Quiet group lately! We're all working SOOOO Hard on school and PC, that we just haven't checked posts lately.

The kids and I are doing well- we recently finished up a unit study on Autumn- covering seasons, the science behind the leaves changing, what animals do this time of year, etc, some history about various people like Johnny Appleseed, and all things "fall". Quite fun. Going to put it all together in a lapbook. We're hoping to 'dissect' a pumpkin soon and study it and do different things with it.

We're now starting to study Ancient Mesopotamia, so I'm pulling some great unit study things in for that area to cover that subject. We're going to wrap up that section with a "feast" with real recipes from that area. The kids are looking forward to it.

The kids are also having fun in Cub Scouts this year- our first year. Going to the Museum of History tomorrow. It's a special event about the American Indians.

I had a good laugh today at my 5 1/2 yr old. We were doing math (Math-U-See), and he had to figure out how many hundreds/tens/units were pictured on the page. He figured that out...and it wrote out 3-4-6 respectively.

I said "ok...so how many is that?" (he's supposed to read the number outloud).

He said "ALOT!" I laughed so hard...I couldn't go on.

We finally decided on a curriculum and we're going to use Sonlight this year. Since it is our first year and everything is new to us, we felt it was best to go with something already compiled for us. I decided to purchase all 3 level readers for Core 2 to be sure I covered all 4 kids reading abilities. We added on the Science, Language Arts, Bible, Horizons Math and A Reason for Handwriting. We are very excited to get started at the end of this month. Now that I've taken care of that I can get back to making phone calls and getting shows back on my calendar :-). Looking forward to getting to know all of you better.

Hi Everyone, I'm new pc consultant. New as in..i just completed the paperwork yesterday I also hs my ds. He is 15. My dh and I both work full time too so it can prove to be challenging. We use Bob Jones curriculum. Any advice you have etc - I'm more than happy to listen

Just saw this- it's great!

We've been hs'ing for 6 years. Ds is 11 and dd is 7. I secong and highly reccomend Math U See. It has made math much easier ( and quicker ) in our home. I also use Easy Grammar, Spelling Power, and KONOS. I love doing unit studies. I am very much a hands on type of person and this fits us perfectly!

I looking forward to getting to know more hs'ing cheffers!

Lori

I went with Sonlight (sonlight.com). Because it IS so overwhelming, I love that they have the majority of it all planned out for me- Day-by-day! Love it! PLus- that helps with the record keeping too if you have to maintain for the state. You get great books, and then you just incorporate a few other subjects- like your choice of Math (I use and love "Math-U-See"), Handwriting, and anything else you might want later. But in those early years, other than math and handwriting, I followed the Core. This year, I'll be adding a LITTLE extra, but mostly just to expand on what we'll get with our planned year. Sonlight.com has alot of information and also has a Forum section where you can ask questions as you are exploring. You get access to a few sections, or you can join their Forum (free for 30-days) to get access to more sections....it's a great source of information and support for homeschoolers.


Using Sonlight also gave me a great chance to feel out that first year or two. This year, when I went to the homeschool conference in our state, I was better able to know what to look for at the Vendor Fair where there are hundreds of vendors. I had a plan! I knew my kids strengths/weakness/interests.

Just wondering what you use for curriculum? I've been looking at so many different ones...it's overwhelming....

Welcome....it'll be so nice to not be alone :-).....Yes, Diana, you can join us to get more information....

No it isn't an easy decision and of course because 2 of my children have special needs it just makes it more complicated....but I know in my heart that it will do wonders for our family and our children....

There is so much "stuff" that goes on in schools now that I am mortified...my two girls will have one more year in the elementary school and then be off to the middle school....that REALLY scares me...so that's why I've made the decision to bring them back home....well....no....GOD made that decision.....

Anyways, I'll enjoy getting to know you all more and joining in solidarity :-)

Dawn

Hi Crew! My daughter is only 2 but my husband and I have started already talking about myself homeschooling her when she is school-age. Funny because 3 years ago, I would never have considered it but we bought our house with the intentions of waiting 4 years to have kids and another 4 years after that...move before they went to the subpar school district we live in---bada bing--I'm pregnant 3 months later!! God works while we are planning!!

So now we have a beautiful, bright little girl who I refuse to send to a subpar school. I believe that although kindergarten isnt 'supposed' to be scholastic as much as social (which this has changed I know), I truely believe that this is where kids develop a "love/hate" relationship with school for the rest of their lives. And in the school district we live in, I could see the hate coming out more. And with the recession, I can't see us being able to sell our house in the next 2 years.

I do PC as a second job now but if we went this direction, would probably quit or cut waaay back on my 'day job' and do PC more fulltime. I would love to be a part of the group to get ideas and find out the struggles/rewards of this decision. I don't want to go into this decision halfhearted either way and I would just be interested in learning through your experiences.

Is that okay? And either way, congratulations on doing what God has called you to do....it's never the easy decision is it???

~Diana

Count me in!