Used home schooling supplies for 7th grader

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We will be homeschooling our daughter next year, and are looking for information about homeschool supplies. What is the favorite curriculum, what company is the best or worst to order from? How about any problems to watch out for with the school district? We live in NW Wisconsin, 22 acres, 29 chickens.....

Thanks, Steve

-- Steve (collins@cpinternet.com), February 08, 2001

Answers

Here in Albuquerque, the curriculum is approved by the school (school board?) So make sure you've got all your ducks lined up. There must be some type of regulatory system, check that out completely before you disclose any of your plans or ideas.

Willy

-- Willy Allen (willyallen2@yahoo.com), February 08, 2001.


Steve, for a girl I don't think you can beat Cadron Creek's -"Where the Brook and River Meet" 4329 Pinos Altos Road Silver City, New Mexico, 88061 www.CadronCreek.com I have been homeschooling for a lot of years and this is one of the best I've seen. It does need an additional math and I would recommend "Saxon Math." It's a bit more expensive but it builds lesson on lesson and my 7th grader really needs that! Christian Book Distributors carries a large variety of homeschool supplies and they have been easy to work with. Don't forget your local used bookstores and the library, they are a homeschoolers best friend.

-- Linda (wklkmorgan@ifriendly.com), February 08, 2001.

Steve, the first thing you want to do is find out the laws regarding homeschooling for your state. Some states(Texas included) are very lenient to homeschoolers, while others are quite strict. I did a quick aol search and got you a few web addresses to try regarding Wisconsin homeschooling. At least one of these is a list of Support Groups, maybe good people for you to contact about local experiences. We've homeschooled for many years and think it's great. Best of luck to you, mary homeschooling.about.com/education/prinseced/home www.execpc.com/~jang www.homeschooling-wpa.org www.geocities.com:80/Athens/styx/2742/wischs.htm www.dpi.state.Wi.us/dpi/dfm/sms/homeb.htm/

-- mary, texas (marylgarcia@aol.com), February 08, 2001.

Switched on Schoolhouse, by Alpha and Omega. They have experiments done on video, also in bible they have actual footage of the ark found in Turkey. It is great, and you can use it again with the next child. If you want you can print the curriculum out, but I prefer not to waste paper. Homeschooling is great. Your whole family will grow closer. Love in Christ, Judy

-- Judy (allsmile@ctnet.net), February 09, 2001.

This is our first year, so I don't have a lot of experience, but here's mine so far, we use Saxon Math which we're pleased with, use Alpha Omega which the content if very good but my ds is totally bored with it, we tried one SOS Science and it's really hard for him and he's just not a sit at the computer type kid. So I'm buying Learning Adventures and we're going to try it. A/O and SOS are excellent curruculums it just wasn't for my son, he is really hyper and needs more hands on approach, if you had a child that found reading easy and enjoys reading for pleasure these programs would probably work for that child. My oldest son love and excelled in A/O when he was in a Christian school that used it.

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), February 09, 2001.


We purchased the Robinson Curriculum. It is a 22 CD rom set that will take a student to about 2nd year college. It is a self teaching method and you print out the books on the computer. Your only additional cost is Saxon Math, which you get a discount for, and your printing costs. It teaches children how to learn instead of producing trained monkeys. It doesn't have those mind numbing workbooks that just keep kids busy without really teaching them to learn.

Check out www.robinsoncurriculum.com I think that is the address. They have a lot more information and a forum for you to ask questions of other curriculum users. Now that we purchased this curriculum, I won't be wasting my time or money on other programs that I have to fight my kids to complete.

-- Laura (gsend@hotmail.com), February 10, 2001.


Wisconsin is a state with moderate regulation, it requires parents to send notification, test scores, and/or professional evaluation of student progress.(per info. from the Home School Legal Defense Assoc.) Iowa is the same that is one of the reasons we've put the brakes on moving back there, but it wouldn't stop me from home schooling if I were already in one of those states. I've heard great things about Saxon math, but I chose Math U See, it's expensive but it's the best for a "hands on" learner. In a half year my son has gone from being way behind in public school to being quite a bit ahead. Same goes for the Language Arts, I'm partial to Abeka. You have to find what works for you & your child, I have a friend that uses all Bob Jones, but it wasn't working for my son. Best Wishes, home schooling is great!

-- Lenore (archambo@winco.net), February 10, 2001.

Steve, Lot's of good info already given, The home school legal defense people are great. They will help w/ the regulatory things for Wisconsin. Meet what ever the state requirements are and don't do anything more. Some local school boards (like mine) "require" a bundle of hoops to jump thru. I send them only those things required by the state. They threatened us once. I called ALL of our representatives, both state and fed, and sent follow up letters of complaint. Never heard another word from them.

We now use Abeka video school w/ our 14 y/o. It's kind of expensive but works for this one. Didn't work w/ his sister as well.

-- John in S IN (jsmengel@hotmail.com), February 10, 2001.


Sorry Lenore, you're mistaken about Wisconsin's requirements. I've been homeschooling here for seven years; easiest state in the union to homeschool. Only requirement is turning in a report once a year, which states how many kids of whatever sex and grade level or age (your choice) you are schooling. Period. No names, no tests, no reports. The end.

-- Earthmama48 (earthmama48@yahoo.com), February 10, 2001.

Sorry if I quoted something wrong it came straight from the Home School Legal Defense Assoc. Here in Illinois we don't have to notify the school let alone turn in a yearly report. So maybe that is why they said Wisconsin is more regulated, you do have to submit info. to an "authority."

-- Lenore (archambo@winco.net), February 11, 2001.


We got a copy of Rebecca Rupp's book on how to design a home schooling curriculum year by year -- and requested a copy of the "scope and sequence" from our local board of education. We fill in from there. I wouldn't buy a complete curriculum, because I feel that that's pretty much the same as sending them to school every day, other than the fact that the onus is on me, rather than someone else, to make sure they learn it.

I am thrilled with the progress of my kids, and my boys have learned responsibility for their own education. If you've got a public library in your area, you have pretty much everything you need, in addition to your internet access, to teach your kids anything at all.

-- Tracy (trimmer@westzone.com), February 11, 2001.


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