considering home schooling our daughter.  I've read through a lot of this thread so I have a decent idea of curriculum and how to go about finding that- I think we're going to start with Horizons.

PS is not a choice for us for a bunch of reasons that I won't go into at the moment.  We've always said that we'd send our DD to the private Christian school for our particular denomination.  Unfortunately with the housing market the way it is we are stuck in our house for a while so we're not sure we'll be able to make the move before Kindergarten.   (it would be an hour commute each way from where we're living- gotta love traffic)  So we've started to consider home schooling.  The more I read about it the more excited I get.  I have a couple of issues/questions though:

1. How do you get over the emotional aspect of not seeing your child graduate?  Do you have little ceremonies with your HS friends/groups?

2. have any of you ever had a child that wanted to go to school but you kept them home?  I asked DD the other day if she wanted mommy to teach her school at home and she said "no I want to go to a building"

3. anyone from IL?  I'm having a heck of a time finding groups to join. I found 1 yahoo group but it's for the entire state of IL and there is only like 1 person on it from my area.  

4. I read the law for IL and it seems that the only requirements are 176 days a year and that we cover certain subjects including US history and IL constitution.  It does not appear that we have to notify anyone that we're HSing.  Can anyone comfirm this?


Has anyone used Horizons curriculum for more then math?  If so did you like it or what did you not like about it?  

Thank you.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

chicagoshannon said:


> Hi everyone.  We are heavily considering home schooling our daughter.  I've read through a lot of this thread so I have a decent idea of curriculum and how to go about finding that- I think we're going to start with Horizons.
> 
> PS is not a choice for us for a bunch of reasons that I won't go into at the moment.  We've always said that we'd send our DD to the private Christian school for our particular denomination.  Unfortunately with the housing market the way it is we are stuck in our house for a while so we're not sure we'll be able to make the move before Kindergarten.   (it would be an hour commute each way from where we're living- gotta love traffic)  So we've started to consider home schooling.  The more I read about it the more excited I get.  I have a couple of issues/questions though:
> 
> 1. How do you get over the emotional aspect of not seeing your child graduate?  Do you have little ceremonies with your HS friends/groups?
> 
> 2. have any of you ever had a child that wanted to go to school but you kept them home?  I asked DD the other day if she wanted mommy to teach her school at home and she said "no I want to go to a building"
> 
> 3. anyone from IL?  I'm having a heck of a time finding groups to join. I found 1 yahoo group but it's for the entire state of IL and there is only like 1 person on it from my area.
> 
> 4. I read the law for IL and it seems that the only requirements are 176 days a year and that we cover certain subjects including US history and IL constitution.  It does not appear that we have to notify anyone that we're HSing.  Can anyone comfirm this?
> 
> 
> Has anyone used Horizons curriculum for more then math?  If so did you like it or what did you not like about it?
> 
> Thank you.



First off, glad you are here!!! I don't know about your states requirements, maybe someone can give you answers....check the HSLDA also. My older son went to school (local Christian and public) for K,1st and 2nd. We brought him home the year he was beginning 3rd. It has been the biggest blessing having my kids home with me. As far as wanting to go to 'school' he is the only one that ever says anything, because he's the only one that has ever been!!! It is usually if he is bored that day.  The Graduation thing doesn't bother me one bit--neither does prom. When I was in HS, it was just another excuse for lots of the kids to party---I had some pretty wild kids in my class. The class before us and after us where ok, but most of our guys were party-hardy and stayed in trouble. So...it left a bad taste  I guess. If you and your husband feel this is right for your family, don't let things like grad or whatever get you sidetracked right now.   That's along way off---and from what you said about your home/moving, that may be an option for you in the future!  
 Just jump in there and enjoy your dd.Your gonna be so glad you did!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Forgot to tell you about Horizons! I did use it this year with my dd for K. I liked some of it, but it just seemed to move really fast. For the summer, we are slowly working through Singapore Math  1A. After this I am gonna do Rod & Staff 1. I love their stuff! You should check it out!!
 Also, some co-ops do offer parties, and graduations....just depends on your local groups!!!


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## P.I. Squirrel

chicagoshannon said:


> 1. How do you get over the emotional aspect of not seeing your child graduate?  Do you have little ceremonies with your HS friends/groups?



The public schools around Atlanta have grown so big, it takes a good 3 hours for the graduation.  So big in fact that even something as simple as applause for your own child is outlawed, as the names have to be read so fast that you don't have time to savor the moment.  This year, some schools here even had police escort anyone who applauded out the gate. It made the news.

Graduation ceremonies don't seem as special now mainly because of this.

Our children are still young, but we will likely have a private party, or an organized homeschool graduation ceremony.


----------



## chicagoshannon

Thanks everyone!  I'm hoping that by going to library or art class that will help with Madeline's wanting to go to a building for school.

I'm not worried about Prom.

Has anyone had their kids go to the public school or a Christian school for sports?


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## lori1043

Our homeschool association is have a decent sized book and curriclum sale today!! Gonna work at it and see if there's anything I am needin'!

Lori


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## DisneyMom5

chicagoshannon said:


> Thanks everyone!  I'm hoping that by going to library or art class that will help with Madeline's wanting to go to a building for school.
> 
> I'm not worried about Prom.
> 
> Has anyone had their kids go to the public school or a Christian school for sports?



Different states have different laws & policies on that.  Here in MI it sounds like each school district can decide.  Some let you...some don't.
Here they let you do things like choir or band or gym.  I think to play sports, you have to take a full load of classes.  

There are homeschool groups in bigger cities that have sports teams, so that might be an option too.  They usually have graduations.

Our homeschool group is up to 47 families, and people are homeschooling through graduation instead of putting their kids back in for high school.  We should be able to graduation ceremonies soon.  Even those who do not do ceremonies have graduation parties.


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## Disney Mommy 3

chicagoshannon said:


> Thanks everyone!  I'm hoping that by going to library or art class that will help with Madeline's wanting to go to a building for school.
> 
> I'm not worried about Prom.
> 
> Has anyone had their kids go to the public school or a Christian school for sports?



We go to the library a lot!! We really enjoy it--when they were smaller we would go to the weekly story time. She may enjoy that! Here you have to be 5 to get your own library card and they were each so excited when they were finally able to get their own. Have you looked into Five In A Row? They have a Before FIAR for kids her age--you may really like it. Then when you go to the library for books, she can help pick out the ones you need for 'school'.
 We didn't do ps for sports, but our boys have played in the local little league.


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## chicagoshannon

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> We go to the library a lot!! We really enjoy it--when they were smaller we would go to the weekly story time. She may enjoy that! Here you have to be 5 to get your own library card and they were each so excited when they were finally able to get their own. Have you looked into Five In A Row? They have a Before FIAR for kids her age--you may really like it. Then when you go to the library for books, she can help pick out the ones you need for 'school'.
> We didn't do ps for sports, but our boys have played in the local little league.



We did story time at the library last fall/winter.  We did 2 complete sessions and I skipped the 3rd set.  She was just too wild.  They did play time BEFORE reading time so all the kids got riled up (and she was the worst)  After those 16 weeks I was DONE.    She's a much better listener now so we'll be signing up for whatever they have in the fall again.

We were at the library this morning.  DH finally got a card.  I had him ask how old for kids and she said it's up to the parents.  We didn't get one today but maybe next time. 

I noticed a sign for home schooling parents to sign up to be notified of activities.  I'm excited about that.  I didn't sign up today but will at some point.    Hopefully I'll be able to find a group to join that way.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Way to go!! Now go check on that FIAR!!! I think you will like it!!!


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## bebelle

Anyone have ideas art curriculum? My DS is in high school. He is a very gifted artist. He has taken several advanced art classes at our local community art center. But they are not offering them this year. I really need to find him something that will challenge and strengthen his abilities.


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## wvdislover

bebelle said:


> Anyone have ideas art curriculum? My DS is in high school. He is a very gifted artist. He has taken several advanced art classes at our local community art center. But they are not offering them this year. I really need to find him something that will challenge and strengthen his abilities.



How about a local community college or a university (some colleges allow hs students to take classes) or at a local art store?  Is he able to enroll PT in the PS and take an AP art class?


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## bebelle

He is going to take some art classes in 11th grade at our local community college but they will not except him until then. So I need to find something for 10th grade. He cannot enroll PT in PS. Thanks for your kind response to my dilemma.


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## 3princesses+aprince

I'm very excited, I just signed up for a co-op through our homeschool group. The meeting was next week, but I will be working so the leader of our group just gave me all of the info and is mailing out the forms. So far there are about 30 kids that will be participating and she expects some more to sign up. There will be 4 different classes throughout the day that the kids will be participating in and the first 45 minutes they are having a music teacher come in and teach the kids Patriotic songs and in December they are going to put on a little chorus. That will be fun. We'll meet every friday from October 2nd to December 11th and then again from March to May!!!!  I'm getting excited, as this will be our first yr homeschooling. I'm glad that there is going to be a lot going on. Besides the co-op our HS group offers plenty of activities throughout the month as well. just wanted to share.


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## antree

How do you find out about home school offering? I live in South Jersey and I just don't know where to look. This is the 3rd yr I will be homeschooling my 7 yr. old We will be starting 2nd grade.  My DH is just getting concerned he wants my son to interact with more boys his own age. No boys around us. My son does want to learn he is interested in everything, but he is finding our work boring. We do Horizon and most days we just do the books to get through it. I want to give him more options. We still do story time but he is older then the kids there so we take books and sit at the Cafe and read to each other, he enjoys that, but that is only once a week. I would love to find field trips with other kids and art classes. We did soccer but that's over to fall. Any suggestions would be Great. Thanks.

Maria


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## chicagoshannon

antree said:


> How do you find out about home school offering? I live in South Jersey and I just don't know where to look. This is the 3rd yr I will be homeschooling my 7 yr. old We will be starting 2nd grade.  My DH is just getting concerned he wants my son to interact with more boys his own age. No boys around us. My son does want to learn he is interested in everything, but he is finding our work boring. We do Horizon and most days we just do the books to get through it. I want to give him more options. We still do story time but he is older then the kids there so we take books and sit at the Cafe and read to each other, he enjoys that, but that is only once a week. I would love to find field trips with other kids and art classes. We did soccer but that's over to fall. Any suggestions would be Great. Thanks.
> 
> Maria



I'm having a not so easy time with it as well.  I was able to find 1 group on www.groups.yahoo.com 

Other then that have you asked the library about other homeschool groups?  Mine had a sign up sheet for notifications.


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## LadyShea

> My DH is just getting concerned he wants my son to interact with more boys his own age. No boys around us.



Do you have a YMCA? Our local Y offers so many programs it's amazing. Everything from art to sports. Also, the two cities we live between have swim teams (not associated with the schools) and the rec centers have various offerings. 

What about your church, are there enough kids around his age to form some kind of youth activity group?


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## Corinne Johnson

Temair said:


> I'm looking for some advice from you experienced homeschoolers.  What is it like homeschooling while pregnant and with a newborn?  I just recently found out I'm expecting my second child Due Feb 11, 2010.  I am currently homeschooling DD who is 9 and doing grade 5 work.  I'm considering the possibility of changing curriculum to A&O SOS so my daughter could have more independence and free me up to focus on the baby.  Any advice would be great.



As a mom of six, it's been my experience that whatever curriculum you choose, the best thing for older siblings is learning to nurture new life.


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## Corinne Johnson

theduck619 said:


> My wife and I are attending our first homeschool book sale at our library this coming Monday.  I wanted to get opinions on what a good price would be for used curriculum.  Our daughters are pre-k and we are considering My fathers World and maybe Math U See Me.  Anything else you would recommend looking for or comparing?
> 
> Thanks,



We like Bob Jones University Press, but I add a lot of hodge-podge stuff. I think I would be called an eclectic unschooler with classical tendencies, and I have complete k-8 BJUP sets of every subj. Then, I wrote my own curriculum anyway. Weird, I know.
To more directly answer your question; we wrote down the retail prices of the products we were interested in (from websites/catalogs). Then, we checked ebay & amazon. We usually pay about 10% of the original retail. But, I am willing to buy and use older editions, and I will mix pieces from different sources. Currently (midJune), there are a lot of people offering their used curr. on Ebay ~ great deals to be had. Ex: I just bought Grade 6 Heritage Studies (ST, TE and WB) for $6.20 (including shipping)


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## okwMomOf4

Antree - 

I tried to post some links to websites, but since I have less than 10 previous posts it would not let me.

Just do a google search for "New Jersey homeschool".  

Enochnj and homeschooling both have a lot of groups listed by region/county.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Antree, that is how I found my homeschool group. By googling. Google homeschool groups in your area and see if anything comes up.  I know I have heard of people not having any in there areas, so that is a possibility. If you don't , just keep signing him up for programs that come along. Anything going on at the library, sports, art classes, etc.... Good Luck with the search


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## antree

3princesses+aprince said:


> Antree, that is how I found my homeschool group. By googling. Google homeschool groups in your area and see if anything comes up.  I know I have heard of people not having any in there areas, so that is a possibility. If you don't , just keep signing him up for programs that come along. Anything going on at the library, sports, art classes, etc.... Good Luck with the search



Thank You, I did try the search and nothing seems to be close to us. There seems to be a few different group types. I am going through them and hopefully find one that fits us and is close enough to us. I searched the library and they do have summer activity I am going to get involved in and see where that leads.
Thank You for the help.


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## 3princesses+aprince

antree said:


> Thank You, I did try the search and nothing seems to be close to us. There seems to be a few different group types. I am going through them and hopefully find one that fits us and is close enough to us. I searched the library and they do have summer activity I am going to get involved in and see where that leads.
> Thank You for the help.




You're welcome!  I'm new to Homeschooling and got a lot of my advice here as well. I hope you find something good. Who knows, you could meet other HSing families through some of the library programs. Good Luck!!!!


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## herodrx1

I need some help.  We have just started to homeschool our two kids (13 & 9).  Both of our kids are "above average" and have done well in public school but have not been challenged.

The advice I need is with our 13y/o son.  He has a horrible attitude about his work.  He isn't putting any effort into his work and is sloppy and lazy about everything he does.  He has not done this with traditional school and I know he would never talk back to a teacher like he does us.  How do you keep your kids focused or teach them pride in their work?  So far relaxing and going with the flow isn't working and neither is taking away EVERYTHING outside of "school".  

Thanks in advance for the help.


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## Disney Mommy 3

That's hard!!! I have kids the same age (13,just turned 10, and 6). so I  know what you are going through! My older son is the only one that ever really gives me any trouble. He went to christian & then public school for K, 1, and 2. He does have days where he is not into it at all---and I have told him the same thing:"U wouldn't talk to a regular school teacher like that! DON'T  do it to me!". First off-make sure your hubby is there to back you up!! Keep up with what he says/does and have your husband call in from work, or maybe surprise him by coming in during school time one day. If he knows there is someone besides you, he may try a little harder to be respectful. 

I think some of it(Just a tiny part) is their age----Lord knows the hormones and changes that run through a teenage mind/body!!! Do you think that could be some of it? Some times i just have to send my son to his room, or out for a run to get him focused. Also, I have to make sure he IS challenged enough--my boys are also well above 'grade level' so lots of their work is from a grade or 2 above their age. This has really worked out well. Challenge is a good thing! Not too hard, but certainly engaging. 

How long have you been hsing? Maybe they just needed some down time from ps. If not maybe he needs some encouragement/incentive. Four days a week and a 3 day weekend...An extra hour with a game he enjoys....take off early one day if they are participating and behaving and go out for lunch or a movie!! Make him see that they have advantages that ps kids don't get!! My kids are mostly finished with school by lunch--then we go do things while the other kids are in school. That way we can enjoy things like an empty theatre!! Or shopping for needed tennis shoes without a crowd of people. Their favorite thing is to go spend the remainded of the day with their daddy at work! On days when he can, he takes one, two, or all three of them and I get a much needed break!!!

Do they like to read? I am a big pusher for good literature. They should have their own library card and be taken often. We usually do the summer reading program at the library, then continue it for the rest of the summer at home. Every so many books gets you a bigger and better reward. Great books are a way to fill empty time....if they are finished with school/chores and still you have attitude problems, send him to read for so much time, or so many pages. They must be able to narrate or dictate to you what they read. It really helps in all areas-grammar, concentration, comprehension. But don't only do it for when he is acting wrong-make it part of your daily activities, but more time added for if he isn't behaving.Or an extra book for that. He just needs more of something to do! It could even be housework for you, or cooking...anything to keep him from being idle. And the longer the rotten attitude, the harder and longer the chore! If the attitude continues, you and your husband will have to decide where to go from there. Maybe he needs to speak to your pastor or someone your trust about how he feels and the changes he has gone through--in himself and being brought home  for schooling. We all need people to listen to us at times!!! Hope this helps a little bit!!


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## gerberdaisy1234

HI hero, I don't have a 13 yo son, however, I have observed friends and nephews through the years.  It seems that 13 is a challenging year for boys.  We are very close friends with a family and when the son turned 13 my daughter said one day after they left that he was not fun anymore.  A year later and everything is back to normal.  They all have a great time together again.  Just be thankful that you are controling his influences at a confusing time like this.  Hang in there and remind me of this advice in 6 years!


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## herodrx1

Thanks guys!  It sounds like I'm not just going crazy!  I do think it is mostly the age/hormone thing but it still is so frustrating.  We have only been HSing for a few weeks now and there is a lot of adjustment going on.  We wanted to start in the summer to test the waters before PS started back up.  He keeps saying that his friends don't have to do this stuff but we are done before any of his friends wake up in the morning!

I think the advice is spot on, be tough and stick to my guns but give a little and reward the goodness in him.

Thank you for helping me see the light!


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## 3princesses+aprince

herodrx1 said:


> Thanks guys!  It sounds like I'm not just going crazy!  I do think it is mostly the age/hormone thing but it still is so frustrating.  We have only been HSing for a few weeks now and there is a lot of adjustment going on.  We wanted to start in the summer to test the waters before PS started back up.  He keeps saying that his friends don't have to do this stuff but we are done before any of his friends wake up in the morning!
> 
> I think the advice is spot on, be tough and stick to my guns but give a little and reward the goodness in him.
> 
> Thank you for helping me see the light!




I know I've been given the advice here that once you start homeschooling allow them time to adjust. Maybe he sees it is as the end of the school year and now is not happy that he has to keep going. Maybe take a month "off" before you get going. I know you want to try it out over the summer, but that may feel like "too much" for him. This will be my first year homeschooling too, and I was thinking about getting right into it over the summer, but then all of their friends and the neighborhood kids are on summer break and I figured that would discourage them. I think i'm going to start in August when they've taken their "break" from school. 

Most likely when all of the other kids go back to school in September he will be happy with learning at home and realize all of the stuff that he gets to do while his friends are stuck in a classroom.

Good Luck, I know we all need it, starting out is so hard. I'm just getting there too!!


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## Disney Mommy 3

herodrx1 said:


> I think the advice is spot on, be tough and stick to my guns but give a little and reward the goodness in him.
> 
> Thank you for helping me see the light!





3princesses+aprince said:


> Most likely when all of the other kids go back to school in September he will be happy with learning at home and realize all of the stuff that he gets to do while his friends are stuck in a classroom.
> 
> Good Luck, I know we all need it, starting out is so hard. I'm just getting there too!!



Summer breaks are different for every family. Depending on lots of variables...for us down here in hot & humid South East Texas, the weather rules!! ha!!! I agree that we all need breaks and off times. Weeks when we just hang out and do nothing as far as scheduled school times. I am really considering starting back even earlier this July instead of the end of the month. We are hitting 100 already..it's starting to get miserable. We can swim in the early mornings, if they want to get up, or late in the evening. The hottest parts of the day we can read!!! We have lots of reading:History, Science, Literature... This helps us get through larger amounts of school without actually having to sit in a desk and feel like our break time is over. But, the earlier in the summer months we start, the sooner our 'year' is over in the spring!!! I take off for the month of holidays, (T-day,Christmas, and New Years)so that is a half-way or more reference point for what we need to have accomplished. 
 The beauty of home school is the ability to do what works for your family. If your state requires a certain # of days, great---just work them out to your benefit!!!! Life is learning!!! Any given day something can be learned, figured out, or observed. God has blessed us tremendously with brains that never stop, and opportunities every day. Not all learning comes from books!!! Look around and find small things that make teachable moments! We are all learning, everyday. Now, go and enjoy a day off with your kids!!!!!:


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## herodrx1

I agree about the time off from school.  We took 3 weeks off right when school let out for the year, we go on vacation next week , and each kid has a week long camp to attend in July.  I did sit down and do the math with him and showed him exactly how long 180 days are and when we would be done if we went straight through (which we won't).  This made him a bit happier with the situation.

How about the trouble with him wanting to sleep all the time.  I know that teens need more sleep than other age groups but I don't want him to sleep all day and stay up all night.  I have tried the "you don't have a bedtime but you do have a wake-up time".  This only ended up with arguments in the morning.  My DH doesn't want to let him sleep until he wakes up on his own b/c he needs to learn responsibility.  The reason I don't want to let him sleep all morning is that the friends tend to come out during the afternoon (when they wake up) and DS doesn't want to do his school work b/c his friends are calling.

AARRGGHHH......the teen years!!! There is no RIGHT answer is there???


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## Disney Mommy 3

herodrx1 said:


> How about the trouble with him wanting to sleep all the time.
> AARRGGHHH......the teen years!!! There is no RIGHT answer is there???



Ha!!! I don't think so!! I just pray--a lot!!! Really! I don't know what your religious affiliation is, but as Christians, I take so much comfort in knowing that God IS in control of everything! Even the teen years!! I do pray for him daily, that he will have minimal hormone fluctuations and crazy days!!! Some times there is really nothing we can do--just let them grow through it and from it. I can tell some times when he is feeling moody--I try to just let him have some alone time, seems like talking to them only aggravates them more. He is a super kid, but I remember those feelings and not knowing why. I always felt like crying or being angry, for no reason at all~~YIKES! I am glad I am through with that! As for the sleeping... I remember being tired all the time. We weren't allowed to sleep late. 9 was super late for us, and I have NEVER been a morning person--I just can't get up easily. Add to that school, band, cheerleading, drill team...know wonder I was moody. Sleep deprivation!!!

 I let my kids sleep late!! That's one thing I love about hsing!! If I am up early, I can get some stuff done and have some quiet time before they are up. I try not to let him sleep tooooo late tho! If he sleeps later than 10:45, I get him up--it's not often, but every now and then. this is for when we are out of school. during school we are not up so late, so they are usually doing school by 9. Especially if it's still summer weather here---they like to swim after supper with hubby, so they are worn out!!!  If he wants to do things with his friends in the afternoon, just make him realize he can sleep late...if the work is done and done the way it should be!!! This summer is gonna be hard-he is definitely transitioning and at a super hard age. Hang in there...it'll be better when your local school starts back up.


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## herodrx1

LOL!! So true, so true!  I did ask him the other day, after a melt down, what was really going on.  He said "I don't know, you guys are just bugging me and I know you aren't doing anything but I still don't like you right now."  I laughed out loud and said "THAT is an acceptable answer!" LOL!! I still have days like that.

Prayer is a HUGE comfort.  God is in control all the time.  This coupled with the fact that I know that myself and my siblings have done much the same things to our parents lets me know that he will turn back into a human again in a few years.


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## wahmtexas

We are really enjoying our Summer Break and will switch to a 2 day Academy in the Fall where my first grader will attend 8-3 T/TH then we will work on M/W with homework and then Music/Art classes on Friday mornings.  
Looking forward to the combination of Classical Christian Academy and Homeschool 
Does anyone else do a part time program?


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## williamson_ja

My dd is 13 right now. I also have a ds who is 12. What worked really well for us when dd started to get the teenager attitude was to make sure that she had time to study the things that she really enjoyed, not just MY list of things for her to do. I really involve her in the educational choices we are making. We set long term goals together, then SHE can see what she needs to do to make those goals (i.e. she needs to finish a certain level of math by Junior year so that she can start applying for scholarships, etc.) It also helps her to just be able to study the things that she loves. She wakes up late every day still, but once she is studying Shakespeare (which is her love) then she is in a good mood and gets done what she needs to for the day. 

I also am probably wierd for a homeschooler as I don't take away all electronics, computers, t.v.s etc. During the schoolyear, they are allowed to watch t.v., play video games, etc. after dinner if they have finished their schoolwork and chores. In the summer, I still have them do math (so we don't have to relearn everything in the fall) and their chores, then they are allowed free time to do other things. This helps us have an incentive for them to get their stuff done so that they can go "play"


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## wvdislover

I think you probably just need to let your DS13, if not all the kids, have a break for a while before you start schooling.  Homeschooling may come as a major shock to them.  They just finished a school year, and in the past had their summer breaks.  It may take some time to get them into the homeschool year round pattern.  Eventually, most kids get bored with "nothing to do" in the summer, and maybe you can ease into the homeschool thing then  Just an idea!  We're still homeschooling, but we took a couple of weeks off, and we're only doing an hour of school, and an hour of reading every day, just to keep my DD's from forgetting everything.  DD7, who's still in PS, loves it.  DD11 (almost 12) could do without it, if it were up to her


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## Disney Mommy 3

wvdislover said:


> I think you probably just need to let your DS13, if not all the kids, have a break for a while before you start schooling.  Homeschooling may come as a major shock to them.  They just finished a school year, and in the past had their summer breaks.  It may take some time to get them into the homeschool year round pattern.  Eventually, most kids get bored with "nothing to do" in the summer, and maybe you can ease into the homeschool thing then  Just an idea!  We're still homeschooling, but we took a couple of weeks off, and we're only doing an hour of school, and an hour of reading every day, just to keep my DD's from forgetting everything.  DD7, who's still in PS, loves it.  DD11 (almost 12) could do without it, if it were up to her



I am getting bored!! I love what I do,so my poor kids will be starting back with easing into our History reading next week!! Little do they know....I really don't like the idea of doing nothing for 3 months...after about 5 weeks, I am ready to go back. Our schedule has been shifting and changing with every year.  They have been reading for fun, but I need more of a schedule...I don't do well with free-time for such an extended period. But, we can take a fall break for sure!!! We all tend to get grouchy with too much time on our hands.Me included!!! Know what I mean?


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## littlepeppers

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> I am getting bored!! I love what I do,so my poor kids will be starting back with easing into our History reading next week!! Little do they know....I really don't like the idea of doing nothing for 3 months...after about 5 weeks, I am ready to go back. Our schedule has been shifting and changing with every year.  They have been reading for fun, but I need more of a schedule...I don't do well with free-time for such an extended period. But, we can take a fall break for sure!!! We all tend to get grouchy with too much time on our hands.Me included!!! Know what I mean?



Why do you feel the need to follow the traditional school calendar?  You broke tradition by HS, keep it up.  Go for it.  Mold it to fit your life, not those around you.

The great thing about HS is you make the calendar.  It is too hot to go outside right now.  I think that after this summer's decompression from his traditional schooling we will go through the summer and take more 1 or 2 week breaks during seasons with better weather.


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## Disney Mommy 3

I don't really follow the traditional school calendar--we were starting back the end of middle of July because that's when it was hottest. We work about 9 weeks--that usually puts us in Sept and then we take off for a hurricane! We have managed to have a couple of doozies here the last few years, and wind up with no electricity and evacuated!!! So...I need to have time scheduled off. We then go back until T-day and finish then for our first term. I don't go back until New Years, then we work straight through til the mid/end of April.  I am gonna start at the beginning of July this time and be finished the end of March--that's when we have good weather here.
 Next fall & spring we are wanting to take a couple of small trips outside of our Disney trip, and we will just work around these. I am liking the idea more & more of public school going year round....makes my calendar look even better!!! Really down here, the kids shouldnt have to go back to summer band & all that in July & august...it's just tooooo hot!!!! I am surprised more kids don't get sun stroke! We already broke a record for our temp yesterday---102!!!! And it isn't even July yet!!!


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## littlepeppers

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> I don't really follow the traditional school calendar--we were starting back the end of middle of July because that's when it was hottest. We work about 9 weeks--that usually puts us in Sept and then we take off for a hurricane! We have managed to have a couple of doozies here the last few years, and wind up with no electricity and evacuated!!! So...I need to have time scheduled off. We then go back until T-day and finish then for our first term. I don't go back until New Years, then we work straight through til the mid/end of April.  I am gonna start at the beginning of July this time and be finished the end of March--that's when we have good weather here.
> Next fall & spring we are wanting to take a couple of small trips outside of our Disney trip, and we will just work around these. I am liking the idea more & more of public school going year round....makes my calendar look even better!!! Really down here, the kids shouldnt have to go back to summer band & all that in July & august...it's just tooooo hot!!!! I am surprised more kids don't get sun stroke! We already broke a record for our temp yesterday---102!!!! And it isn't even July yet!!!



We head to Fort Worth for the hurricanes.  We took a direct hit from Gustav last yr.  We feel your pain.


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## wvdislover

herodrx1 said:


> I need some help.  We have just started to homeschool our two kids (13 & 9).  Both of our kids are "above average" and have done well in public school but have not been challenged.
> 
> The advice I need is with our 13y/o son.  He has a horrible attitude about his work.  He isn't putting any effort into his work and is sloppy and lazy about everything he does.  He has not done this with traditional school and I know he would never talk back to a teacher like he does us.  How do you keep your kids focused or teach them pride in their work?  So far relaxing and going with the flow isn't working and neither is taking away EVERYTHING outside of "school".
> 
> Thanks in advance for the help.





wvdislover said:


> I think you probably just need to let your DS13, if not all the kids, have a break for a while before you start schooling.  Homeschooling may come as a major shock to them.  They just finished a school year, and in the past had their summer breaks.  It may take some time to get them into the homeschool year round pattern.  Eventually, most kids get bored with "nothing to do" in the summer, and maybe you can ease into the homeschool thing then  Just an idea!  We're still homeschooling, but we took a couple of weeks off, and we're only doing an hour of school, and an hour of reading every day, just to keep my DD's from forgetting everything.  DD7, who's still in PS, loves it.  DD11 (almost 12) could do without it, if it were up to her



Just wanted to add to my comment I made...a friend of mine told me this morning that she's been having trouble with her DS12 mouthing off to her (my DDalmost12 is doing the same thing with me).  She came up with a great idea to punish him for it...they're taking him to the track to run laps when he mouths off (Dad took him that evening after work).  My DD can be so lazy, this should be a great punishment for her, too, as well as being healthy for her   Maybe if he is having a bad attitude, take him somewhere to burn off some of that negative energy.  As my DF pointed out, when you're in the military, or participating in organized sports, a negative attitude earns you push-ups, running laps, etc.  Shouldn't this work in other areas of our lives, too?  Just another idea, one I'm planning on trying, too.


----------



## wvdislover

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> I am getting bored!! I love what I do,so my poor kids will be starting back with easing into our History reading next week!! Little do they know....I really don't like the idea of doing nothing for 3 months...after about 5 weeks, I am ready to go back. Our schedule has been shifting and changing with every year.  They have been reading for fun, but I need more of a schedule...I don't do well with free-time for such an extended period. But, we can take a fall break for sure!!! We all tend to get grouchy with too much time on our hands.Me included!!! Know what I mean?



I put my kids on a schedule just this week, to prevent them from spending all day watching tv, playing computer/Wii games all day.  We have time for housecleaning, reading, school work, lunch, and some free time.  I thought they would balk at the idea of a schedule, but they love it.  They run over to the schedule posted on the fridge to see what they're supposed to be doing at different times of the day.  If you're getting bored, try something like this, work on a big project of your own, or start doing prep work for your school work.  Those kind of things can take up some of that down-time that's driving you crazy, maybe.


----------



## Praise2Him

wahmtexas said:


> We are really enjoying our Summer Break and will switch to a 2 day Academy in the Fall where my first grader will attend 8-3 T/TH then we will work on M/W with homework and then Music/Art classes on Friday mornings.
> Looking forward to the combination of Classical Christian Academy and Homeschool
> Does anyone else do a part time program?



We did the Master's Academy of Fine Arts for a couple of years and loved it!


----------



## herodrx1

wvdislover said:


> Just wanted to add to my comment I made...a friend of mine told me this morning that she's been having trouble with her DS12 mouthing off to her (my DDalmost12 is doing the same thing with me). She came up with a great idea to punish him for it...they're taking him to the track to run laps when he mouths off (Dad took him that evening after work). My DD can be so lazy, this should be a great punishment for her, too, as well as being healthy for her  Maybe if he is having a bad attitude, take him somewhere to burn off some of that negative energy. As my DF pointed out, when you're in the military, or participating in organized sports, a negative attitude earns you push-ups, running laps, etc. Shouldn't this work in other areas of our lives, too? Just another idea, one I'm planning on trying, too.


 
 I love the idea of running laps!  So far he is just LAZY and does the whole attitude thing.  Nothing really bad but he seems to feel the need to argue everything ever brought up!  I think he may be a lawyer in training.   It just wears me out some days.

Thank you guys for the support.  Just knowing that others are dealing with teenagers and that what he does is the same as other kids his age makes things MUCH better.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

littlepeppers said:


> We head to Fort Worth for the hurricanes.  We took a direct hit from Gustav last yr.  We feel your pain.



Girl, can you believe 'the season' is here AGAIN???!!!


wvdislover said:


> Just wanted to add to my comment I made...a friend of mine told me this morning that she's been having trouble with her DS12 mouthing off to her (my DDalmost12 is doing the same thing with me).  She came up with a great idea to punish him for it...they're taking him to the track to run laps when he mouths off (Dad took him that evening after work).  My DD can be so lazy, this should be a great punishment for her, too, as well as being healthy for her   Maybe if he is having a bad attitude, take him somewhere to burn off some of that negative energy.  As my DF pointed out, when you're in the military, or participating in organized sports, a negative attitude earns you push-ups, running laps, etc.  Shouldn't this work in other areas of our lives, too?  Just another idea, one I'm planning on trying, too.



Our street is a cul-de-sac, and my husband does that with our kid!! It does tend to curb the mouthies!!!


wvdislover said:


> I put my kids on a schedule just this week, to prevent them from spending all day watching tv, playing computer/Wii games all day.  We have time for housecleaning, reading, school work, lunch, and some free time.  I thought they would balk at the idea of a schedule, but they love it.  They run over to the schedule posted on the fridge to see what they're supposed to be doing at different times of the day.  If you're getting bored, try something like this, work on a big project of your own, or start doing prep work for your school work.  Those kind of things can take up some of that down-time that's driving you crazy, maybe.



 I would like to do one more big 'ole puzzle before I start back!!! But, I am a puzzle maniac and have to finish it really quick!!!!Not much gets done around here when I am puzzling!


----------



## Denine

Hey everyone, just checking in.

DD is loving being outside playing and doing the summer reading at the library and t-ball.
We also got season passes to Cedar Point and we are going there this evening.


----------



## jenn-

sl_underwood said:


> For those of you who have used Noeo or Real Science 4 Kids, please share your experience.  I am looking for my 6th grade dd.  She is not a textbook learner, needs something engaging and interesting.  So far these are the two I have seen that might meet her requirements, what do you all think?  And are there any other programs that might just do the trick?



I used NOEO science for my 3rd grader this past year, and I found it to be quite boring.  I will admit to getting a little bit relaxed on doing the experiments with the readings after the first few didn't exactly work right.  We did level 1 Biology.  I have Real Science 4 Kids in store for her this year.  I think we went with level 1 in Biology, Physics, and Chemistry.  NOEO really focuses more on learning from reading different books, whereas RS4K is more textbook driven.  I can't honestly say DD learned much last year, but that could be totally different for a 6th grader that I would assume would be using one of their harder levels.


----------



## *Toadstool*

Subbing.
Plan on homeschooling DD. Thinking about starting some kind of light curriculum in the fall.


----------



## danjoealexis3006

Has anyone here used Veticy Learning from Calvert? I am going out of my mind trying to figure out what reading program to use for my DS who is dsylexic. Thanks!


----------



## littlepeppers

*Toadstool* said:


> Subbing.
> Plan on homeschooling DD. Thinking about starting some kind of light curriculum in the fall.



OMG, you homeschool too. It's a Small World.


----------



## littlepeppers

danjoealexis3006 said:


> Has anyone here used Veticy Learning from Calvert? I am going out of my mind trying to figure out what reading program to use for my DS who is dsylexic. Thanks!



We looked into it too.
We had our DS take the test for it.  He passed it, so they said it wasn't for him.  He is a horrible reader & needs help w/ it.  We got our Calvert stuff in a week or so ago.


----------



## MomTo4+more

Hi.  I am new to these boards, but not new to homeschooling.  What a great surprise to find homeschoolers communicating on here too!  I found these boards while gathering info about my son's future Make-A-Wish trip.

I am a single, homeschooling mother of three - maybe four.  The baby I have been caring for may end up staying for good.  It's a wonderful surprise!  We have homschooled since K.  It's been a great thing for our family.  I love the togetherness and flexibility it gives us.  The baby will be going to school two mornings a week this fall.  She is profoundly deaf and has bilateral cochlear implants.  I found a fantastic oral school for the deaf that she will start when she is 18 months old.  we will be doing lots of school on the road this year.

Since we will be driving so often to therapies and the baby's school, I am thinking of what we can do in the car to make good use of that time.  I found glass markers the kids can use to write times tables and spelling words on the van windows.  We can listen to our Spanish and Latin CD's.  There are books on tape and classical music CD's.  We can recite our memory work.  We could work on One-Minute Mysteries.  Any other ideas for "car-schooling?"


----------



## Lindabelle

chicagoshannon said:


> Hi everyone.  We are heavily considering home schooling our daughter.  I've read through a lot of this thread so I have a decent idea of curriculum and how to go about finding that- I think we're going to start with Horizons.
> 
> PS is not a choice for us for a bunch of reasons that I won't go into at the moment.  We've always said that we'd send our DD to the private Christian school for our particular denomination.  Unfortunately with the housing market the way it is we are stuck in our house for a while so we're not sure we'll be able to make the move before Kindergarten.   (it would be an hour commute each way from where we're living- gotta love traffic)  So we've started to consider home schooling.  The more I read about it the more excited I get.  I have a couple of issues/questions though:
> 
> 1. How do you get over the emotional aspect of not seeing your child graduate?  Do you have little ceremonies with your HS friends/groups?
> 
> 2. have any of you ever had a child that wanted to go to school but you kept them home?  I asked DD the other day if she wanted mommy to teach her school at home and she said "no I want to go to a building"
> 
> 3. anyone from IL?  I'm having a heck of a time finding groups to join. I found 1 yahoo group but it's for the entire state of IL and there is only like 1 person on it from my area.
> 
> 4. I read the law for IL and it seems that the only requirements are 176 days a year and that we cover certain subjects including US history and IL constitution.  It does not appear that we have to notify anyone that we're HSing.  Can anyone comfirm this?
> 
> 
> Has anyone used Horizons curriculum for more then math?  If so did you like it or what did you not like about it?
> 
> Thank you.


Hi Chicagoshannon
We are a homeschooling family in IL,  Arlington Heights,  to be more specific.  There are many homeschooling groups around this area.  CHAMPS,  HELP,  HEART.  I know Champs in now on the computer and they meet in Mount Prospect.  Also,  many libraries also have information on how to get in touch with home schooling groups.  
As far as graduating goes,  my oldest child just graduated from HS and he had the option of attending a graduation ceremony at our church.  Caps, gowns and speeches, but he didn't feel the need to go,  so we just had a party for him instead.  
As far as homeschooling in IL goes,  you don't have to report to anyone.  It is really up to the parent to be diligent and cover all the appropriate subjects.  My high schoolers,  once they have turned 16,  started taking an occasional class at the local community college,  to prove to themselves and the colleges that they were interested in,  that they were capable,  and did truly deserve the grades I gave them.  
We have also been involved in a group called Christian Youth Theater,  and that gave my children many opportunities for socialization.  They were involved in acting, singing, and dancing classes,  and were involved in 3 musicals each year.  Their best friends were usually kids in this group.  It is a very full and busy life.   Many of the families in our CYT group homeschool so it is also a good way to make connections.  
 I have not used the Horizons curriculum,  but in the younger grades,  I used a combination of Sonlight and Abeka. 
 Best of Luck in making your decision.


----------



## wvdislover

MomTo4+more said:


> Hi.  I am new to these boards, but not new to homeschooling.  What a great surprise to find homeschoolers communicating on here too!  I found these boards while gathering info about my son's future Make-A-Wish trip.
> 
> I am a single, homeschooling mother of three - maybe four.  The baby I have been caring for may end up staying for good.  It's a wonderful surprise!  We have homschooled since K.  It's been a great thing for our family.  I love the togetherness and flexibility it gives us.  The baby will be going to school two mornings a week this fall.  She is profoundly deaf and has bilateral cochlear implants.  I found a fantastic oral school for the deaf that she will start when she is 18 months old.  we will be doing lots of school on the road this year.
> 
> Since we will be driving so often to therapies and the baby's school, I am thinking of what we can do in the car to make good use of that time.  I found glass markers the kids can use to write times tables and spelling words on the van windows.  We can listen to our Spanish and Latin CD's.  There are books on tape and classical music CD's.  We can recite our memory work.  We could work on One-Minute Mysteries.  Any other ideas for "car-schooling?"



How wonderful that you may be able to keep "your" little girl!  That is exciting!  As for carschooling, you might want to consider purchasing small dry-erase boards for your kids to use in the car, too.  It would be fun to have math "contests" between them (if they're close enough in age) or spelling "contests", etc.  With a dry-erase board, their answers can be kept more secret   Do you have a DVD player in your car?  You could maybe get some educational movies (such as Schoolhouse Rock), classic stories, or movies of books you've read for the kids to watch while you're traveling, when you need a bit more quiet time or thinking time for yourself.  Maybe get some workbooks from a parent-teacher store or Sam's club, for the kids to work on to reinforce skills they're learning (just make sure no one is going to get carsick ).  Good luck, and congratulations!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Momto4+more...

Classic stories and fun books on cd!! Story of the World for History is on cd also.  congrats on finding these boards...they are lots of fun!!


----------



## *Toadstool*

littlepeppers said:


> OMG, you homeschool too. It's a Small World.


I don't homeschool yet, but I plan on it! I only have one child and she is only 3.
There is a homeschooling group in Houma, but I don't know anyone around where I live that homeschools. I hope you can offer me some advice when I need some!


----------



## wvdislover

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Momto4+more...
> 
> Classic stories and fun books on cd!! Story of the World for History is on cd also.  congrats on finding these boards...they are lots of fun!!



Would that be Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer?  I would LOVE to find those on CD!  Where can I find them?


----------



## lori1043

MomTo4+more said:


> Hi. I am new to these boards, but not new to homeschooling. What a great surprise to find homeschoolers communicating on here too! I found these boards while gathering info about my son's future Make-A-Wish trip.
> 
> I am a single, homeschooling mother of three - maybe four. The baby I have been caring for may end up staying for good. It's a wonderful surprise! We have homschooled since K. It's been a great thing for our family. I love the togetherness and flexibility it gives us. The baby will be going to school two mornings a week this fall. She is profoundly deaf and has bilateral cochlear implants. I found a fantastic oral school for the deaf that she will start when she is 18 months old. we will be doing lots of school on the road this year.
> 
> Since we will be driving so often to therapies and the baby's school, I am thinking of what we can do in the car to make good use of that time. I found glass markers the kids can use to write times tables and spelling words on the van windows. We can listen to our Spanish and Latin CD's. There are books on tape and classical music CD's. We can recite our memory work. We could work on One-Minute Mysteries. Any other ideas for "car-schooling?"


 
wow! We are MAW family vets. I am sorry you have a child eligible for it, but happy for you all- and you are going to have the BEST TRIP EVER! We were at Give Kids the World in March 2002. My oldest had leukemia and is not 11 and kicked it! If you are staying at GKTW then be in for complete wonder! That place gets better every year-we visit every time we go to WDW! And read the founders book. Henri Landwirth and his daughter are very giving people. 

Story of the World-another vote for that! Books on CD from the library. There are even math facts on CD you can do. Educational stores have english grammar on CD as well as many other cd's for reinforcement.

Lori


----------



## littlepeppers

*Toadstool* said:


> I don't homeschool yet, but I plan on it! I only have one child and she is only 3.
> There is a homeschooling group in Houma, but I don't know anyone around where I live that homeschools. I hope you can offer me some advice when I need some!



This is new for us too.  We are starting late July/early Aug.  My DS (7) attended Maria Immacaolta for pre-K and St. Mary in K.  There is a Catholic HS group in Houma/Thib, Ava Maria HS and the Houma Homeschoolers.  The Ava Maria group has a news letter.  If you are Catholic, I can let you know who to contact for them.

We haven't gotten together w/ a group in person yet.  We want to try out this road 1st.  Our DS is active in soccer, baseball, & joining jujitsu.  He will see plenty of kids until we can get settled into this new adventure.  

Not to mention Disney late Sept/early Oct


----------



## Nicolepa

wvdislover said:


> Would that be Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer?  I would LOVE to find those on CD!  Where can I find them?



The best price I've found them is on amazon.com.


----------



## MomTo4+more

I completely forgot they have Story of the World on CD.  We are in book four this year and will be finishing it in the fall.  I do have my math facts and states and their capitals tapes.  I could pull those out. Thanks for the reminders!

Chicagoshannon,  I am guessing you are in the city?  I am on the northwest side.  There are a few different groups.  CUBS has classes for the children on Fridays and events for moms.  There are also the Northside Unschoolers, but I don't know much about them.  My church has a homeschool mom's group and is about to start a new one with younger children.  If you are anywhere near the southside or the Orland Park area,  CHESS is a great group!  They are huge and very friendly.  CHESS is probably what I missed the most moving to the opposite side of the city.

IL is an easy state to homeschool in.  You do not have to file anything at all.  You should track your attendance days in a little notebook or planner and keep medical records on file.  You won't be likely to need them, but it is good to keep on hand.

Enjoy the time with your child!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Just wanted to say that I have some ABeka & some BobJones stuff...if anyone is interested, please PM me! Thanks!!!


----------



## wvdislover

Nicolepa said:


> The best price I've found them is on amazon.com.


----------



## chicagoshannon

Lindabelle said:


> Hi Chicagoshannon
> We are a homeschooling family in IL,  Arlington Heights,  to be more specific.  There are many homeschooling groups around this area.  CHAMPS,  HELP,  HEART.  I know Champs in now on the computer and they meet in Mount Prospect.  Also,  many libraries also have information on how to get in touch with home schooling groups.
> As far as graduating goes,  my oldest child just graduated from HS and he had the option of attending a graduation ceremony at our church.  Caps, gowns and speeches, but he didn't feel the need to go,  so we just had a party for him instead.
> As far as homeschooling in IL goes,  you don't have to report to anyone.  It is really up to the parent to be diligent and cover all the appropriate subjects.  My high schoolers,  once they have turned 16,  started taking an occasional class at the local community college,  to prove to themselves and the colleges that they were interested in,  that they were capable,  and did truly deserve the grades I gave them.
> We have also been involved in a group called Christian Youth Theater,  and that gave my children many opportunities for socialization.  They were involved in acting, singing, and dancing classes,  and were involved in 3 musicals each year.  Their best friends were usually kids in this group.  It is a very full and busy life.   Many of the families in our CYT group homeschool so it is also a good way to make connections.
> I have not used the Horizons curriculum,  but in the younger grades,  I used a combination of Sonlight and Abeka.
> Best of Luck in making your decision.



Thank you.  I ended up finding a couple of yahoo groups that I joined.  Haven't really participated yet but I enjoy reading what everyone posts.


Has anyone used Happy Phonics?  I was also looking into Sing, spell, read, write but it is SO expensive!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Hello, I just wanted to say that I met with my homeschool group for the first time today. We went on a tour of a house from the 1800s together and then had ice cream. There were about 30 kids and that was only half of the whole group. It was so nice meeting them and talking with them about homeschooling in person. It made me feel even better about this decision. I also wanted my daughters to see all of these kids that homeschool as well. My dd10 really wants to homeschool and could care less who's doing it or not, but my dd8 and dd5 do enjoy going to school, so they're not sold on this whole idea yet! We'll see how the summer goes, we're going to start a little project/report tomorrow this way they will get an idea what it will be like learning at home. We were actually talking about Walt Disney today and we decided we were going to learn more about him. Just coming back from Disney and all I figured that would hold everyone's interest. Mine included. They want to know when he was born and when he died. They want to know if he had brothers and sisters and where he grew up. This should be interesting. I'm excited too!


----------



## renee920

Just found this thread - homeschooling mom in GA here, DS is 4.5 and DD is 1.5. We mainly use the Five in a Row unit studies. We will be at WDW Sept 21-26 (includes DS's 5th bday!) staying at the POP!


----------



## bluesky225

I'm also a homeschooling mom. I homeschool my 7 year old son. We used A Beka last year. This year, we are going to do some A Beka, and one day a week, we will be going to Classical Conversations. We have LOTS of homeschoolers in this area of NC, and we LOVE homeschooling!
We'll be headed to Disney for the first time Sept. 26-Oct. 3!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Welcome Renee!!  I loved FIAR for that age!!! It's some of our favorite memories.

3p+ap...glad your group meet went well!!! Walt is a great subject to start with. Let us know how it goes with your other kids after you get them going on this project!!!


----------



## A&E'sMom

I saw that this thread was started well over a year ago, so I hope it stays active! I'm also a homeschooling mom, with my first year now under my belt.  Last year I taught kindergarten to my two sons and my niece. This coming year will be just me and my boys. We used Sonlight curriculum this past year, but I'm considering A.C.E (which is what I grew up with) now. 

We're headed to All Star Sports on September 23- October 3rd, with our little family of six and my mom. Can't wait!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

A & E's Mom--Welcome!! Glad you found us!!!! the first year I think is the hardest, so you are good to go! Consider yourself a veteran And congrats on the upcoming trip! Are you doing the MNSSHP?


----------



## NiniMorris

renee920 said:


> Just found this thread - homeschooling mom in GA here, DS is 4.5 and DD is 1.5. We mainly use the Five in a Row unit studies. We will be at WDW Sept 21-26 (includes DS's 5th bday!) staying at the POP!




What part of GA?  I'm outside Atlanta...and will be at CSR Sept 19 to 26...including my youngest's 8th bday!


Nini


----------



## A&E'sMom

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> A & E's Mom--Welcome!! Glad you found us!!!! the first year I think is the hardest, so you are good to go! Consider yourself a veteran And congrats on the upcoming trip! Are you doing the MNSSHP?




Thanks! I was hoping that the first year was the hardest, lol.  We went to MNSSHP in 2006 when we took our oldest boys for their first trip, we loved it, but we haven't planned for it this time. Since my mom is going with us, we're enlisting her help for one night of babysitting and DH and signed up for the Expedition Everest Challenge though. I'm excited about that, but nervous! I've got to get crackin' on a couch-to-5K program next week.


----------



## mommyof2princesses

renee920 said:


> Just found this thread - homeschooling mom in GA here, DS is 4.5 and DD is 1.5. We mainly use the Five in a Row unit studies. We will be at WDW Sept 21-26 (includes DS's 5th bday!) staying at the POP!



We will be there from the Sept 20 till Sept 27.  Are you doing the homeschool days thing?



bluesky225 said:


> I'm also a homeschooling mom. I homeschool my 7 year old son. We used A Beka last year. This year, we are going to do some A Beka, and one day a week, we will be going to Classical Conversations. We have LOTS of homeschoolers in this area of NC, and we LOVE homeschooling!
> We'll be headed to Disney for the first time Sept. 26-Oct. 3!



Where in Nc are you?  We are in the Charlotte area and have lots of groups around us, too.  



A&E'sMom said:


> I saw that this thread was started well over a year ago, so I hope it stays active! I'm also a homeschooling mom, with my first year now under my belt.  Last year I taught kindergarten to my two sons and my niece. This coming year will be just me and my boys. We used Sonlight curriculum this past year, but I'm considering A.C.E (which is what I grew up with) now.
> 
> We're headed to All Star Sports on September 23- October 3rd, with our little family of six and my mom. Can't wait!



We are at POFQ while you are there.  the 20-27.  Lots of us going then.



NiniMorris said:


> What part of GA?  I'm outside Atlanta...and will be at CSR Sept 19 to 26...including my youngest's 8th bday!
> 
> 
> Nini




With so many of us going, perhaps we ma run into each other!  Are you doing homeschool days?


----------



## TinaLala

Okay so I'm not a year round homeschooler, but I am home schooling my girls through the summer to give them a leg up for the next school year.  DD10 did horribly last year in 4th grade because she was bullied by 4 boys and her grades suffered miserably.  So we're focused and as hard as it is for the 10yo to do it, she's on track.  DD6 is just enjoying the attention.

Last night we did our math factors and I had my MIL work on their addition/subtraction/multiplcation via flash cards.  Tonight we'll just do our reading and then tomorrow we'll do some noun/adj/verb work for DD6.

DD10 is reading Are you there God it's me Margaret.  We just finished Diary of Anne Frank and I thought this book would be a good transition. 

DD6 is reading the Magic Tree House books and earning her passport stamps.

How do you get the older kids to stay enthusiastic about it?


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

TinaLala said:


> How do you get the older kids to stay enthusiastic about it?



You don't.  Just kidding!!! It does get harder as they get older.But, it's still doable. They just have to have 'an end in sight'. And usually with some type of reward. I think any kid who works hard and does their best should always be rewarded. Not every kid can make straight A's. But, if their best is a B+, treat them just as great!!!! that is their A+.  We all do better with some kind of reward/goal, kids are no different. 
 I am sorry your daughter was treated so horribly!!! I am proud that ya'll are getting her where she needs to be---KUDOS!!! Are you gonna homeschool, or is this just to prep her for ps next year? Either way, make a big deal of how far she's come this summer.It will boost her confidence for whatever schooling she has coming up in the fall!!!


----------



## littlepeppers

A&E'sMom said:


> I saw that this thread was started well over a year ago, so I hope it stays active! I'm also a homeschooling mom, with my first year now under my belt.  Last year I taught kindergarten to my two sons and my niece. This coming year will be just me and my boys. We used Sonlight curriculum this past year, but I'm considering A.C.E (which is what I grew up with) now.
> 
> We're headed to All Star Sports on September 23- October 3rd, with our little family of six and my mom. Can't wait!



We will be at POP Sept 30-Oct 6.  Got all of my ADRs done this morning w/ very few bumps.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Wow, it seems like there are so many of you going in September!!! I hope it looks this way for next year when we go in September too. You guys should plan a little meet!! I did that on my past trip in May. There were a few of us that starting talking a lot through our pre trip reports. It was fun.


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## wvdislover

We'll be there in September, too!  We'll be staying at the Beach Club Sept 15-26   Haven't decided about Homeschool Days yet.  Not sure if my family would enjoy the activities for this year or not, or if the tickets will work out with the Free Dining package we already have, and don't want to give up (it's saving us over $1000!!!).


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## mommyof2princesses

wvdislover said:


> We'll be there in September, too!  We'll be staying at the Beach Club Sept 15-26   Haven't decided about Homeschool Days yet.  Not sure if my family would enjoy the activities for this year or not, or if the tickets will work out with the Free Dining package we already have, and don't want to give up (it's saving us over $1000!!!).



We are doing free dining too.  Our package only has 1 day park hopper tickets.  Then we are using the 3 day PH tickets for homeschool days. (I also have tickets from other years) For free dining you only need to buy 1 day ticket for the package.


----------



## bluesky225

mommyof2princesses said:


> We will be there from the Sept 20 till Sept 27.  Are you doing the homeschool days thing?
> 
> 
> 
> Where in Nc are you?  We are in the Charlotte area and have lots of groups around us, too.
> 
> 
> 
> We are at POFQ while you are there.  the 20-27.  Lots of us going then.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> With so many of us going, perhaps we ma run into each other!  Are you doing homeschool days?




We are near Greensboro (in Graham). It seems like there are a lot of homeschoolers in NC now!


----------



## littlepeppers

We are doing a soft opening to our school year Monday.  

We are going to take the lessons & split them 1/2 for the 1st week.  DS said that he is escited to start the 2nd grade.  I aksed him a trick question this morning.  I asked if he thought he would like his teacher this year.  He remembered that we were hs & said that the annoying little girl (DD - 2) wouldn't be good, but he liked the teacher.


----------



## wvdislover

mommyof2princesses said:


> We are doing free dining too.  Our package only has 1 day park hopper tickets.  Then we are using the 3 day PH tickets for homeschool days. (I also have tickets from other years) For free dining you only need to buy 1 day ticket for the package.



We need 10 day park hoppers, and the ticket packages for homeschool days don't have that many  Otherwise, I'd maybe switch things around.  I may still check on it, and see if they can offer me that large of a package.  I would prefer to have tickets for each day we're there, in case we want to go for just the evening or for part of a day.


----------



## wvdislover

bluesky225 said:


> We are near Greensboro (in Graham). It seems like there are a lot of homeschoolers in NC now!



I used to live in Winston-Salem (family still there).  My sister lives in Greensboro.  I came to the NC Homeschool conference at the end of May.  I wish homeschoolers here were as flexible as the ones we met at the NC conference.  Most people here only do A Beka, BJU, Sonlight, or ACE.  I am doing a different curriculum for every subject, and wish others would branch out more, too, so I'd have more to talk to them about concerning homeschooling.  When I went to the used curriculum sales here, almost everything was A Beka and BJU  A boxed curriculum just won't work for us.


----------



## bentleygirl22

Hey everyone... Well today was our first offical day of homeschooling!! It went very well!! 


Anyone here from GA ?? We are still looking for a good hs group..

& 

We will be at Disney Sept 11-23 for the free dining & the homeschooling days 
We will be staying at POP Anyone else going??

Amanda


----------



## lori1043

bentleygirl- we are going 9/12-9/19 for free dining. My kids ahve no idea and I hope to keep it that way! No homeschool days for us, b/c we just wanna chill and have fun-no planned stuff other than what parks which day and where we are dining at!

We are staying 7 nights, have 4 days PH's with water park and more-we plan on making ti to both water parks and Disney quest on the other days.

My hubby had 2 free flights accumulated so we are using those! Haven't flown there since Make a Wish in 2002. Drove there 3 other times. Houston is just so FAR from WDW. 10 hours drive was bad enough , esp for my hubby, who likes to fly, but that costs so much more!

We are moving to Houston and this will probably be our last trip there for a while. We need to get settled in and I just see us spending money on trips home and maybe some weekend things to San Antonio and Austin for a while. And we have no idea how long it will take me to find a PRN job, or IF I even need to get one-depends on so many things. I work PRN here, and possibly will have to do that there too. Esp if we get a car-we are hoping our cars have a few more years in them!

Lori


----------



## renee920

NiniMorris said:


> What part of GA?  I'm outside Atlanta...and will be at CSR Sept 19 to 26...including my youngest's 8th bday!
> 
> 
> Nini



I'm in Stone Mountain, not too far from you!


----------



## renee920

mommyof2princesses said:


> We will be there from the Sept 20 till Sept 27.  Are you doing the homeschool days thing?



No, we're not doing the homeschool days. I don't know much about it and wasn't sure it would work with the free dining package.


----------



## renee920

bentleygirl22 said:


> Hey everyone... Well today was our first offical day of homeschooling!! It went very well!!
> 
> 
> Anyone here from GA ?? We are still looking for a good hs group..
> 
> &
> 
> We will be at Disney Sept 11-23 for the free dining & the homeschooling days
> We will be staying at POP Anyone else going??
> 
> Amanda



Yay for a good first day!  We won't be *official* for another year thanks to DS's late birthday. I plan to start this school year the first week of August. 

We are in Georgia and joined a co-op called LEAD in Decatur. DS took a folk dancing class there last year and is planning on a pottery class in the fall. It may be a bit of a hike from McDonough though. 

We will be at the POP too, 9/21-9/26, can't wait!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

littlepeppers said:


> We will be at POP Sept 30-Oct 6.  Got all of my ADRs done this morning w/ very few bumps.





littlepeppers said:


> We are doing a soft opening to our school year Monday.
> 
> We are going to take the lessons & split them 1/2 for the 1st week.  DS said that he is escited to start the 2nd grade.  I aksed him a trick question this morning.  I asked if he thought he would like his teacher this year.  He remembered that we were hs & said that the annoying little girl (DD - 2) wouldn't be good, but he liked the teacher.



did you do your adrs online? If so, how was that and how easy is it, really!! Your son is quick!!  Love that answer!


bentleygirl22 said:


> Hey everyone... Well today was our first offical day of homeschooling!! It went very well!!
> 
> 
> Anyone here from GA ?? We are still looking for a good hs group..
> 
> &
> 
> We will be at Disney Sept 11-23 for the free dining & the homeschooling days
> We will be staying at POP Anyone else going??
> 
> Amanda



glad your first day was a success!!!


lori1043 said:


> bentleygirl- we are going 9/12-9/19 for free dining. My kids ahve no idea and I hope to keep it that way! No homeschool days for us, b/c we just wanna chill and have fun-no planned stuff other than what parks which day and where we are dining at!
> 
> We are staying 7 nights, have 4 days PH's with water park and more-we plan on making ti to both water parks and Disney quest on the other days.
> 
> My hubby had 2 free flights accumulated so we are using those! Haven't flown there since Make a Wish in 2002. Drove there 3 other times. Houston is just so FAR from WDW. 10 hours drive was bad enough , esp for my hubby, who likes to fly, but that costs so much more!
> 
> We are moving to Houston and this will probably be our last trip there for a while. We need to get settled in and I just see us spending money on trips home and maybe some weekend things to San Antonio and Austin for a while. And we have no idea how long it will take me to find a PRN job, or IF I even need to get one-depends on so many things. I work PRN here, and possibly will have to do that there too. Esp if we get a car-we are hoping our cars have a few more years in them!
> 
> Lori



Hey! haven't talked to you since you came over looking for a subdivision!!! How did that go? Have you found anything that fits your family yet? Or a moving date?


----------



## littlepeppers

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> did you do your adrs online? If so, how was that and how easy is it, really!! Your son is quick!!  Love that answer!QUOTE]
> 
> DS is quick.  I was just wondering if he remembered that he wasn't attending a traditional school this year.  He is right about DD.
> 
> Online ADRs went well.  Only thing was that I accidently booked Hoop Dee Doo on Tier 1 for a charge of $150.  I had to call to cancell it, but I booked another tier 2 1st.
> 
> If you are staying on property, you need to retrieve your reservations (2nd paragraph, right above where you enter your dates).  If you don't do this you will not be able to book 90+ 10.
> 
> ****Helpful hint that I tried.  It was the only way to get Hoop Dee Doo & Chef Mickey.  Book your hard to get in places (Chef, Hoop, LaCellar....) on the last few days of your vacation.  Book from the last days of your vacation working front.  Everyone else has been doing the 90+ 10 too & the good stuff on your 1st few days are probably already gone.   Like the parks, start from the back.


----------



## Denine

We will also be there in Sept.  9/24 through 10/5.

No HS days or free dining.  The free dining doesn't work with DVC points.  But, it is cheaper to use DVC points than pay cash and get free dining.

Going to be ordering 2nd grade Calvert soon, plus grade 3 horizon's math.

We start the beginning of August.


----------



## mommyof2princesses

ADRs online went well for us too.  In fact I recently went back on and changed 2 and got better times!  I check every day for one I couldn't get.

We got our homeschool park hopper tickets today!  wOOWOO!


----------



## imjoyful2

Hey all! Another homeschooling mom here!  I've been reading the dis-boards for awhile and finally joined to post. We will be staying at All-Star Sports from Sept 17-26. This is going to be a change for us, normally we fly and stay at POR. With having 4 kiddos this time, we will be driving and staying at AS. It's been 5 yrs since we were last there. I saw some of you  mention homeschool days, may I ask what is that? Btw, we are from Pa, been HS from the beginning, we'll be covering 4th, 3rd and 1st grade this year.


----------



## wvdislover

imjoyful2 said:


> Hey all! Another homeschooling mom here!  I've been reading the dis-boards for awhile and finally joined to post. We will be staying at All-Star Sports from Sept 17-26. This is going to be a change for us, normally we fly and stay at POR. With having 4 kiddos this time, we will be driving and staying at AS. It's been 5 yrs since we were last there. I saw some of you  mention homeschool days, may I ask what is that? Btw, we are from Pa, been HS from the beginning, we'll be covering 4th, 3rd and 1st grade this year.



We'll be at WDW almost the same days as you (Sept 15-26).  How did you work AS Sp.?  Did you get 2 rooms?


----------



## littlepeppers

Denine said:


> We will also be there in Sept.  9/24 through 10/5.
> 
> No HS days or free dining.  The free dining doesn't work with DVC points.  But, it is cheaper to use DVC points than pay cash and get free dining.
> 
> Going to be ordering 2nd grade Calvert soon, plus grade 3 horizon's math.
> 
> We start the beginning of August.



I've looked through our 2nd gd Calvert & I'm worried about it being a little easy.  My DS did all the math except the multiplication & fractions, and he covered the science & social studies too.  His school covered & didn't master.  I'm sticking w/ it and looking at it as a opportunity to master the subjects.


----------



## imjoyful2

wvdislover said:


> We'll be at WDW almost the same days as you (Sept 15-26).  How did you work AS Sp.?  Did you get 2 rooms?



Yes, we got 2 connecting rooms. There were no family suites available at Music. Though our TA is keeping her out if one opens, then we'll switch there. Even though we had 4 kiddos last time we were down, my parents went with, so we just put 2 of the kids on their ressie but they stayed with us. That was nice, saved $$.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

imjoyful2 said:


> Yes, we got 2 connecting rooms. There were no family suites available at Music. Though our TA is keeping her out if one opens, then we'll switch there. Even though we had 4 kiddos last time we were down, my parents went with, so we just put 2 of the kids on their ressie but they stayed with us. That was nice, saved $$.



That's  what we had to do this past May too. We have 4 kids and got 2 connecting rooms at All Star Movies. We're not going back this september, but we're booking for Sept. 2010, and we're going to do the homeschool days. Go to the website and it will give you all of the info on the homeschool days. They offer YES programs (Youth education series, I think it stands for) and they look interesting. I can't think of the exact website, but if you google Disneys homeschool days, it comes right up!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.  We did a little lesson on Independence day yesterday before we went out for our fireworks. We learned what this day was all about and how/when it started. It was very interesting and we made some 4th of July crafts.

It feels a little scary being in charge of your children's education. Because this will be our first year and they just got out of PS for the summer, I feel like, this is it, it's me, i'm in charge now, and that's a little scary. I want to make sure they learn everything they should be.

I'm sure others feel like this when they are just starting as well, am I right? How do you convince yourself that you'll do fine. I didn't think of this until we made our final decision to homeschool all 3 just 2 days ago.  We though we were going to think about throughout the summer, but our homeschool group is starting a co op in the fall and it was already full, the leader said she held 3 spots for us and she would hold them until next thursday, so we talked the other night and the decision was made. I didn't want to make the decision later in the summer and have to miss out on the co op. It sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Yes, it can be scary knowing it's ALL you. But, you are gonna do fine!! You have asked questions, seeked what was best for your kids, and your conscious of the responsibility!!!! You are involved with a co op already and I think once you really get the ball rolling in the fall, you will be more comfortable. Just keep doing what you are doing. Remember, hs is not something that should keep you stressed. You are too enjoy being with your children and giving them the best education they can get. They are gonna balk at some of the subjects and revel in others, that's normal!!! Just keep encouragaing each other and know that if you are having a REALLY bad day, it's okay to say forget it and go read a book or play a game or whatever!!!!!


----------



## williamson_ja

I like to remember that just because kids are sent to public school doesn't mean that they are learning everything that they are supposed to either. So, don't be too hard on yourself. It seems like a big responsibility (and it is), but sending your kids off to school doesn't mean that they are completely taken care of either. 

I teach at our local elementary school's after school and summer program (we call it Connections here in Utah). This week, we talked about the 4th of July of course and I asked my students WHY we celebrate the 4th of July. Out of the 50 kids that I had that week, not one student (besides MY own kids that I bring with me) had a clue what the holiday was even celebrating. So, my 14 yr old who comes in to volunteer said, "Well, the REAL name of the holiday is Independence day... does that give you a hint??" None of the kids had ever heard of it being called independence day, and didn't know what the word independence meant. After that, I tried to have a discussion on what it was, but I only had 5 minutes of class time at that point and the kids had so little knowledge (didn't know what the revolutionary war was, etc.) that it was hard to explain. My 5th grader sat there with her mouth open and could NOT believe what she was hearing. BTW these were kids from Kindergarten- 7th grade.
It's days like this that I remember all the good things about homeschooling. lol


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Thanks for your responses disney mommy 3 and williamson ja,  I am not really stressed out about it, it's just something I was thinking about today. But, I don't think it's going to stress me out, I know i'll be fine and my kids are going to learn like never before   I think I just really got a taste of what is was going to be like teaching all of them when we did our little 4th of July lesson yesterday and the day before. But....... That is what they have been talking about all day today and yesterday, they really had fun learning about it and doing crafts together.

And williamson ja, I love the fact that the PS kids didn't know what the holiday was. I mean, I can't say too much because before this week my kids didn't really know either. When they're in PS, I guess you just feel like they're learning what they need to learn and i'm finding out that that's not true. Makes me feel even better.  Independence Day falls over summer vacation, so I guess it's something never learned


----------



## mollyseven

Hi all....
We are a homeschool family from Canada. 
I have used Calvert for a couple of years now. Last year I just purchased the calvert math, grammar and french (which was terrible....a waste of 200.00). We really love the math. I am considering the verticy program for this year but haven't decided yet.
I would really like to find some subjects that he could do independantly, as it seems like I have to sit with him for everything. He is in grade 5.
He needs to work on some writing and reading seriously this coming year, as his math is good but not the writing/reading.
any thoughts?


----------



## danjoealexis3006

Hi Mollyseven! My DS is going to be in 5th this year and I am  considering Verticy Reading program too. I am also considering Barton Reading and Sonlight Core 3&4. Has he taken the test to see if he qualifies for the program yet?


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Hello Mollyseven...can't answer that, but I just wanted to say  
glad to have you on board!!


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## littlepeppers

We did our first 1/2 day of Calvert today.

We completed our Math & Art Lesson 1.  Things went smooth, but I saw a glimps of why DS had trouble in school.  He got fustrated when he didn't get things right the 1st time & shut down.  We will have to work on getting him to relax.  He gets the high strung gene from me and DH.

I put in a Calvert Script lesson on writing his 1st name.  He is really excited about learning script.

So far HS is easy, but we only did a 1/2 day.


----------



## littlepeppers

mollyseven said:


> Hi all....
> We are a homeschool family from Canada.
> I have used Calvert for a couple of years now. Last year I just purchased the calvert math, grammar and french (which was terrible....a waste of 200.00). We really love the math. I am considering the verticy program for this year but haven't decided yet.
> I would really like to find some subjects that he could do independantly, as it seems like I have to sit with him for everything. He is in grade 5.
> He needs to work on some writing and reading seriously this coming year, as his math is good but not the writing/reading.
> any thoughts?



My DS took the Verticy test, but didn't quallify.  He has phonemic decoding issues, but I guess that they aren't bad enough or that he is too young.  My mother-in-law is looking into Fast Forward for him.  It required a trained, certified teacher or they will charge you $600+ a mos. for a trained, certified teacher to evaluate it.

I thought that the Verticy looked interesting too, but it was a no-go.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Little Peppers...glad your first time was productive!!! Now you know why he had trouble and you can work on that. Some kids just hate to be wrong or make mistakes.....personally that always was hard for me...I was raised by 2 perfectionists.....bless my heart!!!!! I try not to put pressure on mine to be perfect,( since none of us are), but, I have one that really gets upset if things aren't right. YIKES!!!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Oh, Littlepeppers, my dd10 is the SAME way. We are not starting our full curriculum until the end of August, but we'll be working pretty much every day on what they were struggling with, mainly math and reading over the summer. My dd10 flipped out this morning because she did not get something right away. She is not only like this with school work, she's like this while trying to ride her bike, while trying to jump rope  Oh boy!!!! My dd5 actually got upset today too because her 2 s were not coming out good.  I'm trying to make them realize, I know they can't do it yet, that's why we're practicing. It's tough, I know.


----------



## littlepeppers

3princesses+aprince said:


> Oh, Littlepeppers, my dd10 is the SAME way. We are not starting our full curriculum until the end of August, but we'll be working pretty much every day on what they were struggling with, mainly math and reading over the summer. My dd10 flipped out this morning because she did not get something right away. She is not only like this with school work, she's like this while trying to ride her bike, while trying to jump rope  Oh boy!!!! My dd5 actually got upset today too because her 2 s were not coming out good.  I'm trying to make them realize, I know they can't do it yet, that's why we're practicing. It's tough, I know.



Bike riding, baseball, soccer, anything is a possible meltdown w/ DS.  He gets it from us.  We are all trying a slower lifestyle now.  I have let go of a lot of my OCD ways.  He finally let go a little by the end of today's lesson.  I hope that he will be able to learn more at home b/c we aren't in a rush to get the test in Friday.  I never stopped meaningful discussions w/ my students b/c we had a test coming up.  I was famous for pushing test back.  The kids loved it, but it drove their parents nuts.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

littlepeppers said:


> Bike riding, baseball, soccer, anything is a possible meltdown w/ DS.  He gets it from us.  We are all trying a slower lifestyle now.  I have let go of a lot of my OCD ways.  He finally let go a little by the end of today's lesson.  I hope that he will be able to learn more at home b/c we aren't in a rush to get the test in Friday.  I never stopped meaningful discussions w/ my students b/c we had a test coming up.  I was famous for pushing test back.  The kids loved it, but it drove their parents nuts.



Yea, It will be the same way with my dd, I know she will need more time on certain things. Well, many things I think. We're not starting our formal lessons until mid - the end of August, but just doing what we're doing now I can see it. So, we'll have more time to work on things. I don't really plan on taking too many breaks throughout the year. I'm sure we'll take Christmas week and a few days around Thanksgiving, but other than that, we'll be working. And from what i've seen these past few days, they don't mind stopping whatever they're doing to learn.


----------



## littlepeppers

3princesses+aprince said:


> Yea, It will be the same way with my dd, I know she will need more time on certain things. Well, many things I think. We're not starting our formal lessons until mid - the end of August, but just doing what we're doing now I can see it. So, we'll have more time to work on things. I don't really plan on taking too many breaks throughout the year. I'm sure we'll take Christmas week and a few days around Thanksgiving, but other than that, we'll be working. And from what i've seen these past few days, they don't mind stopping whatever they're doing to learn.



Ii think we are going to NOT take summers off.  It is too hot to do anything.  We will take 1wk for Disney, 1 wk for each of the big holiday (thanksgiving, christmas, easter).  My DS gets too lazy w/ 65+ straight days off.  My DH works 7 & 7, so we can take off & do a lot ot things when others are hard at work w/ the books & jobs.

Good luck w/ your DD.  My DD is a firecracker.  She is only 2 yrs old & I see trouble brewing already.  HEADSTRONG


----------



## dwelty

Looking for advice on curriculum.  we are looking at two Christian based programs, Abeka and Advanced Training Institute (ATI) and advice would be appreciated!  We want to start at the beginning of second grade for our daugher who is in public school right now.


----------



## *Toadstool*

littlepeppers said:


> Ii think we are going to NOT take summers off.  It is too hot to do anything.  We will take 1wk for Disney, 1 wk for each of the big holiday (thanksgiving, christmas, easter).  My DS gets too lazy w/ 65+ straight days off.  My DH works 7 & 7, so we can take off & do a lot ot things when others are hard at work w/ the books & jobs.
> 
> Good luck w/ your DD.  My DD is a firecracker.  She is only 2 yrs old & I see trouble brewing already.  HEADSTRONG


Oooh! Who does your hubby work for, and what does he do? My hubby just quit his job for a better paying job at Chouest. He is a mate on a liftboat.
I'm all happy to find someone else who knows what the 7/7 life is. He is switching to 14/14 now though. I hated it when he did that a few years ago. I hope it is easier now that Hannah is a bit older. Hope this isn't too OT! 
I was also thinking how great homeschooling and the 14/14 schedule will be. When I finally convince my hubby to go to DW we can go for a loooong time.


----------



## littlepeppers

*Toadstool* said:


> Oooh! Who does your hubby work for, and what does he do? My hubby just quit his job for a better paying job at Chouest. He is a mate on a liftboat.
> I'm all happy to find someone else who knows what the 7/7 life is. He is switching to 14/14 now though. I hated it when he did that a few years ago. I hope it is easier now that Hannah is a bit older. Hope this isn't too OT!
> I was also thinking how great homeschooling and the 14/14 schedule will be. When I finally convince my hubby to go to DW we can go for a loooong time.



DH is the Control Room Supervisor for LOOP.  He comes home every night still.  He used to work some night shifts before he was a supervisor & that is when I still worked.  I hated it.  

Who knows, they may even know eachother.  I know that Chouest does some contract stuff for LOOP, but I don't know exactly what.

Thanks God he was promoted.  No more night shifts.  He was a teacher when we had DS.  He started working for LOOP about 5 mos after DS was born.  

We like the 7 & 7,  especially now that I'm not working anymore.  We missed DS terribly this year when he was at school.  We were often all home except him.  This isn't the main reason we decided to HS, but it was a factor.  We are looking forward to all of the perks & opportunities that HS will provide us w/.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

dwelty said:


> Looking for advice on curriculum.  we are looking at two Christian based programs, Abeka and Advanced Training Institute (ATI) and advice would be appreciated!  We want to start at the beginning of second grade foor our daugher who is in public school right now.



I am not familiar with ATI--someone else probably is! But, we did use ABeka for a few years. It is a very good curriculum and with just one child for elementary it would be great! I love their concepts, but...! After a while, the repetition in math for a kid who has learned the math fact gets boring. I would suggest that when you cover a new concept each day, go through the exercises (if she get bored or frustrated) and mark out the problems that she has learned. For example 2+2, once she has learned that-and learned it well-she doesn't need to do it 40 times that week. They do this in ABeka, and I just learned it's okay to cut some of it out!!! Otherwise my kids got aggravated because it just adds so much each day. The phonics part of the curr. is awesome! We loved it. Very thorough. Handwriting can get a bit long too, so if you feel the need to shorten the lessons, do it! If you go to the website, they should have a schedule of when they will be coming to your area for a booksale. You can look at each book for each grade and see what you think. If you decide to order then, you will get a small discount..I think like free shipping or 10% from the order. I can't remember, but it was a good deal for us when we ordered. Hope this helps!!!


----------



## thebeesknees

I went through ATI when I was homeschooled. They have you use a lot of BJU stuff, so be aware that you will still have to buy or borrow BJU textbooks to use with the Wisdom Booklets. I liked the Wisdom Booklets, and my mom said she like having all of us study the same thing at the same time because it made her planning easier. Also, and I am sure you already know this, ATI requires you to be enrolled through IBLP and have gone to their seminars before you can start with them (at least they did a few years ago, may have changed now).

My son used A Beka for kindergarten. It was good for K and 1st grade, but I have some issues with the subtance for older grades. It is very good for phonics/reading, but the math seemed to have some holes in it. We are going to use some of their stuff for reading this year for 2nd grade, but I am using a different science and history curriculum because I felt that A Beka had too many holes. That is just my opinion, though. I know a lot of people really love it. See if you can actually look through the textbooks of both ATI and A Beka before you decide on anything. You may decide you like one over the other, or you might want to sort of mix and match what fits your family best.


----------



## bluesky225

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> I am not familiar with ATI--someone else probably is! But, we did use ABeka for a few years. It is a very good curriculum and with just one child for elementary it would be great! I love their concepts, but...! After a while, the repetition in math for a kid who has learned the math fact gets boring. I would suggest that when you cover a new concept each day, go through the exercises (if she get bored or frustrated) and mark out the problems that she has learned. For example 2+2, once she has learned that-and learned it well-she doesn't need to do it 40 times that week. They do this in ABeka, and I just learned it's okay to cut some of it out!!! Otherwise my kids got aggravated because it just adds so much each day. The phonics part of the curr. is awesome! We loved it. Very thorough. Handwriting can get a bit long too, so if you feel the need to shorten the lessons, do it! If you go to the website, they should have a schedule of when they will be coming to your area for a booksale. You can look at each book for each grade and see what you think. If you decide to order then, you will get a small discount..I think like free shipping or 10% from the order. I can't remember, but it was a good deal for us when we ordered. Hope this helps!!!



I think this (and the other poster above) both had great advice! We used A Beka for k-5 and first. This year we will use it for most subjects and do Classical Conversations as well. I don't think there is much I can add to the previous posters, but A Beka is a good curriculum for the first few years at least. We will consider a few other curriculums after this next year though...


----------



## *Toadstool*

littlepeppers said:


> DH is the Control Room Supervisor for LOOP.  He comes home every night still.  He used to work some night shifts before he was a supervisor & that is when I still worked.  I hated it.
> 
> Who knows, they may even know eachother.  I know that Chouest does some contract stuff for LOOP, but I don't know exactly what.
> 
> Thanks God he was promoted.  No more night shifts.  He was a teacher when we had DS.  He started working for LOOP about 5 mos after DS was born.
> 
> We like the 7 & 7,  especially now that I'm not working anymore.  We missed DS terribly this year when he was at school.  We were often all home except him.  This isn't the main reason we decided to HS, but it was a factor.  We are looking forward to all of the perks & opportunities that HS will provide us w/.


Ah okay. Hubby just started working for Chouest today, so I doubt he knows him. My friend's hubby works at LOOP his name is Chisom.. they'd probably know each other.
My DH works offshore so he doesn't come home nights. I'm thinking I am going to miss him alot more with the 14/14.


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## Mouseketeer67

*Toadstool* said:


> Ah okay. Hubby just started working for Chouest today, so I doubt he knows him. My friend's hubby works at LOOP his name is Chisom.. they'd probably know each other.
> My DH works offshore so he doesn't come home nights. I'm thinking I am going to miss him alot more with the 14/14.



Hi *Toadstool* & littlepeppers, I'm a Louisiana homeschooler too.  I live in Dulac, LA which is south of Houma.  I have been homeschooling for 14 years.  I started when my oldest son was 2 years old, he's 16 now.  There weren't many homeschoolers back then.  Most people thought we were crazy.  Now they can see the difference that homeschooling has made my children's lives.  My husband used to work in the oilfield years ago.  We now own and operate a charter fishing business.  It's nice to see other homeschooler's from Louisiana here!


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## littlepeppers

*Toadstool* said:


> Ah okay. Hubby just started working for Chouest today, so I doubt he knows him. My friend's hubby works at LOOP his name is Chisom.. they'd probably know each other.
> My DH works offshore so he doesn't come home nights. I'm thinking I am going to miss him alot more with the 14/14.



I still remember when my dad swapped to 14/14 when I was a kid.  7 days flies, but 14 never ends.  

What dept. does Chisom work in?  I'll ask DH.  DH is supposed to be off tomorrow, but his relief is on vacation.

Going read DS lesson for tomorrow while my embroidery machine puts a minnie on a tank


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## littlepeppers

Mouseketeer67 said:


> Hi *Toadstool* & littlepeppers, I'm a Louisiana homeschooler too.  I live in Dulac, LA which is south of Houma.  I have been homeschooling for 14 years.  I started when my oldest son was 2 years old, he's 16 now.  There weren't many homeschoolers back then.  Most people thought we were crazy.  Now they can see the difference that homeschooling has made my children's lives.  My husband used to work in the oilfield years ago.  We now own and operate a charter fishing business.  It's nice to see other homeschooler's from Louisiana here!



Used to think we are crazy?  I think most people still do.  Many people seem to think it is nuts to give up your "time" to HS.  I love spending time w/ my kids, but they do drive me nuts from time to time.  Too many people are out for themselves these days.  What happened to good old family time?  

I find myself not telling anyone, but DS is proud of it.  The conversation just gets all weird & I don't feel like justifying.  I must admit that I do use the "Well I am a certified teacher." line.  It has seemed to come in handy & shut some of the HS haters down.  

People......poop on them.  I like HS.

My dad lives to fish.  He would be jealous of your business.  

How does your DS feel about HS now that he is on high school?  You guys still have a pretty decent high school down there.   I know they have a great science dept.  Very smart people.


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## 3princesses+aprince

My dd just turned 10 and will doing 4th grade work this year. She HATES to write. I have her reading a lot more now since PS got out and she's even enjoying it  But writing, forget it.

Can anyone recommend anything in particular? I want her to somewhat like writing. Even if she never truly enjoys it, I would like her to at least like it, because you can't really do something well if you despise it. I always despised math in middle school and I always struggled with it, until I got to high school and I had an awesome math teacher and really did well.

So, i'm thinking there must be a way out there to get her to semi-enjoy writing.

Thanks so much!


----------



## *Toadstool*

Mouseketeer67 said:


> Hi *Toadstool* & littlepeppers, I'm a Louisiana homeschooler too.  I live in Dulac, LA which is south of Houma.  I have been homeschooling for 14 years.  I started when my oldest son was 2 years old, he's 16 now.  There weren't many homeschoolers back then.  Most people thought we were crazy.  Now they can see the difference that homeschooling has made my children's lives.  My husband used to work in the oilfield years ago.  We now own and operate a charter fishing business.  It's nice to see other homeschooler's from Louisiana here!


I definitely know where Dulac is! I've been there a few times. I am a homeschooling newbie. I may need lots of help... 




littlepeppers said:


> I still remember when my dad swapped to 14/14 when I was a kid.  7 days flies, but 14 never ends.
> 
> What dept. does Chisom work in?  I'll ask DH.  DH is supposed to be off tomorrow, but his relief is on vacation.
> 
> Going read DS lesson for tomorrow while my embroidery machine puts a minnie on a tank


I'm not sure what Chisom does.. He works with Daryll Morgan.. whatever he does. I know both of their wives very well.

Are either of you a member of the Houma/Thibodaux homeschooling group? They have a group on yahoo groups, and meet monthly I think. I've posted there a couple of times, but haven't posted that much lately.
I wish there was a more local group for me, but I know that more than likely if I want to be a part of any group it will be in the Houma or New Orleans area.
Several people I have told that I am planning on homeschooling have made really mean comments about how my DD will turn out to be a socially awkward freak....  We have so many activities that we can be involved with at church that honestly I am not that worried bout the social stuff.


----------



## littlepeppers

*Toadstool* said:


> Are either of you a member of the Houma/Thibodaux homeschooling group? They have a group on yahoo groups, and meet monthly I think. I've posted there a couple of times, but haven't posted that much lately.
> I wish there was a more local group for me, but I know that more than likely if I want to be a part of any group it will be in the Houma or New Orleans area.
> Several people I have told that I am planning on homeschooling have made really mean comments about how my DD will turn out to be a socially awkward freak....  We have so many activities that we can be involved with at church that honestly I am not that worried bout the social stuff.



New Orleans group?  Are you nuts?  There was a cajun HS group but the only email activity I see w/ them is spam.  The Houma/Thib group is pretty active.  

Ask your local librarian if there are any HS that come to the library.  See if you can leave a note for them w/ your contact info.  I find the Houma/Thib group kind of keep among themselves online.  We haven't met them for anything.

I get so mad when people think HS kids aren't socialized.  My DS wanted to do so many things, but school & the excess homework & tears was taking up all of his time.  He will be able to be more social now.  He has already joined Jiu-jitsu, he is signed up for soccer & baseball again too.  We are thinking about putting him in music lessons if his schedule permits.  He wants to take trumpet lessons, but I think that the lack of front teeth may cause a problem here.  He needs to wait a few years.  He has a guitar too, maybe he will want to take it up.  He will even have time to play w/ the kids by the house.  Last school year we often had to tell them that DS couldn't play b/c he had too much homework.  I think that his social calendar will be more well rounded outside of a regular school.


----------



## MomTo4+more

3princesses+aprince said:


> My dd just turned 10 and will doing 4th grade work this year. She HATES to write. I have her reading a lot more now since PS got out and she's even enjoying it  But writing, forget it.
> 
> Can anyone recommend anything in particular? I want her to somewhat like writing. Even if she never truly enjoys it, I would like her to at least like it, because you can't really do something well if you despise it. I always despised math in middle school and I always struggled with it, until I got to high school and I had an awesome math teacher and really did well.
> 
> So, i'm thinking there must be a way out there to get her to semi-enjoy writing.
> 
> Thanks so much!




I have found Writing With Ease works well for my children.  It is very methodical and gentle in the approach.  First they are doing copysork and narrating from good, short passages of literature.  They slowly build on their skills until they are taking dictation and starting to write their own thoughts.  They explain it much better than I can in the book.  Basically they teach children to write and to be able to hold their own thoughts in their head long enough to get those thoughts down on paper.  It's working well for both my dd's - the one who loves to write and the resistant writer.


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## Disney Mommy 3

I was going to suggest Writing With Ease as well. We just got it, will be starting soon...I am very excited about it.My best friend used it last year and she said it worked wonders...she has some writing Haters as well!! I have read part of the book and it makes so much since...we ordered workbook level 2 to get us going. We are in 8th and 5th  grade, sothey have had some writing already, but didnt like it....Level 3 is gonna come out at the end of summer, I will order it too. I am sure my older son will be ready for that soon.


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## wvdislover

Maybe try some journal writing or creative writing, to maybe get her more interested in writing.  Give her some cues to start her off, some ideas that may make a funny story or a story about a fond memory.  Good luck...I may check into the Writing with Ease, too.  My DDalmost12 doesn't like writing either, and usually writes a paragraph with only one long sentence ...difficult for a former English teacher to deal with


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Thanks so much, i'll definitely look into writing with ease, sounds great. I have tried getting her writing about fun things we did or were waiting to do, but nothing gets her excited about writing. My friend from work did say that she was going to bring me something that her brothers were doing. It starts off with a little sentence and you have to finish writing something, they are usually funny things. Like, If I were locked in a toy store over night...... Things like that, so i'll let you know if that works out, that sounds cute. But I feel she may like that , but when it comes to writing other things, we'll be back to square 1, so i'm going to go check out writing with ease.

Thanks again!!!!


----------



## deanainnc

Has anyone used Landmark curriculum?  

We went to our states homeschool conference and my son going into 9th grade showed this curriculum to me and asked could we try it this coming year.  We have been using ACE and doing good with it.  My son liked the fact that he did not have to look at a different lesson plan book to see how much school work to do everyday in each subject.

What's everyone's opinon on Landmark?


----------



## *Toadstool*

littlepeppers said:


> New Orleans group?  Are you nuts?  There was a cajun HS group but the only email activity I see w/ them is spam.  The Houma/Thib group is pretty active.
> 
> Ask your local librarian if there are any HS that come to the library.  See if you can leave a note for them w/ your contact info.  I find the Houma/Thib group kind of keep among themselves online.  We haven't met them for anything.
> 
> I get so mad when people think HS kids aren't socialized.  My DS wanted to do so many things, but school & the excess homework & tears was taking up all of his time.  He will be able to be more social now.  He has already joined Jiu-jitsu, he is signed up for soccer & baseball again too.  We are thinking about putting him in music lessons if his schedule permits.  He wants to take trumpet lessons, but I think that the lack of front teeth may cause a problem here.  He needs to wait a few years.  He has a guitar too, maybe he will want to take it up.  He will even have time to play w/ the kids by the house.  Last school year we often had to tell them that DS couldn't play b/c he had too much homework.  I think that his social calendar will be more well rounded outside of a regular school.


What are you saying about the New Orleans area or group? 
I go to New Orleans pretty regularly, so I wouldn't mind going there if the group there fits me better.
It seems like most of the Houma/Thibodaux group has older kids, and I really wanted to find some with younger kids. Did you see the add in the paper? It says something about homeschooling group has a certain number of spots left for 1st through 6th grade.. I think that may be the group that does it together, but meets in a building and stuff.
I don't think I'd be interested in that.


----------



## Mouseketeer67

*Toadstool* said:


> I definitely know where Dulac is! I've been there a few times. I am a homeschooling newbie. I may need lots of help...
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not sure what Chisom does.. He works with Daryll Morgan.. whatever he does. I know both of their wives very well.
> 
> Are either of you a member of the Houma/Thibodaux homeschooling group? They have a group on yahoo groups, and meet monthly I think. I've posted there a couple of times, but haven't posted that much lately.
> I wish there was a more local group for me, but I know that more than likely if I want to be a part of any group it will be in the Houma or New Orleans area.
> Several people I have told that I am planning on homeschooling have made really mean comments about how my DD will turn out to be a socially awkward freak....  We have so many activities that we can be involved with at church that honestly I am not that worried bout the social stuff.



I was a member of the Houma / Thibodaux group a couple years back.  My kids were older than most of the kids in the group, so they never made any real friends there.  We went bowling with that group on several ocassions and met them at Pinnochios Pizza a few times, but like I said my kids were older than the majority of the group.  It's also a group for catholics.  My family is catholic and active in our local church.  My kids attend cathecism class there and I teach the first communion class.  Anyway, there are a few moms in the Houma / Thibodaux group that are snobbish to the moms who do not use the Seton curriculum.  I attended catholic school growing up, I know how snobbish people can be.  I really didn't expect to meet snobbish catholic homeschoolers!  Don't get me wrong, not everyone in that group is a snob.  There are some really great families in that group too.  We were just older than the rest of the group at the functions that we attended. 

Don't buy into the "your kids will turn out to be socially awkward freaks" bit.  My three kids a social butterfies.  They have a close knit group of friends that I like very much.  I always know where they are and who they are with.
My daughter has been attending dance classes for 11 years.  She has made some good friends there, & at church too.  My sons are both into fishing and hunting and are proud to be able to take their friends fishing with dad.  We took all the kids and their best friends hydrosliding and tubing yesterday.  They all had a blast!  School is starting here again on August 10, I'm not sure I'm ready for the summer to end.  My kids best friends attend catholic school, so we follow their schedule.  That way all the kids get the same days off during the year.  Homeschooling has been a blessing for my family.


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## danjoealexis3006

Can anyone here recommend a science curriculum for a child who is supposed to be starting in 5th grade but can only read at a 3rd grade level? I need something that is hands on (but not overboard) and I am willing to read the text. I am considering Alpha Omegas Life Pack or Sonlight. Anyone use these?


----------



## littlepeppers

*Toadstool* said:


> What are you saying about the New Orleans area or group?
> I go to New Orleans pretty regularly, so I wouldn't mind going there if the group there fits me better.
> It seems like most of the Houma/Thibodaux group has older kids, and I really wanted to find some with younger kids. Did you see the add in the paper? It says something about homeschooling group has a certain number of spots left for 1st through 6th grade.. I think that may be the group that does it together, but meets in a building and stuff.
> I don't think I'd be interested in that.



New Orleans is getting soooooo dangerous.  Even Houma is getting dangerous.  I avoid Houma when possible too, but they have so many more stores than Thibodaux.  It hate it when I go into town & have to deal w/ the nasty people who steal, let their kids break things, ......, and it makes me angry to know that the prices go up b/c of those people.


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## littlepeppers

Mouseketeer67 said:


> I was a member of the Houma / Thibodaux group a couple years back.  My kids were older than most of the kids in the group, so they never made any real friends there.  We went bowling with that group on several ocassions and met them at Pinnochios Pizza a few times, but like I said my kids were older than the majority of the group.  It's also a group for catholics.  My family is catholic and active in our local church.  My kids attend cathecism class there and I teach the first communion class.  Anyway, there are a few moms in the Houma / Thibodaux group that are snobbish to the moms who do not use the Seton curriculum.  I attended catholic school growing up, I know how snobbish people can be.  I really didn't expect to meet snobbish catholic homeschoolers!  Don't get me wrong, not everyone in that group is a snob.  There are some really great families in that group too.  We were just older than the rest of the group at the functions that we attended.
> 
> Don't buy into the "your kids will turn out to be socially awkward freaks" bit.  My three kids a social butterfies.  They have a close knit group of friends that I like very much.  I always know where they are and who they are with.
> My daughter has been attending dance classes for 11 years.  She has made some good friends there, & at church too.  My sons are both into fishing and hunting and are proud to be able to take their friends fishing with dad.  We took all the kids and their best friends hydrosliding and tubing yesterday.  They all had a blast!  School is starting here again on August 10, I'm not sure I'm ready for the summer to end.  My kids best friends attend catholic school, so we follow their schedule.  That way all the kids get the same days off during the year.  Homeschooling has been a blessing for my family.



We are catholic too.  My DS attended Maria Immacalota for Pre-K & K and St. Mary's for 1st.  I noticed that a lot of people used Seton, but the science & social studies book were too slanted.  I want my DS to learn his lessons & his religion & find the way that they mesh together for himself.  

I'm sure if there are Seton snobbs in the Ave Maria group, then they really not like my reason for not going w/ it.    We joined Ave Maria, but haven't met w/ them or anything.  My DH & I are both science majors & do not like the left out parts of some of the major religious curriculums.  I even had to teach sex ed to 7th graders for 9 years.  (I know, I'm going to heaven for that one.)  I tend to use very scientific explinations to address edgy questions.

When school & starts again we are planning on still attending St. Mary's Friday kids mass (we asked his old principal 1st).  I think that I'm going to keep Friday's non-curriculum.  I think we will go to kids mass, the library, review his CCD from Mon, & do some Time4learning on the computer.

We start CCD Aug 10th.  I'm not thrilled about that, but this year has two big saccraments.

I am glad that your kids still like it even as they are gettin older.  I hope mine do too.


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## wvdislover

danjoealexis3006 said:


> Can anyone here recommend a science curriculum for a child who is supposed to be starting in 5th grade but can only read at a 3rd grade level? I need something that is hands on (but not overboard) and I am willing to read the text. I am considering Alpha Omegas Life Pack or Sonlight. Anyone use these?



Look at the Apologia elementary science curricula.  There are a few to choose from...astronomy, botany, flying creatures, land creatures, and sea creatures.  A couple of these also have activity notebooks that go with them that look really cool.  I almost did this with my DD12 for 7th grade b/c of these, but decided to try General Science with her this year.  If it's too advanced for her (she's a bit behind academically, too), we'll go back and hit one of these elementary books.


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## polkadotsuitcase

3princesses+aprince said:


> My dd just turned 10 and will doing 4th grade work this year. She HATES to write. I have her reading a lot more now since PS got out and she's even enjoying it  But writing, forget it.
> 
> Can anyone recommend anything in particular? I want her to somewhat like writing. Even if she never truly enjoys it, I would like her to at least like it, because you can't really do something well if you despise it. I always despised math in middle school and I always struggled with it, until I got to high school and I had an awesome math teacher and really did well.
> 
> So, i'm thinking there must be a way out there to get her to semi-enjoy writing.
> 
> Thanks so much!



I'd suggest letting her do a lot of fun writing -- can you start a blog together? (You can keep it private so the wackadoos online can't see if that's a concern.) We also love the books "Unjournaling" and "Yoga for the Brain" (I think that's the second title...have to check). They're just fun writing exercises that kids really like because sometimes they're goofy or silly. Or, if you want something more structured, my guys (11 and 9) like "Hot Fudge Monday" -- we read a book aloud (right now it's "Rascal") and I'll point out a great use of verbs, nouns, adjectives, literary device, whatever. Then we'll find a page in "HFM" that lets the kids work on that element themselves, writing creatively. 

Disclaimer: I'm a writer by profession, so I'm a total "writing is fun!" geek anyway. But my youngest is a reluctant writer, and what I've mentioned above does get him fired up about it. Good luck!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Polkadotsuitcase~ Love your name and your avatar!!! Too cute!!


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## polkadotsuitcase

Thanks, Disney Mommy 3!


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## littlepeppers

polkadotsuitcase said:


> Thanks, Disney Mommy 3!



How is camping & HS?  We went look at campers today.  My DH works 7&7, so we could take off for 5+ days easily at a time.


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## polkadotsuitcase

littlepeppers said:


> How is camping & HS?  We went look at campers today.  My DH works 7&7, so we could take off for 5+ days easily at a time.



Do you mean HSing while camping? Depending on the length of the trip, you can either do unschooling (if it's a short trip) or just bring your stuff along, do math/lang arts as usual and tailor science/history to wherever you happen to be (ocean/earth science for the beach, for example).

For us, the key is to get the core stuff done early, so we know it's done and we're more able to follow rabbit trails, wherever our interests lead us, without guilt -- the temptation to just go play is pretty strong!  You'll have a blast.


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## gerberdaisy1234

Totally off topic but... I am so excited I ran my first 5K today.  It was my goal since I turned 40 in January.  Woo Hoo! Fat, Forty, and with my monthly friend- 38.30 minutes.Can't wait to see what my time will be when I finally get under 200 

My husband wanted to hang with me for our first 5k together. He is so sweet.

The kids did the one mile fun run and had a great time.  DS came in first!  Good cause and family fitness!

Hope everyone has a happy, healthy week!


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## MomTo4+more

Good job on the 5K!


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## Disney Mommy 3

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Totally off topic but... I am so excited I ran my first 5K today.  It was my goal since I turned 40 in January.  Woo Hoo! Fat, Forty, and with my monthly friend- 38.30 minutes.Can't wait to see what my time will be when I finally get under 200
> 
> My husband wanted to hang with me for our first 5k together. He is so sweet.
> 
> The kids did the one mile fun run and had a great time.  DS came in first!  Good cause and family fitness!
> 
> Hope everyone has a happy, healthy week!



That is soooo awesome!! And you have your whole family involved..way to go! I am proud of you!!!


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## Lisa loves Pooh

Hello--we are homeschooling as well (popped up on the original thread every now and then).

We are catholic and use the Mother of Divine grace syllabus sold through Emmanual books. I sub out the math and attempt to supplement as I can.  


I am attending a catholic homeschool conference in Tampa next weekend.  Nice to get some spiritual support for once as that is lacking in my area. Finally met a homeschooling catholic friend and we are going over there together.


gerber daisy--I am nowhere near 200 when I last attempted 5K (a bit closer now!!! lol!) and I could NOT break 40 minutes. I don't recall my time, but I know well enough that your time is...AWESOME!


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## gerberdaisy1234

Thank you... It was fun to do as a family. We are all excited to do another.  My husband will get to go at his pace next time but he really wanted to stick with me this one.  If anyone has the opportunity to do it...I say get everyone involved.  

We try to do family walk/sprints a few mornings a week when my DH gets home from night shift.  One morning when we got home my DS (who loves any activity) said, "Mommy, you are not doing this for fun, you are doing it for Disney." LOL My kids know that I use planning Disney trips as my motivation to exercise and eat healthy! (I think that that is why my DH agreed to another trip in January-LOL)

We are going to log on and do the Presidental Fitness Award.


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## gerberdaisy1234

We have started are Epcot unit. 
 We started with Mexico.  
I purchased the Epcot book on CD from vacationeducation. We can read the information about the country at Epcot on the computer.

Then we use Google Earth which is amazing.  You "fly" to Epcot with close-up bird's-eye photo. Then you can click on photos that users have uploaded of park.  Then we can "fly" to the country we are learning about, see real photos, if you have not downloaded Google Earth- it is AMAZING! 

We check out books from the library about the country.  

I got a year subscription to edhelper.com.  It was only 19.95 for the year. It is an awesome resource (it has an amazing range of activities).  I can print out math problems, maps, language skills, spelling, reading, puzzles, etc. related to our country on each childs level. 

They are very excited.  I let them pick our nex country. We are going to Japan next.


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## NHWX

We just finished a road trip to Yellowstone. 

So we had American History (Lewis and Clark stops along the highway plus all the history at Yellowstone), Earth Science (geysers, springs, uplift rates, the super volcano, Wyoming's great road signs about the age of the mountains along the road to Cody), art (photography, paintings and sculpture at the lodges and ranger stations) and plenty of self-assigned reading as we drove there and back.

We also stopped at the Minuteman National Historic Site and Mt. Rushmore. Both of those went towards history. 

The Badlands and Wind Cave National Park were more Earth Science.

We even did a little writing, sending scrambled puzzle postcards to family members. The boys sent a couple pieces each in separate envelopes. 

My oldest also listened to some free lectures from iTunesU on his ipod, though he only did that with substantial prodding.

Oh, and gobs of PE with all the hiking. 

I'd definitely say that you could work camping and homeschooling together.

NHWX


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## jillybeene71

Im very interested in homeschooling my 8 year old (3rd grade). If there are any Louisiana homeschooling moms out there that can point me into the right direction of where to start, I would appreciate it. 
tia


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## Mommy2three

is anyone using a virtual charter school this year?  I signed the kids up during the open enrollment for wisconsin and will be using wisconsin virtual learning and doing the k12 cirriculum.


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## 3princesses+aprince

I'm excited about the camping talk. I love to camp as well, and we have a campground not too far from where we live and we are thinking about buying an RV and placing on this campground seasonally!!!! We are very excited and I figured that homeschooling would be quite easy and very FUN to do while we are there instead of at home.


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## Disney Mommy 3

We had a camper when my second one was just a baby..we really enjoyed it. We sold it because my hubby was not going to be able to take 3day weekends for a while and it was just too much $$$ a month and insurance to not use it. We have talked about renting one (that you drive, not pull) and going up to Tennessee or somewhere for a summer trip...They are soooo cozy and it's such good family time!


----------



## littlepeppers

jillybeene71 said:


> Im very interested in homeschooling my 8 year old (3rd grade). If there are any Louisiana homeschooling moms out there that can point me into the right direction of where to start, I would appreciate it.
> tia



got to the dept of ed website.  look under parents
there is a homeschool section

you  have a choice:  establish yourself as a private school & they leave you alone or you can do a home study w/ a little reporting each year.  w/ the home study your child can still take part in LEAP & TOPS.  The only reporting necessary is a standardized test or a letter from a certified teacher stating that they have met the GLEs for the grade level.  

You need to decide soon.  You have to file an application.  You only have 15 days after school starte.  Our 2 local parishes start Aug 7th & 8th.


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## littlepeppers

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> We had a camper when my second one was just a baby..we really enjoyed it. We sold it because my hubby was not going to be able to take 3day weekends for a while and it was just too much $$$ a month and insurance to not use it. We have talked about renting one (that you drive, not pull) and going up to Tennessee or somewhere for a summer trip...They are soooo cozy and it's such good family time!



I'm a princess.  I can't help of think of just how many really nice resort, hotel, touring..... vacations we can go on for just the price of the camper & insurance.

I know the kids would like it, but I'm not so sure that it is my thing.

I mean.....IT WOULD USE UP MY DISNEY $ EVERY YEAR.  Can I let that happen?


----------



## littlepeppers

3princesses+aprince said:


> I'm excited about the camping talk. I love to camp as well, and we have a campground not too far from where we live and we are thinking about buying an RV and placing on this campground seasonally!!!! We are very excited and I figured that homeschooling would be quite easy and very FUN to do while we are there instead of at home.



DH really wants one.  He said that they even have internet at most parks.  We would need it for HS.  We don't have many places very close.  I worry about my trucks getting some years on them too.

I bet it would work great w/ HS.  It would be a freeing environment.  It is so hot right now that our lessons are in DS room.  I want to break free of the traditional setting, go outside, in the pool, on fieldtrips.......


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

littlepeppers said:


> I'm a princess.  I can't help of think of just how many really nice resort, hotel, touring..... vacations we can go on for just the price of the camper & insurance.
> 
> I know the kids would like it, but I'm not so sure that it is my thing.
> 
> I mean.....IT WOULD USE UP MY DISNEY $ EVERY YEAR.  Can I let that happen?



I would rather do Disney too!!!!


----------



## mistee

i have always homeschooled my dd now age 11. she is great in reading, math, history and science. Her weak areas are writing and spelling,, espically spelling..

We started homeschooling w/ calvert but then after a few years i starting coming up w/ my own program as calvert was getting to $$$.

last year we had a new baby and things were real hectic as he was in the nicu for some time so I signed her up for time4learning.

I don't know what curriculum to do this year. I live in DE and they don't offer any free online public schools That would have been perfect for us.. I am trying to find something w/ little planning on my end but not to much $$$$.

any suggestions?


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Irene, 
Have you checked into Rod & Staff's Spelling? They are very solid...we used them last year and we really liked it. ABeka has a good spelling program also. I liked them both...but Rod and Staff was the cheaper one!!!!


----------



## SCHBR'smom

I could use some advice, please.

I've been researching curriculums for homeschool.  This will be our first year.  My oldest will be in 5th, next will be 1st, the rest are not yet old enough for school.  (Well, DD4 could be in preschool and I'll do some with her, but no curriculum.)  I'm having a hard time figuring out what to do for history.  Where to start and what to do?  I know schools do not do history chronologically, but I've heard that others think that is the best way to go.  Also, here in Texas, Texas history is required.  I figured I could order some Texas history books from Barnes and Noble and do my own teaching, but I'm not sure on the rest.  Any advice and personal opinions are welcome?  Please help me find a direction.  Any good curriculums I should be looking closely at?

Thanks


----------



## MomTo4+more

For history, my children and I have really enjoyed Story of the World.  My children will be in 5th grade, 2nd grade, and K this fall.  We are in the second half of SOTW 4.  We are just starting World War 2 history.  I noticed that my 5 year old is listening more than I thought he was when I gave him one too many commandes in a day and he responded, "Heil, Mommy"  with his arm outstrectched.  It was the most recent example of how much the curriculum is catching and holding their attention.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Hi Kerri...   We are in Tx as well. We haven't done Texas history yet...that will come later, we are doing our own kinda scope & sequence for History. I have friends that grouped their kids together for History with Story of the World. We do not because my older son was on a different time schedule by the time my middle one started...and the youngest is just now in 1st, so I just did them seperately. We use Truth Quest and we really enjoy it...You use a guide and just read along and pick out whatever book you are interested in for further study of each topic. For ex., last year for early Amer. history, one option  was 'Johnny Tremain',I have the book, but we got it on cd and all 3 kids(and me!) listened to it. We really enjoy doing that.

For other curr.-my middle one is in 5th grade. He's in some 5th and some 6th grade stuff...for math you should check into Teaching Textbooks...it's awesome and really gets the job done (& done well), + it frees up some time for you during your teaching. This will be our second year using it. We actually used 5th last year and will be doing 6th this year. My oldest is in the Algebra this year....I have to rave about this curriculum!!!

Rod and Staff is great for Grammar....we used it last year (4th and 7th grade level) and I was very impressed with it. Very solid...enough repitition that they get it, but not enough for them to be bored to death. Do you read any books by Ruth Beechick? She is awesome!! One thing she recommends  is that once they get the basics of Grammar, you can review back, but you don't have to keep drilling it over and over, year after year. I totally agree with this...after R&S last year, both boys have a very good grip on it, and we aren't going to do grammar this year. We are going to focus on writing.  We are gonna use Writing With Ease by Susan Wise Bauer. This could be used with your younger kids on up through the oldest. The next two levels of workbooks (3 & 4) are due out soon. 

R & S have great Spelling, Readers, Math and Bible stuff as well!! All their stuff is solid, the pictures are plain and not flashy, but my kids really like it. 

ABeka is great for the younger levels...they have an awesome phonics program. We started out with them, but around 2nd grade they really start packing it on!!!!

For Science, we are loving Apologia!!! We have used this for the last 2 years and just love it!! You could definitely combine your children for this curriculum.

Another one you might want to check into is the Five In A Row. Especially with your younger ones. You purchase the volume you are interested in, then you get books (Mostly available at libraries...they are usually all Newberry/Caldecott winners) and read one story, 5 days in a row. One day you focus on the Art work, day 2 may be the math in the story, day 3 the Science, and so on, for all 5 days of the week. My kids really loved FIAR.

I am sure I have forgotten something!!! but, hope this helps a little!!!!


----------



## Beavers5

mistee said:


> i have always homeschooled my dd now age 11. she is great in reading, math, history and science. Her weak areas are writing and spelling,, espically spelling..
> 
> We started homeschooling w/ calvert but then after a few years i starting coming up w/ my own program as calvert was getting to $$$.
> 
> last year we had a new baby and things were real hectic as he was in the nicu for some time so I signed her up for time4learning.
> 
> I don't know what curriculum to do this year. I live in DE and they don't offer any free online public schools That would have been perfect for us.. I am trying to find something w/ little planning on my end but not to much $$$$.
> 
> any suggestions?



We seem to be doing the same things in different orders.  I started out with piecing together our own curriculum.  When DD1 was born, we switched to Time4Learning. DS didn't like T4L, he is more into textbooks.  So, this year we are using Calvert.  I was actually pleasantly surprised with their prices.  We are using the full 5th grade curriculum with ATS, Spanish Enrichment, and PK; with coupons it only cost $1100 ($280 down, <$100 a month).  

I don't have much advice since you've tried most of the stuff I have.    But, DS, liked Saxon math since he could do it independently.


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## 3princesses+aprince

SCHBR'smom said:


> I could use some advice, please.
> 
> I've been researching curriculums for homeschool.  This will be our first year.  My oldest will be in 5th, next will be 1st, the rest are not yet old enough for school.  (Well, DD4 could be in preschool and I'll do some with her, but no curriculum.)  I'm having a hard time figuring out what to do for history.  Where to start and what to do?  I know schools do not do history chronologically, but I've heard that others think that is the best way to go.  Also, here in Texas, Texas history is required.  I figured I could order some Texas history books from Barnes and Noble and do my own teaching, but I'm not sure on the rest.  Any advice and personal opinions are welcome?  Please help me find a direction.  Any good curriculums I should be looking closely at?
> 
> Thanks



I wasn't sure what I was going to do with History for this year either. It was recommended that I look at Truthquest and that looked great to me, that is what we're going to try for this year. I am actually going to purchase that book next week.
I'm not sure if you have a Science curriculum picked out yet, but Apologia looks EXCELLENT, we already bought that book for this year and it looks so great. All of my kids will be able to do Science together. (10, 8 and 5) Of course the older can do more and the younger will do less, but we'll be learning together with this. We chose the Land Animals book for our first year. My dd just looks through it every few days, she can't wait to start.


----------



## SCHBR'smom

Thanks for all the great advice everyone!!!  I'm hoping to start ordering this weekend.  This should be quite an adventure!


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## Disney Mommy 3

SCHBR'smom said:


> Thanks for all the great advice everyone!!!  I'm hoping to start ordering this weekend.  This should be quite an adventure!



It will be!!! The Greatest Adventure you will take with those little muchkins!!!


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## 3princesses+aprince

SCHBR'smom said:


> Thanks for all the great advice everyone!!!  I'm hoping to start ordering this weekend.  This should be quite an adventure!




This will be our first year homeschooling and that is what I keep saying as well. I hope to have a blast with HSing this year!!!


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## littlepeppers

3princesses+aprince said:


> This will be our first year homeschooling and that is what I keep saying as well. I hope to have a blast with HSing this year!!!



I'm hoping that HS will feel more freeing once we get used to it.  I hope that being able to go outside will help free up the feeling.

DS wants to do his work in his room, but it is so traditional.  I think he is still stuck on the regular school ticket.  Hopefully we can break it.  DH is a scheduled & routine person who thinks we pretty much need a bell schedule.  I don't want that.  

Like right now.  DS wanted to dance w/ his sister and watch Highschool Musical 3.  I don't have problems w/ letting them spend time together.  It actually gives me some time to myself.  DH wants routine.  As a former teacher, my whole life was ruled by a clock.  I want to leave that behind & enjoy my kids.  I missed so much of DS when I worked.

We are almost finished 10 days of our 1/2 day schooling.  A grand total of 5 school days to report to the state.  I think that we will stay on the 1/2 day schedule for another week or two.  Hope everyone has a great start to their school year.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Littlepepper~
I agree! Have fun!!!! That's why kids like field trips so much... no sitting in a desk watching the clock!!  I do have a schedule, but it's VERY bendable. If they dread it they aren't gonna like it! We do school all over the house, outside on the swing...and they read everywhere... When we first started hsing, I made them do it in the morning and be finished at a certain time... but I had a nursing baby and needed that afternoon rest!! I still try to stick to that,it's easier for us to have afternoons free...but that's still a lot of hours in the morning to get it all finished. We like to do our reading in the afternoons!!!


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## MICKEYMOMMYTO3

Glad to see a thread for homeschoolers, I have been homeschooling for 3 yrs now : )
We LOVE it!!!


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## Disney Mommy 3

MICKEYMOMMYTO3 said:


> Glad to see a thread for homeschoolers, I have been homeschooling for 3 yrs now : )
> We LOVE it!!!



  we are glad you found us!!! This is a really fun thread...we can talk about school and Mickey!! What a great combo!!


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## littlepeppers

I'm cutting out our CM thank you cards.  

I'm hoping to teach DS to look for the positive people & examples of people doing their jobs w/ pride.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Hey, I had to get us off the 3rd page!!!  I also just wanted to say that I've been posting for quite a few months now while deciding whether to homeschool or not. We, of course, decided to do it a few months ago, but my dd5 wanted to go to Kindergarten with her friends, she did not want to homeschool. I figured we'd see how the summer goes and hopefully she'll change her mind. We've since met with our new homeschool group for a field trip and signed up for co-op for the fall. They're going to be doing music, art and physical education. They even have a retired music teacher coming in and it sounds like a lot of fun.  Well, dd5 has been getting excited about it lately, and the other day we were in walmart buying notebooks for our Science experiments and folders to store all of their work in, Well, she just associates buying school supplies with going back to "school" and she looked at me with this worried look and said "I don't want to go to school, I thought we were going to homeschool" I wasn't sure if I heard her right at first, I thought she said she doesn't want to homeschool but when she repeated herself I was so excited. She thought she was going to PS because we were buying school supplies, so I explained to her what they were for and all is well. People have been telling me that I should be the one deciding on whether or not to homeschool the kids, not the kids, because in the end I know that this is good for them but I didn't want to force her to do it if she was going to be looking out the window when the bus pulls up wishing she was in school. I felt too guilty. So over the past few months we've been seeing the other kids in the homeschool group and doing math worksheets (my dd5 is the first one to ask every day if we can do math)  I think the more they get excited about it and the more we do, especially once we really start they will forget about going to "school" and homeschooling will be the way we learn and I hope they'll never say they wish they were in school. Boy how I wish I thought about this before they all went to school.  But I just wanted to post that here, I know I posted a lot while I was stressed out about what to do and everyone is so helpful here.


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## Temair

I so need some advice.  I'm still trying to figure out what to do for this years curriculum.  I thought I knew what I was going to do.  My original plans was the following for my DD who turns 10 and going into grade 5.
Math -MUS Epsilon
LA- Spelling Power, 2nd half of Basic Winston Grammar, Wordsmith Apprentice, Vocabulary Workshop, Reading books.
His- 2nd half of SOTW Vol 4
Sci- Various Books on Astronomy

Well since I'm now expecting a baby and due in February I'm thinking about going to more independent self directed curriculum.  Like CLE or A&O SOS, or Lifepacs.  What I'm looking for is a program that DD could use through middle and high school.  Preferably a curriculum that would challenge my DD, and let her work at her own pace.  And a curriculum that is good, solid, and has them ready to head to college or university.


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## NHWX

Congrats on the happy news Temair!

I don't have any experience with the curricula that you mentioned. I used K12 through 8th grade but decided that I didn't want to go through the sign-up process, the higher fees and the teacher instruction that K12 does once you hit ninth grade.

You might want to really look at something that will work well for the next couple of years since children can change a lot over time. 

Or, you might want to ask around and see what other kids in your area are using. That way, when you start doing more complicated science with labs or more difficult math, she'll be able to work with others. I certainly wished my older son could have had a math study group last year.

NHWX


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## Disneyaddict78

I am so happy to see the thread for homeschoolers..I have not read the last one so I will be sure to read it later...why did it get stopped???

I am in heaven now..LOL...a group who loves dis and homeschools...does it get better then that?


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## thebeesknees

Temair said:


> I so need some advice.  I'm still trying to figure out what to do for this years curriculum.  I thought I knew what I was going to do.
> 
> Well since I'm now expecting a baby and due in February I'm thinking about going to more independent self directed curriculum.  Like CLE or A&O SOS, or Lifepacs.  What I'm looking for is a program that DD could use through middle and high school.  Preferably a curriculum that would challenge my DD, and let her work at her own pace.  And a curriculum that is good, solid, and has them ready to head to college or university.



My friend uses Lifepacs with her kids (15 and 9) and really likes them. The kids are mostly self-directed, and of course, she looks things over and helps them out when they need it. I'd definitely look into it. The other option is to take a month off when the baby comes and start school in the fall a week or two early, then go a week or two later in the spring. Most of my friends who've had newborns have done this successfully, and once the family establishes a good routine after the baby comes, they continue their homeschooling as before. The baby sleeps a good bit at first, anyway, so you can get a lot done then. By the time it's awake more during the day, it will be summer and you can just start up as usual in the fall. Good luck to you!


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## Praise2Him

We used Lifepacs in high school. They are very good for self-directed learners.


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## chicagoshannon

hi everyone.  We started pre school this week.  Right now I'm just trying to incorporate things into play like color review with her toys.  We're learning to use scissors at the moment and starting to trace.  Once she gets the tracing down I'll start with the curriculum I bought.  She can cut with the scissors but needs me to help her hold the paper.

The way she's going with her letter sounds and sounding out words she'll be reading before she's 3.  Oh and within the last 2 weeks the 1:1 counting has kicked in.  She has also started with the "why" questions so we're having fun learning with that.  lol


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## pooh'smate

I am 99% sure I want to start homeschooling my dd this year. She will be turning 4 in August. She already knows her colors, most of the alphabet by sight, and numbers by sight. She can almost write her name and spellsome words like car and noand on. She taught these to herself. We do read to her all the time. I have only really looked at sonlight. Is this a good prek program anybody have anything else I should know or tips? I am trying to read through the thread but it is slow going.


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## 3princesses+aprince

Hi Pooh'smate, I don't really have much advice on a pre k program, just wanted to say welcome and congrats on deciding to homeschool. This will be our first year as well!! My youngest will be doing a Kindergarten curriculum, we're using mostly Abeka.


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## littlepeppers

Where are we going wrong?

We are splittine our 2nd gd. Calvert lessons 1/2 right now.  They are taking us longer than a whold day is supposed to.  We are spending 3+ hrs on them.  Is everyone just getting by w/ the lessons & going through the motions?  I'm making him think & learn?  Is he just that slow?  

Maybe it is our review from prev. days that is eating our time.  I think the teacher in me is making him do too much.  God help us when we start whole days on Aug 7th.  (when everyone esle starts school)


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## MomTo4+more

pooh'smate said:


> I am 99% sure I want to start homeschooling my dd this year. She will be turning 4 in August. She already knows her colors, most of the alphabet by sight, and numbers by sight. She can almost write her name and spellsome words like car and noand on. She taught these to herself. We do read to her all the time. I have only really looked at sonlight. Is this a good prek program anybody have anything else I should know or tips? I am trying to read through the thread but it is slow going.




In my opinion there is plenty of time coming for more "formal" schooling.  In those preschool years, it's enough to read lots of good books together, explore outside, do fun craft projects, build with blocks, visit museums and farms, plant a garden. . .   With what your daughter already knows, it is clear that you are teaching in everyday life.  She is learning!  If you enjoy the time you have together and give her a rich environment to explore, she will keep learning.  She will love learning and have a strong relationship with you!  That will have set the stage beautifully for successfuul homeschooling.  I don't think a pre-K program is really necessary.  

That said, I did a formal preschool curriculum with my oldest.  With my middle child, we did some things because she wanted to "do school" like her sister.  I am starting K with my youngest this year.  He has mostly explored and played, but is just as ready as the girls were.  

Most of what I used for pre-K I found on-line for free.  Google Enchanted Learning, Danielle's Place, and DLTK.  Do a search for free preschool curriculum.  You will find a plethora of options.  My children enjoy Starfall.com for phonics and reading.  In addition to on-line materials, we have enjoyed workbooks from Kumon and Rod and Staff.  

Enjoy your daughter, and enjoy this homschooling journey!


----------



## chicagoshannon

pooh'smate said:


> I am 99% sure I want to start homeschooling my dd this year. She will be turning 4 in August. She already knows her colors, most of the alphabet by sight, and numbers by sight. She can almost write her name and spellsome words like car and noand on. She taught these to herself. We do read to her all the time. I have only really looked at sonlight. Is this a good prek program anybody have anything else I should know or tips? I am trying to read through the thread but it is slow going.



I bought Horizon's preschool materials.   Haven't used them yet.  BUT, I kind of wish I would have gone with Hands on Homeschool.

Right now we're working on fine motor skills like cutting (have a Kumon book) and learning to trace.  We also use letters to make words and sound them out.  Another skill to work on in Pre K is the 1 to 1 counting, where she can point to the items and count them correctly 1...2...3  instead of just going 1234567 and counting all her numbers when there are only say 3 object there.  Also make sure she learns lower case letters as well as upper case.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Little Peppers...that does sound like a long day!!!  Maybe you should shorten the review, or just cut it out. Does he seem to get it the day before when that IS the lesson? If so, just move on the next day. You will know when he isn't getting something. You can always do random review or ask him simple    ?S during the day, but I would let him move on. If not, by the time you do a full day,it's gonna be ALL day. That's too long for a younger student. I like the Charlotte Mason idea  that around 15 minutes of actually doing a subject is plenty. Once you teach the days theme, let him work on it for 15-20 minutes...not any longer. After that, they lose interest and they just get slower.If he doesn't get finished, so what? He can finish the next day or come back to it later in school time. This will also help you see if he is kind of dawdling, or if he is just really thinking it through and taking his time!!!Of course, the older they get that time can be stretched...my daughter is doing first grade now, and I notice that even when she is all full of steam and begging to do math or letters or whatever, after 15 minutes, maybe 20 she starts saying I am tired. Meaning, I am outta concentration here....let's quit!!!! They are just too young to vocalize (&don't even understand)about the concentration!! Try that and see how he does. I even put out the little timer for one of mine somedays!!!


----------



## DisneyMom5

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Little Peppers...that does sound like a long day!!!  Maybe you should shorten the review, or just cut it out. Does he seem to get it the day before when that IS the lesson? If so, just move on the next day. You will know when he isn't getting something. You can always do random review or ask him simple    ?S during the day, but I would let him move on. If not, by the time you do a full day,it's gonna be ALL day. That's too long for a younger student. I like the Charlotte Mason idea  that around 15 minutes of actually doing a subject is plenty. Once you teach the days theme, let him work on it for 15-20 minutes...not any longer. After that, they lose interest and they just get slower.If he doesn't get finished, so what? He can finish the next day or come back to it later in school time. This will also help you see if he is kind of dawdling, or if he is just really thinking it through and taking his time!!!Of course, the older they get that time can be stretched...my daughter is doing first grade now, and I notice that even when she is all full of steam and begging to do math or letters or whatever, after 15 minutes, maybe 20 she starts saying I am tired. Meaning, I am outta concentration here....let's quit!!!! They are just too young to vocalize (&don't even understand)about the concentration!! Try that and see how he does. I even put out the little timer for one of mine somedays!!!



I totally agree!  Review is only an issue if they're not retaining, OR, it's been a long break.  Hope you get things worked out!


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## bumbershoot

Just venting...

I can't choose a curriculum for kindergarten-age work.  I think I've heard of them all, but I can't decide.  What makes it harder is that so many of them are religious and we are NOT, and while hubby would just leave it out, I just wish the religious stuff was add-on...not stuff you have to leave off.  Harumph.

And I don't even WANT to do a curriculum yet, not really.  I was in Montessori until I started 1st, and that wasn't kindergarten.  It was a great school in Maria's tradition, but b/c I was there for only 2 years, and because things were presented in a way so different from the school I went to for 1st, i didn't even realize for YEARS that I was doing addition and subtraction before 1st grade...didn't know I knew it b/c it was shown so differently, LOL.

I'm digressing.  I feel the need to get a system b/c of DS.  He wants it.  Craves it.  He learns SO differently than I did/do.  He begged for workbooks and specific learning time when he wasn't even 4 yet....  He wants to officially learn something, and I'm trying to meet his needs...but I just can't decide.

And I was forgetful, and ended up being in CA during the big WA homeschool thing...and forgot to tell hubby to go to it.  Neither one of us has actually put hands on any of the books of the different curricula, and that would make such a difference.


I don't really want internet-based stuff.  DS gets a bit of computer time, and I don't feel that he needs to do his learning work there...  

Oh, and I'm shy and hate the phone, so I don't want to actually CALL these places to talk, LOL.  

Aughhhh.  

Vent done.  Thanks for reading.  


Oh wait...two (sets of) questions.

Can you do K12 without doing it online?  You do actually get books and worksheets, right?

and

Does Kumon have an actual program (not at their facilities) that could be used as homeschool work?  Or are they only a tutoring company and a company that puts out books that DS loves to learn from?


----------



## LorieDisneyLover

bumbershoot said:


> Just venting...
> 
> I can't choose a curriculum for kindergarten-age work.  I think I've heard of them all, but I can't decide.  What makes it harder is that so many of them are religious and we are NOT, and while hubby would just leave it out, I just wish the religious stuff was add-on...not stuff you have to leave off.  Harumph.
> 
> And I don't even WANT to do a curriculum yet, not really.  I was in Montessori until I started 1st, and that wasn't kindergarten.  It was a great school in Maria's tradition, but b/c I was there for only 2 years, and because things were presented in a way so different from the school I went to for 1st, i didn't even realize for YEARS that I was doing addition and subtraction before 1st grade...didn't know I knew it b/c it was shown so differently, LOL.
> 
> I'm digressing.  I feel the need to get a system b/c of DS.  He wants it.  Craves it.  He learns SO differently than I did/do.  He begged for workbooks and specific learning time when he wasn't even 4 yet....  He wants to officially learn something, and I'm trying to meet his needs...but I just can't decide.



bumbershoot,

Have you looked at Calvert's curriculum?  They are not religious ... online is not required and you can order either online or a phone call.   

We did K12 several years back and you do get physical books ... but I thought it was still too much online stuff for me ... most of the teacher's materials are online ... and I enjoy being online a lot ... but for homeschooling I enjoy having the physical books and manuals.  It seemed I was constantly going back and forth online and in the books and it wasn't all 'in one place.'

Calvert provides all you need in the box they send you ... however, there are online activities too IF you choose to use them.  The lesson manuals are well laid out with specific day to day activities.  

Lorie


----------



## SCHBR'smom

I haven't picked all our curriculum, yet, but we are doing some schooling already.  We've, also, been looking at maps and I just bought a globe.  The kids LOVE it.  DS was asking me to do a geography lesson today.  I'm glad they are getting excited about it.


----------



## bumbershoot

LorieDisneyLover said:


> bumbershoot,
> 
> Have you looked at Calvert's curriculum?  They are not religious ... online is not required and you can order either online or a phone call.
> 
> We did K12 several years back and you do get physical books ... but I thought it was still too much online stuff for me ... most of the teacher's materials are online ... and I enjoy being online a lot ... but for homeschooling I enjoy having the physical books and manuals.  It seemed I was constantly going back and forth online and in the books and it wasn't all 'in one place.'
> 
> Calvert provides all you need in the box they send you ... however, there are online activities too IF you choose to use them.  The lesson manuals are well laid out with specific day to day activities.
> 
> Lorie



I've looked into Calvert...I can't totally figure out their pricing structure, and what the online support cost really is...looks spendy!    Of course, they all are.

Which then, after my vent, brought me to the K12-online charter school pages, and I got really tempted.  But I'm kind of an all or nothing person, which I'm trying to work on really I am, and that feels like quitting or something, to me, in my mind, for us.  I hear others talk about it, and it sounds so cool, but for me and my son, when I think about it, it sounds negative.  Stupid of me.  I mentioned it to hubby and mentioned the whole "then it taps into school funds so it's free" and he just about fainted in joy.  

I sent an online message to them, and they're having an ice cream thing next week, so maybe I'll go meet up with some people, talk about what the day to day difference is, doing it "through" a school district.  


Back to Calvert, I really like the idea that day to day lessons are nicely set out.


It's funny, most of my family and friends think I'm a big 'ol hippie (I'm actually only sort of one...vegetarian but I kill spiders or order my Buddhist hubby to kill them, poor dude, I have wildly varying political views, etc etc etc etc), and if they knew about unschooling I'm sure they would think I'd be drawn to that...but neither DS nor I are!  We want structure, and I can't yet seem to find a structure (what the heck are they "supposed to" learn by the time they are 18, anyway?  lol...I can't find that on the WA school district's info website anymore, they moved it!), we both love workbooks (me just to zoom through the pages and have a stack of finished things...DS b/c they feel official to him)...but he REALLY doesn't "get" the concept that he actually is learning even when he doesn't think he is.  He also has these fabulous innate/intuitive grasps of things like numbers, and until he thinks about it he can do addition and every so often subtraction...and no matter what, I do not want to mess that up!  


I'm just blathering at this point.  Thank you for the Calvert suggestion.


----------



## Nicolepa

bumbershoot said:


> IWhich then, after my vent, brought me to the K12-online charter school pages, and I got really tempted.  But I'm kind of an all or nothing person, which I'm trying to work on really I am, and that feels like quitting or something, to me, in my mind, for us.  I hear others talk about it, and it sounds so cool, but for me and my son, when I think about it, it sounds negative.  Stupid of me.  I mentioned it to hubby and mentioned the whole "then it taps into school funds so it's free" and he just about fainted in joy.
> 
> I sent an online message to them, and they're having an ice cream thing next week, so maybe I'll go meet up with some people, talk about what the day to day difference is, doing it "through" a school district.




Bumbershoot, 

Definitly go to an info session.  I was totally not going to do K12 and then I went to an info session (two actually) and fell in love with the program.  My son is going into 2nd grade and he will be doing WAVA this year.  We just got our books this week.  I can't wait for his courses to get loaded online so we can get our school year started.

From what I have seen for K-2 (or 3) most of the work is done online.  You print out their evaluations, they take them and then you enter the score into the system.  K-3 most of the instruction is done by you, in 4th they are expected to be more self guided in doing their work.  

You can also get a demo account and that gives you full access to the program for a week or so w/o committing to it.


----------



## Beavers5

bumbershoot said:


> I've looked into Calvert...I can't totally figure out their pricing structure, and what the online support cost really is...looks spendy!    Of course, they all are.



We are using Calvert's 5th grade full curriculum with ATS, PK curriculum, and Spanish enrichment this year.  With no discounts, our cost would have been $1700.  We qualified for partial financial aid and used a coupon code from Facebook (I think it expires today) and our price ended up at $1100.  We paid $285 down and pay $98/month for 9 months.  With the coupon code (INSPIRE), you could save $30 off of ATS and they will waive the payment plan fee.  For Kindergarten, I would probably skip the ATS service.  I hadn't intended to get it for my 5th grader, but he is at a point where he works much better if accountable to someone other than me.  

PS If you add Calvert to your facebook, you will receive updates on specials and discounts.


----------



## MomTo4+more

I have been using The Well-Trained Mind for all three of my children.  This will be our 7th year homeschooling.  The Well-Trained Mind is not a boxed curriculum, but a guide to help you define your philosophy of education and choose curriculum that fits with it.  They have curriculum suggestions and some curriculum that has been written by the authors.  I love that it gives me enough structure balanced with freedom to make my own choices.  My children are learning with it and enjoying the process.  You can google it and find places to order the book on-line as well as a forum where you can "meet" other moms using it and get lots of insight.

As you try to decide which cussiculm to settle into, you could print out free worksheets on-line and make your own starter workbook.


----------



## andrychowski

Hi everyone,

I stopped by a long time ago, but haven't been by lately.  I am a homeschooling Mom of 4 (10, 8, 6, and 4).  We are planning a DW trip for December and I would love to "count" some of the activities we do toward their school year.  I know states have different laws, but PA is pretty strict.  We have to be pretty specific with what we do and we must get evaluated at the end of the year.  

So, what things have you found in DW that you have been able to count toward your school year?


----------



## NHWX

andrychowski said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I stopped by a long time ago, but haven't been by lately.  I am a homeschooling Mom of 4 (10, 8, 6, and 4).  We are planning a DW trip for December and I would love to "count" some of the activities we do toward their school year.  I know states have different laws, but PA is pretty strict.  We have to be pretty specific with what we do and we must get evaluated at the end of the year.
> 
> So, what things have you found in DW that you have been able to count toward your school year?



I'm not sure what PA requires but a couple things come to mind...

Math: Your 6 and 8 year old could practice math skills by figuring out the correct change ahead of time. Your 10 year old could practice some multiplication skills too. "If everyone gets a Mickey bar, how much will it cost? If Dad has a $20, will it be enough? If not, how much more does he need?"

Lit/Social Studies: Since you're going when the Christmas story tellers will be in Epcot, you could certainly count listening to the stories as either social studies or literature. If you talk with the CMs about their countries, I'd count that as social studies too, at least for the 6 and 8 year old. And if you talk with CMs at AKL about their homes, I'd count that too. Also at Epcot, look at the display that's in the American Pavilion. There's been some mighty amazing artifacts in there.

Music: If you listen to the concert in the evening at Epcot, I'd count that as music. And listening to the Voices of Liberty, the German band, etc. should also count. Once when we stayed at AKL in a standard room, we were right off the lobby (with a poor view). One night we discovered that after the restaurants had shutdown, the CMs would jam on native instruments down near the entrance to the fire pit area. That was a great experience!

Depending on whether or not you drive, you might be able to include some geography during your travel time. If nothing else, you can get some spelling done during travel time. Or silent reading! That's a big favorite for us.

NHWX


----------



## NHWX

bumbershoot,

We used K12 in middle school as independents. We used art or music, lit, history and science. I did like it but occasionally I'd trim down the large amounts of writing that they seemed to require. 

I think they did a very good job of preparing the kids for high school. When my ds16 started in public high school, he took the Honors English test and submitted a K12 paper as his writing sample. He got in with no problem. And I think that ds13 will have no problem with the first half of his World History course at our state's virtual charter school. It's a good measurement in some ways but poor in others: our high school's not very good and the charter school is pretty varied in it's offerings.

I'd definitely take a look at it, especially since you'd be able to talk with the K12 people directly.

NHWX


----------



## NHWX

I was in Walmart today and I just couldn't resist the back to school sales.  I'm pretty sure we didn't need some of the things I bought but I just loved new supplies as a kid. So I bought some.  

We'll use those notebooks at some point in time. 

NHWX


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

Is anyone here h/sing middle school kids? For some reason it seems like a completely different beast than h/sing elementary where everything is a fun discovery and pretty easy to teach. Yesterday, my 11yo said h/s seemed more fun in previous years (elementary). And I'm thinking, "Well, yeah, it was pretty easy to make fun, interactive learning situations to learn multiplication or about the states. How do you "fun up" square roots?"

I don't mind buckling down and doing a little more book work, and he's not adverse to pushing himself to to do harder material; I'm just curious to see how others are finding the transition from teaching elementary to teaching middle.


----------



## MomTo4+more

polkadotsuitcase said:


> Is anyone here h/sing middle school kids? For some reason it seems like a completely different beast than h/sing elementary where everything is a fun discovery and pretty easy to teach. Yesterday, my 11yo said h/s seemed more fun in previous years (elementary). And I'm thinking, "Well, yeah, it was pretty easy to make fun, interactive learning situations to learn multiplication or about the states. How do you "fun up" square roots?"
> 
> I don't mind buckling down and doing a little more book work, and he's not adverse to pushing himself to to do harder material; I'm just curious to see how others are finding the transition from teaching elementary to teaching middle.



My oldest will be 11, so we are not quite to middle school, but I have found she enjoys the following.  Now that she is older she can have a bit more independence in her work.  I give her a clipboard with a checklist of things to do independently.  Right now I still break it down daily for most areas.  One or two things are only done on a weekly basis.  I give her the freedom to decide when to complete each thing.  I let her be a more active participant in choosing the curriculum we use.  We are adding in other things she wants to learn.  For example, she is learning to make a grocery budget, nutritious menu, and prepare the meals.  Are there some projects your son might want to learn?

Some of the things we must do, she doesn't particularly enjoy.  I use those times as an opportunity to talk about diligent work, cheerful work, and the pride felt in a job well done.  

I have several friends who have homeschooled through high school.  There are lots of people doing it who probably have better advice than I do!


----------



## Buckalew11

I'm not whole curriculum type person. We're on year 2, 10th grade, and I buy everything individual instead of signing up for a whole program.
We loved it last year. I have enjoyed picking and choosing curriculum and even though last year was our first year, we liked everything we chose. 

My DD has to have Bible credit because she is umbrella-ed under a Christian school here in town. We're Christian though so it is nice for us. So much of the homeschool stuff has a religious twist that it would probably be hard to find it w/o but I'm sure it exists.

Bumbershoot, all I can say is to feed his hunger. DD learns differently than I do too. I have to keep that in mind when i'm selecting because what I think is "cool" might not seem that way to her!

Good luck!


----------



## Buckalew11

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> ABeka is great for the younger levels...they have an awesome phonics program. We started out with them, but around 2nd grade they really start packing it on!!!!
> 
> For Science, we are loving Apologia!!! We have used this for the last 2 years and just love it!! You could definitely combine your children for this curriculum.



I second Apologia. We used it for Biology last year and DD loved it. In fact, she wants to be a Biology major in college. We have the Chemistry for this year.

DD went to Christian school K-8. They used a lot of Abeka and I think she got a wonderful foundation from using it.


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

MomTo4+more said:


> We are adding in other things she wants to learn.  For example, she is learning to make a grocery budget, nutritious menu, and prepare the meals.  Are there some projects your son might want to learn?



We've been doing household budgeting and nutrition, too -- seems like something my kids can really bite into...

Part of the reason things are kind of off-kilter is a change in our household situation, so I'm hoping once that's evened out we'll be able to start enjoying the process of learning again!  Thanks for the input; I appreciate it. Seems like a lot of people drop out of h/sing after elementary school...


----------



## Twoboysnmygirl

bumbershoot and those of you looking for secular curriculum:  We use OakMeadow.com  The kids enjoy it, it's a great curriculum and has good prices AND choices in the curriculum, which was important to us.  It has lots of options and allows the kids to decide certain projects, etc. We were concerned about getting boxed curriculum in the beginning but found that Oakmeadow has more freedom, makes learning stuff fun,  and less BOX.


----------



## AKADrea

I think I'm going to take the plunge!  DD is 4.5 and I think she's totally ready to start up this year...

So...has anyone used Five in a Row?

I'm totally clueless and really need something to spell things out for me!


----------



## Tink561

AKADrea said:


> I think I'm going to take the plunge!  DD is 4.5 and I think she's totally ready to start up this year...
> 
> So...has anyone used Five in a Row?
> 
> I'm totally clueless and really need something to spell things out for me!



I used Five in a Row with my sons when they were little and we enjoyed it.  I have Before Five in a Row and will probably use it with my daughter this year who is 3.5.

Check out the message boards at http://fiveinarow.com/


----------



## kalc12345

AKADrea said:


> I think I'm going to take the plunge!  DD is 4.5 and I think she's totally ready to start up this year...
> 
> So...has anyone used Five in a Row?
> 
> I'm totally clueless and really need something to spell things out for me!



LOVE LOVE LOVE Five in a Row!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can't say enough good about it!!! I used it with my daughter for the first couple of years. I am now doing Before Five in a Row with my 3 year old. Visit the FIAR website and message boards. The boards are full of WONDERFUL ladies.


----------



## SCHBR'smom

Can anyone tell me about Switched on Schoolhouse?  I was considering it for my 5th grader.  I want to give her a break from all the books and thought the interactive nature of it might be a good idea, but I don't know too much about it.  Thanks


----------



## LegoMom3

SCHBR'smom said:


> Can anyone tell me about Switched on Schoolhouse?  I was considering it for my 5th grader.  I want to give her a break from all the books and thought the interactive nature of it might be a good idea, but I don't know too much about it.  Thanks




My son used it in 2nd grade.  I guess I'd have to say it depends on your DD.  Unless the format has changed dramatically in the last few years, we found it to be quite repetitive and my DS didn't like that.  It's very interactive and keeps track of everything for you, which I liked.  But the format for science and math and spelling and what have you were all exactly alike.  Go in, watch a demo, do the problems, take a test after x-number of lessons.  My son got bored with it pretty quick. 

But others use it and love it, so again it's a lot of personal preference.  As a _curriculum_, it's good and quite thorough.

Actually, here is a link to their site with 5th grade info:

http://www.aophomeschooling.com/switched-on-schoolhouse/grade-5

I think if you go into the individual subjects, there's an on-line demo.


----------



## ladytink75

Can anyone tell me any info on the 2010 Disney Home school Days . My friends and I are trying to plan our Dream Vacation around next years Home school Days. If no info is available yet do we know when the info will be available.


----------



## anabelle

ladytink75 said:


> Can anyone tell me any info on the 2010 Disney Home school Days . My friends and I are trying to plan our Dream Vacation around next years Home school Days. If no info is available yet do we know when the info will be available.



They have two sessions per year.  One in January and one in September.   We are going this years Sept. session..   It is on Sept 21 and 22.   They usually release dates about three - four months in advance.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

anabelle said:


> They have two sessions per year.  One in January and one in September.   We are going this years Sept. session..   It is on Sept 21 and 22.   They usually release dates about three - four months in advance.



I can't wait to hear about the homeschool days, will you post a little bit about what you did when you get back? We are going back to Disney next September and want to participate in the homeschool days and the YES programs (at least one) They look really neat. Are you doing any of those?


----------



## fabumouse

Tink561 said:


> I used Five in a Row with my sons when they were little and we enjoyed it.



I noticed that there were Christian "supplements" to FIAR.  Is the whole program religion-based?


----------



## graygables

anabelle said:


> They have two sessions per year.  One in January and one in September.   We are going this years Sept. session..   It is on Sept 21 and 22.   They usually release dates about three - four months in advance.


Are you doing the American YES program, by chance???  I just signed my girls up for it!


----------



## wvdislover

3princesses+aprince said:


> I can't wait to hear about the homeschool days, will you post a little bit about what you did when you get back? We are going back to Disney next September and want to participate in the homeschool days and the YES programs (at least one) They look really neat. Are you doing any of those?



Keep in mind as you're planning that to participate, you have to buy one of their ticket packages.  This year, their ticket packages are only for 3, 4, or 5 days.  No longer, no shorter (unless you live in Florida).  We already had a package booked with free dining (which requires at least 1 day tickets), and are going to be there long enough that we need 10 day PH.  They told me I would HAVE to buy one of their ticket packages (smallest is $127/person).  To do the YES programs costs another $25/person, per program.  I was so excited that we were going to be there during Homeschool Days this year, but am unable to participate, since it would cost us another $500, just for the one session.  Buying their 5 day ticket package and then another 5 day ticket package doesn't make economic sense, either.  It's a shame they won't let us just pay a small fee and participate, when we're already spending far and above what they are charging for the homeschool tickets   I would love to do the American Story YES program, but I don't think we can, since we're not buying a Homeschool Days package.  

I hope everyone who is going this year has a great time!  Wish I could join you, though


----------



## Tink561

fabumouse said:


> I noticed that there were Christian "supplements" to FIAR.  Is the whole program religion-based?



No, it can be used secularly.  You will get the Bible Study Supplement if you want to do religion with it.


----------



## fabumouse

Thanks Tink!  I couldn't tell if it was secular plus religion or religion plus religion. 

And re:  before five in a row - I have to admit I'm a bit nervous re: my 3 year old (I'm homeschooling my 8 year old) as I never quite know when I should be making a planned effort.  They're only three!  But she's getting soooo bored....


----------



## momto2GAgirls

I just ordered Before Five In A Row to start with my DD. I really am hoping I will like it. I have heard good things about it. I was an elementary teacher before becoming a stay at home mom and I loved using literature as my main curriculum and building off of it! So excited to start, well and feeling a little overwhelmed!


----------



## graygables

wvdislover said:


> Keep in mind as you're planning that to participate, you have to buy one of their ticket packages.
> 
> I was so excited that we were going to be there during Homeschool Days this year, but am unable to participate, since it would cost us another $500, just for the one session.
> 
> It's a shame they won't let us just pay a small fee and participate, when we're already spending far and above what they are charging for the homeschool tickets   I would love to do the American Story YES program, but I don't think we can, since we're not buying a Homeschool Days package.
> 
> I hope everyone who is going this year has a great time!  Wish I could join you, though




Ummmmmm...I've not bought a ticket package, either for this Sept or last Jan.  I only purchased the YES program fee for the American Story.  In Jan, I bought the "annual passholder" event tickets for $16 each, but opted not to do that this time around.  Many of the folks who come are AP holders and only pay for the programs they are interested in, not park admission, and not all of them are FL residents...I met lots of folks from GA and the Carolinas in Jan.

Check into it again...we'd love to have fellow DIS-homeschoolers on our program!!


----------



## wvdislover

graygables said:


> Ummmmmm...I've not bought a ticket package, either for this Sept or last Jan.  I only purchased the YES program fee for the American Story.  In Jan, I bought the "annual passholder" event tickets for $16 each, but opted not to do that this time around.  Many of the folks who come are AP holders and only pay for the programs they are interested in, not park admission, and not all of them are FL residents...I met lots of folks from GA and the Carolinas in Jan.
> 
> Check into it again...we'd love to have fellow DIS-homeschoolers on our program!!



Really!?!  That would be great!  We're trying to decide if we want to do the American Story YES program (it starts really early in the morning ).  They don't list the AP event tiks on the website, and when I called and asked about options about how we could attend, I was only told that I would have to buy the smallest ticket package they had available.  I may call back and see if there is an AP ticket price.  Did you have to show your AP's?  We don't have AP's, and I wasn't sure if I was going to buy them this trip.  I wonder if they're not offering the AP option b/c of free dining?  I'd love to go and meet your DD's, as well as other DIS kids!  Thanks Dawn!
Missy

P.S.  Are you in Florida now, or are you back in Ohio?


----------



## graygables

wvdislover said:


> Really!?!  That would be great!  We're trying to decide if we want to do the American Story YES program (it starts really early in the morning ).  They don't list the AP event tiks on the website, and when I called and asked about options about how we could attend, I was only told that I would have to buy the smallest ticket package they had available.  I may call back and see if there is an AP ticket price.  Did you have to show your AP's?  We don't have AP's, and I wasn't sure if I was going to buy them this trip.  I wonder if they're not offering the AP option b/c of free dining?  I'd love to go and meet your DD's, as well as other DIS kids!  Thanks Dawn!
> Missy
> 
> P.S.  Are you in Florida now, or are you back in Ohio?



I'm still a CM (retail manager at All Star Resorts), so we don't have an AP, I have old admission as well as my CM passes.  In Jan, we didn't have to show anything, just get in the park.  The event tix for AP holders are all the way at the bottom of the page.  I think my girls would be bored by that after the Jan event, so that's why I opted just to do the one YES program.  I was able to just add those to the cart.  I hope we can see you when you're here!


----------



## Denine

Hello.

I have been MIA, playing Farm town on Facebook.  LOL!

Just wondering when everyone was starting back.

I have all my stuff ready to go and will probably start the end of the month.

DD hasn't had much summer.  She had tonsillitis and pneumonia and was diagnosed with asthma.  SO, her summer has really just started.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Poor kid!! Well, maybe she still needs some time off 
 We have started, but we are phasing in slowly --subj by subj this time, instead of all at once! We started with history July 6---week before last we started Science...this past week we were gonna start our writing program and Math...but I was sick and had ulcers in my mouth and COULD NOT talk without lots of pain.. so we will pick it up later this week...we are really liking it better this way. And our History is the longest subject for the year, so we needed to start it first.


----------



## Tink561

I hope to do this in January!


----------



## wvdislover

graygables said:


> I'm still a CM (retail manager at All Star Resorts), so we don't have an AP, I have old admission as well as my CM passes.  In Jan, we didn't have to show anything, just get in the park.  The event tix for AP holders are all the way at the bottom of the page.  I think my girls would be bored by that after the Jan event, so that's why I opted just to do the one YES program.  I was able to just add those to the cart.  I hope we can see you when you're here!



Hey Dawn, I showed DH the info about the American Story YES program, and he isn't real interested in it, so don't know if we'll do it or not.  Would love to meet up with you sometime while we're there, though, and get to meet in person, if you're interested.  We'll be there 9/15-26, staying at the BC.  PM me and let me know!

Missy


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Denine said:


> Hello.
> 
> I have been MIA, playing Farm town on Facebook.  LOL!
> 
> Just wondering when everyone was starting back.
> 
> I have all my stuff ready to go and will probably start the end of the month.
> 
> DD hasn't had much summer.  She had tonsillitis and pneumonia and was diagnosed with asthma.  SO, her summer has really just started.




I'm addicted to facebook too!!! We're going to start at the end of August as well. We're having a wonderful summer and we're doing a lot of projects and lessons on fun things. This week was the ocena, they learned so much and had a lot of fun when we went on sunday. We had so much fun we're going again next sunday!!!
We're doing some reading, writing and math daily too, we've been doing that throughout the summer. 

We're still in the middle of purchasing all of the books we need, so we'll be ready to start in a few weeks!!


----------



## Denine

DD keeps getting science books and movies out of the library and we just finished 2nd grade math last week, so it has not been a wasted summer.  I have just gotten time off!

I am guessing she will be ready for school by the end of the month and then a month after that is WDW!


----------



## SCHBR'smom

The doorbell rang a little bit ago.  Usually, the UPS man will ring the doorbell, then put the box down and walk down the driveway.  I just yell "thank you" from the doorway.  This time, he was still standing at the door with an Abeka box in his hand.  He handed it to me and said he loves delivering these boxes.  He used to deliver them to a homeschooling family in town who had 3 boys.  One time, the youngest boy told him "I'll give you a dollar if you throw these boxes in the creek."


----------



## pooh'smate

SCHBR'smom said:


> The doorbell rang a little bit ago.  Usually, the UPS man will ring the doorbell, then put the box down and walk down the driveway.  I just yell "thank you" from the doorway.  This time, he was still standing at the door with an Abeka box in his hand.  He handed it to me and said he loves delivering these boxes.  He used to deliver them to a homeschooling family in town who had 3 boys.  One time, the youngest boy told him "I'll give you a dollar if you throw these boxes in the creek."



LOL


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

SCHBR'smom said:


> The doorbell rang a little bit ago.  Usually, the UPS man will ring the doorbell, then put the box down and walk down the driveway.  I just yell "thank you" from the doorway.  This time, he was still standing at the door with an Abeka box in his hand.  He handed it to me and said he loves delivering these boxes.  He used to deliver them to a homeschooling family in town who had 3 boys.  One time, the youngest boy told him "I'll give you a dollar if you throw these boxes in the creek."



That is the funniest!!!! thanks for sharing!!!


----------



## Denine

SCHBR'smom said:


> The doorbell rang a little bit ago.  Usually, the UPS man will ring the doorbell, then put the box down and walk down the driveway.  I just yell "thank you" from the doorway.  This time, he was still standing at the door with an Abeka box in his hand.  He handed it to me and said he loves delivering these boxes.  He used to deliver them to a homeschooling family in town who had 3 boys.  One time, the youngest boy told him "I'll give you a dollar if you throw these boxes in the creek."



Cute story!


----------



## emh1129

SCHBR'smom said:


> The doorbell rang a little bit ago.  Usually, the UPS man will ring the doorbell, then put the box down and walk down the driveway.  I just yell "thank you" from the doorway.  This time, he was still standing at the door with an Abeka box in his hand.  He handed it to me and said he loves delivering these boxes.  He used to deliver them to a homeschooling family in town who had 3 boys.  One time, the youngest boy told him "I'll give you a dollar if you throw these boxes in the creek."


----------



## MomTo4+more

My kids are asking to start again, so Monday is the first day of our new school year.  I had planned on waiting until after Labor Day, but this way will be further along before our Wish trip in November.


----------



## P.I. Squirrel

This is our first year of HS, and we actually started July 1st.  In Georgia, a school year is the full 12 months, with a minimum 180 days each year.  We are on pace to finish the school year around mid April.  We will see if that stays on schedule.  Then, we will begin the next grade level, with time off for good behavior.  

Some on here have said that the summer heat is the perfect time to be inside schooling, and we couldn't agree more.  None of the kids in our neighborhood have come outside to play since school let out 2 months ago, so cabin fever can be a problem.

We will be at WDW during HS Days, but do not yet know how much we will attend.  We are contemplating waiting until January.


----------



## littlepeppers

We have been HS for a little over a mos. now.  But I'm still feeling pressure to finish 1 lesson per day & only 2 days off........ I know that it is school tradition driving me, but it isn't helping DS.  

We plan to school all year since the summer is too hot, but we don't quite know how often to take days off.  The traditional 2 days per wk aren't cutting it.  DH works 7 & 7 so we really don't need the actual weekends.  Weekdays off would be better since places are cheaper & less crowded.

How do you year rounders know how often you can take off & still not get caught by the 180 days.  I'm worried that if we start taking time off that we will not finish in time to petition the state to renew our Home Study.


----------



## chicagoshannon

we still haven't officially started but are working on find motor skills like tracing and cutting.  I think we'll try to start next Monday.  I at least need to get our calendar up.


----------



## littlepeppers

littlepeppers said:


> We have been HS for a little over a mos. now.  But I'm still feeling pressure to finish 1 lesson per day & only 2 days off........ I know that it is school tradition driving me, but it isn't helping DS.
> 
> We plan to school all year since the summer is too hot, but we don't quite know how often to take days off.  The traditional 2 days per wk aren't cutting it.  DH works 7 & 7 so we really don't need the actual weekends.  Weekdays off would be better since places are cheaper & less crowded.
> 
> How do you year rounders know how often you can take off & still not get caught by the 180 days.  I'm worried that if we start taking time off that we will not finish in time to petition the state to renew our Home Study.



Thinking, 180 days to meet state requirement, leaving 185 days off.

Ok, I'm thinking.  DH works 7 & 7, so it would be great if we could take off 5 of his 7 days.  That would be 10 days per month or 120 days per year.

Approximately 20 days of holiday.  
July 4th - 1day
Labor day - 1 day
Hallowen - 1 day
Thanksgiving - 5 days (we usually go to Fort Worth to see my DSIS & DBRO)
Christmas/New Year - 5 days
Mardi Gras - 3 days
Good Friday/Easter - 3 days
Birthday - 1 day (their b-days are only 5 days apart)

This eats up 140 days of the 185 off.  This should leave us w/ 25 days for illness & unexpected plans & vacations.

Is 25 days enough flex/vacation?  I don't want to get caught w/o the year finished & it be time to report to the state.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Little Peppers...that sounds good to me!!! 25 days should be plenty of days for sick day or trips. And if you are on a road trip and do some school, or a field trip type thing, wouldn't that count as a school day? Also, do you take a whole school day off for Halloween? We don't ...we don't take off MLK or Columbus Day either..we discuss it, but we still do our day. those days typically aren't travel days for us because EVERY body is out!! So, we use this to our advantage!!! Have you thought about a rotating schedule...like 6 weeks on 1 week off, then 2 or 3 off for T-day, Christmas, NY?  
 We are one of the families that school during the hot part of the year...so for us, Oct is usually nice weather...warm but not unbearable and they can play outside, or April/May. this is when our summer starts...first of April. You just gotta find what's gonna work for you! I like the 9 weeks on and a week or 2 off as well....but with your hubby being off like that, it might not work for you.


----------



## littlepeppers

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Little Peppers...that sounds good to me!!! 25 days should be plenty of days for sick day or trips. And if you are on a road trip and do some school, or a field trip type thing, wouldn't that count as a school day? Also, do you take a whole school day off for Halloween? We don't ...we don't take off MLK or Columbus Day either..we discuss it, but we still do our day. those days typically aren't travel days for us because EVERY body is out!! So, we use this to our advantage!!! Have you thought about a rotating schedule...like 6 weeks on 1 week off, then 2 or 3 off for T-day, Christmas, NY?
> We are one of the families that school during the hot part of the year...so for us, Oct is usually nice weather...warm but not unbearable and they can play outside, or April/May. this is when our summer starts...first of April. You just gotta find what's gonna work for you! I like the 9 weeks on and a week or 2 off as well....but with your hubby being off like that, it might not work for you.



I can't count.  That is 45 days of flex.  I think this will be our schedule.  This way we will not feel guilty about taking a day off just b/c, to visit, for field trips, or vacation.

Thanks a million.


----------



## sl_underwood

There is no reason why you cannot count educational field trips as school days.  Also, in that 180 day policy, have you actually looked to see if the public school children are attending all 180 days?  In our school district, 15 of those days are teacher work days, parent teacher conferences, professional days, etc. but still counted because the teachers are there even though the students are not.


----------



## Tink561

sl_underwood said:


> There is no reason why you cannot count educational field trips as school days.  Also, in that 180 day policy, have you actually looked to see if the public school children are attending all 180 days?  In our school district, 15 of those days are teacher work days, parent teacher conferences, professional days, etc. but still counted because the teachers are there even though the students are not.



True!  Schools count field trips as school time so you can too.  As long as you don't have to count hours any day you do some school, even if not all, counts.  Our school district has lots of half days too but they count as a day.


----------



## Tink561

How many kids are you schooling this year?  What ages and grades?  What are you using with them?  Extracurricular activities?

This year I will have my 17 yo son who is going to be a senior.  He is doing Florida Virtual School online as well as a class at a local culinary school.  He is also continuing in martial arts.  He also will be taking classes with other homeschoolers but I'm not sure which ones yet.

My daughter is 3.5 and she will be doing Calvert pre-K and Handwriting Without Tears pre-K Get Set for School.  She will continue to watch Leapfrog Letter Factory DVD to finish learning the letter sounds.  She will start the preschool martial arts class, an art class at the local rec. center and she does tumbling at a local cheer gym.

So, what do you have planned for the year?


----------



## yanni2

How many kids are you schooling this year? What ages and grades? What are you using with them? Extracurricular activities?

I am homeschooling 2 children, both girls.  My oldest is in 11 and going into 6th grade, my youngest is 8 (almost 9) and is going into 4th grade.

We are part of a local homeschool school, but choose all our own curriculum. Our choices are:
Math = Teaching Textbooks
Language Arts/History/Art = Sonlight
Science = Exploration Education
Spanish = Rosetta Stone

As for extra curricular activities, both girls are in competitive gymnastics and practice between 10-12 hours a week.  We also do a homeschool choir in the Spring and church activities


----------



## sl_underwood

I have 2 homeschooling this year. My oldest graduated this past spring and will be attending cosmetology school part time and taking one college course at the community college.   I am homeschooling my daughter, grade 6/7 and my son grade K this year.  
For our daughter we are using
Math U See Epsilon
Easy Grammar Plus
Essay Writing for Middle School
I made my own science and history curriculum using the Usborne Internet Linked Encylopedias along with living books, netflix, and other various resources.  She will also go to our science centers weekly science adventure club and homeschool art classes.
We are doing sign language and Greek mythology for her electives, plus Dance, Swim Team and Horseback riding for extracurriculars.  

With our son, I am still not 100% sure what we are doing.  So far I have purchased Math U See Primer and Handwriting without Tears Kindergarten set.  We also have the leappad phonics program, tons of books like Dick and Jane, educational toys, dvds, computer games, board games etc.  He will also do sign language with us.  So far, he has no extracurricular activities but he does have PT, OT, and Speech therapy and will start equestrian therapy hopefully this fall so he doesnt have alot of time after school for activities.


----------



## sl_underwood

This will be my first year homeschooling 2 children so far apart in age and I am not sure what to do with ym son while I am working with my daughter.  I figure my 12 yo will need a minimum of 15-30 minutes instruction for each subject and I am trying to find activities that will entertain my 6 yo (has a very limited attention span and is delayed developmentally)  Any suggestions?


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Tink561 said:


> How many kids are you schooling this year?  What ages and grades?  What are you using with them?  Extracurricular activities?
> 
> So, what do you have planned for the year?



Two children- DD(10) Time4learning and Teaching Textbooks- grade 7 and DS(7) Time4learning- grade 3. We do our own history/geography curriculum. We are learning about all the countries in Epcot with a field trip schedule for January. We also will have monthly trips to D.C. We will be trying Apologia science for first time this year. Still checking out writing programs for feedback on DD writing. (She sometimes has to get out of bed and write her stories down so she can fall asleep) 

P.E.- martial arts, swimming, ice skating, roller blading, basketball (DD), track (DS), bowling, biking, (DD wants to do HS horseback riding again-)
Music- piano and children's choir
Art/Computer Animation- HS classes through local community college
Family memberships science center and children's museum
Participate with HS group were we rent nature center at local park one day a week. 
Church activites/dramas
Weekly library trips (we love listening to books/stories on CD in car since we seem to be there a lot) 

I take pictures and video clips(reading,etc) throughout the year and make and end of year Power Point slideshow. It is cool to see the progress.

DS strength is math and challenge is reading but this summer he started reading once a week to his martial arts instructor.  He is so excited to practice a new book each week.  I am so thankful. My DD strength is language arts and challenge math.  So I give her math objectives to teach DS and she plans and teaches him lessons.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

sl_underwood said:


> This will be my first year homeschooling 2 children so far apart in age and I am not sure what to do with ym son while I am working with my daughter.  I figure my 12 yo will need a minimum of 15-30 minutes instruction for each subject and I am trying to find activities that will entertain my 6 yo (has a very limited attention span and is delayed developmentally)  Any suggestions?



Your age range is about the same as ours.  Have you ever checked out time4learning.com? You can choose any grade level you want. Example, if you choose grade one for son, he has access to K, 1, and 2 lessons all on his home screen.  They are very engaging. You can use part or all or as a supplement.  The record keeping is awesome. I recommend checking it out.


----------



## littlepeppers

sl_underwood said:


> There is no reason why you cannot count educational field trips as school days.  Also, in that 180 day policy, have you actually looked to see if the public school children are attending all 180 days?  In our school district, 15 of those days are teacher work days, parent teacher conferences, professional days, etc. but still counted because the teachers are there even though the students are not.



I taught out here for 11 yrs.  Teaching contracts were for 183 days & the students had 2 semesters 90 days each.  Believe me, we counted down every one of them.  We used to change students every 90 days.


----------



## littlepeppers

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Your age range is about the same as ours.  Have you ever checked out time4learning.com? You can choose any grade level you want. Example, if you choose grade one for son, he has access to K, 1, and 2 lessons all on his home screen.  They are very engaging. You can use part or all or as a supplement.  The record keeping is awesome. I recommend checking it out.



We are using it as a supp.  DS needs more reinforcement.  The lessons aren't engaging enough & he hates reprtition.  He has had it w/ the little DJ puppet already.


----------



## NHWX

I've got two sons, one will be a 9th grader and the other an 11th grader.

The younger guy is more settled on courses:

PE - hiking, snowshoeing, whatever strikes us
Health - state charter school
World History - state charter school
Biology - Biology Concepts and Connections (textbook) and I just figured out labs yesterday
Foreign Language - Rosetta Stone looks good but he doesn't know which language he want yet
Math - Geometry by Jacobs
Algebra II - Algebra II book by Foerster
Art - probably origami

Older son:

AP Stats through PA Homechoolers
AP Comp Sci through state charter school
Physics through state charter school
US History - Unfinished Nation by Brinkley, various websites, assorted books bought on the book table at Costco
Classical Lit - Three Teaching Company lecture series plus many of the reading list books, bought used
And then he's undecided...

I took him to an open house at a community college and instead of saying "Yeah!" about fun courses, he sort of grumbled. He was OK with the free food. 

NHWX


----------



## chicagoshannon

I'm teaching my 2.5 year old.  We have Horizons preschool curriculum but probably won't start it right away.  We're working on fine motor skills like cutting and tracing for now.

She is also going taking ballet, reading time at the library, music class at the library, and an imagination class.

We will also be working on reading. She knows her letters and sounds so she's ready.


----------



## DisneyMom5

This is our 10th year homeschooling.  I have 6 students this year, one unofficially doing  preschool (age 3), and one on the way --due in January.

My dd15 (10th gr) is still working on Sonlight Core 100 (Amer. Hist.), with the hopes of moving on to 200 (Church/World History).  She is doing the poetry and vocab. portion of Core 530 - which is a Brit. Lit. core.
She will be starting Ros. Stone German, uses Teach. Txtbks for Algebra, Apologia Phys. Sci., and doing a lot of Home Ec with me.  She and I go to Curves for part of her PE.

DS 13 (8th gr) - SL Core 100, TT Pre alg., Queen LA, Wordly Wise, and Apologia Gen. Sci.  Other stuff thrown in as necessary.

DS 10 (5th gr) - SL Core 3/4 (Am. Hist) but sitting in on the older kids history.  Queen LA, Reason for Handwriting, Singapore Math, and Apologia Astronomy.

DS 8 (2nd gr) - SL Core 1 (W. Hist.), Horizon Math, R for HW, Queen LA, lots of OT, PT, and Speech for his TBI.

DD 6 (1st. gr) - SL Core 1, Singapore Math, R for HW, Queen LA.

DD5 (K) - Lots of fun reading, Teach your child to read in 100 Easy Lessons, Singapore Math, R for HW, Queen LA.

We also have a gym day once a month with our homeschool group, plus other monthly activities, and 3 will be doing soccer.

Whew.  We've sort of started our year back up, but are also in the midst of a kitchen repaint and getting ready for WDW, so things are a bit hit or miss.  But that's why we go year round!


----------



## sl_underwood

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Your age range is about the same as ours.  Have you ever checked out time4learning.com? You can choose any grade level you want. Example, if you choose grade one for son, he has access to K, 1, and 2 lessons all on his home screen.  They are very engaging. You can use part or all or as a supplement.  The record keeping is awesome. I recommend checking it out.



I have used it in the past with older children as a supplement but never with our son. Will check it out.  Thanks


----------



## DisneyDizzy

Alright, I have a question. My son is 7 and this is our 3rd year of homeschooling. 

He's becoming quite the homebody lately. Well, that's not true. He loves going places and doing things but he's totally not interested in doing them in a group setting. We have a park day today and he just said to me "Can't we just go get this over with." 

Now, when I was a kid I wasn't big into groups either. I had one or two friends but much preferred just hanging out and home with my family. My husband was the same way. But we both had siblings. Our son is an only child. 

I don't want him to be a social butterfly but at the same time I don't want him to be lonely. 

Long explanation! Anyway, do I push the issue? Do I keep scheduling trips and park days or just let it slide for a while? We did just move across the country away from all our family. But he's always been this way. He's not socially inept or even shy. He'll talk your ear off given half a chance whether he knows you or not. He's not nervous about going on the group outings! And I can't say I don't get it, because I do. My husband and I are not social butterflies. We don't really need anyone but each other and our little family here but I don't want to deny my son friends and a social life. 

What would you do? I mean, given the choice I'd skip the group activities but my son has no idea. I always act like I'm totally excited. Do we just lay low for a while or do I MAKE us get out?


----------



## chicagoshannon

DisneyDizzy said:


> Alright, I have a question. My son is 7 and this is our 3rd year of homeschooling.
> 
> He's becoming quite the homebody lately. Well, that's not true. He loves going places and doing things but he's totally not interested in doing them in a group setting. We have a park day today and he just said to me "Can't we just go get this over with."
> 
> Now, when I was a kid I wasn't big into groups either. I had one or two friends but much preferred just hanging out and home with my family. My husband was the same way. But we both had siblings. Our son is an only child.
> 
> I don't want him to be a social butterfly but at the same time I don't want him to be lonely.
> 
> Long explanation! Anyway, do I push the issue? Do I keep scheduling trips and park days or just let it slide for a while? We did just move across the country away from all our family. But he's always been this way. He's not socially inept or even shy. He'll talk your ear off given half a chance whether he knows you or not. He's not nervous about going on the group outings! And I can't say I don't get it, because I do. My husband and I are not social butterflies. We don't really need anyone but each other and our little family here but I don't want to deny my son friends and a social life.
> 
> What would you do? I mean, given the choice I'd skip the group activities but my son has no idea. I always act like I'm totally excited. Do we just lay low for a while or do I MAKE us get out?



I'd keep going until you can find someone he clicks with.  Then just try for small outings with just you and his friend.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

DisneyDizzy said:


> Alright, I have a question. My son is 7 and this is our 3rd year of homeschooling.
> 
> He's becoming quite the homebody lately. Well, that's not true. He loves going places and doing things but he's totally not interested in doing them in a group setting. We have a park day today and he just said to me "Can't we just go get this over with."
> 
> I don't want him to be a social butterfly but at the same time I don't want him to be lonely.
> 
> What would you do? I mean, given the choice I'd skip the group activities but my son has no idea. I always act like I'm totally excited. Do we just lay low for a while or do I MAKE us get out?



Is it the unstructured "playdate" type activites with lots of children that he doesn't like?  

I have found that in structured groups (sports, art,etc) my 2 have made connections and then we plan unstructured activities with one or two friends at a time. Thankfully the friends they make connections with are children of moms that I make connections with while waiting for them. (Hmmm... I wonder if we moms nudge them together...)

It seems too many "friends" on "park days" allows for more "challenges."  However, we are going to try a group this year that does "park days" with a larger group.  I am still not sure about it but hope it will be a learning experience for us all.  Since it will be the same group on a weekly basis they will have to problem solve to work through those challenges.

It reminds me of how I would prefer to have one or two friends over and actually to talk to them instead of a party where you can only engage in surface chit-chat.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

disneydizzy...my middle child (boy #2) is just like that. He does have a handful of friends from church ---they are hsers also----, but he is also the kid who can entertain himself for hours on end!!! He is sweet and likes his friends, but too much overwhelms him. I am like that also....his dad is a different story....he thrives on people. It is hard for me, because just being with us is enough for me.... but not dh. He could have invented the phrase " people person"....so, while he is little, keep exposing him to people. He may just not have found a friend that he clicks with yet. He will. Just don't totally overwhelm him with outings and too much.


----------



## DisneyDizzy

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> disneydizzy...my middle child (boy #2) is just like that. He does have a handful of friends from church ---they are hsers also----, but he is also the kid who can entertain himself for hours on end!!! He is sweet and likes his friends, but too much overwhelms him. I am like that also....his dad is a different story....he thrives on people. It is hard for me, because just being with us is enough for me.... but not dh. He could have invented the phrase " people person"....so, while he is little, keep exposing him to people. He may just not have found a friend that he clicks with yet. He will. Just don't totally overwhelm him with outings and too much.



We went to the park day and had a pretty good time. I think he's just overwhelmed. We moved about a month ago clear to the other side of the country. I do think I was pushing him a bit, just wanting us to "fit" here. We're going to do the smaller activities and get togethers and just start small for now. Thanks everyone.


----------



## NHWX

We got through a year of our 4-H club and everyone learned many things, not the least of which is that we need by-laws to govern the overall structure/flow of the group. If anyone has publicly available by-laws, I'd love to take a look at them.

Thanks, NHWX


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

How is everyone's summer going? Are you all getting ready to start up soon? Although I know most of us do a lot during the summer too!!! We have been, but we're officially starting on August 24th. This will be our first year homeschooling so we're excited about getting everything ready to go!! The more I plan out our lessons the better I feel about teaching my children, I am starting to feel like I got everything under control, although this week before planning out our math lessons I was feeling a little overwhelmed.... I'm good now 

How's everyone else doing?


----------



## fabumouse

3princesses+aprince said:


> How's everyone else doing?



Ha!  Just like last year, I'm nervous and afraid that I'm not "doing it right".

So I keep reminding myself how much time was wasted in the public school and how much she learned during the first year of homeschooling.


----------



## jenn-

We officially started our new year on Monday.  So far it hasn't been too bad.  A few decree's from DD that she hates Biology, but other than that, no real drama.  I have a feeling she is "earning" an overnight at a friend's house might be playing into her good behavior though.  

My boys had a solid first week, and I am anxious to start adding in our math program.  They had fun working on it last year (I think it has something to do with the building blocks ), so I am hoping they still enjoy it after it starts to get harder.  Right now they are both resistant to "handwriting" so I am trying to slip it in without calling it handwriting.


----------



## MomTo4+more

We start tomorrow!  The girls will be in 5th and 2nd grades, and my son is starting K.  We will start everything but french and latin this week.  We will add in the languages next week.  I finished hanging maps, posters, and a blank timeline to finish as we study history.  Lesson plans are in order at least until after Christmas.  we are ready to go!

Now the trick will be completing it all while keeping up with the baby's therapies and maintaining sanity!  Baby girl has 12 hours of therapy a week - some at home and some that is center based.  Tomorrow they will do their independent reading while we are at aural rehab.  Tuesday we will pack up a few subjects and take school on the road.  It is certainly going to be an interesting year!


----------



## littlepeppers

Anyone doind the Baby Can Read series. 

My MIL bought it for DD & it just came in.  Like I don't have enought to do w/ HS DS for the 1st time, keeping up the house, & cooking, but we will give it a go.

I'm making DS her teacher.  He could use some help in reading himself, so I'm hoping that it will help him too.


----------



## lori123

bumbershoot said:


> Just venting...
> 
> I can't choose a curriculum for kindergarten-age work.  I think I've heard of them all, but I can't decide.  What makes it harder is that so many of them are religious and we are NOT, and while hubby would just leave it out, I just wish the religious stuff was add-on...not stuff you have to leave off.  Harumph.
> 
> And I don't even WANT to do a curriculum yet, not really.  I was in Montessori until I started 1st, and that wasn't kindergarten.  It was a great school in Maria's tradition, but b/c I was there for only 2 years, and because things were presented in a way so different from the school I went to for 1st, i didn't even realize for YEARS that I was doing addition and subtraction before 1st grade...didn't know I knew it b/c it was shown so differently, LOL.
> 
> I'm digressing.  I feel the need to get a system b/c of DS.  He wants it.  Craves it.  He learns SO differently than I did/do.  He begged for workbooks and specific learning time when he wasn't even 4 yet....  He wants to officially learn something, and I'm trying to meet his needs...but I just can't decide.
> 
> And I was forgetful, and ended up being in CA during the big WA homeschool thing...and forgot to tell hubby to go to it.  Neither one of us has actually put hands on any of the books of the different curricula, and that would make such a difference.
> 
> 
> I don't really want internet-based stuff.  DS gets a bit of computer time, and I don't feel that he needs to do his learning work there...
> 
> Oh, and I'm shy and hate the phone, so I don't want to actually CALL these places to talk, LOL.
> 
> Aughhhh.
> 
> Vent done.  Thanks for reading.
> 
> 
> Oh wait...two (sets of) questions.
> 
> Can you do K12 without doing it online?  You do actually get books and worksheets, right?
> 
> and
> 
> Does Kumon have an actual program (not at their facilities) that could be used as homeschool work?  Or are they only a tutoring company and a company that puts out books that DS loves to learn from?



I'm not sure how much help I will be because this is our first year - but here goes 
We are doing K12 this year - through WAVA - I received all my supplies and there were so many books, workbooks and teacher manuals.  From what I understand the only thing the kids do online is the assessments - and I get my lesson plans and log our school time there.  So I would guess if you ordered K12 you would get all the workbooks and teacher manual too....


----------



## lori123

bumbershoot said:


> I've looked into Calvert...I can't totally figure out their pricing structure, and what the online support cost really is...looks spendy!    Of course, they all are.
> 
> Which then, after my vent, brought me to the K12-online charter school pages, and I got really tempted.  But I'm kind of an all or nothing person, which I'm trying to work on really I am, and that feels like quitting or something, to me, in my mind, for us.  I hear others talk about it, and it sounds so cool, but for me and my son, when I think about it, it sounds negative.  Stupid of me.  I mentioned it to hubby and mentioned the whole "then it taps into school funds so it's free" and he just about fainted in joy.
> 
> I sent an online message to them, and they're having an ice cream thing next week, so maybe I'll go meet up with some people, talk about what the day to day difference is, doing it "through" a school district.
> 
> 
> Back to Calvert, I really like the idea that day to day lessons are nicely set out.
> 
> 
> It's funny, most of my family and friends think I'm a big 'ol hippie (I'm actually only sort of one...vegetarian but I kill spiders or order my Buddhist hubby to kill them, poor dude, I have wildly varying political views, etc etc etc etc), and if they knew about unschooling I'm sure they would think I'd be drawn to that...but neither DS nor I are!  We want structure, and I can't yet seem to find a structure (what the heck are they "supposed to" learn by the time they are 18, anyway?  lol...I can't find that on the WA school district's info website anymore, they moved it!), we both love workbooks (me just to zoom through the pages and have a stack of finished things...DS b/c they feel official to him)...but he REALLY doesn't "get" the concept that he actually is learning even when he doesn't think he is.  He also has these fabulous innate/intuitive grasps of things like numbers, and until he thinks about it he can do addition and every so often subtraction...and no matter what, I do not want to mess that up!
> 
> 
> I'm just blathering at this point.  Thank you for the Calvert suggestion.



Just wondering if you went to the social!!  I was there with my two kiddos and hubby.  We plan to go to the next one on the 19th as well!


----------



## chicagoshannon

I know a lot of us started back up today.  How did it go for everyone?

We started our calendar today.  Madeline loved putting up the day of the week and the weather.    We also worked on cutting and tracing.  She's starting to get the tracing.  Cutting is difficult.  She likes to turn her hand in an odd way when trying to use the scissors.  I'm not exactly sure how to teach her to use them correctly.


----------



## Nicolepa

lori123 said:


> I'm not sure how much help I will be because this is our first year - but here goes
> We are doing K12 this year - through WAVA - I received all my supplies and there were so many books, workbooks and teacher manuals.  From what I understand the only thing the kids do online is the assessments - and I get my lesson plans and log our school time there.  So I would guess if you ordered K12 you would get all the workbooks and teacher manual too....



This is our first year with WAVA too.  My son got all his workbooks and such in the mail.  It is my understanding that there is no printed teacher guide for the lower grades.  All of that is found online.  I have been working on the math with him (we've had our books for several weeks) and all the assesments are in the workbooks.  I just have to input his scores when he's done.  I think for some of the subjects it is done online and there are some games they can play online but most of their work for at least K, 1st is done with paper and pencil.


----------



## Mommy2three

We are waiting for our curriculum from the k12 virtual public charter school.  Supposed to be here by the 15th of this month and supposed to be able to log on around the 14th of this month although actual school doesnt start until Sept. 1.  But am hoping to get the books and start on some of the bookwork so we are ahead of the game when we go on our disney trip the 22-29th of Sept and wont have to worry about doing the work while there!  We have been doing some stuff over the summer, though not as heavily as we do during the school year, just some math and reading things.


----------



## DawnM

Our state doesn't offer any curriculum.

We officially started our new year 2 weeks ago.

I really wanted to switch to My Father's World this year, but I had the Sonlight here so we will finish that first and then switch.

Here is our current plan:

Sonlight 3+4 this year (picking and choosing, not doing it all)
Homeschool in the Woods activity packs for US History
Christian Light Education Language Arts, Bible, and Reading workbooks
All about Spelling
Simply Music Piano at home


Extra Curricular:

Golf
Cub/boy scouts
Art (maybe, still deciding)


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

I'm not sure how many brand new homeschoolers are on here, like myself, but while watching the news yesterday they were saying this coming school year was going to be pretty bad for the spreading of the swine flu and regular flu. My dd's school was infested with the swine flu the last week of school this year, I didn't even send them, over half the school was out sick, but they did not close, not even for a few days.

Just so relieved that we do not have to deal with this, especially through the winter months, when of course it's always easier to catch illness with everything closed up. Now of course you can find germs in stores and on shopping carts but no where in the world spreads a cold/flu like a public school does.


----------



## Denine

Calvert:
THis will be our 4th year using Calvert and we love it.  You don't need to do the ATS, we haven't yet.  I don't think it is necessary at such young ages.  DD will be in 2nd grade.  It is a bit pricey, but sooo worth it to me to have it all laid out.  They  include everything you need in the box.  DD loves it when the box comes and she wants to open it right away.

DD took the CAT this past spring and scored in the 98th percentile.

We may start school next week or we may wait until the following week.

DD has been sick all summer.  She went to the ENT on Monday and had a CAT scan on Tuesday.  Now, we are waiting for results.


----------



## Lora

3princesses+aprince said:


> I'm not sure how many brand new homeschoolers are on here, like myself, but while watching the news yesterday they were saying this coming school year was going to be pretty bad for the spreading of the swine flu and regular flu. My dd's school was infested with the swine flu the last week of school this year, I didn't even send them, over half the school was out sick, but they did not close, not even for a few days.
> 
> Just so relieved that we do not have to deal with this, especially through the winter months, when of course it's always easier to catch illness with everything closed up. Now of course you can find germs in stores and on shopping carts but no where in the world spreads a cold/flu like a public school does.



This is definitely one of the perks of HSing that I have greatly appreciated.  When your kids wake up and say they're not feeling well, you can:
a) let them sleep in 
b) make them get up and see how they are after breakfast, a shower, etc.

and NOT feel guilty that they're missing a day of school.

If it turns out they're not really that sick, you get to work.  If they are sick you can:
a) read to them while they stay in their jammies
b) let them go back to bed
c) make them do math anyway because you're a tyrant and it's just a cold, after all.

Ah...freedom and flexibility.


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

Does anyone here use Saxon math?  How about Singapore math?  I have a 6th grade son and his math skills seem sub-par to me and I'm wondering what your opinions are on these two different curricula?

Thanks!

Karen


----------



## Tink561

Denine said:


> Calvert:
> THis will be our 4th year using Calvert and we love it.  You don't need to do the ATS, we haven't yet.  I don't think it is necessary at such young ages.  DD will be in 2nd grade.  It is a bit pricey, but sooo worth it to me to have it all laid out.  They  include everything you need in the box.  DD loves it when the box comes and she wants to open it right away.
> 
> DD took the CAT this past spring and scored in the 98th percentile.
> 
> We may start school next week or we may wait until the following week.
> 
> DD has been sick all summer.  She went to the ENT on Monday and had a CAT scan on Tuesday.  Now, we are waiting for results.



I used Calvert 4th & 5th with my two younger sons.  I wish I would have stayed with it for them but we moved on to other things.  I'm going to use it with my dd and I think it will be easier for me since she is the only one who will be homeschooling.  Our pre-K box arrived on Monday and I can't wait to start next week.


----------



## Lisa loves Pooh

chicagoshannon said:


> I know a lot of us started back up today.  How did it go for everyone?
> 
> We started our calendar today.  Madeline loved putting up the day of the week and the weather.    We also worked on cutting and tracing.  She's starting to get the tracing.  Cutting is difficult.  She likes to turn her hand in an odd way when trying to use the scissors.  I'm not exactly sure how to teach her to use them correctly.



Not sure if this will help--but I think it is normal for children to "go wacky" with how they use the scissors.

I wasn't sure what to do--then I just decided to focus on where their thumb should go.  The thumb is ALWAYS in the upper position.    In no time--they were getting better at cutting without turning their hand sideways. Keeping the thumb up keeps the blades upright.  Sometimes I would prompt their hand to get the thumb up b/c at first they would just stand their thumb straight up--and then drop the scissors.  Thumb up simply means the knuckle is up--not to give me a "thumb's up".

I also let them...."play" with scissors . By that I mean--supervised--I just let them cut paper at random (while only making sure their thumb was up).


----------



## Lisa loves Pooh

Pixie Dust for Me! said:


> Does anyone here use Saxon math?  How about Singapore math?  I have a 6th grade son and his math skills seem sub-par to me and I'm wondering what your opinions are on these two different curricula?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Karen



I have "heard' that Saxon is excellent and I have friends that use this program. I also have attended a homeschool conference and some of the speakers (who are unaffiliated with Saxon) recommended it as well.

We are in our 4th year of Math U See and we love that program. I love how the lessons are explained to the students as it is in precisely the way that I comprehend math.  Though they have all the blocks and stuff--my oldest (beginning 4th grade) only uses them when she feels she needs them.

I've only known people with young children who use Singapore and love it. Most of my circle either uses Saxon, Abeka, textbooks (my friend using Saxon is using a college level math book for her 14yo teaching the age appropriate concepts but with much more problems), as well as Math U See.


----------



## Lisa loves Pooh

I'm going to have to go back to the beginning of this thread and absorb everything!

We commence school on Monday.

I have spent the week boxing up what we don't need to use this year and getting room on the shelves for 4th and 1st.

We use the Mother of Divine Grace Curriculum (for those curious--the syllabi for that can be viewed at Emmannuel (sp?) books).

It was written by Laura Berquist who wrote the book _Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum._  Based on the Trivuum--with a Catholic spin.

I sub out the Math with Math U See and I use Calculadder for speed drills.

I use Scaredy Cat Phonics for teaching my 1st grader to read (she's started--but we don't have all of our 'scared' short sounds just yet).  Our curriculum had _Teach your child to read in 100 Easy Lessons_ but it drove my kids crazy and wasn't working.

I will also be adding in Writing Strands with my 4th grader this year.  She has begun writing creatively and I needed the "help" to further develop what she likes to do.

My girls dance, 4th grader plays piano and guitar, 1st grader adores her violin, they do gymnastics.

In the past we have bowled on a homeschool bowling league and play tennis. I am unsure if we will pick these things back up.

My 4th grader will be doing a Public Speaking introductory class with a homeschool group we are part of.

And this year--she is also studying the state of Florida and hopefully we will have the time and funds to do some field trips around the state. I'm hoping for the Flagler Museum--a treasure museum--the Circus Museum and maybe 1 or 2 camping trips somewhere in the Fall/early spring when it isn't hot!

I'm very excited as dd's school content is starting to get more and more interesting.


And my favorite all time resource shout out---

If you do not have a Rainbow Resource Catalogue, get to their website and order one. It is free on request and I refer to it as a mecca of homeschool supplies, materials and curriculum.  I love perusing that catalogue!  Plus--often times even though most of our school things are available through Emmannuel books, I can save money by checking wants available there. The company is run by a homeschooling family. The write ups are fantastic as if they write a review, they have tested it on someone within the family.


----------



## SCHBR'smom

Got my Rainbow Resource catalog today!


----------



## DisneyMom5

Pixie Dust for Me! said:


> Does anyone here use Saxon math?  How about Singapore math?  I have a 6th grade son and his math skills seem sub-par to me and I'm wondering what your opinions are on these two different curricula?
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Karen



The way I've heard it explained is that Saxon is very good for standard repetitive math, and tests VERY well on Standardized tests.

Singapore is more "out of the box" math/problem solving and real life applications.

I chose Singapore because the students overseas that used it were scoring so high, and because Saxon was way too hands on and time consuming for me.  We've liked it very well.

That said, after Singapore 6A/6B we are now switching to Teaching Textbooks [Pre-algebra].  I really like it.  I'd probably switch before then, but the cost of starting over with a curriculum stops me.


----------



## wvdislover

SCHBR'smom said:


> Got my Rainbow Resource catalog today!



I wish I'd get mine...I ordered it probably a month ago!


----------



## littlepeppers

Denine said:


> Calvert:
> THis will be our 4th year using Calvert and we love it.  You don't need to do the ATS, we haven't yet.  I don't think it is necessary at such young ages.  DD will be in 2nd grade.  It is a bit pricey, but sooo worth it to me to have it all laid out.  They  include everything you need in the box.  DD loves it when the box comes and she wants to open it right away.
> 
> DD took the CAT this past spring and scored in the 98th percentile.
> 
> We may start school next week or we may wait until the following week.
> 
> DD has been sick all summer.  She went to the ENT on Monday and had a CAT scan on Tuesday.  Now, we are waiting for results.



We are on Calvert 2nd gd Lesson 20 (1st big test) today.  Why aren't there any Social Studues test sections?  I made one for DS.  I know that state will want a social studies grade too.


----------



## SCHBR'smom

wvdislover said:


> I wish I'd get mine...I ordered it probably a month ago!



I waited a pretty long time, too.  Hopefully, yours will come in the next day or two.


----------



## graygables

Oak Meadow?  Anyone using it? Is it something that can be self-directed for an 8th and 6th grader?  We are finishing up with Time 4 Learning and my girls didn't really care for it.  I don't want to go the K12 route again and lean more toward unschooling anyway.  I'm working 50 hours/week and need to focus my attention on math with them, not so much the social studies/language arts/science.  They write a research paper every week as it is (part of the unschooling aspect), so they are already laying strong foundations in those areas.  I just don't want all of my time off to be spent catching up on lessons, that's no fun for anybody.


----------



## Incredimom3

Hi, This is my first time posting on this thread.  We started our 6th year homeschooling yesterday!  We're headed back to WDW next month (Sept. 17-27) at POR.  I was wondering whether any other homeschooling families will be there.  We do have some precious friends who are traveling with us and staying at POP.  If you'll be there, we'd love to know so we may look for you.

Stephanie


----------



## fabumouse

3princesses+aprince said:


> I'm not sure how many brand new homeschoolers are on here, but no where in the world spreads a cold/flu like a public school does.



My DD8 was out of school during 1st grade for more than 16 days total due to the flu and horrible colds (which of course, we got nasty notices about).

Last year - homeschooling - "out sick" 1 day - and I was being pretty lenient - she really wasn't that sick.   

She interacts with tons of kids in the neighborhood and in after-school sports & art - but there is just something about those closed-in spaces that spreads those germs.


----------



## imjoyful2

Incredimom3 said:


> Hi, This is my first time posting on this thread.  We started our 6th year homeschooling yesterday!  We're headed back to WDW next month (Sept. 17-27) at POR.  I was wondering whether any other homeschooling families will be there.  We do have some precious friends who are traveling with us and staying at POP.  If you'll be there, we'd love to know so we may look for you.
> 
> Stephanie



This is our 5th yr homeschooling. Normally we stayed at POR also, but with having a larger family this time, we had to get 2 rooms at all stars sports. We will be down Sept 17-26.


----------



## wvdislover

SCHBR'smom said:


> I waited a pretty long time, too.  Hopefully, yours will come in the next day or two.



I hope it does...there's so much cool stuff in it.  Maybe it's better it hasn't come...we're broke (just paid for our Disney vacation and down payment on a new car...on the SAME DAY!)  



Incredimom3 said:


> Hi, This is my first time posting on this thread.  We started our 6th year homeschooling yesterday!  We're headed back to WDW next month (Sept. 17-27) at POR.  I was wondering whether any other homeschooling families will be there.  We do have some precious friends who are traveling with us and staying at POP.  If you'll be there, we'd love to know so we may look for you.
> 
> Stephanie



Hey Stephanie...we'll be there Sept 15-26, staying at the Beach Club!  Maybe we'll see each other there, or can meet somewhere!
Missy


----------



## Twoboysnmygirl

graygables said:


> Oak Meadow?  Anyone using it? Is it something that can be self-directed for an 8th and 6th grader?  We are finishing up with Time 4 Learning and my girls didn't really care for it.  I don't want to go the K12 route again and lean more toward unschooling anyway.  I'm working 50 hours/week and need to focus my attention on math with them, not so much the social studies/language arts/science.  They write a research paper every week as it is (part of the unschooling aspect), so they are already laying strong foundations in those areas.  I just don't want all of my time off to be spent catching up on lessons, that's no fun for anybody.



Oak Meadow is a GREAT curriculum!  My boys are doing 8th grade and 9th this year.  My youngest doesn't care for their curriculum much b/c she says  it's too babyish (k-3 is like this) but if your kids are in the older grades and are used to writing (it is writing intensive, imo) they will enjoy it and it is very self-directed.  We unschooled when they were little and then gradually moved into curriculum and found that Oak Meadow was the best for our *free thinkers*


----------



## Lora

Incredimom3 said:


> Hi, This is my first time posting on this thread.  We started our 6th year homeschooling yesterday!  We're headed back to WDW next month (Sept. 17-27) at POR.  I was wondering whether any other homeschooling families will be there.  We do have some precious friends who are traveling with us and staying at POP.  If you'll be there, we'd love to know so we may look for you.
> 
> Stephanie



We'll be there for most of your stay.  I have 2 girls (almost 14 and almost 12).  I'm hoping my sister (also a homeschooler) will be with us for part of the time.  After that, I'd be up for trying to meet up.  We'll be at the BWV.  Feel free to PM me.


----------



## anabelle

Incredimom3 said:


> Hi, This is my first time posting on this thread.  We started our 6th year homeschooling yesterday!  We're headed back to WDW next month (Sept. 17-27) at POR.  I was wondering whether any other homeschooling families will be there.  We do have some precious friends who are traveling with us and staying at POP.  If you'll be there, we'd love to know so we may look for you.
> 
> Stephanie




We will be there that week.   My two boys are 14 and 15 and my daughter is 12..   We will be at POR


----------



## graygables

Incredimom3 said:


> Hi, This is my first time posting on this thread.  We started our 6th year homeschooling yesterday!  We're headed back to WDW next month (Sept. 17-27) at POR.  I was wondering whether any other homeschooling families will be there.  We do have some precious friends who are traveling with us and staying at POP.  If you'll be there, we'd love to know so we may look for you.
> 
> Stephanie



I'm a Guest Service Manager at Disney's All Stars resorts in the gift shops...I'll be around if anyone wants put together a mini-meet!  My girls will be going to the American YES program on the 22nd.


----------



## graygables

Twoboysnmygirl said:


> Oak Meadow is a GREAT curriculum!  My boys are doing 8th grade and 9th this year.  My youngest doesn't care for their curriculum much b/c she says  it's too babyish (k-3 is like this) but if your kids are in the older grades and are used to writing (it is writing intensive, imo) they will enjoy it and it is very self-directed.  We unschooled when they were little and then gradually moved into curriculum and found that Oak Meadow was the best for our *free thinkers*



THANK YOU for your review!  I'm liking that it seems to be interconnected among the subjects.  Mine are arguing over whether they want online or off, so I'm thinking I may order one semester online for each and see how it goes (I understand we can always print for the one who wants offline?). We are sticking with Math U See for their math, since one is behind and one is advanced, they are on the same level, so there wouldn't be any $$ savings by purchasing the whole shebang.

When I read about the founder being a Waldorfian, though, I had giggles thinking of Auntie Mame when she sent Patrick to school...


----------



## Mommy2three

Incredimom3 said:


> Hi, This is my first time posting on this thread.  We started our 6th year homeschooling yesterday!  We're headed back to WDW next month (Sept. 17-27) at POR.  I was wondering whether any other homeschooling families will be there.  We do have some precious friends who are traveling with us and staying at POP.  If you'll be there, we'd love to know so we may look for you.
> 
> Stephanie



Hi Stephanie!  We will be going Sept 22 - 29 and staying at POP.


----------



## DawnM

We are driving down on the 3rd of September and will be there until the 11th.

Dawn


----------



## disneycountrygirl

Hey!! We are a homeschooling family too, so I just wanted to pop in and say hi. 

I have a 7 yr old DS and a 5 yr old DD.

One of my fav things about HSing is that we can go to Disney while school is in session  love that! 

It's neat there are so many homeschooling families here!


----------



## DisneyMom5

graygables said:


> I'm a Guest Service Manager at Disney's All Stars resorts in the gift shops...I'll be around if anyone wants put together a mini-meet!  My girls will be going to the American YES program on the 22nd.



We're going to be at Sports for the first time Aug. 30-Sept. 8.  Are you working then?  We'll stop by and say "hi" if so.  PM me if you want us to!


----------



## graygables

DisneyMom5 said:


> We're going to be at Sports for the first time Aug. 30-Sept. 8.  Are you working then?  We'll stop by and say "hi" if so.  PM me if you want us to!



Yep!  I'll be there, but don't know my schedule yet.  I'll let you know when I get it and would love to meet you!


----------



## Praise2Him

We are also going to be at Sports - Oct. 1 - 5, although my DD graduated this year, so we aren't really homeschooling anymore (I just still like to read and keep up with everyone!)

DD is coming to Orlando for college and also wants to work at Disney, so maybe you can give her some advice


----------



## Denine

Today was our first day of school and I can't believe the start of our 4th year!  

We will be in WDW Sept 24 thru Oct 5.  We are going for DD's 7th birthday.

We went out to dinner tonight to celebrate school starting and of course we took our annual picture by the front door.


----------



## Denine

Tink561 said:


> I used Calvert 4th & 5th with my two younger sons.  I wish I would have stayed with it for them but we moved on to other things.  I'm going to use it with my dd and I think it will be easier for me since she is the only one who will be homeschooling.  Our pre-K box arrived on Monday and I can't wait to start next week.



Have fun!


----------



## Denine

littlepeppers said:


> We are on Calvert 2nd gd Lesson 20 (1st big test) today.  Why aren't there any Social Studues test sections?  I made one for DS.  I know that state will want a social studies grade too.



I know there weren't any tests for ss or science in 1st grade.  Our state is happy if you are teaching the subject, but not testing on it yet.  That being said, DD did do well on those portions on the CAT even though she wasn't tested on those portions druing school.

We just started today, 2nd grade.


----------



## pixiemagic30

Hi everyone!  This is my first post here, but I have read many of the posts.  I have 2 children, DS 12 and DD 10, almost 11.  We just started our 8th year of homeschooling and love it, but I have a challenging DD.  She struggles with her reading.  She knows how to read, but lacks confident in her reading.  Have any of you dealt with this?  How did you handle it?  We already have had tears today over reading...and that's not good on day one!

My son absolutely loves to read as do I.  My DH likes to read, but not like our son and myself so I am in new territory with my girl!  Again, any help you can offer would be great.


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

One thought is to find out what she "likes" and "wants" to read -- for example, does she like comic books or maybe American Girl books or the Kingdom Keepers series (by Ridley Pearson and they're all about Disney World)?  Have her read those books or others -- even if they are considered "below grade level" to help her build confidence.  

Another thought -- A good friend of mine "persuaded" her son to read by getting him an iPod nano and downloading books on to it from Audible -- the "catch" was that she bought unabriged titles only AND he had to follow the recording along with the actual book.  He "read" all the Narnia titles that way and slowly began to understand that you can "hear" the voices of characters in your head if you just dive into the book and imagine the scene and character.  Now he truly enjoys reading and is known for reading late at night with a flashlight WAAAYYYY past his bedtime!

Another thought is have you had her tested to see if she's has dyslexia or another challenge?

Finally, and this may sound odd...but show her how much she reads during the day without even knowing it.  A friend of mine did this with her son -- she posted the "spanish" version of stop signs, etc... in her house and set the TV up to only allow the foreign language stations for about 3 days.  Her son then began to understand how much he really was reading and then decided that maybe books weren't as big of a challenge after all!

Good luck!

K


----------



## kalc12345

Incredimom3 said:


> Hi, This is my first time posting on this thread.  We started our 6th year homeschooling yesterday!  We're headed back to WDW next month (Sept. 17-27) at POR.  I was wondering whether any other homeschooling families will be there.  We do have some precious friends who are traveling with us and staying at POP.  If you'll be there, we'd love to know so we may look for you.
> 
> Stephanie



This is our 6th year of home schooling too  We will be at Disney Sept 26-Oct 3. We can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## chicagoshannon

I'm curious to know how long everyone's school day lasts?  (not including field trips or unplanned learning).  We're just doing pre-school but we're "done" in like 45 minutes.

I'm hoping that sounds about right for a pre-schooler.


----------



## pixiemagic30

Hi Pixie!

Thanks for the ideas.  Some of those, I'm already doing so it looks like I'm probably on the right track.  I actually done some research on dyslexia and from what I've read, that's not it but I will keep in mind.

Thanks again!


----------



## chefgirl96

Hey ChicagoShannon!

I'm a Northern IL homeschooler. Just wanted to mention that I've once read that about 1 hour per grade level is a good estimate for amount of schooling time, particularly in the elementary grades. I have a 3rd grader and a preK. Our preK, so far, takes only about 30 minutes, but I do plan on having her join in for any activities that she's interested in that big sister is doing. I think the more you homeschool, the more you are on the look-out for how to build an educational environment, so that learning can happen all through-out the day.


----------



## Lisa loves Pooh

chicagoshannon said:


> I'm curious to know how long everyone's school day lasts?  (not including field trips or unplanned learning).  We're just doing pre-school but we're "done" in like 45 minutes.
> 
> I'm hoping that sounds about right for a pre-schooler.



Our curriculum has only 1 hour of school (maybe 1h15m tops) for K and 1.

2nd was mabye 1h 30 minutes...3rd about 2 hours...4th is pushing 3 hours.


45 minutes is PLENTY!!!!! (in fact--JHMO--it may be a bit much for "formal" schooling.)

Now I will say we are adjusting to our new year.  1st grader is finishing within her allotted hour.  4th grader is taking a bit longer.  Finding that she is a bit of a procrastinator.  (We are still shaking out some ADHD tendancies).

So our school day for her is running ALLLLL day.  Though I'm not sure what the formal time is since we have activities that break it up.


With the stated times--my 4th grader has done quite well on standardized tests since she was in Kindergarten--so clearly our "short" "formal" school time is not a disadvantage to her.  

My 1st grader was not tested last year as it wasn't offered by our group for K and 1 this past year.  But she does very well though.


----------



## Lisa loves Pooh

pixiemagic30 said:


> Hi Pixie!
> 
> Thanks for the ideas.  Some of those, I'm already doing so it looks like I'm probably on the right track.  I actually done some research on dyslexia and from what I've read, that's not it but I will keep in mind.
> 
> Thanks again!



You might want to look at a book on Vision Therapy called:

Developing Ocular Motor and Visual Pereptual Skills by Kenneth A Lane, OD, FCOVD.

I had a homeschooling friend swear by this for some---reluctant readers and ADHD diagnosed people.  In fact she worked with a college student who was having trouble and it turned out he had vision issues and after a year working on them with the exercises in this book--he finally was able to enjoy reading.

She does suggest seeing an opthomologist (sp?) to check for vision problems. And not just the color blindness and can you read a chart/nearsighted/farsighted business.


The skills covered are:
Ocular Motor
Gross Motor
Visual Motor Perception
Visual Memory
Laterality


Chapter Two is a complex chapter (I had difficulty reading it--and from the exercises I suspect I have some weaknesses as I had my vision checked a couple times in my life--but the opthomologist was only looking for standard stuff!)  In any case--it is on the Complexity of Reading.

A quick blurb (it's in the first paragraph and was as much as I comprehended on the section ):

"Reading is the most complex and intriguing skill that has evolved in the human race.  It involves serial and parallel stages of visual processing, sensorimotor coordination, and cognitive and linguistic processing."

Then it goes on to explain reading difficulties and that is where I...get lost.


The synopsis though is--Dyslexia is not the only reading disorder out there.

And sometimes--children who CAN read, but have difficulty processing the data--will just give up on reading all together.

I detested ALL of mandatory reading in school!

I hated pop quizzes. I would read the assigned work and if they would accept a sworn statement that I read my work, I would have done it in a heartbeat.

I sucked at those tests. I always felt the questions were tantamount to asking me to quote from memory what the 5th word in the 4th paragraph of page 73 was.

HATED THAT!

Thankfully--my daughter is a great reader!  I've not really discouraged reading in anyway and we've always had books available. I Do think we need to work on the comprehension a little bit. (she actually tests well, but when we discuss a book or a passage--she can't remember what she read if you ask something that is so glaringly obvious.  "What is the Cat in the Hat" about?   would be her expression. She's getting better--but she reads so much that she is learning to pick up details.


Anyway--I thought I'd pass along those comments as you never know if it will be the "aha" moment for someone.

An example activity that both my daughter and I have EXTREME difficulty with is a tracking exercise. (it is physically exhuasting/straining for us!).


Fixation Activities
Purpose: Ocular Motor

Hold both thumbs apart in front of you--cover one eye (we tape it closed with skin friendly tape).  With the other eye--look at one thumb, then switch and look at the other thumb--go back and forth.

Eventually you do this to a metronome.


----------



## graygables

Lisa loves Pooh said:


> You might want to look at a book on Vision Therapy called:
> 
> Developing Ocular Motor and Visual Pereptual Skills by Kenneth A Lane, OD, FCOVD.



Just FYI, my now 13yo went through vision therapy.  Her eye doc explained that she wasn't tracking correctly which was why she was unable to read in the 3rd grade.  After an 8 week course, she was able to read ON LEVEL.  She still doesn't love it, but at least she CAN.

Some of her "homework" included Where's Waldo type books as well as maze books (some of which were drawn in perspective).  She had to do those activities using her eyes only, no fingers/pencils.


----------



## littlepeppers

chefgirl96 said:


> Hey ChicagoShannon!
> 
> I'm a Northern IL homeschooler. Just wanted to mention that I've once read that about 1 hour per grade level is a good estimate for amount of schooling time, particularly in the elementary grades. I have a 3rd grader and a preK. Our preK, so far, takes only about 30 minutes, but I do plan on having her join in for any activities that she's interested in that big sister is doing. I think the more you homeschool, the more you are on the look-out for how to build an educational environment, so that learning can happen all through-out the day.



OMG.  My DS is taking about 4+ hrs for 2nd gd work.  This is why Catholic school wasn't working for us.  

He is a slow one.  Real smart, but snail like.  Lots of stretching, noises, singing, & complaining in there.  I find myself getting bored while he drags on.  20min for one reading worksheet w/ 8 things on it isn't cutting it for me.  I was a honor student & I just don't understand the time wasting thing.  I multitask all day & I can't even get him to do a decent single task.  

I'm trying to go do chores & have him find me when he is done, but he is losing focus & calling me 2+ times for help.  TLis is after I read the directions, point out changes, & actually teach the lesson.

Glad I got that out.  I'm ok now.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

chicagoshannon said:


> I'm curious to know how long everyone's school day lasts?  (not including field trips or unplanned learning).  We're just doing pre-school but we're "done" in like 45 minutes.
> 
> I'm hoping that sounds about right for a pre-schooler.



Sounds good to me!!! i am surprised she is lasting that long 


littlepeppers said:


> OMG.
> 
> He is a slow one.  Real smart, but snail like.  Lots of stretching, noises, singing, & complaining in there.
> 
> Glad I got that out.  I'm ok now.



Are you sure you don't have my kid? I got one just like that!! He can finish quickly when he reallllly wants to, but some days are torture for me!!! I like to do everything quick and be finished....not him...he reallllllly thinks it through. he even does the stretching and sniffing thing some days!!!! AAARRRRGGGHHHHH 
 Isn't it nice to vent!!! makes life so much smoother!


----------



## Tink561

chicagoshannon said:


> I'm curious to know how long everyone's school day lasts?  (not including field trips or unplanned learning).  We're just doing pre-school but we're "done" in like 45 minutes.
> 
> I'm hoping that sounds about right for a pre-schooler.




What are you using for Pre-K?  We're using Calvert and started today too.  We were done in about 40 minutes.  My dd seemed to enjoy it.


----------



## bellebud

I want to recommend a really wonderful math game to everyone... "wonder number" (just google it).  it's made for little kids up to adults.  it's a great learning tool.  My kids love playing it.


----------



## Denine

DD is also a fidgeter and is difficult at times to keep on track.  I have to constantly remind her to do her work.  She is also in 2nd grade, but it takes a long time some days.


----------



## worm761

For those of you that use Switched on Schoolhouse....can you tell me why you love it so much? Can it be used without the religion aspect?


----------



## jacksmomma

Oh Wow...homeschoolers on the DIS!    I am starting home school preschool with DS who is 3 in a week and a half.  Now I have found a place where people like home schooling and the mouse?!  I will definitely be back to read through the thread later tonight.

Just wanted to peek my head in and say hello!


----------



## chicagoshannon

chefgirl96 said:


> Hey ChicagoShannon!
> 
> I'm a Northern IL homeschooler. Just wanted to mention that I've once read that about 1 hour per grade level is a good estimate for amount of schooling time, particularly in the elementary grades. I have a 3rd grader and a preK. Our preK, so far, takes only about 30 minutes, but I do plan on having her join in for any activities that she's interested in that big sister is doing. I think the more you homeschool, the more you are on the look-out for how to build an educational environment, so that learning can happen all through-out the day.



That's helpful thanks!



Lisa loves Pooh said:


> Our curriculum has only 1 hour of school (maybe 1h15m tops) for K and 1.
> 
> 2nd was mabye 1h 30 minutes...3rd about 2 hours...4th is pushing 3 hours.
> 
> 
> 45 minutes is PLENTY!!!!! (in fact--JHMO--it may be a bit much for "formal" schooling.)
> 
> Now I will say we are adjusting to our new year.  1st grader is finishing within her allotted hour.  4th grader is taking a bit longer.  Finding that she is a bit of a procrastinator.  (We are still shaking out some ADHD tendancies).
> 
> So our school day for her is running ALLLLL day.  Though I'm not sure what the formal time is since we have activities that break it up.
> 
> 
> With the stated times--my 4th grader has done quite well on standardized tests since she was in Kindergarten--so clearly our "short" "formal" school time is not a disadvantage to her.
> 
> My 1st grader was not tested last year as it wasn't offered by our group for K and 1 this past year.  But she does very well though.



What curriculum are you using?



Tink561 said:


> What are you using for Pre-K?  We're using Calvert and started today too.  We were done in about 40 minutes.  My dd seemed to enjoy it.



We're doing Horizons now.  I'm starting to think we should have done something like Sonlight instead since DD LOVES reading.  Oh well, maybe next year.



jacksmomma said:


> Oh Wow...homeschoolers on the DIS!    I am starting home school preschool with DS who is 3 in a week and a half.  Now I have found a place where people like home schooling and the mouse?!  I will definitely be back to read through the thread later tonight.
> 
> Just wanted to peek my head in and say hello!



Welcome.  My daughter is almost 2 and a 1/2.  Nice to see someone starting as young as us.   What curriculum are you using?


Today school took almost 90 minutes.  I think that was too long for sure!  We did a lot of coloring today though and for reading time she wanted me to read 4 books so that took some time.

My issue is with what she is "learning".  This week we're "learning" the number 1, letter Aa, triangle, and the colors blue, red, and green.  Madeline knows all of this already.  She's having fun with the work sheets and the stories and rhymes we're learning.  I'm just not sure if we should skip ahead or try something else.  I'll probably keep going with it for at least a couple more weeks to give it a genuine try.  Maybe I just need to cut things out.


----------



## SCHBR'smom

We've started our homeschool.  I have journals for all the kids (well all, except the baby, of course, she'd try to eat it. LOL).  DS is in 1st this year.  For the past 3 days, he's been very excited to write in his journal.  He's started writing and illustrating stories for me.  Each one is about 5 pages long with 1-3 sentences on each page.  Pretty good for a 6 yr old, I think.  The first one was about a crab with 16 eyes.  Then a hippo who escaped from the zoo and ate someone's playing cards before returning to the zoo.  And, today he wrote about a penguin with a jet pack (because how else would a penguin fly).  I'm amazed already.  This is going to be a fun year!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

SCHBR'smom said:


> We've started our homeschool.  I have journals for all the kids (well all, except the baby, of course, she'd try to eat it. LOL).  DS is in 1st this year.  For the past 3 days, he's been very excited to write in his journal.  He's started writing and illustrating stories for me.  Each one is about 5 pages long with 1-3 sentences on each page.  Pretty good for a 6 yr old, I think.  The first one was about a crab with 16 eyes.  Then a hippo who escaped from the zoo and ate someone's playing cards before returning to the zoo.  And, today he wrote about a penguin with a jet pack (because how else would a penguin fly).  I'm amazed already.  This is going to be a fun year!




Sounds great. We're starting up on Monday, can't wait to finally get going. Great job with the writing, my dd8 loves to write but my dd10, oh boy, she's a tough one!!!!!!!!


----------



## jacksmomma

chicagoshannon said:


> What curriculum are you using?
> 
> 
> 
> We're doing Horizons now.  I'm starting to think we should have done something like Sonlight instead since DD LOVES reading.  Oh well, maybe next year.
> 
> 
> 
> Welcome.  My daughter is almost 2 and a 1/2.  Nice to see someone starting as young as us.   What curriculum are you using?



Right now we are using unit studies that I am planning on my own.  When I was getting my elem. ed. degree unit studies seemed to be a natural way that kids would learn and a great way to make it fun.  It was something that I really wanted to use in my classroom.  Then I got into the real schools and realized that the tests dictated everything we did.    Finally I can do what I really want to!  

After the preschool years I am leaning toward following The Well-Trained Mind...but who knows, we may like units and stick with them for a while.

Our first unit is butterflies.  We received our caterpillars the other day in the mail and they are already building their chrysalids.  DS is thrilled.  Family is giving me flack about home schooling, or I should say was.  Last night when he started talking about metamorphisis, they all became very quiet!


----------



## jacksmomma

SCHBR'smom said:


> We've started our homeschool.  I have journals for all the kids (well all, except the baby, of course, she'd try to eat it. LOL).  DS is in 1st this year.  For the past 3 days, he's been very excited to write in his journal.  He's started writing and illustrating stories for me.  Each one is about 5 pages long with 1-3 sentences on each page.  Pretty good for a 6 yr old, I think.  The first one was about a crab with 16 eyes.  Then a hippo who escaped from the zoo and ate someone's playing cards before returning to the zoo.  And, today he wrote about a penguin with a jet pack (because how else would a penguin fly).  I'm amazed already.  This is going to be a fun year!



It sounds like you have a very creative young man on your hands.  That sounds great!  Have fun!


----------



## LegoMom3

jacksmomma said:


> Right now we are using unit studies that I am planning on my own.  When I was getting my elem. ed. degree unit studies seemed to be a natural way that kids would learn and a great way to make it fun.  It was something that I really wanted to use in my classroom.  Then I got into the real schools and realized that the tests dictated everything we did.    Finally I can do what I really want to!
> 
> After the preschool years I am leaning toward following The Well-Trained Mind...but who knows, we may like units and stick with them for a while.
> 
> Our first unit is butterflies.  We received our caterpillars the other day in the mail and they are already building their chrysalids.  DS is thrilled.  Family is giving me flack about home schooling, or I should say was._*  Last night when he started talking about metamorphisis, they all became very quiet!*_



Don't you _love_ that?!!

We primarily do unit studies here.  I love the freedom of picking a topic of interest and seeing how much the kids get into it!

.


----------



## chicagoshannon

Has anyone used Hands on Homeschooling?  I'm really thinking of ditching the Horizons, at least for now.

Those of you doing unit studies, how do you incorporate writing into it?  I'm not talking about writing stories, I mean learning to write letters and things.  Do you have a practice book or something?


----------



## jacksmomma

chicagoshannon said:


> Those of you doing unit studies, how do you incorporate writing into it?  I'm not talking about writing stories, I mean learning to write letters and things.  Do you have a practice book or something?



DS is a pre-writer but it is not too hard to add in.  We have a letter of the week that is the first letter of topic we are learning about.  I can see as he gets older having some copy work pertaining to the topic.  For his practice I print off lined paper and put it inside a page protector.  He uses a dry erase marker on it and we can just keep reusing.  It saves me money and is earth friendly!


----------



## anabelle

Anyone going Homeschool days signing their kids up for YES classes?


----------



## littlepeppers

Ran into a HS hater today.  

As a teacher herself, I'm suprised that she didn't like my decision to pull DS out of school since he wasn't learning.  She of course talked out of both sides saying that she isn't a fan of HS & is  worried that they don't get socialized all while saying how her kid is only worried about socializing at school & is in constant trouble for it.

DS is never in trouble for socializing now b/c it has a place.  School is for learning & the two different sports that he is in & the neighborhood kids are for socializing.


----------



## anabelle

That's funny because my kids are more social now than when they were in school.   They are on homeschool sports teams so they constantly see other kids.   They also have started hanging around the neighborhood kids.   They never seem to be able to before because we were getting home so late from after school care.   We would race to get homework done and get dinner in before bed.   That was not fun.   

My family is full of educators, so I thought I would get flack from my parents.   But after my mom saw how we handle it and what they get to experience, she didn't worry anymore.


----------



## nono

littlepeppers said:


> saying that she isn't a fan of HS & is  worried that they don't get socialized



Hi folks -- I never posted on this thread before but just had to respond to this.  When I occasionally get this comment headed my way, I just can't help but answer that "It's not like I lock them in the closet when I'm not teaching them...." with a smile and usually, _usually_, the person making the comment has their  moment.  

My D is 5 and is following my eclectic mix of subjects for the year.  S is 2 1/2 and unschooled for now.  

Thanks for letting me pop in!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

I guess they think just because we homeschool we are always HOME. I guess it's that word HOME that gets everyone a little confused. Until we started looking into this about a year ago, I admit, I didn't have a clue about it either. I guess when you don't know about something you kind of just take a guess and that's your perspective on it.


----------



## *Toadstool*

Has anyone here used a curriculum for preschool? I am getting from most people that they don't, but personally I would like to. I'd love some recommendations.


----------



## chicagoshannon

*Toadstool* said:


> Has anyone here used a curriculum for preschool? I am getting from most people that they don't, but personally I would like to. I'd love some recommendations.



We are.  We started using Horizons last week.  It's a good curriculum but the crafts aren't really hands on.  So far they are all coloring, cutting, and pasting.  

I"m 99% sure we're going to order Hands on Homeschooling this week (she fills all her orders on Wednesdays so I have til then to decide)

Others on here have said before five in a row is good but there isn't really a description or sample of it online so I'm hesitant to order it.


----------



## chicagoshannon

jacksmomma said:


> DS is a pre-writer but it is not too hard to add in.  We have a letter of the week that is the first letter of topic we are learning about.  I can see as he gets older having some copy work pertaining to the topic.  For his practice I print off lined paper and put it inside a page protector.  He uses a dry erase marker on it and we can just keep reusing.  It saves me money and is earth friendly!



Thanks for that idea!  We have a tracing book that is wipe off but it's just lines/circles.  I'll have to pick up some page protectors.


----------



## desparatelydisney

Hey guys!

I just wanted to say that we have gotten thru our first three weeks and everything is starting to fall into place.    The first week was rough, the second was better.  Tomorrow starts week 4 and my confidence and knowledge of what to expect is growing daily.

So far, PreK/K is taking about 1.5 hours a day; 3rd grade is taking anywhere from 2.5 to 3.5 hours a day.  I will be glad when PreK starts back up three mornings a week for my little guy in another week or so because his short little attention span gets everybody else fidgeting.

I don't post on here often, but I read it alot and you guys have given me sooo much inspiration and support.  It hleps so much to know that I am not the only one that struggles with or thinks things 

I have finally settled on a modified Charlotte Mason/Classical approach - it only took me 500 hours of research and 3 weeks of teaching to figure that out   Thought I'd share what we have finally settled on and are enjoying:

*Pre-K & K*
Five in a Row
Steck-Vaughn Kindergarten Math with a lot of counting practice and the like
Handwriting without Tears
Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading
Explode the Code Online

*3rd Grade*
John Hopkins Accelerated Math Grade 3
John Hopkins Early Reader Series - Dogs
Beyond Five in a Row (while we are waiting for John Hopkins to start)
First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind
Spelling Wisdom
Daily 6-Traiting Writing Practice
Story of the World - Ancients
Noeo Science - Biology I


Thanks again for all the support and good luck to everybody else!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

toadstool~ We have used ABeka and five in a row...both are really good...you can pick and choose what you want from ABeka,then add in FIAR for your literature. The ABeka is Christian..which is what we wanted.. not sure if you want that...but,  the older your kids get with ABeka, the more work that they have. But, the PreK and K are great!! Wonderful phonics program also!! Great craft books.
 FIAR is wonderful for lit.and story time. they really learn lots from those little books!!!!


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

I have 3 daughters, they will be in K, 2nd, and 4th grade. We are officially starting tomorrow, but today we were getting everything in order and ended up taking out some books and doing a few things.

My head was spinning... if one wasn't talking the other one was..... if one didn't need my help, the other one did.... I'm getting a little, ok very nervous. I hope I can give them all of the attention they need and I hope they can all concentrate on their own work when someone else is asking a question. It seemed like every time dd5 spoke, dd8 or dd10 would stop what they were doing to listen, now I know that's not going to work.
How do you do it, how does it all work out. Maybe i'm thinking too much into this and we'll all be just fine once we get the hang of it ????

Maybe for certain subjects, they need to be separated so they can work in peace.???


----------



## bellebud

3princesses+aprince said:


> I have 3 daughters, they will be in K, 2nd, and 4th grade. We are officially starting tomorrow, but today we were getting everything in order and ended up taking out some books and doing a few things.
> 
> My head was spinning... if one wasn't talking the other one was..... if one didn't need my help, the other one did.... I'm getting a little, ok very nervous. I hope I can give them all of the attention they need and I hope they can all concentrate on their own work when someone else is asking a question. It seemed like every time dd5 spoke, dd8 or dd10 would stop what they were doing to listen, now I know that's not going to work.
> How do you do it, how does it all work out. Maybe i'm thinking too much into this and we'll all be just fine once we get the hang of it ????
> 
> Maybe for certain subjects, they need to be separated so they can work in peace.???



i'm working this out w/ my 2 kids now - we're fairly new to hsing, so i'm still getting used to everything.  Just yesterday I made them 'mini offices'... I found the idea on a lapbook site.  They separate the kids, give them privacy, and information sheets they can refer to (google mini office lapbook).  But it's definitely challenging when we're sitting around the diningroom table, they're asking for help at the same time, distracting each other, telling each other to "shhhhhh!".  I hope you get some responses - I need some help in this area too!


----------



## Twoboysnmygirl

3princesses+aprince said:


> I have 3 daughters, they will be in K, 2nd, and 4th grade. We are officially starting tomorrow, but today we were getting everything in order and ended up taking out some books and doing a few things.
> 
> My head was spinning... if one wasn't talking the other one was..... if one didn't need my help, the other one did.... I'm getting a little, ok very nervous. I hope I can give them all of the attention they need and I hope they can all concentrate on their own work when someone else is asking a question. It seemed like every time dd5 spoke, dd8 or dd10 would stop what they were doing to listen, now I know that's not going to work.
> How do you do it, how does it all work out. Maybe i'm thinking too much into this and we'll all be just fine once we get the hang of it ????
> 
> Maybe for certain subjects, they need to be separated so they can work in peace.???



They will adjust, remember this is new to them!  For us, we spread out.  We have NEVER been sit-at-the-table kind of homeschoolers, but if they FEEL like sitting at the table, that's fine.  Sometimes they are on the couch, sometimes one at the table, one at the couch, one in their room doing something.  Homeschooling for us was about NOT doing it like the school b/c we think the school system has failed and don't want to make the mistakes they have made (not that everything they have done is failure).  

Take the time to ease into it, don't push too hard, try to relax and have fun!  Learning doesn't have to be a chore and there's no set of rules that you have to follow.  It can be nerve wracking when they all need you at once, but my kids have learned that they have to wait their turn while I'm helping another.  It gets easier!


----------



## Incredimom3

3princesses+aprince said:


> I have 3 daughters, they will be in K, 2nd, and 4th grade. We are officially starting tomorrow, but today we were getting everything in order and ended up taking out some books and doing a few things.
> 
> We just started our 6th year of homeschooling.  Previously, my girls had been in a small Christian school.  Our first year of homeschooling, my daughters were in the same grades as your girls.  I wanted a Christian curriculum and I used the complete Abeka curriculum for each of them.  After 2 days, we were all in tears.  It was just too much.  Hang in there.  Going from traditional school to home school is a huge transition.  It can be very freeing, but remember, that it doesn't have to look like "school."  I made up a chart for the girls with a list of what they were to do/read each day.  Working through their charts helped them learn independence.  Math and grammar takes the longest for us as we have three different levels.  If I worked with one child, the other two had to read or work on worksheets.  I also decided to abandon K and 2nd grade science and social studies and had the younger ones sit in with the oldest for those subjects.
> 
> This year, we're covering unknown ground as we begin homeschooling high school.  In some ways it's scary, but the rewards are tremendous.  My daughters are very confident, able to interact with adults and other children, and they are not brought down by some of the negative aspects of traditional school.  In addition to traditional schoolwork, they are also confident in the kitchen and around the house.
> 
> If you have a state home school organization, perhaps they can put you in contact with a local support group.  My support group has provided encouragement and ideas for me, and it has been a source of wonderful friendships for my children.  Don't try to go it alone!


----------



## Lora

anabelle said:


> Anyone going Homeschool days signing their kids up for YES classes?



I PM'd you again about this, but wanted to post here also.

We signed up today for one of the YES classes.   We booked this week at WDW almost a year ago without knowing that 1. homeschooling days would be going on at WDW and 2. that my hsing sister and her family would be joining us.

I had forgotten that this event was even going on while we were going to be there.  Many thanks to Anabelle for posting this.  

Any one else going?


----------



## herodrx1

We are doing HS days and the YES programs.  The MK YES program sounds AMAZING!! I can hardly wait.


----------



## jacksmomma

herodrx1 said:


> We are doing HS days and the YES programs.  The MK YES program sounds AMAZING!! I can hardly wait.



I have never heard of the YES programs so I just googled it...how neat is that?!  I cannot wait until DS gets just a little bit older.  We will defiantly take part in that.


----------



## Denine

Anyone use visual mapping programs for learning on the computer?  We are supposed to do a lot of different things on one, but we don't have that software.  I just looked and it is $60 for the software.  DD is learning the stuff in her computer lessons, but they want an actual program so we can do other things as well.


----------



## SCHBR'smom

What are you using for computer lessons?  

We've just started homeschooling and I haven't figured out what to use for computers, yet.  Thanks


----------



## Denine

SCHBR'smom said:


> What are you using for computer lessons?
> 
> We've just started homeschooling and I haven't figured out what to use for computers, yet.  Thanks



We use Calvert and each grade has computer lessons that come with the rest of the program.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

Thanks to all who replied to homeschooling more than more than 1.  I think I will have them spread out and see if that works a little better, which i'm sure it will. Even if they can hear each other talking I think if they're not sitting at the same table they'll pay less attention to it. We are all working on the same History and Science curriculum so I'm really only worried about Language arts and Math. So, I think i'll figure it out some how.

I also like the idea of making a schedule and letting them know what they have to do.


----------



## graygables

My girls will be at the MK YES program, but alas, I will be opening one of the All Stars resorts that day.   One of my older DDs will be dropping them off.  I might be able to take my lunch to come pick them up, however, so maybe we can have a mini-DIS-meet!


----------



## *Toadstool*

chicagoshannon said:


> We are.  We started using Horizons last week.  It's a good curriculum but the crafts aren't really hands on.  So far they are all coloring, cutting, and pasting.
> 
> I"m 99% sure we're going to order Hands on Homeschooling this week (she fills all her orders on Wednesdays so I have til then to decide)
> 
> Others on here have said before five in a row is good but there isn't really a description or sample of it online so I'm hesitant to order it.


Thanks for the info. Hands on Homeschooling looks really neat. The Five in a Row website has me totally confused on what you need to order. I'll try to look at it again after some sleep.


----------



## jacksmomma

We always talk about what the kids are learning and what they are reading...what are you reading?

I just finished up The First Year of Homeschooling.  It was good.  It addressed a lot of my fears and helped me understand other parts of the process.  I am about 3/4 of the way through The Well Adjusted Child  This book is great!  As a former middle school teacher I am well aware of the "socialization" that goes on in schools, but this book has really shed some light on parts of the process I had never thought about.  It is very encouraging and uplifting and is constantly reminding me that I am doing the right thing for my family.


----------



## graygables

jacksmomma said:


> We always talk about what the kids are learning and what they are reading...what are you reading?



Managing People is Like Herding Cats 'nuff said.


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## chicagoshannon

*Toadstool* said:


> Thanks for the info. Hands on Homeschooling looks really neat. The Five in a Row website has me totally confused on what you need to order. I'll try to look at it again after some sleep.



I just ordered Hands on Homeschooling yesterday.  I hope to have it by the end of next week.  I"ll let you know how I like it once it arrives.


----------



## Denine

I have plenty of homeschool books to read, but I am reading Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon.  Her new book comes out next month.

Thanks to the Dis'r that is letting me have her copy of a visual mapping software!

Disney and homeschooler's are the best!


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## Disney Mommy 3

*Toadstool* said:


> Thanks for the info. Hands on Homeschooling looks really neat. The Five in a Row website has me totally confused on what you need to order. I'll try to look at it again after some sleep.


If you just can't figure it out, pm me and I will help you out!! Mainly, just figure out what age bracket you want...for example if they are pre-k, get Before Five in a Row...if they are K or early elem, and this is your first go(which it is) just order Volume 1 of Five in a Row. That's it...unless you want the little laminated discs that go on a world map. I have these and we really loved them...as you read each story, find the little picture(disc) that matches your story, cut it out, and put it on that country on your map. My kids really learned a lot like that. I can show anyone anytime where the Yangtze River is in China!! Might make me money on a trivia ? someday!! Ha!!!!!

As far as reading...i always refer back to some of my hs books, but right now I am reading a book on Esther, and looking through Honey For a Childs Heart again for book suggestions. I love that book!!


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## Lisa loves Pooh

I feel like I am in the Homeschool Twilight zone!   4th grade is kicking my hiney!  It is a big step up from 3rd grade! I'm enjoying it--but whew, K-3 was a cinch.  We do the Classical Method, so my daughter just transitioned trivuums...don't ask me which one, I know what I read, but not well enough to share specifics.

I think I am fine tuning on how we will do her math--b/c her pace is KILLING ME!!!!   She said it wasn't possible to do it faster and challenged me.  I haven't taken the challenge, yet.  I don't want to scare her. 


But the rewards are great--despite the...start to this school year. She says that she enjoys homeschooling.

And after Bunko night with my friends and hearing about our "good" public school that is now faced with bussing, I am happy that my children will not be exposed to inappropriate lessons that are wayyyyyyyyy beyond their years. and more .

But--I'm tired!!!

But by golly--I'm going to be an expert on 4th grade as will she by May.


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## littlepeppers

Thought HS would spare us the SWINE FLU, but we have 2 DH nephews confirmed w/ it & DH brother & neice being tested.

THEY WERE HERE (at my house) SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hoping they get better soon & I will be keeping a close eye on my 2.


----------



## *Toadstool*

littlepeppers said:


> Thought HS would spare us the SWINE FLU, but we have 2 DH nephews confirmed w/ it & DH brother & neice being tested.
> 
> THEY WERE HERE (at my house) SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Hoping they get better soon & I will be keeping a close eye on my 2.


There are sooo many people that are telling me so and so has swine flu. One of my close friends just found out late tonight that her little boy has it.
I'm now wanting to lock Hannah up inside. 



Disney Mommy 3 said:


> If you just can't figure it out, pm me and I will help you out!! Mainly, just figure out what age bracket you want...for example if they are pre-k, get Before Five in a Row...if they are K or early elem, and this is your first go(which it is) just order Volume 1 of Five in a Row. That's it...unless you want the little laminated discs that go on a world map. I have these and we really loved them...as you read each story, find the little picture(disc) that matches your story, cut it out, and put it on that country on your map. My kids really learned a lot like that. I can show anyone anytime where the Yangtze River is in China!! Might make me money on a trivia ? someday!! Ha!!!!!


Thanks! I could never figure out what things were for what ages.
I'm going to try to look at both of them again tomorrow, and make a decision.



chicagoshannon said:


> I just ordered Hands on Homeschooling yesterday.  I hope to have it by the end of next week.  I"ll let you know how I like it once it arrives.


Thanks! I would appreciate it.


----------



## nono

jacksmomma said:


> We always talk about what the kids are learning and what they are reading...what are you reading?



_Learning All the Time_, by John Holt
_Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling_, by John Taylor Gatto

Probably neither of these are new to this group. 

My other book I am reading is: _Run Faster from the 5K to the Marathon: How to Be Your Own Best Coach_ by Brad Hudson.  (I'm a runner. And this book is  )


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## chicagoshannon

I just got done reading Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover.  I want to get book 2 in the Kingdom Keeper series next.


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## Denine

I would love to read the Kingdom Keepers series.  I keep looking at the books when we are in WDW.

Right now the Swine flu terrifies me.  Ordinarily, these things don't.  However, I keep reading that the people that have the complications are ones with chronic problems.  DD was just diagnosed with asthma in June, but the bigger problem is she isn't over the pneumonia that she got yet.  It is resolving as of her CAT scan 2 weeks ago, but not gone.  She also has enlarged tonsils and cervical lymph nodes.  We don't know why.  She has had a lot of blood work and goes back to the ENT tomorrow morning.  Also, we thought she had appendicits last week, but I think it was enlarged lymph nodes in the abdomen that mimic appendicitis.  Now, you can see why I don't want her getting it.

I would like to get her vaccinated for both flu's, but they don't know if they will have the vaccines when she goes in Sept for her check-up.


----------



## littlepeppers

Denine said:


> I would love to read the Kingdom Keepers series.  I keep looking at the books when we are in WDW.
> 
> Right now the Swine flu terrifies me.  Ordinarily, these things don't.  However, I keep reading that the people that have the complications are ones with chronic problems.  DD was just diagnosed with asthma in June, but the bigger problem is she isn't over the pneumonia that she got yet.  It is resolving as of her CAT scan 2 weeks ago, but not gone.  She also has enlarged tonsils and cervical lymph nodes.  We don't know why.  She has had a lot of blood work and goes back to the ENT tomorrow morning.  Also, we thought she had appendicits last week, but I think it was enlarged lymph nodes in the abdomen that mimic appendicitis.  Now, you can see why I don't want her getting it.
> 
> I would like to get her vaccinated for both flu's, but they don't know if they will have the vaccines when she goes in Sept for her check-up.



I refuse to let my kids get the swine flu vacc.  They are rushing this vacc. out there b/c of public & govt pressures.  I don't think that it has been tested enough to put out on the market.  I would rather take my chances w/ the flu than have my kids have a weird sideffect or death from a vacc that wasn't properly tested.


----------



## chicagoshannon

littlepeppers said:


> I refuse to let my kids get the swine flu vacc.  They are rushing this vacc. out there b/c of public & govt pressures.  I don't think that it has been tested enough to put out on the market.  I would rather take my chances w/ the flu than have my kids have a weird sideffect or death from a vacc that wasn't properly tested.



I agree with this.  Didn't more people die from the swine flu vaccine in the '60's than the actual flu itself?  That vaccine was also rushed.


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## LadyShea

Hello all! I am hoping you can share some experiences with me.

DH and I have been discussing homeschooling since DS was only 2. We reached an impasse in that all the arguments I presented for homeschooling can't get past his personal need to "see it for himself". All he will agree to is that we would homeschool if and only if we tried DS in a traditional school setting first. I reluctantly agreed and dropped the subject as I had done everything I could from a theoretical standpoint (presented the studies and research)

As DS has a January birthday, he won't be able to go to Kindergarten for 2 more years when he is nearly 6. I don't want to waste 2 more years holding my tongue and stewing. I am considering enrolling DS in a pre-k/preschool program to see how he does in a school setting. 

Did anyone else do anything like this? Send your child to preschool or even Kindergarten first?

FYI: I want to homeschool because I personally despised the formal academic environment and am more of an autodidact. I felt so much was just useless busy work that taught me nothing. For DS I am drawn to more natural/pragmatic learning, and eclectic sources, and interest based unit studies and such.


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## graygables

LadyShea said:


> Did anyone else do anything like this? Send your child to preschool or even Kindergarten first?
> 
> FYI: I want to homeschool because I personally despised the formal academic environment and am more of an autodidact. I felt so much was just useless busy work that taught me nothing. For DS I am drawn to more natural/pragmatic learning, and eclectic sources, and interest based unit studies and such.



In my experience (I have 4 DDs, 2 are adults, 2 still at home), sending them to school FIRST is a phenomenally much harder transition to home than the other way around.  "School" is very good about rules and structure and orderly walking in straight lines and squelching any kind of original thought or opinion. 

When I pulled my oldest 2 out (4th and 2nd grades), it was VERY difficult since they had preconceived notions of what school should "look like".  We had to have desks and a pencil sharpener and a clock and workbooks for the first few years and even then, it was a struggle (and I had been a school teacher myself!)

My younger 2 have never stepped foot in a public school.  Our philosophy is "Wake up. Start learning."  We do still use curriculum, but there is no particular start or end time to our "school" day.  If we have something to do, we do it.  If we want a day off (like today), we take one.  In addition to the curriculum, my DDs write a paper a week on a subject they are interested in.  This week, it's Germany and the history of dragons.  It might be manatees or China or fashion in the 1800s.  Whatever piques their interest at the time is fair game.  They knew more about Mesopotamia in the 2nd grade than I did in college.

Schools are good at martialling children into good citizenship, compliance, conformity, and, often, boredom.  Those are very hard concepts to dis-instill once they have been put in place. Rather than learning to learn on their own, my older 2 never were able to master their own learning without me ("teacher") telling them what to or offering a lot of guidance.


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## LadyShea

Thanks graygables, that's what I was afraid of.

Well, I still have time, I'll keep working on it until I find the argument that works with hubby. At least I am evaluating preschool curriculum, now, and can show him that DS already excels at what he would be working on.


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## chicagoshannon

LadyShea said:


> Thanks graygables, that's what I was afraid of.
> 
> Well, I still have time, I'll keep working on it until I find the argument that works with hubby. At least I am evaluating preschool curriculum, now, and can show him that DS already excels at what he would be working on.



Maybe see if you can convince your DH to let you try homeschooling for preschool and go from there.  That's what we're doing.  Neither DH nor I are totally convinced that homeschooling will be something long term (basically cause we're nervous about it) but we're trying it out now while she's 2/3/4.  If it doesn't work out then we can send her to Kinder on time.


----------



## LadyShea

Yeah, what we've been doing is basically homeschooling, and I have said to DH "Look at how much he knows and has learned already. We can do this. We ARE doing this". 

He accuses me of putting my anti-school bias on to my son, and points out how he thrives in structured settings like TaeKwonDo and the Build and Grow Workshops at Lowe's, and might thrive in the structured school environment as well. I wish I could say DH is being ignorant or obstinate, but his arguments are well thought out, even though we disagree.


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## graygables

LadyShea said:


> Yeah, what we've been doing is basically homeschooling, and I have said to DH "Look at how much he knows and has learned already. We can do this. We ARE doing this".
> 
> He accuses me of putting my anti-school bias on to my son, and points out how he thrives in structured settings like TaeKwonDo and the Build and Grow Workshops at Lowe's, and might thrive in the structured school environment as well. I wish I could say DH is being ignorant or obstinate, but his arguments are well thought out, even though we disagree.



What, exactly, is he afraid of?  Is he concerned that there won't be enough structured time and it will be a free-for-all?  If so, you've already set a precedent by having him involved in some structured activities. Is he worried about your ability to teach?  Again, like you said, you ARE teaching him.  Who taught him to walk? to feed himself? to toilet?  YOU.  You are already laying the foundations for reading, math, social studies, science, and more.  Teachers and schools WANT you to believe that you must be a "trained professional" to teach children.  Newsflash: I AM a trained professional and "classroom management 101" is about as useful as underwater basket weaving.  Math is not my forte.  Once we get to the point where they are learning it faster than I can, we will access outside sources.  Tutors, co-ops, etc are available to cover any subject.  Is he afraid of seeming "weird" or "strange"?  The homeschool movement is growing geometrically thanks to the failure of public schools.  It isn't all about right-wing conservatives or left-wing liberals anymore.  There is a huge group in the center who just want the very best for their children.  

I am always asked about the "s" word (socialization).  I bring up examples from my own experience as a student and teacher of said socialization (drugs, pregnancy, getting beat up in the bathroom, weapons, fear) and say, "no thank you".  My daughters are bright, well-behaved, and can interact with any generation, not just 28 or so of their same-aged peers.  They can think for themselves and are becoming very wise from being able to exercise their brains rather than try to cram them into a standardized test box at the end of each school year.  They have participated in drama, dance, instrument lessons, photography, art, tai chi, karate, ice skating, and more. They are getting ready to attend a YES program here at WDW to learn more about American History with other homeschool families (some from the DIS!) PLENTY of "socialization".

It would be helpful to know what his specific concerns are.  I would encourage you to keep "homeschooling" (although we call it "parenting" ) through the preschool years and try to get your husband on board for a trial run first.  It really is MUCH easier to put them in school later.  The only issue is they tend to be better-mannered and know more than their peers, so sometimes placement can be a challenge.


----------



## 3princesses+aprince

I just bought the Kingdom keeper series for my dd10. Disney after dark and disney before dawn. Oh, they look so awesome. I've been really bad at spending money lately, so I fought with myself on whether or not to buy them. Well, I bought them and just got one of them in the mail the other day and waiting for the next, I ordered them from Amazon, and am putting them away for Christmas, my dd is going to be so excited. Using them as Christmas gifts was the only way I could tell myself it was ok to buy them right now.lol

What I really want to do is read them before I give them to her. lol


----------



## chicagoshannon

3princesses+aprince said:


> I just bought the Kingdom keeper series for my dd10. Disney after dark and disney before dawn. Oh, they look so awesome. I've been really bad at spending money lately, so I fought with myself on whether or not to buy them. Well, I bought them and just got one of them in the mail the other day and waiting for the next, I ordered them from Amazon, and am putting them away for Christmas, my dd is going to be so excited. Using them as Christmas gifts was the only way I could tell myself it was ok to buy them right now.lol
> 
> What I really want to do is read them before I give them to her. lol



you should definitely read them first.  I've only read the first one.  I put the 2nd one on hold at the library the other day. I hope it comes in soon.


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## LadyShea

> What, exactly, is he afraid of?



At the beginning of the debate he brought up the 's' word, though he can't argue it from fact, only his 100% positive personal experiences, and I slammed it down with different experiences and hard data, so he never actually says it anymore.

We debate everything in this way...including printing out studies and such, so please don't think this is a violent fight or anything. Just one of the few issues we have been unable to resolve. He can't convince me and I can't convince him.


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## graygables

LadyShea said:


> At the beginning of the debate he brought up the 's' word, though he can't argue it from fact, only his 100% positive personal experiences, and I slammed it down with different experiences and hard data, so he never actually says it anymore.
> 
> We debate everything in this way...including printing out studies and such, so please don't think this is a violent fight or anything. Just one of the few issues we have been unable to resolve. He can't convince me and I can't convince him.



I completely get what you are saying (and don't you hate it when they have a strong, logical case???  )  Something's going to have to give, though, my vote is in favor of homeschool first, traditional school second.  BTW, my older 2 went back to trad school in the 8th grade (long story, but had to do with advanced classes)  The oldest one finished and did a dual enrollment with college, the second one came back home again and at 16, asked if she could just take the GED and get on with her life, which she aced it and got on with college at 17.  Going back was much easier than coming out, in our experience.


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## chicagoshannon

LadyShea said:


> At the beginning of the debate he brought up the 's' word, though he can't argue it from fact, only his 100% positive personal experiences, and I slammed it down with different experiences and hard data, so he never actually says it anymore.
> 
> We debate everything in this way...including printing out studies and such, so please don't think this is a violent fight or anything. Just one of the few issues we have been unable to resolve. He can't convince me and I can't convince him.



I wonder if your husband is being so stubborn on this because he's had personal experience with "weird" homeschoolers.  I know when I was a kid I encountered a few.  I know that is something that is still in the back of my mind.  But now that I'm an adult my positive experiences and the fact that it's not such a weird or different thing now has changed my view.

Maybe you can convince him to go to a homeschool fair with you next summer and you can meet other homeschoolers. I wonder if that will help.

Also, I know the last few weeks I've been getting a lot of emails from my yahoo group about sports teams.  So if that's something your husband is concerned about you can point that out too.

Maybe you can find a yahoo group in your area to join.   You'll start getting the emails and see just how many different options there are.


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## desparatelydisney

HELP, PLEASE!!!!

I have emailed Noeo but not gotten a response yet.  Our weather kit CD will not launch on our Mac so we can't do any of the experiments.  Has anyone else had this problem?  Is there a printed version of the experiments online anywhere?

TIA!!!!

MMM


----------



## anabelle

Well, we have almost finished our first week back.   I am so tired.   But it is a good tired.   We had homeschool volleyball practice and homeschool soccer games and practice on top of it.   I don't think anyone could argue with me that my kids aren't socialized if they saw our schedule.   Whew!


BTW, our Disney Homeschool days tickets came in the mail today.  I can't wait to go,  yeah!


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## Lora

anabelle said:


> Well, we have almost finished our first week back.   I am so tired.   But it is a good tired.   We had homeschool volleyball practice and homeschool soccer games and practice on top of it.   I don't think anyone could argue with me that my kids aren't socialized if they saw our schedule.   Whew!
> 
> 
> BTW, our Disney Homeschool days tickets came in the mail today.  I can't wait to go,  yeah!



Did you just get the tickets, or did they send more info. with them?  Ours are being mailed to my sister because we used her credit card to buy them all at once.


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## anabelle

Lora said:


> Did you just get the tickets, or did they send more info. with them?  Ours are being mailed to my sister because we used her credit card to buy them all at once.



We just received the tickets and a receipt.  I expected some sort of Welcome or Explanation of the Event, but no.   I didn't even get a ticket for the extra classes.  I am not sure if they are on the park tickets or maybe you just need to be on a list.


----------



## jacksmomma

LadyShea said:


> At the beginning of the debate he brought up the 's' word, though he can't argue it from fact, only his 100% positive personal experiences, and I slammed it down with different experiences and hard data, so he never actually says it anymore.
> 
> We debate everything in this way...including printing out studies and such, so please don't think this is a violent fight or anything. Just one of the few issues we have been unable to resolve. He can't convince me and I can't convince him.



Have you read The Well Adjusted Child or Dumbing Us Down?  If your DH is a reader maybe you could get two copies and read them together each sharing your points and debating them.  Both books are great!


----------



## jacksmomma

We start school on Monday!    I am getting so excited.  Tomorrow we are kicking things off with a visit to a bug festival in our city and then Monday we start our unit on butterflies.  Our insect lore critters have built their chrysalises and now we are just waiting for them to hatch.  Here we go!


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## Lisa loves Pooh

LadyShea said:


> At the beginning of the debate he brought up the 's' word, though he can't argue it from fact, only his 100% positive personal experiences, and I slammed it down with different experiences and hard data, so he never actually says it anymore.
> 
> We debate everything in this way...including printing out studies and such, so please don't think this is a violent fight or anything. Just one of the few issues we have been unable to resolve. He can't convince me and I can't convince him.



Here is my take--

Your husband is so set on Public school, that until there is a problem, he will not let you pull your son out to try homeschool.

I suppose it might be true in the other direction as well.

My husband of his own free will signed us up for a homeschool convention and was fine after that. His concerns are making sure we are providing everything academically and no bad would come out of a "successful" homeschool. He does mandate standardized testing and my 4th grader has done this since K.  She does splendidly.

Honestly-there are only a few reasons that those who are anti-homeschooling go to public school:  status quo and fear. I am sure there are others, but I have found most resposnes I get from folks who question me and then provide their 2 cents of why public school is fine--puts it in both of those categories.

They do it out of habit and are afraid they could not handle it and would screw up their children for life.

I can see the crossroads that you are at, but I do wonder. What is the COMPELLING reason that your husband wants schooling.  Thus far--he doesn't seem to have a logical argument against homeschooling.

I would not personally be able to deal with that. Thankfully my husband found that there isn't a logical argument against homeschooling.

Parents have the right to direct the education of their children.  I just choose to not direct out of fear. (Yet if you ask a few people--they think I am "afraid" of something.  Always fun to respond that I am no more afraid than they are.)


----------



## Lisa loves Pooh

LadyShea said:


> At the beginning of the debate he brought up the 's' word,.



This is the biggest myth in homeschooling.

I would ask him if he is still hanging around ___year olds in his day to day life. Point out your age differences if you have them.

How is one socializing sitting at a desk not able to speak to their classmates during class?

My brother and sister ALMOST went to a school where the children could not talk at lunchtime. I asked my mom several times if she heard correctly. She then proceeded to enroll them in a private catholic school with a military discount. She wasn't ready to send young children to a militant school.


----------



## Lisa loves Pooh

chicagoshannon said:


> Maybe see if you can convince your DH to let you try homeschooling for preschool and go from there.  That's what we're doing.  Neither DH nor I are totally convinced that homeschooling will be something long term (basically cause we're nervous about it) but we're trying it out now while she's 2/3/4.  If it doesn't work out then we can send her to Kinder on time.



The only problem with this--you may convince yourself that you either...cant' get your child to stay interested long enough to do a curriculum, or you will feel a failure b/c you didnt' teach her enough.

I didn't do curriculum with any of my children until K and only then very loosely.

The toughest skill I have had to teach is reading--as it is truly a difficult concept when you think about it.

But outside of that, we have "tought" our children since birth.  We moms ARE capable of teaching well into the school years and beyond.


----------



## Lisa loves Pooh

LadyShea said:


> Yeah, what we've been doing is basically homeschooling, and I have said to DH "Look at how much he knows and has learned already. We can do this. We ARE doing this".
> 
> He accuses me of putting my anti-school bias on to my son, and points out how he thrives in structured settings like TaeKwonDo and the Build and Grow Workshops at Lowe's, and might thrive in the structured school environment as well. I wish I could say DH is being ignorant or obstinate, but his arguments are well thought out, even though we disagree.



It is possible to "structure" a homeschool. It can be as relaxed or as regimented as you wish.

I have an ADHD child.  We cannot be relaxed homeschoolers.  We learn at her pace, but we are regimented. She has checklists, we sit down at the table to do school.

I know folks who start promptly at this time, break at this time, et cetera.

An extra-curricular activity is NOT structured like a public school in a box.

I remember walking through halls in first grade with my index finger perpendicular to my lips.  That seemed a bit of overkill for structure IMHO.

I am not anti-public school. I think it is unfair for those who choose homeschooling to say that they are "anti-public school".  It places us in a box and refuses to acknowledge homeschooling as a viable alternative.

The number one question I get asked is don't I believe the schools are good?  

To me--it is irrelevant. We have the times, we have the means, we have the right.   I shouldn't have to be "against" public school to choose homeschooling.

Some parents put their kids in dance, others take a more sports oriented track. Does it mean that one set of parents is against arts and the other is anti-sport.  Not in all cases. So why would we presume that all parents who puts girls in soccer are anti-arts?  We wouldn't. They have made a choice that works for their family based on the interests of the family.

I use the same logic for homeschooling. It works, my daughters are thriving and they have time to do other things they love.  

To me--the statistics are unneeded except to shut people up who insist are defending their public school choices when I never questioned them for it.  It's like they are intimidated or something. I cannot quite articlute what I mean.  I keep to myself but it always seems I get pulled into this conversation:

"I don't see how you can do homeschooling. My child would never listen to me. That and the public school is so good."

"I don't know, it is just what works for our family."

"But don't you think your child is missing out on lots of things."

"Not really, we do lots of things."

"Yeah--but the schools are so good here, do you think you can measure up."

"My kids are doing fine."

"What about testing--how do you know?"

"As a matter of fact we do test. We don't teach to the test. I will actually tell my daughter to make it a game--and if she doesn't know something, skip it.  She does very well on her tests."

"I don't know--I still don't think I could do it."

"Well, there are lots of resources that I use. Lots of information out there."

"yeah....but the public schools are so good."


I dare say--it often sounds like a cry for help--but not.  And in other conversations you will here about the inappropriate things they learn from other children be it sex, attitude, or whatever.

Schools are needed b/c not everyone wants to homeschool and that's fine. But I wish those parents who do that would stop taking out their anxieties on me as though I am questioning their choices by virtue of making a different choice.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Lisa loves Pooh said:


> This is the biggest myth in homeschooling.
> 
> I would ask him if he is still hanging around ___year olds in his day to day life. Point out your age differences if you have them.
> 
> How is one socializing sitting at a desk not able to speak to their classmates during class?
> 
> My brother and sister ALMOST went to a school where the children could not talk at lunchtime. I asked my mom several times if she heard correctly. She then proceeded to enroll them in a private catholic school with a military discount. She wasn't ready to send young children to a militant school.



Our local public school is like this...as far as elementary...don't know about higher grades as we didn't stay that long. In the 1-3 grade building  they had to be silent in lunch.....and the school that i grew up in....little town in the sticks.....started that a few years after I graduated. If the kids talked (elem) they turned the lights out on them!!!!!!!


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## jacksmomma

Lisa loves Pooh said:


> How is one socializing sitting at a desk not able to speak to their classmates during class?



It kills me when people talk about how kids are not socialized when they are home schooled...Yes they are, they are just not socialized to a competitive, institutional setting!

Being a teacher I noticed that kids started to "lose their minds" and act like total nut balls at around 3rd grade.  They get all competitive and just act silly.  I did not think about it until just the other night, but I wonder if the kids begin to act that way as a result of their educational environment?  At that point, they have been "drilled the rules" enough that they are ingrained in their brains and at that point school work starts to get harder and most parents and teachers start pressuring their kids to "be the best".  It really makes me wonder...


----------



## littlepeppers

jacksmomma said:


> It kills me when people talk about how kids are not socialized when they are home schooled...Yes they are, they are just not socialized to a competitive, institutional setting!
> 
> Being a teacher I noticed that kids started to "lose their minds" and act like total nut balls at around 3rd grade.  They get all competitive and just act silly.  I did not think about it until just the other night, but I wonder if the kids begin to act that way as a result of their educational environment?  At that point, they have been "drilled the rules" enough that they are ingrained in their brains and at that point school work starts to get harder and most parents and teachers start pressuring their kids to "be the best".  It really makes me wonder...



We are in yr 1 of HS & I am looking forward to DS being "his best" instead of trying to be "the best".  I want him to stop comparing himself to everyone else & I'm working on getting DH to think the same way.


----------



## LadyShea

Thanks for all your input. I have brought up every single point mentioned here. I have no idea why DH is being so stubborn! It's really unusual too, as he usually trusts my research and/or agrees with me once I have presented my case if he can't logically refute it. 

This seems to be more of an emotional conviction than an intellectual one with him, and those are the hardest to break through with people, in my experience. Anyway I kinda gather it is a combination of the status quo/weird issue, his personal, positive experiences in public school, and his sincere desire to do what's best for DS (he has been the primary caretaker)...maybe it's the whole unknown that scares him, as he has never personally known anyone who was homeschooled? 

The socialization thing was a red herring, or excuse, or something that sounded reasonable to cover his true fear I am starting to think.

I'll keep trying, hopefully if I can pinpoint _The Reason_, or the main fear I can address it.


----------



## littlepeppers

LadyShea said:


> Thanks for all your input. I have brought up every single point mentioned here. I have no idea why DH is being so stubborn! It's really unusual too, as he usually trusts my research and/or agrees with me once I have presented my case if he can't logically refute it.
> 
> This seems to be more of an emotional conviction than an intellectual one with him, and those are the hardest to break through with people, in my experience. Anyway I kinda gather it is a combination of the status quo/weird issue, his personal, positive experiences in public school, and his sincere desire to do what's best for DS (he has been the primary caretaker)...maybe it's the whole unknown that scares him, as he has never personally known anyone who was homeschooled?
> 
> The socialization thing was a red herring, or excuse, or something that sounded reasonable to cover his true fear I am starting to think.
> 
> I'll keep trying, hopefully if I can pinpoint _The Reason_, or the main fear I can address it.



I taught in a public school for 11 yrs & watched it go down hill after my 4th year.  

If DH thinks that public schools are still the great things that we went to, then he should volunteer as a substitute teacher.  Most states only require that they have 15hrs of college to sub.  Let him collect his own 1st hand information.  Schools aren't like the ones we went too.  

Highschool Musical is a movie.


----------



## crocko

My thoughts (as a homeschool dad) of why it can be tough on the father's to "get on board"

a) Visions of our own "good times" in school.  I, for the most part, enjoyed school and had some amazing memories with my friends.  I have to consciously remind myself of the "bad influences" I had and the way that public school has NOTICEABLY gotten worse that those good memories aren't worth it (in my opinion)

b) Competition.  Many dads WANT to see their kids in competitive environments...playing recess...interacting all day.  Even though your responses may be very good and valid, it is hard for a Dad to get past these feelings.

c) I know nothing about you or any of the other moms personally, but I think some hesitant Dads may question whether or not you can handle it.  And of all their criticisms, it is the one that least likely will come out of their mouths.  But, realize that it is "possible" that doubt has weight in their mind.  If you think that is the case: either prove him wrong or confront him about it.


My pennies...


----------



## SCHBR'smom

So, I agonized over which science to chose for my children this year (its our first year homeschooling).  I ended up with Apologia, I feel that that is what we are supposed to do.  But, so far, we've only covered one lesson.  We've been learning about what interests us as we go.  We got a new snake, so we had a lesson about snakes for science, snake art projects, snake books and poems.  Today, the kids wanted to learn about carnivorous plants.  We read about them, watched video about a new one discovered in the Phillipines that can eat rats , and they have been making paper venus flytraps including the flies.  I don't know why I worried so much.  Science is fun, especially when the kids follow their interests.


----------



## chicagoshannon

I got the Hands on Homeschooling curriculum today.  It should work ok but I"m not wowed by it like I thought I would be.  I'll use it but if I could do it again I wouldn't order it.  It does have everything spelled out as far as a schedule but it doesn't seem (in the limited time I've looked it over) like it will be as "fun" as I thought.  

She only included 5 worksheets for tracing and only a few patterns for some crafts.  Everything is black and white.

It's going to take a lot more work on my part than I thought.  OH well.  I'll probably end up combining it with the Horizons I already have.


----------



## jacksmomma

SCHBR'smom said:


> So, I agonized over which science to chose for my children this year (its our first year homeschooling).  I ended up with Apologia, I feel that that is what we are supposed to do.  But, so far, we've only covered one lesson.  We've been learning about what interests us as we go.  We got a new snake, so we had a lesson about snakes for science, snake art projects, snake books and poems.  Today, the kids wanted to learn about carnivorous plants.  We read about them, watched video about a new one discovered in the Phillipines that can eat rats , and they have been making paper venus flytraps including the flies.  I don't know why I worried so much.  Science is fun, especially when the kids follow their interests.



Science is a blast!  But then when I taught I was a science teacher, so I am sure I am biased!  

If you have a hobby lobby near by they have carnivorous plant growing kits for under $5.


----------



## LegoMom3

I'm trying to catch up a bit here and haven't read every post re: the "socialization" issue and the dad, but it made me think of a friend of mine and her DH some years ago....  He was "hesitant" on their DS being hs'ed, citing lots of vague "social" reasons, and when it finally came out he stated "Well, he won't be invited to any birthday parties!".....  I'm happy to report that their DS did end up hs'ing, and has, indeed, been invited to many, many parties!

.


----------



## disneymom3

jacksmomma said:


> It kills me when people talk about how kids are not socialized when they are home schooled...Yes they are, they are just not socialized to a competitive, institutional setting


Nor are they socialized to follow the status quo and be a number in a box.  When we go to the children's theater the big thing we notice is that the public school kids are really good at standing in a straight line and ours are really bad at it.  Since even in WDW your line does not have to be straight, or single file, I am not too worried about that. 


LegoMom3 said:


> I'm trying to catch up a bit here and haven't read every post re: the "socialization" issue and the dad, but it made me think of a friend of mine and her DH some years ago....  He was "hesitant" on their DS being hs'ed, citing lots of vague "social" reasons, and when it finally came out he stated "Well, he won't be invited to any birthday parties!".....  I'm happy to report that their DS did end up hs'ing, and has, indeed, been invited to many, many parties!
> 
> .


Too many parties!!  What's fun though is that often at least two of my kids are invited to the parties if not all three of them.  There is no artificial age barrier to deal with. We went camping with our homsechool group this last weekend and DS spent most of the time playing with a little boy who is 2 years younger than him. They didn't care how old the other one was, just that both of them had a shovel and a flashlight and they were ready to go treasure hunting!


anabelle said:


> We just received the tickets and a receipt.  I expected some sort of Welcome or Explanation of the Event, but no.   I didn't even get a ticket for the extra classes.  I am not sure if they are on the park tickets or maybe you just need to be on a list.


Can I ask you a question about your tickets? What date range does it list them to be valid for?  We are going in Jan and I had to make resort reservations.  I gave my best guess for when the HD will be and took a gamble, but I know someone on here said there was like a three week window in which the tickets could be used.  We will go regardless but I sure do hope my timing works out.  It kills me that a company that is going back to being able to book dining 6 months out, won't confirm the Jan homeschool days until AFTER the Sept ones are done, giving people only 4 months to plan.  That is nuts!


----------



## anabelle

disneymom3 said:


> Can I ask you a question about your tickets? What date range does it list them to be valid for?  We are going in Jan and I had to make resort reservations.  I gave my best guess for when the HD will be and took a gamble, but I know someone on here said there was like a three week window in which the tickets could be used.  We will go regardless but I sure do hope my timing works out.  It kills me that a company that is going back to being able to book dining 6 months out, won't confirm the Jan homeschool days until AFTER the Sept ones are done, giving people only 4 months to plan.  That is nuts!




DM3, 
The tickets are good from 8/26 - 10/3 .  It looks like they were issued on 8/26 and the event is 9/21 and 9/22 so it looks like you get 10 days after the event.


----------



## disneymom3

Thank you.  I  think I will be safe unless they decide to do the HD the week of Jan 11. That will be a very sad thing.  I am pretty sure hte marathon is that weekend though and it seems silly that they would plan it for then.  Fingers crossed.


----------



## lyv4him

Not sure if I am in the correct forum; however I am looking forward to homeschooling my son when the time comes.  He is almost 2 right now.  HOwever, I have a question.... what books would you recommend for teaching toddlers and consequently teaching me too?  Or any book you found helpful during the "terrible twos".


----------



## *Toadstool*

chicagoshannon said:


> I got the Hands on Homeschooling curriculum today.  It should work ok but I"m not wowed by it like I thought I would be.  I'll use it but if I could do it again I wouldn't order it.  It does have everything spelled out as far as a schedule but it doesn't seem (in the limited time I've looked it over) like it will be as "fun" as I thought.
> 
> She only included 5 worksheets for tracing and only a few patterns for some crafts.  Everything is black and white.
> 
> It's going to take a lot more work on my part than I thought.  OH well.  I'll probably end up combining it with the Horizons I already have.


Thanks for posting. I came to check if you had received it yet.
Any ideas on other curriculum that you looked at that you wish you had bought?? I really want something "fun". I need something that teaches me how to do it. Has anyone used Abeka for pre-k? Their website is very lacking is showing what you actually get.


----------



## jacksmomma

disneymom3 said:


> Nor are they socialized to follow the status quo and be a number in a box.  When we go to the children's theater the big thing we notice is that the public school kids are really good at standing in a straight line and ours are really bad at it.  Since even in WDW your line does not have to be straight, or single file, I am not too worried about that.



So true about the line thing...DS is only 3 but I already notice it.

I also have begun to notice a huge change in the way my son interacts with his cousins who all have been to some sort of preschool or parent's day out.  They are so competitive and have to be in the middle of the attention all the time.  They also tattle all the time.  DS just looks at them and walks off to do his own thing.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

jacksmomma said:


> So true about the line thing...DS is only 3 but I already notice it.
> 
> I also have begun to notice a huge change in the way my son interacts with his cousins who all have been to some sort of preschool or parent's day out.  They are so competitive and have to be in the middle of the attention all the time.  They also tattle all the time.  DS just looks at them and walks off to do his own thing.




Not to sound lofty, or my kids are better than yours..but it's true! My dd is starting her 3rd year of ballet this year and it's been very evident from the beginning. The other girls want to form little groups within the group and exclude other ones they don't know or don't like...and they are only 6!!! So, we have dealt with this since the 4yo class. They do it at church nursery too... & it's the kids who are gone from home all day. My dd wanted to quit ballet before recital last year because the majority of kids in the class just wanted to play and they are all so very silly. DD is mature for her age and takes her ballet seriously!! ha!! Even her teacher has talked to me about how good she was in class, followed rules and was there to do dance...not make little cliques. She has enough this year ,she is doing a homeschool class during the day this year!! Our class will be at 11:00 and it will be other hsers her age. Her teacher said this will be one of her easier/better classes because hs kids act better and are easier to teach. She was an elementary teacher before she went back to dance!!!! So, don't worry about straight lines!! My boys sure don't want to do it!!  How many times in real life do we ever have to stay in a straight line and not speak?

   Okay, that was long, but I just wanted to add my 2 cents...oh, and my kids have best friends that are not the same age as they are. And, all my best friends are at least 4 years older than me..except for one. So...don't let all that stuff about socialization get ya'll bogged down!!!  I never really hung out with kids my age and I went to ps. In fact, several of my classmates are in jail(mainly drugs), have been married and divorced numerous times,and some even still live back and forth with their parents!!! Not that I am judging people for divorce!!! But, these girls are marrying/divorcing (guys too!) like they are just breaking up with boyfriends. and the poor kids are always caught in the middle!!! At least, we can kinda choose more who they hang out with than just let them be influenced 8 hours a day by people who do NOT have the same standards or convictions that we do. 
 Also---I just enjoy teaching them and watching them learn!! Don't ya'll? It's rewarding for me too!! Yes, we have slow days and sometimes things just don't click, but over all...what a blessing!!!!


----------



## disneymom3

lyv4him said:


> Not sure if I am in the correct forum; however I am looking forward to homeschooling my son when the time comes.  He is almost 2 right now.  HOwever, I have a question.... what books would you recommend for teaching toddlers and consequently teaching me too?  Or any book you found helpful during the "terrible twos".



 A book I love for activities to do with toddlers in called "What to do with Toddlers and Twos."  It's by Karen Miller.  I was a toddler teacher for a long time and the whole "terrible twos" really elude me.  I just think they are funny at that age.  Strong willed and opinionated, but funny.  I think the biggest thing to remember is to be consistent.  If the answer is no, it has to stay no.  If you give them a limit you must enforce it. And offer choices whenever you can. "Do you want to wear the blue shirt or hte green shirt?"  NOT "What do you want to wear today?"  That is too big!


----------



## Lisa loves Pooh

I have homeschool days at Disney marked on my calendar. Though I am ashamed to admit, I can't think if I am supposed to sign up or anything for it.


Anyone know? 

We were planning on Monday the 21st.


----------



## Lora

Lisa loves Pooh said:


> I have homeschool days at Disney marked on my calendar. Though I am ashamed to admit, I can't think if I am supposed to sign up or anything for it.
> 
> 
> Anyone know?
> 
> We were planning on Monday the 21st.



Do you have park passes already?  My sister bought hers through the homeschool days program on line.  She ended up getting 5-day hoppers for her family.  I have APs, so I just purchase a $16 add-on for the hs events.  There are also special YES programs that are $25 per class.   She received her park passes yesterday, but the CM she spoke to today said the event info. would be coming separately.   I really don't know what events are happening.  The last time I spoke to someone, they were still working all of that out.  I know there's an orientation of sorts at Epcot at 10am on Monday.   We will most likely miss it because I had my tour plans all set before we decided to do the hs days.

Editing to add this link:

http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/listing/listingPageRender?page=HSDEventInfoListingPage

On the tickets page, it says registration will close on Sept. 18th at 3pm.


----------



## jacksmomma

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Not to sound lofty, or my kids are better than yours..but it's true! My dd is starting her 3rd year of ballet this year and it's been very evident from the beginning. The other girls want to form little groups within the group and exclude other ones they don't know or don't like...and they are only 6!!! So, we have dealt with this since the 4yo class. They do it at church nursery too... & it's the kids who are gone from home all day. My dd wanted to quit ballet before recital last year because the majority of kids in the class just wanted to play and they are all so very silly. DD is mature for her age and takes her ballet seriously!! ha!! Even her teacher has talked to me about how good she was in class, followed rules and was there to do dance...not make little cliques. She has enough this year ,she is doing a homeschool class during the day this year!! Our class will be at 11:00 and it will be other hsers her age. Her teacher said this will be one of her easier/better classes because hs kids act better and are easier to teach. She was an elementary teacher before she went back to dance!!!! So, don't worry about straight lines!! My boys sure don't want to do it!!  How many times in real life do we ever have to stay in a straight line and not speak?
> 
> Okay, that was long, but I just wanted to add my 2 cents...oh, and my kids have best friends that are not the same age as they are. And, all my best friends are at least 4 years older than me..except for one. So...don't let all that stuff about socialization get ya'll bogged down!!!  I never really hung out with kids my age and I went to ps. In fact, several of my classmates are in jail(mainly drugs), have been married and divorced numerous times,and some even still live back and forth with their parents!!! Not that I am judging people for divorce!!! But, these girls are marrying/divorcing (guys too!) like they are just breaking up with boyfriends. and the poor kids are always caught in the middle!!! At least, we can kinda choose more who they hang out with than just let them be influenced 8 hours a day by people who do NOT have the same standards or convictions that we do.
> Also---I just enjoy teaching them and watching them learn!! Don't ya'll? It's rewarding for me too!! Yes, we have slow days and sometimes things just don't click, but over all...what a blessing!!!![/COLOR][/FONT]



Thank you for that!  I already noticed it and I did not want to sound lofty either.  I am so thankful that DS will not have to endure the cliques or the "we don't like him because he does not have ____."

Funny that you mention behavior in dance class.  My sister is a dance teacher and said she loves having HS kids because they are there to learn and not wild and chatty.


----------



## jacksmomma

disneymom3 said:


> A book I love for activities to do with toddlers in called "What to do with Toddlers and Twos."  It's by Karen Miller.  I was a toddler teacher for a long time and the whole "terrible twos" really elude me.  I just think they are funny at that age.  Strong willed and opinionated, but funny.  I think the biggest thing to remember is to be consistent.  If the answer is no, it has to stay no.  If you give them a limit you must enforce it. And offer choices whenever you can. "Do you want to wear the blue shirt or hte green shirt?"  NOT "What do you want to wear today?"  That is too big!



Ditto Disneymom on consistency and limited choices.  They works wonders with behavior.  Another great book is Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready it has activities for kids from birth to age 5.


----------



## KNJ Mom

Hi everyone. 
I have been looking through this thread and was very impressed with the amount of info here and thought that maybe someone would be able to help me. For a little bit of info I have 3 boys and homeschooled my two youngest for about 2-3 years , several years ago. We have since moved and both of my boys wanted to go back to school to meet more kids and we were fine with it and were relatively happy with our choice(They have been in public school for 2 years now)An interesting side note is that both boys have said that they loved homeschooling  but for the time being want to stay in public  school. If things change I would have no qualms about going back to homeschooling. 

 Now for my question.   Our high school only offers 6 actual class periods a  day, so my sophomore is having trouble fitting a foreign language into his schedule.  He is in all honors core classes and is taking architectural drafting and choir for his two electives, neither is one he is willing to drop. We are thinking of letting him take his language as a homeschool course but I would love some guidance about a good program.  I would like some flexibility with timing because he also swims and participates in theater so for stretches of time he is very booked up.  My husband is fluent in 5 languages so we really don't need or want teacher support/oversight. The option the school offered was very rigid and I wasn't impressed (even though the dean who was offering it acted like it was the best thing since sliced bread)  Does anyone know of any German courses that would fit our needs.

TIA
Martha


----------



## lyv4him

disneymom3 said:


> A book I love for activities to do with toddlers in called "What to do with Toddlers and Twos."  It's by Karen Miller.  I was a toddler teacher for a long time and the whole "terrible twos" really elude me.  I just think they are funny at that age.  Strong willed and opinionated, but funny.  I think the biggest thing to remember is to be consistent.  If the answer is no, it has to stay no.  If you give them a limit you must enforce it. And offer choices whenever you can. "Do you want to wear the blue shirt or hte green shirt?"  NOT "What do you want to wear today?"  That is too big!



Thanks so much disneymom3 for the great advice.  I sure could use it and would welcome it from other dis'ers.  I understand what you mean about eluding the term/phrase "terrible twos"....it's more like "mom is handling the two's terribly"   I am looking into that book today!


----------



## Lisa loves Pooh

Fun booklet with history of Labor Day and some activities. It is Charlotte Mason based and it is free. 


http://www.livingbookscurriculum.com/pdf/HH-Labor-Day.pdf

I tried to check their site for other holiday freebies, but no such luck.


----------



## Lisa loves Pooh

KNJ Mom said:


> Hi everyone.
> 
> Now for my question.   Our high school only offers 6 actual class periods a  day, so my sophomore is having trouble fitting a foreign language into his schedule.  He is in all honors core classes and is taking architectural drafting and choir for his two electives, neither is one he is willing to drop. We are thinking of letting him take his language as a homeschool course but I would love some guidance about a good program.  I would like some flexibility with timing because he also swims and participates in theater so for stretches of time he is very booked up.  My husband is fluent in 5 languages so we really don't need or want teacher support/oversight. The option the school offered was very rigid and I wasn't impressed (even though the dean who was offering it acted like it was the best thing since sliced bread)  Does anyone know of any German courses that would fit our needs.
> 
> TIA
> Martha



I have heard Rosetta Stone is wonderful!  Expensive, but wonderful.  They offer many langauges.

We have La Classe Divertida which is geared towards younger children, but I find the way it is tought to be helpful for older people where it is more of a challenged to pick up langauges easily.

We just began a latin course called Latin Christiana.  That would be a helpful lead in for langauge (as well as beneficial for your sons ACT/SAT verbal!).


If you go to Rainbow Resource's website, they do have a bunch of foreign language curriculum that you can check out.

I took French in high school--and personally, I do not think a 50 minute class period is an effective way to teach.  But that was just my poor luck with my French instructors.  First year was horrible, so that made 2nd year tough (teacher was good, but when you are behind, it is hard).  Third year teacher at a different high school was going for her French PhD and had little precious time to actually teach us a valid 3rd level French class.  AP students were complaining as well.  Our French was so lackluster that when we went to a French competition and tested for our supposed levels--we realized how poor we were being tought.  It was pathetic.

I did like the French in Action movies and if I had the money, I would buy the series and watch them all!


----------



## Lisa loves Pooh

Lora said:


> Editing to add this link:
> 
> http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/listing/listingPageRender?page=HSDEventInfoListingPage
> 
> On the tickets page, it says registration will close on Sept. 18th at 3pm.



Thanks.  We have AP's so we should be all set!

ETA:  I see on the order page that all the sessions are itemized. But then you get to the AP holder and it is just one spot. Do we just total all the tickets we want and mark it there?


----------



## NHWX

KNJ Mom said:


> Does anyone know of any German courses that would fit our needs.




I've got a great suggestion: German Online from Oklahoma State. My older son just finished up German 3 with them and really enjoyed it. There was a good mix of writing, listening and reading. There's also a weekly phone call with an instructor so you have regular practice speaking German. http://germanonline.okstate.edu/

He'll take German 4 or AP German next year as a senior. He's giving himself a break this year.

NWHX


----------



## graygables

NHWX said:


> I've got a great suggestion: German Online from Oklahoma State. My older son just finished up German 3 with them and really enjoyed it. There was a good mix of writing, listening and reading. There's also a weekly phone call with an instructor so you have regular practice speaking German. http://germanonline.okstate.edu/
> 
> He'll take German 4 or AP German next year as a senior. He's giving himself a break this year.
> 
> NWHX



Let's see: Dad's an OK State prof, I was born in Stillwater, grew up in Germany, and I have a certificate from OSU for "meritorious performance in German".  I'm a fan!!!

I did see, however, that their enrollment for this year is closed.


----------



## graygables

Ordered Oak Meadow today...left the math off since we're happy with Math U See, but DDs are excited to get their new stuff!  I'll post a review once it's in my hands...


----------



## NHWX

graygables said:


> Let's see: Dad's an OK State prof, I was born in Stillwater, grew up in Germany, and I have a certificate from OSU for "meritorious performance in German".  I'm a fan!!!
> 
> I did see, however, that their enrollment for this year is closed.



I'm glad you checked. It was startling news to me. I'm glad that ds16 had decided to take a year off. I'll know now to sign him up in May or so of this year. I'd been thinking about doing that so he'd have time to work up to the AP workload.

Well, maybe KNJ Mom's son could do it as a spring semester course.

NHWX


----------



## jacksmomma

Well we are at the end of our first week of homeschooling and I must say thus far it is not going exactly like I expected.  DS just is not as excited about the process as I thought he would be.  I have struggled a few times with getting him to listen and focus, but he just turned 3 and it is our first week.  Please tell me this is normal!  

On an unrelated note...have any of you struggled with copy cat behavior in your child?  DS is generally really well behaved, but if we get around other kids who are doing inappropriate things he instantly wants to do what they are doing.  How do you handle that (and why is it that only the bad behavior wear off, not the good?!)?  

Any insights on either issue would be much appreciated!


----------



## jacksmomma

My butterfly lesson is taking a different turn!  lol  I ordered caterpillars for our first preschool lesson.  They hatched out of their chrysalises and have been flitting around everywhere.  Yesterday I noticed a lot of activity in the tent they live in.  Then last night they started mating!    I explained it to DS and he was mildly interested.  But now I have to figure out what to do.  I fear that it may be a little too cold to release them into the wild, but I certainly do not have the plants required for the female to lay eggs on.  Maybe I will just release them and wish them the best...

Yesterday before the mating I told DH that once the butterflies were no longer with us we would have to order some more.  When I told him about the mating he said, "See God will provide."  Thanks honey!


----------



## Disneynut5

jacksmomma said:


> Well we are at the end of our first week of homeschooling and I must say thus far it is not going exactly like I expected.  DS just is not as excited about the process as I thought he would be.  I have struggled a few times with getting him to listen and focus, but he just turned 3 and it is our first week.  Please tell me this is normal!
> 
> On an unrelated note...have any of you struggled with copy cat behavior in your child?  DS is generally really well behaved, but if we get around other kids who are doing inappropriate things he instantly wants to do what they are doing.  How do you handle that (and why is it that only the bad behavior wear off, not the good?!)?
> 
> Any insights on either issue would be much appreciated!



Can you be more specific about what you mean by homeschooling?  At age 3 learning is mostly achieved through play and interaction with one's environment, not through formal learning.  I never formally "teach" my children anything until they are five and yet they "know" a lot by that age.  Relax and just be his mom.  Play with him and let him enjoy being little.  He has the rest of his life to do formal education but only 5 short years to be a preschooler who plays 24/7.  Follow his lead...  I hate to see learning facts and such pushed on a child too early in life.  It rarely translates into greater intelligence as studies have showed that early learners level out by 3rd grade.  

Let them be little.  Trust me, that sweet time goes by too quickly and then you will long for those preschool days.


----------



## jacksmomma

Disneynut5 said:


> Can you be more specific about what you mean by homeschooling?  At age 3 learning is mostly achieved through play and interaction with one's environment, not through formal learning.  I never formally "teach" my children anything until they are five and yet they "know" a lot by that age.  Relax and just be his mom.  Play with him and let him enjoy being little.  He has the rest of his life to do formal education but only 5 short years to be a preschooler who plays 24/7.  Follow his lead...  I hate to see learning facts and such pushed on a child too early in life.  It rarely translates into greater intelligence as studies have showed that early learners level out by 3rd grade.
> 
> Let them be little.  Trust me, that sweet time goes by too quickly and then you will long for those preschool days.



We do unit studies and we work for about a half hour a day.  We do a lot of art projects and reading.  He do not do worksheets or anything like that.  We have a calendar and we talk about the days of the week and what day/month it is.  We use starfall and he loves that!  Maybe I should back off some...


----------



## wvdislover

I would just back off, like you said.  He IS just 3.  If he was in preschool, it would be mostly playtime.  Trying to explain a chrysallis and the mating process of butterflies may be more than he's ready for.  You can make it easier for him to understand, though...maybe have him wrap up in a blanket, and then break free of the blanket...kind of like his own chrysallis.  This worked with my DD when she was in preschool.  She wanted to play that game over and over!  If you want to work on letters, put shaving cream on a table and draw pictures in it, kind of like fingerpaint!  Stick a few letters in between the pictures, and he may not notice he's learning     Or make letters out of homemade playdough (or the store bought kind).  While we would all like our kids to be little Einsteins, it just takes time.  Maybe, instead of working with him for 30 minutes each day, just do 30 minutes a few days a week to start, then build up as he gets older and matures.  It's a learning process for both of you.  Eventually, you'll each figure out your patterns and learning methods that work best for you.  And remember, your learning method may be really different from your DS's learning method!  Good luck, and keep up the hard work...it will pay off!


----------



## nono

jacksmomma said:


> On an unrelated note...have any of you struggled with copy cat behavior in your child?  DS is generally really well behaved, but if we get around other kids who are doing inappropriate things he instantly wants to do what they are doing.  How do you handle that (and why is it that only the bad behavior wear off, not the good?!)?
> 
> Any insights on either issue would be much appreciated!



I focus on the fact that different families do things differently.  "In our family, we don't do that" is what I say and if I receive any resistance, I ask, "Do I do that?  Does Daddy?" It always seems to get the point across. I think copy-catting is big around that age.  I know I skipped flying into Orlando for that year, because my daughter, who flew several flights a year, suddenly started acting up on airplanes after seeing the things she saw on Orlando flights. (Tampa's not that far away).


----------



## NHWX

jacksmomma said:


> Any insights on either issue would be much appreciated!



I'd echo what other people have said. I'd include learning as play. Read a classic story sometime like "Blueberries for Sal" or "The Little Engine that Could." (lit) You could get a preschool cookbook like Pretend Soup by Mollie Katzen. You'll get counting, sequencing and following directions. (math and precursors) Go to the Greek Festival or talk to a person who works in your community. Tour the firehouse with other preschoolers. (social studies) Watch caterpillars crawl on a stem. (science)

When my kids were really little and behaved poorly, sometimes I'd do the same thing, as long as they understood that I was a) not really meaning it and b) exaggerating. There's nothing like seeing Mommy standing in front of her shoes saying "I won't do it! I'm never, ever, ever going to put on my shoes again! Ever!" or whatever thing they decided was the thing they weren't going to do. Generally, they can see that it's pretty silly. 

Enjoy having a three year old!

NHWX


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## danjoealexis3006

I am thinking of using this curriculum with my dsylexic DS (11) who is extreamly hands on. We were thinking Sonlight but I think he will be overwhelemed by the amount of reading and he is not an auditory learner. Can anyone tell me about it? 
What do/don't you like? How long to complete daily? Is there a moderate amount of reading mixed with hands on? Thanks


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## dancer4life22

Hey everbody! im not homeschooled. never have been never will be but what is it like? how do kids make friends?


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## disneymom3

jacksmomma said:


> We do unit studies and we work for about a half hour a day.  We do a lot of art projects and reading.  He do not do worksheets or anything like that.  We have a calendar and we talk about the days of the week and what day/month it is.  We use starfall and he loves that!  Maybe I should back off some...



I will be totally honest with you okay?  I don't want to hurt your feelings in anyway, but I am going to throw it out there.


You do not need to "homeschool" a three year old.  You need to play with him.  Build with blocks, finger paint, mix colors, go to the park, read books.  Get him together with other kids once in awhile so he can learn he is not the center of the universe (actually if you figure out how to teach him that, let me know.  My 13 year old doesn't get that important concept yet, either. )  Find a mom's group that does playdates or do an ECFE class with him. Go on walks and listen to what you hear.  If you happen to see a chrysallis, tell him what it is. If he is really interested in it, go to the library and get a book from the easy reader nonfiction section.

I know it sometimes feels like everyone is sending their kid off to preschool, but really, in this economy, they aren't. Preschools around here all have openings.  It is not required to do any kind of school at that age, and you really don't need to burn him or YOU out before he's even in kindergarten. In fact, I am really a rebel and do basically the same thing as above for kindergarten too.  My kids are 13, 9, and 7 and all read at or above grade level and their general knowledge is always at minimum two grades above their grade.  Math eveyrone is on target.  It will be okay.


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## disneymom3

dancer4life22 said:


> Hey everbody! im not homeschooled. never have been never will be but what is it like? how do kids make friends?



Well, with your username, I bet you have dance friends that you dont' go to school with, right? :Same with our kids. They have friends from church, classes, sports teams, the neighborhood etc.  I for one, have to turn down social engagements so that my kids can actually do their schoolwork.   It's just a different path but not a strange one.


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## gerberdaisy1234

dancer4life22 said:


> Hey everbody! im not homeschooled. never have been never will be but what is it like? how do kids make friends?



I noticed you have Broadway and Disney= Love  Where do children in Broadway musicals go to school? Where do they make friends? What about all those Disney child/teen stars? Their friends are not the millions of fans. 

There are many reasons for homeschooling...but some homeschool so they can adjust their schedules around acting, dancing, ice skating, swimming, basketball, singing, painting, or any other passion.   

Our children have many good friends (not facebook quality). 

I taught in public schools for ten years. Most children who were good friends in school established that friendship outside of school (neighbor, soccer, dance, church, etc) Our elementary school didn't even want the children to talk at lunch. Hard to make friends when you can not even talk to someone.

Like Disneymom3 said, "It's just a different path but not a strange one."

Never say never.


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## Disney Mommy 3

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Our children have many good friends (not facebook quality).
> 
> 
> Like Disneymom3 said, "It's just a different path but not a strange one."
> 
> Never say never.



Amen Sister!! That is sooo true!!! Our kids have friends that our families know and we are comfortable with. I would be more leary of them going to someone's house if I didn't know anything about them...I just wouldn't do it. In this situation/environment, we usually know each other from church, sports, whatever, and know that we have the same beliefs and interests.

I learned early to Never say Never!!!!


----------



## NHWX

danjoealexis3006 said:


> I am thinking of using this curriculum with my dsylexic DS (11) who is extreamly hands on. We were thinking Sonlight but I think he will be overwhelemed by the amount of reading and he is not an auditory learner. Can anyone tell me about it?
> What do/don't you like? How long to complete daily? Is there a moderate amount of reading mixed with hands on? Thanks



At the time that we tried Oak Meadow, my son was probably 11 also. He liked the reading and the hands-on projects. But he didn't like the writing. We needed a more structured writing program at the time. 

I would see if you could borrow a copy of a book, get some free samples of a lesson from Oak Meadow, etc. before you buy. We had English/History and Science for sixth grade. By January, we'd switched. It is a nice curriculum, just not for that child at that time.

NHWX


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## dancer4life22

disneymom3 said:


> Well, with your username, I bet you have dance friends that you dont' go to school with, right? :Same with our kids. They have friends from church, classes, sports teams, the neighborhood etc.  I for one, have to turn down social engagements so that my kids can actually do their schoolwork.   It's just a different path but not a strange one.



ok thats what i figured. it was just that my sister has been watching wife swap lately (its kinda funny but really stupid!) and theres all these parents that homeschool and there kids like do nothing and have no friends and i was like is that normal?)


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## disneymom3

OH dear!!   Yeah, I think we discussed that wife swap on here, actually.   I can't find it but a friend of mine recently posted a link on her facebook page to the Pioneer Woman or something like that with a contribution from a homeschooling mom explaining why shows and people like that make her life difficult.  It was very funny.

I will go on facebook later and see if I can find it for you all.


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## LegoMom3

Hmm....I'm on the DIS and just noticed that I've lost my "DVC" theme and can only get the "default."  They must be working on the server again or something....

Anywho!  Back to your regularly scheduled home school forum!  I actually came here to ask if any of you "unschool" or take the "relaxed home school" approach?  Please chime in if you do or you have in the past!

.


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## wvdislover

We do a kind of "relaxed home school" approach.  I do have curriculum for everything (my 5 major subjects), but we take it at our own speed.  Our history is all literature-based, so we definitely go at our own pace with that.  I'm trying to hit all 5 subjects every day, but if I miss something, life goes on.  My DD12 has Asperger's and doesn't do well with extremely structured stuff like, say, A Beka.  My goal is just to make sure she's learning every day, whether it's from schoolwork or life.  Fortunately, we live in a state where it is relatively easy to homeschool, so I don't have to track days or hours.  We do a portfolio approach, so I just have to be able to prove that she has made improvement from one year to the next in science, math, history, language, arts, and reading.

P.S.  Come check out my pre-trip report, anyone who wants...link in my siggie!  I leave next Tuesday...we're SO excited!


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## tzuhouse

Hi all.  I've been around the DIS for a while, but never noticed this thread until now.

I've been homeschooling for 6 years now.  We have two boys.  Ryan is 5th grade (10) and Sean is 3rd grade (almost 8).  This is the smoothest year so far and I'm very happy with the schedule we are doing.

Our new school year begins on the first Monday of June each year because it's too hot to do much in the summer in Houston.  This allows us to take off a lot when it's prettier outside, or when we are going on long vacations or something.

This year the boys and I will be traveling to Orlando and staying with a friend for at least a month.  We are going to see the shuttle launch and are prepared to stay for 2 months if it gets scrubbed a lot.  We will do some schoolwork while there, but not every day.  

We are heavily involved with Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts and both my boys do Christian Youth Theatre.  Ryan has just been cast in his 2nd production, which is Aladdin.  I'm just hoping that they do move the shuttle launch up since we are now committed to the show until 11/8.  We'll be leaving on 11/9 to go to Florida.

Nice to "meet" everyone!
Mary


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Hi Mary  I am your neighbor!!!!! I live about an hour and a half from you!!!!! And we start school after 4th of July...it was so hot this summer  I might move us farther back into June next time...just toooo dang hot!!! What a fun time you are going to have!! I hope it launches right on time and you can enjoy that.


Legomom3~ I guess you could say we are relaxed. I too do a lit based History and loooooove it!! The boys do Teaching Textbooks for math, so that's just one lesson per day that they can pretty much do on their own...if they need help I help them, but the teacher on cd does the teaching. I try to do our stuff in the morning...we need afternoons for extra stuff and running errands, library time, stuff like that. I think most homeschoolers are more relaxed in general.Even if you are required by state to keep records, you are not as stressed as you would be if you had to get them up and out the door every day & deal with all the stresses of school-life. Every family has a schedule/agenda that they have to go by, but we all bend and formulate what works...so that in itself is relaxing!!!!


----------



## chicagoshannon

jacksmomma said:


> Well we are at the end of our first week of homeschooling and I must say thus far it is not going exactly like I expected.  DS just is not as excited about the process as I thought he would be.  I have struggled a few times with getting him to listen and focus, but he just turned 3 and it is our first week.  Please tell me this is normal!
> 
> On an unrelated note...have any of you struggled with copy cat behavior in your child?  DS is generally really well behaved, but if we get around other kids who are doing inappropriate things he instantly wants to do what they are doing.  How do you handle that (and why is it that only the bad behavior wear off, not the good?!)?
> 
> Any insights on either issue would be much appreciated!



totally normal.  My daughter always copies the kids too.  (she's just about 2.5)  I don't think you need to totally ditch the preschool.  I started now because my daughter needs more of a structured approach.  You need to do what's right for your family.  That's what homeschooling is all about anyway right?  

We play "games" on the computer (starfall) and the other day playing with shaving cream was a HUGE hit.  She was supposed to be making shapes in it but was playing more then anything.  She also really liked painting the other day.  We do about 1 worksheet a day.  Right now it's tracing and connecting lines.  I like to throw some time with scissors in also.  Our goals for this year are to learn to use scissors, pre-writing skills (tracing) and learning to sound out words.  We also go to story time and music time at the library and she'll be taking ballet starting next week.  Like you we do the calendar every day (now including our countdown calendar for Disney)

Just do what's right for you. 



jacksmomma said:


> We do unit studies and we work for about a half hour a day.  We do a lot of art projects and reading.  He do not do worksheets or anything like that.  We have a calendar and we talk about the days of the week and what day/month it is.  We use starfall and he loves that!  Maybe I should back off some...



Sounds like you're doing great.  If he gets antsy just move on to something else.



tzuhouse said:


> Hi all.  I've been around the DIS for a while, but never noticed this thread until now.
> 
> I've been homeschooling for 6 years now.  We have two boys.  Ryan is 5th grade (10) and Sean is 3rd grade (almost 8).  This is the smoothest year so far and I'm very happy with the schedule we are doing.
> 
> Our new school year begins on the first Monday of June each year because it's too hot to do much in the summer in Houston.  This allows us to take off a lot when it's prettier outside, or when we are going on long vacations or something.
> 
> This year the boys and I will be traveling to Orlando and staying with a friend for at least a month.  We are going to see the shuttle launch and are prepared to stay for 2 months if it gets scrubbed a lot.  We will do some schoolwork while there, but not every day.
> 
> We are heavily involved with Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts and both my boys do Christian Youth Theatre.  Ryan has just been cast in his 2nd production, which is Aladdin.  I'm just hoping that they do move the shuttle launch up since we are now committed to the show until 11/8.  We'll be leaving on 11/9 to go to Florida.
> 
> Nice to "meet" everyone!
> Mary



welcome.  How exciting to see the shuttle launch.  My daughter wants to go there so bad thanks to PBS showing a shuttle launch.   haha


----------



## tzuhouse

Thanks for the welcomes.  This year has been going great for us.  On Mondays and Wednesdays they do 2 days of Math, English and Spelling.  On Fridays they do one day of each.

On Tuesdays we do Story of the World and General Science and Thursdays we do Chemistry and Study of the Universe.  It's been great because I'm not standing around waiting for both of them to get done for the day so we can move onto classes we do together.  They have to watch their time and get their work done on the MWF, and we are done by 1-2pm each Tuesday and Thursday, even with the crafts, experiments, etc.

Mary


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## Praise2Him

LegoMom3 said:


> I actually came here to ask if any of you "unschool" or take the "relaxed home school" approach?  Please chime in if you do or you have in the past!



We started hs'ing in 8th grade and (as a former teacher) I started out very structured and "school-like". I relaxed a little more each year and by the last 2 years, although we still used a curriculum, we pretty much were unschooling. Especially since DD is very self-motivated to learn and also that her interests are creative (she starts college _today_, majoring in Fashion Design & Merchandising), I realized that it's more important that she knows *how* to learn and not the specific 'facts' that are learned.



tzuhouse said:


> We are going to see the shuttle launch and are prepared to stay for 2 months if it gets scrubbed a lot.



We saw the International Space Station fly overhead last night and it was really cool!


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## tzuhouse

We saw the International Space Station fly overhead last night and it was really cool! :thumbsup2[/QUOTE said:
			
		

> We got to see it one night when the shuttle was docked here in Houston.  It was awesome!
> 
> Mary


----------



## scrapbookingmanda

Are any of you doing collecting the Sunny D labels for the Sunny D book spree? 20 labels for 20 free books from Scholastic. Here is the link if you haven't checked it out yet. http://www.sunnyd.com/bookspree/why.html  The FAQ's say homeschools are eligible. I know the grocery stores in my area have had Sunny D on sale for around $1 each for quite awhile. With all the coupons in the paper for them, you should be able to get these books for pretty cheap, maybe free if you have family members help you collect them.


----------



## Temair

We have been back in school for just 4 weeks and I'm already changing things up.  DH finally agreed that the grammar program was jut not working.  She could identify parts, but not put it to use in her writing.  So I was showing DH that I had not found a curriculum I like better.  I showed him the Cathy Duffy site and her recommendations.  For the most part what she recommends has worked.  DH saw LLATL (Learning Language Arts Through Literature) and thought it sounded good.  So I pulled up some sample pages and he was sold on it.  So I ordered LLATL purple (Gr 5) last night and I should have it within 2 weeks.  I really hope it works well for my DD.  The Basic Winston Grammar was good in some ways, but not what my DD needs at the moment.

So anyone else use LLATL?  What do you like or dislike about it?


----------



## Lindabelle

Hi Mary,
It's nice to hear from another DIS mom who homeschools and is involved in Christian Youth Theater.  We have three kids,  ages 19, 17 and 13.  We have been involved in over 20 CYT productions.  It has been such a blessing to be involved in such a great group that involves whole families.  My kids loved the fact that we home schooled them so they had time for extra activities such as CYT that many of their schooled friends didn't have time for.  We did Aladdin 2 years ago.  Congrats to your son,  and have fun with the show!


----------



## wvdislover

Temair said:


> We have been back in school for just 4 weeks and I'm already changing things up.  DH finally agreed that the grammar program was jut not working.  She could identify parts, but not put it to use in her writing.  So I was showing DH that I had not found a curriculum I like better.  I showed him the Cathy Duffy site and her recommendations.  For the most part what she recommends has worked.  DH saw LLATL (Learning Language Arts Through Literature) and thought it sounded good.  So I pulled up some sample pages and he was sold on it.  So I ordered LLATL purple (Gr 5) last night and I should have it within 2 weeks.  I really hope it works well for my DD.  The Basic Winston Grammar was good in some ways, but not what my DD needs at the moment.
> 
> So anyone else use LLATL?  What do you like or dislike about it?




I'm going to be starting the tan book (grade 6) soon.  I bought LLATL at a homeschool convention.  When I went to start using it, it didn't make any sense to me, and then I figured out I had bought ONLY the teacher book, and didn't realize there was a separate student workbook   I ordered the student book from Rainbow and got it last week, so I'm still trying to figure it out.  It looks like it has a lot of work in it.  I didn't realize it also has book studies in it, along with the LA stuff.  I am also using Total Language Plus for reading, which also has a lot of LA stuff, so it may be overkill.  I wanted to try out the LLATL, though...I'd heard a lot of good stuff about it.  Basically, it looks like there are book studies, and also language arts lessons, divided into 5 parts, so you do a section of a lesson each day.  My concern is the dictation part...DD12 has problems writing from dictation, and the passages are kind of long.  I may just have her copy some of them from the teacher book, just to change it up a bit.  I'm hoping LLATL works for us...it seems to have some really good stuff in it.  Good luck with yours, too!  Hopefully someone who has actually USED it already can give us some feedback, too!


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## jacksmomma

scrapbookingmanda said:


> Are any of you doing collecting the Sunny D labels for the Sunny D book spree? 20 labels for 20 free books from Scholastic. Here is the link if you haven't checked it out yet. http://www.sunnyd.com/bookspree/why.html  The FAQ's say homeschools are eligible. I know the grocery stores in my area have had Sunny D on sale for around $1 each for quite awhile. With all the coupons in the paper for them, you should be able to get these books for pretty cheap, maybe free if you have family members help you collect them.



I was not aware that homeschoolers were eligible, Thanks!


----------



## Denine

Hello everyone!  Been MIA lately.  School is going well this year.  We are actually getting in 5 days a week, DH does Fridays since I work on Friday.  It is much better than 4 sometimes 5 days a week.  It felt like we would never finish!

DD will be on lesson 20 in Calver 2nd grade tomorrow.
She will be 1/4 finished with 3rd grade math.

We leave for WDW in 2 weeks and she will turn 7 the day after we get there.

I am happy that DD's creative writing skills have improved to this point.


----------



## littlepeppers

Denine said:


> Hello everyone!  Been MIA lately.  School is going well this year.  We are actually getting in 5 days a week, DH does Fridays since I work on Friday.  It is much better than 4 sometimes 5 days a week.  It felt like we would never finish!
> 
> DD will be on lesson 20 in Calver 2nd grade tomorrow.
> She will be 1/4 finished with 3rd grade math.
> 
> We leave for WDW in 2 weeks and she will turn 7 the day after we get there.
> 
> I am happy that DD's creative writing skills have improved to this point.



We finished Calvert 2nd gd lesson 32 today.  Thankgoodnedd for dinosaurs.  Are the spelling words too easy for your DD?


----------



## fabumouse

disneymom3 said:


> I for one, have to turn down social engagements so that my kids can actually do their schoolwork.



Ugh, amen to that.  I was so grateful when all the kids in the neighborhood went back to school because my plan of doing summer school was seriously thwarted by the doorbell ringing each morning.


----------



## Tinatoo

So I was just trolling tonight and found your thread...I have been trying to figure out how to get started with homeschooling, but there is so much info out there and its so confusing.  I have DD who is almost 3 and DS 1.  My hubby is against homeschooling, but I figure if I can present him a well laid out plan that he might acquiesce.  Is there a specific program that you can recommend?  How young is too young to begin something structured?  Do you do 4 hrs a day, 6, 8?  We live in Northern Virginia, I know some regulations vary from state to state and county to county.  Well thanks for any help you may be able to offer.


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## ann1985

Florida Beating. How terrible. I dont watch the news too often, so I just saw this.


----------



## chicagoshannon

Tinatoo said:


> So I was just trolling tonight and found your thread...I have been trying to figure out how to get started with homeschooling, but there is so much info out there and its so confusing.  I have DD who is almost 3 and DS 1.  My hubby is against homeschooling, but I figure if I can present him a well laid out plan that he might acquiesce.  Is there a specific program that you can recommend?  How young is too young to begin something structured?  Do you do 4 hrs a day, 6, 8?  We live in Northern Virginia, I know some regulations vary from state to state and county to county.  Well thanks for any help you may be able to offer.



I'd look through the thread and check out the many curriculum websites mentioned.  Also go to the library and check out some homeschool books.  There are a lot of them out there.

I have a 2.5 year old and we're using Hands on Homeschooling this year.  If I were to do the lessons as she has them laid out it would be about 30 min. a day of structured work.  I combine 2 lessons per day (at least) and end up with about an hour of structured work.  

I don't think we'll be doing 4 hours of structured for many years.


----------



## LegoMom3

Tinatoo said:


> So I was just trolling tonight and found your thread...I have been trying to figure out how to get started with homeschooling, but there is so much info out there and its so confusing.  I have DD who is almost 3 and DS 1.  My hubby is against homeschooling, but I figure if I can present him a well laid out plan that he might acquiesce.  Is there a specific program that you can recommend?  How young is too young to begin something structured?  Do you do 4 hrs a day, 6, 8?  We live in Northern Virginia, I know some regulations vary from state to state and county to county.  Well thanks for any help you may be able to offer.



Hi and welcome!

One of the first things I would suggest you do is a Google search for homeschooling in your state.  That will enable you to see what the rules & regulations actually are.  Some states are quite strict and require you to keep a log of attendance, all work done, etc., and have the child tested every year.  Others have practically no requirements at all, and most are somewhere in between.  One site I can suggest for getting this info is the Home School Legal Defense Association -  www.hslda.org  You don't have to be a member to look up your state's requirements.  It'll just give you a feel for the legal hs'ing requirements for you.

Ok, now on to "structure."  I'm not a big fan of pushing too much too early.  I think our society likes to push this but I think it's to the detriment of our kids.  Yours are still very little.  They are learning by playing!  Colors, shapes, numbers, letters, etc..  That's all they need this early.  If you like to read and want a good overview of why kids often learn better _later_, I would suggest you pick up a copy of "The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook" by Dr. Raymond & Dorothy Moore.

When you do eventually get into curriculum, that's as personal a choice as what combination of make-up colors look best on you!!  It will come down to what works best for you and your kids.  But you have time to figure that out.  If you can find a local homeschool support group to connect with, talking with others can be invaluable.

I could go on and on for pages but this is just a taste for you.  As another poster suggested, go back through this thread and see what others are saying about their curriculums and such.  Also, again if you like to read, go to someplace like Amazon.com or the like (or your local library!) and search for homeschooling.  There are lots of good books out there on getting started.

Oh, re: your DH.  Can't offer any suggestions there, as mine was actually the one who pushed for our kids to be home in the first place, but you seem to be approaching it from the right angle.  Show him rather than just try to stuff a bunch of facts into him (even if those facts do strongly support the success of hs'ing!...).  

.


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## Lora

Tinatoo said:


> So I was just trolling tonight and found your thread...I have been trying to figure out how to get started with homeschooling, but there is so much info out there and its so confusing.  I have DD who is almost 3 and DS 1.  My hubby is against homeschooling, but I figure if I can present him a well laid out plan that he might acquiesce.  Is there a specific program that you can recommend?  How young is too young to begin something structured?  Do you do 4 hrs a day, 6, 8?  We live in Northern Virginia, I know some regulations vary from state to state and county to county.  Well thanks for any help you may be able to offer.



My dh was the same way when I first mentioned hsing.  It wasn't until he was reassured that our children would not be shut out of colleges, etc. and that they would have the same opportunities as traditionally schooled children.  There are a lot of great books out there.  I read a couple when I was looking into hsing.  I just found a couple at the library and bought a couple.  I'm sorry that I don't remember the names, but by this time, there are a gazillion more that are more up-to-date with statistics.   If you can find out specifically what bothers your dh about the idea, you can do specific research in that area.  Is it academics? Is it socialization? Does he just want them to be "normal"?   Is he worried that other areas would suffer (housework, taking "care" of him - if you do that sort of thing).  Find some hsing families and have them talk to you and your dh.

We've used Sonlight since (almost) the beginning. At first I pieced together this and that.  I had a Master's in Elem. Ed, so I figured I didn't need a curriculum.   We did fine, but using Sonlight has been amazing for our family.  We only use their Core and Science.  I already had Language Arts covered before I purchased my first Core, so I just stayed with it.

I would recommend that you do just normal mommy/child things right now.  Play, sing, move, explore, talk, read, listen....I'm sure this list could go on.

I do hope you're able to show your dh that hsing can be an amazing experience for you and your children.  It's a difficult path, and I was determined that I would not be able to hs without dh's support.   We did the "trial run" for semester before my first dd would have entered Kindergarten.  I showed him what our day would look like and I think that helped.


----------



## figment3258

Hi all Just thought I would introduce myself. i am a home schooling mom of 2 girls ages almost 7 and 3. this is our 2nd official year and we love it. We leave for the world in just over 2 week. Take care

Jessica


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

figment3258 said:


> Hi all Just thought I would introduce myself. i am a home schooling mom of 2 girls ages almost 7 and 3. this is our 2nd official year and we love it. We leave for the world in just over 2 week. Take care
> 
> Jessica



Welcome!     Congrats on your upcoming trip!!! It should be cooled down a bit by then and all the fall decor!!!!! How wonderful!!! i love seeing all the fall stuff out there!! Are you doing MNSSHP? I wish we were going to that too!!!Have fun!!!


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Tinatoo said:


> So I was just trolling tonight and found your thread...I have been trying to figure out how to get started with homeschooling, but there is so much info out there and its so confusing.  I have DD who is almost 3 and DS 1.  My hubby is against homeschooling, but I figure if I can present him a well laid out plan that he might acquiesce.  Is there a specific program that you can recommend?  How young is too young to begin something structured?  Do you do 4 hrs a day, 6, 8?  We live in Northern Virginia, I know some regulations vary from state to state and county to county.  Well thanks for any help you may be able to offer.



When we first started my DH had some concerns about making sure everything was covered. So we started off DD with Calvert School Curriculum. Calvert is a very respected school where we live and the homeschool curriculum has been around for about a hundred years. (Not to mention it is the exact curriculum they use in their private school- but you save a TON teaching it yourself)  So he felt comfortable with us using that. We gradually replaced parts with other things that fit us better.  But by then he was comfortable with where we are. We save quite a bit of money as well.  There are as many options for curriculum as there are families. But sometimes starting with a something like Calvert gives some comfort that it all is taken care of. Then as confidence grows, if it doesn't fit you, you can start changing until you find the right fit.


----------



## littlepeppers

Tinatoo said:


> So I was just trolling tonight and found your thread...I have been trying to figure out how to get started with homeschooling, but there is so much info out there and its so confusing.  I have DD who is almost 3 and DS 1.  My hubby is against homeschooling, but I figure if I can present him a well laid out plan that he might acquiesce.  Is there a specific program that you can recommend?  How young is too young to begin something structured?  Do you do 4 hrs a day, 6, 8?  We live in Northern Virginia, I know some regulations vary from state to state and county to county.  Well thanks for any help you may be able to offer.



We are in year one HS.  We selected Calvert (2nd gd) b/c it had everything.  We aren't using the ATS (teacher grades your stuff for you).  I don't think that it test often enough, so I make a lot of test for him.   It is very complete & covers a lot.  I like how the lessons are planned out for you & I just change them as we need. 

One day I will break free of the boxed set, but since we are new at this I'm enjoying knowing that we will keep up w/ the public schools.  We are required to meet or exceed the public schools in our state.


----------



## FINFAN

Hi everyone, I found this thread through a search for homeschooling and high school. I have not read the whole thread, just skimmed looking for any info on High School age kids,trying to see if I have what it takes to do it. DS just started his Sophomore year  on 8/20 and it is not going well academically already. Socially, fine, but slowly sinking in any other areas. I have never been a strong student, am not an organized person myself, so the thought of HS is daunting, but need to get DS as far as a HS diploma. Our HS does offer virtual on line classes,( but not full line) not sure if it will be any better other than he can work at his own pace kind of thing. DS centers his life arouind his circle of friends right now, and is convinced he will be looked down upon. We have tried general accomodations within the school district but they have been counter-productive...belittling him, and questioning his intelligence ( even though they are aware of his IQ) I must have him entered into the Special Ed/504 plan before they or are even willing to discusss that he that he can learn differently than their curriculm teaches.
Without going on and on,( as I know my story is not a new one) can anyone who is HS the high school years please PM me or post? I am in the very beginning stages of researching options so please bear with me. We are in Illinois if that makes any difference. Again, I have no idea if HS is an avenue we will take, but need to be as informed as I can be.
Thanks!


----------



## figment3258

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Welcome!     Congrats on your upcoming trip!!! It should be cooled down a bit by then and all the fall decor!!!!! How wonderful!!! i love seeing all the fall stuff out there!! Are you doing MNSSHP? I wish we were going to that too!!!Have fun!!!



Thanks Yes we are going to MNSSHP on September 29th Can't wait!


----------



## Pixie Dust for Me!

Hi everyone,

A while back I posted asking about Singapore Math.  Well, we've been using it now for a month and DS and I both love it!  Just thought you all might want to know.

Karen


----------



## Lora

If you registered for Homeschool Days, have you received an information packet of any kind?   The website and the CM I spoke to a while ago said something would be sent out, but we haven't gotten anything yet.  I'm wondering if there will be any problem with us skipping the kick-off meeting on the 21st.


----------



## Lora

Pixie Dust for Me! said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> A while back I posted asking about Singapore Math.  Well, we've been using it now for a month and DS and I both love it!  Just thought you all might want to know.
> 
> Karen



We used Singapore from 3A - 6B after finishing Miquon Math.  I've been very happy with both programs.  My younger dd is finishing 6B this week.  From there we move on to other things.  Time flies.


----------



## Praise2Him

FINFAN said:


> Hi everyone, I found this thread through a search for homeschooling and high school. I have not read the whole thread, just skimmed looking for any info on High School age kids,trying to see if I have what it takes to do it. DS just started his Sophomore year  on 8/20 and it is not going well academically already. Socially, fine, but slowly sinking in any other areas. I have never been a strong student, am not an organized person myself, so the thought of HS is daunting, but need to get DS as far as a HS diploma. Our HS does offer virtual on line classes,( but not full line) not sure if it will be any better other than he can work at his own pace kind of thing. DS centers his life arouind his circle of friends right now, and is convinced he will be looked down upon. We have tried general accomodations within the school district but they have been counter-productive...belittling him, and questioning his intelligence ( even though they are aware of his IQ) I must have him entered into the Special Ed/504 plan before they or are even willing to discusss that he that he can learn differently than their curriculm teaches.
> Without going on and on,( as I know my story is not a new one) can anyone who is HS the high school years please PM me or post? I am in the very beginning stages of researching options so please bear with me. We are in Illinois if that makes any difference. Again, I have no idea if HS is an avenue we will take, but need to be as informed as I can be.
> Thanks!



I'm not sure how much I can help, but I'll give you my experience. A lot depends on your state, and I don't know anything about Illinois, so maybe someone from there can help you. If you go to hslda.org and click on your state it will tell you the legal requirements. I'm in Alabama, which is a very easy state to HS in - really no requirements except what is mandated by your cover school (that you get to choose).

Anyway, I didn't start HSing DD until 8th grade and very social DS was in 10th and stayed in PS. He was a *very* average (C) student and only went to school to see his friends! LOL It took me a long time to accept that fact, because DH & I are both college educated, and his older brother was an A/B student and his younger sister a straight A student. I kept thinking that he just wasn't trying, or that he had a learning disablility. Once I accepted the fact that he was an average student and would never be a traditional college student life was a lot more peaceful.

Well, he surprised me halfway through 11th grade and asked to come home to school. It worked out great, because I could tailor his studies to what he was interested in and he didn't have to take subjects that he would never use, like Physics or Calculus. He also was able to work his Senior year and since he was HS he could work during the day, when other kids were at school, so his bosses loved that. He still saw his friends after school and at church, etc. He graduated in 2007 and started Film School in Orlando  that September. He graduated this June with a BS degree in Film and is living in Orlando and working. 

Now, I'm not sure how it would've worked if I had forced him to be HS. He saw his sister doing it and decided that he wanted to do it also. Maybe you could give it a trial period? I think once he wasn't under so much pressure to perform he would relax and enjoy it. Also, there are lots of opportunities for extra-curricular activities for HSers. Try to find a group that he's interested in, such as drama, choir, sports, etc. and get him involved.

Hope this helps some! Good luck in making your decision - I know it's hard!


----------



## chicagoshannon

FINFAN said:


> Hi everyone, I found this thread through a search for homeschooling and high school. I have not read the whole thread, just skimmed looking for any info on High School age kids,trying to see if I have what it takes to do it. DS just started his Sophomore year  on 8/20 and it is not going well academically already. Socially, fine, but slowly sinking in any other areas. I have never been a strong student, am not an organized person myself, so the thought of HS is daunting, but need to get DS as far as a HS diploma. Our HS does offer virtual on line classes,( but not full line) not sure if it will be any better other than he can work at his own pace kind of thing. DS centers his life arouind his circle of friends right now, and is convinced he will be looked down upon. We have tried general accomodations within the school district but they have been counter-productive...belittling him, and questioning his intelligence ( even though they are aware of his IQ) I must have him entered into the Special Ed/504 plan before they or are even willing to discusss that he that he can learn differently than their curriculm teaches.
> Without going on and on,( as I know my story is not a new one) can anyone who is HS the high school years please PM me or post? I am in the very beginning stages of researching options so please bear with me. We are in Illinois if that makes any difference. Again, I have no idea if HS is an avenue we will take, but need to be as informed as I can be.
> Thanks!



I don't know much about high school curriculum since I only have a preschooler, but I do live in IL.

Homeschooling here is super easy as far as the requirements go.  You just need to write a letter to your school letting them know you're going to be homeschooling.  That's it!  Being that he's in high school I think he's already gone through the constitution test (that's in 8th grade, right?) so you don't even have to teach that (it's the only requirement for homeschooling in IL).


----------



## Temair

'm in need of advice from some other homeschooling moms. This is the start of my second year at homeschooling, but I did 2 years of a state virtual school before that. So I''ve been schooling at home for a while. I've noticed this year that I'm just not been a great teacher. I have curriculum's that my DD can do mostly on her own. I've encouraged her independence. I thought I was teaching her to teach herself.

Well I've noticed and today it became very obvious that right now my DD is learning to cheat the system. She only does what she has to do, or even just says she did it, even if she hasn't.

I'm getting frustrated because I know I'm not teaching her anything but how to cheat the system. I think I need to be more strict and disciplined with her. Honestly I'm starting to doubt my own ability to homeschool. I thought the doubts were just my hormones being all messed up at the moment, but I'm starting to see I may have valid doubts. I was thinking switching to SOS, but I'm thinking I'm just putting a band aid over the bigger problem. And i think I'm the problem. I know at times I let my DD get away with too much. But I thought I was getting better about it.

I just don't know what to do. I just want the best education for my DD, and maybe its time to send her back to public school, or even back to the virtual school where I have the teacher to fall back on. There is a local charter school that I consider fairly good that might have openings. I really need some advice here.


----------



## mommyof2princesses

Lora said:


> If you registered for Homeschool Days, have you received an information packet of any kind?   The website and the CM I spoke to a while ago said something would be sent out, but we haven't gotten anything yet.  I'm wondering if there will be any problem with us skipping the kick-off meeting on the 21st.




We got our tickets weeks ago.  And about 2 days ago I received an email about the homeschool days about how to sign in, and a link to a self guided tour packet for Epcot.  We probably won't really do the homeschool activities, but the cost of the tickets was nice!


----------



## LegoMom3

Temair said:


> 'm in need of advice from some other homeschooling moms. This is the start of my second year at homeschooling, but I did 2 years of a state virtual school before that. So I''ve been schooling at home for a while. I've noticed this year that I'm just not been a great teacher. I have curriculum's that my DD can do mostly on her own. I've encouraged her independence. I thought I was teaching her to teach herself.
> 
> Well I've noticed and today it became very obvious that right now my DD is learning to cheat the system. She only does what she has to do, or even just says she did it, even if she hasn't.
> 
> I'm getting frustrated because I know I'm not teaching her anything but how to cheat the system. I think I need to be more strict and disciplined with her. Honestly I'm starting to doubt my own ability to homeschool. I thought the doubts were just my hormones being all messed up at the moment, but I'm starting to see I may have valid doubts. I was thinking switching to SOS, but I'm thinking I'm just putting a band aid over the bigger problem. And i think I'm the problem. I know at times I let my DD get away with too much. But I thought I was getting better about it.
> 
> I just don't know what to do. I just want the best education for my DD, and maybe its time to send her back to public school, or even back to the virtual school where I have the teacher to fall back on. There is a local charter school that I consider fairly good that might have openings. I really need some advice here.




I think you need to start with asking yourself why you brought her home in the first place?  

We all go through periods of doubt with our "abilities" but I am convinced that parents ARE the best teachers for their kids.  I think you're on the right track with trying to teach independence, but like anything else in life, she has to learn that there are consequences.  Will she have to take tests at the end of the semester and/or year?  Just doing the bare minimum won't cut it and she may have to learn the hard way.  Can you sit down and discuss this with her, and set some guidelines and clear penalties for not doing the job properly?

We've had our kids in the public schools but they're home now and I'm personally very anti-public school, so I'm not the best person to give unbiased advice!  But if this were the direction you decided to pursue, as I said in the beginning, what made you take her out in the first place?  Remember kids learn to "cheat the system" in the public schools all the time!!  That won't necessarily solve this.

All families work differently, but I know in our home, if this type of thing were happening, we would step back from the "academics" for a while and address the deeper issue of why she's doing this.  Is she burned out on the curriculum?  If your state requirements aren't all that strict, let her pursue something _she's_ interested in for a while!  It's amazing how much information a child can absorb when they're learning about something they truly want to know (my DS12 is a gear-head, so any time he can take apart a small engine or help his dad on the van, he's in adolescent-boy heaven!).

I'll quit here because I feel like I'm just rambling now, but those are some thoughts FWIW!  Hopefully some others here will chime in with their experiences too.

.


----------



## NHWX

OK, so how is she cheating the system? Looking at multiple choice answers and back figuring the math? Looking up the answers in the back of the book. (Duh moment here. I *showed* my son that there were some answers in the back of the book. How tired a Mom do you have to be to do that?) Make sure her exams have no multiple choice and no way to discover the answers any other way. And let her know beforehand that since she's been getting 100's on her exercise papers, that you expect her to get at least an 85 or better. Otherwise, she'll have to go back and do more practice, so you're sure she's learned the material.

If there's something that she already knows, like what a pronoun is and she doesn't do the written work that's supposed to, well, maybe you can simply give her the end of chapter test and move on from there. There's no real point in busy work for the sake of doing it. If there's work that teaches something, even if your child doesn't understand that yet, then you should do it. But if you already know the skill or material, then it's probably just a waste of time.

But if she's supposed to do something like "Research Ben Franklin's many different roles (printer, inventor, diplomat) and write at least five paragraphs on it" and she simply doesn't do it, then I'd urge definite consequences. My two know that if the week's work isn't done, they're not having fun on the weekend. And they really do want to do a lot on the weekend with their friends.

You might make the time and spend more time with her as she does her work. Read her math lesson directions, for instance and say "20 problems shouldn't take you more than a half hour. I'll be happy to correct them with you in a half hour." Knowing that someone is going to be checking up soon is a powerful motivator.

And I'm sure she'll complain and you can tell her that doing the bare minimum isn't enough. I went 'round and 'round with my two about this. I said "How would you like it if I just threw your dinner at you instead of serving it nicely? That would still get your food to you. Or if we said 'I'm still playing a game. Wait until I save before I come pick you up.' " They got the point pretty quickly. 

Everyone goes through phases; I'm sure this is just one of them.

NHWX


----------



## Temair

Thanks for the advice.  I pulled my DD out of school after K.  She began and ended her K year with about the same level of education.  Sure she learned to stand in a line, and eat quickly and quietly in the cafeteria.  I took her out so she would actually learn something and could work at her own pace.  The problem is that she has learned that she can get away wit only doing the bare minimum.  I know she could do more and learn more, and do it quicker if she would just apply herself, but she doesn't.  I want so much for my child, but she would rather just be lazy.  Obviously she isn't that bad as she still scores very well when it comes to standardized testing.  

And I'm sure it doesn't help that I suffer from depression at times and honestly when I'm there I don't pay attention to her, and make sure the work is getting done.  

This year I've been trying to be better on track and not let things slip.  I got Homeschool Tracker Plus, and it does help somewhat.  But I've also recognized that my curriculum choices might not have been the best ones for my DD.  I was thinking that maybe something like SOS where it does the majority of the work and grading and tracking might help my DD to work on her own and not skip steps.


----------



## Nicolepa

Has anyone used www.factsfirst.com?  I would love something like this for my 2nd grader but was wondering if there was something that might be cheaper, or a boxed program that I can use with all of my children (when they are ready).

Thoughts?

Nicole


----------



## Temair

After talking things over with my husband we are thinking we will try and get back into the virtual school.  That seems to have been working and I wasn't always doubting my ability to teach me DD.


----------



## Tracy041500

We also use the virtual school (GVA) this is our first year my son is in K. We love it. He's doing great Math & Reading on a 2nd grade level and I love the fact that you keep going. He will never skip grades but he can surely get 2nd & 3rd grade work. And its way more flexible than I thought.


----------



## fabumouse

How flexible is the Georgia Virtual Academy?  Can you focus on certain areas and test through others?


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Want another reason to be thankful...check out this post
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2286386
25 pages in 4 days! All over one question.  It is not even worth responding to all the fighting going on over there.

PHEW!


----------



## graygables

I chatted with a Guest from Canada today.  They are given tax relief and are PAID if they choose to homeschool their children to offset the expense of providing curriculum.  Oh. My. Gosh.  I asked if they wanted to sponsor me...


----------



## disneymom3

No way!  I wonder how much government oversight is given to homeschoolers there.  I don't mind the taxes but financial help with curriculum would sure be nice!


----------



## disneymom3

FINFAN said:


> Hi everyone, I found this thread through a search for homeschooling and high school. I have not read the whole thread, just skimmed looking for any info on High School age kids,trying to see if I have what it takes to do it. DS just started his Sophomore year  on 8/20 and it is not going well academically already. Socially, fine, but slowly sinking in any other areas. I have never been a strong student, am not an organized person myself, so the thought of HS is daunting, but need to get DS as far as a HS diploma. Our HS does offer virtual on line classes,( but not full line) not sure if it will be any better other than he can work at his own pace kind of thing. DS centers his life arouind his circle of friends right now, and is convinced he will be looked down upon. We have tried general accomodations within the school district but they have been counter-productive...belittling him, and questioning his intelligence ( even though they are aware of his IQ) I must have him entered into the Special Ed/504 plan before they or are even willing to discusss that he that he can learn differently than their curriculm teaches.
> Without going on and on,( as I know my story is not a new one) can anyone who is HS the high school years please PM me or post? I am in the very beginning stages of researching options so please bear with me. We are in Illinois if that makes any difference. Again, I have no idea if HS is an avenue we will take, but need to be as informed as I can be.
> Thanks!


I only am at 8th grade with my oldest at this point.  However, there are wonderful options out there.  If you are comfortable with the Christian perspective, Apologia Science simply are wonderful.  Learning Language Arts through Literature is a good program. There are tons of options for history out there.  Have you child choose an interest area and go from there.  See if he can attend a class at a local community college.  YOu might also consider letting him do a partial day at the public school.  A friend of mine has a 9th grader who is on the high school football team.  He takes one class, which is small engine repair--best of both worlds!  If you will not be totally overwhelmed www.rainbowresources.com has just about every option that is out there.  You can look at just high school things.  As for math, I can't reccomend anything more highly than TEaching Textbooks. It has saved my sanity with high school math.  I used Singapore but their higher level stuff doesn't have enough info for the teacher--at least this teacher!! and I was lost!!


LegoMom3 said:


> I think you need to start with asking yourself why you brought her home in the first place?
> 
> We all go through periods of doubt with our "abilities" but I am convinced that parents ARE the best teachers for their kids.  I think you're on the right track with trying to teach independence, but like anything else in life, she has to learn that there are consequences.  Will she have to take tests at the end of the semester and/or year?  Just doing the bare minimum won't cut it and she may have to learn the hard way.  Can you sit down and discuss this with her, and set some guidelines and clear penalties for not doing the job properly?
> 
> We've had our kids in the public schools but they're home now and I'm personally very anti-public school, so I'm not the best person to give unbiased advice!  But if this were the direction you decided to pursue, as I said in the beginning, what made you take her out in the first place?  Remember kids learn to "cheat the system" in the public schools all the time!!  That won't necessarily solve this.
> 
> All families work differently, but I know in our home, if this type of thing were happening, we would step back from the "academics" for a while and address the deeper issue of why she's doing this.  Is she burned out on the curriculum?  If your state requirements aren't all that strict, let her pursue something _she's_ interested in for a while!  It's amazing how much information a child can absorb when they're learning about something they truly want to know (my DS12 is a gear-head, so any time he can take apart a small engine or help his dad on the van, he's in adolescent-boy heaven!).
> 
> I'll quit here because I feel like I'm just rambling now, but those are some thoughts FWIW!  Hopefully some others here will chime in with their experiences too.
> 
> .


Okay, you are like my twin brain or something!   Your answer earlier was just what I was thinking too!  I want my kids to have a desire to learn. Sometimes that takes on a much different look than I expect it to.  My kids learn weird things at weird times.  The other day my seven and nine yo's were playing some science game on the computer. The 9yo tried some solution and the 7 yo said "Well, of course that isn't going to work. There is a total lack of inertia."   Honestly, I am not even sure I know what that means and I have NO idea where he got it!

Workbooks are not, for most kids, the best way to learn and master a subject.


Temair said:


> Thanks for the advice.  I pulled my DD out of school after K.  She began and ended her K year with about the same level of education.  Sure she learned to stand in a line, and eat quickly and quietly in the cafeteria.  I took her out so she would actually learn something and could work at her own pace.  The problem is that she has learned that she can get away wit only doing the bare minimum.  I know she could do more and learn more, and do it quicker if she would just apply herself, but she doesn't.  I want so much for my child, but she would rather just be lazy.  Obviously she isn't that bad as she still scores very well when it comes to standardized testing.  .



It sounds like this year or for right now, you guys are sort of just going through the motions of learning. Neither of you are passionate about what you are working on.  Is there something you could learn about to spark your and her interest?  Take some time to just go hang out at the library and see what interesting books you can find.  My oldest and I will go and pick a topic and then each get a few books on it. Then after a week or so, we have a conversation about what we each found out. The trick is that we have to each try to find something we have learned that the other one hasn't.

We also play a lot of games.  Just about all the games I have in the house involve learning in some way. We have a game called Spelldown where you roll some letter dice and then have to think of a word that uses those letters but then also includes as many of your little tiles as you can.  There is one from Discovery Toys which I think is called Whiz Kids and it gives you a letter and a part of speech or some particular thing and you have to think of a word that fits that starts with that letter. Tons of math games with dice. EVen as simple as seeing who can get the best score by adding or multiplying hte dice.  Mastermind, mancala, Set, Quiddler and tons of other teach logic along with reading or math stuff.  Look at www.rainbowresources.com for supplies and check out their games section.

BTW, we all just do the bare minimum sometimes. Doesn't mean that either you or your DD are lazy.  Maybe you just need to cut each other some slack and have a little fun.


----------



## SCHBR'smom

Can anyone recommend some good books for a 10 yo, 5th grade girl who loves animals?  We just started Stone Fox, but I'm not too sure where to go from here.  I plan on covering Charlotte's Web even though it is below level for her simply because she didn't read it while in public school.  It's such a wonderful book, I think she'll enjoy it.  She also wants to read Black Beauty and Redwall.  Where can I find recommendations for grade level reading and what we should cover every year?  There is still so much that I need to learn about homeschooling!  Thanks for any help!


----------



## Tracy041500

fabumouse said:


> How flexible is the Georgia Virtual Academy?  Can you focus on certain areas and test through others?



Yes you can do the assessments and if they know it you get to go to  the next one. If theres something I need to take more time and teach I can do that too.


----------



## Tracy041500

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Want another reason to be thankful...check out this post
> http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2286386
> 25 pages in 4 days! All over one question.  It is not even worth responding to all the fighting going on over there.
> 
> PHEW!



Crazy. I know I left a word of advice. Homeschool.


----------



## disneymom3

SCHBR'smom said:


> Can anyone recommend some good books for a 10 yo, 5th grade girl who loves animals?  We just started Stone Fox, but I'm not too sure where to go from here.  I plan on covering Charlotte's Web even though it is below level for her simply because she didn't read it while in public school.  It's such a wonderful book, I think she'll enjoy it.  She also wants to read Black Beauty and Redwall.  Where can I find recommendations for grade level reading and what we should cover every year?  There is still so much that I need to learn about homeschooling!  Thanks for any help!




A good place to start is What Your ....Grader Needs to Know.  It's kind of a nice reassuring basis for what you might want to cover.  The editor is E.D. Hirsch.  As you go along homeschooling you will figure out what your kids are ready for and what they are not.  For instance, what they say a fourth grader needs to know for math is NOT going to happen for my middle one, but in literature, my daughter was WAY beyond what they said she should know.


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## Nicolepa

fabumouse said:


> How flexible is the Georgia Virtual Academy?  Can you focus on certain areas and test through others?




We just started the Washington Virtual Academy (WAVA) this year and are loving it.  You can totally test out of certain areas or focus on areas that they enjoy.  School started on the 8th for us and my son is finishing up the first semester of math.  We did 3 art lessons yesterday because he was enjoying them (and the baby was napping).  

They tell you the % progress they expect you to make and it's up to you to figure out how you want to do it.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

SCHBR'smom said:


> Can anyone recommend some good books for a 10 yo, 5th grade girl who loves animals?  We just started Stone Fox, but I'm not too sure where to go from here.  I plan on covering Charlotte's Web even though it is below level for her simply because she didn't read it while in public school.  It's such a wonderful book, I think she'll enjoy it.  She also wants to read Black Beauty and Redwall.  Where can I find recommendations for grade level reading and what we should cover every year?  There is still so much that I need to learn about homeschooling!  Thanks for any help!




My DD (10) loves the Warriors and Seekers series. She loves animals and reading!  They are written by Erin Hunter (really it is a team of 3 or 4 that write the books).

 Warriors has been out longer and has more books. Seekers is newer. It is the series she started first. There are only 3 so far- she can not wait for the next one to come out in January. So she started reading Warriors. I asked her which she would recommend starting with and she said Seekers.

We just go online an reserve next couple in series at the library.  

Another book that she really enjoyed this summer has Dragon Rider.  After she read it, we checked it out on CD and all listened to it in the car.
I think that author's name is Cornelia Funke.


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## LegoMom3

disneymom3 said:


> A good place to start is What Your ....Grader Needs to Know.  It's kind of a nice reassuring basis for what you might want to cover.  The editor is E.D. Hirsch.  As you go along homeschooling you will figure out what your kids are ready for and what they are not.  For instance, what they say a fourth grader needs to know for math is NOT going to happen for my middle one, but in literature, my daughter was WAY beyond what they said she should know.




I like these, too.  They are a good book to sort of walk you through any given year and have a wide variety of subjects and activities.

If you want more of an overview of all grades, I would suggest "Home Learning Year By Year."  I don't remember off-hand who wrote it but you can find it by title.  It covers all grades and what is "typically" learned year by year, as well as some suggested resources at the back of the book.

.


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## sl_underwood

SCHBR'smom said:


> Can anyone recommend some good books for a 10 yo, 5th grade girl who loves animals?  We just started Stone Fox, but I'm not too sure where to go from here.  I plan on covering Charlotte's Web even though it is below level for her simply because she didn't read it while in public school.  It's such a wonderful book, I think she'll enjoy it.  She also wants to read Black Beauty and Redwall.  Where can I find recommendations for grade level reading and what we should cover every year?  There is still so much that I need to learn about homeschooling!  Thanks for any help!




My dd is 12 but also an animal lover.  She suggests the Lion Boy trilogy by Zizou Corder.  It is all about a kid who can talk to cats.  She absolutely loved these books.  Black Beauty and Charlottes Web are also some of her favorites.   She also loves The Incredible Journey.  Right now, she is reading it to her 6 yo brother.


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## gerberdaisy1234

Have not seen any new post in a few days so thought I would wish everyone a Happy Fall.  This is a busy and exciting time for us. We had family visit last week and participated in the homeschool family activities at the zoo. Great time!  

This week we are participating in a drama for missions week at church, my DD turns 11, we get to see the Disney Christmas Carol train on Friday and we have a mother/daughter trip this weekend.  (My DH and DS will join us at the end) Oh, yeah, we are going to sneak a little school in there too.


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## Disney Mommy 3

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Have not seen any new post in a few days so thought I would wish everyone a Happy Fall.  This is a busy and exciting time for us. We had family visit last week and participated in the homeschool family activities at the zoo. Great time!
> 
> This week we are participating in a drama for missions week at church, my DD turns 11, we get to see the Disney Christmas Carol train on Friday and we have a mother/daughter trip this weekend.  (My DH and DS will join us at the end) Oh, yeah, we are going to sneak a little school in there too.



isn't it amazing how many activities you can do as a hser?!!!! Seems like the days are so busy!!! I really love our slooooow -at-home-lets-stay-in-p.j.s-days~!!!They seem so rare!!!!Yes...Happy Fall to you too!!!!!


----------



## Lora

Anyone want to share their experience at WDW Homeschool Days?

We went to only one HS Days program - The American Story.  There were 10 of us in our group and we ended up with 18 people in our tour group.  We had to get to the TTC at 7:00 to start the program.  Instead of the monorail trip to the MK, for some reason they had to bus us over to the MK that morning.  Before we left, our guide went over the rules and then talked about the parts of a story (character, setting, conflict).  When we got the the MK, we started at the Hall of Presidents.  I was very excited about going "back stage".  They took 3 groups in at a time and the 3 guides talked about the first 18 presidents.  We were quite close to the animatronic figures on the stage, with the curtain behind us.  After a short intro. there, we went outside and stood in a circle learning more about the first 18 presidents.  The guide had several laminated cards with pictures, etc. for the kids/parents to look at and use for the discussion.

Just before 9:00, we went over to the Splash Mt. area for a discussion about the characters there. fro We also talked about the gold rush since we were going to ride BTMRR also.   Several kids got cards about a particular person from the gold rush and we talked about how successful they were in finding gold/making money.  I thought that they would take the tour groups (there were several) on the rides before the park opened, but they made us wait at the entrance to the ride until 9:00.   We did SM and BTMRR and then walked back to the Hall of Presidents.  We were going to see the first show at 10 am.  Since we had some extra time, we did a gold rush activity where we had several items and a list of the things we would need on our journey west.  We had to barter with other travelers to find what we needed.  It became clear pretty quickly that no one was going to be able to get all they needed.  After we watched the Hall of Presidents, all of the groups sent a representative to the Liberty Bell and we had a little ceremony there and the reps each got to ring the bell one time.

Overall, it was a good program, but as my sister pointed out, we STOOD the whole time except for the 3 rides.  It was rather hot and tiring, but since I'm used to that at WDW, I didn't really notice until she mentioned it.


----------



## disneymom3

Lora thanks for sharing about your experience.  The info on the standing is good for me to know. I have MS and it sounds like that might be a good day to have a wheelchair.  No way I can stand for three hours.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

My children are playing street children tonight at our church's international market place for missions week.  Last night at rehearsal my son sniffed his armpits and said, "Just right!" And then informed me that he had not was under his arms for a week so he could play this part. WHAT?!? 

LOL- what could I say? HSers are creative!


----------



## Navywifebreezy

Never noticed this thread. We too homeschool and if your kids learn well with computers time4learning.com is great. My kids love it. 
Someone asked about books for grade level, not sure if you know about it but www.bookadventure.com is a great site and spellingcity.com is really great too.
My kids learn way better from a computer than they do from a book.


----------



## GCM

gerberdaisy1234 said, "My children are playing street children tonight at our church's international market place for missions week. Last night at rehearsal my son sniffed his armpits and said, "Just right!" And then informed me that he had not was under his arms for a week so he could play this part. WHAT?!?"


  That's too good!


----------



## anabelle

Lora said:


> Anyone want to share their experience at WDW Homeschool Days?
> 
> .



We enjoyed the Lecture on Monday.   It was at the pavillion at EPCOT which I thought would be oppressively hot, but wasn't that bad.    Several CM's from the International program talked about their experience in the program and then they took questions.   I was impressed with the questions the kids asked.   

My kids took the Ocean Discoveries class.   It was about protecting Sea Turtles.   The Leadership class for my older boys was canceled due to lack of participation, so they were added to the Ocean class.   They tought the class was a little childish.   It was certainly geared toward 4th - 6th graders.   My sophmores weren't that interested.

The January Homeschool days will be engineering oriented with much more Imagineer involvement.  Honestly, my boys would have like that better.   

We might do this again next year, but probably won't add any YES classes


----------



## JAM3

I am 99% sure I am going to homeschool DD.  I have started a little with preschool this year.  We are thinking about moving in the Spring so will therefore be purchasing a new house.  I have been trying to think what the ideal homeschool environment might be. I would love to hear what all of you do!  I anticipate much of our day will be on the move learning and using manipulative.  However, I would like a place with minimal "other" distractions when we need it.  I have thought of an area in the basement, if we can make it bright enough, a spare bedroom converted, an area of the living room?  So I really have nothing narrowed down as you can tell! I would love any suggestions you have. btw, I was a public school teacher prior to DD so I am familiar with set up in this location; but this will not be the same (as you all know!)  Thank you for your help!


----------



## MiniGirl

There is a thread in this section and the OP is asking for opinions of homeschool vs. cyberschool vs. private school. Anyway, this one post just really bothers me today. I have typed out several responses only to delete them instead of posting. I don't want to start a debate, but this woman is just plain wrong. Usually these posts just roll off me, but this one is sticking. I don't know why. 

http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33835756&postcount=12

Like I said..... just venting a little, and I figure venting here (where ya'll understand) is better than venting on that thread and possibly starting a debate.

So, now that's out of my system. How is everyone doing? We are doing well. We've been having fun (maybe too much fun though), and are still trying to find a schedule that works well for us. We're getting there though. I'm not worried.


----------



## Tink561

JAM3 said:


> I am 99% sure I am going to homeschool DD.  I have started a little with preschool this year.  We are thinking about moving in the Spring so will therefore be purchasing a new house.  I have been trying to think what the ideal homeschool environment might be. I would love to hear what all of you do!  I anticipate much of our day will be on the move learning and using manipulative.  However, I would like a place with minimal "other" distractions when we need it.  I have thought of an area in the basement, if we can make it bright enough, a spare bedroom converted, an area of the living room?  So I really have nothing narrowed down as you can tell! I would love any suggestions you have. btw, I was a public school teacher prior to DD so I am familiar with set up in this location; but this will not be the same (as you all know!)  Thank you for your help!



We set up a homeschool room in our previous house but we never seemed to stay there.  We tend to take our books and sit at the table or bar when we need to use them.  Other times my kids will lay in the living room to read, etc.  We do have lots of bookshelves and supplies set up in our family room but don't have designated work areas.  It just didn't work for us.  Lors of people do use spare bedrooms, though.


----------



## jacksmomma

MiniGirl said:


> There is a thread in this section and the OP is asking for opinions of homeschool vs. cyberschool vs. private school. Anyway, this one post just really bothers me today. I have typed out several responses only to delete them instead of posting. I don't want to start a debate, but this woman is just plain wrong. Usually these posts just roll off me, but this one is sticking. I don't know why.
> 
> http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=33835756&postcount=12
> 
> Like I said..... just venting a little, and I figure venting here (where ya'll understand) is better than venting on that thread and possibly starting a debate.
> 
> So, now that's out of my system. How is everyone doing? We are doing well. We've been having fun (maybe too much fun though), and are still trying to find a schedule that works well for us. We're getting there though. I'm not worried.



I saw that thread, but I did not even open it because I did not want to get sucked in!    I am a teacher who taught in both public and private schools who is choosing to home school my son...what does that tell you about my opinion of most school environments.  I get you wanting to respond, but quite honestly most people are so set in their ways that it will do no good.  I completely understand though!


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## SCHBR'smom

Sorry if this has already been posted, I hadn't noticed it.

Sweden has essentially banned homeschooling. 
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Education/Default.aspx?id=648486


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## Tink561

I didn't want to touch that other thread either.


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## disneyfinatics

How can I get more info about the home school days?  Do they do this at the same time every year?
Thanks,
Shelly

ps. I've been home schooling for 9 years.  My boys have never been in public school.  I was glad to find this thread.


----------



## Twoboysnmygirl

I saw the thread too and almost responded...HOW do people say they know all about how hard homeschooling is and how bad it is when they DON'T HOMESCHOOL?!?!?!


----------



## Nicolepa

JAM3 said:


> I am 99% sure I am going to homeschool DD.  I have started a little with preschool this year.  We are thinking about moving in the Spring so will therefore be purchasing a new house.  I have been trying to think what the ideal homeschool environment might be. I would love to hear what all of you do!  I anticipate much of our day will be on the move learning and using manipulative.  However, I would like a place with minimal "other" distractions when we need it.  I have thought of an area in the basement, if we can make it bright enough, a spare bedroom converted, an area of the living room?  So I really have nothing narrowed down as you can tell! I would love any suggestions you have. btw, I was a public school teacher prior to DD so I am familiar with set up in this location; but this will not be the same (as you all know!)  Thank you for your help!



I don't have a set area.  All of our books & supplies are in one area but we usually do school at the kitchen table.  We read on the sofa, he'll do worksheets in the car or read to me on the bed while I fold laundry.  A good friend said "Whatever you do resisit the urge to make a school room."  I thought that was great advice.

I like working at the kitchen table.  While he's working on a worksheet I can empty the dishwasher or sweep the floors.  I feel not sitting by him 100% of the time is teaching him independence.


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## gerberdaisy1234

In response to "setting up"- The setup for HS is different for every family.  That is what makes HSing so great.  I have friends that have not set area and others that have a very structure traditional classroom type setting.

We have four Ikea desks side by side across one end of our basement.  They each have their own computer on the end desk with middle area available for writing/drawing/manipulatives.  Most of our curriculum uses the computer.  On the wall above the four desk we have various help posters (8x11) size. However, sometimes I work with my son at the dining room table when needed to keep them from distracting each other.  And we usually do science in the living room or backyard.  And a lot of our social studies is in the car on audio CDs or on couch with books. Not to mention all the lessons that take place on hikes, in museums, at zoo, the library ...AT DISNEY!!!

We are doing a unit study on all the countries at Epcot with our field trip in January.


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## wvdislover

MY problem right now is not where to homeschool, but WHEN?  Our life's schedule is so crazy right now!  I take DD8 to school (still in PS), then come home by 8 and have b'fast.  I have to leave for work at 10:30 to help my DH out at our restaurant, and get back home at 2:30ish.  We then have to leave for dance class by 3:15 on Mon (get home around 8, as both girls have classes and rehearsals) and Thurs (get home around 6:45), and by 4:30 on Wed (get home around 8:30 after church).  Unfortunately, DD12, who homeschools, is HFA, so she hasn't been able to get school work done while I'm at work (I take her with me), since she needs total quiet to get her work done, and isn't quite capable of completing her work on her own, and I can't get her to wake up to do school in the mornings lately before I go to work (she's wide awake until I mention starting school )  Part of the problem is that she HATES school.  She doesn't like to do anything that requires any work from her.  Putting her back in school is not an option (they don't service her special needs and she is bullied at school to the point of becoming suicidal).  Not working isn't really an option (DH needs me, and we need the money from my paycheck).  Don't want to quit dance, either (great socialization for DD's, as well as good exercise.  Plus, they love it!).  Not really looking for someone to solve my problem, just needed to voice it to people who hopefully will understand.  I WILL figure out how to make it work.  I think a lot of it will depend on DD12 having to change some things in her lifestyle, which I think she is capable of ...she just doesn't want to (we don't always get what we want, though, do we?).  Thanks for letting me vent!


----------



## anabelle

disneyfinatics said:


> How can I get more info about the home school days?  Do they do this at the same time every year?
> Thanks,
> Shelly
> 
> ps. I've been home schooling for 9 years.  My boys have never been in public school.  I was glad to find this thread.



Hi Shelly,
Homeschool days are twice a year.  Usually the third week of September and the third week of January.   They did give us a flyer for the January homeschool days, but I don't see it updated on the website yet.

http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/programs/programOverview?page=HSDProgramOverviewPage

The topic for January is more engineering oriented.  I didn't keep the flyer, but it seems like the kids will have more opportunities to work with the Imagineers.   It does sound cool, but we just went.


----------



## MiniGirl

Twoboysnmygirl said:


> I saw the thread too and almost responded...HOW do people say they know all about how hard homeschooling is and how bad it is when they DON'T HOMESCHOOL?!?!?!



Thanks everyone. I knew ya'll would understand.  The OP was looking for thoughts, so I offered mine, but I also clearly stated that I didn't know about the other options because I had never done them. I guess I just wished that others who had never done them wouldn't have offered up their opinions as knowledge on the subject. Also when she said that "most homeschoolers aren't doing as good a job as they think they are" bothered me. Really? Most? I think so many of us -- especially those of us that are still new to it -- still have moments of insecurity, and this comment didn't help that. LOL!!!

We homeschool all over the house. We keep our books in one place, but do not stay there to school. If we are reading something aloud, we might sit on the sofa and 2 of us fold clothes while the 3rd one reads. Two of us might be up dusting while one reads. For spelling, I might have one sitting at the kitchen counter, and she'll write out her words while I'm unloading/loading the dishwasher. If I'm working at the table with one child, the other will go into another room to do some independent work. In the next month or so as it starts to cool here, I suspect we will be moving outside more, too.


----------



## LegoMom3

MiniGirl said:


> Thanks everyone. I knew ya'll would understand.  The OP was looking for thoughts, so I offered mine, but I also clearly stated that I didn't know about the other options because I had never done them. I guess I just wished that others who had never done them wouldn't have offered up their opinions as knowledge on the subject. Also when _*she said that "most homeschoolers aren't doing as good a job as they think they are*_" bothered me. Really? Most? I think so many of us -- especially those of us that are still new to it -- still have moments of insecurity, and this comment didn't help that. LOL!!!.....



That statement right there proves her ignorance.  HS'ers consistently test higher than the national "average" of PS'ers!  And yes, I constantly struggle with "moments of insecurity"...actually mine are more like extended periods than moments!!  "Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley", anyone?!!

I have to stay away from threads like that one because I find it very difficult not to get sucked into an argument....

.


----------



## PoohBear

MiniGirl said:


> Thanks everyone. I knew ya'll would understand.  The OP was looking for thoughts, so I offered mine, but I also clearly stated that I didn't know about the other options because I had never done them. I guess I just wished that others who had never done them wouldn't have offered up their opinions as knowledge on the subject. Also when she said that "most homeschoolers aren't doing as good a job as they think they are" bothered me. Really? Most? I think so many of us -- especially those of us that are still new to it -- still have moments of insecurity, and this comment didn't help that. LOL!!!
> 
> We homeschool all over the house. We keep our books in one place, but do not stay there to school. If we are reading something aloud, we might sit on the sofa and 2 of us fold clothes while the 3rd one reads. Two of us might be up dusting while one reads. For spelling, I might have one sitting at the kitchen counter, and she'll write out her words while I'm unloading/loading the dishwasher. If I'm working at the table with one child, the other will go into another room to do some independent work. In the next month or so as it starts to cool here, I suspect we will be moving outside more, too.



Comments based on ignorance bother me, as well. Everyone must do what they feel is right for their child and their situation. Traditional schooling or home schooling, only you know your child. I doubted myself and recently signed my kids up for one of the top rated cyber schools. After testing my high schooler, they feel he may be too far ahead of their curriculum. He tested at a college level. As to socialization, I recently received a phone call from a local author. She wanted to speak to the mother of "the most personable, fascinating and engaging young man I have ever met". And you know what...we hardly socialize at all! We are too busy filling their heads with knowledge. 
I frequently hear compliments similar to this about my boys.

I have found, as I'm sure you have, that the majority of nay sayers are those who are hanging their own insecurities on our group. In fact, I think that holds true of prejudice in general. As far as I'm concerned, education is the answer to everything. I think it would prevent people from passing judgement. Try to remember that no one knows your kids better.


----------



## Tink561

MiniGirl said:


> Thanks everyone. I knew ya'll would understand.  The OP was looking for thoughts, so I offered mine, but I also clearly stated that I didn't know about the other options because I had never done them. I guess I just wished that others who had never done them wouldn't have offered up their opinions as knowledge on the subject. Also when she said that "most homeschoolers aren't doing as good a job as they think they are" bothered me. Really? Most? *I think so many of us -- especially those of us that are still new to it -- still have moments of insecurity, and this comment didn't help that. LOL!!!*
> 
> We homeschool all over the house. We keep our books in one place, but do not stay there to school. If we are reading something aloud, we might sit on the sofa and 2 of us fold clothes while the 3rd one reads. Two of us might be up dusting while one reads. For spelling, I might have one sitting at the kitchen counter, and she'll write out her words while I'm unloading/loading the dishwasher. If I'm working at the table with one child, the other will go into another room to do some independent work. In the next month or so as it starts to cool here, I suspect we will be moving outside more, too.



Even those of us who have homeschooled for a long time still have insecurities.  We started in 1999 and I still have moments.   Right now I'm really insecure about preschool and Kindergarten because I've never done those.  You wouldn't think it would be that scary but it is to me. LOL

We also have done as you described with working around the house.  Now that my only teen left homeschooling does online classes, he works in his room with his laptop.


----------



## Tink561

Anyone use My Father's World for Kindergarten?  I really like the looks of it.  I have been reading about it on The Well Trained Mind site along with MFW site.  I would love to hear your thoughts.  I'm thinking about getting the K program for my soon to be 4 year old to start after Christmas.

Also, if you have used later years of MFW, please tell me about it.


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## tkbbmom

Hi everyone.  I joined the forum back in 2006 ---but haven't been here much bec we've only been back to WDW for a quick, spur of the moment, weekend trip when dd was competing in St. Pete.  We are going in Dec.

We are hsing 3 of our 4 -our oldest is in college.  

The previous poster asked about MFW ---we used ECC one year with WP AW and had a great year.  We tried CTG and RTR but it just didn't fit our family.  I thought about the MFW K program ---but decided not to do a structured program for K since I had the older ones.


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## gerberdaisy1234

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8limRtHZPs

If a picture is worth a thousand words...tell me how many this video is worth?


----------



## wvdislover

Today was a better day.  Got DD awake to do history before I went to work this morning, and then we got math done tonight.  We're making progress!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8limRtHZPs
> 
> If a picture is worth a thousand words...tell me how many this video is worth?



Oh my word!! That was beautiful!! Thank you for sending it to us!!!Sometimes we just need help getting things into perspective and being reassured that we are doing the right thing for our children!!!! You all need to watch this...it's moving.


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## SCHBR'smom

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8limRtHZPs
> 
> If a picture is worth a thousand words...tell me how many this video is worth?



Thank you so much for sharing that!


----------



## disneyfinatics

annabelle,
Thanks so much. I searched & searched and couldn't find anything.  Maybe we can go next year.

wvdislover, I know you weren't looking for advice, but I thought this might help.  We use Chester comix for history.  It's great.  My son loves it.  http://www.chestercomix.com/
I  made tests for all of them.  I could give you the website that I have them filed on if you decided to use them. They at least make history fun.  Don't give up, you can do it!!
Shelly


----------



## DawnM

I am NOT touching that thread either.  Sheesh!  I HATE homeschool arguements and opinions from diehard ps folks!

I value anyone's personal right to school their children in public, private, or homeschools.....why can't they value mine?

Dawn, a former ps teacher


----------



## DawnM

My Father's World ECC vs. Sonlight 5

Anyone taken a close look at both of the above and have an opinion?  

This is for NEXT year for us so I have time to think it through.  I feel like with SL I am always cutting out some as we just can't get to it all and I have heard that with MFW you add things in.....wondering which is easier???  

We have always used Sonlight.

Dawn


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## LegoMom3

We've had a very slow "academic" start to our year (sort of de-schooling, if you will) but DS12 and DS10 both started Time4Learning this week and so far it's going great!  I like that I can choose a different grade level for different subjects.  DS12 is much slower with math than Lang. Arts, so he's at "grade" level with LA but went back 2 grades with math and it's giving him some much-needed review.  DS10 thought the 4th-grade LA was too easy, so we'll be moving up a level with that for him.

.


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## LittleBlue22

The flow of tears started this afternoon. Oldest dd begging me, why mom? why? She wants to go back to school. She's doing just fine, but struggles with History /Geography the most. Help ya'll, keep me focused!  

The other two are getting along just fine...for today that is. 

I hope everyone else is having a smooth day. 

T


----------



## Temair

Its only been 3 weeks since I last felt discouraged, but I'm back to feeling that I'm just not doing a good enough job at homeschooling. I thought that maybe getting my DD into a virtual school would help, but so no luck in finding any schools still taking students in AR. I'm seriously starting to consider a local charter school, that is if they have any openings. With my current luck that wont happen. I thought my luck had turned around when 2 weeks ago one of the virtual schools called me and thought they might be able to get my daughter into their program. They said they would try to get things arranged, and I've never heard back. I called last Thursday after waiting a week and left a message, and no call. Maybe they can't get my DD transferred out of district. Anyway I'm at my limit and ready to throw in the towel. I started home school to provide the best education possible for my DD, and I feel like I can no longer do that. I regret leaving the Virtual School just over a year ago. I'm at the end of my rope and ready to jump. So that's where I'm at.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

LittleBlue22 said:


> The flow of tears started this afternoon. Oldest dd begging me, why mom? why? She wants to go back to school. She's doing just fine, but struggles with History /Geography the most. Help ya'll, keep me focused!
> 
> The other two are getting along just fine...for today that is.
> 
> I hope everyone else is having a smooth day.
> 
> T



Hopefully you will have a better day tomorrow!!! You just gotta take it day by day!!.As far as struggling with those subjects..is her curriculum boring,or is she having trouble understanding? We have a different Hist and Geog this year it is not just plain and fact memorization. If you are interested let me know...if she just hates it, maybe mix it up a bit with some biographies or stories about people from that time period. I know my oldest has days where he just isn't in the groove...the younger two NEVER complain!!!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Temair said:


> Its only been 3 weeks since I last felt discouraged, but I'm back to feeling that I'm just not doing a good enough job at homeschooling. I thought that maybe getting my DD into a virtual school would help, but so no luck in finding any schools still taking students in AR. I'm seriously starting to consider a local charter school, that is if they have any openings. With my current luck that wont happen. I thought my luck had turned around when 2 weeks ago one of the virtual schools called me and thought they might be able to get my daughter into their program. They said they would try to get things arranged, and I've never heard back. I called last Thursday after waiting a week and left a message, and no call. Maybe they can't get my DD transferred out of district. Anyway I'm at my limit and ready to throw in the towel. I started home school to provide the best education possible for my DD, and I feel like I can no longer do that. I regret leaving the Virtual School just over a year ago. I'm at the end of my rope and ready to jump. So that's where I'm at.




OH...I am sorry you feel so discouraged!! I don't know exactly what you are feeling so down about...I have been on and off this thread lately and haven't been able to keep up.....so sorry if I am totally missing it.  I hate that you feel this way and want to encourage you to keep at it!!! From this post it just sounds like you think YOU arent schooling her enough-remember that at home it doesn't need to take all day to do what she would be doing in ps. I know I feel like that some days...certain subjects come easy for my kids and they are getting through it very quickly....so, we are just going through this stuff they have to do until they hit a point where it's a challenge and then we slow it down to make sure they are understanding. 
 I also like to keep lots of reading material handy!!!  Turn her onto a good reading series and she will learn a lot just from that!! Something good...like Anne of Green Gables, or Little House series...stuff that will take them a bit to read through but will give them a perspective of a different time and lots of new vocabulary! I know personally I have learned so much just through good books. Ok...I may not even be close to what's troubling you, but just thought I would throw that out there for you!!!! Keep us posted and let me know if I can encourage you in some way!!!!!


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

Twoboysnmygirl said:


> I saw the thread too and almost responded...HOW do people say they know all about how hard homeschooling is and how bad it is when they DON'T HOMESCHOOL?!?!?!



No kidding. We've been h/sing long enough to have encountered plenty of people who are adamantly against h/sing...who don't know zip about it. On the flip side, I've encountered plenty of h/sers who are adamantly against public school...whose only reasoning is that they hated ps when they were a kid. I'm kinda of the "Meh. To each his/her own" mindset. My job isn't to convince the world that h/sing is a viable education alternative. My job is to educate my kiddos!


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

Temair said:


> Its only been 3 weeks since I last felt discouraged, but I'm back to feeling that I'm just not doing a good enough job at homeschooling. I thought that maybe getting my DD into a virtual school would help, but so no luck in finding any schools still taking students in AR. I'm seriously starting to consider a local charter school, that is if they have any openings. With my current luck that wont happen. I thought my luck had turned around when 2 weeks ago one of the virtual schools called me and thought they might be able to get my daughter into their program. They said they would try to get things arranged, and I've never heard back. I called last Thursday after waiting a week and left a message, and no call. Maybe they can't get my DD transferred out of district. Anyway I'm at my limit and ready to throw in the towel. I started home school to provide the best education possible for my DD, and I feel like I can no longer do that. I regret leaving the Virtual School just over a year ago. I'm at the end of my rope and ready to jump. So that's where I'm at.



I'm really sorry you're having a rough time. I'd bet we all have times like that! (I know I've had 'em!)

I'm not familiar with your specific situation, but could you shake things up a little -- take a break from whatever curriculum you're using, do a little unschooling-type activities? Museums, historical sites, history channel flicks from Netflix, reading some great literature aloud, playing some cool math games like Equate or even Monopoly (depending on child's age)? 

I have three books out I've written in Nomad Press's "Build it Yourself" series -- on the environment, the human body, and energy. They've all got fun (if I do say so myself, LOL) projects you could do together to learn and have a blast.

Depending on your state, you could look up the state educational goals for your child's grade and tailor some activities around those, if you need to feel some kind of structure.

Good luck and hang in there -- it's one heck of a journey!


----------



## Rental01

Hmm - new to forums, but I just found the home school thread.  Must email link to wife...


----------



## Rental01

Temair said:


> Its only been 3 weeks since I last felt discouraged, but I'm back to feeling that I'm just not doing a good enough job at homeschooling. I thought that maybe getting my DD into a virtual school would help, but so no luck in finding any schools still taking students in AR. I'm seriously starting to consider a local charter school, that is if they have any openings. With my current luck that wont happen. I thought my luck had turned around when 2 weeks ago one of the virtual schools called me and thought they might be able to get my daughter into their program. They said they would try to get things arranged, and I've never heard back. I called last Thursday after waiting a week and left a message, and no call. Maybe they can't get my DD transferred out of district. Anyway I'm at my limit and ready to throw in the towel. I started home school to provide the best education possible for my DD, and I feel like I can no longer do that. I regret leaving the Virtual School just over a year ago. I'm at the end of my rope and ready to jump. So that's where I'm at.



My wife and I have been h/sing for three years now.  We've tried a number of programs and have finally settled on the same system that the Duggars use - Switched On Schoolhouse.  My wife has sytemic lupus and due to a number of strokes she has lost some of her long term memory which makes it hard for her to concentrate for long periods of time.  That would, in most scenarios, make it very hard for us as homeschoolers to make it work.  The Switched On Schoolhouse program is totally computer based and has enabled us to continue h/sing when my wife is unable to do the help out during the day.  My kids can leave notes on problems they have issues with, and it does 95% of the grading for you automatically (and you can override when it messes up).  You can even set it to grade down for spelling mistakes as well.  When I get home, I just check their work for the day, help them with the areas that they've had issues with and see what's coming up for them.

This has been a great tool for us and it has kept us h/sing.  Another great point is that it's inexpensive for what you get ($350/yr/grade) and if you have more than one child, just keep the program and use it for the next child when they're of age.  No need to buy a new workbooks.  They are also available much cheaper at the beginning of the year (in March or April) - up to 30% off.  We bought ours for this year at $280/grade through Christianbook.com

My daughter had trouble with her 7th grade year.  She, for reasons unknown to us, opted not to do her work.  We're strong believers in personal responsibility so we allowed her to bail on the year by her own hand.  She took the Woodcock Johnson test and passed for the 7th grade with flying colors (well above her age and grade level) but she was just not being responsible with her work.  In SoS I was able to build a custom calendar for her that allowed her to retake her year during the summer and now she's doing very well with it.

Honestly, if you're having trouble with teaching, this could be a great help for you.  

Link:  aophomeschooling.com/switched-on-schoolhouse/overview.php


----------



## Rental01

In other news:

I'm looking for a good (metal, not plastic), cheap microscope for HS experiments - can anyone offer good place to look?

Thanks!


----------



## Tink561

Rental01 said:


> In other news:
> 
> I'm looking for a good (metal, not plastic), cheap microscope for HS experiments - can anyone offer good place to look?
> 
> Thanks!



One of the best microscopes available to homeschoolers is sold by Sonlight.com.


----------



## Rental01

Sweet!  Thank you!


----------



## NHWX

I've also had good luck ordering from homesciencetools.com. If you want a microscope-lite, you might want to consider a digital microscope. My two would never willing dissect anything nor would want to support a business that would kill creatures for a business, so we never really needed an expensive microscope. We could have used one with a slightly better magnification but there's only so much money in this world.

NHWX


----------



## LittleBlue22

Today's going to be a great day b/c its Friday! 

DD is doing much better. There's so much reading involved in her units and it doesn't help that she's behind in the subject. 

Rental01, I think Switched on Schoolhouse is fantastic! I hope you have a fantastic school year with it and  to the thread.

Temair, I hope things are going smoother for you these past couple days.


----------



## wvdislover

disneyfinatics said:


> wvdislover, I know you weren't looking for advice, but I thought this might help.  We use Chester comix for history.  It's great.  My son loves it.  http://www.chestercomix.com/
> I  made tests for all of them.  I could give you the website that I have them filed on if you decided to use them. They at least make history fun.  Don't give up, you can do it!!
> Shelly



Hey Shelly, thanks so much for the encouragement!  We have been able to get at least a little bit of schooling in every day this week, I think.  Not how I'd like things to be, but sometimes it just works out that way   The Chester Comix looks really cool!  DD12 loves graphic novels, and so this would be right up her alley!  We're studying ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome in history this year, and they have books that cover both   Thanks for the great idea!!!  Don't worry, I'm not giving up homeschooling, just giving up the idea of conventional schedules   Fortunately, WV is a pretty easy place to homeschool, and we don't have any strict rules on how much time is taught, as some places do.  Well, off to do some more "unconventional" homeschooling!  Have a great weekend!
Missy


----------



## LegoMom3

Ok, we all know that the ps's up north have to plan for "snow days," and some schools in the south build in a few "hurricane days" to their calendar.

Just when you think you're immune to that by hs'ing.....


TA-DA!  Here in *our *house, we've discovered we are prone to "rain days" that interfere with our satellite Internet and therefore render our on-line curriculum inaccessible!!

My kids think it's great!


.


----------



## DawnM

Leaving for Disney on Friday!  I can't wait.  I need a break.  Unfortunately, we have to leave the following Friday, so only 6 actually days in Orlando, but I am not complaining. 

Our APs expire in January and I am trying to see if I can fit one more trip in during Dec. or Jan. even if DH can't get off of work.

We will not be renewing for at least one full year, so I want to enjoy these last few times.

Dawn


----------



## SCHBR'smom

DawnM said:


> Leaving for Disney on Friday!  I can't wait.  I need a break.  Unfortunately, we have to leave the following Friday, so only 6 actually days in Orlando, but I am not complaining.
> 
> Our APs expire in January and I am trying to see if I can fit one more trip in during Dec. or Jan. even if DH can't get off of work.
> 
> We will not be renewing for at least one full year, so I want to enjoy these last few times.
> 
> Dawn




Hope you have a Wonderful trip!!!


I know many of you have been homeschooling for awhile and may know this, but I just found out and wanted to pass it along to other homeschoolers.  Barnes and Noble will give homeschoolers and educators card which gives you a 20% discount.    I was very excited to learn this and got mine today.  With all the books we purchase, its nice to have a discount!


----------



## chicagoshannon

DawnM said:


> Leaving for Disney on Friday!  I can't wait.  I need a break.  Unfortunately, we have to leave the following Friday, so only 6 actually days in Orlando, but I am not complaining.
> 
> Our APs expire in January and I am trying to see if I can fit one more trip in during Dec. or Jan. even if DH can't get off of work.
> 
> We will not be renewing for at least one full year, so I want to enjoy these last few times.
> 
> Dawn



We're leaving for Florida on Sat and will arrive on Sunday.  Maybe we'll see you there.   Are you doing the Halloween party at all?


----------



## Twoboysnmygirl

Have a great trip!  We leave next Sunday and arrive Monday (19th!!!)  

We're going to MNSSHP on the 25th!  

We'll wave if we see you (us homeschoolers can spot each other a mile away, right?!?!)


----------



## LegoMom3

SCHBR'smom said:


> Hope you have a Wonderful trip!!!
> 
> 
> I know many of you have been homeschooling for awhile and may know this, but I just found out and wanted to pass it along to other homeschoolers.  Barnes and Noble will give homeschoolers and educators card which gives you a 20% discount.    I was very excited to learn this and got mine today.  With all the books we purchase, its nice to have a discount!




Oooh!  That's neat to know!  We moved recently and now have a large B&N not too far away.  What do you have to do to get one?  

.


----------



## DawnM

We are not doing the MNSSHP.  It simply isn't in the budget.  I have never even told my kids about it.  Isn't it $30 or so per person? 

You can't miss me if you are down there at that time......We have 3 boys, the 5 year old is adopted from China.....so if you see a family with 3 boys (including an adorable Chinese 5 year old!) come up and say Hi.

Dawn


----------



## happy2bjustmommy

Just wanted to say HI!

I am Melissa, Homeschooling mom to 3 girls, ages 5, 7 and 8, and a little boy who is 4 months! I have been homeschooling for 3 years and i LOVE IT!

One of the best parts is we get to vacation when all the other kids are sitting in class rooms. We are getting ready for our first Disneyland trip. We are going in about 2 weeks and i am so excited. This will be the first trip for my DH who is 37!! I cannot imagine. I got to experience the magic many times as a child, and i am so excited to see the joy on my kids faces.
The only thing i wish was, i could go into the park first, and have the camera ready for when the see the inside for the first time. LOL

Anyway, that is who i am. Look forward to "meeting" all of you!


----------



## LittleBlue22

happy2bjustmommy said:


> Just wanted to say HI!
> 
> I am Melissa, Homeschooling mom to 3 girls, ages 5, 7 and 8, and a little boy who is 4 months! I have been homeschooling for 3 years and i LOVE IT!
> 
> One of the best parts is we get to vacation when all the other kids are sitting in class rooms. We are getting ready for our first Disneyland trip. We are going in about 2 weeks and i am so excited. This will be the first trip for my DH who is 37!! I cannot imagine. I got to experience the magic many times as a child, and i am so excited to see the joy on my kids faces.
> The only thing i wish was, i could go into the park first, and have the camera ready for when the see the inside for the first time. LOL
> 
> Anyway, that is who i am. Look forward to "meeting" all of you!


  and have a great time planning your trip!

How awesome to read that some of you are going to see the mouse in the near future. Maybe at some point you'll run into each other and not know it. 

Colder weather means slower kids in my house. However, they are doing well this week so far and I can't wait for the weekend already.

I want to pass on to you all this important recall. Tylenol has a pretty big recall. Check out this article to  read all medications that are affected. http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/24/news/companies/tylenol_recall/?postversion=2009092415

Have a great day all!

P.S. LegoMom, I had no idea you were moving. Did you move far?


----------



## npmommie

LegoMom3 said:


> Oooh!  That's neat to know!  We moved recently and now have a large B&N not too far away.  What do you have to do to get one?
> 
> .



The first time I got my B&N card, they did not ask for anything, they just gave it to me after I told them we homeschool.
I need to renew it and this time they want the letter we receive from the school district that approves our homeschool plan for the year.

If you have any paperwork from the school that shows you are a homeschooler bring that along.
its a great discount, and you can use it for almost everything in the store, not magazines though, there are a couple other restrictions,but its worth getting.


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## npmommie

What program do you all use for science? what grade are you kids?


----------



## SCHBR'smom

LegoMom3 said:


> Oooh!  That's neat to know!  We moved recently and now have a large B&N not too far away.  What do you have to do to get one?
> 
> .



Hi, LegoMom!  I'm also in Texas and I didn't have to do much to receive the card.  I filled out an educator form with my name, address, etc.  At the bottom, I checked homeschool.  On the back, they asked me to put the names and grades of the children being homeschooled.  There was no place to put it, they just asked me to put it on the back of the blank paper.


----------



## SCHBR'smom

npmommie said:


> What program do you all use for science? what grade are you kids?



I use Apologia for my 5th, 1st, and pre-k children.  Right now we are doing Zoology 1, Flying Animals of the Fifth day.  I don't know that they always enjoy it, but they are definitely learning a lot.  They point out birds and different bird features all the time.  They want to move onto Zoology 2, but I want to finish this book first.


----------



## disneymom3

npmommie said:


> The first time I got my B&N card, they did not ask for anything, they just gave it to me after I told them we homeschool.
> I need to renew it and this time they want the letter we receive from the school district that approves our homeschool plan for the year.
> 
> If you have any paperwork from the school that shows you are a homeschooler bring that along.
> its a great discount, and you can use it for almost everything in the store, not magazines though, there are a couple other restrictions,but its worth getting.



Oooh, this is one of my favorite topics.   A few years ago, I had this really snooty asst mgr in our B&N who told me I could not get a card without the form from the district.  Now, my district doesn't send out a form.  Not to mention that the mandatory reporting ages for MN are not until age seven.   (The fall AFTER the child turns 7.)  So, for first and K you really have nothing since you don't have to fill out paperwork or anything. He kept telling me I would have something from the school district and I kept telling him  I didn't.   I left ticked off.  I sent a letter to B&N district mgmt.  Got a nice reply saying that all you had to do was bring in a letter from yourself stating that you homeschool and ages of your children.  I took a copy of that in with me, specifically asked to speak to that same guy and gave him the copy of my letter.  Score one for the home team!!  I never would have felt so triumphant if he had not been so MEAN about it.

You can also make yourself a little business card that says the name of your homeschool if you have one or a membership form to show that you are a memeber of a homeschooling group. Have a play group?  Name it and make up a form on your computer at home.


----------



## disneymom3

OH, we also use Apologia for science.  Though this year my boys are doing Sonlight which I also love. DD is in 8th grade and takes a science class from a retired science teacher in our district using the Physical Science book from Apologia.  that helps to keep her more on track and she gets to do the labs with other kids which is more fun.


----------



## npmommie

disneymom3 said:


> Oooh, this is one of my favorite topics.   A few years ago, I had this really snooty asst mgr in our B&N who told me I could not get a card without the form from the district.  Now, my district doesn't send out a form.  Not to mention that the mandatory reporting ages for MN are not until age seven.   (The fall AFTER the child turns 7.)  So, for first and K you really have nothing since you don't have to fill out paperwork or anything. He kept telling me I would have something from the school district and I kept telling him  I didn't.   I left ticked off.  I sent a letter to B&N district mgmt.  Got a nice reply saying that all you had to do was bring in a letter from yourself stating that you homeschool and ages of your children.  I took a copy of that in with me, specifically asked to speak to that same guy and gave him the copy of my letter.  Score one for the home team!!  I never would have felt so triumphant if he had not been so MEAN about it.
> 
> *You can also make yourself a little business card that says the name of your homeschool if you have one or a membership form to show that you are a memeber of a homeschooling group. Have a play group?  Name it and make up a form on your computer at home.*


Thats a great idea,  i belong to a state hs group and they send out membershop cards, when I go to renew my B & N card I am going to use that and see if it works.
I feel like the approval letter has a lot of personal info on it that I really don't want to hand over to the b & n clerk


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

npmommie said:


> Thats a great idea,  i belong to a state hs group and they send out membershop cards, when I go to renew my B & N card I am going to use that and see if it works.
> I feel like the approval letter has a lot of personal info on it that I really don't want to hand over to the b & n clerk



Our umbrella group does not make a member card and our district does not send out letters so...I made a member id cards on my computer, one for our umbrella and one for our homeschool.  These work fine for me when someone ask for "proof" that we homeschool.  I even made student ids for my kids using the extra passport photos.  We just chose the name D.R.A.M.A. Learning for our homeschool for people who want the name of your school.  Some of our friends use their last name (i.e. Smith Home School).  So even if you are not in a group you can create an id card for your family school.

I have a laminator so I even laminate ours.


----------



## Zookeeperof4

Laura.bora said:


> We're going mid september - the 16th - 25th.  Woo hoo Free Dining!  And that brings me to this question:
> Is there a place where I can find a list of all the animals in AK?  My kids don't know we're going, but I'm making this a learning experience as always!  I was planning on having a checklist with us to play the "who can spot the most animals" game. ( a regular occurance when we hit zoos or aquariums - it's a favorite of ours).  I also want to be able to do a teaching lesson about these animals and the habitats they live in and have them do a research project about the animal of their choice.  All while unknowingly preparing them for a trip to Disney!
> And also, I've never been to AK before.  How distinct are the countries/areas?  Is it like Epcot, where it's obvious when you've traveled from MExico to Canada?  We're doing a study unit on the countries found in Epcot, and I'm wondering if I can include AK countries as well?  And any other ideas for incorperating learning with our trip ( I have a 5 year old who's very advanced, and a normal 2year old....well....I don't know how "normal she is but..... )



I am sorry and I know this is way to late for you but I actually do have the list of animals you may see during Disney travels...as I sent a email to the Customer Service people telling them we are homeschoolers and wanted to be ready to see animals and there was a very kind person who listed them ALL....so here goes....
This is long so be ready but it is a good list and I was happy they took the time to help.
Dear Tina,

Thank you for contacting the Walt Disney World Resort.

DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM Theme Park - Animal List 

MAMMALS 

African Pygmy Goat 
African Pygmy Hedgehog 
African Pygmy Mouse 
Agouti 
Anteater, Giant 
Babirusa 
Banteng 
Blackbuck 
Bongo 
Possum, Brushtail 
Capybara 
Cheetah 
Chinchilla 
Deer, Axis 
Deer, Eld's 
Dexter Cow 
Donkey, Sicilian Miniature 
Dwarf African Dormice 
Eland, Patterson's 
Elephant (African) 
European Polecat 
Four-striped Rat (Four-striped Grass Mouse) 
Fox, Fennec 
Gerenuk 
Giraffe, Reticulated 
Goat, Nigerian Dwarf 
Goat, San Clemente 
Gorilla, Western Lowland 
Greater Kudu 
Hippopotamus, Nile 
Hog, Guinea 
Impala 
Kangaroo, Eastern Grey 
Kangaroo, Red 
Kinkajou 
Lemur, Collared 
Lemur, Ring-tailed 
Lion 
Malayan Flying Fox 
Malayan Tapir 
Mandrill 
Meerkat, Slender-tailed 
Monkey, Black and White Colobus 
Naked Mole-rat 
Okapi 
Opossum, Virginia 
Otter, Asian Small-clawed 
Patagonian Cavy 
Porcupine, Indian-crested 
Porcupine, North American 
Prairie Dog 
Rabbit, Chinchilla 
Raccoon 
Reeve's Muntjac 
Rhinoceros, Black 
Rhinoceros, White 
Rodrigues Fruit Bat 
Sable Antelope 
Scimitar-horned Oryx 
Sheep, Gulf Coast Native 
Siamang 
Skunk, Striped 
Sloth, Two-toed 
Small Madagascar Hedgehog Tenrec 
Spiny Mouse 
Tamandua 
Tamarin, Cotton-top 
Tamarin, Golden-lion 
Thomson's Gazelle 
Tiger 
Tunis Sheep 
Wallaby, Parma 
Wart Hog 
White-Cheeked Gibbon 
White-bearded Wildebeest 
Yellow-backed Duiker 
Zebra, Grant's 
----------------------------- 

BIRDS 

Abdim's Stork 
Abyssinian Goose 
Abyssinian Ground Hornbill 
African Grey Parrot 
African Jacana 
African Pygmy Goose 
African Spoonbill 
African Yellow-billed Duck 
Amethyst Starling 
Argus Pheasant 
Bahama Pintail 
Bali/Rothschild's Mynah 
Bar-headed Goose 
Barn Owl 
Bartlett's Bleeding Heart Dove 
Black Crake 
Black-cheeked Lovebird 
Black-headed Greenfinch 
Black-Necked Swan 
Blue/Stanley Crane 
Blue-breasted Kingfisher 
Blue and Yellow Macaw 
Blue-Bellied Roller 
Blue-throated Barbet 
Brimstone Canary 
Bronze-winged Duck 
Brown-Necked Parrot 
Bufflehead Duck 
Burrowing Owl 
Cape Teal 
Cape Thick Knee 
Carmine Bee-Eater 
Chestnut Teal 
Chestnut-breasted Malkoha 
Chiloe Wigeon 
Cinnamon Teal 
Comb Duck 
Common Bulbul 
Common Hoopoe 
Common Shelduck 
Crested Wood Partridge 
Dominique Chicken 
East African Crowned Crane 
Eclectus Parrot 
Egyptian Goose 
Erckel's Francolin 
Eyton's Whistling Duck 
Fairy Bluebird 
Finch-billed Bulbul 
Galah Cockatoo 
Golden Pheasant 
Golden-backed Woodpecker 
Golden-Breasted Starling 
Golden-crested Mynah 
Greater Flamingo 
Green Jungle Fowl 
Green Peafowl 
Green-winged Macaw 
Green-winged Dove 
Hadada Ibis 
Hammerkop 
Harris' Hawk 
Helmeted Guineafowl 
Hooded Merganser 
Hooded Pitta 
Hottentot Teal 
Hyacinth Macaw 
Indian Blue Roller 
Indian Spotbill 
Indian Pygmy Goose 
Iris Lorikeet 
Jambu Fruit Dove 
Javan Tree Duck/Lesser Whistling Duck 
Kenya Crested Guinea Fowl 
King Parrot 
Kori Bustard 
Lady Amherst's Pheasant 
Lappet Faced Vulture 
Lesser Flamingo 
Lesser Green Broadbill 
Long-Tailed Broadbill 
Luzon Bleeding-heart Dove 
Madagascar Green Pigeon 
Magpie Shrike 
Mandarin Duck 
Marabou Stork 
Marbled Teal 
Mariana Fruit Dove 
Masked Plover 
Meyer's Parrot 
Military Macaw 
Moluccan Cockatoo 
Nicobar Pigeon 
Olive Pigeon 
Orange-bellied Leafbird 
Oriental White Eye 
Ostrich 
Painted Stork 
Panama Yellow-Crowned Amazon 
Pheasant Pigeon 
Phoenix Fowl 
Pink-backed Pelican 
Pink-necked Pigeon 
Plum-headed Parakeet 
Plumed/Eyton's Tree Duck 
Puna/Silver Teal 
Racquet-tailed Roller 
Radjah Shelduck 
Red and Yellow Barbet 
Red-Backed Hawk 
Red Billed Hornbill 
Red Crested Turaco 
Red Shoveler 
Red-billed Pintail 
Red-cockaded Woodpecker 
Red-legged Seriema 
Red-throated Parrot Finch 
Ringed Teal 
Roseate Spoonbill 
Rosybill Pochard 
Ruddy Duck 
Saddle-billed Stork 
Salmon Crested Cockatoo 
Sarus Crane 
Scarlet Ibis 
Scarlet Macaw 
Sharp Wing Teal 
Silver Teal 
Silver-eared Mesia 
Snowy-headed Robin Chat 
Sooty-headed Bulbul 
Southern Bald Ibis 
Spectacled Owl 
Spice Finch 
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo 
Superb Starling 
Taveta Golden Weaver 
Tawny Frogmouth 
Tawny Owl 
Temminck's Fruit Dove 
Timor Sparrow 
Vasa Parrot 
Verditer Flycatcher 
Victoria Crowned Pigeon 
Wattled Starling 
West African Crowned Crane 
White Stork 
White-Bellied Go-Away Bird 
White-collared Kingfisher 
White-faced Whistling Duck 
White Headed Duck 
White-Headed Munia 
White-rumped Shama Thrush 
Wompoo Fruit Dove 
Woolly-necked Stork 
Yellow-billed Duck 
Yellow-Rumped Flycatcher 
Yellow-billed Stork 
Yellow-Throated Laughing Thrush 
Yellow-vented Bulbul 
----------------------------- 

REPTILES / AMPHIBIANS 

SNAKES 
African House Snake 
Ball Python 
Blood Python 
Burmese Python 
Corn Snake 
Everglades Rat Snake 
Green Tree Python 
Kenya Sand Boa 
Madagascar Tree Boa 
Northern Pine Snake 
Puerto Rican Boa 
Red-tailed Boa 

LIZARDS 
Bearded Dragon 
Black Roughnecked Monitor 
Blue-Tongued Skink 
Dwarf Shield-Tailed Agama 
Fire Skink 
Komodo Dragon 
Mali Uromastyx 
Nile Monitor 
Prehensile-tailed Skink 
Rhinoceros Iguana 
Veiled Chameleon 
Water Monitor 

TURTLES & TORTOISES 
African Helmeted Turtle 
Asian Brown Tortoise 
East African Mud Turtle 
Eastern Box Turtle 
Egyptian Tortoise 
Florida Chicken Turtle 
Florida Cooter Turtle 
Florida Red-Bellied Turtle 
Galapagos Tortoise 
Gopher Tortoise 
Pancake Tortoise 
Peninsula Cooter 
Yellow-Bellied Slider 

FROGS & TOADS 
African Bullfrog 
African Clawed Frog 
Blue Poison Dart Frog 
Dyeing Poison Dart Frog 
Red-footed Walking Toad 
Splash-backed Poison Dart Frog 
Waxy Monkey Tree Frog 
White-lipped Tree Frog 

ALLIGATORS & CROCODILES 
American Alligator  
American Crocodile  
Nile Crocodile  

----------------------------- 

FISH 

Cichlids 
Hybrid Striped Bass 
Lungfish 
Mosquito Fish 
Pacu 
Paroon Shark 
Plecostomus 

----------------------------- 

INVERTEBRATES 

Asian Giant Centipede 
Brazilian Black Tarantula 
Costa Rican Zebra Tarantula 
Emperor Scorpion 
False Death's Head Cockroach 
Florida Keys Centipede 
Florida Millipede 
Giant African Millipede 
Huntsman Spider 
Kenyan Blue-banded Centipede 
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach 
Mexican Red Knee Tarantula 
Slender Brown Scorpion 
Southeastern Lubber Grasshopper 
Southern House Spider 
Spiny Devil Walkingstick 
Starburst Baboon Spider 
Thorny Hopper Phasmid/Jungle Nymph 

-----------------------------
At Disney's Animal Kingdom park, Rafiki's Planet Watch can provide 
printed and interactive information about animals, and protecting 
endangered species. The Kilimanjaro Safari offers the chance to view and
learn about the animals in their natural habitat.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

WOW!  That is a lot of animals!  Sounds like you would need at least one field trip a semester for three years to learn about all those animals.  

Maybe I will sumbit that proposal to the financial director of our home school.

(He did say if we won the lottery we could stay a few extra days our next trip and look for a vacation home.  I think it is time to buy a ticket)


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq3rOMnLGBk

"It was almost 7pm in Mexico City, October 1968. One hour earlier the winners of the 26 mile Olympic marathon had crossed the finish line. It had been a grueling hot day as the high altitude affected all the athletes. The sky was beginning to darken and most of the stadium was empty. As the last few spectators were preparing to leave, police sirens and flashing lights caught their attention. A lone runner, wearing the colours of Tanzania had just emerged through the stadium gate. Limping, with his leg bandaged he found the last of his endurance to step up his pace and finish the race. His name was John Stephen Akhwari." Give everything, and then find a little more to finish the race. Abundance Teachers

What ever challenge you are facing...YOU CAN DO IT!


----------



## desparatelydisney

Hey guys,

We start week 13 tomorrow and I'm just trying to analyze how things are going - I over analyze everything 

I am considering going from less of a "we are doing school now" to working with each child individually for an hour or so at a time at different times during the day.  It seems like I get stressed and ill constantly going back and forth between the 2 and saying- just a minute- a hundred times a morning.

When I told DH, he said "so it will be even less like school?"   To which I had to answer...yeah.  Question is, should I care if it is "less like school" if it works better?

Just wanted to see what you guys do.  I also wondered if anybody devotes a single day (an hour or more) to each subject (except for math & reading) instead of spending 20 minutes a day or every other day on each subject.

TIA!


----------



## ZanyToes

Hi everyone!  I love that there is a homeschool thread on DIS!   This is our "2nd" year of homeschooling.  I say "2nd" because we didn't do much for kindergarten.. took it VERY easy.    We are almost halfway through 1st grade now with my oldest.    I love planning vacations during school time.


----------



## LegoMom3

desparatelydisney said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> We start week 13 tomorrow and I'm just trying to analyze how things are going - I over analyze everything
> 
> I am considering going from less of a "we are doing school now" to working with each child individually for an hour or so at a time at different times during the day.  It seems like I get stressed and ill constantly going back and forth between the 2 and saying- just a minute- a hundred times a morning.
> 
> When I told DH, he said "so it will be even less like school?"   To which I had to answer...yeah.  Question is, should I care if it is "less like school" if it works better?
> 
> Just wanted to see what you guys do.  I also wondered if anybody devotes a single day (an hour or more) to each subject (except for math & reading) instead of spending 20 minutes a day or every other day on each subject.
> 
> TIA!



We do VERY "relaxed" home schooling in our house.  It "looks" very little like we're "doing school!"  And with that approach, we rarely do every subject every day.  Even when I followed a more traditional curriculum, we didn't do every subject every day.  The stress you describe is a perfect indicator that something needs to change!  If your DH is worried about maintaining the appearance of "school", just keep doing all the subjects but not all in one day. _* But it doesn't have to "look like school" to work!!*_ 

Are you using a traditional workbook/textbook type curriculum?  That can be difficult with younger kids who are different grades, because you end up, like you said, bouncing back and forth between each one as they need help.  My kids are at different stages and also learn differently.  My oldest, who is 13, is able to do most of his work independently.  My other two, who are 10 and almost-8, are doing unit studies with me.  They basically study the same thing, but math and language arts are adjusted for age and ability.  I don't like to go by traditional "grade level" because my kids are all over the map, so to speak, with various abilities in different subjects!

Anyway, I'm rambling but I think you are on the right track that you need a change....and I wouldn't worry about spreading out your subjects over different days.

.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

DesperatleyDisney~ HI!!! Just wanted to say that  we do school a little differently also....No set times (clockwise), and no certain order of subjects..just as long as it gets done. I think if working one-on-one for a part of each day works better for you, then do it! I do that sometimes too-I am teaching 3, and I know the "hold on just a minute" drives me crazy too!! Whatever works for you--I like to mix it up and keep it fun!


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

In regards to mixing things up a bit...

"School" looks different not only from home to home but also school to school.  A lot of schools lean toward longer time on a subject per day with less days of the subject.  It makes sense.  It works. Some days you just need or want to spend longer on one subject. Give it day to soak in or to apply the learning. Some subjects even are rotated by semester- (science, social studies, geography) or integrated (my favorite) together.

What I have found that helps me (because I could spend the whole week on certain things) is to have a checklist of what I want to accomplish for the week.  Check it off as you finish. Near end of the week you will see where you need to focus. That may also help your DH see that you are still covering everything.


----------



## desparatelydisney

Thanks, guys.

Things are going very well and both kids like it.  I am very, very happy with all of our curriculums.  My oldest actually begs to do science and history first as those are his favorites.  And he does math and reading/creative writing on the computer from John Hopkins so it is fairly self-directed.  I make a lesson plan each week for each day and we get most of it done.  My oldest likes knowing what comes next so that way he can see what is left to do each day.  

I just feel so fragmented jumping constantly between them and each one wanting to know "what do I do now, I'm finished".  I think it would be better to work with the 8 yr old in the morning and let the two little ones play and then work with my daughter after lunch and let the boys play (my youngest is still in pre-school so we only do school with him when he asks so as not to push).

Thanks again 
MMM


----------



## NHWX

desparatelydisney said:


> Thanks, guys.
> 
> I just feel so fragmented jumping constantly between them and each one wanting to know "what do I do now, I'm finished".  I think it would be better to work with the 8 yr old in the morning and let the two little ones play and then work with my daughter after lunch and let the boys play (my youngest is still in pre-school so we only do school with him when he asks so as not to push).
> 
> Thanks again
> MMM



It might only help with your older two children but this year, I gave each child a whiteboard and they divided up by coursework and day. So, I'll refer them to their whiteboard when they need help. Sometimes, it's a matter of them not knowing what to work on for a given but I've tried to build work boxes for them too. So, my younger son has all his math work in one box with a semester's worth of schedule sitting on top of the pile. He can check his whiteboard to see if he needs to work on health, or Latin or whatever. If they work ahead, they mark ahead on the whiteboard. It doesn't completely stop the questions and interruptions but I hope it's teaching them some self-pacing.

NHWX


----------



## sl_underwood

I have also been a pingpong ball when it comes to teaching and it is stressful.  Here is what we do.  Each child has a checklist each day of what they must finish.  For my kindergartener, I made picture cards showing him what he is to do.  I laminated them and put them on a key ring so the cards can easily be changed out.  I also found activities my son can do independently while I teach his 7th grade sister.  We have puzzle cards for spelling and alphabet beads, I made a moving alphabet with a small dry erase board and upper and lowercase foam magnetic letters.  He has foam numbers as well along with dollar store objects for counting, ie. 10 snakes, 9  bears, etc.  He also uses these to sort into classifications, such as insects, farm animals, zoo animals, etc.  Each card shows has pictures with the classification on one side and just text on the other.  I also have a leapster, tag reading system, various educational media, dvds, etc.  We use websites like pbs kids, he has a folder with coloring sheets and worksheets he can do independently.  With these options, he doesnt get bored while I work with his sis.  I usually only have to work with my daughter for about 30 minutes per subject, sometimes less.  So while she is finishing up, I have 30 minutes to 1 hour with my son.  I still trade off but there are less interuptions.  My son couldnt handle more than 30-40 minutes on his own.  You may be able to do these type of learning activities allowing the younger two to do together while you complete your school day with the older child and then work with the younger two in the afternoon.  If you would like templates of what we have done, pm me and I will share them with you.
Lora


----------



## IcedMudd

Hi guys! I'm new here and just wanted to stop in and introduce myself! I'm a first-time homeschooler. My dd is only 5 so there's not much actual school  I'm enjoying it and so is she. She loves to "go" to school. The first week, though, well it was rough! Once we found our groove, everything's been awesome!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

to Iced Mudd!! Glad you found us! 

Lora..love those ideas for your kindergartener! I too make a daily list for each kid...we have a journal/daily planner thing.I bought it at Target or somewhere (Barnes &Noble this time)....anyway... they are in the school supplies ...each day has a few lines for scheduling and I do a semster at a time and they just check off as they go!


----------



## dizzymomx4

Hi everyone! We are new to the chat too...this is our 3rd year of homeschooling..DS 8 and DS 11...We have a total of 4 boys, two older ones attended PS until I finally believed that I could do this!!

Hope to share and learn from all of you DISers!!


----------



## disneymom3

Nice to see the new faces! 



This is my 8th year of homeschooling and every year the start of hte year has always looked different but I find that by the end of the year, we are doing about the same thing. This year it took me a shorter time to figure it out.  So we relaxed already.  For awhile there I was really stressing and being all formal and structured.  That really doesn't work for me. 

  I try to teach as much as I can together. This year, is the second year we are doing science seperately since my oldest is going into high school next year.  My boys who are two grades apart do basically everything together other than spelling and math.  

I have a thrilling announcement!!  I had to make reservations for our stay a month or so ago before WDW announced the next homeschool days.  So, I crossed my fingers, looked at when they had other events and when the Jan days had been the last few years and booked it!  Came out the other day....we check in on Friday and homeschool days start on Monday so we can use the discounted tickets! I am sooooo thrilled!!  We were able to get a 2 BR villa at the Beach Club through my ILs timeshare membership.  I cannot even believe it. That would be so very far out of our budget to do it as a regular stay.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Questions about HS days at WDW:

Can you add days once you are there to the base tickets offered on website?
Can you use the ticket before the event begins?

We will be there a total of ten days. Before, during and after homeschool days event.

Thanks!


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Ok, with a little searching I think I have answered my questions.  On the website it says the tickets are good 7 days prior and 7 days after the event.

For the other question, I read that after you use a ticket for a day the value of the ticket becomes gate price and you only pay the difference to upgrade from the ticket type you have to they ticket type you want.

If anyone knows otherwise PLEASE let me know.  I don't want any surprises when I go to upgrade from 5 days to 10 days once we get there.

Thanks a million!


----------



## DawnM

I would call and ask.  When I have a Disney question I want to be SURE and know the right answer to I call twice and talk to 2 different people and make sure the answers are the same! 

Dawn



gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Ok, with a little searching I think I have answered my questions.  On the website it says the tickets are good 7 days prior and 7 days after the event.
> 
> For the other question, I read that after you use a ticket for a day the value of the ticket becomes gate price and you only pay the difference to upgrade from the ticket type you have to they ticket type you want.
> 
> If anyone knows otherwise PLEASE let me know.  I don't want any surprises when I go to upgrade from 5 days to 10 days once we get there.
> 
> Thanks a million!


----------



## DawnM

My *guess* is that you cannot add later since you cannot buy these at the gate.....they must be ordered online.

If you will be there 10 days, I would suggest getting the 5 park hopper days and 4 vouchers to the waterparks and Disney Quest.  That would give you plenty to do for the 10 days.  Waterparks are great weekend activities as they are never that crowded during the off-season.

Dawn



gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Questions about HS days at WDW:
> 
> Can you add days once you are there to the base tickets offered on website?
> Can you use the ticket before the event begins?
> 
> We will be there a total of ten days. Before, during and after homeschool days event.
> 
> Thanks!


----------



## DawnM

We plan to do the give a day/get a day Disney promotion starting in January.  My understanding is that you can apply this towards hopper tickets/APs or whatever.

Does anyone know if there is a way to apply them towards homeschool days?  I am thinking no since you have to order HS passes, but it would be so great to apply the $80 towards the HS passes.

Thanks,


Dawn


----------



## Indiana Rose Lee

i looked into it last year, and was not able to.  i hope they've changed it.  maybe you could ask on th theme parks board someone there works in ticketing,  i think.


----------



## disneymom3

DawnM said:


> I would call and ask.  When I have a Disney question I want to be SURE and know the right answer to I call twice and talk to 2 different people and make sure the answers are the same!
> 
> Dawn



I would check too.  If you want ten day tickets it might end up being less expensive to just by the 10 day passes as opposed to the 5 day homeschool and then another set of 5 day passes.  It's those first several days that are the more expensive portion.  I would love it if you could upgrade but I doubt I will be able to afford it at the time as we would need to add the no expiry option that always costs a bundle!


----------



## chicagoshannon

andrew45611 said:


> I couldn't get the site to pull up... but I'll try again later because it sounds like a great resource!
> 
> PS. I followed the link on your blog for that Donnayoung.org. That has been an awesome resource for me! I went ahead and downloaded almost every Pre-K and K pdf that they have to use for DD 2.5 years old. I wanted to start with her on tracing, coloring, letters, etc. and these worksheets are perfect! I hope to homeschool one day but don't know when that will happen. But this gives me some stuff to start with her on.
> 
> have a blessed day,
> 
> Julie



Hi Julie.  I also have a 2.5 year old DD that I've started on tracing, cutting ect.  The tracing is starting to go better but we're still struggling with cutting.  I've actually slacked with our homeschooling for the last few weeks because we were in Disney and she's in an activity almost every day.  We plan to start back up next week.  We also use starfall.com for reading.


----------



## Indiana Rose Lee

I forgot to introduce myself!  I am Rosie, and we have been homeschooling for 20 years. My oldest is 24 and is getting his PhD in biochemistry, and my youngest is almost 2 months.  He was was a glorius surprise!  

We are more of the Raymond Moore type of homeschoolers. My oldest didn't read until he was 8.  It only took him a few months to catch up when he was ready to learn. He was excelling in science and math before that time, however.  The rest have followed their own paths, also and are doing well.

We are planning on going to the homeschool days, but have no clue where we are staying.  We need space, and there aren't the options there were a couple of years ago.


----------



## LegoMom3

Indiana Rose Lee said:


> I forgot to introduce myself!  I am Rosie, and we have been homeschooling for 20 years. My oldest is 24 and is getting his PhD in biochemistry, and my youngest is almost 2 months.  He was was a glorius surprise!
> 
> _*We are more of the Raymond Moore type of homeschoolers. My oldest didn't read until he was 8.  It only took him a few months to catch up when he was ready to learn. He was excelling in science and math before that time, however.  The rest have followed their own paths, also and are doing well.*_
> 
> We are planning on going to the homeschool days, but have no clue where we are staying.  We need space, and there aren't the options there were a couple of years ago.




Hi!  SO glad to meet you!  I've been studying the Moore's and the more I read, the better I like it.  My youngest turns 8 this year.  He started out in PS, so he learned to read there and did fine.  However, he really struggles with math concepts and I used to pull my hair out wondering how to make him "get it."  But now I think he's just not _ready_ and it's not going to hurt anything to let him wait until he IS!  We do real-life math stuff....money, fractions with baking, etc. but to have him sit down and try to "do math" on paper, he just has a complete block.  

Please feel free to PM me any time if you'd like to chat!  I'd love to hear how this has worked for your family.


And again, WELCOME!

.


----------



## Indiana Rose Lee

Thanks, Legomom!  Real math is vital, in my opinion. My grandpa built his business no able to cipher on paper, but the concepts were all built into his head and real life.  Not saying that in this day and age it isn't necessary, but that you can give tons of information in other formats.  Have you ever looked at miquon math?  A couple of mine thrived with it, when Abeka did little for them.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Indiana Rose Lee said:


> I forgot to introduce myself!  I am Rosie, and we have been homeschooling for 20 years. My oldest is 24 and is getting his PhD in biochemistry, and my youngest is almost 2 months.  He was was a glorius surprise!
> 
> We are more of the Raymond Moore type of homeschoolers. My oldest didn't read until he was 8.  It only took him a few months to catch up when he was ready to learn. He was excelling in science and math before that time, however.  The rest have followed their own paths, also and are doing well.
> 
> We are planning on going to the homeschool days, but have no clue where we are staying.  We need space, and there aren't the options there were a couple of years ago.



I am going to check out Raymond Moore. I have not heard of him.  My DS (7) struggles with reading but is great in math and science and my DD (11) excels in the Language Arts but finds math a challenge.

I talk to the youth program office.  They said you can not upgrade the ticket. But they are going to do 10 day tickets!!!! for the homeschool event.  They are just working on the price details.  They said they would call me in a couple of days when it was all worked out.  They just met yesterday to discuss because they were getting so many calls. YAY!!!I will pass on info when I hear. 

Need space? Have you thought about Windsor Hills? Just as close as some of Disney's resorts.(so I have heard) We got 10 nights at a 3 bedroom 3 bathroom townhouse with a small pool. Plus the resort has a nice heated pool with slide.  There is a little movie theater you can reserve for your family. Workout facility. Game room...all within a minute walk. With pool heat and tax it came to $1243.


----------



## Indiana Rose Lee

That is a great price! And it will be interesting to know what they come up with in pricing those longer tickets!


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

DawnM said:


> We plan to do the give a day/get a day Disney promotion starting in January.  My understanding is that you can apply this towards hopper tickets/APs or whatever.
> 
> Does anyone know if there is a way to apply them towards homeschool days?  I am thinking no since you have to order HS passes, but it would be so great to apply the $80 towards the HS passes.



In my research it seems that youth program tickets fall into a different catagory.  That promotion such as free birthday credits do not apply not even towards the bonus that you get if you already have a ticket.

We volunteer all the time so I planned to do the give a day also but I don't think there would be enough process time before our trip.  It says that you will receive an email two weeks after the organization tells Disney that you completed your time. So you have the volunteer organization's turn around time plus Disney's.  Not to mention will there be a volunteer opportuntiy listed for first week of January.  So I think it would take a lot of pixie dust to get the ticket email before leaving on a January trip.


----------



## chicagoshannon

Indiana Rose Lee said:


> That is a great price! And it will be interesting to know what they come up with in pricing those longer tickets!



We stayed at Windsor Hills in May.  It is 5 minutes from Disney.  You literally get on the road and immediately exit onto Disney property.  We stayed in a condo so no experience with the houses but the pool is nice.  The water slide is a bit scary and you have to be 48 inches I think to go on it.  My husband seemed to enjoy it.


----------



## belle22

Anyone have reading fluency passages they would be willing to share for second to third grader?


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Have you ever tried time4learning.com?  Even if you just use it to supplement reading it is a great resource.  They have fluency passages in second grade.  The student clicks start, reads through, clicks finish.  It tells you how many words per minute you read and tells you your goal.  Then it models reading the passage with different emphasis each lesson (reading questions, with expression, periods, commas, etc.) Then you read along with computer.  Then student clicks start, reads again, clicks finish. It tells new words per minute.  My son does not usually reach the goal but he is always excited to see his progress.


----------



## robinsegg

Hi!
I'm Rachel, and this is our 6th year homeschooling (including 1 year preK).
I've never heard of HS days at WDW.  Can you give me more info?
We've never been, planning a trip the week after Thanksgiving 2010.  We'll be taking a 10yo, 8yo and 17mo (in a MobyWrap and probably renting a stroller).
Nice to see this thread!


----------



## DawnM

HS days are the 3rd week of Sept and the 3rd week of January.  Much less expensive tickets!

It is through the Disney Y.E.S. program (you can google it).

Dawn



robinsegg said:


> Hi!
> I'm Rachel, and this is our 6th year homeschooling (including 1 year preK).
> I've never heard of HS days at WDW.  Can you give me more info?
> We've never been, planning a trip the week after Thanksgiving 2010.  We'll be taking a 10yo, 8yo and 17mo (in a MobyWrap and probably renting a stroller).
> Nice to see this thread!


----------



## robinsegg

Thanks!
It's always cool to "meet" other hs'ers!
Anythng I should be "on the lookout" for to study when we return?


----------



## LegoMom3

Hey y'all!!!  I don't know if this has been mentioned here before, but I just discovered homeschooling at about.com - too cool!  The actual web address is http://homeschooling.about.com   There are ALL kinds of FREE printables available there.  And if you do unit studies, they have TONS!  I just printed out a bunch of stuff on the state of California for one of my boys who is really interested in studying that state.  There are questions listed that the kids need to find the answers to, and you can either do it right there with the provided links, or if you want to toss in some book work, have them look it up in an encyclopedia or the like.

I'm so excited to have found this resource!!

.


----------



## belle22

I am looking for Mult Time test for 100 problems a test for each fact --
 all 1's -- all 2's -- all 3's  ect. 

I would also like to combine the facts once mastered.  Once we learn 3's a test for 0 thru 3's.  Learn 4's then add 0-4's...ect

Anyone know a site that has these?


----------



## savannahcat

My daughter attends a private school, but I am interested in supplementing with a foreign language at home. I'm looking for resources that will be fun for her and not necessarily like classroom work. Any help would be great!

Thanks!


----------



## robinsegg

I'm not sure if this will help with math, but you could look up http://www.theteacherscorner.net/printable-worksheets/

For Spanish, have you looked at Rosetta Stone?


----------



## ekatiel

Hi Guys.  I've never posted on the home school thread before, so I hope it's ok to start .  I don't home school, but I do teach home schooling classes at a local home school alliance.  I decided to hold fall and spring parent/teacher conferences for the first time this year for my Guided Reading classes (I teach a K/1 class and a 2nd-4th grade class).  I was wondering if you guys would give me some input about what kind of information you'd like to receive in a short (15 minute slots!) conference about your child's reading.  I am planning on addressing:
The child's current reading level
The level where the child "should" be by the end of the year
Some tips on teaching reading more effectively at home

The problem is, I have SO many tips, that I can't possibly fit it all in!  So, what sort of tips would you find useful?
Tips on supporting your reader's decoding (reading the words)?
Tips on supporting your reader's comprehension?
Any other tips?

I'm also not sure how in depth I should go.  When I taught public school, I did not go very in depth about reading instruction, but these parents are their childrens' primary reading teachers (I only meet with the kids for one hour a week and then send home readers and homework for the rest of the week).  So, how in depth do most home school parents want to go with reading instruction?  Thanks for any input you have.  I want the conferences to be useful to the parents, but I also don't want to go over their heads and use too much "teacher" lingo!! --Katie


----------



## robinsegg

ekatiel said:


> Hi Guys.  I've never posted on the home school thread before, so I hope it's ok to start .  I don't home school, but I do teach home schooling classes at a local home school alliance.  I decided to hold fall and spring parent/teacher conferences for the first time this year for my Guided Reading classes (I teach a K/1 class and a 2nd-4th grade class).  I was wondering if you guys would give me some input about what kind of information you'd like to receive in a short (15 minute slots!) conference about your child's reading.  I am planning on addressing:
> The child's current reading level
> The level where the child "should" be by the end of the year
> Some tips on teaching reading more effectively at home
> 
> The problem is, I have SO many tips, that I can't possibly fit it all in!  So, what sort of tips would you find useful?
> Tips on supporting your reader's decoding (reading the words)?
> Tips on supporting your reader's comprehension?
> Any other tips?
> 
> I'm also not sure how in depth I should go.  When I taught public school, I did not go very in depth about reading instruction, but these parents are their childrens' primary reading teachers (I only meet with the kids for one hour a week and then send home readers and homework for the rest of the week).  So, how in depth do most home school parents want to go with reading instruction?  Thanks for any input you have.  I want the conferences to be useful to the parents, but I also don't want to go over their heads and use too much "teacher" lingo!! --Katie


Hi Katie!
I'm a homeschooler who uses the ps speech therapy dept., so I may be a good person to answer this?
If I were asking you to help my student with reading, here's what I would want to know:
1.  What exercises should I be doing with my student through the week?
2.  What are my students specific issues?
3.  What portions of reading should I be working on, and which should I wait on?  Is there anything I should be bringing to my child's attention more than anything else?
4.  What do I need to bring with us each week for my students' sessions with you?

As I was going to school to be an elementary teacher before I had kids, I may be more "in tune" with this sort of thing . . . I don't know about that.  But, by and large, the hs'ers I've met were willing to research their students' issues and be knowledgeable about them, even if getting outside help.  Try not to use too much jargon, but make sure you communicate the specifics of each student with the parents, and how best they can help.

I hope this gives you a starting point.


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## pipersmom

Due to various medical issues, I'm going to be keeping my 8 yo daughter (3rd grade) out of her school until spring. Right now it looks like we'll be doing some combination of homebound teacher and homeschooling. Does anyone have experience with that sort of arrangement? Are there things I should specifically address when I speak with special services? Thanks in advance...


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## love__goofy

I read, I think on here, about some type of lapbook that someone had designed which gave information about the countries around Epcot.  Maybe I am losing my mind..lol.  If anyone has any information on that, I would appreciate it.  We leave for the World in about 3 weeks...Yippee!


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## ekatiel

robinsegg said:


> Hi Katie!
> I'm a homeschooler who uses the ps speech therapy dept., so I may be a good person to answer this?
> If I were asking you to help my student with reading, here's what I would want to know:
> 1.  What exercises should I be doing with my student through the week?
> 2.  What are my students specific issues?
> 3.  What portions of reading should I be working on, and which should I wait on?  Is there anything I should be bringing to my child's attention more than anything else?
> 4.  What do I need to bring with us each week for my students' sessions with you?
> 
> As I was going to school to be an elementary teacher before I had kids, I may be more "in tune" with this sort of thing . . . I don't know about that.  But, by and large, the hs'ers I've met were willing to research their students' issues and be knowledgeable about them, even if getting outside help.  Try not to use too much jargon, but make sure you communicate the specifics of each student with the parents, and how best they can help.
> 
> I hope this gives you a starting point.



Thanks for the ideas!  I think I will definitely focus more on the individual students' needs and how the parents can help them with their weaknesses! --Katie


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## NHWX

I think edhelper.com might have something like that. I'd give it a look, at any rate.

NHWX



belle22 said:


> I am looking for Mult Time test for 100 problems a test for each fact --
> all 1's -- all 2's -- all 3's  ect.
> 
> I would also like to combine the facts once mastered.  Once we learn 3's a test for 0 thru 3's.  Learn 4's then add 0-4's...ect
> 
> Anyone know a site that has these?


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

love__goofy said:


> I read, I think on here, about some type of lapbook that someone had designed which gave information about the countries around Epcot.  Maybe I am losing my mind..lol.  If anyone has any information on that, I would appreciate it.  We leave for the World in about 3 weeks...Yippee!



This is probably what you have heard about
http://vacationeducationbooks.net/epcot.aspx

We are using this plus books from the library.


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## gerberdaisy1234

Also I printed out some passport pages from http://s143.photobucket.com/albums/r132/donatalie/Passports/Passport 3/

I don't see the ones we are using but I like this set even better.  I think they are going to have to rewrite the ones we have done.  I have the children write how to say hello, goodbye, thanks, yes and no in each language. Then on another I have them write a couple interesting facts they learned.


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## gerberdaisy1234

I wanted to post you samples from the passport pages that Natalie (a fellow diser) has for free (along with MANY other AMAZING things) I posted the link in the above post.

I am having my children write hello, goodbye, thanks, yes, and no in each language and then one fact on the page with lines.  They can get this stamped when we go to Epcot.  Then the are filling in the blanks (people called, language spoken, capital) and coloring the flag on the other page.  I am printing them two to a page.


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## desparatelydisney

belle22 said:


> I am looking for Mult Time test for 100 problems a test for each fact --
> all 1's -- all 2's -- all 3's  ect.
> 
> I would also like to combine the facts once mastered.  Once we learn 3's a test for 0 thru 3's.  Learn 4's then add 0-4's...ect
> 
> Anyone know a site that has these?



Try Math Magician
http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/Mathmagician/cathymath.html


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## LegoMom3

I'm sure I've seen on here that some of you use this.....  Just looking for some general opinions on it?  Does it use "real" life terms? (for example I've used Math Mammoth in the past and while I really like the overall format, it's starting to get into these silly terms like "minuend" and "subtrahend"....NO one in real life uses those terms!!  It's ok to introduce them to make the student aware of them, but I don't want my kids to _have_ to memorize them _just _to be able to work the subsequent problems...Math is confusing enough for a struggling student)

Anyway, let me know if you use Singapore and what you think!

.


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## SCHBR'smom

LegoMom3 said:


> I'm sure I've seen on here that some of you use this.....  Just looking for some general opinions on it?  Does it use "real" life terms? (for example I've used Math Mammoth in the past and while I really like the overall format, it's starting to get into these silly terms like "minuend" and "subtrahend"....NO one in real life uses those terms!!  It's ok to introduce them to make the student aware of them, but I don't want my kids to _have_ to memorize them _just _to be able to work the subsequent problems...Math is confusing enough for a struggling student)
> 
> Anyway, let me know if you use Singapore and what you think!
> 
> .



Sinagapore math is wonderful!  One of the goals is to make math more intuitive, and I really see that happening with my children.  This is our first year using it and we just finished up the 1A and 4A.  Both children are doing well.


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## DisneyMom5

SCHBR'smom said:


> Sinagapore math is wonderful!  One of the goals is to make math more intuitive, and I really see that happening with my children.  This is our first year using it and we just finished up the 1A and 4A.  Both children are doing well.



We've used Singapore math for years and really love it.  I have recently had to switch one of my children to horizons because he has a TBI and we need less abstract and "out of the box" math and more concrete.  But Singapore excells at the "out of the box" time math, which I think is better for real life application.  (Even if it DOES stump mom sometimes.)

One thing I haven't focused on that Singapore is not as strong at is memorizing multiplication facts, and I am hoping to do so with my younger kids.


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## gerberdaisy1234

For those going to Homeschool days in January  that were interested in the 10 day ticket.  They are going to make a 10 day ticket available for Homeschool days in January due to interest.  They are not posting on the website however.  They said they would contact me with the information on how to purchase the ten day ticket.  If you are interested you can call them and give them your information or pm me and I will let you know when I hear from them.


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## MaryAz

Hi
I have lurked on this thread but now think I am ready to take the plunge. I have a daughter in K and I am just not happy with how school is going. I am interested in maybe pursuing a virtual school. The one I a looking at uses the K12 cirriculum. Does anyone have experieince with it? I think starting with a virtual school is a good first step for me instead of trying to set it all up myself. Any suggestions would be appreciated. My duaghter is reading chapeter books and doing simple math. Not to brag but to give you more info. Thanks


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

MaryAz said:


> Hi
> I have lurked on this thread but now think I am ready to take the plunge. I have a daughter in K and I am just not happy with how school is going. I am interested in maybe pursuing a virtual school. The one I a looking at uses the K12 cirriculum. Does anyone have experieince with it? I think starting with a virtual school is a good first step for me instead of trying to set it all up myself. Any suggestions would be appreciated. My duaghter is reading chapeter books and doing simple math. Not to brag but to give you more info. Thanks



I have not tried a virtual school because I like more flexiblity than the one offered through our county.  I like to being able to customize the curriculum to best serve your child and being able to adjust schedule to meet family needs.

I might suggest you look into a complete curriculum like Calvert School that you could do on your own.  (Trust me it is more complete than you know...they even give you "teacher script")  By doing this you can test your daughter and start her where she needs to be.  We started when my daughter was 5.  I ordered Calvert first and second grade.  I copied some of the test in first grade and gave them to her to see where to start.  We started on around lesson 120 for reading and around 40 for math.  I doubled up on math to catch it up to her reading and she finished first grade by January. We finished second grade by September.  We go year round so we can take off througt out the year.  (Another reason I have not tried a virtual school) Disney is cheaper, less crowded, and cooler in January!


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## Nicolepa

MaryAz said:


> Hi
> I have lurked on this thread but now think I am ready to take the plunge. I have a daughter in K and I am just not happy with how school is going. I am interested in maybe pursuing a virtual school. The one I a looking at uses the K12 cirriculum. Does anyone have experieince with it? I think starting with a virtual school is a good first step for me instead of trying to set it all up myself. Any suggestions would be appreciated. My duaghter is reading chapeter books and doing simple math. Not to brag but to give you more info. Thanks



I am using k12 thru a Virtual School.  This is our first year and so far we are loving it.  My son is in 2nd grade.  We will finish 2nd grade math by the end of the year and the rest of his classes by the end of March.  If you finish by the end of March (date will vary by school) they will send you the next grade.  I did this so that we can school year around.

It's really nice because you can go as fast as they want.  I wish I had used this with my oldest (4th grade).  She is in the gifted program in public school which has been a fabulous program.  I am hesitant to pull her out because the program is so good but she is starting to say she wants to be hs'd because it looks like so much fun.  

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask!


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## gerberdaisy1234

Nicolepa said:


> I am using k12 thru a Virtual School.  This is our first year and so far we are loving it.  My son is in 2nd grade.  We will finish 2nd grade math by the end of the year and the rest of his classes by the end of March.  If you finish by the end of March (date will vary by school) they will send you the next grade.  I did this so that we can school year around.
> If you have any specific questions feel free to ask!



That is great that you have to flexiblity to go year around.  Are you using a private virtual school or one that is state/county funded? I would be interested in a virtual school that allows you to move at own pace and go year round. Thanks!


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## Nicolepa

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> That is great that you have to flexiblity to go year around.  Are you using a private virtual school or one that is state/county funded? I would be interested in a virtual school that allows you to move at own pace and go year round. Thanks!



It is a state funded Virtual Academy.  As long as you are enrolled for the following year you can work thru the summer.  During the school year you have to meet minimum percentage goals based upon the number of school days in the month, but there is nothing stopping you from working ahead.  The only caveat is that if you finish the work before the end of the school year but after the March cut off they will not send you new materials until the next fall so you have to come up with something for them to do.  So I have him fast tracked to finish @ the required 95% by the cut off in March and then once I get the materials for the next year we will go back to the "regular" pace, but honestly so far the work has all been pretty easy for him.  I've heard that 3rd grade it bumps up the workload a fair amount.  I really hope that is the case.

Oh and he really loves the history.  I mean begs to do it.  The first 2 years were written by Susan Wise Bauer.  She left K12 to write her Story of the world History books.  The first two years of K12 are almost word for word her books.  I bought them on Audio CD and my kids listen to them in the car.  My son especially loves "his" history and my 4th grade daughter is jealous because he has learned all this history that she hasn't.


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## sl_underwood

I am in the first year of homeschooling my 6 year old son who has extensive delays due to drug/ alcohol exposure in the womb and early infancy and a traumatic brain injury due to abuse as a toddler.  He came to us at almost 4 years of age and functioned as an infant.  Currently, we are working at a Pre-k, early k level, though his language is at about 36 months and he has a very short attention span.  Is there any curriculum that is designed to help children with special needs with math, handwriting and phonics.  We purchased both Math U See primer (he just isnt getting it) and Handwriting without tears (trust me, there are tears, tantrums, and more) and today we are starting with our get ready for the code workbook.  He knows all his uppercase letters, still learning lowercase, can write all letters with straight lines but curves throw him off.  He can count to 10 consistently and can add with objects but if you give him numbers rather than objects, he doesnt get it.  Any suggestions on how to teach and encourage a love for learning in a way that will foster a positive self image, as this is another thing he struggles with.  Also, how do you maintain sanity when you are with a high needs child 24/7?  Right now, I am feeling stressed and unsure I can do this for the long haul.  He is just so intense all the time.  I love this little boy with all my heart and want to help him grow into the person he was meant to be.  I am just very overwhelmed with the responsibilty of it all.


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## LegoMom3

sl_underwood said:


> I am in the first year of homeschooling my 6 year old son who has extensive delays due to drug/ alcohol exposure in the womb and early infancy and a traumatic brain injury due to abuse as a toddler. He came to us at almost 4 years of age and functioned as an infant. Currently, we are working at a Pre-k, early k level, though his language is at about 36 months and he has a very short attention span. Is there any curriculum that is designed to help children with special needs with math, handwriting and phonics. We purchased both Math U See primer (he just isnt getting it) and Handwriting without tears (trust me, there are tears, tantrums, and more) and today we are starting with our get ready for the code workbook. He knows all his uppercase letters, still learning lowercase, can write all letters with straight lines but curves throw him off. He can count to 10 consistently and can add with objects but if you give him numbers rather than objects, he doesnt get it. Any suggestions on how to teach and encourage a love for learning in a way that will foster a positive self image, as this is another thing he struggles with. Also, how do you maintain sanity when you are with a high needs child 24/7? Right now, I am feeling stressed and unsure I can do this for the long haul. He is just so intense all the time. I love this little boy with all my heart and want to help him grow into the person he was meant to be. I am just very overwhelmed with the responsibilty of it all.


 
Wow, you have been given quite a responsibility!...but what an awesome privilege.  I haven't dealt with this myself, but I would just encourage you to keep up the "natural", real-life learning and don't push "formal" stuff on him too soon.  It's hard with_ any_ kid, but certainly more so in your situation.  My youngest is almost 8 and he struggles with math concepts.  He simply isn't ready for that yet, so we just do real-life math and he's learning but not being pressured to grasp stuff he's not able to yet.  Workbooks or any kind of "school" math just throw him for a loop.

As far as _you_ go, you NEED to find a way to get a break.  Is there anyone who can help you for even just a few hours one afternoon a week?  Just go out for coffee or to the library or whatever it is that you enjoy.  If you don't get time to renew and refresh, you'll burn out in no time.  It happens to all of us!

I hope you'll keep posting here!  At the very least we're a good "ear" to listen!

.


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## robinsegg

Hi!
Livingbooks.com is a curriculum designed on the Charlotte Mason Method, and I've seen reports that the method is really good with special needs kids.
As far as writing . . . I've taught both my older kids to write using a dot-to-dot method. As they trace the dot-to-dot, they become more confident and start writing more. If your ds can make straight lines, maybe show him how a curve can be a series of short, straight lines?
As far as math goes, you've got MUS, so just help him play with the blocks until he starts understanding the number concepts.  The idea that 2 green equals an orange will prepare him for the curriculum.  Also, have him count the different squares on the blocks, then put a smaller color on top and have him count what's left.  My ds7 knows that a plus sign means to "count them all together" . . . if you can have him "add" two blocks and see which block that "adds up to" (will make an entire base for), that's actually addition . . . just translate it to the numbers on a paper when he's comfortable with the concepts.


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## sl_underwood

Thanks.  I dont have anyone really to watch him.  Our families have been less than supportive once they realized we intended to keep our special needs boy and make him our own. They thought we should send him back to the foster care system and hold out for a perfect little baby.  Right now, my husband is in charge all weekend long so I get a little break then but during the week its tough.  We are doing alot of montessori stuff, lots of play.  Will try to use the MUS blocks more and see if that helps any.  Also will look into Charlotte Mason.  One thing I forgot to mention is that my boy loves music.  He will play our piano daily but there is no one in our area willing to teach him and I am not musical at all.


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## wvdislover

I am a parent of a special needs child, also (DD12), and yes, it can be quite challenging at times.  But, it can be very rewarding at times, too!  I didn't start hs mine till she was 10, almost 11, so I'll just offer you some ideas of what I would maybe try if I was in your shoes.  Most of all, especially since he's having some frustration issues, I would try to make a lot of his "schooling" fun.  At 6, as PP said, you don't have to do a lot of formal training, but you want him to understand that learning can be fun, and doesn't always have to be hard.  Not sure about the requirements where you are, but here in WV, I just have to show that my DD is making progress from one year to the next.  I don't have to show that certain skills have been obtained.  The 5 areas I have to show progress in are language arts, reading, math, history, and science.  We do a portfolio option, rather than standardized testing, as DD doesn't test well, and may not be learning the material being tested in, due to her issues.

We, too, have lots of tears some days, but other days can be fun and smiles and laughter.  I don't get a break very often, so I enjoy the times I do have.  Maybe take some time for yourself and read, take a short walk, go to the grocery store (it can be quite relaxing when you're alone!), etc.

I applaud you for taking on the challenge of raising this little boy, who I'm sure has won over your hearts, even if your family didn't agree about what you've done  Stay strong and take the time to smell the flowers with your little boy.  Hopefully, with your work, he can catch up developmentally, but if not, love him as he is, where he is, even on the days you just don't think you can love him (I know we have those days, sometimes)  Good luck!  Keep in touch here and keep us posted on his progress!  Don't give up!


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## wvdislover

Oops!  I almost forgot!  Don't forget his love of music!  Putting his learning to music can be a great learning tool!


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## sl_underwood

wvdislover- Thank you for your kind words.  We do love him very much and couldnt imagine our lives without him.  He is an amazing child who has suffered so much.  I wish I had half his courage and resolve. However, sometimes his resolve can drive me crazy.  LOL.  The traits I admire most can sometimes be the hardest to deal with as far as school is concerned.  He did do his Get Ready for the Code today and seemed to like it.  We also matched alphabet cards, and played the three little pigs after I told him the story (trying to get him to retell but its not happening yet) He played the piano and we read a nursery rhyme that we are working on for memory.  We went for a walk and gathered leaves and talked about the changing seasons.  Came home and made leaf prints for art.  What we do most days does not look like school.  I listed him as Kindergarten this year hoping it would keep our social worker off our backs (they are very anti homeschool)  As for the music, any suggestions on how to incorporate that?  I am not the most creative, more of a logical thinker, did great in math and science, not so great with writing, art, etc.  Never played an instrument and cant carry a tune.  Any creative ideas would be appreciated.


----------



## wvdislover

sl_underwood said:


> wvdislover- Thank you for your kind words.  We do love him very much and couldnt imagine our lives without him.  He is an amazing child who has suffered so much.  I wish I had half his courage and resolve. However, sometimes his resolve can drive me crazy.  LOL.  The traits I admire most can sometimes be the hardest to deal with as far as school is concerned.  He did do his Get Ready for the Code today and seemed to like it.  We also matched alphabet cards, and played the three little pigs after I told him the story (trying to get him to retell but its not happening yet) He played the piano and we read a nursery rhyme that we are working on for memory.  We went for a walk and gathered leaves and talked about the changing seasons.  Came home and made leaf prints for art.  What we do most days does not look like school.  I listed him as Kindergarten this year hoping it would keep our social worker off our backs (they are very anti homeschool)  As for the music, any suggestions on how to incorporate that?  I am not the most creative, more of a logical thinker, did great in math and science, not so great with writing, art, etc.  Never played an instrument and cant carry a tune.  Any creative ideas would be appreciated.



Do you have any kind of Parent-Teacher store nearby?  There are lots of educational CD's out there...learn to music.  He could learn his basic math facts to music, or maybe try something like Hooked on Phonics, which uses little tunes to teach reading.  My DD loves Schoolhouse Rock, too (still a bit old for your little one, but it is still fun to watch!).  Also, playing music in the background (classical) can be very calming while you're working and may help him be able to focus better/longer.

Sorry your social worker isn't more supportive.  Seems like they'd want you to do what you could to help your child succeed  and realize that not all children can succeed in the public school setting.  

Are your older children able to help you with your little boy?  He may sometimes learn better from them...peer influence   Oh, and with the story retelling, rather than have him retell you the whole story, tell him a portion of the story, and then ask him questions about what you've told him so far or have him retell you just that portion of the story.  The whole thing may be too much for him at this point


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

sl_underwood said:


> One thing I forgot to mention is that my boy loves music.  He will play our piano daily but there is no one in our area willing to teach him and I am not musical at all.



You are more musical than you realize. I do not play any instruments but I tell my children that EVERYTHING has a rhythm/pattern. Raindrops, the tides, the revolution/rotation of the earth, seasons, your heartbeat,languages, your breathing, your steps, running, laughter, circle of life, the moon, the stars, multiplication tables, cell division, "at" words, "op" words, planets, sentences, stories, karate, horseback riding, ice skating, fractions, decimals, skip counting, clapping, history, popcorn, leaves, plants cycles, piano...you get the idea.

I know for me when I get my most frustrated IF I can remember my own advice and help my children find the rhythm or pattern for whatever it is they are trying to learn- We ALL are happier.  

I enjoy taking videos or pictures.  It is amazing how you can see the progress that way.  Because we are with them every day we sometimes don't see the big picture, just the frustrations of that day.

My children take paino lessons but they enjoy picking out songs on their own. They pick out the songs that play in the background of video games. So even if he doesn't have formal lessons right now he is learning.  

I feel like I am just rambling... You are awesome. You were created to do what you are doing.


----------



## DisneyMom5

sl_underwood said:


> I am in the first year of homeschooling my 6 year old son who has extensive delays due to drug/ alcohol exposure in the womb and early infancy and a traumatic brain injury due to abuse as a toddler.  He came to us at almost 4 years of age and functioned as an infant.  Currently, we are working at a Pre-k, early k level, though his language is at about 36 months and he has a very short attention span.  Is there any curriculum that is designed to help children with special needs with math, handwriting and phonics.  We purchased both Math U See primer (he just isnt getting it) and Handwriting without tears (trust me, there are tears, tantrums, and more) and today we are starting with our get ready for the code workbook.  He knows all his uppercase letters, still learning lowercase, can write all letters with straight lines but curves throw him off.  He can count to 10 consistently and can add with objects but if you give him numbers rather than objects, he doesnt get it.  Any suggestions on how to teach and encourage a love for learning in a way that will foster a positive self image, as this is another thing he struggles with.  Also, how do you maintain sanity when you are with a high needs child 24/7?  Right now, I am feeling stressed and unsure I can do this for the long haul.  He is just so intense all the time.  I love this little boy with all my heart and want to help him grow into the person he was meant to be.  I am just very overwhelmed with the responsibilty of it all.



My ds8 has a TBI due to an accident.  We just work on what he can do and move on when he can.  The beauty of homeschooling is I can use K materials in 2nd. grade, and that's ok.



sl_underwood said:


> wvdislover- Thank you for your kind words.  We do love him very much and couldnt imagine our lives without him.  He is an amazing child who has suffered so much.  I wish I had half his courage and resolve. However, sometimes his resolve can drive me crazy.  LOL.  The traits I admire most can sometimes be the hardest to deal with as far as school is concerned.  He did do his Get Ready for the Code today and seemed to like it.  We also matched alphabet cards, and played the three little pigs after I told him the story (trying to get him to retell but its not happening yet) He played the piano and we read a nursery rhyme that we are working on for memory.  We went for a walk and gathered leaves and talked about the changing seasons.  Came home and made leaf prints for art.  What we do most days does not look like school.  I listed him as Kindergarten this year hoping it would keep our social worker off our backs (they are very anti homeschool)  As for the music, any suggestions on how to incorporate that?  I am not the most creative, more of a logical thinker, did great in math and science, not so great with writing, art, etc.  Never played an instrument and cant carry a tune.  Any creative ideas would be appreciated.



I think that sounds like a lovely day!

Some resources:  www.hslda.org 
They are HomeSchool Legal Defense Assoc.  They have a special needs coordinator.  The one I spoke to was AWESOME!  
Her name is Diane Craft, and her website is:  
http://www.dianecraft.org/
I use her brain gym manual and letter sounds flashcards with very good success.
There is also: http://www.nathhan.com/
They are an organization for homeschoolers with special needs students.
and their other branch is www.chask.org which promotes the adoption of special needs kids.

Read to him A LOT, and listen to music, and later you can listen to grammar songs, math songs, etc.  My son's OT recommends a multi-sensory approach (touch 3-d letters, see the letters, hear the letters, type the letters, write the letter.)

It took a long time for me to figure out that ds did NOT have to be keeping up with anyone.  He just needed to succeed at one task at a time and build on that.
Ask yourself "What do I need him to do in the future?"  I need him to read, write, and do basic math.  I need him to function in social and business situations.  I need him to care for himself.  You get the picture!

Blessings on your endeavor, he is a lucky child to have such dedicated parents!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

First off...big hugs to you!!! I know you are such a tremendous  blessing to him, and he is to you too I know!!!!! WOW!!!! How wonderful!!! I am also a big fan of Charlotte Mason....try to read about her through the Karen Andreola books...I actually found one at my tiny library!!If not..lots to read about her method on-line.....basically, she loves to use real books...lots of nature study, and life-learning!! If anything, I slack on the nature thing...I encourage it, but I really love that she is a good book advocate. We learn so much through stories!!!!  I think that would help you --especially if you can read to him for brief periods at a time,maybe several times a day. Classical music might help  to keep him relaxed when he is having a hard time with certain parts of his day....just as background maybe. does he like to draw? I can't remember if you said that or not......maybe have him draw part of the story you are telling him...same as narration, or retelling really. 
  I hope you can find some way to maybe even take 15 min breaks here and there...sometimes thats all we need!!!!


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

I got a call from Youth Programs at Disney today.  They will be offering 10 day Homeschool tickets for January.  It will not be listed so she gave me the information on how to order the 10 day park hopper homeschool ticket.  If you are interested in the information pm me.


----------



## Indiana Rose Lee

how much are they charging for them?


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

ten day park hopper $179.96


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## Indiana Rose Lee

that is awesome. This year we can't use that many, but hopefully they offer the same next year!


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## wvdislover

That IS an awesome price!  Wish they'd offered it during the September HS days   Maybe another time.  Can't go in January.  I think we're going to go with 3D Travel on their Ultimate Field Trip next September.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

When the time comes for next Homeschool days- call! I called about two weeks ago to ask if you could upgrade the five day to a ten day when we got there. She said no but that they were in a meeting to discuss offering a ten day since there had been so many calls.  I checked the next day and they said it was approved that they were waiting to get the pricing.  I called last week and they said they would call me once they had the pricing because it was not going to be listed on the website.  She called today. You have to order a different number of days ticket and then in the comment box (where you put the children's ages) you say that you want the 10 day park hopper ticket at $179.96.  I have the name of the person and her number if anyone needs to confirm any information.


----------



## disneymom3

gerber, that is great news!  Thanks for sharing your findings....of course, now it just makes me want to extend my trip!

Sl...I commend you for taking on this challenge!  And I heartily encourage you to just go slow. That day you described sounds like the perfect homeschooling day.  As you said, he is delayed so I would make sure I was planning things that were geared more for preschool learning.  I have a son with several learning issues and what we do does not look at all like a typical school day either. But for me, that is the POINT.  That is why I know this child would never thrive in a traditional classroom.  As he gets older, I recommend avoiding the trap of thinking that learning takes place as one is sitting still also. That is a hard one for me, but with a sensory integration kid, there is no way he is sitting in a chair to do his work.  My son is 9 and to do his math which is on the computer, he sits on a yoga ball. That is about it as far as chair to table.  We do lots and lots of games. EVerything from throwing a ball back and forth in a rhythm as he spells his words, to crab walks from one room to the other to find the answer card to the questions I ask.  

Just remember, you are not doing traditional/typical school because you don't believe it to be the best fit, so don't feel like you have to duplicate it at home.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Just wanted to post a few things that are really doing great for us this year. Rod & Staff---Math level 1----I wish I had known about this when my boys were both at this level!!! It is not as severe as other programs, but they still learn at a very good rate, and the repetition is just enough & not so much that you are marking out half a days work.My dd told me that math was her favorite thing to do!!!
Language Lessons for Little Ones (Queen Homeschool)----phonics/reading---can I just say I am delighted!!!!! We did use ETC books A,B,C, & 1. After that, we moved to this book---the lessons are short and sweet!! DD is really catching onto the concepts and when she reads she does stumble through a little, but not as much as my boys' did with ABeka. I think it's because it's so smooth and the lessons are so much shorter.She is much less frustrated--I plan to let her continue with this even while we are out over the holiday break. I will also do her lessons over the summer...she is just really grasping it all right now and I think tooooo long of a period without it will set her back. I know she will be amazed this time next year how much she will be reading.
  Of course ...Teaching Textbooks always gets a BIG   Can't tell ya'll enough how much we love this!!
 I do still love my TQ history also!!! Ds10 is starting with ancients...so we went allll the way back to Creation..we just started this about 2 weeks ago--we are using a new book and we love it. I am totally drawing a blank on the title/author...but when we get it out later I will come back and let you know what it is.!!!! I was hoping Michelle would have her TQ Creation book by now...but it just hasn't happened, so I am using this instead---I will get back to TQ when he hits the Egyptian period!
 Well...we are on the downhill for this semester! As many of you might remember---due to our extreme summers, we start school earlier than most people. Fourth of July is our last hoorahh before school starts back for us--we are on our 18th week already!!! So, we only have a few days left...then Thanksgiving! Then next week we are getting ready to head to Disney!!!!! We have a week back home before Christmas, then a week before New Years, and then it'll be back to  I usually don't plan a looong week off during the winter,,, but we are considering a trip to Colorado to see some snow!! We say we are going to do it every year, but this year we may really do it! We have enough fly-er reward points,..so who knows!!!  That will def. be our Geography lessons for a while!!  Hope ya'll are all having a good school year and are prepared to enjoy some much needed time off!!!!!


----------



## Nicolepa

Does anyone have any tips on how to teach my 2nd grader to spell.  His spelling is horrendious.  He just doesn't care/understand that he has to learn the rules in order to get it.  He literally guesses from day to day.  We are with a Virtual Academy so I can't really switch out his spelling but I'd like something to supplement and help him learn the rules.  I was searching the internet and found "All about spelling".  Has anyone ever used or heard about this method? 

Thanks!


----------



## wvdislover

Nicolepa said:


> Does anyone have any tips on how to teach my 2nd grader to spell.  His spelling is horrendious.  He just doesn't care/understand that he has to learn the rules in order to get it.  He literally guesses from day to day.  We are with a Virtual Academy so I can't really switch out his spelling but I'd like something to supplement and help him learn the rules.  I was searching the internet and found "All about spelling".  Has anyone ever used or heard about this method?
> 
> Thanks!



Haven't used that, but my girls both used Saxon Phonics in PS, and both are good spellers.  It teaches the letter patterns of how words are put together.  It's basically a reading program, I think, but it has helped my DD's be good spellers, too, since they understand what letters are to go together to make the various sounds.


----------



## robinsegg

How does your son learn? If he's an audial learner, you might go the "schoolhouse rock" route and have songs that explain how to spell different things. If he's a visual learner, start writing out the words in different colors (the letter combo you're working on the same color in each word, with the rest of the word in black or blue), so he can see the rule in action. If he's a kinesthetic learner, get some index cards and make up the words using the letter combinations you're working on, letting him make the word (kind of like a puzzle). Also for kinesthetics, you can write the alphabet in sidewalk chalk (outside or in a basement?) and have him jump to the next letter.
IHTH!


----------



## Nicolepa

robinsegg said:


> How does your son learn? If he's an audial learner, you might go the "schoolhouse rock" route and have songs that explain how to spell different things. If he's a visual learner, start writing out the words in different colors (the letter combo you're working on the same color in each word, with the rest of the word in black or blue), so he can see the rule in action. If he's a kinesthetic learner, get some index cards and make up the words using the letter combinations you're working on, letting him make the word (kind of like a puzzle). Also for kinesthetics, you can write the alphabet in sidewalk chalk (outside or in a basement?) and have him jump to the next letter.
> IHTH!



He's very tactile.  Loves using manipulatives and moving around.  He likes books on tape but not really music.  I've never thought about writing the words in different colors.  That's an interesting thought.

Do I maybe need to go back and do phonics with him?  I thought that was more for learning to read and he's actually a really good reader.  He just doesn't know things like ed can make a t sound, i before e except after c.  etc.  When we go over these things they just go in and right out.  I have to sit with him on every word and say, and how do we get the long e sound (or whatever).  I have spent literally months on some words and he just doesn't get them.  Or he will spell them right 3 x and on the 4th day start spelling it totally different.  (He has to spell the words 4x to "graduate" them.)


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## NHWX

I went through spelling heck with my younger child about second grade when he was still in a brick and mortar school. I would make a funny story for him to read but with only some of his spelling words misspelled. (Some were spelled correctly.) The fun of the hunt helped him sharpen those visual discrimination skills.

Also, I made individual letter cards from cut up 3x5 cards and had him place the letters in the correct order to form the spelling words. This was something that a Montessori teacher suggested and it really helped him learn the words. We also would spell the word out with the letter cards, placing each card down in front of him as he said the letter. He seemed to really need the motion to help him learn it.

But he's not a 100% speller now in ninth grade. He is significantly better than many of the men in our family who I think just somehow slid through school.

I hope some of these ideas help!

NHWX


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Just wanted to say that the History book I started for my ds10 is by Christine Miller...It's the Story of the Ancient World...or pretty close  to it, can't remember word for word. Awesome book!!!


----------



## robinsegg

Nicolepa said:


> He's very tactile.  Loves using manipulatives and moving around.  He likes books on tape but not really music.  I've never thought about writing the words in different colors.  That's an interesting thought.
> 
> Do I maybe need to go back and do phonics with him?


If it were me, I would *not* go back and do phonics. Ds just doesn't learn that way 
Get refrigerator letters to spell things out, spell them out in shaving cream, get bendaroos or wikistix for him to make letters/words out of, have him make the words with playdough. Do you have a chalkboard? If so, have him write his words on it (large motor vs. small motor).
What will this do? It will use his kinesthetic learning style to help him "solidify" the letter sequences.
Once he has the letters formed in the right way, have him copy them to his paper, if necessary.


----------



## Nicolepa

robinsegg said:


> If it were me, I would *not* go back and do phonics. Ds just doesn't learn that way
> Get refrigerator letters to spell things out, spell them out in shaving cream, get bendaroos or wikistix for him to make letters/words out of, have him make the words with playdough. Do you have a chalkboard? If so, have him write his words on it (large motor vs. small motor).
> What will this do? It will use his kinesthetic learning style to help him "solidify" the letter sequences.
> Once he has the letters formed in the right way, have him copy them to his paper, if necessary.



We practice his words every day on a dry erase board.  When he writes the words he puts down some letters and then fills in the rest.  It's pretty wierd actually.  For example straight.  He will write stragt then go back and guess the rest of the letters.  It truely is a guessing game for him.

It's frustrating (for all of us).  This is the only part of his language that he even blinks an eye at.  If it weren't for spelling I could move him faster and give him some more challenging stuff (which he wants).


----------



## robinsegg

Nicolepa said:


> We practice his words every day on a dry erase board.  When he writes the words he puts down some letters and then fills in the rest.  It's pretty wierd actually.  For example straight.  He will write stragt then go back and guess the rest of the letters.  It truely is a guessing game for him.
> 
> It's frustrating (for all of us).  This is the only part of his language that he even blinks an eye at.  If it weren't for spelling I could move him faster and give him some more challenging stuff (which he wants).


Ok, I don't know much about the curriculum you're using. Is is more like an umbrella school, where you have to turn his papers in to be graded and such? If not, is there a *really good* reason for him to *have* to write his spelling words? Could you put down letter cards on the floor for him to step on in the right order? Could you have him spell it to you orally while jumping rope (one letter per jump)? If this is school on computer, maybe you could type it in when he gives you the letters? Don't *fix* it for him (unless he does it himself), of course . . . but that may be an option?


----------



## Nicolepa

robinsegg said:


> Ok, I don't know much about the curriculum you're using. Is is more like an umbrella school, where you have to turn his papers in to be graded and such? If not, is there a *really good* reason for him to *have* to write his spelling words? Could you put down letter cards on the floor for him to step on in the right order? Could you have him spell it to you orally while jumping rope (one letter per jump)? If this is school on computer, maybe you could type it in when he gives you the letters? Don't *fix* it for him (unless he does it himself), of course . . . but that may be an option?



I only have to turn assigments in 2x a year usually just a writing sample (I think).  He doesn't HAVE to do anything but part of me fears if I ever put him back in school they will want to see that he's been doing work.  The other part is that he has no clue he's spelled it wrong until he sees it written down.  He usually knows it's wrong but has no clue how to fix it. The few times I've asked him to spell it to me he's gotten frustrated.  I don't know if it's because he likes to see it written down or if it's because it's different from what he normally does.  Maybe if I have him say it to me he will learn it VS guessing and swapping out letters on the whiteboard.  

Neither my husband or I are good spellers, but he makes us look like spelling champions!  My daughter on the other hand can spell most of the words on the national spelling bee.

I'm going to have to try all these good suggestions in the next few weeks!


----------



## robinsegg

Nicolepa said:


> I only have to turn assigments in 2x a year usually just a writing sample (I think).  He doesn't HAVE to do anything but part of me fears if I ever put him back in school they will want to see that he's been doing work.  The other part is that he has no clue he's spelled it wrong until he sees it written down.  He usually knows it's wrong but has no clue how to fix it. The few times I've asked him to spell it to me he's gotten frustrated.  I don't know if it's because he likes to see it written down or if it's because it's different from what he normally does.  Maybe if I have him say it to me he will learn it VS guessing and swapping out letters on the whiteboard.
> 
> Neither my husband or I are good spellers, but he makes us look like spelling champions!  My daughter on the other hand can spell most of the words on the national spelling bee.
> 
> I'm going to have to try all these good suggestions in the next few weeks!



1 other thing to try: find a passage in a book (or write a story) with the spelling words spelled correctly.  As he reads this, ask him to underline the spelling words. Have him copy them down into a notebook or onto the whiteboard. If you notice he's having trouble with a specific sequence (like aight), have him write that sequence in a different color, have him look at your whiteboard (with the correct spellings) and spell the words while he jumpropes (or some other physical activity), or teach him how to use ASL fingerspelling (signs for each letter) to help him remember the sequence.


----------



## disneymom3

Nicolepa said:


> We practice his words every day on a dry erase board.  When he writes the words he puts down some letters and then fills in the rest.  It's pretty wierd actually.  For example straight.  He will write stragt then go back and guess the rest of the letters.  It truely is a guessing game for him.
> 
> It's frustrating (for all of us).  This is the only part of his language that he even blinks an eye at.  If it weren't for spelling I could move him faster and give him some more challenging stuff (which he wants).



My son is very kinesthetic and also has a learning disability that makes writing very hard for him. We use Scrabble tiles and he picks them up with chopsticks.  At the beginning, he has cards that have the word spelled on them. Then I will hold hte cards and tell him the word adn he finds the letters that way too.  We also have him sit on a yoga ball and give me a letter for each bounce.  I have NO idea why that works, but his OT suggested it and it does!


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Just got our 10 day park hopper tickets for homeschool days WOOHOO

Quick question for those who have gone before...All our tickets say youth.  I assumed that it is because they are purchased through the youth programs. Is it okay that adult tickets say youth?

Thanks for your help.


----------



## Lake Fairy

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Just got our 10 day park hopper tickets for homeschool days WOOHOO
> 
> Quick question for those who have gone before...All our tickets say youth.  I assumed that it is because they are purchased through the youth programs. Is it okay that adult tickets say youth?
> 
> Thanks for your help.



I called before we ordered, while the tickets were on the way, and once I had them in my hot little hands to make sure the first time we did Homeschool Days.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Lake Fairy said:


> I called before we ordered, while the tickets were on the way, and once I had them in my hot little hands to make sure the first time we did Homeschool Days.



Do you remember if yours said youth on all the tickets?


----------



## Lake Fairy

Nicolepa said:


> Does anyone have any tips on how to teach my 2nd grader to spell.  His spelling is horrendious.  He just doesn't care/understand that he has to learn the rules in order to get it.  He literally guesses from day to day.  We are with a Virtual Academy so I can't really switch out his spelling but I'd like something to supplement and help him learn the rules.  I was searching the internet and found "All about spelling".  Has anyone ever used or heard about this method?
> 
> Thanks!



Have you looked at Sequential Spelling?


----------



## Lake Fairy

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lake Fairy  
I called before we ordered, while the tickets were on the way, and once I had them in my hot little hands to make sure the first time we did Homeschool Days.
Do you remember if yours said youth on all the tickets?





gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Do you remember if yours said youth on all the tickets?




Yes they all said youth 
And thank you for the 10-day info.  Very tempting if we can afford room and board.

DD loves the Y.E.S. classes.  DH and I love having a few hours to ourselves.


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## gerberdaisy1234

Thank you for letting me know that all tickets say youth.

I am very excited about the Homeschool 10 day park hopper tickets.  We got a great deal on airline tickets ($556) for 4 round trip. Found a pretty good deal on rental car (standard size $266). Good deal on a three bedroom, bathroom townhouse with pool at Windsor Hills (after taxes and pool heat $1243). I have read so many wonderful things about Windsor Hills here on the disboards.  We are very excited.  

We are doing a different "countdown" this time.  I used Picasa to convert one of our favorite family photos from our last Disney trip into 9X9, 4X6 prints.  Each day we put up one piece to the puzzle. So at the end we will have a huge poster size family picture on the wall.  I laid the picture puzzle out and put date labels on the back because I wanted to put up edges first and work our way into the middle.  It just so happen to turn out the the day we put my face on is my birthday and the day it is "time" to go we put on my husband's watch.

Another exciting thing about our trip...my niece will be starting the College Program the week before we arrive. I am so excited for her.  My kids are super excited that they will get to see her while we are there.


----------



## dillydilly

I'm glad I found this thread!  I am a homeschooling mom of 5.  We school year round.  Thanks for all the info on homeschooling days.  Some of the classes look like great fits for my children.  Seems to me this is a good reason to go next year!  Can someone help me convince dh??


----------



## robinsegg

dillydilly said:


> Can someone help me convince dh??


That depends on what dh would be looking at/for in such a trip. What are his likely hang-ups? What does he *love* about hsing?


----------



## dillydilly

robinsegg said:


> That depends on what dh would be looking at/for in such a trip. What are his likely hang-ups? What does he *love* about hsing?



Would love the kids to experience/he would like:
Chemistry program
Physics offerings
The Ocean Discoveries program
Being at Disney World 
Any live or hands on programs/lectures that are away from textbooks
Would think it is cool to be doing these things at Disney World/Imagineers


Would not like:

Me driving from Colorado to FL with the children (He would have to fly due to limits on vacation time).  Airfare is expensive for 7. I do have some relatives I would like to visit along the way, so that is another perk of driving.


We utilize programs (and make up our own family unit type studies) at our local zoo as well as at the children's museum for homeschoolers.  This has been great for our family.  DH just loves going to Disney theme parks.  I think putting the two together would make a fun trip.


----------



## Twoboysnmygirl

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Just got our 10 day park hopper tickets for homeschool days WOOHOO
> 
> Quick question for those who have gone before...All our tickets say youth.  I assumed that it is because they are purchased through the youth programs. Is it okay that adult tickets say youth?
> 
> Thanks for your help.



We went in 2008 with hs tickets and they all say youth (I'm looking at them right now, I saved them! heehee). 

BUT, I have a question?  We went on the actual dates of hs days, so I didn't need to know this before but this time we are planning on going a week after.  I know there is a window where they are valid, 1 week before and 1 week after(I can see this on the tickets I have from 2008 as well) but does that mean as long as they are used by that last day or do you just have to START using them by that day.  Meaning, can you extend past those days as long as you started using them before the cutoff date???  (hope this makes sense!)


----------



## DawnM

I am so hoping we can go in January.  Our APs expire Jan. 18, so it would have to be earlier than the hs days, but I really still want to go!

It all depends on our refi at the moment.....some major hang ups with the bank at the moment (a very long story!) so we are waiting to hear.  If we refi this month DH is on board with us going.

Dawn


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Our ten day park hopper tickets for the homeschool days this January are valid 1/12/10-2/05/10.  We will be there before, during and after the homeschool events.


----------



## dillydilly

I would love any feedback of Life of Fred math.  My DD11 is a reader and this looks very interesting.


----------



## lori1043

Anyone on here live in the Orlando or surrounding areas??

We are relocating- it was originally to Houston, and we got a phone call while househunting in Houston to see if we bought a house yet. We hadn't and my DH's boss offered him Florida!!! It is a probability, though. They seem to want us there and are willing to give the cost of living increase- but we'll see.

Anyway- I already know where we will live if it is Houston, but now researching Orlando areas. 

Our home closes on 12/30 and we leased back for a month-thank goodness the buyers agreed withy all these changes. Our lives are in the air, we have no idea which state will be "home" next month!!!(see all the mixed emotions)- but it is alll in God's hands b/c I was going crazy last week trying to "pick the better place"- when there is really no answer for us. It's 50/50 right now.

Thanks- Lori

Oh, I am from Louisiana and grew up here. We homeschool- this is our 6th year. I ahve been on thie thread in the past, but it has been a while.


----------



## pixiemagic30

lori1043 said:


> Anyone on here live in the Orlando or surrounding areas??



Hi Lori!

In October, my family just relocated to the SW Orlando area from Ohio.  Not sure how much help I can be, but feel free to pm me.  This is our 8th year homeschooling.

Blessings,
Becki


----------



## DawnM

Wow!  That is amazing.

Do you want to move to Orlando?  Or would you rather choose Houston?

When we still lived in California and were looking at options, we did consider Orlando.  We even did a little house hunting there.  I love Disney World, but I couldn't imagine living without any hills or moutains around!  And it turned out, the job market for DH was better up this way.

Good luck in your search!  My kids still say they wish we could homeschool closer to Disney World!  We homeschooled near Disneyland and would often pop down for the afternoon or take a day off and go down for the day.  They miss it.

Dawn



lori1043 said:


> Anyone on here live in the Orlando or surrounding areas??
> 
> We are relocating- it was originally to Houston, and we got a phone call while househunting in Houston to see if we bought a house yet. We hadn't and my DH's boss offered him Florida!!! It is a probability, though. They seem to want us there and are willing to give the cost of living increase- but we'll see.
> 
> Anyway- I already know where we will live if it is Houston, but now researching Orlando areas.
> 
> Our home closes on 12/30 and we leased back for a month-thank goodness the buyers agreed withy all these changes. Our lives are in the air, we have no idea which state will be "home" next month!!!(see all the mixed emotions)- but it is alll in God's hands b/c I was going crazy last week trying to "pick the better place"- when there is really no answer for us. It's 50/50 right now.
> 
> Thanks- Lori
> 
> Oh, I am from Louisiana and grew up here. We homeschool- this is our 6th year. I ahve been on thie thread in the past, but it has been a while.


----------



## DawnM

We STILL haven't closed on our refi!

Well, we DID close, and then it un-closed!  I have never heard of such a thing, but BofA changed their rules this month in anticipation of all the refis in 2010 coming up with the 5 year ARMs ending......so they have valued our house at 35% less than the low end of the appraisal!  YIKES!   

This scares me as so many are not only coming to their 5 year ARM ending, but they are way under water on their homes already!  I see major disaster for housing next year, but I really hope I am wrong.

Anyway......we are now looking at another bank for lending.  Citibank and Wells have already approved the loan, but since DH works for the company that audits them, we can't use those banks.  

ARGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,

Dawn


----------



## MiniGirl

DawnM said:


> Wow!  That is amazing.
> 
> Do you want to move to Orlando?  Or would you rather choose Houston?
> 
> When we still lived in California and were looking at options, we did consider Orlando.  We even did a little house hunting there.  *I love Disney World, but I couldn't imagine living without any hills or moutains around!*  And it turned out, the job market for DH was better up this way.
> 
> Good luck in your search!  My kids still say they wish we could homeschool closer to Disney World!  We homeschooled near Disneyland and would often pop down for the afternoon or take a day off and go down for the day.  They miss it.
> 
> Dawn



I feel the same way about the water. LOL!!!! I love living by the ocean. 

Anyway, Clermont has lots of rolling hills and is just beautiful.


----------



## DawnM

That is why I miss California so badly!

Ocean was 20 min. drive, Disneyland 45 min., mountians in our backyard, and snow skiing just a 2 hour drive from us in the winter.....where you could typically ski in shorts in the Spring time! 

Rolling hills won't do it for me though.....we like actual snow skiing.  NC isn't really cutting it in that department, but it is better than FL would be I guess.  HA!

If I had to pick ocean or mountains, I would pick mountains, but I don't ever want to live further away from the ocean than we do right now (3.5 hours).

Dawn



MiniGirl said:


> I feel the same way about the water. LOL!!!! I love living by the ocean.
> 
> Anyway, Clermont has lots of rolling hills and is just beautiful.


----------



## lori1043

pixiemagic30 said:


> Hi Lori!
> 
> In October, my family just relocated to the SW Orlando area from Ohio. Not sure how much help I can be, but feel free to pm me. This is our 8th year homeschooling.
> 
> Blessings,
> Becki


 
Thank you I may!! We can live anywhere we would like to as long as there are Chase branches. In Houston or in Florida. Our ultimate would be to live in the panhandle, but there are no Chase branches more north of Mt Dora, I think. One day...........



DawnM said:


> Wow! That is amazing.
> 
> Do you want to move to Orlando? *50* Or would you rather choose Houston? *50*
> 
> When we still lived in California and were looking at options, we did consider Orlando. We even did a little house hunting there. I love Disney World, but I couldn't imagine living without any hills or moutains around! And it turned out, the job market for DH was better up this way.
> 
> Good luck in your search! My kids still say they wish we could homeschool closer to Disney World! We homeschooled near Disneyland and would often pop down for the afternoon or take a day off and go down for the day. They miss it.
> 
> Dawn


 


The you would not choose Houston, thats for sure! 



DawnM said:


> We STILL haven't closed on our refi!
> 
> Well, we DID close, and then it un-closed! I have never heard of such a thing, but BofA changed their rules this month in anticipation of all the refis in 2010 coming up with the 5 year ARMs ending......so they have valued our house at 35% less than the low end of the appraisal! YIKES!
> 
> This scares me as so many are not only coming to their 5 year ARM ending, but they are way under water on their homes already! I see major disaster for housing next year, but I really hope I am wrong.
> 
> Anyway......we are now looking at another bank for lending. Citibank and Wells have already approved the loan, but since DH works for the company that audits them, we can't use those banks.
> 
> ARGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,
> 
> Dawn


 
 I am so sorry.



MiniGirl said:


> I feel the same way about the water. LOL!!!! I love living by the ocean.
> 
> Anyway, Clermont has lots of rolling hills and is just beautiful.


 
Clermont is where I told DH we'd get housing until we decided on a home- it we head to Florida. It's in the middle, near Disney, and not further to drive home or family drive to us. Housing is horrendous in Florida, to us , at least. 
We can get a 2000 sf 4/2.5 home, in a neighborhood with pools and playgrounds and a good school district for $140000 in Spring. In my neck of the woods that will get you 1300 sf in an unincorporated area(like i live in now!, but we bought it 11 years ago). In Florida, it'a about like our neck of the woods, but taxes are high. Well, in some areas- I cannot find rhyme or reason to property taxes in Florida. It is pretty understandable in the Houston area. You are gonna pay b/t $300-500 a month in taxes on a home like I described. 
Homeschooling in Texas is easy too. you do nothing but show up.

I started a thread about our dilemma to get input about Florida, but I didn't mention the whole Houston thing b/c I thought I could get some good info from Florida folk. I already know a bit about Houston and where to live, so I just posted one about where to live in the Orlando vicinity.

You would choose Florida, that's for sure!! Houston is not near mountains or water. Part of the reason we had always disliked Texas- nothing , any which way you go. But I will admit that Conroe is hilly and beautiful. We like that area, but would probably wind up in Spring- just below it. "course, our family would escape to us every time a hurricane threatened Louisiana. If we pick Florida- we will be escapring to them!

Anway- it was driving me batty when we first found out. Like no sleep and stressing out badly kinda batty. I HAD to let it go for my sanity. I got behind on house stuff anf such. School. What school??? Seriously drove me to numbness. I had to stop allowing it to make me crazy, so not we are just gonna go where the wind blows us, I guess. God given us 2 doors and I guess we gotta choose, but we are hoping He will show us which path is brighter.

Lori


----------



## lori1043

Dawn- I ahve been to California 2x- once to DL area and once to Santa Rosa/Napa/Sonoma/ Sebastopol/etc. We stayed in Santa Rosa, had a conference in Napa, drove through Sonoma. Visited PCH/Bodega bay via a road that brought us through Sebastopol. I can totally see why you miss California.
I had NO idea the mountains were so close to DL until I saw it out of our hotel window. 
I would love to move to a little area I beleive is nearer the ocean than Sebastopol- it smelled of ocean and pine- it was simply the best smell I have ever smelled besides my babies slathered with Johnson and Johnsons lotion. I told my co-worker that I went to Napa with, "just drop me here and leave me" on the side of the road. I think this is why I love Soarin' so much- somehow they captured the smell very close to the scent I was so blessed to inhale. I want to bring it home. better yet, I would love my family to sit there with me. The kids have never been and my DH has never been to California outside the DL area.

Lori


----------



## DawnM

We lived 45 min. north of Disneyland, in Pasadena.  Our home was at the foothills of the mountains there and I loved it.  On a clear day (ok, well, there weren't many of those in Los Angeles!) I could actually see the ocean from the top of the mountain~!

I also miss my job and sometimes have tears when I think of it.  Part of that is just a feeling of loss as I am not sure I would return to work right now even if we went back.  I am committed to homeschooling for now, but I do plan to return to work at some point.

I know there are things to like here in NC as well, but it has never felt like "home" to me here.  

Dawn



lori1043 said:


> Dawn- I ahve been to California 2x- once to DL area and once to Santa Rosa/Napa/Sonoma/ Sebastopol/etc. We stayed in Santa Rosa, had a conference in Napa, drove through Sonoma. Visited PCH/Bodega bay via a road that brought us through Sebastopol. I can totally see why you miss California.
> I had NO idea the mountains were so close to DL until I saw it out of our hotel window.
> I would love to move to a little area I beleive is nearer the ocean than Sebastopol- it smelled of ocean and pine- it was simply the best smell I have ever smelled besides my babies slathered with Johnson and Johnsons lotion. I told my co-worker that I went to Napa with, "just drop me here and leave me" on the side of the road. I think this is why I love Soarin' so much- somehow they captured the smell very close to the scent I was so blessed to inhale. I want to bring it home. better yet, I would love my family to sit there with me. The kids have never been and my DH has never been to California outside the DL area.
> 
> Lori


----------



## lori1043

DawnM said:


> We lived 45 min. north of Disneyland, in Pasadena. Our home was at the foothills of the mountains there and I loved it. On a clear day (ok, well, there weren't many of those in Los Angeles!) I could actually see the ocean from the top of the mountain~!
> 
> I also miss my job and sometimes have tears when I think of it. Part of that is just a feeling of loss as I am not sure I would return to work right now even if we went back. I am committed to homeschooling for now, but I do plan to return to work at some point.
> 
> I know there are things to like here in NC as well, but it has never felt like "home" to me here.
> 
> Dawn


 
I am so sorry you are feeling like that. I am scared of that very thing with our move. The last time we moved, it was to Dallas and before we had kids. I had my first there though. We've been back home ever since, even if it is about 45 minutes away from our nearest relative, it is perfect for us.
The hardest thing for us to leave is our church family and homeschool association. It is gonna be a wonderful church that can beat what we have, but I do know that God has a plan for our lives and if you believe or not, it'll all work out. Somehow. I do not want to get into a religious conversation, as it has gone awry at times, but I just know He has a plan- I HAVE to beleive it. I WANT to beleive it.

haha- I feel the same way about the air here in La. It is a heavy air, but it is HARD for me to breathe if it is dry. Both Houston and Florida have my kinda air! Wet!

I plan on working again one day too, but right now, like you, I am commited to homeschooling. I love it and can't see our lives any other way.

Lori


----------



## pixiemagic30

Lori, good news...We're in Davenport, FL, and have 1/2 dozen or so Chase branches nearby.  We actually bank with Chase and there are 2 specific branches within a 15 minute drive.  We are also 15 minutes outside of Disney!  We love it.  Compared to Ohio, some things are higher in prices; others, not so much.  Property taxes are comparable to what we were paying, so I can't help you there.  

I would definitely rent first.  This will give you a chance to visit various areas to see what you like.  Also, in some areas, the prices are still falling...

As for homeschooling, laws here are quite flexible.  You send in a letter to inform the county that you are homeschooling and then test scores or teacher evaluation before the new school year.  At the end of your homeschooling of a child, or if you move to another district, you send in a termination letter.

Good luck in your decision!


----------



## lori1043

pixiemagic30 said:


> Lori, good news...We're in Davenport, FL, and have 1/2 dozen or so Chase branches nearby. We actually bank with Chase and there are 2 specific branches within a 15 minute drive. We are also 15 minutes outside of Disney! We love it. Compared to Ohio, some things are higher in prices; others, not so much. Property taxes are comparable to what we were paying, so I can't help you there.
> 
> I would definitely rent first. This will give you a chance to visit various areas to see what you like. Also, in some areas, the prices are still falling...
> 
> As for homeschooling, laws here are quite flexible. You send in a letter to inform the county that you are homeschooling and then test scores or teacher evaluation before the new school year. At the end of your homeschooling of a child, or if you move to another district, you send in a termination letter.
> 
> Good luck in your decision!


 
Cool, thank you. Umm, here's a question: we do test, we do Stanford. I have one kid that scores just fabulously(PHS) and 1 scores in the 50%tile range- are there guidlines that are required if they test below a certain score? This is something that I feel is personal and I do not need someone always looking over my shoulder b/c I have one that tests lower than the other. All we have to do in Louisiana is send in a letter of intent that states your schools name, amount of students and that you intend on schooling the mandatory 180 days. No evals, no testing required.

Lori


----------



## pixiemagic30

lori1043 said:


> Cool, thank you. Umm, here's a question: we do test, we do Stanford. I have one kid that scores just fabulously(PHS) and 1 scores in the 50%tile range- are there guidlines that are required if they test below a certain score? This is something that I feel is personal and I do not need someone always looking over my shoulder b/c I have one that tests lower than the other. All we have to do in Louisiana is send in a letter of intent that states your schools name, amount of students and that you intend on schooling the mandatory 180 days. No evals, no testing required.
> 
> Lori



That's one question I don't know the answer to and we don't regularly test...  This is what I have found about the FL laws and testing.  I don't know if it will help or not.

The school superintendent shall review and accept the results of the annual evaluation. If the pupil does not demonstrate educational progress at a level commensurate with his ability, the superintendent shall notify the parent in writing.... The parent shall have one year to provide remedial instruction to the pupil. At the end of the one year probationary period the student shall be reevaluated to determine if he has progressed commensurate with his ability. Fla. Stat. Ann. § 1002.41(2).


----------



## DawnM

I am not in FL and am not currently making any plans to move, but this struck me as odd.

Ok, so what if I have (and I do) a special needs son who was never diagnosed and I don't want a diagnosis from the schools because I don't want them involved?  

Do the school superintendents really get involved or is this just in writing in case someone wanted to step in?

Dawn



pixiemagic30 said:


> That's one question I don't know the answer to and we don't regularly test...  This is what I have found about the FL laws and testing.  I don't know if it will help or not.
> 
> The school superintendent shall review and accept the results of the annual evaluation. If the pupil does not demonstrate educational progress at a level commensurate with his ability, the superintendent shall notify the parent in writing.... The parent shall have one year to provide remedial instruction to the pupil. At the end of the one year probationary period the student shall be reevaluated to determine if he has progressed commensurate with his ability. Fla. Stat. Ann. § 1002.41(2).


----------



## pixiemagic30

DawnM said:


> I am not in FL and am not currently making any plans to move, but this struck me as odd.
> 
> Ok, so what if I have (and I do) a special needs son who was never diagnosed and I don't want a diagnosis from the schools because I don't want them involved?
> 
> Do the school superintendents really get involved or is this just in writing in case someone wanted to step in?
> 
> Dawn



When we homeschooled in Ohio, the laws were written about the same as this so this doesn't surprise me.  I don't know anyone that has had the schools step in.  But, I'm sure there has b/c I have read HSLDA recommending that if you're child's test scores are below xx% then, you should not submit those score in order to not raise any flags...

If you have a special needs child, I honestly don't know how that works.  My daughter isn't special needs, but is a slower reader.  We did test one year, but her scores were lower than we expected.  So we took HSLDA's written advise and had a teacher evaluation completed.  We were told that she was doing well...no worries.

I don't think that I really answered your question, but maybe there are other's here that have experience with this...


----------



## lori1043

pixiemagic30 said:


> That's one question I don't know the answer to and we don't regularly test... This is what I have found about the FL laws and testing. I don't know if it will help or not.
> 
> The school superintendent shall review and accept the results of the annual evaluation. If the pupil does not demonstrate educational progress at a level commensurate with his ability, the superintendent shall notify the parent in writing.... The parent shall have one year to provide remedial instruction to the pupil. At the end of the one year probationary period the student shall be reevaluated to determine if he has progressed commensurate with his ability. Fla. Stat. Ann. § 1002.41(2).


 
 see .......I want to be treated as a private school, so maybe an umbrella program would be for us. She is not special needs, she just really is not interested and just wants to get it done- she also may not be a good test taker b/c she does fine at home when pushed a bit or I read it to her. I AM hoping for better test scores this year since we have bumped it up a bit. I do NOT want a letter like that if they think her 50% is not good enough-if that is what she gets. I am sorry, but I have one kid who is 12 who consistently gets PHS(post high school) across the board except in math, where she gets high school levels, so I KNOW it is personailty difference and not that one is getting more than the other. DD12 LOVES to read, DD10- not so much, and this is where the little one gets into trouble. She is my auditory learner and we listen to books and I  read or have DD12 read to her what they can do together.  We do all subjects together except math and language arts. BUT all this is NONE of the governments business.



DawnM said:


> I am not in FL and am not currently making any plans to move, but this struck me as odd.
> 
> Ok, so what if I have (and I do) a special needs son who was never diagnosed and I don't want a diagnosis from the schools because I don't want them involved?
> 
> Do the school superintendents really get involved or is this just in writing in case someone wanted to step in?
> 
> Dawn


 
I know Florida gives you the umbrella option too and from my research there are MANY- some more involved than others. I do think the umbrella schools are considered private, therefore have no govt input at all. The only problem I see with some that I read about was that there are requirements of certain subjects, but I have found one when looking in Palm Bay area(I have a friend who suggested that area) that required nothing and just asked you to send them days schooled. Another one asked for a sampling of work and days done either each semester or once a year. i would be interested in one like that. 

I am involved in a co-op here, we do 1 field trip a month and I will be looking for horse back riding and gymnastics as thier PE- or a PE program. 
Our co-op meets once a week for 10 weeks each semester. 

But I especially have enjoyed having 2-3 families of like-aged kids get together once a week for science and history. The kids present something they have learned, use CC CD's for memory work, and we tie in some latin, art and music appreciation to our history(we use biblioplan). In science we use Apologia and tie in field trips and dissection/activity that Apologia recommends each week. There are 14 chapters in it and we just plug a long! I am hoping to fins this possibility where ever we live!

Thank you for all the info!!! I hope I didnt hijack a topic I missed out on.

If there is anything else that can help, i greatly appreciate it

Lori


----------



## pixiemagic30

Lori -- at 50% you should not receive a letter from the district.  There are the umbrella schools and I believe you are correct, that the govt stays out.  I agree that it's not any of the govt's business, that's why we do the teacher assessment which simply states that the student is working at their ability....


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Just curious...does the teacher assessment have to come from a certified teacher in FL, can you do it if you are a degreed teacher, does the state have to recommend a teacher or can you find one on your own?  Always curious about other states because you never know where life will take you.


----------



## pixiemagic30

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Just curious...does the teacher assessment have to come from a certified teacher in FL, can you do it if you are a degreed teacher, does the state have to recommend a teacher or can you find one on your own?  Always curious about other states because you never know where life will take you.



Yes, the teacher must be a certified teacher in Florida, however, you can find your own teacher!


----------



## lori1043

pixiemagic30 said:


> Lori -- at 50% you should not receive a letter from the district. There are the umbrella schools and I believe you are correct, that the govt stays out. I agree that it's not any of the govt's business, that's why we do the teacher assessment which simply states that the student is working at their ability....


 
gotcha- someone else was trying to explain to me this same point, NOW I got it. That is what they do, a teacher assessment. I guess coming form a state that requires nothing but a promise letter and possible going to a state that requires NOTHING(Texas), the whole Florida homeschooling law seems kinda scary and restrictive.

Do you belong to a homeschool organization that offers field trips/co-op, etc...???
Pixiemagic- thanks for the heads up on Davenport. I assume you feel very safe there. You can PM me if you like, or post, but without telling me your neighborhood/subdivision, can you name some safe ones? This is the link to my thread and anyone that can help, I would be soo grateful.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2349003



gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Just curious...does the teacher assessment have to come from a certified teacher in FL, can you do it if you are a degreed teacher, does the state have to recommend a teacher or can you find one on your own? Always curious about other states because you never know where life will take you.


 
I agree, you never know where you'll end up


Lori

PS- I'll let you know where I end up and know that my thread i started is for info, b/c I haven't mentioned the Houston/Orlando dilemma at all. Just wanting Orlando area info. IF we're gonna be there, I'd LIKE to be no more than 30 minutes from the Mouse.


----------



## bentleygirl22

We used to live in clermont fl. If we ever move back to orlando we will move back to clermont !! its very nice there...


I miss living there...



lori1043 said:


> Anyone on here live in the Orlando or surrounding areas??
> 
> We are relocating- it was originally to Houston, and we got a phone call while househunting in Houston to see if we bought a house yet. We hadn't and my DH's boss offered him Florida!!! It is a probability, though. They seem to want us there and are willing to give the cost of living increase- but we'll see.
> 
> Anyway- I already know where we will live if it is Houston, but now researching Orlando areas.
> 
> Our home closes on 12/30 and we leased back for a month-thank goodness the buyers agreed withy all these changes. Our lives are in the air, we have no idea which state will be "home" next month!!!(see all the mixed emotions)- but it is alll in God's hands b/c I was going crazy last week trying to "pick the better place"- when there is really no answer for us. It's 50/50 right now.
> 
> Thanks- Lori
> 
> Oh, I am from Louisiana and grew up here. We homeschool- this is our 6th year. I ahve been on thie thread in the past, but it has been a while.


----------



## bentleygirl22

lori1043 said:


> PS- I'll let you know where I end up and know that my thread i started is for info, b/c I haven't mentioned the Houston/Orlando dilemma at all. Just wanting Orlando area info. IF we're gonna be there, I'd LIKE to be no more than 30 minutes from the Mouse.



Clermont fl is within 15 mins from disney


----------



## lori1043

We are going to Florida!!! I will be looking into Clermont and Lakeland, which i know is further out but hubby seems to like the idea its halfway b/t Orlando and Tampa. 

Thank you!

Lori


----------



## -Hope-

LegoMom3 said:


> I actually came here to ask if any of you "unschool" or take the "relaxed home school" approach?  Please chime in if you do or you have in the past!
> 
> .



 Hello from another unschooler (a radical unschooler to boot  ) I'm a former public school teacher who leaned into unschooling pretty quickly after pulling my kids out to homeschool. As a teacher I had already educated myself quite a bit about how children learn (on my own, this was NOT taught in a SINGLE college class I took in a nationally certified education program  ). When I started reading unschooling literature it clicked with what I already knew about education in general and specifically with how my own kids thrived. It is a HUGE commitment to unschool and I have had to learn a lot of patience and flexibility.

For example; just the other night at about 8:30-9:00 pm I was deeply lost in the DISign boards (if any of you have ever wandered over there then I'm sure you know just how difficult it can be to tear yourself away!). DD9 and DS10 were watching Spongebob. Someone on the show mentioned the spleen. Ds has read a lot about human anatomy so he knew the term but dd did not. She came and asked me what a spleen is. I opened a new window and let her google it. The definition led us to look up diaphram and before we knew it we had a life size (traced around dd on butcher paper) model of the body complete with construction paper organs. In the past I would have just answered her question- "The spleen is an organ," and gone back to what I was doing. Now I asked her if she wanted to google it- if she'd said no I would have given her the short answer and that would have been the end of it. But she said yes and she kept asking more questions. I could have told her to wait but I knew from experience that her interest might wane if we waited so I let her lead the conversation to it's natural end which happened to be the large intestine at around 10:45. 

I got back to the DISign boards the next morning.  

btw, we are headed to the Unschooler's Winter Waterpark Gathering in Sandusky, OH in February. "World's largest" indoor waterpark and John Taylor Gatto as the keynote. Not exactly a trip to the World but we're looking forward to it.


----------



## disneymom3

-Hope- said:


> I opened a new window and let her google it. The definition led us to look up *diaphram* and before we knew it we had a life size (traced around dd on butcher paper) model of the body complete with construction paper organs. :



  I am assuming you mean a diagram.  (giggle)  Not trying to give you a hard time at all, that just struck me as quite funny.  I love your description of unschooling.  It is a big commitment!  I do sort of that just in daily life which was a big change from when we didn't homeschool.  I think it is a life style way of learning. SO much of what we learn as individuals does not come from books.  However, I LOVE books too!!


----------



## -Hope-

disneymom3 said:


> I am assuming you mean a diagram.  (giggle)  Not trying to give you a hard time at all, that just struck me as quite funny.  I love your description of unschooling.  It is a big commitment!  I do sort of that just in daily life which was a big change from when we didn't homeschool.  I think it is a life style way of learning. SO much of what we learn as individuals does not come from books.  However, I LOVE books too!!





Nope, I meant diaphragm (although I think I did leave out a letter, lol) as in the muscle that assists in breathing... but DH assumed I meant a completely different type when I relayed this story to him too. 

And I  books too! I couldn't imagine unschooling or just generally living without them!


----------



## disneymom3

-Hope- said:


> Nope, I meant diaphragm (although I think I did leave out a letter, lol) as in the muscle that assists in breathing... but DH assumed I meant a completely different type when I relayed this story to him too.
> 
> And I  books too! I couldn't imagine unschooling or just generally living without them!



 OHHH! THAT kind of diaphragm.   Guess this is what happens when we are on Christmas break.  My mind just goes down all kinds of paths!


----------



## sl_underwood

I am considering using Switched On Schoolhouse for my dd who is doing 6th-7th grade. So far, I have made my own curriculum but I am finding it to be way to time consuming these days as I am now homeschooling my son as well. She has a very good computer with Vista on it, does this program work well with vista? Also, do you need internet to use this program? We do have internet but lately its been on the fritz and though she loves Aleks, cant do it with no internet. Does anyone know how it compares to Aleks? Also, how time consuming is it to set up and maintain? Does it show her exactly what she needs to do for the week so that she can become more responsible for her assignments? I know I have tons of questions but I want to make sure it is what I want before I make the purchase. 
Thanks
Lora


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

sl_underwood said:


> I am considering using Switched On Schoolhouse for my dd who is doing 6th-7th grade. So far, I have made my own curriculum but I am finding it to be way to time consuming these days as I am now homeschooling my son as well. She has a very good computer with Vista on it, does this program work well with vista? Also, do you need internet to use this program? We do have internet but lately its been on the fritz and though she loves Aleks, cant do it with no internet. Does anyone know how it compares to Aleks? Also, how time consuming is it to set up and maintain? Does it show her exactly what she needs to do for the week so that she can become more responsible for her assignments? I know I have tons of questions but I want to make sure it is what I want before I make the purchase.
> Thanks
> Lora



I had never heard of ALEKS but it looks like it is a math program. Have you tried Teaching Textbooks.  No internet required. Great program. Falling asleep while typing so I can tell you more about it later-lol


----------



## DawnM

Our refi finally went through!  Now I need to come up with another $200 per month (we went from a 30 year to a 15 and went from 5.37% to 4.37% interest with no points!)

Anyway, I am just thankful it is OVER!

Now to plan a Disney vacation for next week if DH can get the time off.  he is asking today.

I may still go even if DH can't.  I have a week's condo already paid through SkyAuction's blowout deal (haven't booked it yet but I have it paid for) and our APs don't expire until Jan. 18th.  I am trying to squeeze in ONE MORE TRIP as I know we won't go for a while after this!

Dawn


----------



## DawnM

Is anyone planning to do the give a day, get a day program in January?

I keep wondering if it is a good deal.  You can't use it towards a homeschool days pass and I don't think we are getting any APs next year and you would have to redeem them by Dec. of '10 anyway.

Just can't decide.

dawn


----------



## MiniGirl

DawnM said:


> Is anyone planning to do the give a day, get a day program in January?
> 
> I keep wondering if it is a good deal.  You can't use it towards a homeschool days pass and I don't think we are getting any APs next year and you would have to redeem them by Dec. of '10 anyway.
> 
> Just can't decide.
> 
> dawn



We aren't. I'm a seasonal CM and my girls have seasonal passes, so we are set with tickets. The main reason we aren't though is because last time I looked there were no places listed in our area, and we're 90 mile from the Mouse.

Service is a regular part of our schooling though.


----------



## DawnM

yes, we do service activities often too.  I just was wondering about this particular event.

I may at least see what is available.  My youngest will be 6 in early March and you have to be 6 to participate.  We thought we would wait until then to volunteer.

Dawn



MiniGirl said:


> We aren't. I'm a seasonal CM and my girls have seasonal passes, so we are set with tickets. The main reason we aren't though is because last time I looked there were no places listed in our area, and we're 90 mile from the Mouse.
> 
> Service is a regular part of our schooling though.


----------



## KibbyCat

sl_underwood said:


> I am considering using Switched On Schoolhouse for my dd who is doing 6th-7th grade. So far, I have made my own curriculum but I am finding it to be way to time consuming these days as I am now homeschooling my son as well. She has a very good computer with Vista on it, does this program work well with vista? Also, do you need internet to use this program? We do have internet but lately its been on the fritz and though she loves Aleks, cant do it with no internet. Does anyone know how it compares to Aleks? Also, how time consuming is it to set up and maintain? Does it show her exactly what she needs to do for the week so that she can become more responsible for her assignments? I know I have tons of questions but I want to make sure it is what I want before I make the purchase.
> Thanks
> Lora



I used SOS for my daughter last year.  It is very self-directed.  The lesson plans are already mapped out, so when she logs on, it tells her exactly the lessons she needs to do for the day.  Ambitious students can even go ahead if they want.  It also grades it for you.  The objective questions, anyway.  The subjective ones will be sent to your file to be checked.  There is a parent file and a student file, so you can password protect it and keep your student from deleting assignments or giving herself straight As!    It has capabilities for internet access but I don't think it's necessary.  For example, if your student is learning about cattle farming, there will be a link to a website on cattle farms so that they can read/research more if they want.  I disabled it so that my daughter wouldn't waste her learning time surfing internet websites that distracted her from her lessons.  You will want to have *some* internet access, though, because that's how they send you software updates for the program.  Anyway we loved SOS, and if my kids weren't in Christian school this year, we'd still be using it.  Hope that helps.


----------



## wvdislover

While I like the idea of serving, the give a day, get a day just isn't a good deal.  Unless you live near the World, you're most likely going to be going and getting multi-day passes.  Once you get to a certain point, there's not much price difference in, say, a 6 or 7 day ticket.  We usually go for 10 days, and if we were to buy a 9 day pass and then use the promo, we'd save less than $5 per person   Where's the deal in that?  Now, if we could volunteer for a day and get tickets to MNSSHP, I'd be all over that!


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## disneymom3

wvdislover said:


> While I like the idea of serving, the give a day, get a day just isn't a good deal.  Unless you live near the World, you're most likely going to be going and getting multi-day passes.  Once you get to a certain point, there's not much price difference in, say, a 6 or 7 day ticket.  We usually go for 10 days, and if we were to buy a 9 day pass and then use the promo, we'd save less than $5 per person   Where's the deal in that?  Now, if we could volunteer for a day and get tickets to MNSSHP, I'd be all over that!



I thought I read on the site that you could apply the one day ticket to the purchase of a multiday ticket?


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## gerberdaisy1234

If I have a valid multi-day ticket or Annual Pass or Passport , is there anything else that I can receive?

Guests who present a valid multi-day ticket or Annual Pass or Passport may choose from one of the following three options instead of receiving the free 1-day, 1-park ticket: 

◦Disney's Special FASTPASS® cards for certain attractions for you and up to 5 additional members of your party. 
◦A collectible Ear Hat figurine with exclusive trading pins 
◦Donate your free ticket to one of the select non-profit organizations designated by Disney Parks: 


■Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern California
■Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida
■Dreams Take Flight Canada
Participating attractions are subject to change. Valid theme park admission required. The number of Special FASTPASS® Cards is limited and may not be available after 11 a.m. All Guests in your party must be present to receive the Special FASTPASS® Cards. 
 Available at select locations. 

Valid ID and a valid Walt Disney World® or Disneyland® multi-day ticket, Seasonal Pass or Annual Pass or Passport along with the voucher will be required at the time of redemption. No cash refunds or credits will be provided to Passholders or multi-day ticket holders who participate in the "Give a Day, Get a Disney Day." program and choose not to redeem their certificate for admission or exchange it for a redemption alternative.


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## disneymom3

Hey, that fastpass thing sounds cool. I had forgotten about that. We are going during homeschool days so the ticket wouldn't do us any good.  It does also say in the FAQs that you can use the ticket towards a multi day ticket or AP by just paying the price difference.


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## gerberdaisy1234

I knew that a had read that too so I went back again to look and here it is

"May I upgrade my free one day ticket to an Annual Pass or multi-day ticket?

Yes, you may upgrade the free ticket to another ticket type of greater value. However, the Guest is responsible for the incremental cost and the new ticket may only be used by the Guest"


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## wvdislover

Thanks, everybody!  I guess I had missed these "details" about the promotion   It does seem a lot more worth it, now that I know all of this.  We may have to do this, after all!


----------



## DawnM

Well, DH and I talked last night and it looks like we will not go to Disney next week.  

In some ways I am relieved.....we are so busy in January and it would be cutting into some things that we really need to be here for (practice for a play, scout events, etc....)

We will use our condo week (SkyAuction pre-paid) to go to Williamsburg, VA and Washington, D.C. in May.

I am really excited.  We have studied US HIstory this year so this will be great.  Our days in D.C. will be with the scout trip.  Our boys get to participate in DOING the flag raising at Arlington one morning and get private tours of the Lincoln Memorial and the WhiteHouse.

Dawn


----------



## sl_underwood

Thanks for sharing your experience.  I am a little concerned about so much computer time but I am finding I lack the time to teach my younger child and he is not getting what he needs because I am so busy with my teenager who should be able to complete some work on her own.  I want to give her more responsibility for her schoolwork.  I assume 4 or 5 subjects on SOS would take a good portion of the day (4-6 hours atleast) Did you find that it was to much pc time for your kids?  




KibbyCat said:


> I used SOS for my daughter last year.  It is very self-directed.  The lesson plans are already mapped out, so when she logs on, it tells her exactly the lessons she needs to do for the day.  Ambitious students can even go ahead if they want.  It also grades it for you.  The objective questions, anyway.  The subjective ones will be sent to your file to be checked.  There is a parent file and a student file, so you can password protect it and keep your student from deleting assignments or giving herself straight As!    It has capabilities for internet access but I don't think it's necessary.  For example, if your student is learning about cattle farming, there will be a link to a website on cattle farms so that they can read/research more if they want.  I disabled it so that my daughter wouldn't waste her learning time surfing internet websites that distracted her from her lessons.  You will want to have *some* internet access, though, because that's how they send you software updates for the program.  Anyway we loved SOS, and if my kids weren't in Christian school this year, we'd still be using it.  Hope that helps.


----------



## KibbyCat

sl_underwood said:


> Thanks for sharing your experience.  I am a little concerned about so much computer time but I am finding I lack the time to teach my younger child and he is not getting what he needs because I am so busy with my teenager who should be able to complete some work on her own.  I want to give her more responsibility for her schoolwork.  I assume 4 or 5 subjects on SOS would take a good portion of the day (4-6 hours atleast) Did you find that it was to much pc time for your kids?



No, I didn't think it was too much.  At the 3rd grade level, the daily lessons only took us about 90 minutes to complete.  She doesn't know how to type yet, so either my mom or I would sit down and do the lessons with her (and type in the answers).  For tests that were multiple choice, she was able to do it herself because all she had to do was use the mouse.  Towards the end of the year, when she was actually able to do the lessons on her own, it took her between 2-3 hours to do everything.
I would say that for a middle schooler, it would definitely take longer, especially if you get some of the extra electives.  You could let her take breaks between lessons, to get a snack, stretch, etc.  That way, she's not staring at the screen for 5 hours straight.  But it will definitely give you the opportunity to work with your younger child while she is doing the self-directed lessons.


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## graygables

Teaching Textbooks math...any thoughts?  Math is a four letter word that starts with an "M" at my house, I am sorry to say.  I feel like I've tried so many different curricula with the same result. Confused, frustrated, math-hating children.  Most recently, we used Math U See, which I thought would be very good, but wound up not being so swell for my 2.  

My time has been VERY limited, which has a lot to do with it.  That's why I'm looking into a curriculum that does the teaching bit for me and leaves me just as a back-up or advisor.

Thoughts?  Is the workbook necessary?  Can the same program be used on 2 computers?


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

graygables said:


> Teaching Textbooks math...any thoughts?  Math is a four letter word that starts with an "M" at my house, I am sorry to say.  I feel like I've tried so many different curricula with the same result. Confused, frustrated, math-hating children.  Most recently, we used Math U See, which I thought would be very good, but wound up not being so swell for my 2.
> 
> My time has been VERY limited, which has a lot to do with it.  That's why I'm looking into a curriculum that does the teaching bit for me and leaves me just as a back-up or advisor.
> 
> Thoughts?  Is the workbook necessary?  Can the same program be used on 2 computers?



Try some of the sample lessons that they have online.  You should be able to use on more than one computer but the gradebook will reflect lessons completed on each individual computer. Which would be great if you have two different children using not so great if same child using two computers. The gradebook is a great tool. My daughter (Language Arts is her strength, math is the challenge) likes Teaching Textbooks best of all the programs we have tried. (I won't say she LOVES math but definitely the best so far)


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## disneymom3

DawnM said:


> Well, DH and I talked last night and it looks like we will not go to Disney next week.
> 
> In some ways I am relieved.....we are so busy in January and it would be cutting into some things that we really need to be here for (practice for a play, scout events, etc....)
> 
> We will use our condo week (SkyAuction pre-paid) to go to Williamsburg, VA and Washington, D.C. in May.
> 
> I am really excited.  We have studied US HIstory this year so this will be great.  Our days in D.C. will be with the scout trip.  Our boys get to participate in DOING the flag raising at Arlington one morning and get private tours of the Lincoln Memorial and the WhiteHouse.
> 
> Dawn


I bet The DC trip will be really fun and very interesting.  I definitely want to do that area of the country soon.  Actually we are thinking spring of '11.  You will have to share here what you do.


graygables said:


> Teaching Textbooks math...any thoughts?  Math is a four letter word that starts with an "M" at my house, I am sorry to say.  I feel like I've tried so many different curricula with the same result. Confused, frustrated, math-hating children.  Most recently, we used Math U See, which I thought would be very good, but wound up not being so swell for my 2.
> 
> My time has been VERY limited, which has a lot to do with it.  That's why I'm looking into a curriculum that does the teaching bit for me and leaves me just as a back-up or advisor.
> 
> Thoughts?  Is the workbook necessary?  Can the same program be used on 2 computers?



Workbood depends on what level your kids are at.  Up to PreAlg, they do not need to do the work book if you don't want.  It is basically a duplicate of what they do online.  It's just that the instructions are written out and then the problems are done in the book instead of on the computer, but the problems are all the same.  At Pre-Alg and up, the lecture is in the book and on the computer. There are practice problems on the discs and you get a set of disks with all of the solutions which show the work to get their etc, but they student must use hte book as that is the only place the problems are on their own.

I tried many things with DS who has some learning struggles.  Seemed like MUS would be great for him but it was a disaster!  TT is perfect.  My older one uses it as well. Did Math 7 and now is in Pre-Algebra.  I am really really pleased with it.  Youngest one is doing Singapore still, he is a little math genius.  Next year he will be moving into TT Math 4.


----------



## Denine

I can't remember the last time I visited this thread.

We were just in DC the past 2-1/2 days.  We spent 4 hours at the Natural History Museum and 6 hours at the American History Museum.  Yesterday we went to the Air & Space Annex by Dlules airport and saw the space shuttle Enterprise, so cool.  We saw the National Christmas Tree get lighted 2 nights ago.

We just made ressies today so we can go to HS days at Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown the first week of March.  We are really looking foward to that.

Right now, we are still in Richmond, VA with friends and will be going back home to Ohio on Sunday.


----------



## wvdislover

graygables said:


> Teaching Textbooks math...any thoughts?  Math is a four letter word that starts with an "M" at my house, I am sorry to say.  I feel like I've tried so many different curricula with the same result. Confused, frustrated, math-hating children.  Most recently, we used Math U See, which I thought would be very good, but wound up not being so swell for my 2.
> 
> My time has been VERY limited, which has a lot to do with it.  That's why I'm looking into a curriculum that does the teaching bit for me and leaves me just as a back-up or advisor.
> 
> Thoughts?  Is the workbook necessary?  Can the same program be used on 2 computers?



I LOVE TT!  DD12 has learned SO much in math that she wasn't able to pick up when she was in PS.  Math still isn't her favorite subject, but she is learning and has fun with it sometimes.  It is very self-directed and your DD's would be able to do the lessons on their own, with very little help (really no help, unless they have questions).  Again, you really don't NEED the workbook until you get to Pre-Algebra, if you don't want to purchase it.  They can just work out the problems on an extra sheet of paper.  Each lesson has the same number of problems, so you know from day-to-day exactly how many math problems need to be done.  Go to their website, and you can look at sample lessons from each level book, as well as take "placement tests," so you know where to start your kids.  I actually didn't give my DD the tests...I looked through the test and figured out which things I knew she could/couldn't do, and then placed her from there.  TT also does a lot of repetition, so the kids don't forget things they've learned in past lessons.  Good luck!


----------



## dillydilly

sl_underwood said:


> I am considering using Switched On Schoolhouse for my dd who is doing 6th-7th grade. So far, I have made my own curriculum but I am finding it to be way to time consuming these days as I am now homeschooling my son as well. She has a very good computer with Vista on it, does this program work well with vista? Also, do you need internet to use this program? We do have internet but lately its been on the fritz and though she loves Aleks, cant do it with no internet. Does anyone know how it compares to Aleks? Also, how time consuming is it to set up and maintain? Does it show her exactly what she needs to do for the week so that she can become more responsible for her assignments? I know I have tons of questions but I want to make sure it is what I want before I make the purchase.
> Thanks
> Lora



We used SOS for our 2 older daughters last year.  I liked how it made a daily list of assignments for them based on my calendar for the school year.  It tracked everything for me, and I liked how independent they were, asking any questions as they went along.  They did use the internet for external links at my discretion.  There were fun games.  I would check their work weekly(Friday afternoons for me) and send them back any assignments that they needed to do over again.

That being said, there are some things I did not care for when we used SOS.

My girls did not like being on the computer for all of their school work.  They really yearned for some pen and paper mixed in with the computer stuff.  I would not mind doing a few subjects on the computer, but not all of it.  I liked that they have improved keyboarding skills, but feel they are lacking in handwriting now. 

I had to install patches when I loaded the software on the computer.  Over and over again I did them and they would not work.  This was very frustrating, I spent hours on the phone with SOS (they are just wonderful!).  I do not know if this was just my computer or if this is an experience others have.

I had one older computer and one new one.  Neither were Vista.  Both would freeze up on occasion.  This was frustrating for my kids.  If they were in the middle of a test or something, they would get an F, and I would have to re send it to them, and they would have to start all over again.

If the kids were doing a work assignment and they did not fill in the blank with the exact verbage SOS wanted, they got the answer wrong.  One in particular I remember was trying to interpret a limerick.  I spent hours on that thing, called several friends and family who agreed with dh and I in regards to the answer.  We just ended up skipping or blocking that question.   Frustrating.  Same thing with math.  The math was very very very very frustrating for my already math challenged kids.  I was very apprehensive this year to use Teaching Textbooks because of SOS.  TT is a totally different and positive thing for our family!  I wish you the best!


----------



## dillydilly

I am wondering if anyone has any experience with Life of Fred Math.  My dd would like to read the Algebra book over the summer during one of our breaks.  I am wondering if the workbooks are worth the extra cost.  Thanks!


----------



## SCHBR'smom

OK, Disney homeschoolers, where can I find things to do school wise at Disney?  Journal pages, etc?  I seem to recall a link to the disign boards where I could find things for the World Showcase in Epcot.  Help me know what else to do, please, please, please.  This will be our first trip while homeschooling.


----------



## graygables

SCHBR'smom said:


> OK, Disney homeschoolers, where can I find things to do school wise at Disney?  Journal pages, etc?  I seem to recall a link to the disign boards where I could find things for the World Showcase in Epcot.  Help me know what else to do, please, please, please.  This will be our first trip while homeschooling.



We find learning is innate when visiting the parks, especially at AK and Epcot.  Do not miss Rafiki's Planet Watch at AK, LOTS of fun, interactive, and educational exhibits there.  The area on feeding the animals is particularly interesting, especially if they are working from their "cookbook".

Epcot, of course, what's NOT to learn???  Innoventions is full of fun things that teach.  We also come up with a simple word or phrase like "thank you" and ask a CM from each country to teach it to us in their native tongue.  You can also come up with a question such as, "What is the climate like where you live?".  We do try not to monopolize their time and tend to do this while they are coloring their (free!) masks at the Kidcot stations around the WS.

I would NOT, however, never in a million years, do any kind of formal homeschooling while at WDW.  IMO, it should be a fun, magical place to visit without the specter of worksheets or journaling hanging over heads.


----------



## SCHBR'smom

graygables said:


> We find learning is innate when visiting the parks, especially at AK and Epcot.  Do not miss Rafiki's Planet Watch at AK, LOTS of fun, interactive, and educational exhibits there.  The area on feeding the animals is particularly interesting, especially if they are working from their "cookbook".
> 
> Epcot, of course, what's NOT to learn???  Innoventions is full of fun things that teach.  We also come up with a simple word or phrase like "thank you" and ask a CM from each country to teach it to us in their native tongue.  You can also come up with a question such as, "What is the climate like where you live?".  We do try not to monopolize their time and tend to do this while they are coloring their (free!) masks at the Kidcot stations around the WS.
> 
> I would NOT, however, never in a million years, do any kind of formal homeschooling while at WDW.  IMO, it should be a fun, magical place to visit without the specter of worksheets or journaling hanging over heads.



No formal schooling, don't worry.  I don't think I would want to either.  But I thought someone had a list of all the animals at AK.  It would be fun to see how many we could find.  For Epcot, I remember seeing someone had found on the disign board things for World Showcase and you could write down how to say, hello, good-bye, please and thank you, maybe draw the flag.  I thought those would be great to do before hand and take with us to remember how to say them.  For journaling, I wanted to have them write (or draw a picture) about what they wanted to see at Disney World, then at home again write what was their favorite part of the trip.  I just thought someone might know of cute things to use.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Also I printed out some passport pages from http://s143.photobucket.com/albums/r132/donatalie/Passports/Passport 3/
> 
> I don't see the ones we are using but I like this set even better.  I think they are going to have to rewrite the ones we have done.  I have the children write how to say hello, goodbye, thanks, yes and no in each language. Then on another I have them write a couple interesting facts they learned.





gerberdaisy1234 said:


> I wanted to post you samples from the passport pages that Natalie (a fellow diser) has for free (along with MANY other AMAZING things) I posted the link in the above post.
> 
> I am having my children write hello, goodbye, thanks, yes, and no in each language and then one fact on the page with lines.  They can get this stamped when we go to Epcot.  Then the are filling in the blanks (people called, language spoken, capital) and coloring the flag on the other page.  I am printing them two to a page.





SCHBR'smom said:


> No formal schooling, don't worry.  I don't think I would want to either.  But I thought someone had a list of all the animals at AK.  It would be fun to see how many we could find.  For Epcot, I remember seeing someone had found on the disign board things for World Showcase and you could write down how to say, hello, good-bye, please and thank you, maybe draw the flag.  I thought those would be great to do before hand and take with us to remember how to say them.  For journaling, I wanted to have them write (or draw a picture) about what they wanted to see at Disney World, then at home again write what was their favorite part of the trip.  I just thought someone might know of cute things to use.



My only suggestion is make sure you have ink before you visit her site...she has awesome journal pages as well.  You might get print happy!


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## gerberdaisy1234

http://s143.photobucket.com/albums/r132/donatalie/2010 Journal/

The journal pages are great!


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## SCHBR'smom

gerberdaisy, you are the best!  I'm sure I will get print happy, but if there is too much, that's ok.  I'll be ready for the next trip! 

By the way, I hope you have a wonderful trip.  Just a few more days!!!


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## gerberdaisy1234

Thank you. I very excited!!

I was just talking to DD and what we decided would work to save on ink... I am going to download journal pages onto laptop.  We will using Adobe elements to add textboxes for them to type their answers. We will save and then create journal CDs. (We might even save a tree doing it that way)


----------



## SCHBR'smom

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Thank you. I very excited!!
> 
> I was just talking to DD and what we decided would work to save on ink... I am going to download journal pages onto laptop.  We will using Adobe elements to add textboxes for them to type their answers. We will save and then create journal CDs. (We might even save a tree doing it that way)



Excellent idea!  My inlaws (who are going with us) just got us a netbook for Christmas so we could take it with us.  I don't know how much they will be able to do, but I could keep notes and they could do it when we get back or on the 18 hour drive back.


----------



## amy in ks

Disney homeschool day experts????

The days are Jan 24th-Jan 26th.  The website says tickets are good for 7 days prior to arrival and 7 days after departure?????? This makes NO SENSE!

 So can you go anytime from January 17th-January 30th?  or are you limited to using the tickets within seven days?  And what should you put as your arrival date when purchasing (the homeschool days or your actual day -- which would seem like it would limit it to a seven day ticket)?


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## gerberdaisy1234

amy in ks said:


> Disney homeschool day experts????
> 
> The days are Jan 24th-Jan 26th.  The website says tickets are good for 7 days prior to arrival and 7 days after departure?????? This makes NO SENSE!
> 
> So can you go anytime from January 17th-January 30th?  or are you limited to using the tickets within seven days?  And what should you put as your arrival date when purchasing (the homeschool days or your actual day -- which would seem like it would limit it to a seven day ticket)?



Put in your actual arrival date. Our tickets say "Valid 1/12/10-2/5/10" We have ten day park hoppers. We are going 1/19-1/29. If you need more information on getting tickets for longer than 5 days you can pm me.


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## bumbershoot

-Hope- said:


> Hello from another unschooler (a radical unschooler to boot .... Someone on the show mentioned the spleen. Ds has read a lot about human anatomy so he knew the term but dd did not. She came and asked me what a spleen is. I opened a new window and let her google it. The definition led us to look up diaphram and before we knew it we had a life size (traced around dd on butcher paper) model of the body complete with construction paper organs. In the past I would have just answered her question- "The spleen is an organ," and gone back to what I was doing. Now I asked her if she wanted to google it- if she'd said no I would have given her the short answer and that would have been the end of it. But she said yes and she kept asking more questions. I could have told her to wait but I knew from experience that her interest might wane if we waited so I let her lead the conversation to it's natural end which happened to be the large intestine at around 10:45.




Love that story!



I haven't been on the thread in ages either, but I keep thinking about a moment we (finally) had over the holidays.  Figured I'd share it here, b/c it's such a typical comment for homeschoolers to get. 

We live in a building with residents that are, for the most part, LONG-retired.  Many of them have so many years in this world that they were schooled at home simply because there were not schools in their area.  And if they went to school, their parents were not sent to school.  So that's been pretty nice!

Every other Wednesday, they have a social hour in the main room.  It's right off the elevator, so DS can always tell they are up there, b/c the elevator smells like wine!  They know how to party!

So we usually go up there and he'll chat away and eat cheese with them, and have a grand old time.  

They had a holiday party at someone's condo, and he and DH went (I'm a hermit and I stayed home), and he charmed a condo-ful of people.  He even brought a painting he had made, as it was in the home of the daughter of our neighbor...the neighbor is a Western artist, and he figured they would appreciate seeing his art.  Then a few days later they had the Wednesday social, and he was chatting away with all of these senior citizens, talking about whatever...and someone asked about his schooling.  I told her that we were homeschooling...and she, and I know you know what she said, asked "well what about his socialization???"



I was kind and polite and let her know about the homeschooling PE we're starting, the gymnastics, and the swimming at the Y, etc etc, but come on!  He's a 5 year old standing around in a group of varied-age people, having cheese and being teased about having wine passed to him, talking to a whole roomful of people....socialization is not a concern for me at this point!  



We're still doing the costco workbooks from American Educators Publishing, and whatever unschooly type things that come up.  He has put pressure on me for 1.5 years to "do school", if you can believe it!  I would still be floating around in a freeform learning environment, but he wants official learning.  I'm still trying to figure out how to motivate to do the things he WANTS to do, without demotivating him!  He's next to me right now, working on writing the letter i, and he just confuses me with what helps and what doesn't.    We have time, no worries, but he sure does baffle me sometimes!


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## theduck619

I have been off of the boards for awhile but found your post.  I am curious to how your picture cards with the key ring work.  My wife and I have struggled with the ping pong effect as well.


----------



## Poohbug

If any of you homeschool experts can help, I would greatly appreciate it.  My DS(10) goes to public school-grade 4.  I am not happy at all with his math class.  Math is challenging for him as it is and he just cannot get pretty much everything they are doing this year.  The "Math Book" consists of worksheet pages-no instruction pages at all.

I would like to help him at home since tutors are very expensive.  Does anyone know of any good websites or math books that I can use at home?  He just does not understand the math concepts they are studying.  I think a little bit of help will make a big difference.


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## NHWX

Poohbug said:


> I
> I would like to help him at home since tutors are very expensive.  Does anyone know of any good websites or math books that I can use at home?  He just does not understand the math concepts they are studying.  I think a little bit of help will make a big difference.



Poohbug - It's been a long time since my two were in fourth grade. Could you tell me what concepts he's having trouble with? I might be able to give some more help once I know. The first things that came to mind were sources for math practice. You might try looking at homeschoolbuyersco-op.org for a initial look at some math sources.

NHWX


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## LegoMom3

Poohbug - a site I can recommend from experience is Math Mammoth.  You can take a look at it here:  Math Mammoth

You would probably want to start by looking at the Blue Series.  It lists subjects by topic (rather than grade) and the problems within the text all have detailed instruction on what is being taught.

If at some point you want practice to reinforce a concept that has been learned, you could look at the Golden or Green series (arranged by topic or grade).  These are just problems to work out, no instruction.

We have used MM for reinforcement and full curriculum and it has worked well for us.  They aren't terribly expensive (everything is in download format) and I really like how the lessons are presented and explained.

Good luck!

.


----------



## littlepeppers

I need ELA for dummies.  Anyone know a good 3rd gd. curr. for ELA?

I am clueless when it comes to ELA.  I may want to go the route of putting my own curr. together for next year, but I will need a strong ELA curr. that is layed out step by step for me.  I would need the lesson plans already done for me.  I know I can handle the other subjects, but that ELA...........


----------



## disneymom3

Well, you are ahead of me....I don't even know what ELA is.


----------



## littlepeppers

disneymom3 said:


> Well, you are ahead of me....I don't even know what ELA is.



English Language Arts


----------



## Auggiedaugie

Hello Everyone,

I hope you don't mind me posting here, asking a few questions.  I am 85% positive that I will homeschool my DD9 starting in September, she will be in fourth grade.  

I will need to work out of the home for about 11-15 hours a week.  I am concerned about having the time to properly interact with any homeschool groups I may find.  I am a little flexible in my scheduling but once I set it I can not change it.   Right now I hope to work Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and Monday mornings.   So, I keep running scenarios through my mind, what if I work on Thursdays and that is when all the groups meet?  Or they meet on Friday?   I think you get the idea.  

Would you recommend contacting groups/co-ops now to get an idea about what they are doing and when they are doing it, etc.?  Would that seem too intrusive?  

I have no academic concerns about my DD, but she is a bit on the shy side and I was hoping that I can get her involved with some groups where she may find some friends.

I only know of one homeschooling family, did not know them well and have not spoken in almost three years but I will be digging out their phone number and calling them for advice/guidance but hoped I could get some here in the meantime.

Thank You all for taking the time to read this.


----------



## disneymom3

You definitely want to start contacting groups soon.  I am on the board of our group and people generally start contacting us and coming to visit by the end of Feb.  Make sure you can go visit and be sure you are comfortable with the way things are run and that it feels welcoming to you.

I think you will be fine with your work schedule. If your area is anything like ours there are groups that meet on lots of different days, But if you can find one you like and then plan your schedule around that, that's even better.

Our group starts taking new registrations after a certain date which is the deadline for when our current families get priority.  They are accepted by whatever is post marked first and we always end up with a waiting list but that is almost ALWAYS because the people have babies or preschoolers and those groups in our co-op fill up very quickly.  This year we were full in 6th and up and infants-preschool but all the other grades had openings.


----------



## disneymom3

littlepeppers said:


> English Language Arts



OH!  In that case, have you looked at Learing Language Arts Through Literature?  I really like that program.  I would have been using it this year, however I must say that with three kids at different levels it was really overwhelming to try and do all three of them. So, somewhat it will depend on how many kids you hvae and what your ages are. Sonlight has very nice LA curriculums too.

What grade will you be teaching and how many kids?


----------



## Ellester

Auggiedaugie said:


> Hello Everyone,
> 
> I hope you don't mind me posting here, asking a few questions.  I am 85% positive that I will homeschool my DD9 starting in September, she will be in fourth grade.
> 
> I will need to work out of the home for about 11-15 hours a week.  I am concerned about having the time to properly interact with any homeschool groups I may find.  I am a little flexible in my scheduling but once I set it I can not change it.   Right now I hope to work Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and Monday mornings.   So, I keep running scenarios through my mind, what if I work on Thursdays and that is when all the groups meet?  Or they meet on Friday?   I think you get the idea.
> 
> Would you recommend contacting groups/co-ops now to get an idea about what they are doing and when they are doing it, etc.?  Would that seem too intrusive?
> 
> I have no academic concerns about my DD, but she is a bit on the shy side and I was hoping that I can get her involved with some groups where she may find some friends.
> 
> I only know of one homeschooling family, did not know them well and have not spoken in almost three years but I will be digging out their phone number and calling them for advice/guidance but hoped I could get some here in the meantime.
> 
> Thank You all for taking the time to read this.



I don't think any group would mind you asking questions now. If they did, I don't think I would want to be affiliated with them anyway! We have several groups in our area, some more structured than others. All of them are happy to talk with prospective homeschoolers. It makes perfect sense to see what is out there and what you and your dd may be interested in doing/joining and work your schedule around that. Good luck! It is a wonderful journey you are thinking of undertaking (although, like any journey, not without it's bumps!).


----------



## littlepeppers

disneymom3 said:


> OH!  In that case, have you looked at Learing Language Arts Through Literature?  I really like that program.  I would have been using it this year, however I must say that with three kids at different levels it was really overwhelming to try and do all three of them. So, somewhat it will depend on how many kids you hvae and what your ages are. Sonlight has very nice LA curriculums too.
> 
> What grade will you be teaching and how many kids?



DS is 7 (3rd gd next yr) but typical boy writing lazy
DD is 2 1/2 but she likes learning (just like girls)
Had to get tubes tied (med. reasons), so that will be the end of our school enrollment.


----------



## DawnM

I would look into a social homeschool group rather than an academic group.

We have found that we prefer to do the academics at home and interact socially with a group.

We have a local Rec center that meets Fridays from 11-2 and has various clubs but also has free time play too.

We also have a group that goes on field trips almost every Tuesday.  I rarely make it to those as I really need to get the academics completed M-Th so we can enjoy the Rec center.

Dawn




Auggiedaugie said:


> Hello Everyone,
> 
> I hope you don't mind me posting here, asking a few questions.  I am 85% positive that I will homeschool my DD9 starting in September, she will be in fourth grade.
> 
> I will need to work out of the home for about 11-15 hours a week.  I am concerned about having the time to properly interact with any homeschool groups I may find.  I am a little flexible in my scheduling but once I set it I can not change it.   Right now I hope to work Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and Monday mornings.   So, I keep running scenarios through my mind, what if I work on Thursdays and that is when all the groups meet?  Or they meet on Friday?   I think you get the idea.
> 
> Would you recommend contacting groups/co-ops now to get an idea about what they are doing and when they are doing it, etc.?  Would that seem too intrusive?
> 
> I have no academic concerns about my DD, but she is a bit on the shy side and I was hoping that I can get her involved with some groups where she may find some friends.
> 
> I only know of one homeschooling family, did not know them well and have not spoken in almost three years but I will be digging out their phone number and calling them for advice/guidance but hoped I could get some here in the meantime.
> 
> Thank You all for taking the time to read this.


----------



## DawnM

There are SO MANY out there!

I am a former English teacher and this was imp. to me as well.  I have been using Sonlight for Literature, but I found it weak in LA.  I have tried several different programs and have found one that works well for us.....it may or may not work well for you though.  We use Christian Light Education materials for LA.  It is in workbook form and very clearly and easily laid out.  It is also Christian based, so if you are not Christian you may not like it.

http://www.clp.org/


Now, the other thing to know is that I have BOYS!  My Lit and LA dreams are far from being met.....I had envisioned having to tear my kids away from books.....yeah, not even CLOSE to happening here!  

Dawn






littlepeppers said:


> I need ELA for dummies.  Anyone know a good 3rd gd. curr. for ELA?
> 
> I am clueless when it comes to ELA.  I may want to go the route of putting my own curr. together for next year, but I will need a strong ELA curr. that is layed out step by step for me.  I would need the lesson plans already done for me.  I know I can handle the other subjects, but that ELA...........


----------



## disneymom3

LOL Dawn, I know what you mean about the reality of boys and books.  My 9 yo is now getting into books at almost ten but my visions of everyone cudled up on the couch reading by the fire for hours on end have gone by the wayside. 

Have you used Sonlight in the last couple of years?  I was just wondering because I know that all of their LA have been redone fairly recently.


----------



## Auggiedaugie

Thank you for the information/advice on contacting groups.  I have contacted two, still waiting on a response from one.  The group I am in contact with seems very open and helpful....but it will be a hike to get to many of the meet ups as they are about 30-40 minutes away.  On the bright side, I am looking to change barns for DD's riding lessons so if I can combine the activities I will only be about 15 minutes away!


----------



## MiniGirl

Auggiedaugie said:


> Thank you for the information/advice on contacting groups.  I have contacted two, still waiting on a response from one.  The group I am in contact with seems very open and helpful....but it will be a hike to get to many of the meet ups as they are about 30-40 minutes away.  On the bright side, I am looking to change barns for DD's riding lessons so if I can combine the activities I will only be about 15 minutes away!



Sounds like you're on the right track. If you haven't looked yet, see if there is a local Yahoo group for your area. That is THE best place to find out what is going on in your area.


----------



## littlepeppers

disneymom3 said:


> LOL Dawn, I know what you mean about the reality of boys and books.  My 9 yo is now getting into books at almost ten but my visions of everyone cudled up on the couch reading by the fire for hours on end have gone by the wayside.
> 
> Have you used Sonlight in the last couple of years?  I was just wondering because I know that all of their LA have been redone fairly recently.



Going to keep looking & trying w/ the English Language Arts (ELA).  Keeping the hope alive for the kids reading.......

I want them to like to read.  I don't, but would love to.


----------



## bumbershoot

Poohbug said:


> If any of you homeschool experts can help, I would greatly appreciate it.  My DS(10) goes to public school-grade 4.  I am not happy at all with his math class.  Math is challenging for him as it is and he just cannot get pretty much everything they are doing this year.  The "Math Book" consists of worksheet pages-no instruction pages at all.



I don't have knowledge in this, but wanted to give you cyberhugs for helping him.  4th grade math (long division, bleah) is what turned me away from math.  Even while I was loving the other subjects (tested at "13th grade" for reading that year!) and loving one of the very few good teachers I ever had, math just boggled me.

My mom felt she couldn't help me...they'd gone to "the new math" by then and she was mystified...just as mystified as I am when I look at some of the ways math is being done now (but I'm not working 60 hours per week just to keep a roof over our heads like she was).  

I'm just so happy YOU are working to help him.  


*********
Homeschooling groups...DS is enrolled this session (month long) for Homeschool PE at our local YMCA!  We don't mesh with most of the families b/c of religion (I just keep my mouth shut), and I'm the only one with only ONE kid, but WOW is it fun for DS!  We're in early days with homeschooling (kindergarten work), but DS has been yearning to know other homeschooled kids, and this is fitting the bill.

So be sure to look into your local YMCA, see if they have such a program!  Last week they had a basketball unit, this week is gymnastics, they started off with swimming...


----------



## Nicolepa

disneymom3 said:


> Have you used Sonlight in the last couple of years?  I was just wondering because I know that all of their LA have been redone fairly recently.



I have a friend who uses Sonlight pretty much exclusivly.  Her one complaint is that their very week in writing.  Her kids are K, 2nd & 5th and she has used them from the begining.


----------



## NHWX

littlepeppers said:


> Going to keep looking & trying w/ the English Language Arts (ELA).  Keeping the hope alive for the kids reading.......
> 
> I want them to like to read.  I don't, but would love to.



Is there anything that you do like to read? Cookbooks? Newspapers? You don't have to model reading great literature and your kids don't have to read the same for pleasure. My younger son loves most things that are humorous. So Captain Underpants was a hit. Germonimo Stilton was a good read also. Now he reads the Signspotting books and every comic book he can. Sometimes we get him more just so we don't keep hearing the same comics again and again. Mind you, he reads novels for fun too (he's 14) but getting him to read his assigned lit (Moby Dick now) means threatening him with not going out with friends over the weekend if it's not done by then.

I think I'd find Moby Dick to be a drag too but it is part of our literary culture/history and it's a big chunk of this part of their lit course. And when they talk to their friends in ps who are also doing American Lit, they're reading the same books. They all groan together. OTOH, I'd much rather them complain about boring than reading some of the sketchy books that non-conservative districts are having their kids read. 

I can't help with early grade LA because mine were in public or private school at that age. I do know that by middle school I was happy with K12's literature courses.

NHWX


----------



## Sweetpeamd

I am new to homeschooling and am planning to teach my 4 yr old for preschool starting in the fall.  Has anyone used the Sonlight P4/5 curriculum?  I reviewed the Alpha Omega Horizons program and wasn't impressed.  Are there others that you have liked?  Any feedback would be MUCH appreciated!!


----------



## npmommie

what do you guys use for science curriculum for elementary grades?
I have been piecing together curriculum, and want to try something different for science.
we have been using a book i bought at barnes and noble for earth science, and i also have the science workbooks from Singapore for my 1st grader.
I have some books from usborne i use also, but I don't have a set science "curriculum" and would like one, so any suggestions?


----------



## heatherplus3

Sweetpeamd said:


> I am new to homeschooling and am planning to teach my 4 yr old for preschool starting in the fall.  Has anyone used the Sonlight P4/5 curriculum?  I reviewed the Alpha Omega Horizons program and wasn't impressed.  Are there others that you have liked?  Any feedback would be MUCH appreciated!!



Yes, we are using sonlight p4/5. Honestly, I wouldn't buy it again. We have used sonlight for 2 years (for my DS8 for 1st and 2nd) and DD4 for p4/5. The first year we homeschooled, I did like the sonlight. I loved having everything planned out and a set curriculum to follow. I was so worried about not doing everything right. LOL! It was really a safety net, so it was good in that respect. It let me get my "feet wet" in the homeschooling world. But now I see subjects that I would like to explore more and find myself supplementing and changing things quite a bit. Sonlight is pretty expensive also. Next year we are using SOS for DS and a mix of stuff for DD.

FWIW, my DD4 loves the hooked on phonics programs. We are working on hooked on handwriting, hooked on numbers and hooked on phonics preschool. (there was a great deal on the hop website and I ended up with all these sets for around $30) I am just adding in stories from the sonlight stuff, art and crafts and Bible.

I never thought I would put together my own curriculum from many different sources, but it works for us! Good luck in whatever you decide.


----------



## Darcy03231

Hi everyone.   I live in NH and am starting to explore my options in homeschooling my high school sophomore.    Can anyone point me in the direction of a good website/curriculum.    Public school just doesn't seem to be working for him and private school is out of the question cost wise.  Both DH and I work full time, but I only work a mile from our house and go home for lunch every day (12-1).   Is it unrealistic to try to do this?

Thanks for any help/suggestions.


----------



## NHWX

Darcy03231 said:


> Hi everyone.   I live in NH and am starting to explore my options in homeschooling my high school sophomore.    Can anyone point me in the direction of a good website/curriculum.    Public school just doesn't seem to be working for him and private school is out of the question cost wise.  Both DH and I work full time, but I only work a mile from our house and go home for lunch every day (12-1).   Is it unrealistic to try to do this?
> 
> Thanks for any help/suggestions.



Hello there!

I'm in NH too! For starters, there's the state's virtual charter school, www.vlacs.org I've chosen classes from there that I didn't want to deal with creating or wanted someone else to be the source of all the work. I think the courses are fine overall.

I've used online high school courses from several universities also: Johns Hopkins, Oklahoma State and Brigham Young.

As far as realistic or unrealistic, it depends on how independent a student can be. My two boys struggle with getting things done. They'd much rather listen to music, hang out with friends and play video games than do world history, classical literature or music history. Somehow I persist and make them do nearly all of their classwork every day. I think that coming home at noon will make a great opportunity to connect with your son and provide for a check on what he's getting done. 

It's probably a good time to think about other learning opportunities. If he's a kid who might have taken industrial arts in a brick and mortar school, can you set up something where he has a hands-on learning experience one or two afternoons a week? If he's into the arts, maybe he could work in an artist's studio one day a week? There are all kinds of cool things homeschool kids can do that are difficult for ps kids. How about making his own nature documentaries? School in the summer and snowboard for two months in the winter?

Have fun thinking about all the choices out there!

NHWX


----------



## PigletsMommy

I hope you guys don't mind me interrupting but I need a little help for a class I'm taking.  I'm in University of Phoenix online for Elementary Education and currently taking a Math for Elementary class.

We have a project (due Monday) and I need to see a textbook in order complete it.  The professor just gave us the assignment this week and unfortunately my huband and I only have one vehicle and he uses it to get to work during the week so I could not get to a school.  I asked friends and went to 3 bookstores, with nothing to show for it.

What I need is the introduction page to LCM & GCD (lowest common multiple and greatest common denominator).  I just need the intro to it.  I've tried looking on the web for textbooks but I really don't want to buy a textbook when I just need one chapter introduction.  It can be for any grade in elementary ages.

Do homeschooler buy their books at a store... where I could go to look at the textbook maybe?  Anyone have any ideas?  Any help would be greatly appreciated... Thank you!


----------



## wvdislover

A lot of homeschoolers buy their curricula online.  Don't know of any stores that sell textbooks...maybe a Barnes and Noble?  What information, exactly, do you need for your project?  Maybe you can find the info online?  Maybe one of us can scan something (out of one of our math books) and forward it to you?


----------



## PigletsMommy

wvdislover said:


> A lot of homeschoolers buy their curricula online.  Don't know of any stores that sell textbooks...maybe a Barnes and Noble?  What information, exactly, do you need for your project?  Maybe you can find the info online?  Maybe one of us can scan something (out of one of our math books) and forward it to you?



I've been to B&N, Books a Million, and the Parent & Teacher store. None of them carry textbooks.  All I need is the chapter intro to lowest common denominator & greatest common multiple.  It can be any grade in elementary school, but I think they start teaching it around 3rd or 4th grade ??? I would also need the copyright info on the book so that I can reference it.  My email address is pigletsmommy08@live.com.  If someone can email the info that would be great too.


----------



## Lachesis00

My kids are still extremely young, but I'd like to homeschool them for the first 1-2 years {to start out at least}. I'd like to start get a jump on what they would learn in a tradition setting or what they need to know to progress each year. 

I would appreciate any  wisdom and thoughts you have to help me out. I'd like to sub to the thread just to read.

Thanks so much!


----------



## jennz

Hello Homeschoolers!  I need opinions please...dd is going into 7th grade in the fall, which means going to middle school.  Our school system has an intermediate school for 5th and 6th grades.  She is in the gifted program, which for math is basically accelerated, so they're doing 7th grade math this year.   English has more flexibility, and she is being exposed to many different things there.  Socially, the "mean girls" are really starting to come out and they are MEAN!  I don't want her to deal with that.

Anyway - I've thought about homeschooling her for years.  Pros:  she is a bright kid, we can move ahead once she master's something, we can go more in depth in areas she's interested in, schedule flexibility  Cons:  social aspects - dd is a VERY VERY quiet kid (you could use the s word to describe her) but not lacking in self confidence, she just chooses not to talk to people she doesn't know and isn't too good with small talk (which is probably not that uncommon for 11 year olds) - but it takes her a long time to form a friendship and I don't want to pull her away from her friends; violin - she's taking it at school.

Final thing - we have a virtual public school here through k12, if we do that she will be in their b&m building twice/week.  Thoughts/experience with that?

I don't know if I'm thinking about it for her or for me, it needs to be what's best for her so I thought I'd ask for some objective yet informed opinions.  Her education has been fine so far, not exceptional but not horrible.

Thanks everyone!


----------



## desparatelydisney

npmommie said:


> what do you guys use for science curriculum for elementary grades?
> I have been piecing together curriculum, and want to try something different for science.
> we have been using a book i bought at barnes and noble for earth science, and i also have the science workbooks from Singapore for my 1st grader.
> I have some books from usborne i use also, but I don't have a set science "curriculum" and would like one, so any suggestions?



We use Noeo....it isn't perfect but all in all, I am pretty pleased.


----------



## heatherplus3

Lachesis00 said:


> My kids are still extremely young, but I'd like to homeschool them for the first 1-2 years {to start out at least}. I'd like to start get a jump on what they would learn in a tradition setting or what they need to know to progress each year.
> 
> I would appreciate any  wisdom and thoughts you have to help me out. I'd like to sub to the thread just to read.
> 
> Thanks so much!



Hi! We live out in the Vistancia area. I just went to the school here (Peoria School District) and asked for the outcomes for kindergarten. They even provided me with a kindergarten "report card/ development chart". You can also check your school district's website for information regarding the outcomes for each school year. (At least you can for Peoria, anyway!) HTH!


----------



## NHWX

Well, what does your daughter want to do? Can you do partial enrollment? Here in NH we can have our children take classes at the public school. (If there's no room in Honors Biology, you can still take Biology, for instance. Or music or choir or...)

Do you or your daughter anticipate her going to your public high school? I got caught in the uninformed parent trap about eighth grade classes as prerequisites for high school. In the end, we found a workaround and then my ds didn't like the high school anyways.



jennz said:


> Hello Homeschoolers!  I need opinions please...dd is going into 7th grade in the fall, which means going to middle school.  Our school system has an intermediate school for 5th and 6th grades.
> 
> ...
> 
> Final thing - we have a virtual public school here through k12, if we do that she will be in their b&m building twice/week.  Thoughts/experience with that?
> 
> ...
> 
> Thanks everyone!



We used K12's literature, history, science, music and art as independent users in middle school and liked it. Mind you, I was OK with the fact that our younger son wasn't as advanced in lit as his older brother and so didn't do the last year of lit but did the next to last (a 7th or 8th grade course) because I thought that the book selection was too adult for him. You might have your daughter take their online placement tests and see where she falls. You might also want to talk to the virtual school teachers and see if they're looking for all the work or selected assignments to demonstrate mastery. Some of the assignments were pretty long for writing-hating boys and so I modified them.

If the academics are so-so, then it's pretty much the social questions that may answer you. Are the mean girls going to make your daughter miserable? Will it interfere with her friendships or learning? Will her friends support her and she'll have a good time and ignore the mean girls? Is there a reasonable chance that she'll have classes & lunch with her friends?

I'd also see if there are other children who she knows through church, girl scouts, soccer, etc. who are homeschooled who might give her a sense as to what the process might be like.

Good luck with your decision!

NHWX


----------



## bumbershoot

Lachesis00 said:


> My kids are still extremely young...



Watch out...DS started demanding "real school" and compromised on sitdown sessions with workbooks...when he was 3.  I mean, not instantly at 3, but during that year!

***********


I feel like I keep talking about my own stuff without contributing much...I'm sorry...but I gotta say...DS is just about to read!  He's sounding things out, and when he focuses (and doesn't just make up what he wants the word to be, LOL) he does really well!  It's very cool.


----------



## jennz

NHWX said:


> Well, what does your daughter want to do? Can you do partial enrollment? Here in NH we can have our children take classes at the public school. (If there's no room in Honors Biology, you can still take Biology, for instance. Or music or choir or...)
> 
> Do you or your daughter anticipate her going to your public high school? I got caught in the uninformed parent trap about eighth grade classes as prerequisites for high school. In the end, we found a workaround and then my ds didn't like the high school anyways.
> 
> 
> 
> We used K12's literature, history, science, music and art as independent users in middle school and liked it. Mind you, I was OK with the fact that our younger son wasn't as advanced in lit as his older brother and so didn't do the last year of lit but did the next to last (a 7th or 8th grade course) because I thought that the book selection was too adult for him. You might have your daughter take their online placement tests and see where she falls. You might also want to talk to the virtual school teachers and see if they're looking for all the work or selected assignments to demonstrate mastery. Some of the assignments were pretty long for writing-hating boys and so I modified them.
> 
> If the academics are so-so, then it's pretty much the social questions that may answer you. Are the mean girls going to make your daughter miserable? Will it interfere with her friendships or learning? Will her friends support her and she'll have a good time and ignore the mean girls? Is there a reasonable chance that she'll have classes & lunch with her friends?
> 
> I'd also see if there are other children who she knows through church, girl scouts, soccer, etc. who are homeschooled who might give her a sense as to what the process might be like.
> 
> Good luck with your decision!
> 
> NHWX



Thanks for the info, questions and suggestions!  I appreciate it. DD is like me - do we or don't we?  A crystal ball would really help...


----------



## heatherplus3

bumbershoot said:


> Watch out...DS started demanding "real school" and compromised on sitdown sessions with workbooks...when he was 3.  I mean, not instantly at 3, but during that year!
> 
> ***********
> 
> 
> I feel like I keep talking about my own stuff without contributing much...I'm sorry...but I gotta say...DS is just about to read!  He's sounding things out, and when he focuses (and doesn't just make up what he wants the word to be, LOL) he does really well!  It's very cool.



That's funny, my DD4 was the same way! She couldn't wait to have "schoolwork". 

On a side note, I have to thank Bumbershoot! About a year or more ago, we were struggling with DS, then 6. He had just been diagnosed with dyslexia and was exhibiting signs of ADHD and the doctor had suggested medication. We didn't rule out medication, but wanted to try other avenues first. I saw Bumbershoot's thread (I can't remember if you were the OP or contributed) on HFCS and began eliminating it from his diet. The difference was amazing! I felt awful for him, so many times he had been punished for acting wild, etc. All this time it was what I was feeding him!! My parents laughed at me and one day while they were babysitting, gave him some oreos. They weren't laughing when I got home!  It's actually really sad to see him go through the spastic craziness then the emotional meltdown. I think that is the beauty of homeschooling, when an issue arises you can really get to the bottom of it.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

jennz said:


> Hello Homeschoolers!  I need opinions please...dd is going into 7th grade in the fall, which means going to middle school.  Our school system has an intermediate school for 5th and 6th grades.  She is in the gifted program, which for math is basically accelerated, so they're doing 7th grade math this year.   English has more flexibility, and she is being exposed to many different things there.  Socially, the "mean girls" are really starting to come out and they are MEAN!  I don't want her to deal with that.
> 
> Anyway - I've thought about homeschooling her for years.  Pros:  she is a bright kid, we can move ahead once she master's something, we can go more in depth in areas she's interested in, schedule flexibility  Cons:  social aspects - dd is a VERY VERY quiet kid (you could use the s word to describe her) but not lacking in self confidence, she just chooses not to talk to people she doesn't know and isn't too good with small talk (which is probably not that uncommon for 11 year olds) - but it takes her a long time to form a friendship and I don't want to pull her away from her friends; violin - she's taking it at school.
> 
> Final thing - we have a virtual public school here through k12, if we do that she will be in their b&m building twice/week.  Thoughts/experience with that?
> 
> I don't know if I'm thinking about it for her or for me, it needs to be what's best for her so I thought I'd ask for some objective yet informed opinions.  Her education has been fine so far, not exceptional but not horrible.
> 
> Thanks everyone!



Hey!! I have a few thoughts...first of all-mean girls! i went to school with some reaaaal winners! They could have gotten the term from them. I was friends with most of them, but they took turns with certain girls(me included) who they would be mean to. Even tho we were sometimes friends...it didn't exclude me...things got worse until we considered putting me in a private school..for some reason my parents didn't do it. A choice I regret them making..I was smart and popular...but still treated bad because I was a 'good' girl...didn't drink, smoke, skip school with the boys...so, the older we got, the harder it got---I would NEVER put my kids through that if I had other options. All that to say..if you are concerned, pull her out...the friends she has now may or may not be friends later in life....I have only one reaaaally good friend from school--she lived down the street from me and was the first friend I made by myself in Kindergarten so, is it worth seeing those friends, if she may be exposed to worse situations?
 As far a violin...could something be worked out with that? As far as b&m...I don't know what that is!!! Could you explain it? My kids have always been home-except for the oldest who is now in 8th grade...doing 9th grade math...and my 5th grade son does 6th grade math...so yes, you can move them along at the pace THEY need. The older one is the social one and he does need more interaction..but that was also a problem for him in our local public school...he always finished his work first and got in trouble for talking..he would tell me how bored he was. Both boys take guitar, my dd is in ballet and they are very involved with our kids groups at church.... 
 It's not gonna all be perfect..some things will be a sacrifice..but in the long run I think it all pans out and you know when you have made the right decision for your kid! I know this got rambly, but I hope you gleaned something good out of it!


----------



## jennz

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Hey!! I have a few thoughts...first of all-mean girls! i went to school with some reaaaal winners! They could have gotten the term from them. I was friends with most of them, but they took turns with certain girls(me included) who they would be mean to. Even tho we were sometimes friends...it didn't exclude me...things got worse until we considered putting me in a private school..for some reason my parents didn't do it. A choice I regret them making..I was smart and popular...but still treated bad because I was a 'good' girl...didn't drink, smoke, skip school with the boys...so, the older we got, the harder it got---I would NEVER put my kids through that if I had other options. All that to say..if you are concerned, pull her out...the friends she has now may or may not be friends later in life....I have only one reaaaally good friend from school--she lived down the street from me and was the first friend I made by myself in Kindergarten so, is it worth seeing those friends, if she may be exposed to worse situations?
> As far a violin...could something be worked out with that? As far as b&m...I don't know what that is!!! Could you explain it? My kids have always been home-except for the oldest who is now in 8th grade...doing 9th grade math...and my 5th grade son does 6th grade math...so yes, you can move them along at the pace THEY need. The older one is the social one and he does need more interaction..but that was also a problem for him in our local public school...he always finished his work first and got in trouble for talking..he would tell me how bored he was. Both boys take guitar, my dd is in ballet and they are very involved with our kids groups at church....
> It's not gonna all be perfect..some things will be a sacrifice..but in the long run I think it all pans out and you know when you have made the right decision for your kid! I know this got rambly, but I hope you gleaned something good out of it!



Don't worry about the rambly - I love it!  She has told me she would miss her "school only" friends.  We have a nasty girl-clique that's started in the neighborhood and she's not in it, which is a good thing.  She has told me about some bad things on the bus, mostly with the girls (that has really surprised me!); these things aren't to her but I've wondered is just a matter of time?  She refuses to "hang" with these kids, so that's good; now I'm driving her to/from school every day.

B&M - I mean brick & mortar school   I've talked to a friend who had her kids there and they are pretty strict about the kids being there those 2 days and they also don't seem to let your child move ahead, seems to be pretty traditional so I don't think I would go that way.  I want the flexibility in our schedule and for dd to progress at her speed.


----------



## littlepeppers

We changed up our school room again.  I think we've got it now.  School days have been going smooth lately & his stuff looks organized.

We are using an adaptation of the Workbox system to help keep us organized & DS on task.  It took a lot of tweeking, but I think we are moving in a better direction. (Thought about putting him back in school last month.)


----------



## Auggiedaugie

Opinions?  Advice?

I am starting to look into planning for next year, our first year of homeschooling DD9.  This is what I think we are going to go with:

History:  Sonlight Core 3 advanced readers/4 day 
Science:  Sonlight 3DDs choice between 3 or 4
I like the literature approach to the subjects and feel that my DD will benefit from this style of leaning.  I also feel pretty comfortable with the program since I was able to view samples etc.

Math:  Teaching Textbooks.grade 4/5 depending on where she ends this year.
DD used to love math, now she cries over it...but that seems to be the norm for any school work in our home nowadays.  This seems to be a fairly non-stressful program.  I have also thought about Singapore Math but not sure if it would benefit my DD.

Language Arts:  Christian Light Publications.grade 4

Thank You DawnM for that info you posted!  The program seems to have a little bit of everything in Language Arts and not to be too stressful.

Music: may be violin lessons and some sort of appreciation...has anyone done the recorder with their children?

Art:  not sure yet.  She is very interested in art/learning to draw etc so I am still looking at resources.

I am not going to push it but DD is also interested in foreign languages so we may informally do Rosetta Stone Chinese and throw together some French resources as well.

I am just getting my feet wet and appreciate any input.  If you see a theme of non-stressful, you would be correct...the past year and a half have been a rollarcoaster with DD in school.....it just took us 1 1/2 hours to do three reading connections, but that's a whole 'nother story.

Thanks!


----------



## graygables

Auggiedaugie said:


> Opinions?  Advice?
> 
> I am starting to look into planning for next year, our first year of homeschooling DD9.  This is what I think we are going to go with:
> 
> History:  Sonlight Core 3 advanced readers/4 day
> Science:  Sonlight 3DDs choice between 3 or 4
> I like the literature approach to the subjects and feel that my DD will benefit from this style of leaning.  I also feel pretty comfortable with the program since I was able to view samples etc.
> 
> Math:  Teaching Textbooks.grade 4/5 depending on where she ends this year.
> DD used to love math, now she cries over it...but that seems to be the norm for any school work in our home nowadays.  This seems to be a fairly non-stressful program.  I have also thought about Singapore Math but not sure if it would benefit my DD.
> 
> Language Arts:  Christian Light Publications.grade 4
> 
> Thank You DawnM for that info you posted!  The program seems to have a little bit of everything in Language Arts and not to be too stressful.
> 
> Music: may be violin lessons and some sort of appreciation...has anyone done the recorder with their children?
> 
> Art:  not sure yet.  She is very interested in art/learning to draw etc so I am still looking at resources.
> 
> I am not going to push it but DD is also interested in foreign languages so we may informally do Rosetta Stone Chinese and throw together some French resources as well.
> 
> I am just getting my feet wet and appreciate any input.  If you see a theme of non-stressful, you would be correct...the past year and a half have been a rollarcoaster with DD in school.....it just took us 1 1/2 hours to do three reading connections, but that's a whole 'nother story.
> 
> Thanks!



We just got our Teaching Textbooks for math (to replace Math U See) and both DDs (13 & 11) seem to like it.  We've literally had it 2 days, though, so they may decide they hate it next week.  I really like it, though, it seems thorough and engaging.  Singapore math was a disaster for my children.

I did recorder with my oldest 2 DDs, younger 2 have done piano.  Piano is good in that it really teaches how to read the music on the staff as well as chords, and how notes and octaves can be laid out in a linear sense.  Recorder, not so much, but was a good precursor to the flute.

We use Oak Meadow curriculum and I REALLY like that.  It integrates LA, Social Studies, and science very well and with a literature-based program.

I, personally, can't imagine Chinese and French at the same time.  Of course, I can't imagine Chinese at all considering the delicate differences in the language and the closeness of some pronunciations with a fine line between correct and offensive.  IMO, Chinese is best learned directly from a native speaker.  I took German, Spanish, and French as a child and the French just would not stick which proved to be a great source of frustration.  I'm conversational in German, can understand enough Spanish to be dangerous  and can generally speak enough to complete a transaction or give basic directions.  Unless a child is a natural linguist, I would be careful pushing too much in the language direction.


----------



## Auggiedaugie

graygables said:


> I, personally, can't imagine Chinese and French at the same time.  Of course, I can't imagine Chinese at all considering the delicate differences in the language and the closeness of some pronunciations with a fine line between correct and offensive.  IMO, Chinese is best learned directly from a native speaker.  I took German, Spanish, and French as a child and the French just would not stick which proved to be a great source of frustration.  I'm conversational in German, can understand enough Spanish to be dangerous  and can generally speak enough to complete a transaction or give basic directions.  Unless a child is a natural linguist, I would be careful pushing too much in the language direction.



Thanks!  I am not committed to anything at this point, so I will check out Oak Meadow. 
 I do not think she is a natural linguist....but is interested in other languages, kind of like her mama!  I can muddle through reading French/Spanish, but can not have a conversation.  Same with Chinese (we already own Rosetta Stone), I understand the intonations and can help her with that, I don't think I have offended anyone yet, but I have gotten some strange looks now and again.  Anyway, it would definately be more for fun than academics!


----------



## graygables

Auggiedaugie said:


> Thanks!  I am not committed to anything at this point, so I will check out Oak Meadow.
> I do not think she is a natural linguist....but is interested in other languages, kind of like her mama!  I can muddle through reading French/Spanish, but can not have a conversation.  Same with Chinese (we already own Rosetta Stone), I understand the intonations and can help her with that, I don't think I have offended anyone yet, but I have gotten some strange looks now and again.  Anyway, it would definately be more for fun than academics!



You know, she might be interested in learning about linguistics first, along with an initial language.  I was utterly fascinated by the class when I took it in college (I was an English major) and now that I have a better knowledge of the language trees and how to look at the etymology of a word, I can even pick up on some Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, and Creole now and then. I've not seen a linguistics course for homeschoolers, but certainly there are some resources out there for that.

When I was an English teacher, I used to give each of my students a root word each week (i.e. "sci") and have them find as many English words that used the root as they could, so "science", "prescient", "omniscient",  "conscious", for example.


----------



## Auggiedaugie

graygables said:


> You know, she might be interested in learning about linguistics first, along with an initial language.  I was utterly fascinated by the class when I took it in college (I was an English major) and now that I have a better knowledge of the language trees and how to look at the etymology of a word, I can even pick up on some Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, and Creole now and then. I've not seen a linguistics course for homeschoolers, but certainly there are some resources out there for that.
> 
> When I was an English teacher, I used to give each of my students a root word each week (i.e. "sci") and have them find as many English words that used the root as they could, so "science", "prescient", "omniscient",  "conscious", for example.



Wow, I never thought of that!  Thanks!  It is definitely something to look into.


----------



## bumbershoot

heatherplus3 said:


> On a side note, I have to thank Bumbershoot! About a year or more ago, we were struggling with DS, then 6. He had just been diagnosed with dyslexia and was exhibiting signs of ADHD and the doctor had suggested medication. We didn't rule out medication, but wanted to try other avenues first. I saw Bumbershoot's thread (I can't remember if you were the OP or contributed) on HFCS and began eliminating it from his diet. The difference was amazing! I felt awful for him, so many times he had been punished for acting wild, etc. All this time it was what I was feeding him!! My parents laughed at me and one day while they were babysitting, gave him some oreos. They weren't laughing when I got home!  It's actually really sad to see him go through the spastic craziness then the emotional meltdown. I think that is the beauty of homeschooling, when an issue arises you can really get to the bottom of it.




OMG I'm so HAPPY for you!  Isn't that stuff crazy?  I personally think it does something weird to the blood sugar.  Just slams it up really high so they can't do anything but freak out.  But I could be wrong.

But I'm so happy for you and your son and your family.  Plus, you just made my day.  I just told DS, and he's smiling for you guys too.  (little too focused on Legos to speak right now, but that's understandable, legos are fun!)



*littlepeppers*, I love it!


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## DawnM

I haven't used the SL LA for the past couple of years.  Another issue I have is that I have one son who has Asperger's, so SL's open endedness just doesn't work well for him.

This is why he LOVES workbooks too.  He can see the lesson from beginning to end.  He knows exactly what is expected for each lesson.  

I do realize SL is separated into lessons, but it wasn't as clear as a workbook is.

Dawn




disneymom3 said:


> LOL Dawn, I know what you mean about the reality of boys and books.  My 9 yo is now getting into books at almost ten but my visions of everyone cudled up on the couch reading by the fire for hours on end have gone by the wayside.
> 
> Have you used Sonlight in the last couple of years?  I was just wondering because I know that all of their LA have been redone fairly recently.


----------



## lori1043

littlepeppers said:


> We changed up our school room again. I think we've got it now. School days have been going smooth lately & his stuff looks organized.
> 
> We are using an adaptation of the Workbox system to help keep us organized & DS on task. It took a lot of tweeking, but I think we are moving in a better direction. (Thought about putting him back in school last month.)


 
hey south Louisiana girl, I love it!

I am a born and raise south Louisiana girl(not deep south though)- I grew up in River Ridge then lived in Metairie(yucko)- spent the last 10.5 years in Covington(LOVED it, that is HOME) and now we are in Orlando. We've been here 4 days. Yesterday i met some Disneyschoolers, one who is on here that intored me to the group.

keep up the good work- you look VERY organized! I am certainly not, but plan on it soon as we 're in a house. Right now we are in temp housing(get this) less than 5 miles from DD and around the corner from SeaWorld.
Our home we close on is in Clermont, which is about 15 miles from the Mouse.

Homeschooling here is much different, but we will gradually get there!

Lori


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## gerberdaisy1234

Don't know if anyone else did the Homeschool Days through the Y.E.S. program but we got back on Friday from the best ten days EVER!

The Engineering the Magic was great. As a matter of fact, we are making air cannons today.

If anyone would like Sarah's (the cm that helped so many through the process especially those getting longer tickets) manager's or the operations manager's, names and emails so we can let them know how much we appreciated the classes, Y.E.S. programs, the fact they offered extended day tickets (we had ten day hoppers), and the wonderful way Sarah helped us all through the process- PM me.  The more positive comments they receive the better!

Learning at Disney


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## disneymom3

DawnM said:


> I haven't used the SL LA for the past couple of years.  Another issue I have is that I have one son who has Asperger's, so SL's open endedness just doesn't work well for him.
> 
> *This is why he LOVES workbooks too.  He can see the lesson from beginning to end.  He knows exactly what is expected for each lesson.  *
> I do realize SL is separated into lessons, but it wasn't as clear as a workbook is.
> 
> Dawn



Oh my goodness!  My middle one has some very strong Asp. like tendencies and I never realized that this was connected!  That makes so much sense to me now.  Clarifies why Math U See was such a disaster and why Teaching Textbooks is such a relief for him!  Amongst other things of course, but that one really jumps out.

We just got back from our homeschool days trip. Didn't end up participating in any classes because all of them we registered for got cancelled and when I talked to my kids about the Engineering the Magic session they looked like they would all rather eat live worms so we skipped that too.  Had a good but long trip. My one big piece of advice is never ever switch from a DVC two bedroom to a Value after a week.  That room looks REALLY small at that point.


----------



## disneymom3

littlepeppers said:


> We changed up our school room again.  I think we've got it now.  School days have been going smooth lately & his stuff looks organized.
> 
> We are using an adaptation of the Workbox system to help keep us organized & DS on task.  It took a lot of tweeking, but I think we are moving in a better direction. (Thought about putting him back in school last month.)


What is the numbered schedule you have used for?  I liked the idea of the workbox approach, but with three kids there is no way I have room for that much stuff.  Plus DD is in 8th grade and really doesn't need her stuff organized that way.  I went to a checklist instead...was feeling just before Christmas like I wasn't getting anything accomplished at ALL and needed some more organization.

I would guess that many of us have strongly contemplated sending our kids off to school.  Some days it feels like that HAS to be a better option.  What grade is your son in?  As I said, I have three and I have recently decided that second grade is hell on earth.  I hate it, they hate it...don't know if I am doing something wrong or what, but holy cow, I am glad I am on my last second grader!!


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

disneymom3 said:


> We just got back from our homeschool days trip. Didn't end up participating in any classes because all of them we registered for got cancelled and when I talked to my kids about the Engineering the Magic session they looked like they would all rather eat live worms so we skipped that too.



I am sorry you missed the session. My son was worried at first that it was going to be all day. But it was truly a magical part of our trip and I think he enjoyed it more than all of us.

It was fun talking about some of the things we learned about different rides while waiting in line to ride them. We learned that the computer at Space Mountain weighs the vehicles and if one is over a certain weight they hold it for a couple seconds because it will move faster. We were learning about potential energy and kinetic energy. So when our vehicle paused before take off, we all laughed and decided we had had to many Butterfinger cupcakes. Or looking for the magnetic system that creates the electircal energy to launch rockin' roller coaster. 

Or talking to the engineers that design, create, research...the Disney magic. They took time after to talk to students individually and answer questions. They taught my son how the make the trash can size air cannon and the hover mobile chair contraption.

My husband had said he was going to use that time to call his dad but it was so good he stayed the whole time. So it must have been good.

I hope Disney continues to offer opportunites like this to families.


----------



## littlepeppers

lori1043 said:


> hey south Louisiana girl, I love it!
> 
> I am a born and raise south Louisiana girl(not deep south though)- I grew up in River Ridge then lived in Metairie(yucko)- spent the last 10.5 years in Covington(LOVED it, that is HOME) and now we are in Orlando. We've been here 4 days. Yesterday i met some Disneyschoolers, one who is on here that intored me to the group.
> 
> keep up the good work- you look VERY organized! I am certainly not, but plan on it soon as we 're in a house. Right now we are in temp housing(get this) less than 5 miles from DD and around the corner from SeaWorld.
> Our home we close on is in Clermont, which is about 15 miles from the Mouse.
> 
> Homeschooling here is much different, but we will gradually get there!
> 
> Lori



We are in Raceland.  50 miles south of New Orleans.  Living in the WHO DAT NATION!!!!(From the Katrina footage you wouldn't think there is anything south of New Orleans)  

DH's job just built new main office in Covington.  He said his office there is nice, but it is their "back up" control center.  Yeah right, one day it will be the real control center.  Probably after the next hurricane.  

You are killing me being so close to Disney.  DH just turned me down the other day for a March trip.  Good luck w/ the rest of your move.


----------



## littlepeppers

disneymom3 said:


> What is the numbered schedule you have used for?  I liked the idea of the workbox approach, but with three kids there is no way I have room for that much stuff.  Plus DD is in 8th grade and really doesn't need her stuff organized that way.  I went to a checklist instead...was feeling just before Christmas like I wasn't getting anything accomplished at ALL and needed some more organization.
> 
> I would guess that many of us have strongly contemplated sending our kids off to school.  Some days it feels like that HAS to be a better option.  What grade is your son in?  As I said, I have three and I have recently decided that second grade is hell on earth.  I hate it, they hate it...don't know if I am doing something wrong or what, but holy cow, I am glad I am on my last second grader!!



DS is in 2nd grade.  Maybe that is why I wanted to quit homeschooling.  It is hard.  I just think that the reading focus is all wrong, but we have to keep up w/ the wonderful state curr.  I think they should reach a higher fluency level before we worry about comparing/contrasting, main ides, topics, supporting details, point of views, summarizing strategies, generalizations...... & other crazy stuff that we had to do so far.  *65 days left of 2nd grade!!!!!!*

The number schedule holds his clips.  I put them on the boxes & he moves them to the chart as he finished them.  It is just a visual goal.  I like how the workboxes keep me organized & keep him moving (getting them & bringing them back to his room).  Boys can be such kinestetic learners.


----------



## SGMCO

Anyone putting their teen into online High School?
This is a big step for us since he has never done this before
but wants to do it. Hoping the transition will go OK.
I Have been doing research and applying already for next school year.
There are quiet a few to choose from but I have to stick with 
the onlines Schools that are in our county for him to qualify for 
a good county Tech school that offers some courses that 
will count as HS credit and some for College credits.


----------



## P.I. Squirrel

littlepeppers said:


>



I spy Mardi Gras beads!!!!  Have some king cake for us.


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## wvdislover

I am feeling SO frustrated right now!  DD8 was privileged to receive a part in the touring Broadway production of Wizard of Oz as one of the munchkins (they use 12 local kids for this).  I took the school excuse form in to her principal this morning and was told that this would not be counted as an educational absence.  I then found out that her absence she'll have later that same week to perform with her ballet company for a school performance will also not be counted as an educational absence, either.  The principal informed me that each student is allowed 5 personal days for absences (called I5 days), and we used those up when we went to Disney for 8 days back in September.  Then, I was told that the 2 days she missed for swine flu were counted as unexcused b/c I didn't bring in a doctor's note (we didn't take her in...they just called in Tamiflu).  Now, if she misses more than a couple more days of school, the school board will start charging us $100 a day for her absences (some kind of fine), unless we bring in a doctor's note, so even if it's just a bad cold, we'll have to pay $25 to go to the doctor and get a note  

We homeschool her older sister, our DD12, and were planning on starting to homeschool DD8 when she got to middle school, but I'm wondering if we need to rethink that, and start next year, instead.  I hate to do that to her, because she loves school, and is in the gifted program with all of her friends.  She loves her teachers and her friends, too.  She knows that she's going to homeschool in middle school, and is fine with that, but I'm pretty sure she'd be disappointed if she had to start earlier.  I would like her to stay with her friends in school, too, b/c she loves her friends and is getting a lot of great opportunities that she may not get if she doesn't get to stay in the gifted program.  I asked at her IEP meeting if she could stay in the gifted program if she started homeschooling during elementary school, but they couldn't guarantee it.

Anyways, I'm just not sure if I can deal anymore with the school board telling us how to live our lives and deciding if/when our daughter can miss school.  She is making all A's and one B (she messed up on a couple of weekly reading tests, and her teacher only gave 10-12 grades for the whole 9 weeks, so messing up one or 2 assignments drops your grade significantly), and always makes up her work quickly when she does miss school.  Taking our vacations during school breaks isn't possible for us, due to DH's job and the fact that DD12 has mild autism issues, and doesn't function well in crowds...badly, in fact...whole other issue, though.  I think that as long as she's keeping up in school, and doing well in her advanced studies program, her absences shouldn't be an issue.   Unfortunately, the principal is a very "by the books" type of person, and says that doesn't matter...it's just the rule.

Sorry this is so long, but I needed a place to vent my frustrations/ anger/sadness over the whole situation, and I have a feeling that DH is going to side with the school board on this.  Don't want him to put a stop to our yearly family vacations, which he may decide is the best thing, but I feel like we need that time, since our lives are so busy all the time.  Thanks for listening...


----------



## jennz

WOW!!  That is ridiculous!!!  I thought our school was awful - they drop the child's grade by 2% per day for an unexcused, which is anything except a dr's note, but a fine??!!!  How can that even be legal?  

I agree with you about the school board - way too much power there!  Our dd is like yours, gifted program, all A's, but they want to drop it if she misses.  Last year my mom passed away - we knew she had 2 weeks left and I took dd and flew to FL to be with her.  The school actually called my dh and told him he'd have to withdraw her!  DH is usually pretty mild, but this issue pushed him.  We left her in, she made up all her work no problem and they didn't drop her grade.  

We have family coming over in October from Scotland and of course they want to go to Orlando, not come here to Indy.  lol And the rest of my family is in Orlando as well.  We are going to spend a week with them, and I've been thinking about home schooling dd anyway.  So if we leave her in, but then go to Orlando - her grades will have an automatic 10% deduction.  Crazy.


----------



## wvdislover

jennz said:


> WOW!!  That is ridiculous!!!  I thought our school was awful - they drop the child's grade by 2% per day for an unexcused, which is anything except a dr's note, but a fine??!!!  How can that even be legal?
> 
> I agree with you about the school board - way too much power there!  Our dd is like yours, gifted program, all A's, but they want to drop it if she misses.  Last year my mom passed away - we knew she had 2 weeks left and I took dd and flew to FL to be with her.  The school actually called my dh and told him he'd have to withdraw her!  DH is usually pretty mild, but this issue pushed him.  We left her in, she made up all her work no problem and they didn't drop her grade.
> 
> We have family coming over in October from Scotland and of course they want to go to Orlando, not come here to Indy.  lol And the rest of my family is in Orlando as well.  We are going to spend a week with them, and I've been thinking about home schooling dd anyway.  So if we leave her in, but then go to Orlando - her grades will have an automatic 10% deduction.  Crazy.



Now, I would think that it would be illegal to deduct your child's grade b/c she missed school.  I think there should be no repercussions if your child is able to stay caught up and maintain his/her grades.  My DD8 just received her report card last week.  I was surprised when I checked her grades online to see that she only received 9 grades in math for the whole 9 week period.  How much teaching is she missing when I go out of town, if only a few grades are given in such a long time period?  All her other classes only had a few more grades than that (I think one only had 7 grades for the entire 9 weeks)


----------



## Ellester

It's crazy stuff like attendance issues that makes me so glad we homeschool. When I was in high school (way, way back in the 80's!) my dad wanted to take us on a ski trip in February to Lake Tahoe (we lived in South Florida). The policy then was if you had "unexcused" absences over a certain number (it was a low number, like 3 or 4 for the year) you had to make up 1/2 the time you missed in after school detention. I was an honor student, all AP and advanced classes. But, because of this policy I was going to have to sit in detention for 18+ hours! My dad ended up sending me to a Psychologist friend of his who wrote me a note saying my days off were needed for family therapy or some such rubbish. Since I had a Dr.'s note, I was excused and didn't have to go to detention. I cannot believe that a SCHOOL performance would be an unexcused absence, that is just ludicrous! I'm sorry you have to deal with all that. I know it's all about the money in many of these attendance issues, but really, it is crazy!


----------



## littlepeppers

P.I. Squirrel said:


> I spy Mardi Gras beads!!!!  Have some king cake for us.



I think that King Cake is a good thing to give up for Lent.  I think I've had my share & your share for the year, but I'm sure I will have more before the season ends.

Hope you like Cream Cheese filling.


----------



## P.I. Squirrel

littlepeppers said:


> Hope you like Cream Cheese filling.



Cream cheese will be just fine. Yummy!



wvdislover said:


> I took the school excuse form in to her principal this morning and was told that this would not be counted as an educational absence.  Now, if she misses more than a couple more days of school, the school board will start charging us $100 a day for her absences (some kind of fine)  Unfortunately, the principal is a very "by the books" type of person, and says that doesn't matter...it's just the rule.



A lot of people have asked why we HS.  I always say it's not one reason alone, but the entirety of small decisions just like your principal's.  They have no business telling you what is or is not educational for your child.  How would any child actor/dancer in Hollywood be where they are today, if they had a school board like this telling them that the only 'qualified' education is the one they have pre-determined for your child.   I hate the situation you are caught up in, because if it were me, the child would be HS'ing tomorrow.  But, you now are faced with fines or disappointing your child. Some education that leads to, huh?



jennz said:


> WOW!!  That is ridiculous!!!  I thought our school was awful - they drop the child's grade by 2% per day for an unexcused, which is anything except a dr's note, but a fine??!!!  How can that even be legal?



I highly doubt it is legal also, since the school board IMO does not have the authority to tax (which this 'fine' amounts to) without a vote of the citizens.  I have heard of people fighting fines like this in court, and winning, having the entire fine process declared unconstitutional.



Ellester said:


> It's crazy stuff like attendance issues that makes me so glad we homeschool.



I totally agree with your post.  Too many times, teachers and administrators enforce 'black and white' policies without looking at the 'gray'.  They simply justify their decision by saying 'It's in the handbook, sorry.'  They either are unallowed or unwilling to look at individual issues, but must decide for the group as a whole.  That thought is what catches folks like us in situations where we must decide between our children's schooling, or (as in a previous post) attending a family member's funeral.  Just senseless.


----------



## MiniGirl

I'm with ya'll on the attendance policies. My oldest dd's last year in public school was tough. We went on a cruise in Sept. After that though, dd was sick a lot -- colds, sore throat. We didn't go to the doctor for all of these things and so she had a lot of unexcused absences. I was told if she missed any more school w/o a doc's note, she would be held back a year. She was having no problem academically and was performing at the top of her class. Crazy!!!

I would not say this is THE reason we homeschool, but not dealing with the school has been a major plus.

wvdislover, I'm sorry you are being put in this position. Our school used to have students that would go attend for just the gifted program or just music or art or something like that. Have you called the district office to ask exactly what the policy is with regardings to homeschooling and remaining in the gifted program? Might be worth looking into.


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## wvdislover

MiniGirl said:


> I'm with ya'll on the attendance policies. My oldest dd's last year in public school was tough. We went on a cruise in Sept. After that though, dd was sick a lot -- colds, sore throat. We didn't go to the doctor for all of these things and so she had a lot of unexcused absences. I was told if she missed any more school w/o a doc's note, she would be held back a year. She was having no problem academically and was performing at the top of her class. Crazy!!!
> 
> I would not say this is THE reason we homeschool, but not dealing with the school has been a major plus.
> 
> wvdislover, I'm sorry you are being put in this position. Our school used to have students that would go attend for just the gifted program or just music or art or something like that. Have you called the district office to ask exactly what the policy is with regardings to homeschooling and remaining in the gifted program? Might be worth looking into.



I did ask last year at her IEP meeting if she would still be able to participate in the gifted program if we decided to homeschool her.  They said there was no guarantee that she would be able to participate, that it depended on the teacher, how much space was left in the program, etc.  I may talk to her gifted teacher and get her opinion on the matter, though.

Thanks, everybody, for the support.  I really appreciate it.  Still haven't been able to discuss it with DH.  I'll keep you guys informed


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## Pooki

Hi all   I am seriously considering HSing my 1st and 3rd graders, and I've been non-stop reading trying to learn as much as I can before we seriously make the dive.  I've read up to page 40-something on this thread and have learned SO much so far! Love you guys!

I just wanted to know how you handle teaching the same subject for multiple children?  My kids are 2 years apart, and I'd like to group things like history and science together, but I am not sure how others handle it.  I know that I could make the work or writing assignments easier/harder, but how do I know what to cover?  If I follow something like "What Your ____ Needs To Know," would I begin with the earlier age and work up? Is there a good resource I could use that shows how others handle lessons this way?

Also, is anyone here by chance a military family overseas?  I've read on the HSLDA site regarding people in my situation, but I was just wondering if I'd still have to follow the guidelines of my resident state.  All HSLDA really mentioned was the attendance policy.  I'm sure there are more resources out there I could look into, I just thought I'd tag that along with this post 

If we decide to HS I'll probably end up starting perhaps around spring break, so I'm sure I'll have several more questions for you veterans in the meantime   Thanks in advance!


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## Ellester

Pooki said:


> Hi all   I am seriously considering HSing my 1st and 3rd graders, and I've been non-stop reading trying to learn as much as I can before we seriously make the dive.  I've read up to page 40-something on this thread and have learned SO much so far! Love you guys!
> 
> I just wanted to know how you handle teaching the same subject for multiple children?  My kids are 2 years apart, and I'd like to group things like history and science together, but I am not sure how others handle it.  I know that I could make the work or writing assignments easier/harder, but how do I know what to cover?  If I follow something like "What Your ____ Needs To Know," would I begin with the earlier age and work up? Is there a good resource I could use that shows how others handle lessons this way?
> 
> Also, is anyone here by chance a military family overseas?  I've read on the HSLDA site regarding people in my situation, but I was just wondering if I'd still have to follow the guidelines of my resident state.  All HSLDA really mentioned was the attendance policy.  I'm sure there are more resources out there I could look into, I just thought I'd tag that along with this post
> 
> If we decide to HS I'll probably end up starting perhaps around spring break, so I'm sure I'll have several more questions for you veterans in the meantime   Thanks in advance!



I combine my 11 & 8 year old dd's for history, social studies, and science. My 11yo obviously picks up more than the 8yo (and WAY more than my 5yo son who sometimes listens in), but I'm not expecting them to be history or science experts at this point. I would highly suggest checking out www.sonlight.com. Sonlight has lots of info on combining kids and their message boards are FULL of overseas folks, military and missionaries mostly. They will be happy to send you a free catalog. Even if you don't go with Sonlight, I'm sure you can get lots of oversea's info from their boards. I have a friend HS'ing in Italy right now (Army). I don't remember if there is anyone on this board overseas, but there might be. There might be HS group on your post, I know ALOT of military families here (we're near Ft. Benning) homeschool. Actually, I now see you are in Japan. One of the ladies on another board I am on is in the process of moving from Okinawa to Japan. She may be coming your way, she has homeschooled for years. If you can PM me your info, I can see if she is near you. She is very helpful on the board I am on, so I would imagine she would be willing to help.


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## Pooki

Elle - thanks so much for your response! I was considering using Sonlight for some subjects, as I heard it is a good one to teach with multiple children, so thank you for the reassurance.  And thanks for the info about the boards, too, been poking around to see what all I can find.  We are stationed in Atsugi, so we are a bit far from Oki   I'll PM you my info anyways, any help is wonderful since I'm brand new! Again, I really appreciate your input.


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## graygables

Pooki said:


> Hi all   I just wanted to know how you handle teaching the same subject for multiple children?



One of the things we did for awhile was lapbooking (www.handsofachild.com).  It was very easy for each child to add her own spin to the book, plus they really enjoyed it a lot.


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## bigDISdaddy

I have a friend who has recently started home schooling. We live in PA., and he asked me for help locating an evaluator, and recommending an evauation test for 3rd grade. I have no idea where to begin to look to help them.

Any suggestions from PA home schoolers would be great.
Thanks.


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## KristyBDJ

Help Me!  I have been tossing the idea of homeshooling around for a while now and like the idea more and more every day. I have 4 kids(see my sig) and I feel that the education they do and will receive in public school isn't quite what I want for them if you know what I mean. Anyway...I have the legal end figured out as far as I can tell but I really need help figuring out the rest. I have absolutely no idea where to start with curriculum especially. I really need advice, it's all so overwhelming! I know everyone will have their favorites of course but a jumping off point would be helpful. Oh, and I'm not looking for anything that's really faith-based (if that exists)although I'm not totally opposed either. Religion and faith aren't my reasons for homeschooling so that isn't really important to me I guess.  Also, if anyone lives near Appleton it would be great to have someone local to get advice from. TIA guys!


----------



## Pooki

I've pretty much decided that I _will_ homeschool!    Tonight I'm going to a gathering of sorts, and a woman will be there who homeschools her two girls, so I will talk to her tonight about it.  Apparently HSing overseas for military families is fairly easy as there is no state or host nation regulations, but to make sure I'm not missing some sort of huge loop, I want to talk to this HSing mom.  I am somewhat sad to take my children out of school because it really is a great school, but I'm afraid that DS6, who I'm very convinced has ADHD, will end up falling behind.  He's smart, but because he loses focus so easily, and he has some issues with writing (he is a lefty and its hard for him), and I think a one-on-one approach would suit him best.  DD8 is brilliant, and I'm nervous to take her out because of that, but I think I can also nurture that in ways she needs rather than staying on course with the rest of her class.

I've been reading nonstop regarding curriculums and classes, and I think I've decided to piece together the ones I like best rather than a package deal.  I'm heavily leaning towards:  

_Learning Language Arts Through Literature:_ I like that you can work your own choices of literature
_Great Science Adventures:_ We can pick and choose what area of science we are interested in, this series is geared towards many age groups, seems to involve creativity, and I'd like to supplement it with science activity books since my kids LOVE science
_Saxon or Math-U-See:_ Haven't really decided
_Mystery of History:_ Probably leaning towards this, as it does history chronologically, I can teach this to both of my kids at the same time, and apparently is very interesting for the kiddos
_Rosetta Stone_ for language

I'm probably going to buy the Spongebob typing game for DD, she almost finished learning typing in school, but I'm sure she would love the extra practice (especially if its Spongebob) and DS can use it when he's a wee bit older.  I haven't looked into any health/wellness type books yet, and I'm not concerned with PE as they are HEAVILY involved in activities, but I'm considering doing a "run club" similar to what the school does.


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## Pooki

KristyBDJ said:


> Help Me!  I have been tossing the idea of homeshooling around for a while now and like the idea more and more every day. I have 4 kids(see my sig) and I feel that the education they do and will receive in public school isn't quite what I want for them if you know what I mean. Anyway...I have the legal end figured out as far as I can tell but I really need help figuring out the rest. I have absolutely no idea where to start with curriculum especially. I really need advice, it's all so overwhelming! I know everyone will have their favorites of course but a jumping off point would be helpful. Oh, and I'm not looking for anything that's really faith-based (if that exists)although I'm not totally opposed either. Religion and faith aren't my reasons for homeschooling so that isn't really important to me I guess.  Also, if anyone lives near Appleton it would be great to have someone local to get advice from. TIA guys!



Kristy, I've been doing a lot of research regarding HSing lately also, and I admit there is so much to learn!! 

I would suggest borrowing a copy of 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy.  This book seems to be the ultimate field guide regarding the different curriculum out there, as well as why she likes it compared to others.

To be honest, I did not actually _read_ this book, but as I learned about a different curriculum that intrigued me, I used the book as a reference and see what was said about it.  I actually have been reading this forum for days on end, taking notes about almost everything I could (pros and cons, unique ideas, as well as recommended curriculum), and as a specific program or series was mentioned, I googled it, read reviews, priced it, and looked in the Duffy book.  They have "packaged" sets you can use, such as Sonlight or A Beka, which has all of the courses you would want (or only pick and choose what you need), but I personally decided to pick and choose what I thought would appeal to my kids (you can read my post directly above regarding what I'm leaning towards if you are interested.  Only Mystery of History leans towards Christian views that I'm aware, but that is ok with me).

Since I have still yet to start HSing, I am certainly no authority on any of this, but I just thought I'd share what I have been doing lately since we seem to be on similar boats at the moment   It is a lot of work, but its also so rewarding being able to have a hand in your child's education and cater to their learning styles and interests! I can't wait!


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## graygables

KristyBDJ said:


> I have absolutely no idea where to start with curriculum especially. I really need advice, it's all so overwhelming! I know everyone will have their favorites of course but a jumping off point would be helpful. Oh, and I'm not looking for anything that's really faith-based (if that exists)although I'm not totally opposed either. Religion and faith aren't my reasons for homeschooling so that isn't really important to me I guess.  Also, if anyone lives near Appleton it would be great to have someone local to get advice from. TIA guys!



We have been using Oak Meadow for everything but math and I really like it.  It is literature-based and not at all faith-biased. My Opinion: We are Christians and I feel that there is a place for that education for my children, but it's not in their grammar or science books.

For math, we just started using Teaching Textbooks.  We were using Math U See, but without much success.  Teaching Textbooks seems to be a much better program for my fidgety DDs.


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## monkey30

I am not a HSing mom, but envy those who are! Just wanted to pop in and say way to go! U have way more patience then I do. 

I would like to because of the public system here is not the best (I miss the city!) and being a small community we have no where else to even send them. There is no private ones around here. 
I will be catching up on the posts here over the next little while as I have time, who knows maybe I will do it, you never know!


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## Denine

When I read posts about attendence policies, it makes me so glad we don't have to deal with that!

We are going to Williamsburg on the 27th for a week for HS days there and in Yorktown and Jamestown.  It should be a lot of fun and educational.

Second grade hasn't been too bad, but I really hate composition!  Today DD had to take notes so she can write a biography over the next few days.

We will once again be doing the California Achievement Test next month so I can turn in the scores to the school for next year.


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## StuckInKS

KristyBDJ said:


> Help Me!  I have been tossing the idea of homeshooling around for a while now and like the idea more and more every day. I have 4 kids(see my sig) and I feel that the education they do and will receive in public school isn't quite what I want for them if you know what I mean. Anyway...I have the legal end figured out as far as I can tell but I really need help figuring out the rest. I have absolutely no idea where to start with curriculum especially. I really need advice, it's all so overwhelming! I know everyone will have their favorites of course but a jumping off point would be helpful. Oh, and I'm not looking for anything that's really faith-based (if that exists)although I'm not totally opposed either. Religion and faith aren't my reasons for homeschooling so that isn't really important to me I guess.  Also, if anyone lives near Appleton it would be great to have someone local to get advice from. TIA guys!



Kristy,

I started HSing my DD last year for K. I didn't have a clue about what to get, so I had her do a bunch of BrainQuest books, etc. I found a program called K12 that seemed to be good (had all the subject, electives, etc) but cost about $5,000 per kid/yr for everything. BUT many public school systems throughout the country use their stuff for HSers and it is FREE since it is through the public school system. so, instead of paying $5,000 a kid, we get all of our books and misc learning materials (blocks, beads, scale, paint, clay, map, blow up globes, counters, individual books for Lang Arts, etc) free. It is the best thing we could have hoped for.

My DD is enrolled in the public school system, without going to public school (which means permanent records and transcripts when she needs them,) we have an 'education specialist' that lives close and calls bi-weekly to go over how DD is doing, any questions we have, etc., and she can move through the courses at her own pace. They do test for reading/math when you enroll and place her in a reading/math level based on those tests. My daughters tests placed her in K math at the beginning of the year, but by Oct we already had the 1st grade books and materials. We are now halfway through 1st grade math. We can also continue working through the summer, which we will likely do. 

I looked for WI and there is a public school option in your state. It does not matter what district the school is in, as long as you are a resident of that state, you can attend. I would go to K12(dot)com and check it out. It works perfectly for us and I have had to spend $0 on her education this year. They literally give you everything you will need, except the pencils. For example, if you have a K or 1st grader, you will get the Phonics Works program, which comes with two binders full of letter/sound tiles, teachers book, student pages, three white boards, markers and eraser, sight words flash cards and step-readers. They sent us paint, clay and oil pastels for art, scales for science, globes, maps and history-related story books (like The Egyptian Cinderella) for history and a TON of manipulatives for math. We also received 10-15 individual books each for K and 1st Lang Arts, so we don't even have to hunt them own n the library. They also do the Handwriting without Tears, which I have seen other HSers on DIS mention. 

Our district also gives each child a laptop computer to use while they are in the program. I don't know if your school would do this or not. It should be mentioned that ALL K12 students use the same materials, no matter if they are going through a public school or paying the full K12 tuition themselves. Your DD won't be using the same books that are used in your state's public schools. Although the books are made by major text book publishers, they are specifically for HSers (as an example, my DDs math book mentions 'your child' in several places, even though it looks like a book they would use in school.)


----------



## KristyBDJ

StuckInKS said:


> Kristy,
> 
> I started HSing my DD last year for K. I didn't have a clue about what to get, so I had her do a bunch of BrainQuest books, etc. I found a program called K12 that seemed to be good (had all the subject, electives, etc) but cost about $5,000 per kid/yr for everything. BUT many public school systems throughout the country use their stuff for HSers and it is FREE since it is through the public school system. so, instead of paying $5,000 a kid, we get all of our books and misc learning materials (blocks, beads, scale, paint, clay, map, blow up globes, counters, individual books for Lang Arts, etc) free. It is the best thing we could have hoped for.
> 
> My DD is enrolled in the public school system, without going to public school (which means permanent records and transcripts when she needs them,) we have an 'education specialist' that lives close and calls bi-weekly to go over how DD is doing, any questions we have, etc., and she can move through the courses at her own pace. They do test for reading/math when you enroll and place her in a reading/math level based on those tests. My daughters tests placed her in K math at the beginning of the year, but by Oct we already had the 1st grade books and materials. We are now halfway through 1st grade math. We can also continue working through the summer, which we will likely do.
> 
> I looked for WI and there is a public school option in your state. It does not matter what district the school is in, as long as you are a resident of that state, you can attend. I would go to K12(dot)com and check it out. It works perfectly for us and I have had to spend $0 on her education this year. They literally give you everything you will need, except the pencils. For example, if you have a K or 1st grader, you will get the Phonics Works program, which comes with two binders full of letter/sound tiles, teachers book, student pages, three white boards, markers and eraser, sight words flash cards and step-readers. They sent us paint, clay and oil pastels for art, scales for science, globes, maps and history-related story books (like The Egyptian Cinderella) for history and a TON of manipulatives for math. We also received 10-15 individual books each for K and 1st Lang Arts, so we don't even have to hunt them own n the library. They also do the Handwriting without Tears, which I have seen other HSers on DIS mention.
> 
> Our district also gives each child a laptop computer to use while they are in the program. I don't know if your school would do this or not. It should be mentioned that ALL K12 students use the same materials, no matter if they are going through a public school or paying the full K12 tuition themselves. Your DD won't be using the same books that are used in your state's public schools. Although the books are made by major text book publishers, they are specifically for HSers (as an example, my DDs math book mentions 'your child' in several places, even though it looks like a book they would use in school.)



I've looked into this kind of option as well through Connections Academy. I was concerned about flexibility though. One of the reasons I want to HS is to tech my kids how, when and what they want and works for them. Is the program flexible in that way or do you just follow along and nothing else? Also, WI does not require your children to take any sort of standardized tests of any kind when you do true HS'ing and I like that. With options like you are using testing and progress checks are required right? I would have to enroll my oldest in Connections by Feb 19 I think since that's the deadline for open enrollment in WI. Need to make my decisions FAST! Thanks for your help by the way!


----------



## summerrluvv

I haven't read the entire thread so I apologize if this has already been discussed, but does anyone homeschool their child(ren) with special needs? If so, how does that work with their therapies such as speech and OT? Do you take your DC to the school to receive those?


----------



## StuckInKS

KristyBDJ said:


> I've looked into this kind of option as well through Connections Academy. I was concerned about flexibility though. One of the reasons I want to HS is to tech my kids how, when and what they want and works for them. Is the program flexible in that way or do you just follow along and nothing else? Also, WI does not require your children to take any sort of standardized tests of any kind when you do true HS'ing and I like that. With options like you are using testing and progress checks are required right? I would have to enroll my oldest in Connections by Feb 19 I think since that's the deadline for open enrollment in WI. Need to make my decisions FAST! Thanks for your help by the way!



As far as flexibility, we are in charge of every aspect of my DDs school days, such as where she starts, when she does her lessons, etc. We get the books and the 'school' isn't really involved at all. You can do your day like a reg school day and work 5 days a week for 9 months or not. We only work 2-3 hours a day and will do it year round, so that she doesn't fall behind her grade level. We also skip some chapters if she already knows the material or put aside chapters that she is having difficulty with, to come back to later in the 'year'. When we finish with a course level, we can get the next one, so she can move as fast as she wants. Although I am sure all Education Specialists are different (and your school may not assign them,) ours likes to talk once every two weeks to see if I have any questions and to administer any state-required testing. For example, my daughter must take the Diebls test 3 times a year, but the public and private schools in our area require it; it is not a K12 thing. Beyond that, she doesn't do anything else or interfere in any way. I have informed them that we are quitting history, science and art for now to focus on reading and math and will pick it back up over the summer. Both she and the school are fine with that, as that is what works for us. They don't keep track of where we are or what we have or have not done. What we do is mark off each lesson, unit or chapter as we complete it in the online learning center and once a course is 80% to 90% complete, we are automatically sent books for the next level.

As far as testing, K12 offers printable tests that parents can give their children and then use the results to determine which materials to buy. You can see all the tests and get the info on how to 'grade' them here https://eprcontent.k12.com/placement/placement/placement_langarts_2.html for Phonics/Lamg Arts/English and here https://eprcontent.k12.com/placement/placement/placement_math_2.html for math. We had to complete these for our school, so they could tell K12 which books to send us. They took us about 10 minutes each to complete. If I were buying my own stuff through K12, I could give these tests to my child myself so that I would know which books she needed; but since the school orders them, they needed to know what to order. For the other subjects, they will just send you material for whichever grade-level you are applying for.

All that said, your school could run differently then ours. K12 just provides the material and online learning center, everything else is up to the school. Your school may not be as lenient, or more so. For us, it works great as I really wanted to get K12 material for her, but didn't have the $5,000 for full enrollment (material for all subjects + online learning center for all subjects). This way we get it without out-of-pocket cost AND we still have full control over when, how and where my DD learns.

But remember, with this option your DD will be enrolled in the public school system. What ever testing is required, she will likely have to do, but it could be done from home. My DDs Diebls tests are done over the PC using Elluminate. I don't mind the testing and I like the fact that she will get a real diploma and have transcripts from a real school district when she needs them. If you don't want all of that, you could always purchase the material from K12 yourself (courses and even individual books, workbooks and 'add on' material are available a la carte) if you like the materials they offer. Full enrollment with 4-6 core courses + electives + access to the online learning center for all of those courses is pricey. 

You could always enroll your DD and see what you think and simply remove her from the school if it is not for you.


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## sl_underwood

I homeschool my son who has special needs.  He does not go to the schools for anything.  He goes to private therapists for PT, OT, and Speech.  His PT and OT are about 70 miles away and only twice a month.  They primarily teach me what to do with him so I can work on it every day.  His speech is nearby and twice a week.  She also helps teach me so I can work with him daily.  I was told that the PS have to provide it but as they werent doing much when he was in school I really dont trust them to do much now that he isnt.  A great OT resource is the out of sync child has fun.  And a great speech book is It takes two to talk- cant remember the authors names on these but both books are great resources.  PM me if you have any other questions. I would be more than willing to share all that I have learned.


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## Diskids Mom

Please, please forgive me if I'm doing this wrong.  I need all the help I can get, as this is my VERY FIRST POST on the Disboards!  I haunted them for awhile a few years back when people were asking for a section for homeschoolers somewhere, anywhere on here.  I guess now we have one!  Hooray!!  (should there be a dancing banana here?  I'll put one just in case.  )  

I'm a homeschool mom from Texas.  We're in our seventh year of homeschooling.  We're eclectic, theme-based, etc.  We use KONOS and Story of the World and lately we've begun doing themes centered around Walt Disney World.  This is what inspired me to come back to the boards, hoping to network with other Disney-addicted homeschool families.  Has anyone else done Disney based unit studies on here?  (I read quite a bit of the thread, but not all!)


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## bumbershoot

Welcome, *Diskids Mom*!

I don't have answers for you, but since I was about to post right after your Very First Post, I wanted to say hi.  


********

About K12 through the system...I went to an ice cream social held in my area, and the lady who ran it was so so useless.  Her shining moment was when she said that I would be, and I quote, "like a TA" to my son.

Yeahhhh, that's NOT what I'm yearning to be, by homeschooling.

She gave no verbal info, clutched a bunch of folders in her hand and gave them to no one...I had to ask for one and she looked surprised about my interest.  I guess she thought I was just there for the ice cream?  Considering I had none (hate hate hate Cold Stone Creamery) and DH and DS shared one tiny scoop of chocolate (the only CSC ice cream you can have if you can't have corn syrup products), I don't think she was being very observant.

It was really sad, because I was very interested.  It seems like a nice, non-religious curriculum, though of course you can't even crack open a book until you sign up or buy it.  But she gave me nothing.  And a very specific email asking specific questions came back replied with....check the website.  Dude...how do you think I got your email address to write those specific questions?

Anyway, it was very disappointing.


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## nono

monkey30 said:


> I am not a HSing mom, but envy those who are! Just wanted to pop in and say way to go! U have way more patience then I do.



Re: more patience, I doubt it!   

I find this one of the most pervasive labels assigned to me as a hs Mom.  I'm not particularly patient at all.  And my kids know it.    So, when I say it's time to start school, they start.  When I say, "FOCUS and stop falling off your chair," they do.   

Now, what you may be thinking is how to keep your kids "in control" past that.  But, I find I don't need to do so.  The materials available today are very engaging and interesting, so my kids are drawn into learning.  All I have to do is gauge when they are getting overwhelmed or bored.  If so, we take a break from the material for a few days and substitute other schoolwork.  Or we pick up the pace and keep with the same material.  Things you can't do in a classroom full of children.

So, I promise, lots of patience isn't required. Trust me.


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## livie1205

Hi huys! I just started my son in Florida Virtual School full time...he loves it.He was not doing well in reg school...he has some med problems and he kept falling behind and just not keeping up.He now does all his work in about 3 hours and is ahead on his assignments! I was very leary of taking him out of school but it seems we get more attention from the teachers this way and it is easy for me to know what he is doing.When he was in school (middle school) I could not ever find out what he was doing or what he wasnt doing.Its good to see they have a whole thread for this!


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## graygables

KristyBDJ said:


> I've looked into this kind of option as well through Connections Academy. I was concerned about flexibility though. One of the reasons I want to HS is to tech my kids how, when and what they want and works for them. Is the program flexible in that way or do you just follow along and nothing else?



We did K12 in a virtual school setting (public school), so here's my EXPERIENCE/OPINION, your mileage may vary.  It was a public school.  At home.  There are attendance requirements and progress requirements and teacher phone calls and face to face requirements, etc.  Understandably, some of this will vary by state, but please do remember it is a PUBLIC school and you are your child's "facilitator", they have a teacher.  While this works fabulously for some people, it did not work for our family.  For starters, I travelled.  a LOT.  and I took the kids with me.  They have been to every state east of the Mississippi except for (ironically) Mississippi.   They have seen more of this country and its heritage through travel than most kids get in their whole lives.  K12 had a problem with that.  I was well within our times/days, but I was always getting calls or emails about attendance.  Thanks, but no thanks.  My now 13-yo has selective mutism and asperger's.  She's not a chatty kid.  Her teacher would get upset because she would call and DD refused to talk to her.  IEP or no IEP, it became an issue.

The curriculum, while excellent, is rigorous.  Code of Hammurabi in the 2nd grade.  Yeah, it took me until my sophomore year in college and I was an history major!   Some children revel in the challenge, mine were frustrated by it.  In hindsight, I'm not sure it was the actual curriculum as much as it was the overwhelming amount of "stuff" they HAD to do (art and music were actual lessons in addition to what I already had them doing).  I don't believe that all children, and most certainly not mine, are the most brilliant, darling, little geniuses, so I prefer they learn on their terms and how they learn best as opposed to more of the same programming from a traditional public school.

Children are naturally inquisitive and are wired to learn as long as grown ups don't burn it out of them.  We unschooled for some time, using lapbooks and online resources frequently until this year when we've moved into Oak Meadow as DDs both seemed more stable and prepared for a curriculum again. In the meantime, 11yo can give Ace of Cakes a run for his money,can make a mean alfredo, and has already bookmarked a few culinary schools.  She is also working on ways to help combat violence against seal pups and knows all about the various seal species, habitats, etc.  These are not things that K12 or any rigid curriculum could have taught her.


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## KristyBDJ

Thanks for the advice on the K12 option everyone. I have looked into it as well as other similar options. I don't think its what I want. I agree that it's probably great for lots of families but to me it would be just like sending them to school but without the drive there. I want to teach them how, what and when I want so I'll go with "traditional" HS. I still would love more tips on curriculum though. Thanks for the ones you guys have given me so far! I really am excited to get started. I want to start right now! We're going to let them finish the school year though and have summer off as usual.


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## cbjl

You could check with some of the curriculum companies to see if you can get a free demo account - k12 offers free short-term demo accounts so you can "try before you buy."  I know you mentioned that k12 is probably not for you, but I would guess that other companies might offer something similar.

I'm pretty sure that there is an active HS group for the Fox Cities (at least there used to be) - WPA might have some contact info.

Good luck!


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## sahmoftwo

Hi there!  Just wanted to respond to the post about homeschooling special needs kids.  My dd has a lang. processing disorder so she qualifies for speech through the PS.  She starts K next year and the coordinator was telling me that whatever services she would receive at the school they will send to my house if I homeschool.  So since she would receive 30 min. of speech at the school (1x a week) they will send a speech path. to my house once a week.  I live in TX, so I'm not sure if other states are the same way.  HTH!


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## DisneyMom5

summerrluvv said:


> I haven't read the entire thread so I apologize if this has already been discussed, but does anyone homeschool their child(ren) with special needs? If so, how does that work with their therapies such as speech and OT? Do you take your DC to the school to receive those?



My son started therapy before he was school age (brain injury at almost 3years old).  Where we live (small city) you have to go to the school for therapy if you are over age 3 and want county sponsered therapy, and that's only on a limited basis.
We found private therapy instead, and it's covered by our insurance (at the moment, they sometimes freak out for a few weeks and don't cover him.)

Anyway, I know that's not an option for everyone, but he is able to get his 3-4 hours of therapy, where at school it probably would only be 1-2 hours (if that.)

It pays to research both options and see what is covered!


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## BABY_EINSTEIN'S_MOM

graygables said:


> We did K12 in a virtual school setting (public school), so here's my EXPERIENCE/OPINION, your mileage may vary.  It was a public school.  At home.  There are attendance requirements and progress requirements and teacher phone calls and face to face requirements, etc.  Understandably, some of this will vary by state, but please do remember it is a PUBLIC school and you are your child's "facilitator", they have a teacher.  While this works fabulously for some people, it did not work for our family.  For starters, I travelled.  a LOT.  and I took the kids with me.  They have been to every state east of the Mississippi except for (ironically) Mississippi.   They have seen more of this country and its heritage through travel than most kids get in their whole lives.  K12 had a problem with that.  I was well within our times/days, but I was always getting calls or emails about attendance.  Thanks, but no thanks.  *My now 13-yo has selective mutism *and asperger's.  She's not a chatty kid.  Her teacher would get upset because she would call and DD refused to talk to her.  IEP or no IEP, it became an issue.
> 
> The curriculum, while excellent, is rigorous.  Code of Hammurabi in the 2nd grade.  Yeah, it took me until my sophomore year in college and I was an history major!   Some children revel in the challenge, mine were frustrated by it.  In hindsight, I'm not sure it was the actual curriculum as much as it was the overwhelming amount of "stuff" they HAD to do (art and music were actual lessons in addition to what I already had them doing).  I don't believe that all children, and most certainly not mine, are the most brilliant, darling, little geniuses, so I prefer they learn on their terms and how they learn best as opposed to more of the same programming from a traditional public school.
> 
> Children are naturally inquisitive and are wired to learn as long as grown ups don't burn it out of them.  We unschooled for some time, using lapbooks and online resources frequently until this year when we've moved into Oak Meadow as DDs both seemed more stable and prepared for a curriculum again. In the meantime, 11yo can give Ace of Cakes a run for his money,can make a mean alfredo, and has already bookmarked a few culinary schools.  She is also working on ways to help combat violence against seal pups and knows all about the various seal species, habitats, etc.  These are not things that K12 or any rigid curriculum could have taught her.




I just had to comment when I noticed a post that referenced selective mutism. My dd10 also has SM.  I was lurking here because returning to homeschooling is always an option for us.


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## amez

I appologize if this has been answered, but here is our experience for what it's worth  

We homeschooled up until this year-my son received speech tharapy that we paid for w/ our insurance.  We actually went to the a local hospital for the speech tharapy.

At the beginning of the year I placed all my children in public school. 
Ten weeks into the year they had only just evaluated him and determined he needed speech-but more paperwork and stuff would have to be filled out etc.  

For various reasons public school wasn't a good fit for my son, so I decided to do public school at home through a charter school using K12.  Since they are a public school they will pay for services. However I have opted to do an at home speech program (that they pay for) to work with him daily instead of taking him back to the hospital for speech tharapy (which they also would pay for). I am comfortable with this-he has had speech tharapy for several years-I've already been working with him using the advise of the tharapist. 

I know others on here haven't liked k12, but I am really loving it. I had been putting together my kids work for several years while homeschooling and had become so burned out. K12 was so similar to what I was trying to create. Your kids can just assess out of items they already know - you are not tied to teaching everything by the book-go as quickly or as slowly over topics as your child needs to. We finish fairly quickly most days and have plenty of time to do other things as well.  It takes just a few seconds to log attendance each day-and I love having a schedule online that I can manipulate to fit our needs and know when we will complete everything for the year.

Yes, there is testing, and we have conferences with teachers, but really it doesn't intrude on our life very much at all. My son loves going on class connect and having an interact lesson with his teacher and other students.

We had attended a gathering before we joined and we got a chance to touch and look through many of the books that we would be using. 

In the fall, my other children will be back home and we will be using k12 for everyone.

Amy


summerrluvv said:


> I haven't read the entire thread so I apologize if this has already been discussed, but does anyone homeschool their child(ren) with special needs? If so, how does that work with their therapies such as speech and OT? Do you take your DC to the school to receive those?


----------



## Nicolepa

From what I have heard your experience w/a K12 Virtual Academy depends greatly on which state you are with.  I am in Washington and I have found it pretty hands off.  My son (2nd grade) has to log on 1x a week and send an email to his teacher and we have to talk to her on the phone 1x a month.   Form talking to others this varies greatly as well, depending on your teacher.  There is no in person contact required.  You have monthly % goals based upon the # of school days in the month but attendance hasn't been a problem since I figured out that it doesn't have to be a full day.  You can do spelling words for 15 minutes, log it and it's a day of school.  Right now I have 105 days or so of school logged.  Today we went to Imagine Kids museum.  I will log some art and science time.   

For my child the 2nd grade curriculum hasn't been enough for him.  We finished math 2 in 4 months, could have done it sooner.  We are 25% done with 3rd grade math in 5 weeks.  We will finish all the rest of our 2nd grade courses at the end of March and start 3rd grade in April.  I've heard over and over there is a big jump from 2nd - 3rd and I truely hope that is the case because so far it hasn't been challenging for my child.  But I hear over and over from users that it is lightyears ahead of the public school.  So far I'm still waiting to see that.  We are doing an extra 4% a month (which is about an extra week) and we are still done in 2-3 hours a day (if he stays focused).

That being said I love (and so does my son) their history and art.  The history is wonderful and while my son doesn't like doing the art projects he loves the lessons.

I think the biggest problem people get into w/K12 is that they try to do all of the optional activites.  It's not meant to do everything.  Pick the activites your child likes and leave the rest.  Mine does not like to color so we don't do any of those.  He loves books so I check out all of the optional books and he reads them.


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## DawnM

Does anyone use Switched on Schoolhouse?  I have some questions but can't find any forums for users.

Dawn


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## wvdislover

I've used it.  We actually only used it for a few months.  We thought we and DD would love it, since she enjoys being on the computer so much, but it didn't work out as well as we'd hoped.  Part of this came from her having some learning issues, but a lot of people of have had some of the same problems with it that we did.  The biggest problem was that if you don't type in the exact answer the program is looking for, your answer is graded as an incorrect answer.  Also, in the math portion, if you need to type in an answer with multiple numbers, such as 345, you have to type each number in individually...3..4..5, which got to be a real pain.  DD found the readings to be boring and complex.  

That being said, there are people who DO really like SOS, and have used it for many years.  It just didn't work for us.


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## graygables

wvdislover said:


> I've used it.  We actually only used it for a few months.  We thought we and DD would love it, since she enjoys being on the computer so much, but it didn't work out as well as we'd hoped.  Part of this came from her having some learning issues, but a lot of people of have had some of the same problems with it that we did.  The biggest problem was that if you don't type in the exact answer the program is looking for, your answer is graded as an incorrect answer.  Also, in the math portion, if you need to type in an answer with multiple numbers, such as 345, you have to type each number in individually...3..4..5, which got to be a real pain.  DD found the readings to be boring and complex.
> 
> That being said, there are people who DO really like SOS, and have used it for many years.  It just didn't work for us.



Ditto that for us.  Too buggy.  It also wound up wiping out one of our laptops, even Geek Squad was baffled.


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## Pooki

Just wanted to start of by saying thanks so much to everyone here, this has been my most valuable resource in researching HSing! We are definitely doing it and I'll probably be pulling my kids out within a week or so - I'd like to at least order our materials before I do 

I was wondering if anyone uses Great Science Adventures?  The reviews I could find seem great.  I like that you can choose whichever type of science you wish to work on at the time, and it seems pretty hands-on since you have to make booklets and whatnot with it - seems good to use for lapbooking (my kids love to make things and be creative, so I think we will lapbook a lot).  I was just seeing what anyone else's opinion of the books were before I bought them 

Also, Learning Language Arts Through Literature - I know it has a suggested book list, but you can teach this using any literature book, correct? I'm really intrigued by how it seems to teach, and I'd love to be able to pick the selection used in LA.


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## DawnM

Well, I have ordered one subject and will let the boys play with it and see what they think.  A friend is also allowing us to try hers (2 subjects) just to see what w think.  This will give us a better idea before ordering for next year.

How about Time4Learning?  Anyone like that either as a supplement or as a full curriculum for any subjects?

Thanks,

Dawn



wvdislover said:


> I've used it.  We actually only used it for a few months.  We thought we and DD would love it, since she enjoys being on the computer so much, but it didn't work out as well as we'd hoped.  Part of this came from her having some learning issues, but a lot of people of have had some of the same problems with it that we did.  The biggest problem was that if you don't type in the exact answer the program is looking for, your answer is graded as an incorrect answer.  Also, in the math portion, if you need to type in an answer with multiple numbers, such as 345, you have to type each number in individually...3..4..5, which got to be a real pain.  DD found the readings to be boring and complex.
> 
> That being said, there are people who DO really like SOS, and have used it for many years.  It just didn't work for us.


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## mom2koh

summerrluvv said:


> I haven't read the entire thread so I apologize if this has already been discussed, but does anyone homeschool their child(ren) with special needs? If so, how does that work with their therapies such as speech and OT? Do you take your DC to the school to receive those?



Hey! We are just embarking on this process with DS. I have a friend who is an OT with the school system so it helped to get some inside information.

First the school therapist only approach the areas that would hinder the child in a school atmosphere. So my son who has a slight tremor in his right hand (along with other items) would be treated for the other items but not the tremor b/c it does not hinder his school ability. With his speech they would work on the word formations since his vocabulary is so huge but no one can understand what he says. But they would not work on the swallowing problem (chipmunks food in his cheeks b/c his poor chewing muscles get so tired).

You could always go to your local school and get an IEP and go from there. I know that our insurance only covers so many speech and OT sessions each year so I will use the school's therapy and supplement what they won't correct with the therapist my insurance will cover. 

Good luck. It is an adventure. I am wondering what it will be like to bring along my school age dd to the PS when I take my son for his assesment.


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## gerberdaisy1234

DawnM said:


> Well, I have ordered one subject and will let the boys play with it and see what they think.  A friend is also allowing us to try hers (2 subjects) just to see what w think.  This will give us a better idea before ordering for next year.
> 
> How about Time4Learning?  Anyone like that either as a supplement or as a full curriculum for any subjects?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Dawn



We use Time4learning. We started off using as a full curriculum but now using Teaching Textbooks for math. Really like both Time4learning and Teaching Textbooks. They are both engaging and record keeping for both are great. It is easy to go back and review any lessons needed.


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## mom2koh

Help!

I can't decide.  

I know I want to go back to MFW but don't know if we want Adventures or ECC????? DD finished her curriculum for thsi year already which focused on American History. So do I want Adventures which does American history again or move onto ECC and do a year long study in Geography?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks!


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## DawnM

Thanks.  I actually just signed them up last night for Time4Learning.  I can't get it to work with my Norton though!  I am trying to do what it says to do, but DH needs to look at it.

Is this enough for your kids?  

Dawn



gerberdaisy1234 said:


> We use Time4learning. We started off using as a full curriculum but now using Teaching Textbooks for math. Really like both Time4learning and Teaching Textbooks. They are both engaging and record keeping for both are great. It is easy to go back and review any lessons needed.


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## gerberdaisy1234

DawnM said:


> Thanks.  I actually just signed them up last night for Time4Learning.  I can't get it to work with my Norton though!  I am trying to do what it says to do, but DH needs to look at it.
> 
> Is this enough for your kids?
> 
> Dawn



We do our own thing for Social Studies and Science but use Time4learning to supplement or fill-in in between.  The Language Arts and Language Arts Extension are great. The math is great as well but my DD needed something a little different for math. She loves...(well, likes best of everything we've  tried-lol) Teaching Textbooks. I really like the way each lesson has a review of previous skills. So i just order TT for my DS.

Time4learning is great on days when they need to do SOMETHING but not a good day to introduce something new...I let them do free choice day. They can pick any lessons they want to do. My DS always chooses math (his favorite) and DD LA or writing.  Oh, speaking of writing...DD prefers to type in MS Word and copy and paste into time4learning when do writing assignments. 

There is definitely plenty there for a full curriculum. They have resource sheets you can print to go with certain lessons. I also supplement with some handwriting sheets for my DS using fonts from http://www.downhillpublishing.com/fonts4teachers.cfm I type up sheets in the dotted D'Nealian style font in a light color for him to trace. I even do this for some of his dictated paragraphs. 

I have a friend that just uses the Language Arts as a supplement for her DD and it is worth it for that alone.  (By the way T4L sent me a $20 check for referring her) T4L has a lot to offer even if you pick and choose.


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## littlepeppers

Do you kids like Time4Learning?

We just cancelled it.  For $25 mos. I found myself forcing DS to do it.  He said it was boring b/c it was the same thing almost every lesson w/ different suff.


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## MiniGirl

mom2koh said:


> Help!
> 
> I can't decide.
> 
> I know I want to go back to MFW but don't know if we want Adventures or ECC????? DD finished her curriculum for thsi year already which focused on American History. So do I want Adventures which does American history again or move onto ECC and do a year long study in Geography?
> 
> Any advice is appreciated.
> 
> Thanks!



How old is she? I did Adventures last year with my, then, 3rd grader, and we both enjoyed it. We started ECC this year with my, now, 4th and 2nd grader. We have abandoned most of it. It just seemed like a lot more text book type work than Adventures. I think my 4th grader would've done alright continuing with it, but I know there were quite a few things she wasn't enjoying. It just also seemed too much for my 2nd grader. 

They both enjoyed the geography aspect -- reading maps and talking about the different countries. Some of the more hands on stuff. They didn't seem to enjoy the science with it though.


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## Tink561

MiniGirl said:


> How old is she? I did Adventures last year with my, then, 3rd grader, and we both enjoyed it. We started ECC this year with my, now, 4th and 2nd grader. We have abandoned most of it. It just seemed like a lot more text book type work than Adventures. I think my 4th grader would've done alright continuing with it, but I know there were quite a few things she wasn't enjoying. It just also seemed too much for my 2nd grader.
> 
> They both enjoyed the geography aspect -- reading maps and talking about the different countries. Some of the more hands on stuff. They didn't seem to enjoy the science with it though.



What are you using with them now?


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## Tink561

If any of you enjoy the classical education method and have younger ones, check out Memoria Press new Kindergarten program.  It looks great!  I'm about to buy that for my 4yodd to strat, even if we have to go slowly.  They're supposed to have the 1st grade level out in time for the fall.


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## mom2koh

MiniGirl said:


> How old is she? I did Adventures last year with my, then, 3rd grader, and we both enjoyed it. We started ECC this year with my, now, 4th and 2nd grader. We have abandoned most of it. It just seemed like a lot more text book type work than Adventures. I think my 4th grader would've done alright continuing with it, but I know there were quite a few things she wasn't enjoying. It just also seemed too much for my 2nd grader.



THanks! That totally told me what I wanted to know. We will go with Adventures next year. DD is 6. We did Beyond this year which is supposed to be a 1st/2nd grade program. Neither one of us liked the program. I'm sure it's good for others but not for us. I want next year to be fun.


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## MiniGirl

Tink561 said:


> What are you using with them now?



We are still using some of it. We have also joined our local Classical Conversations community, and the girls are really loving that. There is also a man in our area that does science camps during the summer and school breaks. He has started doing science classes for homeschoolers and after school groups, and we started going to his class.

My oldest is also using Teaching Textbooks for math and the youngest is using Singapore Math. I'm still tweaking and trying things to find the perfect balance for us, and we are getting there. I don't care for the LA that MFW recommends, so finding a Language Arts program we like is my current project.


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## NemoMOm

We were just re-zoned last year, so DS starts kindergarten at a poor school instead of the excellent school we had planned. I can not home school him and private is just out. So, I thought I could get some home schooling curriculum to supplement.

Can anyone give some advice on where to start. I would like to start this summer as he starts in the fall. 

Thanks!


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## DawnM

Well, that is what I like about it, you can CANCEL when you need to!  And we have $20/mo.  Is that just an intro price?  I thought that was the price.

I spoke last night with a friend who uses Time4Learning almost exclusively and she raved about it.

I came home last night with a fever so today I just had them do Time4learning on our laptops and it was a HIT!  But that is just Day 1.....we will see what happens as time goes on.

Dawn



littlepeppers said:


> Do you kids like Time4Learning?
> 
> We just cancelled it.  For $25 mos. I found myself forcing DS to do it.  He said it was boring b/c it was the same thing almost every lesson w/ different suff.


----------



## mom2koh

NemoMOm said:


> We were just re-zoned last year, so DS starts kindergarten at a poor school instead of the excellent school we had planned. I can not home school him and private is just out. So, I thought I could get some home schooling curriculum to supplement.
> 
> Can anyone give some advice on where to start. I would like to start this summer as he starts in the fall.
> 
> Thanks!



I would say go for it with the supplemental curriculum! There are lots of people who "afterschool".  Think homeschooling but after school and weekends. 

Good luck!


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## Indiana Rose Lee

Do any of you use vegsource to buy or sell curriculum. I'm looking at selling but am nervous about it.


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## mom2koh

I have used vegsource a couple of times. When selling I only accept paypal so I know I have the funds before I ship my items. Also, when I buy I check the complaints board and once again use paypal so I can contest the charge if I never receive the items.

That said. All of my transactions, buying and selling have gone smoothly.


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## Indiana Rose Lee

mom2koh said:


> I have used vegsource a couple of times. When selling I only accept paypal so I know I have the funds before I ship my items. Also, when I buy I check the complaints board and once again use paypal so I can contest the charge if I never receive the items.
> 
> That said. All of my transactions, buying and selling have gone smoothly.



Thanks. I was just reading their rules. It doesn't look too bad.


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## KristyBDJ

NemoMOm said:


> We were just re-zoned last year, so DS starts kindergarten at a poor school instead of the excellent school we had planned. I can not home school him and private is just out. So, I thought I could get some home schooling curriculum to supplement.
> 
> Can anyone give some advice on where to start. I would like to start this summer as he starts in the fall.
> 
> Thanks!



Can you open enroll in your area? We can here. They'll even supplement for travel costs from driving/bussing them from other districts. That way you could sign him up for the school you want him to be in assuming that there is space. You could still do some things at home as well of course. I would check quickly, open enrollment in my area ends this week for 2010/11 year.


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## NemoMOm

Nope, I'm in upstate NY which means we are regulated to  the point of death The crazy thing is, that the good school is right down the street where as the poor school is 15 mins. away We tried though, thanks

I read that everyone orders from different places. Which is the best for a 5 year old? TIA






KristyBDJ said:


> Can you open enroll in your area? We can here. They'll even supplement for travel costs from driving/bussing them from other districts. That way you could sign him up for the school you want him to be in assuming that there is space. You could still do some things at home as well of course. I would check quickly, open enrollment in my area ends this week for 2010/11 year.


----------



## DawnM

I find Vegsource frustrating.  I haven't found a way to do a search for specific items and it seems to move so fast, that things are jumbled and then gone.

Dawn



Indiana Rose Lee said:


> Do any of you use vegsource to buy or sell curriculum. I'm looking at selling but am nervous about it.


----------



## Indiana Rose Lee

DawnM said:


> I find Vegsource frustrating.  I haven't found a way to do a search for specific items and it seems to move so fast, that things are jumbled and then gone.
> 
> Dawn



LOL, I tried that yesterday!  I wanted to check how others are pricing similar stuff. It could be organized so much better.


----------



## Wilsonfamily4

Hope it's alright to jump in here but I have a question you all may be able to help me with.

My son is in Kindergarten and at a private school.  He is having some difficulties remembering what a n, f and t sound like and this slows his reading down just a hair.  We have been having doing flashcards and have him playing some on starfall.com but he needs something else too.  Any ideas for fun ways to learn phonics?  

And while I am here asking questions    I have another.  This summer I am homeschooling, sort of.  We are "visiting" every continent and studying certain countries.  Do you have any books or lesson plans that would go well with this.  My kids are 8 and 5.

THANK YOU for any help.


----------



## Denine

1 more week until Homeschool days in Williamsburg!  I know someone on here went last year, but I can't remember who it was.  

We have a 5 day pass for the Colonial area which includes all the buildings.
We get to have a 2 hour family tour at Yorktown and DD gets an age approriate hands-on class for an hour.  We get the same at Jamestown.  

We have been to Williamsburg before, but the 2 times we have taken DD we didn't have tickets so couldn't go into any of the buildings for the tours.

DD has to take her Felicity doll of course!


----------



## preschoolmom

Hi, Can I jump in here with a home school question?

My son (mild on the autism spectrum, but very intelligent) is failing first grade math.  Our district uses Everyday Math, which I have heard mixed things about (it seems to get poor reviews, but his teacher loves it).  

I am planning to after school him with a math curriculum, and I'm looking for suggestions.  I was considering Saxon, but have also heard good things about Math U See.

Does anyone have a preference/recommendation for me?  He is an excellent reader (way above grade level) and seems to be a visual learner.  He likes/needs to understand how things work.

Thanks!


----------



## Ellester

preschoolmom said:


> Hi, Can I jump in here with a home school question?
> 
> My son (mild on the autism spectrum, but very intelligent) is failing first grade math.  Our district uses Everyday Math, which I have heard mixed things about (it seems to get poor reviews, but his teacher loves it).
> 
> I am planning to after school him with a math curriculum, and I'm looking for suggestions.  I was considering Saxon, but have also heard good things about Math U See.
> 
> Does anyone have a preference/recommendation for me?  He is an excellent reader (way above grade level) and seems to be a visual learner.  He likes/needs to understand how things work.
> 
> Thanks!



I would recommend Math-Us-See if he is a visual learner. Dr. Demme (the instructor) explains things very well, in my opinion. His philosophy is that the child needs to understand the concept, not just memorize formulas. MUS also uses blocks to help visualize the concepts. We've done Primer through Epsilon and have been very pleased. My DH and I are both engineers, so math is a big deal to us. The only thing is that he teaches mastery before moving on to the next subject. So Primer and Alpha cover addition, Beta moves on to subtraction, Gamma is multiplication, Delta is division, Epsilon is fractions and Zeta is decimals and percentages. It doesn't mix it up like most curriculums. It works for us, but MUS is not going to line up with any public school math progression.


----------



## preschoolmom

Ellester said:


> The only thing is that he teaches mastery before moving on to the next subject. So Primer and Alpha cover addition, Beta moves on to subtraction, Gamma is multiplication, Delta is division, Epsilon is fractions and Zeta is decimals and percentages. It doesn't mix it up like most curriculums. It works for us, but MUS is not going to line up with any public school math progression.



Oh, that sounds perfect for what I'm looking for!  One of the things that I dislike about Everyday Math is the spiral - where they move on before mastering anything.  It clearly isn't working for my son!

Thank you so much!


----------



## Wilsonfamily4

Wilsonfamily4 said:


> Hope it's alright to jump in here but I have a question you all may be able to help me with.
> 
> My son is in Kindergarten and at a private school.  He is having some difficulties remembering what a n, f and t sound like and this slows his reading down just a hair.  We have been having doing flashcards and have him playing some on starfall.com but he needs something else too.  Any ideas for fun ways to learn phonics?
> 
> And while I am here asking questions    I have another.  This summer I am homeschooling, sort of.  We are "visiting" every continent and studying certain countries.  Do you have any books or lesson plans that would go well with this.  My kids are 8 and 5.
> 
> THANK YOU for any help.



So I went through a lot of posts here and found edhelper.com that should help me with geography for this summer but does anyone have any ideas for the phonics?  I would love some creative ideas to help him "get" it.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

I have been looking for a good grammar course and came across this http://www.splashesfromtheriver.com/grammar_course.htm
Has anyone tried this program? Thanks

Do you have any recommendations?


----------



## Tink561

MiniGirl said:


> We are still using some of it. We have also joined our local Classical Conversations community, and the girls are really loving that. There is also a man in our area that does science camps during the summer and school breaks. He has started doing science classes for homeschoolers and after school groups, and we started going to his class.
> 
> My oldest is also using Teaching Textbooks for math and the youngest is using Singapore Math. I'm still tweaking and trying things to find the perfect balance for us, and we are getting there. I don't care for the LA that MFW recommends, so finding a Language Arts program we like is my current project.



Sounds great!  I want to do Classical Conversations for Gracie next year but right now our closest group is about 35 miles away.  I'm not sure I want to do that every week.

I ordered the new Memoria Press Kindergarten program today and am so excited about that!  I love classical education and have always been impressed with their products in the past.  

My boys always loved the Science classes for homeschoolers.  I plan to let Gracie take classes at the local zoo next year.  She will love that!

I loved Shurley English with the boys.  They learned so much with the jingles and sentence diagramming.  Loved it!


----------



## Pooki

Just wanted to say... I DID IT! I told the school that I would be homeschooling after today (which I was so nervous about), and it was insanely easy! You would have thought I was only asking for a copy of a lunch menu...I suppose its slightly more common where I am than I thought.  Because my kids go to a DoDs school, they are eligible to attend "specials" (art, music, Japanese language/culture, Gifted, etc.), so they will continue to do those classes.

I'm very nervous, but excited too! I ordered almost all of the material that I wanted and am just waiting on it to arrive.  I suppose we will just wing it and we will figure it out as we go! Its quite funny, because my kids keep asking me so many specific questions, such as "are you going to teach us each subject the same amount of time," or "do we have to raise our hands/what do we call you?", lol.  Some of their questions are quite obvious ("Call me Mrs. Mom" haha), but I keep reminding them that this is a new adventure for us, and we will all figure it out along the way


----------



## SCHBR'smom

Pooki said:


> Just wanted to say... I DID IT! I told the school that I would be homeschooling after today (which I was so nervous about), and it was insanely easy! You would have thought I was only asking for a copy of a lunch menu...I suppose its slightly more common where I am than I thought.  Because my kids go to a DoDs school, they are eligible to attend "specials" (art, music, Japanese language/culture, Gifted, etc.), so they will continue to do those classes.
> 
> I'm very nervous, but excited too! I ordered almost all of the material that I wanted and am just waiting on it to arrive.  I suppose we will just wing it and we will figure it out as we go! Its quite funny, because my kids keep asking me so many specific questions, such as "are you going to teach us each subject the same amount of time," or "do we have to raise our hands/what do we call you?", lol.  Some of their questions are quite obvious ("Call me Mrs. Mom" haha), but I keep reminding them that this is a new adventure for us, and we will all figure it out along the way



Congrats to you!  It is so wonderful to homeschool!


----------



## Tink561

Pooki said:


> Just wanted to say... I DID IT! I told the school that I would be homeschooling after today (which I was so nervous about), and it was insanely easy! You would have thought I was only asking for a copy of a lunch menu...I suppose its slightly more common where I am than I thought.  Because my kids go to a DoDs school, they are eligible to attend "specials" (art, music, Japanese language/culture, Gifted, etc.), so they will continue to do those classes.
> 
> I'm very nervous, but excited too! I ordered almost all of the material that I wanted and am just waiting on it to arrive.  I suppose we will just wing it and we will figure it out as we go! Its quite funny, because my kids keep asking me so many specific questions, such as "are you going to teach us each subject the same amount of time," or "do we have to raise our hands/what do we call you?", lol.  Some of their questions are quite obvious ("Call me Mrs. Mom" haha), but I keep reminding them that this is a new adventure for us, and we will all figure it out along the way



Congratulations!


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Wilsonfamily4 said:


> Hope it's alright to jump in here but I have a question you all may be able to help me with.
> 
> My son is in Kindergarten and at a private school.  He is having some difficulties remembering what a n, f and t sound like and this slows his reading down just a hair.  We have been having doing flashcards and have him playing some on starfall.com but he needs something else too.  Any ideas for fun ways to learn phonics?
> 
> 
> THANK YOU for any help.



My son knew the sounds letters make long before he knew the letter names thanks to The Letter Factory movies from Leap Frog.

A fun way to help with sounds is to make giant letters and have him glue things that begin with that sound on it. Example make several giant letter "N" pages. One day glue on noodles, another day cut out noses from a magazine and glue on one, next day tear up napkins and glue little pieces on one. For "F" big letter on Poster board and FOOT paint. Smaller one on paper and FEATHER paint. Put some flour and a plate and make "f" with a fork.  Make a "T" Get a cheap canvas bag from a craft store and a big "t" on the outside. Go a a treasure hunt for "t"s. 

The sillier you are, the more they will remember. We make up crazy stories to help remember some of those crazy letters that don't make the sounds they should make. Do you know the letters have exclusive parties and only certain sounds can go to that party? So sometimes letters get together and make different sounds just so they can go the the party. "g" and "h" are real party animals. They are always hooking up with other letters to make sounds to get them into other parties. They get together with "i" to sneak into the "long i sound party", then with "ou" they some how sneak into two parties- "long o" and "uff" I guess "rough" and "tough" like to hang out with "fluff" and "puff" lol


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Pooki said:


> Just wanted to say... I DID IT! I told the school that I would be homeschooling after today (which I was so nervous about), and it was insanely easy! You would have thought I was only asking for a copy of a lunch menu...I suppose its slightly more common where I am than I thought.  Because my kids go to a DoDs school, they are eligible to attend "specials" (art, music, Japanese language/culture, Gifted, etc.), so they will continue to do those classes.
> 
> I'm very nervous, but excited too! I ordered almost all of the material that I wanted and am just waiting on it to arrive.  I suppose we will just wing it and we will figure it out as we go! Its quite funny, because my kids keep asking me so many specific questions, such as "are you going to teach us each subject the same amount of time," or "do we have to raise our hands/what do we call you?", lol.  Some of their questions are quite obvious ("Call me Mrs. Mom" haha), but I keep reminding them that this is a new adventure for us, and we will all figure it out along the way



Every day is a anew adventureCongrats!


----------



## roadtrippin2wdw

Pooki said:


> Just wanted to say... I DID IT! I told the school that I would be homeschooling after today (which I was so nervous about), and it was insanely easy! You would have thought I was only asking for a copy of a lunch menu...I suppose its slightly more common where I am than I thought.
> 
> 
> May I ask what you said?  My daughter is in kindegarten, but starting w/ 1st grade, I plan on homeschooling.  I don't know if I have to let them know this far in advance or what to say or if I have to say anything at all and just not register her.  Thank you for any advice, I very much appreciate it!


----------



## scrapbookingmanda

Ellester said:


> I would recommend Math-Us-See if he is a visual learner. Dr. Demme (the instructor) explains things very well, in my opinion. His philosophy is that the child needs to understand the concept, not just memorize formulas. MUS also uses blocks to help visualize the concepts. We've done Primer through Epsilon and have been very pleased. My DH and I are both engineers, so math is a big deal to us. The only thing is that he teaches mastery before moving on to the next subject. So Primer and Alpha cover addition, Beta moves on to subtraction, Gamma is multiplication, Delta is division, Epsilon is fractions and Zeta is decimals and percentages. It doesn't mix it up like most curriculums. It works for us, but MUS is not going to line up with any public school math progression.



I have also been looking into Math U See but Dh is convinced it will cause burnout by not spiraling some. That midway through a whole year of fractions the whole family will be so tired of looking at them that we will all go nuts. Does anyone run into this problem when using it?


----------



## Indiana Rose Lee

scrapbookingmanda said:


> I have also been looking into Math U See but Dh is convinced it will cause burnout by not spiraling some. That midway through a whole year of fractions the whole family will be so tired of looking at them that we will all go nuts. Does anyone run into this problem when using it?



Every lesson includes review. In each there is 3ish lessons on the current topic, and then the next 3 days are current plus review.

We've used this for years, and while I still do not love fractions, they are totally understood by the end of the year.  We like it a lot, and my kids have all scored really well both on regular standardized tests, and the testing done by colleges for placement. It was recommended to us by 3 different engineers.


----------



## DawnM

MUS isn't for everyone.  We have now tried it twice, for two different kids, and it just isn't our style at all.  My boys have really not liked it.

Dawn



scrapbookingmanda said:


> I have also been looking into Math U See but Dh is convinced it will cause burnout by not spiraling some. That midway through a whole year of fractions the whole family will be so tired of looking at them that we will all go nuts. Does anyone run into this problem when using it?


----------



## Denine

Congratulations Pooki!


----------



## Ellester

DawnM said:


> MUS isn't for everyone.  We have now tried it twice, for two different kids, and it just isn't our style at all.  My boys have really not liked it.
> 
> Dawn



I totally agree that MUS is not for everyone. Just like the spiral approach was a big failure with my kids. My oldest would pick up on the pattern of the answers. Then she would just fill in the blanks (like putting "1's" in all the hundreds' places and then going back and filling in the tens and ones). She would get the right answer, but totally the wrong way. We have not had a problem with burnout covering one major topic a year, but, as always, YMMV.


----------



## Indiana Rose Lee

DawnM said:


> MUS isn't for everyone.  We have now tried it twice, for two different kids, and it just isn't our style at all.  My boys have really not liked it.
> 
> Dawn



I'd agree. I think that everyone needs to find their own fit.


----------



## Pooki

roadtrippin2wdw said:


> May I ask what you said?  My daughter is in kindegarten, but starting w/ 1st grade, I plan on homeschooling.  I don't know if I have to let them know this far in advance or what to say or if I have to say anything at all and just not register her.  Thank you for any advice, I very much appreciate it!



I brought a letter that I both my husband and I signed, saying that we would be homeschooling for the remainder of the year (you can google "homeschool withdraw letter" and find a few samples, thats what I did).  When the secretary asked if I was completely unenrolling my kids, or allowing them to participate in "special" classes (our DoDs school allows that), she kept the kids enrolled so they could take those classes.  She didn't even take my letter! But I assume my school is a "special" case.  If you will be beginning next year to HS her, I would definitely wait until Kindergarten is over - there is no need for them to know now.  If you look at hslda.org, you can find your state's specific requirements regarding HS'ing, and you can figure out the process you need to take (whether you have to send in a letter to the superintendent vs. principal, if you need to fill out paperwork, etc.)

Good luck to you!


----------



## littlepeppers

Ellester said:


> I would recommend Math-Us-See if he is a visual learner. Dr. Demme (the instructor) explains things very well, in my opinion. His philosophy is that the child needs to understand the concept, not just memorize formulas. MUS also uses blocks to help visualize the concepts. We've done Primer through Epsilon and have been very pleased. My DH and I are both engineers, so math is a big deal to us. The only thing is that he teaches mastery before moving on to the next subject. So Primer and Alpha cover addition, Beta moves on to subtraction, Gamma is multiplication, Delta is division, Epsilon is fractions and Zeta is decimals and percentages. It doesn't mix it up like most curriculums. It works for us, but MUS is not going to line up with any public school math progression.




Do you know of a curriculum that teacher other subjects like this?

I would love to teach DS with this approach.  I think he needs it.  How can you move on to something new if you never mastered your last objective?  He just isn't getting things.  He needs review ( a lot of it) but we can't keep up w/ these cover, cover curriculums & review like he needs.  

I would have to establish us as a private school to use this method, but I think DS would get more out of it.  DH wasn't thrilled when I asked him if I could look for a curriculum like this.  He is concerned that if something should ever happen to me & DS has to go back to a traditional school, then he would be behind.


----------



## desparatelydisney

I just watched the demonstration on MUS's webpage.  I think I'm in love.  OMG!!!  Goodbye Saxon, next year....MUS!!!!!!!

If you don't know what I am talking about go to http://www.mathusee.com/homeschool.php


----------



## desparatelydisney

sorry - double post


----------



## graygables

DawnM said:


> MUS isn't for everyone.  We have now tried it twice, for two different kids, and it just isn't our style at all.  My boys have really not liked it.
> 
> Dawn



My girls didn't like it, either.  They seem to be much happier with Teaching Textbooks this year.


----------



## love__goofy

Ok, so I pulled my children out of public school last year.  I had one K,2nd, and a 4th grader, with a 3 year old at home.  The oldest are all boys.  We started on our venture homeschooling last March.  I loved it at first, and now of course I am feeling a little stressed. 

For my now 1st and 5th grader, basically everything goes smoothly.  I try to let my 3rd and 5th grader do some independent work.  For example I usually teach them grammar, math, then they do the work.  With reading they usually read the story and answer questions on their own.  I, of course, check it.  Now with spelling, I let them do that independently.  Science, the children basically do every other day, and history we all do together.  

My 3rd grader is the one that tries to skip anything and everything he can possibly do.  It is very frustrating, and I have tried adding work if he skips it, taking toys away..and I am at wits end.  Does anyone have a child like this that they can possibly give me suggestions?  

I really do appreciate it.  I have LOVED spending all the time with my children.  My boys are so close and truly do enjoy each other and I want to keep them home with me.

Thanks in advance!


----------



## bebelle

graygables said:


> My girls didn't like it, either.  They seem to be much happier with Teaching Textbooks this year.



My son too! He does not like math--he is too creative for something so absolute---but he does like TT and is doing very well. He took the Terra Nova test to meet state testing requirements and scored 96% in math.


----------



## Ellester

love__goofy said:


> Ok, so I pulled my children out of public school last year.  I had one K,2nd, and a 4th grader, with a 3 year old at home.  The oldest are all boys.  We started on our venture homeschooling last March.  I loved it at first, and now of course I am feeling a little stressed.
> 
> For my now 1st and 5th grader, basically everything goes smoothly.  I try to let my 3rd and 5th grader do some independent work.  For example I usually teach them grammar, math, then they do the work.  With reading they usually read the story and answer questions on their own.  I, of course, check it.  Now with spelling, I let them do that independently.  Science, the children basically do every other day, and history we all do together.
> 
> My 3rd grader is the one that tries to skip anything and everything he can possibly do.  It is very frustrating, and I have tried adding work if he skips it, taking toys away..and I am at wits end.  Does anyone have a child like this that they can possibly give me suggestions?
> 
> I really do appreciate it.  I have LOVED spending all the time with my children.  My boys are so close and truly do enjoy each other and I want to keep them home with me.
> 
> Thanks in advance!



First of all, January and February are notorious for being the months that bring the homeschool doldrums and stress on full strength. Persevere and it will get better as spring approaches!

My 3rd grader is also my slacker. Often we are approaching lunch and I find that she has done NOTHING that was assigned. I wish I had a good solution, because I would be using it!  I usually just try to stay on her, to the point of staying nearby and not letting her leave her seat at the table until X is done. I do let her have lots of breaks if she cooperates. She is also very likely ADHD, I often say that if she was in public school she would either be heavily medicated or have her own seat in the principal's office! I can tell you that adding extra work or taking away toys/privileges has almost zero affect on my daughter. She either just doesn't care or simply can't comply on her own. Her room is a disaster and she cannot put away her coat to save her life. She is very, very bright, compassionate, artistic, and generous though. I just think it's her personality, my dh and I are constantly trying to figure out how to deal with her.


----------



## pixiemagic30

desparatelydisney said:


> I just watched the demonstration on MUS's webpage.  I think I'm in love.  OMG!!!  Goodbye Saxon, next year....MUS!!!!!!!



This is our 2nd year with MUS and my kids love it!  My daughter struggled with math until we switched.  Now it did drive my son nuts when he switched, but he's learning tricks that have really helped him.


----------



## graygables

love__goofy said:


> My 3rd grader is the one that tries to skip anything and everything he can possibly do.  It is very frustrating, and I have tried adding work if he skips it, taking toys away..and I am at wits end.  Does anyone have a child like this that they can possibly give me suggestions?



Children have an innate desire to learn.  It could be that what he is learning simply doesn't interest him or frustrates him in the way it is presented.  I wonder how I would feel if I were facing a challenge at work and my boss told me she was going to take away my cell phone...

My 13yo has similar challenges whenever we use a curriculum (she's an unschooler at heart).  Today, she told me she feels like she's "in a box" with her current assignment and asked me if she could approach it her way.  I told her absolutely; I want her to learn to THINK.


----------



## Ellester

graygables said:


> Children have an innate desire to learn.  It could be that what he is learning simply doesn't interest him or frustrates him in the way it is presented.  I wonder how I would feel if I were facing a challenge at work and my boss told me she was going to take away my cell phone...
> 
> My 13yo has similar challenges whenever we use a curriculum (she's an unschooler at heart).  Today, she told me she feels like she's "in a box" with her current assignment and asked me if she could approach it her way.  I told her absolutely; I want her to learn to THINK.



Totally agree. My now 3rd grader showed absolutely NO interest in reading until about 18 months ago (a classic "Better Late Than Early" child). I did my best not to push the matter and now she is rapidly catching up and is really starting to love to read. I suspect if she was drilled into it in "building school" she would have been a reluctant reader for life.

One of the many beauties of homeschooling is that you are able to encourage your children to learn the way it best suits them. You give them the skills to find and communicate information. You don't have to go through the motions just to check off a box on a required curriculum list, whether or not any information was retained.


----------



## love__goofy

Thank you so much for all that replied.  It certainly makes me feel like I am not the only one.  As with Spring, I am READY!  I feel like it will just make my life a little brighter.  

In regards to not doing the work because it frustrates him, is right on!  I was so happy to read this.  He definitely skips what is difficult to him.  Now that I think about it, most of what he does not do is pertained to writing.  Today it was writing a poem with his spelling words, the other day writing a story.   Does anyone have any suggestions with helping a 3rd grader with writing?

Thank you all so much!! I truly do appreciate it.  Sometimes it is just so wonderful to hear from another person who can offer advice and a lending ear to listen.


----------



## graygables

love__goofy said:


> In regards to not doing the work because it frustrates him, is right on!  I was so happy to read this.  He definitely skips what is difficult to him.  Now that I think about it, most of what he does not do is pertained to writing.  Today it was writing a poem with his spelling words, the other day writing a story.   Does anyone have any suggestions with helping a 3rd grader with writing?



Former English teacher here.  Writing is NOT easy for many children, even into college (and I'm in grad school and can tell you, for some, it NEVER gets better )  I have found, particularly with boys, that PENMANSHIP causes tremendous writing anxiety.  For those who are allowed to write on the computer, that obviously isn't the issue, but they could really just not be ready to access that part of the brain yet.  13yo DD complained to me when she was younger that she simply couldn't write, she had no opinion and nothing to say.  A few days later, she was passionately arguing something with me and her logic was flawless.  I turned to her and said, "Don't tell me you couldn't write THAT, missy".  Suddenly, it dawned on her that she had plenty to say and had never considered that she could write what she was actually THINKING then go back and edit it. 

As for the actual writing, I taught my students (and DDs) to think of it in terms of 5s.  An intro, 3 bodies, and a conclusion paragraphs.  Within each paragraph, 5s, intro will have the topic, then three sentences about what the body includes, and a segue.  Bodies: a topic sentence,  sentences about the topic, and a summary or segue.  Conclusion: summary, review of 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion.  Set it up as a "skeleton" on paper and build it from there.  There can always be MORE sentences and MORE paragraphs, but it's an easy way to construct a simple five paragraph essay.

Some children NEVER get creative writing.  Poetry is sheer torture for most boys.  IMHO, they need a sense of why poetry is different than prose (I use the comparison of orange juice concentrate fresh from the can as opposed to orange juice...let them sample the difference and see!)  Language is richer and denser in poetry, word choices are precise as are rhythms (and, no, it doesn't have to rhyme  ).  If they understand how that is different, I don't see torturing them by making them write it. Same as stories.  Some children's heads are filled with these imaginary worlds where stories are born while others are concrete and they couldn't build a character if their lives depended on it.  Why make them?  Especially in the 3rd grade?

Find something that HE is interested in and ask him to write you a report on it.  Tell him to write as though you have NO knowledge of the subject and he is going to be YOUR teacher.  This would be a good time to discuss plagiarism and the importance of using your own words, then let him have at it.  You may be surprised how well he writes when he's passionate about his subject.  Is he into Egypt?  There's all kinds of new information on King Tut coming out.  Does he like rhinos?  Perhaps he can discover more about their habitat.  Gardening?  Have him plant a seed and chronicle it's growth as well as writing about agricultural advancements.  There are so many ways to tie writing into interests into curriculum without them even knowing it.  It's like hiding veggies in a favorite food and they don't even know...


----------



## DawnM

Do any of you allow your kids to go to overnight camp?

My oldest (12) is just now going to weekend long camps with our HOMESCHOOL only boyscout troop.  

My 10 year old is asking to go to church camp this summer.  I am very leery.....he isn't a strong swimmer and they have volunteers for counselors (parents and older teens).  

Dawn


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## bellebud

love__goofy said:


> Thank you so much for all that replied.  It certainly makes me feel like I am not the only one.  As with Spring, I am READY!  I feel like it will just make my life a little brighter.
> 
> In regards to not doing the work because it frustrates him, is right on!  I was so happy to read this.  He definitely skips what is difficult to him.  Now that I think about it, most of what he does not do is pertained to writing.  Today it was writing a poem with his spelling words, the other day writing a story.   Does anyone have any suggestions with helping a 3rd grader with writing?
> 
> Thank you all so much!! I truly do appreciate it.  Sometimes it is just so wonderful to hear from another person who can offer advice and a lending ear to listen.



I pulled my kids last March too  - dd was in 4th and ds was in 2nd.  

DS8 (now 3rd) HATES to write.  For some people, writing interferes greatly with the thinking process.  It's just too much for them to get their thoughts on paper, especially at a young age.  It's also not my ds's learning style (have you figured out your kids' learning styles?)  For him to sit still and use paper and pencil is torture - so what is he really learning if he's whining and hardly getting it done, and thinking of ways to 'not' do it, instead of concentrating on the work.  He's not learning anything (except how much he hates learning).  

Anyway, I do still have him write a little, but very little, and it's just copywork, not creative writing.  We have a notebook dedicated to his 'sentences'... I write about 5 sentences on a page, large letters and spaced apart a lot.  He copies the sentences on the lines right below each.  And the sentences are all about him.  Some are funny, some are about how great he is at xxxxx, some are about what happened in his life recently (which I really love doing, because looking back now, it's like a little journal for him to keep).  He doesn't mind doing this, because of the subject matter.  So this is his penmanship AND grammar lesson... like Charlotte Mason's copy work - he's learns how to construct a proper sentence by simply doing it, which is his learning style.  He doesn't want to "talk" about making the first letter capital, putting a punctuation mark at the end, making the sentence a complete thought, etc.   He can't stand discussing such trivial things (again, his learning style... don't talk about it, just do it!)  He does the sentences about 4 times a week.  I allow him to decide how many sentences he does.  Some days he does 2... some he does all 10.  But he gives each sentence his all, and that's what counts to me, not how many he did.  

For any creative writing, I don't make him write.  He can dictate his thoughts to me, or on the cheap digital recorder I bought him for this purpose.  We honestly hardly do this for him now though... he's 8.  He doesn't NEED to do it.  We tried it a few times - it worked ok, but he's really just not ready for it.  There are so many other things to learn and explore - we'll get to this eventually. 

I really recommend reading up on how much 'school work' kids really need - it's not much at this young age.  They were not getting 'much' at real school.  Exploring at this young age is much more important.  Learning about things that excite them is much more important.  Any time we "do school" at home, it never works very well.  We're not unschoolers, but we're very relaxed.  My dd10 gets a bit more work than ds8, and we concentrate on her learning style and what she enjoys.  She doesn't like math, so we go slowly with that.  She loves to write, so she does a lot of that.  And we don't use textbooks much at all.  We use math games for math (with a little bit of paper math for dd10 only, not ds8 anymore with the paperwork).  It was a struggle when we tried that with ds.  Instead, he learned how to multiply playing yahtzee and using the dice with me - very easily.  He would have never learned it as fast on paper (and no whining and fighting with yahtzee).  Anytime I have tears and whining with my kids, that's my cue something isn't right.  I switch how we're learning something, and I ask myself "do we NEED to do this now?".  But I only have 2, so it's definitely easier for me.  

We've tried many different things - what we're doing now is on the days we're home, the kids have 3 core things they do - read, write and some form of math (the 3 r's).  We take a mad science type class w/ our co-op (as well as Shakespeare and art).  We do history together, mostly by listening to books on cd in the car, videos, field trips and me reading to them (ie - we listened to Felicity american girl in the car for a few months, knowing we were going to williamsburg for a trip).  we also watched the movie.  that, along with the week we spent in williamsburg, is way more history than they would get in a school setting for months.  We're going to start rosetta stone spanish soon.  We travel a lot, so they get lots of history and science that way too (plus math, geography, etc, etc, etc).  

OK, this is way too long - sorry!  It's a struggle for me on some days - feeling like "are they learning enough?" - but I get through it by reading John Holt, John Taylor Gatto, etc.  Even my dh, who was like "are you crazy?" when I first brought up homeschooling, reminds me that kids learn A LOT through living day to day.


----------



## Denine

Hello from Williamsburg!  We got signed in today for homeschool days.  Our tickets weren't supposed to be good until tomorrow so it was a bonus day.  We saw the Governor's Palace today.  We will start with the homeschool programs tomorrow morning.


----------



## kangaand2roos

I just found this thread and thought I'd pose some of my questions here. I'm not sure I have the time to read through all 200 pages do forgive me if these questions have been asked and answered. 

Let me preface by saying that I don't especially WANT to homeschool. I'm not an especially organized person and am afraid that I will not manage to properly keep up with the curriculum. My reason for thinking about HS is that my daughter (7yo, 1st grade) is extremely bright and creative (being evaluated for gifted now) and is not being challenged in school. If she tests as gifted it will open up some avenues for us in school, and may make enough of a difference, at least for elementary school, but I expect that for middle school things might be different. 

In addition to wondering if I can properly educate her, I also worry about a social network. Most of the people that I know here that are home schooling are doing it for religious reasons or because their children have educational or social difficulties. We are Jewish and one of the few Jewish families in town, so not necessarily in sync with the religious Christian home schoolers. (don't flame me, I am in no way disparaging religious Christians, and in fact respect their convictions, it's just that we AREN'T Christians!) 

DD is a very social kid and that is the part of school that she does enjoy. I know I can get her involved with extracirriculars, and would, but is that enough?  I don't think she would object to it and in fact, without ever having heard of schooling she told me that school was boring and why couldn't she just stay at home and have me teach her?  

I just want to do the best for my kid and I'm not sure what that is. Any input will be appreciated.


----------



## bellebud

Denine said:


> Hello from Williamsburg!  We got signed in today for homeschool days.  Our tickets weren't supposed to be good until tomorrow so it was a bonus day.  We saw the Governor's Palace today.  We will start with the homeschool programs tomorrow morning.



enjoy your trip!  Isn't the governors palace incredible?  All the guns/swords on the walls just blew me away (that's the right place, right??)  DS8 was like "I want my bedroom like that!!!" 

We were there this past september during homeschool days w/ a few families from our local homeschool group - we all stayed in great wolf lodge, which was awesome!  

I was too late signing up for any of the homeschool classes - but a few from our group did them and enjoyed them.  Let me know how you liked them.

Have fun!


----------



## nono

kangaand2roos said:


> Let me preface by saying that I don't especially WANT to homeschool. I'm not an especially organized person and am afraid that I will not manage to properly keep up with the curriculum.
> 
> (snip)
> 
> DD is a very social kid and that is the part of school that she does enjoy. I know I can get her involved with extracirriculars, and would, but is that enough?  I don't think she would object to it and in fact, without ever having heard of schooling she told me that school was boring and why couldn't she just stay at home and have me teach her?
> 
> I just want to do the best for my kid and I'm not sure what that is. Any input will be appreciated.



I'll give you my 2 cents!   If you are using a cyber school, you aren't solely responsible for educating your child, so you can breathe easier there. If you can get into a routine where after breakfast, school starts for your child, then that would be the organizational skillls you need to get her going.  

I don't have experience with cyber schooling, and how much time it takes, but with homeschooling the total amount of time for teaching v. going to school + homework is a lot less.  Therefore, you child will have more time for other activities.  Things which might ignite her passion and keep her engaged mentally.

Oh, and on the being in the minority of homeschoolers, try being a Roman Catholic/Taoist couple raising Episcopalian/Buddhist children.  We don't fit into school society whether homeschooled or schooled!


----------



## kangaand2roos

nono said:


> Oh, and on the being in the minority of homeschoolers, try being a Roman Catholic/Taoist couple raising Episcopalian/Buddhist children.  We don't fit into school society whether homeschooled or schooled!





Lol, I'm there with you. My dh is also Roman Catholic but the kids and I are Jewish. When I grew up my sibs and I were the only Jews in the school district. It has never really been an issue in the public schools so I guess it shouldn't be  an issue in private. I just would like to know that if I do this, I will have a support system of people homeschooling for similar reasons. My main reason is that I don't want to lose the interest of my very bright and creative kiddo. 

I have another question. Whereas I think my daughter might benefit from a home based education, I'm not so sure about my younger ds. Do any of you hs one but not the other of your kids?


----------



## lori1043

Hi, I am Lori and I post fom time to time. I am from Louisiana and just moved to Clermont, Fl-22 miles from Disney.

I know MANY people who have a kid/s in PS and one is homeschooled. I think it depends on the child and what YOU think it best for each one. I have had many times that we seriously thought about putting our DD10 in.

Also, if you live near a mid or big city- look for homeschool groups in your area that may be Jewish or secular. 

Good luck~Lori


----------



## kangaand2roos

lori1043 said:


> Hi, I am Lori and I post fom time to time. I am from Louisiana and just moved to Clermont, Fl-22 miles from Disney.
> 
> I know MANY people who have a kid/s in PS and one is homeschooled. I think it depends on the child and what YOU think it best for each one. I have had many times that we seriously thought about putting our DD10 in.
> 
> Also, if you live near a mid or big city- look for homeschool groups in your area that may be Jewish or secular.
> 
> Good luck~Lori



Thanks Lori...I knew Disney people would give me good input! 

Unfortunately we live in a vary small town. Baltimore is the nearest city, and it is over an hour away. I'm hoping that as I pursue my options more I will find a secular HS group in the area.  

I am also hoping that after Annika is tested we can delay any decisions until middle school, but I am going to do my due diligence and be prepared!

Just to make this discussion Disney relevant (I know I don't have to, but thought I'd throw this out anyway) DD wants to be an Imagineer when she grows up and she is just the outside-the-box kind of thinker that would be perfect for the job!


----------



## Nicolepa

kangaand2roos said:


> I have another question. Whereas I think my daughter might benefit from a home based education, I'm not so sure about my younger ds. Do any of you hs one but not the other of your kids?



My oldest in school and my youngest is at home.  My oldest is in the gifted program and it is fabulous and she loves it and I have no "reason" to hs her.  That being said I hate having one home and still being tied to the school schedule.  Pickup at 3, school vacation days, early dismissal etc.  Once my daughter gets home my son is done even if he isn't done.  It would be so much easier schedule wise to have them both home.  If we wanted to do a field trip or something we could start school later and it wouldn't matter if we were done by 3 or later.  

That being said my dh is totally against pulling my daughter out of school.  If he wasn't I'd probably pull her next year.  I think she would really do well at home.  If you'd asked me last year I would never have thought I'd feel that way!


----------



## Nicolepa

I am wondering if there is a real difference between using the Iowa or the Stanford for testing?  I am looking to get certified to administer the test (for my children only) and am wondering which one to do?


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## desparatelydisney

kangaand2roos said:


> I will have a support system of people homeschooling for similar reasons. My main reason is that I don't want to lose the interest of my very bright and creative kiddo.



The great thing is , we ARE all doing it for the same reason....because we want what we know is best for our children, whatever that means.  I have found that as a group HSers are very open to different beliefs and methods because we are all putting our children and their needs first.

Good luck!  It was the hardest decision i ever made.  We are coming to the end of year 1 and I couldn't be happier with how it has gone.

One thing you might find helpful, if you daughter has tested in the 95% or higher on a standardized test you can look into John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth - ESCPECIALLY SINCE YOU LIVE SO CLOSE TO BALTIMORE.  My oldest (8) takes his math and creative writing/reading comprehension online from John Hopkins.  There is at least one other family on here that does classes with them as well.  They also have summer day classes in Baltimore.


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## jetprincess

Hi Homeschool Moms!

I have been considering homeschooling for quite some time.  I am interested in knowing which school records I am privy to if I choose to remove my child from a public school.  All of them? Or do some remain confidential?


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## palmtreegirl

Hi all! Where do you sell your old homeschool curriculum? I'm trying to find some alternatives to Ebay, because their fees are high and last time I used them the seller backed out after the auction closed.

Thank you!!


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## littlepeppers

jetprincess said:


> Hi Homeschool Moms!
> 
> I have been considering homeschooling for quite some time.  I am interested in knowing which school records I am privy to if I choose to remove my child from a public school.  All of them? Or do some remain confidential?



I had to pull my students cummulative folders every year.  There isn't anything in their that you haven't given to the school or that wasn't sent home.  There may be some really cute school pictures of you child that you didn't buy.

It shouldn't be a problem getting it.  You may have to pay to have them photocopied.


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## wondermomamy

I have sold a couple of things on the Well-Trained Mind forums with success. I've also sold on amazon.

Good luck!


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## anabelle

palmtreegirl said:


> Hi all! Where do you sell your old homeschool curriculum? I'm trying to find some alternatives to Ebay, because their fees are high and last time I used them the seller backed out after the auction closed.
> 
> Thank you!!



Check for Homeschool Fairs in your area.   They often have used book sales that let you sell on consignment or for a nominal participation fee.


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## gerberdaisy1234

kangaand2roos said:


> I just want to do the best for my kid and I'm not sure what that is. Any input will be appreciated.



HI, In response to a couple of your post...

If your daughter loves DISNEY...If you homeschool you can do the Disney Homeschool Days.  We loved our class with the Disney Engineers..."Engineering Behind the Magic" in January.

We live in Baltimore County. In our neighborhood Jewish families are the majority (we are in the minority). We find most homeschool groups we are involved in are a variety of religious, culture, ethnic, economic, and racial backgrounds.  I feel that the more we understand each other, the more we know who we are. That is the great thing about homeschooling children who might not be friends in conventional school, are best friends. Because it is okay to ask questions, to learn, to respect, to understand. If something inappropriate is said it can be addressed immediately in a kind way to enlighten.

There is such a variety of curriculum you can choose from. If organization is not your thing. You can do online or other computer based that keeps track of all scores, etc. Or a program like Calvert School where you send in all the test and papers to be graded, or grade yourself, or virtual classrooms.

Social activities...trust me it is enough. My children on a regular basis do basketball, karate, piano, choir, ice skating and alternate with other activities like drama, horseback riding, tennis, football, swimming, etc.  Because you are getting to know the parents of the children in the classes, they develop real friendships as the families do other activities together. Field trips to theater, museums, hiking, etc.

If your daughter has a passion you can adjust her learning opportunities to include that passion. 

While every day is not always a picnic...I am thankful for every day that we are blessed to be together.  I am thankful for every time that I get the see the light bulb go on when they finally get something. I am thankful for every teachable moment when we ALL learned something new. I am blessed when I hear my children playing together (DD11 and DS7) and using their imaginations. (I taught for 10 years and it is amazing how many children don't know how to use their imaginations.) There are days when I think I am not doing a good job but then I tell someone like you about homeschool and it renews me.

Thank you for the letting me share my passion. I LOVE HOMEschool.


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## gerberdaisy1234

If you were writing a brief job description for a resume, for Homeschool Teacher, what would you write?

It would be easier to write a ten page job description.


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## dwaddict

We are considering taking our son out of public school to homeschool him. Our state has no guidlines to follow, so I am a little lost. School has gotten so bad that he is now  pulling his hair out. 
Any ideas, lesson plans you have used would be super helpful as we debate this decision. It will change all our lives, as I will have to give up my management job to start this adventure. You can email me @ s.lydia@rocketmail.com
Thanks for all your help!!
Lydia


----------



## SCHBR'smom

dwaddict said:


> We are considering taking our son out of public school to homeschool him. Our state has no guidlines to follow, so I am a little lost. School has gotten so bad that he is now  pulling his hair out.
> Any ideas, lesson plans you have used would be super helpful as we debate this decision. It will change all our lives, as I will have to give up my management job to start this adventure. You can email me @ s.lydia@rocketmail.com
> Thanks for all your help!!
> Lydia



What state are you in?


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

SCHBR'smom said:


> What state are you in?



And what age and/or grade level is DS?


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## dwaddict

We are in Mississippi. He is 11 and in 5th grade.


----------



## littlepeppers

We are trying Time Tales for DS multiplication facts.

We are reading story #1 & 2 this week.  2x2=4   and 2x3=6


----------



## Incredimom3

Hi, I've homeschooled for 6 years now.  My girls are in 5th, 7th and 9th grade.  I suggest you start with a book on homeschooling.  Our library had some books on homeschooling in its education section.  Cathy Duffy has a book which I have loaned out (so I don't recall the exact title).  It's something like - Cathy Duffy's Top 100 Choices for Homeschool Curriculum.  I purchased it at a large book retailer in a mall, but I'm sure Amazon would have it.  Anyway, she begins by helping you discover your child's learning style.  Then, she rates various curriculum based upon learning styles.  For example, if your child is unsuccessful with a typical textbook-driven math curriculum (such as those used in most schools), he may be better suited to something more hands on, such as, MathUSee, which is heavy in manipulatives.  But Cathy's book gives you a starting point.  If you just use the same stuff that he was using in school, you may end up frustrating yourself and him.  Until you decide what to use, you might just work on math facts and have him read library books for social studies, english, etc...  Also, I'd check to see if your state has a homeschool association.  For example, Georgia has GHEA.  On their home page they have links to home school support groups by zip code.  As a new home schooler, it would help you to find others in your area who could give you ideas and information about how they go about homeschooling.  Typically, our schooling includes Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science.

Good luck.  It's the most challenging, but rewarding adventure I've ever been on.


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## kangaand2roos

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> HI, In response to a couple of your post...
> 
> If your daughter loves DISNEY...If you homeschool you can do the Disney Homeschool Days.  We loved our class with the Disney Engineers..."Engineering Behind the Magic" in January.
> 
> We live in Baltimore County. In our neighborhood Jewish families are the majority (we are in the minority). We find most homeschool groups we are involved in are a variety of religious, culture, ethnic, economic, and racial backgrounds.  I feel that the more we understand each other, the more we know who we are. That is the great thing about homeschooling children who might not be friends in conventional school, are best friends. Because it is okay to ask questions, to learn, to respect, to understand. If something inappropriate is said it can be addressed immediately in a kind way to enlighten.
> 
> There is such a variety of curriculum you can choose from. If organization is not your thing. You can do online or other computer based that keeps track of all scores, etc. Or a program like Calvert School where you send in all the test and papers to be graded, or grade yourself, or virtual classrooms.
> 
> Social activities...trust me it is enough. My children on a regular basis do basketball, karate, piano, choir, ice skating and alternate with other activities like drama, horseback riding, tennis, football, swimming, etc.  Because you are getting to know the parents of the children in the classes, they develop real friendships as the families do other activities together. Field trips to theater, museums, hiking, etc.
> 
> If your daughter has a passion you can adjust her learning opportunities to include that passion.
> 
> While every day is not always a picnic...I am thankful for every day that we are blessed to be together.  I am thankful for every time that I get the see the light bulb go on when they finally get something. I am thankful for every teachable moment when we ALL learned something new. I am blessed when I hear my children playing together (DD11 and DS7) and using their imaginations. (I taught for 10 years and it is amazing how many children don't know how to use their imaginations.) There are days when I think I am not doing a good job but then I tell someone like you about homeschool and it renews me.
> 
> Thank you for the letting me share my passion. I LOVE HOMEschool.




Where in Baltimore County are you? I owned a pet store in the Valley Center in Owings Mills for 8 years, from 1991-1999. 

I know that in certain parts of the county you would be a minority if not Jewish. growing up here, it was total culture shock for me when I lived down there.

I hope I didn't come off as if I had anything against Christians or anyone else for that matter. I LOVE the idea of my kids being exposed to and learning about people of other religions, cultures, ethnicities, etc. That was not my concern, but rather that a homeschooling group of people who pulled their kids for religious reasons would focus on religious education and that is not our focus.  Being a minority per se isn't a problem or issue as they will be a minority in or out of school.

Regardless, all of you have done a lot to alleviate my concerns. I'm still not sure I'd be up to the job, but I am going to explore my options. I am meeting with a friend tomorrow who just pulled her older kids from the district. 

I had a brief chat with DD this morning to get her opinion on the whole matter. I just told her it was something I was considering for later in her education and what would she think of it. She thought it was an awesome idea, even when I told her it would likely be harder than school was now, but hopefully more interesting! So, the concerns are just mine and my DH's!

Oh, and Disney homeschool days sounds awesome!!

Thanks for the input!


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## Denine

I started a post about Williamsburg Homeschool days.  If any of you want more information just PM me.


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## danjoealexis3006

I need some advice. I am homeschooling my DS11(has ADD) and it has been a challenging week! He cannot maintain focus at all on his work (more than usual). I keep having to redirect him and sit right next to him at all times!! He gets up to get a drink,bathroom, pencil, ect! He does not want to do his work and will argue with me. My patients are shot, I really try not to get on to him, but there is no reason it should take 5 1/2 hours to his work (the work is not above him) everyday. I am looking for suggestions!
I allow him to stand while doing his work, a break between subjects, pick the subject he wants to do and then check it off a list.
Anyone?


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## mariezp

*danjoealexis3006*, I can certainly sympathize with you as I have one of those wigglers myself. I wish I had some great advise but I don't. My DD-9 has not been diagnosed as ADD but I do wonder. I do know that I do not want to put her on medication so I have tried to adjust my expectations for now. I just try to keep our lessons short. The more I demand of her the more frustrated she and I both become so for now I have decided to back off a bit and let her go at a slower pace. I feel pretty sure in time she will focus better, things will click and we will make up for lost time then. One of the benefits of homeschooling is that you can take the time to find out what works in your situation without having to keep up with anyone else. Hang in there!

Can't wait to hear from some others who do have some sage advice.


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## disneymom3

My thought is along the lines of Marie.  Are you sure that the work you are having him do is necessary?  Keep in mind that a large part of the repetetive work in a traditional classroom is to make sure that all of the kids get it.  If he is already getting the concepts then he may not be needed to do all the work.

For my little dude with sitting and focus issues, I do several things.  First off, we do a LOT of our work with a physical component to it.  Math facts, he does sitting on a balance ball, spelling he has to choose a way to move himself physically from one room to the other, I give him the word and he goes out to the other room, gets the letter tiles to make the word and brings them back to me.

What curriculum are you using for math?  Both of my older two use Teaching Textbooks and it has made a huge difference with how their attention goes.

I just find, that esp my son learns so much better when I am not trying to work against his issues but around them.  It doesn't look at all like school to most people but he is making progress.


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## danjoealexis3006

You all maybe onto something. I have started with REWARDS (for his dyslexia 2x a week), we tried Barton Reading and Spelling and I had the same reaction.After stopping he seemed to be more cooperative with me. Before adding REWARDS we were doing:
Teaching Textbooks (This is the only thing he doesn't give me a hard time with)
Winter Promise History ( I have to read all the books to him everyday)
All About Spelling-15 mins
Apoligia Science/Solar System 2x a week
Handwriting-I just have him practice 5 sentances a day in cursive.
Multiplication Facts (everyday-we play War using facts he has learned)
Easy Grammar  4 (1 page a day)
I have him do some creative writing 2x a week.
Reading-everyday he picks the book (right now we are reading Risby)-10 mins
Reading Detective-2x a week
Maybe it is the REWARDS-He needs the remediation, maybe I should back off.
This is my first year homeschooling so I guess I had this great expectation that he would automatically start to love to learn  but NOTHING had peaked his intrest. 
I don't know where to go from here...


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## gerberdaisy1234

danjoealexis3006 said:


> I need some advice. I am homeschooling my DS11(has ADD) and it has been a challenging week! QUOTE]
> 
> Don't forget change in weather effects us all (or is it affect)


----------



## Zoma

Danjoalexis 3006.....

We have been homeschooling our DD14 since preschool. There have been tough times but, the rewards far outweigh any struggles we have encountered. 

She is also an antsy child, has always had a hard time focusing and completing her work in a timely manner. Some things that have helped are taking frequent breaks and listening to music. Recess is very important, even at home. If she is struggling we take a walk, go for a quick trip to a store she enjoys, we have even headed to Starbucks  She comes back to her work feeling refreshed and ready for more. 

In the past year we finally figured out that having music on while she is doing math, grammar, vocabulary, etc....(not during reading time) makes her work not only faster but, she "gets" the concepts better  Wish I had listened to that advice years ago! 

Always remember that understanding exactly what your child's needs are will take time and a great deal of patience. Keep your eyes open for new methods and books(even when you feel like you've find the one!). Find yourself a support group, it will help you not feel alone and you'll see that we all struggle sometimes. 

Lastly.....enjoy the process, even on the challenging days


----------



## DreadpiratK

danjoealexis3006 said:


> I need some advice. I am homeschooling my DS11(has ADD) and it has been a challenging week! He cannot maintain focus at all on his work (more than usual). I keep having to redirect him and sit right next to him at all times!! He gets up to get a drink,bathroom, pencil, ect! He does not want to do his work and will argue with me. My patients are shot, I really try not to get on to him, but there is no reason it should take 5 1/2 hours to his work (the work is not above him) everyday. I am looking for suggestions!
> I allow him to stand while doing his work, a break between subjects, pick the subject he wants to do and then check it off a list.
> Anyone?



This may not be what you are looking for, but we have home schooled all of our children from K on, our oldest is now 19 and a Junior at RIT (4.0 average! (had to brag))  Anyway our 4th child dd5 is very hyper, so much worse than her older siblings we were almost in despair of homeschooling her, or even controlling her, until we discovered almost by accident that she is allergic to artificial colors.  Now she's on a strict diet of non-colored foods, and she's a different person, still high energy, but she can focus for long periods of time and is sooo enthusiastic about school.   The other day we ate out at Red Robin, and she sat there until her food was almost cold doing the word search on the place mat.  The level of concentration was so cool to watch.  

 The funny thing is if at any point she does eat colors, like if she gets a snack in Sunday School of something, we all know immediately without having to ask, her behavior changes that radically in just a few minutes.  

This may not be the problem but we've told our story to several families that tried it out, just eliminated artificial colors from their kids foods as a trial, and found that their ADD like symptoms disappeared, or greatly improved.   I have a feeling that this may be  far more common than many people think.


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## Disney Mommy 3

dreadpiratK...Just curious what foods (or just a few examples) or brands do you avoid? I have to watch the MSGs for me, or I get Migraines...some days I get one & know it's weather-related,other days I wonder if it's something I have eaten, but can't put my finger on it.


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## Ellester

dwaddict said:


> We are considering taking our son out of public school to homeschool him. Our state has no guidlines to follow, so I am a little lost. School has gotten so bad that he is now  pulling his hair out.
> Any ideas, lesson plans you have used would be super helpful as we debate this decision. It will change all our lives, as I will have to give up my management job to start this adventure. You can email me @ s.lydia@rocketmail.com
> Thanks for all your help!!
> Lydia



Welcom, Lydia! It sounds like your son would benefit from homeschooling, poor guy! If at all possible, I would try to get to a homeschool conference in your area and search the web for local support groups. It is getting to be the season for conferences. Usually, you can get a good look at lots of different options that way. A good place to check the laws in your state is www.hslda.org. They also have links to local HS'ing organizations. Once you pull him out, expect decompression and adjustment time. I've read to plan on 1 to 2 weeks per year of public school, so if he is in 5th this year you can plan on 6 to 12 weeks of adjustment at a minimum. There is no need to jump into a full curriculum right away. There is plenty of value in just spending time getting to know your son again and discover his learning style (as well as your teaching style). I would not spend a ton of money on any specific curriculum until you have a better idea as to what will work for your both. There are an incredible amount of resources out there, it will take time to wade through them. We use a hodge podge of things in our homeschool (I currently have a 11yo, 8yo, 5yo, and 1yo), we are constantly adding and dropping things as I learn more about what works best for my kids. This is our 5th year of homeschooling. Right now we are using the following:

Math - Math-U-See 
English - Voyages in English, Wordly Wise, Explode the Code, Seton
Science - Noeo Chemistry
Art - Seton
History/Social Science - Sonlight
Geography - MCP
Spelling - Sequential Spelling
Religion - Seton (we are Catholic, Seton is a Catholic curriculum supplier)
Latin - Memoria Press

We throw in other things here and there as well (critical thinking, handwriting, unit studies, etc.) 

If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me or to post. Good luck with your decision!


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## Ellester

anabelle said:


> Check for Homeschool Fairs in your area.   They often have used book sales that let you sell on consignment or for a nominal participation fee.



I just had to comment on your user name. That is my oldest dd's name, and we spell it the same way! We don't see it spelled that way very often.


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## StuckInKS

mariezp said:


> *danjoealexis3006*, I can certainly sympathize with you as I have one of those wigglers myself. I wish I had some great advise but I don't. My DD-9 has not been diagnosed as ADD but I do wonder. I do know that I do not want to put her on medication so I have tried to adjust my expectations for now. I just try to keep our lessons short. The more I demand of her the more frustrated she and I both become so for now I have decided to back off a bit and let her go at a slower pace. I feel pretty sure in time she will focus better, things will click and we will make up for lost time then. One of the benefits of homeschooling is that you can take the time to find out what works in your situation without having to keep up with anyone else. Hang in there!
> 
> Can't wait to hear from some others who do have some sage advice.



This sounds just like us and it can be frustrating. I have decided that my daughter just can't do more than 2-3 hours of book learning a day, so I have cut down to just phonics/reading/lang arts and math. Then I have her play jumpstart for a while (which she loves to do and the games help me know what she is/is not retaining from her studies.) I figure we will do science and history (her other two non-electives, as we are schooling through a public virtual charter school) during the summer since they are shorter courses. I may try to find some kind of software or online things to help her with those. So, moving to a part-time, full-year schedule has been working for us so far, but she still has her days where she has trouble focusing and moves around a lot. She also has not been diagnoised (as I don't see the point since I won't medicate her,) but her dad had ADHD as a kid. She does have some really good days too though, where she focuses pretty well.


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## wvdislover

We also have a DD12 with a lot of attention problems.  She was on medication since she was 5, but we tried taking her off of her ADHD meds this fall.  It started out really great, but as time went on, I was losing more and more control of her, and she was constantly getting in trouble.  We were getting hardly any schoolwork done, as she was so fidgety and distracted.  She was also having a lot of trouble doing the things she was supposed to in her dance classes, which she enjoys, so I know it wasn't just schoolwork.  We ended up putting her back on her Focalin XR, but only on a quarter of the dose she was on before.  Life is not perfect (will it ever be with a teenager, though?), but things are going a whole lot better.  Her dance teachers were able to notice a big difference in her performance in their classes, without knowing that she was back on her meds, and we are getting more schoolwork done, with fewer problems.  I know she's happier, because she's getting in trouble a lot less than she was.

I know a lot of you don't want to put your kids on meds, but don't ever rule it out completely.  I think some kids NEED to be on meds, just to help them regulate their life.  Why should everybody in your family be miserable, just b/c you don't want to give your child a pill every day?  Why should your child spend the whole day getting in trouble, just b/c you don't want them to take any medications?  Is that really fair to your child?  Fair to the rest of the family?

I know there are a lot of kids out there who are on meds who really don't need to be.  For those of you who are able to maintain a relatively happy and sane household without putting your kids on meds, that's great!  I wish we could have done it, but for us, it just wasn't worth the sacrifices our DD and our family were having to make.  Hope this helps someone


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## DreadpiratK

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> dreadpiratK...Just curious what foods (or just a few examples) or brands do you avoid? I have to watch the MSGs for me, or I get Migraines...some days I get one & know it's weather-related,other days I wonder if it's something I have eaten, but can't put my finger on it.



It's not so much brands as just any food that has artificial colors, which is almost anything, we even have to watch what toothpaste we buy.  We just get in the habit of reading labels.   Red #5 and yellow #3 seem to be the worst, a little blue or green she seems to tolerate pretty well.  It's especially prevalent in food targeted at kids.  Think how many chemicals you're child ingests in a day just to make his or her food bright!  It's  a lot.  The good news is it forces us to make more things from scratch, so we all eat better because of it.  For her birthday my DD17 made her a pink cake using strawberry juice instead of pink food coloring in the frosting, and it was great.  

As an example, we discovered this about her while eating out one night, everything was fine, she was well behaved until my older son gave her the cherry from his drink, which of course had ton of Red food coloring in it.  Minutes later she was kicking and screaming and throwing stuff, it was a little scary.  After that we started observing her behavior when she was the worst, and tracking it back to what she had eaten. 

A lot of people have said, oh it's just the sugar that makes them hyper, but it's not,  Ellie can have ice cream or chocolate or other things kids like, just without the colors in it, and she's fine, but give her a few red m&m's and she's bouncing off the walls.   

The nice thing is enough people are coming to realize how much of a problem this is, and companies are responding.  For example, Cool Aid makes 'invisible' cool-aid now, it's exactly the same as regular without the colors.  Tastes just the same too it's just clear and it doesn't bother my daughter at all.  A few companies even make naturally colored gummy candies and vitamins, which is a treat for our girls. 

I strongly urge anyone whose kids are ADHD or ADD or even close, at least give it a try, you've got nothing to lose.  Remove all colors from their diet for even a few days as see what happens, it may be nothing at all, or it may be dramatic.  You could save you kids from a lifetime of medication, and yourself quite a few gray hairs! We know of one friend who was able to take her son off medication completely by eliminating colors, and he's so much better now then he was on the meds.  

More info about this can be found on the web, like this article:

http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/2991.html


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## Disney Mommy 3

OOHhhh thanks! I will check that out! I remember as a kid for school parties, the moms would bring in those big gallon jugs of fruit punch or whatever it was...I would get suuuuuch a headache!! My mom didn't give us that stuff, so I always thought it was just a sugar rush...mighta' been the red!!! It stained your face, remember?!! Ha!!!! Foods like Cheese Doritos, or anything with lots of 'fake cheese powder' gives me a head ache also...my kids dont seem to be too hyper after foods---but I do know when they would come out of Nursery on Sunday they would be sooo wound up. Goldfish....and day cares and kid places give those out by the millions!!! Makes my kids go bananas!!!!


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## StuckInKS

wvdislover said:


> I know a lot of you don't want to put your kids on meds, but don't ever rule it out completely.  I think some kids NEED to be on meds, just to help them regulate their life.  Why should everybody in your family be miserable, just b/c you don't want to give your child a pill every day?  Why should your child spend the whole day getting in trouble, just b/c you don't want them to take any medications?  Is that really fair to your child?  Fair to the rest of the family?



If this was our situation I wouldn't rule it out, but no one in our family is miserable and my DD is a pretty good kid for the most part. It really is not even that much of an issue until school time, and then he easily distracted nature can become a problem. But that is me and her, it does not affect the rest of the family and I have taken measures to try and make it easier (working only 2-3 hours a day, finding alternatives to book work, etc.) On the days when she really can't focus at all, I just put the books up and call it a day. If she has it, it is mild and maybe just ADD, rather than ADHD (attention/distraction is more of a problem than hyperness for us.) 

Now, we do have kids in our family that have terrible ADHD and they almost need to be medicated all of the time, but they also tend to have other mental issues, namely bipolar. That (thank goodness) is not an issue here. I have had plenty of opportunities to see a meltdown of an unmedicated severly ADHD/Bipolar child and it is something that I would not be able to deal with on a regular basis. It causes stress and anxiety for the whole family. If that were an issue for us, medication would be necessary and I would not hesitate to use it.


----------



## bumbershoot

With the lowest grades (DS is doing K work), do any of you go in spurts?  Several days of lots of work all in a row, then just a nice break...  I always feel so lazy doing that, but it sure seems to work for DS!  And he's constantly learning, so I find that he has learned in the interim, when we get back to the workbooks.

Does that work for anyone else?

*******




Zoma said:


> In the past year we finally figured out that having music on while she is doing math, grammar, vocabulary, etc....(not during reading time) makes her work not only faster but, she "gets" the concepts better  Wish I had listened to that advice years ago!



It's so hard as an adult to really allow that music can help.  How do I know?  Because I was a kid/teen/college student who absolutely loved to have something on in the background while studying, I know it helped, but as an adult, I balk at it!  It's so weird.

My brother, brilliant dude, had the coolest system for studying.  Now he did go to school-school (as did I but I was nowhere near as successful at it), and so he had pressure-filled finals.  Especially since he was in as many AP classes as he could take.

With each subject, he would listen to just ONE album.  Any time he studied math, for example, he had Ozzy Osbourne on.  For English, it was Megadeth.  History?  Anthrax was playing.  (getting an idea of the sort of music he liked?  lol)  And when he was taking a test, he would think about the music, and it would bring to mind all of his studying time, and he could remember/access the info in his brain easier.  So cool!

And yet I don't want music on...silly me.


DreadpiratK, loved your posts!  That is REALLY cool about the "invisible" cool aid.  Not sure if that's safe for us in other ways, but cool that it has no color.  

For us, eliminating things with corn syrup has also eliminated most "colorful" foods.  For DS, the colors aren't the biggest problem, but they definitely cause twitchiness (vs full blown violence and utter inability to listen) in him.  He *says* "I can handle it", but he really doesn't.  And red is the worst, absolutely.  Last month we bought a box of Eggo waffles at the store, because they are marginally safe, fun to eat, and, I'll admit it, tasty.  But they have Yellow in them.  And I watched him...last month was definitely trickier, behaviour-wise, than other months.  So?  No more Eggos.  It's OK, waffles are easy enough to make and freeze.

I *love* the strawberry juice trick!  How fun!   I was just reading a recipe for red velvet cake, and it contains a disturbing amount of red dye in it.  Just reading about it was making me itch, LOL.  And I know for absolutely sure that a few of the people commenting on the recipe (on FB) have kids with diagnosed problems, and they were saying how much their kids looooove red velvet cake.  I had previously heard of using beet juice to make it red, and when you mentioned strawberry juice for a pink cake, it brought it back to my mind, so thank you!


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## belle22

OT - I am trying to find some examples of what the Kindergarten Diagnostic Test -2 .   I have posted on other boards gotten a few results but not for KDI .-2.  Was hoping someone use to teach Kindergarten and can help me out?  This test is to be a more thorogh test?? Not sure what that means.  It has 13 parts.. (here are a few of them) Concept Mastery, Visual Discrimination, Number Skills, Visual Memory, Vocab, Verbal Associations, General Information.

Any ideas what to go over with my child??


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## fabumouse

kangaand2roos said:


> I have another question. Whereas I think my daughter might benefit from a home based education, I'm not so sure about my younger ds. Do any of you hs one but not the other of your kids?



Absolutely.

My DD3 is thrilled with her preschool, gets along with the teachers and the other kids and comes home after 5 hours each day waving her art over her head.  That is great!  
I have no plans at all to homeschool her, she will be in her preschool next year, and am applying to a wonderful private school in my area for the next (I don't love our local elementary, so that is not an option).

My DD8 has ADHD, is very bright and verbally precocious.  We are not religious at all, and honestly, I couldn't name a "we do this program" or "that program" with any consistency.

I had to take a huge step back from the public school system and ask myself what exactly does my child need out of school?  And asking myself that over and over created a clarity.

Math.  She needs to know how to add, subtract, multiply, work with fractions, geometry, understand graphs, etc.

Reading.  She needs to be able to read to learn any other skill.  So we read constantly and she reads to me in the car.

Social Studies.  She needs to know the continents, basic political structure of our country versus others....

It feels overwhelming, but it is exhilerating when not only she recites her multiplication tables but has this Oh my gosh! moment when we discuss Elizabeth Cady Stanton and she says "women couldn't always vote?"  and that can take up the rest of the day.  (instead of her asking the question and being drowned out by 23 other kids heading to lunch).

I won't lie - some days she wants more kids around her and I wish there were.  We do some sort of class every day with other kids, but it's not the same as being with them for 7 hours a day.

But I wouldn't trade it.   Hope you find a decision that works for you.


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## Zoma

bumbershoot said:


> With the lowest grades (DS is doing K work), do any of you go in spurts?  Several days of lots of work all in a row, then just a nice break...  I always feel so lazy doing that, but it sure seems to work for DS!  And he's constantly learning, so I find that he has learned in the interim, when we get back to the workbooks.
> 
> Does that work for anyone else?
> 
> *******
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's so hard as an adult to really allow that music can help.  How do I know?  Because I was a kid/teen/college student who absolutely loved to have something on in the background while studying, I know it helped, but as an adult, I balk at it!  It's so weird.
> 
> My brother, brilliant dude, had the coolest system for studying.  Now he did go to school-school (as did I but I was nowhere near as successful at it), and so he had pressure-filled finals.  Especially since he was in as many AP classes as he could take.
> 
> With each subject, he would listen to just ONE album.  Any time he studied math, for example, he had Ozzy Osbourne on.  For English, it was Megadeth.  History?  Anthrax was playing.  (getting an idea of the sort of music he liked?  lol)  And when he was taking a test, he would think about the music, and it would bring to mind all of his studying time, and he could remember/access the info in his brain easier.  So cool!
> 
> And yet I don't want music on...silly me."
> 
> Your brother sounds like a fun guy, we could learn alot from brilliant people like him
> 
> It took many years for us to allow the music, they never allowed us to listen to music at the brick and mortar school when we were kids  Math has been her biggest struggle over the years so when I heard about music and math being linked in our brains it made sense to at least give it a try. Her music of choice is Frank Sinatra, The Beetles and Johhny Cash.....homeschoolers


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## StuckInKS

I signed DD6 and DS5 up for Time4Learning yesterday. DD is doing K12 through the virtual charter school in our area and DS will start in August, but DD needs to supplement with the book work since she can only focus on it for so long. I also have her do Jumpstart, but it is better for reviewing and checking mastery of a topic, rather than learning it (plus she is almost done with 1st and after 2nd there are no more.) I would like to get DS some exposure to things that he will be learning in August, before we actually dive into the books. So, I *think* this will be a good idea for them (time will tell.) With DD3, I wasn't sure. 

The Preschool area is made by Time4Learning, instead of CompassLearning. I was hoping to take a peek at it once I signed up the other kids (I assumed that DS would have access to both 1st and Preschool as well as K,) but haven't been able to access it. I just don't know if it is any better than other free games for preschoolers and how much instruction is involved (we tried out DD in math today and it was kind of hit or miss. Some lessons would review needed concepts/definitions before she did the game and took the quiz and others would only offer explainations when she got something wrong.) Namely, DD3 already has access to the Jumpstart subscription and I don't know if getting T4L Preschool would be any more beneficial than what we already have available, since it is made differently than what DD6 and DS5 are doing.

Does any do T4L Preschool? Did it seem any better than the free preschool games you can find online? Did it help them master any needed concepts before moving on to K or do you think they would have done just fine with the K without the Preschool? What she needs to work on is some letter names and all letter sounds, some number names up to 10 and all numbers after 10, and counting past 20. We have already started a bit of basic addition (number that equal up to 10) and she does a decent job with that. She knows colors/shapes, same/different, comparing sizes, more/less, etc. So having those available is not an issue.


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## BelleRocks

Hi, I am considering taking my daughter out of traditional public school, and am considering on online homeschool cirriculum (or some seem to be called online private schools).

She is in 5th grade now and I am looking to start in 6th grade.  I am one of those moms who always just assumed my kid would be in public school, so changing my mindset on this has not been the easiest.  Therefore, I'm not looking at compiling my own cirriculum (which I think would be overwhelming) but for a 'package' cirriculum that isn't 100 percent textbooks.  My daughter is very computer literate and I love the learning ops the internet offers.

Does anyone have any experience with any of those type of programs?

Thank you so much for any responses - I'm just lost!


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## Ellester

BelleRocks said:


> Hi, I am considering taking my daughter out of traditional public school, and am considering on online homeschool cirriculum (or some seem to be called online private schools).
> 
> She is in 5th grade now and I am looking to start in 6th grade.  I am one of those moms who always just assumed my kid would be in public school, so changing my mindset on this has not been the easiest.  Therefore, I'm not looking at compiling my own cirriculum (which I think would be overwhelming) but for a 'package' cirriculum that isn't 100 percent textbooks.  My daughter is very computer literate and I love the learning ops the internet offers.
> 
> Does anyone have any experience with any of those type of programs?
> 
> Thank you so much for any responses - I'm just lost!



Welcome to the board! I think you'll find that many parents have been in your shoes. It can be a difficult change in mindset, to be sure. Knowing that is half the battle though, so consider yourself ahead of the game! I don't have personal experience with totally prepackaged curriculums, but I have several friends who have used them. Switched on Schoolhouse is very popular around here. It is almost all on the computer, I believe. I have two friends who have been very happy with it for their middle school/high school aged children. I know several families who are using K12 though the state (Georgia Virtual Academy). It is essentially public school curriculum but at home. They have videos to watch online, and live class remotes too. The families I know have mixed reviews of it, but it sounds like a good fit for some people. Hopefully, you'll get some good feedback from this board. I would look into contacting any local homeschooling groups  to see if you can talk to someone who actually uses some of the prepackaged sets. That can be very helpful. It is also getting into HS conference/curriculum fair season, there may be one coming up near you. Tons of information is available at those. Good luck! It is a crazy adventure sometimes, but totally worth it!


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## Disney Mommy 3

BelleRocks said:


> Hi, I am considering taking my daughter out of traditional public school, and am considering on online homeschool cirriculum (or some seem to be called online private schools).
> 
> She is in 5th grade now and I am looking to start in 6th grade.  I am one of those moms who always just assumed my kid would be in public school, so changing my mindset on this has not been the easiest.  Therefore, I'm not looking at compiling my own cirriculum (which I think would be overwhelming) but for a 'package' cirriculum that isn't 100 percent textbooks.  My daughter is very computer literate and I love the learning ops the internet offers.
> 
> Does anyone have any experience with any of those type of programs?
> 
> Thank you so much for any responses - I'm just lost!



Hi and  
 My middle son is in 5th grade this year..we only use the computer for one course...and thats Math. We use Teaching Textbooks and I couldn't love anything better!!!!! He actually did the 6th grade one this year and my 8th grade son used it for Algebra 1. This is our 2nd year using it and they will not ever use anything else as far as I can see!!! they have an online placement test to see which one you will need....go to the site and check them out...they are awesome!! Also...Christian Book .com sells their curriculum and you can read reviews. 
 I have never used an entire curr. on the internet/computer... I too have heard that people who use Switched On Schoolhouse (SOS) just love it!   I hope you will find exactly what you need...lots of people on here, so you should get lots of tips!!!!


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## figment3258

Hi all I just wanted to sort of re- introduce I think I have posted here but it has been quite some time. I home-school my two wonderful daughters ages 7 and 3. We have always home-schooled. We also live in Ma if anyone else from Ma wants to chat that would be great. Also right now we are in a slump. I was wondering what some of your schedules are like day to day. I am trying to find something that works for us. Alo can anyone recommend an online program for second grade. Just thinking ahead for next year. Thanks so much!

Jessica


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## BelleRocks

Thank you so much for your replies!  I will check out the Switched on Schoolhouse.  I don't mind SOME textbook work, I just didn't want it to be 100 percent.  There are so many resources online, and it seems a great way to keep kids interested.

Thanks again!


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## danjoealexis3006

I wanted to thank everyone who responded to my post. My DS has ADD and somedays are down right challenging. My DH and I figured out why my DS is not wanting to do his work more than normal. DS overheard a conversation between my DH and I about what to do next year. DH wants me to start applying for jobs (things have been really slow for our business and we have burt through much of our savings). We are living very lean right now in hopes that things will pick up, but here in Michigan I doubt it will. I will be lucky to find a job (I'm a social worker) in my neck of the woods. I don't know what to tell my son or my DH. I feel like I am stuck in the middle and unfortuately my son can tell something is wrong. Funny, I didn't really think I would love to hs my son but I really do. My plan was to bring home my other son next year and hs both. I finally feel like I have found my calling and unfortuately life is getting in the way. Sorry I guess I just needed to vent.


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## wondermomamy

danjoealexis3006 said:


> I finally feel like I have found my calling and unfortuately life is getting in the way. Sorry I guess I just needed to vent.



I totally understand how you feel. I went back to work last fall and enrolled my two youngest in public school. They have adapted and are doing well, but I really feel my calling is to teach them at home. Sigh....

I have been going to school part time for social work and I've been having second thoughts lately about even finishing. I currently work with deaf students, but I feel like my job is just a means to an end. As soon as we are financially able, I want to be back home with my kids. That's where my heart is.


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## Pooki

I'm bringing something up that is somewhat irrelevant to me at the moment (as my kids are pretty young), but I just wanted to get people's input since I'm very new to the HS'ing world still 

I was looking into taking CLEPs for myself, and I happened to stumble across a forum, accidentally, about homeschooling.  Of course I was intrigued, and I learned that many HS parents will incorporate CLEPs during the high school years in order to get college credits (they are learning the material anyways, why not take the exam and get the credit, right?).  I understand that "dual enrollment" is not accepted in many cases, but it seems easy enough to study, say, Biology, mark it on the child's transcript with any associated grade, and have the CLEP exam separate.

The forum I was on was biased in the sense that it was a pro-CLEP forum (not knocking that, just stating I didn't hear any negative opinions), and I got very excited about this.  However, I just wanted to see if anyone has any experience with this or had any opinions about having their teens earning so many college credits at such a young age, and even in some rare cases, getting their bachelor's around the same time an average PS kid would graduate high school.   I wish I would have known as a high schooler to take CLEP exams, since I probably could be avoiding taking basic college classes such as history later in life.


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## graygables

danjoealexis3006 said:


> I finally feel like I have found my calling and unfortuately life is getting in the way. Sorry I guess I just needed to vent.



Just to offer some encouragement...I was working 50-60 hrs/week last year, essentially as a single mom (hubby is in Ohio, I'm in FL).  I did have adult daughters living with me who were some help along the way, AND, my DDs still HSing are 13 & 11.  In addition, I'm a full-time grad student, although I cut my work hours back to about 30-32/week right now.  It is possible to work and homeschool if you can align supervision (if needed) and agree to very flexible scheduling.


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## sl_underwood

Pooki said:


> I'm bringing something up that is somewhat irrelevant to me at the moment (as my kids are pretty young), but I just wanted to get people's input since I'm very new to the HS'ing world still
> 
> I was looking into taking CLEPs for myself, and I happened to stumble across a forum, accidentally, about homeschooling.  Of course I was intrigued, and I learned that many HS parents will incorporate CLEPs during the high school years in order to get college credits (they are learning the material anyways, why not take the exam and get the credit, right?).  I understand that "dual enrollment" is not accepted in many cases, but it seems easy enough to study, say, Biology, mark it on the child's transcript with any associated grade, and have the CLEP exam separate.
> 
> The forum I was on was biased in the sense that it was a pro-CLEP forum (not knocking that, just stating I didn't hear any negative opinions), and I got very excited about this.  However, I just wanted to see if anyone has any experience with this or had any opinions about having their teens earning so many college credits at such a young age, and even in some rare cases, getting their bachelor's around the same time an average PS kid would graduate high school.   I wish I would have known as a high schooler to take CLEP exams, since I probably could be avoiding taking basic college classes such as history later in life.



My daughter graduated highschool this last year and her senior finals for several subjects were to pass the clep exam.  This was her choice.  She is now going to cosmetology school and still working to clep a few more classes.  By the time she actually heads off to college at 18, she will have clepped everything available and wont have to take some of the basic courses.  She could have gotten her bachelors by 19 but as she wants to go to college in NY for fashion design, I just wasnt ready to send her that far with no one close by to go to if needed.  She will go at 18 and I am not sure about that either.  Would love for her to choose a college nearby.  As it is she will have her bachelors by 20 without having to take more than 12 hours each semester.  It will definitely save us money in the long run but the jury is still out on whether it was the best option for her or not.


----------



## dis-happy

Pooki said:


> I'm bringing something up that is somewhat irrelevant to me at the moment (as my kids are pretty young), but I just wanted to get people's input since I'm very new to the HS'ing world still
> 
> I was looking into taking CLEPs for myself, and I happened to stumble across a forum, accidentally, about homeschooling.  Of course I was intrigued, and I learned that many HS parents will incorporate CLEPs during the high school years in order to get college credits (they are learning the material anyways, why not take the exam and get the credit, right?).  I understand that "dual enrollment" is not accepted in many cases, but it seems easy enough to study, say, Biology, mark it on the child's transcript with any associated grade, and have the CLEP exam separate.
> 
> The forum I was on was biased in the sense that it was a pro-CLEP forum (not knocking that, just stating I didn't hear any negative opinions), and I got very excited about this.  However, I just wanted to see if anyone has any experience with this or had any opinions about having their teens earning so many college credits at such a young age, and even in some rare cases, getting their bachelor's around the same time an average PS kid would graduate high school.   I wish I would have known as a high schooler to take CLEP exams, since I probably could be avoiding taking basic college classes such as history later in life.




Haven't done CLEP but I do have my high school homeschooler take the SAT subject test after studying the subject.  Last year was biology and he scored a 680 on it; this year it will be chemistry.

I'm a big fan of dual enrollment due to my dd's experience.  At the university where she attends no one could get out of freshman writing, including those that took the AP and scored a 5.  However, she was given credit for comm. college class and was exempted out.

Finally, for homeschooling, you do have to be careful about how many credits and how they are earned.  A friend's child earned too many via dual enrollment and it messed up her standing as a freshman seeking financial aid and scholarships; instead they wanted to classify her as a transfer student.  Her choice at that point was all or nothing in whether they declared the dual enrollment classes.  It's possible to avoid this with CLEP from what I understand.  I also know homeschoolers who have taken and passed AP classes.  Many ways to gain college credit as a homeschooler!


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## danjoealexis3006

wondermomamy said:


> I totally understand how you feel. I went back to work last fall and enrolled my two youngest in public school. They have adapted and are doing well, but I really feel my calling is to teach them at home. Sigh....
> 
> I have been going to school part time for social work and I've been having second thoughts lately about even finishing. I currently work with deaf students, but I feel like my job is just a means to an end. As soon as we are financially able, I want to be back home with my kids. That's where my heart is.


I don't know what state you live in but you need to look closely at what the requirements are to be a social worker. I have finished my undergrad work and have found that the jobs I do see in my area that qualify as "social work jobs" could be done without a bachelor degree, however, if you want to do counseling or anything that is billed to an insurance company or done in a school you need a masters. Be prepared because the pay is low, almost a slap in the face. I wish I would have researched it a little better, then again I live in Michigan. Oh, well-you live you learn!


----------



## hjohnson6

Hi all!  I have been homeschooling my oldest since he was 3.5.  We pulled him out of preschool to move and I couldn't afford to send him to preschool after the move so that led to us homeschooling.  My youngest is attending K at Public School this year but we are considering homeschooling him for 1st grade.

I have a question for all of you.  What is a good hands-on science program.  My oldest is a visual-spatial learner and he need something that he can work with versus just a reader like our current Abeka program is.  I just went to a Book Fair in Colorado but due to the economy not all the vendors that have been there in years past were there this year.  

I'm excited to find a Homeschool thread here.


----------



## Denine

Very interesting reading about CLEP.  We are quite a ways from this as DD is only 7 and in 2nd grade, but always good to know what lies ahead.

You all make Teaching Textbooks sound so interesting, but we have been so happy with Calvert, I am reluctant to switch or consider switching.


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## dis-happy

hjohnson6 said:


> I have a question for all of you.  What is a good hands-on science program.  My oldest is a visual-spatial learner and he need something that he can work with versus just a reader like our current Abeka program is.  I just went to a Book Fair in Colorado but due to the economy not all the vendors that have been there in years past were there this year.
> 
> I'm excited to find a Homeschool thread here.



My younger-elementary ds just LOVES his Sonlight Science.  They learn through books, cd and work pages, it's hands on, and there are experiments every week.  You might want to check it out.


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## mariezp

dis-happy said:


> My younger-elementary ds just LOVES his Sonlight Science.  They learn through books, cd and work pages, it's hands on, and there are experiments every week.  You might want to check it out.



Glad to here a positive plug for Sonlight. We've been schooling for 12 years but decided to try something new with my daughter since she is such a different learner than my son was. Just got my box of new Sonlight materials in today. It all looks very interesting so I am hopeful that we will spark a renewed excitement for the new year.

Going with Sonlight on everything except math. Waiting for the new 3rd grade Teaching Textbooks level to come out in April. It looks like it is going to be great. Can't wait to give it a try!

I've not posted here much but have been watching reviews for some time now. Thanks to everyone here for helping me with new ideas.


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## SCHBR'smom

Any unschoolers here?  I've enjoyed our first year of homeschooling immensely!  But, I wanted to learn more about unschooling.  So much of it seems to make sense to me after experiencing a year of homeschooling, but I'd like to learn more.


----------



## MarylandMom

My daughter absolutely LOVES the Sconlight science program.  She watches the science DVD over and over.  She can hardly wait to do the experiments each week. In fact, I have found her doing some of them on her own before we were scheduled to complete them! (She is six years old.) I appreciate the kits that come with them that provide most of the items needed for each experiment. The only items we have had to provide are common things that we have already had in our home.  It's very convenient for me and lots of fun for her!  We both look forward to science and science has never been my favorite subject.  Next year I will also order the math DVDs that are similar to the science one we have.  I have read good reviews of thoses as well. Good luck in your homeschooling adventure!


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## dis-happy

mariezp said:


> Glad to here a positive plug for Sonlight. We've been schooling for 12 years but decided to try something new with my daughter since she is such a different learner than my son was. Just got my box of new Sonlight materials in today. It all looks very interesting so I am hopeful that we will spark a renewed excitement for the new year.
> 
> Going with Sonlight on everything except math. Waiting for the new 3rd grade Teaching Textbooks level to come out in April. It looks like it is going to be great. Can't wait to give it a try!
> 
> I've not posted here much but have been watching reviews for some time now. Thanks to everyone here for helping me with new ideas.



I've interspersed some years with Sonlight---those are our years for fun! Which curriculum did you order?  My only piece of advice: don't try to do it all; they include a lot and sometimes you have to pick and choose a bit.  The SL forums are great for advice and encouragement too.


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## graygables

SCHBR'smom said:


> Any unschoolers here?  I've enjoyed our first year of homeschooling immensely!  But, I wanted to learn more about unschooling.  So much of it seems to make sense to me after experiencing a year of homeschooling, but I'd like to learn more.



We are an eclectic family.  We unschooled pretty much last year due to my work schedule and DDs need to "de-school" after a poorly selected curriculum on my part.  This year, we are using a curriculum, but we do not follow a stringent schedule and DDs still do a lot of interest-driven self-learning.  Some people have their kids choose an area of interest, learn about it and write a paper.  Some people simply learn by doing and follow the child's interest.  In our case, mine would NEVER learn multiplication tables or anything above a consumer-level math if left to their own devices so that has to be pressed a bit more.  I think it's important to find what works for your family and your kids.


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## gerberdaisy1234

Denine said:


> Very interesting reading about CLEP.  We are quite a ways from this as DD is only 7 and in 2nd grade, but always good to know what lies ahead.
> 
> You all make Teaching Textbooks sound so interesting, but we have been so happy with Calvert, I am reluctant to switch or consider switching.



If you daughter is doing well with Calvert stick with it. But if in the future it is not working as well for her ...you know that are other great options. We started out with Calvert but started switching out for other things when my DD was doing 5th grade and DS 1st.


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## Denine

Good to know about Sonlight Science.

We will stick with Calvert as long as it is working, but sometimes, I would like to switch.  It is not about me though.


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## hjohnson6

I will definitely look into the Sonlight Science.


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## mariezp

SCHBR'smom said:


> Any unschoolers here?  I've enjoyed our first year of homeschooling immensely!  But, I wanted to learn more about unschooling.  So much of it seems to make sense to me after experiencing a year of homeschooling, but I'd like to learn more.



Hi Kerrie! Imagine running into you here.  I recently did a little looking into unschooling myself. I was motivated by the fact that some of the most impressive things my DS-19 has done have been the things he has sought out on his own. For instance, here are a few examples...

He loves to read. He has learned more about history on his own than we ever came up with through our curriculum. If he has a question about something he will search online to find the answer. Wikipedia is generally his first stop. The internet can be such a great tool for learning. Of course, I would not recommend that for everyone without at least some adult supervision but I just wanted to pint out that the information is readily available for those interested in looking. 

He is our walking talking dictionary. He knows more words than I do. Since he is also an excellent speller he is also my husband's own personal spell check. He and I have a friendly rivalry going on to see who can come up with the fastest correct response. He prides himself on being able to spell and is completely appalled by the number of his public school friends who cannot.

He has a talent for writing. On his own he has written several books. He also keeps a journal which he began by his own choosing. 

He taught himself to type. Last time he tested he could do at least 70 WPM. 

He loves history and has a huge interest in Germany. He began listening to German music and has taught himself to speak German.

He loves Jiu-Jitsu which is tied in it's origin to Brazil. He has studied their culture and plans to teach himself Portuguese next for when he visits one day.

He is very talented with computers and amazes me with the problems he can solve all by having found solutions on his own.

These are just some examples of some things I thought of right off the top of my head but you can see that he has had amazing results when it is something of his own choosing. He graduates this year when he finishes up a few things so my work with him will be done. Still, there is no telling what he will continue to learn on his own. As you can see the theory of allowing a child to follow their own interests can be very rewarding.

On the other hand, my DD-9, is a whole different story. I decided that totally unschooling would probably not work with her. Also, after 12 years I have lost my focus a bit so I felt that we needed to choose something for now that offers a bit more structure than unschooling so that is why we went with Sonlight. We'll see how this year goes and take it from there. Who knows unschooling may very well pop back up in our future.

I had asked a friend of mine about unschooling. She has been homeschooling even longer than I have so she offered some good opinion and suggestions. I will pm you with what she had to say in a recent letter to me.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Hello everybody!! I have a question....my middle child (ds10) asked me yesterday if he could study Napoleon....so, of course I said yes! But...do you know of any good books that are written on a kids level about him? All I could find at B&N was a Biography that looked college level. Our little library had nothing. I will keep checking local libraries...but I was just curious about specific titles. As far as unschooling goes....he does tend to lean that way-because he is so interested in many, many things right now. He has been intrigued with dinos since he was a little fellow, and knows more about it than I ever will....planes, dump trunck, any construction vehicle, trains....its very easy to unschool a kid with vast interests like this. My dd(6) is now wanting to study about birds, butterflies, and grass!!!!  My ds14 just wants to finish!! He is into electronics...so if you can find a crack in the door for them to just find ANYTHING they like...there should be lots to learn!! Much easier on parents as far as stress too---- And for time in History, as Christians, we just say 'Oh, this happened in the world about the time that...." Whatever..Noah, Moses, Paul, Jonah.....later on they can get a better grasp.....we have time lines too. We reeeeeaally need to get those out more!!! But..there is only so much time in a day, right!!! Hope ya'll have an awesome day and enjoy this official last day of winter!!!


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## KL1982

Hey well all i can say is we personally use ~Time4learning ~for both of my kids DD8 and DS3....I really like both the "reg" T4l & the "preK" T4l...& so do my kids ....My son really loves the Mouse and always ask me to to turn him on lol.....My son not only enjoys the program..but he has learned so much in such a lil time...he already knows his alpahbet....he knows his colors,shapes,numbers ect  could just go on and on....I wish i could give you some reviews on other programs but honestly i havnt used any others ,Once i found T4L i didnt see any point in switching.Anyways hope i have helped


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## desparatelydisney

Whew....got our testing done today

Because we (our homeschool group) had at least 6 to test, the administrator came to us.  We did the WJ III and it was WONDERFUL.  Only took an hour each for the 4 and 5 year olds and 1.5 hours for my 8 year old.  We received the scores and personal feedback immediately.   I whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone considering it as a testing option.

The kids did great and it was a huge load off of my shoulders.  DH thinks I'm crazy, but it's good to know I'm not failing them.


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## prittfamily98

desparatelydisney said:


> Whew....got our testing done today
> 
> Because we (our homeschool group) had at least 6 to test, the administrator came to us.  We did the WJ III and it was WONDERFUL.  Only took an hour each for the 4 and 5 year olds and 1.5 hours for my 8 year old.  We received the scores and personal feedback immediately.   I whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone considering it as a testing option.
> 
> The kids did great and it was a huge load off of my shoulders.  DH thinks I'm crazy, but it's good to know I'm not failing them.



I AM SO AFRAID of failing my kids. They test next week. I am the only one in the family who wants my kids at home. EVERYONE, including my husband thinks they need to be in school. WHY? so they get disciplined. I love schooling my kids. I am looking forward to attending the conference in May in FLorida. 
I do need a little help with curriculum. That is one reason why I am going to the conference. 
I am glad your test went well.I hope ours does too!


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## Ellester

desparatelydisney said:


> Whew....got our testing done today
> 
> Because we (our homeschool group) had at least 6 to test, the administrator came to us.  We did the WJ III and it was WONDERFUL.  Only took an hour each for the 4 and 5 year olds and 1.5 hours for my 8 year old.  We received the scores and personal feedback immediately.   I whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone considering it as a testing option.
> 
> The kids did great and it was a huge load off of my shoulders.  DH thinks I'm crazy, but it's good to know I'm not failing them.



Love the WJ-III! We've used it the past 4 years but cannot find anyone to administer it here this year. The man we used the past 2 years no longer administers it and no one else does privately that I can find in Georgia or Alabama. I'm just not able to drive 4 kids to NC to test! I have 2 that I have to test this year (we only HAVE to test every three years starting in the 3rd grade in Georgia). Not sure what we're going to end up doing. I may try PASS. Any suggestions?


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## Disney Mommy 3

prittfamily98 said:


> I AM SO AFRAID of failing my kids. They test next week. I am the only one in the family who wants my kids at home. EVERYONE, including my husband thinks they need to be in school. WHY? so they get disciplined. I love schooling my kids. I am looking forward to attending the conference in May in FLorida.
> I do need a little help with curriculum. That is one reason why I am going to the conference.
> I am glad your test went well.I hope ours does too!


 
Bless your heart!! I feel bad for you that you are feeling like you are gonna fail your kids!!!! Don't feel that way! I am curious about the discipline statement---are you referring to the disciplined structure of a public school day? Or are you talking about behavioral discipline?  I am curious because we might give you some suggestions that will help you to change his mind!! I have said it before and it's something I truly believe...if you're teaching your kids basic math skills,manners!!!(something I know tons of kids are NOT learning anymore!) , and how to read...you are not failing your kids. If you even spend just a small amount of time every day reading to them from good books, or they are old enough to read it themselves...they are getting a good education. I have read sooooo much about all the things they learn from good literature...correct grammar, spelling, enlarged vocabulary,geography, plus their little imaginations are stretched!!! And all this is pretty much subconscious...I think we sometimes take Homeschooling and make it more of a burden than it should be. 
 Yes, we all want our kids to be finished with HS and be geniuses!!! But, I think we teach our kids sooo much more than they ever get at PS...even if we have gaps in History, or they hate Geometry or have sloppy handwriting!!Plus, by this time of the school year, I think we are all tired of whatever Curriculum we have chosen and are thankful for that Spring break!!! So, don't be discouraged...I am sure your kids will do fine on the tests! And if they have areas that they appear to be weak in...just focus on it  a wee bit more next year!! Dont stress!!!!And keep us posted!!!!


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## desparatelydisney

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Bless your heart!! I feel bad for you that you are feeling like you are gonna fail your kids!!!! Don't feel that way! I am curious about the discipline statement---are you referring to the disciplined structure of a public school day? Or are you talking about behavioral discipline?  I am curious because we might give you some suggestions that will help you to change his mind!! I have said it before and it's something I truly believe...if you're teaching your kids basic math skills,manners!!!(something I know tons of kids are NOT learning anymore!) , and how to read...you are not failing your kids. If you even spend just a small amount of time every day reading to them from good books, or they are old enough to read it themselves...they are getting a good education. I have read sooooo much about all the things they learn from good literature...correct grammar, spelling, enlarged vocabulary,geography, plus their little imaginations are stretched!!! And all this is pretty much subconscious...I think we sometimes take Homeschooling and make it more of a burden than it should be.
> Yes, we all want our kids to be finished with HS and be geniuses!!! But, I think we teach our kids sooo much more than they ever get at PS...even if we have gaps in History, or they hate Geometry or have sloppy handwriting!!Plus, by this time of the school year, I think we are all tired of whatever Curriculum we have chosen and are thankful for that Spring break!!! So, don't be discouraged...I am sure your kids will do fine on the tests! And if they have areas that they appear to be weak in...just focus on it  a wee bit more next year!! Dont stress!!!!And keep us posted!!!!



What a wonderful post!  I think we all need the clarity you just provided this time of year.  We only have 6 weeks left and we are all ready


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## Disney Mommy 3

desparatelydisney said:


> What a wonderful post!  I think we all need the clarity you just provided this time of year.  We only have 6 weeks left and we are all ready



AWW!! Thank you!! And thanks for admitting it so I am not the only one!! LOL!! By this time of year... I just think..finish the math..finish the math!!! And read more books..doing less of everything else!! What a push to the finish!!!


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## desparatelydisney

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> AWW!! Thank you!! And thanks for admitting it so I am not the only one!! LOL!! By this time of year... I just think..finish the math..finish the math!!! And read more books..doing less of everything else!! What a push to the finish!!!



I am completely with you!!

Yesterday, 
DS (3rd grade) tested 7th grade, 3rd month in reading & 9th grade, 5th month in math, 
DD (K) tested K, 8th month to 2nd grade, 9th month in everything and
DS (PreK) tested 97th to 99th percentile in everything.

Guess what we did today....math & Charlotte's Web (read aloud).  I am sooooo not gonna stress about if every sentence gets diagrammed and every science experiment gets finished by May 4 (the end of the 36 weeks I set for us).  They are at or above where they need to be....there is no sense in stressing everybody out (myself included).  Next year is a new school year


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## Disney Mommy 3

that is wonderful!! Which math curriculum do you use for your kids? When my boys were that age we did Abeka, then Bob Jones and Saxon..now they are older we do Teaching Textbooks...my dd is in Rod and Staff math and I just loooove it!!! We don't have required testing here in Tx, but I am curious what their math & reading levels are. They have always been great readers and I am a read-aloud mamma!!!


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## Denine

Please tell me about Sonlight!

I have always liked what I read, but we have been doing Calvert for 4 years instead.

I am growing more disenchanted with Calvert even though DD loves it.  I just don't think she is being challenged in some areas.  We already use Horizons for math.

I have a catalog, but am not 100% sure what core to use. It is a bit confusing for a first timer.

DD will be in 3rd grade next year.  I already have 4th grade math on order.


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## Ellester

Denine said:


> Please tell me about Sonlight!
> 
> I have always liked what I read, but we have been doing Calvert for 4 years instead.
> 
> I am growing more disenchanted with Calvert even though DD loves it.  I just don't think she is being challenged in some areas.  We already use Horizons for math.
> 
> I have a catalog, but am not 100% sure what core to use. It is a bit confusing for a first timer.
> 
> DD will be in 3rd grade next year.  I already have 4th grade math on order.



We have been using Sonlight for five years, although I do stretch the cores out to longer than a year. We have done Cores K, 1+2, and are now about 1/2 way through Core 3. I do love the books, they have some phenomenal read alouds and readers. I do not use their Language Arts anymore. Or I should say, I don't use ALL of it. We use Voyages in English for LA but I do still have my children read the Sonlight readers and we use the Explode the Code and Wordly Wise books. As far as what core, I would go by what you are interested in studying next year. Cores 1, 2, & 1+2 are World History. Those cores use "A Child's History of the World" by Hillyer which I believe may be a Calvert book so you may have already used it. If you are interested in studying American history, Core 3 (pre-Columbus to right before the Civil War) would be a fine fit for 4th grade. I am using it with a 3rd grader and a 6th grader and it is definitely not too easy for my older child. Core 4 covers from the Civil War on. Core 3+4 condenses 3 and 4 into one year. From all I have heard on the various Sonlight forums I am on, Core 5 is a very in depth and difficult core. I don't know that I would recommend it for a 4th grader unless they are very mature (many of Sonlight's books can be tough for emotionally sensitive children, they do not gloss over difficult episodes in history). I do not use Sonlight's Bible curriculum since we are Catholic. I would be happy to answer whatever specific questions you might have. I've been very happy with Sonlight and I plan to use it in some fashion through high school.


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## Denine

Thank you so much for your info.  I was looking at core 3.  Child's History of the World is used in 4th grade in Calvert.  Do they use it again at some point in SL?  I don't want DD to miss out on anything by switching curriculum.  She won't have done any world history.  DD is reading at least at a 4th grade level and loves science.  She is also good at math since we are almost done with Horizons 3 and she is only 7-1/2.  I was going to try SONIA on their website but it was down.  Is their bible curriculm very different from Catholic bible curriculum or is it more general.  We are also Catholic and DD goes to PSR (CCD or whatever other places call it).

I am excited by all the interesting books and so is DD.


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## Ellester

Denine said:


> Thank you so much for your info.  I was looking at core 3.  Child's History of the World is used in 4th grade in Calvert.  Do they use it again at some point in SL?  I don't want DD to miss out on anything by switching curriculum.  She won't have done any world history.  DD is reading at least at a 4th grade level and loves science.  She is also good at math since we are almost done with Horizons 3 and she is only 7-1/2.  I was going to try SONIA on their website but it was down.  Is their bible curriculm very different from Catholic bible curriculum or is it more general.  We are also Catholic and DD goes to PSR (CCD or whatever other places call it).
> 
> I am excited by all the interesting books and so is DD.



You're welcome! They do use CHOW again in Core 7 I believe. We did 1+2 last year and I think it would be fine for a 4th grader, but 3 is great too. We have been enjoying it. I've learned quite a bit about American history that I didn't know and I was a straight A student in advanced US History in high school! I combine some Seton history books in there as well. The Bible curriculum is very evangelical Protestant. We used it for two years (before I converted to Catholicism, my husband was a lapsed Catholic) and I liked it but it is definitely NOT Catholic. There is a great "Roman Catholics using Sonlight" yahoo group that has all kinds of great information and a pretty lively e-mail loop. I've learned alot from them. You may want to check them out if you get a chance. They list suggested substitutions and any possible anti-Catholic biases that you may want to be aware of in case you want to substitute or simply use as a discussion point. Sonlight is by no means anti-Catholic, but they are most assuredly pro-Protestant. The new catalog should be arriving in my mailbox any day now and I can't wait to peruse it!

We have never done their science, although I've heard pretty good things about it. We are trying Noeo chemistry this year. It's OK, but I'm not thrilled. Still trying to find that perfect fit for my kids. We did two years of Apologia and my 6th grader is asking to go back to that, but I'm undecided. I have a few friends who have been very happy with Real Science 4 Kids, I may look into that as well. Spring is here so, it's the season for curriculum decisions!


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## Disney Mommy 3

I have been very interested in Sonlight..but my kids are so spread out age-wise, I think I would be broke!! LOL...we do use TruthQuest and I just love it!!! It is a very literature based curriculum also...as for Science I do love Apologia...but I was curious about the Sonlight also...just to switch things up for my younger kids....My older son is in the 8th grade..High School next year!!!! And he is finishing up Apologia's Physical Science...WOW...I think it must be close to college level!! Such a lot of info..but it is written where they can understand it...it's just amazing how much I have forgotten!!!


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## Denine

Thank you so much for the info!  I liked the core 3 science from what I read.  Calvert 1st and 2nd grade science has been boring for DD.  
I may just order a couple of the history books from core 1 &2 anyway.  DD will read anything she can get her hands on.

Thanks for the Bible info.  I am not Catholic, but DH and DD are.  I should probably convert some day.  I wouldn't be able to tell what is what.  Although DH went to Catholic school from grade school through college, he would know.  I will have to check out the Yahoo group.

DH and I studied the old catalog that I have and we think core 3 with advanced readers would be the best fit.  She has been reading chapter books for some time now.  The cost is pretty similar between SL and Calvert.
When I showed her the catalog and books, DD got very excited.


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## dis-happy

Denine said:


> Please tell me about Sonlight!
> 
> I have always liked what I read, but we have been doing Calvert for 4 years instead.
> 
> I am growing more disenchanted with Calvert even though DD loves it.  I just don't think she is being challenged in some areas.  We already use Horizons for math.
> 
> I have a catalog, but am not 100% sure what core to use. It is a bit confusing for a first timer.
> 
> DD will be in 3rd grade next year.  I already have 4th grade math on order.



I have to say, I absolutely adore grades 3 and 4 in Calvert...it does such a great job teaching how to write, plus their grammar program is excellent.  I actually feel that Sonlight is lacking a bit in some areas of language arts and I switch back to Calvert for these grades as a result.  JMHO


Definitely like the SL science though!


----------



## littlepeppers

dis-happy said:


> I have to say, I absolutely adore grades 3 and 4 in Calvert...it does such a great job teaching how to write, plus their grammar program is excellent.  I actually feel that Sonlight is lacking a bit in some areas of language arts and I switch back to Calvert for these grades as a result.  JMHO
> 
> 
> Definitely like the SL science though!



Glad someone says they like Calvert 3 & 4.  We thought about leaving Calvert for grade 3.  I have to adjust the plans so much for DS.

There isn't enough built in review & test.  A test every 20 lessons just isn't enough.  We do a lot of language work on our own.  This makes DS's school day so long.  We also pitched the poetry & art.  There just isn't enough time w/ the additional review DS needs.

If 3 & 4  help complete the language process, then we will stick with it.  I like the math, but it isn't a major weak area for DS.

I do not like the history.  I find that the 2nd half of the year's program is racially slanted, but I don't want to stray from the package.

Calvert science is ok.  DS said he is like that guy with the crazy hair (Einstein).  He likes to do his experiments in his head.  I can't get him do physically do the experiments, but he does like to read them & discuss them.  It has pretty good activities.  I find that they tend to dumb down concepts that can easily be understood by a 2nd grader.  That is an easy fix.


----------



## dis-happy

littlepeppers said:


> Glad someone says they like Calvert 3 & 4.  We thought about leaving Calvert for grade 3.  I have to adjust the plans so much for DS.
> 
> There isn't enough built in review & test.  A test every 20 lessons just isn't enough.  We do a lot of language work on our own.  This makes DS's school day so long.  We also pitched the poetry & art.  There just isn't enough time w/ the additional review DS needs.
> 
> If 3 & 4  help complete the language process, then we will stick with it.  I like the math, but it isn't a major weak area for DS.
> 
> I do not like the history.  I find that the 2nd half of the year's program is racially slanted, but I don't want to stray from the package.
> 
> Calvert science is ok.  DS said he is like that guy with the crazy hair (Einstein).  He likes to do his experiments in his head.  I can't get him do physically do the experiments, but he does like to read them & discuss them.  It has pretty good activities.  I find that they tend to dumb down concepts that can easily be understood by a 2nd grader.  That is an easy fix.



I never went crazy with the science...just had them read through it.  Honestly, I think my older children learned more science from Magic Schoolbus in the early years than anywhere else...and guess what?  One is majoring in science now and the other is headed that way when he enters college.  In the meantime, I have patched in the Sonlight Science with child #3 and he begs to do science every day.  

Math: other than one year of Calvert Math (back in the day before they wrote their own program) I've always used Saxon Math.  I also like the DIVE cd's that go along with it.  We do have the Teaching Textbooks HS geometry program too.

History: the unit/workbook that goes with History of the World is great.  My chldren enjoy the optional history cd's with Calvert too.  The books with Sonlight are quite enjoyable...I usually do some crossover from year to year depending on what's being studied.

Calvert writing: I love, love, LOVE it, and haven't seen anything that comes remotely close (although the WIN series---Writing In Narrative---has some similar elements).  It really teaches them how to compose and write.  Can't say enough good things about it.

Art cards: oh, don't skip them completely!  Have some fun with them; no need to test.  But part of the joy of a classical curriculum is exposure to art and music.  The Hillyer series goes on too in the later grades, with Child's History of Art and a couple of others I can't remember right now.  Make it fun, keep it light, but don't throw them out altogether.  (funny story: my mother was a young girl using Calvert overseas; she came back to the states to have her tonsils out at age 7; as they wheeled her down the hallway of this hospital in Nebraska she was pointing out the pictures on the wall and naming them....all the works of art she had studied in Calvert!).

Grammar: Calvert wrote its own 2 year program, for grades 4 and 5 I believe??  Anyway, I love it too; as good as the writing program.  At times they've offered it for sale as a separate unit.....something to keep in mind if you switch curriculums later.

Testing: JMHO, but I never went too crazy over the tests.  Yes, we reviewed a bit and took the test, then reviewed it again afterwards.  But it wasn't all that big a deal to me.  If a child is reading well, understanding math, and absorbs some of the rest of it, life is good and he/she is on the way to becoming a good scholar.  Second grades tests aren't going to make or break a college career.  Were you using the advisory service?  I always just used the "at-home" tests...way less pressure that way.

And as I posted earlier, Sonlight is lots of fun and we'll take a break now and then from Calvert to enjoy SL too.  In general though, Calvert provides an excellent education.

YMMV, but good luck!!!


----------



## Denine

Love all the opinions on both Calvert and SL.  Maybe we just need a break from Calvert.   We just got DD's scores back from her CAT test and she got 97th percentile overall.  So, she is doing very well.

The science in Calvert has been hokey, not even worth doing the experiments for DD.  I don't feel she learned anything she didn't already  know after 1st grade science.  Now, she loves science and reads books on outer space and the planets.  She has watched many Bill Nye videos, and some other science video and book series I can't remember (Look and Wonder?).  She also has a video from WDW Imagineering on Levers and Pulleys.  We got her another one of those. DD also has books on dinosaurs.

I don't even bother cutting out the high frequency words anymore. She has know them all since 1st grade when we started.  I just go through them and she tells me the word.  She needs something more advanced here as well.

I like that with SL, you can pick and choose more.  I wish you could customize Calvert more.

We have never used Calvert math.  It was too easy from the start.  We use Horizons and my 7 yo is almost done with 3rd grade math.

I don't use the ATS that Calvert offers.  I do use the tests every 20 lessons and she aces those everytime.

The art is hokey for DD.  She loves to draw and is always drawing something and they wanted her to make a rainbow in the last lesson.

I don't care for the very liberal Social studies.  I am constantly having to add to what they say.

She doesn't much care for the picture cards, we don't really do anything with them.

The spelling words could be more challenging, come on, "I" as a  spelling word?

Maybe after 4 years we just need a change.


----------



## littlepeppers

Denine said:


> Love all the opinions on both Calvert and SL.  Maybe we just need a break from Calvert.   We just got DD's scores back from her CAT test and she got 97th percentile overall.  So, she is doing very well.
> 
> The science in Calvert has been hokey, not even worth doing the experiments for DD.  I don't feel she learned anything she didn't already  know after 1st grade science.  Now, she loves science and reads books on outer space and the planets.  She has watched many Bill Nye videos, and some other science video and book series I can't remember (Look and Wonder?).  She also has a video from WDW Imagineering on Levers and Pulleys.  We got her another one of those. DD also has books on dinosaurs.
> 
> I don't even bother cutting out the high frequency words anymore. She has know them all since 1st grade when we started.  I just go through them and she tells me the word.  She needs something more advanced here as well.
> 
> I like that with SL, you can pick and choose more.  I wish you could customize Calvert more.
> 
> We have never used Calvert math.  It was too easy from the start.  We use Horizons and my 7 yo is almost done with 3rd grade math.
> 
> I don't use the ATS that Calvert offers.  I do use the tests every 20 lessons and she aces those everytime.
> 
> The art is hokey for DD.  She loves to draw and is always drawing something and they wanted her to make a rainbow in the last lesson.
> 
> I don't care for the very liberal Social studies.  I am constantly having to add to what they say.
> 
> She doesn't much care for the picture cards, we don't really do anything with them.
> 
> The spelling words could be more challenging, come on, "I" as a  spelling word?
> 
> Maybe after 4 years we just need a change.



Calvert grade 2 was a review of his private school grade 1.  I think he needed it.  He now understands.  He was too young for a lot of the concepts they were trying to teach him in the 1st gd.  

I like Calvert's ELA lesson plans.  I have to add & review a lot still w/ DS, but I'm too scared to stray from them.  I think we will stick w/ Calvert just to be SAFE.  

We have to meet of exceed the state & Calvert is well planned out.  It still allows me to have a life other than 24-7 teacher.


----------



## Denine

littlepeppers said:


> Calvert grade 2 was a review of his private school grade 1.  I think he needed it.  He now understands.  He was too young for a lot of the concepts they were trying to teach him in the 1st gd.
> 
> I like Calvert's ELA lesson plans.  I have to add & review a lot still w/ DS, but I'm too scared to stray from them.  I think we will stick w/ Calvert just to be SAFE.
> 
> We have to meet of exceed the state & Calvert is well planned out.  It still allows me to have a life other than 24-7 teacher.



Calvert is very well planned out.  I wouldn't have used it for 4 years if it wasn't.

It sounds like it will continue to be a good fit for your DS.  Who knows, after a year of something else, maybe we will be back.


----------



## Denine

Anyone use Winter Promise or any books from it?

How about Catholic Heritage?  I am not interested in the whole curriculum from them, but maybe some books?


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## Denine

Happy Easter!


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## gerberdaisy1234

Denine said:


> Happy Easter!



Thank you.

It is a beautiful day. The birds are singing. Hope everyone is having a wonderful day. 

Blessings to all.


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## Denine

This was one of the most beautiful Easter's we have had in a LONG time!


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## gerberdaisy1234

Denine said:


> This was one of the most beautiful Easter's we have had in a LONG time!



It was so BEAUTIFUL I got a sunburn! But it beats the snowflurries last year!


----------



## adisneymama

Hi can I join in?  We just started homeschooling DD.  We are using the k12.com program for the most part.  I'm also mixing in a few things extra.  Any tips you can give in regards to scheduling breaks etc?
Any help for a newbie is appreciated!


----------



## DianneMcLean

This one is on the west coast and is under contract with the Disneyland Resort:
www.notbacktoschooldays.com

Dates: Sept. 8-11, 2010
Official 4th Annual NOT Back to School Days Rally and Home Education Conference
Great rates (for registered attendees only) on Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, group park hoppers (they come WITH up to 2 Y.E.S. classes or upgrade to 2 Disney Performing Arts workshops), conference workshops and all the rally activities and events for the whole week!  Discounts on food too at the group concession areas.

Not a travel agent


----------



## Nicolepa

adisneymama said:


> Hi can I join in?  We just started homeschooling DD.  We are using the k12.com program for the most part.  I'm also mixing in a few things extra.  Any tips you can give in regards to scheduling breaks etc?
> Any help for a newbie is appreciated!



What grade is your DD in?  We have been using K12 since September.  My son finished 2nd grade a week ago and we are starting 3rd today.  My 3rd is very different (in setup) than 2nd!  I'm having some transition issues today!

I found that block scheduling works best for my child.  We do math & LA every day and then History one day, Science another, Art Another.  Friday is a catchup day and we finish up any history, science or art he didn't finish on the assigned day.


----------



## sillyjodes

Hi everyone!  It looks like I'll be homeschooling our oldest daughter starting this fall.  She's currently in K in a Christian school that we dearly love.  However, we are having to move because of hubby's job, so we've decided to commit to homeschooling.  
I must admit that I'm overwhelmed by all the options of curriculum and the regulations in the state we will be moving to (MA).  I'd like to keep her in A Beka reading, because she does great with it.  Besides that, I'm not sure and open to suggestions.  I'd rather not do a video based program, but a more hands-on approach.  
We are expecting our third dd this summer and have a soon-to-be 3yo dd.  I think scheduling will be difficult, but doable.  
Thanks so much for any help,
Jodie


----------



## adisneymama

Nicolepa said:


> What grade is your DD in?  We have been using K12 since September.  My son finished 2nd grade a week ago and we are starting 3rd today.  My 3rd is very different (in setup) than 2nd!  I'm having some transition issues today!
> 
> I found that block scheduling works best for my child.  We do math & LA every day and then History one day, Science another, Art Another.  Friday is a catchup day and we finish up any history, science or art he didn't finish on the assigned day.



DD is in 2nd grade.  We pulled her out of school due to issues with administration.  I am noticing that she has a few things to catch up on with the k12 curriculum from public school, but I think it is workable.  She is ahead on some things as well.  Right now I'm working on the catch up stuff and trying to make my way thru the curriculum to the "new" stuff.  That to me is very time consuming!  I am going to work her thru the summer and am thinking we will be ready for k12's 3rd grade this fall.  I'm having the hardest time with scheduling but I think it is because I'm not using every lesson.  I wish it would have started us in semester 2 LOL.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Just wanted to pop in & say I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!! I am looking at 2 full weeks of school then we are finished for our summer break!!!!!! WOOO HOOOO!!!! Of course, we will crank back up the first of July again---but the end is near!!! How much longer do ya'll have?


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## graygables

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Just wanted to pop in & say I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!! I am looking at 2 full weeks of school then we are finished for our summer break!!!!!! WOOO HOOOO!!!! Of course, we will crank back up the first of July again---but the end is near!!! How much longer do ya'll have?



We school year round, so no summer break for us.  I work year round, so think it's important for the kiddos to understand that part of daily life.  They get time off around my days off and any vacation I take. Even when I was a school teacher, I was never a fan of summer breaks.  Blasphemy, I know.


----------



## Nicolepa

adisneymama said:


> DD is in 2nd grade.  We pulled her out of school due to issues with administration.  I am noticing that she has a few things to catch up on with the k12 curriculum from public school, but I think it is workable.  She is ahead on some things as well.  Right now I'm working on the catch up stuff and trying to make my way thru the curriculum to the "new" stuff.  That to me is very time consuming!  I am going to work her thru the summer and am thinking we will be ready for k12's 3rd grade this fall.  I'm having the hardest time with scheduling but I think it is because I'm not using every lesson.  I wish it would have started us in semester 2 LOL.



That was one of the reasons I pulled my son out of school.  The other was that his learning style is not condusive to the B&M school model.  He is a stair step learner being that he stays at the bottom until he's sure he's mastered something and then makes HUGE leaps.  He started behind in 1st grade and was put in some remedial classes.  Even though he got 100% on his mid and final report card for those classes they said he needed to stay in them another year.  I "thought" he was so behind I almost put him in 1st grade for K12 but I'm glad he started in 2nd.  He flew thru the material and there was very little he didn't already know.  Which just made me more sure of my decision to pull him out.  I accelerated him so he could get the 3rd grade materials (we are in a VA) and have work to do this summer.  I plan to school him year around (going lighter in the summer).  

It took us awhile to get into a groove.  It was at least a full month before he realized he that he still had to do work every day.  Then we would struggle w/the transitions between subjects.  I would literally lose him when I went to get the next subject ready.  It would take me 15 minutes to track him down!  That is when I went to block scheduling.  He thinks he's doing less work because there are less subjects taught each day, but he was actually doing more work because we were able to skip the review questions and such.  He was also able to understand things better because he could get the bigger picture (like for science).

Also, if you think she has mastered a lesson, give her the assessment first.  If she passes it move on.  If she doesn't then go back and teach it.  That is what I have done with math.  So far he has known most of the material so I just assess him.  I have him spend 30 minutes or 1 lesson whichever is longer.  Usually we are able to get thru 2-4 lessons in 30 minutes.  We are 50% thur 3rd grade math and we are just starting to hit areas that he doesn't have a solid grasp on so we are starting to slow down to 1 lesson a day.

Hope that helps some!


----------



## lori1043

We are in 25.4 miles from the Mouse and we do school year round b/c it gets HOT in the south. We just moved 2 month ago from New Orleans, la so we schooled year round there too. We like having days off on milder days and in December. This year it will be for going home!

Plus, I plan on buying seasonal weekday passes and about 2 months in summer is blocked for us to go- so heck, we may as well do school.

Right now it smells amazingly SPRINGY down here- we think it is the orange blossoms and it just smells amazing when you walk outside- esp at night and in the morning.

Lori


----------



## figment3258

sillyjodes said:


> Hi everyone!  It looks like I'll be homeschooling our oldest daughter starting this fall.  She's currently in K in a Christian school that we dearly love.  However, we are having to move because of hubby's job, so we've decided to commit to homeschooling.
> I must admit that I'm overwhelmed by all the options of curriculum and the regulations in the state we will be moving to (MA).  I'd like to keep her in A Beka reading, because she does great with it.  Besides that, I'm not sure and open to suggestions.  I'd rather not do a video based program, but a more hands-on approach.
> We are expecting our third dd this summer and have a soon-to-be 3yo dd.  I think scheduling will be difficult, but doable.
> Thanks so much for any help,
> Jodie



Hey Jodie! I live in central ma, where are you moving too? The regulations are not as bad as they seem. I have been doing this legally this is my second year daughters ages 7 and 3. We have never had a problem with our town. We use a whole lot of curriculum right now but are switching to abeka for second grade. I would love to chat with you. PM me with any questions you have.

Jessica


----------



## Denine

Nice to see some activity!

I am hoping to finish 2nd grade before we go to WDW on the 24th.  We will finish 3rd grade math at the same time.

We have used Calvert for 4 years (PK-2nd) and Horizons math.  It has been a great program, but is not customizable.  We will be switching to Sonlight for 
3rd grade.  We love Horizons math, so we will continue it with 4th grade,  I already have it ready to go.  I may throw in some other stuff like stories of the saints.


----------



## bellebud

I'd love to hear other peoples schedules... whether unschooling or doing school at home, or somewhere in the middle.  i'm always looking for ideas.

We have no curriculum (just a national standards book for each grade we use as a reference - currently 5th and 3rd grades).  we school year round, and try to do the 3 r's every day (which of course doesn't always happen).  The kids recently started Rosetta Stone spanish too (a couple times a week for now).  Once a week they take classes w/ other hsers (art, mad science and shakespeare).  We've been doing history in big chunks - studied williamsburg for a few months, then went there for a week.  Living history books (on cd in the car) have been our main form of learning history - supplemented with movies, discussions, etc.  

We do about 2 field trips a month - usually pertaining to either history, science or art.

We travel a lot (about 10 days every 3 months or so).  we're actually going to disney next week , and squeezing in universal and a couple of beach days for fishing.  Anyway, some trips are more educational than others, but there's always learning going on in one way or another.

So can anyone share what their schedule is like?  I really go back and forth as to whether I feel like we're "doing" enough, knim???  It's hard to get out of the 'schooling' mindset, whereas if you don't have a workbook completed, you didn't learn anything.  so silly, I know.  But love to hear what others days/weeks are like.


----------



## emh1129

graygables said:


> We school year round, so no summer break for us.  I work year round, so think it's important for the kiddos to understand that part of daily life.  They get time off around my days off and any vacation I take. Even when I was a school teacher, I was never a fan of summer breaks.  Blasphemy, I know.



We do year-round, too. We like that it gives us the flexibility to vacation or take day-trips throughout the year.
In the summer we really try to get it all done early in the day so that we can have the afternoon to hit the beach


----------



## emh1129

bellebud said:


> I'd love to hear other peoples schedules... whether unschooling or doing school at home, or somewhere in the middle.  i'm always looking for ideas...
> 
> So can anyone share what their schedule is like?  I really go back and forth as to whether I feel like we're "doing" enough, knim???  It's hard to get out of the 'schooling' mindset, whereas if you don't have a workbook completed, you didn't learn anything.  so silly, I know.  But love to hear what others days/weeks are like.



We school year-round, too.
I'm jealous that your family travels so much! That's great! We do a weekend trip every 3-4 months or so and then one 'big' trip (8-10 nights) once a year.

Our schooling style is still in transition, but right now ds (8, Asperger's) works for about three hours a day (5-6 days a week). He is capable of getting it done in about two hours, but that rarely happens. He needs to take small breaks and often will need to go run around for ten minutes between activities. Some days are better than others. He has improved, but I'm hoping we can extend our lessons gradually over time.

Each day he has reading, writing, math, science, social studies. We do some unit studies, depending on his interests that week 
We are incorporating some Spanish into his studies now, too, but just basic vocabulary.
I sit down on Sunday evenings and review what he did the last week and plan out the following week's plans.. sometimes I have him repeat/review a certain topic if I feel that he rushed through it and didn't grasp it completely.
DH and I split the HS duties, so we usually go over the plan for a few minutes when I'm done writing it up.
We use some Math-U-See and supplement with time4learning.com and lots of other resources.
For us, flexibility is key.
This was our first year homeschooling and it's taken me this long to really figure out *how* ds learns. He has a lot of little quirks (some might be Aspie tendencies and some might just be 'Colin-isms,' as we like to call them  ) and it's so important that this is a positive experience for him. He is so much happier schooling at home and I'm so happy to have my happy little guy back.

As for field-trips--
We have a membership to the local aquarium and children's museum, so we go there sometimes. And sometimes I will write up a scavenger hunt or questionnaire thing. And other times we'll just go and play.
In the past, we've gone to museums, shows, etc.

He does a baseball league with other homeschoolers that will be starting up soon and I think we are going to sign up for a Marine Biology class, too, but that hasn't started yet.

We are a bit limited on what HS activities we can do right now, since we have my own classes/clinicals to work around. But I graduate in December and we'll be able to do a lot more after that.


----------



## TSRE

bellebud said:


> I'd love to hear other peoples schedules... whether unschooling or doing school at home, or somewhere in the middle.  i'm always looking for ideas.
> 
> We have no curriculum (just a national standards book for each grade we use as a reference - currently 5th and 3rd grades).  we school year round, and try to do the 3 r's every day (which of course doesn't always happen).  The kids recently started Rosetta Stone spanish too (a couple times a week for now).  Once a week they take classes w/ other hsers (art, mad science and shakespeare).  We've been doing history in big chunks - studied williamsburg for a few months, then went there for a week.  Living history books (on cd in the car) have been our main form of learning history - supplemented with movies, discussions, etc.
> 
> We do about 2 field trips a month - usually pertaining to either history, science or art.
> 
> We travel a lot (about 10 days every 3 months or so).  we're actually going to disney next week , and squeezing in universal and a couple of beach days for fishing.  Anyway, some trips are more educational than others, but there's always learning going on in one way or another.
> 
> So can anyone share what their schedule is like?  I really go back and forth as to whether I feel like we're "doing" enough, knim???  It's hard to get out of the 'schooling' mindset, whereas if you don't have a workbook completed, you didn't learn anything.  so silly, I know.  But love to hear what others days/weeks are like.



I would love to hear this from other people, too.  We are starting homeschooling for the first time next year (3rd & 5th grade), and after that decision was made, I found out I am pregnant and due in November!  My plan is to do something very similar to what is mentioned above, but I am a little worried about not doing "enough" as well.  Glad to hear others school year-round - this seems easier, and will give us time for a break when the baby is born and around Christmas.  The kids are excited - I am scared!

Please tell me what you do with your days!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

TSRE said:


> I would love to hear this from other people, too.  We are starting homeschooling for the first time next year (3rd & 5th grade), and after that decision was made, I found out I am pregnant and due in November!  My plan is to do something very similar to what is mentioned above, but I am a little worried about not doing "enough" as well.  Glad to hear others school year-round - this seems easier, and will give us time for a break when the baby is born and around Christmas.  The kids are excited - I am scared!
> 
> Please tell me what you do with your days!



Not sure what your state requirements are--forgot to look at what state you are in----but just a little hint for when that new baby comes......READ  A LOT!!!! After that just fit in what you can...great classic books and favorite family stories add so much by way of vocabulary and learning how grammar should sound. this actually makes the learning of grammar easier later...when you have heard it read correctly for so long, it's easy to put it on paper!!!! And that's just my little 2 cents worth!!!


----------



## TSRE

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Not sure what your state requirements are--forgot to look at what state you are in----but just a little hint for when that new baby comes......READ  A LOT!!!! After that just fit in what you can...great classic books and favorite family stories add so much by way of vocabulary and learning how grammar should sound. this actually makes the learning of grammar easier later...when you have heard it read correctly for so long, it's easy to put it on paper!!!! And that's just my little 2 cents worth!!!



Thanks... good advice.  Luckily (and I don't say this about much else here!), we are in California and if what I have read is correct, can file as a charter school and be fairly free of restrictions on how we teach.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

TSRE said:


> Thanks... good advice.  Luckily (and I don't say this about much else here!), we are in California and if what I have read is correct, can file as a charter school and be fairly free of restrictions on how we teach.



Well that's great! Do you have to register or log a certain amount/number of days? We actually don't, but I try to keep close to what we were used to...our first'semester'.(when we start in July and til Nov) is about 18 weeks..the 2nd 'semester' is usually 14 or so.....we don't get public school holidays but we discuss things like Columbus day...and we do take off Good Friday..but we have around 180 days..give or take.. and then we enjoy a few months of summer fun until it's toooooo hot to breathe down here. I just schedule a week off here and there as we need it...


----------



## Denine

We don't school year-round.  But after about a month or so off, DD is ready to get back to school, even if I am not!  We don't take many individual days off, but we travel often and don't take any work with us.

I agree with read every chance you get.  That is why I am excited about starting SL, lots of read-alouds and books for DD to read herself.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Denine said:


> We don't school year-round.  But after about a month or so off, DD is ready to get back to school, even if I am not!  We don't take many individual days off, but we travel often and don't take any work with us.
> 
> I agree with read every chance you get.  That is why I am excited about starting SL, lots of read-alouds and books for DD to read herself.



Let us know how you like SL...I have looked at it,but it just gets tooo expensive for 3 grade levels!! LOL... I do love their reading lists tho'!


----------



## adisneymama

Well today was a much rougher day for us.  The math I am having her work on is hard for her and she is getting frustrated.  We have to do a lot of repetition with her due to her seizure disorder, so we have spent a lot of time on math today.  I'm just trying to get her to memorize math facts.  She can add anything you give her if she has scratch paper and a pencil though, so I guess I really shouldn't be that hard on her.  I just think of how much faster she will be when she just "knows" that 6+6=12 KWIM?  Unfortunately, our district doesn't teach math this way and even our neighbors child who is in 2nd grade reading at a 5th grade level still has to have paper and pencil to add and subtract.  One of the many reasons we are no longer doing public school.  We also did a lot of language arts today and she did great with that.  She also did great with science today.  It was just the math.  We just finished up by reading two books that I let her pick.  Oh and she also worked on handwriting. It's funny when we work on it and I see it isn't taking that long I feel like we aren't doing enough, but then when I type out what we have done, it looks like a lot!  I guess that is the difference of not having the disruptions that a typical classroom has?


----------



## Kimberly Hill

adisneymama said:


> I'm just trying to get her to memorize math facts.  She can add anything you give her if she has scratch paper and a pencil though, so I guess I really shouldn't be that hard on her.  I just think of how much faster she will be when she just "knows" that 6+6=12 KWIM?



Mia is still in private school until the end of the school year and she too is struggling with math facts. Disney Princess addition and subtraction flash cards from Dollar Tree to the rescue! She's much happier working on math facts when she can do it with Belle, Aurora, and Cinderella. Can't blame her!


----------



## adisneymama

Hey thanks for the tip!  We have to make a trip out tomorrow when we finish up school anyway, so I'll see if I can find them!


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## Nicolepa

adisneymama said:


> Well today was a much rougher day for us.  The math I am having her work on is hard for her and she is getting frustrated.  We have to do a lot of repetition with her due to her seizure disorder, so we have spent a lot of time on math today.  I'm just trying to get her to memorize math facts.  She can add anything you give her if she has scratch paper and a pencil though, so I guess I really shouldn't be that hard on her.  I just think of how much faster she will be when she just "knows" that 6+6=12 KWIM?



I have been trying for a year to find something for my son so he would be willing to memorizing his facts.  This is an area that I feel K12 could have such potential and they really fail.  I finally found a game on the itouch that he loves and it tracks which facts he's fast/accurate etc.  It's called math facts.  If you don't have a touch or Iphone try

http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/Mathmagician/maths1.html

My son would not do flashcards.  He fights it tooth and nail so I had to find something else.  Also you could take the flashcards and play war.  Take the flashcards and your dd has to tell you what the numbers are and which is larger.  You can start with a few facts and as she learns those add more.


----------



## tolyvisChrist

Dani4girls said:


> Hi everyone!! I am a homeschool mom with 4 dds. We have been homeschooling since the beginning - going on 8 years now!  We took our first family vacation to WDW in 2005: 14 days, rented house with heated pool, 10 day hopper pass, and only one rainy day  It was the best vacation we ever had/ will have.  My dh wants to go back in 2009, but I just know it won't be the same. Anyone ever feel that way?  Like another trip will somehow lesson the wonderful memories from the first?
> 
> Anyways, someone mentioned wanting to know what we use for math.  I started with A Beka for my first 4 years.  My oldest daughter did great with it, but my second was drowning. So, for 4th grade we switched to Bob Jones; she liked it and did a little better with it, but I didn't like it.  Now, they are both in Saxon.  They both hate math.  So, the question is: Do I keep switching curriculums until I find one they love?  Or do I just make them tough it out?  Many other hs moms have adviced me to tough it out, because switching math curriculums too many times can be very bad.  You end up missing too much.  So, I think we are sticking with Saxon.
> 
> And the question on lapbooks: we did one on sled dogs that I downloaded for free from Currclick.  My girls did enjoy it.  They are very creative and love cutting, pasting, coloring, etc.  But it was very time-consuming.  I don't think I would ever buy one.  That's my $.02.
> 
> Well, I think I've gone on long enough! I look forward to getting to know everyone and hearing more about WDW and homeschooling!!
> 
> Dani




hello Mrs. Dani ! I was just wandering through this forum(being a homeschooled child) and thought I would tell you that I'm doing Saxon algebra, and this man has a tendency to instruct in a very confusing manner  so my mom bought a DIVE CD. A math instructor, almost like a tutor, goes through the lessons and reteaches them. We call him 'Mr. Man' in our house. Whatever his name may be he clarifies so many hours of confusion for me ! 
The CD's are kind of a tad bit expensive at $50 and granted I didn't pay for it I would say it was a trade out for many hours of frustration and tears. This way you don't have to switch curriculum ! 

God Bless 1


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## Indiana Rose Lee

great post. We bought the DIVE cd, also. They also have them for the sciences now.


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## pyrxtc

How do you start homeschooling ? My DD13 is doing terrible in school and I know it's because she didn't transition well from 5th to 6th. She is used having someone remind her about her work and just leaving her alone doesn't help her. I'm really considering homeschooling her for 8th grade but am unsure of how to start. I am in NH. I have Googled and checked out the states page on home-school laws but don't really understand them. 

What are the basics and where would I get the curriculum. She learns like me and it has to be hands on stuff. Also, she is doing stuff in math that I didn't even do in high school so I wouldn't know how to explain it and no math books thru school so no explanations for me to help her.


----------



## bellebud

Nicolepa said:


> I finally found a game on the itouch that he loves and it tracks which facts he's fast/accurate etc.  It's called math facts.



thanks for this info!!!  I'm adding this to both kids itouch's today!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

pyrxtc said:


> How do you start homeschooling ? My DD13 is doing terrible in school and I know it's because she didn't transition well from 5th to 6th. She is used having someone remind her about her work and just leaving her alone doesn't help her. I'm really considering homeschooling her for 8th grade but am unsure of how to start. I am in NH. I have Googled and checked out the states page on home-school laws but don't really understand them.
> 
> What are the basics and where would I get the curriculum. She learns like me and it has to be hands on stuff. Also, she is doing stuff in math that I didn't even do in high school so I wouldn't know how to explain it and no math books thru school so no explanations for me to help her.



First off..hopefully someone here from your state can help you look through your state requirements and make sense of it!Have you went to the website:Home-School Legal Defense Assoc...known as the HSLDA? They usually make it simpler to understand state-by-state.
 As far as curriculum there are soooo many it's easy to get bogged down...now is a good time to hit those websites and start researching what you like...check out your local libraries and see if they have any books you can look through to explain homeschool methods and different approaches. I use Christian book.com (Or christianbookdistributers) for most of my books...they have a large site and the shipping is always fairly quick. 
 For her having such a struggle in math..you need to back her up a grade level or two and see where she began to struggle. We use Teaching Textbooks and I can't brag on them enough!! They are coming out with 3rd grade this year, just came out with 4th this year and go all the way up...they have an on-line placement test to kind of give you an idea of where she might need to be. Also, they have a # you can call if you are unsure.These are 2 brothers who are Harvard guys, and developed the 1st math curriculum strictly for hsers...not for private school and hs....that is a big help for parents who are weak in math...or have a student that is not getting it....you watch a lecture, then he solves some problems on there with you and then you do the daily lesson...it comes with a solutions cd so if you just can't get it you can see it step-by-step. My little daughter is not up to teaching Textbooks yet,,but we use Rod  & Staff...it's a good solid math and I love the way it is laid out! Repetition, but not to the point you go crazy....I have also used Horizons,ABeka, Saxon,and Bob Jones...these 2 can not be beat in my opinion!!
 Language Arts...Rod & Staff--again..solid core curriculum...very thorough! in fact, this is so complete you could stretch it to 2years or do it every other year depending on your state requirements. (For the grammar part anyway)...
 History depends on what you like...we like lots of library books, biographies, historical fiction....I am using TruthQuest History and love it! We have used Mystery of History and loved it too...Beautiful Feet books have a good program also---all these are Christian curriculums(if thats what you want)
 Science....we love Apologia!!!!
  Over the summer have her read as much as possible...even tho she's struggling in math...reading good books always seems to strengthen all the other areas.....she can just read some short books for fun..but try to through in a few classics:Anne of Green Gables, Tom Sawyer, Alice, Robin Hood...even if she listens to the longer ones on cd......kids can never read toooo many good books!! Hope you arent overwhelmed and I helped a tiny bit..
 Depending on days required by your state, you may want to start this year mimicking the school calendar, then tweaking as you want to so you can find what works for your family.
 Remember: you are her mom and if you feel this is what's best for her, it is!! Don't become intimidated by what people say (& someone is ALWAYS happy to share there disbelief in HSers!! )...lots of people here can help you!


----------



## pyrxtc

well, reading is her #1 subject. She goes through about 20 books a month and all of them are books well above her age. back in 4th grade, her reading level and comprehension  tested as 12th grade level. language arts is easy for her, so simple that she gets bored doing it and needs something tougher. Science is a little slippery but it all goes back to the math. She is a history lover like I am and lots of history right here in New England. It would be easier to keep to the schools calendar since my two younger kids would be following that while in public school. I would help her more but it is so hard for me to do that when she never brings books home (they are not allowed to leave the classroom with them) so I know where they are in the book. or even to see the example problems in the book either.


----------



## Denine

Kimberly Hill said:


> Mia is still in private school until the end of the school year and she too is struggling with math facts. Disney Princess addition and subtraction flash cards from Dollar Tree to the rescue! She's much happier working on math facts when she can do it with Belle, Aurora, and Cinderella. Can't blame her!



We have those too!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

pyrxtc said:


> well, reading is her #1 subject. She goes through about 20 books a month and all of them are books well above her age. back in 4th grade, her reading level and comprehension  tested as 12th grade level. language arts is easy for her, so simple that she gets bored doing it and needs something tougher. Science is a little slippery but it all goes back to the math. She is a history lover like I am and lots of history right here in New England. It would be easier to keep to the schools calendar since my two younger kids would be following that while in public school. I would help her more but it is so hard for me to do that when she never brings books home (they are not allowed to leave the classroom with them) so I know where they are in the book. or even to see the example problems in the book either.



I would love to live up in the New England states!!! All that historical stuff amazes me!!!! Well....except for getting her back on track with math...you won't have any trouble. Just check into those websites and see what you think...they are by no means the only ones!!! Just what I know and have used! A good book I use when picking Curriculum is the 100 Top Picks for Homeschool by Cathy Duffy...it covers sooo much curr and gives websites and descriptions...you can view some of the pages on line at her website..


----------



## mommyoftwo08

Hi, 
I'm hoping some of you can help me. I've recently been homeschooling my preschooler and next year I will be co-oping with my 1st grader. He's still in a private K this year. 
Anyway - I'm interested in registering him for the homeschool day in January next year, but am extremely confused. Is registration open for that yet? We're AP holders, do we still have to purchase tickets to gain access? I'm not sure how soon I need to register before classes fill up.

If someone can forward me in the right direction I'd really appreciate it. 

Thanks so much!


----------



## TSRE

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Well that's great! Do you have to register or log a certain amount/number of days? We actually don't, but I try to keep close to what we were used to...our first'semester'.(when we start in July and til Nov) is about 18 weeks..the 2nd 'semester' is usually 14 or so.....we don't get public school holidays but we discuss things like Columbus day...and we do take off Good Friday..but we have around 180 days..give or take.. and then we enjoy a few months of summer fun until it's toooooo hot to breathe down here. I just schedule a week off here and there as we need it...



We have to set up a calendar, but anyone checking on it would be on a drop-in basis, not like a regular check.  At least that is how I understand it - I am new like I said, so anyone from CA that has found differently, please let me know!  We could get funding from the state if we went with a public charter school as opposed to a private school of 2 kids (I mispoke earlier), but I don't want to be at the mercy of whatever teacher we are assigned, so we are going to do it on our own.  I am going to aim for roughly the same # of days, or more actually, but less time per day.  It is super hot in the summer here, also, so I think I am going to use those stifling afternoons to get some stuff done.  Maybe I need to come up with some stuff that can be taught in the pool!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

TSRE said:


> We have to set up a calendar, but anyone checking on it would be on a drop-in basis, not like a regular check.  At least that is how I understand it - I am new like I said, so anyone from CA that has found differently, please let me know!  We could get funding from the state if we went with a public charter school as opposed to a private school of 2 kids (I mispoke earlier), but I don't want to be at the mercy of whatever teacher we are assigned, so we are going to do it on our own.  I am going to aim for roughly the same # of days, or more actually, but less time per day.  It is super hot in the summer here, also, so I think I am going to use those stifling afternoons to get some stuff done. * Maybe I need to come up with some stuff that can be taught in the pool!*




Math facts and trivia quizzes!! Ha!!


----------



## love__goofy

Hello all,
We are leaving for Disney in about 4 weeks  I wanted to teach my elementary homeschooled children a little bit about each country in Epcot.  Does anyone have any fun activities they have done to help bring a countries culture more memorable for the kids?  Thanks in advance for the ideas!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

love__goofy said:


> Hello all,
> We are leaving for Disney in about 4 weeks  I wanted to teach my elementary homeschooled children a little bit about each country in Epcot.  Does anyone have any fun activities they have done to help bring a countries culture more memorable for the kids?  Thanks in advance for the ideas!



Well.. first off watch all the disney movies about each area you have! Then they will know where to look for characters to meet & greet!! We love Aristocats, so France is exciting for us to hopefully run into Marie...and of course Belle!!! I know we havejust gotten a small book at the library with lots of pix for each country and talk about the weather and food they would experience if they lived there.My kids really latch onto the Disney movies tho--the details are so true to the area that is depicted they recognize that..... My favorite(other than meeting characters in France!) is the UK area! It is just so quaint and tidy!! and of course, for us to see Alice or Mary Poppins is a special treat! OH!! Duh...the globe!! I have one who loooves to find everything on the globe, so he is the locater! ha!! Have a wonderful time...I have only been in May once and it was really great!!!


----------



## Kimberly Hill

love__goofy said:


> Hello all,
> We are leaving for Disney in about 4 weeks  I wanted to teach my elementary homeschooled children a little bit about each country in Epcot.  Does anyone have any fun activities they have done to help bring a countries culture more memorable for the kids?  Thanks in advance for the ideas!



Definitely make a stop here so they can learn to greet the CMs in each country in their language: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=358010

Oh, and once you get to the park, the Kim Possible missions are fun too! My 7-year-old loves them and so does her daddy.


----------



## love__goofy

Kimberly Hill said:


> Definitely make a stop here so they can learn to greet the CMs in each country in their language: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=358010
> 
> Oh, and once you get to the park, the Kim Possible missions are fun too! My 7-year-old loves them and so does her daddy.



Oh, I love it!  Thanks so much.  I have written them all down..the kids will love this.


----------



## love__goofy

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Well.. first off watch all the disney movies about each area you have! Then they will know where to look for characters to meet & greet!! We love Aristocats, so France is exciting for us to hopefully run into Marie...and of course Belle!!! I know we havejust gotten a small book at the library with lots of pix for each country and talk about the weather and food they would experience if they lived there.My kids really latch onto the Disney movies tho--the details are so true to the area that is depicted they recognize that..... My favorite(other than meeting characters in France!) is the UK area! It is just so quaint and tidy!! and of course, for us to see Alice or Mary Poppins is a special treat! OH!! Duh...the globe!! I have one who loooves to find everything on the globe, so he is the locater! ha!! Have a wonderful time...I have only been in May once and it was really great!!!



Great idea, I am going to dig through the movies!  We have a 9.5 hour drive, so we can definitely watch some on the way down!  I am so excited and can't wait to go.  Planning is 1/2 the fun.


----------



## MiniGirl

mommyoftwo08 said:


> Hi,
> I'm hoping some of you can help me. I've recently been homeschooling my preschooler and next year I will be co-oping with my 1st grader. He's still in a private K this year.
> Anyway - I'm interested in registering him for the homeschool day in January next year, but am extremely confused. Is registration open for that yet? We're AP holders, do we still have to purchase tickets to gain access? I'm not sure how soon I need to register before classes fill up.
> 
> If someone can forward me in the right direction I'd really appreciate it.
> 
> Thanks so much!



I don't think registration has opened up yet. Unfortunately, Disney Homeschool Days may not work for ya'll just yet. My girls are in 4th and 2nd, and we have passed up the program since we started homeschooling. (I was really looking forward to it, too.) Most of the programs are geared towards older kids. Also, IIRC, the tickets prices include park admission which you don't need as a pass holder, and there are no discounts for pass holders. 

Someone else may remember the details better than I do.


----------



## Nicolepa

bellebud said:


> thanks for this info!!!  I'm adding this to both kids itouch's today!



I was looking at my son's touch today.  The name of the program is Math Drills, not Math Facts.  Sorry!  You can download Math Drills light for free but it doens't do the tracking of how well they know their tables.  It has been totally worth the $2 I spent on it.


----------



## graygables

MiniGirl said:


> I don't think registration has opened up yet. Unfortunately, Disney Homeschool Days may not work for ya'll just yet. My girls are in 4th and 2nd, and we have passed up the program since we started homeschooling. (I was really looking forward to it, too.) Most of the programs are geared towards older kids. Also, IIRC, the tickets prices include park admission which you don't need as a pass holder, and there are no discounts for pass holders.
> 
> Someone else may remember the details better than I do.



We did it in 2009 when my DDs were 12 and 10.  They both enjoyed it.  There are separate tickets for passholders (I think it was about $15 ea) for the actual homeschool presentation (which generally includes a goody bag for the family), then the cost of any YES programs ($25 pp?), so, no, you don't need to buy the admission.  My girls did something at the Studios where they learned about production.  It was quite interesting and the facilitators did a good job of getting everyone involved, regardless of age.


----------



## adisneymama

Just wanted to say thanks for the Itouch tip!  I have downloaded a few games on there and she is enjoying playing them.  So far we have had a good week.  Now both kids are sick though, so there goes the weekend!


----------



## Nicolepa

adisneymama said:


> Just wanted to say thanks for the Itouch tip!  I have downloaded a few games on there and she is enjoying playing them.  So far we have had a good week.  Now both kids are sick though, so there goes the weekend!



You are welcome!

If your kids are into the brainquest cards you can also get those for the DS.  Not sure which ones are there but I know I've downloaded 2nd & 5th.  My kids aren't allowed electronics during the week except for school.  If we are going to an appointment or something I will let them play the brainquest.  They think they are getting a pass on the video games but I know better.


----------



## Sweetpeamd

heatherplus3 said:


> Yes, we are using sonlight p4/5. Honestly, I wouldn't buy it again. We have used sonlight for 2 years (for my DS8 for 1st and 2nd) and DD4 for p4/5. The first year we homeschooled, I did like the sonlight. I loved having everything planned out and a set curriculum to follow. I was so worried about not doing everything right. LOL! It was really a safety net, so it was good in that respect. It let me get my "feet wet" in the homeschooling world. But now I see subjects that I would like to explore more and find myself supplementing and changing things quite a bit. Sonlight is pretty expensive also. Next year we are using SOS for DS and a mix of stuff for DD.
> 
> FWIW, my DD4 loves the hooked on phonics programs. We are working on hooked on handwriting, hooked on numbers and hooked on phonics preschool. (there was a great deal on the hop website and I ended up with all these sets for around $30) I am just adding in stories from the sonlight stuff, art and crafts and Bible.
> 
> Do you prefer the Hooked on Phonics program over the Sonlight readers for learning to read?  I was thinking about just getting the K level readers set and the Developing the Early Learner workbooks for my child instead of the entire program.


----------



## LUV2BNWDW

graygables said:


> We did it in 2009 when my DDs were 12 and 10.  They both enjoyed it.  There are separate tickets for passholders (I think it was about $15 ea) for the actual homeschool presentation (which generally includes a goody bag for the family), then the cost of any YES programs ($25 pp?), so, no, you don't need to buy the admission.  My girls did something at the Studios where they learned about production.  It was quite interesting and the facilitators did a good job of getting everyone involved, regardless of age.



Just wanted to pass along .... I took my dd's this  past January to Homeschool Days and they no longer have the passholder ticket. You have to buy one of their tickets to get access to the YES programs.


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## bumbershoot

Does anyone do the K12 program as homeschoolers?

I have no interest in doing it through WAVA, even though it would be lovely to get the program for free.  

But it seems to be the ONLY full curriculum that is not religious...I know I could pick and choose or buy and ditch some books from sonlight, calvert, etc etc, but gosh I'd prefer to not do that...and I think that DS would really prefer to get one big curriculum or I'm going to have a revolution on my hands.  

So does anyone do it?  Worth it?  Good program?  What the heck is the total cost for 1st grade?  Their website is just awful, IMO...

Any other ideas for a truly secular curriculum?  (isn't that funny, I had to look that up...today my brain thought secular = religious, but it's the opposite)


----------



## Nicolepa

bumbershoot said:


> Does anyone do the K12 program as homeschoolers?
> 
> I have no interest in doing it through WAVA, even though it would be lovely to get the program for free.
> 
> But it seems to be the ONLY full curriculum that is not religious...I know I could pick and choose or buy and ditch some books from sonlight, calvert, etc etc, but gosh I'd prefer to not do that...and I think that DS would really prefer to get one big curriculum or I'm going to have a revolution on my hands.
> 
> So does anyone do it?  Worth it?  Good program?  What the heck is the total cost for 1st grade?  Their website is just awful, IMO...
> 
> Any other ideas for a truly secular curriculum?  (isn't that funny, I had to look that up...today my brain thought secular = religious, but it's the opposite)




I use the cirriculum thru WAVA.  When I priced it out to do independently it was around $1000 a year.  I potentially have 3 kids that would use it so it's not feasable.  (One is still in B&M, the other is 2.)  We just finished 2nd grade.  Personally I hate their math and will be switching to Saxon next year.  I can't speak for secular cirriculum because if I didn't use WAVA I would use a Christian cirriculum.  For me the savings of $1000 is worth having to email the teacher once a week and talk to her once a month.  Other than that there is no required interaction with the teacher.  If you enroll as a part time student then you are a homeschool student and don't have to participate in state testing either.

My Son LOVES their history and art.  But be forewarned, the person who wrote 1st & 2nd grade history is the writer of the Story of the World Series, which is a Christian cirriculum, and the first 2 years are almost word for word the same as her books.  2nd grade a huge portion of the year was about Christianity.  I was actually surprised that a "public" school would allow so much because I know in a B&M it wouldn't be allowed.

2nd grade LA was VERY easy for my son, if it hadn't been for spelling we could have finished it much sooner than we did.  (Dang kid can't spell to save his life.)  We are a week into 3rd grade and there is a HUGE jump.  I was prepared because everyone on the message boards talks about it but it was still surprising.  

Science I could take it or leave it.  Again 2nd grade he already knew most of what was taught, but he is a science wiz.  He loves the Magic Schoolbus books and has every one of them memorized.   

The one thing I really like is that it keeps track for me.  If we do extra or we miss a day it automatically adjusts and at any given day I can see if we are on track or not.  The one thing I really dislike is being tied to the computer.  3rd grade doesn't seem to be as bad but for 2nd grade there wasn't much we could do on a given day w/o a computer.  

You can request a demo account and see all the online content for all the grades.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

bumbershoot said:


> Does anyone do the K12 program as homeschoolers?
> 
> I have no interest in doing it through WAVA, even though it would be lovely to get the program for free.
> 
> But it seems to be the ONLY full curriculum that is not religious...I know I could pick and choose or buy and ditch some books from sonlight, calvert, etc etc, but gosh I'd prefer to not do that...and I think that DS would really prefer to get one big curriculum or I'm going to have a revolution on my hands.
> 
> So does anyone do it?  Worth it?  Good program?  What the heck is the total cost for 1st grade?  Their website is just awful, IMO...
> 
> Any other ideas for a truly secular curriculum?  (isn't that funny, I had to look that up...today my brain thought secular = religious, but it's the opposite)



You mention Calvert. It is not religious. Time4Learning.com is not religious. Teaching Textbooks (math) is not religious. All of these have their strengths and weaknesses. Cost varies. When using both Calvert and Time4Learning we did different curriculum for history and science but those would not help you because we chose curriculums that you would probably not consider secular. 

That is the great thing about homeschooling. There are so many choices. You can find what matches your needs. Good luck.


----------



## EnchantedTales

I never thought I post on a thread like this, but here I am. First, let me say that I'm not the biggest fanatic of homeschooling. However, I don't see many solutions for our problem. Second I apologize for not reading the entire thread. 

I guess that our problem is that our assigned high school is horrible and when I mean horrible think of the worst. We tried to give it a chance by going to a welcoming night and my daughter came out crying. She won't be able to make it there, the stress alone will destroy her. We are hoping that a transfer to another school is approved, but I'm not holding my breath. If the transfer is not approved then my only choice is to homeschool, because I don't want to put my kid in a school I know she won't be able to handle. 

We talked to a few people which kids are subscribed to the Florida Virtual School and said they loved it.  In fact when she started looking at the classes available she realized that there are a few classes she would like to take even if the transfer is approved. Anyone had any experience with it? Can anyone give recommendations?

What do you do for socialization? My DD is one of those people that needs to socialize and connect with people her own age.


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## MiniGirl

EnchantedTales said:


> I never thought I post on a thread like this, but here I am. First, let me say that I'm not the biggest fanatic of homeschooling. However, I don't see many solutions for our problem. Second I apologize for not reading the entire thread.
> 
> I guess that our problem is that our assigned high school is horrible and when I mean horrible think of the worst. We tried to give it a chance by going to a welcoming night and my daughter came out crying. She won't be able to make it there, the stress alone will destroy her. We are hoping that a transfer to another school is approved, but I'm not holding my breath. If the transfer is not approved then my only choice is to homeschool, because I don't want to put my kid in a school I know she won't be able to handle.
> 
> We talked to a few people which kids are subscribed to the Florida Virtual School and said they loved it.  In fact when she started looking at the classes available she realized that there are a few classes she would like to take even if the transfer is approved. Anyone had any experience with it? Can anyone give recommendations?
> 
> What do you do for socialization? My DD is one of those people that needs to socialize and connect with people her own age.



No apologies necessary. Anyone is welcome to jump in where we're at. 

People begin their homeschooling journey for many diffrent reasons, and many start out as reluctant homeschoolers. I think even the most reluctant ones, though, eventually come to enjoy many aspects of this lifestyle of learning.

I have heard many good things about FLVS. In fact, I know many public school kids who enroll as a means to help them in their classes or help them get a jump on subjects during the summer. I, personally, have no experience with it since my girls are too young. I have heard less than great things about Connections and the K12 Florida virtual schools though. Now, understand this is just from the limited people I have spoken to. I'm sure there are others who love the programs. 

For socialization, I would recommend you find a Yahoo group for your local area. I think most areas can be found on Yahoo. I know ours has a very active teen group, and there are many postings for outings, sporting events, etc. Another option might be a co-op. We are in Classical Conversations, but I'm sure there are others. Anyway, these are great because the students meet once a week in a classroom setting to do their work, and then often stay through lunch and visit with other families. Your dd can also, of course, continue with any other extracurricula activities she does now. There are tons of opportunities out there. In fact, you can get so busy with the socializing that you realize you have no time to do the school work. LOL!!!! Eventually, it all works out and you find a nice balance though.

Another great thing about homeschooling in Florida is it makes it very easy to dual enroll in your local community college. I know many homeschoolers who graduate from high school with 2 years of college already under their belt. Of course, some tradiationally schooled students do as well, but it is just easier for the homeschooler.


----------



## graygables

bumbershoot said:


> Does anyone do the K12 program as homeschoolers?
> 
> I have no interest in doing it through WAVA, even though it would be lovely to get the program for free.
> 
> But it seems to be the ONLY full curriculum that is not religious...I know I could pick and choose or buy and ditch some books from sonlight, calvert, etc etc, but gosh I'd prefer to not do that...and I think that DS would really prefer to get one big curriculum or I'm going to have a revolution on my hands.
> 
> So does anyone do it?  Worth it?  Good program?  What the heck is the total cost for 1st grade?  Their website is just awful, IMO...
> 
> Any other ideas for a truly secular curriculum?  (isn't that funny, I had to look that up...today my brain thought secular = religious, but it's the opposite)



You might look into Oak Meadow.  We are using that this year and I really like it.  It is literature-based and integrated.  We are using Teaching Textbooks for math, however, so I can't speak to OM on that subject.

K12 is rigorous and was not a good fit for my girls, although we did go through a virtual school.  I don't think I'd pay OOP for it.


----------



## bumbershoot

I had a bad interaction with a K12/WAVA person (at an ice cream social where I nearly had to pry the info booklets from her) where she told me that parents are "like TAs" for their children when using the virtual academy.

I found out at the Y's homeschool PE class that a woman there was told that they simply would NOT be able to use K12/WAVA, as they generally go to Brazil for the month of September, and they HAD TO follow the program EXACTLY, and since she would be out of the country she couldn't use it.

Not very positive!  

Interesting about the history book!


I don't *want* to pick and choose, at least for one year.  That's what we're doing this year, and it's driving DS crazy.  I have to find a way to meet his needs, and 'curriculum in a box' is what I can think of as the next step.  


I have gotten the Calvert catalogs for 2 years now (though I recently recycled them), and I would have sworn that there was religious material in it...I *want* to believe the poster here...can anyone back that up, that there isn't religious material?  It's totally possible I'm going by the name, and how religious it *sounds* to my ears.  

Oak Meadow, I'll look into it again, thank you.



Thanks for all the responses!!!!!!!!!!  I really appreciate it.  If I can't find a way to meet DS's needs (which he started communicating at only 3, when he demanded workbooks to do) in the next year, you'll find me trying to get him enrolled in the unique *public* Montessori school here in town, which goes from K-8...not a horrible choice at all, but NOT what I've dreamed about for 15 years.


----------



## Nicolepa

bumbershoot said:


> I had a bad interaction with a K12/WAVA person (at an ice cream social where I nearly had to pry the info booklets from her) where she told me that parents are "like TAs" for their children when using the virtual academy.
> 
> I found out at the Y's homeschool PE class that a woman there was told that they simply would NOT be able to use K12/WAVA, as they generally go to Brazil for the month of September, and they HAD TO follow the program EXACTLY, and since she would be out of the country she couldn't use it.
> 
> Not very positive!
> 
> Interesting about the history book!
> .



As long as you have access to a computer and are willing to do the work while away, yes you can travel etc.  If you want to take a month off of school in the middle of the year, no you can't do that.  It is a public school and they have to follow attendance laws.  My husband took my son to Florida for a week in November.  They did math and LA while they were gone, spent maybe 30-40 minutes a day on school.  We took almost 2 weeks off for Spring break.  We had finished 2nd and I didn't want to start 3rd for a couple of days and then take a break.   As long as you meet your monthly goals they don't care where you do it.  As for the monthly phone call, I've had our teacher call me on our cell phone while driving to an appointment.  It's very easy going.    

And if you really wanted to take a month off there are ways to "fudge" the attendance and WAVA would never really know.  Also you can pick which days you have off, you don't have to follow their schedule.  My daughters school calendar and WAVA's don't match up so I just switch the days around online so they do.  Again, not a big deal as long as you meet the monthly progress goals.  Even if you don't every now and then it's not a big deal either.  

What I would suggest is for you to go to the homeschool Cirriulum fair in June.  It's at the Puyallup fairgrounds.  I'm not sure the exact dates but it's usually the middle of June.  I personally have never been, but you can go and touch and feel a lot of the different cirriculums and see what you like.


----------



## Nicolepa

Bumpershoot - 

Here is the info on the fair.  It looks like it's the 18th & 19th of June. 

http://washhomeschool.org/

Like I said I've never personally gone.  I have tons of friends who homeschool so when I want to look at a particular cirriculum usually someone I know is using it and and can look at it.


----------



## graygables

Nicolepa said:


> As long as you have access to a computer and are willing to do the work while away, yes you can travel etc.   It is a public school and they have to follow attendance laws.



We didn't do well with K12 as we travelled a lot and they frowned upon that, even if we did the work.  It is a PUBLIC school and they act like it.


----------



## adisneymama

WE are doing k12 but as homeschoolers.  We are not going thru the public school system.  We are only getting started with it but so far I am pleased.  let me know if you have specific questions.


----------



## Nicolepa

graygables said:


> We didn't do well with K12 as we travelled a lot and they frowned upon that, even if we did the work.  It is a PUBLIC school and they act like it.



If you are doing the work, have access to a computer to log the hours how would they know you were traveling?  When my son was on vacation the teacher said that she would have never known if I hadn't told her.  ????

The only way this could be a problem (that I see) is if the kids are doing the program thru high school where you have to log in to regular illuminates with the "class".

Of course each VA has different rules, so it's possible you had more teacher contact require than we do. But Bumbershoot is talking about the same VA I do and I can tell you I could go to Timbuktu for months on end if I wanted.  As long as I had internet access and I was willing to make the monthly phone call they wouldn't know.


----------



## littlepeppers

bumbershoot said:


> I have gotten the Calvert catalogs for 2 years now (though I recently recycled them), and I would have sworn that there was religious material in it...I *want* to believe the poster here...can anyone back that up, that there isn't religious material?  It's totally possible I'm going by the name, and how religious it *sounds* to my ears.



Calvert has no religious basis.  That is why I chose it.  

I don't want DS to get any edited versions of history or science.  I want him to study his religion & school subjects & fuse them together for himself.

I do find that the 2nd gd Social Studies is a little culturally slanted.  The science is factual, but a bit easy.

It is a nice packaged program that can easily be edited & changed to meet your needs.  We ditch the art & poetry & add in library reading, paragraph writing, & PE (jui-jitsu, baseball....).


----------



## Indiana Rose Lee

I think all science and history are biased. It just depends on who is writing it.  Not arguing against calvert, it is a good program.  Just saying that all come with a world view.


----------



## Denine

bumbershoot said:


> I had a bad interaction with a K12/WAVA person (at an ice cream social where I nearly had to pry the info booklets from her) where she told me that parents are "like TAs" for their children when using the virtual academy.
> 
> I found out at the Y's homeschool PE class that a woman there was told that they simply would NOT be able to use K12/WAVA, as they generally go to Brazil for the month of September, and they HAD TO follow the program EXACTLY, and since she would be out of the country she couldn't use it.
> 
> Not very positive!
> 
> Interesting about the history book!
> 
> 
> I don't *want* to pick and choose, at least for one year.  That's what we're doing this year, and it's driving DS crazy.  I have to find a way to meet his needs, and 'curriculum in a box' is what I can think of as the next step.
> 
> 
> I have gotten the Calvert catalogs for 2 years now (though I recently recycled them), and I would have sworn that there was religious material in it...I *want* to believe the poster here...can anyone back that up, that there isn't religious material?  It's totally possible I'm going by the name, and how religious it *sounds* to my ears.
> 
> Oak Meadow, I'll look into it again, thank you.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for all the responses!!!!!!!!!!  I really appreciate it.  If I can't find a way to meet DS's needs (which he started communicating at only 3, when he demanded workbooks to do) in the next year, you'll find me trying to get him enrolled in the unique *public* Montessori school here in town, which goes from K-8...not a horrible choice at all, but NOT what I've dreamed about for 15 years.



We have used Calvert for 4 years.  It is definitely NOT religious!


----------



## thespouseandi

Hi can I come over and play...

I'm Amy and this has been our first year HSing...DD6 and DS5...I had always planned to let them go to public school until third grade and then HS, but it worked a little differently.

I am thinking of going with My Father's World next year.  Anyone use it? I read a few random pages and didn't see it mentioned.  

looking forward to meetin gyou all...


----------



## bellebud

TSRE said:


> I would love to hear this from other people, too.  We are starting homeschooling for the first time next year (3rd & 5th grade), and after that decision was made, I found out I am pregnant and due in November!  My plan is to do something very similar to what is mentioned above, but I am a little worried about not doing "enough" as well.  Glad to hear others school year-round - this seems easier, and will give us time for a break when the baby is born and around Christmas.  The kids are excited - I am scared!
> 
> Please tell me what you do with your days!



so Kristi, let's continue our discussion here...

I assessed the kids learning styles with the book "discover your child's learning style" by mariaemma willis and victoria kindle hodson (they also have a website...  learningsuccessinstitute-dot-com).  i really recommend it!  it's taught me so much about my kids personalities, what drives them in learning and in life.  

I don't have a recommendation for a boy's book series like American Girl.  (maybe someone else will).  My ds8 is the same where he doesn't really like fiction.  I get him kids informational books on subjects he's interested in.  He loves the kids versions of world record books too.  We listen to american girl in the car, so he's a captive audience (but if I didn't have dd10, I probably wouldn't do american girl).  But it is a really nice way to get history in.  

I don't have any type of curriculum at all - just the general National Standards book for each grade that we refer to.  I teach each kid then in their own style (dd enjoys worksheets, writing, reading... ds likes verbal learning - I just ask him questions and he answers me).  He'll have to step up to writing at some point, but not now.  He writes his few sentences a day, and that's it for having a pencil in his hand, literally.  But like that story I told you about the math and the negative numbers with him, it all seems to come together anyway, even when I do nothing about it.  

What else have I missed?


----------



## graygables

Denine said:


> We have used Calvert for 4 years.  It is definitely NOT religious!



I think "Calvert" often gets confused with "Calvin".


----------



## dis-happy

bellebud said:


> I don't have a recommendation for a boy's book series like American Girl.  (maybe someone else will).




There's a series of books I used for a book club where boys are often the main protagonists and the stories are action packed.  They also come with study guides for teaching if you want.  Author: Nancy Rue.  Each series comes with 6 books and ties in as historical fiction.  We read The Charleston Years, The Salem Years and The Williamsburg Years.  HTH


----------



## TSRE

dis-happy said:


> There's a series of books I used for a book club where boys are often the main protagonists and the stories are action packed.  They also come with study guides for teaching if you want.  Author: Nancy Rue.  Each series comes with 6 books and ties in as historical fiction.  We read The Charleston Years, The Salem Years and The Williamsburg Years.  HTH



That sounds perfect for my older son.  He would probably enjoy the American Girl stories, if they didn't actually say "girl" in the title!



bellebud said:


> I assessed the kids learning styles with the book "discover your child's learning style" by mariaemma willis and victoria kindle hodson (they also have a website...  learningsuccessinstitute-dot-com).  i really recommend it!  it's taught me so much about my kids personalities, what drives them in learning and in life.



Thanks, I'm going to check this out.  One of the biggest reasons we are pulling the kids next year is because our oldest just doesn't learn well the way he is taught in school... way too many worksheets and time wasted on stuff he picked up in the first 5 minutes of class.  I want to do better for him - hopefully this will get me started in the right direction.


I just have to say, I am soooo looking forward to not having to wake the kids up and drag them out of the house so early in the morning next year!  I can't wait!


----------



## adisneymama

School went well today.  I'm still trying to figure out what she does know and what she doesn't.  Seems like we are repeating a lot of things she knows how to do.  I guess that is the problem with starting at the end of the year.  I wish I had just ordered 3rd grade and reviewed materials if need be.  At least then I wouldn't feel like I'm hunting and pecking all the time. LOL  I still really like the curriculum though.  I like the ease of use (aside from the hunting and pecking but that isn't because of the curriculum)  I'm looking forward to finishing up second grade and doing some catch up work over the summer and then onto 3rd grade!

I wish I could help with the curriculum discussions, but I really don't know anything about the ones mentioned.  We are just getting started ourselves.  Maybe one day I can contribute as much as the rest of you!


----------



## NHWX

K12 - we liked the portions that we used as homeschoolers, not through a virtual school. We used art, music, science, history and language arts. Mind you, sometimes the science experiments were useless or needlessly long and because we were using them as private homeschoolers, we just modified them. We only used them for middle school courses though so I have no experience with their primary grade offerings.

Florida Virtual School - our state bought some of their courses for our own virtual high school and for the most part, it's been fine. We've used health, gym, world history, basic computer programming, pre-calculus, AP Computer Science and honors physics. (2 students) Sometimes, it depends on the teacher and any other outside help you can get.

For high schoolers, I can definitely recommend the PA Homeschooler's AP Statistics course.

We've also used the Johns Hopkins math and literature courses with varying results. I would not recommend their AP Calculus AB course but we had pretty good results with the coursework up through algebra.

NHWX


----------



## bellebud

thespouseandi said:


> Hi can I come over and play...
> looking forward to meetin gyou all...



just wanted to say "hi!" and hope you enjoy hsing!  can't help with the curriculum - sorry.




TSRE said:


> I just have to say, I am soooo looking forward to not having to wake the kids up and drag them out of the house so early in the morning next year!  I can't wait!



I can't tell you how much I enjoy this little 'side bonus' of hsing!  I love letting the kids sleep as much as they need to.  I love letting them stay up later than I could on a "school night", especially if daddy gets home later than usual.  He used to hate walking in the door and having to say good night to them.  Hsing allows us to be a family in a way we just couldn't when the kids were in school - because of our schedules.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

bellebud said:


> so Kristi, let's continue our discussion here...
> 
> 
> I don't have a recommendation for a boy's book series like American Girl.  (maybe someone else will).  My ds8 is the same where he doesn't really like fiction.  I get him kids informational books on subjects he's interested in.  He loves the kids versions of world record books too.  We listen to american girl in the car, so he's a captive audience (but if I didn't have dd10, I probably wouldn't do american girl).  But it is a really nice way to get history in.



We enjoyed the Magic Treehouse series audio CDs in the car. We checked them out from the library. Another great way to do some history. Then we follow up with other books on topics that grab our interest.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Indiana Rose Lee said:


> I think all science and history are biased. It just depends on who is writing it.  Not arguing against calvert, it is a good program.  Just saying that all come with a world view.



I agree. I teach my children that everything in media is coming from someones point of view.

History needs to be looked at from many points of view to be understood.

Science...we learn about different views because...I always say that the more you understand about what other people believe, the more you will KNOW what you believe.


Not to mention I feel that they need to be aware that some things are "changed" to match the a person's/media/group's point of view. I have shown them models where media "cut" words from a politician's speech to give it a whole new meaning. They know that when they see Domino's Pizza being delivered in a movie that Domino's paid for that "commercial."  Information is all around them...I don't want them to believe every email they receive or everything they see on TV or read in the news. I want them to know how investigate to find their own answer for the things the feel are important and ignore all the rest of the confusion.

Sorry... where did that soapbox come from...


----------



## Nicolepa

adisneymama said:


> School went well today.  I'm still trying to figure out what she does know and what she doesn't.  Seems like we are repeating a lot of things she knows how to do.  I guess that is the problem with starting at the end of the year.  I wish I had just ordered 3rd grade and reviewed materials if need be.  At least then I wouldn't feel like I'm hunting and pecking all the time. LOL  I still really like the curriculum though.  I like the ease of use (aside from the hunting and pecking but that isn't because of the curriculum)  I'm looking forward to finishing up second grade and doing some catch up work over the summer and then onto 3rd grade!
> 
> I wish I could help with the curriculum discussions, but I really don't know anything about the ones mentioned.  We are just getting started ourselves.  Maybe one day I can contribute as much as the rest of you!




I started DS at the begining of the year and I felt that the entire 2nd grade was a review!  In K12, 3rd grade is a big jump though.  I'd read about it but didn't really believe it.  The material's not necessarily harder but they are expecting them to write a lot more.  

How long have you had the materials?  They have a 30 day money back guarentee.  If you are in that window I'd call them and switch to 3rd grade.  The first couple of months are review so you should be fine.


----------



## Indiana Rose Lee

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> I agree. I teach my children that everything in media is coming from someones point of view.
> 
> History needs to be looked at from many points of view to be understood.
> 
> Science...we learn about different views because...I always say that the more you understand about what other people believe, the more you will KNOW what you believe.
> 
> 
> Not to mention I feel that they need to be aware that some things are "changed" to match the a person's/media/group's point of view. I have shown them models where media "cut" words from a politician's speech to give it a whole new meaning. They know that when they see Domino's Pizza being delivered in a movie that Domino's paid for that "commercial."  Information is all around them...I don't want them to believe every email they receive or everything they see on TV or read in the news. I want them to know how investigate to find their own answer for the things the feel are important and ignore all the rest of the confusion.
> 
> Sorry... where did that soapbox come from...



love it, and I agree!!!

**********************Freebie alert***********************

http://classroom.history.com/america-dvd/event/form

free dvd from the history channel, available to homeschoolers, too.


----------



## bellebud

so, we're off to disney tomorrow!  

we're doing disney, the beach and universal (10 days in all).  we haven't packed yet either... i've never, ever, ever done this before - I'm always packed a week in advance (but then I unpack and repack at least once a day), so this time I figured I'd wait and only do it once.  we'll see how much stuff I forget!


----------



## erinmomof2

My DD is in public school but I try to supplement a lot at home because I think her school is lacking in some areas.  I'm working on my DH about  homeschooling, because I really think it would be good for my kids (especially my youngest), but he's not there yet.

Anyways about a month ago I found this great website that had complete lesson plans for all the grades.  It was great. Had math, science, history, language arts, ect printouts.  I printed a lot of great stuff and my daughter loved it.  Everything was free.  Now of course I can't remember the name of the site and I want to print out a few more things.

Does anyone know what I'm talking about?  I've done about a dozen google searches and I haven't found it yet.

Thanks!
Erin


----------



## amanda_stacy

Hi everyone!! I homeschool my two daughters ages 10 and 6. Thought i would hop on board the homeschool chat as well.


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## TSRE

bellebud said:


> so, we're off to disney tomorrow!
> 
> we're doing disney, the beach and universal (10 days in all).  we haven't packed yet either... i've never, ever, ever done this before - I'm always packed a week in advance (but then I unpack and repack at least once a day), so this time I figured I'd wait and only do it once.  we'll see how much stuff I forget!



I would never have the discipline to not pack ahead of time... packing always makes the trip seem closer!

Have a great time!


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## mariezp

Just curious if anyone else besides me finds that because you are homeschooling and you are at home during the day that friends or family just assume that you are available anytime to be their babysitter?


----------



## EeyoreFan19

Hi everyone!  I've been scanning through some of the postings here, and I thought I would ask you all for help.  I have a DD in 2nd grade at ps.  She is having a lot of social issues this year.  There are several girls in her class that are really giving her a hard time.  I have been to her teacher and the principal, but they will not change her class.  They actually started a "freindship group" with different girls in the grade to teach them social skills and how to get along.  She keeps asking to go to a new school next year, but I can't aford a catholic school.  After reading some of the posts here, I am wondering if maybe homeschooling would be an alternative.  I work full time, but my mother watches my ds during the day, so she could probably help out if I need it.  I did a google search, and found PA Virtual Charter School - all material is covered, including the computer, and there is still interaction with a teacher.  Does anyone have any experience with this group?  Do you think this would be an option, or should I give it time and see if things get better for her next year?  The principal said that the girls she is having trouble with would not be put in the same class with her next year, but I'm sure there will be other kids, and there is still lunch and recess time when they are all together.  They then merge all 5 elementary schools in the district together in 4th grade and begin mixing all classes.  Maybe I'm just over-reacting, but it breaks my heart to see her get off the bus near tears because these bullys tease her and try to convince the other girls in her class not to be her friend.  She is very smart, and gets good grades, and she enjoys learning.  I just want to do what is best for her, to give her the best education possible for her future.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## adisneymama

Nicolepa said:


> I started DS at the begining of the year and I felt that the entire 2nd grade was a review!  In K12, 3rd grade is a big jump though.  I'd read about it but didn't really believe it.  The material's not necessarily harder but they are expecting them to write a lot more.
> 
> How long have you had the materials?  They have a 30 day money back guarentee.  If you are in that window I'd call them and switch to 3rd grade.  The first couple of months are review so you should be fine.



Will they let me switch them if we have used the worksheets?  I have only had them a couple of weeks.  But I didn't think I could return them because she has written on the worksheets.  Maybe I should call.


----------



## Nicolepa

adisneymama said:


> Will they let me switch them if we have used the worksheets?  I have only had them a couple of weeks.  But I didn't think I could return them because she has written on the worksheets.  Maybe I should call.



I have no idea.  I am thru a Virtual Academy and I can get new materials at any time if the current ones are too easy.  It wouldn't hurt to call and ask.


----------



## mariezp

*EeyoreFan19*, I cannot offer any advice on the Charter School but I did just want to welcome you to the homeschool thread and applaud your efforts to make a change in your daughter's current circumstances! Your daughter's story really hit close to home for me because when I was young MANY years ago I went through the same sort of stuff. I can specifically relate to the school bus cruelty. No child should have to go through that sort of pain yet it seems so commonplace to let them just "tough it out". Good for you for taking steps so that your daughter does not have to continue to endure things that could possibly affect her for a very long time. Providing a formal education is no doubt very important but protecting their precious little soul has got to rank way up there, as well. There are so many options available to homeschoolers these days so I pray that you will be successful in finding one that works perfectly for your family. 

I have 2 children. We have homeschooled for 13 years. While it is obviously not the right choice for everyone I can say personally, that in our case, it has truly been a blessing and the best possible choice we could have made. Good luck to you and your daughter!

*EnchantedTales*, I also meant to respond to you a while back to applaud you as well for considering the alternative of homeschooling in order to meet your daughters needs. I've seen way too many adults see a problem with their children's education and just do nothing about it. Kudos to anyone else here on the thread, past, present or future, for putting your child's needs first!


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

EeyoreFan19 said:


> Hi everyone!  I've been scanning through some of the postings here, and I thought I would ask you all for help.  I have a DD in 2nd grade at ps.  She is having a lot of social issues this year.  There are several girls in her class that are really giving her a hard time.  ...  She is very smart, and gets good grades, and she enjoys learning.  I just want to do what is best for her, to give her the best education possible for her future.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated.



When your child is hurting, you hurt. I do not know about the PA Charter School either but you have many options. The key is that you are willing to seek what is best (not necessarily the easiest for you) for your daughter.  I pray that you will be blessed with wisdom as to  the best path for your daughter.

Keep doing your research and you will know what to do.


----------



## littlepeppers

mariezp said:


> Just curious if anyone else besides me finds that because you are homeschooling and you are at home during the day that friends or family just assume that you are available anytime to be their babysitter?



This totally burns my buns.  

I told a relative the other day when she dropped the hint that they didn't have anyone to watch the kids for spring break.    I asked her.....What week is that again?   I'm so glad that your kids are on break, but we have school 4 of those 5 days and a field triip planned with a group on the other day.  Sorry we can't help, but it isn't our break yet.


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

mariezp said:


> Just curious if anyone else besides me finds that because you are homeschooling and you are at home during the day that friends or family just assume that you are available anytime to be their babysitter?



Um, yes, yes, and heck yes! To compound things, I work from home as well, so our days are pretty much filled beyond capacity. So when someone suggests I can <run errand, do task, take care of something for them, etc.>, I'm thinking, "Why, sure, I think I have some free time at 2:04 am for that."


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

erinmomof2 said:


> My DD is in public school but I try to supplement a lot at home because I think her school is lacking in some areas.  I'm working on my DH about  homeschooling, because I really think it would be good for my kids (especially my youngest), but he's not there yet.
> 
> Anyways about a month ago I found this great website that had complete lesson plans for all the grades.  It was great. Had math, science, history, language arts, ect printouts.  I printed a lot of great stuff and my daughter loved it.  Everything was free.  Now of course I can't remember the name of the site and I want to print out a few more things.
> 
> Does anyone know what I'm talking about?  I've done about a dozen google searches and I haven't found it yet.
> 
> Thanks!
> Erin



Wish I could help -- sounds like a great site! But depending on how long ago you visited it, could you look at your "history" record -- that shows the sites you've visited recently -- in your browser and see if it's in there? Good luck!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

polkadotsuitcase said:


> Um, yes, yes, and heck yes! To compound things, I work from home as well, so our days are pretty much filled beyond capacity. So when someone suggests I can <run errand, do task, take care of something for them, etc.>, I'm thinking, "Why, sure, I think I have some free time at 2:04 am for that."



Well, of course we have the time! All we do is sit around eating bon-bons and watcing tv all day!!!!! 
 Don't you love some people's mentality? Or the comment:Ask_________ she homeschools..they are home all day.  Well...if I AM at home.. I am pretty darn busy...I do have one friend that has a baby and we loooooove to keep her!!! But don't tell anyone else!!


----------



## mariezp

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Well, of course we have the time! All we do is sit around eating bon-bons and watcing tv all day!!!!!
> Don't you love some people's mentality? Or the comment:Ask_________ she homeschools..they are home all day.  Well...if I AM at home.. I am pretty darn busy...I do have one friend that has a baby and we loooooove to keep her!!! But don't tell anyone else!!



LOL!!!  Bon! Bons! If only I had the time to sit around enjoying those! 
I guess I have just been more annoyed by the babysitting requests lately because my step-DD recently got her real estate license and has been asking more often. The part that really bugs me is that just because she decided to get a job I guess she thinks that I would automatically be needing one too. Seriously, I doubt she gave that part much thought ahead of time. 

Wish I were like you, *Disney Mommy 3*, and at least enjoyed babysitting but in all honesty I am not a good grandma at this stage of my life. I am still raising 2 children of my own and I don't have much energy left after taking care of everyone else 24/7.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

mariezp said:


> LOL!!!  Bon! Bons! If only I had the time to sit around enjoying those!
> I guess I have just been more annoyed by the babysitting requests lately because my step-DD recently got her real estate license and has been asking more often. The part that really bugs me is that just because she decided to get a job I guess she thinks that I would automatically be needing one too. Seriously, I doubt she gave that part much thought ahead of time.
> 
> Wish I were like you, *Disney Mommy 3*, and at least enjoyed babysitting but in all honesty I am not a good grandma at this stage of my life. I am still raising 2 children of my own and I don't have much energy left after taking care of everyone else 24/7.



I like babysitting in small doses!! Ha!! And my dd7 loooooves babies,she is wanting a sister soooo badly...so Mike says this is the baby fix for me and her both!! Even my boys are good with her....we don't get her very often...but her mom is about to take finals and needed a few days of help...but, yeah.....every day all day would probably be too much!


----------



## disneyfan4u

Good morning to all my fellow disboarders and home schoolers!  We leave on Friday and I am looking for worksheets for the week we are gone. For a 2nd grader.  I am sure there are sheets somewhere on these pages but there were just way too many to got through.  I started to fall asleep somewhere in the teens, lol.  It can be any subject.   TIA Everyone!!!!!!


----------



## Denine

Hello everyone!

We finish our school year tomorrow and then it is off to WDW on Saturday!  Can't wait for a break.

When we get back I am going room by room to thoroughly clean each one.  Ther is just no time during the day to get it all done.

I am also going to order next year's curriculum when we get back.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Denine said:


> Hello everyone!
> 
> We finish our school year tomorrow and then it is off to WDW on Saturday!  Can't wait for a break.
> 
> When we get back I am going room by room to thoroughly clean each one.  Ther is just no time during the day to get it all done.
> 
> I am also going to order next year's curriculum when we get back.



 I know what you mean! My boys finished last week..dd this week, she was sick last week so she's gotta finish up now. But, I have been going through cabinets/drawers...taking out all winter clothes, throwing away old papers and junk that just accumulates through out the year...  What a chore that has been!!! In the course of that, I have stirred up a lot of dust (did closets too)...now I have a sinus infection! Feel like crud! I didn't sleep hardly at all last night!! So..it's gonna take me a few more days to get this house like I want it!! 
 I hope to order some stuff by the end of the week, or next week for sure. A few things I am still riding the fence on!! But isn't it nice to be done with school!!!! Have a blast on your vacation!!! Can't wait to hear all about it!!! Are you going to do a Trip Report?


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

erinmomof2 said:


> My DD is in public school but I try to supplement a lot at home because I think her school is lacking in some areas.  I'm working on my DH about  homeschooling, because I really think it would be good for my kids (especially my youngest), but he's not there yet.
> 
> Anyways about a month ago I found this great website that had complete lesson plans for all the grades.  It was great. Had math, science, history, language arts, ect printouts.  I printed a lot of great stuff and my daughter loved it.  Everything was free.  Now of course I can't remember the name of the site and I want to print out a few more things.
> 
> Does anyone know what I'm talking about?  I've done about a dozen google searches and I haven't found it yet.
> 
> Thanks!
> Erin



Could have been www.edhelper.com They have a lot of free pages or for about 20 dollars a year, you can use all resources.


----------



## Nicolepa

Denine said:


> Hello everyone!
> 
> We finish our school year tomorrow and then it is off to WDW on Saturday!  Can't wait for a break.
> 
> When we get back I am going room by room to thoroughly clean each one.  Ther is just no time during the day to get it all done.
> 
> I am also going to order next year's curriculum when we get back.




I did this during spring break!  DS finished his year on 3/23 and his new materials hadn't arrived yet so we worked on the house for the next week and an half, including getting a classroom setup.  It felt so great!


----------



## adisneymama

Question:
Does anyone know of a good website with worksheets or games for counting money.  This is one area we are working on and I can't seem to find anything that isn't too far advanced.  We are having to start at practically scratch.  Thanks!


----------



## disneyelaine

www.theteacherscorner.net has printable worksheets for counting money.  You can customize it.  hth.


----------



## Nicolepa

adisneymama said:


> Question:
> Does anyone know of a good website with worksheets or games for counting money.  This is one area we are working on and I can't seem to find anything that isn't too far advanced.  We are having to start at practically scratch.  Thanks!




No websites for you but when we were learning $$ I bought a money kit.  Then when he was doing the problems he could use the money as manipulatives.  You could also use it to play store.  This item cost $3.15, can you count out $3.15.  Or If I give you $5 what is my change?

The kit I got is Melissa & Doug and it has a really nice wood case.  I think it was like $20, but it has tons of bills and coins even .50 pieces which a lot of them didn't have.


----------



## littlepeppers

We mailed our 2010-2011 HS application renewal today.  

Year 1 of HS almost down.  WE DID IT!!!!!

We are on break until tomorrow & are heading to TN Monday.  We should still finish at the end of May.

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! We survived w/ everyone in one piece.


----------



## adisneymama

littlepeppers said:


> We mailed our 2010-2011 HS application renewal today.
> 
> Year 1 of HS almost down.  WE DID IT!!!!!
> 
> We are on break until tomorrow & are heading to TN Monday.  We should still finish at the end of May.
> 
> YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! We survived w/ everyone in one piece.


Congrats!


----------



## Denine

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> I know what you mean! My boys finished last week..dd this week, she was sick last week so she's gotta finish up now. But, I have been going through cabinets/drawers...taking out all winter clothes, throwing away old papers and junk that just accumulates through out the year...  What a chore that has been!!! In the course of that, I have stirred up a lot of dust (did closets too)...now I have a sinus infection! Feel like crud! I didn't sleep hardly at all last night!! So..it's gonna take me a few more days to get this house like I want it!!
> I hope to order some stuff by the end of the week, or next week for sure. A few things I am still riding the fence on!! But isn't it nice to be done with school!!!! Have a blast on your vacation!!! Can't wait to hear all about it!!! Are you going to do a Trip Report?



Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well.  Get better soon!  I haven't done a trip report in a very long time.  I just can't wait for today to be done so I can start fresh tomorrow. I am actually looking foward to cleaning went we get back.  How sad is that?


----------



## Denine

littlepeppers said:


> We mailed our 2010-2011 HS application renewal today.
> 
> Year 1 of HS almost down.  WE DID IT!!!!!
> 
> We are on break until tomorrow & are heading to TN Monday.  We should still finish at the end of May.
> 
> YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! We survived w/ everyone in one piece.



Congratulations!


----------



## Denine

Now if only today would go faster!

DD has a math lesson and final test and it is taking forever!  

Then she has 1 final review lesson for Calvert and the final test.

Then we are finished with 2nd grade and 3rd grade math!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Little Peppers...yay for you!!!!! Glad you made it--now that the first year is over, you are officially a hs vet!!!!
 Denine~ I know...I look forward to cleaning/organizing too!! Well...I am feeling a bit better today...started my meds yesterday...this stuff just always hangs on forever....I have coughed soooo much my stomach/sides are hurting...feels like I have been lifting weights. Well...maybe it'll tighten up some stomach muscles!!
 Hope ya'll all have great trips and a wonderful start to your summer!!! I am gonna start working on planning my park days for our next trip...then i get to start ordering school stuff~!!!


----------



## littlepeppers

Denine said:


> Now if only today would go faster!
> 
> DD has a math lesson and final test and it is taking forever!
> 
> Then she has 1 final review lesson for Calvert and the final test.
> 
> Then we are finished with 2nd grade and 3rd grade math!



We are fudging the last 3 2nd gd Calvert lessons into one.  Our 180days is up & they are just reviews anyway.  

Yeahhhhhhh for you all!!!!!!!!


----------



## Denine

littlepeppers said:


> We are fudging the last 3 2nd gd Calvert lessons into one.  Our 180days is up & they are just reviews anyway.
> 
> Yeahhhhhhh for you all!!!!!!!!



That is what we did.  I combined lessons.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

adisneymama said:


> Question:
> Does anyone know of a good website with worksheets or games for counting money.  This is one area we are working on and I can't seem to find anything that isn't too far advanced.  We are having to start at practically scratch.  Thanks!



Our favorite was always the real thing. Took daddy's change can, counted, stacked and rolled. It becomes a chant- "25, 50, 75, a dollar" lol 

Trading coins for others- How many ways can you trade for a quarter?

Pennies, dimes, and dollars come in handy when doing three digit addition. 

Nothing motivates my kids like a pile of money!

They really liked the lesson when I went to the bank and got a stack of ones, some fives and tens, a few twenties, and a hundred. 

I do have some old computer games that have money skills. If you are interested, pm me and I will drop in the mail.


----------



## adisneymama

Just sent you a PM!  Thanks!


----------



## Ike&Jakesmom

I have been thinking about homeschooling, I have two boys aged 8 and 4.  I feel very frustrated with the school system, their main goal is good standardized test scores, not if the kids actually LEARN the material. I have read a couple of books from the library and have done some searching on the internet.  I am having a difficult time with curriculums, the price of curriculums, how to plan a school year and how to even begin!  I am a Rn and I work three 12 hr shifts a week, my in-laws (SUPER PEOPLE!!) are my sitters.  I know they would not mind to help the days they have the boys, but I do not want them to have to be their teachers.  I also have a super, wonderful husband who is great in helping our oldest with homework, but he's not so sure about our abilities to homeschool.  He feels that the boys will want to play instead of do their work and it will be WWIII in our house !  I just want to do what is best for my kids, we don't get to have a lot of family time together now that DS8 is in school all day , then homework, dinner, baths and bedtime.  So much involved, so much thinking and deciding to do.  Sorry this is so long, just don't know anyone that homeschools.  THANKS!


----------



## wvdislover

Sorry to hear that things are so frustrating at school for you.  It is dumb that schools only teach to the standardized tests now.  Your boys are at a great age to start homeschooling!  Not sure what the laws are in KY, but here in WV, it's not difficult at all.  The first thing I would probably do, if you haven't already, is try to google a homeschool organization in your area.  They would be able to guide you in getting started.  As for curriculum, I'm sure you're discovering there are a million things to choose from.  Maybe to start, you should go with a "box curriculum" that has all the subjects, esp. since you don't know any other homeschoolers to glean info from.  Popular ones are A Beka, Sonlight, Horizons, BJU, etc.  Unfortunately, you just missed the Midwest Homeschool Conference, held in Cincinnatti.  However, the NC Homeschool conference will be held Memorial Day wknd.  Those are great places to be able to look at different curricula and talk to people about them.  To find out about the NC Conference, you can go to nche.com and click on conference.  Maybe there's one closer to you, though?  I know it's overwhelming trying to figure this all out at first.  I know it was for me when I started a couple of years ago.  Good luck on your decisions!  BTW, it should make your family time more flexible!


----------



## Denine

I would look into boxed curriculums to start, there are plenty out there; Calvert, Abeka, Sonlight and others.
We have used Calvert for 4 years.  It is a strong, secular, education.  They do NOT teach to the test and I wouldn't do it anyway.  But, that being said, I evaluate DD with the California Achievement Test so I can send the scores to the school board.  She received a 98th percentile last year and a 97th percentile this year.  I thought the tests were very easy considering what she learned.
We are going to be switching to Sonlight for 3rd grade because I feel we both need a change.  It is more customizable than Calvert.  The only thing I can customize with Calvert is Math and I use Horizons for that.
I am also an RN, but I only work a couple times a month.

Good luck with you decision!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Ike&Jakesmom said:


> I have been thinking about homeschooling, I have two boys aged 8 and 4.  I feel very frustrated with the school system, their main goal is good standardized test scores, not if the kids actually LEARN the material. I have read a couple of books from the library and have done some searching on the internet.  I am having a difficult time with curriculums, the price of curriculums, how to plan a school year and how to even begin!  I am a Rn and I work three 12 hr shifts a week, my in-laws (SUPER PEOPLE!!) are my sitters.  I know they would not mind to help the days they have the boys, but I do not want them to have to be their teachers.  I also have a super, wonderful husband who is great in helping our oldest with homework, but he's not so sure about our abilities to homeschool.  He feels that the boys will want to play instead of do their work and it will be WWIII in our house !  I just want to do what is best for my kids, we don't get to have a lot of family time together now that DS8 is in school all day , then homework, dinner, baths and bedtime.  So much involved, so much thinking and deciding to do.  Sorry this is so long, just don't know anyone that homeschools.  THANKS!



Well, doing some starting research is a great place to start! I didn't really know anything about it either when I started..my kids were going into 3rd and K that year...so to get a feel and figure out what was going on I started with A Beka. It's a great program, especially at that level, but after elementary they realllllly pile it on! By then, you will know if you love it or hate it, and will know more about what you like. I use Christianbookdistributers.com to order almost all of my curriculum....only thing that I can't get on there is Rod & Staff...they are also a complete curriculum. I have used them over the last few years for English/Math/Bible...I love their stuff! They are not as repetitious as ABeka, but very solid. Go to the websites and check them out,all have sample pages you can view.
 I too wasn't happy with our school system for many reasons..the main one being the testing issue, same as you! It's just ridiculous...but I have been hsing for 6 years now, and have 3 kids...wouldn't change a minute of it--except that my oldest would have been hsed all the way! It's a great family bonding time!
 One more thing that I am a firm believer in is family reading. Read a lot to your kids and let them get friendly with your local library! And read good classic literature to them...at this age they will still love the classic Pooh stories, Beatrix Potter, anything like that. Don't be afraid of reading books that might seem for older kids:Robin Hood, Peter Pan...any of the classics. They retain more than you think and it's a great way to learn correct grammar, sentence structure and increase their vocabulary. Even if they can't read...they can listen!! Best wishes and go for it!


----------



## Denine

Speaking of reading, I just read Peter Rabbit to DD, 7.  She was in a funk cause her excema was hurting.  They have Golden Treasury of Children's Classics.  DD has Peter Pan, Robin Hood, Treasure Island, The Secret Garden and I forget what else.  She LOVEs to read those books.

I am looking foward to using Sonlight because I will be reading out loud to her as well as reading assignments for DD.

I told DD that when we get back from vacation, we will have time to go to the library.  She was quite excited!

We leave for WDW in the morning!


----------



## sillyjodes

I'm trying to get a curriculum figured out for the first time too.  There are so many options.  Although the boxed studies are tempting, the price tag is scaring me away.  I would suggest that you check out as many homeschooling books as your local library and library loan program have available.  I think I've read 6 and am just starting to get an idea of how I want this to proceed.  You should be able to find your states curriculum/learning goals, grouped by grade level, on the internet.  That will give you an idea of what you "should" cover, and you can adjust to you/your kids preference.  My dd is going to be in first grade next year and I have a rough outline for what I want to cover and then asked her if there was anything she wanted to learn about.  She surprised me with a few ideas: pirates, penguins (why are they birds, but don't fly?), and weather.  
Hope that helps!
Jodie


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Denine said:


> Speaking of reading, I just read Peter Rabbit to DD, 7.  She was in a funk cause her excema was hurting.  They have Golden Treasury of Children's Classics.  DD has Peter Pan, Robin Hood, Treasure Island, The Secret Garden and I forget what else.  She LOVEs to read those books.
> 
> I am looking foward to using Sonlight because I will be reading out loud to her as well as reading assignments for DD.
> 
> I told DD that when we get back from vacation, we will have time to go to the library.  She was quite excited!
> 
> *We leave for WDW in the morning![/*QUOTE]
> 
> Have a wonderful trip!!!    Say hi to Minnie & Mary Poppins for me!!! don't you love reading to your kids from those good books! We look forward to our reading time every day.


----------



## AprilRenee

I was homeschooled from pre-K thru High School (and I turned out quite normal, thank you very much :-D).  We used Sonlight for 5th thru 12th and I LOVED it!  I am a reader anyway so it was great for me! (it is a LOT of reading if you child isn't a fast reader or doesn't enjoy reading)  I learned so much just from reading the novels and classic literature they assigned.  
On the cost issue, Sonlight was great because I was able to get a LOT of the books from our local library.  My mom only had to buy the ones we couldn't get.  Which...if you live in a smaller town or even just a suburb, join both your library and the closest city library district.  A lot of times our (very large suburb) library wouldn't have the book but the city library had several copies.


----------



## nono

Ike&Jakesmom said:


> but he's not so sure about our abilities to homeschool.  He feels that the boys will want to play instead of do their work and it will be WWIII in our house !  I just want to do what is best for my kids, we don't get to have a lot of family time together now that DS8 is in school all day , then homework, dinner, baths and bedtime.  So much involved, so much thinking and deciding to do.  Sorry this is so long, just don't know anyone that homeschools.  THANKS!



Reasonable concerns from your husband, but really, as the parents, you can set the tone.  I am a classically leaning homeschooler, so that puts me at the more "rigorous" end of the spectrum.  But that doesn't mean that we can't/don't have fun while learning.  At our home, there's no demerits for being funny or having fun.  In fact, when I notice us getting bogged down, it's because we're not joking while learning.  I'll lighten up the mood, and before you know it, we're done all our seatwork ahead of schedule. 

My husband travels frequently for work.  Homeschooling _really_ fits our lifestyle.  I schedule lighter workloads when my dh is home, and heavier ones when he's away. But even a heavy week doesn't take as many hours as traditional public school does.  So, you may get some of your family time back!  (And, your kids will have plenty of time to play.  )

Good luck with your decision.


----------



## Denine

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Denine said:
> 
> 
> 
> Speaking of reading, I just read Peter Rabbit to DD, 7.  She was in a funk cause her excema was hurting.  They have Golden Treasury of Children's Classics.  DD has Peter Pan, Robin Hood, Treasure Island, The Secret Garden and I forget what else.  She LOVEs to read those books.
> 
> I am looking foward to using Sonlight because I will be reading out loud to her as well as reading assignments for DD.
> 
> I told DD that when we get back from vacation, we will have time to go to the library.  She was quite excited!
> 
> *We leave for WDW in the morning![/*QUOTE]
> 
> Have a wonderful trip!!!    Say hi to Minnie & Mary Poppins for me!!! don't you love reading to your kids from those good books! We look forward to our reading time every day.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks!  I will say hi to everyone from all my DIS and FB friends!
> 
> I don't get to read them to DD, she reads them herself!
Click to expand...


----------



## adisneymama

Have a great trip!


----------



## socalmomof2boys

I've very here but I am interested in homeschooling chat..We homeschool both our boys and live in So Cal..


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

socalmomof2boys said:


> I've very here but I am interested in homeschooling chat..We homeschool both our boys and live in So Cal..



 Glad you found the Disney boards and our thread!


----------



## sweetpee_1993

Hi gang!

We're planning to start homeschooling in the fall for our sons (going into 7th & 9th grade).  It's all so scary!  Currently we're leaning towards the A Beka Academy (I actually attended Pensacola Christian Academy for K4 & K5) for the DVD/Streaming classroom structure.  In all honesty, I wish I could find something similar to this but secular.  I guess some things we'll have to compromise on, tho.  Also, we hope to attend the SETHSA convention in Houston in June which should give us more info & ideas.

I was just reading up on the Disney Homeschool Days and Y.E.S. Open Enrollment programs.  Have any of you done these programs?  What were your thoughts?  

Any tips, advice, or even sympathies laughing are welcome & appreciated!

Thanks muchly!


----------



## desparatelydisney

WE ARE DONE!!!!  180 days are done & gone.  

Seems like we are still toying with the idea of homeschooling...how did a year go by so quickly 

Wouldn't have traded this year for anything and will be psyched to start again the first Monday in August


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

desparatelydisney said:


> WE ARE DONE!!!!  180 days are done & gone.
> 
> Seems like we are still toying with the idea of homeschooling...how did a year go by so quickly
> 
> Wouldn't have traded this year for anything and will be psyched to start again the first Monday in August



Woohoo! Congrats! We do testing the week of May 10, and then we're (technically) done, too. We're kind of on a modified year-round schedule, so we're back in business in late June/early July -- yikes!


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

sweetpee_1993 said:


> Hi gang!
> 
> We're planning to start homeschooling in the fall for our sons (going into 7th & 9th grade).  It's all so scary!
> 
> <snip>
> 
> Any tips, advice, or even sympathies laughing are welcome & appreciated!
> 
> Thanks muchly!



Hey, welcome to the world of Homeschooling Disney Lovers!  You're in for a great adventure! My boys are rising 7th and 5th graders, and it's been quite a ride. Just take your time, expect some bumps and lots of successes, and don't forget to breathe! You'll do great!


----------



## wvdislover

I'm looking at starting Spanish with DD12 soon.  Have been looking actively at Rosetta Stone, but just heard about Tell Me More.  Has anyone used Tell Me More?  Tell me what you guys know about the 2 programs, please!  TIA!


----------



## MiniGirl

wvdislover said:


> I'm looking at starting Spanish with DD12 soon.  Have been looking actively at Rosetta Stone, but just heard about Tell Me More.  Has anyone used Tell Me More?  Tell me what you guys know about the 2 programs, please!  TIA!



What a timely post!!! I was just about to post the same thing. We've looked at RS, but a friend said that it wasn't good for reading and writing the language. I was also looking at Switched on Schoolhouse. I know they get mixed reviews for other subjects, but was wondering if anyone used their language programs.


----------



## wvdislover

Haven't used SOS Spanish, but we didn't like SOS when we used it for 5th grade


----------



## Mouseketeer67

I live in south Louisiana, and have been home schooling my 3 children for 15 years.  I started when my oldest son was 2, he is finishing up his junior year now (and just scored a 25 on his first ACT!).  Our public library offers an online service called Mango Languages.  My kids have been using that program for about a year and a half.  They love it and it's free!  
Mango Languages can help you learn Spanish, French, Japanese, Brazilian, Portuguese, German, Mandarin Chinese, Greek, Italian, Russian and more.  Check with your local public library, you may be able to take advantage of this free service too!


----------



## bellebud

i bought RS through a hsing group buy site a few months ago.  DD10 loves it and is really learning... DS8 hates it.  I'm not having the kids do any of the writing yet - I want them to learn it like they learned english when they were babies... hearing it and speaking it first.  you can pick what parts you want them to learn.  As a parent, I think it's a wonderful program (but I also have nothing to really compare it to except my 2 years of high school spanish, in which I learned really nothing).


----------



## TSRE

bellebud said:


> i bought RS through a hsing group buy site a few months ago.  DD10 loves it and is really learning... DS8 hates it.  I'm not having the kids do any of the writing yet - I want them to learn it like they learned english when they were babies... hearing it and speaking it first.  you can pick what parts you want them to learn.  As a parent, I think it's a wonderful program (but I also have nothing to really compare it to except my 2 years of high school spanish, in which I learned really nothing).



What site did you buy it through?  I am looking at buying in the next few months to get ready for next year.

Thanks!


----------



## robinsegg

sweetpee_1993 said:


> Hi gang!
> 
> We're planning to start homeschooling in the fall for our sons (going into 7th & 9th grade).  It's all so scary!  Currently we're leaning towards the A Beka Academy (I actually attended Pensacola Christian Academy for K4 & K5) for the DVD/Streaming classroom structure.  In all honesty, I wish I could find something similar to this but secular.  I guess some things we'll have to compromise on, tho.  Also, we hope to attend the SETHSA convention in Houston in June which should give us more info & ideas.



I had a friend do the DVD system, and she found it overwhelming! The issue is that A Beka covers everything in about 3 different ways. So my recommendation is to know how your kids learn and make sure you cover everything the way they learn and discard what doesn't work.
Another way to find out "what's out there" is to read the book, "So, You're Thinking About Homeschooling?" by Lisa Whelchel. It's an easy read that gives a good overview of the types of homeschooling and curricula available.
One other thing to know: January and February are the hardest months to teach. PS teachers will tell you the same thing. The kids seem less interested in anything, and everyone's tired. It seems to have something to do with the amount of daylight.
Rachel


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Just wanted to 2nd that book recommendation...It is really wonderful!! Lots of insight!!! And yes, Jan is killer!!!!


----------



## desparatelydisney

Has anyone done Rosetta Stone Latin vs. Latina Christiana?  I know I should be happy we are done and not already looking towards next year but I can't help it


----------



## adisneymama

Hi everyone!  I am still around.  This is just a super busy time of year for us!  We are doing very well in our adjustment to homeschooling.  So far things are going great.  We will continue to work over the summer but not a full course load.  Mostly working on increasing reading vocabulary and some math fact skills.  So a much lighter load.  How is everyone else these days?


----------



## Nicolepa

adisneymama said:


> Hi everyone!  I am still around.  This is just a super busy time of year for us!  We are doing very well in our adjustment to homeschooling.  So far things are going great.  We will continue to work over the summer but not a full course load.  Mostly working on increasing reading vocabulary and some math fact skills.  So a much lighter load.  How is everyone else these days?



We will be going year around as well.  I'm figuring we'll do a 1/2 load for the summer.  Math we are going to focus on learning our math facts.  We are almost done with addition and subraction.  I don't feel I can start the next level of math w/o him knowing all his facts.  It is really holding him back right now. 

The transistion from 2nd to 3rd had been tougher than I thought.  He is just fighting me every step of the way.  It is taking forever to get things done!  It is all in his attitude though.  When he decides to do it he can.  I just don't know what to do.  I'm trying to teach him to work independently, especially if he's going to drag it out.  But I'm not being very sucessful!  Then when he does do the work he rushes thru w/o reading/listening to the instructions he has to do it all over and then gets upset with me.   He mummbled yesterday "you've gotten so strickt".  It was kind of funny actually.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Adisneymama~ hello!! It's already pretty hot in our neck of the woods, huh?! We were at 92 yesterday or Monday...90 today~~~ YIKES!!! Yes, I plan to read with dd through the summer, and she really likes her math...so I will give her some stuff to do for that also...

Nicolepa~Don't you hate when they say stuff that is really rude, but comes out funny...it is sometimes hard not to laugh out loud!!! Have you tried a small reward for each step..maybe a couple of jelly beans, or m&ms or anything? Just for this stage..multiplication requires some bribing sometimes!!!


----------



## Nicolepa

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Nicolepa~Don't you hate when they say stuff that is really rude, but comes out funny...it is sometimes hard not to laugh out loud!!! Have you tried a small reward for each step..maybe a couple of jelly beans, or m&ms or anything? Just for this stage..multiplication requires some bribing sometimes!!!




Well, I took it as a teaching moment.  We had a chat about how if he worked hard all the time I could be fun, but since he's fighting me I can't give him the leeway.  He seemed to get it.  He did much better yesterday.  Of course after the day before, spending 9 hours getting 1/3 of the day day it's not hard to improve.  

I have big (weekly) rewards in place but not smaller ones.  He usually doesn't go for those.  He evaluates every reward to decide if it's worth it or not.  

Any fun ideas for learning multiplication and division tables?


----------



## Nicolepa

Mouseketeer67 said:


> I live in south Louisiana, and have been home schooling my 3 children for 15 years.  I started when my oldest son was 2, he is finishing up his junior year now (and just scored a 25 on his first ACT!).  Our public library offers an online service called Mango Languages.  My kids have been using that program for about a year and a half.  They love it and it's free!
> Mango Languages can help you learn Spanish, French, Japanese, Brazilian, Portuguese, German, Mandarin Chinese, Greek, Italian, Russian and more.  Check with your local public library, you may be able to take advantage of this free service too!



Thank you so much for this! My older daughter has been wanting to learn a language and I have been relcutant to get something.  She is loving the Mango!  If nothing else it will give her something to do this summer.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Nicolepa said:


> Well, I took it as a teaching moment.  We had a chat about how if he worked hard all the time I could be fun, but since he's fighting me I can't give him the leeway.  He seemed to get it.  He did much better yesterday.  Of course after the day before, spending 9 hours getting 1/3 of the day day it's not hard to improve.
> 
> I have big (weekly) rewards in place but not smaller ones.  He usually doesn't go for those.  He evaluates every reward to decide if it's worth it or not.
> 
> Any fun ideas for learning multiplication and division tables?



hhmmmm..my youngest will go to 2nd grade math next..and I am wondering that too..my boys just kinda got it with drills..but mercy...I am tired of that! I do use the counting bears and she loves those..so maybe it'll help....and dang, talking about all these rewards is making me want to go to the pantry and ferrett out some M&Ms for myself!!! 
 Anyone want to share if you have your summer reading wishlist ready yet? We are on book #3 of the Mysterious Benedict Society....planned to be finished in April, but I got a sinus thing really bad and my throat wouln't allow it! so...that's first (these are great books by the way!) 
 ~The Hittite Warrior
 ~Rachel Yoder & Betsy Tacy for my dd at night time
 ~ Little Women?
 Have lots running through my mind, but not definite...I have to make my ADRs for my next vacation on May 17 and after that I will focus on my reading list.....need to start planning next years curr also...got a few things nailed down...just gotta get organized!!
 MATH QUESTION: For those of you with older kids...my ds finished Alg I this year and I am wondering what is next...we had Geo then Alg II in High School...do ya'll do this too or should we follow Alg I with Alg II then do Geometry? Can't remember why we did it in this order...we use Teaching Textbooks,so I know I could call them...just wanted some Mommy feedback!!! Thanks!


----------



## Belle & Ariel

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> hhmmmm..my youngest will go to 2nd grade math next..and I am wondering that too..my boys just kinda got it with drills..but mercy...I am tired of that! I do use the counting bears and she loves those..so maybe it'll help....and dang, talking about all these rewards is making me want to go to the pantry and ferrett out some M&Ms for myself!!!
> Anyone want to share if you have your summer reading wishlist ready yet? We are on book #3 of the Mysterious Benedict Society....planned to be finished in April, but I got a sinus thing really bad and my throat wouln't allow it! so...that's first (these are great books by the way!)
> ~The Hittite Warrior
> ~Rachel Yoder & Betsy Tacy for my dd at night time
> ~ Little Women?
> Have lots running through my mind, but not definite...I have to make my ADRs for my next vacation on May 17 and after that I will focus on my reading list.....need to start planning next years curr also...got a few things nailed down...just gotta get organized!!
> MATH QUESTION: For those of you with older kids...my ds finished Alg I this year and I am wondering what is next...we had Geo then Alg II in High School...do ya'll do this too or should we follow Alg I with Alg II then do Geometry? Can't remember why we did it in this order...we use Teaching Textbooks,so I know I could call them...just wanted some Mommy feedback!!! Thanks!



We use TT and did Alg I 9th grade and Alg II 10th grade--doing geometry next year.  I have a friend who teaches h.s. math and she suggested that order.  I see a possible negative is that DS took practice ACT and scored 24/24 on the algebra part but only got about 1/2 correct on geometry and trig questions.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

so do you wish you would have used Geom first coming from this point? I wondered about that..


----------



## Nicolepa

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> hhmmmm..my youngest will go to 2nd grade math next..and I am wondering that too..my boys just kinda got it with drills..but mercy...I am tired of that! I do use the counting bears and she loves those..so maybe it'll help....and dang, talking about all these rewards is making me want to go to the pantry and ferrett out some M&Ms for myself!!!



My son hate drills.  He fusses and complains.  We used Math Magician for awhile and then he said it was boring.  So we switched to using the itouch.  That was fabulous because I didn't have to sit with him and do them but i could still track his progress.  Unfortunatly he has misplaced his itouch so we are back to me doing the one minute math sheets with him.  I could let him use my phone or dd's touch but I am trying to teach him a lesson.  Unfortunatly this one is hard on me too!

I think for the multiplication and division I may go back to math magician for awhile.  I like that it seperates out the facts whereas the touch game doesn't.


----------



## Belle & Ariel

sweetpee_1993 said:


> Hi gang!
> 
> We're planning to start homeschooling in the fall for our sons (going into 7th & 9th grade).  It's all so scary!  Currently we're leaning towards the A Beka Academy (I actually attended Pensacola Christian Academy for K4 & K5) for the DVD/Streaming classroom structure.  In all honesty, I wish I could find something similar to this but secular.  I guess some things we'll have to compromise on, tho.  Also, we hope to attend the SETHSA convention in Houston in June which should give us more info & ideas.
> 
> I was just reading up on the Disney Homeschool Days and Y.E.S. Open Enrollment programs.  Have any of you done these programs?  What were your thoughts?
> 
> Any tips, advice, or even sympathies laughing are welcome & appreciated!
> 
> Thanks muchly!



We used Abeka exclusively until high school and were very pleased.  We did not like their  high school math and switched to Teaching Textbooks which are great.  We used Apologia for chemistry and marine biology and were very pleased also.
We did not buy the packaged curriculums by grade.  We had a great Abeka rep who suggested buying teacher editions and since you sit next to your child sharing them instead of buying a book for you and them.
Abeka gave our kids a great education--my oldest graduated summa cum laude with a double major and my youngest who just finished 10th grade got a 27 on his first ACT.  I think once he takes geometry and chemistry he will bring it up to the low 30's.


----------



## Belle & Ariel

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> so do you wish you would have used Geom first coming from this point? I wondered about that..



I don't think so.  He needs the ACT score now for dual enrollment and it is actually high enough that he can bypass 2 math courses--he is looking into engineering and it requires ALOT of math.  Once he takes geometry, he can do ACT again for more scholarship money and hopefully bypass another math.
I really think Alg II is easier when it follows Alg I and not a break in between for geometry.
I think also that chemistry has alot of algebra type problems and he will get review of it while learning geometry and so will be fresh on both for the next ACT.  
I am really not a teach to the test mom--I just want him to be able to have a good package from a good college and think the ACT best reflects the education he received as a homeschooler.


----------



## robinsegg

Multiplication games:
I put in a search engine: free online multiplication games
Here are some http://www.multiplication.com/interactive_games.htm
http://www.gamequarium.com/multiplication.html
http://www.jumpstart.com/free-online-game.aspx?pid=googpd&cid=free%20online%20multiplication%20games&gclid=CJexvLHeu6ECFZLV5wodSh0l-Q
http://www.familylearning.org.uk/multiplication_games.html
http://www.freerice.com/index.php?&t=33022172930&s=Multiplication%20Table


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

B&A...thanks for the input!!  I will need to decide before long...I am ready to order their math! DD is still in Rod & Staff...looooove their stuff.....


----------



## disneymom3

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> hhmmmm..my youngest will go to 2nd grade math next..and I am wondering that too..my boys just kinda got it with drills..but mercy...I am tired of that! I do use the counting bears and she loves those..so maybe it'll help....and dang, talking about all these rewards is making me want to go to the pantry and ferrett out some M&Ms for myself!!!
> Anyone want to share if you have your summer reading wishlist ready yet? We are on book #3 of the Mysterious Benedict Society....planned to be finished in April, but I got a sinus thing really bad and my throat wouln't allow it! so...that's first (these are great books by the way!)
> ~The Hittite Warrior
> ~Rachel Yoder & Betsy Tacy for my dd at night time
> ~ Little Women?
> Have lots running through my mind, but not definite...I have to make my ADRs for my next vacation on May 17 and after that I will focus on my reading list.....need to start planning next years curr also...got a few things nailed down...just gotta get organized!!
> MATH QUESTION: For those of you with older kids...my ds finished Alg I this year and I am wondering what is next...we had Geo then Alg II in High School...do ya'll do this too or should we follow Alg I with Alg II then do Geometry? Can't remember why we did it in this order...we use Teaching Textbooks,so I know I could call them...just wanted some Mommy feedback!!! Thanks!



I was talking to the TT guy at our state homeschool conference a few weeks ago.  He was talking to someone about this very issue.  What he said they suggest is to base it on the kid and when you plan to do testing.  If your child is tired of algebra type stuff, go into geometry.  If they are basically enjoying it, continue on to II.  However, keep in mind that they will need basic geometry for the SAT and ACT.


----------



## dis-happy

disneymom3 said:


> I was talking to the TT guy at our state homeschool conference a few weeks ago.  He was talking to someone about this very issue.  What he said they suggest is to base it on the kid and when you plan to do testing.  If your child is tired of algebra type stuff, go into geometry.  If they are basically enjoying it, continue on to II.  However, keep in mind that they will need basic geometry for the SAT and ACT.



I overlapped the courses a bit....finished Alg 1 in early May, then had my ds immediately start TT geometry and work on it over the summer.  He continued with it while starting Alg. 2 in the fall.


----------



## disneymom3

Also www.bbc.co.uk/schools has some great games overall.  

What I love is that they also have games for middle school students.


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

disneymom3 said:


> Also www.bbc.co.uk/schools
> 
> What I love is that they also have games for middle school students.



I'll have to check this out! When the kids are in elementary school, there are tons and tons of cool resources, but as they get older, there are fewer. I understand...but everyone likes to have some fun!

Along these lines, anyone tried Descartes Cove with their middle schooler? It's a math adventure program created by Johns Hopkins. Kinda reminds me of Myst. It's got a good balance of challenging material with fun.


----------



## bellebud

I wanted to share these sites (many of you probably already know of them), but someone asked where I bought my rosetta stone...

http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/

I also like...

http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/



enjoy!  they both have some great things to offer.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

disneymom3 said:


> I was talking to the TT guy at our state homeschool conference a few weeks ago.  He was talking to someone about this very issue.  What he said they suggest is to base it on the kid and when you plan to do testing.  If your child is tired of algebra type stuff, go into geometry.  If they are basically enjoying it, continue on to II.  However, keep in mind that they will need basic geometry for the SAT and ACT.





dis-happy said:


> I overlapped the courses a bit....finished Alg 1 in early May, then had my ds immediately start TT geometry and work on it over the summer.  He continued with it while starting Alg. 2 in the fall.



Thanks ladies! That makes total sense to me!


bellebud said:


> I wanted to share these sites (many of you probably already know of them), but someone asked where I bought my rosetta stone...
> 
> http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/
> 
> I also like...
> 
> http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/
> 
> 
> 
> enjoy!  they both have some great things to offer.



Thanks..my older one is asking to take Spanish and we are wanting RS...isn't there 2 types of Spanish offered? If so, what do YOU use for your kids?


----------



## robinsegg

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Thanks ladies! That makes total sense to me!
> 
> 
> Thanks..my older one is asking to take Spanish and we are wanting RS...isn't there 2 types of Spanish offered? If so, what do YOU use for your kids?


We use Latin American Spanish. It should be more in need in the US than Spanish Spanish. 
R


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

robinsegg said:


> We use Latin American Spanish. It should be more in need in the US than Spanish Spanish.
> R



Ha!! Okay...I couldn't understand why they didn't label it different or make some kind of note on the cover which one US kids usually used....


----------



## bellebud

robinsegg said:


> We use Latin American Spanish. It should be more in need in the US than Spanish Spanish.
> R



same for us.


----------



## robinsegg

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Ha!! Okay...I couldn't understand why they didn't label it different or make some kind of note on the cover which one US kids usually used....


The way I remember it is that Central American peoples are often called "Latino". Thus, "Latin American Spanish".


----------



## GOOFY4DONALD

I just found this thread and I don't know where to start so maybe I will just post and go from there. I have 3 kids DD12 DD9 and DS6. My DD12 and DS6 have always had a good public school experience. My DD9 has not. She started out not making friends easily and it just got worse every year. She is now ending her 4th grade year and it has gone from not making friends to full blown bullying. She is even being targeted at home. The teachers "try" and pacify us by giving us pointers on how to help my DD change so she can fit in more. My DD is a kind and sweet girl that has gone from A's to D's. She hates school, she no longer tries and she has become very angry at home. We considered changing schools but not sure that would work. We considered private school but not sure that would work. A friend of mine mentioned her sister pulled her son out of school and now homeschools for many of the reasons that I mention above. I think that my daughter would flourish in home school. I just don't know where to start or if it would be right for my family. I also don't know if the state I am in allows it or how to pull DD out of school. Any information or replies would be gratly appreciated.


----------



## TSRE

bellebud said:


> I wanted to share these sites (many of you probably already know of them), but someone asked where I bought my rosetta stone...
> 
> http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/
> 
> I also like...
> 
> http://www.homeschoolfreebie.wholesomechildhood.com/
> 
> 
> 
> enjoy!  they both have some great things to offer.



Thanks - that was me that asked.  I'm new and don't know all of the good sites yet.


----------



## TSRE

GOOFY4DONALD said:


> I just found this thread and I don't know where to start so maybe I will just post and go from there. I have 3 kids DD12 DD9 and DS6. My DD12 and DS6 have always had a good public school experience. My DD9 has not. She started out not making friends easily and it just got worse every year. She is now ending her 4th grade year and it has gone from not making friends to full blown bullying. She is even being targeted at home. The teachers "try" and pacify us by giving us pointers on how to help my DD change so she can fit in more. My DD is a kind and sweet girl that has gone from A's to D's. She hates school, she no longer tries and she has become very angry at home. We considered changing schools but not sure that would work. We considered private school but not sure that would work. A friend of mine mentioned her sister pulled her son out of school and now homeschools for many of the reasons that I mention above. I think that my daughter would flourish in home school. I just don't know where to start or if it would be right for my family. I also don't know if the state I am in allows it or how to pull DD out of school. Any information or replies would be gratly appreciated.



I am new to this also, but can tell you where I started researching, etc.  There is so much information it can be overwhelming.  I am sorry to hear about your daughter - I know it breaks your heart to see her going through that.

Anyway, I would start by looking into the different homeschooling styles and seeing which one(s) appeal to you.  Someone mentioned a book by Lisa Whelchel that gives a rundown of that.  I haven't read that, but just googled homeschooling styles and found good enough descriptions to point me in the right direction.  From there I felt like I had enough of an idea that I was able to begin looking more into the style that appeals to me, and find books on it, which then had lists of more resources in them...

Have you tried googling "Montana Homeschool Laws"?  I did that here, and found a really informative site with all the info I needed, plus links to local organizations.  You could also look for a Yahoo group in your area that will connect you to local people.

HTH a little - and that you are able to get your daughter into a better situation!


----------



## TSRE

Sorry for the 3 posts in a row!

Can someone who is familiar with the Homeschool Buyers Co-op site tell me if their offers go away when they say they will expire, or just change to a new offer?  I just went and looked at Rosetta Stone, and it says the offer ends on May 10, which was a little sooner than I was planning on buying it.  If it really is going to go away, though, I will probably go ahead with it.

Thanks!


----------



## robinsegg

GOOFY4DONALD said:


> I just found this thread and I don't know where to start so maybe I will just post and go from there. I have 3 kids DD12 DD9 and DS6. My DD12 and DS6 have always had a good public school experience. My DD9 has not. She started out not making friends easily and it just got worse every year. She is now ending her 4th grade year and it has gone from not making friends to full blown bullying. She is even being targeted at home. The teachers "try" and pacify us by giving us pointers on how to help my DD change so she can fit in more. My DD is a kind and sweet girl that has gone from A's to D's. She hates school, she no longer tries and she has become very angry at home. We considered changing schools but not sure that would work. We considered private school but not sure that would work. A friend of mine mentioned her sister pulled her son out of school and now homeschools for many of the reasons that I mention above. I think that my daughter would flourish in home school. I just don't know where to start or if it would be right for my family. I also don't know if the state I am in allows it or how to pull DD out of school. Any information or replies would be gratly appreciated.


To find the laws in your state, go to http://hslda.orgTo do some basic research on the styles of homeschooling and the curricula, take a look at the book, "So, You're Thinking About Homeschooling?"  It's just a really easy, but good, overview.


----------



## sweetpee_1993

polkadotsuitcase said:


> Hey, welcome to the world of Homeschooling Disney Lovers!  You're in for a great adventure! My boys are rising 7th and 5th graders, and it's been quite a ride. Just take your time, expect some bumps and lots of successes, and don't forget to breathe! You'll do great!



Thanks for the vote of confidence!  I appreciate it!  



robinsegg said:


> I had a friend do the DVD system, and she found it overwhelming! The issue is that A Beka covers everything in about 3 different ways. So my recommendation is to know how your kids learn and make sure you cover everything the way they learn and discard what doesn't work.
> Another way to find out "what's out there" is to read the book, "So, You're Thinking About Homeschooling?" by Lisa Whelchel. It's an easy read that gives a good overview of the types of homeschooling and curricula available.
> One other thing to know: January and February are the hardest months to teach. PS teachers will tell you the same thing. The kids seem less interested in anything, and everyone's tired. It seems to have something to do with the amount of daylight.
> Rachel



We were leaning towards the DVD stuff because it gives them the teacher/lecture portion of a "class" that they'll experience in college.  I can't be the teacher.  My biggest problem with all of this is my absolute complete lack of knowledge & confidence when it comes to the thought of being 'The Teacher'.  My teenage years were pretty much your typical 'After School Special'.  I quit high school in the 10th grade, got a GED a couple years later, and went to a little community college for a little over a year before I got so discouraged with the fact that I couldn't pass Basic Algebra after 3 tries (the professor was a nightmare & I had no help) that I just got a job & moved on with life.  Now I'm faced with all this & feel that I'm going to be more of a disadvantage to my kids than anything.  I literally MUST find a system/program that teaches them while I offer guidance as needed and ensure that they're getting it all done.  That's most essential when it comes to math.    



Belle & Ariel said:


> We used Abeka exclusively until high school and were very pleased.  We did not like their  high school math and switched to Teaching Textbooks which are great.  We used Apologia for chemistry and marine biology and were very pleased also.
> We did not buy the packaged curriculums by grade.  We had a great Abeka rep who suggested buying teacher editions and since you sit next to your child sharing them instead of buying a book for you and them.
> Abeka gave our kids a great education--my oldest graduated summa cum laude with a double major and my youngest who just finished 10th grade got a 27 on his first ACT.  I think once he takes geometry and chemistry he will bring it up to the low 30's.



I'm trying to figure out the whole diploma part of all this.  Okay.  If I don't do an accredited package program that at the end awards them a regular high school diploma and pick they're different subjects from different companies, where do they get a diploma when they finish high school?  One of the things I am absolutely not willing to budge on is the thought of the boys ending up with a GED.  That's not acceptable to me.  I want them to get a regular diploma.  I've spent hours online trying to find the answer to this question.  Believe me, I'd love to **not** do a package program.  

Looked at Keystone online today for a bit.  I really like their set-up but  at the cost!  Holy smokes!   

We haven't even gotten started and I already feel like !



GOOFY4DONALD said:


> I just found this thread and I don't know where to start so maybe I will just post and go from there. I have 3 kids DD12 DD9 and DS6. My DD12 and DS6 have always had a good public school experience. My DD9 has not. She started out not making friends easily and it just got worse every year. She is now ending her 4th grade year and it has gone from not making friends to full blown bullying. She is even being targeted at home. The teachers "try" and pacify us by giving us pointers on how to help my DD change so she can fit in more. My DD is a kind and sweet girl that has gone from A's to D's. She hates school, she no longer tries and she has become very angry at home. We considered changing schools but not sure that would work. We considered private school but not sure that would work. A friend of mine mentioned her sister pulled her son out of school and now homeschools for many of the reasons that I mention above. I think that my daughter would flourish in home school. I just don't know where to start or if it would be right for my family. I also don't know if the state I am in allows it or how to pull DD out of school. Any information or replies would be gratly appreciated.



I totally understand how you feel.  We're in a situation right now where homeschooling isn't really optional anymore because of problems with bullying.  My boys get pushed around, hit, picked on, harassed, degraded, threatened, their belongings stolen and/or broken, etc.  My oldest has had his school binder destroyed twice (earlier this year by someone who stole it, took it in the boys bathroom, scattered the contents across the floor, then urinated all over it).  I go to the assistant principal's office on a regular basis.  The administrators say they have to report when these things happen but it didn't take long for them to realize that reporting it only makes things worse because they don't do anything about it & often the bullies retaliate even worse.  We live in a small, close-knit community but we aren't from here.  It's insane.  The school district claims they have a "zero tolerance" for bullying but I'd say it's more like "the bubba tolerance" because all I ever hear is how boys-will-be-boys.  I disagree but I can't be the parent to all the other kids in the school.  I've taught my 2 how to treat other people, be respectful & kind, etc.  So after 2 years of fighting with these problems (that have escalated to the point that my oldest who is an A/B student that has never even once been in trouble at school will be expelled in a few weeks and sent to boot camp by these people who'd rather make nice with their friend's kids than do the right thing and do their job) we're not subjecting our boys to it any longer.  You know it's bad when an 8th grade teacher tells you, "I try to stop the harassment in my class but I can't.  I don't even write those kids up anymore because it doesn't do any good."  How do teachers teach our children when they can't get thru an instructional hour without disruptions from uncontrollable kids?  :  It's a very sad situation...one that doesn't leave parents who care a whole lot of options.    Don't worry.  I'm new & terrified, too.


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## graygables

sweetpee_1993 said:


> I'm trying to figure out the whole diploma part of all this.  Okay.  If I don't do an accredited package program that at the end awards them a regular high school diploma and pick they're different subjects from different companies, where do they get a diploma when they finish high school?  One of the things I am absolutely not willing to budge on is the thought of the boys ending up with a GED.  That's not acceptable to me.  I want them to get a regular diploma.



As a former high school teacher, I have no problem at all with a GED and think you might be transferring your own anxiety about your negative school experience onto it.  I also believe the consensus around the GED has changed in the last several years as it has become a "homeschool diploma" of sorts.  MANY places offer a diploma that has nothing to back it up (my nieces and nephew are enrolled in one of those "umbrella schools"), so at least the GED requires testing of basic knowledge.  My niece has a diploma, but could never pass the GED.  Colleges are wising up to that so a diploma no longer carries the weight it once did.

My 2nd DD took the GED at 16 (after asking if she could just take it and get on with her life after years of being homeschooled).  She did.  She did great.  She also took the ACT and did very well on that and went on to go to college at 17.  It is also important to remember that not every person is cut out for academics.  She isn't.  After a year of college, she has moved on with her life and is enjoying herself and her jobs right now.  She may go back to school, she may not, that's her decision.  As long as she is a happy, productive citizen, that's all that matters.

Some people need to mature a bit before they move on with education.  My oldest DD graduated from a PS (after years of bullying and torture).  She went to college (great ACT, scholarship, etc) and she dropped out after a year as well.  She simply wasn't ready.  The diploma didn't make her anymore ready than my 2nd DD's GED did.  She is now 24 and is slowly working on her Associate's degree.  She needed time to recover from her public school experiences and find some successes outside of school (finding and holding down a job, for instance).

Passion first.  THEN make the plans.  Plans without passion are just hollow motions.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Sweetpea & Goofy...don't be scared! You are on a great thread and we all had to start somewhere! First of all...the situation in most schools is a lot worse than people realize or want to admit..From the principal down the the Pre-K teachers and administration...they really want the school to look good and most will say or do whatever in that situation to appease everyone...which is not going to happen!! I dealt with bullies (girls..and they are MEAN!!) in Jr High and that was some time ago... I can't imagine what kids are put through now. And with so many parents not wanting to deal with all the school stuff when they get home, kids are left to fin for themselves..or if they are the bullies, the parents can't/won't deal with their kids. I do feel for teachers...some are really against a wall...BUT...if you can pull your kids and take them from an unsafe environment do it! Don't worry about not teaching everything and doing it perfectly...Public School won't teach your kid all there is to learn and no one worries about that..so don't be overwhelmed with that part. Even if you have a slow day, or one that you feel maybe wasn't the best.,.just remember that you are together, they are in a safe place and somedays you need to just 'live'!! 
 Definitely check the website mentioned from a PP and the Lisa Welchel book is fantastic.....look at local libraries around you and see what they have...
 Another book I love is by Cathy Duffy, 100 Top Picks for Homeschool...it's great and you can kinda skim through some reviews on her website..which can link you to each company....
 Learning can happen in just everyday life...cooking, cleaning, shopping, driving, lots of people skills,money management, time management,...I am a big advocate of reading good books. There are websites that list the great classics and just good reading books for kids....by good books they are not talking about short chapter books. They are fine for fun, but to really get into it, great old stories:Mark Twain stuff, Anne of Green Gables, Around the World in 80 Days, ..all of these help with vocabulary, spelling, grammar, ...just from being exposed to these great works helps them to learn all that even without knowing it....spend the summer getting info, researching, and getting them on the wagon reading. if they aren't used to it or just hate it, try to start with some classics on cd...most libraries have  some great ones. 
 Just hang in there...the first year is the hardest..everyone is adjusting and finding their way..be patient! Ask questions..here or on other Curriculum boards....and remember to enjoy it....this has been one of the greatest blessings of my life...they grow up so fast!


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## dis-happy

sweetpee_1993 said:


> I'm trying to figure out the whole diploma part of all this.  Okay.  If I don't do an accredited package program that at the end awards them a regular high school diploma and pick they're different subjects from different companies, where do they get a diploma when they finish high school?  One of the things I am absolutely not willing to budge on is the thought of the boys ending up with a GED.  That's not acceptable to me.  I want them to get a regular diploma.  I've spent hours online trying to find the answer to this question.  Believe me, I'd love to **not** do a package program.




My homeschool is a real school, and at the end of the completed high school coursework a REAL DIPLOMA is issued, with the name of our homeschool printed on it.  You can even order one made for  you, complete with an embossed folder to hold it.  Furthermore, the transcripts I issue are real transcripts, and I had no problem with my dd being admitted into a wonderful university with it.  She complete 4 yrs. of English, 4 years of language, 4 years of science, 4 years of math, 3 years of history, plus assorted electives.  Some classes were done exclusively at home, French class was taught by a homeschooling mom and French teacher, a couple of science classes were done in a group setting with someone else giving her a grade, one class was dual enrollment at community college.....altogether, they made up what I wrote down for our transcripts (along with a several page explanation of the classes, what was covered, and how the grade was arrived at).  

HTH


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## NHWX

Sweetpea -

I don't know if the money's too much for you but as far as a diploma goes, check out North Atlantic Regional High School (narhs.org). This is what I'm using for our two high school aged children. Some people like them, some don't. I'm OK with them.

Just a couple of points - we have paid of our annual fee for them in 10 payments two years now. Saying "Remember, your teacher at NARHS is going to be seeing this" keeps my younger son somewhat tidier. They do issue a diploma, help with the college paperwork, offer a graduation ceremony, help with course selection, etc.

Your state might have a virtual charter school - ours does. My two can take classes over the net for free. The state pays for it, they get a teacher to call on for questions, there's a monthly call-in between the teacher and a parent, etc. It's not perfect like most things but it is free.

Brigham Young University Online High School offers many courses for a relatively low fee. We haven't used many (two literature courses) but didn't find any material that could be questioned. (Sometimes I wonder what our high school is teaching when I look at the booklist.)

I don't remember how much Hewitt Homeschooling charges for their courses where a teacher grades the work but their literature courses are fairly inexpensive, especially if you can borrow the lit books from a library.

I'm sure that there are other choices for you out there. Hang in there, and remember that you can figure out a solution with your two children. They're big enough to take a hand in doing some of the work too.

NHWX


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## nono

Sweetpea,

If this site is accurate, your homeschooled children would not need the GED to get into a Montana college.

http://www.mtche.org/mchefaq.htm

HTH   

ETA: Also, once I received my college diploma, no one ever cared about my high school one.  Once I received my Masters, no one has ever cared about my college one.  And, once I proved myself in my career, no one ever cared about any of them!  Just another perspective.


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## danjoealexis3006

Hi all! My DS is almost done with TT and I am wondering if I should get a 5th grade review book (like spectrum) or get the next level of TT so he can work on it during the summer (maybe a couple days a week)? Because he has dyslexia we will continue to work on spelling, reading, math, handwriting, math facts(he knows them but he needs to keep them fresh) and some writing or he will lose it and I will have to start all over in the fall. I am wondering if anyone here has used Writing with Ease? DS and his brothers writing is awful so I am looking at starting at the begining but I am not sure if I should start at level one or two? Anyone have any suggestions?


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## robinsegg

I'm sorry I didn't make myself more clear. I'm not suggesting you not use the A Beka DVD system, just that you not allow yourself or your students to become overwhelmed with it. 
If you're most concerned with math, there are other programs out there, as well. Math U See has a teacher pack that comes with a DVD for the teacher to watch. But I actually let my 4th grader watch the teacher teaching the lesson, then do the work.  That makes things a lot easier. If you could look for a program like that, you may feel more comfortable.
If A Beka DVD seems like the best fit for your family, use it! But if you or they start feeling overwhelmed, come here (or to a local support group) to help you weed out what's not really needed.


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## sweetpee_1993

Oh wow!  You're all such angels!  Thank you thank you thank you a gazillion times over for the support, the encouragement, and the continued stream of info.  Last night I was feeling overwhelmed and emotional and ready to throw in the towel.  This morning, not so much especially after reading your responses.  Thank you so very much!

Personally, I don't judge people or think of anyone any differently for having a GED vs. a traditional diploma (obviously...haha!).  When I got mine (nearly 20 years ago) there was a certain amount of stigma attached.  Even tho I quit school mid-way thru 10th grade, when I took my test nearly a year later I passed with a very high score.  I kinda felt like with how huge homeschooling has become in the time since I got my GED that there had to be less stigma attached.  I think my feelings about it are definitely jaded not only because of how it was perceived 20 years ago but also by how my dad made me feel at the time.  In his words:  "It's not the same as a diploma and not as good."  Not that that's the only totally out-in-left-field wroooong thing that's ever left his mouth but I guess there are just some things that hit that nerve & sorta stick with ya.  Logically, I don't have a problem with it.  Emotionally, that hurt little kid in me doesn't want her kids to end up not as good as other graduates.  Makes sense.  

I'm a firm believer that nothing happens without reason, that there's always a purpose.  The situation with my son right now is a nightmare to say the least but I think it took something like this to force me to push past my fear & apprehension.  I think I stand to gain a lot from homeschooling in addition to all the big benefits for my boys.  First & foremost, here's my golden opportunity to learn what I missed so that returning to college & finally finishing doesn't feel impossible.  It's something I always wanted to do but just didn't believe I could.  I think maybe more importantly I need to dig out the old emotional baggage, resolve it, and do some much-needed healing.  I swear, just when you think being a mom has taught you everything a whole new lesson presents itself.  That's an awesomeness unto itself!  :  

My dearest friend who homeschooled both her kids had me buy Mary Pride's 'Complete Guide to Getting Started in Homeschooling'.  I picked up the '100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum' also.  I started reading them a while back but will definitely dig 'em back out again.  

Thanks again for all the outpouring of support.  I'm breaking back out my note pad and creating new lists of stuff to research.  I'm gonna do this and we're gonna totally rock it!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Sweetpee!!! Yay for you!! yes...being a mom makes you face things from your past & get over it!!Things that you would rather be dead and buried!! I know myself I have had to resolve things..but maybe it's the Lords way of making you forgive and move on!! You are really gonna enjoy hsing more than you could imagine..and yes, you will learn and remember things you would not believe!! Those are 2 great books!! I don't know if I told you already, but I use Christian book (CBD.com) for most of my ordering..there homeschool section is quite large and they give you several pages to view for samples so you can get a better idea what they are about. you don't have to order from them, but it's a great research tool!! I am sooo excited for you! Are you going to pull him out of ps now? I would!! Just go down there and tell them you are taking him out..some schools make you turn in a paper with the intent to homeschool...so find out what you need to do...maybe just pick them up early today and then turn it in on Monday!!! Wouldn't that be a great surprise for them!!!
 The whole topic of bullies makes me wonder...if all the kids who are bullied get pulled out, what are the bullies gonna do? Beat up each other? Interesting concept.....


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## Disney Mommy 3

I am pming you about a curriculum store....


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## sweetpee_1993

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Sweetpee!!! Yay for you!! yes...being a mom makes you face things from your past & get over it!!Things that you would rather be dead and buried!! I know myself I have had to resolve things..but maybe it's the Lords way of making you forgive and move on!! You are really gonna enjoy hsing more than you could imagine..and yes, you will learn and remember things you would not believe!! Those are 2 great books!! I don't know if I told you already, but I use Christian book (CBD.com) for most of my ordering..there homeschool section is quite large and they give you several pages to view for samples so you can get a better idea what they are about. you don't have to order from them, but it's a great research tool!! I am sooo excited for you! Are you going to pull him out of ps now? I would!! Just go down there and tell them you are taking him out..some schools make you turn in a paper with the intent to homeschool...so find out what you need to do...maybe just pick them up early today and then turn it in on Monday!!! Wouldn't that be a great surprise for them!!!
> The whole topic of bullies makes me wonder...if all the kids who are bullied get pulled out, what are the bullies gonna do? Beat up each other? Interesting concept.....




We're trying to let them finish the year so the whole homeschooling thing doesn't come off to them as a "Get Out of Jail Free" card.  LOL!  With what's happened with our eldest it looks like they've had a bit of a wake-up call at the school and are trying to do some things to make changes.  As long as my youngest says he feels okay there then we'll let him finish the 4 or so weeks left.  Our oldest is currently at the alternative campus which is much better supervised and he's actually enjoying it.  Even with the bigger work-load from his teachers, he gets in the car every afternoon happy as a lark chirping away about all the stuff he did at school.  Another thought is that he does need to have an amount of consequences for his poor decisions.  Even tho he never would've done what he did had the school's problems not been an ongoing issue for so long, ultimately he had choices and he chose poorly.  At this point I think he's learned a lesson but we also feel like if he perceives our actions as sheltering it could also have a negative effect.  Life isn't always fair.  Even when adversity is stacked against you there are still choices that are better than what he demonstrated.  What he did he clearly knew better than to do.  Also, there's the negative effects from all of this.  First & foremost, when we discuss finding avenues for the boys to get social interaction with their peers once they are homeschooling he gets upset and is very adamant that he does not want anything to do with other kids.  He says he doesn't trust kids outside of our family and doesn't want to be anywhere near them.  In his words, "Nobody likes me.  They're not going to like me.  I don't want to feel bad anymore.  I just want my family."  While in the alternative campus he's with other kids who also made poor choices.  It's like the principal over there said when we were doing his intake:  The kids in alternative campus aren't bad kids; they're good kids who made poor choices.  The interaction amongst them is very controlled.  He's had good experiences there so we feel like as long as he's in a place that's positive for him we'll let him stay.  ((Not to worry.  We do realize this is a big red flag & we are making arrangements for counseling for him in the very near future.))  We expect the expulsion hearing notification next week (judging by how long we it took for another student we know) then scheduled for the following week.  I'm curious to see what the boot camp will be like for this other student we know.  They only go during the day on weekdays.  It's basically an even more strict version of alternative campus with P.T. thrown in the mix.  Depending on what it's really like we may or may not let him go on to that arrangement.  We'll have to reassess when the time comes.  It takes up to like 5 days from the expulsion to get a time set up for the intake into the boot camp.  Also, it may be more of an issue for us because there's 4 kids all together in this.  They'll need to have 4 open slots in that program in order to send them.  We may not have to deal with it at all.  It's just a wait & see situation.

Our oldest is begging for homeschooling.  I know he'll blossom and flourish.  My youngest has a little hesitation because he says there are people he'll miss.  I've assured him that just because he doesn't go to school with his friends doesn't mean he'll never see them again.  There's still plenty of opportunity to do things together.  I'm going to buy him a little address book so he can take it to school the last few days & write down names & phone numbers so he'll feel better.  

Thanks again for all the help & support.  It truly means a lot! 

:


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## Disney Mommy 3

I see what u r saying about the 'get out of jail free' thing!! I didn't realize it was that in depth at this point..yeah, he's gotta finish all that!!!! Glad y'all are handling it well and sounds like you have a good handle on things with all of the results!! Way to go!! Just get through it, right?! I know you will be glad when it's over & done!!! Then you can enjoy the new phase of education!!!


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## BuzzandAriel'smom

Ready to join the chat!  We have recently decided to homeschool our soon to be 1st and 3rd graders.  We have been thinking about it all year almost and now everyone is on board and excited.  We have social reasons, kids' peers have no manners, respect, morals, etc.  And my dd8 can't handle it.  She gets very upset when a child tells her a bad word or acts inappropriately.  There are also academic reasons, mainly the fact that our kids are above grade level in all areas but not encouraged to excel.  They are just coasting through school and my ds6 is very bored.  

I think my teaching style will fall more into the eclectic category since I will use math, spelling, language arts structured texts and then the rest will be done through exploring our local library and researching topics.  The kids are so thirsty for knowledge and I want them to learn that there is so much out there to learn you just have to go looking for it.

Locally there is a public school/homeschool hub that offers elective classes as well as free rosetta stone languages.  We will be looking in to that since it is already built into our taxes.

My question is, after that lengthy introduction, what do you all think about using workbooks like spectrum for the first year to gague where the kids are at academically.  It is sooo much cheaper and the kids enjoy workbooks.  I would make some copies of the harder lesson plans so that they can have more practice with them.  We will also be using Study Island to keep up with state standards.

Anyone use workbooks instead of texts?

Also, I have homeschooled before.  We took temporary custody of our niece two years ago.  She was failing 6th grade for the second time and I took her in and she got through 5th and 6th grade in 12 weeks and is now doing well in public school.  I have an idea of my teaching style and am pretty confident in my abilities in creative teaching.  If that helps in your response.

We are very excited to start.  I have the kids finishing the year (1 month) at school then we are free to school they way we want!

Yippee!

btw, my blog has a little more specific information on our decision to hs.

TIA!


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## DreadpiratK

sweetpee_1993 said:


> I'm trying to figure out the whole diploma part of all this.  Okay.  If I don't do an accredited package program that at the end awards them a regular high school diploma and pick they're different subjects from different companies, where do they get a diploma when they finish high school?  One of the things I am absolutely not willing to budge on is the thought of the boys ending up with a GED.  That's not acceptable to me.  I want them to get a regular diploma.  I've spent hours online trying to find the answer to this question.  Believe me, I'd love to **not** do a package program.



If it's college you're worried about, the whole diploma thing is much less of an issue than you might think.  Our two oldest both got into the college of their choice without a GED or 'real' diploma.  In the case of my oldest son, it was into several ivy league schools.  Most colleges now are not only accepting of Home-schoolers, but many actively recruit them.  It is a common misunderstanding that a high school diploma is a requirement for college admission, it isn't in many cases.  

We had a kind of funny episode years ago now when my oldest was trying to get into the local community college to take credit courses-he was 15 at the time.  Anyway, we thought we had everything all set until a few days before he was to start when the admissions officer called and said 'all we need is a copy of his diploma...  Anyway, my wife called a good friend and seasoned home-schooler whose advice was 'just make him one!'  So we did, she made him a 'diploma' on the computer printed it out, I signed as principle, and we faxed it over and held our breath.  The admissions counselor called back the next day and said "great, thanks, that's all we needed".  The just needed to check a box off on their list, they didn't really care about the diploma itself at all.  

After that he went on to earn a associates degree from the CC, and then transfer in to RIT.  Once you have the AS, no one cares about your HS diploma.  

I can say for an absolute fact that you do not need a HS diploma to get into any community college in NY or CT, can't swear to the rest.  They admit you based on thier placement tests.  My daughter just took them last week, and even as a so-so homeschool math student, tested into a fairly high math class (She was NOT pleased by that at all!) 

We have found that CC's are an excellent adjunct to homeschooling older teens, Most of the classes are really on a par with AP high school classes (at least as they used to be) and kids can earn college credits fairly early and often for free.  Plus there is the added benefit of earning a 2 year degree for little or no money, and then transferring into a 4 year school and only paying 2 years of high tuition.  College for 1/2 price! and let me tell you, at a school like RIT, that's a life saver!!!   Once you get a BS or BA, no one cares where you took freshman English.


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## Mouseketeer67

Nicolepa said:


> Thank you so much for this! My older daughter has been wanting to learn a language and I have been relcutant to get something.  She is loving the Mango!  If nothing else it will give her something to do this summer.



Your welcome!  My kids love it too, I love the fact that it's free!!!


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## JesB

I'm so very glad I found this theard. I've just started home schooling my DS due to extreme bullying at school. We've made it through 9th without too many problems. Were using an umberella school at the moment because I had questions about the diploma. I had DS when I was barely 15 and was forced to attend a christian school offered by a local chruch. They wouldn't allow us to attend the local high school. My diploma actually came from a school out of town so I had no problems attending school. Once I got my BS degree no one ask about high school. I was worried about his need for a diploma. I have a couple of questions if anyone has the answer. We are moving after Dec. to Florida if everything works out job wise and will either need a new umberella school or make other arrangements. I would rather do without the school if possible. Does anyone know the steps I would need to take? Also DS's only struggle is with math, I'm looking for a really good Algebra 2 and Geo curriculum for him. Thanks.


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## dis-happy

JesB said:


> I'm so very glad I found this theard. I've just started home schooling my DS due to extreme bullying at school. We've made it through 9th without too many problems. Were using an umberella school at the moment because I had questions about the diploma. I had DS when I was barely 15 and was forced to attend a christian school offered by a local chruch. They wouldn't allow us to attend the local high school. My diploma actually came from a school out of town so I had no problems attending school. Once I got my BS degree no one ask about high school. I was worried about his need for a diploma. I have a couple of questions if anyone has the answer. We are moving after Dec. to Florida if everything works out job wise and will either need a new umberella school or make other arrangements. I would rather do without the school if possible. Does anyone know the steps I would need to take? Also DS's only struggle is with math, I'm looking for a really good Algebra 2 and Geo curriculum for him. Thanks.



You can check HSLDA website for Fl. Homeschooling Laws.  I just read it and it looks pretty straightforward: keep a portfolio and have a standardized test once a year.  Umbrella schools look optional, and personally I prefer the autonomy of not being linked with another group for homeschooling.

I've used both Teaching Textbooks and Saxon Math (with DIVE teaching cd) for high school math.  Both are very good.

Wishing you the best!


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## Nicolepa

Mouseketeer67 said:


> Your welcome!  My kids love it too, I love the fact that it's free!!!



Yes!  I didn't want to buy her something have her lose interest in a week.  She is loving this and being that she has a photographic memory is already speaking much more than I'd expect.  (She's answers everything in Spanish if she can.  LOL)


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## JesB

Thank You I've looked at Saxon and think it may be the best one for DS. They used it at his middle school.


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## MiniGirl

JesB said:


> I'm so very glad I found this theard. I've just started home schooling my DS due to extreme bullying at school. We've made it through 9th without too many problems. Were using an umberella school at the moment because I had questions about the diploma. I had DS when I was barely 15 and was forced to attend a christian school offered by a local chruch. They wouldn't allow us to attend the local high school. My diploma actually came from a school out of town so I had no problems attending school. Once I got my BS degree no one ask about high school. I was worried about his need for a diploma. I have a couple of questions if anyone has the answer. *We are moving after Dec. to Florida if everything works out job wise and will either need a new umberella school or make other arrangements. I would rather do without the school if possible. Does anyone know the steps I would need to take?* Also DS's only struggle is with math, I'm looking for a really good Algebra 2 and Geo curriculum for him. Thanks.



Welcome, not only to Jes, but to all of you who have decided to start homeschooling. I always love hearing that more people are rising to this challenge. I must say though that I am so saddened that so many are doing it because of all the bullying in the schools. It really breaks my heart to hear about so many going through this, and I just know that there are so many more who have to endure it because the parents just feel they cannot, for whatever reason, homeschool their child. 

Anyway, Jes, my children are much younger than yours, so I'm not sure if I can help. Homeschooling here is pretty easy. You will need to submit a letter to your local school district stating your intent to begin a home education program. Once a year you will have to either have your child tested or you can have him evaluated with a state certified teacher. You do need to maintain a portfolio and a reading list to show your evaluator (if you use that option) and also have it on hand should you be asked to show it. (Although I have never heard of anyone asking to submit their portfolio.) You do not need to operate under an umbrella school, but you would have to keep track of credits, etec. Honestly, I'm not sure how all that works because we aren't at that point yet. Also, there is a Florida Virtual School you could take advantage of for Algebra and other subjects. You could also look into dual enrollment if you will be moving near a community college. It is free and a great way to get some college credits under their belt.


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## dis-happy

JesB said:


> Thank You I've looked at Saxon and think it may be the best one for DS. They used it at his middle school.



When you move, look into homeschool co-ops too.  In our area we have several options for high school kids to take classes...everything from lit to launguage to math and science.  Some are parent taught and others are fee based with an experienced teacher.


----------



## JesB

Thank you. I hadn't thought about a co-op. We're still new at this, we just keep bumping along. A co-op for math might be a good idea, I admit math is not my best subject either.


----------



## Soarin' Mama

Hi, homeschoolers!

I am a vacation planning, homeschooling mom to a lovely 8 year old ds.  He's finishing up second grade now and has never been in a school or day care setting.

We are planning our second trip to WDW in May 2011 and are just nuts with excitement.  We're looking at staying in a Pirate room at CBR. We stayed there during our first trip several years ago and loved it.

Just wanted to chime in and introduce myself.  I look forward to getting to know some fellow Disney loving homeschoolers!


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## Mommy2three

right now at abcteach.com they have for a limited time 9.95 3 month summer memberships if anyone is interested.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Soarin' Mama~   Glad you are here!! I think the pirate rooms would be sooo cute!!! We are 'too many' to fit in one of those rooms..and we have pirates and a princess...so it would be weird! Ha!!! Glad you found us...jump right in!!!


----------



## Denine

We are back from our wonderful and relaxing WDW vacation.

Time to look more seriously into curriculum for next  year.

Sonlighters: 4 or 5 day program?  I was thinking 5 and DH is thinking 4.


----------



## Dannielle_1

Hi Everyone...

So I'm considering homeschooling my DS.  He's 4.5 and still has one more year before Kindergarten.  I have decided not to send him to preschool for a number of reasons, one of which is I have this feeling I'd like to try the homeschool thing.

A few questions:

Has anyone used Five in a Row?  I've glanced through a copy at the library and thought that it might be good for "preschool."  Anyone use this as their primary cirriculum into elementry ages?

I know I don't want to be too structured this year by any means.  This will be a "get your feet wet kind of year and see if I want to continue on next year" year.  So what do I need to cover this year?  DS can count to 100, working on reading (we'll continue to work on this this summer - we are using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons), he knows all of his letter sounds and even some blends, we're currently working on calendar stuff and simple math.  I'm just not sure what he should know going into K, even if it is at home.

I've read some of the 100 Top Picks, primarily about the styles of homeschooling and am not sure which direction we'll end up going, but wondering what styles others out there use and your thoughts on how that works for you and your kids.

Thanks for any input.


----------



## Nicolepa

Dannielle_1 said:


> Hi Everyone...
> 
> A few questions:
> 
> Has anyone used Five in a Row?  I've glanced through a copy at the library and thought that it might be good for "preschool."  Anyone use this as their primary cirriculum into elementry ages?



I personally haven't used Five in a Row, but a good friend has used it for K.  She did not like it at all and ended up switching 1/2 thru the year.  She didn't like the setup of the book.  It would have her jump around and she felt she was spending more time finding the pages she needed than actually teaching it.  She did feel like her kids were learning w/it but it was too frustrating on her end.


----------



## robinsegg

Dannielle_1 said:


> Hi Everyone...
> 
> So I'm considering homeschooling my DS.  He's 4.5 and still has one more year before Kindergarten.  I have decided not to send him to preschool for a number of reasons, one of which is I have this feeling I'd like to try the homeschool thing.
> 
> A few questions:
> 
> Has anyone used Five in a Row?  I've glanced through a copy at the library and thought that it might be good for "preschool."  Anyone use this as their primary cirriculum into elementry ages?
> 
> I know I don't want to be too structured this year by any means.  This will be a "get your feet wet kind of year and see if I want to continue on next year" year.  So what do I need to cover this year?  DS can count to 100, working on reading (we'll continue to work on this this summer - we are using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons), he knows all of his letter sounds and even some blends, we're currently working on calendar stuff and simple math.  I'm just not sure what he should know going into K, even if it is at home.
> 
> I've read some of the 100 Top Picks, primarily about the styles of homeschooling and am not sure which direction we'll end up going, but wondering what styles others out there use and your thoughts on how that works for you and your kids.
> 
> Thanks for any input.


I know a lady who has successfully used it at least through elementary grades and loved it!
One of the things she likes most about it is that it uses the Charlotte Mason Method a lot . . . or it can be used with CMM. I'll try to see if I can find her blog for you


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## Disney Mommy 3

Dannielle...we used FIAR and we liked it! I used it for lower elem levels..you could supplement a different math/phonics if you want to..we did. I just loved all the literature and the little guides in the book...also, we got the laminated disks and put them on the large wall map....My kids still know where the Yangtze River is in China from the book Ping...one of the best stories we have ever read!!!
 And yes the 100 Top Picks book is awesome!


----------



## disneymom3

I liked FIAR but I changed it a bit.  After about the third day my boys were NOT impressed that we were going to read the same book again. So, I didn't. We would look at the pics that had to do with the activity we were doing that day and discuss what was going on in the story.  I thinik this gave them really good experience at retelling and narrating.


----------



## SGMCO

Are there any who have High School aged and are doing Homeschool?
Most of the thread seems to be little kids thru Middle school.
The HS are few and far between.

I'm considering Free public online HS because I don't have the knowledge to teach the math or the science course needed in HS but Ds has already taken a entrance test with one online Public HS and found glitches in the program which took DS much longer to finish than it was suppose to.
Worried that all there programs will be messed up--don't look forward to dealing with that. 

Does anyone have any information for reasonable priced computer programs for HS? how do you find a Teacher to accredate the work? 
or if you choose this path you can only get a GED? 
Thanks for any information you can give me. I'm getting scared.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

SGMCO said:


> Are there any who have High School aged and are doing Homeschool?
> Most of the thread seems to be little kids thru Middle school.
> The HS are few and far between.
> 
> I'm considering Free public online HS because I don't have the knowledge to teach the math or the science course needed in HS but Ds has already taken a entrance test with one online Public HS and found glitches in the program which took DS much longer to finish than it was suppose to.
> Worried that all there programs will be messed up--don't look forward to dealing with that.
> 
> Does anyone have any information for reasonable priced computer programs for HS? how do you find a Teacher to accredate the work?
> or if you choose this path you can only get a GED?
> Thanks for any information you can give me. I'm getting scared.




Good Morning ladies!!
 Well, my oldest is entering high school this year...actually he did some freshman level work this past year...for Math Teaching Textbooks cannot be beat!! For Science, we use & love Apologia....Rod & Staff have a 9th & 10th grade are interchangeable..depending on what you want to use when...they are very thorough and I have heard that they can compare with college level...some people who never use a sticter type of Lang course put their kids a year or two lower than what the grade level really is. They have a website and you can look through and see sample lessons/pages. If you have any other questions about certain currilums, I am sure somewhat here has used them!! Again, I recommend the Cathy Duffy book 100 Top Picks....it is great! has all levels of schooling with decriptions and websites.


----------



## Denine

Anyone used a Latin program for their young children?  I found one called Prima Latina that is for K-4th grade that looks good.


----------



## DreadpiratK

SGMCO said:


> Are there any who have High School aged and are doing Homeschool?
> Most of the thread seems to be little kids thru Middle school.
> The HS are few and far between.
> 
> I'm considering Free public online HS because I don't have the knowledge to teach the math or the science course needed in HS but Ds has already taken a entrance test with one online Public HS and found glitches in the program which took DS much longer to finish than it was suppose to.
> Worried that all there programs will be messed up--don't look forward to dealing with that.
> 
> Does anyone have any information for reasonable priced computer programs for HS? how do you find a Teacher to accredate the work?
> or if you choose this path you can only get a GED?
> Thanks for any information you can give me. I'm getting scared.



The thing to realize is that you don't have to be an expert in physics to teach physics, or anything else, you just have to have the ability to work through the material with your kids, and find help for the parts you don't understand.   In my view that's a lot more like real life than having a teacher there supplying all the answers at need.  I think it's kinda cool when our kids start explaining the material to me! 

We have two in high school now, my DD graduates this year, and my younger DS is a sophomore (ish) We chose not to go with an online high school, but kept on making up their curriculum.  As far as the math and science go, we just try and keep a little ahead of them in the text books, and use home-school groups for group learning in those areas.  We also use a lot of self-directed learning in so far as requiring our kids to find the answers to their own questions if they can, so that we don't always have to have the answers for them.    

What we did with my oldest who is now in college when he outstripped us in math was to enroll him in the local community college courses.  He could take them for free if they weren't full, and got full credit.  It worked well since he's now  a junior at a top engineering school.


----------



## DreadpiratK

I don't know if links are allowed here, but I found this list online and thought I'd share it with y'all.  It's a little cynical, but man I've wanted to say all of these things at one time or another:

http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/001/bitter_homeschooler.html


----------



## Denine

DreadpiratK said:


> I don't know if links are allowed here, but I found this list online and thought I'd share it with y'all.  It's a little cynical, but man I've wanted to say all of these things at one time or another:
> 
> http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/001/bitter_homeschooler.html



A bit bitter, but I understand!


----------



## roadtrippin2wdw

I have a few questions for the homeschooling veterans.  I've decided to homeschool my daughter starting next year, which will be 1st grade.  This past week I received all the info regarding registering her for next year at the school she attends now.  I live in IL and I know that the homeschooling laws are pretty liberal.  I don't know, though, if I have to tell the school during this registration time of our plans for next year since we are finishing this year out.  Can anyone please tell what their experience was?  Also, did anyone start off not using a specific curriculum?  I wasn't planning on winging it, but using different online resources as guides.  I've looked up many checklists that state what is expected of a first grader to be passed to the next grade.  I want to be prepared...Thank you for your insight.


----------



## robinsegg

roadtrippin2wdw said:


> I have a few questions for the homeschooling veterans.  I've decided to homeschool my daughter starting next year, which will be 1st grade.  This past week I received all the info regarding registering her for next year at the school she attends now.  I live in IL and I know that the homeschooling laws are pretty liberal.  I don't know, though, if I have to tell the school during this registration time of our plans for next year since we are finishing this year out.  Can anyone please tell what their experience was?  Also, did anyone start off not using a specific curriculum?  I wasn't planning on winging it, but using different online resources as guides.  I've looked up many checklists that state what is expected of a first grader to be passed to the next grade.  I want to be prepared...Thank you for your insight.


Hi!
All you really need to tell your daughter's school is that you're enrolling her in a private school next year . . . legally, Illinois looks at homeschools as private schools.
It's entirely possible to homeschool without using a "prepackaged curriculum"! It's called "eclectic homeschooling"! 
Feel free to PM me with any questions. I am the first contact person for our homeschool group in IL.


----------



## floydfamily4

DreadpiratK said:


> I don't know if links are allowed here, but I found this list online and thought I'd share it with y'all.  It's a little cynical, but man I've wanted to say all of these things at one time or another:
> 
> http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/001/bitter_homeschooler.html



Wow!  I love it!!  Yes a bit cynical but I have to admit it made me smile and encouraged my heart a bit  I love the one about socializing and socialization - gets me every time!!!


----------



## TSRE

We are starting to homeschool next year, and are going to continue with Saxon Math bc both of my kids have been using it at school and do really well with it.  My problem is with picking the right level for them for next year.  My DS10 will finish the 65 book this year, loves math and has an A in it (with little effort and NO help from me).  Should I move to the 76 book for him?  I know I've read some stuff about skipping certain levels, but it is a little confusing to me.  I am going to read the Using John Saxon's Math book, but I would like to order sooner rather than later as we will be starting in July to allow us to take a break when kiddo #3 is born in November.

Also, can anyone who is doing Saxon Math 3 tell me how close Lesson 35-1 is to the end of that book?  He doesn't get a book in school, just the sheets from day to day.  He is in 2nd grade, and has an A in math as well, same as DS10, comes very easily to him.  What should he move on to next year?

Thank you for any help


----------



## DawnM

Who knows what the discounts are for Williamsburg for homeschoolers who go during non-HS days?

We can never make it for HS weeks as my husband's work schedule is very busy during those weeks (he is an accountant).

I have heard that HSers still get a very good discount, but I don't know what it is?????

Anyone know?

Dawn

(yes, I did ask about Teacher discounts as well.  In my former life I was a teacher and still have all my credentials, etc....so was trying to see which discount might be best.  It looks like the teacher discount is quite small.)


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Hi ladies!! 
 I just wanted to share some curriculum-ordering-happiness with you!!! I have been researching, planning for next year for a while...I usually start scoping/pricing in Feb or so....like to have my stuff ordered by June to avoid rush/sell-out dilemmas! So....
 for DD7, (2nd grade) we are doing Heart of Dakota. It's more of a boxed curriculum. It's a Christian curriculum including Bible, reading, history, science,...math & Eng. But, we are doing Rod & Staff for Math & English. It fits into the curriculum nicely. So...most of the readers and a few other books I already have...the others are at our library, so I only had to order 3 or 4 readers!!! So...dd is taken care of!
 DS11-(6th grade) We are doing Creation to Christ..Heart of Dakota also...He is doing R&S English (ordered)...will do Teaching Textbooks for math.(will use book from ds14) ....again, have lots of his readers, some of the Science & History books....Need to make sure what reading books we already have..didn't want to break the bank with one huge order! 
 DS14 (9th)...Will let him do Bible with ds11...it has extensions for older students....R&S Eng,(ordered!!) Teaching Textbooks, might do Heart of Dakota for History,...but probably stick to Truth Quest...we are already on a roll here with History. Science is Apologia Biology....
 For all three from Heart of Dakota, I am using their Literature program...it can be started at 2nd grade level and on up....I will use this with a classic list for my older son.... 
 Okay...well,...I should be finished looking through readers/lit books for the boys next week and we will be set!!! I do need to pick a few for summer reading...but I have some in mind. 
 So..are any of you ordering already? I start school in July, so I like to have all my stuff in and not be waiting for backorders....


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## Kimberly Hill

We're unschoolers and will be using some packaged curriculum as it suits our needs. Math-U-See and Getty-Dubay are ordered and on their way! (DD is a rising 2nd grader)


----------



## disneymom3

SGMCO said:


> Are there any who have High School aged and are doing Homeschool?
> Most of the thread seems to be little kids thru Middle school.
> The HS are few and far between.
> 
> I'm considering Free public online HS because I don't have the knowledge to teach the math or the science course needed in HS but Ds has already taken a entrance test with one online Public HS and found glitches in the program which took DS much longer to finish than it was suppose to.
> Worried that all there programs will be messed up--don't look forward to dealing with that.
> 
> Does anyone have any information for reasonable priced computer programs for HS? how do you find a Teacher to accredate the work?
> or if you choose this path you can only get a GED?
> Thanks for any information you can give me. I'm getting scared.


I am pretty sure graygables has homeschooled older kids.  SHe will be along soon, I am sure.  My daughter is going into 9th grade but will be attending a small charter school for next year at least.

However, I have done a lot of prep for high school in case I need it.  One of the questions to start out with, is what are you preparing your child for?  If it's the college route, you need to take a look at what credits your child needs to be considered a high school graduate in your state.  For instance, for us, each semester full time class is considered one point.  For math, they need 4 points, for history it's 6 points, science is also 6 points etc.  

In addition, I have also looked at various college entrance expectations.  I know when I went to high school that in order to graduate we did not have to take a foreign language, but the majority of 4 year colleges required 2 years for entrance.  Now, my best friend was going to a technical colllege for vet tech stuff so for her, it didn't matter if she took foreign language but for me it did. Same deal with a friend who was going into the service. so, that is going to effect your course of study.

I personally, do not like the public high school at home options. For one thing, you are not homeschooling in it's true definition.  Your child IS enrolled in a public school.  You are therefore responsible for all the requirements that they set for your student.   For me, one of the beauties of homeschooling is hte flexibility we have with it.  As for the "harder" classes, there are many many individual programs out there.  To recommend any, I will honestly have to know if you are going to be using Christian curriculum or not.  For instance, I absolutely LOVE Apologia sciences but it is completely from a Creation standpoint so that has to be taken into consideration.  For high school math, my two highest recommendations are Teaching Textbooks and Video Tutor.

If you are looking for a curriculum provider who will give you personalized advice, I cannot recommend highly enough that you call Heppner's Legacy Homeschool Resources. Their prices are not going to be what you find at Rainbow, but the customer service and personal service they will give you is beyond value!  Their actual store front is located right in my town, but they have an 800 number too. Their website is http://legacyhomeschool.com/  They have articles and recommended resources and then of course their number is listed on there as well. The couple who owns it have homeschooled their three kids, the oldest two who are in college and the youngest is at some point in high school.


----------



## graygables

SGMCO said:


> Are there any who have High School aged and are doing Homeschool?
> Most of the thread seems to be little kids thru Middle school.
> The HS are few and far between.



We have had a varied homeschool experience including in and out of public schools as well as using virtual charter schools.  My oldest wound up graduating from a public school after re-entering the system in the 8th grade.  Our district at the time would not allow anyone in the advanced math track unless they had started it IN the district IN the 8th grade.  Oldest went there, then moved to my parents for better opportunities (AP courses, dual enrollment) and graduated there (although we all wished we'd skipped the commencement as it was a free-for-all nightmare).  She went to college for a year, but really struggled (so much for the public school's "college preparatory" education ). She went to Disney with the College Program and wound up staying on.  She's full time here and has recently gone back to school to work on her Associate's.

2nd DD returned to PS in the 8th grade (same reasons), but I wound up pulling her in 9th grade due to continued problems with the school.  We used a virtual charter school which was a disaster (it was in its early years and hadn't worked out the glitches).  We unschooled for awhile and she finally asked if she could just take the GED at 16yo and get on with her life.  She did, did great, took the ACT and went to college at 17.  She wound up doing the Disney College Program, too, and stayed on.  Earlier this year, she went "seasonal" at Disney and moved to Colorado with her boyfriend (don't get me started on THAT one).  She has debated returning to school, but she really isn't all that interested in any of it.  She's very happy with her life and that's all I ask of any of my children.

3rd DD is entering 9th grade.  She's not a fan of the curriculum we've been using (Oak Meadow), so I told her, as a summer project, to research curricula and see if she can find one she likes better.  If I concur, we'll use that instead.  We also tend to unschool more and use the curriculum loosely.  We do use Teaching Textbooks for math and both DDs love it.  

As far as the higher maths/sciences go, we will seek out the help we need as the time comes.  If I have to find a tutor or a co-op or a local center with a class, that's what we do.  Homeschoolers find ways to fill the gaps in the knowledge (or gaps in confidence) in order to fully educate our children.  We also need to remember that not every child is cut out for college.  Our society has long focused on college being the end-all and it is not.  In our family, happiness is the end-all. Fulfillment, a good life, contentment are our goals.  If we have "enough", it is enough (and that is going to be different for each person).  My oldest, "enough" includes spendy trips to Whole Foods and expensive Disney restaurants.  For my 2nd, "enough" is no debt and a solid emergency fund while still having time to go hiking or camping with her friends.

My children have seen positive benefits of a college education and know that we do value it, but don't prize it.  I am currently in grad school (graduating in September ) and they see that my educational path has led me to a statused manager position at WDW.  My Dad is also a college professor, so there is that example as well.  Again, though, we let them decide their paths and do our best to provide them with ample opportunities to pursue wherever those paths may lead.  

As far as the GED goes, I've said it before, but it has not been a hindrance in any way to my 21yo.  Many schools are wising up that a "diploma" isn't worth the paper it is printed on and rely more on ACT and SAT scores (both of which were very good for my DDs) as indicators of future success in the university (although, again, not everyone is cut out for the college experience).

The world is SO much bigger than curriculum or schools allow it to be.  My daughters amaze me every day with what they have learned simply by asking a question and following where it leads.  14yo and I recently had a long, quite mature discussion on Haiti and Chile and I learned that her heart is as big as the universe and it wouldn't surprise me to find her signing up soon with a volunteer organization that will carry her around the globe.  Her "enough" seems to be a lot smaller than the rest of us in the family, so we are learning from HER as well.


----------



## BelleRocks

graygables said:


> 3rd DD is entering 9th grade.  She's not a fan of the curriculum we've been using (Oak Meadow), so I told her, as a summer project, to research curricula and see if she can find one she likes better.



I'm starting OM with my daughter next year for 6th grade.  What was your DD's experience with it that she wants to switch?

(I was already thinking I might just do OM for middle school, then switch to something else for high school.)

PS - love and agree with your philosophy about college not being the end-all for everyone.  College doesn't always equal happiness and fulfillment for everyone!


----------



## graygables

BelleRocks said:


> I'm starting OM with my daughter next year for 6th grade.  What was your DD's experience with it that she wants to switch?
> 
> (I was already thinking I might just do OM for middle school, then switch to something else for high school.)
> 
> PS - love and agree with your philosophy about college not being the end-all for everyone.  College doesn't always equal happiness and fulfillment for everyone!



My 14yo DD has some learning difficulties and OM has a lot of reading involved which she hates. We have not been successful in finding leisure reading for her, so reading for school is torture.  I've been trying to get her to use the books on audio, but it's the assignments that she just really isn't interested in.

11yo has no problems and likes OM better than anything else we've used.

and thanks for the PS.   My Dad, Mr. Smartie Pants, reading the encyclopedia while hand-washing dishes at 5yo now college prof always told us kids, "You can be a garbage collector if that's what makes you happy, but you'd better be the best garbage collector you can possibly be."  He was more concerned with us being happy and doing our very best than the rest of it.


----------



## DisneyMom5

> Originally Posted by SGMCO
> Are there any who have High School aged and are doing Homeschool?
> Most of the thread seems to be little kids thru Middle school.
> The HS are few and far between.



I have one finishing 10th grade, and one finishing 8th grade, so I'll have two in hs next year.  We plan on homeschooling all the way through.



> I'm considering Free public online HS because I don't have the knowledge to teach the math or the science course needed in HS but Ds has already taken a entrance test with one online Public HS and found glitches in the program which took DS much longer to finish than it was suppose to.
> Worried that all there programs will be messed up--don't look forward to dealing with that.



You always have that option, but you then are at the mercy of the school.  Part of the reason why I homeschool is so that *I* decide what we do and when.



> Does anyone have any information for reasonable priced computer programs for HS?



Many use Alpha Omega's Switched on Schoolhouse.  It is Christian based.  My kids are using their civics course only, but really dislike it.  They think it is boring, and get frustrated when it doesn't recognize correct answers.  It has not made my life easier, as I have to monitor it all the time.  Can't imagine doing ALL of their courses that way!  At least face to face we can discuss it immediately.



> how do you find a Teacher to accredate the work?



Here in Michigan, we don't have to.  We're only required to cover "subjects the equivalent of the required subjects" and then there is a list of subjects.  I love our homeschool laws here.



> or if you choose this path you can only get a GED?



We, the parents, are allowed to issue a diploma.  Diplomas don't mean much anyway, it's all about the transcript.
Colleges here seem to usually require a transcript, and ACT/SAT scores for homeschoolers, with more weight on the test scores.



> Thanks for any information you can give me. I'm getting scared.


Don't be scared!  Learn what the laws of your state are in regards to homeschooling, and what requirements colleges have for homeschoolers.
Most people are under the assumption that much more is required of their students then really is.  But, again, know your laws.

Happy schooling!


----------



## TSRE

graygables said:


> We also need to remember that not every child is cut out for college.  Our society has long focused on college being the end-all and it is not.  In our family, happiness is the end-all. Fulfillment, a good life, contentment are our goals.  If we have "enough", it is enough (and that is going to be different for each person).



I totally agree - you said it well.  Plus, no-one really talks about cost vs. value when it comes to college.  Sometimes, especially with tuition skyrocketing, it just doesn't make sense.


----------



## nono

TSRE said:


> I totally agree - you said it well.  Plus, no-one really talks about cost vs. value when it comes to college.  Sometimes, especially with tuition skyrocketing, it just doesn't make sense.



Agreed!   My husband and I talk regularly about not setting our kids up for failure by loading them with debt and 4-5 years less earning years by having them major full-time in a course of study that does nothing to significantly raise their income at the outcome.   

While we both think pursuing education is, of itself, a worthy goal, that can be done on a part-time or independent basis where the economic impact is less overwhelming.


----------



## wvdislover

Has anyone here used ACE?  Looking at it for our DD12.  Thx!


----------



## 02AggieGirl

Hi!  We are winding down our first year of hs--DD is in K.  She is reading pretty well (I used Scholastic phonics program) and we used Saxon Math 1.  We did some science and social studies too.  She was also enrolled in Kindermusik and just graduated.  I worry that I failed her somehow though.  Did she miss out on something that she would have learned in a public school?  Does anyone else ever worry about this??  Am I just silly for worrying about that?  I just don't want her to be behind, you know?


----------



## Denine

Aggie girl:  DD is 7 and has never been to "regular" school.  She is not missing out on anything.  Actually, I feel she has more opportunities!

Yesterday was Box Day!  We got our first Sonlight box.  I just LOVE all the books!  I told DD she could read as many as she wants, but we aren't starting back up yet.


----------



## disneymom3

graygables said:


> We also need to remember that not every child is cut out for college.  Our society has long focused on college being the end-all and it is not.  In our family, happiness is the end-all. Fulfillment, a good life, contentment are our goals.  If we have "enough", it is enough (and that is going to be different for each person).  My oldest, "enough" includes spendy trips to Whole Foods and expensive Disney restaurants.  For my 2nd, "enough" is no debt and a solid emergency fund while still having time to go hiking or camping with her friends.



I love this paragraph.  Before I had kids, I thought everyone NEEDED to go to college.  Weren't we all so smart at parenting and running the world before we had kids?  Now, I have a child that for over 6 years has wanted to be a cop. His personality is perfect to be in law enforcement.  Now, he might not stick with that, but with the number of learning disabilities he has, college is not going to happen.  Or if it does, it's going to be a bit later in life when he decides he wants to work around what he is able to do.  The oldest, yep, she is college bound.  The youngest....I haven't figured him out yet.


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## DawnM

We are in Williamsburg.  I have an answer for the discount question.  ONLY the teacher gets a 50% discount.  Everyone else is full price.  It is rather costly, but they are currently offering 2 days for only $10 more for adults and $4 more for children, so we opted for the 2 day pass.  The 5 of us for 2 days was around $125.

Dawn


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## DawnM

I don't have a lot of time as we are on vacation and there have been a lot of threads on college that I have posted our *plan* on, including threads on the DIS.....

DH and I do feel that we want to strongly encourage college for our kids.  I am not sure my oldest will make it (some learning disabilities) but we have hope that he can.

Our plan for now is to provide living at home for free and full tuition to the local 4 year college.  Anything more than that they will have to cover the difference.  That is what we can afford and it is more than many are offered.  

We have discussed doing something that our friends are doing......they told their children that they had to come up with enough $$ to cover the first semester ($2,500 at our local 4 year college right now) and then the parents would reimburse them at the end of the semester provided they got grades they were capable of and completed their end of the bargain.  They could use that reimbursement for the following semester and get reimbursed after each semester, eventually getting 100% of their tuition paid, but not up front.  

DH and I both have advanced degrees and we have many friends who regret not finishing.  We want to provide the means to finish but it will be up to them to actually do it.

Dawn


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## Disney Mommy 3

02AggieGirl said:


> Hi!  We are winding down our first year of hs--DD is in K.  She is reading pretty well (I used Scholastic phonics program) and we used Saxon Math 1.  We did some science and social studies too.  She was also enrolled in Kindermusik and just graduated.  I worry that I failed her somehow though.  Did she miss out on something that she would have learned in a public school?  Does anyone else ever worry about this??  Am I just silly for worrying about that?  I just don't want her to be behind, you know?



She won't be behind!  She'll probably be ahead....you forgot to add in that she is living 'real life' with you every day...grocery trips, housekeeping, juggling schedules....kids learn what it is that really goes on every day when they are not in a school setting all day..they see you and dad figuring it out, and putting it all together....and they also learn to communicate with people of all ages--and most do a pretty good job of talking!!Don't worry!



Denine said:


> Aggie girl:  DD is 7 and has never been to "regular" school.  She is not missing out on anything.  Actually, I feel she has more opportunities!
> 
> Yesterday was Box Day!  We got our first Sonlight box.  I just LOVE all the books!  I told DD she could read as many as she wants, but we aren't starting back up yet.



We should get our box from Heart of Dakota today or tomorrow!! I can't wait!!



disneymom3 said:


> I love this paragraph.  Before I had kids, I thought everyone NEEDED to go to college.  Weren't we all so smart at parenting and running the world before we had kids?  Now, I have a child that for over 6 years has wanted to be a cop. His personality is perfect to be in law enforcement.  Now, he might not stick with that, but with the number of learning disabilities he has, college is not going to happen.  Or if it does, it's going to be a bit later in life when he decides he wants to work around what he is able to do.  The oldest, yep, she is college bound.  The youngest....I haven't figured him out yet.



My oldest has always been interested in law enforcement also...he is very smart in math/science/all things technical...but has talked about it since he was about 3 or 4....I have even heard him talk about the FBI...so, who knows...of course, he loves the Air Force too...as does my middle one who I think is such an Engineer....it'll be interesting to see where all these little munchkins end up!!


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## robinsegg

02AggieGirl said:


> Hi!  We are winding down our first year of hs--DD is in K.  She is reading pretty well (I used Scholastic phonics program) and we used Saxon Math 1.  We did some science and social studies too.  She was also enrolled in Kindermusik and just graduated.  I worry that I failed her somehow though.  Did she miss out on something that she would have learned in a public school?  Does anyone else ever worry about this??  Am I just silly for worrying about that?  I just don't want her to be behind, you know?



One thing you need to understand is that every curriculum has "holes" . . . things it doesn't cover. This includes the one the public school uses and yours  Try not to sweat it! Teach your child *how* to learn, then she can learn *anything* the curriculum misses. Around here, the school seems to spend more time *teaching to tests* than teaching the children how to learn .


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## Disney Mommy 3

robinsegg said:


> One thing you need to understand is that every curriculum has "holes" . . . things it doesn't cover. This includes the one the public school uses and yours  Try not to sweat it! Teach your child *how* to learn, then she can learn *anything* the curriculum misses. *Around here, the school seems to spend more time *teaching to tests* than teaching the children how to learn .*




This happens a lot here too! I hear more and more people complain about it every year....supposedly the Taks test will soon become the STARR, or something like that...they are hoping it 'teaches' the kids more...but it is still the same situation....teaching to a test!


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## mariezp

Being the procrastinator that I am.... I have been meaning to follow *TSRE*'s lead and comment on graygables quote. Looks like today I am finally going to get it done! 





graygables said:


> We also need to remember that not every child is cut out for college.  Our society has long focused on college being the end-all and it is not.  In our family, happiness is the end-all. Fulfillment, a good life, contentment are our goals.  If we have "enough", it is enough (and that is going to be different for each person)....
> My children have seen positive benefits of a college education and know that we do value it, but don't prize it.


AMEN! Very well said! 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			
		
		
	


	




 My son will be graduating this year and has no plans to go to college. His goal is to obtain his black belt in Jiu-Jitsu and open his own school someday. Granted, most people would not view this as a sensible goal. However, I am so proud of him for finding his hidden talent. If he can turn something he loves into a career I am certainly not going to stand in his way. In the meantime, when people ask about his future many often look at us with total disbelief that we would even consider not sending him to college. Perhaps some later time he might decide to further his formal education. No doubt I would support him if he did. In the meantime, my main goals are that he be happy and, since we are Christian, he keep focused on the eternal goals. Whether he achieves those goals with or without college is totally up to him and I will support him whichever he chooses.


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## graygables

mariezp said:


> His goal is to obtain his black belt in Jiu-Jitsu and open his own school someday.


Good for him!  If he wants to open it near Orlando, we could use a homeschool-friendly martial arts school.


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## jacksmomma

Here is a question for all of you...and I know it is a "basic" question, but I am a beginner here...  DS is 3.5 and we planning on homeschooling him.  One side of the family supports us, one side does not.  How do you deal with the competition driven questions?  For example, "Such and such's child goes to preschool and knows XYZ.  Does your child know that?"  Most of the time my answer is No, because my son learns what he is interested in.  He does not know many nursery rhymes, but he can sing the Beatles and Johnny Cash like nobody's business.  He does not know the pledge of allegiance, but he is learning to read.  What about the things he does know...how many public school kids know what a quadruped or a biped is?!  How do you keep yourself positive and motivated when others try to bring you down?


----------



## robinsegg

jacksmomma said:


> Here is a question for all of you...and I know it is a "basic" question, but I am a beginner here...  DS is 3.5 and we planning on homeschooling him.  One side of the family supports us, one side does not.  How do you deal with the competition driven questions?  For example, "Such and such's child goes to preschool and knows XYZ.  Does your child know that?"  Most of the time my answer is No, because my son learns what he is interested in.  He does not know many nursery rhymes, but he can sing the Beatles and Johnny Cash like nobody's business.  He does not know the pledge of allegiance, but he is learning to read.  What about the things he does know...how many public school kids know what a quadruped or a biped is?!  How do you keep yourself positive and motivated when others try to bring you down?


That can be tricky. One thing you can do is to remember *you're* not in competition with *anyone*! Neither is your ds. If it's a real concern for you or dh, you can start making sure ds is exposed to more "traditional" prek stuff . . . if you do tv, SuperWhy is a good show that includes a lot of the fairy tales and nursery rhymes. I taught our oldest the Pledge of Allegiance (about this age) so she would have an idea of what her country was about.
One other thing . . . get some good homeschooling contacts that you can talk to when you feel down. It really helps!
(Watch out for January & February! You can really feel like throwing the towel in! This is true for all teachers I've heard from in the northern hemisphere, not just homeschooling.)


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## Disney Mommy 3

jacksmomma said:


> Here is a question for all of you...and I know it is a "basic" question, but I am a beginner here...  DS is 3.5 and we planning on homeschooling him.  One side of the family supports us, one side does not.  How do you deal with the competition driven questions?  For example, "Such and such's child goes to preschool and knows XYZ.  Does your child know that?"  Most of the time my answer is No, because my son learns what he is interested in.  He does not know many nursery rhymes, but he can sing the Beatles and Johnny Cash like nobody's business.  He does not know the pledge of allegiance, but he is learning to read.  What about the things he does know...how many public school kids know what a quadruped or a biped is?!  *How do you keep yourself positive and motivated when others try to bring you down?[/*QUOTE]
> 
> By reminding myself that I am right and they are wrong..JUST KIDDING!!!! It helps to keep your goals in mind....know the big picture....like mariezp said earlier..we too are Christians, so our relationships with the Lord are very important..we believe He leads and directs us..if we let Him! So...I feel that this is something  I was suppose to do, and that keeps me focused. Yes, I have bad days, crazy days, give up days, but knowing that I am doing what is right for my family keeps me on track. I am so biased, because I have seen it so much...but hs kids have such a broader education and can relate to others so much better...even if they don't learn all there is to learn, it's still okay because they know HOW to learn. They are usually better disciplined and can fit in to any situation because they haven't been isolated by age groups as much as public school kids.
> Now there is the whole SAFETY issue in public schools... I am just so thankful I don't have to deal with that. And even if you sent them to public, private, charter, Christian, whatever...people would compare what they know there with the other kids too. It just seems to be something this society is hung up on...not really 'what' each kid knows and is good at ,but is it the 'same' as Billy in the next class, or Suzy next door. Really strange if you stop and think about it!! ok...off my soapbox...sorry!


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## MiniGirl

jacksmomma said:


> Here is a question for all of you...and I know it is a "basic" question, but I am a beginner here...  DS is 3.5 and we planning on homeschooling him.  One side of the family supports us, one side does not.  How do you deal with the competition driven questions?  For example, "Such and such's child goes to preschool and knows XYZ.  Does your child know that?"  Most of the time my answer is No, because my son learns what he is interested in.  He does not know many nursery rhymes, but he can sing the Beatles and Johnny Cash like nobody's business.  He does not know the pledge of allegiance, but he is learning to read.  What about the things he does know...how many public school kids know what a quadruped or a biped is?!  *How do you keep yourself positive and motivated when others try to bring you down*?



Do you have a homeschool mission statement? If not, you may want to think about it for awhile and write one. As succiently as possible write your reasons and goals for homeschooling your son. When you start to doubt your decision or when others steal your joy of homeschooling, pull it out and read it. It will help refocus you to all the many reasons you are doing this.


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## mariezp

graygables said:


> Good for him!  If he wants to open it near Orlando, we could use a homeschool-friendly martial arts school.


 Thanks for the encouragement *graygables*! People usually look at me like I am from an alien planet! Good to hear a positive remark for a change! 
DS is currently a blue belt. He most likely will get his purple by the end of the year. While he is nearly halfway to his black belt it will still be several years before he can open his own school. He does currently help instruct kid's classes and fills in occasionally on the adults class so he is also gaining experience teaching at the same time he is earning his rank. We were blessed to have found a fantastic instructor and great bunch of classmates so it would be virtually impossible to tear him away from the area now. Oh, and there is also the new girlfriend.... but aside from that.... if you had caught him a few months ago he might have been ready to head to Orlando. He has some friends down there who we just happened to meet and to go to WDW with back in December. They are homeschoolers too, BTW.
Anyway, I do agree that  finding a homeschool-friendly martial arts school would be a great blessing. Good luck finding one should you decide to go that route! Now that I have shamelessly bragged on my son I might as go ahead and throw in a plug for the benefits of martial arts, don't you think? For us my DS's Jiu-Jitsu has only been a positive experience. It has taught him self discipline and instilled self confidence and I certainly never have to worry about whether or not he can take care of himself!


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## graygables

mariezp said:


> Thanks for the encouragement *graygables*! People usually look at me like I am from an alien planet! Good to hear a positive remark for a change!



I'm sorry you all don't get the encouragement and positive response you need.  I get the same thing when I tell people that my 21yo DD works three jobs.  She doesn't NEED to work three jobs, but she loves clothes, makeup, and children, so she works at Eddie Bauer, Sephora, and Seeking Sitters! She thinks it's great to get paid to do stuff you love to do, not to mention the discounts.  She's also seasonal at WDW, so she has those benefits as well.  

Your son is following his passion and that is SO important in this life.  It took me toooooo many years to figure that out for myself.


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## DisneyMom5

Denine said:


> Aggie girl:  DD is 7 and has never been to "regular" school.  She is not missing out on anything.  Actually, I feel she has more opportunities!
> 
> Yesterday was Box Day!  We got our first Sonlight box.  I just LOVE all the books!  I told DD she could read as many as she wants, but we aren't starting back up yet.



Oh, enjoy that!  Soon you will find yourself owning all the Sonlight cores and no more big box days.  Sniff.

I love owning all the books, but miss those sweet days!

I can't believe I've been at this 10 years!!!

Happy Schooling!


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## mariezp

graygables said:


> I'm sorry you all don't get the encouragement and positive response you need.  I get the same thing when I tell people that my 21yo DD works three jobs.  She doesn't NEED to work three jobs, but she loves clothes, makeup, and children, so she works at Eddie Bauer, Sephora, and Seeking Sitters! She thinks it's great to get paid to do stuff you love to do, not to mention the discounts.  She's also seasonal at WDW, so she has those benefits as well.
> 
> Your son is following his passion and that is SO important in this life.  It took me toooooo many years to figure that out for myself.



Wow! I cannot believe that people would be so negative as to think that you daughter being willing to hold 3 jobs was anything but amazing! Kudos to her for being more responsible than many older adults! And as for working seasonally at WDW.... well now that would be something I would love to do!


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## MiniGirl

So..... my oldest dd (going into 5th grade) wants to go back to traditional workbook type math program, and my youngest (going into 3rd) wants to do one as well. I've used Singapore Math in the past. The kids are indifferent to it. We are doing Classical Conversations next year, and they recommend Saxon. Have any of you used both? What did you find to be the pros/cons of each?

Thanks.


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## BelleRocks

We are using Oak Meadow next year for 6th, which I am really excited about.  But my DD was in online school this year, and she really likes online activities, which Oak Meadow doesn't utilize.

Does anyone have any good recommendations of free or low cost online sites to supplement Science and Social Studies?  Maybe with videos to watch, etc?  I have been googling but there are so many, if you have used some before that would help me!

(I'm not concerned with math.)

Thanks for your help!


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## adisneymama

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> [/B]
> 
> This happens a lot here too! I hear more and more people complain about it every year....supposedly the Taks test will soon become the STARR, or something like that...they are hoping it 'teaches' the kids more...but it is still the same situation....teaching to a test!



This was one of the top reasons we pulled DD out of public school this year!  Couldn't have said it better.


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## littlepeppers

mariezp said:


> My son will be graduating this year and has no plans to go to college. His goal is to obtain his black belt in Jiu-Jitsu and open his own school someday. Granted, most people would not view this as a sensible goal. However, I am so proud of him for finding his hidden talent. If he can turn something he loves into a career I am certainly not going to stand in his way.



I think my son has found his niche in jiu-jitsu too.  After trying many sports, he has found success & happiness w/ jiu-jitsu.  He has been in it less than a year & just recieved his yellow/white belt.  He is really into it.  He told me that he wants to stay in it until he gets good like Mr. Tim Credur.  The kids/coaches don't understand the homeschool thing.  It isn't very popular around here.

Does your son have any advice for another future black belt?


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## bumbershoot

*mariezp*, very cool about your son.  Can I recommend that during this time as he waits to have the knowledge and experience to open a school, that he does really focus on learning about business, the finances of having a business, employees, etc etc etc etc etc.  All while earning SCADS of money to keep that business open while he is building a clientele.  Most small businesses close in 5 years, mine sure did, and you *have to* have the cash to keep everything afloat during those 5 years while you get your feet planted on the ground.

Whether that learning is from reading, mentoring, or even taking some CC classes, it probably doesn't matter, but knowing about those things *before* opening his doors will be absolutely invaluable!


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## littlepeppers

bumbershoot said:


> *mariezp*, Most small businesses close in 5 years, mine sure did, and you *have to* have the cash to keep everything afloat during those 5 years while you get your feet planted on the ground.
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> My son's jiu-jitsu gym just had to close its original location b/c the rent on two locations killed them.  I guess the business is growing faster in the 2nd location b/c he closed his baby (1st gym).  Now we have to drive 20min to the 2nd location.  Rent on a building alone will kill a business.


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## Tiana

Well, Hello! I don't know if I have chimed in on this thread or not... can't remember!!! 

I must have just habitually forgot it was here  

I just wanted to share my excitement b/c we are officially enrolled in Classical Conversations!! I'm so excited!! 

This year was our first year homeschooling; for DS's Kindergarten year  We LOVED it!! Anyways, the co-op that we belonged to had to change so we were looking for something else and found Classical Conversations and I think it's perfect for us. 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Classical education and we have the most perfect Classical Education school picked out for DS when he hits about 5th grade; so this is perfect. Does/has anyone else do this program?? 

We are also adding Kung Fu and Cub Scouts to the mix "next year", in addition to Football, Soccer and Basketball, oh and swimming lessons that he did this year. Also, the gym that I used to belong to has just started up a homeschool program. You get a discounted gym membership, and in addition to what is normally offered (2 hours babysitting a day, kids classes, 3 pools, workout classes, etc.) they do a HS PE class twice a week for an hour. While the kids do their class, the moms get a personal trainer to work with them as a group. 

DS and I are both EXTEME extroverted/social people and we thrive as busy bees, so we are BOTH so eagerly looking forward to next year!! 

We used Sonlight and Math U See and were very happy with it. Next year, I'll be supplementing CC stuff with Sonlight and MUS. I also got a bible program from Positive Action and Songschool Latin. 

Well, that's everything... sorry for rambling


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## Tiana

mariezp said:


> Thanks for the encouragement *graygables*! People usually look at me like I am from an alien planet! Good to hear a positive remark for a change!
> DS is currently a blue belt. He most likely will get his purple by the end of the year. While he is nearly halfway to his black belt it will still be several years before he can open his own school. He does currently help instruct kid's classes and fills in occasionally on the adults class so he is also gaining experience teaching at the same time he is earning his rank. We were blessed to have found a fantastic instructor and great bunch of classmates so it would be virtually impossible to tear him away from the area now. Oh, and there is also the new girlfriend.... but aside from that.... if you had caught him a few months ago he might have been ready to head to Orlando. He has some friends down there who we just happened to meet and to go to WDW with back in December. They are homeschoolers too, BTW.
> *Anyway, I do agree that  finding a homeschool-friendly martial arts school would be a great blessing.* Good luck finding one should you decide to go that route! Now that I have shamelessly bragged on my son I might as go ahead and throw in a plug for the benefits of martial arts, don't you think? For us my DS's Jiu-Jitsu has only been a positive experience. It has taught him self discipline and instilled self confidence and I certainly never have to worry about whether or not he can take care of himself!



We wanted to get DS into Kung-Fu b/c we speak Chinese and are into the whole Chinese culture, and lo and behold I found one in my area, owned and operated by a homeschooling dad!! Isn't that awesome??


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## anl

Hey everyone!  I have been researching homeschooling for a while now and am considering starting next year.  Just wondering if anyone had a child that was completely opposed to the idea and eventually came around?  My son is going to 4th grade and does well in school and thinks we're crazy for even talking about it.  So I'm trying to figure out if he will change his mind after a while of being home or if he goes to school next year and sees how much fun his sister and I are having, that will change his mind.  I know it's not his decision but I keep thinking if he is fighting me tooth and nail, my first year will be even harder...and it seems most people say the first year is the hardest anyway.  TIA!


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## Nicolepa

anl said:


> Hey everyone!  I have been researching homeschooling for a while now and am considering starting next year.  Just wondering if anyone had a child that was completely opposed to the idea and eventually came around?  My son is going to 4th grade and does well in school and thinks we're crazy for even talking about it.  So I'm trying to figure out if he will change his mind after a while of being home or if he goes to school next year and sees how much fun his sister and I are having, that will change his mind.  I know it's not his decision but I keep thinking if he is fighting me tooth and nail, my first year will be even harder...and it seems most people say the first year is the hardest anyway.  TIA!




This year we started HS'ing our 2nd grader.  I gave my 4th grader the option and she was against it.  Well that quickly changed and she now wants to be HS'd.  My husband has said no to hs'ing her but she says something every now and then.


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## gerberdaisy1234

Looking for a change...My DS (turns 8 next week) excels at math but struggles with reading and writing.

Has anyone tried- 
Talking Fingers- Read, Write, & Type and QWERTY programs?
ClickN Phonics and ClickN Spelling?
Lexia Reading? 
All About Spelling? 
LTK- Language Tun-Up Kit?

Thank you for any help on these programs or information on others.


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## DawnM

I am really excited.  My boys are going to a church camp this year for the first time.  

We haven't been able to afford camp for years as church camp is between $380-$450 per week!  

So, a camp in the NC mountains is offering their first week for only $100 for homeschoolers since our schools had so many snow make up days they can't fill the first week up!

I signed my older 2 boys up and am SO happy for them that they get to go to this year!  It will be awesome.

IF anyone on this list is nearby, here is the info.  They said to sign up by Friday if possible as they can't guarantee there will be spots after Friday and it is getting too close to camp time!~

*HERE IS THE INFO*

I wanted to let you all know about a wonderful opportunity for homeschooled students that I learned about today. Due to many school systems in the Southeast getting out later this year because of snow make-up days, Ridge Haven's first session of camp for the summer does not have many campers registered at this point. In order to try to fill this camp, Ridge Haven is offering a special discount to homeschool families (who probably would not have been affected by the "snow days"). Your child/children can attend the entire week of camp (regularly $450) for only $100!!! Additionally, all campers will receive a free T-shirt and 10 free e-credits (used to send email to your children during the week). 

This offer is good for the week of June 7-12 only and is for any student from rising 3rd grade to rising 6th grade. 

For those of you who don't know, Ridge Haven is the conference and retreat center for the PCA (the denomination of Christ Covenant) and is located near Brevard, NC, about 3 hours from Charlotte. My girls have been attending since they were old enough to go and it is truly the highlight of their summers. The week is filled with fun, games, skits, Christian speakers, music, and much more. If you would like more information you can go to the Ridge Haven website or feel free to give me a call.

To register, you can go online at www.ridgehaven.org , pay the $75 registration fee, and then call the office at (828) 862-3916 to let them know that you have registered. You may pay the remaining $25 balance at any time prior to camp. They will then apply the $350 discount. Or you can call and register over the phone.

If you could also do me a favor and forward this email to any of your homeschool friends who might be interested, that would be wonderful!! It would be great to get a huge group from the Charlotte area to attend together!

Please let me know if you have questions. I hope that some of you will be able to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!


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## danjoealexis3006

Hi all! Well we're almost done for summer. DH has decided that I should bring home both kids and hs!I am so excited and a little scared. Right know I hs my DS11. I am unsure how to hs both of them together. I really admire anyone who hs more than one!  I really would like to do Verticy learning core 6 with my DS11 and Calvert 4 with my DS 8.  I was wondering if any of you use Calvert for two different grade levels?Could you please explain how it works in your house! Thanks so much


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## robinsegg

danjoealexis3006 said:


> Hi all! Well we're almost done for summer. DH has decided that I should bring home both kids and hs!I am so excited and a little scared. Right know I hs my DS11. I am unsure how to hs both of them together. I really admire anyone who hs more than one!  I really would like to do Verticy learning core 6 with my DS11 and Calvert 4 with my DS 8.  I was wondering if any of you use Calvert for two different grade levels?Could you please explain how it works in your house! Thanks so much


We use My Father's World with a 4th grader & 1st grader this year. We also have an infant. As far as doing 2 at once, we try to use the same science, history, literature, etc and teach all at once . . . then do sequential things like math, writing, spelling and learning to read separately. If you want more info, let me know


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## queenbeaz

I am so excited to see a homeschool thread here on the DISboards! Just wanted to pop in and say hi! HI!!!


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## Soexcited!6

HI! It's good to see a homeschooling thread. I joined disboards, because I am SOO excited my husband finally agreed to a disney trip. I am from Florida, but live across the country and haven't gone to disney as a family in 6 years. I don't have dates yet because it all depends on when my husband gets a new job, but when he does, he's going to take a two week break and I get to se my family and go to disney. Disney reminds me of home, because it is home! 

We started homeschooling 4 years ago when I became increasingly concerned with what was being taught my children in public school. I don't think I'll ever be completely confident that I am a sufficient teacher, but I know that I am doing the best for them. My son just started public school again this year because it was agreed he would go to a tech high school part time and 3 courses at a regular high school. Academics and behavior has always been difficult for him. He was difficult at home and is still failing his courses, so not much has changed. I currently homeschool my DD11, and will be staring DD5 in the fall. They are a completely different story. I use mostly Abeka, and I use Aleks math (online) it's working so far.


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## adisneymama

Hi all!  We have started winding down for summer.  We will continue to work on reading and math skills over the summer but not a full load. 

So far I am still enjoying K12 and will use them for 3rd grade as well just not the history part.  I have gone with Abeka for history and am very pleased with their book.  I'm also using an Abeka handbook for reading with her and really like it.  So that is our plan for the summer and 3rd grade.  So far so good!


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## Disney Mommy 3

queenbeaz said:


> I am so excited to see a homeschool thread here on the DISboards! Just wanted to pop in and say hi! HI!!!


  and I love all the names in ur siggie!!!



danjoealexis3006 said:


> Hi all! Well we're almost done for summer. DH has decided that I should bring home both kids and hs!I am so excited and a little scared. Right know I hs my DS11. I am unsure how to hs both of them together. I really admire anyone who hs more than one!  I really would like to do Verticy learning core 6 with my DS11 and Calvert 4 with my DS 8.  I was wondering if any of you use Calvert for two different grade levels?Could you please explain how it works in your house! Thanks so much


yay for you!!! It's easier to do more than one than you think...you just gotta find your  familys pace!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Soexcited!6 said:


> HI! It's good to see a homeschooling thread. I joined disboards, because I am SOO excited my husband finally agreed to a disney trip. I am from Florida, but live across the country and haven't gone to disney as a family in 6 years. I don't have dates yet because it all depends on when my husband gets a new job, but when he does, he's going to take a two week break and I get to se my family and go to disney. Disney reminds me of home, because it is home!
> 
> *We started homeschooling 4 years ago when I became increasingly concerned with what was being taught my children in public school. I don't think I'll ever be completely confident that I am a sufficient teacher, but I know that I am doing the best for them. *My son just started public school again this year because it was agreed he would go to a tech high school part time and 3 courses at a regular high school. Academics and behavior has always been difficult for him. He was difficult at home and is still failing his courses, so not much has changed. I currently homeschool my DD11, and will be staring DD5 in the fall. They are a completely different story. I use mostly Abeka, and I use Aleks math (online) it's working so far.


You are right that it's the best for him! Especially if the school had problems....I said something the other day about teaching to the tests and wanted to add to that. My neighbor is a 3rd grade teacher, has been for several years now...we were talking last night and she told us she asked to be moved back to 2nd grade. Main reason was that she had to teach to the test all year and didn't feel like she was teaching the kids anything! Also, she said kids are getting harder to control and it was mostly a discipline issue~parents do NOT make their kids mind and she sure couldn't! She said that every week she assigns diff stuff for their spelling lists as homework so they will be forced to learn to spell the words.....well, a few weeks ago the assignment was to alphabetize the list. Guess what? She got flack for that!!! A dad pretty much told her off and said he could NOT BELIEVE she made them do that...it took his son well over an hour and he didn't think that even HE (the dad) could do it either!!!! HOLY COW!!!! people....are you serious...u don't think you could put a 3rd grade spelling list in ABC order?Get real..... So...even the teachers are fed up with this test stuff....so it's not just crazy hsers!!!! LOL....made me feel a little more validated that even they are seeing the problem and know that the whole year is pretty much wasted-especially if the kid can't pass the test when it's all said and done!



adisneymama said:


> Hi all!  We have started winding down for summer.  We will continue to work on reading and math skills over the summer but not a full load.
> 
> So far I am still enjoying K12 and will use them for 3rd grade as well just not the history part.  I have gone with Abeka for history and am very pleased with their book.  I'm also using an Abeka handbook for reading with her and really like it.  So that is our plan for the summer and 3rd grade.  So far so good!



Have you been to The Homeschool Store? It's cool!! you should check it out if you haven't!!


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## GoofyG

So i'm looking at HS my DD6 next yr for 1st grade.  She went to a private school last yr, this yr that school is going k12.(Along with 1st-10th grade all together)  So I have a hard time paying for her to have a free program, and don't like 1st grader with 10th graders.  ALso would like some Christian learning to happen.
My DD4 will be going to public school next yr, i'm going to see how it goes.  She has some issues and the public school is helping her.
My DD6 is a gymnast, so there are days she has gymnastic meets, she will also be having practice Tues and Thurs morning at the gym if I homeschool her.
 She is a math and science kid, she is having some issue with reading comprehension.  So I picked up a workbook for her to work on during the summer.  
What all do you guys like to use?  I need to have something that is really easy for me to do with her.  Self explaining, I will be working Tue and Thurs.  So We have a couple of the girls who are going to HS and we are thinking of Co-Op with each other.

Any ideas would be great!  Thanks


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## robinsegg

GoofyG said:


> What all do you guys like to use?  I need to have something that is really easy for me to do with her.  Self explaining, I will be working Tue and Thurs.  So We have a couple of the girls who are going to HS and we are thinking of Co-Op with each other.
> 
> Any ideas would be great!  Thanks


Welcome ! 
Have you read Lisa Whelchel's book So, You're Thinking About Homeschooling? yet? It has the best, easiest read, overview of the types of homeschooling and curricula available I've found so far.


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## bellebud

GoofyG said:


> My DD4 will be going to public school next yr, i'm going to see how it goes.  She has some issues and the public school is helping her.



just so you're aware... we have a few people in our HS group that have children with varying special needs.  A few have IEP's and get services at the public school a couple of times a week, but other than that, they homeschool.  One mom was a public school teacher and "knew" what her special needs child would be getting at school, so decided to hs her.

As for your older dd, I really don't think there can truly be such a thing as a "reading comprehension problem" for a child as young as K/1st grade (unless there's a true disability).  We only started hsing late in the school year last year (ds was in 2nd and dd was in 4th)... anyway, when ds left K, he couldn't totally say the abc's w/out thinking about it or messing up a bit - so reading comprehension???  Wasn't even on the radar yet.  But there were kids in his K class who were really reading well  (btw, he's 8yo now and reading and comprehending just fine).  Every kid has a different timetable, especially when they're that young.  

I'd like to recommend reading "better late than early" by Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore (and other books by them) - it will help you relax about all that (and I don't mean that in a condescending way like you're uptight), but unless we ourselves were homeschooled, it's hard to not think "in the school-box" about things like this.  I have to remind myself all the time, and I read all I can about different learning styles (very important! I recommend "Discover your child's learning style" by Mariaemma Willis & Victoria Kindle Hodson - they also have a website "learningsuccessinstitute.com), different ways to homeschool, etc.  I just finished Lisa Welchel's book another poster just recommended.  I also recommend getting everything you can at the library first, then the ones you think you'll refer back to, buy them.  

Good luck and enjoy hsing!  We love it and would never go back to school.

and btw - your kids are totally adorable!!


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## littlepeppers

danjoealexis3006 said:


> Hi all! Well we're almost done for summer. DH has decided that I should bring home both kids and hs!I am so excited and a little scared. Right know I hs my DS11. I am unsure how to hs both of them together. I really admire anyone who hs more than one!  I really would like to do Verticy learning core 6 with my DS11 and Calvert 4 with my DS 8.  I was wondering if any of you use Calvert for two different grade levels?Could you please explain how it works in your house! Thanks so much



doing Calvert w/ 1 kid is ok.  It is a lot of work, if you have a slow, uncooperative, constantly singing....BOY!!!!!   The curriculum is good.  It covers well.


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## danjoealexis3006

littlepeppers said:


> doing Calvert w/ 1 kid is ok.  It is a lot of work, if you have a slow, uncooperative, constantly singing....BOY!!!!!   The curriculum is good.  It covers well.



oh no! I'll have 2! Glad to hear it is a good program though!


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## GoofyG

Thanks, i'm going to see what the library has!


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## queenbeaz

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> and I love all the names in ur siggie!!!



Thank you for the warm welcome! I realized that I never really introduced myself, so here goes: We have 4 kiddos, 2 of whom I am "actively" teaching, and two who are just enjoying childhood. DD4 is still mostly disinterested in "doing school", but we might do a bit more actual preschooly stuff in a few months. This was our first FULL year of hs, though we did about 1/2 year back when oldest ds had a horrible kindergarten experience so we took him home & his little sister tagged along with her own preschool curriculum and loved it. We used Heart of Dakota for most of this year. It is a great program and how I would really love to do school. But I had to get honest with myself and realize that I don't and just can't teach like that right now, so we are switching to Switched on Schoolhouse for next year. The kids asked for stuff to do on the computer, so hopefully this will work for everyone.

I've seen several people mention that Disney has a college program? That is so very cool! Where can I find more info on that? Everyone needs a goal to aim for right???


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## Praise2Him

My homeschooled DD just finished working as a Costuming CM in the Disney college program. Here's the link:

https://www.wdwcollegeprogram.com/sap/its/mimes/zh_wdwcp/index.html

There's also a College Board here on the DIS that has lots of info about it. One of the hs'ing moms on this board, GrayGables did the CP a year or so ago as an adult and will probably join in for more info.


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## adisneymama

I'm one of those that is hs a special needs child and receiving services thru the school.  Just let me know if you have any questions.


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## Disney Mommy 3

queenbeaz...I am using HoD this coming year...got all of dd's stuff and part of my ds11s....I looooove looking thru that guide book!!! Can't wait to jump in!!!


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## gerberdaisy1234

queenbeaz said:


> I've seen several people mention that Disney has a college program? That is so very cool! Where can I find more info on that? Everyone needs a goal to aim for right???



https://www.wdwcollegeprogram.com/sap/its/mimes/zh_wdwcp/index.html

My niece is doing her second semester. So she has been there since January. It was super cool because when we went for Homeschool Days in January for 10 awesome days she was there. And she might go back next January for a managerial internship.

If you have any questions just ask- I have lived vicariously through her. LOL


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## gerberdaisy1234

Speaking of something to aim for have you heard about this

http://www.theultimatefieldtrip.com/pdfs/National-Graduation-Flyer.pdf


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## GoofyG

Just got told about this curriculum 
http://www.schooloftomorrow.com/
Has anyone used it?


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## dis-happy

GoofyG said:


> Just got told about this curriculum
> http://www.schooloftomorrow.com/
> Has anyone used it?



I've never used it but a friend of mine did for many years of homeschooling and she absolutely recommended it to others.  The 2 older children that graduated went on to college and careers so I guess they did well academically.  HTH


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## GoofyG

dis-happy said:


> I've never used it but a friend of mine did for many years of homeschooling and she absolutely recommended it to others.  The 2 older children that graduated went on to college and careers so I guess they did well academically.  HTH



Thanks, anyone use the k12 program?  What do you think of it?
Also, how many hours a day does it usually take for HS?  I'm so new to this!!!!


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## skoi

We did K12 as a cybercharter years ago. I found it much too hard for our ds (he was in K), and it made him anxious as there were reviews after every lesson. We ended up pulling him out and going back to a more relaxed style of homeschooling, and while he was technically "behind" in terms of anything Language Arts related until he was about seven, by eight or nine he was on track. Our oldest dd used K12 in 3rd and 4th and really liked it, except the music. 

We're looking for a good curriculum to use with youngest ds (will be 6). He has an overall developmental delay, severe speech delay (due to cleft palate, no therapy as a child, and undiagnosed hearing impairment), and some adoption related issues. We normally use Sonlight in the lower grades, but are wondering if anyone has any other suggestions?

Thanks-
Julie


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## robinsegg

skoi said:


> We're looking for a good curriculum to use with youngest ds (will be 6). He has an overall developmental delay, severe speech delay (due to cleft palate, no therapy as a child, and undiagnosed hearing impairment), and some adoption related issues. We normally use Sonlight in the lower grades, but are wondering if anyone has any other suggestions?
> 
> Thanks-
> Julie


We loved Sonlight PreK, now have found My Father's World curriculum. It's literature-rich unit studies, very much Christian-centered (if that matters to you), and is loosely based on a Classical education style.
You may also consider something as unintimidating for the student as Five in a Row. This is also a literature-rich unit study, from a specifically Charlotte Mason approach.
I hope that helps!


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## GoofyG

skoi said:


> We did K12 as a cybercharter years ago. I found it much too hard for our ds (he was in K), and it made him anxious as there were reviews after every lesson. We ended up pulling him out and going back to a more relaxed style of homeschooling, and while he was technically "behind" in terms of anything Language Arts related until he was about seven, by eight or nine he was on track. Our oldest dd used K12 in 3rd and 4th and really liked it, except the music.
> 
> We're looking for a good curriculum to use with youngest ds (will be 6). He has an overall developmental delay, severe speech delay (due to cleft palate, no therapy as a child, and undiagnosed hearing impairment), and some adoption related issues. We normally use Sonlight in the lower grades, but are wondering if anyone has any other suggestions?
> 
> Thanks-
> Julie



My DD4 had a submucous cleft palate, she had surgery to fix it this past MArch.  She is very behind for her speech also, and has hearing loss.  They have also just discovered she has sme SPD problems.  So now she is starting OT.
I just don't know about the K12.


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## skoi

GoofyG said:


> My DD4 had a submucous cleft palate, she had surgery to fix it this past MArch.  She is very behind for her speech also, and has hearing loss.  They have also just discovered she has sme SPD problems.  So now she is starting OT.
> I just don't know about the K12.



It depends on if you're going to do it privately, I would think, or through a cybercharter. And then, it depends on how flexible the charter will be, what sort of special ed services they'll offer, etc. We did one year of a cybercharter, not a K12 school, but I didn't really like it for youngest ds. 

robinsegg- thanks for those suggestions. We'll look into it.

Julie


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## mariezp

bumbershoot said:


> *mariezp*, very cool about your son.  Can I recommend that during this time as he waits to have the knowledge and experience to open a school, that he does really focus on learning about business, the finances of having a business, employees, etc etc etc etc etc.  All while earning SCADS of money to keep that business open while he is building a clientele.  Most small businesses close in 5 years, mine sure did, and you *have to* have the cash to keep everything afloat during those 5 years while you get your feet planted on the ground.
> 
> Whether that learning is from reading, mentoring, or even taking some CC classes, it probably doesn't matter, but knowing about those things *before* opening his doors will be absolutely invaluable!


Very, very good suggestion *bumbershoot*! He really does not want to go to college. However, with the internet options out there today there are so many resources that he should have no problem finding plenty to read on the subject. His instructor is a fantastic guy. I am sure he would offer his assistance too if DS ever needed some pointers.



littlepeppers said:


> My son's jiu-jitsu gym just had to close its original location b/c the rent on two locations killed them.  I guess the business is growing faster in the 2nd location b/c he closed his baby (1st gym).  Now we have to drive 20min to the 2nd location.  Rent on a building alone will kill a business.


 That is too bad about the gym. I guess you can just never tell what business will go over well. My son's instructor just happened into good locations, I guess. He now has 4 gyms, 3 of which were opened in the last 2 years. 



Tiana said:


> We wanted to get DS into Kung-Fu b/c we speak Chinese and are into the whole Chinese culture, and lo and behold I found one in my area, owned and operated by a homeschooling dad!! Isn't that awesome??


 Very awesome! Proof again that God does indeed provide! 
When my son needed sports we found the perfect group to join. When he needed a martial arts school he also headed us in the right direction. When we first started Jiu-Jitsu classes we had to drive 40 miles. Within a year his instructor started a new gym 10 miles from us. That was pretty cool too!



Soexcited!6 said:


> HI! It's good to see a homeschooling thread. I joined disboards, because I am SOO excited my husband finally agreed to a disney trip.
> 
> I don't think I'll ever be completely confident that I am a sufficient teacher, but I know that I am doing the best for them.


Congrats on the Disney trip! We can all use a little magic!
I agree completely. After homeschooling for 13 years I still am not always convinced I am the best teacher BUT I do know without a doubt that I will put my heart and soul into it for them like no one else would. Kudos to you for doing what you feel they need even though you've hit some bumps along the way.


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## Nicolepa

GoofyG said:


> Thanks, anyone use the k12 program?  What do you think of it?
> Also, how many hours a day does it usually take for HS?  I'm so new to this!!!!



We are finishing up our first year with K12.  I personally found 2nd grade to be super easy.  My son, who was supposidly was behind in the regular classroom sailed thru 2nd grade.  We completed it in 7 months and are 20% done with 3rd grade.  3rd grade has been at the appropriate level for him.  

The one thing I hate about K12 is their math.  It is horrible (IMO).  We completed 2nd grade math in 5 months and are about 80% of the way thru 3rd grade.  I am so frustrated with it that we are going to do 10 more lessons (what we need for our VA goals next month) and then I'm tossing it.  Next year we are not doing K12 Math.  Our VA lets us pick and choose what subjects we want, some do not allow that.  

On the other hand my son LOVES their history.  It is his favorite subject.  He also likes the Art lessons.  The projects not so much, but the lessons yes.


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## robinsegg

GoofyG said:


> Also, how many hours a day does it usually take for HS?  I'm so new to this!!!!


How long depends on the age of your child, along with curruculum and style choices. This year just finished, I had a 4th grader and 1st grader, and we spent around 2 hrs per day on formal academics.


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## Dannielle_1

Does anyone have experience with ShillerMath?  Your thoughts/observations about it.  I'm considering it for DS (4.5).


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## adisneymama

Nicolepa said:


> We are finishing up our first year with K12.  I personally found 2nd grade to be super easy.  My son, who was supposidly was behind in the regular classroom sailed thru 2nd grade.  We completed it in 7 months and are 20% done with 3rd grade.  3rd grade has been at the appropriate level for him.
> 
> The one thing I hate about K12 is their math.  It is horrible (IMO).  We completed 2nd grade math in 5 months and are about 80% of the way thru 3rd grade.  I am so frustrated with it that we are going to do 10 more lessons (what we need for our VA goals next month) and then I'm tossing it.  Next year we are not doing K12 Math.  Our VA lets us pick and choose what subjects we want, some do not allow that.
> 
> On the other hand my son LOVES their history.  It is his favorite subject.  He also likes the Art lessons.  The projects not so much, but the lessons yes.



I have the opposite reaction.  LOL  I hate their 2nd grade history but think the math is ok.  LOL  It seems to follow the math curriculum for our public school so maybe that is why.  Just goes to show that everyone needs to look into more than one curriculum before deciding.  What math program are you thinking of going to?


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## dis-happy

Dannielle_1 said:


> Does anyone have experience with ShillerMath?  Your thoughts/observations about it.  I'm considering it for DS (4.5).



I hadn't heard of it but looked at the info website.  One thing that would concern me is they say you should stick with it until 6th grade, as the math skills they learn aren't easy to transition to another program until then.  If your child's learning style is different than the program's, you are either stuck or behind for starting another math program.

That said, 4.5 is young for formal math programs.  In Saxon, the K math is a lot of numeric awareness (ie. calandar activities, etc).  You could try Shiller for a year or two and move to something like Saxon for grade 1 and be okay.  Another nice option for younger math that many of my friends like is Horizons Math.  Good program, plus lots of color in the workbooks.

Math-U-See is manipulative based (sounds like Shiller).  However, most people don't stay with it up through the advanced levels.

If you have a child that excels in math, go with Singapore Math.


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## Nicolepa

adisneymama said:


> I have the opposite reaction.  LOL  I hate their 2nd grade history but think the math is ok.  LOL  It seems to follow the math curriculum for our public school so maybe that is why.  Just goes to show that everyone needs to look into more than one curriculum before deciding.  What math program are you thinking of going to?



We are going to go back to Saxon.  I used it last year to after school my son and he did pretty well with it.  

There are 2 problems with K12.  The first one is that the teachers guide gives absolutly no instruction as to how to teach the concept. (I've heard this complaint a lot from other users.) For 2nd grade this wasn't really an issue, for 3rd grade it has been.  I've spent a lot of time on the internet learning how to teach concepts.  Pretty sad IMO considering that math are strong points for both me and my son.

The other problem, and it's what's leading to his frustration right now is that they spend no time working on learning the facts tables.  You have one lesson on each # and then it's done.  It was litereally 2 weeks and then they are expected to be able to do these long problems that require knowing them.  We are going to finish the lessons that we need to.  (Picking and choosing the ones he can do w/o frustration.)  Then we are going to spend the summer working on all of his facts tables.  

There is also no spirialing/review.  They teach a concept and then expect that it is mastered.


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## queenbeaz

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> queenbeaz...I am using HoD this coming year...got all of dd's stuff and part of my ds11s....I looooove looking thru that guide book!!! Can't wait to jump in!!!



It's a GREAT program! It just didn't work for us.  I hope it works for you!

Praise2Him & Gerberdaisy - thanks for the info on the college program and graduation. Very cool. I also did not know that they have a homeschool days at WDW. I've never seen that listed anywhere. Maybe I missed it. I'll just go looking again.


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## graygables

May I vent?

On another message board I go to, someone innocently came on and asked for input/advice from homeschoolers.  She's considering it.  OF COURSE, other posters come on and tell us all how horrid we are, how it's nigh on impossible to educate at home unless you are a PhD and have 60 hours per week to dedicate to it.  One even said that homeschooled children are "ill-mannered" !!!   I happen to know these particular people do not like the choices I have personally made in my life (and aren't afraid to snark at me in public about it).  Why can't people just mind their own beeswax and stop commenting where they aren't welcome???

Whew.  I think I feel better now.  Back to not educating my ill-mannered, socially inept, feral children.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

queenbeaz said:


> It's a GREAT program! It just didn't work for us.  I hope it works for you!
> 
> Praise2Him & Gerberdaisy - thanks for the info on the college program and graduation. Very cool. I also did not know that they have a homeschool days at WDW. I've never seen that listed anywhere. Maybe I missed it. I'll just go looking again.



http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/programs/programOverview?page=YESProgramOverviewPage

The deals are amazing. We got 10 day park hoppers plus the Homeschool Class "Engineering Behind the Magic" (which was awesome) for $179!!! They don't list the ten day tickets on the website. You have to call and get the pricing and then enter that in the text box when you order.

Wish we could go in September. I believe the dates are Sept 7-9. Hoping for next January (dates are 24&25). When you order your tickets you put in your arrival and departure dates for Orlando. Your tickets are then valid 7 days prior and after those dates. So if you want to do anything else while you are there you have plenty of time.

Also, this year they have tried something new called Open Enrollment that is a lot like Homeschool days. It was all of January and select dates in June and July.


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## dis-happy

graygables said:


> May I vent?
> 
> On another message board I go to, someone innocently came on and asked for input/advice from homeschoolers.  She's considering it.  OF COURSE, other posters come on and tell us all how horrid we are, how it's nigh on impossible to educate at home unless you are a PhD and have 60 hours per week to dedicate to it.  One even said that homeschooled children are "ill-mannered" !!!   I happen to know these particular people do not like the choices I have personally made in my life (and aren't afraid to snark at me in public about it).  Why can't people just mind their own beeswax and stop commenting where they aren't welcome???
> 
> Whew.  I think I feel better now.  Back to not educating my ill-mannered, socially inept, feral children.



You know when my moment came?  When my dd was accepted into the college of her first choice, majoring in a difficult major and being inducted into the honor society her sophomore year.  She'll be graduating next year.  Guess her K-12 homeschool education preperation wasn't so bad after all!

Try not to let the naysayers get you down!


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## GoofyG

So i'm kind of likeing this ACE program.  Today I was just telling ,my mom I wish I could meet with someone and look at the books.  Then tonight my aunt introduces me to this lady.  We were talking about sensory and thing going on with My DD4, and at the end of the conversation she mentioned she had homeschooled and used ACE.  

She is bringing some 1sta dn 2nd grade books to her church tomorrow to give to my aunt for me to look at.  I'm so excited, I want to make sure I make the right decision.

Also, I have some other things going on right now, if anyone has extra prayers could you say one for me.  I have some major decisions to make about some things.  It is stressing me.


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## mariezp

graygables said:


> May I vent?
> 
> On another message board I go to, someone innocently came on and asked for input/advice from homeschoolers.  She's considering it.  OF COURSE, other posters come on and tell us all how horrid we are, how it's nigh on impossible to educate at home unless you are a PhD and have 60 hours per week to dedicate to it.  One even said that homeschooled children are "ill-mannered" !!!   I happen to know these particular people do not like the choices I have personally made in my life (and aren't afraid to snark at me in public about it).  Why can't people just mind their own beeswax and stop commenting where they aren't welcome???
> 
> Whew.  I think I feel better now.  Back to not educating my ill-mannered, socially inept, feral children.


Now why do people have to behave like that?  And, they consider themselves better educated???? 

I guess I have been pretty fortunate. I have a really small family and while they may not all approve they seem to have better sense than to challenge me with the _evils _of homeschooling. We've also never had any problem at church even though I am sure not all agree with our schooling method since we have quite a few public school teachers. Outside of those two groups of people I guess I really wouldn't put much stock into anything negative anyone had to say anyway. When you get right down to it the proof is in the pudding and, *graygables*, I bet your kids are none of the things you described! 

Glad you could come here to vent. We all need that some days! This little thread is a wonderful source for information but I think it is great that we can also throw in a little support for each other along the way. 

Loved hearing about the school program opportunities in the park. I had no idea! And, I think it would be great to go for homeschool day but, alas, September is too hot for our liking! Last time we tried Sept. we hit a heat wave at DL and it got up to 107.... which was hotter than back at home in Texas! So, no homeschool day for us! 

Just curious.... any homeschoolers going to DL in November? We could do a mini meet!

Oh.... and *GoofyG*, I will be more than happy to send some prayers your way! Hope things work out well for you.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

mariezp said:


> Loved hearing about the school program opportunities in the park. I had no idea! And, I think it would be great to go for homeschool day but, alas, September is too hot for our liking! Last time we tried Sept. we hit a heat wave at DL and it got up to 107.... which was hotter than back at home in Texas! So, no homeschool day .



Homeschool Days are in September and January. January weather is very nice! Yes, September is too hot but I know my daughter would love the theme of the September classes so it we be tempting to do a quick trip if we had the funds.


----------



## robinsegg

mariezp said:


> Now why do people have to behave like that?  And, they consider themselves better educated????


Most people I've known to act like that do so because they're insecure and need everyone else to make the same choices they do to make them feel good about them. Therefore, if someone chooses differently, these people feel attacked and very insecure and try to defend their choices by making different choices sound horrible.


----------



## Nicolepa

GoofyG said:


> So i'm kind of likeing this ACE program.  Today I was just telling ,my mom I wish I could meet with someone and look at the books.  Then tonight my aunt introduces me to this lady.  We were talking about sensory and thing going on with My DD4, and at the end of the conversation she mentioned she had homeschooled and used ACE.
> 
> She is bringing some 1sta dn 2nd grade books to her church tomorrow to give to my aunt for me to look at.  I'm so excited, I want to make sure I make the right decision.



You will have to let us know how you like them.  They look interesting but I am having a hard time navigating their site and figuring out prices and such.


----------



## Nicolepa

graygables said:


> May I vent?
> 
> On another message board I go to, someone innocently came on and asked for input/advice from homeschoolers.  She's considering it.  OF COURSE, other posters come on and tell us all how horrid we are, how it's nigh on impossible to educate at home unless you are a PhD and have 60 hours per week to dedicate to it.  One even said that homeschooled children are "ill-mannered" !!!   I happen to know these particular people do not like the choices I have personally made in my life (and aren't afraid to snark at me in public about it).  Why can't people just mind their own beeswax and stop commenting where they aren't welcome???
> 
> Whew.  I think I feel better now.  Back to not educating my ill-mannered, socially inept, feral children.



Yes, because we know that all teachers in the public school system have PhD's and spend 60 hours per week working.


----------



## GoofyG

Nicolepa said:


> You will have to let us know how you like them.  They look interesting but I am having a hard time navigating their site and figuring out prices and such.



I like that they are accredited program.  I will let you know more when I find out more.  They had a diagnostic test to take to see where your kid should start.  My DD6 tested 2nd grade for English and the end of 1st grade for math.  They have your kids take a test and they set up where they think they should start.  I hope to know more later in the week.


----------



## littlepeppers

Nicolepa said:


> Yes, because we know that all teachers in the public school system have PhD's and spend 60 hours per week working.




Sorry for the rant, but those people make me angry!!

You would not believe the amount of uncertified teachers teaching in the public schools.  There is actually another certification that teachers are supposed to have or be working on to teach called "highly qualified".  There are even fewer teachers that have this, especially in a highschool setting.  It is a pain for a secondary teacher to be highly qualified in every subject they are asked to teach from year to year.

The 60hrs of work may be true, assuming they are a good teacher.  I didn't have time to spend w/ my own kids b/c I was always doind things for children that weren't mine.

I can also tell you that the ability to teach is a "Gift"and many teacher don't have that gift  You can teach the skills necessary to teach, but putting them into a effortless looking lesson can't be taught.

Don't let people tell you that you aren't qualified b/c you didn't attend classes to teach you how to write a silly piece of paper outlining every word & worksheet.  You only need the "GIFT"!  If people say anything like this to you, suggest to them to go substitute in their child's school & see the chaos going on in classrooms because people can't be taught to teach.  Then invite them to your wonderful classroom.


----------



## BelleRocks

Speaking as someone who used to have serious doubts about homeschooling, I think alot of the prejudice has to do with the bad examples of some parents who are homeschooling for the wrong reasons or with the wrong attitude.  T

Just from what I am learning, the success of the indiv child has so much to do with the attitude and committment of the parent.  I know a family who is considering HS because "they want to have more time for vacations, and why should their kid learn things like history and math that they won't even need" ?????

On the flip side, I think the majority of HS parents are committed to their kid's education and work TWICE as hard as public school parents do to make their kid's schooling a success.  Unfortunately, a few bad apples give the whole thing a bad reputation. I HAVE met homeschooled kids who didn't get the education they needed or deserved. When those examples were all I knew, it gave me a bad taste for HS.  Now, I realize it had more to do with the parents than the concept of homeschooling.

I think people make a snap judgment based on a few extreme examples rather than realizing that all methods of schooling depend both on the kid and how much effort is put into it.

Honestly, I think those of us that are anguishing over are-we-making-the-right-choice and spending hours trying to find the right resources, are clearly "qualified" to do HS.  It's the ones who never ask these questions and never do the research that might have some issues.  JMHO!


----------



## robinsegg

BelleRocks said:


> I think people make a snap judgment based on a few extreme examples rather than realizing that all methods of schooling depend both on the kid and how much effort is put into it.


This is *definitely* true!
Last year, a woman in our Sunday School class looked at a hs family of 4 kids and said that the fact they weren't really spending time with anyone but the 4 together was because they were homeschooled and socially backward.
Hubby and another hs mom looked at her and said "are you kidding me? have you seen our kids"  Her daughter is in the local jr. orchestra, very respectful, has lots of friends they bring to church, etc. Our kids never meet other kids that they don't consider "friends" (at least for a while  ) and are very social with people of all ages.
The 4 kids in question had parents going through a divorce and had some other issues like that, and the girl was having lots of asthma problems around that time!
Snap judgments happen *all* the time, on both sides of the fence.


----------



## Dannielle_1

Another question to you experienced Homeschoolers.  How do you organize yourself?  Do you prepare a week at a time/month at a time, over the summer?  How do you keep track of all those ideas you run across out there and then apply them to what you do (eventually)?

DS has one more year before K and I'm planning on doing homeschooling "lite" this year (leaning towards FIAR), but lots of research on my end to make my decisions for K.  I just don't know what to do/how to keep track of all those ideas I've read up on so far.  I just keep bookmarking into my "homeschool" favorites file.  I currently feel like I'm on information overload.

And I'm not sure if you are allowed to post this info here, if not you can PM... Anyone visit a good Homeschool Message Board?

Thanks!!!


----------



## robinsegg

Dannielle_1 said:


> Another question to you experienced Homeschoolers.  How do you organize yourself?  Do you prepare a week at a time/month at a time, over the summer?  How do you keep track of all those ideas you run across out there and then apply them to what you do (eventually)?
> 
> DS has one more year before K and I'm planning on doing homeschooling "lite" this year (leaning towards FIAR), but lots of research on my end to make my decisions for K.  I just don't know what to do/how to keep track of all those ideas I've read up on so far.  I just keep bookmarking into my "homeschool" favorites file.  I currently feel like I'm on information overload.
> 
> And I'm not sure if you are allowed to post this info here, if not you can PM... Anyone visit a good Homeschool Message Board?
> 
> Thanks!!!


I keep mine in a notebook (or several notebooks, depending on which I have with me at the time )

As far as how do I plan? I do an overview of the entire curriculum over the summer, so I have an idea of what we're doing, where we're going, etc. Once a week, I plan the next week of school. That way, if we've run behind or ahead for some reason, I can work around that and not have 3 months of school already planned and have to "adjust".


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

graygables said:


> May I vent?
> 
> On another message board I go to, someone innocently came on and asked for input/advice from homeschoolers.  She's considering it.  OF COURSE, other posters come on and tell us all how horrid we are, how it's nigh on impossible to educate at home unless you are a PhD and have 60 hours per week to dedicate to it.  One even said that homeschooled children are "ill-mannered" !!!   I happen to know these particular people do not like the choices I have personally made in my life (and aren't afraid to snark at me in public about it).  Why can't people just mind their own beeswax and stop commenting where they aren't welcome???
> 
> *Whew.  I think I feel better now.  Back to not educating my ill-mannered, socially inept, feral children. *


ha!! I know what you mean!



GoofyG said:


> Also, I have some other things going on right now, if anyone has extra prayers could you say one for me.  I have some major decisions to make about some things.  It is stressing me.


Of course! I would be happy to pray for you! Asking for the Lord to give you guidance and wisdom and the peace to know you are doing His will!!



BelleRocks said:


> Speaking as someone who used to have serious doubts about homeschooling, I think alot of the prejudice has to do with the bad examples of some parents who are homeschooling for the wrong reasons or with the wrong attitude.  T
> 
> Just from what I am learning, the success of the indiv child has so much to do with the attitude and committment of the parent.  I know a family who is considering HS because "they want to have more time for vacations, and why should their kid learn things like history and math that they won't even need" ?????
> 
> On the flip side, I think the majority of HS parents are committed to their kid's education and work TWICE as hard as public school parents do to make their kid's schooling a success.  Unfortunately, a few bad apples give the whole thing a bad reputation. I HAVE met homeschooled kids who didn't get the education they needed or deserved. When those examples were all I knew, it gave me a bad taste for HS.  Now, I realize it had more to do with the parents than the concept of homeschooling.
> 
> I think people make a snap judgment based on a few extreme examples rather than realizing that all methods of schooling depend both on the kid and how much effort is put into it.
> 
> Honestly, I think those of us that are anguishing over are-we-making-the-right-choice and spending hours trying to find the right resources, are clearly "qualified" to do HS.  It's the ones who never ask these questions and never do the research that might have some issues.  JMHO!



I totally agree...the negative situations will always get more limelight...that's what the rest of the Hsing community is judged by more often than not! Sad but true....I just know that I am doing what I feel is right, pray for the Lord to help me and do the Best I  Can!!! I don't answer to or for any other families...just mine...I am confident that I am raising children to be just as educated as their peers....and I know what we are strong/weak in and can adjust accordingly.... I really have so much more freedom than a teacher trying to keep 20 or 30 kids all on one level. My kids are free to excel as much as they can!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Dannielle_1 said:


> Another question to you experienced Homeschoolers.  How do you organize yourself?  Do you prepare a week at a time/month at a time, over the summer?  How do you keep track of all those ideas you run across out there and then apply them to what you do (eventually)?
> 
> DS has one more year before K and I'm planning on doing homeschooling "lite" this year (leaning towards FIAR), but lots of research on my end to make my decisions for K.  I just don't know what to do/how to keep track of all those ideas I've read up on so far.  I just keep bookmarking into my "homeschool" favorites file.  I currently feel like I'm on information overload.
> 
> And I'm not sure if you are allowed to post this info here, if not you can PM... Anyone visit a good Homeschool Message Board?
> 
> Thanks!!!



Hey Danielle,
 I am not sure what your state requires for record keeping...that is the most important thing...it will dictate how much you need to keep up with! As far as scheduling, some curricula will actually come with teacher manuals/guides that are mapped out and I just date them. Other times, I have used a school calendar for each kid...you know the kind you get that are from July to May of the next year? Each child has one and I fill it in usually one semester at a time....by subject. Use a pencil!!! I have had days that we decided to take off and have to change it up a bit....
 FIAR is great...especially for K..you don't really need to 'schedule' too much...just go by the guide. Maybe make notes in your daily planner to make sure you have all the books you need from the library if you don't own them yet!


----------



## A&E'sMom

Laura.bora said:


> We're going mid september - the 16th - 25th.  Woo hoo Free Dining!  And that brings me to this question:
> Is there a place where I can find a list of all the animals in AK?  My kids don't know we're going, but I'm making this a learning experience as always!  I was planning on having a checklist with us to play the "who can spot the most animals" game. ( a regular occurance when we hit zoos or aquariums - it's a favorite of ours).  I also want to be able to do a teaching lesson about these animals and the habitats they live in and have them do a research project about the animal of their choice.  All while unknowingly preparing them for a trip to Disney!



I didn't read far enough to see if someone had already answered your question, but I googled it and found this list: http://allears.net/tp/ak/ak_anim.htm

That's an awesome idea, and as a third year HS'ing mom, I am going to borrow your idea for our upcoming trip in September!


----------



## Mommy2three

i homeschoooled my two oldest for the past one and a half years and then 3 months ago decided to put them into public school.  needless to say they will be homeschooled again next year due to alot of bullying at the school and the school doesnt do anything about it.  my 10 year old DD got jumped by a group of 5 boys, my 8 year old son who is on the autism spectrum has been beat up 3 times now, one time he came home with 2 black eyes.  I am so fed up with our school system.  One of the 5 boys who jumped my daughter came over to my home yesterday and choked out my 8 year old son and punched him in the back several times, the police were called and nothing could be done about it since he is under the age of 12, then the parents of the boy came over here and started threatening me,and police were called again and nothing was done about it. that same boy was expelled from one of the public schools down the road for beating kids up and now hes been at our neighborhood school since FEB.

the school is doing nothing to protect the kids. they only have ONE adult on the playground supervising 400+ kids.  I will be sending my 4 year old daughter this coming school year to public school for K. but will be requesting that she goes to another school and if she has problems at school then she will be homeschooled too/  my two old both have special needs, my son on the spectrum, and my oldest DD adhd, bipolar, RAD, ptsd, and my 4 year old is gifted with a very high IQ of 150 and tests out as a 12 year old child, and she is very headstrong and does not put up with bullying, she is not afraid to fight back.


----------



## Indiana Rose Lee

I am so sorry you have had to deal with that kind of bullying. Most of the schools I have dealt with professionally have really strong bully policies. Your poor kids!


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

BelleRocks said:


> Speaking as someone who used to have serious doubts about homeschooling, I think alot of the prejudice has to do with the bad examples of some parents who are homeschooling for the wrong reasons or with the wrong attitude.  T
> 
> Just from what I am learning, the success of the indiv child has so much to do with the attitude and committment of the parent.  I know a family who is considering HS because "they want to have more time for vacations, and why should their kid learn things like history and math that they won't even need" ?????
> 
> On the flip side, I think the majority of HS parents are committed to their kid's education and work TWICE as hard as public school parents do to make their kid's schooling a success.  Unfortunately, a few bad apples give the whole thing a bad reputation. I HAVE met homeschooled kids who didn't get the education they needed or deserved. When those examples were all I knew, it gave me a bad taste for HS.  Now, I realize it had more to do with the parents than the concept of homeschooling.
> 
> I think people make a snap judgment based on a few extreme examples rather than realizing that all methods of schooling depend both on the kid and how much effort is put into it.
> 
> Honestly, I think those of us that are anguishing over are-we-making-the-right-choice and spending hours trying to find the right resources, are clearly "qualified" to do HS.  It's the ones who never ask these questions and never do the research that might have some issues.  JMHO!



Very well said.


----------



## mariezp

Mommy2three said:


> i homeschoooled my two oldest for the past one and a half years and then 3 months ago decided to put them into public school.  needless to say they will be homeschooled again next year due to alot of bullying at the school and the school doesnt do anything about it.  my 10 year old DD got jumped by a group of 5 boys, my 8 year old son who is on the autism spectrum has been beat up 3 times now, one time he came home with 2 black eyes.  I am so fed up with our school system.  One of the 5 boys who jumped my daughter came over to my home yesterday and choked out my 8 year old son and punched him in the back several times, the police were called and nothing could be done about it since he is under the age of 12, then the parents of the boy came over here and started threatening me,and police were called again and nothing was done about it. that same boy was expelled from one of the public schools down the road for beating kids up and now hes been at our neighborhood school since FEB.
> 
> the school is doing nothing to protect the kids. they only have ONE adult on the playground supervising 400+ kids.  I will be sending my 4 year old daughter this coming school year to public school for K. but will be requesting that she goes to another school and if she has problems at school then she will be homeschooled too/  my two old both have special needs, my son on the spectrum, and my oldest DD adhd, bipolar, RAD, ptsd, and my 4 year old is gifted with a very high IQ of 150 and tests out as a 12 year old child, and she is very headstrong and does not put up with bullying, she is not afraid to fight back.



My heart goes out to you. The schools do nothing so why should the bullies care. They get by with it and innocent children suffer at their hands. I don't think I would be able to send mine back at all. Their homeschooling days would be starting over again right then and there.


----------



## Mommy2three

mariezp said:


> My heart goes out to you. The schools do nothing so why should the bullies care. They get by with it and innocent children suffer at their hands. I don't think I would be able to send mine back at all. Their homeschooling days would be starting over again right then and there.



well they would be done if they didnt have a few days left of school.  but they will not be returning to public school next year, they will be homeschooled.  i talked to the both of them about it and they dont want to go back and have to be afraid to go to school everyday. on top of all the bullying their birth mom has been trying to make contact with them and last week threatened she would kidnap them.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Mommy2three said:


> well they would be done if they didnt have a few days left of school.  but they will not be returning to public school next year, they will be homeschooled.  i talked to the both of them about it and they dont want to go back and have to be afraid to go to school everyday. on top of all the bullying their birth mom has been trying to make contact with them and last week threatened she would kidnap them.



Geez girl,,when it rains it pours! Bless your heart...my first thought would be: I want to move faaaaar away!!!! Your poor little kids!! hang in there and just give them lots of hugs!!


----------



## mariezp

Mommy2three, I'll be sure to say a special prayer for you and your kiddos. Here's hoping they can get through a few days without being harassed and that the mom decides to leave them alone.


----------



## MyDisneyTrio

My DS is turning 4 in September and I am considering home schooling him in the fall with preschool level things, or perhaps even Kindergarten. He is very bright, but also very sensitive. I think he would do best at home with me for a while. I live in Texas, in the southeast portion, in the Houston suburbs. Can some of you lovely ladies please point me into the right direction for all of this? I am BRAND new to everything. I appreciate yall's help


----------



## robinsegg

MyDisneyTrio said:


> My DS is turning 4 in September and I am considering home schooling him in the fall with preschool level things, or perhaps even Kindergarten. He is very bright, but also very sensitive. I think he would do best at home with me for a while. I live in Texas, in the southeast portion, in the Houston suburbs. Can some of you lovely ladies please point me into the right direction for all of this? I am BRAND new to everything. I appreciate yall's help


Sure! 1st thing is to find the laws in your state. http://www.hslda.org has a great list on this for each state.
I always recommend the book So You're Thinking about Homeschooling, which is an easy read, but gives you an overview of what's out there and how it can be done.
Then, look at sites like www.letteroftheweek.com, which actually gives you a preK-K level curriculum for free, taking one letter sound each week.
I hope this helps!


----------



## SCHBR'smom

Any recommendations for language arts for elementary age?  I'm having a difficult time finding something we enjoy that will also challenge them.


----------



## wvdislover

Mommy2Three--so sorry your kiddos have been having such a hard time in school.  I think I would just be letting them end school a few days early, and not send them back for these last few days...not really worth it.  As for your 4 year old, if you're up to the challenge, you may want to consider homeschooling her, too.  If she's as smart as you say, she may very well be bored out of her mind in kindergarten.  If you homeschool her, she can progress at her rate, rather than being held back by those who aren't at her same learning level.  Just a thought    Good luck!  Thinking of you during these difficult times...been there (though not in as extreme a situation), and not going back


----------



## adisneymama

MyDisneyTrio said:


> My DS is turning 4 in September and I am considering home schooling him in the fall with preschool level things, or perhaps even Kindergarten. He is very bright, but also very sensitive. I think he would do best at home with me for a while. I live in Texas, in the southeast portion, in the Houston suburbs. Can some of you lovely ladies please point me into the right direction for all of this? I am BRAND new to everything. I appreciate yall's help


Homeschooling is very easy in Tx.  You do not have to file any forms etc.   You simply choose your curriculum and use it.  The law says they have to have a course in reading/language arts, math, history, science and a course in good citizenship.  g/l!


----------



## theduck619

Hi all,

it has been awhile since I have posted but love to read everyone's successes and trials.

My wife and I are HS oue 5 year old twins.  In terms of first math programs what have you found to work the best.

One daughter is very visual and hands on and the other does just fine with directions.

Thanks,


----------



## robinsegg

theduck619 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> it has been awhile since I have posted but love to read everyone's successes and trials.
> 
> My wife and I are HS oue 5 year old twins.  In terms of first math programs what have you found to work the best.
> 
> One daughter is very visual and hands on and the other does just fine with directions.
> 
> Thanks,


I have a visual and a hands-on. We love Math U See.


----------



## A&E'sMom

theduck619 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> it has been awhile since I have posted but love to read everyone's successes and trials.
> 
> My wife and I are HS oue 5 year old twins.  In terms of first math programs what have you found to work the best.
> 
> One daughter is very visual and hands on and the other does just fine with directions.
> 
> Thanks,



I have the same- one visual, and one hands on, and I use a mix of curriculum and ideas. Horizon Math is our base curriculum, which my visual-learner uses and loves. My kinesthetic learner likes it too, because lessons are short. But, he also loves money- coins to be exact- so, using money that he can touch and feel supplements his lessons.


----------



## TSRE

robinsegg said:


> I have a visual and a hands-on. We love Math U See.



I have a niece that has failed math in school this year, and I am convinced it is because they are not teaching to her learning style at all - which is hands-on.  DSis is willing to spend time with her this summer and try anything to give her a good foundation for next year.  Is there anything like Math U See that could be used in this way for 5th grade level math?  Or could Math U See be adapted this way?

Thanks!


----------



## CandyHead09

I absolutely love homeschooling! I tried public school for my freshman year of high school, what an awful experience that was!

 Maybe not all schools are like that but the kids I was surrounded with were just really really messed up. It was a very negative envirorment. I noticed that the school and kids all preached about acceptance of everyone at the beggining of the year but didnt take long to show their true colors. Basically unless you had the morals and beliefs they all did then you were scum. They were also extremely immature to the point where I couldnt believe they were even allowed INTO high school.

The academic part of it was so easy but I think this is because I've used an advanced school most of my life. I felt like I was repeating the third grade. I left a month before spring break and have been homeschooling ever since. 

Senior year in the fall as well as freshman year of community college and then after that THE DISNEY COLLEGE PROGRAM! :]


----------



## littlepeppers

CandyHead09 said:


> Maybe not all schools are like that but the kids I was surrounded with were just really really messed up. It was a very negative envirorment.  :]



My DS told me at the library yesterday that he never wanted to go to publilc school.  There were a group of boys in the kids room talking, singing, playing video games on the computer.  DS was shocked that someone in the library wasn't whispering.  He asked me is those boys wenet to public school & quickly responded that he never wanted to be in a classroom w/ those kids.

Homeschooling allows you to teach social rules.  Public school teaches how to bend them.

Glad to be homeschooling.


----------



## CandyHead09

littlepeppers said:


> My DS told me at the library yesterday that he never wanted to go to publilc school.  There were a group of boys in the kids room talking, singing, playing video games on the computer.  DS was shocked that someone in the library wasn't whispering.  He asked me is those boys wenet to public school & quickly responded that he never wanted to be in a classroom w/ those kids.
> 
> Homeschooling allows you to teach social rules.  Public school teaches how to bend them.
> 
> Glad to be homeschooling.



haha awww thats cute! Yea it gets a lot worse than not whispering in the library! It just made me really ashamed of my generation! Plus I missed all of my friends so much!!! Homeschooling gives you freedom to get your school done early in the morning and then go see a movie with your best friend ;] haha!


----------



## robinsegg

TSRE said:


> I have a niece that has failed math in school this year, and I am convinced it is because they are not teaching to her learning style at all - which is hands-on.  DSis is willing to spend time with her this summer and try anything to give her a good foundation for next year.  Is there anything like Math U See that could be used in this way for 5th grade level math?  Or could Math U See be adapted this way?
> 
> Thanks!


Math U See *does* go through 5th grade and beyond, and you probably *could* adapt it for summer use. It's kind of expensive if that's all you plan to use it for, because you'd need the manipulatives (at least $35), the student book and the teacher video would probably be a good idea (my visual one watches it with me, but it's designed to tell the teacher how to teach the lesson).


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

Has anyone tried Click N Read or Click N Spell from http://www.clicknkids.com/ ? Thanks for any feedback.


----------



## disneymom3

SCHBR'smom said:


> Any recommendations for language arts for elementary age?  I'm having a difficult time finding something we enjoy that will also challenge them.



I have just discovered and LOVE Christian Light Publications.  They are basic and straighforward and really inexpensive.  There is mention of God.  It is published by I think, a Menonite group.  Each Light Unit as they are called is $3.20 and 10 Light Units make up a year.

mommy2three, your story about your children just breaks my heart for all of you.  Seems to me a lot of schools have policies on bullying but actually enforcing it is another story.


----------



## CandyHead09

robinsegg said:


> Math U See *does* go through 5th grade and beyond, and you probably *could* adapt it for summer use. It's kind of expensive if that's all you plan to use it for, because you'd need the manipulatives (at least $35), the student book and the teacher video would probably be a good idea (my visual one watches it with me, but it's designed to tell the teacher how to teach the lesson).



I also highly suggest the math u see program! I was VERY bad at math as a kid and this program helped very much!  a tutor is good too because they can see what kind of skills the child has and better understand their learning style and everything a tutor helped me as well :]


----------



## Nicolepa

disneymom3 said:


> I have just discovered and LOVE Christian Light Publications.  They are basic and straighforward and really inexpensive.  There is mention of God.  It is published by I think, a Menonite group.  Each Light Unit as they are called is $3.20 and 10 Light Units make up a year.



I wanted to be able to school year around w/my son and I needed something for my daughter (who is not HS'd).  I ordered these for my daughter as summer workbooks and she is loving them.  I loved that I could just order a couple at a time instead of a whole year!


----------



## queenbeaz

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/programs/programOverview?page=YESProgramOverviewPage
> 
> The deals are amazing. We got 10 day park hoppers plus the Homeschool Class "Engineering Behind the Magic" (which was awesome) for $179!!! They don't list the ten day tickets on the website. You have to call and get the pricing and then enter that in the text box when you order.
> 
> Wish we could go in September. I believe the dates are Sept 7-9. Hoping for next January (dates are 24&25). When you order your tickets you put in your arrival and departure dates for Orlando. Your tickets are then valid 7 days prior and after those dates. So if you want to do anything else while you are there you have plenty of time.
> 
> Also, this year they have tried something new called Open Enrollment that is a lot like Homeschool days. It was all of January and select dates in June and July.



Okay, I must be incapable of navigating Disney's website, because I cannot find anything about homeschool days and classes and whatnot!   All I can find is for groups of 10 or more. I can never seem to find what I'm looking for there. That's why I come here!


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/listing/listingPageRender?page=HSDEventInfoListingPage

Try this one.

Near the upper left of Y.E.S. homepage there is a programs dropdown button. You can choose Homeschool Days. Then Event Information or Ticket Packages. If you want more than 5 days, call to get pricing. Hope this helps.


----------



## GoofyG

Does any one know the importance of accredited or does it matter?  I'm stuck between a couple of choices for homeschooling.  I need it laid out for me to teach her.  I do know I got her Kindergarten test scores and she tested in high 2nd grade.  I was looking between the http://www.aceministries.com/
or the http://www.k12.com/

I like that the ACE is Christian based, I have to decide around the 15th.  Don't know if the K12 will let me move her ahead into a higher grade level if she needs it or not.


----------



## Nicolepa

GoofyG said:


> Does any one know the importance of accredited or does it matter?  I'm stuck between a couple of choices for homeschooling.  I need it laid out for me to teach her.  I do know I got her Kindergarten test scores and she tested in high 2nd grade.  I was looking between the http://www.aceministries.com/
> or the http://www.k12.com/
> 
> I like that the ACE is Christian based, I have to decide around the 15th.  Don't know if the K12 will let me move her ahead into a higher grade level if she needs it or not.



IMO I don't think accredited means anything until maybe high school.  It wouldn't even enter my mind for an elementary student.  I totally understand needing it laid out for you.  That is why I went with K12, everything is laid out.  If you work ahead or move slower the schedule automatically adjusts for you.  I've been happy with everything except math.

As for whether  you can move up or not will depend.  If you are doing it independently then you can do whatever you want.  If you are doing it thru a Virtual Academy then it will depend on their rules.  The worst case I've heard of is having to start on grade level and then they will move the student up in a month or two but usually they have no problem going up a grade.  My VA offered to move my son up but I chose just to work at an accelerated pace in case he had gaps (which it what I was lead to believe in his school).  In his case that was probably the best thing because 3rd grade has a lot more writing and he wouldn't have been ready for it.

In case you are interested I just got his Stanford test scores back.  He was supposidly behind in reading and LA in public school.  He scored 4.4 average (4th grade, 4th month) in Reading, 4.7 average in math and a 2.9 in Language, which would be just slightly behind average but he started way behind in the year.  His overall average was a 4.2 for complete battery and a 4.6 for basic battery.

So I guess what I'm saying is the K12 seems to be working well for my child.


----------



## Nicolepa

GoofyG said:


> Does any one know the importance of accredited or does it matter?  I'm stuck between a couple of choices for homeschooling.  I need it laid out for me to teach her.  I do know I got her Kindergarten test scores and she tested in high 2nd grade.  I was looking between the http://www.aceministries.com/
> or the http://www.k12.com/
> 
> I like that the ACE is Christian based, I have to decide around the 15th.  Don't know if the K12 will let me move her ahead into a higher grade level if she needs it or not.



Another thing, while K12 is not Christian based per say.  I was really surprised at how much Christian stuff there was in the 2nd grade cirriculum.  The gal who wrote The Story of the World wrote the 1st & 2nd grade history for K12 before writing her books and they are almost word for word the same.  I found out about K12 from a Christian friend who had read about it in Dobson's Bringing up Boys book.  I really think they were headed in a Christian direction until it started getting picked up by the public schools.  I honestly can't believe a publicly funded school can get away with so much religion in their cirriculum.


----------



## GoofyG

I didn't think accredited meant anything at 1st grade.  It was her standford test that i got that said she was 2nd grade. 
 My concern is how many hrs a day it will take too.  She is a gymnast and does 13.5 hrs a week of practice, then she will have meets along with that.  One reason why I was going to homeschool her.  In her 13.5 hrs of practice it includes 2 days in the morning that is optional.  I was having her do that because it is on the 2 days that I work.


----------



## Nicolepa

GoofyG said:


> I didn't think accredited meant anything at 1st grade.  It was her standford test that i got that said she was 2nd grade.
> My concern is how many hrs a day it will take too.  She is a gymnast and does 13.5 hrs a week of practice, then she will have meets along with that.  One reason why I was going to homeschool her.  In her 13.5 hrs of practice it includes 2 days in the morning that is optional.  I was having her do that because it is on the 2 days that I work.



2nd grade took us about 1.5 -2 hours and that was with us accelerating the work.  We did an extra Art, Science, & History and 2 extra LA a week.  

3rd grade is taking us about 3 hours but I've switched us to more of a 4 day week.  We are in a VA so we technically have to do 5 days a week but I ususally just do a math, or spelling words and log 20-60 minutes for the day.


----------



## GoofyG

Nicolepa said:


> 2nd grade took us about 1.5 -2 hours and that was with us accelerating the work.  We did an extra Art, Science, & History and 2 extra LA a week.
> 
> 3rd grade is taking us about 3 hours but I've switched us to more of a 4 day week.  We are in a VA so we technically have to do 5 days a week but I ususally just do a math, or spelling words and log 20-60 minutes for the day.



That's good to know, I was concern when K12 says 6.5 hrs a day.  I would put her into public school for that many hrs.  I was hopeing for not as many hrs a day.  Is there stuff she has to do online?  I was trying to figure out when we travel for gymnastics.


----------



## Nicolepa

GoofyG said:


> That's good to know, I was concern when K12 says 6.5 hrs a day.  I would put her into public school for that many hrs.  I was hopeing for not as many hrs a day.  Is there stuff she has to do online?  I was trying to figure out when we travel for gymnastics.



Since the VA is technically a public school they have to go to school the same number of hours.  Math for example is supposed to take 60 minutes.  If it takes you 15 minutes then you still technically did 60 minutes of work so you mark off 60 minutes.  On the flip side if it takes you 75 minutes you mark 75 minutes.

For 2nd grade Science, Art & History were mainly online (except for experiments).  Math & LA could be done offline.  For 3rd grade History and Art are still online but Science is about 50/50.  They have you do more reading of books.  For 2nd grade I really felt tied to the computer and it was difficult to school out and about.  3rd grade I am feeling less tied to the computer.


----------



## NiniMorris

Mommy2three said:


> i homeschoooled my two oldest for the past one and a half years and then 3 months ago decided to put them into public school.  needless to say they will be homeschooled again next year due to alot of bullying at the school and the school doesnt do anything about it.  my 10 year old DD got jumped by a group of 5 boys, my 8 year old son who is on the autism spectrum has been beat up 3 times now, one time he came home with 2 black eyes.  I am so fed up with our school system.  One of the 5 boys who jumped my daughter came over to my home yesterday and choked out my 8 year old son and punched him in the back several times, the police were called and nothing could be done about it since he is under the age of 12, then the parents of the boy came over here and started threatening me,and police were called again and nothing was done about it. that same boy was expelled from one of the public schools down the road for beating kids up and now hes been at our neighborhood school since FEB.
> 
> the school is doing nothing to protect the kids. they only have ONE adult on the playground supervising 400+ kids.  I will be sending my 4 year old daughter this coming school year to public school for K. but will be requesting that she goes to another school and if she has problems at school then she will be homeschooled too/  my two old both have special needs, my son on the spectrum, and my oldest DD adhd, bipolar, RAD, ptsd, and my 4 year old is gifted with a very high IQ of 150 and tests out as a 12 year old child, and she is very headstrong and does not put up with bullying, she is not afraid to fight back.



I can SO relate to your story.  My youngest two children are biracial.  My DD9 is very advanced for her age (she was reading on a 6th grade level at the end of Kindergarten) When she was in second grade a little boy in her class told her he and his 'gang' were going to kill her and her brother because they were 'mixed' and 'mixed' people don't deserve to be alive.

Needless to say, my husband (a police officer) and I were LIVID!  The school refused to consider it a case of racial bullying because the bullier was black.They told me since they were only in 2nd grade there was no way he could carry out his threat.  My response was something along the lines of "if I thought he was seriously going to carry out his threat, I would have let the police resolve it and not the school" I did not want the little boy going to jail, I wanted them separated and the little boy TAUGHT that bullying was wrong.  In second grade I really thought he was teachable...

After a week of my daughter crying to stay home, the school finally moved HER to another class.  (punish the victim, not the abuser.  She had a tough time trying to understand why she had to be moved when she did nothing wrong, only reported what the little boy had done to her.

That is when we decided to home school.

Two and a half years later, I discovered that trying to work with a gifted child, a special needs child, and my 2 year old grand daughter was more than I can handle, so after a lot of thought we put her back in public school.

The school assured me that the little boy in question was no longer in the school district and I had nothing to worry about.  I made them promise that if he returned they would under no circumstances be in the same classroom...fast forward to about 3 months ago...guess who moved back into the district!  And guess which class they put him in!  And guess what he got in trouble for .... on his FIRST day in school!

I had several long conversations with the principal...and my lawyer...and hubby spent all of his free time having lunch with our daughter...in uniform.  The little boy did not make it to the end of the year without being suspended and then expelled...but we really worry about next year.

I can feel your pain.  We have considered private school, just not sure we can swing the tuition...


Nini


----------



## danjoealexis3006

Hi all! Has anyone here used K12 for an elementry student with learing disablities? They just opened it up in a district close by. It would be nice to have the planning and curriculum for free. 
Thanks


----------



## adisneymama

danjoealexis3006 said:


> Hi all! Has anyone here used K12 for an elementry student with learing disablities? They just opened it up in a district close by. It would be nice to have the planning and curriculum for free.
> Thanks



I am using K12 with my DD but as homeschool option not the free public school.  I do know that you can send them any current IEP's etc and they will assign your child to their special services team, but I don't know anything further.  I decided to homeschool so that we didn't have to worry about the state assessments.

For those asking about the length of time with K12 (again this is the homeschool option) it takes us around 3-4 hrs total for all courses.  Sometimes less. HTH


----------



## Nicolepa

danjoealexis3006 said:


> Hi all! Has anyone here used K12 for an elementry student with learing disablities? They just opened it up in a district close by. It would be nice to have the planning and curriculum for free.
> Thanks



I use K12 for my 2nd grader.  He doesn't have a learning disability per say.  He has a 504 for a hearing loss and stemming from that he is (was) behind in language.

He has done so well with K12.  I had him do annual testing this year and he scored an overall average of 4.6.  His lowest score was 2.9 (2nd grade, 9th month) was of course, language.  But considering he had just completed 2nd grade he was right on grade level.

There are things I don't like, but for the price (free) I am willing to put up with them.  For the most part I think it's a great cirriculum.


----------



## danjoealexis3006

Can I ask what you don't like about it?


----------



## Nicolepa

danjoealexis3006 said:


> Can I ask what you don't like about it?



I dispise their math.  They give no instruction on how to teach the concepts, spend no time actually mastering the facts tables etc.  But to be fair they have redone their math this next year so I can't say what it will be like.  Personally I can't take the risk so I've dropped K12 math for next year.

The other things I don't like are just due to my personal quirks.  Because I'm with a VA we have monthly goals to meet and at the begining of the month I always stress about getting behind (we never do) but it's still there for me.  I've finally resolved that by figuring out how much we need to acomplish per week.  That way if we have a bad day I know we are still OK when we meet the weekly goal.  

My son & I love their history.  That is now his favorite subject.  I love that the art goes along with the history.  Especially in 3rd grade.    

I wasn't a huge fan of the 2nd grade cirriculum.  I felt it was way too easy for my child.  I decided to give 3rd grade a chance thru the summer (started 3rd in April) and I feel it is much, much better and we will continue with everything except math for next year.


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

NiniMorris said:


> I can SO relate to your story.  My youngest two children are biracial.  My DD9 is very advanced for her age (she was reading on a 6th grade level at the end of Kindergarten) When she was in second grade a little boy in her class told her he and his 'gang' were going to kill her and her brother because they were 'mixed' and 'mixed' people don't deserve to be alive.
> 
> Needless to say, my husband (a police officer) and I were LIVID!  The school refused to consider it a case of racial bullying because the bullier was black.They told me since they were only in 2nd grade there was no way he could carry out his threat.  My response was something along the lines of "if I thought he was seriously going to carry out his threat, I would have let the police resolve it and not the school" I did not want the little boy going to jail, I wanted them separated and the little boy TAUGHT that bullying was wrong.  In second grade I really thought he was teachable...
> 
> After a week of my daughter crying to stay home, the school finally moved HER to another class.  (punish the victim, not the abuser.  She had a tough time trying to understand why she had to be moved when she did nothing wrong, only reported what the little boy had done to her.
> 
> That is when we decided to home school.
> 
> Two and a half years later, I discovered that trying to work with a gifted child, a special needs child, and my 2 year old grand daughter was more than I can handle, so after a lot of thought we put her back in public school.
> 
> The school assured me that the little boy in question was no longer in the school district and I had nothing to worry about.  I made them promise that if he returned they would under no circumstances be in the same classroom...fast forward to about 3 months ago...guess who moved back into the district!  And guess which class they put him in!  And guess what he got in trouble for .... on his FIRST day in school!
> 
> I had several long conversations with the principal...and my lawyer...and hubby spent all of his free time having lunch with our daughter...in uniform.  The little boy did not make it to the end of the year without being suspended and then expelled...but we really worry about next year.
> 
> I can feel your pain.  We have considered private school, just not sure we can swing the tuition...
> 
> 
> Nini



 So sorry you and your family went through all that. How sad for everyone. Hope you find something that works for you and your daughter.


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

Anybody homeschooling middle schoolers? 

Here, as in my local groups, it seems like there is a very large pre-3rd(ish) h/s population, but then the kids go to a traditional school when they're older. 

My guys are 10 and 12, and we're fortunate to have a good group of local families, but it's a very small group!


----------



## danjoealexis3006

polkadotsuitcase said:


> Anybody homeschooling middle schoolers?
> 
> Here, as in my local groups, it seems like there is a very large pre-3rd(ish) h/s population, but then the kids go to a traditional school when they're older.
> 
> My guys are 10 and 12, and we're fortunate to have a good group of local families, but it's a very small group!



We are! I have a 9 and almost 12 year old. We have found that our homeschool group has mostly young ones too. It makes it hard for my almost 12 year old. He's a great sport though, he trys to help out with the young ones. I felt kinda of bad for him until last night at his baseball game and some of the other mothers were talking about how they're ps guy were getting calls from girls and how much of an attitiude thier guys have (one mom says her guy is starting puberty but he's only just turned 11). Wow! I'm glad we don't have girls calling yet! You can see the difference between the ps boys and my guy. Moms were commenting how when they say "hi" that he says "hi" right back and talks with them. It's a wonder what one year of homeschooling has done!


----------



## DawnM

Did you all get this?

I am really excited about this one.  My oldest will be thrilled to do it.

http://www.wdwinv.com/files/Youth/2010/wdw/Homeschool/may/index.html

Dawn


----------



## DawnM

I am going to call the YES number and ask these questions:

1. Can we get APs and still do the homeschool days
2. Can we buy the YES days and apply it to our APs
3. Can we use our GAD passes towards our homeschool days

I need to figure out our best/least expensive option here.  DS will want to do the Art days but we also would like to get APs.

Dawn


----------



## graygables

DawnM said:


> I am going to call the YES number and ask these questions:
> 
> 1. Can we get APs and still do the homeschool days
> 2. Can we buy the YES days and apply it to our APs
> 3. Can we use our GAD passes towards our homeschool days
> 
> I need to figure out our best/least expensive option here.  DS will want to do the Art days but we also would like to get APs.
> 
> Dawn



It says on the ticketing page that it is a "hard ticket" event.  That means that you cannot use APs or apply the YES days to an AP.  I'm also fairly sure they won't allow the GAD passes to be used.  It really does tie one's hands, doesn't it?  It REALLY stinks for Cast Members...


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

danjoealexis3006 said:


> We are! I have a 9 and almost 12 year old. We have found that our homeschool group has mostly young ones too. It makes it hard for my almost 12 year old. He's a great sport though, he trys to help out with the young ones. I felt kinda of bad for him until last night at his baseball game and some of the other mothers were talking about how they're ps guy were getting calls from girls and how much of an attitiude thier guys have (one mom says her guy is starting puberty but he's only just turned 11). Wow! I'm glad we don't have girls calling yet! You can see the difference between the ps boys and my guy. Moms were commenting how when they say "hi" that he says "hi" right back and talks with them. It's a wonder what one year of homeschooling has done!



Homeschooling elementary years was the fun stuff -- it definitely gets harder as they get older, not just with the teaching but with the socializing, too (although we still manage to have fun as well). The h/s population pool kinda shrinks!

Sounds like your kiddos are doing great, though!


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

polkadotsuitcase said:


> Anybody homeschooling middle schoolers?
> 
> Here, as in my local groups, it seems like there is a very large pre-3rd(ish) h/s population, but then the kids go to a traditional school when they're older.
> 
> My guys are 10 and 12, and we're fortunate to have a good group of local families, but it's a very small group!



My children are 8 and 11. Our ice skating homeschool classes has ages 4-16. It is a great group that we do many other activities, field trips, parties with. I did pray and ask for specifics of what I was looking for in a group. God answered. The parents and the children are all a perfect combination. We are all from a variety of backgrounds. Different races, different ways of home-schooling, different economic status, different religious beliefs, different sizes, what can I say we are just different. But we all get along great! I feel very blessed to be a part of this group.

Sometimes you will find what you are looking for where you least expect it.



DawnM said:


> I am going to call the YES number and ask these questions:
> 
> 1. Can we get APs and still do the homeschool days
> 2. Can we buy the YES days and apply it to our APs
> 3. Can we use our GAD passes towards our homeschool days
> 
> I need to figure out our best/least expensive option here.  DS will want to do the Art days but we also would like to get APs.
> 
> Dawn



They are very helpful with any questions when you call. From past Homeschool Days the information has been- APs can pay a fee of around $26 for classes. YES tickets can not be changed in anyway. They are different from regular tickets so can not be upgraded. But they are such an awesome deal. We got 10 day park hoppers with the homeschool class for $179 this past January. The GAD passes can be used to get fast passes. That is a pretty nice option. Or the special pins. 

Or seeing you want to get APs use the GAD towards the APs and pay the $26 dollars a class for the art classes. 

I really wish we could go again in September. I know my DD would love the art classes as well but it looks like we will have to wait until September 2011.

Have a great time!


----------



## DreadpiratK

graygables said:


> It says on the ticketing page that it is a "hard ticket" event.  That means that you cannot use APs or apply the YES days to an AP.  I'm also fairly sure they won't allow the GAD passes to be used.  It really does tie one's hands, doesn't it?  It REALLY stinks for Cast Members...



What do you mean by they 'won't allow the GAD passes to be used?" Just curious.  We are planning on getting the 5 day plus passes or maybe more since people here have mentioned that they are available, and we have GAD vouchers to use as well.  I just figured we'd show up one day and use the GAD vouchers, and use the YES passes the rest of the time.  Is this not possible?   Sorry if this is a dumb question, I just don't see how they would know you have a YES ticket if you just use you voucher.

OK, re-reading it maybe you mean you cannot use the GAD vouchers to enter the park on the day of the actual HS days classes?  That makes sense.  See, I'm slow, but I do eventually get there.


----------



## graygables

DreadpiratK said:


> What do you mean by they 'won't allow the GAD passes to be used?" Just curious.  We are planning on getting the 5 day plus passes or maybe more since people here have mentioned that they are available, and we have GAD vouchers to use as well.  I just figured we'd show up one day and use the GAD vouchers, and use the YES passes the rest of the time.  Is this not possible?   Sorry if this is a dumb question, I just don't see how they would know you have a YES ticket if you just use you voucher.
> 
> OK, re-reading it maybe you mean you cannot use the GAD vouchers to enter the park on the day of the actual HS days classes?  That makes sense.  See, I'm slow, but I do eventually get there.



I need to clarify, but here's how I understand it: the event itself is hard-ticketed, meaning you have to buy at least the one day admission.  It is much like the parties are hard-ticketed, there are no discounts and you can't apply a complimentary admission (i.e. GAD) to the purchase.  You also cannot apply the hard ticket for the event to a different media, such as an AP.

I just tried to walk through the purchase process and you cannot get to the YES programs without purchasing at least 1 of the event tickets.  It also says that a parent must accompany children under 13, so that could add an additional YES admission to the bottom line.  In the past, I've signed the kids in and have not accompanied them; part of the experience is to give them a break from me.  I have emailed asking for clarification b/c if I do have to spend the extra $$$ for myself, in addition to the unneeded park ticket, I'm not sure we'll be participating this year.


----------



## DawnM

THanks.

I figured I couldn't use the GAD for the HS days, but I thought it was worth a shot.

Most likely we will get the lowest price FL APs this year to try to cut costs.  I know we can use the GAD towards those purchases.  We have some property in FL so we have a FL ID.  DH will probably get the higher priced one to get parking and golfing included.

That will mean paying for the HS activity.  Drat......ds is 12 and won't turn 13 until Feb. 2, so even if we do the Jan one he will be 2 weeks away from turning 13.  

As for using our GAD for fast passes.....we once won a FP thing for the day, it was January, and we NEVER needed them for anything!  There were never any waits for anything.  I would hate to waste them for FP when it isn't needed.

Dawn


----------



## jetprincess

I have talked about homeschooling off and on throughout the years.  I finally let it go after my 3rd grader told me she didn't want to.  However, after a school year full of "girl drama" (she was on both sides of this) she told me she wants to homeschool next year.  This was out of the blue!  

Because of her reasoning, I'm on the fence now.  I don't want her to run from her problems.  Also, now that she has learned that she doesn't want to be involved in the drama, she needs to learn how to keep herself out of it.  Am I doing her any favors by solving this problem for her?  At the same time, I don't think I can take another year of that girl stuff...

I digress... I also want her to understand what it is going to mean to homeschool.  Sure, I've told her that we will have a classroom, the work might even be more difficult and I might expect more than her other teachers have BUT I don't know if she hears me.

Are there any books recs on a 3rd/4th grade level that could help with this?


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

jetprincess said:


> I have talked about homeschooling off and on throughout the years.  I finally let it go after my 3rd grader told me she didn't want to.  However, after a school year full of "girl drama" (she was on both sides of this) she told me she wants to homeschool next year.  This was out of the blue!
> 
> Because of her reasoning, I'm on the fence now.  I don't want her to run from her problems.  Also, now that she has learned that she doesn't want to be involved in the drama, she needs to learn how to keep herself out of it.  Am I doing her any favors by solving this problem for her?  At the same time, I don't think I can take another year of that girl stuff...
> 
> I digress... I also want her to understand what it is going to mean to homeschool.  Sure, I've told her that we will have a classroom, the work might even be more difficult and I might expect more than her other teachers have BUT I don't know if she hears me.
> 
> Are there any books recs on a 3rd/4th grade level that could help with this?



Could you borrow some materials from someone/the library and "test drive" h/sing over the summer break? Even just for a week or two -- then you'd both get a taste of what you'll be doing. Granted, it won't really give you a full idea -- that initial period will always be different than when you find your groove -- but at least she'll/you'll have an idea of what your days would be like, what would be expected of her, etc.

Good luck!


----------



## Indiana Rose Lee

dawn, what if you used them for the pins and put them on ebay or something. I know I wanted a set. there must be others out there like me!  then you could just add the cash to your disney trip. we won fp once for DHS, and used none in January, also!


----------



## MyDisneyTrio

Hi everyone .... I have a 3 yo DS (will be 4 in Sept.), and I am very seriously considering homeschool him. I wanted to perhaps start with some preschool type material in the fall. I am just beginning to research all of this, and would appreciate any information that I can get. I live in the Houston area, so I have access to a lot of homeschool groups, and also a very large Homeschool supply store. What curriculum have you all used for elementary? I have looked at K12, Calvert, and just requested information from Sonlight. I also have a 2 yo DS and a 10 month old DD. Can you all provide me some insight on how to homeschool multiple children that are different ages? Thanks so much!


----------



## dis-happy

MyDisneyTrio said:


> Hi everyone .... I have a 3 yo DS (will be 4 in Sept.), and I am very seriously considering homeschool him. I wanted to perhaps start with some preschool type material in the fall. I am just beginning to research all of this, and would appreciate any information that I can get. I live in the Houston area, so I have access to a lot of homeschool groups, and also a very large Homeschool supply store. What curriculum have you all used for elementary? I have looked at K12, Calvert, and just requested information from Sonlight. I also have a 2 yo DS and a 10 month old DD. Can you all provide me some insight on how to homeschool multiple children that are different ages? Thanks so much!




I'd keep and light and easy your first year---you sound like a busy mom!  Look into Five In A Row for pre-k.  If she is so inclined, you could pick up some simple workbooks at Wal-Mart...ones that teach alphabet letters, sounds, and letter formation; perhaps another one for basic number awareness.  Do an art project a couple of times a week (or as much as you can handle).  But most of all, keep it fun and keep it simple to start.

Another recommendation: join a homeschool support group in your area and join in some of the activities.


----------



## Indiana Rose Lee

five in a row has a great message board. one of my friends is a mod.


----------



## robinsegg

MyDisneyTrio said:


> Hi everyone .... I have a 3 yo DS (will be 4 in Sept.), and I am very seriously considering homeschool him. I wanted to perhaps start with some preschool type material in the fall. I am just beginning to research all of this, and would appreciate any information that I can get. I live in the Houston area, so I have access to a lot of homeschool groups, and also a very large Homeschool supply store. What curriculum have you all used for elementary? I have looked at K12, Calvert, and just requested information from Sonlight. I also have a 2 yo DS and a 10 month old DD. Can you all provide me some insight on how to homeschool multiple children that are different ages? Thanks so much!


We used Sonlight for preK, and now use My Father's World.
letteroftheweek.com has free online preK suggestions, stuff to choose from for one letter sound per week.
There's also a book you can get on preK Montessori ideas.

This last year, I had a 4th grader, 1st grader and an infant (turns 1 today ) We used curriculum for the oldest for science, history and such, letting the younger learn at his own level. We separated them for math and writing.


----------



## disneymom3

DawnM said:


> Did you all get this?
> 
> I am really excited about this one.  My oldest will be thrilled to do it.
> 
> http://www.wdwinv.com/files/Youth/2010/wdw/Homeschool/may/index.html
> 
> Dawn



That sounds amazing!  I so wish we could afford to do WDW this fall!


----------



## DawnM

Maybe.  We will have to see.  

The AP option may be better for us as we very well may go back within the year.

Dawn



Indiana Rose Lee said:


> dawn, what if you used them for the pins and put them on ebay or something. I know I wanted a set. there must be others out there like me!  then you could just add the cash to your disney trip. we won fp once for DHS, and used none in January, also!


----------



## Momof2princess'

> We used Sonlight for preK, and now use My Father's World.
> letteroftheweek.com has free online preK suggestions, stuff to choose from for one letter sound per week.
> There's also a book you can get on preK Montessori ideas.



We love the letteroftheweek.com  over at our house! 
 My DD is 3.5 and I am still undecided as to if we will homeschool her.  She is in two co-op preschools(one I stay with her and teach a subject every other week and the other I drop her off and teach both days every 6 weeks)  right now and is just starting to sound out words.  She knows all of her letters/sounds and is getting the concept of addition and subtraction.  I am worried that if I send her to public school that she will be bored and lose her creativity.  She learns best by sounds so we sing a lot and role play a lot and I know thats harder to do in public school.  The reason I am still questioning as to whether or not to homeschool is because she can't wait to go to school.  We just did a preschool project for A entiled "All about me" where she traced her body and answered questions about herself.  Her answer to when I grow up was, "I will go to school."
Any advice for me?  I am not the smartest person around and am afraid that as she gets older I wont be able to teach her.  Thanks for the input.


----------



## scrapbookingmanda

Momof2princess' said:


> We love the letteroftheweek.com  over at our house!
> My DD is 3.5 and I am still undecided as to if we will homeschool her.  She is in two co-op preschools(one I stay with her and teach a subject every other week and the other I drop her off and teach both days every 6 weeks)  right now and is just starting to sound out words.  She knows all of her letters/sounds and is getting the concept of addition and subtraction.  I am worried that if I send her to public school that she will be bored and lose her creativity.  She learns best by sounds so we sing a lot and role play a lot and I know thats harder to do in public school.  The reason I am still questioning as to whether or not to homeschool is because she can't wait to go to school.  We just did a preschool project for A entiled "All about me" where she traced her body and answered questions about herself.  Her answer to when I grow up was, "I will go to school."
> Any advice for me?  I am not the smartest person around and am afraid that as she gets older I wont be able to teach her.  Thanks for the input.



I worried about this with mine, then I realized if they don't go to preschool everyday, they don't really realize that kindergarten is supposed to be everyday. Mine just turned 6 and 4 so last year was our first official homeschool year We attend a homeschool co-op every Monday where the parents teach different classes. I treat that like their "School". The first day we went, we treated it like my ds's first day of kindergarten. We got the new backpacks, took pictures at the door, made a big deal out of it. They do field trips and have holiday parties during the lunch break so they get all the fun stuff too. So my kids know we go to "school" on Mondays and do school at home the rest of the week.


----------



## DawnM

June and July break.

I hadn't planned on taking a summer break.  We normally just school year round, but this summer is turning out to be very busy!

So I have given up.  School will resume in August for the new school year and then we will take a fall break to Disney.

Dawn


----------



## robinsegg

Momof2princess' said:


> The reason I am still questioning as to whether or not to homeschool is because she can't wait to go to school.  We just did a preschool project for A entiled "All about me" where she traced her body and answered questions about herself.  Her answer to when I grow up was, "I will go to school."
> Any advice for me?  I am not the smartest person around and am afraid that as she gets older I wont be able to teach her.  Thanks for the input.


Hi!
My oldest seemed to think it was some sort of "rite of passage" that made her "big" to go to "big school". She never went, and has finally (end of 4th grade) gotten over the idea of ps, realizing she won't get what she really wants from it.
If you're concerned about it, make a big fuss over making a "desk" and getting "school supplies" and setting up school for your "first day of K". You may be pleasantly surprised at her reaction. 
As far as being concerned with your ability to teach her later . . . we take it "1 year at a time". Don't be too concerned, there are too many options for that to be a major problem . . . DVDs, Umbrella Schools, etc.


----------



## LizEN

graygables said:


> I just tried to walk through the purchase process and you cannot get to the YES programs without purchasing at least 1 of the event tickets.



I am totally confused by the online purchase pages for the WDW Sept YES programs/Homeschool Days!  It looks to me like we purchase the tickets, then we pay additionally for the YES class.  But it doesn't explain if there is a minimum of classes we need to take in order to qualify for the park tkt discount.  I might even consider doing without the class entirely and just take advantage of the discount park tkts.  It looks like we could do this, but it doesn't make sense that they would allow this.  Also want to be sure that I can book for our family alone and don't need to be part of a larger group.  Am I just dense?   Help please


----------



## graygables

LizEN said:


> I am totally confused by the online purchase pages for the WDW Sept YES programs/Homeschool Days!  It looks to me like we purchase the tickets, then we pay additionally for the YES class.  But it doesn't explain if there is a minimum of classes we need to take in order to qualify for the park tkt discount.  I might even consider doing without the class entirely and just take advantage of the discount park tkts.  It looks like we could do this, but it doesn't make sense that they would allow this.  Also want to be sure that I can book for our family alone and don't need to be part of a larger group.  Am I just dense?   Help please



The YES programs are priced separately.  It's my understanding that to take advantage of the ticket pricing, you only have to sign up for the presentation.  Nope, you don't need to be part of a larger group, but they do ask for your homeschool name.  "Gray's Academy for Girls", anyone?


----------



## LizEN

Thanks, that's great news.  I can splurge on Park Hoppers now!


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## graygables

robinsegg said:


> Hi!
> My oldest seemed to think it was some sort of "rite of passage" that made her "big" to go to "big school". She never went, and has finally (end of 4th grade) gotten over the idea of ps, realizing she won't get what she really wants from it.
> If you're concerned about it, make a big fuss over making a "desk" and getting "school supplies" and setting up school for your "first day of K". You may be pleasantly surprised at her reaction.
> As far as being concerned with your ability to teach her later . . . we take it "1 year at a time". Don't be too concerned, there are too many options for that to be a major problem . . . DVDs, Umbrella Schools, etc.



Find out exactly what she's looking for at "school".  For mine, it was the playground.  When they discovered they could go to a playground without going to school, they were thrilled.  Some kids need the chalkboard/desk kind of structure because that is what has been programmed into them and if that's the case, you can make that happen. Go shopping for school supplies, set up a bulletin board she can help decorate, etc.  Some kids just think the grass is greener and there's not much you can do about that.  I know someone who has a "NOT Back to School" day the first day of PS and they go to an amusement park or a beach instead.  Once the advantages start to become clear, the notion of "school" tends to dissipate and is replaced by the love of learning.


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## robinsegg

graygables said:


> Find out exactly what she's looking for at "school".


She'd seen on tv that kids spend time together at school. She didn't understand (does now) that the amount of time was exaggerated and that her friends aren't in the same grade as her (she wouldn't see them, anyway). Now, she's just as happy staying home with 1 or 2 "extras"


----------



## Momof2princess'

Thanks for the advice.  I am not sure where the notion of 'going to school' has come from since she has no older siblings.  I think it may be that the school bus stops in front of our house and she wants to ride it.  Any ideas for that?  Also how do you go about finding a homeschool group in your area?  I am clueless and really want this to work...of course, DD is 3.5 so I have a while...


----------



## dis-happy

Momof2princess' said:


> Thanks for the advice.  I am not sure where the notion of 'going to school' has come from since she has no older siblings.  I think it may be that the school bus stops in front of our house and she wants to ride it.  Any ideas for that?  Also how do you go about finding a homeschool group in your area?  I am clueless and really want this to work...of course, DD is 3.5 so I have a while...




Go to google and type in your city name and "homeschool" (or homeschooling or homeschool groups, etc).  If that doesn't work, try the HSLDA website and contact the homeschool org for your state; they'll have the names of the homsechool support groups in your area.


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## robinsegg

Momof2princess' said:


> Thanks for the advice.  I am not sure where the notion of 'going to school' has come from since she has no older siblings.  I think it may be that the school bus stops in front of our house and she wants to ride it.  Any ideas for that?  Also how do you go about finding a homeschool group in your area?  I am clueless and really want this to work...of course, DD is 3.5 so I have a while...


Go to your local library, to the childrens' department. Tell them you're interested in homeschooling, and ask them to pass your contact information to a homeschooler or to the local group. Sometimes, they will be able to give you contact info for the group. Otherwise, they'll keep your info and give it to a local homeschooler (yes, they *always* know who is hsing) and get you in contact that way!
Have you considered using your local city or county bus a few times? That may take care of her desire to be on a bus.


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## GoofyG

I think I finally have it figured out for next year.  I ordered DD6 Abeka's english, should get it this week.  She has also been doing Bob Jones Math 1, I need to get the teacher book, none of the stores have them.  I'm getting a science book and we will be at the library for other forms of reading.  My mom is also going to teach her to sew.  Better her then me!

I hope I haven't left anything out.  If I get the Abeka this week I may go ahead and start her schooling in July!

I'm trying to decide if I want to get anything for DD4, but I do like the letter of the week.  So i'm still thinking on her.


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## jetprincess

Isn't this "unofficial" or has that changed?  Is is still a week that many homeschool families just happen to decide to go to WDW?  

When does it happen?

Thanks!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

GoofyG said:


> I think I finally have it figured out for next year.  I ordered DD6 Abeka's english, should get it this week.  She has also been doing Bob Jones Math 1, I need to get the teacher book, none of the stores have them.  I'm getting a science book and we will be at the library for other forms of reading.  My mom is also going to teach her to sew.  Better her then me!
> 
> I hope I haven't left anything out.  If I get the Abeka this week I may go ahead and start her schooling in July!
> 
> I'm trying to decide if I want to get anything for DD4, but I do like the letter of the week.  So i'm still thinking on her.



I too like the idea of the letter of the week!! How fun!!! And we start in July too....then we take off earlier in the spring for summer break. By thanksgiving we are all done for Semester One and are close to time for our annual trip to Disney!!


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## graygables

Momof2princess' said:


> Thanks for the advice.  I am not sure where the notion of 'going to school' has come from since she has no older siblings.  I think it may be that the school bus stops in front of our house and she wants to ride it.  Any ideas for that?  Also how do you go about finding a homeschool group in your area?  I am clueless and really want this to work...of course, DD is 3.5 so I have a while...



I knew a homeschool group once that rented a school bus to take them to the park their "1st" day of school. Took the mystique right out of it


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## gerberdaisy1234

jetprincess said:


> Isn't this "unofficial" or has that changed?  Is is still a week that many homeschool families just happen to decide to go to WDW?
> 
> When does it happen?
> 
> Thanks!



Homeschool Days at Disney are official presentations/classes offered through the Y.E.S. program. The park tickets are an amazing savings! (Example: For Homeschool Days in January we got 10 day park hoppers including the the homeschool presentation class for $179 each for everyone in our family)

They are in January and September. This September 8&9 and January 2011- 24&25. http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/programs/programOverview?page=HSDProgramOverviewPage

You can use tickets before and after those dates. They are good 7 days prior to your arrival date and 7 days after your departure date.

Extra Y.E.S. classes cost around $26 each.


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## chicagoshannon

Momof2princess' said:


> Thanks for the advice.  I am not sure where the notion of 'going to school' has come from since she has no older siblings.  I think it may be that the school bus stops in front of our house and she wants to ride it.  Any ideas for that?  Also how do you go about finding a homeschool group in your area?  I am clueless and really want this to work...of course, DD is 3.5 so I have a while...



Your DD sounds a lot like mine.  My DD also wants to ride the bus SO bad!  My DD is very social and thinks that by going to school she'll get to see all of her friends all the time.  I've just started to prepare her now that she won't be going to school on a bus.  I have another couple of years to totally get her to understand.  I'm a little worried but not too much.  She's so smart that she would be incredibly bored at regular school.  At 3 she's already working at an almost 1st grade level. I can't imagine sending her to PS.


----------



## littlepeppers

3rd gd curriculum is in & WOW!!!!!!....... it is a lot different than 2nd grade.

No more baby school for DS.  The txt are huge & there are so many txt books.  We will have to use notebooks now like big kids.........  where did the time go?

We are starting July 6th w/ 4 half days to ease into the year.  Wish us luck.

Booked flights for WDW trip today.   Southwest 39th anniversery sale.


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## 02AggieGirl

[
They are in January and September. This September 8&9 and January 2011- 24&25. http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/programs/programOverview?page=HSDProgramOverviewPage

You can use tickets before and after those dates. They are good 7 days prior to your arrival date and 7 days after your departure date.

Extra Y.E.S. classes cost around $26 each.[/QUOTE]

I am confused....are there 2 sets of tickets?  One with just the presentation on Sept 8 and then the YES tickets (that incl park admission)?


----------



## LizEN

02AggieGirl said:


> [
> They are in January and September. This September 8&9 and January 2011- 24&25. http://disneyyouthgroups.disney.go.com/wdyp/programs/programOverview?page=HSDProgramOverviewPage
> 
> You can use tickets before and after those dates. They are good 7 days prior to your arrival date and 7 days after your departure date.



I was confused about the before and after clause and called before purchasing.  The CM told me they would be good a week before, during and after.  I hope that was correct or I just bought tickets I can't use.  The language on the site says from 7 days prior to your arrival date UNTIL 7 days after your departure.  I really hope the CM gave me the right info!


----------



## DreadpiratK

For those going to Home school days, does anyone know if they limit the total number of tickets for this event, i.e. do they sell out at any point?  We are holding off buying tickets to make sure that we will have the money to make the trip, but I don't want to wait to long, and get closed out.  It's just too good a deal, and exactly the week we were going anyway.


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## bumbershoot

Momof2princess' said:


> Thanks for the advice.  I am not sure where the notion of 'going to school' has come from since she has no older siblings.  I think it may be that the school bus stops in front of our house and she wants to ride it.  Any ideas for that?



DS did that at 3 as well.  Turns out Dora and Blue's Clues caused it.    I can't complain about Blue's Clues, as that show helped him get over some learning-to-talk roadbumps, but why did I EVER let Dora be shown in my house?  

I had to talk to him about it, and figure out what it was about school that he wanted.  The outcome of that series of conversations was that he wanted something official.  He wanted workbooks, to work routinely, etc etc.  Even at 3 this is what he wanted.

He's still like this at 6.  He really REALLY wants a school desk...not a desk and chair, but a real school desk with chair attached...I almost got one from a used furniture store online but I delayed too long and lost it...  

He also watches Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana (and Wizards of Waverly Place), and of course they never show the hours of teaching in the classrooms, just the passing period stuff that always looks so fun.  Heck, that sort of stuff looked fun and awesome to me, and I WENT to public school!  Passing period was never fun for me; it was filled with nervousness and wondering if I had cute clothes on, we didn't have lockers (b/c the kids ahead of us had vandalized them so much they were taken out) and had to carry everything with us, etc etc...you were just hurrying to class, NOT standing and chatting for 10 minutes at a time...  Oh and Breakfast Club's school was nothing like my school!  Let's just face it; TV school is nothing like real school.  




MyDisneyTrio said:


> Hi everyone .... I have a 3 yo DS (will be 4 in Sept.), and I am very seriously considering homeschool him. I wanted to perhaps start with some preschool type material in the fall. I am just beginning to research all of this, and would appreciate any information that I can get. I live in the Houston area, so I have access to a lot of homeschool groups, and also a very large Homeschool supply store. What curriculum have you all used for elementary? I have looked at K12, Calvert, and just requested information from Sonlight. I also have a 2 yo DS and a 10 month old DD. Can you all provide me some insight on how to homeschool multiple children that are different ages? Thanks so much!




IF you are religious (or can overlook it), Sonlight is really made to be used by a few kids of different ages all at once.  It's a real bonus if you have a few like you do.  For me, with a singleton, not such a value...and even if/when we have another (knock wood we do) they wouldn't be close in age at all so I would have to save it and hope the next kid can use it too.  

Calvert and K12 are both more one-grade-oriented, though I believe both have a program where you can buy more supplies, but not the main books, for the next kids in line to get to that grade.


----------



## Nicolepa

bumbershoot said:


> He's still like this at 6.  He really REALLY wants a school desk...not a desk and chair, but a real school desk with chair attached...I almost got one from a used furniture store online but I delayed too long and lost it...
> .....
> 
> Calvert and K12 are both more one-grade-oriented, though I believe both have a program where you can buy more supplies, but not the main books, for the next kids in line to get to that grade.



Well, in our schools they don't use the desk w/attached chair at all.  At least not K-6th.  

As for K12.  LA and Math are intended to be one grade but you can absolutly combine history, art and science if your kids are w/in 2 grades of each other.  Even Math & LA could be combined if they were close enough in age.


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## gerberdaisy1234

In regards to length of time the tickets are good for homeschool days...they are good a week before your arrival and a week after your departure dates not just a week before and after the class date (so you have longer). Example... Say the class is on the  june 15th but you are arriving and the 10th and leaving on the 18th. Well your tickets will say valid June 3-june 25.  Just pointed that out because some people are staying for longer times to do beach, cruise or parks and these tickets are good for more than 14 days like some tickets.

In regards to the tickets. You get your regular paper park tickets. Then when you show up for the presentation or Y.E.S. classes they give you an armband. Note when you receive the park tickets they will say YOUTH but they are good for everyone in your group. It just means that they were purchased through Youth Services.

I am pretty sure there is no limited on the number of tickets they sell for Homeschool Days. Some classes fill up and they have to be purchased a certain number of days in advance but you would be wise to wait if you are not sure. They are non-refundable. But if you are going any time in January you should be good to go because they will be offering open enrollment again for the month of January.


----------



## theduck619

We are getting ready to start homeschooling our five year old twin girls (kindergarten).  We have a variety of workbooks and lots of reading books but we are not sure where to start.  We have thought about purchasing a planner to plan out our curriculum, but again we are not sure where to start.  Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thank you!!


----------



## robinsegg

theduck619 said:


> We are getting ready to start homeschooling our five year old twin girls (kindergarten).  We have a variety of workbooks and lots of reading books but we are not sure where to start.  We have thought about purchasing a planner to plan out our curriculum, but again we are not sure where to start.  Any suggestions would be helpful.
> 
> Thank you!!


I always like to recommend someone in your position read  a book: "So, You're Thinking About Homeschooling?" by Lisa Whelchel. It's an easy read that gives you somewhere to start.

Can you tell us anything else about your girls? Do they know their letters? What do they like to do every day? Do you want to do "school at home" or be more relaxed?


----------



## theduck619

Thye do know thier letters and can count to 30 with out help.  they can do some simple spelling like cat, dog and thier names.  They love to be read to and are wanting to learn to read for themselves.

We definiltey want a relaxed school atmosphere without a strict timeline, at least not this early in the process.


----------



## bellebud

theduck619 said:


> We are getting ready to start homeschooling our five year old twin girls (kindergarten).  We have a variety of workbooks and lots of reading books but we are not sure where to start.  We have thought about purchasing a planner to plan out our curriculum, but again we are not sure where to start.  Any suggestions would be helpful.
> 
> Thank you!!



Normally I would say the first thing I would do is assess their learning styles.  There are a variety of assessment tools out there... "Discover your child's learning style" by mariaemma willis and victoria kindle hodson (they also have a website... learningsuccessinstitute-dot-com) is what was recommended to me by an experienced hsing mom who is very knowledgeable in early childhood development.  But yours are very young - if they "like" the workbooks, they're probably fine, but if both or 1 of them doesn't "enjoy" the workbooks, I'd look into what they do "enjoy".

Some kids don't learn well by using workbooks (my dd does learn well w/ workbooks, my ds totally doesn't).  For some kids the workbook format actually gets in the way of their learning.  My ds hated doing math on paper (and wasn't "good" at it)... we threw out the paper, he does all his math verbally now or with games, and he loves it and is learning very well this way.

That's great you want to be relaxed at this age.  My ds8 (3rd grade) gets his 3R's plus a language (spanish) done w/in an hour a day, then we do history, science, art, and everything else in chunks throughout the day/week/month.  My dd10 has a bit more to do (like she writes a paragraph instead of the 2 or 3 sentences my son copies).  That's another thing to remember w/ different kids and different learning styles... my dd loves writing, and will write stories on her own (for fun).  My ds HATES writing, so he practices penmanship (the 2 or 3 sentences which is copywork), then if I want him to do a sort of "story", he tells me it (and I either type it up for him, or he can use his digital recorder, or I just simply listen).  For him, the actual writing of the story would have gotten in the way of his thought process.  So "book reports" for him are verbal, but for my dd they're written.  That copywork of 2 or 3 sentences is all the writing (for now) my ds does in his learning.  For ds, we use scrabble or bananagram tiles for spelling.  This is a great tool actually.  He'll place the tiles to spell a word, say "tool", then he or I will put a "p" on top of the "t" and make "pool", then we take turns changing 1 letter and changing the word, or adding letters, as its stacking up higher and higher.  He'll also make his own bananagram (crossword) with the tiles.  This completely takes the place of him "writing" spelling words, etc.  My dd doesn't really enjoy this though - she'd rather write her spelling words.  It's all in their learning styles and I always honor them.

I have a very eclectic style - a little from here and a little from there - for young kids, I think the Charlotte Mason method has a lot of good ideas.  Just google it and you'll find lots of info.

The American Girl series is a wonderful history tool.  We listen to them on cd in the car, then watch the related movie (if there is one), then other movies related to the time frame (history channel, etc), and anything else we find that relates to the time frame.  Here's a funny related theme - we had recently done the Molly series and watched the movie, then went to Disney and Universal, and one of the counter service places in Universal is themed from WWII - there was a "Victory Garden" there, and model planes, and advertisements for women to work or become pilots... I was all excited and pointing it all out to the kids.  I definitely would have overlooked it all before we started homeschooling (and wouldn't have known what a victory garden was).  Now I look for things everywhere, and I'm always amazed at what I see.  I also always try to tie in history for the kids to someone they know (telling them the Molly series took place when their Nana was born, so she would have been a toddler then, and the house looked like that and she played w/ those toys, etc).  We always have a book-on-cd in the car, and the kids love it.  And we always get them from the library - you don't have to buy much of anything.  

hope this helps a bit.  have fun w/ your girls!!


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## robinsegg

theduck619 said:


> Thye do know thier letters and can count to 30 with out help.  they can do some simple spelling like cat, dog and thier names.  They love to be read to and are wanting to learn to read for themselves.
> 
> We definiltey want a relaxed school atmosphere without a strict timeline, at least not this early in the process.


I'll second the "find out about their learning styles". One of the books I recommend for this (it's available in our library system) is "How to Maximize Your Child's Learning Ability". It gives you examples of each learning style at different ages (so you can recognize them), then tells you how to help your child with each learning style to learn best.

If dd's love to be read to, you may want to consider literature-rich unit studies or a Charlotte Mason approach. If you want to buy a curriculum, there are a few options for this (here are a few):
Sonlight
Five In A Row
Living Books
My Father's World
We use this style and have really enjoyed My Father's World curriculum.

Also, if you plan to use phonics, a cheap resource (what I use with my kids) is a book called "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons". On boards like this, you'll sometimes see it abbreviated to "100EZ". It's only about $20, and takes your child from not knowing sounds to a 2nd grade reading level.

I hope this helps!


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## desparatelydisney

Hi Everyone,

I have everything figured out next year except Latin (for a 4th grader).  I have read all the reviews and looked at curricula until I am exhausted.  Could you guys give me your honest experiences with the latin curricula you have used?

TIA!
MMM


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## jjan

02AggieGirl said:


> I am confused....are there 2 sets of tickets?  One with just the presentation on Sept 8 and then the YES tickets (that incl park admission)?



Your can either by just a ticket for the class for $26 (if you already have park tickets i.e. an AP) or if you buy the specially priced park tickets- the price includes a ticket for 1 class. So, if you want to do more that 1 class, you just pay another $26 per class.


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## graygables

jjan said:


> Your can either by just a ticket for the class for $26 (if you already have park tickets i.e. an AP) or if you buy the specially priced park tickets- the price includes a ticket for 1 class. So, if you want to do more that 1 class, you just pay another $26 per class.



Actually, that is not correct anymore.  They no longer allow you to purchase a YES program without first purchasing at least one hard ticket for a park admission along with admission to the EVENT (which is different from the YES classes).  After you have put a hard event ticket in your cart, you can move forward to select the YES event tickets.  I'm still waiting to hear back about having to purchase a ticket for a parent since children under 14 (?) have to be accompanied by an adult to the YES class.  I'm not wild about having to spend that extra $$$ for myself when the idea is to give myself and the kids a break from me being involved with their education.


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## graygables

I am confused....are there 2 sets of tickets? One with just the presentation on Sept 8 and then the YES tickets (that incl park admission)?

Yes, that is correct, 2 sets of tickets.  The first is a "hard ticket" much like the Christmas or Halloween parties.  The one day includes one day's admission and the "event" (presentation).  Once that is in your cart, you can purchase YES tickets which do NOT include park admission, only admission to the class.  In the old days  AP holders or CMs could purchase a ticket for just the event and YES tickets, but I guess they've changed it so you are forced to purchase admission now before being able to access the YES tickets.


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## polkadotsuitcase

Good thing homeschoolers have the smarts to figure out this ticket stuff -- it's a bit confusing at first!


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## MiniGirl

graygables said:


> I am confused....are there 2 sets of tickets? One with just the presentation on Sept 8 and then the YES tickets (that incl park admission)?
> 
> Yes, that is correct, 2 sets of tickets.  The first is a "hard ticket" much like the Christmas or Halloween parties.  The one day includes one day's admission and the "event" (presentation).  *Once that is in your cart, you can purchase YES tickets which do NOT include park admission, only admission to the class.*  In the old days  AP holders or CMs could purchase a ticket for just the event and YES tickets, but I guess they've changed it so you are forced to purchase admission now before being able to access the YES tickets.



Well, this is good to know. I didn't realize that. I'm a CM and our dds have passes, so I really hated the thought of buying a ticket that included park admission. My dh, however, has a 10 day non-expiring ticket, so I would not mind buying 1 ticket. He could use that and then we could still get tickets to the classes. Is that correct?

We were so excited about Disney Homeschool days when we started hsing and haven't taken advantage of them yet because of the whole tickets including park admission thing.


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## Kimberly Hill

DD and I are going on a girls-only trip during Homeschool Days *for* homeschool but not attending any classes or participating in the group. We just want to be there to celebrate our first year of homeschooling. The classes she qualified for didn't appeal to us so we're unschooling.


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## LizEN

I know you can't get free dining with HS Days tickets, but if we're staying at an on-site resort, have the Disney HS Days park tickets, anyone know if can we add the dining package to that?


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## DawnM

Yes, but you will have to purchase a one day (I believe) ticket on top of the HS days tickets.  You don't have to use it this trip though, you can save it as it doesn't expire and can use it later towards multiple day passes.

You have to book the hotel/dining separately from the HS days passes.

Dawn



LizEN said:


> I know you can't get free dining with HS Days tickets, but if we're staying at an on-site resort, have the Disney HS Days park tickets, anyone know if can we add the dining package to that?


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## lori1043

Hello!

We are living about 30 minutes from Disney and we have seasonal AP's- our homeschool group-one that is exclusively 'Disneyfied'- has tried for 2 years to get into the YES programs and it has not been fruitful. We got an email from the mom who runs the group saying she's giving up for a while b/c she gets different answers from differnt CM's in the YES dept. I am under the impression, from her efforts and emails that it is possible, depedning on the CM you talk to, to just pay for the YES classes you want, but that moms are all not allowed to go. My kids are 5th and 7th grade so i am willing to let them go as long as someone I know is along for the ride. The general age of the kids in this particular homeschool group are younger and so maybe this mom and others were not willing to let thier kids go without them. Another time we heard that you definitely needed to purchase at least a 1 day pass, but really , that is kinda crazy for those with passes already.

This is something I really would like my kids to do, when it is offered. I think it would be worth the money even if I cannot be there(even though I would LOVE to learn about it with them).

I sure hope Disney gets it straight soon so even locals who want to take thier kids on these fabulous opportunities can do so. 

Lori


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## lori1043

DawnM said:


> Yes, but you will have to purchase a one day (I believe) ticket on top of the HS days tickets. You don't have to use it this trip though, you can save it as it doesn't expire and can use it later towards multiple day passes.
> 
> You have to book the hotel/dining separately from the HS days passes.
> 
> Dawn


 
Last year, when i was looking into it, before we moved here, I was told that yes, you could get the DDP, but you'd have to pay for it. I opted for free dining and we unfornuately skipped out on the YES classes. I do not know if it is still like that.


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## DawnM

Well, I haven't done it, but what I said earlier was what was posted by the Carolina Homeschooling group website....they go every year so I assumed that was correct.

We don't stay on property anyway, so I don't know the details.

Dawn



lori1043 said:


> Last year, when i was looking into it, before we moved here, I was told that yes, you could get the DDP, but you'd have to pay for it. I opted for free dining and we unfornuately skipped out on the YES classes. I do not know if it is still like that.


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## momto3disneyfans

Hi guys!  We're going in September and participating in The Ultimate Field Trip for the 6th time AND in Disney's Homeschool Days for the first time.  I've gotten to know a lot of people in the Disney Youth Groups department when I train onsite but this is the first time I'm going to get to do anything with them.  When I've coordinated trips for other groups to go onsite and participate in the Y.E.S. classes I've really not gotten great feedback.  Does anyone have any thoughts on what classes might actually be worthwhile for us to sign up for when we go this year?  

Guess I didn't just want to subscribe.  Now back to reading the thread...


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## wvdislover

We're going on The Ultimate Field Trip, too!  It's our first time--can't wait!!!    If you'd like to find out what the Ultimate Field Trip is, PM me, and I'll be glad to tell you!  Momto3disneyfans, can't wait to see you there!  I know we'll have a ball!


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## EeyoreEma

Hi - I'm new to this area of the DisBoards - thanks to y'all who posted the link for me!  We're planning on homeschooling both of our children, and dd will be starting a kindergarten program soon.  Can anyone explain to me about homeschool days at Disney?  I've never heard of that before, but it sounds awesome!


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## grammynelliebelle

Another request for Homeschool Days information! I think I understand it, but would really appreciate verification or correction.  
1) If we purchase tickets for January, we would be able to use them from 7 days before Jan 24, or 7 days after? The Home school tickets include 1 selection for an educational program offered during that time?
2) If the kids want to do others they can be added on through the YES program for $26 each program? 
3)If you are not interested in a program, you can  choose not attend, and still use the Home School tickets?
4) How do the "premium" tickets work? eg, does the 4 day give you 4 park days and an additional 4 other days for water park, disney quest etc?
5) also, my husband and I have aps. these would be for dgks and dd and dsil. Can we still get into the park  but just not do the ed program? I would think so.
TIA for the help.  Grammy


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## jetprincess

Has anyone actually done any of the YES programs?  in addition to the Special Presentation, we registered for 2.  Synergy in Science and Disney Animation Magic.  

When I spoke to a CM, he said these classes cap at about 20.  At the Special Presentation, they expect about 200.  

Just wondering what your experiences were!  I would love to do The American Story but they are not offering during fall open enrollment


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## momto3disneyfans

grammynelliebelle said:


> Another request for Homeschool Days information! I think I understand it, but would really appreciate verification or correction.
> 1) If we purchase tickets for January, we would be able to use them from 7 days before Jan 24, or 7 days after? The Home school tickets include 1 selection for an educational program offered during that time?
> 2) If the kids want to do others they can be added on through the YES program for $26 each program?
> 3)If you are not interested in a program, you can  choose not attend, and still use the Home School tickets?
> 4) How do the "premium" tickets work? eg, does the 4 day give you 4 park days and an additional 4 other days for water park, disney quest etc?
> 5) also, my husband and I have aps. these would be for dgks and dd and dsil. Can we still get into the park  but just not do the ed program? I would think so.
> TIA for the help.  Grammy



1)  I'm very curious why you think they just last for 7 days?  I'm getting 8 day tickets for my kids in September and we're told they expire just like every other ticket - 14 days after first use.  We're going to begin using them 2 days before the homeschool days events begin.  I do know the tickets only include the presentation - they don't include the class.  Those cost extra.
2)  If they want to do any classes, you have to pay per class.
3) Different rumors are out there about how much you have to participate in when you purchase the homeschool days tickets, but the cast members tell me that they aren't tracking the entries into the presentations (the only event that could be required)  However, I will see it for myself in September and I can tell you for sure what they do then.
4)  A 4 day premium ticket means it has park hopping (multiple parks per day) plus the waterpark fun & more options - 4 days means 4 visits in the waterparks and Disneyquest
5)  Definitely - you can get into the park - this is a tiny piece of what's going on that day.  It doesn't even affect attendance.  

Hope that helps!  It looks like we may be going back in January for a DTA convention at that time, so maybe we'll see you there!


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## grammynelliebelle

Thanks mom to three for your reply. I saw something on the spot where you order the tickets that says  something about seven days prior to your arrival and seven days after you leave(?) so I was thinking they meant before and after the home school event.  Also, I didnt see any 8 day pass options only one to five day with and without the add ons.  Maybe I am on a different site.  TIA Grammy


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## momto3disneyfans

grammynelliebelle said:


> Thanks mom to three for your reply. I saw something on the spot where you order the tickets that says  something about seven days prior to your arrival and seven days after you leave(?) so I was thinking they meant before and after the home school event.  Also, I didnt see any 8 day pass options only one to five day with and without the add ons.  Maybe I am on a different site.  TIA Grammy



You're welcome!  I think that line is really confusing - no clue why they would put it that way.  You have to special order the other types of tickets - they can't be ordered online.  We're on the same site - I just end up on the phone with Disney so often and ask so many questions I find out little ins and outs.

I'll post about my experiences this September after I go - we can both learn what some of this really looks like in person!


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## lori1043

grammynelliebelle said:


> Thanks mom to three for your reply. I saw something on the spot where you order the tickets that says something about seven days prior to your arrival and seven days after you leave(?) so I was thinking they meant before and after the home school event. Also, I didnt see any 8 day pass options only one to five day with and without the add ons. Maybe I am on a different site. TIA Grammy


 

Umm, I think they are for 7 days before till 7 days after- that's the impression a bunch of local homeschoolers got at convention and in calling them. I am in a Disney homeschool group for central Florida homeschoolers and our group has spoken to the homeschool days/YES coordinators multiple times. I have a friend who went the day before yesterday and she had to buy a one day pass(even though she spent thousands on AP's) and was told it was good 7 days before and 7 days after the YES program she picked that went with her 1 day pass. it's probably different in fall, but right now a 1 days pass includes a YES program.
Anyway- the 2 coordinators of our homeschool group got different answers multiple times from the YES coordinators there. It has been VERY frustrating for us locals who would love to take part in these wonderful programs. Seems they are tailored to vacationers only- not that that is bad(it's GREAT!) but we can't even use them easily-it is very complicated and expensive for us.

I am looking so forward to the day when local homeschoolers can just pay per program and not need to buy a hard ticket on top of out AP's. I hope Disney keeps track of all of our phone calls and posts about how frustrating it has been and accomodates us soon!

Lori


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## momto3disneyfans

lori1043 said:


> Umm, I think they are for 7 days before till 7 days after- that's the impression a bunch of local homeschoolers got at convention and in calling them. I am in a Disney homeschool group for central Florida homeschoolers and our group has spoken to the homeschool days/YES coordinators multiple times. I have a friend who went the day before yesterday and she had to buy a one day pass(even though she spent thousands on AP's) and was told it was good 7 days before and 7 days after the YES program she picked that went with her 1 day pass. it's probably different in fall, but right now a 1 days pass includes a YES program.
> Anyway- the 2 coordinators of our homeschool group got different answers multiple times from the YES coordinators there. It has been VERY frustrating for us locals who would love to take part in these wonderful programs. Seems they are tailored to vacationers only- not that that is bad(it's GREAT!) but we can't even use them easily-it is very complicated and expensive for us.
> 
> I am looking so forward to the day when local homeschoolers can just pay per program and not need to buy a hard ticket on top of out AP's. I hope Disney keeps track of all of our phone calls and posts about how frustrating it has been and accomodates us soon!
> 
> Lori



Imagine the irony -they tell us when we coordinate groups of homeschoolers that the homeschool days are really geared toward local homeschoolers, not towards us (people traveling there from other states).  I really like a lot of the people in the department - I got to do some training onsite with them and then hang out with them again during the Earmarked Convention.  They readily admit that they're struggling to figure out how to take care of the homeschool community, but I wonder if there are just too many of us talking to them for them to figure out how to accommodate us all? 

Are you in the group having the mom's night out tonight?  They're a great group of ladies!


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## lori1043

Ha! We had mom's night out last night. We had a blast! 

It is def not geared to locals. I cannot easily bring my kids to YES programs and I live 20 miles outside Disney. I want to do the ones in fall and throughout the year b/c I have Florida resident seasonal passes and I wouldn't have to purchase hard tickets for the days we do it. But they do not have Open Enrollment in the fall. They have it now, but even if you have regular year round AP's, you have to pay for at least a 1 day pass to get in- then you have to book your Open Enrollment classes. One girl I mentioned above, her kids had thier 1st YES class day before yesterday, then she has 2 more booked in a couple weeks- she's sorta worried about getting into the parks on her pass, rather than a ticket, for the programs 2 weeks out. She is going to update us when all is said and done and let us know how everything worked out.

I am willing to pay for a 1 day pass to get my kids into it- but do I want to when I already spent a lot of money on passes? Then , if there's no Open Enrollment I couldn't do more than 1 class anyway(that I know of), if I only have a one day ticket. I am not sure about it though. At the very least I would have to get 1 day passes for me and my kids however many times a year they offer them. Kinda silly when you have AP's.

All that I do know is that the gals who lead the group have seriously given up for a bit on trying to get our group into the YES programs b/c there were many differences from each phone call to them(there were many) plus they talked to them at convention. I was going to call but decided not to until summer was past and fall was upon us. Knowing Disney, they will figure it out for us all. Many from our group bombarded them(excited to get our kids in YES programs!) at and after convention! Plus leaving it to the moms who have hubby's working for Disney, they worked for Disney, or have been here longer than us just seems right and they know what the issues have been.


So I agree that they are already bombarded with homeschooler issues!
They're getting to know us well though and over time we hope it will be a good thing. We do our best to be respectful and gracious while on property. 

In my limited experience(my family just moved here in last 6 months) as a local Florida Disney loving homeschooler, we have benefitted greatly from some CM's. My kids did a project on an African country and 2 international CM's went more than out of thier way to make sure we understood thier culture as best we could- they made us CD's of thier common music, magazines from thier countries, did a Q&A that my kids drew up, took pics with them and were overall very interested and excited that my kids picked thier country to report on. I am even friends with one of them on FB.
All i can say is that the months of Feb/March was spent at AKL! LOL
We brought them some traditional south Louisiana goodies as a thank you-beignet mix, pralines, Zapp's chips, and Blue Runner red beans! LOL

Enjoy your programs! and your trips! I'll be patiently waiting for Disney to let us in soon enough and easily enough!


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## grammynelliebelle

I think I will call them on Monday and ask about the seven days before and after.  I am mainly interested in the homeschool days tickets and if the kids are interested in the YES offerings we will add them. When you speak to cast members, do you make note of who you are talking to? The 7 days will make a difference for us as we have to book airline tickets. Great deal, but need to be sure of the facts. Grammy


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## gerberdaisy1234

grammynelliebelle said:


> I think I will call them on Monday and ask about the seven days before and after.  I am mainly interested in the homeschool days tickets and if the kids are interested in the YES offerings we will add them. When you speak to cast members, do you make note of who you are talking to? The 7 days will make a difference for us as we have to book airline tickets. Great deal, but need to be sure of the facts. Grammy



The tickets are valid 7 days prior to arrival and 7 days after departure. Example you fill out arrival date to Orlando as Sept 20 and Departure date as September 27. Then your tickets will have Valid 9/13/10-10/4/10. Why are they valid a week before and after your arrival? It really does make sense. These are non-refundable, non-exchangeable tickets so if your plans change slightly, you are still covered.


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## Michelle and crew

Hi, I'm Michelle. I have 3 boys, 16, 13 and 11. We have homeschooled since the beginning, and now, I have one starting college classes this fall. He had to take the entrance exam, and luckily passed into comp 1 and College Algebra. I was nervous!

Joining for some homeschool disney company. We are planning on hitting the homeschool days in January, and I can't wait. I hope that they have something of interest for each of them.


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## Denine

Thinking about gearing up for the start of school.

Would love to do HS Days in WDW some day.  We did HS days in Williamsburg this year and we may do them again in Sept.  The focus is different from spring to fall.

I finally joined a HS group here at home.  Looking foward to meeting other HSr's in the area.


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## gerberdaisy1234

Denine said:


> Thinking about gearing up for the start of school.
> 
> Would love to do HS Days in WDW some day.  We did HS days in Williamsburg this year and we may do them again in Sept.  The focus is different from spring to fall.
> 
> I finally joined a HS group here at home.  Looking foward to meeting other HSr's in the area.



Great Wolf Lodge has a major homeschool discount for the Williamsburg homeschool days. We are staying for 3 nights in the KidsCabin suite. $139Very excited! If you need the discount code pm me.


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## Disney Mommy 3

Hi ladies! Havent been here in a while! We started back to school the Tues after the 4th....We have been on summer break since mid-April...it was time! My younger two had started the grumblies...it always happens! 2 months off is quite long enough!!! So...we are using the Heart of Dakota for the younger two...Rod and Staff for all the Eng/lang classes....Rod and staff for dd7 and Teaching Textbooks for my boys' math. We are starting to ease in, adding subjects in each week---they are already doing well--dd is sooo excited--she loves her math and she has really made a jump in her reading fluency from when we finished in April. We should be ready for a 9th week break around Labor Day. Hopefully our area will not be hit with any major hurricanes...resulting in weeks with no power this year! If not,...we will sail on thru to mid- Nov when we will return to Disney!!!!! Enjoy the rest of y'alls summer and hope you all have great success in your new school year!!!!


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## SCHBR'smom

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Hi ladies! Havent been here in a while! We started back to school the Tues after the 4th....We have been on summer break since mid-April...it was time! My younger two had started the grumblies...it always happens! 2 months off is quite long enough!!! So...we are using the Heart of Dakota for the younger two...Rod and Staff for all the Eng/lang classes....Rod and staff for dd7 and Teaching Textbooks for my boys' math. We are starting to ease in, adding subjects in each week---they are already doing well--dd is sooo excited--she loves her math and she has really made a jump in her reading fluency from when we finished in April. We should be ready for a 9th week break around Labor Day. Hopefully our area will not be hit with any major hurricanes...resulting in weeks with no power this year! If not,...we will sail on thru to mid- Nov when we will return to Disney!!!!! Enjoy the rest of y'alls summer and hope you all have great success in your new school year!!!!



Glad to hear your new school year is going well!  We've started back up, too.  I'm a bit more anxious because we decided to Letter of the Week with DD3, so I'm teaching 4 while pregnant and having a toddler run around.  But, I have decided that since the baby is due at the beginning of Dec that we will take off from Thanksgiving through the New Year.  For some reason, that helps set my mind at ease.  

So far, school is going well.  We will also add in subjects next week.


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## Disney Mommy 3

SCHBR'smom said:


> Glad to hear your new school year is going well!  We've started back up, too.  I'm a bit more anxious because we decided to Letter of the Week with DD3, so I'm teaching 4 while pregnant and having a toddler run around.  But, I have decided that since the baby is due at the beginning of Dec that we will take off from Thanksgiving through the New Year.  For some reason, that helps set my mind at ease.
> 
> So far, school is going well.  We will also add in subjects next week.



Congrats on the baby!!! And that is the same break we do...Tday thru NY weekend....it helps when you have to have a major holiday or two to prepare for!! My oldest is Dec 4...so we have a busy schedule too--hang in there..you can do it!!!


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## SCHBR'smom

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Congrats on the baby!!! And that is the same break we do...Tday thru NY weekend....it helps when you have to have a major holiday or two to prepare for!! My oldest is Dec 4...so we have a busy schedule too--hang in there..you can do it!!!



Major holidays, a new baby, and we have two birthdays already, Dec. 23 and Dec. 29, we probably wouldn't have time for school anyways.  Going back to school will be our break.


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## Denine

gerberdaisy1234 said:


> Great Wolf Lodge has a major homeschool discount for the Williamsburg homeschool days. We are staying for 3 nights in the KidsCabin suite. $139Very excited! If you need the discount code pm me.



Sounds cool.  We will probably stay in a Marriott somewhere for the rewards if we go.


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## adisneymama

Does anyone know if Barnes & Noble or borders bookstores offer discounts for homeschoolers?  Thanks!


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## Ellester

adisneymama said:


> Does anyone know if Barnes & Noble or borders bookstores offer discounts for homeschoolers?  Thanks!



Yep, they will give you an Educator's Discount card. You have to fill out a form and show some kind of proof that you are a homeschooler. Here in Georgia, I just bring in a copy of the "Declaration of Intent" that I have to send the county each year. The discount is 20% and applies to anything used for education. We've used it on books and games, it doesn't work on magazines or coffee at the coffee shop . They also have Educator Appreciation weeks a few times a year where everything for school or personal use is usually 25% off.


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## SCHBR'smom

adisneymama said:


> Does anyone know if Barnes & Noble or borders bookstores offer discounts for homeschoolers?  Thanks!



I also homeschool in Texas, and I didn't have to prove that I homeschool.  I filled out a little form and listed the grades that I was teaching.  That's it!  I love having the discount!


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## DisneyMom5

SCHBR'smom said:


> I also homeschool in Texas, and I didn't have to prove that I homeschool.  I filled out a little form and listed the grades that I was teaching.  That's it!  I love having the discount!



Ya think they'd question that I'm teaching 11th, 9th, 6th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st, and Preschool???  

I think here at our local one you can use your HSLDA membership card because it says "Teacher ID."


----------



## adisneymama

Thanks everyone.  I'm going to fill it out next time I'm there.  I need some new books for DD.

Disneymom5 I don't think they would question it if you brought them all in at once! LOL


----------



## MiniGirl

I know some of you here sew, but Jo-Ann's also gives an educator's discount. Great if you're into scrapbooking or for art supplies, etc.


----------



## gerberdaisy1234

adisneymama said:


> Does anyone know if Barnes & Noble or borders bookstores offer discounts for homeschoolers?  Thanks!



I have both. I like Borders best because they send me emails every week for 33% - 50% off one regularly priced item.

I can not remember if they needed proof but I made us all IDs with our Homeschool name and our extra passport photo. I also designed cards for our umbrella group (since they didn't have one). The coordinator loved them.  I laminated them so they will survive my wallet. They have worked perfect for anyone who has needed proof.

If anyone has older children that are interested in Adobe programs. They have educational discounts up to 80% off! http://www.adobe.com/education/purchasing/education_pricing.html


----------



## Mommy2three

well i just bit the bullet and ordered calvert 2nd grade without the math. he will be doing teaching textbooks for math.  he is advanced in math. I have decided to homeschool AGAIN, but only my son.  He is diagnosed with pdd-nos and is 8 years old.  I homeschool for the last year and a half and decided to put the kids back into ps, halfway into the school year, but i think its failing my son, but doing great for my daighter, and my youngest daughter will be in K this fall in ps.  My son just doesnt have the social skills and know how to deal with ps and other kids, is getting bullied every day, and getting hit, and he cant pick up on social cues for the life of him.  In ps he would be going into 3rd grade, which is fine for math, but everything else not so great, he can barely read, can read at a beginning second grade level i would say, cant write a sentence on his own unless he copies it, etc.    I was really hoping to enjoy the peace and quiet at home while all 3 kids were in school full time this fall, but i have to do what is right for my son and not for me.


----------



## bumbershoot

Mommy2three said:


> well i just bit the bullet and ordered calvert 2nd grade without the math. he will be doing teaching textbooks for math.  he is advanced in math. I have decided to homeschool AGAIN, but only my son.  He is diagnosed with pdd-nos and is 8 years old.  I homeschool for the last year and a half and decided to put the kids back into ps, halfway into the school year, but *i think its failing my son*, but doing great for my daighter, and my youngest daughter will be in K this fall in ps.  My son just doesnt have the social skills and know how to deal with ps and other kids, i*s getting bullied every day, and getting hit*, and he cant pick up on social cues for the life of him.  In ps he would be going into 3rd grade, which is fine for math, but everything else not so great,* he can barely read, can read at a beginning second grade level i would say, cant write a sentence on his own unless he copies it, etc*.    I was really hoping to enjoy the peace and quiet at home while all 3 kids were in school full time this fall, but i have to do what is right for my son and not for me.



Oh my goodness, it does sound like they are failing him.  They are allowing the bullying to continue????  And aren't helping him with the reading?  Poor dude.  I'm glad he has you.  

Did you do Calvert 1st grade?  We're about to order that...it's frightening to me how expensive it is!  (by the way, THANK YOU to those in this thread who told me that I was wrong a few months back, making sure I knew that Calvert isn't religious!  yay for you guys!)  

Anyway, good luck with your son.


----------



## Mommy2three

well i ordered the second grade because the reading was too easy for him on the first grade placement test, and he didnt do too bad with the second grade placement test.  so i think he should do fairly well with the second grade material. i didnt order the ATS tho, just the standard calvert.

 he has really low self confidence when it comes to reading.  and when he reads to me his voice gets really quiet and really shakey like hes not sure of himself.  the bullying still continues..this one group only bullies my son, and its an everyday issue.  My oldest daughter who is 10 has her own aide in class and she doesnt get bullied on, and my youngest dd who is 4 is going to be in K, and she is in K in summer school right now and she has gotten picked on a few times but she knows how to stick up for herself and fight back if need be, whereas my son doesnt know how to stick up for himself, and will start crying right away which only makes it worse for my son because they pick on him even more then, and he wont fight back if need be.  I was going to put him in self defense class just so he could continue school but i dont feel like we should have to have kids know self defense to attend school where they should feel safe at.


----------



## littlepeppers

Mommy2three said:


> well i just bit the bullet and ordered calvert 2nd grade without the math.  In ps he would be going into 3rd grade, which is fine for math, but everything else not so great, he can barely read, can read at a beginning second grade level i would say, cant write a sentence on his own unless he copies it, etc. .



I hope that this year goes well w/ your DS using Calvert.  May I suggest that you add in how to write a simple paragraph (5 sent.) into your lessons.  We are 3 days into the Calvert 3rd gd & it is a whole new ball game.  There is a lot of writing & reading in the 3rd gd program.



bumbershoot said:


> Did you do Calvert 1st grade?  We're about to order that...it's frightening to me how expensive it is!  (by the way, THANK YOU to those in this thread who told me that I was wrong a few months back, making sure I knew that Calvert isn't religious!  yay for you guys!)
> .



I wish that Calvert wasn't so expensive, but I like not having to dig through stuff.  I like having it all laid out for me.  Don't forget the technology lessons.  I missed those last year.  They aren't well marked in the Lesson Plans.  I went throught my Technolog lesson book & marked in my regular Lesson book where to insert the technology lessons.  The lessons are really good.

We used Spelling City last year, but Calvert has a good online spelling program this year.

There are also online daily quizes.  You have to log in to My Calvert & go to the Lesson Plan section.  Click on your lesson & they are on the right side "Self Check".  They are graded & thrown into a gradebook section for you.

I started some HS boxes with DD3 to help keep her busy.  She was super excited to "go to school"  She packed a bag & all.  Halfway through our day, she started packing her bag & folding her desk up.  I asked what she was doing & she said "This isn't school.  This is Eban's room."  

I hope DD3 changes her mind & attitude before she is 5yrs old b/c I don't want to spend the $ & deal w/ the drama of Catholic school again.  I would miss her too.  DS8 said he would go back to Catholic school to watch over her if she wants to go, but he would really like her to stay home w/ him.


----------



## littlepeppers

Mommy2three said:


> he has really low self confidence when it comes to reading.  and when he reads to me his voice gets really quiet and really shakey like hes not sure of himself.
> 
> I was going to put him in self defense class just so he could continue school but i dont feel like we should have to have kids know self defense to attend school where they should feel safe at.



Your DS sounds a lot like mine.  

We solved his reading issues by getting him a digital recorder to read into.  He listens back to his recording w/ me & I stop it when he misses a word.  He can magically fix the word immediately.  I think that hearing himself read & being forced to look at the material twice made a big difference.

We put DS8 in Jiu-jitsu when we started HS last year.  The discipline needed for his jiu-jistu class has carried on into the rest of his life.  His confidence has shot through the roof.  He can focus on a set of directions now.  He knows that he can't use this skills outside of class unless it is an emergency.  His instructor really pushes this issue.  He knows now that he doesn't have to be a punching bag (cousins used to bully him) & that he has the skills to take them down, but doesn't have to.  It has changed him.  He is more assertive when he deals w/ his cousins & other friends who are doing wrong.  He feels free to follow his own moral compass & not follow others.  From time to time, he even tells his cousins that they are wrong & why they are wrong.  He is growing into himself & feeling good about his choices.  I am too.   

Be careful when you look for a gym.  Jiu-jitsu is really big in the UFC & sometimes its fans aren't the nicest people.  You have to really check out the gym & make sure that it has that old school martial arts discipline.  Jiu-jitsu was created by a small man.  A small person can take down a large person in the sport, so even if your DS is small framed it would still a good sport for him.

Sorry for the long post.


----------



## wvdislover

Mommy2three said:


> well i just bit the bullet and ordered calvert 2nd grade without the math. he will be doing teaching textbooks for math.  he is advanced in math. I have decided to homeschool AGAIN, but only my son.  He is diagnosed with pdd-nos and is 8 years old.  I homeschool for the last year and a half and decided to put the kids back into ps, halfway into the school year, but i think its failing my son, but doing great for my daighter, and my youngest daughter will be in K this fall in ps.  My son just doesnt have the social skills and know how to deal with ps and other kids, is getting bullied every day, and getting hit, and he cant pick up on social cues for the life of him.  In ps he would be going into 3rd grade, which is fine for math, but everything else not so great, he can barely read, can read at a beginning second grade level i would say, cant write a sentence on his own unless he copies it, etc.    I was really hoping to enjoy the peace and quiet at home while all 3 kids were in school full time this fall, but i have to do what is right for my son and not for me.



You're making a great decision!  What good is the peace and quiet, if you sit at home worrying about him every day, and panic every time the phone rings.  Been there, done that, not going to do it again


----------



## sweetpee_1993

SCHBR'smom said:


> I also homeschool in Texas, and I didn't have to prove that I homeschool.  I filled out a little form and listed the grades that I was teaching.  That's it!  I love having the discount!




I had no idea!  Awesome!




DisneyMom5 said:


> Ya think they'd question that I'm teaching 11th, 9th, 6th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st, and Preschool???
> 
> *I think here at our local one you can use your HSLDA membership card because it says "Teacher ID."*




Joined HSLDA 2 nights ago.  I don't think I knew I was gonna get a membership card.  That's awesome!  And should be very helpful!




MiniGirl said:


> I know some of you here sew, but Jo-Ann's also gives an educator's discount. Great if you're into scrapbooking or for art supplies, etc.




Oooooh!!!  I could kiss you!!!!  I'm very into sewing and crafting.  Even my boys have taken interest at one time or another to make things that they'd like to have.  JoAnn's will be a huuuuge money-saver for us.  Thank you!

_________________


All that said, I haven't been to this board since May.  Wow!  Lotsa pages since then that I haven't even begun to sift thru. 

We're new Texas homeschoolers this year.  I'm actually quite jazzed!  I've been going 'round and 'round staring at curriculum, reading books about curriculum, etc. trying to make my selections for our boys without breaking the bank.  ((The hubby was out of work for 2 months this spring so we're still trying to rehabilitate the savings account..  ))  Finding good secular curriculum that's not super expensive but still thorough has been a real challenge.  ((I know, all us noobs have to go thru this mega-stress over curriculum...  ))

So here's my questions:

1.  I really, really like how Math-U-See looks.  I like their practical application/word problem/manipulative approach to learning especially when moving towards the upper levels of math.  My oldest is having the same problems I did with pre-Algebra.  He finds no logic so nothing makes sense and he doesn't understand.  Have any of you used upper level Math-U-See?  Thoughts?  

2.  Saxon math.  Saxon looks like it's more traditional along the lines of what we remember from school.  Is it a difficult math to follow, particularly for high school levels?

3.  Have any of you seen or used the Homeschooling Bootcamp program?  We went to the SETHSA conference in June & really, really enjoyed the 2 seminars we attended, one of which was for beginners.  I'm hoping to find something that'll help guide me to getting organized.  So, have you seen or used this program?  Any other suggestions along those lines?

4.  Are there certain curriculum publishers out there that are more "credible" than others?  The reason I ask is when the kids get to college apps and such will I have put them at a disadvantage at all if I didn't get them "the good stuff" (whatever that is)?  


Thanks so much for your time.  I'd be lost without knowing where to find other homeschool families to ask about this stuff.  I'm so totally psyched and scared and happy and excited and nervous about how this will all play out.  One thing I know for absolute certain:  I am doing the *right* thing by going down this road with my sons.  I only wish I'd done it sooner.


----------



## Tiana

Does anyone use Veritas Press curriculum? I was wondering what you thought about it? I don't know anyone who uses it....

Also, I was wondering how much they charge for the Lesson Plans?

We use Sonlight right now, but we are starting Classical Conversations this year and plan to eventually put our son in a Classical Education school, so I think VP will work out better. Still, I would like to hear others' opinions


----------



## dis-happy

sweetpee_1993 said:


> 1.  I really, really like how Math-U-See looks.  I like their practical application/word problem/manipulative approach to learning especially when moving towards the upper levels of math.  My oldest is having the same problems I did with pre-Algebra.  He finds no logic so nothing makes sense and he doesn't understand.  Have any of you used upper level Math-U-See?  Thoughts?
> 
> FWIW, I don't know many people who used MUS into the high school years.
> 
> 2.  Saxon math.  Saxon looks like it's more traditional along the lines of what we remember from school.  Is it a difficult math to follow, particularly for high school levels?
> 
> Love the DIVE dvd's that go along with the Saxon Math.  Saxon is producing their own version now too.
> 
> 
> 4.  Are there certain curriculum publishers out there that are more "credible" than others?  The reason I ask is when the kids get to college apps and such will I have put them at a disadvantage at all if I didn't get them "the good stuff" (whatever that is)?
> 
> Use whatever you want.  When I did my dd's college apps curriculum choices didn't even come into play.  I listed the classes in the high school transcript, then had an addendum that expanded on the course list: what the class covered, which books were read, what was required to get the grade acheived.



Wishing you the best!


----------



## Michelle and crew

we use mus, and my son just finished pre calc. He tested into college algebra without a problem at the local community college. This is better than the average public school student.


----------



## dis4harley

I haven't posted on here in quite a while. I have a 3rd and a 7th grader.

We are trying switched on schoolhouse this year and I am having a problem. I have installed everything and I had it assign a sample lesson. During this, when you try to answer the questions it pops up a script error everytime you click or try to type. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Please help...


----------



## DisneyMom5

sweetpee_1993 said:


> Joined HSLDA 2 nights ago.  I don't think I knew I was gonna get a membership card.  That's awesome!  And should be very helpful!


  You SHOULD get it in the mail, if not, you can print one off from online.  It has their emergency contact # on it also!




> 4.  Are there certain curriculum publishers out there that are more "credible" than others?  The reason I ask is when the kids get to college apps and such will I have put them at a disadvantage at all if I didn't get them "the good stuff" (whatever that is)?



As the other poster said, you don't list curriculum on your transcript.  
You just list what they studied.  
I don't believe there IS a curriculum that a college would prefer, unless maybe it helps to have used all Bob Jones stuff when you're applying to Bob Jones University. LOL

Relax, you can do this!  Happy Schooling!


----------



## mariezp

dis4harley said:


> I haven't posted on here in quite a while. I have a 3rd and a 7th grader.
> 
> We are trying switched on schoolhouse this year and I am having a problem. I have installed everything and I had it assign a sample lesson. During this, when you try to answer the questions it pops up a script error everytime you click or try to type. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Please help...



Have you checked their site for updates? That would be my first stop. If they don't have a fix I would contact their tech support. They have an excellent staff!


----------



## Disney+Family=Fun

Just wanted this to be the place I made my first post with my new username- that doesn't relate to my email. Oh, the lessons we do learn... Don't use the same name for everything I get smarter everyday


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Disney+Family=Fun said:


> Just wanted this to be the place I made my first post with my new username- that doesn't relate to my email. Oh, the lessons we do learn... Don't use the same name for everything I get smarter everyday



Ha!!!! Hope you get it all straightened out!!Did you have many posts? I was wondering if you can get all that 'transferred' over and just have a name change.....I have thought about that before for me...what if you just get sick of your screen name? I guess you just have to start over!?


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## Denine

We booked Homeschool Days in Williamsburg for September!!!!  I am excited.  The program looks really fun.  It will be our 2nd trip there this year, but we won't be able to go at all next year.

We used Calvert for 4 years (PK-2), this year we will be using Sonlight.  I am looking foward to the change.  We will still be using Horizons for math.  We start August 2nd.


----------



## wvdislover

Homeschool Days in Williamsburg sounds really fun!  And their rates can't be beat!  Just wish I could go sometime...maybe in a couple of years after DD8 starts homeschooling.


----------



## Denine

We had a lot of fun at Williamsburg in March.  We also went to Jamestown and Yorktown in March.  We are only doing Williamsburg this trip and maybe take in some of the extra activities that you have to pay for and maybe some evening programs.  It was a bit chilly at times in March to do anything in the evening.


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## sweetpee_1993

Thanks all for the responses.  I appreciate ya!  

I'm such a flamin' noob the way I'm pouring over and over the curriculum stuff.  I'm so afraid that with a 9th grader and just starting homeschooling I can't afford a margin of error because this is the beginning of high school where even my goofs in choices will be in his transcripts.    I'll be okay. That's just my inner-worry-wart showing itself.

I'm glad to hear the input on the MUS.  I went back to my big '100 Top Picks' book and poured over Cathy Duffy's reviews again.  Then I did some searching online for reviews in the upper levels for MUS.  I'm not so convinced now that it's the best for us.  I did, however, find 'Chalk Dust Math' which looks to be a good fit for us.  It's on the pricey side, tho.  Fortunately, at the end of this month Chalk Dust will be at another homeschool conference in the Houston area so I'll be able to see it with my own eyes before I plunk down that kind of money.  

Here's a question for you seasoned homeschoolers:  do you resell your curriculum when you are finished using it?  I saw that there's co-ops and such but didn't take the time to check them out yet.  I hadn't really thought of the reselling until I was looking at Chalk Dust and reading that it's a sought after curriculum for resales.  That makes me feel better about spending more up front if I know there's a possibility of recouping some of that $$ down the road.  Obviously I'd need to keep the books in as good a condition as possible.  Do any of you actually go thru the workbooks and make copies of all the pages so you can resell those, too?  Is it worth the time & effort to do that or do you just leave it to the next family to purchase another workbook at their discretion?  Just curious.  I'm always looking for ways to pinch a penny!    The more pennies pinched, the quicker we can get back to our happy place!


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## NHWX

sweetpee_1993 said:


> ...  I'm so afraid that with a 9th grader and just starting homeschooling I can't afford a margin of error because this is the beginning of high school where even my goofs in choices will be in his transcripts.    I'll be okay. That's just my inner-worry-wart showing itself.
> ...
> I did, however, find 'Chalk Dust Math' which looks to be a good fit for us.  It's on the pricey side, tho.  Fortunately, at the end of this month Chalk Dust will be at another homeschool conference in the Houston area so I'll be able to see it with my own eyes before I plunk down that kind of money.
> 
> Here's a question for you seasoned homeschoolers:  do you resell your curriculum when you are finished using it? The more pennies pinched, the quicker we can get back to our happy place!




You can homeschool a ninth grader! My oldest started out in the public high school and by Christmas had decided that he needed to come home. I felt like I really scrambled - I made some mistakes but was able to fix them also.

Yes, I do resell curriculum but I also keep it for my younger son. I generally try to get about 40-50% of the original price.

About Chalkdust - I've been looking at it also but really need to find a place where it isn't full price. Does anyone have any suggestions?

NHWX


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## bentleygirl22

has anyone ordered their Homeschool days Yes tickets  for sept yet and got them in the mail yet?

if so where your names printed on the back of the tickets or does it just say youth (even for the adult tickets)?


----------



## Michelle and crew

We did the 7th grade general math review with chalk dust for my son's 5th grade year.  It was very thorough, and my son did well with it. That was the year before we went to mus. (Math is his thing.)  I liked it, but was grateful that there was a good program that wasn't so expensive.

my bff's use Saxon and Abeka, and they have all done well, also.  My middle son who is decent at math does ok with mus, also. He has just completed his Algebra 1 course.  I think that sometimes you just have to tinker with what works best for a child/family.


----------



## sweetpee_1993

NHWX said:


> You can homeschool a ninth grader! My oldest started out in the public high school and by Christmas had decided that he needed to come home. I felt like I really scrambled - I made some mistakes but was able to fix them also.
> 
> Yes, I do resell curriculum but I also keep it for my younger son. I generally try to get about 40-50% of the original price.
> 
> About Chalkdust - I've been looking at it also but really need to find a place where it isn't full price. Does anyone have any suggestions?
> 
> NHWX




Thanks for the encouragement.    I just hate the thought that my learning curve could even remotely be detrimental to one of the kids.  I'm sure we all feel that way at some point.  LOL!  

Yeah, when I was looking at the initial out of pocket for Chalk Dust it was a bit of a -->  moment then I realized I could resell the basic at the end of the year and reuse the pre-algebra for the youngest next year.  Yay!  I imagine a lot of the curriculum will be like that which takes some of the sting out of the initial start-up this year.  

I wish I could help you find it for resale.  I wish I could find it for resale!    From what I read it when it's available it's not available long.  That's encouraging for reselling it when I'm finished!  



Michelle and crew said:


> We did the 7th grade general math review with chalk dust for my son's 5th grade year.  It was very thorough, and my son did well with it. That was the year before we went to mus. (Math is his thing.)  I liked it, but was grateful that there was a good program that wasn't so expensive.
> 
> my bff's use Saxon and Abeka, and they have all done well, also.  My middle son who is decent at math does ok with mus, also. He has just completed his Algebra 1 course.  I think that sometimes you just have to tinker with what works best for a child/family.



My biggest thing for math in particular is finding the maximum amount of instruction (dvd) & support from the curriculum to minimize the need for assistance from me.  Especially with Algebra on up I am all but useless for now.  I never got passed pre-Algebra before I left school when I was 16.  My plan is to learn along with my oldest so that we both can be of use to the youngest.    I'm a mom with a plan & purpose!  WooHOO!  



Again, thanks for the responses!  I appreciate you!


----------



## jetprincess

We got ours!  Ours don't have our names on the back either.  Also, all of the tix say youth on the back.  I didn't get separate tickets for the YES programs either.  





bentleygirl22 said:


> has anyone ordered their Homeschool days Yes tickets  for sept yet and got them in the mail yet?
> 
> if so where your names printed on the back of the tickets or does it just say youth (even for the adult tickets)?


----------



## NHWX

This past year we used:

Jacob's Geometry with this DVD instruction guide, teacher book, etc. http://shop.askdrcallahan.com/ I did have some problems at the beginning and the customer service people were very kind in explaining geometry to me. It was a really long time ago when I took that course. The text does have some questions that seem to be answerable in more than one way so I'd mark my son's correct but give him the answer that the book had. Usually they were interpretation questions, not just plain math problems.

We also used (my guy is a math guy) this Algebra and Trig course http://www.mathwithoutborders.com/Algebra-II/index.html I liked it a lot though unlike the Dr. Callahan course, there are no set problems or already designed tests. We're not doing every chapter either. I plan on having my son do another year of math before calculus because I think it's so important for this to be really grounded in his mind.

Hope this helps someone!

NHWX


----------



## NHWX

Me again!

With our older son, we used Spectrum Chemistry which had great labs and an OK textbook. I'm considering ordering the consumable materials for the labs along with another lab notebook for our younger son but using a completely different textbook. But... chemistry was and is not what you might call my strong suit. Does anyone have a suggestion for a really well explained but still complete chemistry course? It has to have good explanations and plenty of worked out problems so I can get through it with my son but in-depth enough because this kid will go into some sort of science or math field.  (I think. I hope he doesn't end up working at Dunkin' Donuts for years like my nephew.)

Thanks for any suggestions,

NHWX


----------



## Denine

Anyone use Prima Latina?  I have the program and was wondering how easy it is to teach.  I did not buy the DVD.  Do I need it?


----------



## DisneyMom5

Denine said:


> We booked Homeschool Days in Williamsburg for September!!!!  I am excited.  The program looks really fun.  It will be our 2nd trip there this year, but we won't be able to go at all next year.
> 
> We used Calvert for 4 years (PK-2), this year we will be using Sonlight.  I am looking foward to the change.  We will still be using Horizons for math.  We start August 2nd.



Welcome to the wonderful world of Sonlight!  Have you joined the Sonlight Forums?  Worth their weight in gold!  

Hope everyone is having a good summer, we're still doing school, but very lightly the last week or so.


----------



## BelleRocks

Wow, has anyone tried these?  I ordered Medieval World for my dd and just got it yesterday.  Typically I spend hours online looking for resources.  This book has great info, plus each page has a link to the Usborne site that has links to websites that expand/explore/entertain (like a site where you can dine with Ghengis Khan, or play a game throwing tomatoes at a prisoner in stocks).  It's awesome!

I will definitely be ordering more of these.


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## adisneymama

Just got in our 3rd grade materials from K12.  So far I am very pleased.  Using K12 for LA, math and science.  Abeka for history and some reading.  We will be starting in about a week.  Has anyone used the First in math website?  It is one the school was using for DD and does seem reasonably priced.  Was just wondering if anyone knew anything about it.


----------



## Denine

DisneyMom5 said:


> Welcome to the wonderful world of Sonlight!  Have you joined the Sonlight Forums?  Worth their weight in gold!
> 
> Hope everyone is having a good summer, we're still doing school, but very lightly the last week or so.



Thanks.
Yes, I did join the forums.  I also get info from a Sonlight Catholic Yahoo group.

I read the first reader so I know what DD will be reading and it was actually a pretty good story.  It was The Corn Grows Ripe.  They have us doing it for 2 weeks, but I am going to shorten that to a week.  I looked at the study questions and how much DD is supposed to read and it will not take us 2 weeks.  That will give us time to spend on other books if we need it.

Just bought some school supplies today.


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## DawnM

We went to Williamsburg in May.  I would love to go during HS days but DH is an accountant and Sept-Oct are busy season and he can't go anywhere until after Oct. 15th.    Not sure I want to go alone.

Dawn



Denine said:


> We booked Homeschool Days in Williamsburg for September!!!!  I am excited.  The program looks really fun.  It will be our 2nd trip there this year, but we won't be able to go at all next year.
> 
> We used Calvert for 4 years (PK-2), this year we will be using Sonlight.  I am looking foward to the change.  We will still be using Horizons for math.  We start August 2nd.


----------



## Denine

DawnM said:


> We went to Williamsburg in May.  I would love to go during HS days but DH is an accountant and Sept-Oct are busy season and he can't go anywhere until after Oct. 15th.    Not sure I want to go alone.
> 
> Dawn


When we were there in March, we met a family minus the dad.  It was just mom and the 2 kids.  They lived in SC and drove up.  Dad couldn't come due to work.  I don't know if I would want to do it alone either, but they all did fine.  We kept meeting  up with them our whole trip.


----------



## Lisa loves Pooh

Denine said:


> When we were there in March, we met a family minus the dad.  It was just mom and the 2 kids.  They lived in SC and drove up.  Dad couldn't come due to work.  I don't know if I would want to do it alone either, but they all did fine.  We kept meeting  up with them our whole trip.




Hey!

We are booked for Williamsburg as well.  I think we are going the first week, but I am nowhere near my calendar at the moment.

That will be our transition break between grades.  This year was a challenge as I was ill for half of my pregnancy.  Plus we are moving.  Eek!


----------



## Rland8228

I am so happy that I found this thread, I feel bad that I haven't read the entire thing but here it goes.... Let me give you some background.

I am 21 and I have my DS 3( I know I know young) We are currently living with my parents so that i can be full time care taker to my 90 year old grandfather and my sister 9 and brother 11, We will be moving out right after our September trip hopefully with my husbands new promotion and for our sanity.

My DS is currently 3 will be 4 in Nov. I have thought about homeschooling for awhile now. I had actually thought about doing it myself when I became pregnant with my son my junior year, but did not and finished school. My husband, my sons father and my mother who is a teacher, don't really agree with me wanting to do so. Its not so much that I love my son and don't want him to leave, but I look at it more of an adventure like being able to watch him grow and grow together. When I was put on bed rest the beginning of my senior year my math teacher came to my house and tutored me, i was doing amazing the best i had ever done. When i got back to school it was awful you couldn't focus everyone would constantly talk. My mother has been giving me a lot of stuff recently because I don't have him in day care well i cant afford (in our area)250 dollars a week for two days in daycare or preschool.She also keeps telling me that its going to be impossible for him to be in kindergarten. My fathers son thinks its just a big joke mind you he is 21, and is a "cool" kid. He thinks that my son will get no interaction or will become a social misfit. His father did homeschooling when he was in his junior year.Go figure. And my husband just worries about the social interaction and everything else. So I guess im just looking for some advice as to what all of you think, and where i should go from here.  Sorry for writing a book but just thought I would ask. Thanks


----------



## momto3disneyfans

I really have no wisdom except to say that I think survival and support for you will be finding the right group of homeschool moms in your area.  If you can't, then finding groups online will serve a bit - but it's not near as good.  Are you anywhere near York, PA?  One of the girls who is a travel agent for my agency and also homeschools (Amy) recently moved there.  I'd love to put you in touch with her.  

And, how amazing are you?  I'm so impressed that you would be ready to pursue what's best for your child despite being surrounded by people who may want to shoot you down.  Kudos to you!  Email me if you'd like to be put in touch with Amy.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Rland8228 said:


> I am so happy that I found this thread, I feel bad that I haven't read the entire thing but here it goes.... Let me give you some background.
> 
> I am 21 and I have my DS 3( I know I know young) We are currently living with my parents so that i can be full time care taker to my 90 year old grandfather and my sister 9 and brother 11, We will be moving out right after our September trip hopefully with my husbands new promotion and for our sanity.
> 
> My DS is currently 3 will be 4 in Nov. I have thought about homeschooling for awhile now. I had actually thought about doing it myself when I became pregnant with my son my junior year, but did not and finished school. My husband, my sons father and my mother who is a teacher, don't really agree with me wanting to do so. Its not so much that I love my son and don't want him to leave, but I look at it more of an adventure like being able to watch him grow and grow together. When I was put on bed rest the beginning of my senior year my math teacher came to my house and tutored me, i was doing amazing the best i had ever done. When i got back to school it was awful you couldn't focus everyone would constantly talk. My mother has been giving me a lot of stuff recently because I don't have him in day care well i cant afford (in our area)250 dollars a week for two days in daycare or preschool.She also keeps telling me that its going to be impossible for him to be in kindergarten. My fathers son thinks its just a big joke mind you he is 21, and is a "cool" kid. He thinks that my son will get no interaction or will become a social misfit. His father did homeschooling when he was in his junior year.Go figure. And my husband just worries about the social interaction and everything else. So I guess im just looking for some advice as to what all of you think, and where i should go from here.  Sorry for writing a book but just thought I would ask. Thanks



I think you should do what you feel is right for you and your child!! Sometimes you have to go against the grain and venture out...I was then only person I knew in my area hsing when I started. In the years since, we had the number rise from 1 (me) in our local church (not a really big church, mind you) to 5 families...in the first 3 years I hsed. Of course, I meet more and more people all the time who are in my area hsing...but when I started it was a solo adventure!!! I have never looked back or felt regret for choosing to do it. I now have started our 7th year!!!! just take it one year/one major decision at a time and you'll be fine!


----------



## Denine

Lisa loves Pooh said:


> Hey!
> 
> We are booked for Williamsburg as well.  I think we are going the first week, but I am nowhere near my calendar at the moment.
> 
> That will be our transition break between grades.  This year was a challenge as I was ill for half of my pregnancy.  Plus we are moving.  Eek!



We will be going the 2nd week.  Sounds like you had a tough year.  Here's to a better one!


----------



## Jacoby 46

Just wanted to stop by and say Hi! 

I am about to start Homeschooling my 7th grader and 5th grader this year due to bullying issues with my 7th grader.  My husband and I will be doing the Homeschooling and since this is our first time doing this, I am glad to have found this post!

I look forward to reading your posts and maybe getting some help and ideas from you all! We are all set for this year with lesson plans in place and a nice support group here where we live


----------



## Denine

Jacoby 46 said:


> Just wanted to stop by and say Hi!
> 
> I am about to start Homeschooling my 7th grader and 5th grader this year due to bullying issues with my 7th grader.  My husband and I will be doing the Homeschooling and since this is our first time doing this, I am glad to have found this post!
> 
> I look forward to reading your posts and maybe getting some help and ideas from you all! We are all set for this year with lesson plans in place and a nice support group here where we live



Sounds like you have a good foundation to start.  Good luck and welcome!


----------



## wasnotafan

Usually stay on the DisDad's board but was reading a post about someone wanting to take a child from school and couldn't believe people still think this way...

"If you choose to home school, you may not be able to work"  

Homeschooling *is* work.  DS had issues with his 1st grade teacher (combined 1st/2nd) so dw taught him at home for 2nd grade.  It wasn't cheaper than the Christian school and it wasn't easier but it *was* worth it.  Got his Iowa Tests and he is one grade above on all but listening skills.  

So to all of you that are homeschooling, keep up the good work.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

wasnotafan said:


> Usually stay on the DisDad's board but was reading a post about someone wanting to take a child from school and couldn't believe people still think this way...
> 
> "If you choose to home school, you may not be able to work"
> 
> Homeschooling *is* work.  DS had issues with his 1st grade teacher (combined 1st/2nd) so dw taught him at home for 2nd grade.  It wasn't cheaper than the Christian school and it wasn't easier but it *was* worth it.  Got his Iowa Tests and he is one grade above on all but listening skills.
> 
> So to all of you that are homeschooling, keep up the good work.



Bless you!! LOL..I thought you were about to slam us!!! Ha!!! I know so many people who still look at me all crazy when I say we homeschool.....like we are from another planet...it is hard work....but we love it!!!


----------



## Denine

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Bless you!! LOL..I thought you were about to slam us!!! Ha!!! I know so many people who still look at me all crazy when I say we homeschool.....like we are from another planet...it is hard work....but we love it!!!



I hear ya!


----------



## Belle & Ariel

NHWX said:


> Me again!
> 
> With our older son, we used Spectrum Chemistry which had great labs and an OK textbook. I'm considering ordering the consumable materials for the labs along with another lab notebook for our younger son but using a completely different textbook. But... chemistry was and is not what you might call my strong suit. Does anyone have a suggestion for a really well explained but still complete chemistry course? It has to have good explanations and plenty of worked out problems so I can get through it with my son but in-depth enough because this kid will go into some sort of science or math field.  (I think. I hope he doesn't end up working at Dunkin' Donuts for years like my nephew.)
> 
> Thanks for any suggestions,
> 
> NHWX



Apologia has a good set.  I like that has 16 modules.  I assign one to last 2 weeks and it is up to them to manage their time in reading, doing exercises, labs, and the test.  We had always used Abeka where I say, "Today read pages 51-56 and do quiz 3".  Now they have to allocate time like they will do in college.


----------



## Belle & Ariel

sweetpee_1993 said:


> I had no idea!  Awesome!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Joined HSLDA 2 nights ago.  I don't think I knew I was gonna get a membership card.  That's awesome!  And should be very helpful!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oooooh!!!  I could kiss you!!!!  I'm very into sewing and crafting.  Even my boys have taken interest at one time or another to make things that they'd like to have.  JoAnn's will be a huuuuge money-saver for us.  Thank you!
> 
> _________________
> 
> 
> All that said, I haven't been to this board since May.  Wow!  Lotsa pages since then that I haven't even begun to sift thru.
> 
> We're new Texas homeschoolers this year.  I'm actually quite jazzed!  I've been going 'round and 'round staring at curriculum, reading books about curriculum, etc. trying to make my selections for our boys without breaking the bank.  ((The hubby was out of work for 2 months this spring so we're still trying to rehabilitate the savings account..  ))  Finding good secular curriculum that's not super expensive but still thorough has been a real challenge.  ((I know, all us noobs have to go thru this mega-stress over curriculum...  ))
> 
> So here's my questions:
> 
> 1.  I really, really like how Math-U-See looks.  I like their practical application/word problem/manipulative approach to learning especially when moving towards the upper levels of math.  My oldest is having the same problems I did with pre-Algebra.  He finds no logic so nothing makes sense and he doesn't understand.  Have any of you used upper level Math-U-See?  Thoughts?
> 
> 2.  Saxon math.  Saxon looks like it's more traditional along the lines of what we remember from school.  Is it a difficult math to follow, particularly for high school levels?
> 
> 3.  Have any of you seen or used the Homeschooling Bootcamp program?  We went to the SETHSA conference in June & really, really enjoyed the 2 seminars we attended, one of which was for beginners.  I'm hoping to find something that'll help guide me to getting organized.  So, have you seen or used this program?  Any other suggestions along those lines?
> 
> 4.  Are there certain curriculum publishers out there that are more "credible" than others?  The reason I ask is when the kids get to college apps and such will I have put them at a disadvantage at all if I didn't get them "the good stuff" (whatever that is)?
> 
> 
> Thanks so much for your time.  I'd be lost without knowing where to find other homeschool families to ask about this stuff.  I'm so totally psyched and scared and happy and excited and nervous about how this will all play out.  One thing I know for absolute certain:  I am doing the *right* thing by going down this road with my sons.  I only wish I'd done it sooner.



Welcome to homeschooling.
We used Abeka math through 8th grade and it was great.  We tried Saxon Algebra and it did not always explain well.  We tried Teaching Textbooks and they are so wonderful. There is a cd with each lesson and a separate set that explains every problem in every lesson.  We used both Algebra I and II and  will be doing geometry this year.


----------



## NHWX

Belle & Ariel said:


> Apologia has a good set.  I like that has 16 modules.  I assign one to last 2 weeks and it is up to them to manage their time in reading, doing exercises, labs, and the test.  We had always used Abeka where I say, "Today read pages 51-56 and do quiz 3".  Now they have to allocate time like they will do in college.



Thanks! I'll have to look them up. Of course, I think I just missed a big sale at homeschool buyer's co-op. 

Anyone used the Dave Ramsey's Foundations in Personal Finance course for teens?

Thanks again!

NHWX


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

NHWX said:


> Thanks! I'll have to look them up. Of course, I think I just missed a big sale at homeschool buyer's co-op.
> 
> Anyone used the Dave Ramsey's Foundations in Personal Finance course for teens?
> 
> Thanks again!
> 
> NHWX



No...but I am interested!!!


----------



## Denine

I signed up last night for the Border's Home Educator's discount card.  I don't know how much I will use it, but it is nice to have.


----------



## desparatelydisney

Hi Everybody.  Just popping in.  We start back on Tuesday.

Using Moving Beyond the Page this year for 5-7 and 9-11, plus supplementing 9-11 with CTY math (John Hopkins), Getting Started with Latin & Story of the World 2. 

I am SUPER DUPER excited about Moving Beyond the Page.

Hope everyone has a great year.  We are breaking the end of August for our WDW trip.  Could some wonderful person please give me the link for the EPCOT unit study


----------



## sahmoftwo

We will be starting in a couple of weeks.  For you experienced h/s moms could someone reassure me that even though I am homeschooling and my dd will miss out on having a "first day of kindergarten" that I won't be scarring her for life.   I just remember loving school and I'm sad for her that she won't get to experience this!

Also, just curious if anyone has used Five in a Row, McRuffy Math, or click-n-kids.

Thank you so much!


----------



## Ellester

sahmoftwo said:


> We will be starting in a couple of weeks.  For you experienced h/s moms could someone reassure me that even though I am homeschooling and my dd will miss out on having a "first day of kindergarten" that I won't be scarring her for life.   I just remember loving school and I'm sad for her that she won't get to experience this!
> 
> Also, just curious if anyone has used Five in a Row, McRuffy Math, or click-n-kids.
> 
> Thank you so much!



I experienced the same thing the first few years we homeschooled (we are on year 6 now), I think it goes back to my own childhood memories! I loved my 1st day of Kindergarten, but it soon got so boring. I remember so many of the kids just sobbing for their parents! Believe me, she will not miss a thing. Make her first school day with you something special! Make a special breakfast, make a big deal about starting Kindergarten! We don't do that anymore, my next two kids just kind of slid into starting school (We're pretty laid back in my schooling style.) Now we try to have a special non-school day on the day they start public school around here. Kind of a "ha-ha, look at all those poor kids in the government school while we are getting ice cream and going to the park for longer than a 20 minute recess" day. 

Love Five in a Row! Just finished vol. 1 with my 6yo son. I was hoping to find vol. 2 or 3 used but they are hard to find! Not sure if I'll go ahead and order one of them from Rainbow or just keep having ds6 hang out with us while we finish up Sonlight Core 3 or start him on SL Core K. Decisions, decisions!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

sahmoftwo said:


> We will be starting in a couple of weeks.  For you experienced h/s moms could someone reassure me that even though I am homeschooling and my dd will miss out on having a "first day of kindergarten" that I won't be scarring her for life.   I just remember loving school and I'm sad for her that she won't get to experience this!
> 
> Also, just curious if anyone has used Five in a Row, McRuffy Math, or click-n-kids.
> 
> Thank you so much!



She will NOT be scarred for life!!!  I think it's a common fear--our society has 'done school' like this for so long, it's a way of life we are used to...think of all the famous/ brilliant people who were homeschooled, like Thomas Edison and Abe Lincoln. For some people, school just wasnt an option-so they had to stay home and look how great they turned out!!          
 I have my oldest in high school this year and all of a sudden (this is our 7th year), I feel like maybe I CAN'T do it. It's crazy to feel this way all of a sudden! I just had to remind myself several times this week to zoom out...look at the big picture. No, they will not know everything about everything, but I think they will be a lot better off than if they were in our local public school!! It's been a bit of an emotional week...it's been so long since I had any hesitation about schooling at home, and then this hit me out of the blue!!! Any of you have late onset anxieties when dealing with older kids? It's weird!!


----------



## dis-happy

sahmoftwo said:


> We will be starting in a couple of weeks.  For you experienced h/s moms could someone reassure me that even though I am homeschooling and my dd will miss out on having a "first day of kindergarten" that I won't be scarring her for life.   I just remember loving school and I'm sad for her that she won't get to experience this!
> 
> Also, just curious if anyone has used Five in a Row, McRuffy Math, or click-n-kids.
> 
> Thank you so much!



Starting K for the very first day of school is a big deal!  So make a big deal of it....keeping in mind that her first day of school at your homeschool is as legit as the first day of school anywhere else.  We like to make a special place setting for breakfast the first day, with a note from Mom and Dad.  Take a photo of your dd sitting at her desk (or table).  Start your numbering system if you plan to do one (ie. a paper chain where you add a link for each day of school, or construction paper cut outs that are numbered and posted each day for the school year...it's always nice to see progress).  Tell her what the school schedule will be each day, have some fun things (maybe an art project where she does something re. the first day of school)...you get the picture.  You are starting your traditions on the first day of school, so make it memorable and have fun.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

sahmoftwo...forgot to say that we did FIAR and we loved it!!!!


----------



## sahmoftwo

thank you all for your encouraging words that I am not damaging my child!    My dd is getting so excited for her first day of kindy...I'm thinking of combining a few of the suggestions and doing a special breakfast by taking her out of the house to pick our her favorite donuts while all of her friends have already started their school day.


----------



## sweetpee_1993

Hi all!  

Just popping in to see how everyone else is doing.  We're making real progress towards starting our first year of homeschooling.  We're so excited!  

After all the hours and hours of reading, searching, studying, analyzing and over-analyzing I finally just did what our lecturers told us in our 'Beginning Homeschoolers Class' and took the plunge.  I ordered both the boys' math from Chalk Dust (anyone who would be interested in the basic math after this year PM me).  I ordered all other subject selections from the Homeschool Supercenter online.  All together we spent just under $1300.  Everything arrived on Friday.  It was fun going thru the boxes and sorting everything.  Even the boys were excited to see everything.  

In the next week we're going to start both the boys with a handwriting for middle school course.  I'm amazed at how horrendous their handwriting is.  When we were their ages if our teachers couldn't read our writing we didn't get credit for our assignments.  I have no clue how they got so far with such illegible writing.  

The following week both will start their Math.  I'm thinking from there we'll add a subject each week after that so we ease into this whole thing without overwhelming any of us.  That also gives me time to organize myself and figure out how I'm going to do everything on my end.

Sooooo, how do you all do lesson plans?  Or do you just get them moving and keep track of everything their doing?  Do you use a lesson plan book?  A computer program?  How do you track grades?  Tell me what you do when their stuff all arrives.  Do you read thru before you put everything in front of them?  I'm curious how everyone else does all this.  

I know...you're thinking:  "Why didn't you start off with a box deal with all the lesson plans done for you???"  Well, I didn't find anything like that fit us right.  So I'm gonna buck up and figure out how to do it somehow.  Good luck to me, right?  

Anywhoo, wanted to give my best to everyone and thank y'all again for all your help!


----------



## Ellester

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/2...ks-Out-Against-Schooling-in-Graduation-Speech

Very thought provoking. I think she is 100% right.


----------



## Tink561

sahmoftwo said:


> We will be starting in a couple of weeks.  For you experienced h/s moms could someone reassure me that even though I am homeschooling and my dd will miss out on having a "first day of kindergarten" that I won't be scarring her for life.   I just remember loving school and I'm sad for her that she won't get to experience this!
> 
> Also, just curious if anyone has used Five in a Row, McRuffy Math, or click-n-kids.
> 
> Thank you so much!



I used FIAR with my sons (who are now practically grown...the baby is a senior) when they were younger and we loved it.  My daughter is starting K this year and we're using Sonlight.  We're also using McRuffy Math.  It looks great!

With my boys we always went out for lunch/ice cream the first day of school.  They were in school for K though so I know what you mean about a big deal.  Since it is just my daughter now, we will still do lunch/ice cream.  I will also take a picture of her for the first day and we will do something special like Build a Bear or something.  I'm not sure yet.


----------



## robinsegg

sahmoftwo said:


> We will be starting in a couple of weeks.  For you experienced h/s moms could someone reassure me that even though I am homeschooling and my dd will miss out on having a "first day of kindergarten" that I won't be scarring her for life.   I just remember loving school and I'm sad for her that she won't get to experience this!
> 
> Also, just curious if anyone has used Five in a Row, McRuffy Math, or click-n-kids.
> 
> Thank you so much!


We've homeschooled all through, starting with preK 4yo. My older two don't seem to have had any problem with not having had to leave for their first day of K. As a matter of fact, until just this spring, they told me that if I'd sent them to school, they would feel like I was "sending them away" from me . My other child is a baby (1yo), so we haven't experienced this with her 
Just try to remember that she's still having a first day of K and a first day of school. Either make it a day to show her what your "school" will be like for the year or take her on her first *official* field trip (something that will help her learn), even if it's just to the library or something.
I have a friend who does FIAR with all her young children and swears by it!
Have a great day!


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> It's been a bit of an emotional week...it's been so long since I had any hesitation about schooling at home, and then this hit me out of the blue!!! Any of you have late onset anxieties when dealing with older kids? It's weird!!



Yes! The elementary years are so easy and I was full of confidence. Then along comes middle school, and little doubts started creeping in. High school? It seems like the major leagues! 

But you said, "...they won't know everything about everything..." and I think that's the wise outlook. I think as h/sers we often try to create this utopian education, and that just doesn't exist. You do the best you can and give it all you've got, and it'll be okay.

...um, right?


----------



## dis-happy

polkadotsuitcase said:


> Yes! The elementary years are so easy and I was full of confidence. Then along comes middle school, and little doubts started creeping in. High school? It seems like the major leagues!
> 
> But you said, "...they won't know everything about everything..." and I think that's the wise outlook. I think as h/sers we often try to create this utopian education, and that just doesn't exist. You do the best you can and give it all you've got, and it'll be okay.
> 
> ...um, right?




Plug on and don't lose hope!  I managed to school my dd into her first choice college and she made the honor society for her major (BS in bio, now starting her senior year).

On Friday I went to the community college to see about enrolling my ds in a dual enrollement class.  The admissions officer made the comment to me that the dual enrolled homeschoolers fare much better than the regular high schoolers.  So much so that she's now thinking about homeschooling her 6 year old!


----------



## Denine

We have our first day of school tomorrow.  I always have DD dress up and I take her picture.  We also go out to dinner.  This will be our 5th year.  We started with PK.

We are using Sonlight this year after using Calvert for 4  years.  We are still using Horizons math.  We are adding in Prima Latina this year.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

polkadotsuitcase said:


> Yes! The elementary years are so easy and I was full of confidence. Then along comes middle school, and little doubts started creeping in. High school? It seems like the major leagues!
> 
> But you said, "...they won't know everything about everything..." and I think that's the wise outlook. I think as h/sers we often try to create this utopian education, and that just doesn't exist. You do the best you can and give it all you've got, and it'll be okay.
> 
> ...um, right?





dis-happy said:


> Plug on and don't lose hope!  I managed to school my dd into her first choice college and she made the honor society for her major (BS in bio, now starting her senior year).
> 
> On Friday I went to the community college to see about enrolling my ds in a dual enrollement class.  The admissions officer made the comment to me that the dual enrolled homeschoolers fare much better than the regular high schoolers.  So much so that she's now thinking about homeschooling her 6 year old!



Thanks ladies!! I needed that today!! I don't have any friends that homeschool with kids as old as mine...the people who have hsed put them into private school when they hit high school, or their local school....your words of encouragement almost made me cry!!!! I am glad I vented to y'all!!! Thanks!!


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

dis-happy said:


> Plug on and don't lose hope!  I managed to school my dd into her first choice college and she made the honor society for her major (BS in bio, now starting her senior year).
> 
> On Friday I went to the community college to see about enrolling my ds in a dual enrollement class.  The admissions officer made the comment to me that the dual enrolled homeschoolers fare much better than the regular high schoolers.  So much so that she's now thinking about homeschooling her 6 year old!



Well, dang! That is inspiring! Good work.


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Hey...just wanted to let y'all know I am doing the Christmas shopping thread again this year....here's the link!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2522057
Y'all come over and let's talk about shopping and all things Holiday!!!


----------



## NHWX

sweetpee_1993 said:


> Hi all!
> 
> Sooooo, how do you all do lesson plans?  Or do you just get them moving and keep track of everything their doing?  Do you use a lesson plan book?  A computer program?  How do you track grades?  Tell me what you do when their stuff all arrives.  Do you read thru before you put everything in front of them?  I'm curious how everyone else does all this.



I now use Homeschool Tracker Plus because I have high schoolers who need to have a their grades tracked. (I know some people don't track high schoolers grades but they way we're working it, we do.) At some point in the summer when I'm ready to wrap everything up, I assign a weighted value - 75% math exercises, 25% exams, for instance for math. Or 30% labs, 30% papers, 40% exercises for biology. Or whatever I think is reasonable given the course. Some things like gym and art are really difficult and I probably fall prey to "Mommy grades" there but seriously, who really counts a grade in gym? When you set up a course in HST, you can choose what types of work you want to have over the course. Then you use that to automatically calculate the grade.

As far as lesson plans go, I do try to make them because I am a person who is made happy by having a plan. It fits in nicely with my Disney trip planning dreams too. But, I've learned that the best laid plans of this homeschooling mom can be washed away, just like a Disney touring plan when you have torrential rain. Some things like math are easy - I looked at several other sources for math for a particular course, checked the math textbook and said "You have to go through Chapter 11" or whatever. Sometimes a plan comes with the material. Sometimes I go with a number of hours for something like gym. Other classes are harder to define and I think that that's where I see the need for the greatest amount of flexibility.

Have fun with your new adventure!

NHWX


----------



## herdtoDisney

sahmoftwo said:


> We will be starting in a couple of weeks.  For you experienced h/s moms could someone reassure me that even though I am homeschooling and my dd will miss out on having a "first day of kindergarten" that I won't be scarring her for life.   I just remember loving school and I'm sad for her that she won't get to experience this!
> 
> Also, just curious if anyone has used Five in a Row, McRuffy Math, or click-n-kids.
> 
> Thank you so much!



 I homeschooled my three oldest kids for 8 years-my oldest was hs from k-8th, kid #2 k-2nd, kid #3 k. So they did not go to public school for k (although my youngest 2 dd's have, since I had returned to full time employment by then). 

 We had our own 'first day of school' celebration every year-I took pictures, cooked a special breakfast, ect-my boys enjoyed it. None of them have ever mentioned feeling like they missed anything. The oldest boy just graduated high school as salutatorian!!!  

 For my dd's, I ended up having to work both of their first days of school, so I didn't get to see it anyways-they don't even remember that.


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## MiniGirl

I've been enjoying reading about everyone's first day of school celebration.

We are rather relaxed around here and have been doing a little bit of work all summer long -- sometimes more and sometimes less, but we don't really have a first official day of homeschool.

The girls have been wanting to go to the zoo, and I have been putting them off because of the heat and the crowds. I told them we would go the first day of public school, so I guess that will be our official celebration. One homeschool group that we belong to is having a beach day complete with a sand sculpture building contest on that same day. Maybe I'll see which one the girls would prefer.


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## Denine

MiniGirl said:


> I've been enjoying reading about everyone's first day of school celebration.
> 
> We are rather relaxed around here and have been doing a little bit of work all summer long -- sometimes more and sometimes less, but we don't really have a first official day of homeschool.
> 
> The girls have been wanting to go to the zoo, and I have been putting them off because of the heat and the crowds. I told them we would go the first day of public school, so I guess that will be our official celebration. One homeschool group that we belong to is having a beach day complete with a sand sculpture building contest on that same day. Maybe I'll see which one the girls would prefer.



That sounds like fun!


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## disneymom3

Disney Mommy 3 said:


> Any of you have late onset anxieties when dealing with older kids? It's weird!!


I am having exactly the opposite onset of anxiety.  I am having DD start high school this fall.  (End of this month ) after homeschooling for 8 years.  In many ways I really don't want to teach high school.  I stink at staying organized for one thing.  Plus, the books are a lot more expensive.  This last year, I feel like my boys just sort of floated along and I didn't do a good job of solidifying their basics.  However, now I am wondering.....is this really the best choice?


sweetpee_1993 said:


> Hi all!
> 
> 
> In the next week we're going to start both the boys with a handwriting for middle school course.  I'm amazed at how horrendous their handwriting is.  When we were their ages if our teachers couldn't read our writing we didn't get credit for our assignments.  I have no clue how they got so far with such illegible writing.
> 
> The following week both will start their Math.  I'm thinking from there we'll add a subject each week after that so we ease into this whole thing without overwhelming any of us.  That also gives me time to organize myself and figure out how I'm going to do everything on my end.
> 
> Sooooo, how do you all do lesson plans?  Or do you just get them moving and keep track of everything their doing?  Do you use a lesson plan book?  A computer program?  How do you track grades?  Tell me what you do when their stuff all arrives.  Do you read thru before you put everything in front of them?  I'm curious how everyone else does all this.
> 
> I know...you're thinking:  "Why didn't you start off with a box deal with all the lesson plans done for you???"  Well, I didn't find anything like that fit us right.  So I'm gonna buck up and figure out how to do it somehow.  Good luck to me, right?
> 
> Anywhoo, wanted to give my best to everyone and thank y'all again for all your help!



Nope, never once thought why didn't you buy a boxed curriculum.  I never have in going on 9 years now.   They never completely fit us either and I personally find them to be too "schooly" for us.  We do the same thing with starting slowly.  

We started today actually and it went really well. This year, I am using Winter Promise, Adventures in the Sea and Sky.  Today that was mainly just reading intros on what is coming up.  Then we did language arts which for one son is Christian Light Publications and silent reading and the other is Explode the Code, handwriting practice and reading aloud to me.  We also read from Treasure Island.  The Winter Promise curriculum combines both science and history so that's nice.  Then in a couple of weeks, I will add in math. I am using Christian LIght Publications for both of them in that too.  

If you aren't familiar with CLP, they are a great little company with a huge variety of topics with quite low prices. They have what they call Light Units and each one is about $3,00.  Ten of those make up each level.  They are simple, basic and straightforward.  DD did some of the homemaking ones over the summer for fun.  The group that publishes them are (I think) Menonite so we didn't do the sewing one as I didn't feel the need for her to know how to make a head scarf or the certain type of dress they have.  The cooking and meal planning was great though!

I totally forgot until reading this today that we always have gone out to lunch on the first day of school.   Oh well, no one else noticed either!


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## Denine

Just wondering what everyone uses for a spelling program.  We are using Sequential Spelling that comes with Sonlight and I am not sure how much I am going to like it.


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## SCHBR'smom

Denine said:


> Just wondering what everyone uses for a spelling program.  We are using Sequential Spelling that comes with Sonlight and I am not sure how much I am going to like it.



We are using Learning Language Arts through Literature which has spelling included.  It seems kinda weak, though, so I will probably need to supplement it.


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## Disney Mommy 3

I like Rod & Staff's spelling...


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## stobaugh6

I am new to the boards and wanted to introduce myself.  My name is Heather and I have 6 kiddos that I homeschool.  We are planning our 3rd WDW trip in September.

Anybody going to the Homeschool Days next month??


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## bumbershoot

sahmoftwo said:


> We will be starting in a couple of weeks.  For you experienced h/s moms could someone reassure me that even though I am homeschooling and my dd will miss out on having a "first day of kindergarten" that I won't be scarring her for life.   I just remember loving school and I'm sad for her that she won't get to experience this!



I first got interested in homeschooling because I had such a LOUSY time in school.  I hated the social interaction (went to school 11/12 years in the same area so knew most everyone from 1st on, and even in my Senior year I went home with big blotchy hives from the social interaction and nervousness EVERY DAY), the education was questionable with brief moments of "ooh that was brilliant", and my teachers, for the most part, were laughable and utterly burned out (5th grade teacher had a nervous breakdown in class towards the end of that year...then she was our class's teacher for 6th!).  If I had a scanner I knew how to use, I would show you "Molly before school", happy joyous smiling girl, and then "Molly after she started Montessori" (did Montessori from 4 to 6 yo, then started 1st at public school) which shows a hunched shoulder, circles under eyes, scared sad shy girl.  

So for me, I was worried (long before marrying and having DS) that I would scar a child for life BY sending him to school!  

I'm a wee bit more militant than most, though.  




Rland8228 said:


> I am 21 and I have my DS 3( I know I know young) We are currently living with my parents so that i can be full time care taker to my 90 year old grandfather and my sister 9 and brother 11, We will be moving out right after our September trip hopefully with my husbands new promotion and for our sanity.
> 
> My DS is currently 3 will be 4 in Nov. I have thought about homeschooling for awhile now. I had actually thought about doing it myself when I became pregnant with my son my junior year, but did not and finished school. My husband, my sons father and my mother who is a teacher, don't really agree with me wanting to do so. Its not so much that I love my son and don't want him to leave, but I look at it more of an adventure like being able to watch him grow and grow together. When I was put on bed rest the beginning of my senior year my math teacher came to my house and tutored me, i was doing amazing the best i had ever done. When i got back to school it was awful you couldn't focus everyone would constantly talk. My mother has been giving me a lot of stuff recently because I don't have him in day care well i cant afford (in our area)250 dollars a week for two days in daycare or preschool.She also keeps telling me that its going to be impossible for him to be in kindergarten. My fathers son thinks its just a big joke mind you he is 21, and is a "cool" kid. He thinks that my son will get no interaction or will become a social misfit. His father did homeschooling when he was in his junior year.Go figure. And my husband just worries about the social interaction and everything else. So I guess im just looking for some advice as to what all of you think, and where i should go from here.  Sorry for writing a book but just thought I would ask. Thanks



It is very impressive that you're so young yet very determined.  Especially when surrounded by naysayers!

My son is 6 and I've had people ask about his social skills, AFTER having a 20 minute long conversation WITH HIM.  People are bananas, I tell you.  Your whole family lives around him...how could he NOT develop social skills with all of those people?  

I am a hermit (note the social interaction hives mention above) but DS is a social butterfly, and has forced me to get out and about.  So he takes classes at the Y (swim, gymnastics, ballet, and aikido), and last year we did their Homeschool PE program so he got to learn all the little games kids "need" to learn, LOL.  He made friends, interacted, worked things out...and that's without stuff like that until he was 5.  DS LOVES people and after 5 minutes of being quiet to get used to things, and assuming the person doesn't totally creep him out (a reaction that I pay attention to), he'll pop into the conversation with his own thoughts and feelings.

Remembering that I'm a bit more militant than most...I find that most of the social interaction that kids get in school is "socializing".  Meaning chatting about nothing, just hanging out.  To me, school would have been so much better withOUT that.  I had some pretty negative experiences with it!  To me, kids with 39 other kids just becomes a sort of Lord of the Flies experience, and I don't feel that that helps much.  

DS went to his second birthday party in June, and it was to a party where most of the kids invited were from one kindergarten class.  There were 40 kids in their K class (and this is a private Catholic school), and while not everyone showed up (a virus swept the class just over a week before the party/end of school) it was a madhouse.  A wonderful noisy madhouse b/c they had a HUGE backyard that the kids could just run and run in...DS knew exactly two kids there (the birthday twins, who were in his swim class), and he jumped right in, played his little legs off, had a grand time!  And remember, I really only started taking him out to meet these other kids less than a year ago.

So I wouldn't worry about the social interaction stuff so much.  Help him learn to communicate with all humans, and he'll work out communication with kids.  



I am SO fortunate in where I live.  I think I've posted about them before, but my neighbor is a nearly-100 year old man who teaches Western art classes at the local fairgrounds.  His elderly son lives with him (and his daughter and son in law live in the same building with all of us)...we were at the condo's Social Hour last week, and the son said "you're homeschooling your son, right?" and when I said "yes", he said "GOOD.  We get homeschooling groups there as well as school groups, and the homeschool kids are SO SMART."  I could have kissed him for that!    I mean, not that schooled kids cannot be smart...I got B+s and As in school, and I was the lower-grade person of my group...but my friends were definitely not the norm for the schools we went to.

And of course the father-neighbor was very likely schooled mainly at home himself, and has made a lovely life for himself.  If he wasn't schooled at home, his parents almost certainly were, and he has great respect for it.

And I love the social hours for DS's sake (left to my own devices I'd avoid them) because he gets to chat with 20 senior citizens and have a GREAT time, and we woulldn't get that if we lived somewhere else!  



I still haven't been able to order Calvert, but we've been reading a bunch of the Sonlight books from 3/4, 4/5, and K this summer.  And DS has me do little addition quizzes (which thoroughly impressed the person we were talking to at the time) on the fly LOL.


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## wondermomamy

Denine said:


> Just wondering what everyone uses for a spelling program.  We are using Sequential Spelling that comes with Sonlight and I am not sure how much I am going to like it.



I've used Spelling Workout with my younger kids and nothing with the older ones, but they only started homeschooling the last few years. Spelling Workout seems a little boring, but they seem to be pretty good spellers. Of course, at their young ages I imagine their reading program had as much to do with spelling as an actual spelling program.


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## sweetpee_1993

NHWX said:


> I now use Homeschool Tracker Plus because I have high schoolers who need to have a their grades tracked. (I know some people don't track high schoolers grades but they way we're working it, we do.) At some point in the summer when I'm ready to wrap everything up, I assign a weighted value - 75% math exercises, 25% exams, for instance for math. Or 30% labs, 30% papers, 40% exercises for biology. Or whatever I think is reasonable given the course. Some things like gym and art are really difficult and I probably fall prey to "Mommy grades" there but seriously, who really counts a grade in gym? When you set up a course in HST, you can choose what types of work you want to have over the course. Then you use that to automatically calculate the grade.
> 
> As far as lesson plans go, I do try to make them because I am a person who is made happy by having a plan. It fits in nicely with my Disney trip planning dreams too. But, I've learned that the best laid plans of this homeschooling mom can be washed away, just like a Disney touring plan when you have torrential rain. Some things like math are easy - I looked at several other sources for math for a particular course, checked the math textbook and said "You have to go through Chapter 11" or whatever. Sometimes a plan comes with the material. Sometimes I go with a number of hours for something like gym. Other classes are harder to define and I think that that's where I see the need for the greatest amount of flexibility.
> 
> Have fun with your new adventure!
> 
> NHWX



Hey!  Thanks!  I was **just** looking at various software programs and Homeschool Tracker Plus was one that was in the 2 I'm narrowed down to.  Does it have a setup wizard to help goobers like me wade in gently?  The other I was looking at was Edu-Track.  I don't know if you've ever looked at it but the one thing I liked was that it had a setup wizard.  With a 9th grader I'm thinking going with software that generates transcripts will be a feature I'll be looking for.  After looking at basic teacher planning books at the local supply store I'm feeling more and more like one of the homeschool specific programs will be better in the end.  Besides, it'll keep me from having so many notebooks/workbooks/etc. laying around.  Less clutter can't be a bad thing.  Thanks for the input!




stobaugh6 said:


> I am new to the boards and wanted to introduce myself.  My name is Heather and I have 6 kiddos that I homeschool.  We are planning our 3rd WDW trip in September.
> 
> Anybody going to the Homeschool Days next month??



I looked at the Homeschool Days but the timing wasn't quite where we needed it to be.  Tentatively we'll be going down to WDW for our 8th family adventure 9/14-9/24.  I am seriously giving thought to shifting the entire thing out west to Disneyland, tho.  We've never been there.  Either way, at this point a trip is the goal.  Whether or not it works out remains to be seen.  

I've also looked at the Y.E.S. programs.  Those look awesome, too.  I'm certain I saw on the family board something about a Diser who had organized a Y.E.S. program (or two or more) for Diser's to join in.  I can easily see where the Disney forums would be a great tool to gathering a group to do these programs if what you'd like to do doesn't have open enrollment for your travel dates.  




disneymom3 said:


> Nope, never once thought why didn't you buy a boxed curriculum.  I never have in going on 9 years now.   They never completely fit us either and I personally find them to be too "schooly" for us.  We do the same thing with starting slowly.




I was thinking maybe my compulsion to go against the box curriculum was my narcissistic streak coming out.  In all the box sets I looked at there would be one or two things that I knew there were other things I preferred.  I went back & forth whether or not to just buck-up and do a box set for ease of use or throw the extra element of difficulty in for myself and do the pick-n-choose that I really wanted to do.  In the end it was my uncanny compulsion to choose the bumpiest, most challenging road in life that won again.  I'm okay with that.  

I think maybe at first I'll leave the plans a little loose long enough to see what rhythm we take as we move thru each subject so I know what's realistic to lay out lesson plans for the future.

One of my dearest friends who homeschooled both of her kids all the way thru school gave me some great advice the other day.  She told me:

You're a natural mom.  Trust that.  You've brought them so far already.  Don't teach the curriculum.  Teach your kids.  

^^^^
I really like that!  It's a good perspective to keep!


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## mommyof2princesses

Denine said:


> Just wondering what everyone uses for a spelling program.  We are using Sequential Spelling that comes with Sonlight and I am not sure how much I am going to like it.



I am using sequential spelling next year also.  I think it will be different than what I have used in the past, but hopefully it will be good.



SCHBR'smom said:


> We are using Learning Language Arts through Literature which has spelling included.  It seems kinda weak, though, so I will probably need to supplement it.



We are finishing up the red book in LLATL and the spelling was very weak.  the words were way to easy.  Instead we did Spelling Workout.



wondermomamy said:


> I've used Spelling Workout with my younger kids and nothing with the older ones, but they only started homeschooling the last few years. Spelling Workout seems a little boring, but they seem to be pretty good spellers. Of course, at their young ages I imagine their reading program had as much to do with spelling as an actual spelling program.



We used spelling workout  this year and my dd liked it.  It had an easy format and the words did get harder.  I liked that it had a small writing component to it.


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## NHWX

sweetpee_1993 said:


> Hey!  Thanks!  I was **just** looking at various software programs and Homeschool Tracker Plus was one that was in the 2 I'm narrowed down to.  Does it have a setup wizard to help goobers like me wade in gently?  The other I was looking at was Edu-Track.  I don't know if you've ever looked at it but the one thing I liked was that it had a setup wizard.  With a 9th grader I'm thinking going with software that generates transcripts will be a feature I'll be looking for.



I don't really remember, to tell you the truth. I started out with the free version and that worked well until I wanted to be more specific with my grading process. Then I upgraded to the paid version. I do remember watching the online help videos again and again because I am just not a person who learns all the details in a piece of software. I know they have a very active email list (yahoo? google?) and the people who make it are very responsive. I'm sure I asked a couple questions that people must ask every week but I still received kind and thoughtful answers.

I'm sure that I'll be re-watching the online videos again this month as I try to set up this coming year's work. It does work well, it's just not something that my brain holds onto.

NWHX


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## sweetpee_1993

NHWX said:


> I don't really remember, to tell you the truth. I started out with the free version and that worked well until I wanted to be more specific with my grading process. Then I upgraded to the paid version. I do remember watching the online help videos again and again because I am just not a person who learns all the details in a piece of software. I know they have a very active email list (yahoo? google?) and the people who make it are very responsive. I'm sure I asked a couple questions that people must ask every week but I still received kind and thoughtful answers.
> 
> I'm sure that I'll be re-watching the online videos again this month as I try to set up this coming year's work. It does work well, it's just not something that my brain holds onto.
> 
> NWHX




LOL!  Right after I responded to you I started watching some of the how-to videos.


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## Denine

Thanks for the spelling recommendatations.  This is day 3 of 3rd grade and the words are ridiculously easy.


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## danetter

I have been a member of the dis board for about a year now and this is our 9th year homeschooling our DD's ages 14 and 10. I just saw this homeschooling section on the board. My daughters have been using Abeka program but this year switching to something different with my 14yr old. I just ordered Lifepace English today. Anybody familiar with Lifepac that can give me any info.? We have our homeschool group signup in a few weeks and will have a book sell and I will buy more books then.

I noticed from an earlier post that in DW was having homeschool day in Sept. What day is that? We will be there Sept. 12-18. We are staying at Pop Century and would love to meet other homeschool families.


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## polkadotsuitcase

sweetpee_1993 said:


> In the next week we're going to start both the boys with a handwriting for middle school course.  I'm amazed at how horrendous their handwriting is.  When we were their ages if our teachers couldn't read our writing we didn't get credit for our assignments.  I have no clue how they got so far with such illegible writing.



Do you mind sharing which program you got? I've been thinking I ought to get my guys something, too. I keep thinking, "Eh, they'll just be using keyboards," but it's bugging me that their penmanship is sloppy.

Thanks!


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## polkadotsuitcase

I just ordered this year's materials. I'm running a bit later than usual, but things have been tight and I'm trying to stretch all the dollars! That said, I'm curious how much (average) everyone usually spends on homeschooling materials every year? 

It seems to vary for us from year to year, but I've always trended more toward lower cost -- although that means more work, kind of assembling stuff piece-by-piece and getting creative. Just wondered how everyone else budgeted for school materials?


----------



## DawnM

I used to stick with $300 per year for everyone.

Now that I have THREE kids all school age AND my oldest is now 7th grade, I am going to have to up that.

This past year I spent about $700 though.  Maybe even a bit more.  I didn't buy all at once, so it is hard to know exactly how much I spent.  

I just sold $200 of materials and am hoping to sell some more in the coming weeks.  I plan to use that again for new materials.

Dawn



polkadotsuitcase said:


> I just ordered this year's materials. I'm running a bit later than usual, but things have been tight and I'm trying to stretch all the dollars! That said, I'm curious how much (average) everyone usually spends on homeschooling materials every year?
> 
> It seems to vary for us from year to year, but I've always trended more toward lower cost -- although that means more work, kind of assembling stuff piece-by-piece and getting creative. Just wondered how everyone else budgeted for school materials?


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

polkadotsuitcase said:


> Do you mind sharing which program you got? I've been thinking I ought to get my guys something, too. I keep thinking, "Eh, they'll just be using keyboards," but it's bugging me that their penmanship is sloppy.
> 
> Thanks!



I like A Reason For Handwriting...my kids have loved it too. As for budgeting..I mix and match..so I don't really have a budget...I do try to keep it as low as possible. And...lots of stuff(such at Teaching Textbooks) that my oldest has will be passed down to the other two....
 I did find an awesome thing this week!!!! I am sure y'all are familiar with/know about Switched on Schoolhouse...well I was looking at the website for ds14. He is 9th grade and I needed a new History for him. We just finished up our book from last year...It was long, so I knew it would carry on for the first few weeks of this year. Anyway....SOS is what I was looking at for something a little different-I like the idea of him being more independant and me not having to do sooo many lesson plans. ( A thing to consider when you mix & match like I do!)...The company-Alpha Omega- has a fairly new program called Monarch. It's like SOS but better...no downloads, no books...I bought History, Bible, and Spanish1....we started it the next day and I love it!!! I just typed in the needed start and expected end day of our school year and it configured all his plans!!! I didn't have to do anything!!!! Of course, I need to go back and take off the days we will have for holidays, but WOW!! I am just excited and wanted to share with y'all... in case anyone is looking. Oh, and they don't begin until 3rd grade....so it won't work for the little bitties!


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## sweetpee_1993

polkadotsuitcase said:


> Do you mind sharing which program you got? I've been thinking I ought to get my guys something, too. I keep thinking, "Eh, they'll just be using keyboards," but it's bugging me that their penmanship is sloppy.
> 
> Thanks!



I got each of them Zaner-Bloser's Handwriting for Middle School.  It cost like $7.50 each.  



------



Well, started trying to figure out how to break out lesson plans for the boys' Language/Literature curriculums.  I'm soooo frustrated.  Why can't they give you a guide for this stuff????  Or at least do things logically?!  Trying desperately to figure out something else that will fill the ticket so I can send this stuff back.  Talk about aggravating!  

So for 7th & 9th grade Language/Literature I need to cover spelling, vocab, writing, grammar, and reading/literature guides.  Right?  Gosh!  I'm worn out even thinking about it.  I thought I'd find something that combined everything WITH lesson plans but no such luck.  

Prepare for the noob-melt-down.....


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

DawnM said:


> I used to stick with $300 per year for everyone.



That's my ballpark, too. In an ideal world, I could spend more, but you do what you gotta do! I may add in a little bit of this and a little bit of that over the year, but I try to keep my initial output at that range.



Disney Mommy 3 said:


> I like A Reason For Handwriting...my kids have loved it too.





sweetpee_1993 said:


> I got each of them Zaner-Bloser's Handwriting for Middle School.  It cost like $7.50 each.



Thanks for the input on this -- I'll check these out!



sweetpee_1993 said:


> So for 7th & 9th grade Language/Literature I need to cover spelling, vocab, writing, grammar, and reading/literature guides.  Right?  Gosh!  I'm worn out even thinking about it.  I thought I'd find something that combined everything WITH lesson plans but no such luck.



We're trying the Saxon language arts this year, combined with a couple other smaller/lighter writing books. There's a lot going on this year, and I really wanted something a little more comprehensive to take some of the pressure off me putting things together from scratch. I just ordered my materials, so I'm anxious to see them.

Thanks again for the input, all!


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## polkadotsuitcase

Hey, all --

I'm working on a project, and I could really use some input. 

I often hear parents saying that World Showcase is their kids' least-favorite part of WDW. As a homeschooler, of course I see WS as being stuffed with potential for fun learning opps. So, I'm making an online "book" (mini-book, really) on WS. It'll be free for anyone who just wants to do some pre-trip fun stuff with their kids. Hopefully, the kids will get more out of their WS visit that way.

I'm wondering if you have any suggestions on what you'd like to see in it, as a parent (and as a homeschooler!). I'm thinking about things like recipes, international games, some info on history/architecture of each country, crafts, experiments...

What are things that, as a visiting kid, if you knew about ahead of time, would enrich your WS visit?

My target age range is around 6-12, but parents could tweak downward for the younger set.

Thoughts?


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

polkadotsuitcase said:


> Hey, all --
> 
> I'm working on a project, and I could really use some input.
> 
> I often hear parents saying that World Showcase is their kids' least-favorite part of WDW. As a homeschooler, of course I see WS as being stuffed with potential for fun learning opps. So, I'm making an online "book" (mini-book, really) on WS. It'll be free for anyone who just wants to do some pre-trip fun stuff with their kids. Hopefully, the kids will get more out of their WS visit that way.
> 
> I'm wondering if you have any suggestions on what you'd like to see in it, as a parent (and as a homeschooler!). I'm thinking about things like recipes, international games, some info on history/architecture of each country, crafts, experiments...
> 
> What are things that, as a visiting kid, if you knew about ahead of time, would enrich your WS visit?
> 
> My target age range is around 6-12, but parents could tweak downward for the younger set.
> 
> Thoughts?



Sounds great already!! I will ask my kids and see if they come up with anything else...but, this sounds great!!!


----------



## Denine

Epcot has always been DD's favorite park.  She loves WS.  DD likes to talk to the CM's.  She also liked making the masks in each country.  We have switched over to the Passports.  You can learn a lot about the countries just by interacting with the CM's.  DD will be 8 in September.  We like to stop and listen to the different music groups that pop up.  There is also the show at the German restaurant.  DD loves German food.  You can learn a lot by going to the different restaurants too.


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## DawnM

Winter Promise Users

We are new to WP and I am hoping we can make it work this year, but the cost is just well, a LOT!

I am considering only getting the exclusives and using the library, but I just loaded my cart with exclusives only and it came to over $200 (including LA exclusives.)

If you are a WP user, did you enjoy all the WP exclusives and use them?  

Did you use the LA Guide or just to your own LA?  If you used the LA Guide, did you like it?

I want to do American Culture with my kids next year.

Thanks,

Dawn


----------



## nemofans

I just spent the past week reading almost all of this thread (all 247 pages of it)! 
My DS is starting Kdg this month in a Montessori school.  He has been at this school for 2 yrs already for preschool & we love it.  He has done really well so far.  The school doesn't go past Kdg, so I have been researching my options for 1st grade.  Both DH & I agree we will not send our boys to public school.  So I have been researching our private school options.  We are at the point of sending him to another Montessori school for grades 1-5 or homeschooling him.
I was apprehensive about the idea of homeschooling at first until I read this thread.  You have made me feel I could do it.  I did teach spec ed in public schools b4 becoming a stay at home mom & know how I would prefer to teach at home.  I would do a year round school & do themed units.  I used to teach a chocolate unit to my 4 th grade spec ed students & they loved it. I would love to do units thru the school year. 

This thread has taught me so much about how homeschooling works & all the options there are.  I have been looking into what we have in my area & found classes thru the park district just for hs'ers along w/hs groups.  
I do love montessori & DS has been doing so well, so we are 90% sure our decision will be to continue montessori.  I am planning on then homeschooling 6th-8th grade & possibly high school.  
Anyway, I wanted to let you guys know what a great thread this is & how supportive you all are!  I do support hs & wanted to thank you for easing my mind that hs could work for my boys.  We will most likely not be hs'ing in the near future, but it's always an option depending on how things go & most likely will do hs for middle school.
Thanks again for all the great info!  Have a great new school year!


----------



## NHWX

DawnM said:


> I just sold $200 of materials and am hoping to sell some more in the coming weeks.  I plan to use that again for new materials.
> 
> Dawn



Where do you sell your old materials? I've gotten quite a stack built up and I really do need to clear some out. I've been moderately successful selling bits and pieces here and there but no clearcut success.

Thanks,

NHWX


----------



## bellebud

polkadotsuitcase said:


> Hey, all --
> 
> I'm working on a project, and I could really use some input.
> 
> I often hear parents saying that World Showcase is their kids' least-favorite part of WDW. As a homeschooler, of course I see WS as being stuffed with potential for fun learning opps. So, I'm making an online "book" (mini-book, really) on WS. It'll be free for anyone who just wants to do some pre-trip fun stuff with their kids. Hopefully, the kids will get more out of their WS visit that way.
> 
> I'm wondering if you have any suggestions on what you'd like to see in it, as a parent (and as a homeschooler!). I'm thinking about things like recipes, international games, some info on history/architecture of each country, crafts, experiments...
> 
> What are things that, as a visiting kid, if you knew about ahead of time, would enrich your WS visit?
> 
> My target age range is around 6-12, but parents could tweak downward for the younger set.
> 
> Thoughts?



great idea!!  If I could design it, I'd love to see a BIG visual clue or 'fact' to start off each country - something you could see across the lake if possible (ie: the pyramid for mexico)... then also a 'smaller' one for each country that they'd have to look for while they're "in" that country (and of course some facts to go w/ those visuals) - who built the pyramids in mexico, why, etc.

Also the obvious things - common words (hello, good-bye, thank you, please) for each country, maybe some common foods and why they are common foods (that's what grew there because of that particular climate), so then tying in w/ where on the globe the country is.  

boy, you could go all out with this... but that is how I would start it off.


----------



## NiniMorris

polkadotsuitcase said:


> Hey, all --
> 
> I'm working on a project, and I could really use some input.
> 
> I often hear parents saying that World Showcase is their kids' least-favorite part of WDW. As a homeschooler, of course I see WS as being stuffed with potential for fun learning opps. So, I'm making an online "book" (mini-book, really) on WS. It'll be free for anyone who just wants to do some pre-trip fun stuff with their kids. Hopefully, the kids will get more out of their WS visit that way.
> 
> I'm wondering if you have any suggestions on what you'd like to see in it, as a parent (and as a homeschooler!). I'm thinking about things like recipes, international games, some info on history/architecture of each country, crafts, experiments...
> 
> What are things that, as a visiting kid, if you knew about ahead of time, would enrich your WS visit?
> 
> My target age range is around 6-12, but parents could tweak downward for the younger set.
> 
> Thoughts?



We use Vacation Education and LOVE it!  Each country has a recipe, craft item, story, something that all the kids love to do.  If we have a long time before we go...we do each country in a week and end up with a meal from that country on Friday...if the trip is coming up faster, we have a dish from each country for lunch on our daily trek.

This year we used it during our summer break...DD is now in public school and it was the highlight of her summer break...Disney school is always so much fun...and it is always surprising to me how much she remembers once we are there.  She likes to play tourguide for her dad...



+++++++++++++++++++++++

Well, it looks like my home school career will soon be over.  DS (who is special needs) wants to go to public school and be 'normal'...so we are off today to discuss with the school board what programs they have to offer him.  NOT looking forward to this!



Nini


----------



## graygables

A fun thing to do around the World Showcase is to have a Word or Phrase of the Day (or whatnot) and ask a cultural representative from each country how to say that word. "Thank you" is always good to know, but it could be anything, such as "airplane" or "Summer".  It's fun to also have them write it and see if there are any similarities among the language families.  OK, I'm a linguistics geek, what can I say???


----------



## floydfamily4

Hi there!  I will be using My Father's World 1st grade this year and wonder if there are any users on this thread I could connect with?  Thanks!

Dawn


----------



## disneymom3

stobaugh6 said:


> I am new to the boards and wanted to introduce myself.  My name is Heather and I have 6 kiddos that I homeschool.  We are planning our 3rd WDW trip in September.
> Anybody going to the Homeschool Days next month??


  Hello there!  Welcome!  We are not going, sure would love to though!


Denine said:


> Just wondering what everyone uses for a spelling program.  We are using Sequential Spelling that comes with Sonlight and I am not sure how much I am going to like it.


I used Spelling Power with my daughter.  Really liked it.  Your DD sounds pretty bright and the child basically goes up to whatever level they test at.  My boys are using Chirstian Light Publications for LA this year and it includes spelling with it.  I really like it but they are both really bad spellers.


DawnM said:


> Winter Promise Users
> 
> We are new to WP and I am hoping we can make it work this year, but the cost is just well, a LOT!
> 
> I am considering only getting the exclusives and using the library, but I just loaded my cart with exclusives only and it came to over $200 (including LA exclusives.)
> 
> If you are a WP user, did you enjoy all the WP exclusives and use them?
> 
> Did you use the LA Guide or just to your own LA?  If you used the LA Guide, did you like it?
> 
> I want to do American Culture with my kids next year.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Dawn



I LOVE WP and would love to be able to afford every year but I don't think that will happen. We are doing Sea and Sky this year and I really feel justified at the cost only because it includes both history and science.  I don't use their language arts. As I said above I use CLP.  I do get as many books as possible from the library. What I did was before our state conference, I looked up all the prices on WP, Amazon and Rainbow. Then I checked which would be easy to get at the library (multiple copies) and moved on from there.  

The exclusives I bought from WP.  One thing I would suggest is to get the Teacher guide/schedule whatever, *first*.  There are two books in mine that I can't find at the library that are only used for one week.  for one week, I can fill in with something else.  ONe of them is called Monsters of the Deep and I found several books at booksales for very cheap that were about deep sea creatures so we are just using those and not spending the $16 for that one.


----------



## disneyelaine

After much thought, I have made our selections for this year.  Just ordered most everything today. 

 Here is what I spent.
History.............WP Children Around the World...............499.00
Lang Arts..........No Glamour Grammar & Language............ 87.90
Science............Noeo Science, Chemistry II...................165.96
Math................AGS Math Concepts..............................85.77

So about 838.00 so far.  I will be adding probably about 100.00 more to that, give or take, once I plan a bit more.  This is about typical to what I spend each year. 

Hope these selections work out well for us!


----------



## natashag76

Hi!  I thought I would finally introduce myself since I've been following this thread for a while.  
Last year, DD was in 1st grade and it was a disaster.  Her teacher tried to convince she had a sensory disorder, we disagreed and after dragging in all the administration who sided with the teacher, we spent hundreds of dollars to find out that DD hates school and is actually gifted and bored out of her mind!
So this year we have her enrolled in a religious Montessori school and are hopeful, but after last year, I want to be ready just in case.  I feel guilty even thinking it, but you know how it goes.  
So I've been considering homeschool since last year, but since I also have 2 others at home I hesitate just b/c I don't know if I'll be overwhelmed or not.  
How do you all do it?  Especially those of you with children of different ages?  What resources do you find the most helpful?  I have to state that we aren't Christian, we're Jewish, so our faith based resources will probably be different from the majority of folks on here.  However, any help and guidance you all can offer would really be welcome!
Thanks!


----------



## NHWX

natashag76 said:
			
		

> So I've been considering homeschool since last year, but since I also have 2 others at home I hesitate just b/c I don't know if I'll be overwhelmed or not.
> How do you all do it?  Especially those of you with children of different ages?  What resources do you find the most helpful?  I have to state that we aren't Christian, we're Jewish, so our faith based resources will probably be different from the majority of folks on here.  However, any help and guidance you all can offer would really be welcome!
> Thanks!



Welcome to the thread Natasha! It's a nice group of people here.

Your story sounds a lot like ours. We started our older son at our town's public school and by the end of first grade, we were being told that he had left-right confusion and that they'd like to do a full evaluation in the fall. In the meantime, we'd had no end of trouble dealing with the teacher and administration (How the heck does a 6 year old get his hand burnt at the classroom faucet when you only have 15 kids in the class? And the teacher really didn't know how it happened. And so on.)

So we pulled our son out, along with two other families and sent our children to a local cooperative school. It was like the best of both worlds - parents were involved but certified caring teachers did a fantastic job of teaching. Then, the economy started to tank, families needed 2 incomes (no volunteering during the day) or simply needed to not pay private school tuition and the upshot was that the school closed.

The middle school simply wasn't a choice for an all-day approach. We'd interviewed the guidance counselor and it was clear that there were going to be significant challenges so we ended up homeschooling. I tried that first spring to mix-and-match materials but it became clear that I needed help. After that, I searched through an array of boxed curriculum, found a subset that I liked and said "Pick one" to the kids. Our younger son ended up picking one that didn't match well with his preferred learning methods and we changed again in January of that year.

When our oldest was at the end of eighth grade, he really needed to get out, explore more, push boundaries, etc. so off he went to public school for ninth grade. Disaster. Since then, our younger one has done two classes at the middle school and now both of them have done high school classes at home and with outside providers.

Just as in a classroom, there might be one group doing silent reading while the teacher is working with another group on spelling, you'll learn to sort your time with multiple children. It does help when they're more independent!

We ended up using K12.com for middle school courses. I remember also liking Calvert but for some reason didn't go with them. My younger son tried Oak Meadow, and if he'd liked writing, would have been a much better fit.

Hope this helps!

NHWX


----------



## sahmoftwo

natashag76 said:


> Hi!  I thought I would finally introduce myself since I've been following this thread for a while.
> 
> So I've been considering homeschool since last year, but since I also have 2 others at home I hesitate just b/c I don't know if I'll be overwhelmed or not.
> How do you all do it?  Especially those of you with children of different ages?  What resources do you find the most helpful?  I have to state that we aren't Christian, we're Jewish, so our faith based resources will probably be different from the majority of folks on here.  However, any help and guidance you all can offer would really be welcome!
> Thanks!



I am a very new homeschooler so I don't have much advice, but I just wanted to let you know that there are totally secular curriculums...McRuffy is one (they do lang. arts, math, and science) and then there are complete curriculums that are secular so then you could just add in any religious instruction you wanted.  I have a dd in kindy and a ds 2 1/2...I just try to distract my ds and then do dd's work...not a perfect system and I know some of the more experienced ladies will have much better advice!


----------



## dis-happy

graygables said:


> A fun thing to do around the World Showcase is to have a Word or Phrase of the Day (or whatnot) and ask a cultural representative from each country how to say that word. "Thank you" is always good to know, but it could be anything, such as "airplane" or "Summer".  It's fun to also have them write it and see if there are any similarities among the language families.  OK, I'm a linguistics geek, what can I say???




LOVE IT!!!  Thanks for the great idea...I can't wait to try this on our next trip to the World (and doing the happy dance 'cuz that will be next week!).


----------



## gasperdam

Hello to everyone on the thread!  I have skimmed over this thread but haven't found time to read it ALL   Anyway, I'm not really sure if we fit in here but hope we can- my DD will be starting a cyberschool program at home in 2 weeks.  I am so excited and nervous!!!!


----------



## DawnM

Thanks.

I am really happy to report that after putting the word out there on several hs boards re: WP, I have had a couple of people offer me FREE materials for American Culture and I love what I have seen so far.  I will most likely still need to get the Teacher's Guide, but I spent some time looking on my local library online catalog site and most are available from them.

There is only one book that is a WP exclusive, but you are right, a substitute can be found!

I am getting really excited about this!

I also just sold quite a bit or curriculum and am trying to sell some more!  This will off-set the cost as well.

Dawn



disneymom3 said:


> I LOVE WP and would love to be able to afford every year but I don't think that will happen. We are doing Sea and Sky this year and I really feel justified at the cost only because it includes both history and science.  I don't use their language arts. As I said above I use CLP.  I do get as many books as possible from the library. What I did was before our state conference, I looked up all the prices on WP, Amazon and Rainbow. Then I checked which would be easy to get at the library (multiple copies) and moved on from there.
> 
> The exclusives I bought from WP.  One thing I would suggest is to get the Teacher guide/schedule whatever, *first*.  There are two books in mine that I can't find at the library that are only used for one week.  for one week, I can fill in with something else.  ONe of them is called Monsters of the Deep and I found several books at booksales for very cheap that were about deep sea creatures so we are just using those and not spending the $16 for that one.


----------



## DawnM

I LOVE all the back to school threads going on!  That means kids are going back to school VERY SOON and I can go out without the massive crowds! 

Time to plan our field trips!  YEAH!


----------



## natashag76

Hi, 
Thanks for the suggestions.  Once the school year begins, I'm going to do a little research to see what would work well for us.  That way, if things don't work out, I'll be better prepared to take over than I was last year!


----------



## my*2*angels

Hi!!!  I just stumbled upon this thread!  We are homeschooling this year for the very first time.  My dd is 7 and in 2nd grade and I also have a dd who is 3yo.  Any advice on what to do with my 3 yo while I am also working with my 2nd grader?  Do you think it is too much for her to have "work" of her own?  I was thinking of just printing out some things from the computer to give her to do.  Any suggestions?  Thanks!

Mindy


----------



## A&E'sMom

my*2*angels said:


> Hi!!!  I just stumbled upon this thread!  We are homeschooling this year for the very first time.  My dd is 7 and in 2nd grade and I also have a dd who is 3yo.  Any advice on what to do with my 3 yo while I am also working with my 2nd grader?  Do you think it is too much for her to have "work" of her own?  I was thinking of just printing out some things from the computer to give her to do.  Any suggestions?  Thanks!
> 
> Mindy



Sounds good to me!  Welcome!  

As a foster mom, I've had little ones tugging on my hem or hanging from my hip since the first day of homeschooling two years ago. I also ended up keeping my youngest son out the first year, and just homeschooled my oldest and my niece for kindergarten that year. 
Having little projects or "work" for the younger ones has always worked for me. It depends on the child though, of course. My youngest wanted to be involved, but wasn't ready for true work. So projects worked best for him. Nothing fancy, sometimes it was as simple as dumping out a box of blocks and asking him to build the tallest tower that he could. If your 7 yo is reading on her own, you could have her read aloud sometimes, so that your 3 yo could sit and listen. 
One of the coolest things (to me) about homeschooling, is that you can do your own thing. So, if my advice doesn't work, that's okay. Homeschooling has been just as much of a learning experience for me, as it has been for my boys. We ebb and flow, and change methods as needed. It's a challenge, but a fun one!


----------



## forbothmykids

Hi, I usually only lurk here, but I was wondering if someone could answer a question for me.  We're a homeschooling family of four and are planning on going to the WDW Homeschool Days in January.  Can my husband and I purchase and use the discounted tickets, too, or are those only for the students?  Or would we have to purchase regular 5-day hoppers.  I don't think the info is clear on the Homeschool Days website.  Thanks for any info anyone can give me.

Denise


----------



## MyDisneyTrio

Does anyone know where I might find used Before Five In A Row books and the B4FIAR book itself? Thanks so much!

-Lori


----------



## wondermomamy

MyDisneyTrio said:


> Does anyone know where I might find used Before Five In A Row books and the B4FIAR book itself? Thanks so much!
> 
> -Lori



I bought and sold mine on ebay. Good luck!


----------



## Disney Mommy 3

Five In A Row has their own website under their name...books can be checked out at the library...the bigger library you have access to, the more books you can find. I had a few that I ordered from BAM, or B&N, but the Purple House Press has a few hard to find books too!!


----------



## MomofSixinSC

You used to be able to buy the Five in a Row curriculum books from homeschool suppliers at a discounted rate.  The place I use no longer carries them. 

I would try e-bay.  I'm sure there are plenty of former "rowers" who would be happy for a few extra bucks to spend on new curriculum.


----------



## my*2*angels

A&E'sMom said:


> Sounds good to me!  Welcome!
> 
> As a foster mom, I've had little ones tugging on my hem or hanging from my hip since the first day of homeschooling two years ago. I also ended up keeping my youngest son out the first year, and just homeschooled my oldest and my niece for kindergarten that year.
> Having little projects or "work" for the younger ones has always worked for me. It depends on the child though, of course. My youngest wanted to be involved, but wasn't ready for true work. So projects worked best for him. Nothing fancy, sometimes it was as simple as dumping out a box of blocks and asking him to build the tallest tower that he could. If your 7 yo is reading on her own, you could have her read aloud sometimes, so that your 3 yo could sit and listen.
> One of the coolest things (to me) about homeschooling, is that you can do your own thing. So, if my advice doesn't work, that's okay. Homeschooling has been just as much of a learning experience for me, as it has been for my boys. We ebb and flow, and change methods as needed. It's a challenge, but a fun one!



Yes, I don't want anything too much for her, but just little things so she feels included.  I know she is going to want to do something!LOL  My 7yo does read to her all the time and she really enjoys it, so that is a good idea to have her read some of her things aloud.  This is my first year, so I know it will be a learning experience for us all!  Thanks!


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

Just started back to school today -- kinda rusty (longer break than normal) but I'm very happy to be back in a schedule. Last year was wackadoodle for various reasons, so I'm hoping this year is a bit steadier.

Anyone else back in it?


----------



## adisneymama

We started back 8/2.  I think we are finally getting into the groove again.  Things are starting to get a little smoother.  Hope you are off to a great year!


----------



## Jacoby 46

It's amazing with so many boards and sub boards on the DIS that there is no Homeschooling Board?? I wish they would create one, it would be so much easier to have a General Chat thread for those of you that know each other so well and then a newbie thread for those of us that have just started.


----------



## desparatelydisney

MyDisneyTrio said:


> Does anyone know where I might find used Before Five In A Row books and the B4FIAR book itself? Thanks so much!
> 
> -Lori




PM me.


----------



## Indiana Rose Lee




----------



## Disney Mommy 3

polkadotsuitcase said:


> Just started back to school today -- kinda rusty (longer break than normal) but I'm very happy to be back in a schedule. Last year was wackadoodle for various reasons, so I'm hoping this year is a bit steadier.
> 
> Anyone else back in it?



I had a year like that about 2 years ago...I altered my scheduling and it made a big difference! And yep...we are back too...actually this is our 6th week!!! A few more to go and we are on our first quarter break!!!!


----------



## antree

Does anyone use or have used K12? I was thinking of purchasing the books. I can't afford the private school through K12 and the public school is not listed in NJ for K12.
Any and all opinions welcomed.

Thanks.


----------



## adisneymama

antree said:


> Does anyone use or have used K12? I was thinking of purchasing the books. I can't afford the private school through K12 and the public school is not listed in NJ for K12.
> Any and all opinions welcomed.
> 
> Thanks.



I am using K12.  We finished out 2nd grade with it and are now using 3rd.  I am also doing it as homeschool.  I can't afford the private school and even though the free public school option is here in TX, I strongly oppose TAKS and wouldn't do the public option anyway.  I am very happy with their customer service and the materials.  The only class I did not like was their history curriculum.  I didn't feel it was appropriate for the age (too advanced for us) nor did I think it was what we should be learning at this age.  So I am using an Abeka book for history.  I let them know within the first 30 days that I didn't like it and their customer service was amazing!  More than I expected from them.  So far I am very pleased with the quality of the materials and the support.  Especially for the price.  Let me know if you need anything specific.


----------



## antree

adisneymama said:


> I am using K12.  We finished out 2nd grade with it and are now using 3rd.  I am also doing it as homeschool.  I can't afford the private school and even though the free public school option is here in TX, I strongly oppose TAKS and wouldn't do the public option anyway.  I am very happy with their customer service and the materials.  The only class I did not like was their history curriculum.  I didn't feel it was appropriate for the age (too advanced for us) nor did I think it was what we should be learning at this age.  So I am using an Abeka book for history.  I let them know within the first 30 days that I didn't like it and their customer service was amazing!  More than I expected from them.  So far I am very pleased with the quality of the materials and the support.  Especially for the price.  Let me know if you need anything specific.




That is great to hear, I am getting ready for the 3rd grade too, I was wondering about the history, glad to hear about it before I bought it. I will look in to Abeka. I was using Horizon but I want to try something different. Did you purchase the Teacher Asst.? Can I ask you how many courses you bought and which ones?

Thanks for the help.


----------



## graygables

adisneymama said:


> The only class I did not like was their history curriculum.  I didn't feel it was appropriate for the age (too advanced for us) nor did I think it was what we should be learning at this age.



This is exactly what we thought, too.  I'm not one to believe that my children are uber-wunderkind, so the Code of Hammurabi in the 2nd grade was a bit much and I found myself saying, "Really?" a lot during the school year.  We did use a virtual school which also played into our not-stellar experience with K12, but I don't know that I would buy the curriculum.  Mind you, I'm all about history, my DDs LOVE exploring it, but it came across as a bit too elitist to me.


----------



## livndisney

antree said:


> That is great to hear, I am getting ready for the 3rd grade too, I was wondering about the history, glad to hear about it before I bought it. I will look in to Abeka. I was using Horizon but I want to try something different. Did you purchase the Teacher Asst.? Can I ask you how many courses you bought and which ones?
> 
> Thanks for the help.



Not the pp you asked, but thought I would offer my .02. We are using Abeka. We did it for K and 2. Tried something else for 3 and went back to Abeka for 4th. I bought Handwriting, Science, History, Language, and Spelling (using Harcourt for Math). If you want to look at the books, Abeka does fairs a lot where you can go in and look at the books. (If you order at the fair they don't charge shipping).


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

graygables said:


> This is exactly what we thought, too.  I'm not one to believe that my children are uber-wunderkind, so the Code of Hammurabi in the 2nd grade was a bit much and I found myself saying, "Really?" a lot during the school year.  We did use a virtual school which also played into our not-stellar experience with K12, but I don't know that I would buy the curriculum.  Mind you, I'm all about history, my DDs LOVE exploring it, but it came across as a bit too elitist to me.



I'm with you on this. 

In particular, your comment, "I'm not one to believe that my children are uber-wunderkind" really rings. Last night at football practice, a dad was talking to another mom. She currently homeschools; he used to. He went on and on and on and on about how brilliant his son is and how, when the boy went to public school, the teachers were completely dazzled with his superior intelligence and he tested higher than anyone in the state. (I may be embellishing just a bit but that's how I remember it...)

I think my kids are awesome, too. Don't we all? But I'd rather make my own opinions of people (and their kids) than have their opinions rammed down my throat.

I guess this really has nothing to do with h/sing in particular. I've just always approached h/sing as a way to give my kiddos an alternative form of a solid education, not necessarily the end-all, be-all of genius-hood. The Code of Hammurabi did seem a bit much for a 6yo. Making a miniature flooding Nile project -- well, that's another thing.


----------



## adisneymama

I did not buy the teacher asst for the Abeka history.  I actually started out with the 1st grade history book because in our district they don't do history at all!  Only Social Studies which was communities, factories etc.  Studying the flag, George Washington etc has not been covered.  The history book from Abeka is easy to make your own tests etc.  So that is why I didn't order the teacher asst.  I also recommend looking up one of their fairs so you can visually see the books.  But like I said other than the History with K12 everything else has been great and that is what we'll keep using.

Thru K12 we are doing the LA, math and Science curriculums.  I am using Abeka for History and I have a book called Handbook to reading that I am using from them.  Anything else I want to pop in there I have just gotten off the internet.  My total with the monthly K12 tuition, cost of materials etc is around $1000/yr.  So I'm very pleased.


----------



## antree

livndisney and adisneymama, Thank You so much for the information it helps a lot. Now i'll go through everything and figure out what to start getting. I am running late get the books. but I keep him on my DD's schedule who does go to school, it's just easier that way for me. She does start for another 2 1/2 weeks yet. My son loves learning  but hates doing school. Some days he is all into it and others he will kick and scream he confuses me at times. I think I'm going to get him to do a pen pal to get him into writing. Does anyone do that?

Once again Thank you for all the Help.


----------



## ilovepete

Can I join you all?  We are doing our first homeschooling year now with my 5 year old!


----------



## polkadotsuitcase

ilovepete said:


> Can I join you all?  We are doing our first homeschooling year now with my 5 year old!



Let's see...

You love Disney?   Check.

You homeschool?    Check.

You're in! 

Have fun with your first year -- the elementary years are so much fun!


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## Disney Mommy 3

Okay girls...do you realize after 250 posts, the mods shut the thread? I am going to take it upon myself to start the next thread....Can you believe we are this far?!!!!
Here's our new link:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=37828794#post37828794


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