# Homeschooling



## Jesusfreak101 (Jan 22, 2020)

Hey ya'll, I am Rebecca currently a mother of four and I homeschool our children currently my daughter who 6 (n march she be 7), my oldest son who is 4 and my younger son who will be two. mostly the older two get school the younger does some things with us but not much and the month old doesnt do any school lol. I am currently making our curriculium using some websites and either hand writing it or using the computer to make it. I currently am teaching English, math and some science, my husband teaches the history because one i hate history and can not make it fun for another and he loves all things history the crazy person.  We have a small amount of farm animals planning on increasing that so lots of lie lessons there. I been debating about buy curriculums we had used one in the past (rod and staff) which was great except my daughter didnt care for it and made school hard however she is perfectly happy with doing the school work i make for her and my husband aproves of the level of difficultly that i make it. She very much like me and learns like i do in alot of ways so makes it easier to make her it for her. She been improving very quickly with it as well so i guess i am doing something right. i firgured i would make a thread to see how many of us home school and to also talk to other parents who do, we have several in our church that homeschool but one big difference is majority dont have a homestead and they are very active in outside the home activities and we cant afford alot of those right now so they are way busy and can rarely talk. so i going to bug yall lol. i figured we could discuss challanges and also share success and things that have helped us teach and other such things, any way hope to hear from yall soon.


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## thistlebloom (Jan 22, 2020)

I loved my years of homeschooling, but they are so far in the past I may not be able to contribute a lot to the discussion.
But I will be excited to read what all of you come up with. I also only homeschooled two, and I know the dynamics change dramatically when you have more learners. Good thread.


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## Jesusfreak101 (Jan 22, 2020)

Hey thitle i am pretty sure you ll have alot more then you think for those of us just starting the end seems way off lol. today we doing assesment test as i am looking at the good and the beautiful curriculium to use but not really decided on it yet it is suppose be really good and grades 1-5 are free.


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## Jesusfreak101 (Jan 22, 2020)

well that ended faster then i thought it would....she gets frustrated with somethings she can do it when she reads a book but not when its a test she gets nervous and flustered so yeah she didnt pass one of the assements which i dont mind going back a grade in it but debating if i should print it out thats alot of ink and paper if she wont do it... mmm. that was the problem with rod and staff she likes to do what i make but not really sure what the difference is except that i try to make it harder she driving me crazy i keep debating on this it would be nice to have less prep time for school each day. i try to make it a during the week for the next week but some days are harder to make then others... i probably dicuss it more and keep going but did point out she needs to get more practice reading which isnt suprising as the rod and staff didnt give us much time to actually read instead it focused mostly on phonics and kept introducing new rules and not allowing time for us to practice the rule she learned so... fast pace is only good if you get time to practice what you learned so it sticks.


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## lalabugs (Jan 22, 2020)

I home school 5 kids. Grades 10, 8, 6, 3.

I use k12. They are a free public based school. Almost all the work is done online. The school sends all supplies. My kids have been in k12 5 years now. We love it. 

If the kids are struggling they have class connects. Where the kids go into a live chat room with other students and their teacher. To go over the course. One of the biggest things I love about the school is if your student fails a test, they can go back over it and retest.


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## Jesusfreak101 (Jan 22, 2020)

I dont think we ever thought about that simply because we want teach a bible prospective. however your the second person i know that uses and clear enjoys it i am glad it works so well. My daughter is a pain if its not fun or have me sitting with her she fights every step of the way right now she doing a work sheet i printed out for her as i review some worksheets on education and the othersites i use and she giving me additude .... any of yall deal with that and as soon as i point to the dang words on the worksheet she happliy says it... some days i feel crazy.


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## thistlebloom (Jan 22, 2020)

My oldest was more of an independent learner than my second. The second took a few years longer to work alone. I think it's a maturing process. My second son also has dislexia so book  learning was more challenging for him. We used Saxon math mostly, but kid#2 was more a kinesthetic learner so I switched to a program for him that had more manipulatives to teach concepts. I can't remember the name of it.... 
Apologia is an excellent Science curriculum.


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## promiseacres (Jan 22, 2020)

Hello, I'm Dee from Indiana.  We use several curriculum currently including Abeka, Explode the code, and Learning Language through Literature.  My oldest is John who is a 5th grader, hs since 2nd. My middle is Jocelyn a 2nd grader with speech issues but she's getting there reading. And just this month started officially with my youngest, Kinzey who is a Kindergartener.  We also attend a weekly co op with other local Christian families. There they have gym/pe, art, science, business and sign language.  We trail ride our horses and also raise bunnies for 4H and showing. In the process of fixing up a old farmstead with 20 acres. 
@Jesusfreak101  almost every day I feel crazy.. I love having my kids around 24/7 but they drive me crazy too.  13 more years...


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## thistlebloom (Jan 22, 2020)

promiseacres said:


> almost every day I feel crazy.. I love having my kids around 24/7 but they drive me crazy too.  13 more years...



This is not an anomaly  . We have all been there. Some of  us may have spent more time there than others, lol, but it's part of family life.
If I was only allowed one bit of advice to give in my life, it would be to embrace this season with all your strength and heart.
It is a vapor, and is gone in an instant. I know it looks as though it stretches out beyond the horizon, but when it's gone there are no do overs. 

One day a few years back, my oldest, who was 30 at the time, was helping me for a few days with my business. We were doing spring cleanups and were driving to a job. He said he wanted to thank me and dad for being married as long as we had been, and that he respected the fact that we actually still liked and enjoyed each other.
I asked him if he had any misgivings about being homeschooled, and he said no. He understood our reasons for choosing that lifestyle. That was a tremendous relief to my secret insecurities. And remarkable to hear that coming out of his mouth because he is pretty reserved. 
I just say all that to encourage you. When you're down there getting blisters in the trenches it can be hard to remember your convictions, and to know that what you are doing is worth more than you may realize.


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## Jesusfreak101 (Jan 22, 2020)

lol that makes me feel better lol okay is it bad when your looking at something for a hour then finally realize there pages missing from it.....


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## Jesusfreak101 (Jan 22, 2020)

to okay cancel that program its not ee well i suppose you could you the samples but it claims you can print it for free but when i download the book it either downloaded incorrectly or there are pages missing it skips several numbers so i going to  say its not all there so clearly in need more sleep since i been looking at this for awhile and just noticed it and thank fully i hadn't printed it out yet.


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## AmberRaif (Jan 22, 2020)

Hi! I'm also a homeschooling mom and am currently teaching four grades and have a 2 year old as well. I have a fourth grader, third grader, first/second grader and a kinder.  We also homestead with chickens and seven goats, two LGD's and three cats. 
We love this life, and it is certainly a beautiful (and challenging) time of life. But homeschooling is so worth it! 
We've used and tried many curriculums, Abeka, Explode the code, I've reviewed some Saxon, and the "U See" curriculums too and we feel like we finally hit the jackpot with "Masterbooks". They are Christian based and embrace a Charlotte Mason approach, plus they are simple, straightforward, engaging and cost effective. And they have curriculum for every subject. We've found our curriculum home with them at least through the elementary years. 😊 They're worth checking out, especially for a "hesitant" book learner. 

Homeschooling is a journey in love, organization, structure, and flexibility! Try to enjoy the journey. It won't be perfect, because it's life. ♥️ But it's worth it!


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## JHP Homestead (Jan 24, 2020)

What age is did you start homeschooling? My son will be 4 in March and I’m going to homeschool him, but not really sure when or how to start. The co-op here doesn’t start until Kindergarten, so I’m having some struggles figuring out what to do for homeschooling him at this age. 

Any advice for how to get my feet wet with a preschooler?


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## Jesusfreak101 (Jan 24, 2020)

so today is more of the research into new curriculum. back story i suppose is needed, as well as homeschool is going with me making it the biggest challange  we now face me helping my husband as his office manager, book keeping and a few other things along with running the farm and homeschooling and the regular house work. so i looking for away that makes homeschooling alittle easier however i could keep making it just nervous about missing something. i just want to make the right choice and with all the desions we currently facing its just another thing making me alittle crazier.  So today i am relooking at masterbooks one of my friends uses it for her sons and has nothing but good things to say about it. its also you just open the book to that days lesson and go so there no real prep work which sounds like heaven right now. so far it looks good especially my sons. so i still looking at it for my daughter but looks good just have to have her takE the assessment test. Jp there alot of them out there and can be overwhelming to look. i started with rod and staff which i thought was pretty good but its very fast pace and doesnt allow time for much els as it more school baised and not homeschool baised. i am going to go with master books this year i think baised off the fact i heard alot of good things and there less to no prep work as where the other curriculiums have quite a bit of prep work(mostly for k and up)


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## thistlebloom (Jan 24, 2020)

JHP Homestead said:


> What age is did you start homeschooling? My son will be 4 in March and I’m going to homeschool him, but not really sure when or how to start. The co-op here doesn’t start until Kindergarten, so I’m having some struggles figuring out what to do for homeschooling him at this age.
> 
> Any advice for how to get my feet wet with a preschooler?



I think knowing a little bit about how the brain develops is helpful when starting a kids formal education.
Brain development occurs at different rates between individuals. Mostly what I'm referring to is the myelination of the nerves.
Myelin is the nerve coating, similar to the outer insulation of an electric cord. It's what makes the transmission of nerve impulses possible. Children process information more slowly because the myelin is not completely developed. And it's not always complete even at 20 years of age. It is also a process that continues throughout our lifetime. Since it also varies in development rate and in what areas of the brain develop more quickly you can have some 3 year olds capable of learning to read.

I say this because it was not something I was familiar with when I started teaching my boys. Until I started understanding this a little better I was frustrated with their lack of progress in certain areas. Like reading. My boys were not smooth readers until the ages of 7 and 8. My nephew pretty much taught himself to read at 4 while his older sister was still struggling at 7.
My Kid#2 also is dyslexic, so that was something else I found out about a little later. Being aware of what is and is not possible for them to learn at certain stages takes the pressure off. At least it did for me. I was able to relax, knowing that it would come when they were ready and I didn't have to be on someone else's time schedule.

But in a general sense I would say things like counting orally as you go about your day, looking at numbers on different items, say in the grocery store (a dozen eggs is 12, lets count them and make sure we have a dozen in this carton...) recognizing that letters make words, learning the names and their phonetic sounds etc.
  So much can be done as a casual conversational type daily happening without sitting them down and giving them a "lesson" per se. This lays a foundation for them of practical learning, so even though they don't necessarily understand the concepts, they have some experience to draw from. Hope I'm making sense here. You are probably already aware of this, so I apologize if I'm being redundant.

Whatever you do end up doing, don't overface them with too much unknown stuff. There should be challenge, but you don't want to snuff the joy of learning out. I wish I could rewind and start over with the wisdom of my mistakes.
My boys were both very hands on learners and you can introduce a lot of learning that way. I wouldn't do more than 20 or 30 minutes at a time of "formal" educating at 4. You can do a few 20 minutes sessions at different times a day. That is just my opinion, and that would be my approach.


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## Jesusfreak101 (Jan 24, 2020)

well okay i might be the most indecisive person i know... one of my other friends mention to me that master books was very babish and that the math was just a story centered kind of thing.... which wont work for my daughter is advanced in math. so that kinda out now..at least for her might work for my younger two but she did bring up a good point that i could pre make next years school .... sounds like alot of work but might be worth it.


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## thistlebloom (Jan 24, 2020)

Jesusfreak101 said:


> well okay i might be the most indecisive person i know... one of my other friends mention to me that master books was very babish and that the math was just a story centered kind of thing.... which wont work for my daughter is advanced in math. so that kinda out now..at least for her might work for my younger two but she did bring up a good point that i could pre make next years school .... sounds like alot of work but might be worth it.



Why don't you just use a different math curriculum for your daughter? You could use what works in Master Books for the other subjects.
Except for my oldest sons first two years i never used a complete curriculum. I mixed and matched from different sources. I was blessed to have received hand me down curriculum and only had to buy to fill in gaps most years.
With all the extra responsibilities you are taking on with your husbands self employment, not to mention running a house and farm,  I don't see creating your own worksheets as being a reasonable occurrence. You do have to sleep some time you know, lol!
But you would know better than me how that will all fit together. I have forgotten the abundant energy of the young. I look back and am amazed at what I accomplished back then.


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## JHP Homestead (Jan 24, 2020)

thistlebloom said:


> But in a general sense I would say things like counting orally as you go about your day, looking at numbers on different items, say in the grocery store (a dozen eggs is 12, lets count them and make sure we have a dozen in this carton...) recognizing that letters make words, learning the names and their phonetic sounds etc.


I’m think I do a good job with counting, colors, and shapes in day-to-day life. Both DH and I are always having DS count items or tell us what color and shape they are. As a result, DS is pretty good at those things. 

I have a really hard time figuring how to incorporate letters into day-to-day life though. It doesn’t seem like telling him what letters items start with is particularly helpful to him, unless he can see the letter written. Or maybe it is still helpful and it just takes a lot longer than learning colors or shapes, since there’s so many letters?


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## promiseacres (Jan 24, 2020)

JHP Homestead said:


> I’m think I do a good job with counting, colors, and shapes in day-to-day life. Both DH and I are always having DS count items or tell us what color and shape they are. As a result, DS is pretty good at those things.
> 
> I have a really hard time figuring how to incorporate letters into day-to-day life though. It doesn’t seem like telling him what letters items start with is particularly helpful to him, unless he can see the letter written. Or maybe it is still helpful and it just takes a lot longer than learning colors or shapes, since there’s so many letters?



My son started writing letters on a fogged over window at about 2 and a half....he watched a bit of PBS.  we hadn't taught him anything formally at that point. We tried public school for him but he was bored and kept getting into trouble. So we started homeschooling at 2nd grade.

My youngest is just 5 and last year we started writing her name and some educational computer games.  She was ready so we just started some kindergarten curriculum, phonics, math and writing her letters this month. She turned 5 in December.  I think just showing and telling them letter names is key at this age.


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## thistlebloom (Jan 24, 2020)

JHP Homestead said:


> I have a really hard time figuring how to incorporate letters into day-to-day life though



Maybe that could be something where you start by teaching him the letters in his name. Then when you are driving or at a store you could point out words that begin with the same letter. Then build on that as he starts to learn the rest of the letters.


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## Jesusfreak101 (Jan 25, 2020)

We associate letters with animals joshua four and been trying to write letters so fare he can write a, b, and c all very messy but its there. He also recognized them. But we been doing puzzles with them and reading bob books he can recognize letters a-h so its going well , 
I really like the bob books, (found them and the puzzles at costco) small kids learn better through play it seems and my boys love to move so we try that. Also stamps are fun, making letters with playdough, cutting and pasting anything to build up the hand muscles. Also you can get pretty cheap work books from Wal-Mart, office max has alot of books and some neat things to use for school. Oh dry erase boards are a big hit as well.


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## Jesusfreak101 (Jan 25, 2020)

thistlebloom said:


> Why don't you just use a different math curriculum for your daughter? You could use what works in Master Books for the other subjects.
> Except for my oldest sons first two years i never used a complete curriculum. I mixed and matched from different sources. I was blessed to have received hand me down curriculum and only had to buy to fill in gaps most years.
> With all the extra responsibilities you are taking on with your husbands self employment, not to mention running a house and farm,  I don't see creating your own worksheets as being a reasonable occurrence. You do have to sleep some time you know, lol!
> But you would know better than me how that will all fit together. I have forgotten the abundant energy of the young. I look back and am amazed at what I accomplished back then.


That's been a concern for me as well. I don't know i might use it or another and add to them. Maserbooks is on sale right now so i am really tempted to get it.


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## JHP Homestead (Jan 25, 2020)

Thanks @thistlebloom, @promiseacres, and @Jesusfreak101 for the letter ideas!


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## Jesusfreak101 (Jan 25, 2020)

no problem its one of the reason i wanted to start this thread was to get ideas from others and to talk to other homeschoolers. Its also a good ideal to look at curricliums ecen if your not going to use them for ideas as well they let y ou veiw samples and it can help give you ideas. oh i dont know about how comfortable you be with this but my older son loves to practice sewing with a embroidery kit i got for them. it seems to have helped with fine muscle control. so far i am the only one that gotten poked ironically, both my daughter and my sons love to do it i have yet to let the one year old he going to have to be closer to four before i do joshua at three started but he a very laid back kid and doesnt normally try to fight as where my other son thinks everything is something to use as a weapon.


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## thistlebloom (Jan 25, 2020)

Needlework is a great idea for fine motor skills.


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## Jesusfreak101 (Jan 25, 2020)

Okay before i forget i got this recipe off of Pinterest it my go to recipe for playdough seriously we made it last year and it stayed good for a year but i remade some today to replace the older playdough.
1 cup flour
1/3 cup salt
2 teaspoons cream of starter
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup water
And food coloring
You cook it until its the right texture of playdough and you can either add the color to the pot or after to make multiple colors by seperating it in batches. It doesn't stick to anything and is so much easier to work and clean up then store bought. This is a picture after the kids played with even the 1 yr can play with it. Even if he tries to eat it lol.


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## promiseacres (Feb 5, 2020)

Good morning homeschooling mamas... I have a question for you guys. Recently I started my 2nd grader (has speech issues/apraxia) on a new phonics curriculum to help her reading. We were trudging through aBekas 2nd grade language but there were a lot of tears and she was struggling. Initially I was going to do both the phonics and language...but last week or so we just have done  phonics, her reading, and some reading eggs  (online reading curriculum ) . At 2nd grade is that enough "language " ? She also does math and cursive writing.  Language curriculum can be so different!  I worry she'll miss something... I know my husband would want her to finish the abeka but she's struggled with the pace of it since kindergarten.


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## Jesusfreak101 (Feb 5, 2020)

I thin what works for her is best. Its not very much but the point of homeschooling is for both of you to enjoy it and if its stressing her out and making it not fun it isnt worth it i tried that with rod and staff and i even was trying to use it once a week to not waste it but seems that it bad experience  with it memorable thing to where she just reacts first. So i say do what works and forget  what doesnt. Practicing reading is using phonics so it works for me. Thats the point of phonics anyways.


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## thistlebloom (Feb 5, 2020)

I have a phonics program I purchased and downloaded on my computer. It's totally interactive and complete. It was under $100, which I know is spendy for a single subject, but it's non consumable and can be used for everyone, even kids who are already reading fine.
I am starting my 4 year old neighbor on it. We just started last week, I'm  going to work with her 3 days a week. I can't speak to the useability yet, but so far I like it and she is enjoying it. It was developed to be usable for all ages, even adult non readers.
I am considering doing some reading tutoring in the future so my little neighbor is my guinea pig for this curriculum.
Ultimate Phonics, by Spencer Learning. I think he offers a free trial period.

A few years ago I tutored two other neighbor kids who attend government school and were struggling with reading, they were in second grade then I think. I used Phonics Pathways by Dolores Hiskes. It's a very complete program, again for all ages, and I even learned some phonics rules I hadn't known when I taught my own kids.

I'm not plugging for these two programs, just offering them as something that might work well with different kids.


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## AmberRaif (Feb 5, 2020)

So for Math, I actually love Masterbooks. I'm using/have used 5 different levels of it currently(k through 4), and my kids are grasping the concepts and doing great. I don't think it is babyish, it just isn't "public schoolish". They use a story form only in the introduction to each lesson and they do that to help kids see where in life they will use the new concept they are learning.
We have tried Abeka math, Math U See and reviewed Saxon as well, and for k through 4 Masterbooks wins with it's easily understood lessons and they way it builds concepts. I can't say enough good about it. ♥
As far as when to start school officially...I embrace a Charlotte Mason ideology of teaching them at an early age to love learning through exploration, discussion, nature, and good literature read out loud. Colors, shapes, numbers and letters can be taught through play and life experience and many children raised this way are at "grade level" when they hit the age for second grade and without a heavy stress filled workload.  Make it fun, don't rush it, a four year old has plenty of years ahead of him to be a scholar. A great read for homeschooling mom's is "the Unhurried Homeschooler". Highly encouraging to help see the big picture of educating our kids, and it's written by a successful homeschooling mom with letters in it from her grown children.


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## LMK17 (Feb 5, 2020)

I homeschool my two, ages 10 & 7. We also manage/live on a 20 acre farm with chickens, turkeys, goats, hogs, cattle, and horses, plus we have a big smattering of guinea fowl, dogs, cats, and a [poorly neglected, although they don't seem to mind] beehive. We're a military family living far (1500 miles) from all our relatives, and my husband works long hours and doesn't get home until at least 7 pm most nights. So it's almost always just the kids and me. I totally understand trying to juggle the homestead & school and not being able to get out much! My kiddos are involved in Trail Life and American Heritage Girls. They also both take piano and horse riding lessons. The past few years, they did spring soccer, but when they both indicated they wanted to take a break from that this year, I didn't argue. 🤣 We meet up with our homeschool friends as much as we can, but it is a struggle to get out and about and still have time for all our standing obligations. 

I agree that language arts are a challenge! We have the Brave Writer curriculum. I do like it, but I also find it tedious at times. However, I honestly think they best thing I've ever done for my kids' writing was sign them up for pen pals. I definitely have noticed that they are far more interested in writing well if they actually have something to say and are confident the message is *worth* something. I've always tried to express to them that writing is a way to disseminate a message. It follows that if they want to say something but don't express themselves clearly, the message is lost, and so they try harder. My son struggles with writing, it's just really not his thing, although he does well enough. My daughter, who always has A LOT to say, relishes the chance to write to her friends and receive letters back. As we go, I point out ways for them to make their writing stronger. We also occasionally play grade-appropriate iPad apps to help strengthen usage & mechanics. We aren't required by the state to do any testing, so that really helps keep things relaxed.


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## LMK17 (Feb 5, 2020)

The book that actually gave me the confidence to homeschool- and still guides my approach to education- is John Holt's How Children Learn. ♥️


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## promiseacres (Feb 8, 2020)




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## Jesusfreak101 (Mar 3, 2020)

Debating if i am brave enough to try school with three sick and one healthy
(Hyper toddler). To try or no mmm.


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## Jesusfreak101 (Mar 10, 2020)

Well i did it i ordered master books curriculum today. I am going to have her do it and then we see if we reorder for next year or not. But atleast now i be able to use it and I need to add to it I will. But for now its done. I feel somewhat better i am done trying to make it i been so brain fried lately its not be going over well trying to make it and I don't want her missing anything.


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## YourRabbitGirl (Mar 11, 2020)

Jesusfreak101 said:


> Hey ya'll, I am Rebecca currently a mother of four and I homeschool our children currently my daughter who 6 (n march she be 7), my oldest son who is 4 and my younger son who will be two. mostly the older two get school the younger does some things with us but not much and the month old doesnt do any school lol. I am currently making our curriculium using some websites and either hand writing it or using the computer to make it. I currently am teaching English, math and some science, my husband teaches the history because one i hate history and can not make it fun for another and he loves all things history the crazy person.  We have a small amount of farm animals planning on increasing that so lots of lie lessons there. I been debating about buy curriculums we had used one in the past (rod and staff) which was great except my daughter didnt care for it and made school hard however she is perfectly happy with doing the school work i make for her and my husband aproves of the level of difficultly that i make it. She very much like me and learns like i do in alot of ways so makes it easier to make her it for her. She been improving very quickly with it as well so i guess i am doing something right. i firgured i would make a thread to see how many of us home school and to also talk to other parents who do, we have several in our church that homeschool but one big difference is majority dont have a homestead and they are very active in outside the home activities and we cant afford alot of those right now so they are way busy and can rarely talk. so i going to bug yall lol. i figured we could discuss challanges and also share success and things that have helped us teach and other such things, any way hope to hear from yall soon.


Keep it up. I don't see anything wrong with that, as a matter of fact my nephews are into home school, And they are doing great.


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## Jesusfreak101 (Mar 18, 2020)

So joshua using egg cartons and marbles to do number recognition and counting. He made a robot with scissors and glue to help strengthen writing skills and hand muscles. He also practicing tracing, Lucy using school books today. They also are learning about living things and a frogs life cycle so they making frog eggs using coffee filters and paint.


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## Beekissed (Mar 18, 2020)

I love it!!!  Home schooling has so many opportunities to instruct in real time, using real life objects and activities that regular school does not.   Good teacher!!!  

Ironic that all of America is currently unschooling.....except the homeschoolers.


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## Jesusfreak101 (Mar 18, 2020)

Homeschool is a blast they seem to enjoy it better. I forgot we also using letter magnets and dry erase board for spelling and letter recognition. I love those things. We also make paper squares and write letters on them for spelling and letter recognition.  There are some many ever day thing you can use.


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## Beekissed (Mar 18, 2020)

Jesusfreak101 said:


> Homeschool is a blast they seem to enjoy it better. I forgot we also using letter magnets and dry erase board for spelling and letter recognition. I love those things. We also make paper squares and write letters on them for spelling and letter recognition.  There are some many ever day thing you can use.



I agree!   School is much more fun when you move away from standardized learning.   They get to use their imagination and mind more when you can use every day items and situations as a learning tool.   My boys LOVED homeschooling.


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## Jesusfreak101 (Jun 12, 2020)

Okay for future reference there are some things i like about masterbooks and some things don't. Pros its easy to use, lucy enjoys the store part
 Cons are its to easy she gets the three main books done in 30 minutes if we just do their lesson plan for that day of she does three days worth in all three books its about a 2 hrs or less she gets them done. On Fridays there is also science which is slow for her because we live on a farm and its not as in-depth of a lesson as i would like. The other issue i have with it then story explains it some but i would like it to be more instructive i guess them what it is. I would also like it to be abit more challenging for her we going to probably finish it early and try another curriculum. We did get some free math books from albeka so i do have next year's math for lucy for 3-4 th grade and also have boys math for kindergaten and 1st grade. So just need english-work history and science. Oh and the history is some interesting she has a hard time remembering any of it. Need to work on that. But you read about a page or two worth on the first day about the place second day you read some more answer a question day three is a crossword day for you color a flag and day five is an oral review. She doesn't seem to remember hardly anything if anything about what we read about. I do think they did a good job it's just thre right fit for us. So as i would recommend it for a child who struggles sitting still to do work or for a child who having a hard time and is a hands on learner as it does have hands one activity for them to use especially in math, they also use alot of note cards. So that's my thought so far.


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## Jesusfreak101 (Jun 15, 2020)

So as you all know i had some complaints for the master books and i am currently debating on what to do. I talked to my sister(in christ) and also my dd1 about this. Dd1 says she wants to have me make the school work again because it's harder and she likes it better. Sister said that I could adjust the material to suit out needs and they both right. So i am leaning towards making a mix of all the current book a i have and online access. I think I am a bit disappointed as i hoped to be some what lazy and not have to do some much work to make it as i did before...


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## promiseacres (Jun 15, 2020)

Jesusfreak101 said:


> So as you all know i had some complaints for the master books and i am currently debating on what to do. I talked to my sister(in christ) and also my dd1 about this. Dd1 says she wants to have me make the school work again because it's harder and she likes it better. Sister said that I could adjust the material to suit out needs and they both right. So i am leaning towards making a mix of all the current book a i have and online access. I think I am a bit disappointed as i hoped to be some what lazy and not have to do some much work to make it as i did before...


Maybe look into a different, harder curriculum later next year.  It's definitely easier with premade curriculum


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## Jesusfreak101 (Jun 15, 2020)

That's so true. I am just worried if i make it i miss things you know.


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## misfitmorgan (Jun 16, 2020)

My mom homeschooled my brother a loooong time ago(he is turning 30 thie month) and she used one called Acer if i recall correctly.

My sister homeschools her 5 kids, she has used quite a few of the programs, for about 3yrs her church had a homeschoolers...school?? All the kids who homeschooled from the church would go 4 days a week for 4hrs and be taught by the church family. Gave the parents a break and also introduced the kids to other peoples styles of teaching which helped a lot. Sadly the school couldnt keep running because they couldnt keep up with the building they had as they only had about 15 kids. Also the homeschooling classes at the church school really helped with their social skills and ability to relate to people not in their family which they were struggling with a bit. 

So my sister went back to all homeschool but found shortly after the older kids were very very bored with it. They had went from other kids and "fun" to back at home full time. She ended up going to k-12 the free online schooling, and just adding in the religious lessons/sort of like kids bible study on the side. They also go to church 3 times a week and do saturday soul winning so they do get a lot of religion outside of their school work and lessons in sunday school. 

My sister is much happier with the new program and was telling me it is sooo much nicer then the other programs offered for homeschoolers and seemed more detailed/harder then several others. She was frustrated with several of the first ones she tried because she said they were very very slow/easy and the kids would fight back all the time because they were bored and not learning enough. So she did what you did and tried to make her own add-in lessons but that was taking her many many hours a week.

I'm not religious however I was once, so i asked her if she had any problems with K-12 because it wasnt creationism? She said no not at all. She wants her kids to know and learn both schools of thought so as young adults they can pick which they would rather follow as she did. Myself and my sister were not homeschooled. Overall she seems very happy with K-12 and her addition of the religious teaching she wants. She did also add abc mouse but it is a reward type thing, if the kids have a test and they pass they get to play abc mouse for 30 minutes each. She said its actually one of their favorite rewards and they are still learning which is great.


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## Kalan (Sep 2, 2020)

Jesusfreak101 said:


> Okay for future reference there are some things i like about masterbooks and some things don't. Pros its easy to use, lucy enjoys the store part
> Cons are its to easy she gets the three main books done in 30 minutes if we just do their lesson plan for that day of she does three days worth in all three books its about a 2 hrs or less she gets them done. On Fridays there is also science which is slow for her because we live on a farm and its not as in-depth of a lesson as i would like. The other issue i have with it then story explains it some but i would like it to be more instructive i guess them what it is. I would also like it to be abit more challenging for her we going to probably finish it early and try another curriculum. We did get some free math books from albeka so i do have next year's math for lucy for 3-4 th grade and also have boys math for kindergaten and 1st grade. So just need english-work history and science. Oh and the history is some interesting she has a hard time remembering any of it. Need to work on that. But you read about a page or two worth on the first day about the place second day you read some more answer a question day three is a crossword day for you color a flag and day five is an oral review. She doesn't seem to remember hardly anything if anything about what we read about. I do think they did a good job it's just thre right fit for us. So as i would recommend it for a child who struggles sitting still to do work or for a child who having a hard time and is a hands on learner as it does have hands one activity for them to use especially in math, they also use alot of note cards. So that's my thought so far.


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## Kalan (Sep 2, 2020)

Fellow homeschooler here.  10yrs of it.  For my highschool kids we like schoolhouse teachers.com would be great for younger Independent learners.  Also used lifepac in the past year.  Math for a living education was awesome for 1-6.  EP  all in one , good and beautiful for history.  I'm just rambling on now. We have used so many things!


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## Jesusfreak101 (Mar 22, 2021)

Okay so i think i finally have decide exactly what I want to do. I am going to continue using rod and staff for English and math. Then I am also going to you notgrass  for history, also going to use Berean builders for elementary science for k-6 and apologea  for 7-12th.


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## Alaskan (Mar 26, 2021)

I Homeschooled/am homeschooling all of my kids. 

5 boys... ages 12 to 22.

I really liked the readers from rod and staff.   Those were favorites. 

Also, Explode the code.

I have liked Notgrass.


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## Wyndsong (Jun 17, 2021)

I homeschooled my two boys from birth to High school.  They are both in the mid/late 20s now.  We started homeschooling in southern CA and then finished it up in Las Vegas.  I've used just about every curriculum out there.  LOL  I've used Oak Meadow, K-12, Time4Learning.com, and some charter homeschools as well.  I also created my own curriculums or supplements at times.  Please  feel free to ask me anything.

Regarding socializing, the best thing to do is to find a local homeschooling organization.  Usually they will have extra classes, field trips and other extra-curricular stuff for your kids to do.  The one I belonged to in Las Vegas also had proms for the teens every year!  It was  awesome!  

I loved homeschooling my boys and miss it sometimes.  I made a lot of wonderful lifetime friends from the homeschool groups and it was amazing.  I'm glad to see so many others, especially homesteaders/farmers, homeschooling now!!  <3


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## Jesusfreak101 (Apr 4, 2022)

(thinking out loud please comment on what your thought is) i did it to my self again..... i bought some books from a yard sale. 1st grade from life Pac, 
kindergaten from horizon and some 2grade both from horizen and life pac.... now i almost have all the books from those to do next year for 60$ going to have to buy 4th grade for oldest... it would be 350.00 from lifepac or from rod and staff.... i tend to use rod and staff regularly... the kids do well with it. i had thought may be adding some extras for older to make it more fun as a trade off for her staying the rod and staff for next year as i could use the teacher  books. for the youngers and the work books from rod and staff are like 3$ compared to horizon 24-27$a workbook and life pac 8$ a work book(last two are in color )... desions.... hmm I think I might have the one in kindergaten to the yard sale books and also the 2grader maybe... hmmm then we can go back to rod and staff for 3rd grade and then the doing  kinder next year could use the 1st grade  the following year.....  hmmm or should just use the garage sale books as fillers/fun... if i get this coming year for all of them to lifepac/horizon ie will cost 600 (including what i got from yardsale) following year same currculium 1050.00. Rod and staff for this coming year  320.00 for what i currently need and may be 400 for the following year. and i have currently 1000.00-1500.00 budget for the books, readers and supplies/anything else school wise for this year budgeted.


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## Alaskan (Apr 4, 2022)

I really like the readers from Rod and Staff, starting in grade 4.  Their younger readers are really just Bible memorization,  so not fun. (Most grades are a set, book with stories, then a workbook and an answer book).

But the readers grade 4 and up are excellent not only for critical thinking and vocabulary,  etc. But SO GOOD for character building and Godly virtues etc.

I am also highly fond of the Rod and Staff remedial English worktexts. Quick fast English review.

The Rod and Staff textbooks are great, but lots of repetition,  sit down work, and not exciting for us... 

The English textbooks, with the matching workbooks and test books, are excellent, just lots of work (which is good... you just have to do it).

I don't think I ever tried the math from Rod and staff....  I have gotten and liked their accounting set and barn building etc set... but those are for 8th and 9th grades.


For math I have tried various things.... eh..  I have no strong opinion there.

But after English and Math...  for under hjghschool set, I would not do a curriculum. 

Science is library books, nature walks, growing plants, hatching eggs,  cooking, the weather, the seasons.....

Pick one topic each week or month to learn about in depth.  Like all about bats.  Or how and why baking powder is used in biscuit recipes.

History is also easily all library books.  I do... well, did... history by time period and then went more deeply into some areas that the kids found more interesting or I found more important.

Library books are FREE, and great!  You can take home a new stack every week.  You want to have a basket where the library books live, and keep the receipt they give you in a very safe place (at our library they give you a receipt with the names of what you checked out).  That way it isn't too hard to keep track of the books even with tiny kids.

I have also found some gems at the used bookstore in town.

So... personally...  I would spend the money on a math curriculum and on an English curriculum 

But NOT spend money on the other subjects until high school.


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## Jesusfreak101 (Apr 4, 2022)

lol i really like their math and English. we have had great success with it i been using notgrass for history and berean builders for science its our first year with it. a friend and i talked it out. Rod and staff works for us so we sticking with it the kids finish it fair quickly most of the time school is 3hrs work book and the rest is hands on. we have been able to enjoy rod and staff even the amount of work by adding dry erase boards, hands on counters, magnet letters and ect.  we do alot of cooking, farm/life science, sewing music and other things i just want to try to get use to another one lol my life crazy enough right now.


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## hysop (Apr 4, 2022)

I will have to catch up on another day when I have time to read the whole thread up until now, but in the meantime:

I homeschool my 5 year old twins.  They’re close to 6.  I have chosen not to buy curriculums for the time being.  I was given a whole set for 3rd grade for free so I’ll use that when the time comes.

Like you I just make them some activities they can work on.  Right now I’m wanting them to practice writing cursive.  One is left handed so it's a struggle for me to teach the way the pencil should move, but they do great.

They love math and so do I so I’m always finding fun ways to implement math and I also bought flash cards.


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## Alaskan (Apr 5, 2022)

Jesusfreak101 said:


> lol i really like their math and English. we have had great success with it i been using notgrass for history and berean builders for science its our first year with it. a friend and i talked it out. Rod and staff works for us so we sticking with it the kids finish it fair quickly most of the time school is 3hrs work book and the rest is hands on. we have been able to enjoy rod and staff even the amount of work by adding dry erase boards, hands on counters, magnet letters and ect.  we do alot of cooking, farm/life science, sewing music and other things i just want to try to get use to another one lol my life crazy enough right now.


I haveva couple of the history books from Notgrass...  they are good.

I don't think I ever saw or tried Berean.

But yes!  If it is working then stick with it!


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## Alaskan (Apr 5, 2022)

hysop said:


> I will have to catch up on another day when I have time to read the whole thread up until now, but in the meantime:
> 
> I homeschool my 5 year old twins.  They’re close to 6.  I have chosen not to buy curriculums for the time being.  I was given a whole set for 3rd grade for free so I’ll use that when the time comes.
> 
> ...


Little kids...  age 5 and 6, are so much fun to teach!

For writing with your two,  I would suggest those big fat triangle pencils.  Little fingers still have difficulty with the pincer grasp, especially on standard skinny pencils.

Also, bigger letters are easier, and the triple lined paper (the ones with the dotted middle line so they know how tall the humps on an "m" should be), are worth the money.  You can even get dry erase boards with those lines, if you are going through too much paper.

What I did, especially with work pages that you wanted to use more than once, was get a sturdy plastic page protector, like for a 3 ring binder, but then cut through one side, so you can slide it over the workbook page.  The plastic page protector is a great dry erase surface!  For this trick to work well, buy a higher quality plastic page protector so the plastic is stiff and doesn't wrinkle when the kid writes on it.  The super inexpensive ones wrinkle too easily.

You can get low oder dry erase markers in any thickness and color.

That trick was invaluable especially with those pages of addition or times tables problems, the ones the kids should be repeating often to get them well memorized.


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## Cecilia's-herd (Apr 5, 2022)

Following along! Despite being married to a teacher I've always wondered whether or not homeschooling would be better.


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## hysop (Apr 5, 2022)

Alaskan said:


> Little kids...  age 5 and 6, are so much fun to teach!
> 
> For writing with your two,  I would suggest those big fat triangle pencils.  Little fingers still have difficulty with the pincer grasp, especially on standard skinny pencils.
> 
> ...


That’s such a great idea! Thank you!  I will have to look for the white boards with those lines. I want to say I have seen them in stores but if not then I’ll check out Amazon.

I’m open to anything that will save some paper because my kids end up wanting to keep everything they do but if they know it's a dry erase board they don't get attached 😂


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## Jesusfreak101 (Apr 5, 2022)

warning dry erase markers dry out fast.. my kids are bad about lids and if they use the dry erase and forget the kids for 10minutes or more that markers dead.


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