New to homeschooling and need help with finding the right curriculum

[ltb1975]

So next year our family will be relocating overseas (military) and I have chosen to homeschool for various reasons. Currently, they attend a small Catholic School and have been thriving. I have three boys who are rising 4th, 5th, and 7th graders. I have no experience homeschooling, but I don’t want them attached to a computer screen all day. However, specifically for my older son, I’m not confident enough to plan/teach.

DIFFERENT LEARNERS: My youngest is behind on penmanship and writing skills. He is ADHD and significantly hyperactive. However, he’s strong at reading and math. If it’s a topic he’s interested in, he will fully absorb the material. Likewise, if he’s not interested, it’s a lost cause. My 5th grader is ADD with a mild learning disability in reading comprehension and math. I typically need to read aloud with him and discuss material, and work with him on math assignments. He is a hard worker though and is both enthusiastic and easily frustrated. I recognize that I will need to invest more time working with him. My oldest is fairly independent. He is also ADHD, but has really made progress this past year. As long as I frequently check in with him he has been very successful. He has been making honor roll this year and self monitoring his grades.

So, my question is should I consider different curriculum/methods for my boys? All subjects don’t have to be Christian based necessarily, but I would like a solid bible study course included. I’ve been told there is a large homeschooling community where we’re going. An acquaintance mentioned that she’s involved with Classical Conversations. I looked into the material, and while I find there are some great aspects to it, I'm concerned it may not be suitable for my middle child.

Do you have recommendations on curriculums that include lesson plans and have most of it planned out for parents? Given the information I shared, are there some curriculum you would recommend over others?

TIA. Feeling overwhelmed and I'm afraid that I'll stall their learning!

[Rosie_0801]

Honestly, if you know enough to write this post, you know enough to teach your 7th grader, once you get going.

What subjects do you need/want/have a legal obligation to teach?

Where is "overseas?" Perhaps someone on here is or has been there and knows the lay of the land.

[HomeAgain]

If you have access to a good printer right now, I'd print out samples from different things you end up interested in so you can get an idea of how a day would look and its intensity.  I'd also suggest reading the grade-level planning threads that pop up here and the free resource thread as well.  And some good websites to hit are Cathy Duffy Reviews, Rainbow Resource, and Christian Book Distributors

I would NOT do Classical Conversations.  Their legal shenanigans among other things make them highly immoral, and their curriculum is subpar in depth.

Things that have worked for us at various ages:
Writing Tales (progym/classical style writing).  This is meant specifically for 3rd-6th, with short activities each day. 

IEW - there is plenty of parent assistance in the form of video and written aids, but it develops a specific style of writing

Moving Beyond The Page - these are more 'school-like', with integrated language arts and book studies.  The writing directions aren't as explicit, but each guide we tried was a lot of fun to do.

 

Manipulative-heavy math worked best in our house, but you might look at Singapore or Beast Academy.  Both are colorful but do not rely on manipulatives.

 

For my wiggly ones, it's not so much about the curriculum but the scope and sequence.  Half the time I end up looking for the objective of the lesson, then looking for other ideas on how to present/work with it.  Just because the author's theoretical child would benefit from doing something one way does not mean my actual child would.

It was also a time to do the scary thing and throw out grade level expectations.  We used Writing Tales in 5th, though the book suggested 3rd-4th.  It was where my child was at the time and it wouldn't have done him any good to push him ahead.  We worked a lot in short blocks, significantly short at first and slowly building the habit of continued attention for longer and longer spans.  We focused a lot on routine and steady expectations.  There was a lot that was interactive, discussed, and never left for a child to do alone when I knew there would be trouble concentrating.  And, my bookshelves can tell you, there was a bit of trial and error.  Our first year homeschooling only saw one program continue into the next year.  As I learned more about how to learn, it was easier to discern what my kids might need or what would work for them.  I made sure they were able to give feedback and input, too: monthly meetings to tweak our days, giving them a choice of what to study (and picking from programs after I curated down to 2-4 that met the criteria).  I held space for down time with no electronics.

 

You'll figure all of this out in your own home and come to your own conclusions about what works best for you and your family.  It just helps sometimes to see it as a mentorship than a leader-follower experience.

[Miss Tick]

Jumping in to homeschooling 3 DC (dear children) it's going to be quite a leaning curve, especially tied to an international move. Whew! You might want to consider picking a subject or two to start on over the summer to dip your toe in. Perhaps you could have everybody studying the same history period, with a read aloud (and whatever keeps their hands busy and mind engaged) along with some light weight assignments. That would give you a feel for how willing they are, if grouping them might work for some topics, how much focused attention they need, that type of subtle information that carries widely family-to-family and kid-to-kid.

In the meantime you could choose math programs for everyone and have them do placement tests while they are still remembering topics they learned this year, and "English" programs with areas of focus that match your goals for them. I would suggest that science be run like history, maybe have a spine, maybe do some demonstrations altogether and have them do individual reading at their level and in their area of interest. Keep in mind that high school science programs (in the US) start from scratch. Any prior knowledge they have is a benefit, but not a requirement.  You only need to figure out one subject at a time.

There is a sub-forum on the board for learning challenges, they might have more specific information with regard to planning with those in mind.

Do you know how long you expect to be overseas? That might also make a difference in planning.

[Nm.]

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Edited April 30, 2023 by Nm.

[Nm.]

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Edited April 30, 2023 by Nm.

[A.M.]

Focusing on a few core subjects at the beginning helps.

Curricula that my children and I are enjoying:

- Maths:

Math Mammoth: clear explanations; if we need another point of view, we use Khan Academy.

- English:

Rod and Staff: very clear. We do about a third of the exercises and cover many orally.

- History:

Story of the World: we read and discuss this together. When we reach events or periods that we want to read more about, we take a break from SotW and focus on other resources.

We use history for writing summaries and narrations. We also keep a book of centuries (timeline).

Moving abroad does open great opportunities to focus on the history/geography of a different part of the world. 

- Literature:

Lots and lots of books. I think it is important to consider what might be the best way to source good books while abroad.

 

[8filltheheart]

If you are Catholic, I would recommend looking through these different curriculum options to see what approach appeals to you as teacher.

Mater Amabilis and its non-Catholic equivalent Ambleside Online

Catholic Heritage Curricula or non-Catholic Sonlight

Kolbe Academy

Mother of Divine Grace

You do not need to enroll in any of them!  However, these links should give you an idea of different approaches you can take.  FWIW, I would probably combine your younger 2 in history, science, and possibly even literature if they are fairly on par.

FWIW, I have never used a boxed curricula. I always put together my kids' courses and create their assignments.  Point being, don't feel chained to what outside recommenders suggest for assignments/pace/sequence.  You can alter things to fit your children's individual needs.  

I had to chuckle at the MUS comment above.  Yep, we have never met IRL, but I am not a MUS fan.  😉   Do you know what math curriculum they are currently using in school?  That might be a good place to start.  Some other options to investigate might be Singapore Math, Math in Focus, Horizons, Saxon, Math Mammoth.

Edited April 29, 2023 by 8filltheheart

[Nm.]

Nm

Edited April 30, 2023 by Nm.

[8filltheheart]

1 hour ago, Lovinglife123 said:

@8filltheheart  in many of the homeschool groups on Facebook (which I’m not on anymore)- mathusee came up a lot as a go to.  It’s been a go to for many families where I live.  I started with it but second guessed myself on its “rigor” and spent quite a few years experimenting when I could have just stayed the course.  It’s a solid, easy to use program with very few people having legitimate issues with it (IE- child not understanding material).  Since she’s moving overseas I am just thinking of what seems to be “good enough” for so many.  Especially since all of her children have ADHD with one having difficulties with math and reading.  Anyway that’s where I’m coming from.  Lots of great options though for sure.  I also mention boxed (Sonlight) due to any possible issue with access to lots of books.

Its sequence is so non-standard that I would definitely not recommend it for older (her 7th  grade) students.  While I have never used their elementary math, their high school math sequence is weak (though apparently they are rewriting them.  From their own assessment of their own curricula, "Legacy coverage to PSM is about 50 out of 160 topics, which is about 31%." Here is a link to MUS's own breakdown of topics for alg 1 in the Legacy Algebra 1 version vs. their new Algebra 1: Principles of Secondary Mathematics. pdf comparison 

 

Edited April 29, 2023 by 8filltheheart

[Nm.]

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Edited April 30, 2023 by Nm.

[8filltheheart]

2 hours ago, Lovinglife123 said:

I really don’t know- is more always better?  Have children who completed precalc or calc done well in college (if they chose to go)?  Is the new program going to lead to better results?  Or are children better off having a smaller scope each year?

Is the student capable of mastering more topics and more complex problems?  I have taught MUS alg and geo 8 times now. I can state unequivocally that the content would have negatively impacted my children's academic and career goals if MUS had been their sole alg/geo exposure, especially my kids who have gone on to major in physics/math, chemical engineering, and atmospheric science. All math is not equal and MUS definitely reflects that.

[Nm.]

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Edited April 30, 2023 by Nm.

[8filltheheart]

8 hours ago, Nm. said:

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I'm not sure why you deleted your profile and your posts.  If you have benefited from posting on these forums, you should reconsider your decision.  I am not sure how to phrase what I want to say bc obviously my responses must have upset you enough for you to make that decision, and I regret for you that you felt compelled to do that.   (and here is the part I am not sure how to phrase.)  However, my posts state factual experience over close to a decade of teaching the texts to 8 very different learners who have all gone on to repeat alg and geo with other texts.  They are not based on FB posts or repeating what others have told me or projecting what I might possibly experience in the future with older students.  And most importantly, my posts are not addressing you.  They are addressing the implications of your posts to someone who has a 7th grader who has not demonstrated any math deficits and whom the poster described as an honor student and a 3rd grader whom she stated is a strong math student. 

My posts are not personal toward you.  It is unfortunate that you have read them that way.  However, the OP should be able to read all perspectives, yours included.  Understanding that there are alternative perspectives is how one becomes informed in order to be able to make better educated decisions.

Edited April 30, 2023 by 8filltheheart

[knitgrl]

We have done MEP for younger grades. It is a free math curriculum from the UK. The lesson plans tell you everything you need to know to work through the lessons with the kids. I don't know that I would recommend it for 7th grade, which is a fly-by review of things they should have learned in previous years. There are so many components that it is just confusing. But Reception (Kindergarten) through Yr 6 is very solid and easy to implement. If you are overseas and shipping is prohibitive, this might be another positive aspect of it. https://www.cimt.org.uk/projects/mepres/primary/index.htm

Also, ditto on what Rosie said. You've got this!

[Nm.]

@8filltheheart I didn’t take anything personal.  I just need to focus on my kids and realized I’m spending too much time not🙃

[ScoutTN]

Agree with pp who suggested getting math figured out first!
Focus on the three R’s, then add content subjects and extras.

Experiment a bit with history and science to see how your kids do grouped together, esp the younger two. Read Alouds for all three together. Good literature lists abound here.

Remember, you can double-dip; something a child writes for history or science can count as writing/composition. Not all writing has to be an exercise only in composition or about literature.

Consolidating where you can will leave more time for adjusting to and enjoying your new location. Definitely plan for simple! 

Possibly some history, geography, and language study based on your location? 

You sound super clued-in about how your kids learn. Add in some info about what they’ve done/mastered already and what they are interested in and you will be fine! The first year can be challenging and in a new place, after having done traditional school, it will be extra so. Give yourself and your kids lots of grace, be flexible, and remember that not all education is schooly. They will learn so much from this huge adventure!