HELP! New to Homeschooling

[Guest daisymomster]

I. AM. OVERWHELMED. I have 3 girls. Oldest is 10 going into 5th, MIddle is 6, almost 7 going in to 1st, and last is 3. I have researched SO many curriculum's I think my mind might explode. SOOO.. My 5th grader is quite a reader.. and is advanced into I think 6th or 7th grade reading. She struggles a bit with math. Loves science.  My 1st grader is still trying to learn to read. She is very just go with the flow but wants to learn. I am not sure where to start.. So far.. I t hink I want to do Story of the World VOlume 1 with both of them. I am thinking Excellence in Writing for my 5th grader. I have a set of Abeka 5th grade science and just the text of Science for the 1st grader. I have the Harcourt math books that I got from the free public school give away last year. I have the level 1 first language lessons for the well-trained mind. and the same but in Level 4. 

I have been looking at Sonlight because I heard it is good.. and some other's. I need help. I am feel confused and don't know if these are good.. what else I will need ect. I do have a Saxon math book for 1st grade I think too. 

I am not a very organized person and think I need something that will tell me what to do for the first year so I can be on a schedule and not all over the place. So.... Ay help would be great! Thank so much!

[AmyontheFarm]

Hello and Welcome.

 

I found it easier to focus on one subject at a time to figure out what I needed for my kids when we first started homeschooling.  If you started with the math first you will need to decide if you want to use the Saxon or the Harcourt.  I can't speak to the Harcourt program. Perhaps one of the other ladies will be able to tell you more about that program.  Saxon is taught in a spiral approach, this works great for my kids, there are others who hate Saxon.  Do what YOUR child needs, not what any of us say!  The Saxon program has a placement test.  I would give your children the test to see where they fall the on the Saxon scope and sequence levels.  Don't freak out, if they don't fall exactly where you think they should be based on the "grade" level.  They will become stronger math students if you will just trust the test and start them where it says to start them.

 

This is a great adventure for your whole family.  The first year was more stressful for me.  You will do great Mom!

[Mandy in TN]

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/448898-5th-grade-plans/?fromsearch=1

 

Here is the 5th grade planning thread. It may show you a general range for the types of things often used- although it seems like you have most of it covered.

 

A good rule of thumb in elementary school is an hour of seat work/ grade level, so where you 1st grader may only be doing an hour of seat work your 5th grader may be doing five. Also, children coming out of a traditional classroom may need time to de-school and become accustomed to being at home. This first semester may be an adjustment period- especially for your oldest dd. So, instead of looking at five hours of seat work and trying to do everything that the longtime homeschoolers in the planning thread are doing, you may need to give her time to slowly ease into the situation. (And this will also give you time to find your footing. :) ) Since you want to use SOTW 1 with both children, since reading is your oldest dd's strength, and since you are interested in Sonlight, maybe you could play to these things and start the year with history and reading. Sonlight core G uses SOTW 1 and 2 over one year, so look at the reading lists for the first half of the year and spread those books over a full year. Don't worry too much with trying to align everything exactly. Just open SOTW1 and start. Find the earliest historical books from core G and let her start reading. Do just this for a couple of weeks while y'all get in a groove. Sure, if they want to go ahead and start science give it a whirl, but really give your family a chance to find what works. (what room in the house, what schedule, what the little one will do, etc)

 

This will also give you a couple of weeks to decide on math. Add that and other subjects in gently over the next month or two. Try not to worry too much if the first things you choose don't work. Most homeschoolers end up tweaking or flat out ditching their first choices. ;)

 

Good Luck!

Mandy

[MotherOfBoys]

_{Remember to consider how much time YOU have to spend with a given curriculum. Saxon requires a lot of teacher time in 1st grade. Trying to be in two places at once will burn you out fast.}

 

_{I agree with the above post "start with placement tests for the curriculums you limit down to. They will probably not be where you expect coming from public school and that's all right. With hsing you can be in 5th grade math and 7th grade reading and 3th grade grammar.}

 

_{Are they workbook kids or oral discussion or hands on manipulative? each one might be different.}

 

_{I hate to say it but I would consider MM for the first year because it's all inclusive. no teacher guides cuz it's right on the page. might be easy during deschooling stage. it's medium teacher dependent and workbook with pictures. I downloaded the light blue first grade and started the next day. no prep.}

 

_{Wouldn't worry about science or health unless it's required or they love the subject. Hit up a zoo and read some library books and call it good. Get the basics (reading, writing, math) down first.}

[KathyJo]

I agree with MotherOfBoys about Math Mammoth, but I am a Saxon hater and we use MM. :-) MM is also much cheaper and since you can buy the PDFs, you buy once and teach ALL of your children with it.

 

I used Sonlight for two non-consecutive years when my oldest was little. The reason we don't use it now is that the books were hit or miss for us. We have Sonlight books that were so awesome, every single child has loved them. But there was also the stack that no one would touch, and having to substitute blows that whole pre-made schedule. So is Sonlight good? Yes, it's awesome. I can't use it. Others love all of their books, even the ones we hate.

 

I also despise IEW. :-) These decisions are so opinion based that it's really hard to answer such generalized questions, so I'll say the following.

 

If money is no object, and you really like the looks of the programs you named, buy them and use them this year. These are popular programs; many people love them, and you might, too. They will also give you an idea of what you like and don't like about various programs. Especially if you want some hand-holding this first year, do this.

 

But if you'd like to go a different route, especially if money is tight, put together your own reading from free online books and the library. Use Story of the World as your spine. Add books from Heritage History and Main Lesson. Explore all of those great science books in the children's section of the library. Listen to SWB's lectures, especially the ones on writing. This way sounds harder, but it's really not, even when you're just getting started.

 

Which way is better? Well, I prefer the latter, but I'm a control freak who has issues with authority, so other people's schedules drive me barking mad. :-) I also don't like comprehension questions and discussion questions, and I feel that it's best to replace such things with narrations and copywork. Because of this, history and science programs tend to be a big waste of money for me. I do much better with the WTM way of using a spine and adding good books.

[lorisuewho]

Have you read the book The Well Trained Mind? Many libraries have it. It will help give you some direction in planning out your year. It may not be the method you go with in the end, but it is a fantastic starting point.

[HS Mom in NC]

Do you want to do something that resembles school at home? 

Grade levels, textbooks, workbooks for each separate subject, letter/percentage grades, answer keys, scripted or unscripted teacher guides,fill in the blanks and multiple choice type tests, etc.

 

Do you want something that is different from school at home? 

Combing subjects, combining wider age groups, literature rich, hands on activities and experiences, synthesized learning, etc.

 

Do you want to develop assignments and activities for that meet a specific goal, or do you want someone else to have developed assignments and activities that your purchase and follow?

Do you want something more or less structured? If so, what kind of structure do you want? If it's less structured, what do you see your kids doing with their time?

 

Do you think the typical public school is focusing on all the right things?

Reading, Writing, Math, Science, Social Studies, etc.

 

Do you think the typical school leaves out things that are important? 

Classical Literature, First Source Materials, Formal Logic, Latin and/or Greek, Fine Art appreciation, Worldview Studies, Economics, Civics, History, mechanical engineering,  etc.

 

Do you want school to be just about Academics?

English, Math, Social Studies, Sciences, PE, etc.

 

Do you want school to incorporate things like life skills and relationships?

Research and study skills; interpersonal relationships like parent/child, citizen/government, self/higher power, person/resources (time, money etc.) employer/employee; questioning authority and assumptions, etc.

 

Every curriculum has fans that will say it's good.  They are all fairly good at accomplishing something.  The question is, what do YOU want to accomplish?  Each curriculum accomplishes its goal a different way.  How do you want your goals accomplished?