Yvonne--Homeschooling
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion Archive: Archive January 2006:
Yvonne--Homeschooling
Hi Yvonne! My dds are going to enter fifth and K this September. I may finally make the plunge and homeschool. Were you terrified?? What do you find to DO all day? I ask that because I'm not a 'fun mom' full of ideas and wanting to go go go and do activities. I'm very boring. (and lazy) If I did this, I would buy the Abeka curriculum and teacher's manuals for K and 5th. I wouldn't attempt to piece things together from here and there for my first year. What is your curriculum? What grades are your kids now?? Is this your second or third year doing this? Do you belong to a homeschooling group? If so, how did you find them and what do you do with the group and how often? Do you find them to be the extreme types, or are they 'normal' like you seem to be? Any advice would be great!!
I guess it might help if I explained WHY I was thinking of this. For one thing, I don't easily send my kids off with other people and for years now I've grappled with WHY I purposely send my DD away for six or seven hours every day....it makes no sense, really. And she's in private school; I PAY to send her away!! Insane!! (to me) Also, the school she is in truly has two very incompetent teachers who teach 4th-8th grade language and spelling. Those are pretty important subjects and they truly aren't the slightest bit qualified to teach them. A lower grade teacher also gave me quite a bit of trouble last year with her extreme views on politics and Halloween, which she liberally shared with the class. I looked into public this year, and our public math program is 'new math' and unacceptable. Over 700 parents in our town have been fighting it and losing. The kids are failing left and right and graduating without knowing a thing about math. SO! I'm kind of stuck.
I do worry about the lack of friends...she's never had many friends as she's always been in these small private schools with few girls to choose from. We finally got ONE girl her age on our street this summer, but she goes to public and has loads of other friends. If I keep her at home with me her friend pool goes down to almost nothing. She's VERY social, and I am not, so I know it would take extreme effort for me to plug into areas where she could be with friends. I'm rambling now....any insight or comments you have I would be grateful for. Thanks!
What is your curriculum?
I use Abeka. I pieced it together the first year and felt like I was scrambling. Abeka is a nationally recognized curriculum and is known to be advanced. I just feel more comfortable using it and I like the curriculum itself. It is user friendly and morally sound.
What grades are your kids now??
My kids are both in grade 5 Abeka.
Is this your second or third year doing this?
we have been doing this for 2 1/2 years.
Do you belong to a homeschooling group?
I have skated around one--meaning gone on field trips but not monthly meetings.
If so, how did you find them and what do you do with the group and how often?
I have found them to be overly religious. I will attend some field trips and since they need x amount of people to get group discounts they rely on people like me. I just can't justify going every week to meetings for what boils down to a play group. My kids do not need the social aspect as they below to many groups (dance, baseball, etc).
Do you find them to be the extreme types, or are they 'normal' like you seem to be?
Any advice would be great!!
Well....see above. I have made a few friends from the group and we tend to get together on our own. I think that there are groups out there that are not "extreme" but I just haven't felt the need to look.
I completely understand your reasoning. I can tell you that being scared to take the 1st step is normal. It is also normal to wonder if you are doing it right when you first start. There are many curriculums out there so it is easy to be overwhelmed with choices. Abeka is a great way to go. You could just do Abeka. I do add to it but I happen to love arts and crafts and science projects. I have had my kids tested and they are above grade level so I know we are doing just fine. I also know that pulling them was the best decision we ever made. They are getting a better education than they were in public school. The bonus is we are a much closer family.
Feel free to ask any/all questions. I will be happy to help!
Yvonne
I want to let you know that the average Abeka day is 3-5 hours. We start at 9 and the kids are done around noon or 1:00. Done, as in completely done, no homework. It works out to a much shorter day and yet they are learning more. Why? Because 1 on 1 is more concentrated. There isn't the traveling from classroom to classroom or waiting to have kids settle down. It makes for a much shorter day. My daughter struggled in public school. She got straight A's but worked VERY HARD to get them. She often spent 3 hours a night doing homework and reviewing the days work. It is actually easier for me to homeschool her than it was when she was in public school. Now, if she does not get something, we review it until she does. We generally work Monday-Thursday. On Friday they take the weeks tests. It usually takes about 1 hour. As long as they pass them all, the rest of the day is ours. We try to do a field trip every Friday. It is something we all look forward to.
Yvonne, I think I want you to be my teacher! My kids are in public schools though and I don't have any complaints. I know my friend who homeschooled, didn't spend her whole day in school, either.
That is rotten, Kate, that you pay good money for a private education and the teachers are no good! I didn't care for Emily's 5th grade teacher, but that is long done and over with now.
My baby starts high school next year. She just got the form for picking next year's classes, today.
Thanks, Yvonne! My DD is already using Abeka at school so I imagine it would be an easy transition academically. Is it idiot proof for parents, no matter how weak they are in the subject? The Friday tests you take...do they come with the program? Any idea how much I should expect to pay for a full curriculum?
What kinds of field trips do you take? I'm not sure how to keep from killing each other all day every day....especially with such a varying age. How do I teach a Kindergartner and a fifth grader? And I'm terrified at how to teach my DD how to READ. I mean, if I screw THAT up, she's in big trouble her whole life!! Sigh....
Yes, Dawn, it's very frustrating. I have about three spelling tests that she got 100s on that ALL have one or two words spelled WRONG that the teacher didn't catch. The language teacher is worse, believe it or not... SHE didn't catch that my DD spelled 'sincerely' with a 'C'!!! And SHE crossed OUT the second 'o' in the word 'too' in the sentence 'It's too bad you got caught'. And there are more examples. Sigh....
Were you terrified??
I wan't terrified (my DH was LOL) but I was starting at the beginning & I was more terrified of the public school that we a forty five minute drive by CAR! I think it would be more daunting starting part way through.
What do you find to DO all day? I ask that because I'm not a 'fun mom' full of ideas and wanting to go go go and do activities. I'm very boring. (and lazy)
LOL You don't have to be a "fun" mom to HS! I wouldn't consider myself one! Using a set curriculm the first year is a great start you can weed out what you don't like & what works well for you as the years pass! The library, internet (monitored of course) & videos are great enrichment tools for daily studies. I don't know what state your in, but in FL we have TONS of field trip opportunities. I don't take advantage of nearly as many as I should. OH, and my kids have learned not to say "I'm bored"! There's ALWAYS a lesson on the shelf that can be started early! LOL
What is your curriculum?
Since I've done this for 8 years now I have pieced some things together. We use Some Switched on School House (there's that lazy mom thing!) Bob Jones (I LOVE BJU stuff!) & have used Abeka in addition to some other computer enrichment stuff.
What grades are your kids now??
7th, 4th & pre-k
Do you belong to a homeschooling group? If so, how did you find them and what do you do with the group and how often?
Yes, I do. My group doesn't have an official religious affiliation, but most are Christian. I found mine through a friend. She found it through our State Homeschool organization. You can do a search on the internet for homeschool groups in your state or county.
Do you find them to be the extreme types, or are they 'normal' like you seem to be?
LOL Well if you've ever watched Wife Swap, you know that there are "extreme types". You CAN find extremes in just about anything including homeschoolers. Overall, I find most HS families to be fairly normal! Just hang with people you feel comfortable with.
I do worry about the lack of friends...
Finding a homeschool group would help with this. My oldest son (the more social of the 2 older ones)is having his birthday party next week & inviting some friends from the HS group that we're in now & some from a group that we were a part of years ago. They also have friends from church that aren't homeschooled.
You can e-mail me karefl eight one two (the numerals) at earthlink dot net if you like
Karrie
Thanks, Yvonne! My DD is already using Abeka at school so I imagine it would be an easy transition academically. Is it idiot proof for parents, no matter how weak they are in the subject?
Yes it is easy. You buy the kids kit and the parent kit. The parent kit has both teacher answer keys and homeschool guides that tell you how to do each days plan. we do not use this but it can outline your entire year.
The Friday tests you take...do they come with the program? Any idea how much I should expect to pay for a full curriculum?
Yes, the tests are part of the curriculum. I would say for 2 kids and teachers kits you will pay around $600-$700. Much cheaper than private school! You could also do the dvd program with Abeka and that basically has teachers on tape teaching your kids every day. We may go to that in a few years.
What kinds of field trips do you take? I'm not sure how to keep from killing each other all day every day....especially with such a varying age. How do I teach a Kindergartner and a fifth grader? And I'm terrified at how to teach my DD how to READ. I mean, if I screw THAT up, she's in big trouble her whole life!! Sigh....
I love the hooked on phonics program. It was a great help in teaching my daughter to read when she wasn't learning in school (hmm...I should have pulled her then).
We take a variety of field trips. We are going to the King Tut exhibit soon. Sometimes it is a museum, sometimes it is a "fun day" and we go bowling or skating or something along that line.
Thanks, you guys. Would either of you care to share a 'typical day' outline? Like 'wake at 8:30 freetime, breakfast 9:00, math 9:30, etc.
I wouldn't start mid year unless something drastic happened at school like it did with Yvonne and those tests. Otherwise I'll be starting in September.
Karefl, any tips on teaching different grades at once?
Do you both plan to go thru 12th grade? What about foreign languages? Art classes? Drama plays? Chorus? Lack of chemistry lab?
I'm in NY; I don't know how easy or hard it is to do this here. Is it hard in Florida? Do you have to jump thru hoops?
You can teach a kid to read! I think my kids learned to read, independent of the school system. Sarah picked it up the summer between kindergarten and first grade and Emily learned IN kindergarten.
The first week of First grade, Emily brought home this little booklet we were supposed to read, over the weekend. She threw it in a corner, after taking it out of her backpack. She was insulted. She was already reading simple chapter books, by then!
All of my sons were reading well before Kindergarten. I used phonetics with my boys, because I have always believed that is the best way to learn how to read (and that belief was reinforced when I was doing reading tutoring in my boys' elementary school). Certainly finding books that use the phonetic system and building on that will help, and I am sure there are lots of teachers here who can advise you on what books seem to work better than others. (Though it would be hard to improve on Yvonne.)
As for your dd having friends, well, you are going to have to put her in situations where you are not there if she is going to develop friendships. Certainly Girl Scouts is a good way to start if there is a troop near you. What about Sunday School - my boys made a lot of friends in Sunday School and because their parents were in the same church I was reasonably comfortable with their friends' value systems. How about programs at the local Y? Or Boys/Girls Club? To develop friendships, your children have to be in places where there are other children who are doing the same things your kids are doing, and it helps if it is something your child likes doing so that s/he will get some pleasure from the activity even if friends don't come right away.
Yvonne is giving you some great advice, and I really can't add to that. It does sound pretty bad - paying tuition for a school where (a) some of the teachers of really critical subjects aren't very good and (b) the situation you describe with the one teacher and Halloween. And I agree with you and the other parents about New Math. I think it is atrocious, and had hoped it was a fad that had died out years ago. They were just coming out of that at my sons' elementary school when they started school.
(I also loathe the see-say method of teaching reading, which relies on pattern recognition and essentially teaches children to read by memorizing the shape of the words. I think it is just silly. Yes, English is a confusing language and some words you just have to memorize because they don't fit the rules, but give me phonics for beginning the process of learning how to read.)
I'm not saying anything that hasn't been said better above, so I'll quit. Good luck.
Try this to find out about regulations http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp?State=NY
Here's what our schedule looks like right now. It will probably be changing though since we got a new laptop for Christmas & I won't have to schedule the 2 of them around each other! 
8am James(7th) Breakfast
Kirk (4th) History- Computer course
Luke (pre-k)Breakfast
8:30 James Spelling w/me
Kirk Science-Computer Course
Luke Free time
9am James History-Computer
Kirk Spelling w/me
Luke Arts & crafts (usually coloring or playdough at a small table near me)
9:30 James Science-Computer
Kirk Grammar w/me
Luke playtime
10am James- Math w/me
Kirk Extra Study time (to complete unfinished assignments)
Luke Computer Game time
10:30 James Math Assignment
Kirk Phonics
Luke Math w/mom
11am James Extra Study
Kirk Math lesson w/me
Luke TV time
11:30 James Phonics/Reading
Kirk Math Assignment
Luke Playtime w/me
Noon Lunch for all
12:30 James Language-Computer
Kirk Extra Study
1pm James Handwriting
Kirk Reading
1:30 James Extra Study
Kirk Handwriting
Luke Reading w/me
We're usually done with the core stuff by 2pm & can spend time on other things that they want to. On Mondays we have PE w/our HS group from 3-5. Other days we go to art classes or enrichment activities. Sometimes they just play outside or relax.
Who know what will happen next year when I'm actively HSing 3!
And yes, as of right now this minute I plan to go all the way through. That could change at any time though! Talk to me tomorrow! LOL
Oh, Ginny, it's sooo bad. The new math is in a few other areas as well, and the NYC parent chapter that is fighting it is in with our chapter. Someone from the NY Times even came up here to cover one of our school board meetings! The kids do NOT have textbooks, they have pamphlets. The teachers are 'facilitators'. The 'facilitator' does NOT stand at the board and show how to work a problem. Nope, every single day they are put into small groups and the group is to DISCOVER, entirely on their own, how to solve word problems. They are ALL word problems; you will not find equations. The facilitator walks around and will say if the group has arrived at the right answer or not, and if they haven't, he can't help. They also have to write, step by step, WHY they solved it the way they did and why it worked. It's half english class almost! They don't believe in drilling multiplication tables, they call it 'kill and drill'...drill them and you'll kill their spirits. Well, these 'spirited kids' can't do math! To solve problems they CUT AND PASTE little circles all over the place! They'll cut out fifteen circles and put them in groups of five to find out what fifteen divided by five is.....in fifth grade!!!! It's been in place since 1999 and the schools still insist it's working and is a great program that teaches them to THINK and solve. Well, HOW many centuries did it take man to figure out how to do all this math? And we expect our kids to figure it all out on their own in 13 years? With no teachers helping them? It's a K-12 program, too, so each terrible step builds upon terrible step. Honestly, if I don't homeschool I have to move to another nearby town, which sounds so ridiculous! But I can't afford most of the private schools around here and the ones I can have the incompetent teachers and another one has a principal who teaches kids to stay INSIDE during fire drills as a test to the TEACHERS to see if they take proper attendance once out of the building. I've been at both of these schools. Sad...they BOTH have good things going for them, but they are both severely lacking, too.
Anyway, once again I am rambling. I thank everyone for their input and encouragement! And Ginny, my DD does go to Sunday school and has a church youth group every Wednesday night, too, and takes drama lessons. But she just doesn't have any 'special' friends, or any friends that can do playdates often for whatever reasons.
Yikes. My poor children, being drilled on their math facts in 3rd grade. That just so ruined them. NOT! Actually, I think they thought those time tests were fun and it really helped them to learn their facts, along with Math Workshop, here at home! Even I liked playing with Math Workshop. It was a broderbund math program.
That doesn't sound like they are being taught anything! Our public schools haven't been like that. They teach chicago math. While Chicago Math does have unusual ways to solve problems, after I figured out the new way, I sometimes thought it was a neat way to do things. I still like my way of doing long division, though. I taught Sarah my way and she still does it that way. I think Emily prefers the other way.
Currently, Emily is second in her algebra class, with a 97% average! Sarah is in advanced algebra and never needs help with her homework, which is good, because I don't know how much I could help her! I had that math, about 30 years ago!
Do you both plan to go thru 12th grade?
We are taking it year by year but I honestly do not see myself sending them back.
What about foreign languages?
We take Spanish. We use a spanish program on tape that the kids love. It is the one subject they do and I can walk away and let them do it. I should listen to it though as they know more spanish than I do already. LOL.
Art classes?
We do arts and crafts weekly but it isn't necessary. In fact, our public school does not have art class.
Drama plays? Chorus?
Both kids play instruments on their own (keyboard, drums, and guitar). No formal training but they like to play. Jessica takes dance classes weekly.
Lack of chemistry lab?
We have microscopes and extensive slides we are using this year. It is possible to dual enroll with high school to use their labs.
This is our current schedule:
MONDAY:
READ 1 CHAPTER FROM NARNIA
ARITHMETIC COMPLETE 1 LESSON
LANGUAGE COMPLETE 1 CHAPTER
LANGUAGE TAKE ANY/ALL TESTS & QUIZES FOR CHAPTER
SPELLING COMPLETE WEEKLY LIST
STUDY SPELLING WORDS 1-10
SPANISH COMPLETE 1 LESSON
TUESDAY:
READ 1 CHAPTER FROM NARNIA
ARITHMETIC COMPLETE 1 LESSON
HISTORY COMPLETE 1 CHAPTER
HISTORY TAKE ANY/ALL TESTS & QUIZES FOR CHAPTER
STUDY SPELLING WORDS 11-20
SPANISH COMPLETE 1 LESSON
WEDNESDAY:
READ 1 CHAPTER FROM NARNIA
ARITHMETIC COMPLETE 1 LESSON
SCIENCE COMPLETE 1 CHAPTER
SCIENCE TAKE ANY/ALL TESTS & QUIZES FOR CHAPTER
STUDY SPELLING WORDS 20-30
SPANISH COMPLETE 1 LESSON
THURSDAY:
READ 1 CHAPTER FROM NARNIA
ARITHMETIC COMPLETE 2 LESSONS
COMPLETE ARITHMETIC TEST
READ & THINK COMPLETE 4 PAGES
STUDY SPELLING WORDS 30-35 PRACTICE ALL OF THE SPELLING WORDS
ART PROJECT
FRIDAY:
READ 1 CHAPTER FROM NARNIA
TAKE SPELLING TEST & ANY REMAINING TESTS FOR THE WEEK
FIELD TRIP
I apologize for the caps--it was cut & pasted from my planner. Note this is NOT Abeka's schedule which includes covering each subject daily. We have found that by focusing on one main topic a day we can go into detail on anything we find interesting.
Ginny, for the most part I agree with you about phonics, but it's important for the teaching parent to remember that not all kids learn the same way. I bought all of the phonics books and the Dick and Jane readers for my girls. Nicole could memorize everything, but couldn't sound words out. She's in grade 7 now, and still works more on memory than phonics. Meghan was sounding things out as a preschooler, and is a great little reader in grade 5. Kayla, who is in grade 4, can't do phonics at all. She is a struggling reader, and is going to have to depend on memory to be able to read effectively.
I would suggest that parents try phonics first, but if it doesn't work, there are other methods.
You're right, of course, Marcia. And Kate, it does sound truly dreadful. Sounds like whoever is in charge of the math curriculum went to some "self actualization" seminar on teaching math. Sounds to me you need to do what the good people of Dover did, and organize to elect a new school board, with the goal of getting rid of New Math. And someone might explore the possibility of finding some way to file a lawsuit, with a "pro bono" attorney (I don't think it is an ACLU issue, but it does seem to me that there is a "breach" of some sort of unwritten but understood contract that the children will be prepared for the real world in math.) The kids must be failing the math sections of any standardized tests right and left, including the No Child Left Behind tests - isn't anyone doing anything about that? Schools can lose their federal funding after a certain number of years of bad test scores.
Marcia,
Have you tried Hooked on Phonics? I really thought Jessica could not learn phonics. She just couldn't grasp sounding out words. She is a mild dyslexic. We went with sight words for quite a while and then I bought the program. Something about the visual (being on the computer) clicked for her. She improved her reading levels dramatically by completing the master reader program. She can sound out words now. It was the best program I have ever bought!
Yvonne - What Spanish program do you use? Is it from Abeka, too? My 7 & 9 yo want to learn Spanish. I am trying to work with them but I would also like to find a "formal" program to use. It would make it easier on me.
I dont homeschool- but wanted too mention I saw Hooked on Phonics at my Sam's Club just before Christmas! ;) Probably is a good deal on it. I wanted too stop and look at it for Blake- but was in a hurry as usual...
Tayjar- I just bought a Spanish book at Barnes N Nobles last fall- it came with a CD in the back. Its for kids. But my older boys (12 and 13) and I have really enjoyed listening to it as much as Blake (5)! It's called 'I can read and speak spanish' or something like that... We also bought another program that is geared for adults it's on CD as well - but I havent started it yet...
When I was looking at HS I saw that Alpha Omega had a SOS Spanish program that I bet is good.
OK, I'll butt out of your post now. lol
I just started homeschooling my son (first grade) this year. I purchased the Abeka program and like it very much. The phonics program is very good and taught my son to read at four (his school used it). We continue to practice phonics and build on what he knows but we have to use it less and less these days. I agree with Yvonne on all of what she said so I don't really have any more to add. I also felt as if I was sending my child off for six hours to a place he hated for no good reason. He has a wonderful social life (local homeschool group, scouts, scoccer, lots of kids on the street) and is learning well past his grade level at a slow pace. It's that one on one concentrated learning that makes the difference. I don't THINK I'll continue through highschool because of the social aspect although that's a long way from now!
We use Powerglide Spanish program.
http://www.power-glide.com/products/SpanishJr/junior.asp
I bought the Hooked on phonics Master reader on ebay for $100 new. I think it retails for $250. Sams has the hooked on phonics for beginners for $130.
Is there an online place anyone recommends for buying Abeka, or is the local Christian bookstore usually the best bet?
Yvonne, did you mean I could probably buy BOTH sets of curriculum and teacher kits for each child, for $700-800? Or was that PER child?
You will need a parent kit and child kit for each grade you teach.
Go to Abeka books website to order.
http://www.abeka.com/
The best thing is to go to a hotel meeting to order because you then get a 10% discount and free shipping.
No, I haven't tried Hooked on Phonics with Kayla. She is such an auditory learner. I had to do special exercises with her just do get her to track objects. She has very poor visual memory skills, and other than auditory memory, her memory is very poor all around.
Hmmm, never heard of a hotel meeting. Is there a fee for going? I went to the Abeka website and it was difficult, I thought....no prices until you went to order form, and SO MUCH STUFF!! Do you do the type where they keep track of your grades and issue report cards? Is this important for college, do you think?
On the left side of web page it says "Find a Home School Materials Display in your area." You enter your zipcode and it will tell you if there are any near you. It is a display of materials in a hotel. It is free to go and as mentioned if you order there you save$$
Lets say you are teaching grade 5.
You would order:
*Grade 5 Parent Kit*
Which includes:
75604 Lan Arts5 Hm Sch Curr
65021 Language B Te
65056 Lang B Test Key
60348 Spg/Vocab 5 Test Key
75612 Arith 5 Hm Sch Curr
2614X Arith 5 Teacher Edition
26220 Arith 5 Test/Drill Key
54224 Arith 5-8 Concpt CDs
75620 Sci/Hlth 5 Hm Sch Curr
66931 Inv Gods Wld Ans Key
65099 Inves God Wld Tst Key
65110 Inves God Wld Qz Key
66923 Enjoy Health Ans Key
65161 Enjoy Gd Hlth Ts Key
75639 Hist 5 Hm Sch Curr
66915 Old Wld Hist Ans Key
61379 Old Wld Mp/Act Key
61395 Old Wld His Tst Key
61417 Old Wld His/Geo Qz Key
75647 Old Wrld Maps Hm Sch
Retail: $247.45 (a $275.00 value at a 10% discount)
Code Number: 77852
Grade: 5
And you would order:
*Grade 5 Child Kit*
Which includes:
59692 Read & Think 5
59617 Beyond the Horizon
65447 Windows to World
59633 of America Vol 1
59706 Adventures in Nature
65013 Language B
65048 Language B Tests
60305 Splg/Vocab/Poetry 5
60321 Spg/Vocab 5 Tests
65005 Penmnshp Mast II
25690 Arith 5 Text
58335 Arith 5 Tests/Drills
65064 Inves God Wld
65080 Inves God Wld Tests
65102 Inves God Wld Quizzes
65137 Enjoy Good Hlth
65153 Enj Good Hlth Ts/Qz
61344 Old Wld Hist/Geog
61360 Old Wld Maps/Activ
61387 Old Wld His/Geo Tests
61409 Old Wld His/Geo Quizzes
Retail: $157.55 (a $175.00 value at a 10% discount)
Code Number: 70696
Grade: 5
So you order 1 child kit and 1 parent kit and they include EVERYTHING you need for the entire year.
I keep track of their records. I can create my own transcripts and the most important thing for college is test results (SAT, ACT, Etc) so they will need to be tested as other highschool students are. Colleges are happliy accepting homeschoolers now and many make the admissions process easy.
Do you ever order the optional items? Why are they discounted 10% on the site? If you order at a hotel, are they an ADDITIONAL 10% off, or would I find the same prices only I'd get the free shipping?
I checked for hotel meetings, none for January. Are there more popular months than others?
I don't homeschool nor do I think I would find myself in the need to school them at home.
I just want to say I have found this thread very informative and interesting.
Yes--additional discount and free shipping. The months vary by state. I imagine March is more apt to have a meeting scheduled, You can call Abeka and ask if you do noy see one scheduled. I have not ordered any extras from Abeka.
Yvonne, you've been so helpful!! Thank you!
Since you're in Abeka 5, do you know if there is a sequel to 'Secret of the Maple Tree' and 'Song of the Brook'?
Did you get that list of child/parent kits from the order form of the website? Is that the easiest way to get a good view of their products? I looked at the regular catalog and was overwhelmed.
Do the kits include any kind of study guide you can provide the school district to show them what you have planned for the year? I dread the paperwork involved in getting approval from my district. I think that's more daunting than the actual homeschooling!
The best way to get a good look of the products is to go to the hotel meeting. They have a huge sample of everything there.
The kits include a teachers planner. The guides show that they cover the core subjects and levels that public schools do. So, YES it has a complete outline and info to show the school district. I do not know your states laws. Ours are pretty easy to follow. Most schools/school boards are familiar with Abeka. It is a nationally recognized curriculum. It should be easier to say you are following an Abeka curriculum than saying you are piecing it together. What you need to realize is---if you buy the parent kit and kid kit you have EVERYTHING you need. The parent kit includes books that will tell you specifically what to do (even sometimes say) each day. It is very user friendly.
Kate,
Check out this web site. It lists groups in NY that homeschool. You may get better answers (as to following state regulations) by contacting one of them.
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/nonpub/groupsofhomeinstuctingparents.html
I use an umbrella school so basically my kids are enrolled with a private school and I educate them. This enables me to not have to deal with the school board or have to comply with state regulations. You can search 600 or umbrella schools in NY for this option.
Thank you for the link! I'm afraid I am confused though...what is an umbrella school and HOW do I search for it?? I googled 'umbrella school new york' and didn't get anything about homeschooling or anything that made sense. And what is '600'?
So you are using this umbrella thingy? Are you charged for 'enrolling'? Do THEY do your paperwork then? Do you have to fill out ANYthing for your home school district? Why do you not need to comply with state regulations? Are private schools exempt? Do you need to provide your home district with your lesson plans for the year? Do you need to provide them with progress reports or end of the year reports or testing? Or are you entirely free to do your own thing, including do NOTHING, and they would never know??
So you are using this umbrella thingy?
Yes
Are you charged for 'enrolling'?
Yes, each school is different mine only charges $20
Do THEY do your paperwork then?
Technically, yes.
Do you have to fill out ANYthing for your home school district?
No, because my kids are considered to be in a private school instead of being "homeschooled"
Why do you not need to comply with state regulations?
Because it means my kids are considered to be in a private school. It is a loophole.
Are private schools exempt?
Yes.
Do you need to provide your home district with your lesson plans for the year?
No.
Do you need to provide them with progress reports or end of the year reports or testing?
No.
Or are you entirely free to do your own thing, including do NOTHING, and they would never know??
I suppose you could but that would be horrible. Each umbrella school (which sometimes is called a 600 school) has their own rules. Mine requires attendance records and school records (shots, vacinations) and the parents are responsible for keeping a portfolio (basically saving all schoolwork done) which could be reviewed at any time.
Here is an informative website for NY laws in homeschooling and support groups.
http://www.leah.org/
Your state has similar requirements to Florida. You just provide a planner (which Abeka has included in parent kit) and allow your kids to be tested every other year to show progress. You keep grades throughout the year--which Abeka includes progress reports and report cards for you to fill out. Every other year a teacher will review a portfolio (saved Abeka work throughout the year) and sign off that the child completed the work and progressed to next grade level.
Hello again, Yvonne. Things got crazy here with a death in the family and I was also just needing time to think all this thru. I have yet another question, surprise, surprise!! In your Abeka kits, is there a bible course? I looked at your list above and I believe the God's World items are science curriculum, correct? So I was wondering if bible was something I could purchase separately, or is it included somewhere, or would I have to put together myself?
Also, did your kids read 'Secret of the Maple Tree' and 'Song of the Brook'? Do you know if there is a sequel to these books? Thanks so much!
Bible course is separate.
So far they have not read the books. We will do those the end of the year. We are reading the Chronicles of Narnia every day.
If you decide to go with Abeka I will be selling my grade 5 parent kit at the end of this year. No pressure! I just wanted to mention it. I sell the set for half the retail price on ebay every year. Note: Abeka is EASY to resell on ebay so you can often get some of your money back. That is a bonus. A lot of homeschool items can be resold on ebay so you are not eating the entire cost.
Sorry about your loss!!!
Ginny, the *see-say* method is known as whole language. My kids were taught phonics from the time they were old enough to talk and all through pre-K and K. Then when Jen was in 1st grade, the school system switched over from phonics to whole language. I hated it! And it was disastrous for Jen. Thankfully, the 3 first grade classrooms were overcrowded so they added another class/teacher, and Jen was placed in that class. The new teacher incorporated phonics into her mandated whole language curriculum and it worked great.
I find this thread really informative as well!
The books you mentioned are the chapter books for grade 4. You use them to test reading comprehension.
5th grade readers are:
Of America, Volume 1
Windows to the World
Beyond the Horizon
Adventures in Nature
6th grade readers:
Mountain Pathways
Voyage of Discovery
Of America, Volume 2
Adventures in Greatness
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