Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Homeschooling newbie - advice

Okay, I posted my rambling, venting email moments ago and putting that behind me I am starting a new post to learn all that I can about getting the most out of homeschooling.

You all have such wonderful knowledge so here goes some questions:
1. Best books and articles about homeschooling successfully
2. Any literature on the negative effects homeschooling may have on the social development of a child
3. Where can we get curriculum help so we can develop an individualized program for our son that meets his varying academic level needs?
4. Blogs and forums for homeschooling parents
5. Places to order AV teaching aids, etc.?
Anything and everything else I may have missed that I would want to know.

We have already gotten some negative feedback on this decision which is only hours old. I want to be armed with all the best info.

Start browsing through the reccomend resources section of this board, then go to hogiesgifted.org for more.

Here's a post from a while back:
Here's a way to save money on some homeschooling resources, clipped from an email -

In the meantime, please tell your homeschool groups and friends about
the Homeschool Buyer's Co-op. The more members we have, the better able we are to attract
the attention of vendors like these and put together Group Buys that
benefit all parties.

Regards,
BrettBrett Walter
President
Homeschool Buyers Co-op
http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org
Tel: 650-529-1660
eFax: 650-649-1949

And one more golden oldie:

One of the Mom's from the Davidson homeschooling list wanted me to pass this along to you -

One source that was a lifeline before we were able to hook into DITD
was TAGMAX. This list is for parents homeschooling their gifted children.
It runs the gamut from gt to pg and is an amazing resource!

http://listserv.icors.org/archives/tagmax.html

Another option is to take a look at the links offered by
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org under mailing lists.

These were a mind and life saver for us!

Love and More Love,
Trinity


Once your son turns 5, apply to the YSP program because there is an amazing and active homescool list there. Back in January I posted to there the question of "where do I go to learn more" and got the above responces.

I also strongly encourage you to prowl around for the local homeschoolers. They may be receptive or not, but one of the main reasons besides religion that people homeschool is that they children are "highly able learners" - I wouldn't nescessarily use the "g" word, but talk just like BK suggested about "his learning needs" and "what works for him."

Our library has a whole shelf of books for homeschooling parents, yours may also. At this stage, I would certainly consider Holt's "unschooling" approach. You don't have to stress yourself out and worry about "making the most" of homeschooling. Just by protecting your child from a "bad fit" classroom you are way ahead of the game. Ask yourself if you really believe that your son is motivated to learn all on his own. If it's true, why not let him guide you this year?

Love and More Love,
Trinity

Hi Zia-

Trinity asked me to stop in and say hello. I'm entering my sixth year of homeschooling, with four PG kiddos. My oldest is in college and my youngest is two. I'm the gifted education editor at bellaonline too, and though the site is not exclusive to homeschoolers, we have quite a few homeschooling parents who post on my forum there. Please feel free to check it out and ask questions there, or at bellaonline's homeschool forum. My site is here: http://giftededucation.bellaonline.com

I'll do my best to answer the questions you've already posed. First off, there are as many ways to homeschool as there are homeschooling families. If you tell me a bit more about what and how your son enjoys learning, I might come up with a few good resources for him. You might want to think about styles of schooling too- the Lisa Rivero book that Trinity recommends is a great place to get started understanding the different methods and how they might suit your family.

My husband and I had two concerns when we started homeschooling. One was that our social butterfly wouldn't have enough time with friends, the other was that our severe introvert would become a hermit. I'm happy to report that both kids have done quite well socially, and my introvert actually had more energy to devote to friendships once he came home to learn. On top of that, I have found some amazing and intelligent women for friends myself, and we're all part of an extensive and close-knit community.

I do think it's important to network with other homeschoolers, but you don't need a huge group to meet your needs. Our first year, we were part of a 4-5 family informal group which got together several times a week. That was quite comfortable and gave us the numbers to have classes for gymnastics and art. We relocated and joined a support group, which we love. Our group has an annual science fair, prom, International day, and National Day, as well as bi-monthly get-togethers for park and beach days in the Spring and Summer, board game and craft days in the Fall and Winter. My kids have taken part in many short term group lessons, in art, literature, dance, science, etc.

I used to frequent the parentsoup homeschool board, but I haven't been there in a while. You can check that out, and also the veg source homeschool boards at www.vegsource.com

If your son's test scores are in the right ballpark, I also encourage you to apply to Davidson's Young Scholars program. It's a fantastic resource for the parents and the YS children. I can't say enough good things about it. They have a listserve for homeschooling parents, among other things.

hth-

Lorel

Thanks Lorel for making the time to visit with me.

I have heard some great things about YSP and when he turns five this October we plan on applying.

Our son is more in line with your social butterfly. He is very outgoing and personable.

As for his ways he enjoys to learn, I would say variety. He seems to embrace multiple learning styles. He loves hands-on learning - my husband is great about getting out props - the beach ball globe - the math ball, and his old 1960's Disney folk song album - which has helped him learn about the revolutionary and civil wars.

He loves to read fiction but lately has taken to non-fiction books about topics he likes.

He especially likes computer programs and we have been very successful with mastery of new skills in this format including chess, spelling, typing and math.

His least favorite exercises, not sure if this is a learning style is workbook type exercises.

What we really are looking for his suggestions on developing a curriculum. This is so new for us, neither of us have a background in this.
Thanks

Hi Zia-

I'm glad to hear you ask about "developing a curriculum" and not buying one. Single grade level "canned" curricula rarely are a good fit for gifted kids, especially at the higher levels of giftedness. Most HG+ kids are at least somewhat asynchronous, and do better learning with a variety of materials cobbled together.

The first thing you need to do is to educate yourself about the law regarding homeschooling in your state. If you don't have to register him until age six or seven, then you can do anything you like. If he needs to follow state guidelines this year, then you have to ensure you've got the basics covered.

It sounds as if you are already doing a fantastic job of providing stimulating books, computer games, etc. You might not have to change anything but just keep on facilitating this way.

If you want a specific program for history, you might consider Story of the World. It presents history in a logical, chronological manner, with a chapter of reading followed by corresponding questions and activities via the companion activity guide. My kids use SOTW as a spine and we do lots of supplemental projects and reading.

For math, I recommend EPGY through Stanford if money is no object, or Singapore workbooks if you have a budget. Both programs are excellent and you can find many positive reviews on them. See www.singaporemath.com for sample pages and printable placement tests.

Sorry, have to run, but let me know of this is helpful and I may be able to add some ideas.

Thanks Lorel for just the kind of suggestions we are looking for.
We do have another year before we are required to meet state requirements, so that makes this first year a bit easier.