Need advice about homeschooling

[a.c.t.32]

I have never tried posting before, so please forgive me if I don't do it correctly.

I am thinking about homeschooling my two boys - ages 5 & 6. They were in a parochial school for the first half of the school year, but we had to move unexpectedly and probably can't afford to send them to another right now. I would appreciate any advice on how to set up a schedule and curriculum. I would also like to hear about any experience, good or bad, with homeschooling that anyone may have had.

Any help and advice is appreciated. Thanks.

[Unknown Freeper]

Homeschool bump

[coloradan]

For the homeschoolers out there.

[widowithfoursons]

I always recommend ABEKA video or DVD homeschool for first timers. Look at their website.

[dawn53]

my two boys - ages 5 & 6

I guess you could say that I belong to the "relaxed home schooler" club, but I wouldn't buy curriculum or prepare a home school schedule for boys, especially boys, that are 5 and 6.

You can go to Barnes and Noble or Borders and buy some workbooks to help them with handwriting, phonics or math, or buy some of those fancy toys they have now that teach phonics and/or math.

But the main place I'd be hanging out is the library. Check out lots of books. Books to read to them, books for them to read, picture books to look at in the subjects of science or geography.

Then I'd put them in the car a couple days a week and we'd go on field trips and do fun stuff.

My sister and I homeschool and we've always waited till the "boys" were about 7 to start anything that is remotely structured.

All of them have done great in their studies, always scored high on tests, and haven't seemed to suffer in the least from the delayed start and I believe we've avoided alot of frustration by waiting till they were a little older to start formalized teaching.

[dawn53]

Just reread my post:

I'm not advocating complete lack of scheduling, just not for kids as young as yours.

Later on we used Saxon Math, Abeka, Beautiful Feet, mixed and matched lots of curriculum. There's so much available that you'll have a great time picking and choosing.

But if you wait a year or two, you'll figure out your child's learning style, and then you can cater the curriculum to the child.

[RightOnline]

We have seven children and have been homeschooling for over 18 years in numerous states.........so I think I qualify as a bit of an "authority" on the subject.

A) Do NOT homeschool unless you're sure you can live up to the commitment.........and it is a MAJOR commitment.

B) I don't care what your State says........I don't care what anyone on this thread or this forum may tell you........do NOT register with the State, county, city, or local school board. Just don't do it. It's your business, not theirs. Trust me on this one.

C) We have used, and very successfully, the curricula provided by Christian Liberty Academy from Arlington Heights, Illinois. Terrific, challenging, grounded in the basics. Their Web site is www.class-homeschools.org (squeeze here).

D) To expand on the "commitment thing": recommend you take it a year at a time; no grandiose "I'm going to homeschool my kids from K through 12th grade, no matter what!" statements. A year at a time. You'll see why eventually.

God bless and good luck.

[BikerTrash]

Good for you!

First, realize that you are in a uniquely qualified position as to knowing their strengths, weaknesses and needs. You will naturally tailor anything you do to this criteria, so stay flexible. Much of what you do will be determined by their input.

Second, just do it. It is a journey to be shared and enjoyed. I know I do!

[BikerTrash]

B) I don't care what your State says........I don't care what anyone on this thread or this forum may tell you........do NOT register with the State, county, city, or local school board. Just don't do it. It's your business, not theirs. Trust me on this one.

Great advice!

[GVnana]

Check out the website and curriculum at K12.com. K12 was developed by Bill Bennett, Ronald Reagan's Secretary of Education. My kids were grown and out of school before this was developed, but I'll be looking into it since my son intends to homeschool my new grandson.

[SauronOfMordor]

A good place to start is http://www.hslda.org (the Home School Legal Defense Association)

[Diva]

But the main place I'd be hanging out is the library. Check out lots of books. Books to read to them, books for them to read, picture books to look at in the subjects of science or geography.

Ditti to what Dawn53 told you. I have two boys now 22 and 19, both in college both doing well, one on the honor roll. We homeschooled from 1990 so they were a little older when we started and I SO wish I had homeschooled from the beginning like you are planning. Less than 100 years ago some parochial schools (Christian Brothers) were not taking boys under the age of 8 as they were not considered ready to sit still at a desk. There may be a few who are but the vast majority need activity and to be read to. Find out how they learn best before you try to make them fit into a curriculum. God bless you, most of the time boys are so much fun to homeschool!

[Lead]

This site was a good starter point for me.

http://www.classicalhomeschooling.org/curriculum/scope-g.html

[Nora]

Jump right in - the water's fine. You will be amazed at how much easier it is to homeschool than to deal with an institution day in and day out. There are many ways to homeschool, ranging from essentially running your own school at home to abandoning everything related to school and following your delight (think St. John Bosco). With a 5 and a 6 y.o., it is almost impossible to believe that anything you do this semester will cause unfixable harm, so just relax first. And don't spend a dime on homeschool stuff until you have a chance to research a bit what you want to do.

If you have moved and they are not heading back to a familiar school, the first thing I would do were I you is track down some friends and playmates - scouts, sports, Sunday school - wherever. Given that you mentioned a parochial school and are in Michigan, I am guessing at Catholic. Thre's a mess of us Catholic homeschoolers around - call the parish office where you are now and ask whether there is a homeschool group at the church (or at a nearby one). There are tons of places that are great fun on a Tuesday morning, even though they are a nightmare on Saturdays. If you grab the boys and a friend or two to go ice skating when they have the whole place to themselves, except for other homeschoolers, you'll be Supermom. The local library and the kid's librarian is typically a good place to troll for other homeschoolers - If there is a "story hour, go and you'll see a number.

The second thing I would do is go to World Book's typical course of study. That will give you a rough benchmark of what comes first and what second, usually - and will relax you even more.

Third thing is to do some more of what you are doing now - poking around on-line. There are 16 Yahoo! groups relating to Michigan homeschoolers. If I am correct in assuming you are Catholic and would like some Catholic homeschool sites, let me know - I've got a ton. You can search Yahoo! for Catholic Homeschoolers and get about 35 lists. There are more than that on Yahoo! but some aren't listed.

Homeschooling is closely related to parenting styles in my experience, so you can expect to find folks pretty convinced that they are doing it THE right way. Of course you will be too, once you decide.

[AppyPappy]

Make sure you are disciplined enough to do it. With two boys, riding herd on them is usually important. Most homeschooling moms I know are well-organized and disciplined. The decision to home-school should be supported 100% by both parents.

[No Truce With Kings]

The only advice I would have given was provided by Sauron of Mordor in post #11 -- contact the Home School Legal Defence Fund. Join, too. It is worth every penny.

I will offer this encouragement. We have been homeschooling our kids since 1995. The oldest went through High School home schooled. He won a full academic scholarship to UT-Dallas, an extremely picky and difficult school. He is now a junior -- in Electrical Engineering -- and still has his scholarship.

Homeschooling is worth it.

[Hebrews 11:6]

I would also like to hear about any experience, good or bad, with homeschooling that anyone may have had.

Having homeschooled our daughters prayerfully from preschool through middle school, I cannot recommend it. They are now in their early twenties and just do not fit in with the world around them. Both are Christians, heterosexual, responsible, drug- and alcohol-free, and neither has ever been pregnant or arrested.

I don't know where we went wrong, but I'm guessing prayer and homeschooling may be to blame.

[Lead]

Sorry slightly off topic, but I now have a mental picture of an giant flaming eye, homeschooling his kids to keep them from being corrupted by the dominant middle earth culture. :)

[aviator]

Visit http://www.seton.org They are the biggest Catholic homeschool organization out there. We have used them for three years and are very happy.

[CalvaryJohn]

Check out the materials availabe through Bob Jones University. My pastor uses it for his son, and after taking a look at the Sixth grade material, it made my brain hurt. Good luck and God Bless you.

[dd5339]

Ditto's on joining the HDLSA!

My wife and I are planning on homeschooling our two. #1 is just over 1 year old and #2 is still cooking and due in June.

It will be a huge commitment for the both of us to homeschool our kids but I can't think of a much more important one.

You will face opposition from friends, family and people you meet, (how come those kids aren't in school?!) I'd suggest getting an idea how you want to handle that early on. My wife and I, being very blunt people, have decided to just let people know that the reason their not in school is because we want them to have an education, not an indoctrination!

I'd also suggest picking up and copy of, "The Well Trained Mind" by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. It gives a ton of advice and lays out curriculum ideas from grade 1-12. My wife and I found it to be a really good read.

Semper Fi

[savedbygrace]

We have educated our daughter at home from the beginning. She will graduate this spring, and she is a fine young lady.

Early on, we learned of the concept of "Delight Directed Learning." IOW, let your children's own interests, the things they are delighted in, direct their studies.

For example, suppose you have a girl who is totally into dolls. Well, center each "subject" around the study of dolls. Without breaking a sweat, you should easily be able to do that with math, history, and english.

But before all that, spend a year with each one of your kids, making sure they learn how to read. Using a complete phonics program (NOT one of these highly advertised programs that uses phonics part-time, but a full phonics program,) make sure they understand how to sound out every permutation in the English language. All the exceptions, too (which have to be memorized.)

After you have done this, they are ready to study anything and everything you throw at them. IF they are interested in it. That's where Delight Directed Learning comes in.

Finally, as others have pointed out, don't get hung up on having a curriculum. You'll figure it out, and your kids are resilient. Even if you mess up for awhile, they'll still learn. And no matter what, they'll still be miles ahead of the public schoolers.

You see, it doesn't matter much what you force them to "learn" if you don't teach them how to learn. That's what Delight Directed Learning does for you. Really.

[Jael]

Hi! Former teacher and present homeschooler here!!!

My biggest suggestion is to get "Better Late Than Early" by Dr. Raymond Moore. You can find it cheap at on the internet. (Used.) I paid 3 dollars for my copy.

Teach them to read using an intensive phonics program. It works, and works well, and fast.

ABEKA is the best, beyond a doubt, for that. You can order it from them, or buy it used online.

If the 6 year old can't read great yet, just do the K5 program with both of them.

My son did it for k5 and by November was reading. When he tested (SAT) in April, he was reading on an upper 3rd grade level. He isn't gifted, just normal. But MOST of the kids in the class did test that high, at least 3rd grade. It's the intensive phonics.

You can mess up some other things, and they have plenty of time to relearn it. For the first 3 years almost everything is just drill of the basics. (Except history, you just add more each year, but even that is not hard at all to catch up on.)But you can't mess up the reading. If they don't get that, nothing else really matters.

After k5, we started homeschooling. We spent first grade learning the math facts, and reading, and practicing handwriting. We read constantly.

You might want to check the hslda website regarding the laws in your state. But I agree with people who told you not to register them. We have never registered with the state. If you can do that without trouble it's best I think.

This is the perfect age to see if you like homeschooling.

One other small bit of advice, if you buy materials that are designed for the classroom, don't get overwhelmed. That stuff is designed to keep 25 kids busy for 8 hours. You really won't need to do that. 2 hours is about all those ages really need, for instruction and practice. And not two straight >;-)

Have fun!!!

[Jael]

Hi! Former teacher and present homeschooler here!!!

My biggest suggestion is to get "Better Late Than Early" by Dr. Raymond Moore. You can find it cheap at on the internet. (Used.) I paid 3 dollars for my copy.

Teach them to read using an intensive phonics program. It works, and works well, and fast.

ABEKA is the best, beyond a doubt, for that. You can order it from them, or buy it used online.

If the 6 year old can't read great yet, just do the K5 program with both of them.

My son did it for k5 and by November was reading. When he tested (SAT) in April, he was reading on an upper 3rd grade level. He isn't gifted, just normal. But MOST of the kids in the class did test that high, at least 3rd grade. It's the intensive phonics.

You can mess up some other things, and they have plenty of time to relearn it. For the first 3 years almost everything is just drill of the basics. (Except history, you just add more each year, but even that is not hard at all to catch up on.)But you can't mess up the reading. If they don't get that, nothing else really matters.

After k5, we started homeschooling. We spent first grade learning the math facts, and reading, and practicing handwriting. We read constantly.

You might want to check the hslda website regarding the laws in your state. But I agree with people who told you not to register them. We have never registered with the state. If you can do that without trouble it's best I think.

This is the perfect age to see if you like homeschooling.

One other small bit of advice, if you buy materials that are designed for the classroom, don't get overwhelmed. That stuff is designed to keep 25 kids busy for 8 hours. You really won't need to do that. 2 hours is about all those ages really need, for instruction and practice. And not two straight >;-)

Have fun!!!

[PatrioticAmerican]

Advice? Just do it. Your kids will be far better because of homeschooling.

[Domestic Church]

For Catholic curricula check out

http://www.love2learn.net

I really like the Catholic Heritage curricula for our little ones with Modern Curricula Press for math and additional phonics
( http://www.emmanuelbooks.com ) and it is very easy to use and is very inexpensive and allows for families to use one copy for the entire family. Freepmail me for more info or help.

You will find in the beginning you feel like you have jumped off a cliff only to discover you have wings you never knew about!

For a good general Christian HS discounter try

http://www.rocksolidinc.com

[a.c.t.32]

Thank you so much everyone. You have all been very helpful. I'm off to check out some of the above websites now. : )

[repubmom]

I've been homeschooling for going on 11 years just so you know where I'm coming from.

I would recommend finding a support group to belong to. Contact your state's home school organization - here in California we have Christian Home Ed. Assoc. which has the list of groups in our area. You will want to be with other homeschoolers for support and advice and activities such as field trips and kids to play with. Definitely join HSLDA. Your group may be a member in which case you will get a group discount.

You will find so much curriculum out there that your head will be spinning - but for children as young as yours I would try to keep it simple. For reading I would go with Samuel Blumenfeld's phonics reader - Alphaphonics - along with the Explode the Code series by Educators Publishing Service - http://www.epsbooks.com. They have a kindergarten series called Get Ready for the Code A,B & C as well as First grade through Third - Explode the Codes. My kids are great readers and this is what we used. They're reasonably priced as well. Some other web sites are http://www.timberdoodle.com, http://www.shekinahcc.com, http://sonlight.com, and Calvert. Sonlight has a ton of read alouds as well as readers for young children. If you have the time, I would try to find as many websites that deal with curriculum as possible so you can get a good feel for what's out there.

Concentrate on the basics - reading, writing and arithmetic. If they can read, they can learn all about science and history. Get those important things accomplished and then go on to the other things if you have the time and energy. The Usborne science books are wonderful to look through - do some simple experiments. History can be learned through stories at this age. Plenty of time to get into more formal text books in a couple of years. With two boys so close in age, keep them together so you don't have to do two science or history lessons.

I think it's very important that you find a support group to belong to, because you will definitely need others to come along side of you to encourage you and keep perspective.

[Timmy]

Homeschooling father of four. You will get some very detailed advice on this thread. However, keep it simple to start. The bottom line is that, if you make any effort at all, you will teach your children better than a public or private school. We start our children with a phonics reading program (Sing, Spell, Read and Write) which uses fun songs and other things. We think it's great. Then, some basic math (Saxon is used by many, including us, as it is very repetitious, though you might want to reduce the repetition as your kids catch on, or it can get boring). History at that age is Genesis forward. Do some spelling, basic writing, and that's all for that age (except for fun stuff you might want to add).

Bottom line, you have 12 years to teach them kids. Don't try to do it all in the first 2 years. And have fun with all the time you get to spend with them.

[Timmy]

One more note. Several people have already said their particular curriculum is "the best". Don't believe them. Be patient and find the right one for your kids. They can be very different in how they learn, and you will start to discover the little things that can make a big difference in their learning, something public / private school teachers simply cannot do.

[Notwithstanding]

If you are Catholic, this is a link to sound sources.

http://www.spiritussanctus.org/resources.htm

[Notwithstanding]

For spiritual formation (Catholic), go here (the virtue chart is on our fridge and we refer the kids to it all the time (when any of us - including parents - exhibit virtue or lack thereof):

http://www.spiritussanctus.org/remaininme.html

[Lady Heron]

I would agree with the post about being less structured for boys in the early years. I have had three that I home schooled. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd grades I spent focused on just learning to read,to write and do math (Saxon math gets great results). Two of my boys were not really ready for school until they tured 11 and 12, they could not concentrate for long periods of time and could have no distractions in the room they were working.

Abeka is a good reading program for a first time home schooler. If the child finds a love for reading Sonlight is wonderful.

[Lady Heron]

Don't believe them. Be patient and find the right one for your kids.

I agree. Each of my children used a different curriculum because each learned differently or had different needs. I suggested Sonlight only if you end up with a child that loves to read. The 1 son I had that used it read over a 100 books a year, the curriculum fit him perfectly.

An other son practices his violin at least 6 hour a day. Sitting around reading (which was never a love for him) was not realistic. He used a mixture of Abeka, Bob Jones, and Alpha Omega curriculms. The last uses a mixture of Sonlight and Abeka, and they all used Saxon math.

This is what worked for my family. Your children might find nothing out of what worked for us will work for you. The same for all the rest of the posts. They are all just sugestions.

[SauronOfMordor]

Sorry slightly off topic, but I now have a mental picture of an giant flaming eye, homeschooling his kids to keep them from being corrupted by the dominant middle earth culture. :)

Well, I have ambitions of them becoming Evil Overlords, but it's hard for that to happen in the public school system. You see, the school system is actively hostile to superior achievement by students. Its focus is on getting the bottom 10% up to meeting minimal standards, while letting the top 10% rot. When you consider that it's the top 10% who are responsible for creating all the new businesses, jobs, and technological advancements, this is a recipe for long-term national disaster

BTW, my eldest DOES tend to think of me as the embodiment of Evil when I tell her to get off Aol Instant Messengering her friends, and do her math...

[Concerned]

HEBREWS 11:6 WROTE: "Having homeschooled our daughters prayerfully from preschool through middle school, I cannot recommend it. They are now in their early twenties and just do not fit in with the world around them. Both are Christians, heterosexual, responsible, drug- and alcohol-free, and neither has ever been pregnant or arrested."

HEBREWS 11:6 ADDED: "I don't know where we went wrong, but I'm guessing prayer and homeschooling may be to blame."

< Grin >

I only hope we can go THAT "wrong" with our 3 year old daughter as well.

She is in our Church Pre-School right now and she learns about Jesus, Abraham, Moses, Noah, etc. (as well as how to operate a computer, and other things). And when she is not in Pre-School, she sometimes goes to our babysitter's house (who just happens to be her Pre-School teacher).

You think there is any "hope" for her? She may have a hard time fitting in with the world as well.

< Grin again >

[giotto]

For a classical education, the Kolbe Academy homeschool program is first rate. They now have an online book store too. The advantage of Kolbe is that your child is technically enrolled in Kolbe Academy, even if you live in Australia. The tuition is very low, and they provide you with all the lesson plans, tests, report card forms, etc. They also provide SAT testing in the spring. The curriculum is tough and thorough, and the people who run the school are conservative.

[Hebrews 11:6]

You think there is any "hope" for her? She may have a hard time fitting in with the world as well.

This world is not my home
I'm just a-passin' through
My treasures are laid up
Somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me
Through heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home
In this world anymore

[hoosierpearl]

Homeschooling my sons was great. I taught the oldest one how to read, and the youngest was "listening in". When I got around to teaching him to read, he already knew a lot of it.

I used about four different types of teaching materials and had the best luck with Bob Jones University. It gave me the most help and ideas as a teacher, the best balanced material. Far better than ABEKA or anything else I tried.

I think the people who encouraged you to use library resources are spot on. Especially as young as they are. Try to play simple games and read to them a lot. But I would buy something, like Bob Jones, to teach reading and maybe something for math skills [Bob Jones or Saxon math].
Try to read books to them on lots of different subjects. Use phonics to teach reading.

There are some items out there for visual aids, manipulatives, etc. There are cassette tapes of songs that help with teaching geography. Would be a good time to have a globe or lots of maps, and show them places that you read to them about on the maps. Use some real money to practice counting. Use a tape measure to show some math skills. Use the toys they already have to play games [abc blocks]. Singing songs with them will help. A little music is great.

You can introduce some things like a little bit of handwriting, not much, but you don't need to do a lot of paperwork, just a few minutes a day on reading and math. Have them do physical education, stretching exercises and running laps around the house, or run races against each other. Teaching my own how to read, which is a joy to me, was a joy to pass that on to someone else. Have as much fun as you can. You need to spend time with them, but don't think of it as a traditional school where they have to sit at a desk for five or six hours a day. They need more physical activity. Try not to use very many videos or TV programs. They're better off not watching TV. Enjoy the time with them, it is precious.

[pray4liberty]

Check out http://www.christianbook.com and you will find just about everything you need. They have a catalog especially for homeschoolers. Search for the word "stencil" and you will find very useful stencils to teach handwriting. They were invaluable to me.