About to start homeschooling again!?

Question

We're about to start our 4th year homeshooling. I'd like to hear from other homeschoolers. Any tips, any particular order you do your subjects in? Any really good textbooks you've come across? We found Apologia Elementary Science this year and are excited.

Answer 1

We use the Robinson Curriculum.

You are welcome to join our yahoogroup and find out more about it from people that use it.

Go to Yahoogroups and find: RobinsonUsers4Christ

We really like this method of home schooling. It is free of text books. It focuses on self-teaching math skills, writing and reading.

Barb
www.geocities.com/bsawfamly/
keepitsimple/...

Answer 2

I try to avoid set schedules but schedules are a very personal thing--some people absolutely need them and others do horribly by them.

There is no particular order we do subjects in. This means that if one of my kids starts writing a story before breakfast, they can keep writing the story if they wish over the course of the morning instead of breaking their flow and having to switch to a different subject. It also means that if something doesn't go over well, we can put it aside after only a few minutes, I can figure out a different way to explain it and come back to it the next day.

I also don't like textbooks. I prefer books and encyclopedias. I help my kids find answers to their questions and show them how to put it all together in a report or other format. For math, just a simple workbook or worksheets from the internet in addition to games and the math that comes up in every day life is enough.

Answer 3

This will be my third year in homeschooling and I have been lucky enough to find a charter school that I am comfortable teaching . Through it I receive Calvert curriculum that I have been very pleased with, I need a curriculum to guild me other wise I would be lost, with three kids and one on the way it is nice to have a book to follow. For us early mornings was the best time, get breakfast done and then start on schoolwork from 9 to 12 math first then reading and so on, that way the rest of the day is left open for chores and playtime.

Answer 4

I have heard wonderful things about Apologia Science.

We usually keep our school schedule as simple as
possible; i.e., Math, Reading, Spelling. Our favorite
curriculum is Rod & Staff for younger grades--it's
Bible based and inexpensive. Nature Friend is a
nice, colorful children's science magazine that
my children love to read. The children also play the piano and other instruments quite a bit and play outside as long as the weather is nice.

Answer 5

I just got the Apologia Zoology 1 book in the mail and love it! I used Apologia General Science, Physical Science, Biology, and Chemistry with my older sons and both went into public schools later and did just fine. My middle son even caught his teacher in an error when she was trying to prove evolution. He remembered it from his Apologia--Exploring Creation with General Science book. She looked it up on the internet and admitted he was right.

Answer 6

I reviewed Apologia at conventions this summer...they are very poor IMO. (I have a PhD in Physical Chemistry).

However, I was very impressed w/ this
http://www.beginningspublishing.com/products.html

The materials really got to the heart of the subjects, quickly and directly.

Answer 7

Our tips:
Schedule blocking. Do several lessons of one subject at a time, rather than one lesson of each subject in a day. I give my 7th grader an opportunity to have input in which subject gets which day. That helps her to determine what works best for her. Also, if she wants to work at 10 pm, I'm right there supporting her.

We use and love k12.