Considering Homeschooling - Oak Forest,IL

Rather than tell you what we do (although that's always fun :)... here are some great places to get started:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/secular_homeschoolers/

http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/

http://www.homeschooldiner.com/

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/laws/blIL.htm (apparently HS'ing in IL is Very easy as far as regulations go... yay!)

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/Illinois.htm

http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/001/bitter_homeschoo... (for a laugh)

And if for any reason you're interested in Charlotte Mason, or Maria Montessori HS... shoot me an PM for more links

One thing I do like is Bob Jones' Science Curriculum. I use Scinece 4 for my 4th grader. My daughter takes an online chemistry class, she also does her brother's science 4 because it's fun.

I use Singapore math. Saxon is too easy. I did switch my daughter, 7th grade, to the Virginia public school's pre Algebra book. It;s more attuned to how I learned math, although Singaore is more advanced. My son will stay in Singapore.

I use Shurley Grammar. If you do the 4th grade you can skip the 5th and go into the 6th. I just moved my daughter into Rod and Staff 7th grade book, it seems to have a lot more meat than Shurley, but Shurley lays a very good foundation with jingles and rules they can remember. My son did 3rd last year and is doing 5th this year and we are doing two lessons a day, short lessons. It is easy and very repetitive. I like it. The children actually memorize the perpositions and helping verbs in the songs.
I assign a reading book, Bullfinch's Greek myths for the 7th grader and Mrs Frisbly, 4th grader this month. We then discuss these.
THey also have to read anything they want after school is out.

I use Evan More History Pockets, love these.

The Latin Road to English Grammar, I use this with both.

We have the game "Where in the World" it's a board game I got at the Field Museum. It is very good at teaching geography.

They take an art calss through the park district on MOnday afternoons and my daughter has piano lessons. We are looking for flute lessons and trumpet lessons.

We get up late, 8ish, eat and are downstairs by 9ish.
My son only needs a little instruction with math and then my daughter gets a lesson. They have about an hour to get that done. Then I get the Grammar books for one, the other reads, then we switch.
At 10:30 my son is climbing my husband's exercise aparatus so he gets a break.
He reads, and does spelling, words come from Mrs. Frisby right now.
At about 11:15 we do Latin.
Lunch from 12-1ish
After lunch we have science and history or Geograpy, Craft projects or we run around and get things done.
My running around time is not what it was as 7th grade is a lot of work.
They are in Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts then church on Wednesday nights.

I didn't think I could do it. My kids feel so much better about school. They love to learn and are excited. Even my 4th grader is taking Latin with gusto. It;s a 6th-7th grade curriculum.

I test every year in May with the California Star Tests. They seem pretty fair, in NC and VA we have to test every year. I keep these in a file.

This is the first year I am keeping written report cards for my 7th grader. She has decided to try the public high school in two years so I am getting her ready.

I am still looking for the perfect History and Geography curriculum.

I'm new to mompedia, my first day, We've been homeschooling for 6 years, & we love it, & so does our daughter.
We use Alpha Omega Publishing--Switched on SchoolHouse-cd's, our daughter like them the best.
When we first started homeschooling, we used books, our daughter didn't like them that much, so we decided to try Switched on School House cd's & we've used them ever since.
there easy to use, easy to install on the pc, the assignments are already prepared, & automaticaly grade most, there is a student icon & a teacher icon where you set up everything, there are somethings as the teacher you have to grade yourself, like on science there are some projects & you grade them.
each year there is free testing for home schooling & we take our daughter,next year she will go in the afternoon, we always go early so we can get a parking spot.
I go each year to the school in our area & get a intent to homeschool form from the superintendent office, usually around may I call & ask if they have them in yet, & I pick the papers up & fill them out & take them back &
& we use a memory stick to back her school work to the laptop, that we use if we go somewhere during school time.

Deciding to homeschool is not running from your problems...it is a choice to find something that works better for your family. My girls were in school through 4th grade & kdg when we decided to homeschool. We are going into our second year. I ended up becoming so overwhelmed with how to teach what & when that we pretty much "deschooled" for the first year...took time to just be together, go on "field trips", adjust to our "new life." We have NO issues with socialization...if you want your kids to have friends & be around other people, there are endless opportunities in the Chicago area!
Here are a couple articles that helped see me through in the beginning...
http://www.livingjoyfully.ca/unschooling/getting_started/...
http://www.sandradodd.com/deschooling
I still struggle somewhat with what is the best curriculum, the best schedule, etc...but it is a journey...if it is something you really want to try, than do it! My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner!
Good Luck!

When I was in 1st and my brother was in 4th, my mom started homeschooling us... for similar reasons. I always appreciated being able to go at my own pace, and I found that by the time I got to college, I was way ahead of the game and very prepared for it in a way most of my peers weren't. I've recently started homeschooling my own kids because I see in them that they'll be like I was, and get bored and frustrated by it. It's been frustrating at times (there are those days in anything worth doing) but she's about 1 to 3 grades ahead in most things (though not spelling, where she's right on grade level!)

The best way to get started is to contact a homeschooling group in your state. State laws vary so much, that anyone outside your state generally won't know enough about your laws to be able to help as well.

As to picking a curriculum, I think many homeschoolers pick one thing, and then change completely within the first year. It depends on how your child learns, and how you want to teach. Some curriculum are basically an at-home-class, where you'll need to be there teaching the whole time. Some are a very independent learning experience where you'll get them started, and then come back when they're finished. Some are interactive and allow for more hands-on learning than others. I have found that the best way to figure out what works for you is to try it and see. I am still figuring it out for us, and I think it may change over the years, too. Still, if your kids are bored/disillusioned/frustrated/simply not learning as much as they could, you could give it a try. Even if it doesn't work out, you can always put them back into school again - it isn't a life-long decision!

Also, you could try putting your kids in a computer-based school, but it might well lack the challenge just as regular school did, and not help them.

I highly recommend www.k12.com. They often have public charter schools so you will be "enrolled" in a public school but you are homeschooling and they provide everything you need, including assesments and assignments. The curriculum is good and they will test to see where to start your children.

There are many homeschooling websites also.

I felt the same way about public school. Check into local Charter Schools. They are free, but operate like private schools.

They have limited class sizes, because they are allowed to "select" who they want in the school. They also follow the same regulations as public schools so the curriculum is roughly the same, with more room for individualizing.

My daughter switched to a charter school in 4th grade, she is now back in public high school, didn't miss a beat, she is actually further ahead then the other students, so she is not having any problems adapting, and is using the first couple of weeks to socialize and make friends until everyone else catches up with her in schoolwork.

something you should also think about before homeschooling your kids is socialisim. if you take them out of school because of their struggles then that will teach them to "run" from their problems instead of learning to deal with what is being handed to them.

before you take them out try putting them in some activity like dance, or sports of some kind, or girl scouts, give them a positive out look to look forward to that will help them WANT to do good in school both behavioural and with their grades.

my daughter has the same issue with her school work being "too easy" so on the weekends she and i do fun things that require a higher level math, or more thinking on her part such as baking to learn how to add fractions or explaining a science fair project such as a volcanoe...and taking the time to build the object. or instead of going outside and playing she'll get to stay inside and help her class mates that are struggling, and makes her feel on top of the world when she does that.

or (she's on a 4th grade reading level in the 2nd grade) we go to the library and let her pick a book, read it, write me a book report then i buy her the movie pertaining to that book.

the only way i would home school my daughter is if there's constant violence trouble, or something along that nature....kids need the socialism to learn to deal with the same problems later in life whether in college or at work instead of quitting and finding a new job.

You could also check with your school district to see if they have a Gifted program (or whatever that program is called these days). I used to come home from first grade complaining that it was boring and the school suggested I be tested for our district's Gifted program. My parents decided to wait another year and see if school got harder for me. It didn't, so I took the test and got started in third grade. It was more of a challenge, and we even had Spanish class in addition to the regular grade-school subjects. There was no extra cost for the program. My husband was in the same type of program when he grew up, except it was called the "REACH" program (or something like that).

We use K12 for our basic curriculum - www.K12.com. It has worked well for us but we do have to use supplements - especially with Math and Science. What is nice is that you can decide what level your child needs - which may be different for different subjects. If we feel that they are dragging a lesson out way past what the child needs at that pooint, we change things around a little. It is nice to have that freedom with homeschooling. Good luck!

You can do it! My advice is to get the curriculum that's easiest for you. I went with Abeka, everything is put together and makes it easy for me to teach instead of plan. Great challenging curriculum, and I found it very easy to modify to help my "over achiever" go forward while my "under achiever" was able to keep up.

Go on lots of field trips! When you are studying history find local historical places to visit. That's one of the best parts of homeschooling, you get to work outside the classroom. You get do learn about stuff your child is interested in!

Another thing to consider is looking into Homeschool Co-ops. My kids have always been homeschooled, and I teach at 2 homeschool co-ops. I can choose which classes I want my kids to be in, and I can do the rest of it at home on my own. I like the co-ops because it helps to keep me accountable. My kids get homework every week, and it keeps me on track with them. Homeschool co-ops typically meet one day a week, and homework is assigned for the week. You can do a google search on homeschool co-ops in IL to see if there are any near you.
I would also suggest that you avoid Saxon Math. I know that many people really like Saxon, but it does not teach someone to think mathematically. It is not as good of a math curriculum -- especially when you get to the higher levels. I would suggest something like RightStart Math (www.alabacus.com) since it is very hands-on and teaches children to think mathematically. I have a background in math, and I teach math at the co-ops I teach at. I have heard good things about Singapore Math as well.
If you don't go with a co-op, I would suggest trying have a schedule for schoolwork so that you can make sure you get it done each day. It doesn't take long when you are working one on one so your day will be much shorter than a regular school day which leaves more time for fun. Kids learn so much through play!

I know a few homeschoolers and I just queried them about trying to transfer my daughter in since the school district wouldnt let her start kindergarden because her birthday was 1 day after the cutoff. I received this link with info on the IL state laws.
http://www.hslda.org/laws/analysis/Illinois.pdf

There are home school associations in every state. Try googling that and see where it leads you. Different states have different requirements for home schooling parents.

You may want to also consider charter schools if there are any in your area, as well as possibly seeing if you kids could go to a different public school. Challenge the teachers, administrators, to try to get the best education for your children.

It's hard but raising children isn't easy. Best of everything to you.