Homeschooling - Amarillo,TX

Chrystine A, are you serious when you say that a homeschool mom cannot provide all that the school system can? Do you homeschool? I did it for 10 years and I can honestly tell you that apples to apples my kids got everything a ps kid did and much much more.

(Warning: I'm in overshare-mode)

As Ilovemykids said... Tx is super easy legality-wise (EVERY state has different HS laws)... but in Tx all you have to do is unenroll them, at ANY time. No timeframes, testing, academic plans, or bureaucratic hoops to jump through in any way. ((All my friends is Tx *gloat* about how easy it is :)) So it's as easy as putting on a big smile and signing them out. NO ONE has the legal right in Tx to tell you otw. Read through that link she gave you.

And here are a couple more for support:

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/

http://groups.yahoo.com (tons and tons of great groups out there, local ones for fieldtrips... to national ones for special needs / 2e/ gifted/... curriculum groups/ hs philosophy groups... religious/ secular... 10s of thousands of us on hundreds of groups. Here are a few specific ones you might be interested in... but there are a LOT more out there :)

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

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ADHD_Homeschool/?yguid=4070... (since from your profile one of your kiddos is like mine)

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

As far as curriculum goes, that's another matter :) I tend to think of curriculum as the "fun" part... because we ALL use different curriculum. For our (adhd) family we do about a 40/40 split between montessori and charlotte mason... with the other 20% being totally eclectic (like "Minimus, the Mouse that Made Latin Cool!" for latin, ClueFinders for some of our math stuff, NetFlix's amazing documentaries - everything from Walking with Dinosaurs from the BBC to H's The Universe, to Engineering an Empire... tons of amazing things). You'll find most of us with special needs or gifted kids tend to be on the eclectic scale, because the whole "school in a box" thing just doesn't work for *most* of us (of course, it works for some, just not most).

2 good sites to explore as far as curriculum choices:

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

And... because I'm feeling all perky this morning (and all I have to do is cut and paste ;)... here's some of the curriculums we use. Use anything for idea generating... not a "should be" kind of thing. Like I said we ALL do different things. Finding what works best for each family is one of the most amazing gifts of HS.

General:
http://simplycharlottemason.com/basics/started/charlotte-...
http://www.freemontessori.org/?s (check out the albums link on the right)
http://www.montessorird.com/index2.php?cPath=1&osCsid...

Science:
http://www.noeoscience.com/
http://www.discoveryeducation.com/
and 2 unit studies we're doing science-wise this year:
https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/genographic/in...
http://www.seattlesciencefoundation.org/kids-in-medicine.htm

Latin
http://www.minimus-etc.co.uk/

Math
http://www.freemontessori.org/?page_id=9
http://www.borenson.com/tabid/933/Default.aspx (for algebra, because I've got a "numbers guy")

Art
Outside Classes

Music
Outside Classes

History
Unit Studies (we go by civilization... right now we're in Ancient Greece)

Mens sana in copore sano (aka our school motto "Healthy Mind, Healthy Body"; Sports & Activities beyond daily playing with the dog, gardening, tree climinging, bike riding, etc. On average we spend 4-7 hours a day doing super physical play... but do remember, we're an adhd house, so we do LOTS of active stuff)

Fall : Gymnastics & Soccer
Winter : Gymnastics & Snowboarding
Spring : Gymnastics & Baseball
Summer : Swimming & Sailing & Surfing

If this all sounds super-busy/ kinda over overwhelming/ expensive... know that on average we do 4 hours of school a day... a lot of play... and spend around $100 - $200 a month tops, and many months we spend nada. So it's all actually really relaxing. LOL... actually we don't even usually get UP until 930ish most days, and school starts typically around 1030.

R

I am not a home schooling mom, but I was a teacher before staying home and try to do "school time" with my kids. I started selling Usborne books and through them have found these wonderful sets called, "Ten Terrific Weeks." There are 5 sets (themes) for preschool/early elementary. The sets include 10 weeks worth of activites and skills. The sets are around $6.95 each, but the books are sold seperately. If you visit the website you can see exactly what is included: which themes are offered, what skills are covered, etc.

If you take a look at the website...on the left hand near the bottom choose "Ten Terrific Weeks." I'd suggest 1st looking at Adventures on Apple Tree Farm. Once you look at it it will tell you what it includes, but if you click on "Ten Terrific Weeks for more information" it will then give you the 5 themes for preschool/early elementary. Click on one of those and it will show you the skills, the books, etc. These are good sets and really help the kids learn while having fun. The books are great quality and come with so many things to make learning a special time with you.

www.newbooks4kids.com

I highly suggest these b/c you can do as much or as little as you'd like with them. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Good Luck,
Tracy

do you have an advocate? I don't know what district you are in-but, at home you can not provide what the school district can (and obviously doesn't).
OK i see you are in TX-so, unfortunatly I cant give you advice....I'm in CA, and advocates are a blessing!

www.k12.com has a great curriculum. If there is a public charter virtual school in your area, you can get it for free.

I am not sure about your school district but in ours you have to notify them before sept 1st of that school year if you are going to homeschool. you might be better off waiting till the summer to start homeschooling. Let um get through the year then don't register them for next year.

if you pull them right now will that teach them if something gets hard to just give up?

You just go to the office and unenroll them, they will ask why, what shcool will they be going to. Just tell them you will be homeschooling them. Thats all I did when I took my son out of kinder. You have to withdraw them though, you cant just stop taking them to school. I included a link and a clip of what the web site says.

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/laws/blTX.htm

You are not required to file any papers or notify anyone that you are homeschooling your children in Texas. If they are already enrolled in a public school, you can tell the school's office that the child is going to be homeschooled or is going to be attending a private school. In Texas, a homeschool is a private school. Some districts may want to give you a hard time, but you have every legal right to homeschool without their blessings.

I'm not from TX but it looks like "ilovemykids" covered the legal stuff quite thoroughly. Go to http://www.thsc.org/Getting_Started/SpecialNeedsChildren.asp and see if you can find some answers there about your special needs. The beauty of homeschooling is you school to the individual child and they learn so much more quickly and with much less stress.

God bless you on your quest! I wish you well!

M.

I would read "The Well Trained Mind" by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise and also "So Your Thinking about Homeschooling" by Lisa Whelchel." "The Well Trained Mind" gives lots of curriculum reviews and lays out a step by step plan to give your children a classical education at home as well as covering some questions about testing, keeping transcripts, getting into college, etc. "So Your Thinking of Homeschooling" gives you a high level overview of many different ways to homeschool so you can determine what might appeal to you and your family. Of all the books I have read on homeschooling, I found these two to be the most helpful.