my situation (pretty long)

[aliciahorsley]

i have three kids, bern (june 5 2003), katelin (halloween 2004) and cian (march 14 2007) and really want to homeschool for various reasons.

however, i've noticed that most curriculum are pretty religious. and i'd prefer to leave that can of worms till later. any secular ones that i've missed?

my plan of action is to focus on reading/writing and maths plus 'hands on/physical stuff' like crochet, gardening, playing instruments, yoga until they are a little older. then i'd introduce a bit more structure by pidgeon holing stuff as science, history etc.
sound crazy?

my kids are at a wonderful kindie where they can stay till they are six. my concerns for each are:-

bern - dyslexic so not thriving academically there but loves it and his teachers. also picks up loads of nasty stuff from other boys like cursing and play fighting. better of homeschooling i guess?

katelin - likely gifted, adores the whole thing particularly socialising. cried when she could not go due to chicken pox. how will she cope with lessened social interaction associated with homeschooling?

cian - totally spoilt baby. really demands lots of attention and probably brighter than katelin. should i even bother putting him in kindie? will time spent homeschooling other two mean neglect of him, and is that necessarily a bad thing?

[saintmom]

Calvert school,everything comes in the box so you don't have to try to find stuff.It's secular.

For your youngest put some things aside like playdough or art materials that are only for school time.

[mommy68]

Spectrum is mostly non-religious. In fact, I don't use it that often because it's not religious enough. Website: http://teachchildren.com/mcrawhillitems.html

You can try www.homeschoolcenter.com. They have some stuff that isn't religious. EPS www.epsbooks.com has some stuff that isn't religious as well. Good luck!

[mommy68]

As far as the socializing you can get your family involved in a local homeschool group, find a H/S co-op, 4-H, sports, gmnastics, dance, YMCA activities, girl scouts, boy scouts. The possibilities are almost endless.

[aliciahorsley]

i live in malaysia so that kind of extra activities are usually tied to a school.

[elizawill]

if your main focus will mainly be reading and math - there are literally a TON of curriculum that have no religious undertones at all. in fact, i would say most reading and math curriculum are not religious. as for other subjects, there is core knowledge, k12 independent, oak meadow, enki (i don't think they're religious anyway) calvert, etc. and i know a lot of secular homeschoolers like story of the world and mystery of history. it doesn't sound like you're looking for a prepackaged curriculum since you want to create your own schedule....so that opens up your choices greatly. you may want to look at www.homeschoolreviews.com

[mommy68]

Originally Posted by aliciahorsley

i live in malaysia so that kind of extra activities are usually tied to a school.

No sports are offered in your area through rec centers or anything? Are there no other homeschoolers?

[moominmamma]

Your home-learning plans sound great to me. That's kind of the course my kids have followed, though they have encountered tons of science / history / geography type learning just in the course of living and following their interests. We use very little in the way of formal resources.

I'm curious, though, how it is possible to diagnose a 4yo as dyslexic. I know the experts often say that there are clues that can be seen as possible indicators of dyslexia as early as age 4 or so, but even the most eager early interventionalists I know admit that those are just normal developmental issues in a proportion of children up to age 6 or 7 and disappear on their own with maturity.

Miranda

[lakesuperiormom]

we own the enki (it has tonglen meditation in the teacher's guide.) and oak meadow as well as tons of others. why don't you just put together your own curriculum? which is what works best anyway! are you leaning more towards a holistic approach or more traditional? once you decide that it's easier to pick resources for each subject. i would also consider homeschooling them together on all subjects except math and reading and then use the same program on those just different levels. sonlight has some great multi-cultural books...it is religious,but i you can easily pick and choose the books that are not religious. the socialization with homeschooling is a different type than school...more positive. we would love to help you along your journey!

[Ruthla]

Don't forget that a "curriculum" isn't a necessity. You could put together your own curriculum via a variety of sources (including things that are meant to be supplemental to another curriculum, or things meant for older kids that you adapt, or books that are meant to be part of a larger curriculum). You could look into unschooling and never use a formal curriculum at all (though you'll still want a rich variety of fun learning materials available for the kids to explore.)

You could order a math workbook online (if there's nothing available locally) and "teach" reading through real literature. Or do reading through real literature and math via manipulatives and a few online math games. There are so many options other than purchasing something "ready to go".

[aliciahorsley]

thank you for all the replies.

No sports are offered in your area through rec centers or anything? Are there no other homeschoolers?
i don't know fo any rec centres though i can sign the up for music, yoga, gymnastics, belly dancing and the like at private studio type places.
all the other homeschoolers here (and the are very few and far in between, are christian families wanting to educate their children out of out muslim education system). my concern about these activities are that they can be expensive and interaction between the kids is pretty limited too coz they go to claass, learn and go home. living in a capital city, people are always in a rush, myself included. i am trying to learn a dfifferent way, but old habits die hard.

thanks for all the suggestions. i guess i have lots more research to do huh?
that is one aspect of this whole thing that is worrying me. as i promised my husband that the kids would sit for 'traditional' exams at 11-12 to make sure they were at least on a par to children who go to school, i am afraid that my choices will affect them badly in that aspect.

finally, my anxieties are very linked to the way i was brought up. while i adore my parents and fully understand that they did the best they could, i was raised to perform. always top ten in year, had to score merits for piano exams or else (i would get caned), had to compete in teakwondo competitions, etc. it is very competetive and i tend to like regular assessments to know i am on the right track. add to this the fact that i am the eldest child in a fairly traditional chinese family and you may get an idea of how foreign, free and risky homeschooling seems to me. homeschooling is going to be a a real challenge for me in many ways....

[aliciahorsley]

the dyslexia thing

moominmamma, he isn't diagnosed. just that lost of dyslexia in famiy. dad, grandad and grand aunt. my mum and sis too. he is displaying similar symptoms though you are right and it could be a developmental thing...
i am making assumptions (and it's not a good thing).