HOMESCHOOLING 101

Stacey of The Dance Family 

In hopes families can be excited about homeschooling, and in their process read a few things I've learned (and mistakes I've made) in order to give you a head start! 

email Stacey with corrections if you find listed resources being out of date.  Thanks!
This page prints with black font on white background. Just right click, scroll to print and click. 

I've heard those words countless times.   Then we hear the hesitations:

• How do you find the curriculum?
• How do you deal with socialization?
• How are the kids tested to know if they are on track?
• How...
• How...
• How...

Hopefully this will give you an answer to those questions, and show you how our homeschool family makes it work... and LOVE IT!

Curriculum Ideas     Testing     Socialization     Resources     Organizations/Charter Schools

The benefits of homeschooling are obvious:

• child learns at their own pace
• child learns in the style which they understand 
• every experience becomes an opportunity for learning
• child learns at the time of the day they are the most aware
• child gets the sleep they really need *(note - less colds!)
• parent gets the sleep they really need :)
• child may learn from mentors who have a passion for their subject of interest 
• child may obtain degree from a vocational school or a pilot's license before they go off to college at 18! 
  (READ: this means they have a skill to WORK their way through college!)

With my hopes these experiences inspire and help you in your journey,

~Stacey

Can you hear the time trickling away as we see the wasted efforts, energy, and time in a classroom setting?  For many kids, that isn't the best way to learn.  What if you could have your art appreciation classes sitting at the Huntington Museum or go to the engineering class about roller coasters offered at Knotts Berry Farm? 

I mention that to say if you're starting your homeschool path, you may want to think outside of the box in terms of your "curricula."  Our kids got more excited about science from PBS in the early days than any book or curriculum I could have taught from.  John-John knows the main concepts of The Scarlet Letter and The War of the Worlds from the comic strips, not the 1000 page novels.

I personally started with a very traditional approach of basically bringing school home (K12).  It came with specific directions, online class work, testing, a teacher and accountability.  As I got more comfortable, I switched the kids (one at a time) from the more traditional "school at home," to the current charter school where I choose all of their curricula.  I'm moving toward outside mentors (who we pay), to supplement our chosen curricula.  The following is my evolution to this point...

Pre-school

PBS Online

Pre-program your digital TV to go from one educational show to the next during the day
Our favorites:
     Bill Nye the Science Guy
     Magic School Bus
     Time Warp Trio
     Cyberchase
     Fetch with Ruff Ruffman
     Grossology
     Discovery Science "How It's Made" and "Survivor Man" NOTE: I'm not a fan of sitting kids in front of the TV. But in the off chance your phone rings or you need to do dishes and are interrupted in your homeschool activities, you can be comforted that the kids are watching something educational.  I call it our Plan B that is always playing in the background.  

The grocery store.  We've been known to sit in the middle of the grocery aisle to compare the cost per ounce of two cans of tomatoes.  Again, outside the box, but every experience can now be "school." 

Purchase a copy of Fun Places to go with Kids by Susan Peterson.  I spent our first few years doing field trips more days than not.  This book showed us many places in our own neighborhood that we never knew existed.  It was my only homeschool manual for my first year. 

Early Elementary School

K-12 (www.k12.com) This is the program which provided 100% of the curriculum, on-call teacher, direction, lesson plans (heck, even a computer and printer!)  Excellent, excellent, highly academic program.  Developed by William Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education.  Ivy league schools look for kids graduating from this program. 

Math-U-See (www.mathusee.com) I started "supplementing" our math when I saw John-John was a visual learner.  He learned math by seeing it.  This is an excellent program with teacher's DVDs (the kids can learn from them), workbooks and manipulatives.  It worked very well.  You can order a free demo DVD to get an idea for their program. 

Find books they WANT to read.  ie. Captain Underpants, Super Diaper Baby, or Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Classics as comic books (great for 1st-4th grade)

Classics in Cliffs Notes version (great for parents to aid in discussion)

Classics by Usborne (great for 1st-3rd grade)

www.Usborne-quicklinks.com The books you find in bookstores have up-to-date quicklinks with educational games, visuals and interactive resources which keep our kids enthralled in each and every subject we put in front of them. Truly unparalleled.

Mathnasium www.Mathnasium.com (actually an independent vendor, much like a Kumon or Sylvan Learning center, but they specialize in math).  The learning concept is very close to what I experienced with Math-U-See.   The final product is excellent. John-John went 2-3 days per week for 9 months and went through 2 grade levels.  I'm sure that's an exception, but it is an excellent program.  They are franchises, so I cannot speak for every Mathnasium, but ours happen to have wonderful staff as well.  Tell Mark we sent you!  http://www.mathnasium.com/directory/USA_pasadena.htm (626) 510-MATH

Science 2-U (www.science2u.com) create classes at the beach or in a classroom. Everything from their "bio-surf" classes to their plant life classes which prepare kids for the state Science testing. These classes are exciting and enriching for the kids. 

American Girl Dolls and Books  The dolls are the inspiration for learning about American History - an excellent learning tool for girls.  When they achieve a great accomplishment in history, there's always the Tea Room at their store at The Grove to celebrate! 

Educational Software  It is fun and educational.  We have all kinds of things from "Reader Rabbit," "The Learning Center," "Jump Start," "Brighter Child," "Knowledge Adventure," "Smart Steps," Dorling Kindersley "I Love Math, "I Love Phonics," and "The Amazing Human Body," "Mavis Beacon Typing, The Learning Company's "Adventure Workshop," "Clue Finders," and "School Zone Interactive."  

Celebration Education "Park Days" are held two Tuesdays a month inside Disneyland. You may choose the 10:00 am, 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, or the 2:30 session.Is a Walt Disney said, “Crowded classrooms and half-day sessions are a tragic waste of our greatest national resource - the minds of our children.” So let's get out and get down to the business of really learning! See their schedule and registration here: http://celebrationeducation.ning.com/group/wishes 

Late Elementary School

The Classics (See listed at the end of many books including The Closing of the American Mind, Cultural Literacy and Thomas Jefferson Education)

Your local Community College 
Ages and courses vary as to when children can start, but I've known as early as 10 years old to be accepted into our community college with parental supervision.  

Look up on Wikipidia "Homeschooling" to find the many styles and options open to homeschoolers today. 

 

When a child loves learning, half of our job is over.  I hope for you to have the experience I'm having this very moment.  Lindsey just walked into the computer room (mid-Summer) and said, "Momma, can I do some school please?"  Gotta love it! 

I don't know much about testing, except we show up where we are told to show up. Our charter requires all of the testing listed below.  I've never been "disappointed," with the results of their testing.  Some parents consider this very important.  For us it's a gauge as to how they are doing according to what they are teaching in the school district.  We go slower at certain times and faster at others, depending on their need. 

CAHSEE - California High School Exit Exam

CELDT - California English Language Development Test

STAR - Standardized Testing and Reporting

PFT - Physical Fitness Test

Scantron pre-testing

WRAT4 - Wide Range Achievement Test

This, by far, is the most common concern of parents contemplating homeschooling.  My personal belief is that there is both good socialization and bad socialization.  In my pristine, upscale highly sought after public school experience in the 80's, I recall having my name sketched on the lunch table with horrible profanities... a girl cracking eggs on my head in front of many onlookers... and I was not an outcast.  Can't we all recall a time we were embarrassed by other kids?  I would argue that those experiences that just came to mind are examples of bad socialization.  

On the other hand, when adults and mentors can help kids navigate the social awkwardness of childhood, adolescence and entrance to adulthood, I believe we raise better members of society.  

When we teach our kids conflict resolution techniques and how to argue fairly within the home, we are learning good socialization.  I would even argue a better, more practical socialization for life.  In school classes we learn socialization by interacting with kids our own age. In our families we are forced to interact with multiple ages, and we don't get to say good-bye when the school bell rings.  Not only do we have to sleep under the same roof, we have to see them for many Thanksgiving dinners for years and years to come.  My point, if we learn positive conflict resolution styles and how to argue fairly in a loving, supportive atmosphere of the home, we can provide good socialization.  Isn't that what we all seek for our children? 

The bottom line, going back to what I initially mentioned, "The main downside to homeschooling is 'socialization.' "  I've found the best solution is to over-compensate in the area of socialization.  

We complete school in a few hours a day.  What do you do with the rest of the day?  We fill it with a combination of household and studio chores, neighborhood friends, and activities around town.  Because we have more spare time in our week, our kids have a lot of time to explore their interests.  We have been in everything from choir, soccer, Cub Scouts, golf, cheerleading, baseball, dance, karate, swim team, gymnastics, and many of them simultaneously.  Not because we want hurried kids, but because they would be on the couch vegetating otherwise. 

In addition, most all charter schools (K12 and Sky Mountain) have regular field trips for all participants.

As a result, we rarely go to the grocery store without our kids running into someone they know.  Socialization is hardly a problem with our homeschooling experience.  Here are a few links to our favorite activities in town:

The Art Studio with Moses (Sierra Madre & Michillinda) www.the-art-studio.biz 

Golf with First Tee (national program) www.thefirsttee.org

Choir with Tabernacle Children's Choir email TCC here

Boys & Girls Club Swim Team and mid-day Swim Lessons www.bgcpasadena.org James Granados (626) 399-4280 or (626)449-9100 ext. 204

Culture Craft Kids with Karla Field www.culturecraftkids.com. As a former toy designer for Mattel, and a love of history she brings a unique experience to the kids as they make very high quality art work which is authentic to different cultures around the world.  She often has her classes backed up to "MathFundamentals" and they partner to share both Math and Art from the same culture on the same day... and even provide a traditional snack from that culture between the classes.  A truly holistic and rich learning experience for the kids! 

MathFundamentals with Carrie deFrancisco email: cdefrancisco@verizon.net or cdefrancisco@mathfundamentals.net

Your Local Parks & Recreation 

Fun Places to go with Kids by Susan Peterson (also available in Northern California edition) 
This is a must for every homeschool parent.  When starting out, this was my main source for activities (now called, "field trips") while I piddled along figuring out which curricula to choose.  

Discover Your Child's Learning Style: Children Learn in Unique Ways - Here's the Key to Every Child's Learning Success by Mariaemma Willis M.S. and Victoria Kindle Hodson M.A. 
"There is a self-motivated, eager learner in every child..."

TEST: "What is your child's learning style, and your teaching style?"  WOW! 

Books and writings which influenced my schooling style and goals: 

Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver Van DeMille 
"Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century"

Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch Jr.

The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom

Words of Wisdom (FREE up-to-date readings from Excellence In Education)

Email List for Christian Homeschoolers in San Gabriel Valley

SGVHSChristianConnection@yahoogroups.com email a request to be included in the group

Moving down this continuum to a looser approach you'll find parents who choose unit studies, child directed courses, natural learning and decide to “unschool” their children.

In my experience there is an extreme element to both sides.  

Here is my GROSS GENERALIZATION:  Those on the former end of the spectrum tend to have bored kids whose parents are struggling to keep their kids motivated.  

I also see an extreme of the "unschooled" style.  In this extreme I've found families who, for whatever reason, do not want any state testing, immunizations or government involvement whatsoever.  

I'm not a fan of either extreme. 

We currently find ourselves somewhere in the middle.  I started out pretty close to the "school at home."  As we supplemented more and more subjects, we started wanting something that better suited our needs.  We then switched to a charter school which reports to the state on our behalf.  This charter school (Sky Mountain) basically gives us a $1800 credit per child to buy approved curriculum and pay for approved vendors.  

Where did I start?  K12, and then went to EIE in Monrovia when I got discouraged or overwhelmed. 

K-12 ("Cava" in California) www.k12.com (The online school where we started)
Founded by William Bennett (former U.S. Secretary of Education). This is a great place to start if you are wanting all of the resources.  They even have Community Days where kids come together once a week from 9am-3pm to have a "class" with their teacher and fellow students.  The workbooks and necessary materials are mailed to you.  The main aspect to the program includes the online classes, supplemented by the workbooks.  I could not more highly recommend this program. It is free in the state of California.

EIE www.eieacademy.com and www.excellenceineducation.com Excellence In Education
The couple who run this have made me a better woman, thus a better homeschool wife & mom.  Marty & Carolyn Forte homeschooled their daughters  who are now fully grown with families of their own.  These two daughters, at a very young age, founded EIE.  Marty and Carolyn later took over and are now serving as counselors and encouragers to hundreds if not thousands of homeschool families - for free.  They were also incredible parents. One of the daughters got her pilot's license at 16 before heading off to college.  Marty & Carolyn now assist, counsel and connect homeschool families with all the resources (and encouragement in the process). They are accessible, wonderful, and looked at as homeschool experts as I have personally seen them on CNN.  I would have not been as sane of a homeschool mom without them.  I love them dearly. 

Sky Mountain www.skymountaincs.org/ (our current Charter School)
This charter school basically provides $1800 per child to buy approved curriculum, materials and pay for approved vendors. For John-John we spend 100% of our funds on one vendor - Mathnasium, but it's worth every bit.  

WISH (Workshops Investing in Socializing Homeschoolers) www.wishclasses.org WISH is a co-op community of homeschooling families that create a nurturing environment which encourages socializing, learning, creativity, and curiosity in the context of multiple classroom settings. We meet every Tuesday Fall-Spring and parents volunteer to assist, teach and organize activities. WISH PO Box 6061 PMB 131; Sherman Oaks CA 91413-6061 www.wishclasses.org