# Homeschool Trade Show



## cwgrl23 (Feb 19, 2004)

Ok, I have an opportunity to go to a trade show for homeschoolers where all the big name curriculm people will be there. We are not entirely sure if we will be homeschooling but we will not have made that decision until after the trade show is past.

I am looking for 4th grade materials with some repeat of 3rd grade. I am not sure if DS doesn't understand what he is being taught or just is not given enough time to get it done. He is your typical 9 yr old boy. He is very active and like being outside. If he has to be indoors, he likes playing with his legos or his cars or any of his action figures or combinations there of. According to a reading comprehesion test that was just done, DS is below average. Again, not sure if he is not comprehending what he reads or just doesn't have enough time to finish the test. He is always saying that he is dumb. :grump: If we do homeschool, I want to spend much of this summer trying to get him caught up. 

Now that you have a bit of background, what companies should I be looking at? Right now the only way DH is on board is with the thought that he would go back to public school for middle school and beyond. So I would have him home for two years. Alot can change in two years though so.....

I do like the idea of unit studies. Can someone explain to me how these work? I had the ABEKA system from the 3rd - 8th grade. I think it is a great system, just worried that it might be too advanced for him. I don't want him to be anymore frustated than he is now.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Carrie in SD


----------



## cwgrl23 (Feb 19, 2004)

Nobody has any ideas? 

Carrie in SD


----------



## Hobbes (Apr 1, 2008)

A Beka is a great curriculum (raised on it through highschool and college (PCC)); however, for some it will be like skipping up grade because of the high quality. We did the videos for one year... and enjoyed them. It was nice seeing things explained out (especially algebra when I took it).

You will probably end up with a mix of curriculum. I don't have kids, just speaking from first-hand experience. Again, A Beka is more expensive, but the quality is very good. Usually best to get the materials second-hand or used, and only buy the consumables new (tests, etc).


----------



## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

You can google Amanda Bennett (might be spelled with one t on the end?) If you like unit studies. I don't really do unit studies, so I guess that is why I didn't chime in.  I advise you to meet up with a homeschooling friend if you go to this big event. There are so many curricular options that it can be overwhelming the first time. The thing is, there are so many different ways to homeschool it is hard to make recomendations. I suggest that you read some general books on homeschooling first... 

Read about classical eduation (the well trained mind)
Read about learning styles (the way they learn)
Read about charlotte mason education (a charlotte mason companion)
Read about unschooling (not my thing, so maybe somebody else will have a suggestion.)
Read about the eclectic approach.
The principled approach
Religious or secular? 

Pick one and start from there.  I know, I know... don't panic, or get overwhelmed.  It isn't as much as it looks like. You could just pick a pre-packaged curriculum like the ones listed, or sonlight... That works too. But I find it is easier to weed through the plethora of choices if you not only know what you want, but what you don't want. 
Clear as mud? (Sorry.  
Cindyc.


----------



## cwgrl23 (Feb 19, 2004)

Thanks so much for the suggestions! I am not really looking to unschool because there is the potential for DS to go back to public school.

As far as ABeka, I was wrong. I had it from the 3rd - 10th grade. I liked it but I liked to read. I also know that it is more advanced than some. I didn't study my last two years of high school due to going back to a public school. I was always on the honor roll due to the ABeka training.

There are just so many options and we are on a limited budget. I just want my boy to love to learn and to know that he is smart too!

Thanks for the suggestions!

Carrie in SD


----------



## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

I know that Timberdoodle used to sell diagnostic tests and computer programs specifically to figure out reading comprehension difficulties. don't know if they still do? How does he do when you read to him at home? Or when he reads to you at home? Is he having comprehension problems at home? 

Anyway, good luck.  

Cindyc.


----------



## cwgrl23 (Feb 19, 2004)

cindy-e said:


> I know that Timberdoodle used to sell diagnostic tests and computer programs specifically to figure out reading comprehension difficulties. don't know if they still do? How does he do when you read to him at home? Or when he reads to you at home? Is he having comprehension problems at home?
> 
> Anyway, good luck.
> 
> Cindyc.


His comprehension is amazing at home when we read the Bible book to him (Bible cut into daily reads for younger kids) or when he reads to us. I think it is the whole "timed" thing that gets him in trouble. I think when he knows he only has a certain amount of time to get something done he freezes. He also likes to day dream so I am sure that doesn't help in timed tests.

This kid is actually really smart! He can watch a History Channel show with his Dad and in talking about the show, you can tell he actually understood it. Some of it is quite deep! Some of his questions are typical 9 yr old boy questions, but many are quite advanced for his age. EX - he went to the dentist last week and they all thought he was 12-13 based talking to him. They couldn't believe he was only 9.

Does anyone know where I can find tests that will show how he learns best? EX- some kids learn by doing, some by reading, some just want the facts, some want to know all the details. Anybody know what I am talking about?

Thanks again for all your thoughts and ideas! This is a very large step for us!

Carrie in SD


----------



## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

cwgrl23 said:


> His comprehension is amazing at home when we read the Bible book to him (Bible cut into daily reads for younger kids) or when he reads to us. I think it is the whole "timed" thing that gets him in trouble. I think when he knows he only has a certain amount of time to get something done he freezes. He also likes to day dream so I am sure that doesn't help in timed tests.
> 
> This kid is actually really smart! He can watch a History Channel show with his Dad and in talking about the show, you can tell he actually understood it. Some of it is quite deep! Some of his questions are typical 9 yr old boy questions, but many are quite advanced for his age. EX - he went to the dentist last week and they all thought he was 12-13 based talking to him. They couldn't believe he was only 9.
> 
> ...


I don't know of a test, but you should be able to figure that out from the book "The Way They Learn" by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias. 
My guess from what you have told me about comprehension at home, how he responds to tv documentaries, and how he fares in reading at school is that he is at least partially auditory. He isn't having trouble with comprehension when he is reading *out loud* which he can't do at school, maybe? Also, young auditory learners tend to read a bit slower than visual learners, which would address the timed thing. They are "hearing" the words in their heads even when they are not reading out loud. They tend to stay in the phonetic stage a bit longer, whereas a visual child will quickly move from "sounding out" to "chunking", or seeing familiar words as a whole. Makes auditory learners have to work a bit harder at spelling too.  It's not really a problem, as the auditory child eventually catches up and strong phonetic skill only makes for a better reader in the long term.  You might try having him read something silently at home and see if his comprehension changes? 

Good luck. 
Cindyc.


----------



## akhomesteader (Jan 5, 2006)

If you really want something concrete to know exaclty where your son is in math and language arts, such as tests to be able to show your husband and anyone else, you might do what we did once. We had a teenage girl from Europe living with us one year, and I was going to be homeschooling her. That was before we had our own children and I had never homeschooled before.I had to jump right into high school with her. Her English was pretty good, but still not good enough to take timed tests. I knew she was bright, but the language barrier would get her if I timed her. I also had not spent enough time with her to have any real idea of the kinds of materials or the level to purchase. So, I purchased some standardized tests for math and language art, but I did not time her. If she had trouble understanding something she read for a math problem, I would explain the word to her. The language arts tests were a little tricky because I wanted to help her with translations without helping her figure out the right answer. In your case, it would be a little easier because your son speaks English fine. Doing a test like that won't really be the same as if you had timed it, but it will give you and anyone else who insists on seeing something concrete a fairly decent idea of what your son actually knows, at least as much as one can tell from a standardized test (although I'm not at all an advocate of standardized testing). After administering the tests the way I did it, I was able to get materials that were perfect for her level. I wish we'd chosen a different method, but the tests did help me get math and reading materials on a level that helped her succeed, but that still challenged her. She wanted to keep to a similar style used by public school, but that turned out not to be good for either of us. Something like Unit Studies or a Charlotte Mason (or maybe a mix of things) would have been much better.

One thing that struck me when I read your posts was that your son thinks he's a dummy. I think you need to help him get some successes under his belt, so to speak, before you challenge him too much in the beginning. This would probably be easier to accomplish if you do things in ways that are fun for him. I think trying to figure out his learning style would be very helpful. I've run across some websites with information on that, so I'll post them later if I can find them. 

Tracy has talked a lot about deschooling children who have been in public school, before getting into serious, sit-down homeschooling. I'm sure she would have some excellent suggestions for you. Everyone has a totally different style. My boys are much younger than hers, but I can't imagine using her teaching style in my family. Who knows how things will be in a few years, though. 

A big thing to remember is that he can still learn while he's having fun. You mentioned unit studies, so you probably already know that homeschool does not have to be like public school at all. I was planning to do unit studies since they are so appealing to my husband and to me. But, without a library (we live in the Alaskan bush), it just wasn't practical for us to do all the time. We do it some. We take a Charlotte Mason approach, for the most part, but I don't follow it exactly. There are many ways to implement that method. It's very flexible.

I wish you all the best! 

Jenny


----------



## Veronica (Oct 31, 2008)

Someone else mentioned Timberdoodle and I would recommend looking at them. They have a lot of hands on resources for children and now they sell curriculum packages for grades. A unit study with a hands on approach that my children loved was KONOS. It might work better with a couple of children, I'm not sure, but we loved it when the kids were in elementary school. 

Veronica


----------

