During elementary we’ve primarily done comparisons to film adaptations & extension projects, rather than more formal analysis. When we read Alice in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass we had a tea party with cherry tarts; played croquet, hearts, & spades; & compared all of the satirical poetry to the originals. Throughout the Anne of Green Gables series, we looked up all of the poems she referenced & read them. DS designed & built a house boat while reading The Gate in the Wall. Things like that usually only happened with a book or two per year - the rest we simply enjoyed. Last year (4th grade) we completed “matchbook summaries” for three novels. These involved writing a short summary of each chapter on a notecard, illustrating the front, & creating a lift-the-flap poster. DS really enjoyed it! Definitely not something I’d do for *every* book, but for a few it was a fun way to dig a bit deeper. I’m not sure what we’ll do in that vein this year. Later this week we’re playing Mariposas after he’s written a report on monarch butterflies for composition. We have a Baba Yaga-themed game to go along with our reading of The House with Chicken Legs, as well. We’ll see where the year takes us! ETA: I do have one study that I’ve been wanting to do for over a year now, but I’m not sure where to fit it in… I’d love to read Chasing Vermeer & work through Didax Pentominoes in parallel.

I began teaching a friend to read when I was… maybe 6 or 7? She’d been wanting to go to school, but mom kept holding her back. Her brothers went to school, because they were boys, but it wasn’t important for her to do so as a girl. We were friends for over a year & I didn’t even know her name - she was exclusively referred to as “Sissy”. Mom walked in on us playing school one day & was FURIOUS. Sent me home & I was never allowed over again.

You could also include simplified MLA formatting instruction with typed paragraphs, which will help her writing look more formal / sophisticated while also teaching essay conventions she’ll need familiarity with. ETA: I found this link helpful in thinking about how to introduce MLA, building up formatting requirements over time. You can ignore the grade levels or tweak them as desired. https://fw.unitymg.com/media/38/0104-00016938-01-res-mla_and_writing_expectations_by_grade_level.pdf

Ugh. YES! I’m already Den Leader, Committee Member, Mom, Teacher, Spouse. My spouse travels for a living, so he’s gone the majority of the time. I put a ton of work into DS’ education. I do not need anything - or anyone - more on my plate. We go out of our way to always ensure we are thanking others (coaches, mentors, field trip coordinators, etc) because it is so much work that often goes in acknowledged.

The only hybrid program I’ve ever heard of that seemed the least bit intriguing was one an online friend mentioned where her DD attends the local public middle school 2x/wk & only participates in electives. She can choose from all the same classes as any other student (band, choir, theatre, programming, foreign language, studio art, robotics engineering, dance, various sports) & is eligible for after-school clubs. If DS were ever really feel he was missing out socially & I thought he would benefit from the group setting but he didn’t want to move to public school altogether… I would consider it. As it is, any time I’ve mentioned public school being an option his response has been a vehement “Why on Earth would I want to do that?!” so I guess we’re stuck with one another 😉

That is bizarre & I wholly agree - that’s not at all homeschooling.

This is exactly the role my support / social group plays. We also organize events for the kids - play dates, recurring clubs, casual parties, field trips - but the primary focus is on supporting one another in all of the ways you listed. I’ve been able to build a community everywhere we’ve lived; across multiple states & even overseas, where homeschoolers were scarce. It seems to be the exception rather than the rule, but we keep building them & have always benefited greatly. I’ve seen what you’re referring to - the insecurity, the push to outsource heavily or even exclusively, the hunt for “unicorn curriculum” that can be all things to all people, the desire to pay for a magical fix. I’m not saying that doesn’t all exist - only that the alternative is still out there, as well. Thankfully. ETA: Perhaps, as LauraClark said, the rarity of these groups is the trend that will fade & we’ll see a resurgence in more traditional methods. Until then, I’ll keep building & offering support wherever I can, for those who seek it out. The porch light is always on. ☺️

The main trends I’ve noticed have been related to “shiny new curriculum” disorder. This may be particularly acute among the secular community, as there have traditionally been far fewer options available, but for a while it seemed like every time something new came out it was scooped up with no regard to the efficacy of what was already being used or whether the new products’ style suited them - & no one had better dare to say anything short of unequivocal praise of the latest thing! We’re eclectic but when we find something we like we stick with it. I will only consider items I can physically flip through or that offer generous samples online - & almost never immediately after being released. After a year or two people’s excitement has mellowed & more nuanced discussions of a programs strengths & weaknesses are allowed to surface.

This may be partially just a difference of terminology. What you refer to as a support group I know of more as social groups, homeschooling communities, or even social co-ops - though I dislike that last term, as I find it can be used to mean a few very different things. We’re also in TX, but specifically chose our area because it’s known to have many homeschoolers & therefore a variety of homeschool offerings: support communities, field trip groups, discounted extracurriculars (because we can attend “off hours”), co-ops, a la carte classes at learning centers, hybrid schools. Religious options dominate, but there are a number of inclusive & secular groups, as well. Some events are planned many months out. Others only weeks, days, or even hours ahead of time as people find small gaps in their schedules or come across interesting goings-on. But no, we don’t do newsletters. 😉

DH & I still cannot discuss any region of the brain without Pinkie & the Brain’s “Brainstem” getting stuck in both of our heads. My AP Psych teacher made us all memorize it. DH wasn’t even in the class… he just happened to share other classes with several who were 🎶 🧠 🎶

Ugh. This nonsense is why I left 90% of homeschool-related social media. I use the WTM forums, one other forum, & a very select few FB groups (one community + a couple curriculum-specific, with no affiliate links allowed).

We are very fortunate to have an excellent community college that has a solid relationship with the homeschool community. They’ve even begun to offer extra sessions of common DE classes exclusively for homeschoolers, so younger students have access to the rigor without adult classmates. I absolutely agree that the classes I’ve seen at “educational centers” & such around town targeted to homeschoolers have been… underwhelming. ETA: There is a laboratory glass supply store nearby, so I think we’d be fine sourcing those types of materials.

I’m more thinking from purely a practical standpoint - open burners, ample glass equipment (we have cats), proper disposal of hazardous chemicals (probably shouldn’t just go down the drain). He’s a very tactile learner so we’ve done / will do a good amount of the more approachable presentations & experiments at home already. I’ll definitely reassess as we get closer, but for now I’m at least considering the possibility that the experience I want for him may not be one I want to replicate at home. I wonder if there’s somewhere around here we could rent lab space without outsourcing a class… 🤔

I agree & it’s why I’ve always refused to join a Co-Op. If I wanted someone else to set our schedule, select the curricula, & keep a group moving at the same pace… I’d put DS in public school. He’s in 5th this year. We’ve used occasional online classes because they encouraged him to develop his typing skills / sounded fun, but never for a core subject & never more than one at a time. I considered handing off the reins for PreAlgebra - not because I couldn’t teach it, but because I thought he’d enjoy developing a mathy peer group. He looked at me like I’d sprouted a 2nd head & so we’ll be staying the course with me teaching that at home. 😅 I can see the value of participating in lab- or discussion-based classes with peers as we enter the middle school years & beyond, but have no intention of outsourcing across the board. I won’t be relearning upper-level mathematics (& DS would handily outpace me even if I tried) or setting up a proper chemistry lab in my home, but DS is a STEM kid who needs those classes provided at a high quality level so eventually I will outsource them. Not because I must, but because I choose to. I think it’s fine to sample widely from the options available today & haven’t experienced others who feel inept beyond the occasional momentary panic of “what the heck am I doing” or a few Covid Schoolers getting their bearings. That may simply be a matter of self-selecting our peer groups, though - we have little in common with those who outsource it all so I’m not aware of them.

Just coming back to offer a glimmer of hope - We started back today & had a WONDERFUL time! Everything ran smoothly; no noticeable “summer slide”. DS was happy to be back. Onward & upward!

We have used & liked RSO, however it’ll likely only buy you a year or two, as most of their offerings are aimed at much younger students. We’re transitioning to BYL, which uses RSO Biology 2 & Astronomy 2 in 5th / 6th, then does a year each of World Geography & History of Science in the junior high years.

One of ours (Poetry Party) is at risk of this. Do you happen to know what the procedure is if a class is cancelled? Will be be offered a full refund? Credited for a future class?

I agree with the advice above, but want to offer solidarity. We start Monday & I am not feeling it. We’re accompanying DH on a work trip this week & I’m hoping a few final days of surf, sand, & sun will improve my outlook! 🏖️

Perhaps this is a silly question, but… how did your homeschooler discover their college options? I was thinking the other day about university & it occurred to me that DS really only knows of a few schools: two local universities, an Ivy that has been mentioned in our literature, & two who have BattleBots teams 😅 DH & I both attended public schools & throughout the high school years college choice was a HUGE ongoing discussion. We learned about options from peers, teachers, counselors. It occurred to me that DS might not get the same organic exposure if he elects to continue homeschooling through high school. Were you &/or your spouse their primary information source? Did they research schools themselves? Does the discussion permeate online & in-person classes for homeschoolers the way it does a public school campus?

Build Your Library’s 8th grade year is focused on the History of Science! How to think like a scientist, big questions we don’t yet have answers to, etc. The focus is primarily on astrophysics & quantum physics, with some chemistry & other topics mixed in.

This makes sense. DS10 doesn’t fit either of my example profiles, either. He’s an algebraic thinker who likes games / puzzles / paradoxes but has zero interest in competing & dislikes (but acknowledges the usefulness of) writing things down. BA has worked beautifully for him. Only time will tell on AOPS.

It would be fascinating to compare the personalities, aptitudes, & ultimate career fields of the different “flavors” of mathy kids represented here. Ex: Is there some pattern that would indicate that a slower, more methodical student for whom proofs come naturally & who did well with AOPS should end up in Field A, B, or C while a student for whom algebraic reasoning was common sense, who hated writing anything down, loved contests & got frustrated with AOPS but thrived with Foerester is more likely to find their best fit in Fields D, E, F? Purely an academic exercise, of course. I’m enthralled by people & their patterns.

DS10 will be entering 5th grade. Still going back & forth on a number of things, which is unusual for me at this point in the year. Currently we’re looking at: Language Arts: IEW Wonders of Science, MCT Caesar’s English II, MCT A World of Poetry, Athena’s “Poetry Party”, AAS 7 Math: AOPS PreAlgebra, Athena’s “Money Sense”, pentomino unit study if we have time. Science: Bulked-up RSO Earth & Environment, potentially condensed into one semester then paired with the RSO Climate Change unit study & RSO Astronomy 2. History: HO Modern + literature from BYL 4/6. Still debating whether we’ll complete BYL 4 in its entirety or spread Modern across 2yrs to incorporate more American history, then skip straight to BYL 7. Extracurriculars: Tennis, Violin, Art, Scouts BSA, FIRST Lego League.

My DS really enjoyed assembling this last year when we did Chem! ⚛️ https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Building-a-Periodic-Table-and-more-Distance-Learning-1918192?ssp_iabi=1682735942119

Best of luck to him! ☺️