decided to homeschool

[Moolah]

teaching cooking, crochet, knitting, That is all education. There is education in everything you do.

[Laura]

www.hslda.com

This will let you know the laws of your state, how to contact 'home school groups' (and they have annual used book sales!!!) and when your annual home school convention takes place.

I HIGHLY recommend the annual convention.
They have speakers, workshops, veteran's that can answer any question, and of course home educational tools for sale.
DON'T get sucked into every 'gimmick' and 'fancy package'.
Go with a list of what you want, and work from that.

We started with Christian Liberty Academy.
They sent us a box of cirriculum, they took tests, CLA graded them and kept records.

After 2 years of that, we struck out on our own, and never looked back.

All 3 of my kids are in college.

This is *my* advice, based upon *my* experiences.
You mileage may vary.

*Trying to do "school at home" is exhausting. Once we 'relaxed' it was more 'natural'. (we did text books, tests, and quizzes)

*Keep AMAZING immaculate records. Hard copies and the computer.

*Record their attendance.

*Record the name of the text book, author, what edition.

*Do lab experiments, and keep a lab book. In the lab book record the book (I highly recommend Apologia Science) name and author, edition.

*Give them "grades" so that you can figure their GPA.

*Create a 'transcript" and keep their perm. records for high school here.

* WHEN they get to the high school age (if not sooner) have them writing essays.
Learn what MLA and APA styles are (google search PURDUE OWL http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/)

*IF I had it to do all over again, my kids would have been in 4-H every year. I would have made them choose a different interest each year.

*Go to festivals (now) that are of different cultures (like Italianfest, or Greekfest) to see and appreciate different cultures.

ALL of the above will better prepare a child for a college experience.
If the kids are athletes, and there is a chance or hope to play NCAA sports, your records must me detailed (as I have described above) and tangible.....and you are able to prove they are true.

You will never regret this decision!!!

[wildturnip]

We loved Apologia science!! I bought myself the Chemistry book when I was studying college chemistry. It really helped me to understand it.

Laura, you give great advice. We were members of HSLDA and recommend it highly.

We started out with Christian Liberty Academy too! We quit about halfway through the year and were much better off.

[jeanb]

Do you'll find you have less illness when you homeschool? My daughter has been ill with colds, sore throat, or some other virus, this whole winter.
Thanks

[looknup]

We are hardly ever sick now. Once a year maybe, if that.

[randallhilton]

Originally Posted by jeanb

Do you'll find you have less illness when you homeschool? My daughter has been ill with colds, sore throat, or some other virus, this whole winter.
Thanks

It's difficult to pin those maladies down to government vs home schools. Being exposed to the bugs of others helps build up antibodies which is a point in favor of government schools if you ask me. So, that makes about 1 point in favor of govt schools vs about a hundred home school.

[wildturnip]

There is a good article posted here today on dispelling some myths of homeschooling.

http://www.survivalblog.com/

[Laura]

Originally Posted by jeanb

Do you'll find you have less illness when you homeschool? My daughter has been ill with colds, sore throat, or some other virus, this whole winter.
Thanks

My oldest has strep throat 2x a year every year when in public school.
Once we pulled them to home school?
She has not had strep throat once. Not one time.

Our eating habits are odd.....we do not eat processed packaged foods.
Nothing in a box, freezer bag, or can.
A lot of fresh fruits and veggies
RARELY did they have fast food.
Eating right helps the immune system when it is bombarded by bugs.

My son got his "Thanksgiving cold" every year, but he plays hockey and has to be in a locker room full of sweaty germy boys, and they all share water bottles on the bench.
While the other boys were missing games because of flu-strep-bronchitis.....my kid just had a cold.

That was our experience.

[jeanb]

Some of the things needed for math I have found online, but the one thing I can't find is the " centimeter place value squares and strips". Have any of you made one these or found where to purchase one at?
Thanks

[jeanb]

My friend told me her kids in school are being taught what is called "new math", but she couldn't explain it to me, she told me if I take my daughter out of public school she would miss learning this. Forgive me for being so dumb, but isn't 2 + 2 still 4, and how is there a new math, have you heard of this math and how is it different?
Thanks

[Doninalaska]

They continually come up with stuff the call "new math". Most of it isn't worth worrying about. One large school district here had "new math" in place for several years, spent lots of money implementing the program, then abandoned it all and went back to math the parents could understand. I wouldn't worry about missing out on it.

[billygoatgruff]

jeanb,

the words change but the formulae don't.

Sam the Kid is taking algebra and gave me a call a month or so ago about something he didn't understand. My first action was to get rid of the words and go to the formulae that we were trying to discuss. once we were clear on the formulae we compared notes about what each of us had been taught to call it, and then solved the problem.

He had missed a nuance of the formula we were working with and once that was cleared up, well, let's just say he can do math in his head a lot faster than I can with my many years practice.

Oh, and 2 + 2 = 5 for large values of 2. If you don't believe it then put 2.4 and 2.4 in a spreadsheet, format it to show no decimals, and let the computer do the adding. It is 5. lol Yeah, I've pulled that on some folks. Only works with the older generation tho as kids are too computer savvy.

Enjoy.

The real learning is in the sharing, and our teachers don't have the time for individual sharing. If you aren't going to share what you love and tie the lessons into that then you might want to reconsider homeschooling.

Sam the Kid's math was taught at the grocery store, and boy did I catch it when he figured out that the labels already gave the price per ounce. Math, and frugality all at once. lol

John

[Mom5farmboys]

Originally Posted by jeanb

My friend told me her kids in school are being taught what is called "new math", but she couldn't explain it to me, she told me if I take my daughter out of public school she would miss learning this. Forgive me for being so dumb, but isn't 2 + 2 still 4, and how is there a new math, have you heard of this math and how is it different?
Thanks

New math is a joke and is nothing more than a useless time filler. They teach the kids 10 different ways to do a multiplacation or division problem in elementary and when the enter middle school (6th grade) it is abandoned for the traditional method.

I have always ignored the new math methods and when doing homeword I taught my kids the way I was taught, I have talked to their elementary teachers and to be honest they have been great about it, they never cared as long as he got the right answer. I think the teachers (at my kids school at least) think its kind of a waste of time too.....but they don't choose the curriculum, they have to teach what the State School Board tells them to.

[jeanb]

Thanks, I am going to stick with teaching her basic math and when she learns that then we will try some other math things. If my friend can't explain what it is her kids are doing, I don't see how she is able to help her children with homework.

What I am working at this time with my daughter until she gets out of public school in June, is grocery cart math and banking. She has a work book that she takes to the grocery store that teaches adding, substraction, along with helping her learn the best values and food budgeting. I have set up a play bank account for her, only with real money that she is paid from her chore of feeding and watering the chickens. She has to write a deposit slip for depositing any money in the bank and she has to write a check when taking money out, at the end of the month she will get a bank statement. If she has any money left over we may do a play saving account where she can earn a little interest on her money in the play bank.
Thanks

[looknup]

You're right 2+2is still 4. Public schools haved tried and will try anything to cater to control large numbers of kids while catering to 'what the government wants them to teach'.

According to your last post...you're a natural at home schooling. You're already doing it. You get it. Keep it simple and you'll have no worries.

[jeanb]

I am starting to put my homeschool notebook together, all I have in it so far is the attendance sheet, still reading new things on homeschooling, but I would like to go ahead and set the notebook up, what else do you'll put in your homeschool notebook?
Thanks

[wildturnip]

http://www.moorehomeschooling.com/tr...gory_parent=19

Jean, this is a page of teaching aids from Moore Homeschooling. I had this one and it was a great encouragement to me. The author Ruth Beechick tells you how to teach each subject.
You Can Teach Your Child Successfully

[crackergirl]

I am really excited. After one year in public school (where he did very well) DS has told us he wants to go back to homeschooling. Yay! Praise the Lord! We thought it was very funny when we went to parent-teacher conference that TWO teachers (his and one other) told us "We could tell he was homeschooled because he is the most polite child!"
I am hoping this illustrates 'raise them up in the way they shall go and when they are old they will not depart from it'

[wildturnip]

That's awesome! Good that he wants to be homeschooled again and good the the two teachers recognized and acknowledged the difference.

[jeanb]

There is a new problem in homeschooling my daughter this year. I will have two grandchildren back with us before school begins this fall who are extremely smart and scored high on IQ test and this past year were placed in special classes for children that are advanced. They will also want to be homeschooled, but I am so worried if I try to homeschool them I will fail and cheat them out of learning what some gifted or smarter teacher would be able to teach and at the same time I worry will these kids learn how to do things for themselves, grow and raise their own food in order to survive. I feel like I fail them if I do homeschool and fail them if I don't homeschool them.
Thanks