Homeschoolers?

[AmyM]

Are there any homeschoolers here? Can you point me to some good websites about curriculum please? I don't wanna debate whether you should homeschool or not, I think it's up to each individual family. So just some info would be nice please

It's not looking good for us being able to get out of sending my daughter to this particular school in the district. The first time the teacher yelled and screamed at her and called her a "retard" (which she has done to kids in the past) I'd be thrown in jail for assault at worst or at best raise the roof in that school. Nobody messes with my baby!
With the no child left behind thing if they don't meet standards for two years in a row in the same subject you can request your child be transfered to a different school, here in NC. I'm still trying to find out if it was the same subject or not, still trying to cook up something to get her out of there since a simple request is not enough.
The school we can afford has a waiting list a mile long for 2nd grade and I'm putting her on the list for 3rd grade. So this year coming up is not looking good. We can't cough up the $6 grand before August to put her back where she was in K and 1st. It's just a mess and I'm freaking out.

So homeschool is an option and I'm wanting to know more. Got some info for me?

[meems]

Meg knows a bunch of sites. Darcy homeschools too.

I use k12.com but on my own, not as part of a school district. I'm not very disciplined and so I like this b/c it's all planned out for me. i'll have to admit that I'm not very disciplined about using it either but I'm trying to get better . . .

how old is your DD?

[AmyM]

Thank you meems. She is 7, will be in the 2nd grade. According to her 1st grade testing she's on mid 3rd grade level in all the major subjects, which is thanks to her awesome teachers and the awesome school she was at. Don't know where the kid got her brains LOL
I guess regardless of the tests I'll just start at normal 2nd grade stuff and see how we go from there.
Me and her, we can have a perfect time or but heads like the two stubborn bulls that we are. There's no in between. So this will be quite the adjustment, but hubby is home during the day and willing to help. So that makes it less scary

From what I know, the NC laws are pretty lenient. Keep records, keep a regular school year, do some sort of standard testing at the end of the year. So the legal stuff should be pretty easy.

[BrattyMeg]

hey amy..PM me your email addy and i can get a bunch of links to you I've homeschooled for quite a few years and found a pretty good mix of things that works for us.

With a new baby this year though my kids (7th, 5th, and prek) are venturing into public school (and wow they are excited lol) Thankfully we moved into a small city school district so I'm not worried about them thriving in that environment.

Good luck!!

[alansrock]

I have planned to homeschool since before I was pregnant and now that my boys are 4 we are finally starting some PreK schooling this year. So I am not going to be a big help since I am new to this whole homeschooling thing, so I will be interested to see what others say in this thread.

[Emmy]

I'm a homeschooler as well - just waving hi.

I am kind of a Well Trained Mind / literature approach / with a touch of Charlotte Mason kind of schooler. This is a really helpful link - types of schooling that I direct new schoolers to quite a lot.

My kids are 2nd, 1st, and preK-4 this fall.

[meganmecrazy]

Dawn (dawnmcd) is a homeschooling mommy!! I know I bombard her with questions at times in case that is what we do here!

[kscwgirl]

My SIL is going to be homeschooling my niece, but not for a few years yet. I'm bookmarking some of these sites for her, thanks.

[lizzyfizzy]

the core knowledge curriculum is what is taught at my kiddos school! it's an amazing set of curriculum...check into it.

here's the linky.

they are very supportive of homeschoolers!

[SaraAmarie]

I too before I was pregnant had decided to homeschool. But now that my oldest is about to turn 4 I am completely overwhelmed and have absolutely no idea where to even start... I'll be watching this thread!

[sillescrapper]

I homeschool- we are just starting our 4th year.

There are soo many types of curriculum out there- my favorite site for evaluating a curriculum is www.homeschoolreviews.com

I tend toward Charlotte Mason type schooling- a literature based approach. We us Sonlight which is a Christian curriculum. They have forums for choosing where you can ask questions, etc. I think they are awesome, they present other world views, not just Christianity. Others that I think are good include Abeka and Bob Jones. Alpha Omega has Lifepacs which is good, but too textbook-y for me.

In order to choose a curriculum, you need to consider- religious or secular, what learning approach suits you and your child (textbook or literature based), and cost to start with. See if you can hook up with a local homeschool network- most groups have open park day where you can go, let the kids play, and you get to talk to the moms. It took me from my oldest's birth of just researching until I had a really good feel for what I wanted. I'm not saying you can't figure it out and get going, you sure can, I just think it takes a bit of research to find what program is going to be the right fit. Even then, you might not know until you try.

Here is a choosing help site that I found.

Here is a general homeschool forum I used to frequent in my early homeschooling years. There is a good mix of new and experienced homeschoolers, who are all eager to give advice and feedback on different types of curriculum.

Good luck! We love homeschooling!

[ashliwolf]

one of my super good friends has a blog that has TONS of homeschooling info on it here is her link and she is SOO super sweet...i am SURE that if you asked her anything she would be MORE than happy to help..my kids go to a private catholic school which i teach preschool at..so i am particularly interested in anything that comes across this board as well..because there really isn't a "core" for the k3 program..i mean there is..but i love finding other ideas and methods basically..my k3 program that i teach is like a little homeschooling network

here is the addy

http://www.teaching2manydiligently.blogspot.com

hope this helps ya she is amazing...and has LOTS of pictures xoxo.ash

[Cherry Limade]

Originally Posted by sillescrapper

I tend toward Charlotte Mason type schooling- a literature based approach. We us Sonlight which is a Christian curriculum.

Hey! We use Sonlight too! In fact we have box day on Thursday for Core 3!!! We are sooooo excited!

[jocelinsmommy]

My parents and I all use Abeka and then for older students the University of Nebraska also has done some courses for my siblings as well. I wish my mom would have jumped on the homeschool bus when I was in HS maybe I wouldn't have been so miserable!

[sillescrapper]

Originally Posted by Cherry Limade

Hey! We use Sonlight too! In fact we have box day on Thursday for Core 3!!! We are sooooo excited!

Awesome!!! I love box day! We just had it a couple weeks ago for Core 3! We started last week. It is great. I also just bought Core P4/5 used and I'm expecting it to arrive soon.

[DogwoodMama]

Amy- which county in NC do you live in? I know about TONS of resources in Johnston County and Wake County, since I plan to homeschool and live in Wake County...

[DogwoodMama]

My kids are younger, so we haven't really started officially (in the state's eyes), but long term I plan to follow a Charlotte Mason style curriculum as well, probably the free AmblesideOnline curriculum, though I might go with Sonlight or Simply Charlotte Mason, TBD. Right now, I'm getting ready to start Five in a Row with my almost 5 yo.

I have a friend who LOVES Moving Beyond the Page, which is written by a local woman.

I also wanted to mention that there is a WONDERFUL store in Raleigh, called "The Homeschool Gathering Place." They sell curriculum there, but the staff is very knowledgeable, and can give you an overview of the different curriculum options you can buy from them. They also have a great used selection, so that's good for the budget.

[Sharon Kay]

Hi! Waving from the schoolroom in our house! lol We're beginning our second year of homeschooling! Last year I homeschooled our 8th grader...thought we might butt heads a bit...but luckily for us I chose the right curriculum the FIRST time! Whew! I chose a computer based program which 1) works best for the way he thinks...he relates best to computer...versus book to paper ... and 2) the computer assigns the work so he can't say I'm a slave driver...it's that computer teacher that is. ha ha

We were so successful last year that I am going to be homeschooling his younger brother this year! So I have a 7th grader and a 9th grader this year. I also put the curriculum on laptops so we are mobile in case my mom needs help at her house...we just pack them up and the boys can work over there very easily. Everything stays in one place and nothing gets lost. lol I chose "Switched on Schoolhouse".

http://www.aop.com/homeschool/index....op&PID=1499915

They even have a sale on the curriculum for the next couple of days. My son really liked it because if he didn't feel like reading the lesson...he could push the button and it would read to him. It had a "highlighter" feature where he could highlight text and use it as a study guide. There are mini movies that he can watch over and over...and games to help with spelling and vocabulary.

My youngest wants to learn Spanish...so we chose the Rosetta Stone Homeschool edition...I checked out all the available Spanish curriculum at the fair...this was the best because of voice recognition. It's also a 2 year curriculum so don't let the price scare you off if you are interested in your child taking Spanish. Plus you can log in multiple people...I'm going to take it too! I took 5 years of Spanish but it's been many years. I also bought him Thomas Kinkade's DVD art program through AOP (link above).

I cannot believe how much closer we became this last year because of homeschooling! My child had been bullied in the middle school...and now his anxiety is gone...he is a HAPPY HAPPY child!

Do check into your local homeschooling groups...ours sends out a monthly pdf newsletter with all kinds of information that is going on in the area. That is how we found out about a really good deal on homeschool bowling and he met his best friend! We joined our homeschooling group for $45 which gives us free admittance to the curriculum fair in April...and gave us a $20 discount on the fee for Home School Legal Defense which helps you in case the school district or anyone challenges you on your homeschooling.

http://www.hslda.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1

They also keep you updated on any pending legislation in your state and across the United States...as well as other countries.

I wish I had made this choice YEARS ago!

[AmyM]

Originally Posted by DogwoodMama

Amy- which county in NC do you live in? I know about TONS of resources in Johnston County and Wake County, since I plan to homeschool and live in Wake County...

YAY!!!!!!!!!
We just moved to Warren County (shhhh don't tell anybody LOL) where I grew up. I know there is a big group where we used to live in Henderson but I don't know of any in this area.

My best friend has 3 boys, oldest is 3 and she lives close to Burlington and plans to homeschool.

I had no idea about that homeschool store. Me and hubby were just saying yesterday we need to head over to Lifeway (good excuse to go to sweet tomatoes too!) and check out their Abeka stuff.

I know a bit of Abeka and Saxon for Math. The rest I am clueless on. We have never been very structured around here so I don't know how a strict schedule would work. Charlotte Mason is looking good to me

Everybody- thank you so much for all your encouragement and advice. You still get people looking at you like you've turned into some strange animal when you mention homeschooling so that part is a little aggravating. It's good to come here and see other people are really doing this. I had no idea I'd find so much support here in the scrappin' community. This is awesome!

[DogwoodMama]

Well, i don't know how far this really is for you, but there is a HUGE homeschooling community in Wake Forest. They also have a HS store, but I like the one in Raleigh better.

[LauraBean]

Hi--I don't post here much, but I saw "homeschooling" and thought I'd jump in. We start our 14th year homeschooling next week, and I want to encourage you that even if all you did with your 7 yo next year was read to her and talk to her and play with her, she'll do great and be just fine. This is a great age to homeschool--have fun with it, don't stress over curriculum, follow her lead, and enjoy.

I have a few articles on my long-neglected homeschooling web site here.

Have fun! (Have I mentioned that already?)

[Tracie Stroud]

We will be homeschooling, but my oldest will be 3 in November, so we still have a little while before we start planning out curriculum stuff.