Guest tdk316 Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I stumbled across this site and am wondering how to start this process. I've been reading the posts about different curriculum, places to purchase it (used vs. new) and such and am totally lost. I would greatly appreciate any links or resources you'd like to share. My oldest is kindergarten age. Thanks many! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 This site is hosted by Susan Wise Bauer (SWB), author of The Well Trained Mind. TWTM is a great place to start, a thorough road-map for homeschooling and classical education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristenR Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 :iagree: You can't go wrong with the WTM. Even if you don't want as structured of an approach it lays a good foundation for thought. Also, I am just starting out my homeschooling adventure. This is my oldest daughter's kindergarten year. Maybe some of my posts will help you out. My blog is TeachingStars.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicAnn Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Welcome! I'm not new to the site, but this is our first year officially homeschooling. It CAN be overwhelming at times. I agree about reading the Well Trained Mind book. This got me on track. I also think that just searching for Kindergarten posts and kind of ignoring others is helpful. If I start to read about what I need to be doing in the later grades, I panic briefly. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tdk316 Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Thanks, I've ordered the book and will start reading once the kids are down for their naps! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Twain Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 A book that helped me a lot when I started homeschooling was Cathy Duffy's entitled 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. I found it at my local library. In the beginning of the book, she gives an introduction to the most commonly used homeschool philosophies and learning styles of children. In the next part, she lists her top 100 picks for homeschool curricula by subject. Each one is rated on how well it fits with each philosophy and learning style (if I am remembering correctly). I found this book a great place to start because it was a basic introduction that helped me decide which approach to take in educating my children. It also took the overwhelming amount of programs available and consolidated them down to a concise list. That was a good place for me to start in my research, and I felt that anything I picked from her list would likely be a solid program. After I had this introduction into homeschooling, I was much better able to assess which homeschool philosophies I wanted research further as well as direction on which curricula fit with my style and goals. Welcome to homeschooling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chelli Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 I wrote a couple of blog posts about getting started with homeschooling. Here are the links: Part 1 Part 2 Good luck and have fun! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindsrae Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Welcome! I agree with the previous posters about The Well-Trained Mind. It can also be alot to grasp, but it gives a good overview of classical homeschooling. You might also check out The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling as a nice general overview. Welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smdgl Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 A book that helped me a lot when I started homeschooling was Cathy Duffy's entitled 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. I found it at my local library. In the beginning of the book, she gives an introduction to the most commonly used homeschool philosophies and learning styles of children. In the next part, she lists her top 100 picks for homeschool curricula by subject. Each one is rated on how well it fits with each philosophy and learning style (if I am remembering correctly). I found this book a great place to start because it was a basic introduction that helped me decide which approach to take in educating my children. It also took the overwhelming amount of programs available and consolidated them down to a concise list. That was a good place for me to start in my research, and I felt that anything I picked from her list would likely be a solid program. After I had this introduction into homeschooling, I was much better able to assess which homeschool philosophies I wanted research further as well as direction on which curricula fit with my style and goals. Welcome to homeschooling! I agree, and I'd also recommend Mary Pride's Big Book of Home Learning (elementary years). It's now dated, but does a good job of explaining the different approaches you might choose. For your first year, you might consider an all-inclusive curriculum. I use mostly Sonlight, but for Kindergarten I used Calvert and my kids all enjoyed it. Calvert was great in helping me gain confidence. Also, if you can go to a convention and browse the vendor hall, you'll have a better idea of what you want to try. But leave your checkbook at home and give yourself a little time to mull over your options. It's easy to get caught up in all the cool stuff available at the convention. Cherie in IL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morosophe Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 (edited) A book that helped me a lot when I started homeschooling was Cathy Duffy's entitled 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. I found it at my local library. In the beginning of the book, she gives an introduction to the most commonly used homeschool philosophies and learning styles of children. In the next part, she lists her top 100 picks for homeschool curricula by subject. Each one is rated on how well it fits with each philosophy and learning style (if I am remembering correctly). I found this book a great place to start because it was a basic introduction that helped me decide which approach to take in educating my children. It also took the overwhelming amount of programs available and consolidated them down to a concise list. That was a good place for me to start in my research, and I felt that anything I picked from her list would likely be a solid program. After I had this introduction into homeschooling, I was much better able to assess which homeschool philosophies I wanted research further as well as direction on which curricula fit with my style and goals. Welcome to homeschooling! :iagree:as well. You can also read some of Duffy's curriculum reviews at her site, but not her general introduction to homeschooling styles, which was so very helpful. Secondly, RELAX. All you really need in kindergarten is phonics and some sort of introduction to math, and maybe a little more to get your child into "doing school." Personally, I used Five in a Row (and plan to do so again for my next child); it covers one picture book a week, so you can't exactly call it rigorous! First grade is plenty early to start more systematic schooling. (I also second the advice to start out with an "all-inclusive" homeschooling option in first grade to gain confidence, but Sonlight is my idea of "inclusive," where it clearly isn't for the original poster. Oh, well.) If the idea of using a book-based unit study like Five in a Row for kindergarten appeals to you, you may want to check out Homeschool Share, particularly their Level 2 Unit Studies. Go ahead and check out Homeschool Share anyhow--the Workboxables page may be of interest to your non-oldest child(ren); there's lots of free activities to keep younger ones engaged with minimum supervision from Mom. You could also check out the Tot Books & Tot Packs from 1+1+1=1 for more cool preschooler freebies, and stick around to see what they offer for your kindergartener, as well. By the way, I echo the advice to check things out at curriculum fairs. If you have a local used curriculum store, try going there, too. You could even put your location up on your profile, and maybe get some more useful advice--I can tell you that one of two statewide homeschool conventions is coming up in a week and a half for my state, and that the vendor hall and used curriculum sale are free, but since the chances of you living near Glen Allen, Virginia, are pretty tiny, that's not actually much of a help. Finally, once you are ready to purchase homeschool supplies, check out Amazon (as if you couldn't figure that out yourself). Another extremely helpful seller--if you're in the states, that is--is RainbowResource.com. When you want to buy new, their prices often beat Amazon, and they have free shipping as well, as long as you order $150.00 worth of stuff. (If you can't make that $150.00, just think; you're doing way better at saving money than I ever have! I've easily made that limit every year.) Edited March 13, 2012 by morosophe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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