Our mid year pull out was vetoed

[birdiesbows]

We had the big talk with our daughters the other day about leaving their Christian school after Christmas and starting to homeschool. Our dd (9 and 7) came up with a list of valid reasons why they want to stay in their school until June. After a lot of discussion, my husband and I have decided that the girls have a point and it would be easier for everyone involved to start homeschooling in the fall.

 

So... now that I have six months on my hands what should I do to get myself ready? I have read WTM twice and ordered most of the recommended books. I have also read The Core but did not get as much out of it as WTM. I am trying to get my hands on The Latin Centered Curriculum but can't get it through our state library system. I have observed a Classical Conversations group and am involved with starting a new chapter closer to our home. I have joined several local Yahoo homeschooling groups and am trying to figure out where we fit in.

 

What else do you think is critical for me to do? I have five kids aged 9 and under so I would like to be as prepared as possible before September.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

Can you add afterschooling activities that could supplement what they are learning now? It could also give you some practice time and work out some of the wrinkles before you start full on.

[Veritaserum]

I would start working on a schedule. I'd also have kids look at samples of various materials to make sure what I want to use would work for them.

 

I like to gather supplies for science experiments, art projects, history projects, etc. and even separate them into kits so that we actually use them. Gallon zipper bags work well. I label them with a Sharpie and keep them in a box until we need them.

 

I would look at various methods of organizing homeschool materials and days. We use a modified workbox system and scheduling/tracking software.

 

I would solidify more specific goals for each child for the upcoming year/school in general.

 

That's all that comes to mind for now. :)

[Veritaserum]

Oh, learning styles would also be good to investigate.

[Carol in Cal.]

I would suggest that you get the writing CD by SWB and listen to it over and over. Mastering writing education is often challenging for people, and since it's somewhat subjective, it's easy to doubt yourself. Consider purchasing Writers' Jungle as well--it has an approach that overlaps with and complements SWB's work very nicely. It takes a while to digest, so it's a good idea to get ahold of it ahead of time.

 

I would say, also, investigate local field trip groups at least. It's nice to be able to get in on a 'class' type field trip to a play or museum, and it's great to have those connections going as early as possible. It's not uncommon for sign-ups for the entire school year to occur in the mid-summer, for example. Investigate local science museums, natural history systems, zoos, and art museums, and pick one or two to join. Often park system-based memberships are for a calendar year, so you don't save anything by waiting.

[5LittleMonkeys]

* I would make sure my house is de-cluttered and super organized.

* I would make sure that your little ones are on a schedule that will be conducive to the schedule you implement for your older dc.

* I would start researching and trying out recipes that can be made ahead, can be made very quickly, or can be made in the crockpot.

* I would start training your dc now to help out with household chores.

* I would determine where you are going to store all of your homeschooling supplies\books and go ahead and get those storage units\shelves\bins\etc. in place.

* I would spend as much time with your little ones as you can but also work on getting them to do some things on their own for extended periods of time.

 

These things don't have anything to do with academics but they make doing the academics so much easier...at least for ME they do. I'm one of those who can't function if things are unorganized or chaotic.:tongue_smilie:

[Woodland_Mom]

Reading TWTM helped me more than any other book when it came to the nuts and bolts of homeschooling. In the next six months, go through it with a finer comb and begin "setting up shop." Decide what books you want to buy and where you're going to put them. Make yourself a schedule and set some goals.

 

Homeschooling can be lots of fun--figure out what things you want to do to make sure its a good transition. Maybe pick a couple of "fun" subjects to do during part of the summer.

[TechWife]

These things don't have anything to do with academics but they make doing the academics so much easier...at least for ME they do. I'm one of those who can't function if things are unorganized or chaotic.:tongue_smilie:

:iagree: This is some of the best getting ready to home school advice I've read.

[Mrs.W]

You may already have a good idea of what your kids are learning in the Christian school, but I would be extra involved in what they do the next semester. Know what they are learning in language arts, what math has been covered, even what they've done in art. That was the hardest thing for me when I pulled my kids out of Christian school -- I didn't have a good grasp of what they knew and didn't know, even though I had been an involved parent. Take notice of what things excite them about school and plan to incorporate some of those things into your homeschool. For example, my oldest loved art, but I struggled to fit it in, and I think our year would have been much better had I included some of the things she enjoyed most.

 

Oh, and if there are any house projects that you've been considering, do them now. It's not impossible to do those things while homeschooling, but it's not easy either. Not that I know from experience or anything. It's not like my kitchen is half-painted right now, even though we took a two week break from school in November. :tongue_smilie:

[boscopup]

Can you add afterschooling activities that could supplement what they are learning now? It could also give you some practice time and work out some of the wrinkles before you start full on.

 

:iagree: In my son's case, he was very bored with math, so I got a math curriculum (Math Mammoth) and used that after school. When he did his regular homework, I gave him a couple pages of "Mama Math". He actually started asking to do that math before his school math because he liked it so much better.

 

I would suggest that you get the writing CD by SWB and listen to it over and over.

 

I've only listened to the elementary focus mp3, but I absolutely loved it and will definitely listen to the others at some point! These lectures are worth the money if you're at all worried about writing. I can handle math no problem, but writing freaked me out. Now it doesn't.

 

These things don't have anything to do with academics but they make doing the academics so much easier...at least for ME they do. I'm one of those who can't function if things are unorganized or chaotic.:tongue_smilie:

 

I've been doing this in preparation to start homeschooling in January, and I'm feeling a LOT more comfortable having done all this! I can't totally work on kid schedules yet, as afternoon nap time is destroyed by going to pick kid up from school, but after this week, we'll get on a good morning/afternoon nap time (or play time in crib for the baby for one of those, since he just naps once now) schedule the rest of this month so we'll be ready when we start in January. I have been getting the kids used to some basic regular chores, like cleaning up the dining room after eating dinner. We'll plan to add in regular whole-house-quick-pickup times during the day after this week.

 

Also, since you have 6 months to plan, I want to tell you that everything you pick out now for curriculum will probably change before you actually start. I had all mine picked out after a few weeks of research, then gradually I changed each and every subject. Now everything is here, so I'm not changing, though I changed one subject after ordering... and I added in a subject today. :lol: I've been researching since the end of August, so only about 3-4 months. I'm really glad DS was gung ho about starting in January, because I don't think I could have waited until summer (my alternate starting plan). Good luck with your research! These forums are awesome. Make sure you use google to search for acronyms (like "r&s vs cle la site:welltrainedmind.com" would search for threads comparing Rod & Staff English and CLE Language Arts).

[walkermamaof4]

You could plan meals for each month. And you could read the thread on this forum about filing. I wouldn't suggest you file everything, since you may end up needing to change your schedule a lot once you get going, but it does really help to have daily plans for at least 9 weeks and to know what each kid will be doing (supposedly) at each moment.

[VA6336]

Join a local homeschooling group that offers mom's support and start attending the parent stuff! We do both CC and another homeschooling group that is bigger and more general (field trips, mom's nights, etc). When summer hits, a lot of homeschool groups do activities (even some CC groups), I'd start attending those with your kids so you and they can start making connections.

 

And I totally agree about any house projects. It can be tough to put school on hold for two weeks while you paint and rearrange furniture.

[Chris in VA]

I agree with the poster who talked about getting the house and kids ready. I would just add that you can preread a lot of the history fiction.

Also, if your kids have any issues with obedience, now's the time to deal with it.

[SonshineLearner]

Latin Centered Education and Teaching the Trivium would be my next two books :) Thinking about your goals for your children when they're "done with highschool" would be my next thought. Of course, they would be just the start of your goals :)