Info about homeschooling

[Chabela_t]

I have a friend with a seven year old. We are military wives and in her case she doesn't want her kid to suffer through all the changes of school, with the fact that we move every so often. She wants to know about homeschooling her child. Do you have any suggestions about what materials are necessary??? How does she starts?????? In my case I have a 3 year old and she is still a baby(to me), but I would appreciate your help with my friend and that way I can also learn and applied if I need it too in the future....Thanks for your help.

Isabel

[AAK]

For a 7 year old, very little is necessary--especially with a decent library and on online connection. However, a lot of people like using a math program. I like both singapore and math mammoth. They make sense to me and are also not very expensive. I add my own manipulatives when I need to.

A good book (at least I like it) is Home Learning year by year. http://www.amazon.com/Home-Learning-...0991528&sr=8-1 It kinda goes over the various subjects and expectations for each grade. Although, in reality, it has high standards if you compare it to our public schools. Also, you could really go overboard after using that book, but it is a great starting point and reference.

BTW, the above book covers preschool too!

Amy

[Savoir Faire]

Hello! What a nice friend!

First, I'd tell her to read read read! That's how I've educated myself...and still am....reading will give her a lot of things to ponder.

We're all so different that you'll run the gamut of what people do. But, personally, I still believe, at age seven, less is more. Some people just start doing work at seven-- and we'll probably start in as well.

A good thing to do is to research individual methods...I'll list a few but I'm sure I'll forget some. I found by researching methods, it helped me decide what I do want and don't want...or you can pick and choose what you like from each one:

Unschooling
Charlotte Mason
Classical Education
Thomas Jefferson Method
Waldorf
Enki
Eclectic

....am I forgetting any?

[Chabela_t]

Thank You

Thanks for the info so far. I'll let her know so she can start reading. Wow I am amazed at the different styles, didn't have an idea on how extend it can be. If you have any more info please let me know. Thanks for the guidance.....Hope you have blessed day,

Isabel

[RiverSky]

http://www.besthomeschooling.org

http://www.homeedmag.com/

Any and all of Linda Dobson's books:
http://www.fun-books.com/authors/Linda_Dobson.htm

[ChristaN]

Has her child been enrolled in public school up to this point? One thing that she will want to check is the homeschooling laws for the state she is living in each time she moves. Most states require you to register with your school district once your child reaches a certain age. Seven sounds about the age at which she should be aware of checking regarding registration requirements. That's the age in CO, where I live. It is pretty simple, though. Here you just have to fill out an "intent to homeschool" form and submit it to your district.

You can get the info about various states' requirements from the Home School Legal Defense Association's website: http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp

We are also required to have children who are considered to be 3rd graders and up take a nationally normed achievement test every other year to show that they are making some progress academically. The required scores are really low, though. If a child comes out below the 14th percentile, I think it is, you can expect to hear from the district or dept of education.

[Lillian J]

Also, here's a page with a number of articles and links to sites and at least one email group having to do with homeschooling military families
Lillian

[heatherdeg]

Originally Posted by ChristaN

Has her child been enrolled in public school up to this point? One thing that she will want to check is the homeschooling laws for the state she is living in each time she moves. Most states require you to register with your school district once your child reaches a certain age. Seven sounds about the age at which she should be aware of checking regarding registration requirements. That's the age in CO, where I live. It is pretty simple, though. Here you just have to fill out an "intent to homeschool" form and submit it to your district.

You can get the info about various states' requirements from the Home School Legal Defense Association's website: http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp

We are also required to have children who are considered to be 3rd graders and up take a nationally normed achievement test every other year to show that they are making some progress academically. The required scores are really low, though. If a child comes out below the 14th percentile, I think it is, you can expect to hear from the district or dept of education.

This was my first thought. And since you're military, do you have to go by the laws of each state you're in? Or does the military have a policy that overrides this? I would also advise that while HSLDA is an excellent resource for information, she may want to take pause and scan threads here on the organization before joining to decide if it's really "for her".

[ChristaN]

Originally Posted by heatherdeg

This was my first thought. And since you're military, do you have to go by the laws of each state you're in? Or does the military have a policy that overrides this? I would also advise that while HSLDA is an excellent resource for information, she may want to take pause and scan threads here on the organization before joining to decide if it's really "for her".

Sorry not to be clear. I was linking them as a source of info not suggesting that she spend the $ to become a member.

[heatherdeg]

Originally Posted by ChristaN

Sorry not to be clear. I was linking them as a source of info not suggesting that she spend the $ to become a member.

Oh I totally got that! But when you see how informative the site is, it may lead someone to think "Oh! This looks like a great group to join!" ya know? So I just wanted to put it "out there" that it's worth some extra looking into before doing so.

[Lillian J]

The link in my last post didn't work - so I'm reposting this:

Also, here's a page with a number of articles and links to sites and at least one email group having to do with homeschooling military families
Lillian