This is our second year at homeschooling. John Michael is in Kindergarten. I spent close to $500.00 this year on books and learning supplies. I will admit that all the learning aids will last until his 4th grade year, but it still about killed me. I went to college for elementry ed, so I always think we need the extras. (thats what they teach now,-fill your class room with stuff). Anyway I use ABEKA and wondered what everyone else uses and how long you school each day?Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!-Thanks and God Bless

-- Micheale from SE Kansas (mbfrye@totelcsi.net), October 22, 2001

Answers

I don't home-school, but several of my children are "gifted" as identified by the school system. They sometimes want extra projects just for fun. I like to play games with them that are educational like Scrabble, number games, almost any game can be very educational and fun. Aslo with the internet there are so many worksheets, art projects, and educational, interactive games to utilize. It is such a great tool. I know my sons reading book has a site with all kinds of extra activities to go along with the stories. It is: mhschool.com

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), October 22, 2001.

Hello Micheale. It only takes us about 2-3 hours a day to homeschool. I have an 11 and a 4 year old. We use mostly books from the library, websites, and software programs for printing out worksheets for algebra. Last year, we spent a good deal of money on workbooks (mostly grammar/language), but this year we just don't need them. I'm sure I'll buy more workbooks next year when we start teaching my youngest to read. Right now she's just learning letters and what sounds they make. We can do that with coloring sheets that I make using Print Artist, and other software programs.

Homeschooling is absolutely wonderful! We love it.

-- Cheryl in KS (cherylmccoy@rocketmail.com), October 22, 2001.

For kindergarten/1st grade, we use Saxon for math; they also have a Phonics program I have never tried. All my children like Saxon math better than any other math we have done. It usually starts out very easy, but by the end of the year they have learned some hard things. I would say that the kindergarten level can easily be done in half a year or less, or you could just skip to first grade. (You, personally, will not need it at all; I say that for others who will read this thread.) The K level is mostly counting, colors, shapes, etc. which they usually know already. I got the "Handbook for Reading" from ABeka, but not the teacher guide. We just do a page a day, and then I make up the penmanship lesson based on that day's phonics page. I have found that my children do better with the more narrowly ruled primary paper; we use the smaller 3rd grade rule instead of the really wide preschool stuff. They like to make their letters smaller, and they do a neater job with smaller spacing. For history and science, we get library books. Most we just read aloud, but some have really neat projects and experiments to do at home. As they get better at phonics, they start reading parts of the books themselves. That's all we do "formally"; we do lots of other stuff informally--art, music, cooking, anything related to homesteading, etc. We keep this up through the end of third grade before introducing science and history texts in 4th grade. The trouble was, though, that my older boys are avid readers; by the time they got to fourth grade, they already knew half the stuff in their texts.

I went to college for elementary ed. also; during the first years of doing everything ABeka had to offer, I learned two things: 1st, nothing I learned in college had anything to do with homeschool. 2nd, ABeka is tough, and gets tougher every level. Most people I know who have done straight ABeka either burned out or switched over to something else. I really like their history and science (4th-6th), but we buy the textbooks only. There are enough review questions and experiments in the texts that I don't think they need the tests and lab sheets. I do not like their grammar; it is too repetitive and stifled creativity. Other moms have said the same thing. This year my older ones are using Learning Language Arts through Literature. They cover reading, spelling, grammar, penmanship, vocabulary and composition in simple, fast, weekly lessons. We have also done Writing Strands, but I found my boys needed more grammar.

I will suggest three sources of help and information. 1. "The Charlotte Mason Companion" by Karen Andreola. She talks about the "gentle" art of learning, whereby children really learn without being tied to a chair (from reading your other posts I gather that John Michael does not like to sit--I have two like that). 2. The Big Book of Homeschooling (or something like that) by Mary Pride. She lists everything imaginable for the homeschool and where you can get it. The last edition I had also told the prices; she has updated since then. 3. Christian Book Distributors. www.christianbook.com Ask for their homeschool catalog. They have the cheapest prices I have ever seen on almost everything I have ever bought for our school. They also have book reviews, hints, and tips. I save all my catalogs just for that.

I am trying to think if I have missed anything. I guess I'll let you digest that much. OH!! I forgot to say that kindergarten/first grade lasts about 45 minutes total; sometimes they want to do more math and I let them do another lesson and stop. I don't let them do any more than that; I don't want them to get tired of it.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), October 22, 2001.

I believe the Charlotte Mason method is wonderful. Her ideas are what we used the most during our homeschool year (16 years so far), after I was introduce to her books - just wished it had been sooner.When/if you use "textbooks", use them to your advantage and don't be ruled by them. We used very few textbooks as our main course except for Math. However, we purchased severl high school level textbooks (science, history, government) to use as reference books.

I know a lot of people don't feel confident unless they homeschool exactly the way they were taught in school but there are other ways that work. Two of our sons have already graduated and neither of them have had any trouble getting jobs or into college or the military.

-- Terry - NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), October 22, 2001.

Oh no!! My spelling is terrible in the post above - please excuse - just posted too quickly before proofing it.

-- Terry - NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), October 22, 2001.

Hey, Micheale! This is our seventh year to homeschool. I use a variety of resources. I try not to spend too much money by using the library, trading with other homeschoolers, etc. The area HS-ers have a "show and tell" type night where we can look at different curricula before purchasing from a catalogue. We also have an annual used book sale. My advice to you is to form or get involved with a network of HS-ers. Doing so has saved me BIG bucks by seeing the product before purchasing. I have a 4th grader and a 6th grader. We spend 2 hours (at the most) on bookwork. I used Saxon Math K, 1, 2 and 3. I DO NOT recommend them unless your child catches on to the concepts easily. There is so much preparation and is sheer torture for those not inclined toward math. We are currently using Saxon for the middle grades and like it very much. My biggest mistake was not purchasing a spelling curriculum. My children are very poor spellers (but good readers). For history we use Ancient Civilization and the Bible by Diana Waring. We have several area Phys.Ed. programs. The YMCA here has developed and exellent program for us (about 30 kids attend). Hope this helps!

-- Jo (mamamia2kids@msn.com), October 22, 2001.

WOW! Thanks everyone for some good ideas. You would think with my ed. background I would think of these things!I am just afriad of doing something wrong. Keep the ideas coming and God Bless.

-- Micheale from SE Kansas (mbfrye@totelcsi.net), October 22, 2001.

I homeschool my 7&5yo (almost 8&6!) and we use Saxon Math and Learning Language Arts through Literature by Common Sense Press. Other subjects are taught as unit studies and *guided* loosely by me, using resources as I find them....I got a really good book by Rebecca Rupp that gives guidelines grade by grade, and incorporated this with the Alberta provincial curriculum (which is available to all parents in the province). The boys complete their math & language arts as seatwork, sometimes a seatwork-type lesson in science, geography, history, etc. I try to get them to relate things to the world they live in -- rather than have it just "facts" to memorize. They must use the rest of the day wisely, and it must include a certain amount of reading for pleasure. We use the library, science centre, zoo and local services and natural areas as an extension of our "classroom". The most important thing I think I can teach my kids is that learning doesn't start at nine and stop at three -- learning is a lifelong enjoyment and not to be pigeonholed. We try to practice this as well as preach it!

We're lucky in Alberta, the government funds homeschoolers. Alberta is extremely forward-thinking in their approach to homeschooling.

-- Tracy (trimmer31@hotmail.com), October 22, 2001.