Ack! I can't decide! (Warning: a wee bit lengthy)

[Kate989]

Well, I've finally registered after lurking around these forums for months. I really need some advice from you all, as I simply cannot decide what curriculum path would be best for us. Here's the background, and please forgive the length (sorry!):

 

My son is 7 and in first grade at the local public school. He's a sweet, sensitive, imaginative boy. He enjoys his friends, his excellent teacher, and the day he spends in the gifted program. He "hates" school. There are several reasons for this. First, he's one of those "twice-gifted" kids, incredibly bright and creative, but with some sensory and fine-motor challenges that are hard for outsiders to notice but which cause him lots of anxiety in class because he has a hard time doing all the busywork. According to educational testing, his math abilities are well above average, but he struggles in math at school, in part because he's a contextual learner and cannot memorize the math facts to save his life. At the same time, his reading/science/verbal skills are far above grade level and he's not learning much.

 

So. I'm leaning heavily toward taking him out next year. I'll be home with the baby anyway, right? (Dd1 will be going to public kindergarten, which is a whole other decision.) He can decompress, stop thinking that school is a bad word, learn at his own accelerated level in most areas, and we can try to fix the math problems before we end up with a train wreck there.

 

But I'm stuck on what to do about curriculum. Math is the easiest, as Math U See seems a good match. We'll start back at the Alpha level, and hopefully move pretty quickly through the basics while covering any conceptual gaps he's missed. Any other programs you think I should look at?

 

I have the Rosetta Stone Spanish program, so we'll do that. There's a homeschool swim team at a local swim center, and he's in a boy choir and gymnastics lessons, so we've got extracurriculars covered. Fridays he'd spend doing enrichment classes with other homeschool kids at a local church.

 

But then what? Part of me wants to do a unit study - probaby Learning Adventures or Moving Beyond the Page - because that's just how his mind works. MBTP is reputed to be fairly low-key, which would make it easy for us to supplement with whatever he's into at the time. I could buy just one unit of MBTP, and thus only commit for a couple of months.

 

On the other hand, I don't know if I'd get annoyed by having everything tied to one author's perspective. So then I lean toward a la carte, preferably secular: Maybe Elements of Science, some kind of grammar (but which one?), SOTW, and perhaps a guided reading of the Narnia series, in addition to lots of other literature.

 

I would appreciate any and all recommendations/comments from people who know what they're doing! I know I need a structured program to keep myself on track. We need a concept-based math program, on at about 2nd grade level, but everything else should be pretty far accelerated - but if I skip ahead several grades to match his abilities, will we miss out on important material?

 

I can do this, right?! :001_huh:

[Guest Cindie2dds]

You can do it! :D

 

I'm not sure if you have read the TWTM, but it really gave me the confidence to know I can do this! The TWTM gives you a great overview of home schooling in general and plenty of detail to help you decide. I would spend the next month just reading her book and familiarizing yourself with what you think he would really enjoy.

 

Of course, there are some amazing people here who will hop in to help.

 

Enjoy!

Edited April 22, 2010 by Cindie2dds

[fairytalemama]

bump

[Create Your Ritual]

Hi, I have a 7 year old and a 9 year old that I am keeping home for the first time this year as well. I too have been searching endlessly for curriculums. In my case there are a couple of things that I am intending to put together for them. Science & History. Because my daughter is moving into the 4th grade, I decided that I would study US History with both of them. So I am looking at Winter Promise for that. There is one All American 1 set that works with them both. Although, if I was choosing only for my 7 year old it would be the American Story 1 package. They have plenty of other packages though. I also have a 2 year old and need something that has both hands on activities as well as literature and is well laid out, and this is one of the best I have found. Depending of if you want to focus on the 4 year rotation that is suggested in WTM, then you would rotate through the 4 main focuses.. ancient, med, early mod, etc. ..

 

I also liked History Odyssey, but didn't think it had enough hands on to keep my kids content. Although I may very well bring in SOTW vol 3 along with Joy Hakim's "Story of US" Volume Set. That way I know my 4th grader is also getting plenty of literature at her level.

 

The math we have decided to go with Math-U-See also.. but supplement with Singapore Math because I liked their word problems and it allowed them to focus a little bit in all areas (like standard public school).. only I feel like singapore does a better job.. then have Math-U-See to really inforce one idea to the fullest. Like Gamma for multiplication facts.

 

I also saw that Winters Promise had a Language Arts program that was the 7 year olds level and geared towards the US History curriculum they were already doing which included Explode the Code in it.

 

I have been looking at Building Foundations of Scientific Understanding as a good science spine to have.. then branch off with GEMS units and possibity REAL Science Odyssey Life .. Earth.. etc when we get to those sections in the BFSU. I want them to have a well rounded science background, and thought BFSU did a good job, but might require me to slow down a bit through the lessons and branch off to do more hands on work in each section for them to really get each unit.

 

If you like SOTW.. homeschooljourney.com also offers a junior portfolio that looks nice for integrating that book as well as a lot of notebooking. Truthfully though I am really liking Winters Promise for the mixture of both.

 

I would love to hear what you have come up with for your 7 year old. As I haven't finalized anything and it's becoming sort of like the toothpaste aisle.. TOO MANY CHOICES. lol

[PeterPan]

Wow, looks like this got buried and only got a few responses! Here's a bump to get you going again. :)

 

On the K5er, I'm not sure you need to feel compelled to send her away to school. Anything fun you do with your 7 yo the 5 yo will enjoy too. So basically the 5 yo is going to take about 40 min. of your day for formal schoolwork (learning to read, a math lesson) and everything else is tagging along with the fun stuff your 7 yo does.

 

Now about this 7 yo. Hate to even mention this, but have you considered dyslexia? Whatever it is, don't think those math fact issues are going away just because you work on them, groan. Some kids do have them stick by making a concerted effort to work on them. Some kids have them stick by using something like Times Tales. And some kids have the slow gradual path (mine). You can even look at the fact recall sets at http://www.littlegiantsteps.com It's a bit late for my dd, but they sound like something that would have been helpful to us, had we known about them earlier. In our case, we've tried coming at them from a lot of angles (more work, flashmaster, drill, understand, oral practice, games, blah blah). Finally I just gave her the math tables in sheet protectors and told her to use them. She's a visual learner, and it's working.

 

So that may or may not make sense to you, but I'm saying we were at that age where you are, and it wasn't something that just went away or was curable. It's a difference in how their brains store and access stuff. In fact, not to make you nervous, but I'm actually going through and changing how we do EVERYTHING. I'm realizing my whole paradigm was off. I knew she had differences (terribly bright, very different), but I didn't GET it, not till I started reading about the dyslexia. I had people telling me to stop doing hands-on, that she should just do that on her own time and I should focus on her book work, when she CRAVES them, lives for them. I knew she both hated the act of writing (finds it painful), but I didn't understand how tiring the intellectual part of it is for her, the act of collecting her thoughts, a sort of catching of flies. I knew her handwriting was bad and sprawled, but until this year I didn't get that no amount of "try harder" commands were going to get us over it. (I thought I was a bad teacher or just needed to find the perfect curriculum!)

 

If that sounds anything like your kid, I'd encourage you to think WAY more out of the box than you imagine necessary--because it IS necessary. My dd is terribly artistic (sculpting, decorating, creating, sewing), and I wish I had understood I could loosen up, do those things, and stop trying to connect skills (the things my dc finds hard) to what she loves (history, art, science, etc.). And I wish on skills I had freed myself to be more varied or creative in approach and not just plowed along doggedly with narrate, retell, edit, summarize, drone, blah. It takes a long time before you realize WHAT you're trying to accomplish and that you have OPTIONS on how to get there. Free yourself a bit sooner than I did. Find what he craves and give him more of it. Find what he struggles with and find the least painful, most interesting way of getting there, even if it's out of the box or doesn't fit what WTM says. They won't fall apart. There are more roads to get to Rome in homeschooling, and I didn't understand that when I started.

 

And no, just bringing him home and doing the standard homeschooling approaches WON'T make him like homeschooling. He might not even need to decompress. If he's like my dd, what he wants is to be freed of bookwork and to DO. Bright kids go CRAZY if you leave them off. You HAVE to stimulate them and give them access to things or feeding, or they turn into discipline problems. I liken it to the poodles and bright dogs who act up on those dog training shows on Animal Planet. No amount of wonderfully chosen curriculum would make my dd open up. Do a quick search around here for "my child hates school" threads. I guarantee you there are certain kids who, if you throw book work at them, are GOING to hate it or only tolerate it, just because it doesn't fit them. The facts are too isolated, with no context. The methods aren't working with their strong drive to do things hands-on. But you tell the same kid to build a room-size map and label it with everything you're study, and they'll go crazy. Give that same kid a science experiment book like WonderScience or other books from the AACS and they're a-gog. If you reproduce the same approach as the school used, just with homeschool books, you'll get the same results (hating school), guarantee you.

Edited May 2, 2010 by OhElizabeth

[kalanamak]

First, he's one of those "twice-gifted" kids, incredibly bright and creative, but with some sensory and fine-motor challenges that are hard for outsiders to notice but which cause him lots of anxiety in class because he has a hard time doing all the busywork.

 

I can do this, right?! :001_huh:

 

Yes.

1) consider the gifted board here

2) if he is having trouble with fine motor, does he have the spatial memory to use the computer to type? I do this with my son when he asks, as a change of pace. He "hunts and pecks" fairly quickly. Also, moving to smaller print made my son's handwriting better. I was amazed. My son fusses over making his writing very neat, so we do a some things verbally, to save our tempers.

3) We are doing well with SM, for a boy who is mathy but is slow in memorizing facts and who prefers to do things in his head (if he has to write out the problem, he erases it all so the world doesn't know he needed paper:).). I think the various ways of solving problems is GREAT. Kiddo picked a favorite early on, but if I double back, then he enjoys the challenge of getting the other methods down pat. When we are done with 2B (by June), I'm going to spend the next two months doing MEP (I like the short problem-types...you do six problems and you move onto another kind of question), day to day skills, predictions, estimation, card games to improve memory and understand logic, and measuring before starting 3A in August.

 

I don't have a gifted kid, and don't know where else to point you, but thought I'd give my 2.75cents worth and a bump. You can do it, and it can be very exciting!

[LisaC]

My friend's ds has what sounds like the same processing issues as your ds. He is imaginative, creative, and goes into complete sensory overload sometimes. She uses Horizon math because the pages are organized in color-coded sections which helps her ds focus on one part at a time without being overwhelmed. You may want to take a look at it. I also agree with the moms who suggest reading TWTM, if you haven't. It is a great read for helping you come to a philosophy of why and how you choose to educate your sweet children, and it is a desk reference that you may use regularly throughout your dc's education. I use it for book recommendations, curriculum resources, and countless other things. Finally, let me say you CAN do this :) I taught school for eight years, and I have learned more about teaching since I started educating my own children than I learned in all my years in public and private school. I have also been blown away by the wisdom and the wealth of knowledge available from the moms on this site! I only say that to encourage you that no teacher knows your children better than you, and you have inside you and through numerous resources all that you need to provide your children with an excellent education. Once you get your first year under your belt, you will be amazed at yourself :)

Edited May 2, 2010 by LisaC

[Barb_]

Read The Well Trained Mind. Then pick one thing that he likes the best and start it this summer to get your feet wet. It will be easier to convince yourself that you can do this in the fall if you already have some success behind you.

 

Barb

[Jen+4dc]

You can do it! :D

 

I'm not sure if you have read the TWTM, but it really gave me the confidence to know I can do this! The TWTM gives you a great overview of home schooling in general and plenty of detail to help you decide. I would spend the next month just reading her book and familiarizing yourself with what you think he would really enjoy.

 

Of course, there are some amazing people here who will hop in to help.

 

Enjoy!

 

On the K5er, I'm not sure you need to feel compelled to send her away to school. Anything fun you do with your 7 yo the 5 yo will enjoy too. So basically the 5 yo is going to take about 40 min. of your day for formal schoolwork (learning to read, a math lesson) and everything else is tagging along with the fun stuff your 7 yo does.

.

 

Decide what your goals are and write them out. Then, plan how to get there. Ask lots of questions. Admit when you've screwed up and change it. Remember you own the curriculum not the other way around. Ds will need time to compress. Lots of people pulling kids out of ps work into it slowly, one or two subjects a day for a week or two then add in more.

 

I've walked the line of having one in ps and one at home, it was hard. And I mean HARD. If you think there's anyway to bring both dc home, do it! It will allow you to be boss of your own life, your own schedule, etc. It will let you decide when enough is enough for the day and when more needs to be done. It will also eliminate jealousy issues (how come brother never has to do homework?? Because he does it all while you're at school.):tongue_smilie:

 

Just my 2 cents! Good luck, homeschooling is a great lifestyle!

[babysparkler]

I've walked the line of having one in ps and one at home, it was hard. And I mean HARD. If you think there's anyway to bring both dc home, do it! It will allow you to be boss of your own life, your own schedule, etc. It will let you decide when enough is enough for the day and when more needs to be done. It will also eliminate jealousy issues (how come brother never has to do homework?? Because he does it all while you're at school.):tongue_smilie:

 

Just my 2 cents! Good luck, homeschooling is a great lifestyle!

 

So have I and I strongly agree... it is MUCH better for us now that everyone is on the same schedule and I am the boss of it:D.

[5LittleMonkeys]

According to educational testing, his math abilities are well above average, but he struggles in math at school, in part because he's a contextual learner and cannot memorize the math facts to save his life.

 

My 11yr.old is like this. She HATES math. She was failing math in 4th grade so I brought her and her siblings home (for other reasons as well). When I sat down with her to go over math concepts I realized that she knows math, can do math, can explain math to her younger siblings but she can't retain math FACTS. It's something we continue to work on but I don't stress over it. I give her a calculator for long division and she does her work just fine. She's NEVER going to be a mathy person, will never go into a field of study in college that requires upper level math, will never choose a career path in which she will need lots of math. Did I mention she HATES math?

 

At the same time, his reading/science/verbal skills are far above grade level and he's not learning much.

 

Could it be that he is learning lots but just not able to relay that information in the written way that the school needs in order to GRADE him? I don't assign grades in grammar school for this very reason. So much of what my dc learn can't be graded. They do so much hands on learning and reading literature and living books...how do you assign a grade to that?

 

I think you have gotten some good advice so far. I am fairly new to hs'ing myself so am not an expert on curriculum. I do use MUS with all of my dc and I really like it. It works well with many different styles of learning. Even my dc that hates math works through her lessons with no problem. It is very thorough in cementing concepts. For science we are going to be using Apologia Elementary (Anatomy and Botany) next year with lots of additional books. We are switching from SOTW to History Odyssey for next year because I really like the book selections and the work required will be a better fit for my 2nd grader. However, SOTW would be great for a dc who prefers read alouds, reading, narration, and hands on activities. I am using WWE and FLL for my 2nd grader in addition to the year 1 and 2 book selections from Ambleside online.

 

You could go to this site http://cathyduffyreviews.com/ and this site http://www.homeschoolreviews.com/reviews/default.aspx to see reviews of lots of different curriculums. Good luck to you in finding something that fits for you and your dc and welcome to the forum.