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Re: Where to start!?

Submitted by an LD OnLine user on

Greetings Anny, Welcome to the wonderful world of homeschooling! I began HSing my dd one year ago Nov. 29 when she was also 12 and in 7th grade. All the other posters have given you excellent advice. I would add that it’s important to allow some time for your child to “de-school”. Even though my dd was ready to be HSed, it took several months for her to calm down from the stress of parochial school and get used to the idea that she could think for herself and be allowed to make decisions regarding her education. As others recommended, we began with the Phono-Graphix (Reading Reflex) program and spent the majority of our time reading, discussing, going on field trips, reading, discussing, watching the Discovery channel, reading, discussing, etc. We did hit a “wall” during the PG reading program and so are now doing PACE (Processing And Cognitive Enhancement)to improve deficit cognitive skills and its reading program Master the Code. We are also using MathUSee but because of her improved memory skills as a result of PACE, we have gone back to the beginning in order for her to really learn her addition/subtraction/ multiplication/division facts. I would recommend the book “Homeschool Your Child For Free: More Than 1,200 Smart, Effective, and Practical Resources for Home Education on the Internet and Beyond” by LauraMaery Gold and Joan M. Zielinksi. I have found this book to be a truly wonderful resourse (this is not a self-serving advertisement). A website we enjoy is Teach With Movies which provides helpful background info, heritage index, character development topics and questions about the excellent movies they select; i.e., Chariots of Fire (Olympics, Religion), October Sky (Aviation & Space Exploration), Shindler’s List (Holocaust), etc. Finally, I want to say when my husband and I decided to homeschool, we both agreed it didn’t matter if our dd graduated at age 18 or 20, but our goal was for her to REALLY LEARN. Feel free to email me personally if you have further questions. Blessings, momo

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