My son picked it up pretty quickly, and the boy I'm tutoring is picking it up just by letting him play with them and without any explicit instruction on the colors. I imagine in any class there will be some children who are color blind, though. Two of my boys (but not my youngest, who is the only one I homeschooled) are partially color blind but they can usually tell shades of things. I haven't tried with the blocks to see if they can tell the color differences between say, light blue (#5) and light purple (#6).

I love the way Math U See describes place value, and if you go to ChristianBook.com they have that video in their sample for their primer (probably have it on the main Math U See site too). You couldn't use it exactly of course but it might give you some ideas.

I'm not as familiar with the ones from TWTM, but here are some you could add if they aren't already on the list. A lot of these I learned about through watching Extra Credits History videos on youtube (just to give credit where it's due). These are sort of in order. ANCIENT HISTORY Egypt/Africa Imphotep (pyramid builder...he may have been in SOTW but can't remember) Taharqa (sometimes spelled Taharka) - Nubian king who took over Egypt, first ruler of the Taharqa dynasty Greece (at time of Rome) Hypatia (mathematician...one of the only women among the Greek philosphers) China Warring States Period Sun Tzu - Wrote Art of War, still used for military tactics today Han Dynasty - the whole dynasty is totally skipped in SOTW but it's amazing. Zhang Heng Chinese mathematician and astronomer who made, among other things, the first seizmometer. Emperor Wu sent and his emissary Zhang Qian - Together they basically started the silk road MIDDLE AGES/AGE OF EXPLORATION Middle East/Africa (most of these are Muslim) Al-Khwarizmi - Mathematician. The reason we call our numbers "Arabic Numbers" (though he got them from India) Samuel HaNagid - Jewish scholar/administrator in Cordoba who helped shape a Muslim nation, even though he was Jewish. Saladin (around time of crusades) - Ruler/Military Leader, respected even by his enemies Mansa Musa - King of Mali, Africa. Richest man in the world ever possibly (some debate about this, but still) Suleiman the Magnificent - Islamic Ruler Ibn Battuta - Scholar and world traveler Europe/New World Bartolome de las Casas (yes, he's European and Christian, but as my favorite character in history I have to include him here. He was a priest who came to believe that the enslavement of the indigenous people of the new world was wrong, and spent his whole life fighting to end their oppression). RENAISSANCE TO MODERN (Approximately) I don't have as much for here, as we haven't gotten there, but... Queen Nzinga - 17th-century queen regnant of the Ndongo and Matamba Kingdoms of the Mbundu people in Angola Hiawatha - Native American who united the Iroquois. The famous poem about him is pretty much not accurate at all, but his real story is amazing. Admiral Yi - Korean naval admiral, who invented a new type of ship (if I remember right) and pretty much is responsible for Japan not taking over Korea in the middle ages. Catherine the Great (yeah, she's probably included...but just in case) Simon Bolivar - Hero of hispanic independence movement Shaka Zulu - African leader Kamehameha the Great - Hawaiian king

If you use Marion Brady (which is pretty cool), you could use these videos to fill in the gaps (since Marion Brady is more aimed at thinking critically through history than a broad overview. If you're traveling, kids could watch these videos while driving. http://imaginativehomeschool.blogspot.com/2020/05/you-tube-through-ancient-history.html

The Bronze Bow is set in Judea during the Roman empire. Wouldn't be your main one but could be a nice supplement.

More translated Primary Source writings, free online. I have not yet read most of these, so I can't comment on which would be worth adding to your study or not, but thought I'd share them. The Letters of Amerigo Vespucci and other Documents Illustrative of his Career http://www.gutenberg.org/files/36924/36924-h/36924-h.htm Letter of Pêro Vaz de Caminha - A portion of it is translated on the Wikipedia Page. Contains what is considered by many to be one of the most accurate accounts of what Brazil used to look like in 1500. Letter of Michele de Cuneo (warning, contains depictions of rape) - This was, I think, on Columbus' 2nd journey https://issuu.com/boricuababe723/docs/michele_de_cuneo_s_letter_on_the_se Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo’s Historia General de las Indias https://pages.vassar.edu/oviedo/gonzalo-fernandez-de-oviedo/ This site has the complete work in Spanish, has some of it translated to English, and is working on translating more. My understanding is he had a view closer to Sepulveda on the Indians. Las Casas had some very harsh words for him.

OK, second part.... SPANISH COLONIAL TOWN ACTIVITY Marion Bradley American History: Chapter 1 This free US History curriculum has a really fun activity in it's first chapter related to Spanish colonization (mapping a Spanish colonial town according to King Phillip II's ordinance in 1573). It's meant for the classroom but could be adjusted easily for homeschool. And it's a nice lighter activity after the heaviness of the above. INCA, AZTEC and MAYA I don't have as much on the Inca, Aztec, and Maya, but I do have some good videos on these. Aztec, Inca and Maya by Overly Sarcastic Productions (Middle School?/High School) This is a good summary. May include a swear word, I can't remember. Extra Credits Inca Empire Video Series (All Ages) Tells about Inca civilization and covers conquest. TedEd Aztec Midwife (All Ages) Just a day in the life of a Aztec Midwife...nothing specific to colonization but interesting. The History of Chocolate (All Ages) Deals with Mayans and colonization

So, guess what I've been gradually digging into for the past several years? Early Spanish exploration and colonization of the New World (mostly from original sources)! I put together some suggestions for someone else recently too, and kept notes (since I don't know the age of your child I will try to add age ranges) COLUMBUS (Elementary/Middle School) This is the only really good short video I've found on Columbus that is both appropriate for children but doesn't totally gloss over some of the impacts on native Americans he encountered. https://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/famoushistoricalfigures/christophercolumbus/?fbclid=IwAR3_rV5KCx9uI2mSTLfUOYDbn27XQgbAhP899jvLyAjlMBGZPOz4ltOQ_8I (Side note: Sadly the videos on Columbus by TedEd, which I usually like, and Adam Ruins everything, have some errors, so avoid those). Columbus' Logs/Journals of his First Journey (All Ages) This is a really easy read. You can find these free online or in nearly any library. The whole thing is not that long, but if you just wanted a sampling, I would especially read the journal entries for October 11-13, which tells of the first landing in the New World and encounters with the indigenous people. You can point out things like how they took people to learn Spanish and translate (Hmm...do you think they wanted to go? Even if they did go willingly, since they didn't know each other's language do you think those people understood what was happening when they got on the ship? Questions like that help kids look at both sides) CRASH COURSE The Crash Course videos below I think are more fun for older kids, as an alternative to the video above, but sort of fast paced for younger kids, with some content issues too. My kids really started to like these around age 12. 15th Century Mariners:Columbus, de Gama, and Zheng He (Late Elementary - High School) This one deals most directly with Columbus...along with two other sailors from this time. It's pretty ok for mid-elementary up except for one small section that deals with one Chinese explorer being a Eunich (minute 1:40-2:05, easy to skip if this is for a younger kid). You could also just watch the part about Columbus (6:30-9:27), though I really think the it's worth adding the part about the Portuguese explorer De Gama, which really sets up why the Spanish were looking for a passage to Asia and would fund Columbus' journeys. (That starts at minute 4:24). The Colombian Exchange (Late Elementary - High School) This doesn't talk much about Columbus but shows the impact his discovery had, so its a really important follow up. He says OMG (spelled out) once (you can skip that and a problematic "people are animals" segment by skipping minute 1:22-1:33). Smaller children might be scared by depictions of war and people dying of smallpox. But overall a good overview of how this changed the world and affected the people in America. Myths about Columbus (High School) This is my article...part of why I did all this digging, on some of the common myths about Columbus out there. You could actually have a high schooler read the main article that I fact checked (see first large quote) and before reading mine, see if they can spot the errors (then check mine to see what they might have missed, or hey...what they caught that I missed!) COLONIZATION AFTER COLUMBUS Crash Course: The Black Legend, Native Americans, and Spaniards: ( Middle School - High School) This covers more what happened to the native peoples during colonization (both Spanish and English...it summarizes from the beginning to modern day). It has pictures/depictions of massacres and torture which are not suitable for younger kids, and you might even want to preview for junior highers. The Requerimiento (Middle School?/High School) Written sometime around 1510-1513, this document was meant to be read to "Indian" tribes as a precursor for conquest (and was often read without any attempt to translate it). It is a good example about how the Spanish crown often gave lip service to the concerns some in the church had about the treatment and conversion of the native peoples, without actually addressing them. It would be fine to have a middle schooler read but it's a bit long...so I might highlight some sections if doing it with a middle schooler. Bartolome de las Casas I definitely suggest learning about Bartolome de las Casas. He was a Spanish priest who came to the New World very early on (in 1502, soon after the period where Columbus governed the colonies there). He became a priest, and afterwards became convicted that the Spanish enslavement of the native peoples was wrong, and spent the rest of his life trying to end their oppression. He also wrote one of the earliest histories of Spanish colonization, some from his own experience, other parts from research/letters/first hand accounts from people he knew. I have been TRYING to read through that 3 volume history...TRYING because as far as I can tell it has not been completely translated into English, and most of the partial translations are out of print (I've bought 3 out of print books containing portions of this, and so far I think maybe I've been able to read a third of it). Bartolome De Las Casas - Changing Your Mind (All Ages) This video by Extra Credits is excellent, accurate, and amazingly kid friendly (though teens would enjoy this too...mine did). Any biography of Bartolome de las Casas (High Schooler) - Possible Spine If you have a high schooler doing this, I recommend reading a biography of this man, not only because he had a fascinating life, but because this history of Spanish colonization really comes through any longer biography you will read about him, and most libraries will have one. My favorite biography of him is actually in the intro to another piece of his writing: "Bartolome de las Casas: The Only Way" (intro by Helen Rand Parish). Her intro is short (about 55 pages), and most of it reads like a story, not like the introduction to a book. But it's out of print, so, you might not be able to find it. While shorter and not as engaging, this is my favorite online Biography of las Casas... https://www.thoughtco.com/bartolome-de-las-casas-2136332 De las Casas vs. Sepulveda Assignment This worksheet has a passage by Sepulveda on the "Indians" being "natural slaves" and La Casas' rebuttal to this, followed by some really good discussion questions. It really frames well the two sides of the debate going on in Spain about the nature of the "Indians" and how they should be treated. Suggested Writings by Bartolome de Las Casas (High School) This may be a lot on top of the rest, and are mostly hard to find, but here are my top suggested writings by las Casas. If you can find it, History of the Indies, by Bartolome de Las Casas, translated by Andree M. Collard, is an abridged translation of History of the Indies which takes this massive trillogy and whittles it down to a readable size. Below that, I have top suggestions for selected chapters, if you just want to have your daugter read a little In case you do find it, here's a breakdown of how it's organized, which might help you plan lessons around it. Book I Chap 1-30 - Columbus' struggle to fund his journeys to find a passage to India. Chap 76-181 - Columbus' 2nd and 3rd Journeys (and establishing colonies/period as governor) Book II Chap 1 - Bobadilla's Governorship of Hispaniola (Colonies Columbus established) Chap 3-27 - Ovando's Governorship Hispaniola (Part 1) Chap 30 - Columbus 4th Journey and Shipwreck in Jamaica Chap 36 - Columbus rescued from Jamaica Chap 37-38 - Columbus Death/Will Chap 39-46 - Ovando's Governorship of Hispaniola (Part II) Chap 57-63 - The Slave Raids of Hojeda and Nicuesa Book III This book chronicles what happened in Cuba and on the continent (I'm still reading this part) Las Casas' "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies" isn't the writing of his I'd suggest MOST, but it is easiest to find online. It's a horrific account of the various atrocities committed against the native peoples from early on to 1542, when it was written. The down side is it's very hard to read, not only because of the litany of violent depressing content, but because the atrocities are compiled almost list-like, without much of the story or context surrounding them, and also not always in chronological order, and without naming many of the names of who did these things, making it a little confusing. But I think reading a little bit of it is important (though not as necessary if read some of the other books and accounts below, which contains much of the same history, just with more details and context) http://www.columbia.edu/.../files/presentations/casshort/ "History of the Indies" by Bartolome de Las Casas, translated by Andree M. Collard (Possible Spine) If you can find it, I highly suggest las Casas' "History of the Indies." (Sadly, the only English translation is out of print, but some libraries have it, and I was able to find an old copy online). It's a good read but it's a long book, even though the translation is only partial, and missing many chapters. I have suggestions for chapters below Witness: Writings of Bartolome de Las Casas (edited by George Sanderlin) - (Possible Spine) This has a lot of las Casas Writings, including some chapters of History of the Indies (so it is an alternative if you can't find "History of the Indies"...it has some chapters missing from Collard's translation ). Its a good read as is and could also work as a spine. In case you just want to have your son read some of it, here's a breakdown of how it's organized. Book I Chap 1-30 - Columbus' struggle to fund his journeys to find a passage to India. Chap 76-181 - Columbus' 2nd and 3rd Journeys (and establishing colonies/period as governor) Book II Chap 1 - Bobadilla's Governorship of Hispaniola (Colonies Columbus established) Chap 3-27 - Ovando's Governorship Hispaniola (Part 1) Chap 30 - Columbus 4th Journey and Shipwreck in Jamaica Chap 36 - Columbus rescued from Jamaica Chap 37-38 - Columbus Death/Will Chap 39-46 - Ovando's Governorship of Hispaniola (Part II) Chap 57-63 - The Slave Raids of Hojeda and Nicuesa Book III This book chronicles what happened in Cuba and on the continent (I'm still reading this part) --- Suggested Passages from Above Books (History of the Indies/Witness) for covering different purposes: For Covering Atrocities against Native People: 1. History of the Indies - Book II, Chap 9 (The Jaragua Massacre) - Recounts the Spanish massacre of chief Anacoana and her people. 2. Witness (Chap 6, The Conquest of Cuba) - This was one of the events las Casas was an eye-witness too, directly. He recounts the first "somewhat" peaceful interactions with the natives, and then a massacre that broke out in one of the villages that he witnessed. (Also found here). 3. History of the Indies - Book III, Chap 57-63 (The Slave Raids of Hojeda and Nicuesa) -These chapters give a sense for the "independent" slave raiding going on--it involves a group of slavers getting trounced by a native tribe they were trying to enslave, then escaping and getting lost in unexplored territory, and being saved by another tribe (who obviously didn't know what they tried to do to the first tribe). 5. Any section of Las Casas' "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies." It isn't the writing of his I'd suggest MOST, because it's basically a laundry list of atrocities without any context and can be brutal and tedious to read, but it is free online. For Learning About the Culture of Indigenous People Witness by George Sanderline, section from Anthorpologist History OK, I'm going to break this into multiple posts before I lose any of this.

For literature I'd add Holes to the list. Its low reading level, high interest, like those others.

Can I share something that really helped my dyslexic son with his writing? Separating the "writing it down" from the "writing the content." I'm not saying have them write/type nothing, but when you are working on new concepts, longer papers, or or difficult assignments, the writing it down got in the way. He would take an hour to write a short paragraph, and the sentences where short and not well developed. We were learning to write a literary essay, and the first paragraph, even with lots of pre-writing, was taking longer than an hour and he was in tears, and so in frustration I told him it was ok, he could just dictate it to me. He completed the rest of the 5 paragraph essay in one more hour...and it was good. The sentences were longer and more interesting, the organization was solid. I asked him afterwards why it was so much harder when he was writing it himself, and he told me that he couldn't get a whole sentence written before he would forget the rest of it. Writing it was too slow and took too much concentration just to figure out how to spell words and so forth (even when I told him don't worry about spelling), that he couldn't really concentrate on the content. Once we separated the content from the physical act of writing (typing was no better) he thrived. He started enjoying writing, getting excited about the process, being proud of his work. Before this every time a new writing assignment would be assigned a look of despair and dread would come over his face, but now he would sometimes ask to do writing first. We still did other things to practice his physical writing...timed free writes, short answer questions, that sort of thing. And it did improve to this year. I know in a class having the kids dictate to you doesn't work, but they can dictate to each other (that gives one student practice with writing it down, and the other practice with content writing. Grading can be split too...the dictator gets a grade for content, sentence structure, etc, and the scribe gets a grade for punctuation, capitalization, etc.). Or you can use a speech to text program if they have access to a computer or ipad., or have them tape record themselves and play it back to write (with headphones of course).

I would not judge the school based on what you saw in virtual, because that was incredibly new for everyone. Think through what you saw and ask yourself...was this the teachers doing the best they can with a bad situation, or was this a curriculum/schooling-style that would be bad even if it were taught in person. I'd try asking on local forums to see what parents who had been there long term thought about how virtual compared to usual...what was the same and what was different. If after doing some researching you feel like it was mostly a problem with virtual, and they are going back in person next year, I'd give it a try, for the same reasons you wanted to try it before. If you really feel like you saw behind the curtain and it wouldn't be much better during the year, then I'd insist, and then promptly get them involved in a co-op or sports or a club or something where they can get those social needs met.

I so agree with this. Too many schools go too light on the phonics, and even teach techniques that can encourage kids to guess in stead of sounding things out. And I agree on the play too. Anything fun and playful is good. And read to your child a lot, because that builds up their vocabulary and knowledge, which will help them in so many ways. For phonics, the free readers and mini-lessons at ProgressivePhonics.com is really good for an afterschool thing because it's short and so easy to do. But they are better after you child knows most of his letter sounds (a few odd ones like z and q that aren't useful), and can blend very simple words. This site has a good list of what a child needs before they can sound out words and some good activities to do to help them get there. https://www.themeasuredmom.com/reading-skills-kids-need-theyre-ready-sound-out-words/ Another good activity is just taking short sounds like -at and putting different letters in front of them. First you demonstrate how they sound and then you have your child try with different letters. Doesn't matter if it's real words. But whatever you do, keep it light and short and fun. Kids get home and they are exhausted. They need to play...they need a lot of it. So I would play for just 10-15 minutes a night at first. If it goes well you could stretch it out to 30 but I wouldn't do more than that for a kindergartener. Oh, side thing...play school is your friend. If your child likes to play school you can do real lessons in it. And if they just want to be the teacher, you can use this as a way for them to review things they know by teaching it to stuffed animals and toys and you. 😉 Pretend play can be powerful with those little ones.

Waco Texas, right between Austin and San Antonio, where I lived for 10 years and did most of my homeschooling... 1. The Mayborn Children's museum is the coolest children's museum I've ever been to (not that I've been to tons but I've been to a few). One side is history/science stuff aimed at older kids, while the other side is hands on and imaginative play stuff aimed at younger kids. Out back is a pioneer village (made up of real historic buildings which were moved to this spot). 2. The Armstrong Browning Library at Baylor University - its a collection of items from the poets Robert and Elisabeth Barret Browning, so if you have any literature lovers in the family, it's worth seeing. 3. The Waco Suspension Bridge is a quick stop, but cool. It's where cattle crossed on the Chisolm Trail, and there's statues of cattle and cowboys on one side. You can walk across to a small playground on the other. It's a cool quick stop. BONUS: The Waco Zoo is small but it is perfect for littles and it has a section on local wildlife that is really cool. The Otter Enclosure is the best. EXTRA BONUS: About an hour from Waco is the Inner Space Caverns. My boys loved the tour they took, though if you're going all the way to San Antonio I've heard the Natural Bridge Caverns are cooler.

I live in San Diego, California, and it's really hard to narrow it down to 3....I just can't, I'm sorry. Anyways, Balboa Park has Museums and technically the San Diego Zoo is part of Balboa park, so I'm clumping that all together. They are all pretty small museums (but the zoo is huge). I'd say the Natural History Museum has the most "California specific" stuff. All of the Museums are cool and the grounds are just beautiful to walk around (you can do that for free). The Aquarium OR Sea World (and if you can go on a "behind the scenes day" at Sea World I'd choose that, but the Aquarium is cheaper and your kids won't be pulled astray by Roller Coasters.) They are both super educationak but there's so many more fish at Sea World. The shark enclosure alone we've gone through so many times. Sea World has more fish you can actually touch but the Aquarium has more hands on learning of other types. Then you need to actually go to the ocean and see some wildlife in real life. La Jolla Tide Pools are amazing (check the tide times and make sure to go at low tides.). Much of the year you can see seals at Children's Pool (not good for swimming because it's dirty due to the seals, but amazing for the wildlife). If you go to La Jolla Cove, you can often see Rays and Leapards sharks (the Leapard sharks are not dangerous...only one person has been attacked by them, back in 1955, and got away without injury...though I wouldn't antagozine them) and there's a small reef with Gerabaldi (California state fish) there. The Rays are actually more dangerous...our family has been stung twice and it wasn't bad but it can be if you get stung in the wrong place or have an allergic reaction. But you can shuffle your feet. Or if you feel safer rent a canoe...the water is often really clear there. Or you could take a whale watching tour. And one bonus one...Old Town. It's an preserved old west town, the original San Diego.

My faves are.... ProgressivePhonics.com for their free printable readers. Extra Credits History on youtube. Experimenting With the Vikings Free Unit Study. D-maps.com for free printable maps Duolingo (for all reading ages) and Memrise (just for middle school and up, cause they have swear words) for Spanish. For kids for Spanish, Perry y Gato on youtube and this immersive site: http://cvc.cervantes.es/ensenanza/mimundo/default.htm TeachersPayTeachers for finding free worksheets on a specific topic when I need it. The Gimp for graphic arts (free program sort of like Photoshop)

To Kill a Mockingbird The Hunger Games (yes, even in an academically rigorous school...that series has so much depth even if you can only do the first one). The Hobbit or My Side of the Mountain (to balance out the other two with something more uplifting).

Ellen McHenry's "The Elements" and "Carbon Chemistry" look really good. I haven't used them but I looked into them when my middle kiddo was thinking about homeschooling 6th grade (he didn't end up doing that...but we were going to use those if he did).

This is the same for me. I can think of some math related stuff my son would enjoy (he does like math), but I don't think he'd want a competition or something that felt like extra homework. Like, if in stead of calling it "Math Club" or "Math Circle" they called it "Fun Math Games and Projects" maybe more people would be more drawn to it. I'd go to something called "Math Art" and my kids would be more drawn to "Building With Math" or "Math Makers" (playing off Maker Fair) or something like that.

This is not me now, but when I was a kid, we lived on a boat which is pretty much the same. It was a 50 foot boat, so not as micro as it comes, but my mom was a master of making things fit. She did woodwork and there were nooks and crannies in every corner for storing stuff. Pots and pans hung on walls. Plants were hanging. Things were purged regularly. I often wonder if my love of miniatures came from being able to fit in it a small space.

I realized one day, while reading fiction, that my brain played a movie in my head when I read. Someone interrupted me and I could not find my place on the page because I could not remember the words I had just read, only the picture they had created. Its not very helpful for keeping attention during non-fiction, but it sure helps with detail memory in fiction. And I have no idea how someone would/could even teach that.

I love these too! Such beautiful writing and illustrations, and so many good activities. I actually made a more fleshed out curriculum based off the Cave one I shared on my blog. http://wacomom.blogspot.com/2018/08/inner-space-cave-unit.html

Getting back to trends...this has not been my experience pre-covid, and I'm in a ton of online homeschooling groups, and have homeschooled in two states. There were some but the majority were using some sort of book based curriculum (or sometimes something that had videos and offline work). But since Covid...oh man, every other question on homeschooling groups is about "what's an online program that my (insert elementary grade here) child can do by herself without much supervision." And I am a little worried about how these parents will do. Hopefully this was just temporary for them, or they realize there are better ways, but for a whole bunch of people this is what "homeschooling" is now. Not that online can't work for some (though I doubt it works for many kindergarteners...at least not as more than a supplement to offline work). Before Covid I had met just one elementary school parent who had been doing online homeschooling primarily for several years (and her kiddo was upper elementary...4th or 5th I think). I met a lot of parents who had tried K-12 in elementary and hated it (and a handful who were using it or other online programs for their middle school or high school aged kids...and liking it). But I'd say I met more homeschoolers who banned screens completely in their home than ones that primarily homeschooled online (pre-covid that is).

Do you happen to have a link to that study? Thanks a bunch!

I have come across a few unschooling homeschoolers that may not be doing much math, but nearly all the homeschoolers I know are at very least getting reading and math done. And yeah, if you're just not teaching, that is certainly worse than the education you'll get in school. I taught in school (secondary), and I've substituted in schools (elementary through secondary), and I'm convinced that in general, on average, for the average student, a parent with a good curriculum and at least a little consistency can do about as well with their kids as schools do on average. And this is not an attack on teachers. Those teachers do great work considering their constraints. Teaching in a class of 25-40 kids is way harder and takes a lot more skill than teaching one (I can vouch). I respect teachers a lot for that (and I couldn't keep doing that...I crashed and burned on my first full time gig). But one-on-one just has a lot of advantages. There's not a lot of articles that reasonably compare homeschool kids and public school kids, but this article has some good stats. It's from a site critical to homeschooling (though not anti-homeschooling altogether), but because of that I find it reasonable that it is not cherry picking to make homeschoolers look good. I like the Alaska stats especially because these homeschoolers are largely homeschooling out of necessity (a lot of them live too far to travel to a school). In Alaska, the average homeschoolers are doing a little worse than their public school peers in math, but a little bit better in reading. In Alabama, the article doesn't compare the homeschoolers to the public schoolers directly (and I couldn't find those stats on the state site to compare), but the homeschoolers again scored a little better in reading and little worse in math (and in Alabama in the public schools, they say it's the reverse). These stats don't show that homeschooling is, in general, amazingly better than public school...but they don't show that it's amazingly worse either. It's about the same, on average, academically. I follow education news, and what is coming out recently about how reading is taught in a lot of public schools is not good. There are some very ineffective teaching ideas regarding reading that got really popular in schools of education, which means its now pretty popular in a lot of elementary schools now too (a method which doesn't work for 60% of kids). And sure, homeschoolers teach by bad reading methods too, sometimes. But they are also more likely to be sitting next to their child during the whole time they are learning to read, and are catching mistakes and pointing things out, and if their child struggles and doesn't learn to read eventually most homeschoolers will change their course and methods and usually seek out a curriculum if their child doesn't "just pick it up." But when you are teaching in the classroom and if the curriculum that you've been given by your school is the problem, your hands may be tied, or you may just trust that it's not the fault of the curriculum because "it's working for some students." And when an individual student is struggling, until that child gets an IEP and gets individualized help (which is actually harder to get if you're in a school full of other students struggling too), there's a lot that you may not catch about why they are struggling because you just have limited one on one time with them every day.

When I was in school, between 5th and 9th grade, I had to read three books where killing your pet was portrayed as a "coming of age" moment. THREE! (Where the Red Fern Grows, The Yearling, and a Day No Pigs Would Die). I will never do that to my children. I'm sure those books each have merit (and I do remember liking "Red Fern"), but it was just overkill...literally. I can see where in a farming culture that would be a "coming of age" moment for a lot of kids, or even for anyone who has pets and one day has to put them to sleep for merciful reasons. But still, one book like that is plenty.