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FEBRUARY
2004 - ABC'S OF HOMESCHOOLING
So many times I am approached by friends or asked for advice by people
who are interested in homeschooling but have no idea where to start.
I just spent a few hours putting together some information for someone
recently and thought that this might be something that others are interested
in either for themselves or someone they may know. People homeschool
for a wide variety of reasons and our family had multiple reasons why
we made the switch from public school to homeschool.
Probably one of the greatest benefits we have seen personally has been
to structure the child's individual interests into what they do each
day and making the most of their time at home, preparing them for their
adulthood. In our very busy culture, homeschooling has also been a way
for us to spend more quality time with our children, building strong
relationships with them, a valuable commodity nowadays!
There are many great Christian sites along with many secular or even
some pretty bizarre sites I have come across (I won't go into those!).
I also have come across great information that works for both homeschoolers
and those who are in public (or private) school and want some extra
ideas to add in for their children or classrooms. So here is a hodge-podge
of misc. information that can answer questions or lead those interested
in the direction of homeschooling. There are so many great books, websites,
curriculum, advice and articles that are available and this is just
a compilation of some that I have really enjoyed and made use of. ENJOY!
WEB SITES:
1st link/site deals with EVERYTHING homeschooling and also has great
links for special needs kids!
1. A to Z Home's Cool (Homeschool) - Homeschooling Web Site : http://www.gomilpitas.com/homeschooling/index.htm
2. Zone Welcome Page : http://www.homeschoolzone.com
3. Christian Homeschool Network of Washington : http://www.chnow.org/index.html
4. HSLDA | Home School Legal Defense Association: Homeschooling? Start
here. :
http://www.hslda.org/
(I don't belong but they have some great info)
5. HSLDA | Home School Heartbeat: Program Archive : http://www.hslda.org/docs/hshb/archive.asp
6. Washington Association of Teaching Christian Homes : http://watchhome.org/
(They have a yearly homeschool conference at Overlake Church in Redmond,
WA that is great to listen to speakers and look at and buy curriculum!)
7. Crosswalk.com - home_school : http://www.crosswalk.com/family/home_school/
8. Crosswalk.com : http://www.crosswalk.com/family/home_school/1146806.html?view=print
9. HOMESCHOOLING RESOURCES (Bill Beaty's Homepage) : http://amasci.com/home.html
10. Home Schooling Curriculum for Math, English Grammar, History, Science
: http://www.homeschooldiscount.com/
11. The Old Schoolhouse Magazine : http://theoldhomeschoolhouse.com/
12. Homeschool Oasis: First Stop for Starting-Out / Burning-Out Homeschooling
~ Barb Shelton : http://theoldhomeschoolhouse.com/
(I love Barb Shelton's stuff and have some of her books - esp. the High
School Form-U-La! I have also listened to her at conferences and love
her laid back style and confidence building! She truly ministers to
the homeschooling mom who starts feeling overwhelmed and stressed out.
I use her approach in much of what I do!)
There are so many more web sites but just put homeschooling or whatever
subject or topic you are interested in for an internet search and a
million come up.
BOOKS I LOVE : TO GET A GREAT OVERALL KNOWLEDGE
OF HOMESCHOOLING AND SOME DIFFERENT STYLES:
1. "Things We Wish We'd Known" by Bill and Diana Waring (GREAT!)
2. The "What Your Kindergartner/1st-6th Grader Needs To Know"
series by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. (Covers lots of subjects in short form)
3. "Educating the WholeHearted Child" by Clay and Sally Clarkson
(Christian - very good!)
4. "The Well-Trained Mind" by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer
(Really great also! I am not a "classical education" devotee
but I do like many of the guidelines they use, and I am now using the
history and science topics and sequence they suggest.)
**I am what you would call an eclectic homeschooler. I use a little
bit of everything that I like and have changed curriculums a few times
when I realized it wasn't going to work for my kids or me. After 6 years
of homeschooling, these are some of my "personal" favorite
curriculums, though everyone has to find what works for them. Also,
read books on your child's learning style. I have one who loves to do
workbooks and read while the 3 others are mostly hands-on or more creative.
I still have them do some workbooks, but I understand that they don't
enjoy or learn as well doing that. I have also read many, many books
and articles on topics from ADD/ADHD/"Gift of Dyslexia"/"Out
of Synch Child"/ "A Mind at a Time" and many other subjects
I have encountered with my kids. LOTS of great info out there!! (Library
has LOTS!)
MY FAVORITE CURRICULUM (for now):
*Saxon Math : up until about 3rd grade, you can use workbooks from Wal-Mart,
etc. and make up your own adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing.
At 4th grade, I have my kids start the Saxon Math books. They are fairly
expensive (I have 4 kids to pass them down to, though) but you can often
find them/borrow them from other homeschoolers or homeschool book exchanges.
*Easy Grammar and Daily Grams : I use it from 2nd-3rd grade on up. I
also use misc Phonics/Reading/Language Arts books from Wal-Mart or Staples
to supplement and find reading books that they enjoy. I get a lot of
books from the library!
*Spelling Power : One book will last for their whole schooling education.
They suggest starting it around 2nd grade, I think.
*Science : I use the library for books with lots of reference books
from Usborne (which you can also borrow from the library or buy yourself
if you will use them enough) Usborne Books Online Sales : http://www.ubah.com/ecommerce/main.asp?sid=X0792&gid=1845866&hid=HOS18065
*History : I also use the library for history books and love the Usborne
ones.
*Character Bldg and Bible Study are also areas that we spend a lot of
time in as I think my primary goal as a parent is dealing with building
their spiritual side and character.
All the education in the world means nothing if they don't have a personal
relationship with God and character that supports that. Homeschooling
provides a perfect opportunity for spending quality time with your child
and learning/teaching a lot of life lessons. My brother-in-law even
has a great book out dealing with character which can be found at: The
Great Character Development Workbook : http://www.mysticool.com/tgcdw/
* We also spend time on life skills: chores (they all have lots!) and
skills they will need to know as they eventually move out on their own.
This very often falls under the "character building" category!
* We also do some art, music (a little) and misc subjects that sound
interesting but we never have time to do all that I want to. Hang loose
and don't sweat it are what I keep trying to remind myself.
I am a BIG user of the library, yard sales (I have found some great
stuff!), Costco has lots of homeschooling workbooks, Wal-Mart, Staples,
Fred Meyers...., Lakeshore Learning in Bellevue, WA (and on-line) has
misc items to make homeschooling fun, including papers, posters, and
many other supplies. There are also a fair amount of homeschooling stores
out there (look in the phone book). Many Christian book stores also
carry homeschool curriculum or the catalogs you can order from. The
internet is the biggest rescource for information and you can choose
from unlimited rescources for encouragement, specifics, curriculum,
advice, etc..... I have also hit some school district sales that were
getting rid of their books and have found a few really good items. Also,
TALK TO OTHER HOMESCHOOLERS!!! Share ideas, share curriculum, do field
trips together and encourage each other. There are even many homeschool
co-ops that provide a little more support and structure for those wanting
that.
Don't think that you have to follow on anyone else's path or follow
their advice because homeschooling is really meant to fit your individual
child(ren) and what works for your individual family. BUT many other
homeschoolers have worked hard and experienced many trials and errors
that are worth taking note of. Take and use what you like and disregard
all the rest with no guilt! Whether you decide to homeschool or not,
the opportunity we have as parents to pass on our values is priceless!
We are all homeschoolers in that regard!
"You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk
of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you
lie down, and when you rise up." Deuteronomy 6:7
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