What is the best home school curriculum for a 1st grader and a 8Th grader and when can i find it?

Question

They are both behind in school , My 8th grader has not passed sience 5th grade ( I hate the no child left behind crap). If I don,t pull them out now it will get worse please help

Answer 1

The best depends on your child...no one can tell you what's best for your family!!! Read All Kinds of Minds, figure out what kind of learners they are. You would choose totally different curriculum for a child who is a visual learner than for a child who is a kinesthetic learner.

Remember that kids in first grade tend to be more hands-on learners anyway, and keep in mind that just because a child is in a certain grade, that doesn't mean that it's the age of curriculum you should buy. If your 8th grader is behind, you need to start where their knowledge ends, or you create a lot of frustration.

First thought is to check local bookstores, Barnes and Noble and Borders both have an extensive homeschooling section. also check out Mardel's Christian bookstore. While much of their curriculum is Christian based, they also have much that is not. You can look through it and see if you like it, and it's easy to return.

Ask your local homeschooling group if they have a curriculum fair coming up...that's an opportunity to really peruse the different ones and get your hands on (there's nothing worse than buying a curriculum and opening and seeing that it's not what you expected...unless it's buying the curriculum and it doesn't work for your child anyway!)

Our town also has a curriculum exchange, so you can go to a bookstore setting, and you get credit for what you bring in, and as well the books/items are much cheaper than new.

Also see if you have a yahoo hs'ing group in your area, on ours lots of people pass stuff on for free, or will let you borrow it to see if it works.

One thing more, if your 8th grader has been miserable in school, you might look into deschooling so that he/she can catch their breath, and recapture their love of learning. Google it and you'll find lots.

M

Answer 2

You have many options with curriculum. You can choose a set, packaged curriculum or you can pick your subjects from various sources to fit the needs of your individual children. I have done both of these. I used "Calvert" curriculum for a couple of years. It is pretty comprehensive and gives specific instructions for the parent/teacher to follow. The only thing I didn't like about it was that it has more lessons than we have school days in California, and I had to figure out how to combine lessons and skip some.

For the past couple of years I have been using "My Education at Home" curriculum. My kids (6th and 8th grade) seem to like it. The 8th grade math moves a little more slowly than some curriculums, but it is just what my 8th grader needs. When my 6th grader gets into 8th grade though, I will probably pick a more advanced math for her.

Sycamore Tree is the distributer where I found all my first curriculum. They sell packages of both secular and religious curriculum and all the individual pieces as well. They also have project kits and other fun stuff. They have a "school" you can be a part of if you want where they offer more support (I have not tried this). I would suggest you start with their website or catalog. You will find other sources from there. ("My Education at Home" is another source.)

Answer 3

There are a TON of curriculum products out there. There is no single best. It'll depend on what you need, your child's style, etc. If your 8th grader is lacking a lot of skills, then you might want to pick a bit of this and a bit of that to meet his/her skill levels instead of an all-encompassing grade 8 program.

Some popular programs: A Beka, Sonlight, Robinson, Alpha Omega, Well-Trained Mind (it's actually a book with curriculum recommendations and approach recommendations).

Answer 4

I attend The Jubilee academy. You can get curriculum for all ages, if you want to homeschool. Or, you can do what I do and do classes on line. I can complete all of my work on the computer and it is graded. Go to www.thejubileeacademy.org You can take an online tour of the school. I really enjoy it, and it's easy on the parents.

Answer 5

I am going to use easy grammar this yr by Wanda Phillips I have read and heard good reviews about it. It also comes with a writing course. I use alpha phonics for phonics and it is very thorough.

Answer 6

Try Calvert school in Baltimore..I used it and scored a 1040 on my sat's