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The Homeschool Hunt

Anyone who homeschools knows how it is to hunt for the perfect curriculum. You search and search. You read and read. You narrow it down. You decide on a particular curriculum. Then you change your mind. Then you start all over.


I have been trying to decide on curriculum for my girls. I am really interested in combining their studies as much as possible. Heart of Dakota looks like a good choice for that. I got my catalogue recently. It is a good sign when your 4 year old finds it and claims it as her own. She promptly grabbed a pencil and started marking all the books she liked the looks of. I love to read so I am looking forward to that. I also like that it calls for some curriculum that I already have. It gives you the freedom to choose some things on your own.

I am thinking of sticking with Horizons Math. FlowerChild seems to enjoy the faster pace. I am going to have to crack down a little on the drills however. She hates flashcards or pages of practice problems. So I have to get creative with that. I know there are many homemade and storebought Math games. It's just a matter of figuring out which ones are worth the time or money. If anyone knows of a particularly good one, please pass it on to me! I am mainly interested in solidifying her fact families (addition and subtraction families). Rod and Staff Math was doing a fantastic job with that but she was bored to tears and beyond with it. Horizons moves very quickly and doesn't introduce things in such an incremental way. (such as 1+1 1+2......2+1 2+2....)

I had wondered about Math-U-See but so far I am a little unsure about it. From what I have read topics are not covered in a traditional order which means the child will not be at the same level necessarily as their peers. (ahead on some things, behind on others) Now we aren't planning on going anywhere but with my husband in the ministry you never know when God may say, "Come on!" If we were to go to a state that required testing or if something unforseen happened where she HAD to enroll in a traditional school would she be able to handle it? These are things I worry over, not in a biting-my-nails fashion but just in the back of my mind sort of way. Share your insights with me, please!

Although it should be obvious it bears repeating that parents need to keep their children's learning styles and interests in mind when choosing curriculum. If I go by my likes I may think it should be fine yet wonder why my child isn't so keen on it. That is an advantage in homeschooling vs public or private schooling. Learning can be tailored to fit each child. FlowerChild is very hands-on and likes a lot of activity, movement and freedom.

With FlowerChild turning seven that means by law in our state we now have to join a cover school. So that means another big search! The same thing applies once again. I want to go by her best interests. She enjoys sports and people. She would most likely enjoy a school that offers extracurricular activities and opportunities to get together with other homeschoolers. So that is what I am checking on first. I am hoping to find one fairly close. I found one that does chapel, music, and PE. That would probably be right up her alley.

Now when LadyBug gets to be old enough (if nothing changes) she would probably hate that type of environment. She is a homebody and a family girl. She despises crowds and although she loves to play it just depends on her mood as to whether she chooses to join in or hang with Mama. So I will also keep that in mind when it gets to be her turn.

How about you? What influences your decisions for your children's education, public, private, or homeschool? We've done it all with The GuitarMan so just because we homeschool now don't let that scare you away...I won't blast you! :)

Comments

  1. It's funny that you are discussing Heart of Dakota, because that's how I came across your site. I was looking for reviews on it. I really feel like God is kind of nudging me n that direction. I have reviewed a gazillion curriculum's as you mentioned above, and it's very hard to figure what will be the best fit. I myself am torn between Heart of Dakota,S.O.S ( because of ease of use as far as me having to be less involved so I can be more involved with my 5 and 3 year olds) and time4learning. The last few months we've been using time4learning and the kids adore it. I adore it because to be honest, I don't have to grade which is also what draws me to s.o.s. BUT...and it's a big BUT..I feel like God is telling me I need to be more involved , not less, and that as you said above, HOD would enable me to to pick and choose what math I wanted to use per se. I have no thoughts on Horizons or any other math curriculum, because we have always used A Beka. But, both of my kids really struggled with it , which is why we are going to go a different route this year. My poor son had the hardest time with fractions...and I had a hard time explaining it to him because of the lack of guidance I felt from A beka's lesson planner.

    Well, there's my two cents! For what its worth! I have heard really good things about Horizons math though. Was considering looking into it! :)

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  2. I did homeschool for a month at a time in order to spend more time with my husband when he was away for military training, and between moves. I never bought a curriculum since the teachers just gave me the lessons for the rest of the year, but my son went to both a public and a private school that used Saxton math. It required homework every night, and since I was familiar with it and it was so reputable I always thought that I would use it if I homeschooled. I also saw the Sonlight catalog before and was quite impressed. My kids are big readers also.
    Right now they attend a tiny school, where I know most of the teachers from church and our small community. I'm also there almost everyday volunteering. Which may sound weird, but the school includes a lot of the moms,unlike most public school's that I've seen. I think it is because we are overseas and most of us do not work, and keep asking if we can help.
    There is also a large home school community here, and I have debated about pulling my youngest out and joining the Christian Homeschool group here. Children really are a lot different from each other. My daughter is a social bee that loves school but my youngst actually wants to be homeschooled. Anyways, still deciding, and praying about that one.
    Hope you find one the fits for you all.

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  3. Michelle,
    Well, that's me...I get a very good feeling with Heart of Dakota. It just seems to be very natural way to learn together as a family. Have you checked out the forum on their site? You actually interact with Carrie Austin, the author because she runs it herself. I love that!

    Now I used SOS with my son one year (junior high)on everything but grammar. We moved, I had a toddler and I was pregnant, using a doctor who was 2 hours away. So it did mean less work for me at first. The problem was he got bored with it after a while. To me, having to MAKE him do it was worse than carrying out the lessons myself. Some of it was good though...but I sort of doubt I would use it again. Maybe if you had a very self-motivated student who would work independently then it might work out better.

    As for Time4Learning...funny you should mention that. I had not heard of that one and today as I was researching cover schools I came across it. I didn't have time to really stop and look ar it so I wasn't even sure what it was. Say you like it? How does it work?

    Now as I said my daughter likes Horizon. I've shied away from Abeka because of conflicting reviews. I had heard the same thing about the teacher's books and it seemed so geared to a classroom full of students.

    I just would feel better if I saw solid results with the Horizons the way I did with Rod and Staff. I think a little more time will tell. They jump around a little with the topics and it takes a while to see if she is catching on or not. Everything I have read says they are a year ahead so you would use Book K for 1st, Book 1 for second etc.

    I don't count myself as an expert by any means but here is what I have found, for what it is worth. :) It actually is easier the more involved you are. It does get hard when you have younger children so you may need to try some different things in that area. (Maybe we can help each other out with ideas on that!) But I found that with SOS it was way too much like traditional school. I knew some of what he was doing but I had no control over it. We all drew closer as a family when I backed away from that. If you try to get more involved with one age group then you wind up less involved with the other. That is what I am hoping to find. A balanced way to teach that will include everyone. Blessings!

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  4. Treany,
    How blessed you are to have a school like that! It is just wonderful that you can be so involved. If you trust it and your older child is happy and learning then that is just great!

    I am with you about the children's personalities. My advice would be if you are in a position to homeschool, give it a try. Many families have great success in breaking it up that way and trying to match each child's needs.

    As for Saxon we used that for a while because it is what the public school used when my son was there. We knew the timed portions gave him fits. But when we started using it at home we realized he just honestly hated that style of learning/teaching. And in that year I found I did too LOL! Some children just thrive with it. He just wasn't one of them unfortunately. But many homeschoolers love it!

    I like portions of Sonlight. I really considered using it when my son homeschooled. I think it might be too demanding for our lifestyle now. I am just basing that on the reviews I have read along with perusing the website. Recently I added the link, along with a couple others, to my sidebar and was surprised when the owner of Sonlight commented. You might like to read it. Here is the link. http://mypeacefullychaoticlife.blogspot.com/2009/05/homeschool-help-update.html

    Anyhoo keep praying over the homeschooling vs continuing with your present school. Whether it lasts through graduation or just for a season, if God is leading you to do it He will equip you! I will join you in prayer, too as you seek His will for your family. Blessings!

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  5. I grew up using Sonlight, and my wife was homeschooled as well, and now I work for Sonlight, so we'll be using that [smile]. May you find the perfect resources that match you and your family!

    ~Luke

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  6. Luke,
    I'd be shocked if you used anything but Sonlight. :) I'm sure it is a part of you that is ingrained in such a way that whether learning or passing on knowledge it simply comes naturally!

    All families who seek to have an active part in educating their children face the same decisions.
    *Who do we want to influence our child?
    *What do we want to influence our child?
    *Are there things we want to specifically expose them to or shelter them from?
    After we answer those questions we then have to take into account our lifestyle, family needs, location, and financial constraints. But for those of us who are believers we have to approach all of these decisions by first praying that God will lead, guide, and direct us as we seek to train up our child(ren). It can be a daunting task but He is faithful to equip us! Praise Him!

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  7. I just came across your blog when hunting for others who use Heart of Dakota. We are heading into our second year of HOD in August and we absolutely love it! I have a son (7), and two daughters (4 and 2). They will all be using the curriculum. This year we are making just a couple of changes. We will be using Math U See instead of Singapore and we are using Handwriting Without Tears alongside it too. I love the flexibility of the program, how hands on it is, how comprehensive, how easy it is to prepare and implement, and how very Christ centered it is in every way! We LOVE it! That's my two cents! I look forward to reading more from you! God bless!

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  8. GrOwTh SpUrTs,
    Welcome! Thank you so much for commenting...it's encouraging to hear from someone who is enjoying HOD. That excites me about it! Have you used Handwriting Without Tears before? My youngest is a leftie and has some of the normal issues that come along with that. But I read somewhere that HWT specifically addresses left handed children. Have you found that to be the case?
    Thanks again for your input!
    God bless you!

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  9. We are somewhat new to Handwriting Without Tears. However, my son has Asperger's and used it when he was in occupational therapy. He did well with it. From what I notice, as I look through the material, it definitely addresses left-handed writers. I think we are going to really like it. It's really affordable as well which is a nice bonus! It was nice to "meet" you over on my blog by the way! Your comment was very sweet!

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  10. GrOwTh SpUrTs,
    Thank you for taking time to look through it! I wish I could go to a homeschool convention and look at some of these curriculums without having to order online. But they are all just too far for a daytrip. :(
    So it really helps to meet folks who have it or have used it.

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