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.
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.
Do not bother with the primary saxon math.
Get them adding subtracting and then get Saxon5/4 and the work sheets and go slow.
In the very early grades, I used Rod and Staff for Math, Penmanship and Phonics as well as Reading. For History and Science we used ABeka.
Seems like so long ago as I homeschooled in the ‘90’s.
I forgot to add. don’t be discouraged if curriculum does not work with your child. There is so much out there in which to choose from.
I had to make adjustments through the years with three kids. As they got older, I used ABeka for most subjects and BJUP or Saxon for math in the upper grades.
In the lower grades, my kids used grade-level workbooks that I bought at bookstores. Those workbooks were cheap and good enough. However, I would be very careful about the content in today’s workbooks. (I used to review each book and sometimes tear out pages, if I found the content to be inappropriate for my kids to read.)
Another idea is for your friend to join a local homeschool support group and talk with the other parents. Many moms swap books, sometimes for free, other times for a reduced price. That is, the moms will hand down books, such as textbooks their children have finished using. That way, your friend can collect a sampling of books and try them all.
I am a former teacher assistant with Mother of Divine Grace homeschooling company. Fantastic curriculum, very flexible, offers tons of support to parents and students. It is classical education at its finest. Excellent science and math courses.
A great resource for parents struggling with deciding on when to start the academics is this......
Better Late Than Early: A New Approach to Your Child’s Education
https://www.amazon.com/Better-Late-Than-Early-Education/dp/0883490498
Seems to be not in print any more judging by the prices they are asking, but you can get it for Kindle.
There is so much out there now, it’s almost overwhelming. Your friend should get in touch with a local homeschool group and start talking to other moms. She might be able to pick up some used items, too. Also, some places have homeschool book fairs where she could look at materials before buying. If there is a
Mardel store where she lives, they have all kinds of homeschool and education supplies.
One thing I would like to warn her about is that she should not try to replicate a traditional school. Much of what happens in school is about busywork and filling time. She does not need to spend hours every day doing homeschool. She will accomplish all she needs to do in just a few hours (or even less) every day.
Read, read, read. Read to the kid, read with the kid, let the kid read. Go outside and find bugs. Google them, look at their wings, find their hearts in diagrams. Kids just love nature - bugs, rocks, yeast in water, etc. Get a 10x microscope. Do m/s stuff together and have the student write it up. Make sure they learn math like you learned it when it was taught correctly. Lots and lots of field trips, time outdoors. Feed his mind - they are so excited about the world at this age. Learn how to use maps. (teacher/ homeschool mom/ tutor 1:1 here).