We are in Sussex County, Delaware close to Rehoboth Beach. Anybody else close by?

We had the big talk with our daughters the other day about leaving their Christian school after Christmas and starting to homeschool. Our dd (9 and 7) came up with a list of valid reasons why they want to stay in their school until June. After a lot of discussion, my husband and I have decided that the girls have a point and it would be easier for everyone involved to start homeschooling in the fall. So... now that I have six months on my hands what should I do to get myself ready? I have read WTM twice and ordered most of the recommended books. I have also read The Core but did not get as much out of it as WTM. I am trying to get my hands on The Latin Centered Curriculum but can't get it through our state library system. I have observed a Classical Conversations group and am involved with starting a new chapter closer to our home. I have joined several local Yahoo homeschooling groups and am trying to figure out where we fit in. What else do you think is critical for me to do? I have five kids aged 9 and under so I would like to be as prepared as possible before September.

I recently picked up Spelling Workout level E for my now 4th grader who will be homeschooled next year. She has always been an excellent speller. My concern is that the book seems very easy as far as spelling goes. I do like the little puzzles to teach vocabulary but if the book is meant for spelling, it seems below her level now let alone next year. Her current 4th grade Abeka spelling book is much more challenging. So.. do you use a spelling curriculum? Or do you think that children learn spelling by reading, reading and reading more? Do you find as children get older, that they benefit more from a vocabulary book rather than spelling? If you believe in a spelling book, I would appreciate any recommendations of rigorous spelling books or should I just move up a book or two within Spelling Workout?

Thanks to everyone who was so helpful with the response to my question about initiating homeschooling. After reading the posts, I realize that it is probably a good idea to join a homeschool group. Here is the question (and I hope I don't offend anybody with this).... As background, we live in a rural area where the public school academic standards are poor. We moved to this area from a big city as it seemed like a laid back place to raise our children. My husband is a physician and I have a PhD in genetics, so obviously education is extremely important to us. In this area, it is considered an achievement to finish high school. We are a minority which is why we are being driven to homeschool in the first place. In the research I have done over the past couple of months, it appears that the majority of local homeschooling groups are based on religion, not academics or homeschooling method. There is a strong Christian population and they have formed the majority of homeschool groups. We are Catholic and the closest Catholic homeschool group is one hour away. I am not opposed to a Christian homeschool group but I want the focus to be on academics, not religion. There are no classical homeschooling groups in a 70 mile radius. I posted something to the local homeschool group and the responses about classical education consisted of huh? I observed Classical Conversations (currently 90 miles away) and liked what I saw but I am not sure about the feasibility of that. How important is your homeschooling group if you don't share their religious views and they are using curriculum that is different than you?

Thanks for the responses and please keep them coming :). I appreciate all of the viewpoints. I too am a little concerned about the recommendation for six months of unschooling. I do not want to teach my daughter the lesson that if she complains about school, she gets to come home and have fun with Mommy while her sisters have to play by the rules and go to school. Maybe if she was my only child, I would feel differently but given the fact that my daughters are very competitive with each other, I feel like they all have to be held to the same standards. Plus, I feel like this is a trial period for both of us.... me to see if I can actually do this and do it well; for my daughter, to see if this the right decision for her and if she will learn in this environment. I think jumping in right away would serve us both.

I am the mom of five kids, ages 1 to 9. Currently, our three daughters (ages 5, 7, and 9) are in Christian schools. Our two youngest are rambunctious boys, ages 1 and 2. Our 7 year old is a straight A student but hates school and is losing her love of learning. They are using the Abeka curriculum in their school and spending hours a day sitting in their desks doing "seatwork". I am assuming that Abeka requires a lot of worksheets and she is plain bored since most of the work is old news to her. Their solution has been to place her in a small room with Switched on Schoolhouse which she also now dislikes saying it is too hard. So... we are seriously considering homeschooling her starting in January. I read The Well Trained Mind over the summer and it struck a chord with me. This is how I want our children educated. There is no way to achieve a classical education with the schools in our rural area. In fact, the term "classical education" is a foreign term even to most of hte local homeschoolers. My thought is to follow the curriculum established by WTM. But, my quandary is that I am anticipating the other girls to be homeschooled starting in Sept. If I start SOTW in Jan. then I will need to repeat it again in the fall to keep the girls on the same schedule. On the other hand, what structure should I use for this one child if I am not using SOTW? I am also concerned about having one child at home while her sisters are in school. How does that work? Are there feelings of jealousy? FWIW, all of the girls want to be home but for various reasons, I am keeping the other two in school. What would you do given the situation? I hate to admit it but I am somewhat using the six months with our 7 yo as a "trial period" to see if I am up to challenge of homeschooling.