2007-02-12 17:20:32 · 15 answers · asked by gina h 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Home Schooling
Check to see if there are virtual classrooms in your area. This is totally free, online.
I strongly suggest that you get the book "Homeschool Your Child For Free" by Gold and Zielinski. It is a fantastic book with tons of resources.
Check with your school district to see if they can suggest any local resources.
I unschool my children and it works great. My daughter is extremely dyslexic (and has mild brain damage with seizures) and was failing the 8th grade. I started unschooling her and her reading level shot up to the 87th percentile (before we started it was below average). Her doctor also told us (not her) that she would probably never be able to tell time on an analog clock. WRONG! She can read an analog clock with ease now and we have only been working on it for a few weeks!
What many people do not realize is that homeschooling does not have to be as structured as a traditional classroom. Unschooling goes a step farther and is a life is learning approach. We do not really use a curriculum, just have a plan of what we want to study. We cover all the basics in math and algebra and prepare the children for college, but they call the shots regarding the lessons and HOW THEY LEARN the lessons.
Children learn in different ways and one teaching method does not work for all children.
Take a look at the benchmarks for education in your state's department of education and use that as a guideline. There are many websites that can help from there. Make sure that you instill strong math skills in your children and make sure that your children can write a properly structured essay. These are two areas that many public schools are sorely lacking.
I would be happy to talk with you if you want more information. You may email me privately. i would love to talk to you!
2007-02-13 07:53:07 · answer #1 · answered by fotojunkie 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would suggest this free site and lots of good books and field trips also!: http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_8th_original.htm
Added: I agree with faerie that www.k12.com has wonderful curriculum and a free computer btw!, and you can homeschool for free in many states. But there may be some drawbacks to the program which I learned from attending an hour long+ informational session.
You should probably sign up early, my state has only limited slots for example (each state has a different number of slots due to how much budget they have put into the program). My state requires a monthly field trip for each different age group K-2, 3-5, etc. which the parent is supposed to attend. My husband is usually required to be at his job and I had two young children at the time so this would have been difficult for us. Also, you have to be attending public school the previous year or starting Kindergarten that same school year, in other words, the child is not to have home schooled the previous year to qualify for K12.
A positive for some is that there is a supervising teacher who you email daily, and send samples of your children's work weekly and send there tests and you can email with questions or for support. (I had already homeschooled for several years so that was less of a bonus for me than it would be for a beginner.)
Another possible/probable problem for us was that we would have been required to do the annual standardized testing that public school children are required to do (since you are technically considered a public school child rather than homeschooled since public school funds are paying for the program) and my children are autism spectrum/dyslexic. Even though I have their diagnosis by University of Washington and could probably go to court if there were any problems, why not just avoid legal problems if you can? So these were some of the reasons we ultimately just decided to continue homeschooling, although K12 does look wonderful, and if they had a few less restrictions and I had absolutely no worry of my children having problems with standardized testing then I would definitely be tempted!
2007-02-13 10:45:12 · answer #2 · answered by Karen 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As someone else mentioned, there's the possibility of getting resources from your district. Other than that, the closest I'd be able to get you is http://www.amblesideonline.org/ . But this may not be an approach you are willing to take. Plus you still need to get the books from the library or purchase your own.
At the grade 8 level, I would expect such a student to be doing:
*lots of reading--you can use the library for that,
*lots of writing--only need paper and pen or a computer, and maybe some Tips sheets that you can find online (how to write an essay, how to write a short story, etc.),
*science (topics will depend on if you want him to be matching what is done in school or something else; again, the library has lots of books, even ones on how to do some experiments at home; plus add in things like research and lab reports),
*social studies (geography/history--this is reading, research and map work; lots of resources at the library and printable outline maps available online) and
*math--this is tricker to do at his age without purchasing some kind of text. You should be able to find some used homeschool math texts to purchase for not too much. Also check with local homeschool support groups to see if they have swaps or used curriculum sales. Even just asking them, "I'm looking for a grade 8 math text" can generate lots.
Whatever else you what him to study can be done by getting library books or searching for those specific things online. If the problem is you don't know WHAT to have him do, start with your state curriculum and take it from there. You can find it out by searching for your state's education site, then looking for a link, maybe in a teacher section, for curriculum or learning outcomes or standards.
2007-02-13 00:15:12 · answer #3 · answered by glurpy 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I would honestly suggest getting a curriculum guide (that covers all grades) and just search for certain things via internet that 8th grade or a little higher/lower (depending on where he is) is covered in the guide. They don't actually have the work but all you really need to know is WHAT they need to know and help them get there.
2007-02-13 04:08:38 · answer #4 · answered by ♥ Mommy To Be 12/20/09 ♥ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Terri is incorrect and the program that Midlands is referring to uses the k12.com curriculum, which is actually available for free in many states through a virtual academy program.
you can see on the k12 website if your state participates, and also get PDFs of the curriculum, which I found to be pretty impressive.
2007-02-13 13:58:51 · answer #5 · answered by answer faerie, V.T., A. M. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
These curriculums are free. You can get the books from your local library.
Mater Amabilis - Catholic
Ambleside - Charlotte Mason aproach
The third link is curriculum resources.
The fourth link is math resources for free or cheap.
2007-02-13 00:35:41 · answer #6 · answered by mtgirl118 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Easy Peasy homeschool. Totally free online. I love it.
2016-10-19 12:45:42 · answer #7 · answered by Sandy R 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"totally free" onlline, meaning your son can sit down at the computer and have all of his studies on the internet, connected to a class, no. It cost money to operate a business like that, and most have teachers that like to be paid on staff to help students, so they need to charge for services like that.
Unless, like others have pointed out, you live in a state where the school district provides this type of situation for homeschoolers. In my state, our education agency does have a program like that, yet it is the most expensive route you can go, costing in excess of $2000 per six highschool credits.
My advice to you would be to check ww.hslda.org and research what homeschooling means in your state. You need information in order to make the best decisions for your family.
Not only do they have lists of all the rules and legislation for homeschooling for each state, they also have lists of homeschool groups which may be able to help you.
They also have helps for people struggling financially: low income families, widows and single moms/parents.
good luck to you.
2007-02-13 00:39:02 · answer #8 · answered by Terri 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
you can pull alot of stuff off of edhelper.com for free...and you can subscribe to it for 20$ a year...Oak meadow (find it online) has an awesome program for home schoolers...not free though...the library is a free resource...go online find out what your state standards are for that grade and then go on line and to the library and create your own curriculum..how awesome is that!
2007-02-12 19:08:38 · answer #9 · answered by Olive 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It may depend on where you live.
I live in Washington State, and we have a local school district that provides all books, etc. and online support for parents who wish to homeschool. Unfortunately, I think it's only available right now in WA. But, in case that's you, here's the website:
http://www.wava.org/index.html
If you contact them, they may be able to point you in the right direction for something similar in your area.
2007-02-12 17:57:53 · answer #10 · answered by midlandsharon 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋