Homeschooling in Peru

[isitnaptime]

My sister and her family are moving to Peru for 2-3 years. Their children (will be grades k, 2, 5) have so far attended PS. They are looking into options to homeschool while they are there.

She will need to have everthing she needs for the first 6months or so ready to bring with her and weight of books is a concern. They do have a Kindle, will probably get one more, and are considering an IPad.

 

What would you chose for these ages for while they are there? I posted last month about the 5th grader, he tested very high in reading and fairly high in math. He would read through SOTW just for the fun of it. The 2nd grader is also a great reader and loves math (she is an older 2nd, will turn 8 in August).

 

Are there any good curriculums you can think of that include South American history, art, music, geography, etc?

 

They plan on doing field trips to museums, the Amazon, Machu Picchu, possibly Galapogos Islands and whatever else they can find and afford. A spanish tutor is also a possibility.

 

She is thinking possibly Singapore math for the younger 2 and possible Teaching Textbooks for the 5th grader. Are there any other good options for 5th grade math online, dvd or software?

 

Sonlight is also tempting her. I told her she should just do bare bones curriculum/Spanish and learn through experience in Peru and their reading. What do you think?

Edited July 6, 2011 by isitnaptime

[hsmom]

Since weight is an option some curriculum is sold in ebook form that might be a possibility.

 

If she likes Sonlight they do ship to Peru. Since her children are good readers this might be the best option to start out with. Then add in math, LA and Spanish. I would do a year or so on biology (life science) to use the surrounding areas as most of our experience. Since it is a new place, new bugs, new animals, plants, all of it. I think it really would be a blast.

[Tracy]

For the younger kids, I would recommend CSMP math since it is free online.

[isitnaptime]

Thanks, I will have her check into the math suggestion.

 

Also, good hint about having Sonlight ship to Peru, hadn't thought of that. I bet it is crazy expensive though.

 

Any other ideas for South American studies, or what you would do if it was your family?

[Pata]

Secret of the Andes is an awesome book that is set in the Andes of Peru.

 

When we lived in Peru, most of the people I knew used Abeka or Sonlight, both shipped to Peru, but it was expensive and mail there can be a bit shady. IOW, you may have to pay a bit to get your package. We lived there when dd was 3yo, so we didn't homeschool then.

 

Just wanted to also pass along that homeschooling overseas is totally doable, you just have to plan a bit a ahead so you can avoid shipping charges. We also use our Kindle for school. I plan about out my year and then I check Amazon to see if the books are on Kindle before I make a big purchase. Also, check to see if the curriculum she wants is available in pdf, printing and binding is far cheaper in Peru than in the US.

 

Hope she has a great time, Peru is a wonderful country and I miss living there!

[isitnaptime]

Secret of the Andes is an awesome book that is set in the Andes of Peru.

 

When we lived in Peru, most of the people I knew used Abeka or Sonlight, both shipped to Peru, but it was expensive and mail there can be a bit shady. IOW, you may have to pay a bit to get your package. We lived there when dd was 3yo, so we didn't homeschool then.

 

Just wanted to also pass along that homeschooling overseas is totally doable, you just have to plan a bit a ahead so you can avoid shipping charges. We also use our Kindle for school. I plan about out my year and then I check Amazon to see if the books are on Kindle before I make a big purchase. Also, check to see if the curriculum she wants is available in pdf, printing and binding is far cheaper in Peru than in the US.

 

Hope she has a great time, Peru is a wonderful country and I miss living there!

 

Thanks for the book recommendation! Also the tip on printing in Peru, very helpful.

What were your favorite things to do/see there? They will be in or near Lima.

[Pata]

Are they living in Lima? If so, I believe that there is a homeschooling group in Lima. My favorite things to see in Lima were Mira Flores, it's a boardwalk style area on the beach. We also frequented the Jockey Plaza, which is a western style mall complete with Chili's. We were only in Lima to do visa paperwork, so I don't know much about it. We lived in Arequipa, which I would not miss visiting as it's a beautiful city, plus you can visit Colca Canyon (2-3 excursion to see one of the deepest canyons in the western hemisphere and the condors) and Lake Titicaca (about 4-5 hours from the city, it's the largest high altitude freshwater lake in the world I believe, also home to the Uros who live on floating reed islands). There's tons of stuff to do and see around Peru, we were there only a year and we barely scratched the surface. If you want to pass along my email (info (at) elementalscience (dot) com), it's been a few years since we were there, but I'd be happy to answer any questions she might have.

[kolamum]

Seriously, with those ages and space being an issue I might look into FIAR. She'd only need 1 manual, but could get all 3-4 of them. Picture books she might all ready own would weigh, if combined together, maybe as much as one SL IG.

 

She could go to Homeschoolshare.com and get the freebie lapbooks that go with it and be set. BUT, if she wants MORE structure I'd be tempted with SL. :)