Choosing the Curriculum

    One of the best (or worst, depending on how you look at it) parts of homeschooling is choosing your own curriculum.  I have spent the last several weeks researching homeschooling curriculum online.  What I have discovered is this:  no two homeschoolers agree on the same curriculum.  What they do seem to agree on is that what works for one does not work for everyone.  I have looked at packages online, and while I thought the one at Core Curriculum of America looked good, it was quite pricey at $500 + shipping and tax.   Also, a lot of the curriculum companies specialize in religious/Christian based curriculum.  This makes sense, since this is the reason that so many parents choose homeschooling, but I am interested in a more secular approach, which narrows down my choices considerably.
   Upon further thought, I decided that if possible, trying to stay in line with the same content that the school uses would be beneficial.  Not only would it offer continuity and familiarity, but I know what to expect from the publishers of the textbooks that we have used over the years.  It should come as no surprise that to buy new textbooks directly from the companies themselves would cost several hundreds of dollars each, so I turned my search to Amazon.com.  I struck gold!  Here is what I have have ordered and received so far and my initial impressions:

*Harcourt Trophies Distant Voyages (reading)  Price $7 used  ISBN 0-15-339788-8
  The same textbook my older child used in 5th grade.  Excellent selections, as well as vocabulary and exercises.  Contains an excerpt from Frindle and Dear Mr. Henshaw, which we may skip in lieu of reading the books in their entirety.

*Harcourt Trophies Distant Voyages Practice Book  $13.25 New  ISBN  978-0-15-323526-9
  Excellent companion.  Has spelling word lists for each story and related language arts exercises.  End of Selection tests are also included.

*Spectrum Language Arts Workbook Grade 5 $9.95 New  ISBN 0-7696-5305-7
   Colorful workbook pages with explanations on parts of speech, sentences, capitalization, punctuation, usage, and some basic writing skills.  Answer key is in back.  Looks really useful.

*Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills Grade 5 $13.50 New  ISBN 978-1-60996-334-7
  Over 500 pages of colorful worksheets that include math, reading, reading comprehension, English, and writing.   Will be a great additional resource and may help fill in some missing gaps.  Answer key included.

*Spectrum Geography: United States of America Grade 5  $9.95 New  ISBN 978-0-7696-8725-4
  There are 15 'lessons' in this book, but most of them have multiple parts.  There is a lot of reading, history, questions, and maps.  There is a glossary and an answer key at the back.  I sense we will be doing a lot of additional research on many of these topics, as each lesson is very brief, but it is a jumping off point.

*Spectrum Spelling Grade 5  $9.95 New  ISBN 978-0-7696-5265-8
  In retrospect, this purchase was kind of redundant, since the reading workbook I bought comes with spelling lists as well, but I'm sure we will find a way to incorporate these words as well.  Colorful pages  and activities in this book, and the word lists are broken up vowel sounds, common patterns, prefixes, etc.  Activities like "find the misspelled words" or word searches keep it from being dry.  Includes a glossary and answer key.

*Daily Word Ladders Grades 4-6  $10.87 New ISBN 978-0-439-77345-4
  This one just looked fun.  You start with a theme, such as Eat Your Vegetables.  You have to work your way up the ladder, and at the bottom is says 'vegetable'.  Your first clue is "a piece of furniture at which you eat meals.  TAKE AWAY FOUR LETTERS."  The next rung on the ladder has 5 spaces in which you write the word 'table'.  Then there is another clue with instructions.  You make your way all the way up the ladder and your word is 'radish'.

*What Your Fifth Grader Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch Jr.  $11.95 New
  This one is for me, to help guide me and give me ideas.  This is a great series and very popular, so you can probably find it at your local library if you want to check it out.  It has a little big of everything in it, but I think it will be particularly helpful in giving me some ideas for art and music education.

I have also ordered some social studies, science, and math curriculum, and when that arrives I will evaluate it as well.  Of course, the real test will be actually using it, but I am pleased with what I have seen so far.

How it all began.....

     You know those moms who say they would NEVER homeschool, and that homeschoolers must be crazy?  Hi, that's me!  Don't get me wrong, I've never had anything against homeschooling, but it's not something that has ever interested me.  The self-discipline alone would be brutal.  But here I am, preparing to homeschool my youngest child, who will be in 5th grade next year.
     So how did I find myself here?  Well, it all started when my son was diagnosed with primary generalized epilepsy earlier this year.  We started the school year out like we normally do, and things seemed to be going okay, although he didn't seem to be getting quite into the swing of things as quickly as he usually did.  He's always been an honor roll student, and his grades weren't slipping, but he wasn't as focused as he had been.  When the seizures started, we found out why.  On top of the grand-mal seizures, he was also having absence seizures, or petit-mal seizures, which were likely affecting his memory and concentration.
  We tried to keep him in school at this point as we tested several medications, but it became obvious to me that school wasn't working for him at that time.  I pulled him out and began working with him at home, staying in constant contact with his teacher, the principal, and the guidance counselor.  We were assigned a homebound tutor as well, who came out a few afternoons a week.  This went on for months.  Once we found a medication that worked well for him, we sent him back to school on modified days.  Unfortunately, he had fallen behind, especially in math, and is still having trouble with focusing, memory, and concentration.  His grand-mal seizures have stopped, and the absence seizures have lessened, but to succeed he needs a lot of one-on-one help.  We are at a crossroads....continue working with him over the summer and hope he catches up and can keep up in 5th grade, or homeschool.  His teacher actually suggested homeschool.
   With homeschooling, he can take the breaks he needs.  We can focus on his problem areas.  He will have one-on-one.  He will have adequate rest, which is essential for people with epilepsy.  On the cons side, I don't have a teaching degree, I have an Associate's Degree in medical office work.  He will miss his friends and the experience of differing viewpoints and opportunities that I wouldn't necessarily consider.  Still, for now, I think his best chance lies in homeschooling, and so we are going to try.