Not hs-ing yet; Need advice preparing

[talk2ham.1]

DS1 is only 3 1/2 yrs old, so I'm in no real rush; but DH and I would like to begin building our library and begin collecting and evaluating curriculums in preparation for when we begin hs-ing him and his younger brothers. We have little $$ to work with at present and will have to just pick up little bits here and there as we can. So my goal is to first accumulate the books and materials that are MOST essential to the core curriculum during preschool-first grade years. (For example: book lists are great, but I need the best books on the lists highlighted in case we can't afford to buy all of them, KWIM? That way, I can build a basic library now and rely on the public library for the rest till we can add to it more.) I want whatever books and materials we do get to be durable, thorough, reuseable, and flexible so that I can use the materials for all of my children as they build the foundations of reading, writing, and arithmetic.

 

I realize this is a tall, idealistic order; so I'm really interested in advice.

 

Also, my son is very interested in letters, numbers, and "school" already. I don't want to push him, but I would like to take advantage of his interests now. Casually introducing a routine of daily learning would be great now when it isn't too important rather than smacking him with a regimented routine later on. So, I'm looking into pre-school materials already. There are tons of materials online and elsewhere for pre-schoolers, but I see little structure or scope and sequence to the materials. I just see modge podge learning objectives for this age. I really don't know what to start with and how to build on what he learns. At present, we read, teach Bible stories, memorize Scripture, sing, teach basic living skills, build, do puzzles and other manual coordination exercises, color . . . etc, but none of that really has rhyme or reason. It just happens as it happens. I guess that's not a big deal, but I like to be more organized for my own sake. How can I structure his learning better?

[Evergreen State Sue]

My first suggestion would be to read The Well Trained Mind book by Susan Wise Bauers.

 

If you have access to a library, I wouldn't worry about buying very many books at this stage. I think during the pre-school and first grade years the most important thing is to have fun, play games, and get them interested in learning and in reading.

 

I used Five in a Row at that age. I also used Sing, Spell, Read, Write to teach them to read. It worked for my kids, but other families have had success with other reading "programs" for much less money.

 

Based on my experience, I wouldn't buy too far ahead. I've spent money I shouldn't have on curriculum that was too advanced only to find when my kids reached that level it wasn't going to work for them or me or there was something better out there that was more current.

 

Pick a time during the day that works best for your son and you and just spend one-on-one time working on something. That can be as little as 15 minutes - however long his attention will last.

 

Again, read through Susan's book and you will get a feel for what might work for you.

[PollyOR]

I was also going to suggest Five in a Row as a good starting point. Our FIAR books have their own special shelf and my younger two still enjoy hearing them. BTW, they have a very supportive message board too.

[Pretty in Pink]

I think what you are currently doing with your child sounds great, but I understand your desire to start something now. Rest assured that it isn't necessary; if you decide to keep doing what you are currently doing, your child wins. That said, Five in a Row immediately came to mind when I was reading your post so I will go ahead and 'third' that suggestion. Check it out. There is a website with free lapbooking materials to correspond with that curriculum (it may be the message board the PP linked, I didn't check).

 

As far as buying ahead, I wouldn't do much of that just yet. Have you read The Well-Trained Mind yet? We really like Kingfisher and Usborne books, several of which are recommended in TWTM. If you already know that you love those then I suppose you could buy ahead for early elementary. I just don't know beyond that.

[EthiopianFood]

www.letteroftheweek.com

[....]

Definitely add WTM to your library.

 

We use Sonlight and I know there are preschool/K -age books on their site. I bought the 1000 Words book and my preschoolers are entranced with it when I get it out. :tongue_smilie:

[Mom0012]

I recommend Mary Pride's Big Book of Homeschooling. She has a section that lists all the different methods of homeschooling as well as all the various goals people have for homeschooling and then helps you line the two up. I really liked that.

 

Other than that and reading the WTM, of course, I would just spend a lot of time on the curriculum board reading what others have to say about different programs and you will begin to get a feel for what you might like to try. I've found out about most of the things I use with my kids here. Once I hear about something that seems interesting, I scour the website for that product, join any message boards associated with it and check out http://www.homeschoolreviews.com.

 

I would not go out and buy tons of stuff to use for years to come because you will very likely change your mind once you start working with your child and find that certain things work better than others.

 

Lisa

[The Girls' Mom]

I second not buying too much yet, they are still very young, and you have no idea yet what they'll need.

 

That said, some good things to purchase if you really have the itch:

 

Art and school supplies (notebooks, specialty papers, pencils, crayons, powdered tempera paint, etc.)

 

Maybe some Kindergarten things. The first math curriculum you'd like to try, a reading curriculum, etc.

 

You could also just tuck away what you would be spending into a savings account earmarked just for homeschool things. Might come in handy later.

 

(All this coming from someone who has curriculum for the next 4-5 years on hand...but my kids are much older and we are pretty much set on what we'll be using..lol)

[JudoMom]

I agree on reading The Well Trained Mind for book recommendations for the longer term. Instead of buying stuff now, though, I would suggest you open a school savings account and tuck the money away in there. That being said, I've used the Story of the World books since my oldest was in K/1st (we're starting our second go round with them now) and we've used Saxon math since the beginning (however math is a very personal choice, so I would recommend finding curriculum that you can teach and using it through all your kids--I've found if I can teach it, I can tweak it for my kids. I can't buy a different math program for each kid, KWIM?). I've used Phonics Pathways with all my boys as well.

 

You might enjoy What Your Preschooler Needs to Know with your son right now. I also use BrainQuest's PreK book with my ds4 (I started when he was 3). The LeapFrog Letter Factory video is wonderful for teaching letters and sounds, and I can't recommend it enough (the others in the series are great, too, but this is the best).

[Mom0012]

Yes, if you really want to buy something now, you could work on selecting a reading program and JudoMom's suggestion of the SOTW books is good too. I bought the audiobooks and my kids have listened to them over and again starting at about kindergarten age.

 

Lisa

[Chris in VA]

Don't rush into buying, as others have said. Some of my favorite books, which have come highly recommended by those in the know, have been total bombs here--you need to know your child as he grows in order to know what materials will work best, including what fiction to read.

 

That said, have you developed any goals for your homeschool? Do you have a method in mind? A philosophy, so to speak? This is a classical board, so of course the first rec's will be for you to read WTM--but there are other, equally valid ways of homeschooling, and it would be good for you to investigate that first.

 

As far as preschool skills, maybe you can give yourself a little structure by writing out a list of what you already have, and catagorizing it by skill. Some materials cover a multitude of skills (which is why they are so great!). You can teach almost everything with blocks, for example! But just seeing where you tend to buy would help you buy a balanced "set" of toys, games, manipulatives, and teaching aids.

Just think of the centers in a preschool and you'll have your catagories--

 

fine motor (things to sort, puff balls and tweezers, small brushes/q-tips for painting, pencils, crayons, markers, etc)

 

gross motor (trike, balls in several sizes, bean bags, music to skip/gallop/hop to, hula hoop, etc.)

 

math (again, things to sort by color, shape, size, weight, purpose; sequence cards; matching items--pictures and 3D objects; egg carton with numbers written in the bottom and buttons/marbles/tiny erasers/stickers to put in each cup, bingo games, etc.)

 

literacy (plenty of paper, writing utensils, signs for the blocks, books, etc.)

 

science (natural object found outside to set on a small nature table, sink and float items to explore in a bin, little things you can experiment with, a small cage pet if that floats your boat)

 

music (rhythm instruments--make your own or buy a set, CDs, etc)

 

art (you can use art to teach the other skills, of course--you'll need plenty of various kinds of paper, paints, markers, various sizes of brushes, things to collage, scissors that really work, old magazines to cut up, glue sticks and liquid glue, sculpting media--clay, playdough, model magic)

 

blocks/building (again, another catagory that teaches lots of skills--unit blocks, small figures to add, mats for grass/roads, signs, legos, contructs, etc.)

 

Dramatic play--happens on a small scale in blocks, can happen on a larger scale in a special area--or have the materials in a special area, anyway. Scarves, hats, shoes, swords (if that's your thing!) props, old appliances, etc.

 

Gather your materials, organize them in bins and shelves, an old dresser, baskets and boards and bricks--whatever works for you.

 

Then, every day, pick some things to do, with intentionality yet flexibility. I'm very visual, so I need to be able to see what we have. You may have a child who gets overwhelmed if too much is out--work with your personality and your child's needs. Have some things that can always be a choice, some independent things, and some things you do with your child. You can make a sheet for the week and just make sure you have balance--Tues, a little cooking project. Weds, sit in the blocks and see if ds can make towers, enclosures, more complicated structures. Thurs, collect something for the nature table and ask him to tell you about it while you write it down.

 

Preschool is easy. Realize that most of what you see in a preschool classroom is really just found in the home environment--you can learn to tie your shoes by using a tying board, or you can actually tie your shoes. You can learn to measure by using a bin of rice or by helping mom make dinner.

 

HTH

[PeterPan]

I'd save your money and instead create a list to use to hawk the sale/swap boards. Make it your religion to watch there every day, and I'm SURE you'll find everything you want, at prices you can afford. You need to get connected with homeschool groups and go to their annual sales. Our group has a sale where people are incredibly generous. And personally, I wouldn't buy ANY curriculum ahead, not a stitch. You have no clue what you'll like, what your dc's learning style is, what materials you'll click best with, etc. You could find yourself buying stuff now you hate later. Three years from now there will be new great stuff out you want to buy. Don't do it!! But what you need now, be frugal, buy used, use the free stuff available to you through the library, and save that money in an account for later. You'll need it later. You don't need it now. You could homeschool for those first couple years (K4, K5, 1st, maybe even 2nd) using just the library and things you have available to you for free. There WILL be books you want to buy, but you can't KNOW what those are till your dc start reading and expressing their interests, kwim? The best policy there is to use the library and only buy books they've read before and want to read again and again. Oh, and haunt used book sales with your library, etc. :)

[lllll]

There are a few things I would begin collecting at your stage.

 

- reference materials. Encyclopedias, unabridged dictionaries, thesaurus, Bible reference materials, maps and atlases, creature ID books, etc. I would get most of them as cheaply as possible from used bookstores (cheap and no shipping), the net, the library (their used book pile they have year round), thrift stores, yard sales, yearly library used book sales, etc. These are things you'd use as an adult anyway, and my kids always loved looking things up in them - even if I had to help them and read most of it to them. And older encyclopedias are fine, unless you really want a new set for some reason. I've found complete sets of encyclopedias on the floor of our library for $10 for the entire set!

 

- WTM book. There are 3 editions, btw. So many of the books I used to read about hs'ing, Raymond Moore's books for instance, are great for telling you what NOT to do; but not so great at telling you what TO do. WTM fills in that huge gap.

 

- classical music CD's. You can play these even now. You can also play foreign language things (check the library) now and accustom their little ears to those 'different' sounds so's it's not such a shock for them later when (if?) they begin a program. I think there are even programs esp. for dc your dc's ages??

 

 

There are definitely things you can do with your preschoolers, as other have pointed out. And, apparently, some kids even learn to read at this early age; although none of mine did. So I'd go ahead and get some kind of phonics program and get comfortable with it. Maybe even begin very, very slowly introducing it to any dc who seem interested in it.

 

There are SO many phonics programs out there, it might take you a while to figure them out and find one you like. Nothing wrong with starting that process now. Try to find a way to actually SEE and handle the programs. Talk to people who have used them, etc.

 

The same goes for math programs. I'd start familiarizing myself with the different programs, their setups, etc. Maybe find a hs curriculum bookfair and browse, ask questions, etc. It's the thinking process you want to begin. Learn how to evaluate curriculum on content vs being sucked in by the bells and whistles and scintilating reviews in hs catalogs. It'll save you a ton of money in the long run if you learn that skill early on.

 

And, of course, reading boards helps. I've learned about better curriculums from this particular board often.

 

HTH

Kathy

Edited January 18, 2010 by ksva

[PollyOR]

The LeapFrog Letter Factory video is wonderful for teaching letters and sounds, and I can't recommend it enough (the others in the series are great, too, but this is the best).

 

:iagree:

[talk2ham.1]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Your suggestions are all great! I have my work cut out for me, but you all have given me a great base for starting research. How do I find out about HS groups in my area to connect with them and get to look at some of the phonics curriculums they use or go to their sales to compare different phonics materials in person?

[JudoMom]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Your suggestions are all great! I have my work cut out for me, but you all have given me a great base for starting research. How do I find out about HS groups in my area to connect with them and get to look at some of the phonics curriculums they use or go to their sales to compare different phonics materials in person?

 

You might want to check your library as well. When I was decided for my oldest, I was able to check out different phonics books.

[Aubrey]

I remember when ds was this age--part of it was simply *excitement.* I'd wanted to hs for so long, & the last leg of the wait was the hardest, lol.

 

I'm a listmaker, & I've spent yrs making & remaking lists of hsing things. Nothing that I still have, nothing helpful, I just make lists. They calm me down a little. So twd the end of my last 2 pg's, I've gotten as many of the books as I could find from the recommendations in SOTW (although the ones in WTM would work, too). I request a mammoth pile of books from the library & sit on the sofa & read. Or skim. Beside me, I have a computer where I mark the titles. If I loathe the book & would never let my kids look at it, I note that. If it's one I want to own forever, I add it to a separate "to buy" list that's broken down into history cycles, so I can see how desperate I am to get it. Then there are the ones that I like enough to buy for cheap. That's another list.

 

Usually, by the time I get to 1/2 Price Books, I know good titles well enough that I don't need a list. I peruse the $1 clearance racks, or if I've got a coupon, extra time, whatever, I'll look at the other shelves, too.

 

Sometimes I compare prices online first--if it's a book I really want. All of this is really just a way to fill the time between now & full-scale hs'ing, but it also achieves the other 2 goals: familiarity w/ material & building a library.

 

GL!

[Guest mrs. logic]

DS1 is only 3 1/2 yrs old, so I'm in no real rush; but DH and I would like to begin building our library and begin collecting and evaluating curriculums in preparation for when we begin hs-ing him and his younger brothers. We have little $$ to work with at present and will have to just pick up little bits here and there as we can. So my goal is to first accumulate the books and materials that are MOST essential to the core curriculum during preschool-first grade years. (For example: book lists are great, but I need the best books on the lists highlighted in case we can't afford to buy all of them, KWIM? That way, I can build a basic library now and rely on the public library for the rest till we can add to it more.) I want whatever books and materials we do get to be durable, thorough, reuseable, and flexible so that I can use the materials for all of my children as they build the foundations of reading, writing, and arithmetic.

 

I realize this is a tall, idealistic order; so I'm really interested in advice.

 

Also, my son is very interested in letters, numbers, and "school" already. I don't want to push him, but I would like to take advantage of his interests now. Casually introducing a routine of daily learning would be great now when it isn't too important rather than smacking him with a regimented routine later on. So, I'm looking into pre-school materials already. There are tons of materials online and elsewhere for pre-schoolers, but I see little structure or scope and sequence to the materials. I just see modge podge learning objectives for this age. I really don't know what to start with and how to build on what he learns. At present, we read, teach Bible stories, memorize Scripture, sing, teach basic living skills, build, do puzzles and other manual coordination exercises, color . . . etc, but none of that really has rhyme or reason. It just happens as it happens. I guess that's not a big deal, but I like to be more organized for my own sake. How can I structure his learning better?

Welcome!

Your post brings back memories for me.

Our journey to home education began back in 1999, while expecting Miss Logic I read the first edition of "The Well Trained Mind" by Jessie Wise/Susan Wise Bauer.

After Miss Logic was born I read Glenn Doman's "How to Teach Your Baby to Read." Next I read Gladys Hunt's "Honey for a Child's Heart." Then "Slow and Steady Get Me Ready" by June R. Oberlander.

When Miss Logic was 1 year old I began using the concepts in "How to Teach Your Baby to Read" and from there progressed to phonics then on to Dr. Seuss readers. Math consisted of playing with games from the book "Math Play." To develop the skills for writing I introduced her to art/craft supplies and mazes. One thing I quickly learned was my library card was priceless. If you have access to a good public library by all means utilize it! :D

During the preschool years I utilized two curriculums www.letteroftheweek.com and Little Saints Preschool available from www.emmanuelbooks.com

During Grades K and 1 we utilized Sonlight for a year and a half. By the end of Week 18 of Core 1 we knew Sonlight was not the right curriculum for Miss Logic. In the end we shelved Sonlight and went back to the principles Jessie Wise outlines in the "WTM" along with principles Karen Andreola outlines in "A Charlotte Mason Companion."

This year we are entering our 10th year of home education and LOVING it!

Interestingly enough I am presently reading the third edition of the "WTM."

Blessings to you as you home educate your children!

:D

[lllll]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Your suggestions are all great! I have my work cut out for me, but you all have given me a great base for starting research. How do I find out about HS groups in my area to connect with them and get to look at some of the phonics curriculums they use or go to their sales to compare different phonics materials in person?

 

Here's a link to get you started. Hopefully, others will chime in. http://localhs.com/

 

Also, you can probably google for any conventions in your state and adjacent states. They usually have big curriculum fairs which you can attend even if you don't go to the rest of it. Best to check, though. I'm not as up-to-date as others here.

 

Using the library like JudoMom said is another option. I used to get things Interlibrary Loan so I could look at them before ordering them.

 

Our local hs group has it's own library of curr and books which can be checked out. Maybe yours does too??

 

btw, you can join hs groups now and meet other hs'ers at places like Park Days (or whatever they offer) to ask about things. You could even ask them to bring curr so you can look at it and ask them questions at the same time. And our local group has their own book sale once a year, too.

 

Don't worry. You'll quickly be overwhelmed with resources ... :) ;)

[EthiopianFood]

I'm a listmaker, & I've spent yrs making & remaking lists of hsing things. Nothing that I still have, nothing helpful, I just make lists. They calm me down a little. So twd the end of my last 2 pg's, I've gotten as many of the books as I could find from the recommendations in SOTW (although the ones in WTM would work, too). I request a mammoth pile of books from the library & sit on the sofa & read. Or skim. Beside me, I have a computer where I mark the titles. If I loathe the book & would never let my kids look at it, I note that. If it's one I want to own forever, I add it to a separate "to buy" list that's broken down into history cycles, so I can see how desperate I am to get it. Then there are the ones that I like enough to buy for cheap. That's another list.

 

You sound exactly like me. How closely did you stick to your original plan? I've had so many people tell me my list is worthless because I will completely change my mind about everything anyway. People change their mind between the beginning of the SCHOOL YEAR and the end, so I'm not concerned about this. ;) Just curious though.

[ElizabethB]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Your suggestions are all great! I have my work cut out for me, but you all have given me a great base for starting research. How do I find out about HS groups in my area to connect with them and get to look at some of the phonics curriculums they use or go to their sales to compare different phonics materials in person?

 

Most are linked here, for example, here is California's list for the LA area, all the other states are there as well, click on the first letter of the state's name, then the state, then support groups:

 

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/CaliforniaSouthland.htm

 

You can also look through the Parents Forum networking board here to find people in your state.

 

I've been tutoring with phonics since 1994 and my favorite programs are actually free online, Webster's Speller is my favorite (linked below), but online for free I also like Blend Phonics, Word Mastery, and the Pollard series of readers and spellers. I work from a white board instead of a book with my young students and also many of my older students, it holds their interest better and also reinforces the L to R direction of reading and spelling. Also, I was surprised to find with my daughter how motivational being allowed to pick out your own color of marker is! (This really doesn't work for the older crowd, however.)

 

Blend Phonics and Word Mastery are free from Don Potter.

 

The Pollard Books are also free online, they are linked from my Phonics and Spelling book page. I also highly recommend getting a copy of "The ABCs and All Their Tricks." It is an invaluable reference tool for teaching phonics and spelling, it is based on a study of the most common 17,000 words in English.

 

The book that I use the most with my students besides Webster's Speller and Blend Phonics is Phonics Pathways. It includes some spelling rules and teaches phonics to a high level. I've never used it, but a lot of friends and people here like The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading (OPG). It, like Phonics Pathways (PP), teaches to a high level. It includes more detailed instructions (although most people find the instructions in PP adequate, there is more detail in OPG.) The pages are also a bit more cluttered than PP, but, as I said before, I think that you should teach a beginning student from a white board, not a book, so that shouldn't matter much.

 

I have a guide to how to teach a beginning student to read on my website that you might find helpful.

 

I like Webster's Speller so much because it teaches to such a high level, a student who completes the speller should be able to read material at the 12th grade level. It's been a very powerful method with both my beginning and remedial students.

[Aubrey]

You sound exactly like me. How closely did you stick to your original plan? I've had so many people tell me my list is worthless because I will completely change my mind about everything anyway. People change their mind between the beginning of the SCHOOL YEAR and the end, so I'm not concerned about this. ;) Just curious though.

 

Don't think of it as a plan that you will follow necessarily. *Making* the lists & plans is the equivalent of studying. It's a way to get you familiar w/ material you *will* be using.

 

My original plan was to follow WTM to a T. Within the first 6mos, I found that Saxon wasn't working for us, but I believe I still benefit from knowning what Saxon is & what it does.

 

I had the 1st ed of WTM, before SOTW was pub'd. It was hard to follow that plan, & so I have 1st-hand experience w/ why SOTW was pub'd & why I love it, lol. But that also means I've got a broader range of resources for history & science, since I bought those 1st recommendations before some of them were out of print. I'm really glad for that, because the science in particular was awesome.

 

Familiarity w/ the method I prefer--WTM--helps me to make other curric choices now. Having made so many lit lists means I get really good deals on the clearance shelves at the bookstore w/out having to take a list. (It also means I often accidentally end up w/ duplicates!)

 

Familiarity w/ this method combined w/ experience helps me to know what I like & dislike about other methods, too, which ultimately can save time & $. Much as I love the *idea* of Sonlight, for ex, I know that a full implementation of that prog wouldn't work for us. I *know* I love what I'm doing, & on the bad days? That's helpful info for dh to say back to me, lol.

 

I haven't used all the info I learned in college. I haven't used all the research or all the info even from the papers I've written, but the info is there to draw on. Think of the lists & planning that you do now as your hs education. It will be ongoing, but starting now? I think it gives you more confidence once you get going. And I speak from experience, lol--I've been making those lists since I was 4 & my mom got scared out of hs'ing me. I thought I'd have to create a curric myself because I'd never seen anything like WTM. I was so relieved to find that someone else had done it! :lol: And just in time, too. That 1st ed came out in '99, & I was sitting in the library trying to figure out what to do about the baby I was expecting by the summer of 2000.

[Guest janainaz]

My first suggestion would be to read The Well Trained Mind book by Susan Wise Bauers.

 

If you have access to a library, I wouldn't worry about buying very many books at this stage. I think during the pre-school and first grade years the most important thing is to have fun, play games, and get them interested in learning and in reading.

 

I used Five in a Row at that age. I also used Sing, Spell, Read, Write to teach them to read. It worked for my kids, but other families have had success with other reading "programs" for much less money.

 

Based on my experience, I wouldn't buy too far ahead. I've spent money I shouldn't have on curriculum that was too advanced only to find when my kids reached that level it wasn't going to work for them or me or there was something better out there that was more current.

 

Pick a time during the day that works best for your son and you and just spend one-on-one time working on something. That can be as little as 15 minutes - however long his attention will last.

 

Again, read through Susan's book and you will get a feel for what might work for you.

 

I agree.

[EthiopianFood]

Don't think of it as a plan that you will follow necessarily. *Making* the lists & plans is the equivalent of studying. It's a way to get you familiar w/ material you *will* be using.

 

My original plan was to follow WTM to a T. Within the first 6mos, I found that Saxon wasn't working for us, but I believe I still benefit from knowning what Saxon is & what it does.

 

I had the 1st ed of WTM, before SOTW was pub'd. It was hard to follow that plan, & so I have 1st-hand experience w/ why SOTW was pub'd & why I love it, lol. But that also means I've got a broader range of resources for history & science, since I bought those 1st recommendations before some of them were out of print. I'm really glad for that, because the science in particular was awesome.

 

Familiarity w/ the method I prefer--WTM--helps me to make other curric choices now. Having made so many lit lists means I get really good deals on the clearance shelves at the bookstore w/out having to take a list. (It also means I often accidentally end up w/ duplicates!)

 

Familiarity w/ this method combined w/ experience helps me to know what I like & dislike about other methods, too, which ultimately can save time & $. Much as I love the *idea* of Sonlight, for ex, I know that a full implementation of that prog wouldn't work for us. I *know* I love what I'm doing, & on the bad days? That's helpful info for dh to say back to me, lol.

 

I haven't used all the info I learned in college. I haven't used all the research or all the info even from the papers I've written, but the info is there to draw on. Think of the lists & planning that you do now as your hs education. It will be ongoing, but starting now? I think it gives you more confidence once you get going. And I speak from experience, lol--I've been making those lists since I was 4 & my mom got scared out of hs'ing me. I thought I'd have to create a curric myself because I'd never seen anything like WTM. I was so relieved to find that someone else had done it! :lol: And just in time, too. That 1st ed came out in '99, & I was sitting in the library trying to figure out what to do about the baby I was expecting by the summer of 2000.

 

So you did use the main parts of what you had planned, i.e. WTM! This is encouraging. And I ALREADY really agree with what you said regarding me being at an advantage since I started planning and learning early. I feel so badly for people who have to figure out all this stuff now because they need to USE it now! :( How incredibly overwhelming. Come to think of it, I think I'm going to point that out to the next person who belittles me for planning now. :glare: Thanks for your ideas.

Edited January 21, 2010 by RaeAnne

[Jayne J]

I really have nothing new or original to add, but want to reinforce some of the great advice you've gotten. To wit:

Research methods now. Read everything you can on homeschooling from every (sympathetic) source you can find. You will find some things just speak to you, in terms of methods and goals. Read about classsical, Charlotte Mason, unschooling, Principle Approach, Robinson Method, anything and everything.

Also, make lists. (Right on Aubrey!) List and list and list--get familiar with names and titles and curricula. You will find that despite the wide variety of materials out there, there are some that you hear about again and again, from different sources. Same with literature lists. Some things are just classic and timeless. If it is something you'd want to read to your child even if you weren't homeschooling, it is probably a good buy. With time, these things will begin to fall into place. Literature is also highly personal--what one one child loves another despises; keep in mind your child and his personality as much as possible.

Finally, keep your eyes out for classic books at used book stores, thrift stores and yardsales. Used Curricula sales are good too, but prices are generally lower at the Goodwill and yardsales. Having spent so much time reading about things will help you to recognize them when you see them. BTW--I have a personal rule of spending less on items for years ahead, and more on things I'll use now or next year. I can't really be sure where we will be, so that "inexpensive" 6th grade book might never be used at all--I will only invest in it if it is dirt cheap and re-saleable.

Welcome!! If nothing else, you no have a new hobby!:D