eesmom Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Hello all, I am new to homeschooling and need advice on curriculum for my 1st and 3rd grader. I will be pulling them out since their public school that we have just entered into since moving to Raleigh is not working out. We moved a month ago from VA and the public school here is woefully behind in everything, especially reading and math. I am wondering what I should do? Do I try to follow what they would have been learning for the remainder of the year? Or do I do my own thing and if so, what sort of curriculum would be an easier transition for us? For me, especially? I will have about 3 weeks to figure something out. THankfully there is a homeschool curriculum store nearby that I can see IRL some of the things that are mentioned on this forum but it is overwhelming me so I want to have some idea before I plunge myself in there again. The only thing I am certain is math and we will do singapore for that. I would appreciate any advice. Thank you!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 The easiest transition would be something like Time4Learning, which covers all subjects (lightly) on line. Its a monthly subscription so its easy to stop. If you want to put them back in to school soon, you would want to follow the general idea of what they are doing - but if you are homeschooling to give them a better education, following a bad school's program doesnt make sense! I would focus on skills (math, reading and writing) and do content areas in fun ways - history can be liberty's kids, field trips, etc. Or an Usborne World Histry encyclopedia. Science could be a book of experiments - or another usborne book - or library books, if you have any. You can just find materials to study whatever your kids are interested in - knights and castles and the middle ages? Animals? (our first year, my son and i made a book about the various animals our local zoo has, using library books, and then brought the book with us to the zoo!) How well do your kids read? write/spell? I'm currently in love with Logic of English, which is an intensive phonics based reading/spelling program - i only used essentials for my then-9-yo, but i've heard great things about foundations. Often, homeschool stores are heavy in christian curriculum, so if thats not what you want, you might need to look a bit more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Hello all, I am new to homeschooling and need advice on curriculum for my 1st and 3rd grader. I will be pulling them out since their public school that we have just entered into since moving to Raleigh is not working out. We moved a month ago from VA and the public school here is woefully behind in everything, especially reading and math. I am wondering what I should do? Do I try to follow what they would have been learning for the remainder of the year? Or do I do my own thing and if so, what sort of curriculum would be an easier transition for us? For me, especially? I will have about 3 weeks to figure something out. THankfully there is a homeschool curriculum store nearby that I can see IRL some of the things that are mentioned on this forum but it is overwhelming me so I want to have some idea before I plunge myself in there again. The only thing I am certain is math and we will do singapore for that. I would appreciate any advice. Thank you!!! I wouldn't worry about trying to follow what they would have been learning for the remainder of the year. It is, after all, behind in everything, yes? Well, there you go. You'll want to be sure your 6yo's phonics knowledge is where it should be; something simple would be AlphaPhonics. Choose some good books to read aloud to the dc, and go to the library if possible. That should do it for phonics/reading. Penmanship for both. You might be able to get Handwriting Without Tears at your store. You could do copywork for grammar, spelling, etc. Maybe your store will have Queen Homeschool stuff. History and science...library, field trips, Usborne Book activities should do the trick. It's so easy to bring young dc home. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eesmom Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Thanks so much for the advice thus far! A little bit more about my girls: they are both reading a few grades above their grade. I definitely do need to keep up with their spelling and penmanship though so I need to find something for that. I did begin some cursive with them already last year so I will continue with that as well. I was thinking of trying writing with ease for their grammar, would that suffice? As for history, i was worried that I would have to follow some set year rules on what the kids need to know but it would be more fun to follow what they are interested in. I have been reading Story of the World to them as well as listening to the CDs for fun before but not really doing anything beyond that since they were in school at that time. Should I try getting the activity books or would reading and discussion of the books/CDs be enough? I am uncertain as to what is enough at their age. What is age appropriate understanding of the materials that are presented to them. Is there a curriculum that introduces material at a certain depth and then goes into more depth of the same material at a later year? Is that what is generally done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eesmom Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Sorry, I meant First Language Lessons for their grammar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 To give you a baseline while you transition, I would go to the library and see if they have copies of "What Your ------ Grader Needs to Know" for their grades. For spelling, are they good spellers? If so, you might want to look at Spelling Power, which would cover it for both girls all the way through. You could also look online for things like Spelling City (think that's the name--on my phone so I can't easily link). There are all kinds of sources online for free models of copy work for cursive, or the store will likely have something. For everything else, since math is covered, I'd go interest-led for now, letting them pick topics to explore. Check out a few homeschool groups in your area to see if any are a good fit, see of there are fun programs available at the library, museum, nature center, Y, or parks and rec. This should give you time to find your feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerforest Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Between the Homeschool Gathering Place in Raleigh and Katie Beth's Learning Garden in Chapel Hill, you can find just about every curricula mentioned on this forum. The one in Raleigh is heavily focused on Christian curricula and approach, but they include secular materials too. For example, I'm pretty sure you can find FLL, HWOT, AAS at either store. I know Katie Beth's carries Beast Academy and Life of Fred, etc. Katie Beth's is owned by a homeschool family, who happen to be friends of ours, and they are awesome! Personally, I would spend time deschooling them and connecting with local homeschool groups. We're in CH so I am not as familiar with the groups in Raleigh, but there are tons of homeschoolers of all types. We have so many awesome museums and field trips that you could spend time doing. See this site for ideas: http://www.learnnc.org/discover/ If you plan to switch them back to public school, you can see the standard NC course of study here: http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/ Here's everything you need to know about officially moving them to homeschool: http://www.ncdnpe.org/ Good luck! We are eclectic secular homeschoolers who love homeschooling in NC! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eesmom Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 deerforest, so glad that there is someone local! We are actually located in Northwest Raleigh near the airport and having just moved here from VA a month ago, things are still settling in. I will check out Katie Beth's place in CH next week. Could I ask what you meant by "deschooling" them? I am not familiar with what that means or looks like! And thank you for the links that you provided. . . I will definitely check them out and see what works for us. Are you part of the chapel hill homeschool group as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TianXiaXueXiao Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Hello all, I am new to homeschooling and need advice on curriculum for my 1st and 3rd grader. I will be pulling them out since their public school that we have just entered into since moving to Raleigh is not working out. We moved a month ago from VA and the public school here is woefully behind in everything, especially reading and math. I am wondering what I should do? Do I try to follow what they would have been learning for the remainder of the year? Or do I do my own thing and if so, what sort of curriculum would be an easier transition for us? For me, especially? I will have about 3 weeks to figure something out. THankfully there is a homeschool curriculum store nearby that I can see IRL some of the things that are mentioned on this forum but it is overwhelming me so I want to have some idea before I plunge myself in there again. The only thing I am certain is math and we will do singapore for that. I would appreciate any advice. Thank you!!! Since your kids will be transitioning, I would go for a gentle approach to language lessons that incorporates handwriting, spelling, grammar, reading, memory work, etc. There are some new-ish programs created by one of the WTM forum members called Language Lessons Through Literature and Reading Lessons Through Literature and the two go together well to cover all the bases (LLTL is so good that I am using level 3 with my 5th grader who is by no means below grade level). I highly recommend these programs and they are not super taxing or draining on the child and leave plenty of room in the day to do math and explore other areas of interest. If your desire is to continue homeschooling, then this is the time to just get your bearings and make "school" work light, comprehensive, and engaging while you determine what your future goals and needs will be for their education. You don't just have 3 weeks ;) There is really no need to feel urgent. Your kids are still young and they are ahead of the game, so you have plenty of cushion to figure things out and help your kids get used to the idea of being at home. I shared this link the other day on a different thread and I think it will be useful for you, as well. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerforest Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 deerforest, so glad that there is someone local! We are actually located in Northwest Raleigh near the airport and having just moved here from VA a month ago, things are still settling in. I will check out Katie Beth's place in CH next week. Could I ask what you meant by "deschooling" them? I am not familiar with what that means or looks like! And thank you for the links that you provided. . . I will definitely check them out and see what works for us. Are you part of the chapel hill homeschool group as well? Hi again-- Deschooling is basically just stepping away from any attempt at formal curricula or learning for a bit. Spend time with fun and unstructured learning. If you've just moved, it sounds like they probably have a lot of transitions happening right now. You all might be frustrated trying to transition to formal learning at home too at first. Find what interests them right now and just have fun exploring that before trying to choose specific curricula. Some time off at their age is unlikely to set them back. Yes, we belong to CH homeschoolers, but we're not very active because we both work full time. They mostly have enrichment classes on Fridays which might appeal to you in the spring. DD and I do school in the mornings, and then she has activities nearly every afternoon. I know there is a huge homeschool group in Cary. Many local places have homeschool classes (like the Y, climbing gyms, swim lessons/team, etc.) For example, my DD is at a homeschool pottery class right, and she was at her homeschool swim lesson earlier today. We've found that there is often too many things to do, and I've heard that Wake County has even more things happening than we do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByGrace3 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I did a blog post with the homeschool help series a few months ago that might be helpful in your transition, the links at the end of the post of he other authors are great and have lots of useful information for transitioning. http://onemagnificentobsession.blogspot.com/2013/10/transitioning-to-homeschooling.html Keep it simple at first. Add slowly. Enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walking-Iris Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I think you have the basics covered. You mentioned you have been reading SOTW and listening to the CDs together with them. Maybe think about adding the activity guide. They are at a good age to keep together for subjects like science and history. First Language Lessons will help you with grammar. Singapore math is a great math program. You mentioned doing cursive with them---Handwriting Without Tears is a great program for that. Continue with some phonics/reading. Even if kids are reading well I like to continue with phonics when they are young. A phonics based spelling program like All About Spelling or Sequential Spelling etc would be a great choice. I agree with others. Start slowly. Continue with SOTW since you are already reading it and enjoying it. Start getting into the routine of doing math and some lang arts daily. Science can be fun experiment books and documentaries until you have researched your options there. Take some time to read any and all homeschooling books you can find. When I first started I read any homeschooling books my library had and then I started inter library loaning some more until I started to get a real good feeling for my personal philosophy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I am uncertain as to what is enough at their age. What is age appropriate understanding of the materials that are presented to them. A VERY general guide of subjects to cover with young elementary, esp. when just starting homeschool midway through the year / transitioning out of a public/private/charter school: grade 1 - reading - penmanship (printing) - math - phonics (as support to reading and spelling) optional: - spelling - grammar - vocabulary - history - science - art/music - critical thinking/logic - foreign language grade 3 - reading - penmanship (starting cursive) - writing - spelling - grammar - math optional: - vocabulary - history - science - art/music - critical thinking/logic - foreign language For some very general guidelines as to "what is enough", or "what to set as the goal" for each grade level, I like the "Academic Excellence for grades K-4" handout on this website. The Worldbook Encyclopedia also has a Typical Course of Study by grade, that lists topics of what public schools generally cover in the major subject areas (math, language arts, science, social studies). NOTE: While the math, and the science and social studies topics are helpful, DO disregard some of the Language Arts topics listed in the elementary years, as they are completely unrealistic -- 1st grade lists things like "book reports and critiques", "creating stories and poems", and the one that kills me: "development of a class newspaper" :eek: -- really? a newspaper created by 6yos who are just learning to read basic sentences and their writing is about copywork/penmanship?? If you are not sure how long you may be homeschooling, you may not want to invest right now in too many expensive resources, beyond math. Below are some ideas for other subjects to keep it very simple for this semester, and to keep costs down until you see how homeschooling goes this year, and as you decide what you want to do about school for next year. BEST of luck! And welcome to homeschooling! Have a wonderful journey with your family. :) Warmest regards, Lori D. Math - Singapore = your preference OR - Complete Book of Math (gr. 1-2, and gr. 3-4) = inexpensive possible substitution - fun supplement: Math Cats = free interactive website - fun supplement: Math Playground = free online games Spelling (I suggest going with an inexpensive/temporary program for this semester, until you know you will be continuing with homeschooling, and after you've spent time seeing what type of learners DC are, before investing in something teacher-intensive and expensive) - Natural Speller = inexpensive; all-in-one book for grades 1-8 OR - Spelling Workout = inexpensive workbook option (matches up with the MCP Plaid Phonics series) OR - Spelling City = free wordlists and online practice Grammar (grammar mechanics: punctuation, capitalization, beginning word usage; and instruction/learning: parts of speech) - Complete Book of Grammar (gr. 3-4) = inexpensive workbook (also helpful for YOU to see what topics to cover ;)) - fun supplement: Schoolhouse Rock: Grammar Rock = free YouTube videos - fun supplement: Grammar Gorillas (parts of speech) = free online game - fun supplement: Punctuation Paintball (punctuation/capitalization) = free online game Writing (note: WWE has only grammar is related to the writing lesson -- not complete grammar coverage) - WWE = your preference Reading Enjoy read-alouds (you read aloud to DDs from a work above their ability). Assign some reading for school (solo reads and some where DDs read aloud). Have free time reading available. Try doing the aloud readers for school as "popcorn reading" ("you read a page, I read a page"), which also gives you the chance to ask the occasional comprehension question, or "prediction" questions (example: what do you think will happen next? why do you think she did that? what would you have done if you were in her place?). Choose a variety of books: - to match up with your science and/or history time period - from Good Book lists - from classic children's book lists - from curriculum provider book lists History Sounds like you've got a good thing going with SOTW. :) If you think your family would enjoy it, consider expanding a little with: - additional books from the Reading, historical fiction read-alouds, children's non-fiction library books, etc. - watching movies set in that historical time period - history hands-on projects - make a lapbook - play games and/or dress up and/or make food from the time period - geography go-along activities - coloring pages from the time as you read - field trip to a museum or historical site Science For right now, you can keep it very simple and inexpensive -- follow your family's interests; get books from the library; use a science kit or two; go on nature walks and make a leaf collection, and try and identify them; visit museums; plan an experiment or two... If you continue to homeschool, you may want a more structured program for next year, but right now it's great just to explore and enjoy discovering the natural world. :) "Extras" You may also like to incorporate some of the ideas in this thread on "circle time" for the start of your day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eesmom Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Great thoughts! Thank you everyone. I do appreciate the encouragement to "deschool" for a bit so that we can transition into our own rhythm of things as well as reconnect with my DC. It also helps me relax a bit and not get so involved in trying to figure out a curriculum and lose sight of the girls and what might work best for them. I now need to take a deep breath and pray over the rest of the things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 eesmom, it sounds like you are right down the street from me! I'm PMing you about a park days group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 (edited) . Edited March 20 by 73349 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eesmom Posted February 13, 2014 Author Share Posted February 13, 2014 So, I have a question. I pulled the girls out and we are enjoying our relaxed time at home. With almost 3-4 months of school left in the academic year, how do I "finish up" at home? Do I just get the books and curriculum that I think we will use for the upcoming year and just get this current year and work from the middle of it? I feel like I don't know where to "begin" so that we finish up with the academic year and then be able to start with them at the appropriate level come fall. I have no idea if that even made sense, but I am just going a bit batty with all of the snow and being cooped up in the house and thinking and thinking and thinking. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 I used to live very close to Raleigh. You are in a fantastic area for homeschooling! (jealous!!!) As long as you keep the kids moving forward in math, keep them reading, and have them write a little each day...you will be perfectly fine to float by until it's time to start school for the next school year. During your time "floating," go to the homeschool stores and just study some of the materials. It will be worth your while to do this b/c you don't want to waste time & money on materials that will frustrate you or your dc. You have an awesome library system there. Take them to the library often. IIRC, the library system carries a ton of HSing curricula that you can check out and study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 So, I have a question. I pulled the girls out and we are enjoying our relaxed time at home. With almost 3-4 months of school left in the academic year, how do I "finish up" at home? Do I just get the books and curriculum that I think we will use for the upcoming year and just get this current year and work from the middle of it? I feel like I don't know where to "begin" so that we finish up with the academic year and then be able to start with them at the appropriate level come fall. I have no idea if that even made sense, but I am just going a bit batty with all of the snow and being cooped up in the house and thinking and thinking and thinking. . . I think you should relax and recuperate for awhile, and take the time to look at different materials and methods and whatnot. You don't have to wait until fall, of course, to start Official School Stuff, but you may. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TianXiaXueXiao Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I used to live very close to Raleigh. You are in a fantastic area for homeschooling! (jealous!!!) As long as you keep the kids moving forward in math, keep them reading, and have them write a little each day...you will be perfectly fine to float by until it's time to start school for the next school year. During your time "floating," go to the homeschool stores and just study some of the materials. It will be worth your while to do this b/c you don't want to waste time & money on materials that will frustrate you or your dc. You have an awesome library system there. Take them to the library often. IIRC, the library system carries a ton of HSing curricula that you can check out and study. ITA. Just keep math, reading, and writing going. Do some field trips, watch some educational movies and documentaries on whatever interests your kids, enroll them in some local classes if possible (art, riding lessons, ice skating, whatever you/they want), and round out the year with a happy sigh of relief that you are free from the public school system. Use this time and the summer to sample and settle on the curricular programs that you will be using in the fall. Definitely sample first! I have wasted way more money than I care to admit from buying before trying. This is a new way of life and you are going to get the hang of it and no one will know better than you and your kids what works best! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 So, I have a question. I pulled the girls out and we are enjoying our relaxed time at home. With almost 3-4 months of school left in the academic year, how do I "finish up" at home? Do I just get the books and curriculum that I think we will use for the upcoming year and just get this current year and work from the middle of it? I feel like I don't know where to "begin" so that we finish up with the academic year and then be able to start with them at the appropriate level come fall. I have no idea if that even made sense, but I am just going a bit batty with all of the snow and being cooped up in the house and thinking and thinking and thinking. . . Lots of options! :) Yes, you could go ahead and get a few things you plan to use next year, and ease into it. Like math, reading, and handwriting, just to keep those up, and then whatever would be fun for your family -- some logic/critical thinking, art, science, history. That should certainly be enough to have something to do, yet not feel too "school-y" to give you time to both decompress from public school, and start feeling your way towards what homeschooling will look for YOUR family. And, it gives you the extra time to figure out how to use a few of your materials at a time, rather than all at once. Or, a cheap, fast, flexible way to finish out your school year: a few workbooks (say, the Math for gr. 1-2; Math for gr. 3-4; , library books and educational DVDs, a few science kits, and away you go! A few ideas: - Complete Book of Math gr. 1-2 and gr. 3-4-- OR -- Miquon and cusienaire rods - Games for Writing -- OR -- Games for Learning - copywriting = a sentence from the reading; Creating Line Designs; download/print mazes, word searches, and other types of puzzles - Gifted & Talented: Puzzles & Games for Critical & Creative Thinking; Lollipop Logic; - Evan-Moore Read and Understand Science gr. 2-3 (facts, worksheets, experiments) -- OR -- 365 Science Experiments with Everyday Materials - Story of the World, and the Activity Guide - How to Teach Art to Children, gr. 1-6 - listen once a week: Classics for Kids Have fun! And, welcome to homeschooling! Warmest regards, Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 What do you plan on using for next year? Are you concerned that they will be missing some "prerequisites" for next year's books? At the elementary level, I'd be surprised to find that for anything except math, spelling, or maybe reading. You might need to start buying things for next year before you can really tell. If you do find anything that would be an issue--a gap between where they are now and where you want them by the start of the school year--check the library catalog and/or the Homeschool Gathering Place (start in the used section, or ask the ladies there for help--they're very nice!) for what you'll need to fill the gap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForeverFamily Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 I don't know if anyone else mentioned this as I have not read through all the posts. If you haven't already, I would highly recommend reading The Well Trained Mind. It immensly helped me figure out the direction for our homeschool. It helped me know where to start teaching my kids and helped me discover my immediate and long term educational goals for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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