(vanity) Seeking GA Freeper advice on homeschooling my daughter

The Heart of a Father ^ | 10/03/2007 | Concerned Father

[ZGuy]

There is obviously much more to homeschooling than buying curricula and opening the box, so you'll need to give yourself a little time to read up on various methods and pick the one that suits you and your daughter the best. Here are two items to start you thinking that often get lost among homeschooling discussions which often center on the more well-known options:

This article totally changed my approach to homeschooling : Home Schools: The Hope Of America

We use an approach similar to that explained here: Robinson Curriculum

Hopefully these ideas will help.

[Tired of Taxes]

Hi. Last year, we homeschoolers here on Free Republic put together a listing of homeschool resources. You can look through it by clicking this link:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1657398/posts

Of course, it’s not a complete list, but it’s a nice start. It shows the materials homeschoolers here on FR have used and recommend to others.

The book many homeschoolers consider the best guide on choosing a curriculum is “The Well-Trained Mind” by Susan Wise Bauer.

[llmc1]

We used K12.com with great success. Now we’re using “Teaching Textbook” for Geometry, and we love it. www.teachingtextbooks.com

[scottteng]

http://www.flvs.net/
This is the Florida virtual school has pick and choose classes just like college or HS. Middle school kids can take some classes for high school credit and HS can take college courses. Check into Georgia’s maybe it is as good but FLVS has been around for a few years and has the bugs worked out. It will cost something for non Fl resident don’t know what. The plus of a “state” virtual school is the classes will readily transfer back into the system other home school options may not without a lot of hassle.

[cinives]

I’d recommend the following, since you only plan to do this for 1 year. I’d highly recommend that you push the self-teaching aspect, since it will do her a world of good in high school.

You already have the phys ed and social aspect, so here’s recommendations for the academics for a gifted child.

Math - take the placement test on Saxon’s website to see what her math skill level is. I’d recommend Saxon 1/2, Saxon Algebra I or Jacob’s Algebra, depending on the results. If she’s gifted in math, then Algebra is the curriculum for her. Saxon is tops for self-taught learning.

Science - by all means have her do a physical science curriculum. I’d add in a lot of hands-on type learning. It’ll help in high school in labs. Get a good chemistry kit, some biology experiments, and some physics labs. You’ll find some great stuff at Carolina Biological, Tobin’s Lab, and Rainbow Resources. I found Apologia to be very good, especially for a kid to start learning how to teach themselves. Plus, if you search on the web there are all kinds of things to do from build a telescope to build a trebuchet to build a solar oven and the like. You can also get involved in the sheep, chicken or beef programs with 4H and have that be your science. This is a great time to experiment and get hands-on with science projects.

Language Arts - Design your own by all means. This is no place for a canned curriculum. Assuming she’s a strong reader, pick out 15-20 classics - http://www.classicauthors.net/ - here’s a handy list - and have her write a 3-4 page paper on at least 10 of them. I don’t mean just book reports - I mean themes, comparisons, world view, historical context, etc. Add in a book on Latin Roots (vocabulary) and the really good book “Eats, Shoots, Leaves” by Lynn Truss and you have a full language arts curriculum. If you want a really good addition, look up your local 4H chapter and see if they sponsor a Toastmaster’s course in public speaking, or contact your local Toastmaster’s chapter directly. We did this and it makes a huge difference in their level of confidence.

History (notice I didn’t say Social Studies) - OK, here’s the important thing. You can choose to do history within the literature context, or you can stick with a straight history curriculum. Both are valid; one is more fun than the other :) However, since your daughter is unlikely to get a really good American History class in either high school or college, you do it now. I can’t recommend highly enough the American History books “A Basic History of the United States” by Clarence Carson. It is a college freshmen-level series of 6 paperback books from the 1600s to 1985. The writing is very, very accessible to an 8th grade or better level reader, and it’s the real, non-PC history of the US with a VERY strong constitutionalist slant. For a fun project to go along with the books and to further writing skills, have per pick say 26 topics on which she’ll write a one page paper, and a 5 page research paper using outside resources on a US history topic of interest.

All I can say is, don’t stress, enjoy the process, and she’ll learn more than you will realize.

I homeschooled mine for 6 years. She just finished h.s. at home at age 17 and is now in college, making As on everything. She says the relaxed nature of her homeschooling has made her a better student in college.

Above all, as parents, you should have fun with this too.

[luckystarmom]

I think it’s good to get different opinions. I know of lots of other people that really like Saxon also.

Personally, I think every kid is different, and that is one of the benefits of homeschooling. You can meet the needs of your individual child.

Take care.

[ZGuy]

Here's a long FR thread with more potentially useful information for you:

Homeschooling: Freeper Needs Guidance on *Effective* and *Proven* Programs