It is once again the first Wednesday of the month, which means that it is the themed week for Works for Me Wednesday.
The theme this week is backwards edition (which I always love!). On this week, instead of giving a tip, you get to ask the readers what works for them.
So, I think I have some ideas of the curriculum that we are going to use next year for schooling, but I would love any feedback from homeschoolers (past, present, future) about what you have used. What do you like, what have you not liked?
I am interested in not only core subjects, but any elective types of areas as well! I'm about to go to my very first homeschooling conference, so this will be my opportunity to see a lot of things in person. Let me know what I should look for, or what I should avoid!
Thanks!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
I would love some homeschooling resources recommendations!
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24 comments:
Kuddos to you for homeschooling. My princess is only 15 months but still debating whether I will homeschool or not. We do read a lot together now, and I feel like she is the smartest girl ever! ;)
I linked your post to my WFMW post. Stop by anytime.
Blessings!
I'm a fan of Math-U-See, and I use Sonlight's book lists for history, readers, and read-alouds.
I have a bunch of posts on my site about resources I love; here's the link:
http://stretchmarkmama.blogspot.com/search/label/homeschooling
If you want a more relaxed literature-focused program where you do the planning, I'd recommend using Sonlight's book lists along with Rebecca Rupp's Home Learning Year by Year. If you would like something that is planned out for you, I'd recommend Sonlight's programs, if you are okay with faith-based.
If you want a completely secular program, that may be hard to find, but you could start with Rupp's book and also try LLATL (Learning Language Arts Through Literature) plus a math program (I personally prefer Saxon math, but others I know liked Math-U-See a lot).
There are tons of options out there and it's sooo hard to narrow it down. There are other programs depending on what method you would like to use - but if you are at a point where you haven't decided on a method and want something that doesn't go with a specific concept (Waldorf, Montessori, Classical, whatever) I'd try the above.
I worked for a homeschooling publication for a very long time and have hs'd since 1999 (this year I have one child in school and 1 in home "nursery school" due to family issues) - feel free to touch base privately if you have questions or want info on specific methods/curricula to match methods. You can email me via my Blogger profile or leave a comment on my blog with questions and I'll blog answers. :-)
We just switched over to Math U See and I cannot say enough great things about it. I have a demo take/information if you'd like to send along. The woman sent some extras for a homeschooling swap I am going to. I'd be happy to pop one in the mail to you. :)
We have an eclectic style, but I do need some structure.
Explode the Code is great for phonics
Right now we are using Bob Jones for Reading/English
I bought Switched on School House for my older son for science next year (Grade 5) for some extra material.
I just discovered and am now obsessed with making/using lapbooks. If you are not familiar with them, they are fantastic! We (my 6 year old) are using them for Science lessons right now....but next year we are doing our whole Bible study with them.
We subscribe to www.edhelper.com and www.enchantedlearning.com
hmmmm, there is so much! I have heard great things about Sonlight too.
Have a great day!
I was homeschooled and now we homeschool our 9 children. We began using Sonlight over 5 years ago, when we began homeschooling and we still love it. My children beg to do school and when we are finished for the day they will beg to read more, please. The only excpetion to that is when it is warm and sunny, then they would rather play outside.
Each year we evaluate and pray about the curriculums available and keep sticking with Sonligh. It has it's negatives, but the pluses far outweigh them in our opinion.
This last year I finally found an art curriculum that is practical to use, fun for the children, and has produced great results, Artistic Pursuits. Highly recommend.
We are teaching our children Greek, but if you are interested in a more traditional foreign language, Rosetta Stone is wonderful.
I could go on and on and on. I love homeschooling and could talk all day.
If you are interested, please feel free to email me or check out my blog. You have inspired me to write some more about homeschooling. :)
Blessings,
Kimberly
We use the Charlotte Mason Method of Homeschooling and love it. It doesn't focus on using curriculum. I have some homeschool resources on my blog under homeschooling if you want to check them out.
Blessings to you.
Kim
Our favorite curriculum "find" this year has been ALEKS math (http://www.aleks.com/). It is an online, subscription-based math curriculum for grades 3-12 that has worked wonderfully for our 5th grader. She can see her progress daily with a pie chart, and they send me detailed progress reports every two weeks. The explanations are clear and helpful. It works for us!
Hi Angie! First, thanks for commenting on my blog...thank yellow bowl story is priceless! :)
We're in our second year and the things I've been most happy with are: Saxon Math (I know some don't like it, we do), Handwriting Without Tears and I just bought Meet The Masters (Art) which is good so far.
I never home schooled. It wasn't as well known back when my kids were growing up. I do have a friend who home schooled her kids. One of the things she did was join a home school group and did outings. She also raised chickens, goats and pigs. She also did a group project with gardening.
I did a post on this back in the fall...if you want to, you can check out my extended comments at:
http://turnedloose.blogspot.com/2008/11/home-school-curriculum.html
I only have a kindergartener, but we are using My Fathers World, and LOVE it!
You will love the homeschool convention!
The best thing to do is find out the learning style of your child. Check out or buy this book:
http://www.amazon.com/100-Top-Picks-Homeschool-Curriculum/dp/0805431381
It is a great resource!
I like Sonlight for the basics, and I'm kind of electic about... well, electives! ...and supplemental materials.
I'm in the process of compiling some of the most helpful resources I've found over the years at my new homeschooling blog at Roads to Learning. Hope you'll find it helpful!
We like Math-U-See for Math.
And there is a curriculum we are currently looking at called "My Father's World".
We also plan on using Handwriting without Tears for my almost 7 year old son.
My 5 year old daughter will start on Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons - it was fantastic for my son.
I really like the series "what your kindergartener needs to know" and it goes through every grade - it gave me a great outline.
We don't use a boxed curriculum. I kind of just put stuff together--so I guess eclectic style.
I have used and recommend Explode the Code and Handwriting Without Tears. Both have worked well with my children.
OK, when you go to the conference, make sure to have a list of what you want to see. It can be overwhelming and you can end up buying things you don't need because someone explains how wonderful their product is for your child's brain!:)
Take a rolling cart if you have one. I don't know how big the show is, but when I go to the one in Orlando I couldn't make it without it. Books are heavy!
We use Sonlight right now, and we love it! I've used Math-U-See and now we use Teaching Textbooks for math. A World of Adventure is a wonderful unit study program written by sweet people. Spelling Power worked great with my first son. We've used Bob Jones, but I don't suggest it. If you have more questions about any of these, just email me. I guess you can tell that I could go on and on!
What works for someone else might not work for you!!! You know what's best because you know your child!
We love homeschooling!
~Kim
I only have done kindergarten so far, but we are using A Beka. It is a Christian curriculum, and is very structured and academic. They also have the option for your child to get a diploma through their academy by registering their grades with A Beka.
When kids are older, I think Saxon math is ideal! I am a big fan of the Five-in-a-Row Curriculum for younger grades.
Hi Angie,
My advice would be to split your work load in 1/2. I know you have lots going on and value some free time. Pick some things that require you to teach, and leave some things to DVD or "student friendly" programs (Teaching Textbooks (cd-rom) or MUS (dvd) for math, Prima Latina DVDs for latin, CD-rom Word Roots, or CD Phonetic Zoo for spelling, Easy Grammar which just requires a quick look over from you). Involve yourself in history, science, Bible, art or a few of these subjects so that you get the one on one time each day. Also, combine them all together so that your prep time is less. I have lots of suggestions for these if you want to email me. Have a great time picking stuff and be sure and bring a list of things that you need to see up close and personal and don't feel pressured to make a decision right away. You can always order this stuff online. Curriculum fairs are for looking, learning, and picking up stuff that you are 100% sure about!
I adore Beautiful Feet study guides. We did Ancient History this year and LOVED IT! We're going to be doing American History next year as well as History of Classical Music with BF guides.
I also happened upon two awesome sites recently. BibleClassBooks.com, which has tons of free Bible curriculum, and WorksheetWorks.com, which has fabulous resources for Math, English, Geography, and lots more.
I'm also a big fan of Wordly Wise. It's the absolute best vocabulary program I've ever seen. We started using this our first year of homeschooling, and we'll be using it through 12th grade with each child. It's SUPER easy to use since it requires hardly any teacher prep.
For math, I love using the Key To series by Key Curriculum Press (http://keypress.com/x6469.xml) These are topical math packets, not grade-level, and they are wonderful for teaching decimals, percents, fractions, and even algebra. I use them alongside Singapore Math.
My favorites are Sonlight, Singapore Math, ALEKS math (for older kids), All About Spelling (especially for dyslexic kids), and PowerSpeak for foreign languages. My son is also getting lots of use out of Explode the Code for reading. Enjoy!!
I love everything I've gotten from Memoria Press!
I love veritas press for almost everything: history, bible, literature.
I like saxon though, it's not for everyone. I have a child who hates school so it's perfect for her.
I do a mix for geography.
no english cause we do mad libs and fun stuff.
a reason for writing and spelling.
keepers of the home
think that's it.
One site I would recommend (since it's that time of year again--time to find resources for next year) is homeschoolclassifieds.com
I have bought and sold thru this site with good experiences all around. It's not as structured as, say, eBay, but not as laidback as Vegsource. (There is a rating system for buyers and sellers.) Great prices!! :)
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