Posted on 07/23/2020 7:40:46 AM PDT by GreaterSwiss
Have a friend with a 2nd grader who's thinking about home schooling. Any suggestions for programs
To be honest with you, up to about 5th or 6th grade you do not really need a formal curriculum. And certainly not for 2nd grade. What you do need is some sort of structure so they get used to routine. But for the younger folks you can turn almost anything into homeschooling. A walk around the neighborhood can become a math lesson as they count or categorize cars in driveways, or the average number of cracks in the sidewalk.
One thing that is important, though, is a structure that makes sure you are covering the important things. We found the book series “What your xxx grader needs to know.” It presents an outline of topics in a logical way to build up a well rounded education. They went up to sixth grade when we were at that age. But anything like this would give you the confidence that you are not missing the critical stuff.
The other thing I would suggest is to focus on the basics - reading, writing, ciphering. Ok, second grade not so much ciphering, but they should be on their way to learning the times tables (or the concept behind them). But if they learn reading above their grade level, and start writing, that will give them the tools to move along later.
Find books just above their age and read them together out loud. Fun books, because reading should be fun, not a chore.
Meanwhile, dive in, remember that well over 50% of the public school day is administrative and not education, and have fun covering in 2 hours what they used to cover in 6.
My wife's rules:
1. Set a schedule and stick to it. If you start the day at 8:00 then always start at 8, unless it is decided and announced beforehand.
2. Teach your children that you always learn, all through the day and for the rest of your life. Never stop learning.
3. Start with the basics - reading, writing and arithmetic. If their kids are good at those then everything become possible.
4. It is OK to make them memorize - times tables, rivers, parts of government, state capitals, the Books of the Bible. Memorizing creates certain innate disciplines that can only be learned through repetition.
5. We use to take trips to the mall (OK, so it was long ago...) Before each student decided on something they wanted to see and we did it - makes your kids know that we listen to them, and that we will keep our commitments. Make them each order their own food. Then they would each write an essay on what they saw - what stores they saw, what things they did and what they really liked or didn't like. Grade those essays on English and grammar and accuracy of recollection.
6. Learn a foreign language - with them! Find folks that speak other languages and use what you learn. Interact with people from all ages.
7. Learn a skill or a craft - and keep at it until excellent. One home schooler made their own telescope - all except blowing their own glass. Maybe Dad or another relative can pitch in - girls learning auto mechanics, boys learning to cook, all becoming well rounded grown ups.
8. Love your kids more than anyone else - you will be encouraged to help them excel, and they will know that they are secure in your hands.
Please keep in mind that except for certain specialties, most public school teachers are generalists and learn more about HOW to teach than any subject they will be teaching.
From then on, the last official project our kids did was researching books and writing their own curriculum and submitting it to the district office.
We used mostly books from the 1830s to 1860s, far more advanced and more efficient and logical than modern junk.
Daughter tested by district assistant superintendent when she was in third grade and found to be somewhere higher than second year college level in reading and comprehension.
Great Job
No paper or calculators allowed.
Most of homeschooling can be done anywhere. Don't think it has to resemble a public school.
I included them in our business so they learned to interact with people of all ages, unlike public schooled drones who are segregated by age.
With some other parents we started a homeschooling group.
We went on a lot of field trips to museums, events, etc.
When you are a book collector, and have a collection of school books from the 1800s, writing up a curriculum is really easy.
It took about 15 minutes.
Check out Homeschool in the Woods. Decent history programs. Stuff you can download and print. Good product for the price.
Let me just say that ‘structure’ has to be taught. Some children have no structure at home. I had a mom who worked to feed four kids after my father died from war wounds. When teachers handed out homework to do I had no help at home nor understanding of what structure was other than mealtime and bedtime.
An Aunt died and left her desk to my mother.....as a kid of 7 yrs old I thought if I sat at that desk, in that bitter cold corner of the room, it would make me smart as she was a teacher I had never met.. ......I write this because the longing of a childs mind and heart to learn, to know how to learn, is not always recognized.
Grades throughout school years were barely passing and I stuggled, embarrassed that I couldn’t grasp “learning” as other kids did. It was not until I was married at a young age (18) with two children I decided to go to a business school that I aced pretty much everything.....my environment was mine to control then.
I write this because there are children who are much smarter than they realized, and are indeed ‘left behind’ when basically on their own on the homefront at the tender years of growing up.
I learned....but it was later years and still am learning.
Saxon math is good. Spiral method. Concepts are returned to and touched on constantly and so kids really learn it and feel successful—and therefore like math.
Stay away from Sight Words, at all costs - same for calculators.
HSLDA’s website is: https://hslda.org/
Join HSLDA.
I have seen what the system can do to parents when they take their kids out of public schools. Took almost three years and many thousands of dollars in lawyer fees to resolve and they are not sure it is resolved yet.
They might never need to use it, most parents don't. But it is like fire insurance. You will be so glad you have it.
Here in Texas Saxon Math seems the preferred curriculum. I noticed that the very rigorous Classical School my son is enrolled in uses Saxon for everything below 7th grade.
The faculty there are faith-based Christians/missionaries many teachers are pulled from Houston Baptist University and the Latin Program required is run by Rice graduates who are also Deans in the upper school. He has two campus days & three at-home days.
I honestly got the impression that his kids are still enrolled in public school, he'll be using the public school curriculum, etc.
That's not "homeschooling", is it? Homeschooling is a parent eschewing public school indoctrination in favor of parent's choice education.
Isn't it?
Yes, join HSLDA! They will help you and defend you if the school district or state goes after you inappropriately (which sadly, seems to happen way too frequently). They have a ton of resources on their site, including your states laws too.
Sonlight Classical Curriculum Saxon Math and Explode the Code for phonics.
Go to Sam’s or BJs and look in their book section.
They have grade school curriculum books that work just fine for 1-3 grade and it’s FAR, FAR cheaper than buying something online.
It’s a good option while someone tries out homeschooling and learns the ropes.
Also, she should connect with a local homeschool support group and contact HSLDA - Home School Legal Defense Assoc.
For a yearly fee, they will be your lawyer for any homeschool issues you may encounter. They do not guarantee free representation but if you have social services knocking at your door, you have someone to call and hand your phone out the door for them to talk to your lawyer.
Pinging out the homeschool list for other ideas and suggestions from other FR homeschoolers.
Rod and Staff, the Mennonite publishing house, has curriculum too, and it’s far lower cost.
I didn’t like their math and science, but the English, Reading, and Phonics can’t be beat.
The phonics is for first and second grade but there’s no reason whatsoever, that you could not start a second grader in the first grade phonics. It’s a very good program.
The English teaches diagramming sentences, and the Reading is all based on the OT. They will end up more of a knowledge of OT and Israel history than most people have in their life time.
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