Homeschooling a 5th grader- Help!!!

[SoccerMomof7]

I need some advice on homeschooling a 5th grader. My son has behavior problems and was not accepted into the school that his brother and sisters are going to. I need to know what all it takes to home school and I see that alot of the Moms on here home school their little ones, so can anyone help me.

 

[morelcabin]

I went through that very same thing with my oldest son in grade 6. If the school won't accept him then they may provide you with the materials to school him yourself from home but they will do the testing and what not to make sure he stays up to grade level. That way it saves you the cost of books and such, as the school will provide everything. Later you might dicuss reintergrating him into the school 2 or three days a week until he can deal with it full time.

I don't think they can get away with not accepting him, can they? Have you gotten any formal dx on him? I know the rules are probably different here in Canada, but you should be able to fight this. My oldest son was a total terror. It was very difficult, but we did eventually make it through public school with him. He ended up with a full time assistant, and that really alleviated my stress!

 

[SoccerMomof7]

Dx? He's got O.D.D. and ADHD and is on meds, but this just started I am hoping to only homeschool for 1 year and then maybe he will be calmed enough to go back to school. He attends a traditional school and has already caused so many problem at public school that we are in district for that we can't go that route. They want him to attend a alternative school at the boys and girls club and my husband and I arent okay with that. I have also asked the school to reconsider and give him another chance.

 

[inudat12]

We live in Ohio and school with OHVA. It was the best thing we have ever done. Anyway, I checked their website and found links to schools that provide the same curriculum for schools in Kansas. Here's the link.


http://www.k12.com/curriculum_and_products/participating_schools_in_kansas/

We absolutely love K12.

HTH
Tracy

 

[Morgaine]

We went through having to homeschool suddenly too when I decided enough was enough and took him out of school in the middle of the year. First thing I would do relax. I know it seems like such a scary and imposing thing to take your child's education into your own hands, but you and he will be fine. First thing I would do is check to see what your state laws are regarding homeschooling.
You can look up your state here

http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp


Then I would go to the library and check out all the books on homeschooling and read those and start reading about the different approaches online and decide what would work best for you and your son.

Sit down with him and look through this catalogue and plan his curriculum together. It has reviews on everything and is huge!

http://www.rainbowresource.com/


I really really recommend reading all you can about it. It helped me to see that it's not as big of a deal as I was making it out to be.

Oh, just though of something. If you are planning on him going back into the public school system, I would go to your school district and get their scope and sequence that they use and use it when planning your curriculum. I believe they are required to have it posted somewhere.

Here are some links to get you started.

http://www.homeschool.com/

http://eho.org/beginning/default.asp

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/

http://www.homeschoolcentral.com/


hope that helps and good luck

edited because I cannot spell, lol

 

[SoccerMomof7]

Thanks, at first I was starting to panick but as I read through some things I feel a little better.

 

[PotterWatch]

Each state has different laws on homeschooling. Some have to do very little in the way of reporting (like my state, California), and others have to log hours and teach approved subjects or be registered with an organization of some kind. I found a Christian homeschool group for Kansas: http://www.kansashomeschool.org/ and I imagine you can get some go info from them even if you aren't Christian. Good luck!

 

[Nupine]

I am homeschooled. I can't help you much, but I can try. It is really best for the child IMO. Just about all my friends are homeschooled and they are the best friends I could ever want. They seem more mature in many ways. Yet fun for them is not going to the mall like your average 8th grade girl. Like yesterday, we climbed on a huge pile of horse poop and held sheep and turkeys at the 4-H meeting. That is fun to us. The homeschooled kids seem to be more into animals, and they appreciate more. And they would never be on drugs or other junk, just horses. They also seem calmer I guess. I think you are making a great choice. I am homeschooled on www.virtuallearningacademy.com

 

[DuckyBoys]

Hi Soccermom - we are just finishing up year 6 of homeschooling so maybe I can offer some advice that might help.

First - don't panic - it's not that hard. I think the hardest thing to do in the beginning is to figure out your kid. What does he need to be able to learn. Also - absolutely FORGET everything you ever thought school was suppossed to be prior to becoming your child's teacher. All kids are different and require different things to be successful learners.

You need to do some curriculum searches - just type in keywords like homeschool science or homeschool math and see what comes up. Then go to www.homeschoolreviews.com and see what others think of the curriculum you just found. Go to the homeschool spot discussion forum and chat with these ladies - http://www.homeschoolspot.com/
they'll give you tons of ideas (even if you're not religous - I'm not and I go there all the time to chat and compare stuff).

There are a ton of places to buy curriculum - even on ebay - or you can make it up as you go along in some states. There is even a subculture called "Unschool" where you have the child decide what and when to learn.

Biggest tip for newbies - don't try to mimic regular schools - don't worry about grades (Why you ask - because if your kid doesn't get it you go over it until they do before moving on. In my opinion - that makes it impossible to fail.) and don't worry too much about scheduling. DON'T schedule more than a week or two in advance. You really don't need that pressure!! Slowing down and speeding up to accomodate your child is what homeschool is all about.

Ask a lot of questions and read everything you can find. You'll find your style!

Also - with kids who have other needs interferring with school, I can't stress enough that there will be many times when school will take a back seat. It is always OK to back off and re-group. I do it all the time.

Good luck and feel free to ask questions if you have them.

Julie

 

[BayCityBabe]

Great advice from DuckyBoys, regarding curriculum. Don't try to do a formal school. The structure and the teaching style just do not work for many kids. My DD has mild autism. Smart kid; just doesn't process info in a "standard" way. We sit together on the couch and I read with her. We discuss topics. She is an artist and incorporates things she's learned into her art. (Example: a poster "report" on a country. Visual representations of the culture). Our new chicken flock is a project. She studied 'Chickens in your Backyard' for a month. She was telling DH (a doctor) stuff he didn't know about poultry(!) Also: our "chicken math" consisted of measuring our coop & calculating sq. footage. You get the idea...
Don't worry. Your kid will do fine with a stack of interesting books & some time with you. When I remember back on my own days in elementary, I remember being BORED; sick of lining up; tired of waiting for others to quiet down or finish their work. There's alot of wasted time, even in the best classroom.
Best of Luck!