Posted on 08/11/2005 10:00:17 AM PDT by Tired of Taxes
A spot for homeschool families to share advice and offer support as we prepare for the 2005-2006 Homeschool Year
Many home-educated children continue their lessons throughout the summer, but we parents often look to purchase new materials and begin new projects in September.
In the past, FR homeschoolers started a thread every year to post links and recommend books and materials to each other. I haven't seen that done recently, so I'm creating one here. (My apologies if I missed anything).
If there is anything you'd like to recommend to other home educators, please do so:
Those are just a few topics. Maybe we can keep a running list of recommendations here on this thread.
My question: Does anyone know of any good children's storybooks, chapter books, or novels geared specifically to homeschoolers? That is, instead of stories about characters who attend school, it'd be nice for my kids to read stories about children who are homeschooled. Thanks in advance.
Do you have a ping list for homeschoolers here? If so, would you mind pinging them? Thanks in advance.
Here's a couple links for you concerning famous people that were homeschooled, or stories about people who were homeschooled.
http://www.sharebradenton.homestead.com/Famous.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0761522557/102-7162718-1171323?v=glance
PLease add me to your ping list. I've just graduated my first; she'll start college next week. That will be the proof of the pudding I guess !
One of my HS resources is a collection of articles saved from FR posts. Whenever I read an article that "nails it", I paste it to a Word document and save it in my Homeschool Reading folder. These articles are then required reading when the kids reach the junior high or high school level.
I notice on that one link they talk about a student who is involved in a "dual credit" program with her local community college.
For parents of older homeschoolers, if this kind of program is available in your area, I would strongly recommended it.
We decided to try it out a couple of years ago, and without pushing too hard, my son finishes up his last 3 hours needed for his AA this next term (he's 17 and would be a senior in high school this year, but has been in the dual credit program since 10th grade.)
The best thing about it is that in many states this type of program offers free tuition.
Here's a link to our local program. I know they have the same type of program in NC and I imagine in many other states.
http://www.spcollege.edu/ac/dc/
One really positive advantage is that while taking these "core courses" that many times exposes them to liberal thinking, they are at home, where you can discuss the courses and material with them and head off any misconceptions that are being pushed on them by liberal professors.
mark and ping
Dual enrollment is a big plus imo. Graduate HS and get a degree at the same time! Can't beat that!
Hi Ho!
I'd love to be on any ping list dealing with homeschooling.
Just dropped our 3rd grade son and 2nd grade daughter oout of a Montessori school because they would accelerate the kids!
We're gonna keep em home and teach em, and couldn't be more excited!
I know, I can't believe it was so easy to do.
First year was a hassle because we had to drive him, but once he got his driver's license it was a breeze.
And as far as the work load, don't think he spent much more time than he would have spent doing regular homeschooling.
He still managed to fit in piano lessons, playing in a band at church, and making it to youth group meetings a couple nights a week.
We also have a great program in Florida, and now he goes on to tuition free college to finish his Bachelors. If their ACT/SAT is high enough, and they perform 75 hours of community service, college tuition to a state university is paid at 100 percent rate through the program.
Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts is a fantastic resource.
I can't say the same about Girl Scouts-they have been sucked deeply and irretrievably into the political correctness vortex. There is a new group called American Heritage Girls that sounds pretty cool though.
Boy Scouts supports homeschooling by allowing charters to specificall target certain demographic types. I help run a home school Cub Scout Pack in Southeastern Michigan. We also have a Boy Scout Troop. All the leaders are dads because our wives take on too much to lead Cubs and it gives the boys positive role models. A freeper recently described Cub Scouts as Manhood 101. I cannot agree more.
If you're a homeschooler in Macomb/Oakland County area, Freepmail me if you want your boy to check us out.
My homeschooled son leaves for college in 2 weeks.
He dual enrolled at the state university his senior year of highschool. We had to pay for it but he got college credit and access to classes, like Russian, that the community college didn't have.
Do not hesitate to home educate your children.
You may have to give up some amenities in your life, but it will eventually enrich, enhance and improve the lives of your children. Do it for them and get them out of inner city public schools asap.
God for you, Mom/Dad, and for your son.
Someday he will thank you for your sacrifices.
God bless you both.
We finished homeschooling a couple of years ago. I used NO curriculum (tho I bought a lot...)but lots of Usborne paperbacks on specific subjects. Their science books are great. We also LOVED Straight-Forward Math, published by Garlic Press. They have an English series too. It is the math concepts without hundreds of workpages, which we were so tired of.
We bought lots of fiction, too, like the Redwall series etc., read lots of bios and historical fictions and did lots of reading aloud. You can read Dickens and challenging books aloud to kids who might not be capable of reading it silently. We discussed big words, what was happening in the plot, etc., as we read.
We also did a LOT of field trips.
Have fun. I learned so much.
My only recommendation is not to let them read the Harry Potter series of books and other books that you, alone, will know whether they will poison the minds and spirits of your children or not.
And always keep a vigilant eye on them. Know where they are and with whom at all times.
And much luck to you and your children.
This is our 4th year homeschooling and 3rd year using Abeka - we like it well enough that we keep ordering it every year.
Also for beginning reading (we didn't use Abeka in kindergarten, just put our own together) I highly recommend a book called "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons."
God for you = good for you :)
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