Topic : Homeschooling

     Hello, fellow homeschoolers, and the curious !

Hope you all are well -smile-

     I have a 10 year old son.  We began homeschooling when he was 4 1/2  years old.  At the time, we belonged to a large playgroup (actually we joined when he was 3 years old).  At that  time, there were some school shootings going on, and I learned about  homeschooling through a magazine article, and then with an inquiry, hooked up with someone through the playgroup, and went from there.  We began homeschooling.

     At age 6 1/2, my son began displaying some odd physical symptoms.  Too may details.  At age 8 1/2, he was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome.  Not only does he have physical tics, (no cussing, and by the way, the cussing is NOT that common), but my son also has severe ADHD, OCD, and sensitivity issues.  We put off medications for a year, or so, after his diagnosis, because of the side effects of ALL the meds.  Anyway, he is on "tic" medication now.  Any meds for ADHD, aggravate his tics, so we can't do that.  He also has severe anxiety problems, and is currently seeing a psychologist..

     Aside from the "bad issues",  my son is full of life,  very intellegent, and has a great sense of humor.  He does has some learning disabilities (as children with TS do) which include handwriting problems (he uses a computer for writing), and he has a problem with simple arithmetic facts, even though he can do more complex problems.  Sometimes I allow him to use a calculator for the simple addition facts, etc. just to get to the complexity of the problem. 

    Homeschooling allows us to be flexible in his work.  It is a top priority in our household.  I realize the importance of a good education these days for anyone to succeed.  My son needs breaks during the day, and I really need to work at keeping his attention.  We belong to a large HS support group, and stay quite busy with activities.

    So, it turns out that our son has special needs.  Even if he didn't, we would still homeschool.  Nothing against outside schools, it's just our preference, and we're happy with it.

    A great website to check out or get started is

                 www.hslda.org              (The Home School Legal Defense Assoc.)

                           Our children are ALL gifted !!!                   Blessings to Ya !

Hello. I just wanted to comment to a few things I have seen on the board. One 9th grader posted and he stated he disliked Switched on Schoolhouse (Christian Curriculum on CD-Rom) because of the religious content. My household is Christian, but my High Schooler also finds the religious content that is weaved into the core subjects to also be sometimes frustrating, but we do use Switched On Schoolhouse. My son is ADHD, Bipolar, with learning and handwriting disabilities.

Be aware the OdysseyWare by Pathway Publishers offers a parallel CD-Rom program with no religious content  and it is used in some public school systems, but available to homeschoolers. These CD-Rom programs allow you take a placement test and your child can be placed in one grade level, or separate grade levels for each subject as needed if they are ahead, or behind in a subject. They have a website to buy from, just do the title search online.

Switched on Schoolhouse costs $55-70 per individual subject/any grade -- or $209-$299 for a 5 subject/same grade level set. The cost varies depending on if you buy it directly from the publisher, or from a discount Christian curriculum supplier.

Odysseyware by Pathway Publishers costs $150 per subject/any grade, with no price breaks for buying a single grade set. So it can cost $600 per year for your 4 core subjects, but I think electives may be included for no additional charge on the CD-Roms. This program in non-religious, used by homeschoolers, some public, some private schools, and meets state academic standards. It is more expensive but will meet the needs of parents or students who prefer to not have the religious material in the core subjects.

Also, any OHIO residents there are SEVERAL FREE ONLINE PUBLIC "Virtual" Schools that give you free curriculum and a loaner computer. Funds are paid for by the state for your student, and Ohio certified teachers and a principal are in charge of the "virtual school". The teachers grade tests and are available to talk to. NO CHARGE. This is an "online PUBLIC school".

Good Luck and Happy Homeschooling!

Hi,

I noticed your Dr. Phil post about how you disliked the religious content of Switched On Schoolhouse. Did you know that OdysseyWare by Pathway Publishers is a parallel CD-Rom curriculum with no religious content, it meets state academic standards, and is used in public and possibly some private schools?

It is made by a different company, but I think they used Switched On Schoolhouse as their model, and then designed it to be used in non-religious public or homeschool settings by removing the religious content, replacing it with standard content for that subject, and then aligning it to required state academic standards.

They will sell it to homeschoolers, but it is more expensive. Switched on Schoolhouse is $209-$299 per year for a 5 subject set, and Odysseyware is $150 per subject, with no price breaks for buying a set, so Math, Language Arts, Science, and History/Geography would be $150 x 4 = $600--but I think electives may come with some of the courses at no extra charge, I am not sure..

Just thought I would let you know about this option is there. Good Luck! Kathy

My son is 3 he started preschool last week, so far he seems to hate it.  The very first day he was okay, i took him in we hung up his back pack and coat and he gave me a hug and kiss bye.  Nice and simple so i thought he was going to love it.  That night he said he doesn't want to go back and everyday since he says he don't wanna go to school and will stand and scream and cry when we are getting ready for school and more when we get there.  This last Sunday his "Asthma"  started up with persistant cough and it made me start thinking more about homeschooling hiim for his preschool years. He just doesn't seem like he wants to be there, and with the asthma on top of it I am wondering if I should just keep him home.  Sorry to go on and on I guess my real question is for those of you who have homeschooled from early on what kinds of things did you start with for "preschool"?  He knows some of his letters and can spell a few words can say the whole alphabet and is always asking how to spell words and what things are. I just would like to get an idea of what some of you are doing during the day to help with learning but still let him be little.  I don't know if it matters but i also have a nine month old at home with me and am a stay at home mom of 3 the oldest is in kindergarden.  Any help or ideas would help me better decide which way is best for my son. 
Thank you

If your son was happy, I would say, "good for him and good for you", but he is not and I think you should ask yourself what he could possibly learn at 3 that he couldn't learn from you, at home. He sounds like he already knows alot and if he is pushed, he will learn to HATE learning and that's not good for HIM. If you are a SAHM and you are able to have him at home, then I would give your son the choice to go or to stay home. If home is where he wants to be, he will thrive.

Hope I was some help,

Sherri

He would stay home thats what he says everyday.  I have thought alot about it and think it is best for him to be home.  He came home from school today realy upset, he had wet his pants in school which is unusual he has been potty trained since about 18 months.  The teacher says he throws tantrums for the first half hour to hour he is there also.  What kinds of things would you recommend doing during the days to keep him actively learning but still capable of being done with his brother here also?  He loves learning in general and has the leap frog dvds and word whammer and seems to enjoy them.  I just dont want to pull him out of preschool and let him "goof off" all day i would like to find a routine and some ideas for things to do with him to stimulate his brain. 

Thanks

Angie

You are a good mommy because you are in tune with your son. concerned and listening to the signals he is sending out. He is stressed out by being where is and wants to be home.

So what do you do now?

Set up his own space on a table where baby can't get to and give him supplies like paper, washable crayons, markers, safelty scissors, etc and let him create while you are busy with baby. Have a special supply on hand of things you can do together while baby is sleeping, like memmory games, play dough, and washable paints and other things that require supervision. He will learn much better at home because he is not stressed out and you do not have to do everything with him in order for him to learn. You can take 1 minute to print his name on paper and then while you are busy with baby, he can try to do it himself. You can use sight words by getting some paper and writing names of things like the clock and then he can tape them onto the things, like the door, fridge, etc.  When my daughter was 3, she loved that.

I think the best thing you can do for a child at the age of 3 is to read to them everyday at some point, either at bedtime, or a special time set out during the day.

The best thing about him being home, is that you can set a routine that fits HIS needs.

My 12 year old prefers 1 subject a day, so instead of filling the day with all different subjects, she will do math one day, georgraphy the next, etc. We all have to do what works for our individual children. In school, it's one size fits all, but the problem is that one size doesn't fit all and that can lead to many issues for some children. Some can adapt, but we all see what happens to those who can't adapt. They are labled the "problem kids" and that's not right.

ok, I am rambling now, lol.

good luck to you and your son. Follow your heart and you will know what to do.

Will he be staying home tomorrow?

Sherri