I LOVE the Well Trained Mind curriculum. I am so eager to get it started, especially the Latin and history. I took Latin in high school, and while I cannot even remember one declension, it helped my language immensely.
though I'm now using a curriculum called TRISMS which follows the idea of WTM, studying everything by starting at the beginning and coming up through time. The TRISMS program covers all of the academic disciplines except the middle and high school Math and hard sciences. There are programs for teaching those at home, as well, or you could find a tutor or a co-op program for them. The programs I use are secular ones, and I add on the Catholic education with books I've chosen myself.
I will take note of that one...what is its full title? I have a friend who also recommends the Seton Catholic Homeschool. Do you know much about that?
If your daughter has some good friends now, just keep her meeting up with them after school when possible or on the weekends. They don't have that much time to visit during school hours anyway; most don't even have lunch together because of the way they schedule groups in school nowadays. You might also find a local homeschool group and let her visit with some of those kids before beginning as well. That way she can see that there are kids her age doing this, and she'd likely have some fun! Check your state homeschool message board; Google a search for homeschooling and your state, and you'll find something. Dittos on the letting her just get used to being at home first. You don't need to push the academics right away; let her do some reading or do some activities that she's always wanted to try, but never had the chance to with her school schedule. When you do get down to doing the actual work, you might find that it takes her a LOT less time than that in a normal school day to do the work.
Fortunately, Texas, and my county has a HUGE network and rather strong presence of homeschoolers. some of hubby's co workers also homeschool, so I think he is becoming aware of the fact that it isnt just some oddball kooks deciding to be rebellious.
Your words of encouragement mean so much!!! Thank you!
TRISMS is an acronym for Time Related Integrated Studies for Mastering Skills. It involves a lot of reading and research and coming to conclusions based on information gathered. It covers Language Arts, History, Geography, Science (though not real Hard Science), Art History and Music History. Erin would start with The History Makers which is a study of World History concentrating on scientists, inventions and exploration. Some folks do it all in one year, typically the 8th grade. Most spread it out over two years; 7th and 8th to give the kids more time to learn the drill of the research and writing. When they start the high school program they do a different book each year, progressing up through time. Check out the website HERE