Search Results for: blog how homeschoolers can use the typical course of study

Looking to cut homeschooling costs next year

Probably more then most other families, homeschoolers are feeling the pinch, since most are already one income homes. This means you will need to make some decisions on how to cut your homeschooling costs for next year. Here are some things to consider. Trade curriculums: Produce a “have” list of homeschool curriculums you have and no longer need and a “need” list of items that you want. Send it to all of the homeschooling families you know to arrange a trade, or even a sale, it that will get you closer to buying something else you need. Homeschool swap: Host … Continue reading →

Deschooling in Upper Grades

Deschooling is a period of time a new homeschooler should take to decompress from the stresses of traditional school. Taking some time off from ‘education’ is especially important for a child who had a particularly hard time in school. In searching for the right amount of time a child should deschool when transitioning from traditional school to homeschool, I found that the consensus is that a child needs one month for every year that they spent in regular school. For a first or second grader, I suspect this deschooling time could be completed over the summer or even by just … Continue reading →

How Homeschoolers Can Use the Typical Course of Study

Over the past month or so, I have compiled the typical course of study from grades 1-12. The purpose is to let you know what public school children around the country are studying, and to give a guideline to anyone who might want to write their own curriculum based on what most kids are learning at the same time. As homeschoolers, however, many of us are free to deviate from that typical course of study (depending upon the rules in your state). The question is, however, just how much should we deviate? While we want our kids to have unique … Continue reading →

Vocabulary Word of the Day: Integrated

As I work on this series on typical course of study for homeschoolers, an important word of the day comes to mind. That word is “integrated”. Generally, the word integrated refers to racial issues such as in the integration of pubic school. “integrated” also means “formed or united into a whole”. (rhymezone.com) When I refer to the word integrated in the context of homeschooling, what I am referring to is the fact that sometimes it is hard to separate education from normal everyday living. For example, as I detail all of the lessons that a fourth grader is expected to … Continue reading →

But What am I Supposed to Teach?

This is one of the first questions new homeschoolers ask. How are we supposed to know what to teach? Some homeschoolers will turn to the public school system and some systems are very happy to lend texts and materials. Other districts are not so accommodating to homeschoolers, but I have to posit that if what the public school was doing, was working, then perhaps one wouldn’t be homeschooling. In any case, there are several places to look for information on standards and what you should be teaching. Remember that in the younger grades, it is better to look at the … Continue reading →

Distance Learning Homeschool Programs Oa-RA

In my post on hybrid homeschooling, I talked about combining homeschooling with distance learning or local classes. Here continues the list of Distance Learning Programs you can use. Oak Meadow School is a Waldorf-style curriculum program for preschool through high school. The school is fully accredited which will make it easy to transfer credits. Oak Meadow offers a diverse choice of programs and promises to meet each family’s unique needs, including printed, or online. Enrollment costs start at $1000.00 a year depending on the chosen program. Online School for Young Shluchim is an online school strictly for Jewish children. While … Continue reading →

The Sunday Evening Review: Dec. 3

Welcome to this week’s review of our blogs. It’s the beginning of December, the beginning of the shopping season, and beginning of a new era here at the Homeschool Blog at Families.com!! That’s right, we’re welcoming a brand new blogger here. You can read her introduction in, New Homeschool Blogger Introduction. I personally am very excited to have a homeschool blogging “buddy” and I am greatly looking forward to all that she has to offer. Look for more of her blogs coming out soon! This week’s state was New Jersey. I must say if you live in New Jersey you … Continue reading →

The Week in Review: November 11

I know this is a day late. I cannot explain why for if I list all of the things that broke in our household that would be my whole blog. In any case, this is the week in review. Have you ever heard someone talk about how their child knew such and such at a much earlier age than you’re child did? Then they start to imply that perhaps the home schooling thing isn’t working out so well. That’s exactly what we talked about earlier in the week in, The Fallacy of Comparing Children. Do you teach your children foreign … Continue reading →