Want to Homeschool My 9 Year Old....

B.,

Kudos to you for homeschooling!

I am reluctant to offer up this information, as we seem to always, and I mean ALWAYS judged on how we homeschool. So, please take this in the spirit it is intended... to broaden your perspective in how homeschooling can be done.

My husband and I really started homeschooling when our kids were 2 and 3. But when you think about it, almost everybody does that. ABC's, counting, colors, etc. That type of homeschooling eventually evolved into the typical "school" type of homeschooling. We would sit down at the table and learn the basics of reading, writing, and math... with the other subjects thrown in for good measure. It has always been my thought that I just wanted to make sure my kids could read, write and do basic math for day to day needs.

Well, they reached that point at about 7 and 8. They were reading way above their age level, writing very well for their ages, and learning how to balance a checkbook. We were very pleased with their progress. (And relieved as well!)

We never "bought" curriculum - it was always the walmart books. They cover the basics that I already spoke of. We also used tons of flash cards, both bought and homemade. We would do science experiments from library books and travel the world in our kitchen. Very fun, but it got to the point where it all began to seem useless... this is where people start to think we are looney.

As we sat, learning about history one day, I looked at my kids. Their eyes were glazed over and their mouths hanging open. I had seen this look before in them, and it took me back to my days in school. "Why do I NEED this?" I would always ask myself and my mom that, but she would tell me that I would understand as a grown-up. Well, looking at my kids that day, I did not understand anymore then as when I was a kid. Why did they need to learn this stuff? They couldn't wait for school to be out so they could go and do the things they enjoyed!

I started looking into "Unschooling". It basically is child led learning where the kid learns what they want to on any given day. It does what the name implies... it takes the school out of learning. There are many different ways to approach this. Some families let their kids TOTALLY determine how their day will go, and others take a more structured approach so there is some sort of order in the day! (We do a more structured approach.)

My kids carry on intelligent conversations with other kids and adults. (The only thing I don't like is that they have trouble finding kids their own ages who are on the same "level" as them.) My son is scheduled to play at The Door (he is a rocker!) in February, and my daughter has won several awards (no age restrictions in these contests) with her poetry. She is even writing a book to send to a publisher! They have CD's at the bank, can always figure out how much money they have, and check in on their savings accounts on a regular basis. We have regular LONG conversations about the upcoming presidential election, racism in the past and present, religion, and of course - all of the money making ideas that we are always coming up with. They each have their own blogs in which they have monetized to make some money - so they are learning about Internet marketing.

So, in conclusion, you were asking about curriculum ideas. It was simply my intention to welcome you into the homeschooling lifestyle and let you know that there are alternatives to the typical "sit there and learn" method.

Ask yourself this... why do you want to homeschool in the first place?

Good luck, and I would love to hear how it goes.
E.

Check out The Well-Trained Mind from the library and give it a look. It is a "classical" curriculum and spells out each grades curriculum and suggested books. If you are organized and a former teacher, this will be a really great help. I am using it for my 1st grader (am also a former educator), and I love it! The "classical" model is the way to go! She also spells out in the book how to start up if your child hasn't been doing this model and has had a few years of public education. Hope this helps.

Hi B.,
I homeschooled my son for 7th and 8th grade. Here's the link for the website of the curriculum we used. http://www.landmarkbaptistchurch.org/modules/lfbc/htmls/i.... We thought it was very parent friendly and our son responded to it well. We had him tested at a local Christian school at the end of every year to make sure he was learning and academically with his grade level. He did great. We moved to a small town and he is an 11th grader in a public school and doing very well. He has become quite a writer. I think this goes back to the homeschooling. They did require quite a bit of writing.
The website has some samples you can download. Also, an additional bonus is the curriculum is only $38 per subject, but worth every penny.

Hi B.. Hope my response isnt too late. When I was in highschool I homeshcooled some and I used ABEKA. They are based out of Pensicola (sp?), FL are are Christian based. They actually have a school there so they just video tape the teacher teaching the class. At least that is how they did it for high school. I am a visual leariner so this was manditory. I really enjoyed the teachers and learned so much more than when I was in public school.

There is so much out there and it's all wonderful (for someone)! I joined HERO, Home Educators Resource O, you can find them on the web and they have a class they offer for those of us just beginning. www.sahero.org You can join for free and Very helpful! I also visited a few of the homeschooling playgroups to get an idea and talked to many of the homeschooling moms at my church.

Go to www.k12.com. we've used it for years. Great program.

If you want the freedom of being at home, but still want the structure of public school...check out www.txva.org It is a homebased charter school. They send you all the materials you need plus a computer, monitor, and printer. Your child has a real teacher you can communitcate with daily if needed and you are the "learning coach." Because it is a charter school, he will still meet all of the state requirements, including the TAKS test. If you are wanting to get away from that then this is probably not the thing, but if you just want to teach him at home, this is a great program. We just started this with my 9 year old and he is loving it. I even do most of it at work. I work in a coffee shop with very accomodating bosses, so my son takes all of his work to the shop and by the time we go home he is almost done. I am loving it so far. If you have any questions let me know. Best of luck to you.

J.

Hey B.

you have to just jump in, do what works for you. We do a bit of everything. If you ever want to meetup, I also have a 9 y/o and a baby who just turned 1. I do a lot of school text b/c that is what works for us.

I'd look for local homeschool groups and talk to moms in the area. Are you looking for a Christian curriculm? Classical? It really depends on how your son learns.
The big ones are Saxon and Abeca, math-u-see is also very popular for those who don't really enjoy intense math (ie Saxon). Veritas Press has a great classical Christian program--this what Coram Deo primarily uses.
It's good that you are organized and structured--both these traits are vital for homeschooling.
I half-homeschool (Coram Deo) but I do know a bit about making the home school day work and the main thing is schedule!!! You need to stay focused!
Please feel free to email me if you'd like more tips--I also know some home school moms in the area (Greater Lewisville)
Take care!
L.

I do not homeschool, but would love to. I go to a church that 75% of the families do homeschool. I do homeschool during the summer. I love Sonlight!!!! It is reading based and my kids love it!! You read to them and they read a lot too. It can come with all of the subjects if you choose to purchase them. We do Saxon math . I love it because it goes over the same thing more than once and adds on to each lesson and my kids think it is fun. Sonlight is also a christian curr. The only bad thing is it can be expensive, but I have gotten a lot of mine off of ebay!
BrandiG

we have homeschooled both of our children.....ages 16 & 13. We have used A Beka since day one and have enjoyed it. Even with A Beka there are some different options....you keep records, they keep records.....traditional....dvd

I feel there really isn't a "wrong" curriculum as long as you are consistant. Find out how your child learns best. You may even mix more than one curriculum.

I guess if I could tell you one thing, it would be the MOST important thing about homeschooling is the ability to spend time one on one with your child. They will learn w/ any curriculum....ENJOY your child.

hi there :)
my husbands granparents founded a company/school called Accelerated Christian Education which focuses on the "pace" of your child in each subject. www.aceministries.com is their website. I intend to homeschool my own son when he ready for school (he's only 8months now) the entire curriculum is bible based and works not only on "school" but also spiritual values.
feel free to contact me if you want. They are based out of Tennessee but have an office in Lewisville
S. K

I homeschooled my son and loved it. I used Seton Homeschool. It is a Catholic ciriculum with an awesome track record. They are accredited and have an excellent helpline. There are so many options out there, some have open, build your own ciriculum, systems and others are very structured. I chose structre because it helped me stay on track. Seton also has online testing that is so convenient. My son is now in a private school with a challenging ciriculum and the transition was was easy for him. You never know what God has in store for the future, so I liked that he could go to a school with any academic ciriculum.
Good Luck! :-)

Hi, B.!

I homeschool my three boys, ages 12, 6, and 3. I just recently found an online curriculum called etap.org, which covers all grades K-12th in math, language, science, and social studies. It costs either $39/month, or $359 for an entire year, and overall, I really like it. It gives the lessons online, and then most work sheets for the above 3rd grade level are online, along with pre- and post- tests. They have links you can follow to enrich the curriculum they have gotten together, and so far, my two older guys really like it. However, on the dark side, I have found some mistakes in the 1st grade level math stuff. I emailed them about it, and they responded very promptly, with a promise to fix it w/in 24 hrs. That was about two days ago, and they still haven't fixed it.

With my 3 yr. old, I've been using the Read It Again kits from the Arlington library. They have different themes for each kit, like shapes, ABC/123, family, whatever. I know your 9 yr. old is too old for that, but maybe your little one would find it somewhat entertaining. The kits contain books, puzzles, videos, CDs, art books, etc.

One way to get your toes wet with homeschooling curricula is to go to the homeschool book fair in May at the Arlington Convention Center. That's how I did it, and I was amazed at not only the variation in curricula, but also at the sheer number of people in this area who homeschool. You can find info about the book fair online.

Also, there are places around who offer extracurricular classes specifically for homeschoolers, like ASI gymnastics and Creative Arts and Theater School (CATS). Lots of resources for you, so don't think you'd feel cut off from the outside world, or anything, lol!

As far as homeschooling coops go, I am a member of SACC (South Arlington Christian Coop), and they offer classes on Fridays for homeschoolers. Parents teach the classes, and there is a pretty wide variety of classes offered. I teach a 4th grade and up PE class this semester. Their website is saccschool.com.

I actually organize a homeschooling group called DFW Secular Homeschoolers, and our group is for families who are interested in a non-religion focused education. Here is our website: http://homeschool.meetup.com/630/

I hope this information is helpful to you. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Best wishes,
D.

Hi B.,
I've been homeschooling my 4 kiddos for *about* 7 years now. One thing we have learned (especially recently) is that we can't be afraid to change our homeschooling style/structure.

We've gone w/ different approaches over the years, and right now we're using http://www.time4learning.com b/c I have just had a really horrid time w/ time mangement as our family has started a new business and life is catching up w/ us, lol. For now, we are loving time4learning, we love the flexibility it affords us and I love that it helps fill in some of the gaps we've had.

We've used many different brands/types of curriculum over the years, Alpha Omega Lifepac series, Bob Jones University, geez, I can't think but there were a lot more, lol.

The first thing you may want to do is "de-school" of sorts, take time to find out what he likes / enjoys, what he struggles with, and even in some ways what he doesn't need (for example - I will NEVER make my kids diagram sentences, lol). Then start slowly to really evaluate his best learning style.

As a beginner I recommend the site http://www.hsrc.com there is a lot of great info there. I have tons (oh really, tons) of sites bookmarked in my favorites, I'd be happy to email them to you if you like.

It may take time to find the system that works for you, and you may have to restructure every few years, but it is a journey and a lifestyle. I know in the early years we struggled during various times and wondered if it was right for us, but we did not give up and I just could not imagine it any other way!

Mardell's has homeschool curriculum, and you can go and look through a bit of it to get an idea of what you'd like to use. Personally, I don't buy from Mardel's b/c I can get it cheaper online, if I order curriculum I typically order from http://www.learningstreams.com

I don't know where you live, but there are several homeschool support groups in DFW, I'd be happy to pass on links on those as well. A support group is ESSENTIAL - perhaps more essential than curriculum itself. Learning from each other, playdates, and such are so crucial to your success!

Good luck to you and God Bless!! Feel free to email me if you like at ____@____.com (w/o the spaces of course)

What Janet suggested is basically public school at home and subject to all the regulations of the schools. Texas is an open homeschool state and homeschool is treated as private school and is not subject to state testing etc. That said, my kids are 14 and 15 and we are in our 6th year of homeschooling. Please feel free to write for more info if you like.

I'd like to add one thing to all the other great pieces of advice you've received! We have a couple of used homeschool curriculum stores in the metroplex. If you go there, you can actually look through all sorts of different curriculum to get a better idea what would suit your needs. The two I know of are Home Educator's Resource (in Duncanville and Lewisville) and The Book Cover (in North Richland Hills). I think the prices are MUCH better at The Book Cover, but Home Educator's Resource has some new things as well, which is nice. I'm suggesting this, because I love to be able to TOUCH and read through a few lessons to see if I think it will work for me.

I hope that helps!

K.

Well, it depends upon what you're looking for, but we use Sonlight and love it! www.sonlight.com Even if you decide Sonlight isn't for you, they have a WONDERFUL catalog with articles that helped me define what I wanted (and didn't want) out of homeschooling. They even have an article entitled "27 reasons NOT to buy Sonlight," culled from people who tried Sonlight and didn't like it over the years. Really helped me think through my expectations and desires and plans.

Just my $.02.

B.

If you are very organized and structured you will enjoy following a classical education style.
check out the book:

The Well-trained mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer.
www.thewelltrainedmind.com ?

It is a great detailed over-view on teaching all subjects in the classical curriculum

also try: www.sonlight.com

I am a former school teacher and this book has been a valuable guide.