Peg Graham Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 I plan to homeschool my daughter, Carson this coming September. She will be in 3rd grade. Any help is appreciated.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkgumby Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Hi, and welcome! What kind of help exactly are you looking for? Choosing curriculum? How to get started? There is a great community here from all walks of life and great advice when you need it - but if you could be a little more specific, it might help. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deemk Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 there are millions of curriculum choices out there, ranging from total packages to cherry-picking on your own, to no actual textbooks at all. i think you probably want to do some reading of different homeschooling philosophies, and once you decide which one suits you best, then you can follow recommendations from there. if you've decided for sure on the WTM way, you'll find lots of lists and specific guidance for curriculum at all grade levels. i started this journey 3 years ago, and at the time, my older 2 children were in 4th and 5th grade. i think, if i were to look back and wish i had some sort of knowledge then that i didn't, it would be to know that the transition takes time. i've learned that i need to be patient and try my best not to compare my kids to the ones next to them or the ones still attending public school. i've learned that homeschooling is constantly changing and i always need to be adapting to my kids' needs and how they change. i've learned that if i choose a curriculum for them and it doesn't work, i shouldn't feel like a failure... just move on to the next choice and keep trying until something clicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Hi Peg! Welcome to the Well-Trained Mind (WTM) forums. When I made the decision last February to homeschool my daughter (2nd grade) I found this forum to be a huge help. We have really enjoyed our school year thus far and next year I'll be adding my younger daughter who will be in 1st grade. Feel free to start asking questions and you'll get a great deal of advice. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Any help is appreciated. That's what we're here for! Do you have any specific questions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peg Graham Posted April 15, 2009 Author Share Posted April 15, 2009 how do I go about picking out what to teach? Reading: Writing: Math: Abeka Math 3 English: Spelling: Science: Social Studies: Geography: Music: Violin Art: Latin: one day per week Religion/History: PE: Ballet (Fall –Spring) /Swimming Lessons (Summer) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 how do I go about picking out what to teach? You have to define your vision of an educated person. What should Carson know and be able to do when she's grown up and graduated? Which of those skills and knowledge sets will she pick up without direct instruction? What type of requirements do you believe are healthiest for your 3rd grader -- being asked to do workbook pages? making up her own notebook pages on what she studies? discussion? narration? How does she receive information? Is she more likely to walk away from a book, a DVD, a hands-on work session, or a conversation with new knowledge and/or skills? After you answer these questions, you can look at places that describe homeschool programs, like homeschoolreviews.com and here, and compare your answers to what the curriculum promises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deemk Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 peg, are you going to follow well-trained mind? if so, it gives specific instructions on curriculum and weekly schedules for each grade, along with book lists. make sure you get the current version (and the 3rd version is due to be released any moment now, so you may even want to wait a week or so for that one). then you take what they recommend and review it and choose what best suits your child's academic level and learning style. and you may not even know those real well yet. i didn't when i first pulled my kids out of school, because i had no clue what public school had done to them. it was (and still is) a process of trial and error to find out what fits them and to find out what public school left out. well-trained mind makes great suggestions but you can't do EVERYTHING in the book, so just know that up front. pick and choose what is best for you, your child, and your schedule. and know that she will have to do some decompressing from public school. there are a few good books on that subject too. if i track down the titles, i'll PM you with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peg Graham Posted April 15, 2009 Author Share Posted April 15, 2009 you ladies are awesome! thanks for this info...I am feeling a much more at ease with it all. I better get reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosy Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Hi Peg! I recognize you from 2Peas. :) I think, as others have said, once you define your goals, your daughter's strengths and learning style and your own educational philosophy, it will become more clear what your next step is. The Well-Trained Mind is a great place to start. And if all else fails, get a couple big stacks of books (some for her, some for you to read to her) and go to town. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 I just started hs with my dd this winter. So I am not a "seasoned" homeschooler, but I will agree with something that was said above: It takes TIME to adjust. I read somewhere that it can take about a month for each year of school that they were in to adjust. And I just rolled my eyes at that. Three months for my second grader to adjust?? Seriously, we were ready to jump right in. Well a few weeks later I was wondering what I had gotten myself into and wanting to quit. Now we are 4 months into it and I'm just starting to enjoy it and I'm figuring out what works for us. I guess 3 months wasn't so much off after all. I'm still not a person that thinks you should do NOTHING during that transition time, but I agree that you should be willing to take days off and enjoy your time together, rather than setting inflexible deadlines for yourself right off the bat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maria/ME Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 Adjustment for everyone! Take your time, don't have a preset idea as to what is going to happen, because it won't! I had these ideas of what our homeschool was going to look like and be like, and wow! nothing like what I thought. That took letting go of control and expectations for me. That means I had to relax. It take awhile to find a groove. As to specifics in curriculum, when I am at a loss I search here at the forums or do a google search. For example, let's say you are wondering what to do in terms of geography. I search the forums here and see what others are doing, what people like. I notice what types of learners are liking what types of geography studies. I love lapbooks,my dd doesn't....I also google the curriculum mentioned and read more about it and try to get samples. Then I narrow it all down and try to find it used in case it doesn't work for us! Or you can get a boxed curriculum and have it all done for you. Many who are just starting out find that the simpliest route to go with at first. (It looks like you are going to pick and choose, though,from your list..) Really, there are SO many resources out there. So much help from websites and forums like this one. It will take an amount of research, but you'll feel better armed to jump into schooling. I wish someone had told me to relax more when I started out. Actually they did. I just didn't listen! It's a process and a journey.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphabetika Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 You've gotten wonderful suggestions, but I just have to add two things: I love the name Carson! Spend lots of time outside and go slowly. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxMama Posted April 15, 2009 Share Posted April 15, 2009 You have to define your vision of an educated person. What should Carson know and be able to do when she's grown up and graduated? Which of those skills and knowledge sets will she pick up without direct instruction? What type of requirements do you believe are healthiest for your 3rd grader -- being asked to do workbook pages? making up her own notebook pages on what she studies? discussion? narration? How does she receive information? Is she more likely to walk away from a book, a DVD, a hands-on work session, or a conversation with new knowledge and/or skills? After you answer these questions, you can look at places that describe homeschool programs, like homeschoolreviews.com and here, and compare your answers to what the curriculum promises. :iagree: If you have a local homeschool store in your area I'd go and spend some time looking at resources. Leave your checkbook at home!:lol: My local homeschool store will let you open packages and really take a good look at resources BUT they will do a hard sell and you will walk out much, much poorer. While you are there you can check out WTM recommended resources. They will not be selling Abeka new but if they sell used resources there will be alot of Abeka on that shelf for you to examine. If they have a copy of Cathy Duffy's Top 100 Homeschool resources spend some time checking it out while you are there. It has some decent information to help you decide what kind of homeschooler YOU are and what kind of learner your CHILD is. Plan and spend far less then you think! Start slowly and add subjects 1 at a time until you find your perfect balance. I'd start LA/math with plenty of trips to the library then slowly add in other subjects over a month or so. Best of luck, mama! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RanchGirl Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 this thread about 3rd grade will give you some idea of curriculum that others are using. But I agree with previous posters, it takes a while to find your groove and figure out what works best for you and your child, so don't make any big investments at first! http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90737 Tana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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