What type of school books due you use??

[glenda]

I thought I would start out a post on what kind of school books do you use and why did you choose them.

I know that this coming up school year we will have three children all in the 9th grade and we are looking into what to use.. We want sound books with high standards. As far as math we plan on using saxon math. We also have two other children in lower grades and with them we use abeka, christian liberty press, and many many more..

We would love to find school books that are strong in education yet have the same convictions or at least close to what we have.

Any help with this would be a great help..
glenda

[MrsDeweySmith]

good question that I will follow.

We currently use Christian Light, but I am losing an interest in their texts. We seem to spend more time really searching for a deeper understanding and comprehension in areas such as math and language arts. Maybe it's just me.

If you had limited funds (LOL...ok, we all do!) but wanted the best for math and language arts. What would you choose?

We went with the full CLE this year, and that was out of our norm really. I typically go for math and language arts, and we follow interest and such with the others. Let's face it, with most children, as they get older, if there isn't a strong science or history tendency, they get bored and the work becomes too dry. And with so many varied levels here...we have 6th, 4th, 1st and K...and then younger ones...dry is something we need to avoid

Deanna

[glenda]

We are starting to have a issue with the same thing.. Another problem we are having is the issue of the kids getting done with there school books before the school year is even half way over... They are board to death and well they feel like they are learning the same things over and over.. I am at a loss this year... We have this year really felt like oh boy....NOW what do we do....

glenda

[Andrea]

We use a variety of different things for schooling. My daughter is in the 7th grade and we are using Abeka Pre Algebra for her. We are using an English cirriculum called Climbing to Good English by Schoolaid Language Series for both kids. This is by an Amish or Mennonite group in East Earl Pennsylvania and it's excellent. It's helped my daughter tremendously! Also, my son's math is by the same, Schoolaid.. it's called Counting Numbers with Spunky the Donkey (my son is in the second grade ;D) .. and I really like the math through them as well. I may go with that for my daughter next year. For history, we are using a unit study called Mystery of History. The lady that wrote it is a christian woman. She had 4 volumes covering all history. The first volume for the first year is From Creation to the Resurrection. It incorporates Bible History with everything else. Then the volumes go to Ancient History and Middles Ages.. I can't remember the rest. I have the website somewhere. I'll find it and post it. For Science my daughter is using the Abeka 7th grade science. I want to check into the Schoolaid cirriculum for science next year for both of them. Right now my son is using Christian Liberty Press for science. I don't really like, but it will do for this year.. ;D ..

Well I think that about covers what we are using this year.. I'm going to research more into the schoolaid cirriculum.. I really like the English and Math ..

[MrsDeweySmith]

Are they (the Schoolaid subjects) online anywhere, Ruth? I'd be interested in checking into the math and language arts curriculum. We mainly use CLE for those, but I am seeing some areas we need additional study to firm up our base here.

Sister Deanna

[Andrea]

here is the link for The Mystery of History..

www.themysteryofhistory.com/

Sister Deanna,
I'm not sure if there is anything online or not.. I will look and see. If not, there is an address I have for them. I can give it to you.. maybe they have a brochure of something to send out.. ;D

[glenda]

thank you...

glenda

[Deleted]

I know this post is older, but I'm new to the board so I thought I'd respond anyway. We've been all over when it comes to homeschooling 'style' and materials. We were very relaxed the first few years and the children really enjoyed it. They were free to do as they pleased, as long as they were doing something. Then we moved to another state that required either yearly testing or an in-home evaluation. So I started doing a more 'school at home' approach. For the last 6 months we've been sitting at the table every morning doing math (Singapore math - we love it), English 3 days (rod and staff) and history/geography 2 days (also rod and staff). They'd copy Bible verses for writing, and we'd do spelling too (using spelling power). My children were not retaining ANYTHING it seemed. They were bored too.
Meanwhile, my oldest was/is in the process of building a telescope. He realized a few weeks ago that it would be easier if he knew algebra. He picked up a few books on algebra at the library and is learning it very quickly (using 'algebra for dummies' or something like that). He is also interested in geometry, trigonometry and calculus. So he checked out books on them as well. He's doing well so far. It's interest-led. He saw a need to know the subjects, and now he is taking off on his own. He spends HOURS in his room studying. Thankfully my husband has a degree in physics and is able to correct and guide; but so far he has not needed much help. So last week I decided he was doing plenty of math on his own and we ditched the math books. He's also interested in astronomy and other forms of science. He is reading biographies right now on Newton and Einstein (which can be considered history, science, math, geography, and more). He is taking notes on all he is learning (writing, spelling, drawing and sometimes grammar). So basically through his own interests, he is covering so many subjects. Since it is his own interests, he is learning and retaining everything he's reading. Along with hiking every few days and helping me in the kitchen, I'd say he has a very well rounded 'education'.
This week we started something new. I sat down at the table and said 'ok, what do you want to get done today'. I am now having each child tell me their plans for the day. They can learn what they choose, but they need to plan it out (simple planning that can be flexible if they sprout off into another area), and journal what they did each day so we can write a weekly report on all the subject areas they covered. I figure if my 12 year old can teach himself algebra and trigonometry, the others can self-teach too. This is how we started homeschooling, but like I said, with the move I got a little scared that we would not meet the requirements. Now I am confident that we can as long as we keep track of what they are doing every day. This does not mean that I don't 'teach' them though. I am here to help them in any way needed. They are responsible to organize and plan their day around other things that go on in the family - like meal time, chores, reading the Bible, devotions, and family reading (we LOVE to read together!). They also write letters to their family quite a bit - this is great for all areas of language arts. And we are keeping track of the missionaries our church sponsors. We mark them on the map and are starting to correspond with them (all areas of social studies, English, and so much more).

I don't know if this has helped anyone, but it helped me to type it!!! ;D

[carolejw]

Thank you for posting. It sounds like exactly what we need. I'm going to ask the boys what they are interested in and go from there.

[jka]

I want to homeschool our children when the time comes. I have only seen a few different curriculums but like abeka the best from what I have seen. However I would want to tailor the homeschooling to each individual child a little.

Katy-Anne

[nightingale]

I just attended the Northwest home school curriculum fair last week and purchased my curriculum for the new school year this fall. I used first grade ABEKA for my daughter this last school year and liked it. It is expensive and you must have the time to teach the material. I am fortunate to have my mother a retired school teacher teaching and giving one on one time to my daughter.
We both attended the curriculum fair together and looked at a mass selection of books. There is so many it is mine boggling. We decided to go with ABEKA again. Since I ordered my material from the fair, I received a 10% discount and free shipping and handling. A big savings, plus I could use the basics I ordered last year, designed for 1-3 grades.
I also ordered "God's Creation Series" ~OUR FATHER'S WORLD~ I plan on just using it for summer reading.
Happy homeschooling
Sis Debbie

[mitchell]

I read a story in one of the "Countryside" type of magazines a few years ago that was written by a young man of about 18 years of age who had been homeschooled and complimenting what an impact for the good that it had been on his life. While he did study bookwork, math, science and such as that; he also had the advantage of travelling with his parents a good deal of the time all across the United States. They would set up at a campsite in an area and then go to the historic sites nearby and do a thorough study of the history of the sites. He also carried his camera equipment and studied photography and took photographs of the places they went and the things of interest they saw. I seem to remember that he took a musical instrument, maybe a guitar, along and studied and practiced playing that. - I don't remember whether or not he was educated with a Christian curriculum, but in that scenario, his parents could certainly have included Bible training in with his bookwork without interference by the state authorities. - Oh, and he also had access to a computer as well as best I remember.

He emphasized that his education was an active one and not one that was purely limited to sitting for long hours on end with his feet stuck under a desk (although there was some of that, too within limits). - I realize that most of us cannot afford to travel here and there all that much and are not disposed to living in a camper trailer living in campsites for several weeks out of the year. However, field trips just outside in the yard can offer opportunities for learning in a healthy environment.

The thing that impacted me in the public school system was the stultifying effect of the hours spent sitting with my feet stuck under that desk, not allowed to speak to anyone and mostly listening to the teacher lecturing. . and then, the three hours a day that I spent round trip in transit in the school bus system was simply debilitating. Not that I didn't learn anything, but it could have been a lot more and a lot more pleasant and challenging environment than it was. The homeschooling parent has the unique opportunity to teach their child not only the three R's, but also to teach the child the practical things of life - money management, PRACTICAL home economics instead of how to make "Bechemel Sauce" and apron making when sewing machines are so few that it was impossible to get access to one for more than just a few minutes at a time, or to the home-ec. teacher when a line of ten or twelve girls are queued up vying for her attention and help. In the public school system, if a child is not predisposed to liking cutthroat competition and butting heads with other children, that child frequently gets left out in the cold. Add to that the politics of the kids who are children of the "who's who" being tapped to be "teachers' pets", and the wrong messages from that dynamic can leave those more shy children with damaging emotional problems that last a lifetime.

Be creative in homeschooling in a godly way is my two cents worth, and borrow as little as possible from the ungodly methods of the public school system.

Sister Wanda

[nightingale]

I agree with using life as your platform for education....

My mother makes sure my daughter gets her book work, but then I get to make the fun things possible.

I work as a nurse, and I get up to four days off in a row. On those days we travel around the area or take a short car trip to explore and every trip is a learning one. My brother bought my daughter a digital camera and nothing is safe from her camera lens

Happy Home schooling
Sis Debbie

[SisterNancy]

I'm done homeschooling now... Can't believe I don't have anyone left to school. sniff sniff. We used and loved Rod and Staff, Abekka and some Bob Jones. I have friends who are usuing switched on school house it's a computer program school(?) they love it. I never used it though.

Have fun all of you who are homeschooling this year and may God bless your time together!

[Andrea]

Jun 27, 2008 16:23:25 GMT -5 mitchell said:

...
Be creative in homeschooling in a godly way is my two cents worth, and borrow as little as possible from the ungodly methods of the public school system.
Sister Wanda

Thank you for this, Sis. Wanda. This is something I need to be reminded of!! I have been discouraged in our homeschooling. My parents are not supportive of homeschooling and say that my children are missing out on so much. When I tell them that I want them to miss out on all that ungodliness in the public schools, they throw up the old argument that my kids have to learn to deal in the real world and I'm sheltering them.

And my inlaws say our children should be in a Christian school. They dont' believe that I'm doing a good enough job in homeschooling them.

Anyway, I don't know what books we'll be using this year. Generally I use a hodgepodge of things depending on what subject it is. Plus we are very strapped for money right now and I don't know how we will be able to get the books this time.