Help...new and just starting out!

[Guest hsmom332]

I have no clue where to start! I am looking for curriculum to start homeschooling! I was looking into abeka, but after reading some of the posts im now now sure what to do! Do you recommend buying kits or a little bit of this and that? Im just not sure what I need and where to begin! I have a 1st and 2nd grader that this will be their first year homeschooling. Thanks so much for any input!

[Mrs Mungo]

Maybe this is obvious, but have you read The Well-Trained Mind? :001_smile:

[Pata]

:iagree: Reading TWTM will give you some great ideas. That said, there's nothing wrong with going with box curriculum for your first year until you figure out what fits your children's learning styles and your teaching style. ABeka, BJU, Sonlight, Winter's Promise are examples of those.

[Mom22ns]

In addition to TWTM, I really suggest Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks in Homeschool Curriculum. This will help you define what style of school you want, what type of teaching style you have and what learning styles your children have. Equipped with that information you can make much better decisions about curriculum. There are many great choices. You need to figure out what you want and what will work for you. I can tell you what works for me, but that may not match what you need at all!

[In2why]

Read as many different home school books as you can so you can get an idea of the type of education you want to provide. There are as many different ideas as to what to teach as there are homeschoolers.

I could tell you what I think you should teach but then you are just replacing public school with "Stacy School".

But there are many in a box programs out there. I see Oak Meadows, K-12 and a few others mentioned. There is also Sonlight which if I were going in that direction I would probably use. If you need to do something right now to decide, concentrate on Math and Reading. Even if you only do those to for a bit until you get the rest figured you will be fine, plus that gives you the process to figure out what works and what doesn't for your family.

Oh and a really great place to begin finding out what is available is using the search function and looking up threads like "what are you doing for first grade" and so on.

Good luck

[IrresistibleGrace]

I agree with all the previous posters.

 

I used Abeka K5 program for my dd last year and I only liked it so-so. I was introduced to The Well Trained Mind and am doing things completely different this year. I LOVE the books I have gotten so far and can't wait to get started.

 

Read as much as you can about teaching styles, learning styles, curriculum choices - you will find what feels right for you. And don't feel bad about using a 'box set' this first year, it worked well for us.

[KrissiK]

Don't be afraid to go with a boxed curriculum at first if you want. It's an easy way to get started and get your feet wet. Definitely read TWTM, stay on the boards and as you gain experience you'll see the direction you want to go. There's nothing wrong with A Beka, esp. in the early years. I used the kits for K4 & K5 and my boys are strong readers and have a very good foundation in math. And it's easy to use.

[Mommy to monkeys]

I'll be homeschooling the same ages as you. . .a 2nd and a 1rst grader. . .with two littles along for the ride.

 

For your first year, and with such young kiddos, you can keep it simple. For example, do your 3r's with a "box curriculum" publisher like CLE, Abeka, BJU, or Rod and Staff, and then just keep the rest relaxed with library books or whatever interests ur kiddos.

[Ellie]

I rarely recommend buying a box of books from a single publisher for dc as young as yours. Especially not a box of ABeka books.

 

You need something for literacy (reading, spelling age-appropriate writing, etc.), something for arithmetic, and some history and stuff thrown in for good measure.

 

Oh, and have you checked into the laws in your state? You'll probably think it silly of me to ask, but I can assure you that I have talked with people to whom it had not occurred that there might be a law they were supposed to follow. So I'm just askin'. :-)

[Guest hsmom332]

Thanks for all of your input! There are no laws where I live other than they be taught in english :)

[....]

I had a 1st and 2nd grader last year and this is what I did: (just so you can see an example, you'll end up doing your own thing)

 

Sonlight Core 1 Read-Alouds (fiction you read to the kids)

Sonlight Core 1 History (example: The Greek News)

Apologia's Flying Creatures and Swimming Creatures

 

2nd Gr: Sonlight Core 2 Intermediate Readers, CLE LA 200, BJU Spelling 2, Handwiting without Tears Cursive, Map Skills 2, Grammar Island, Music of the Hemispheres, WWE 2, Singapore Math 1b, 2a, 2b

 

1st Gr: CLE Reading 1, CLE LA 100, BJU Spelling 1, Handwriting without Tears Printing Power, Map Skills 1, Hooked on Phonics 1st gr, WWE 1, Horizons Math 1

 

 

It was a good year. We did lots of trips, lapbooks, painting, etc. My kids jumped several levels in reading and math. My son also gained a ton of confidence in academics.

 

Good luck! :D

[1GirlTwinBoys]

I have children going in the same grades you do. I would definitely just focus on the 3 R's and keep it simple. Are your children reading well? If so, maybe you could put them in a spelling program togehter. All of mine are, so that is what I'm doing this upcoming year and using All About Spelling. :)

 

Bob Jones has individual online courses if you felt more comfortable doing that your first year. We're doing that for math and it looks great.

[carolinagirl]

Box curriculum can be a lot of help initially, but it really depends on your children. Are they all at 'grade' level in the core subjects? If the answer is no, buying a grade kit could cause trouble.

 

The recommendation on Cathy Duffy's book is a great one. You can get a lot of information on learning styles and curriculums that fit each learning style.

 

I've used so many programs over the years and the one thing I have found is that what works great with one child won't necessarily fit the next child. I've learned that one child can learn great with the mastery approach in math whereas the other needs the spiral approach for retention.

 

I will say my favorite programs for the elementary years were 'boxed' curriculums. I love Calvert's first grade. My son and I had such a good time with it. We've also really enjoyed Bob Jones University elementary programs. My son in particular has loved BJU science the most of any we've tried.

 

We haven't used a lot of programs in the early grades that others here have used because I only had one 'little' one when we started HS. The others were 4, 5th and 6th grade and we used Calvert our first year. Was great for youngest but the older three weren't on grade level in all subjects and it was not a good fit. After that we pieced things together for the older kids and made adjustments.

[Disney Dreaming]

I started hs last year with my then 1st grade daughter. I used A Beka, some WTM, and Sonlight. I didn't like SL, and WTM was ok but I wanted something I didn't have to put together. I liked A Beka, escpecially their phonics program, but I am using BJU this year and LOVE it so far. I recommend a "boxed" program the first year just to get your feet wet and if you don't like it try something else next year.

[TN Mama]

I have no clue where to start! I am looking for curriculum to start homeschooling! I was looking into abeka, but after reading some of the posts im now now sure what to do! Do you recommend buying kits or a little bit of this and that? Im just not sure what I need and where to begin! I have a 1st and 2nd grader that this will be their first year homeschooling. Thanks so much for any input!

 

Our first year I purchased some boxed (Math, LA, and Reading) and did History & Science the WTM way. I've heard people say they don't want to pull everything together, especially in the beginning, but fortunately so many here have already blazed that trail. There are so many wonderful resources here, and he "Search" option has been a huge help to me in finding just what I need. Good luck finding what works best for you & your family.

[LisaKinVA]

As you start to figure out what you want to use... I have to urge some caution.

 

Reading through the different types of homeschool, there was one I thought was ideal. However, my "ideal" is no match for my personality. :tongue_smilie:

 

I am not good at read alouds. Reading aloud of any sort puts me right to sleep (which is fine, if your littles fall asleep too), not so great if the curriculum depends upon me reading, and reading, and reading for hours on end.

 

Also, I *need* a measurable and defined beginning and end. It's easy (and encouraged) to go off on rabbit trails, but I would become very, very frustrated if we didn't seem to accomplish what I thought was necessary in my head.

 

Some people will tell you to "just let it go," and "not worry." But, that doesn't work for me. It takes me a loooong time to "let" certain things go. 40 years of personality doesn't get wished away.

 

The first rules I issue are: know thyself, and learn about your child. If you ignore either one of these you will have lots of tears (for you and/or your child).

 

I love Abeka for phonics and early math. My children loved the Abeka workbooks (until about grade 2, when they start really becoming drill and kill, lots of repetition...mind-numbing math). If you have a child that needs more repetition, great -- if you don't you'll want to look elsewhere. If you have time for something more "hands-on" Math-U-See and Right Start are both good options. If your child wants to "do it on their own" and is reading well, a workbook like Abeka is awesome. Teaching Textbooks might also suit you - especially if you have a child who "gets" math, but is young and all of the required writing of problem after problem is a bad fit.

 

Abeka is very "open and go." Does not require hours of read-alouds, and is easy to implement (it's easy for me to modify...but that's ME).

 

My younger two (school age), we switched from Abeka grammar to First Language Lessons. I LOVED this more than Abeka for grammar, although we still used Abeka for spelling. My kids still know the chants, and learned so much it's incredible!

 

If your children don't "like" to read, purchasing a curriculum that is "heavy" lit-wise is going to cause problems. Don't fear, your children may still develop a love for reading -- but in the meantime, the shorter more formulaic system of readers -- like Abeka -- will keep you meeting "goals" with a measurable, defined end. You can still encourage additional reading. (My oldest balked -- big time in 2nd grade at the lit-based curriculum. It was an awful year. However, over the past 3 years he has started to develop a love of reading -- and he wants to read MORE real books. :auto:)

 

Don't feel bad if you need to do audio books instead of reading aloud yourself. Play them during free-play time, in the car... etc.

 

In the younger grades, the history and science is pretty lame. The science gets better around 4th/5th grade. Health curriculum is good. History, should probably be avoided -- BJU history is (imo) better. But, I also don't think you could go wrong with Story of the World for history, or Veritas Press history cards. Both of those simply take a bit more organization :D

 

I know this is long -- and you've gotten some good advice. I'm just putting my experience out there, because I tried to do the round-peg, square hole thing with myself and my children. No matter how great the curriculum is, if it's not a good match -- it's not good for you.

 

For "boxed" curriculum (although it is secular, and a bit pricey outside a virtual academy), I don't think you can go wrong with K12 -- at least for science, history, language arts, art, and music. The elementary math has all been changed -- it looks pretty good, but we haven't started it yet.

 

Best wishes!

[coralloyd]

I always suggest either Heart of Dakota or My Father's World, for anyone just starting out, that does not want the traditional textbook cur.

[....]

:iagree: I think this is why you should read Cathy Duffy's book also...she really delves into the differences between kids' learning styles and what types of curricula work best with different kids.