Just posted about this last week! :hurray: Here is the thread: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/455079-work-outside-the-home-and-homeschool/

Buy as far ahead as you want: Fiction and non fiction picture books; classic children's literature; reference materials for you Don't bother: Any curriculum for more than one grade level over your kids' current grade level (you simply don't know if you'll change your mind about what you want to do or if your child will be ahead or behind); workbooks of any kind (they get updated all the time--you want to most current); duplicates (two different science texts because you can't decide, etc.)

I'm sure others do this as well, but I would love to hear from others in the trenches. I work part-time outside the home, 20+ hours a week. I am a youth minister, so my hours can vary. Some of my work I can do at home (planning, mailings, etc.) Some days it is pretty hard to get everything done, but for the most part I am satisfied with my many roles. My house is what def takes the biggest hit. I am concerned with how it will all owrk out in the years to come...Kindy is pretty easy to HS. What happens when school work gets more intense or if I decide to bring DD back to homeschool as well. Anyone else in this boat?

Fist, let me say that as a Christian, it makes my heart truly sad that so may of you have been rejected by "Chistian" groups for not signing a "statement of Faith," or having the same beliefs as everyone in the group. My understanding of Christianity is that God loves, forgives and redeems. I don't remember the part in the bible where Jesus demended a "SOF" from anyone. But to the question at hand...No, I don't fit in all the time. I am an adoptive mom of a special needs kid, a Christian who supports same sex marriage and reproductive rights, a homeschooler who works outside the home, a homeschooler with one kid who is happily public schooling, and part of a rural family that lives in a multi-generational home. Each one of those statements makes me different from probably 95% of the people even in this on-line community. And, of course, probably judged by quite a few. I couldn't care less. I am not in high school anymore. Why should I care what strangers think of me or my homeschool? Our co-op has lots of people that think I am a liberal loon. Who cares? I can still talk about curriculum with them, smile, and shake hands. Some days I feel like an ambassador from another planet, but I'm happy with me, happy with my kids, and firm in my convictions. And guess what? It's pretty hard to shun someone who is friendly and open with you. It's not like they're going to ask me out for dinner or anything, but for goodness sakes, what would we talk about, anyway. Make friends you like to hang out with, and stick with them. Create the homeschool that is right for your kid, believe in it, and nurture it.

Mine is on my siggy!

I read it at 12. I think 12-14 is about the right age. IMHO, 10 is too young.

Glad you went and picked up the book! Even if you don't use SWB's rec's at all, the book is such a great read for HS'ers.

Love, love, love their stuff. Especially Geography and Science. We also use their "Making Books with Children" Series for lapbooking.

Lap books always cheer up my little sailor! Schooling at the library instead of home, cooking projects, a trip to the museum, schooling at the park, nature walks. When all else fails, tell them to run around the block a few times until they've had enough FUN. :hurray:

We have done this with our DD, who is in second grade. She HS'd preschool, public Kindy, HS first and is in public for second. We are in a funny situation in that we live in a VERY rural area with only one school, and lots and lots of homeschoolers. Our district allows HS'ers to participate in things like sports, art, reading support etc, and are happy to help HS families pick curriculum, check in with us, and help us navigate testing. So, even when she is HSing, she is in contact with the school, using the library, and keeping up with the basics of PS curriculum...plus staying in contact with her friends--which is the ONLY thing she cares about in school. All that being said, DH and I realize that this is probably the last year that we can go back and forth with her. Whatever we choose for third grade, we'll stick with it until she is in junior high, which we will most likely HS. IMO, third grade is about the time to commit to HS or PS, and stick with it until JrHigh or HighSch. For our family, we seem to have one homeschooler (DS) and one PS'er (DD). DS is a dream to homeschool. Easy, fun, interested. DD was a challenge to homeschool and justs seems to "fit" better at PS for now. She is happier, more confident, and better behaved at home. Her academics are not so great, but she is learning-delayed, so it was the same way at home. Visit the school, chat with your son, discuss with you partner. You give up A LOT when you choose PS, especially when you have been HS'ing for a long time, but some kids just do better at traditional school. I am nearly the only HS'er I know that really believes that Public School CAN work in some situations, and IS sometimes for the best interest of the child. As for telling other people, only you know your kid well enough to make the decision, so forget abouy what other people say ad just make the best decision you can. If you do decide to attend PS, the best thing you can do to get him ready is to visit the school and find out from the teachers what they are learning and where they are at. You have enough time left this school year to borrow some curriculum from the school and get him used to the type of learning he will be doing there. If you have been doing Classical Edu, it is VERY different than PS, so be prepared for that. DD did not follow TWTM for that very reason. The other thing to get ready for is TESTS. Multiple choice tests, spelling tests, math tests, standardized tests. It's definately the WORST thing about PS for our family. The emphasis on tests drives me batty. Also, you might want to work on his stamina for a long day. He will be wiped out the first few weeks as he adjusts to six hour days five days a week. My DD LOVES that part of school now, but it is a challenge those first few weeks out of HS. GL!!

Noticed in the thread about curriculums that people have hated/regretted buying, that Spelling Workout was mentioned many times. SWB rec's this for spelling in WTM, so we were just planning on using that next year for 1st grade. But now I wonder if I should research this a little further. For those of you that disliked SWO, what are the alternatives I should look at?

Handwriting Without Tears. Hands down favorite in our house.

You can get psych referrals from your ped, but another great resource is if you have a university near you. We live in a college town and got great help from the Special Education department at our local university. They referred us to a psych, administered some of the testing, and even had some students come out and assist us with a behavior plan. All that being said, my DD, who has a similar story to yours (adoption, ADHD, ODD), simply does better at Public School. Homeschooling her was totally exhausting for both of us and ate away at my energy AND my heart. Curriculum was really hit or miss, and I finally realized that it was not her curriculum, it was HER. When she somes home from school and on the weekends, she is still the awesome, intense, wacky little monkey that she always is, but by then I miss her and just want to delight in her, rather than being so exhausted and frustrated by her quirky, argumentative, nutty behaviors. Also, Little brother is happier (he is super easy to homeschool), safer (no more fights) and they get along better now. ODD is one of the hardest things to face as a parent. Hang in there.

I, too, would try to encourage him to stick with it. The "school" skills he learns this year will give you more options next year for high school.

Saxon maaaaaaa.....zzzzzzzzz. Oh, sorry. Fell asleep just typing it. Another Saxon Hater here.

These are great books: http://www.amazon.com/Art-Lab-Kids-Printmaking-Media-/dp/1592537650/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360106601&sr=1-1&keywords=art+for+kids http://www.amazon.com/Art-Lab-Kids-Printmaking-Media-/dp/1592537650/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360106540&sr=1-1&keywords=art+for+kids

And speaking from a mom of a kid who is learning delayed, it's just fine to meet them where they are. Do some work with her over the summer in FLL#3 or 4. See how she responds. Move her on if she's ready, don't if se's not. The beauty of holmeschooling is that we don't have to push our kids "up a grade" just because of age. Do the work, make sure she is getting it, and move on when she's ready. GL!

I would hope that most on the "Well-trained mind" forums have read the book. :laugh: I have read it several times and get something new from it each time I read it. Yes, there are some parts that can make a homeschooling mom feel a little overwhelmed, especially if you are "starting in the middle." Why not read just the parts relevant to your kids' ages? I read the Parrot stage almost exclusively, because that is where my kids are. High school will come when it does. Who knows where my kid will be in ten years? Maybe he'll want to be at PS. Maybe he'll want to go on-line. Maybe he will want to read Aristotle and Hawking and Faulkner. Who knows? I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

We love our co-op and simply couldn't homeschool without it. There are sure days that the co-op takes up time that we really don't seem to have, but we all seem to benefit from the friends, action, and messy art! Can you try doing afternoon class instead of morning? OUr co-op has morning and afternoon sessions twice a week. Also, if you have a sitter to take the kids, Oh My! I would jump at the chance to have a couple hours to myself.

We read the books for younger kids (apples, dog, etc.) My kids think they are hilarious. I really don't know if they are getting much math from the whole thing, but we love Fred. He is just so weird and funny. Supplement only here, but we don't read very much each week. Just a chapter here and there.

We usually school all year, with most of July off for camps and vacation, two off weeks at Christmas, and two weeks off at Easter. My older child is learning delayed and needs to keep up with school work year round or she regresses too much. She is in PS this year, but will homeschool over the summer.

Thank you all so much for your responses. I think I am leaning towards NOT going. We have a great homeschooling store in our town that supplies all the curriculum I could ever want to look at, and the lectures aren't overly compelling to me at this time.

DH and I are arranging our summer schedule and i am trying to decide about going to our state's homeschool association convention. It will be about a 3 hour drive each way for me, plus hotel expenses, and I am trying to decide if it's worth going. For those who have gone to one, Did you enjoy it? Was it helpful? Was it fun? We are fairly new to homescholing (2 years), but I am pretty clear about my curriculum choices already....

Have you thought about going down to 3A and 3B in Singapore. We HATED Saxon, too, and Singpore just seemed so much more straightforward. it moves fast, though. maybe ging back a few workbooks would help. Plus they are cheap, so if she has trouble with those, too, you aren't out a million bucks. For FUN MATH, read Life of Fred with all your kids. Mine love it and it has lots of great concepts!

New to posting mine! It's in my siggy!