Would love some insight into homeschool stuff.
You know, curriculum, products you love… stuff.
Because it’s been a long time since I put on my teacher’s hat. And I never really was very good, even back then.
But my Asher’s tummy troubles are back. We’ve gotten rid of the offending “allergens”, but nothing is bringing relief. And I’m beginning to believe his stomach aches are related to school.
And this mama just can’t take much more of seeing him in pain. I miss my old Asher, and I’m more than happy to homeschool him if that will bring that big ol’ smile back.
So, if you homeschool, what products do you love? Asher is easily distracted, so anything that works for your kids that are especially distractable would be great. And interesting… must be interesting. For both of our sakes.
Any insight into ways to get started? I am highly distractable myself, so if there is something really easy that you use, that works, I’m all ears!
And how to get organized? This is the bane of my existence. Seriously.
And, last but not least, how to not lose my brain like jelly, spilling out of my ears?
So very grateful.
P.S. To Lisa and Holly, thank you for letting me talk your ears off in the last few days. Y’all rock.
We are in our 8th year of homeschooling – what we love are
Math-u-see – great and sequential and hubby the math man approves – dvds helpful
Apologia Science – christian world view
Started IEW this year – so far so good – jury still out
Bob Jones History – harder and challenging as each year progresses
Good Luck!! any questions – feel free to email me
We are looking forward to bringing home our little girl from China to add to our current 2 homegrown girls
Math-Math Mammoth
Science-Apologia (awesome!)
History-Story of the World and activity book (love this!!)
English-Peace Hill Press
Lots and lots of reading, playing, computer games, and hugs 🙂
I can so relate to your Asher. I developed terrible stomach problems in 9th grade related to anxiety about going to school and my Mom also decided to homeschool me back then. It made a huge difference. I now homeschool my kids because I got to see the benefits of homeschooling first hand. My kids are all pretty distractible so I can relate to that as well. We use Math U See for Math and that has been great. There are videos for each lesson that explain everything to the child and the teacher. I have also heard wonderful things about Teaching Textbooks which has the same video concept. We use the reading list of books recommended by Sonlight for my son who is in fourth grade. I have my son read the books a chapter or two a day and then tell me about them. Spectrum writing workbooks are very straight forward and don’t require teacher prep. A real plus when you have a bunch of kids at home. My son also really likes A Reason for Spelling and we use Intermediate Language Lessons for grammar. We are getting a lot of videos out of the library for Science right now and doing nature study. Apologia science is suppose to be great and we plan to use that very soon. Story of the World is popular and well planned out for history. Can you tell we are eclectic. I have tried a lot of things over the last few years and read a lot of reviews. It might be helpful to others giving advice if you mentioned what grade Asher is in. I say go for it with homeschooling. I can bet you will have your old Asher back in no time!
http://www.k12.com
They have virtual academies in different states.
Oh, Stefanie, I’m sorry Asher is having ‘tummy troubles.’ I only home schooled for a short time, and knowing where to start was the hardest part! But you’re going to get some awesome advice here (not from me – lol). I people just list the curriculum they use, that’s so helpful! Prayers for you!
Posted a sumamry of what I use and love here last year: http://godspromisetocaleb.blogspot.com/2010/08/youd-think-id-have-this-perfected-by.html
Haven’t done a post for curriculum this year yet. Newest favoirte that I just discover is:
Online live Biblical Worldview Based school: http://www.pottersschool.org/
LOVE, LOVE, L00000000VE this! You can do one class or all classes.
Homeschooling is great!! The virtual programs that many school districts offer are not really homeschooling – it is public school at home. I know friends who have done them and complain about all of the busy work. Their children who are easily distracted had trouble with that…just my 2 cents 😉
I homeschool my 4 children ages 8, 6, 5 and 4 (youngest 2 adopted from China) and I love it..most days! We also use Math-U-See – LOVE IT!! The main curriculum that we use is My Father’s World and it is great!! It is geared to teach multiple (& different ages) family members. We are ALL studying American History this year and they love it!! Each child is at a different spot with reading, math, etc..but we do a lot of stuff together like Bible, history, science, art etc. And the best thing about My Father’s World is that I do not have to spend my weekend prepping!! It tells me what to do when to do it – it is all laid out for me! I love it!! I may tweak it now and then, but I really do follow what they have laid out an my kids do love it. It is a little “weak” in science right now, but for us it works just fine. I may look into Apologia science for future years.
If there is anyway that you can homeschool him do it!! Some days are better than others, but in general I am grateful for this opportunity. I love seeing my children learn..and I love to control what they learn!! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions!
Darcy
(I’m pretty sure I just typed and deleted my own comment — doh!) Do you have K-12 virtual academy available in your state? http://www.k12.com/ My friend says it’s like homeschooling with training wheels and she loves it. And in a lot of states it’s FREE. Worth checking out!
I’m not sure what grade Asher is in…but we are using A Beka for this first time this year (Lucy, 1st grade) and I LOVE IT!!! She’s whipping through it and really enjoys it.
We have also used Switched on Schoolhouse for the older kiddos. It’s done on the computer, which makes it SO EASY on mom because it plans & grades everything.
Sometimes it’s really just trial and error to figure out what fits your child the best. I’ve switched things up mid-year many times so don’t worry if you have to do that.
Good luck!
I LOVE Sonlight for Literature, history, language arts, and Bible!!! I love it so much that during the times our children have been in school, I have felt like they were missing out on so much. Since I am homeschooling eight, with a little one in toe, I sometimes wonder if something else out there would be easier.
Apologia science is great. Teaching textbooks for upper level math is fantastic. I use Singapore math through sixth grade. It is great for teaching the children to do math easily in their heads.
I’m not sure what to say about the mush brain. That just goes with being mothers I think, and having to juggle so much, but Managers of their Homes from Titus2.com is a great scheduling tool!
We just went back to homeschooling this year. We use a K12 virtual academy. Its great! They do all of the hard work for you. The lessons are online and they send a computer, books and even art supplies. I love the curriculum. They are a public school but how many public schools incorporate Bible stories in their language arts curr. ? The Psalms is on my 8th grader’s reading list this year! Wm Bennett (Book of Virtues fame) helped to develop their curr. In Ohio we don’t start a foriegn language until high school but with ohva they start in elementary school (chinese is one of the options) !
My daughter has some adhd issues which made for a bad school experience (as in several teachers had to escort her from the car into school more than one time last year) She is able to do her dolls hair and fidget as much as she needs to while she is working! She has been known to do a jig while doing her math and she practices her baton twirling (with a curtain rod) outside after a particularly intense lesson! Shoot, with your new addition, Asher will have plenty of time and activities to expend his energy! Cleaning horse stalls surely counts for hours somewhere!! Please email me if I can help. Sheri Watson
We are venturing into homeschooling this year….our 13 year old will do K12. I don’t feel comfortable being solely responsible for his teaching…Plus it’s still public school with all the tests and accountibiity.
Hope our 6 year old will be home schooled. We will use a variety of things mostly found on christianbook.com. Depending on your area google “home school groups” and you shoudl come up with several that will help and support you. Also great for socializing. Good luck!!
My daughter has tummy troubles, too, which the doctor relates to stress. It’s not fun.
We homeschool – some of our favorites are:
Language Lessons by Queen Homeschool (short lessons which are good for distractable kids)
Teaching Textbooks for math
Exploring Creation Science by Apologia (the elementary level books are wonderful!!)
Story of the World, history
I have a son with Asperger’s Syndrome and ADHD, so we need fast moving and interesting lesson. The above have worked really well for him.
BTW, we are dealing with the same stomach issues….and he has been to several specialist and they have found nothing….So likek you I believe it’s anxiety and social and totally school related, especially considering all of our moves…I just know my boy
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooh my fav topic– or one of them!!! we have 5 kiddos (6th is on the slow boat from china) ages 8-3– and after 5 years of experimenting— here’s what we love:
Science: Apologia –LOVE LOVE LOVE— Science from a Biblical worldview– we have done astronomy, winged creatures, and are currently doing creatures of the 5th day. my kids sooo look forward to science. great for K-6 and can do together!!!!!
History/Literature: Sonlight– i love to read to my kids– if you do too- then this is for you– all planned out for you and AWESOME books.
Math: Mathusee–
Phonics: Explode the code
I don’t have any experience in homeschooling but a friend of mine has chronicled a lot of her experiences, curriculum reviews, helpful tips, etc. on her blog. Check it out at kristytrent.blogspot.com
hope that you enjoy exploring the home school options…praying for your little guy. anyhow, we live in China – so homeschooling is the only option out here. we use Sonlight for everything and we love it. the books & read-alouds are incredible!! we have used Horizons for math but anticipate switching to Teaching Textbooks for 3rd grade. we use explode the code, we also use “a reason for handwriting” which we enjoy too. i also love sequential spelling (with a DVD) and Wordly Wise too. I have 3 in school with me, 3rd grade, 1st grade & Kindergarten, and we attempt to be done by lunch. key word: attempt!! the afternoons we focus on art, getting outside and other less academic pursuits. hope that helps!
first – can i come teach your kids? please? they look like they’d all be angels, we’d have so much fun! 🙂
lots of great homeschooling info on the pioneer woman’s blog. there’s a whole section for it.
We LOVE homeschool!! I would agree with all the Apologia comments – we just started it this year and are loving it. We use ABeka for core subjects – I like how well it prepares my kids. I just read a fantastic article this morning about starting up with homeschooling…..maybe it will be helpful for you: http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2011/09/getting-started-homeschooling.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ConfessionsOfAHomeschooler+%28Confessions+of+a+Homeschooler%29
I am homeschooling for the very first time this year! My kindergarten daughter started out at a private school, which we thought would be a better bet than public for a variety of reasons, but was not. Both of my boys go to public school, but my daughter needed a different path at this time.
I too use the k12.com program, which is FREE in our state! They give you ALL the books and materials, and ALL the lesson plans are done for you every day. There is some flexibility for what you do each day and how much. If it is a free program in your state, then he will be assigned an actual teacher who you can conference with and who will meet with him (via Internet or phone) once or twice a month ~ love that feature! I love the comment above about it being like homeschool with training wheels!
There is a lot of work with this program. It is essentailly a virtual public school, and the curriculum is nationally accepted. So if he goes back into public school (or any school), he will have an actual school record of finishing each grade from an accredited program. I find so far that the k12 program is teaching more content than the public schools do.
I recommend it highly! It might be just the thing for you and Asher ~ a great way to go to school and get all the material he would in an actual school, with far less responsibility for you to develop the curriculum yourself. And you can feel confident that he can easily transition back into public school at any time, without missing anything.
Email me if you want any more info!
All the best,
Nicole A., now in LA
I agree with you that kids in K12 get more content than kids in public school (at least from my limited experience). My son was homeschooled using K12 for 4 years and when he went to public school last year he said it was easier than homeschool 🙂
Love: Teaching Textbooks for Math, Mystery of History, ABeka, SONLIGHT, Apologia for Science. ABeka has the best language program, hands down.
I can’t remember how old Asher is, but I have a friend with 10&9 yr old sons and they are using a geography curriculum this year that they love. It’s called “Paths of Exploration (http://www.geomatters.com/product/paths-of-exploration). Of course, lot’s have already raved about Math-U-See which I have also been told is good but we haven’t used it. We just started hs-ing and my son is in 2nd grade with some learning difficulties so we take a more “unschooling” approach to a lot of things. I use a program with him called “Five in a Row” which is a literature based curriculum and for youngers like my son. BUT, I can’t wait until he is older because I want to use the Further Up and Further In lit curriculum from Cadron Creek. They have three choices: the Pioneer Era with the Little House on the Prairie books, the Victorian Era with the Anne of Green Gables books (can’t wait until my daughter is old enough!), and the Narnian Era with the Chronicles of Narnia books (can’t wait to do this with my children!). LOVE!
Honestly, I think the most important thing for Asher right now is to have time with you, and to have the stress of learning removed from him. See what he’s interested in, pile up on library books and websites on that topic, and just let him go. It’s really not about how many pages of this or that he completes each day. It’s about relationship and learning for the fun of learning. As someone wisely told me “don’t worry about trying to replicate school at home. Just have fun and enjoy your child.” When you take a relaxed approach you get the added benefit of your littles learning too. Fun for everyone!
I will pray for you and Asher. It’s so hard to see our kids go through hard things, but in the end, it’s going to be all right. We can’t keep our kids from experiencing hurts but we can love them through the process. You are a great Mama!
I am so sorry to hear about Asher and will keep him in my prayers. There have already been so many good recommendations, but I’ll go ahead with by two cents worth. I love Sonlight. There are some things I adjust for my family, but I think that’s common for any program. One thing you may like with Sonlight is the built in organization. It comes with the binder and tabs and tells you where to put everything. I am also a fan of Teaching Textbooks for Math and Apologia for Science. Hope this is some use to you.
Teaching Textbooks for Math, Switched on Schoolhouse for Bible, Language Arts, History…then Apologia Science.
That’s for the older kids, though my oldest has asked to do Abeka History. We’ll see what happens when it gets to high school classes.
Third year for us. My older kids are in 7th grade. We mostly use AOP’s Monarch – it’s a full 5-subject online curriculum. Plus they have an elective. The kids like it, I like it as the computer grades 90% of the work, and the lessons are already planned. Very high quality. Pretty much same program as Switched-On-Schoolhouse, but we like this online version better (we used SOS our first year). My blog has links to these. I love how the kids can do school independently – sometimes they do their school in the evening, or sometimes at the library or even at Grandma’s house. If and when they get stuck, they move on to something else until I can help.
This year we are shaking things up a bit, and three students use Apologia’s Bible Curriculum Who Is God. Two boys just today started a live web science class by Science Jim – they weren’t enjoying the Monarch Science. These two learn better by hearing & watching than reading, but my other two like Monarch Science just fine. Let me know if you have any questions!
We’ve been doing virtual academy for many years and really like it. In talking with other friends who homeschool I’ve heard consistently great comments about Math-U-See.
I know a lot of people like Abeka homeschool stuff. We did a mix and match across different programs for my son when he was in kindergarten. A white board is really helpful for when you need to teach. Of course the obvious stuff like a teachers record book and a lesson plan book. It was hard but every Sunday night I’d sit down and plan out the week as to what we needed to do and where we needed to be headed. I’d also sneak in plan time while my son would be working on writing assignments. The most important thing is to read ahead yourself. There’s nothing worse than the teacher not having read what they are trying to teach 😉 not that that ever happened to me…. I’m sure there are lots of homeschool forums out there to ask for advice.
Good luck!
We started out with Connections Academy which is a free online public school for some states. It was a good transition for us from public school to homeschooling. However, the program wasn’t as flexible as we wanted so we are now homeschooling using the Robinson Curriculum which is a 3 R’s curriculum (reading, writing, rithmetic) http://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/ It is very easy to use, but very well-rounded. RC recommends using Saxon Math for math, but many people use a lot of other math curriculum. Otherwise, you read the classics http://www.hstreasures.com/rc/booklist.html (Tom Sawyer, Swiss Family Robinson, Alice in Wonderland, etc) which covers all of the other subjects (history, geography, social studies). For writing, the kids do copy work until about age 10, then they write a page a day which you correct and have them re-write. When they hit the high-school years, they start writing research papers. It is a GREAT program for large families (just in case you decide to expand after you bring Asher home)
Also, there is a wonderful yahoo group for homeschoolers of adopted kids ( I know Asher isn’t adopted, but you never know what you might decide to do) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Fortheloveofmykids/
You can join even if you are just considering homeschooling your adopted kids.
Stolen from Adeye’s site – the Mystery of History – she loves it – good enough referral for me!
aus
awww, man…M and I will pray for Asher as soon as I finish this comment. I know you are new to your area…any chance they might have a school like this: http://www.oakgroveclassical.com/ ? It is a Christian school that partners with parents in educating…the kids “go” to school 2/3 days a week (depending on age) and then are home schooled on the other days (parents are given the materials). Maybe something like this would be a good alternative since you still have so many littles at home?
So sorry about poor Asher’s tummy troubles. Eleven years ago I was in your shoes, you can do this!
I have used K-12, it is high quality and a lot of work, don’t be afraid to skip stuff he understsnds.
We love Sonlight!! Biblical and Literature rich and great for discussing deep topics. It has opened up some great discussions.
We also love Drive Through History with Dave Stotts. That is a dvd series we enjoy as a family and it compliments our history curriculum.
We use Horzizons math up to 6th grade and then move into Saxon for Pre-Agebra.
We also Love Apologia science for elementary to high school.
Jr Annalytical grammer is another favorite.
The main thing to remeber is that there is lots of great curriculum out there. You may not find the perfect fit right
away but that’s okay! I’ve just this year found something, (Sonlight) that we all love. Even though I have made mustakes my kids are totally thriving and my “experiment” is graduating this year. He is confdent in God’s love andtummy troubles are a distant memory.
Gid Bless
So sorry about poor Asher’s tummy troubles. Eleven years ago I was in your shoes, you can do this!
I have used K-12, it is high quality and a lot of work, don’t be afraid to skip stuff he understsnds.
We love Sonlight!! Biblical and Literature rich and great for discussing deep topics. It has opened up some great discussions.
We also love Drive Through History with Dave Stotts. That is a dvd series we enjoy as a family and it compliments our history curriculum.
We use Horzizons math up to 6th grade and then move into Saxon for Pre-Agebra.
We also Love Apologia science for elementary to high school.
Jr Annalytical grammer is another favorite.
The main thing to remeber is that there is lots of great curriculum out there. You may not find the perfect fit right
away but that’s okay! I’ve just this year found something, (Sonlight) that we all love. Even though I have made mustakes my kids are totally thriving and my “experiment” is graduating this year. He is confdent in God’s love andtummy troubles are a distant memory.
God Bless!
By God’s grace we are a home school family and are in the process of adopting a little boy from Hohhot, China. Your blog has been very encouraging to read through our adoption process- thank you. I try to find ways for my children to do their school as independent as possible. My approach is for me to focus on the spiritual teachings and monitor the academics. This is what my 12 year old does for school:
Math- Teaching Textbooks (all done on the computer- I do nothing but monitor it- been very pleased- easy to set-up and monitor). Math U See is good too- I use it for my younger daughter.
Geography/history- Switched on Schoolhouse (SOS is what the Duggars do for their school).
History- Veritas Press cards (explorers) along with Story of the World History CDs. Very simple to organize. I have her do timeline figures.
Literature- Veritas Press literature guides. I love the Narnia series.
Grammar- Analytical Grammar and Switched on Schoolhouse Language Arts (I like the AG better, and use the SOS as a supplement when I can’t get to AG).
Bible/Worldview- Summit Elementary series- I do this with all the kids and LOVE it!
Spelling- Phonetic Zoo (Veritas Press). This is all on CDs- it gives her a phonic rule, she takes the test and it has her check her test. They have three levels.
Writing- She does an IEW. This is parent involved. I have a paid tutor who comes to the house to teach it- so worth it. IEW involves more then writing.
Audio books- audioschool.com and others (Johnathan Park series from Vision Forum is great).
Science- Apologia Exploring Creation Zoology and the journal (I have it on audio book from Learning Ally. She listens to the lesson and does a journal entry). I do miss reading it to her- I find the Apologia series so interesting.
Another curriculum I have used in the past that is very enjoyable for the teacher is Tapestry of Grace. It is a unit study that includes Literature, geography, history, and writing. It is fantastic and very interesting to teach, though the mom is more involved. Another idea is to look at Virtual Home school Co-op. It offers free online classes. My high school daughter is taking Biology and loves it.
God Bless!
Okay…so my kiddos are in school now, but when I did homeschool them these were my FAV’s.
I LOVED….and I mean seriously LOVED Andrew Pudewa for writing. The guy is phenomenal… And I know he’s expensive (everything I am going to suggest is expensive) but really, sometimes it’s just plain worth it, because a lot of times the cheaper stuff is just a waste of money anyway. (can you tell I so learned that the hard way) http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/meet-andrew
I also really liked Saxon Math. I know you’ll hear that they have sooo many problems to wade through….well, I solved that by just having my kiddos do every other one. They are just so detailed, and I don’t really like Math, but since it was so thorough it was perfect….I learned…and my kids learned. Plus, I felt secure that they were really keeping up with the appropriate grade level. http://saxonpublishers.hmhco.com/en/sxnm_home.htm
Grammar we did EASY Grammar. http://www.easygrammar.com/eg6.html
And lastly…since both my kids love to read, we did Sonlght. (again….a total bank breaker….ouch) But, I loved curling up on the couch and reading with them….and they liked reading on their own….so it worked for us. Sonlight definitely only works for certain families though, so you would really want to look into it before you committed. But if you were interested, there are ways to make it cheaper….using the library and all. http://www.sonlight.com/
Wow…it’s been a long time since I felt so motivated to leave such a lengthy comment. 🙂 I guess because sometimes I miss my kiddos at home so much!!!
Many prayers…and many blessings for and to you!
Oh…and yes yes yes for Apologia for science.
We love Sonlight – I’ve homeschooled sporadically (different kids, different reasons) and Sonlight has worked great for us. (and even the ones who have not been homeschooled love the Sonlight books).
Hope Asher is feeling better soon.
We are starting our 8th year of homeschooling. My oldest graduated and is doing great in college so it works. LOL
We have used a variety of stuff over the years.
We love teaching textbooks for math…basically the guy does the teaching right there on the computer and if you get it wrong you know instantly and then you can hit a button and he steps you through it.
We love Amanda Bennett Unit Studies..especially the download and go..she even has a facebook and blog page and is always offering specials on her curriculum…her stuff takes the BORING out of school.
We’ve used rod and staff for Reading, and English.
Hands of a child is good to if you like lapbooks.
LOVE apologia science! We are doing the one about the ocean animals…comes with a notebooking book too. My 4th grader loves it.
We’ve tried a little bit of everything. Best wishes in your homeschooling adventure.
The only program I am at all familiar with is this one, available as a (free) virtual academy in my state, and maybe yours too. People who have used it here loved it. We ended up going a different route for my oldest this year (charter school) but we were pleased with everything we heard about Connections!
http://www.connectionsacademy.com/home.aspx
Oh, and I have a tummy-affected (especially with school) Big Kid too. It is so sad to see them so deeply affected by the educational experience, when we as Moms just want to protect them from anything that makes them feel badly. I will pray that homeschooling is just what your Asher needs, and that your time together will be a blessing to both of you!
A fellow blogger and now “Food Network” star also homeschools her four kids. Ree Drummond at thepioneerwoman.com!! She has a whole section of her blog dedicated to homeschooling! you might get some useful info there. A friend of mine who recently started homeschooling her son got a TON of info from Ree’s blog! Y’all are very similar in terms of your beautiful pictures and your love for your kids and your wonderful ability to write!! Check it out!!!
One more thing…., HSLDA. Homeschool Legal Defence Association check out their website.
Look up your state and they will tell you exactly what you need to file for paperwork in your state to bring him home.
Oh dear. I have no recommendations. I am afraid that I would need anti-anxiety meds if I were to homeschool myself but I admire those who do it well. I will however pray for Asher and for you. That I can do.
Organizational help: weekly planning sheets from http://www.donnayoung.org
Math: Teaching Textbooks
All about Spelling and All about Reading
History: Mystery of History, Story of the World or Biblioplan (which uses both)
Science: Apologia or Bob Jones
Handwriting without Tears
Hope that helps!
Order Cathy Duffy’s Top 100 Picks for Homeschool Curriculum
http://www.amazon.com/100-Top-Picks-Homeschool-Curriculum/dp/0805431381
It’s SO helpful because she has 2 test –one for you and YOUR teaching style and, one for your kid and his learning style. Then, she has curricula suggestions for your “Wiggly Willy.”
I’ve been homeschool for 7 years and just got this book THIS summer. It’s done wonders for my two wiggly learners. Hope this helps!
I was a homeschooled child for high school but my Mom has homeschooled my brother from pretty much the start. We did something called “unschooling” for a lot of the subjects that weren’t book based. We had math work books but for history, science, etc., we did museum trips (most museums have homeschool programs) and checked out so many videos from the library because I was not too keen on sitting around to read.
We’re in our 5TH year of homeschooling! LOVE IT!! Before I tell you about the “curriculum” we like….I’d like to encourage you to TRUST your instincts as Asher’s mom!! Just like you are in tune with his stomach aches, you are in tune with his “interests” in life! Before you dive into the “academic” side of education….take time to think and dream about what you as a family are “into”, and specifically, what Asher is into! Like, horses for example? Sports, church (ministry), music, flying (isn’t your hubby a pilot), adoption, traveling, art, video games etc.) Look where God has placed you (literally, your geographical location) and what desires and interests has HE placed in your heart. If you aren’t majorly structured and disciplined with your day…don’t try to force yourself to be (seriously). Don’t try to be who you’re not! (have goals…but don’t beat yourself up and set yourself for FAILURE by putting pressure on yourself to be perfectly organized and put together!) I mention all this first, because it’s sooo tempting to fall into that trap of separating MOM from TEACHER. You ARE Mom, therefore YOU are teacher!! Even though you’ve been using SCHOOL as a resource to educate your kiddos on a few subjects…that doesn’t mean that YOU aren’t their TEACHER! God has given us this role as parents….everything and everyone else is just a “resource” that we can use to help us as we instruct our children. SO, just continue to be the wonderful Mamma (and natural teacher) that God has designed YOU to be….and as you explore some great curriculum out there…remember, they are all RESOURCES at your disposal. 🙂 Don’t turn your homes into a “school room”….(remember, this is the setting that Asher is having his tummy aches in)!! Learning comes naturally to children…they need instruction sometimes (and character training) …but mostly they just need us to encourage them to pursue knowledge,and interests!! I hope that makes sense!!
Here are a few of our favorites:
Bible- (Discipleship curriculum…..LIFE CHANGING) **
Math – Teaching Textbooks (one word, AWESOME)
Spelling -Phonetic Zoo (AMAZING)
History – Story of the world (Awesome….especially while studying the Old Testament)
Science- Zoology (Apologia)….wouldn’t use anything else!!
Writing….(i hope to use Excellence in Writing when the kiddos get older (like jr high, high school)
Art (it’s endless….just do it!!) 🙂
Typing, foreign language, shop, cooking, music, animals…..it’s all endless!! DONT TRY TO CRAM IT ALL IN!!! Go at your pace….and ENJOY IT!!
also…check into HLSDA (every homeschooler should sign up with them!!)
**if you want info on this bible curriculum, I’d love to share more and get you in touch with the writer! 🙂
ONE MORE THING….I’d take a good SIX months OFF (YUP….that’s right.), and let Asher “unwind” and get back to his true self. Let him WORK with his hands and get his body OUTSIDE with nature and your animals. Let him pick up a good book and lose himself in a fun adventure!! Let him cook up some yummy meals from the cookbook, let him help you out with your daily chores!! This is true LIFE…..and I promise you, when it comes time to HIT THE BOOKS, he will be receptive to it!! It’ll give you guys a chance to bond and get on the “same page” as well! 🙂 good luck Stephanie! And God Bless! Carolyn
I can second – or third, or fourth – the suggestion of Teaching Textbooks. It’s a great program, and it’s nice to have higher levels of math out of my hands! We LOVE it! Pricey, but worth it.
This is our 7th year of home schooling, (we’re now in 6th grade). We have been using the Abeka Academy video course since 1st grade and both my daughter Emily & I love it! http://www.abekaacademy.org/AcademicPrograms/Overview.html We use the DVD’s but there’s also video streaming from your computer.
Your child is part of a class of students with the teacher(s) for that grade. Even though the class is not “live”, your child is asked questions by the teacher right along with the students in the classroom. The curriculum is awesome! First class of the day is Bible and every other subject is approached and explained from a God’s world view.
From the parents perspective, it couldn’t be easier. You’re responsible for grading tests, book reports and projects as well as to be there to answer when your child has questions or needs some help. Beyond that, the video teachers do all the rest! I highly recommend it!
You want to make sure you set up an area just for schooling and that you’re consistent with each day’s start time. It definitely helps to have that kind of structure.
Praying for Asher’s tummy and for guidance for you as you make this decision. God bless you Stephanie!
We also LOVE Teaching Textbooks! We Love write@home, pricey but worth it! We use Winston grammar. Progeny Press for Literature. Spellpower for spelling. Apologia for Science. We also like critcula thinking workbooks.
You can have all the best ideas and best curriculm but only God can guide you. And HE WILL! I will be praying for you! We love homeschooling best thing for our family! LoVE IT!! Hard work but oh so worht it!!!
Dude, you totally don’t have to be organized with one kid at home 🙂 trust me!! I only have Cole home this year (7th grade) and is is AWESOME! We have one little basket of books 😉 He goes to yoga with me. He walks the other kids to school with me. Takes out the trash. makes lunch. it is AWESOME 🙂 They all want to be homeschooled because we are having so much fun – the catch? IF they were all home, it wouldnt be as fun 🙂 Tee-Hee!!
Call me anytime 🙂
Man, I hate to hear of kids having anxiety around school. Yet, my husband reports having migraines (on Mondays!) as a kid. I’d say there’s no coincidence there.
First year homeschooling — daughters who are 9 and 7 (4th and 1st). We also have twin boys who are 5, but they’re in preschool so I only do ‘school’ (primarily reading) with them on the days they’re home. I have to put a shout out for Life of Fred (for math). OMIGOSH. Life of Fred is a huge hit in our home! Our girls are giggling their way through it and don’t even realize how much they’re learning. So not the math I experienced growing up (repetition, repetition, memorization, memorization) that I think may’ve contributed to my not liking it at all. My first grader is learning algebraic concepts (3x + 4x = 7x)! I can’t speak highly enough about LOF. We considered A Beka, Saxton, Math U See and it all just seemed like regular ole math and I wanted to capitalize on the fact that we’re homeschooling for the sake of fostering in our children a love of learning (among other things) and hoped there would be some less-traditional (and hopefully more fun) options out there. Boy, have we found it! My 4th grader has been reading the elementary books that I got for my 1st grader (apples, butterflies, dogs, cats) as novels. She just loves Fred! http://www.lifeoffredmath.com
Hope Asher’s a happy camper again soon. Best of luck! I found the choices in curriculum overwhelming (and still do!), so don’t feel bad if you’re unsure. Someone else said it, trial and error is probably best — not everything works for every child.
I would second checking to see if a virtual academy is available in your state. After reading what you wrote, it might me a good option for you. You would get support, organization, and Asher would have public school records if you decide to return to a public school building later.
Hi , have read your blog for ever this is my first time putting in my thoughts.
My daughter has home schooled her son now from K to the 3rd, he is in this year. he is a really smart little guy and they are doing the K-12 it is really a good program as it is recogniz ed by every state so no problem with moving to another state. and it is really easy for moms and is free because it is public school. so if he ever wanted to go back to public there would be no issues at all for him. And he has a teacher on line so if you are scared you would not know every thing he should be doing that is covered maybe check with Nicole A. from above.
My daughter has to pay as it wasn’t here when he started and it is 5,000. a year and long story. but he now can’t get in the public one to get it free unless he goes to public school one year in this state and they won’t do that to him. hope you will look in to it.
Diana MCC.
HELLO SWEET FRIEND!!!!
I have to tell you…I’ve homeschooled 10 years and I am gettin’ lots of wisdom just from reading these comments! 🙂
Sweet Asher. Stefanie I bet you’re gonna LOVE your time with him! And you will do GREAT!!!!
We love Apologia…Teaching Textbooks…Sonlight…Abeka….Bob Jones…Wordly Wise (Great vocabulary!)…
We like to hodge podge. Leaves room for stuff we’re passionate about like orphan care and trips to China. 🙂
P.S. Have you ever seen Mango for learning Mandarin? LOVE IT!
I’ve missed you….we need to catch up!!!!! Why don’t you come south for the LL reunion in Oct? 🙂
After the school event that I just posted today…I TOO NEED MOMS THAT HOMESCHOOL TO ENLIGHTEN ME! I am scared to jump off of the public shool system, however, the event that we just went through has me thinking that homeschooling may be a good thing for our special needs daughter from China. I know about Abeka and that’s it. Blessings -Joy
Hi there! We’ve been homeschooling for 12 years! Goodness, sometimes I can’t believe it! Oldest in 11th grade, then 9th, 7th, 5th and 2 in first grade.
What we are using now is
Saxon Advanced Math (with a co op) for 11th
Teaching Textbooks for 5th, 7th and 9th
Mystery of History Volume 2 for 7th (LOVE this! used volume 3 last year with the now 9th grader)
Story of the World volume 1 with 5th and 1st (LOVE) has activity book and optional quiz book. Also has audio CD
Notgrass Exploring America, 9th (Love it! history from a biblical perspective)
Christian Light Math and Language Arts with 1st
Christian Light Reading and Language Arts with 5th and 7th ( LOVE Christian light! very affordable, very biblical)
Apologia Biology, 9th grade with a co op
Apologia Physical Science 7th with a co op
Apologia Swimming creatures 5th with a co op
With a Co-op various classes kids are taking are: Spanish, Economics, Greek and Latin Roots, SAT prep, PE.
art, creative writing, speech, Our co op meets only on Wednesday and the high school age kids have homework. The 7th grader usually has science homework.
In the past we have used and loved Sonlight. We used it for many years. But with many children I found it difficult to maintain the amount of reading it requires.
Hope this helps and good luck! Someone else posted that Asher should take some time off and I agree. Also I think that your main focus shouldn’t be just homeschooling but building relationships. Does that make sense? You can get bogged down with curriculum and loose sight of why you are homeschooling in the first place. I know I have done that.
Blessings!
Lesa
teaching textbooks or math u see
all about spelling
living books curriculum
i have 2 VERY active boys who LOVE to read/be read to.
When I saw a kid we did A Beka Video but I hear Bob Jones University video homeschool is good too.
I haven’t read all of the comments but I’m sure you got plenty of homeschool info. One thing that may be totally off the wall, but just a thought. One of my sons struggled with seizures for years until they found out it was actually a migraine variant and treated the migraine. However, one thing we went through every year when school started, was chronic complaining over illness. Headaches, stomach upset, etc… We finally, through a fluke, figured out it was the fluorescent lighting. He is uber sensitive to it and if a light is anywhere close to going out, S is the first one to know it. It doesn’t even have to be flickering yet and he physically reacts. That said, my kids are in public school but I am a homeschooler at heart. Just in case no one brought it up, K12 might be a great tool for you. It is homeschooling but it is public school curriculum, done at home via the internet, and if I remember correctly, it is free. Same son had to have extensive surgery this year, the first day of school! They thought he might be out of school for nearly 3 months and someone suggested K12 to us as an alternative.
Our family uses Teaching Textbooks for Math and Handwriting without Tears for Handwriting. We started a new curriculum for the rest this year called “Heart of Dakota” and we love it! It shakes things up a little each day and encorporates Art as well. Hope this helps!
incorporates not encorporates 🙂
So sorry about Asher. But…so excited that you might homeschool. You will find out that your littles will LOVE doing school with him and you will be surprised what they learn by observation. We use BJUPress DVDs…going on 7 years now and LOVE them. Kindergarten is a blast. The older grades are amazing as they are very challenging but doable. The older two are starting college classes/clepping this week…and have scored really well on college placement exams. BJUPress has prepared them and has been such a blessing to our family. After using these materials for over 7 years now, God handed me the opportunity to be a BJUPress consultant!! It’s been such a blessing to help other homeschool families. BTW,if you are interested, you can order now ’til mid Oct for 10% off and get free shipping through me all the time. Here are samples of DVDs on their website. So precious.
http://www.bjupresshomeschool.com/content/distance-learning-sample-videos
I posted a few yearrs ago on my blog and here is part of what I wrote about using BJUPress DVDs:
“We have tried several different approaches and curriculum to homeschooling through the years. Finally, we feel we have found something that works for us. We use the Bob Jones Distance Learning program. http://www.bjupress.com They offer programs on DVD, satellite or computer soft ware. The DVDs work best for us. The program includes all the DVDs for the year, all the school books for the year, and all the lesson plans for the year. The cost for the program is between $800 to $1000 total cost for everything for the year. If you click on the link above, you can see samples of the DVDs of any subject or grade. {or 30% down and the rest divided over 6 months}
What I love the most about this program is the Teacher Tips (for the older grades) and Mom’s Minutes (for the younger grades). At the beginning of each lesson, the Mom’s Minutes on DVDs tells me exactly what I’m supposed to do for the day. It’s also in writing so all I have do is look at the list and/or watch the Mom’s Minutes and help them get their supplies ready. I love watching the DVDs with them as they are so interesting. For example, if they are studying about a volcano, they might show a 5 minute “National Geographic type” movie about a volcano. In other words, they use different media to make it interesting. I’m nearby after they finish the DVD lesson and help them with their assignments if needed. Every lesson includes a quick Bible lesson which I love.
The program also includes Bible curriculum. I’ve been doing the Bible lesson with Joel B as my daily Bible Study. It’s been fun looking up scripture and discovering areas on a map together.
The DVDs are designed to be a “help” to the mom and not replace her. I really enjoy using this program as it keeps me accountable to stay on task. We can finish the program or cut back wherever we want. It’s totally flexible.”
My son was having problems in school also and we decided to homeschool him for his 7th grade year. I was petrified of the whole teaching thing until a friend told me about switched on schoolhouse. It is completely computer based and what was nice about it was that it grades itself and you can tweek the assignments to fit your needs. We absolutely loved it because we had it on a laptop that he brought with him wherever we went. Also it is a Christian based curriculum so you can add religion as a course if you want. My son is ADHD and this worked really well for him because he loves the computer. Good luck!
Check out http://www.simplycharlottemason.com. We are in our 9th year of homeschooling and this method is SO much more interesting than reading through a boring textbook. Because it’s more interesting, my kids remember so much more and are more eager to learn. Plus, the books recommended are all from a Christian worldview.
Blessings as you begin this new adventure!
My kids are in public school but my oldest son is in 8th grade and is being allowed to do high school geometry on a web based system called ALEKS. He absolutely loves it and can go at his own pace. He says school would be fantastic if all of his classes were online and boring teachers eliminated completely. 8) The same son was plagued with chronic stomach pain on and off for years until his 6th/7th grade years. He has always has terrible acid reflux and was diagnosed with slow gastric emptying. His pain increased to the point it was constant – never letting up. It turns out his gall bladder didn’t function at all and would just spasm constantly. No stones, just non-functioning. After he had it removed, his pain went completely away and his slow emptying improved as well.
Good for you!!!
The first thing I would do is get your hands on a copy of “The Well Trained Mind”, by Susan Wise Bauer . Sometimes you can find it at the library or half price books or borrow it before you buy it…it can be kinda pricey Then look up Asher’s grade level (5th?) and see the type of schedule recommended. Then before you are overwhelmed by that info, realize no one (or just a handful) could actually do everything on that schedule, but it gives you a good idea of subjects to cover and curriculums to choose from. Next I would list all the subjects and figure out which ones he is naturally “bent” towards, and which he is not. Some curriculums are more advanced in certain areas and you may need to back off in those. If you are homeschooling more than 1 (or you may add one or two in the near future) then you want to consider that also in your choice of curriculum. Finally, find thee a good co-op (or two). I have found the support of other homeschool moms in a face to face environment can help more than you could ever imagine…however, strive for one that it is like minded to you.
Here is how ours works out….(feel free to email me if you want me to go into more depth)… we have a 5th grader, 2nd grader, and two Kinders:
Co-op: Classical Conversations (CC) website: http://www.classicalconversations.com/cc101.html
I think of this as the skeleton and the rest of my stuff is the meat. If you go with this group, you have
the opportunity to include your little ones ages 4 and up, and what they learn will blow your mind…even if
you just do the CDs and the co-op with no other “school days” for the little ones…check out the timeline
videos
Spelling: I love Spelling Power because at his age, (i) you will only have to buy one book and he can use it
through high school and (ii) it is 15 min a day/session bad news: you/your husband actually have to read
out the words to him.
Grammar: Easy Grammar works the best for us.
Reading: Get as many books from the library that interest him and set him loose, but a minimum of 30 min a day.
Writing: IEW, you will have to work with him on this, but you may be able to borrow some of the DVDs to make it
easier. If you go to CC, they have a afternoon class called “Essentials” that includes IEW.
History: Both Mystery of History and Story of the World are good programs. If you do CC, they have History
sentences each week, and use Veritas timeline…which helps students put the whole “history” thing in
perspective.
Math: We have used them all (at least it feels like that). I think a lot of this depends on him and how he is “bent”.
Saxon Math takes a lot of parent time, and with so many little ones still at home, I think this could be really
hard for you. We have liked both Singapore Math (this are very reasonable in price) and Teaching
Textbooks (this is a little pricey…but you can find it used…check homeschoolclassifieds.com). Teaching
Textbooks is a computer program and actually has someone give a lecture on the material before starting
the problems.
For his age, I would probably lean towards this. For either though, there are placement tests on their
websites…don’t buy without taking the placement tests first.
Science: Apologia..hands down. Don’t forget they have helpful little journals now. He may be too young for the Jr.
Notebooking Journal, so look at both. We do experiments, etc at co-op…one less mess at the house.
Latin/Greek: In my opinion, this is pretty important. Kids that study Latin/Greek do so much better on the SATs than
those that don’t. Also, I think it really helps in spelling. There are lots of good options, my suggestion is get
one that has a DVD so they can pronounce the words for him. As an adult, I find it is hard enough for me to
keep up with their schoolwork, housework, menus without having to make sure I have the correct
pronunciation! But that’s me. In addition to Latin curriculum, if you want something quick that you can get
into with him and the other kids, get “English from the Roots Up”. I would just get the cards, not the book.
You can play games with the kids where they have to think of words that have the root “photo” in it. One
with the most wins. It is also one of those supplement things you can cover at the dinner table.
Logic: At his age you should probably cover this…but you could get your husband to work with him…there is a book
with a Detective Dog on the front that looks good, but I haven’t used it
Art/Music: We do these at CC also.
I will be praying for you as you courageously step out to do this. There are a lot of things out there now that can cut down on your prep time and “sit down” time. Everyone feels overwhelmed at some point…don’t let it discourage you!
Email me if you need encouragement!
Stephanie, Don’t know exactly where you are living, but I highly recommend getting online and looking for a local home school group. For example, I just googled “Homeschool in Name of my state” and got many hits. But the best one to find a ton of info that is relevant to you, because laws regarding home school are different from state to state, is your state’s home education association. It should provide info on how to get started, you know what forms you need to fill out, what subjects, etc. Also will probably have links to your local home school group. I have been homeschooling my son (age 13) for 4 years now. Mostly, it is happy days, but lots of work. But I had a whole network of local people who really helped me get started. What I did find was that it is a whole nother world – I had no idea so many people were doing the same thing. That community is really important when you first get started so that you don’t feel like you’re swimming upstream alone. And you gain lots of confidence really fast. Plus, you will probably find lots of opportunities for Asher to connect with other kids if you’re interested in that. I love homeschooling, but I find some days very challenging. Wish my son was more of an independent worker, but he has a couple of special needs, and a couple of learning disabilities. So he needs a lot of supervision and oversight. In terms of curriculum, I personally wouldn’t use K12, as I like the control homeschooling gives me, and don’t care to give it back to the school system, but I understand the attraction it has for many people. Curriculum is a very individual choice, and nothing is right for everyone. I also use Math-U-See and love it. Also have a big thumbs up for Apologia Science – lots of hands on experiments, and my sons loves that. I think IEW is a great writing program. I used Easy Grammar, which was excellent for me since I didn’t really remember all that. Now we use Analytical Grammar, which is much more challenging – love it, love it, love it!
God bless you in your decision. I know you’ll make whatever choice is best for Asher, and the Lord will give you the guidance you need.
Boy, you asked for it:) We use My Father’s World. I love that it has a gentle approach, it is Bible centered, and you can do multiple grades. It is set up wonderfully for family use. I am sure you will choose what is best for your little guy. Good for you for putting his needs at the top of your list.
I have recently purchased some things from timberdoodle.com. My 12 year old son has attention/focus/comprehension issues. I checked out their core curriculum sections, looked at all that was included, and mixed and matched some things to fit his learning style and what he was in need of. So far it has worked great. I felt he needed workbooks that made him think logically, and I think timberdoodle works well for this issue. My son is not a reader, so I did purchase the Forensic Graphic novels set, which included stuff like crime scenes, autopsies, profiling, ballistics, etc… I hope you find what you are looking for. There is so much available for homeschoolers. Since my son has learning issues, I know he would get lost in public school. I’m so thankful for this time home with him. You know how quickly time flies by. Good luck. Here is a link to some of the books from my blog.
http://somewhereinvirginia.blogspot.com/2011/08/most-wonderful-time-of-year.html
Haha yay homeschooling! My mom’s all into Teaching Textbooks for math with my sister. Apparently it’s awesome. Just do not use Saxon Math, Saxon is the reason I went to public school for math classes after sophomore year…
-current Tufts student former homeschooler 🙂
LOVE Apologia Science. My active 9YO loves it too! We are studying Botany this year. Yes, I was dreading it but he chose that book, and you know what I am loving it too!
MATH–Math on the Level. VERY different but works for our family of all different learning styles. I hear great things about Math U See and we love the Life of Fred books for a change occasionally. They are cheap too!
History–Loved Mystery of History Vol. 1; Vol. 2 not as much; this year using Simply Charlotte Mason’s Module 4 with many books for each to read at their level. For history, the sky is the limit. All you really need is his subject of interest and a library card. 🙂
Spelling Power–love, love.
Rod&Staff for Grammar, but I don’t start that stuff until 7th grade. Didn’t figure this out until last year. 🙂
I could go on and on so I’ll spare you, but if you want the nitty-gritty low-down on what we are using, here’s the link:
http://roomforatleastonemore.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/a-post-a-day-2011-2012-plans-curly-larry-mo/
P.S. Join Homeschool Buyer’s Co-op (it is FREE!) for some AMAZING deals.
http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/index.php?&c=1
Teaching Textbooks is GREAT for math. Easy grammer is also really good. We have used some different things from Abeka and have liked the few that we have tried. I have been hearing wonderful things from many different sources about The Mystery of History lately, but have not used it personally yet. Christianbook.com has a great section for homeschooling. You might start by searching through there and reading about different cirriculums. There and the homeschool convention is where I buy most of my material. I tried one of the online public schools for my son who is EASILY distracted and it was horrible. He would always be off the school site and on Myspace or other things when he was supposed to be doing schoolwork. It was such a fight to keep him focused. I am not a fan of them, but I do know other people who have had success with them. It all depends on the child. Good luck. There is SOOOO much wonderful material available.
Another vote for Apologia Science. We love it.
We’re on our 9th year of using Sonlight (For history, Bible, reading and read-alouds) and it’s been wonderful. All the planning is done for you – great books for sitting on the couch and snuggling – keeps my interest too. The catalog is very confusing. Find someone (or email me) for help figuring it all out if you are interested in Sonlight.
We’ve enjoyed Teaching Textbooks for math also.
I also recommend Cathy Duffy’s 100 Top Picks for narrowing the choices down to begin with.
I like http://planbookedu.com/ for lesson planning. 🙂
Would love to have you join us at:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Fortheloveofmykids/
It is a group for homeschooling mama’s that have adopted. Along with schooling, our kids often come with challenges. This group has been such a blessing to me. AND not only do I get schooling support I get spiritual support.
you MUST look into “life of Fred” really fun math books that are written in narrative form and go all the way to calculus. They are a blast!
We do use Life of Fred! And we LOVE it 🙂