I apologize in advance if someone has already asked this question (as well as some others that I have asked recently!). I'm planning on homeschooling next year when my oldest enters sixth grade. I am weighing out which math curriculum we should go with. I already own some used Saxon Math textbooks, but I have heard great things about Teaching Textbooks. I am wondering what your opinion is on which is "better" (a subjective term, I know). Side note: I picked up copy of Teaching Textbooks 6 today at a used curriculum fair. When I showed my daughter, she told me she already learned everything in listed in the Table of Contents this year. Did I get the wrong grade level? Thanks in advance!

My rising 4th-grader dislikes writing. He dictates well, and is skilled at creating a coherent thought-flow with good detail. He is a great at teach-back. I think most of the trouble is with the mechanics of writing itself. Sometimes he will type his answers, which he prefers to handwriting, but he says he still doesn't like it. He says it's hard for him to remember his thoughts while trying to get it down on paper in one way or the other. I am looking for suggestions that can help him work out these mechanics, both with handwriting and the writing process in general. Thanks in advance.

My kids have been in public school in the past. I absolutely hate common core math, but I was impressed with the common core writing requirements. PS are no longer accepting that kids are entering high school without a knowledge of how to write coherently, and my older kids actually learned basic essay-style writing in 3rd and 4th grades. Now that we are homeschooling, I would like to keep up with a rigorous but age-appropriate writing curriculum. Can anyone recommend such a program? Thanks!

Thank you for these ideas! I love the idea of subject tickets, and will be implementing this! I was also thinking that block scheduling will work best rather than a strict hourly schedule each day. Our city has a co-op, but I'm not sure the cost is doable for us. Especially since now all my kids are expressing interest in homeschooling, not just my oldest. One thing that I have to consider in weighing out whether or not to homeschool is that I am about to complete my master's degree at the end of the summer, and I was planning on going to work when my youngest goes to kinder. Considering homeschooling means I probably won't be working, which also means we will be staying with our current income and I won't have much extra cash to spend on things like co-op. But I hate to think that I have to choose a job over my family. One of my biggest regrets is missing out on some family activities and outings over the last three years, because I've had to stay behind and do homework instead. My family is more important to me than building a career. I guess that is another question I have. How do you all afford the extras for your kids, like co-op and music lessons? I think that for the most part prices are reasonable for one kid, but for four kids it just puts thing out of reach. Thanks again!

Hello All! I would like to introduce myself (again), as a long-time reader of this forum and long-time waffler from taking my kids out of public school. Homeschooling has been something that I have always wanted for my kids (rising K, 2, 4, and 6th graders). Circumstances have kept my kids where they are, which I am blessed to say really has been a great school. My oldest is going into middle school next year, and it seems like a good time to pull her out (while leaving everyone else in ps for the time being). We can't afford private school, and my only other option is to send her to the school she has been assigned, which in my experience is downright awful. My daughter is brilliant, qualifies for "highly capable," and is a born leader. She sang in an audition-only choir, as well as played cello with the 5th grade orchestra this year. I have some questions about making this transition, should we go through with it. Thank you in advance for your ear and your kind advice. My first question is about what subjects you include, and how you schedule it all in. I know that Math, Language Arts, Science, and History are indispensable. Also at this age, I would like to implement a theology or apologetics-based logic work (my own educational background is in these fields). I don't want to take away music, but I don't know how to do it without the public school system at a reasonable cost. Does anyone have experience with an online music program that goes beyond the basics and really teaches the instrument? We already have PE taken care of with taekwondo lessons. Can you tell me what else you consider essential? Do you find that with your own kids, doing each of the essential subjects each day works schedule-wise, or do you rotate through them as the week progresses? Also, where in the four-year cycle of TWTM should we begin, since we are starting in 6th grade? My second question is about socialization. I know full well that homeschooling does not mean I am isolating my child or failing to socialize her. My concern is that she is such a leader, I don't want her to feel isolated or without an outlet for that gift. How can I foster her leadership skills in a homeschool setting? I'm sure I will have more questions in the future, but I think I should start with these. Thanks again for your help!

Continuing to wet my feet by asking questions about curriculum, as I will be pulling my kids out of public school next year: Can I please hear your recommendations for math? I hear Saxon is most like a public school textbook. My soon-to-be 5th grader works at grade level, but was frustrated to tears the first time she saw long division at the beginning of the year. (She seems to have it covered now :)). My soon-to-be 3rd grader does math in his head (including times tables since first grade!) and hates to have to write out his work. Suggestions? I think I'll probably need two different programs for these two. :lurk5:

Ravi Zacharias's ASK curriculum On Guard by William Lane Craig More Than A Carpenter by Josh McDowell The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis I am partial to More Than a Carpenter and The Case for Christ because these two books played a huge role in me coming to faith in my late teens. Ravi Zacharias' Let My People Think podcasts grew my love for apologetics more than any other resource. Also pray hard! This is a spiritual battle more than it is intellectual. And, be gentle and open rather not harsh and defensive when answering his questions. 1 Peter 3:15-16. I am a Christian not because of some blind faith, but because God reached into my life and touch it. This is only possible because God is real and Christianity is true, and I assure you it can be shown to be so. Faith and reason are not enemies. God has called us to love him with all of our minds. Be encouraged!

I have an old Brother printer/copier/scanner. It only does black and white, but it is a workhorse. The toner is expensive, but can be found for cheaper online. My last toner cartridge lasted me three years of heavy use before I needed to replace it. I am looking into buying a new color one for next year.

Following.

Thank you for your suggestion. I will look into this resource. One question I have from looking at the WTM store: Are these books graded? My son will be in 3rd Grade next year, but should I start with Book 1?

Hello! I hope I am not too late to jump in here. I would like to encourage you by saying that science and faith are not mutually exclusive. It is not like we check our brains out at the door when we go to church. I do like Reasons to Believe, as well as Answer in Genesis and the Institute of Creation Research (although these vary a bit on their position on the age of the universe, with AIG being a top-notch Youth Earth resource). Also, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries has some great resources for young people. I think that a study in apologetics is beneficial to every student, because it applies everything else that has been learned about logic to the topics of faith. (I am currently working on my MDiv in Apologetics, so I admit I am a bit biased about its importance.). With all that being said, I don't think that you necessarily have to go secular to advance in science. I would like to encourage you to read up on the subject of faith and reason. Perhaps a bit advanced for a high schooler, but great for us parents, one of the first books I was assigned to read on this topic was Reason Within the Bounds of Religion by Nicholas Wolterstorff. William Lane Craig's On Guard was written specifically with young people in mind, as was RZIM's ASK curriculum. If you do choose to go with a secular curriculum, I would like to encourage you to study a Christian textbook alongside it, and use apologetics to sift the valid from the fallacious.

Hello! I am just wetting my feet and I have a lot of questions. I am taking my kids out of public school next year. My son, who is currently in 2nd grade, hates writing. His current teacher used to teach middle school, and that, coupled with Common Core, has forced him to write essays (!!) at this level, before he has learned to form his letters neatly or correctly. Now he hates writing. His teacher has allowed me to write for him as he dictates, because if I don't, he won't even start his homework. I think he is really discouraged by all the writing. So next year, I hope to get him writing on his own, but I want to do it without pressuring him or pushing him too fast. He is brilliant and articulate, knows how to explain himself, and dictates well. I need suggestions for writing curriculum for him. I would like to get him working on some grammar and proper sentence structure at least by the end of the year, but I think he needs to catch up with penmanship first. I could really use some suggestions. Thanks in advance!

Hi there. My name is Krista, and I am entering the homeschool world after several years of having my kids in the public school system. My kids will be in 5th, 3rd, 1st, and Pre-K next year. I just wanted to introduce myself. I am a longtime admirer of TWTM and the classic method of homeschooling. I actually tried to homeschool my step-kids for two years, but it didn't work well for our family. When we decided to send them back to public school, Smartie was going into 1st Grade that year, and wanted to "go to school" too. She has done well, but I really want to give her more than the public school has to offer. She is brilliant and has an unquenchable curiosity. Exuberant is equally curious, but is bored to death at school and hates doing homework. Joyful is also doing well but is also bored of the homework. I have a lot of questions about making this work for my kids, which I hope to ask on the forums. I am looking forward to networking and getting to know you all. :lurk5:

My five year old is a lefty, and most of the time she writes her name (and just about everything else) backwards, like a mirror image (just like DaVinci, I've read!). It seems that if she gets the first letter right she will write the rest of the letters correctly. How can I help her remember which was is the right way to write? Thanks for your ideas! :bigear:

We just finished our first year homeschooling (4th, 6th and 7th grades). I started of the year with Rod and Staff English, but we scrapped it because it was way too advanced for them. The public school system didn't teach them grammar, and they barely knew a noun from a verb. I'm looking for a complete English curriculum (grammar and writing if possible) that is good for older kids who have little background in grammar. I plan on using Rod and Staff for my younger ones, who I am able to homeschool from the beginning, but it's just too much for the older ones. Any suggestions? Thanks!