Moving from Abeka at school to homeschool. Talk it through with me?

[WhitneyS]

I am not sure if I need advice, reassurance, or a bit of both. I've read a myriad of posts and feel peace about our decision, but would just love to talk with others who are homeschooling.

I currently teach 9th-12th English at a small private school. My girls, 2nd & 4th grade, also attend. Both have been here since K4 and the school exclusively uses Abeka. We have decided that next year I will not be returning and instead will homeschool the girls. We love the school, but my husband is a wildland firefighter and we want the flexibility homeschooling will give so we can spend more time with him during his slower seasons.

I feel that my girls have done well with Abeka. Both are straight A students (Does this matter? No. Just using it as a barometer for choosing another curriculum). My older daughter's A in spelling is hard fought, it doesn't come naturally to her. Both have expressed an interest in continuing with Abeka, but it is far too worksheet driven for me. I do appreciate that my girls seem to grasp basic grammar concepts relatively well, but surely there is a curriculum that isn't so mind numbingly boring. 

I feel confident crafting a curriculum for my own classroom, but the thought of doing that for my girls is anxiety inducing. I think for the first year I'd like to use other curriculums to build up my confidence, then potentially design my own unit studies, etc. 

Ok, all that to say - I am nervous. I would appreciate advice from anyone who has transitioned from Abeka to other curriculums (I am happy to mix and match). My biggest fears right now are that the girls will fall behind in math or will struggle with grammar. I know my fear over math comes from my own insecurity in the subject. My concern over grammar is that I will swing too far in one direction; they will understand grammar, but I will stomp out a love of writing, or that I will be too lenient on grammar and they won't fully grasp the mechanics of writing. I very much want to inspire a love of reading and writing, while balancing the mechanics. 

Summation - will you give advice on what math and language/writing curriculums have worked for you? Especially helpful if you have a child who did well with Abeka. I'd also love a recommendation for spelling for a child who has to work hard in that area.

[wendyroo]

22 minutes ago, WhitneyS said:

I am not sure if I need advice, reassurance, or a bit of both. I've read a myriad of posts and feel peace about our decision, but would just love to talk with others who are homeschooling.

I currently teach 9th-12th English at a small private school. My girls, 2nd & 4th grade, also attend. Both have been here since K4 and the school exclusively uses Abeka. We have decided that next year I will not be returning and instead will homeschool the girls. We love the school, but my husband is a wildland firefighter and we want the flexibility homeschooling will give so we can spend more time with him during his slower seasons.

I feel that my girls have done well with Abeka. Both are straight A students (Does this matter? No. Just using it as a barometer for choosing another curriculum). My older daughter's A in spelling is hard fought, it doesn't come naturally to her. Both have expressed an interest in continuing with Abeka, but it is far too worksheet driven for me. I do appreciate that my girls seem to grasp basic grammar concepts relatively well, but surely there is a curriculum that isn't so mind numbingly boring. 

I feel confident crafting a curriculum for my own classroom, but the thought of doing that for my girls is anxiety inducing. I think for the first year I'd like to use other curriculums to build up my confidence, then potentially design my own unit studies, etc. 

Ok, all that to say - I am nervous. I would appreciate advice from anyone who has transitioned from Abeka to other curriculums (I am happy to mix and match). My biggest fears right now are that the girls will fall behind in math or will struggle with grammar. I know my fear over math comes from my own insecurity in the subject. My concern over grammar is that I will swing too far in one direction; they will understand grammar, but I will stomp out a love of writing, or that I will be too lenient on grammar and they won't fully grasp the mechanics of writing. I very much want to inspire a love of reading and writing, while balancing the mechanics. 

Summation - will you give advice on what math and language/writing curriculums have worked for you? Especially helpful if you have a child who did well with Abeka. I'd also love a recommendation for spelling for a child who has to work hard in that area.

I have homeschooled my 4 kids from the beginning. They are now 1st - 8th grades.

Grammar - who cares? Okay, that is a bit hyperbolic, but really, do you think that if you read to them and help them learn to express themselves through writing that they will honestly end up taking the SAT not knowing intuitively how to speak grammatically? Obviously there are some nit-picky "grammar" points that are arbitrary (don't put a period after Ms even through Mr. and Mrs. do get one), but a lot of those are going to come up naturally over the years in the course of life, and there is absolutely no reason they need to know them in elementary.

With my kids, I don't view formal grammar as an everyday subject.
- Sometime in early elementary I teach my kids the basic parts of speech - using Brian Cleary books or Grammar-Land (a few text or audiobook that teaches through a story). Through writing and copywork they learn about capitalization and ending punctuation, and gradually we start adding some commas and other internal sentence punctuation.
- In middle elementary we go through Michael Clay Thomspon's Grammar Island which is a very deep, conceptual look at what makes a sentence, told through story. We refine capitalization and punctuation through their writing.
- In upper elementary I add in a Daily Grams workbook, but only do the sections that seem interesting or that they need work on. This starts to teach some of the arbitrary rules and higher level definitions ("adverbial clause" or "possessive adverb").
- I kept waiting for the time it felt necessary for my oldest to go through a more formal grammar curriculum, but it never came. He is a native speaker who has listened to and read a lot of books - he knows grammar. We cover the really unusual cases when they come up in his writing, but he gets a deeper understanding through studying the grammar of a world language.

Writing - I cannot recommend highly enough Susan Wise Bauer's lectures on teaching writing. I re-listen to those frequently. That said, we use Writing with Ease (Susan's writing curriculum) in early elementary, then spend a couple years using Evan-Moor's Text Based Writing to practice and move from paragraphs to short essays. Then transition to Writing with Skill. We also use Lantern English classes to give them, and me, an outside perspective.

Spelling - All about spelling.

Math - We love Math Mammoth. But Singapore, Math U See, Beast Academy, Miquon, etc are all good programs if they click with a child and parent.

Have you considered a literature rich program that would offer some structure, while leaving you with a lot of flexibility as you settle into homeschooling? Perhaps something like Build Your Library?

[HomeAgain]

I would say don't worry too much about designing this first year.  You do seem like you like units, so maybe something like Layers of Learning, BookShark, Learning Adventures, Five In A Row..maybe these would work for you?  You can see several different styles on Rainbow Resource, and you should definitely check out some of the free resources here to see if there's something you gravitate to.

 

I will say that I would not worry about the kids being behind in math.  While Abeka has a reputation for being quick, it also has a reputation for limiting the mathematics instruction a child receives.  The last part of their statement has since been dropped quietly from their site, but spoke of things like set theory being "arbitrary" and they don't bother with "modern theories".  It was a dog whistle way of saying that their programs are intentionally incomplete in the higher grades. They've also struggled to maintain a history and geography program that was truthful and sincere, so you may find something you like better than having to interpret their statements within the context of factual events.

Math Mammoth is a pretty popular text and spiral like Abeka.  You might want to check out Cathy Duffy Reviews and narrow down some samples to look overl

[wendyroo]

1 minute ago, HomeAgain said:

Math Mammoth is a pretty popular text and spiral like Abeka.  You might want to check out Cathy Duffy Reviews and narrow down some samples to look overl

And whatever math curriculum you choose, I would make sure to have your girls take a placement test. There is really no such thing as being "ahead" or "behind" - just finding a level of a resource that will be neither too easy nor too hard. 

One thing I might caution you against is unconsciously mimicking a lot of your formal teaching practices at home. You really don't need assessments. There is nothing wrong with hanging out on one topic for as long as necessary for a kiddo, or setting aside a concept for a couple months and working on something else. Unlike in a classroom, there is no reason to drag a student through a topic that they already thoroughly know - you can let them move at their own pace as fast or slow as they may be. Homeschooling is truly a unique situation that has a ton of advantages (and some disadvantages), but it can quickly become "school at home" if you don't consciously choose to think outside the box. 

[JazzyMom]

My kids have all used A Beka for math and grammar during the elementary school years.  We don’t use any of their other materials.  To that, we add historical fiction books, non fiction books, science kits, crafts, and outings.  They have each had a solid foundation and successfully transitioned to other materials in middle school.

[Frances]

After doing grammar for grades 1-12 myself, no way was I going to waste that kind of time with my own son while homeschooling. We did Analytical Grammar for two years in middle school and he aced the SAT and PSAT (NM Scholar) and excelled in all of his writing intensive honors college classes. Immerse your children in the wonderful world of literature and non-fiction (great way to cover science and history for k-8) through read alouds, audio books, and reading on their own. There are several good literature based programs out there, but personally I just used their reading lists and skipped all of the teacher’s guides and supplemental materials. Immersing your children in a language rich environment is one of the very best things you can do for them educationally. I strongly second SWB’s lectures on teaching writing. While an excellent reader with an amazing vocabulary, spelling also did not come naturally to my son. Sequential Spelling and short dictation exercises worked best for him and only took a short amount of time each day.

I don’t really know anything about Abeka math, but I can’t say I’ve heard of it being recommended by anyone on these boards whose opinion on math I trust. There are lots of elementary math threads that discuss the pros and cons of various programs, so hopefully some of them will be helpful.

I most definitely would not use Abeka for science or history. Living books are the best way to learn those subjects in the elementary and even middle school years. No dry textbooks or worksheets. Some like Story of the World with activity books for history and there are tons of science experiment/nature study resources out there if your kids are interested. Sonlight is one Christian curriculum that combines literature and history. Just using their book lists could be a great foundation for the elementary years.

Edited October 28, 2022 by Frances

[LauraClark]

Grammar: we use First Language Lessons in 1-2nd grade, Plain and Not so Plain (a free online resource) for 3-4th, Analytical Grammar Jr for 5th, and Analytical Grammar for 6-8th.

Spelling: Dictation Day by Day (it's free online). I don't see this recommended a ton on here which is why I jumped in this thread. My oldest really struggled with the traditional spelling route and dictation has done wonders for him.

Writing: we enjoy Writing Stands (we use the old version).

Math: we use Rod and Staff, which is working fine-it's not fancy and I never assign all of the problems, but my kids are doing fine with math.

[HomeAgain]

39 minutes ago, LauraClark said:

 Plain and Not so Plain (a free online resource) for 3-4th,

Be highly cautious here.

I gave my kid a P&NSP grammar worksheet and it was so riddled with errors that instead of doing the work, he red penned it.  He was 10 years old.  The activity had no idea what a state of being verb was and that was at odds with the lesson it tried to teach.

 

[purpleowl]

I started each of my kids with Abeka for math, phonics/reading/grammar, and handwriting. They did K4, K5, and 1st grade Abeka materials in those areas.

After that, what I use(d) for math: Math Mammoth, switching to Beast Academy (at different points for each child). I like both MM and BA, for different reasons, but BA ends up being the best fit for my kids. 

For reading: Once they hit the point where they could read (usually about halfway through Abeka 1), I stopped doing phonics instruction and started just reading regular books with them. I like the Mensa Excellence in Reading lists as a starting point for choosing books, though there are plenty of other choices and we haven't stuck with just the books from that one list.

For grammar: First Language Lessons - I started with level 2 after they finished Abeka 1. Levels 3 and 4 have written work for the student, but I find it less dull than the Abeka stuff. I also go off-script plenty of times, especially if it's something I know my kid gets already. After FLL we have done Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind at a slow pace, completing one level in 1.5-2 years. I think I gave DD#2 a year off from grammar between FLL 4 and GftWTM, and I'll probably do the same for DS (he's in FLL 4 currently). 

Spelling: I have pretty much always just corrected spelling in my kids' writing as we go along, so no recommendations there. 

Writing: I have used Writing with Ease, but Writing & Rhetoric has been a better fit for us. (Well, one kid needed to switch to something else after book 8 or 9, but the earlier levels worked well for her.) Your girls should be able to start book 1 together if you go with W&R - I had my two girls doing it together as well and it worked nicely for them to be able to share their writing with each other. 🙂 

[Lori D.]

On 10/27/2022 at 10:28 AM, WhitneyS said:

...next year... will homeschool the girls...my husband is a wildland firefighter and we want the flexibility homeschooling...
... my girls have done well with Abeka...
...Both have expressed an interest in continuing with Abeka, but it is far too worksheet driven for me...
...I think for the first year I'd like to use other curriculums to build up my confidence, then potentially design my own unit studies, etc. ...

Welcome! -- And, my husband had his career on 24-shifts with our (urban) City Fire Dept -- and our  DS#2 (homeschooled grades 1-12) is a wildland firefighter, so I totally get wanting to flex with your husband's schedule. 😄 

It sounds like you are looking at TWO transitions:
1. from private school to homeschooling
2. from Abeka to other curricula (or create you own)

Since your students have done well with Abeka, I'd suggest continuing with what you all know, and handle one transition at a time -- start with homeschooling and figure out what that looks like for YOUR family. 😄

And, feel FREE to ADAPT Abeka to make it work for your family during this transition time. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

- too many worksheets / worksheets too long? --> just do selected problems or worksheets (not every.single.problem.and.every.single.page)
- do some work orally, curled up together on the couch, rather than DDs having to write out every.single.answer
- have fun doing some things on a whiteboard with colored dry-erase markers
- do regular Abeka 4x/week (adapted with ideas above), and the 5th day do fun LA and Math games, supplements, activities
- or, "skip-a-subject" -- write each of these 5 subjects on its own slip of paper: spelling, handwriting, grammar, writing, math; fold and put the paper slips in a jar -- do this for each DD, to each have her own jar; then each morning, each DD gets to draw out one subject from the jar and gets to skip that subject for the day (most days they will draw out different subjects to skip, and that's okay); set aside the slips of paper once they have been drawn, until at the end of the 5th day, each slip has been drawn; for the next week, return all to the jars, re-fold, and mix them up for fun of skip-a subject

Meanwhile, during your first semester of homeschooling as you all relax and figure out what works for YOUR family, you can be researching what curricula you might be interested in switching to.

And, this would be the perfect age to create unit studies for your history, science, and geography. Your unit study could be a "limited" unit study-- just reading about the topic and doing a hands-on project or going on a field trip to add to the study. But, if you want a more "full-on" unit study It's easy enough to set aside some of the Abeka LA for a week or three and have them read books on the unit study topic, and do a little penmanship practice from sentences from one of the books, or spelling words from the unit study, or write 1-2 sentences or a brief paragraph on something they learned from the unit study (and illustrate it).
 

On 10/27/2022 at 10:28 AM, WhitneyS said:

... I very much want to inspire a love of reading and writing, while balancing the mechanics. 
... Summation - will you give advice on what math and language/writing curriculums have worked for you? Especially helpful if you have a child who did well with Abeka. I'd also love a recommendation for spelling for a child who has to work hard in that area...

My DS#2 (the wildland firefighter) is a very visual-spatial learner with mild LDs (stealth dyslexia), so some delays with reading (but reading by age 8), and  esp. big struggles with spelling, writing, and math.

Grammar:
A lot of people don't start formal grammar until 3rd/4th grade. Or even 5th grade. Some people just hit grammar every other year: 4th, 6th, and 8th. Or, it's a topic that's easy to do just 3x/week for 20 minutes or so and you get plenty of exposure.

If doing grammar with younger ages (say grades 1-3), a lot can be done orally together rather than as worksheets. And for any age, you can use the whiteboard for some of the work, just do selected problems, etc., to reduce overkill.

NOT like Abeka, BUT here a few Grammar programs that get positive reviews on these boards:

- Fix It Grammar series (gr. 3-8 levels) -- grammar in context of writing
- Junior Analytical Grammar (gr. 4-5) -- traditional workbook; scheduling options to condense/spread out over 1-2 years
- Beowulf's Grammar (created by @jenn&charles of these board) -- hands-on based; here's a 3-min. video review by a user
- Growing with Grammar -- workbook-based; grades 1-8 (they also have Soaring with Spelling and Winning with Writing series)
- Winston Grammar -- Basic (gr. 3-5), Word Works (gr. 5-7), Advanced (gr. 7-8) -- hands-on based
- Easy Grammar (gr. 3-8) -- workbook based (my experience: it became "rote" and DSs learned the pattern and not the actual grammar 😉 )
- Michael Clay Thompson: Grammar Island (gr. 3-5) / Grammar Town (gr. 4-6) / Grammar Voyage (gr. 6-8) -- very NON-traditional, story-like, "out of the box" approach
___________________

Spelling:
For a child who is not clicking right away with spelling, I would suggest looking at All About Spelling, and get rolling with that THIS year -- do it at home, and just let the private school teacher know that you are covering Spelling at home and DD will not be doing that subject with class. The sooner you can provide spelling support for a child where spelling does not come easily, the more success you are likely to have with spelling in the long-run. AAS is phonics-based and multi-sensory program. Expensive, but look around either at your local homeschool group or online to get it used for less.
___________________

Writing
I personally had 2 pencil-phobic (lol) DSs throughout the elementary grades (one disliked writing, the other struggled). So formal traditional writing programs did NOT work here, and would have killed any future willingness to write if I had pushed it. (They actually both enjoyed Wordsmith Apprentice, to my delighted shock, lol). However, not everyone has children like that, so my first 3 suggestions are more gentle/less traditional programs, and then there are 2 more traditional/structure program ideas below those:

- Wordsmith Apprentice (gr. 4-5) -- can see sample pages at that link; fun "cub reporter" theme; includes some grammar; teaches sentences through paragraphs
(Wordsmith (gr. 5-7) is the next level in the series and covers paragraph writing of different types, and while still informal and written to the student, does not have the same fun theme to it -- but it is not in the least onerous)
- Writing Tales -- level 1 (gr. 3-4) and level 2 (gr. 4-5) -- gentle, fun, created by a homeschooler
- Treasured Conversations (gr. 3-5) -- here's a blog review; a 1-year program; guided (teacher scripted) from sentences to paragraphs; created by @8filltheheart of these boards;-- you would have to contact her, as she recently "closed her doors" due to the overwhelming bureaucracy of trying to run an online business in her state

- Writing With Ease -- levels 1-4 (grades 1-4) -- by Susan Wise-Bauer, author of The Well-Trained Mind and this website host
- Writing and Rhetoric -- grades 3-8 series
___________________

Math
Really, this will depend on what type of program perspective "clicks" for your student AND has what YOU need for teaching/overseeing it. So very MANY options out there... Here are just a few of the ones I see most frequently discussed:

- Saxon -- gr. K-12; 'spiral'/incremental-based; traditional (was too abstract in presentation and visually overwhelmed by math struggler DS#2, and the spiral/incremental bites spread out over weeks killed the love of math for my math-minded DS#1)
- Christian Light Education -- gr. 1-8; traditional
- Math U See -- gr. K-12; 'mastery'-based; DVD video lessons, manipulatives; very visual/tactile, and explains the 'why' behind the concepts (this is what FINALLY clicked for math-struggler DS#2)
- Math Mammoth -- gr. 1-8; 'mastery'-based; workbooks; modified "Asian" style of math instruction
- Singapore -- gr. 1-6; 'mastery-based; workbooks; "Asian" style of math instruction (this one clicked great for math-minded DS#1)
 

On 10/27/2022 at 10:28 AM, WhitneyS said:

...We have decided that next year I will not be returning and instead will homeschool the girls. We love the school, but my husband is a wildland firefighter and we want the flexibility homeschooling will give so we can spend more time with him during his slower seasons...

Is it at all possible for you to leave the school at the end of this semester and get started with homeschooling for the spring semester?

You could start by taking Jan-Mar to do lots of fun field trips and outings and explorations while dad is home more -- like a big focus on Science, nature walks, Art, Music, History, Science, Geography, etc. -- and then when Dad starts his season, start adding back in the more formal work and "seat work" types of subjects (Spelling, Grammar, formal Writing instruction, etc.).

That doesn't mean you stop doing all math, reading, and writing -- you just do it more informally, through writing about discoveries and explorations (and illustrating them) in a special notebook, and doing a page a day in gentle, supplemental math workbook.

Then your "heavy" school season could be April-November while Dad is working his wildland firefighting season.

My other suggestion is to start looking around now for a local homeschool support group. Not a co-op to take over doing your schooling, but a group that does outings, and social activities, and maybe has a weekly "PE/Park Day" during the traditional school year season. That way you can meet some homeschooling moms and get some great BTDT tips and experiences, and they can show you curricula to help you see what might be a fit for your family.

And, your kids can start making new friends -- because, honestly, it is extremely hard to keep up children's friendships with school mates once you switch to homeschool. That was our experience, as DSs were in a private school for pre-school-1st (DS#1) and pre-school-kinder (DS#2). We also needed to move to a new neighborhood with a lot of kids (original neighborhood had NO kids), so that DSs could make friends. The homeschool support group and church youth group were the other places where they met and made good friends. 

BEST of luck as you plan for this grand adventure! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited October 28, 2022 by Lori D.

[Lori D.]

Sorry, I keep going on and on. 😉 But I wanted to also comment on these two items in your post:
 

On 10/27/2022 at 10:28 AM, WhitneyS said:

... My biggest fears right now are that the girls will fall behind in math or...
... that I will swing too far in one direction; they will understand grammar, but I will stomp out a love of writing...
... I very much want to inspire a love of reading and writing, while balancing the mechanics...

re: fall behind in math
First: that is highly unlikely to happen, since your DDs are doing fine already. Just keep a steady pace of moving forward each year, and by the time you hit somewhere between 7th-9th grade (varies with the student), your girls will be ready for Algebra 1 and the higher maths. Really, you'll be fine.

And second: every school, and every curricula, has a somewhat different scope and sequence -- covers different topics in different orders or in slightly different grades. So whenever you make a switch, yes, you may find a gap of something you haven't covered yet in the previous program that already got covered in the new program -- but also vice-versa (you already covered a topic in a previous program, and get it again in the new program).

No big deal. Just fill in gaps with supplemental materials as needed, and move on. Or skip the topic if it's already been covered by your previous program and you don't need to review/re-do with the new program. Flex and adapt! 😄 

re: stomp out a love of writing
Honestly, just DON'T do age-INappropriate assignments like so many public schools do (full paragraphs in grade 1, and multi-paragraph essays in grade 3!!!!) -- and you'll be fine. 😄 A small amount of writing most days of school, and slowly gently increase the amount through the elementary grades, and wait until they have developed the logic/analysis stills in the late middle school grades before tackling writing that requires analysis, research -- and you'll be fine. 😄 

Relax and enjoy your homeschool journey! Your DC are at a lovely age for having FUN and exploring, read-alouds and activities/outings -- you can completely knock out all of your schoolwork for a 2nd grader in 2 hours, and a 4th grader in 3-4 hours. That leaves you tons of time for doing all kinds of other fun things. 

Edited October 29, 2022 by Lori D.

[cintinative]

I am not clear on if they will be 3rd and 5th grade when you get them home. Can you clarify OP?

We really enjoyed First Language Lessons, and I have heard great things about Well Ordered Language (Classical Academic Press).  We shied away from Analytical Grammar and I ended up regretting that. That's another thread.  😃

For spelling, I highly recommend All about Spelling.   It's a fantastic program.

Do you have anyone near you who is homeschooling that might have some of these curricula mentioned upthread? It's so helpful to look at things.   You could try to find samples online too.

You have to be busy with teaching, but it would probably be super helpful to read/skim The Well Trained Mind.  They might have it at your library. See if you can get the most recent edition since she recommends some programs in there.  

[Ellie]

I withdrew my daughter from a private Christian school that used all ABeka.

The only ABeka books I can recommend are the science series. Colorful, interesting, easy to use. The history series focuses way too much on minutia. The grammar series beats grammar to death every.single.year. No one needs that much grammar; there only eight parts of speech and some thingummies like gerunds. And there's not nearly enough writing. Also remember that ABeka was written with classrooms in mind; you don't have a classroom. Most of what you learned re:classroom management will be useless.

I would just walk away from ABeka altogether. It will keep you in a classroom mindset, as opposed to a homeschool mindset, much longer than is even necessary (it isn't necessary at all). I would say Rod and Staff Publishers for math, English, and spelling (spelling from 4th grade up) if you feel the need to have textbooks. R&S publishers is every bit as academic as ABeka, but without the burn-out factor, and IMHO, its math and English series are superior.

In fact, I would suggest recommend de-schooling for an extended period of time, that is, do as little Official School Stuff as possible but learn to be home, where children actually learn stuff all the time even if it doesn't look like school. Let your dc recover from their classroom experience (and yes, they do need to recover) and find themselves again. Figure out new household routines, let them have lots of free time, which they might not know what to do wit initially, but that's why you de-school. Go to the library regularly, and don't regulate, in any way, the books they check out (or don't check out). Do regular field trips. Join a support group--not a co-op, but a support group.

And read as much as you can about homeschooling. You are in a re-education phase, and the more you read, the better. 🙂

[almondbutterandjelly]

Grammar can be so fun at those ages!  Spend a week on each part of speech.  Watch the Schoolhouse Rock video.  Read the Grammar Tales books and the Parts of Speech Tales books and the books by Brian Cleary.  

The Sentence Family is also really fun for those ages!

If you want some worksheets, grab some from Language Smarts by Critical Thinking Company.  Or Seton English for Young Catholics.  But don't make those the focus.  Have fun with it!

 

[WhitneyS]

I had a long response with quotes and then walked away from my computer. Apparently the internet dropped and my response was lost, so I will just say THANK YOU to all of you.

I have zero desire to use Abeka. I think I made that clear in my post, but for those of you who are advising me to steer clear, that is my plan. I do not want our home learning experience to feel like a classroom. My high school classroom barely feels like a classroom 😂 My administration allowed me to craft a program that focuses heavily on the enjoyment of literature and producing proficient writers, so my classroom has lots of comfortable seating, mass amounts of books and zero grammar worksheets. The elementary is strictly Abeka, so my girls have not had the same freedom my high schoolers do. 

When the high schoolers get to me, they have a very strong framework in grammar. I want to give that foundation to my girls, without the rigidity of their experience now. I want to bring the love of reading and growth in writing to my home that I have brought to my classroom, while allowing for even more freedom.

I am very grateful for the suggestions on curriculum and advice given. I have been researching for the last month, but at some point it's nice to just hear from other humans. Thank you for being such a wonderful community! It's heartwarming to have parents I don't know jump in to give advice, this post was so encouraging for me.

On 10/28/2022 at 2:00 PM, Lori D. said:

Is it at all possible for you to leave the school at the end of this semester and get started with homeschooling for the spring semester?

We can't leave yet, as I am under contract for the rest of the year. We are talking as a family about what we'd like the next year to look like, things the girls are excited to learn about, etc. I have shown them different ideas to get a feel for what they would like. I am picturing what I want our homeschool days to look like and slowly incorporating ideas from that now. For example, I want to read to the girls OFTEN. I love the idea of waking up and snuggling together with books. I started reading to them while they are still in bed for 10 minutes, to start our morning. It's been such a sweet, cozy time and is helping us look forward to next year!

[Lori D.]

23 hours ago, WhitneyS said:

...I have zero desire to use Abeka...
... My administration allowed me to craft a program that focuses heavily on the enjoyment of literature and producing proficient writers...
... I want to give that foundation to my girls, without the rigidity of their experience now. I want to bring the love of reading and growth in writing to my home that I have brought to my classroom, while allowing for even more freedom...
... I have been researching for the last month, but at some point it's nice to just hear from other humans. Thank you for being such a wonderful community! It's heartwarming to have parents I don't know jump in to give advice, this post was so encouraging for me.

...We can't leave yet, as I am under contract for the rest of the year. We are talking as a family about what we'd like the next year to look like, things the girls are excited to learn about, etc. I have shown them different ideas to get a feel for what they would like...

Sounds like DDs are fully on board and willing to go with something different, and since you develop your own materials for your high school class, then transitioning to homeschool and simultaneously into new curricula and way of learning should work well for you all. That is SUPER that you all are talking together about it, and involving DDs in looking at resources and ideas. 😄 

And I totally agree -- the homeschoolers on these boards are indeed very generous with sharing from their experiences, and in providing all kinds of ideas and suggestions.  💕

Wishing you all the BEST for a wonderful, warm homeschooling journey! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Ting Tang]

On 10/27/2022 at 12:28 PM, WhitneyS said:

I am not sure if I need advice, reassurance, or a bit of both. I've read a myriad of posts and feel peace about our decision, but would just love to talk with others who are homeschooling.

I currently teach 9th-12th English at a small private school. My girls, 2nd & 4th grade, also attend. Both have been here since K4 and the school exclusively uses Abeka. We have decided that next year I will not be returning and instead will homeschool the girls. We love the school, but my husband is a wildland firefighter and we want the flexibility homeschooling will give so we can spend more time with him during his slower seasons.

I feel that my girls have done well with Abeka. Both are straight A students (Does this matter? No. Just using it as a barometer for choosing another curriculum). My older daughter's A in spelling is hard fought, it doesn't come naturally to her. Both have expressed an interest in continuing with Abeka, but it is far too worksheet driven for me. I do appreciate that my girls seem to grasp basic grammar concepts relatively well, but surely there is a curriculum that isn't so mind numbingly boring. 

I feel confident crafting a curriculum for my own classroom, but the thought of doing that for my girls is anxiety inducing. I think for the first year I'd like to use other curriculums to build up my confidence, then potentially design my own unit studies, etc. 

Ok, all that to say - I am nervous. I would appreciate advice from anyone who has transitioned from Abeka to other curriculums (I am happy to mix and match). My biggest fears right now are that the girls will fall behind in math or will struggle with grammar. I know my fear over math comes from my own insecurity in the subject. My concern over grammar is that I will swing too far in one direction; they will understand grammar, but I will stomp out a love of writing, or that I will be too lenient on grammar and they won't fully grasp the mechanics of writing. I very much want to inspire a love of reading and writing, while balancing the mechanics. 

Summation - will you give advice on what math and language/writing curriculums have worked for you? Especially helpful if you have a child who did well with Abeka. I'd also love a recommendation for spelling for a child who has to work hard in that area.

This is our third year homeschooling, and we started out using all Abeka.  It really is a solid but traditional curriculum, and I have used every grade through grade 3.  I have transitioned to using other curriculums as I learn more about my children's and my own needs for teaching.  Some have worked out better than others.  I think Abeka provides a really good foundation, so I think you're going to be alright.  Abeka has a pretty good math foundation, I feel.  I just wouldn't recommend going to Master Books.  That is going backwards.