Is it important in the younger grade years?

This is for you experienced homeschoolers. How important is accreditation (by a regional accrediting agency) to your child getting into the college they want? Thanks.

I started my (just turned) 5 yo son out with Saxon 1 and Singapore 1A last fall. He did great. I recommend Singapore 1A and 1B for your son. Singapore encourages creative ways to look at problems, and I found it enjoyable.

I would like to do things the right way, and it helps to hear from you experienced homeschoolers. :)

Hi, I'm new to HSing and I have heard cases where homeschoolers get recruited by colleges, and also seen where some schools give them a lot a hassle? What has been your experience? Do you think homeschooling hurts their chances in some cases?

I supplemented what my children learned in the public schools last year because I didn't like the math curriculum they chose to use. I used to teach math at a University, and I felt like I didn't have to accept their poor choice. This fall I will be HSing full time. I'm excited. :hurray:

That is so cool! :thumbup:

That is so funny. :) I guess I think about how I acted when I first met people that homeschooled. I thought about all the typical apprehensions, and then after researching it for awhile came to the conclusion that I could do it, too.

For my 2nd grade daughter last year we used both Saxon Math 3 (complete) and Singapore Primary Math US Edition 2A and 2B (workbooks only). This fall I am planning on using the Singapore Math texts and workbooks 3A and 3B with some of the extra practice books. I'll probably subtitute drills from the free website http://www.math-drills.com/. I like to have choices and with multiple curriculums it helps you see different ways of presenting the same idea. A strength of Primary Math was how it presented ideas in an understandable and creative way to kids. A strength of Saxon is its repetition which kids benefit from in the younger years.

Thanks for the many responses on this thread. I like the idea of keeping a positive attitude and to think of it in the long term. It would be nice to have my mother and mother-in-law's support, but hopefully they'll come around. I agree that they are misinformed and really do only want what is best for our children.:)

Since I am new to homeschooling, I decided that the tuition price at Kolbe was worth it to me to have someone to help me with record keeping and a fairly well chosen curriculum to guide me. I may not feel that I need to use them next year, but time will tell. They are more than willing to substitute. They have excellent customer service with very fast responses to emails. I am careful not to choose curriculum that makes my kids feel that they are somehow less than "Christian" because they are Catholic. It is my understanding that there are some homeschool curriculums out there that imply that.:confused1: Angelicum seemed rigourous to me, but I was turned off by the fact that you HAD to use their curriculum. I was not impressed with Seton's approach of having to send work in to be graded by someone else. I found it unneccessary. I did think that Seton had some good books, I'm just not fan of their approach. I like to have choices and think that I should be trusted with the authority to grade my children's work. I am smart enough to know that taking tests for them or changing their answers to give them A's instead of C's will not help them in the long run. Anyway good luck in your search for the best curriculum for your children.:)

I went with Kolbe as well. I looked at Angelicum, and though it seemed rigourous, it did not seem flexible.

Yes, my mother and mother-in-law have both had negative things to say about it. Any advice for the best way to handle this?

I'm using Kolbe but was interested in substituting Rod&Staff English 3 for Voyages in English. I like the new science book Kolbe uses, but will likely susbsitute Singapore for MCP Math.

When I hinted to someone recently that I was considering it, she made a comment about how her friend knows someone who homeschools, but their house is "always a mess now". Then she said that she thought kids to be exposed to all sorts of people early in life and not live a too sheltered life. So her implication was that it was a bad idea.

I am curious because I am going to start in the fall, but haven't told many people yet.

Hi, I'm new to homeschooling. Has anyone used either of these? Do you recommend one? Thanks.