Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Choosing a homeschool curriculum

I am very likely going to be homeschooling my ds6 this school year. We are pulling him out of his current private school within the next week or two. So, I've got to find a curriculum asap. I don't think I'm the kind of person who can wing it and use materials we already have or those at the library. At least for now, I need a straightforward curriculum to get ds through K and 1st by the end of this year. He's likely at 1st or 2nd grade level already. How do I know at which level to begin? I've had suggestions from friends and others on this site. I just want to have some options to consider. Ds is more gifted in language and really enjoys science more than anything. Also, if he goes back to school next year, how do I prove what grade-level ds should be enrolled in? Thanks again. This site has been invaluable to me over the past week!

Have you already thought of the online schools? I see there's a Connections Academy in Florida, and I know some parents of gifted kids like Connections.

http://distancelearn.about.com/od/onlinepublicschools/a/FloridaPublic.htm

JenSMP -

I would encourage you to take the time to peruse your options before deciding on any one curriculum -- especially before you purchase anything.*

You may also need time to "deschool"

good luck!

- EW


* this unsolicited advice is based soley on what I have been reading the last few years. Not from actual experience, so take with a grain of salt!

Since you are in hurry, K12 curriculum may be a good starting point. You can buy one subject or all of them. You can even do a different level for each subject such a 3rd grade math and 1st grade LA. Everything is planned and set up for you. K12 has placement tests to help you figure out which grade material to order. There are demo lessons to check and I believe there is a trial period as well.

There are quite a few families who use k12 curriculum and are happy with it. I've never used it though but then I like to mix and match material from different sources.

Here are a few of the things, which may be worth looking into. I use the material with DS5 or/and DS7.

- Singapore Math (placement test is available on their website)
- My Pals Are Here, Singapore science curriculum. We used it as an additional resource but I believe it would work nicely as a standalone curriculum
- All About Spelling
- CyberEd (may not be available at this point)

You may also consider joining the EPGY group buy. Check https://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/ for additional group buys.

TAGMAX archive (if it's up) is a wonderful source of info.

The big problem is that there is so much available that it's very easy to get overwhelmed by all the choices. I think it's quite common that you buy what you think is the perfect material for your child and you only to realize that he or you don't care about it. BTDT

Hi JenSMP,
We pulled our DS last winter cold turkey. I borrowed a few curricula from our local Gifted chapter on a trial basis. I also bought a few Singapore math books and other items from other homeschoolers and amazon. With all this hodge-podge mixture I learned DSs, then 6, learning style. Oh we did a ton of science to remind him that school can be a place to learn and have fun too. www.superchargedscience.com Once I got a hang of how my little guy learned, I felt capable of deciding on a curriculum. We went with Connections Academy and after 3 weeks, we are both loving it. I knew I could not keep researching curriculum. I knew we needed someone to keep us accountable and there is always the possibility of putting him back in PS with his scores/grades transferring since it is a PS. So I would really recommend getting to know your DSs learning style before you purchase anything.

I would definately check into a trial period with K12. When we did it we could cancel our online subscription but couldn't send back the hundreds of dollars of books we had to purchase. Luckily I still use some of the "book" books now with younger ones.

I wouldn't rush into a curriculum purchase without looking at how you want to homeschool. There are many approaches from schooling at home with textbooks, to literature based schooling like The Well Trained Mind, to unschooling. That can vary what type of curriculum you would choose as would if you want secular curriculum or not. The list is almost endless.

Complete curriculum: K12, Sonlight, Calvert, Abeka, My Father's Word, Winterpromise, Heart of Dakota, Well Trained Mind, Alpha Omega. Some of these are more scripted (everything written out for you) than others.

The big problem with complete curriculum in some but not all cases is the ability to fit it to your child's needs in the different subjects.

I currently use the following with my 1st graders:
Sonlight Core 1 materials (without the Bible portion because I teach it secularly)-just the core, I substitute in SOTW and Usborne History of the World
Singapore Math Standard Edition (sonlight uses the US if you purchase math)
EPGY
Horizons Spelling
Voyages in English by Loyola Press
Handwriting without Tears
Scott Foresman Science by Pearson with some PLATO and NoeScience books thrown in with a lot of library books. (using multiple grade levels since we are very science heavy here)

Look for placement tests to determine level. Some materials are on level and some, like singapore are ahead of US levels.

I agree! take some time to decompress. Read good books, have good discussions. Watch some great NOVA science shows. Study nature. Get some math books (like Singapore Math) and go from there. If you want to do some writing, check out the Spectrum writing books. It'll give you some guidance, some product to show the school.

You might also try to find out if there is a homeschool fair in your town. By coincidence, a fair was taking place last year, right when we pulled our son out of PS. It was great, because I not only got to see the material hands-on, but I also got to meet other homeschool moms and ask their opinions.

We currently use:

Horizons Math
The Story of the World
Beka Spelling
Beka Language
Type 2 Learn for Keyboarding
Beka Our America
Beka Health
Brainpop Online (fun videos to introduce new concepts)
Real Science 4 Kids: Biology, Chemistry, Physics

Be aware that a child who is ahead of age level and who is a gifted learner will probably FLY through any fixed curriculum. That's not to say you can't use one, but realize that it may or may not be a good fit.

There's something to be said for flexibility.

The suggestions you've gotten are good ones for a 6yo GT child. Be sure to check out www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org for deals on stuff.

We're using K12 and really like it. I wish we had used it from the start. The subscription is course by course, and when your child is ready to move up, you just contact them and ask them to switch out the courses. (You'll need to buy the books for the next course, but they're not too bad). Last spring, I had my then DS8 in four different grade levels, which is one of the reasons it worked so well for us. And it worked so well for me b/c it gave me a schedule, teaching plan and answers. On our own with an eclectic curriculum, we never seemed to do get through a day's work. I needed the organizational help. (Other curriculum we used last year pre-K12 - Michael Clay Thompson/Thomas?, Aleks, Life of Fred, local district social studies book, All About Spelling - that's a good one, CyberEd - he liked that one, too, Time4Learning - he loved that one).

You can get a 2 week demo from K12, but in the end, you should do what you're most comfortable with. good luck!