My dh and I already knew that were are going to homeschool our children. When this issue of custody of my stepchildren came up, I asked him if we were going to homeschool them as well and he said yes. I am totally willing and have no reservations about it at all. Discipline will be up to him because he is the head of the household. I will have authority as a teacher should, but not the authority to take away privileges/ground/spank/etc. I am sensitive to the situation and appreicate the feedback here. I do not think it is undoable to homeschool right away.

The reason for the move is a bit sensitive. They have never homeschooled before but have been in the public school system and have moved frequently. They are great kids. My husband will be the one doing the disciplining, I will be the one teaching as he works and goes to school. I have all sorts of great ideas as to how I'm going to make learning fun and helping them transition to schooling at home. Our oldest is only 2, so while I've been researching classical homeschooling for a while now this will be the first time I get to impliment any of what I've gleaned. Thanks for your advice.

I too am a Type A personality, so I can probably relate a little to your dd. I love school, but find myself unmotivated when bored or when overly under pressure. Also, nagging is a complete turn-off, and in the past has caused me to shut down even when I enjoy the work I'm doing. I thrive when doing what I love at my own pace. Don't get me wrong, deadlines are extremely important and it is reasonable to be expected to meet them. Work needs to be completed on time. Also, necessary classes cannot be skipped just because I don't like them. But doing what I love to do is much better than being forced to take a class I would rather not when the option is available. I'm now working towards my college degree, so this has worked even under high-stress deadlines of college life. Pinpoint your daughter's passions and get her to do projects on those things. If she likes American History, let her do reading, geography and history work with that focus. If she is tactile, let her study art or music. Or let her create lapbooks and things to help her learn material in visual ways. I hope this helps.

Just when I was rolling laughing at these and thinking "I wonder what weird things I'll start saying to my dd2 and ds6mths when they get big... "Jane, don't put pencil crayons in the oven!!" (while lunch was on the stove)

Can anyone give me advice on homeschooling stepchildren? We may be getting custody of my husband's ds10, dd8 and dd7. We have a dd2 and ds6months together. I have met the children and we got along good, but I understand that there are completely different dynamics at play when you live together rather than just visiting. Also we moved across the country last year, so this will be a big move for them too. I am confident as a teacher, but I am wondering if anyone can give me some insight on things I need to keep in mind in this situation. Thanks in advance. :bigear:

Thank you so much for your excellent review of what's out there! You've been very helpful!

I know that the classical method is great for teaching children of different ages the same history and literature curriculum, but can this also be done for math? Can several children of different ages learn the same math curriculum? (For example, everyone learns fractions together, everyone learns circumferences and areas together, etc) Thanks!

Could someone please give me a bit of a compare/contrast on the different ways to teach reading? I know there are 100 EZ Lessons, Writing Road to Reading, something like Saxon Phonics, etc. What are the differences? Which methods work best for what kind of learner? Also, which is easiest to teach to a younger child (say a 4-year-old) versus which to help an older child learn to read? Sorry for all the questions. Thanks for your help.

Is there somewhere I can download free history flash cards of the presidents of the United States? I am looking for something with a picture on the front and dates and important contributions on the back. Thanks!

Thank you! That is exactly what I was looking for!

Is there a website where I can print maps of the US states that have the capitals, major cities, major rivers, lakes, mountains and other important landmarks blank for labeling? (Canadian provinces, Mexican states and other countries would be a bonus too) Thanks!

The above link provides my reasoning for wanting a Christian math program. Although 2+2=4 no matter what (despite the attempts of the Ministry of Love in "1984") the worldview of the curriculum authors makes all the difference. Logos schools out of Moscow, ID provide a "classical" math program and they provide a description for the "classical" bit here. It just isn't complete yet for all grades. Anyways, thank you very much for your suggestions for curriculum. I'm just in the planning stages for my daughter, age 2 - I want to get a head start and have things together for when she's ready for school in 2 years - and I really appreciate the help. Blessings

Can anyone recommend a good classical math curriculum? If not, what about a Christian-based math program (i.e. written by a Christian)? What curriculum have you used? Thanks!

Can I tack a question on to your question while we're talking about American History curriculum? When is a good time to start teaching American history and government? In Canada I don't remember learning about government before 8th grade, while we did learn about geography early, and the history of the discovery of Canada sometime around the 6th grade. Here in the States it seems history and government are taught much earlier. Thanks for your help!

I think it's best to go up the "chain of command" and talk to your landlord. He'll be able to deal with the neighbors, or suggest the best way for you to do it. Hope that helps.

I just randomly stumbled across a recommendation for E.D. Hirsch and his Core Knowledge website. I was wondering if anyone knows anything about him, his perspective and curriculum recommendations. Just curious! Thanks!

I'm from Sault, Canada. I know that's not quite UP, but it is across the river :) Now I live in Washington State.

I'm new to this, but I hope you don't mind if I put in my 2 cents on something that might help based on the reading I've been doing. One great thing about the classical method of homeschooling is that it incorporates everything into a cohesive whole, as opposed to divided up the "subjects" as separate entities. You said that your son enjoys Latin, History and Science. Great! The areas he doesn't seem to like right now, Math Reading and Writing can be incorporated into those areas. I think the two main reasons for boredom with school are either not finding the work challenging enough, or not understanding the work in the first place. It sounds like your son may be in the first category, considering the repetition. To incorporate the subjects, try talking to him about how math is indispensable to science and let him work on science projects that incorporate math. For reading and history are wonderful together too because there are so many great books to read about historical figures. Some prefer the Charlotte Mason books for this. Latin and writing make likewise go together, having him write out his Latin vocab and phrases to memorize. Writing also incorporates into all other areas because of the work of writing down his science experiments and historical findings. If you mix it up a bit like this you may find a new zeal in him to do the work. (I also remember hating subjects I found irrelevant - I constantly asked my high school math teacher when I would ever need the information he was trying to teach us and I wasn't getting). I hope that helps.

Thanks for all your help and great ideas! I don't want to do too much, but it is also important to keep Jane doing things that are productive, because she is easily bored. It's true that looking at all the curriculum options can be overwhelming! (and does a 2-year-old really need a formal curriculum anyways?) Most of the "formal" stuff I've found begins with 3-4 year olds, or K4-5. Someone on another board recommended A Beka Scripture memory cards and says her 2-year-old memorized them by the end of the year. I appreciate the points of taking a look at education goals, and especially what we think the Lord would have us do in the world. This is becoming very important for us in determining the kind of things we are going to teach our children, what curriculum to use (Answers in Genesis has some great material for creation science things, for example) and especially our decision to use the classical method in the first place. Thanks again for all your input!

My husband and I believe that the Lord wants us to homeschool our children using the classical method. My daughter will be 2 in March, and we are expecting our second this month. I know that 2 is young, but I am wondering what kinds of things I can be doing now to encourage her learning. She is very creative and enjoys coloring and painting. She is also very active and loves to run around and play. She loves the VeggieTales and is just getting an attention span to sit and listen to me read her a story. We bought her some educational toys for Christmas (LeapFrog fridge phonics, some flash cards, block stacker). She's extremely observant and is great at figuring things out. When is a good time to begin the "pre-grammar" stage? What can I be doing between now and then. Thanks for your input. I'm new to the homeschooling realm. :001_smile: Krista Dominguez Acts 20:24

I highly recommend Choosing God's Best by Don Raunikar. It talks not only about physical purity but the importance of a guarded heart to maintain emotional and spiritual purity as well. It takes the courtship process to a new level. My husband and I found it extremely helpful during our courtship period, and we recommend it to any young person that we are discipling.