Welcome! Let's get to know each other!

[sunnysandiego]

Hi everyone,

We have 2 children (a 5 year old boy and a 3 year old girl) and I have been homeschooling them both since my son was very little. I homeschool my son through a local Charter School and was wondering if there are any other homeschoolers in North County San Diego area or a local co-op/play group that we can join for weekly meetings?

[homeschooln3]

How long have you been homeschooling?
How many children do you have?
What teaching style do you like best? Charlotte Mason, Traditional, Eclectic, etc.
Why did you start homeschooling?

We have been homeschooling for about 1 year. I am a mama to 5 children but two are grown and out of the house and I am currently homeschooling my twins boys who will be in 1st grade next year and my daughter who will be in 2nd. I can find value in many teaching styles and often like to mix and match a couple with a sprinkle of another. I lean towards a Charlotte Mason/Classic approach with some Montessori thrown in. We began homeschooling for a few different reasons. The kids were attending the sweetest little Christian School that we actually loved (and so did they!) but it was financially taxing and we have one child with high functioning ASD that just learned to the beat of his own drum. I originally left work to homeschool him but after thinking about it, decided we would give all three a try. It has been a glorious and freeing year. We have had so much fun and I feel like I know my children in ways now that I wasn't aware I didn't know them before! It is such an absolute blessing to wake up with these wonderful little people and get to provide them with their education. It feels surreal. I am so excited to see what the coming year holds for us and I look forward to spending time reading all of these great posts

[Kamelak]

Hi there or as we say it here in Hawai'i ALOHA (A-low-ha) my name is Kamela (Ka-meh-la) I live on the Big Island of Hawai'i with my husband and 3 kids 19, 8, 5. Homeschooling has been on my heart for about a year now, however, I've never felt "ready" to jump in and answer where I believe God has been calling. A few reasons as well as our "why" would be to have more influence on what and how my girls learn, to have a healthy safe learning environment, and to incorporate God's word, our values, morals and cultural traditions. With only 2 Christian schools here on our island there aren't many opportunities for that kind of educational environment. I have been doing a trial run through the summer with curriculum, schedules and consistency. My 3rd grader is very mellow and does well in a traditional style of learning, she is an independent learner and will sit until all of her assignments are done. My 5 year old is more hands on, always moving and gets bored quickly. On the plus side, she looks up to my 8 year old so wanting to be like her has been helpful. I'm preparing for kindergarten (I'll be using Erika's K5 curriculum) and 3rd grade and have been obsessed with getting everything "in order or right" before taking that step. Ive been looking into a pre selected all subject curriculum from Sonlight or Abeka, just to have a little more guidance and pre planning for our first year (any pros or cons would be appreciated) I've been inspired by Erika for about 2 years and absolutely love the environment that she has created. I'm still a little nervous as I have no experience nor do I know anyone personally who has either been homeschooled or currently homeschools. Any suggestions from you veteran homeschoolers out there would be greatly appreciated. I'm very excited to spend more time with my girls and very excited to be a part of this awesome COAH community. Thank you Erika for all you do to Bless others and Thank you all for creating this helpful and inspiring community for newbies like me. Blessings

[Ashley]

Hi! I'm Ashley. We've been homeschooling since the beginning, I guess that's 5 years now. We have 5 children ages 10 months to 10 years old. I like an eclectic mix of teaching styles. I like Charlotte Mason for some subjects, Classical for others and traditional for the rest! We started homeschooling because we didn't want to miss out on our children's childhood. We wanted all the "ah-ha!" moments and growing experiences. I love homeschooling but I won't sugar coat it, it is hard, especially with 5 kids! I have so much to learn and sometimes I feel so lost and like I'm not fit for this job. I was not homeschooled so I have NO idea what the day to day is supposed to be like. I'm learning though! Thankful to join this community and looking forward to gleaning and sharing!

[IEF]

Hi, I don't like to use real names on the internet, but I do want to introduce myself. You can just call me "IEF" or if you would rather, Ethel works fine for me as long as you know it is not my real name.

I have two very different adult kids who were homeschooled from birth or compulsory attendance age depending on you perspective until high school age (or early college admission in my daughter's case, depending on your perspective) and a thoroughly wanted and somewhat spoiled "caboose baby" who is nine.

A lot has changed in the homeschooling community since that first, tentative introduction I made at Park Day in 1992 with my three year old at my side and my baby in the sling.

I am still learning along with my children and looking for a community that feels "right", where I can share my knowledge and love of homeschooling and still feel comfortable asking for advice or sometimes just venting to people who understand.

I look forward to getting to know you.

[ddavila]

Hi Erica,
I'm Debbie and I have 4 children, ages 24 to 10. Technically, this will be my first actual homeschooling experience. I've always been interested in homeschooling since I learned about it about 20 years ago, but it was never really a good fit for me because of our work schedules. However, I'm hoping to dive into some writing instruction this summer to help supplement what I feel has been lacking in my younger children's educational experience. My two youngest are ages 14 and 10, but since the technique is basically the same, I will be using the same video instruction and covering the same lessons for both to start off. Once they get into rewriting paragraphs from library books of their own choosing, I will differentiate.

Thanks for your great review of IEW. My niece just told me about the program and I decided to look it up. Your review was very thorough and I loved that you not only showed some lessons, but also showed the progression from the beginning to later lessons and showed how their work progressed. I really appreciate that!

[AbbyR]

My name is Abby. This will be my first year homeschooling and as I would like to think of the fantasy I would like it to be..I am scared to bits! I have a 13 year old going into 8th, a 9 year old going into 4th, and a 2 year old. I am still mulling over all the curriculum and all the choices. I'm not sure what is right or what is best. I just don't want to FAIL as this and I put a lot of pressure on myself to make things prefect. I have an awesome homeschool room though! So far, that is it. I am watching videos (Erica mostly), searching curriculum, reading books. I want my kiddos to have a positive experience and I want to give them the best year. I want to engage them and make learning FUN! I also fear that I will miss some critical points that they need. My 13 and 9yr old are both boys and like for work to be fun. My youngest is my princess and desires all of my attention.
Any suggestions on anything listed above would be great! I would love to wave my momwand and turn the whole process into a fairytale. Yes! This would be AWESOME!

[bsisco08]

Hi There! Im Becky,
We are about to begin our first year of home schooling. We we have two beautiful kids, Kenzie (7 this month) and Kyle (3 next month). We have always wanted to home school, but just couldn't make it happen until now. The Lord has his timing so we have been confident that He knows whats going on and why. He took me out of my corporate job 4.5 years ago and into teaching preschool part time for my church for really no reason other that I felt called to. And now He is doing it again with homeschooling. Both HUGE changes for us financially. We feel that the bond between us and our kids will grow stronger, and the investment we will be putting into them will be for His glory. We feel that even though we have really no idea what were doing, will be a better moral education for them than what they would get in public school and God will lead the way academically. We have settled on Alpha Omega's Horizons to start with the basics(math, phonics, reading etc), and we will add on as we get more comfortable with our schedule We really love Apologia for science, Sonlight for literature and history, but we really feel like we will have a very eclectic approach, and just do what we feel is clicking for each child;) We plan to really dig in starting in August, and as the time gets closer, I am getting more and more anxious, and less confident in my decision. But as I go back to our reasons, and stay fervent in prayer, I am reminded that HE is leading the way, and I now have the freedom to take my time a bit and do what works for my kids. I don't have to be forced to do things a certain way in a certain time limit. I'm so glad there are so many resources for encouragement and ideas both locally and online!

[Yolilynn]

Hi! I'm Yolanda. I have been homeschooling for just 3 years. We have a total of 5 children our oldest three; 22,20,18 are all out on their own for the most part but, our younger two are here homeschooling my 11 yo daughter has Down Syndrome and it was her public school experience that brought about homeschool for my family. Although she loved it and had many friends she was just being pushed through academically with out really ever mastering anything
I have been using Heart of Dakota curricula and really like it. So, I guess you could say I somewhat prefer the Charlotte Mason style of teaching.
I am very happy to be here and excited to get to know you all!!

[writermom]

Hi Erica! My name is Laura and my boys and I have been homeschooling for about 1 1/2 years. My boys are 9 and 12. We tend to have a relaxed eclectic style of homeschooling. I love teaching my kiddos! We are still trying to figure everything out, but I love that we have the freedom to do just that! I'm looking forward to reading more of your posts and connecting with other readers!

Writermom

[writermom]

Hi Heather, I haven't been homeschooling for long, but I love it! The tough part is learning how to bring the best out of my two boys when it comes to school work and learning. I'm still figuring out how to teach both boys as well. I'm curious if you have advice on how to approach a school day when teaching two different grade levels. Each of my boys is also very different from the other when it comes to learning style. I find that my oldest mirrors my own style of learning, but my youngest has his own way of doing everything!

I'd love your thoughts if you have a moment to share!
Laura

[Sunflower]

My name is Isabel and I'm a homeschooling mom from South Africa. We are currently in our second year of homeschooling with our 2 wonderful children. I like to use a more traditional approach to teaching. I use a mix of traditional curriculum depending on what suits each of my children's needs the best.

[Mysterie]

I, like Ethel, prefer to stay anonymous on the internet.
I have 6 kiddos ages 21, 18, 13, 12, 9 (only girl), and almost 11 months. My daughter often complains that there are too many boys! Son 1 lives away from home. Son 2 is attending community college here at home. The middle 3 are homeschooling. The baby boy just charms us all.

I have been homeschooling roughly 13 years using every method and curriculum known to homeschool kind. I feel like a walking Rainbow Resource and Cathy Duffy Reviews sometimes! (and not in a good way! ) We started because Son 1 had learning issues that were not met in a public school, Son 2 was gifted and was destroying the public school, Son 3 and 4 were both severely speech delayed, and our princess was too precious to give over to strangers all day. Private school is not an option due to cost, so I get to run my own!

I am happy to be here to help others and be helped!

[steph1]

Hello, my name is Stephanie Aagard wife of an incredible husband. We have three beautiful busy kids. Cambria is 7, Cohen 5, and little Michael 1. This will be my 3rd year of homeschooling. I am still trying to figure out what curriculum I like the most. So far I have used Christian Light Education. I will be switching most of it this year though. I am homeschooling because I love being with my kids. I love seeing them grow, and more than anything I want to be a part of that. I love to see them grasp new concepts and grow daily. I love that I am growing and learning too! What more could you ask for than that!

[JCone]

Hi Jamie here!
I have 2 children and we have been homeschooling for 7 years now. I prefer the Traditional/Eclectic teaching styles. We started homeschooling because our family committed to serving the Lord full time as Missionaries. So, I am reporting in today from Bangkok, Thailand. I will admit that homeschooling is not my strength. I typically prefer an all inclusive curriculum, that tells me my child will get what they need or what my state requires for that particular year… But, as we enter the high school years, I realize I can make some changes and not totally freak out. With no co-opts or options to assist with our curriculum I find myself doing a lot of research. Having found this website years ago I never realized that Erica and I have a daughter entering 9th grade together this year. I am excited about being a part of this community and hope to learn a ton as we go. So, for now I will grab a big ol’ glass of sweet tea and snoop around on here for a little while.
Joyfully!

[Jwass4911]

Hi, my name Jordan. I’m a SAHM to 3 littles, aged 4y, 2y and 6m. We’re starting K4 with our daughter this year. My teaching style is probably more traditional with some eclectic mixed in. Both my husband and I were homeschooled the majority of our school careers so deciding to homeschool our children was a very easy choice. I think that was all the questions. Excited to start this journey and have some support from this group!