# Where to start ???



## ruesready2hmstd (Nov 4, 2010)

Hi !! I am new posting here but have been reading everything I possibly can. I would like to start homeschooling our 2 youngest. Our eldest says she wishes we would have for her because the only thing she enjoyed about public school was her friends. She was 17 when she got her diploma and went straight into the military(21 now) DD18 dropped out at 16-she had such a hard time from 1st grade on but HS was "taboo":grump: back then also.
DS4 is special needs. Goes to PreK 4 days a week with 2 half days of working with a SE teacher (He was Dx; Autism Spectrum but you can't tell by just looking at him) DS2 had a head injury at 9mo (daycare dropped him on head,fracturing skull, still sees neuro every 3 months following up, nothing so far other than leg issues from where he was grabbed by teacher as he went over side of changing table)
ANYHOO, Where do I start ??? There are TONS:shocked: of HS books and programs out there !!!!
I get so frustrated when I start looking :help:. I am hoping you can give me ideas of what has worked for you ???
I am going to be going over every thread possible. 
DH and I have so many ideas for "field trips" and feel with so many students per teacher, HS has far better ratio. 
Sorry this is so long and rambling. 
Thank you for any info you can provide


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## bajiay (Apr 8, 2008)

Well.....where to start? I personally use ABEKA for my daughter. She is special needs as well and it is an easier text for her to understand. It is Christian based. I also taught school using their books and the kids were responsive to them as well.There are so many curriculums to choose from. If you could go to a home school convention or find a home school bookstore in your area (most of those are in someone's home) that would be a good thing. Then you could look at the materials and see what you want. I DO recommend NOT loading up on EVERYTHING you see. It is really not necessary. Find the local home schooling group in your community or county and they will know where a book store is. I buy a lot of our materials from other home school families or off of ebay. Costco and Walmart also carry workbooks for different subjects that are not bad for the younger grades. You can always find things on the computer if you want additional information. I also buy extra books from the thrift stores. Lots of choices! My daughter is starting high school and I think I will be switching over to a Thomas Jefferson Education. You can look that up online. Montessori is also a good program for special needs children. I've probably frustrated you more!  Anyway, that is what I know!


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## Mrs. Weasly (Jul 31, 2009)

I've been at it with my 3 (DD7, DS9, DD 11) for 4 years and finally (this year, for the first time) I feel like I have it figured out (and something will happen next week to show me that I DON'T have it all figured out) so what I will say is that as a homeschooler 1. you can truly be on the schedule that works for you and your kids, NOT the schedule the state has everyone else on; 2. for youngsters you can let them lead you towards their interests (after their math is done, of course ;-) and help them pursue those interests; and 3. which maybe should have been number 1--you should start with the end in mind, that is, what do you want them to get out of homeschooling? Skills to live independently? A good relationship with their parents? A scholarship to Harvard? These are three different (though not mutually exclusive)goals, perhaps requiring a unique path. Your homeschooling path should be dictated by your homeschooling goals.

I will second bajiay and say don't buy everything you see. I have in the past (periodic crises of confidence in my choices), and I have finally--after 4 years--pared down to what I feel are the essentials--the spanish teacher gets my money, so does the piano teacher, Singapore Math, and Audible dot com. Most else comes from friends, the internet, or the library.

Point is, I guess, we all do it differently, according to what our goals are for our kids and what works for our families. Can't know what works without jumping in with both feet. Sounds like you're there--go for it!


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## Sonshine (Jul 27, 2007)

My DS age 12 is also on the spectrum. He's been homeschooled since day one. The first thing I would suggest is figure out how your children learn best. Are they more hands on? Or do they learn from listening to you? I tried many different things initially. I finally went to an eclectic type of curriculum. My DS had issues with language. He has a pragmatic language delay, both expressive and receptive. He's also what is known as a gestalt learner. He can grasp the whole picture, but not get the parts. For instance, when teaching him to read I tried using hooked on phonics. He just wasn't getting it. I talked to his developmental specialist about it and was told that he would probably do better using whole word teaching. So, I went to Wal Mart and bought up some Dick and Jane books.  He did seem to be getting it, but still, he was not able to pick up on new words, so I still wanted to teach him phonics. I finally found a phonics program that works for him called Explode the Code. Then he had issues with math. He has a lot of trouble grasping abstact concepts, and math is just about all abstracts. So, we found a program called Math U See and he's able to grasp it because it uses manipulatives so he's able to get past the abstract. We do a lot of cooking and in the process he's learning some chemistry. He wants to be a chef, so I'm trying to work around his interest and incorporate his schooling into it. There is no right or wrong way to homeschool. Do things that fit your child's needs.  The internet is your friend.


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## ovsfarm (Jan 14, 2003)

The very first thing to do is to check the homeschooling laws in your state. Get a copy of the actual law instead of depending on what other homeschoolers or the public school system people tell you. My next step was to spend some time thinking long and hard about why I wanted to homeschool and writing that down. I have referred back to it on many a dark and confusing day and it always helped me remember my priorities.

If your children have previously attended public school, you may have to fill out some forms to let the system know that you have chosen to homeschool. I have heard of some cases where they tried to talk the parents out of it, but as long as it is legal in your state, they can't stop you. Know the mandatory attendance age for your area and don't rush to account for your youngest's educational whereabouts until you legally need to do so. In my state, for example, most kids start K as 5yo's but they are not legally required to attend school until the year they are 6 by the local school's cut off date. So the first year we actually had to account for my dd, she was starting third grade!

There are a lot of ways to go curriculum-wise and many of them will eventually get you where you want to go, so don't beat yourself up about choosing the exact right one. First, decide whether you want a lot of autonomy (better to pick and choose from among the various publishers for each subject separately) or whether you feel like you need things mapped out for you (use "school in a box" options where you buy "5th grade" from a publisher and get all subjects from them).

If you can, visit with other homeschoolers and take a look at some of their materials. Some like the basic black and white stuff while others like lots of color. Different families prefer differing amounts of religion with their academics. Some children thrive with more repetition while others balk at too much of what they consider busy work. So know your child and his or her preferences.

Also, consider buying things used. Especially at the beginning, I got lots of my stuff for very low prices, so didn't feel bad if something didn't work and I decided to pitch/resell it.

If I'm reading your post correctly, you have a 4yo and a 2yo, right? If so, I would hold off another year for formal schooling if you can. I started my daughter early and with 20-20 hindsight, would wait a year if I had to do it all over again. 

Have you looked at the Five in a Row series? Especially the Before Five in a Row. That might be just right for your younger kids. We used it for K and then switched to Abeka for 1st and 2nd. I found Abeka to be too repetitive for both me and my student, so then we began to branch out and have used Math U See, Rod and Staff English, Tapestry of Grace history since then. I'm still casting about for a science curriculum that I really like and we are going to be doing 8th grade next year!

All that to say that while it is important to pick curriculum that is a good fit for your student and your budget, one mistake here and there won't undermine their entire educational future. Make the best choices you can and don't be afraid to change horses in mid-stream if it isn't working out. That is one of the beauties of homeschooling, we have the flexibility to make course corrections at will to improve our programs.


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## ruesready2hmstd (Nov 4, 2010)

Thank you so much for the help and info. I will be contacting HS group and hopefully write myself a written plan. Definately willbe checking out used books but with all the help and reading other posts here I think I am ready for action 
My DS will stay in PS until our move next month to the farm but once we are there it will work out since we can get involved in HS groups in the area we are moving too.


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## Sonshine (Jul 27, 2007)

As the poster above you stated, you need to see what your state laws are regarding homeschooling. Each one is different. I know that most need a letter of intent from you. Florida requires yearly testing, whereas Georgia doesn't, which I think it should. In Georgia all you need is to send in attendance records. Also, check into Homeschool Legal defense.


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## happyooper (Dec 8, 2002)

I hope you contact home school legal defense first. They have free material to help you get started and if you join, you will be getting a very professional magazine 4 times a year and endless info on homeschooling. Also, consider joining Parental Rights Organization. It seems that a lot of homeschoolers do not know about it and do not know what the UN Convention on the Rights of the child is. I hope you check that out too! Hope you enjoy your first year. Nathhan News puts out a resource magazine and info for parents homeschooling special needs kids. hp


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