We are 90 percent sure...

[TravisandJill]

We are going to start homeschooling, and soon! Private school just isnt working for her and she has some behavioral issues and possibly ADHD. Now I only have to get up the nerve to jump into homeschooling. I want to HS but on the other hand my DD is very, very difficult, and I don't know if I can handle staying home with her ALL the time. I just don't know what to do!!!!:panic She is just so behind on learning and she is slipping away even more. I know I can teach HS, I just don't know if I can teach HER homeschooling.

Everything is a fight with DD, she wears me out so much that I actually look foreward to sending her to preschool so I can have a break...its going to be hard not having that break from kids anymore. UGGGHH I am just so unsure of what to do. I know God wants me to HS, and we would save 400 dollars a month from not sending her to school.

Has anyone tried the Abeka program? Is it good?

Thanks

[icebear]

Sounds like a real challenge, but lots of effort and prayer should get you through. A balance of structure and free time that you can fine tune should help.

my daughter's school uses Abeka curriculum and i like what i've seen.

[firstoftwelve]

we used abeka to start, because it's nicely structured, and easy to follow on a schedule. now that I've gotten my feet wet, my second year, Im branching out a bit.
One thing, if she's more active, you may want to look into making sure you're doing activities that let her "do" lots of things, like cutting pasting etc.

MY first child loves worksheets and knowing what's next, and everything that's orderly.
My second child, however, Im pretty sure the worksheets will not keep his attention for long, so he's going to need to be more hands-on for it to sink in.
challenging for me, but best for him rather than a once size fits all school room.

Keep her home. Make sure to give her time to adjust to being at home before diving in headfirst with school. Ease into it. Find out what schedule works best for you guys. Does she need to sleep in to be at her best for the day or is she an early riser? that may determine if morning or afternoon schooling would be best for her.
Start with a subject she likes and get her confidence up and then move onto something a bit harder or challenging.
remember not to expect more of her than she's really able and ready for. ( my challenge when first starting).
You'll be surprised how much she picks up just being around for the day.
My kids love it when math and reading for the day means that we make brownies and they read the box and figure out the measurements! :)

I don't have a special needs child so i can't help much there, but there are alot of resources out there that help give tips on things that help each diff't kind of child.
Perhaps someone else knows some of those.

Just remember to have fun with her and with the school. work it so its the best learning style for her.
Also make sure to get involved in a HS group near you to have the help and support locally and some other resources to tap into.

Diane

[MochaMel]

^^ I agree with 1stof12's post.... The only thing is: My oldest HSer would not have done well with Abeka -- he just wasn't that advanced; and from what i have seen they are more advanced. He was much more Hands on -- but until i found this out I found worksbooks and reading books that fit for us.. It's lots of trial and error; but God will lead you to what works..

Something ihave to constantly remember: My son does have some learning disabilities or he just takes longer to catch on to things.. needs more time... So remember your dd may not be up to par as far as the school would say for there grade level ; that means nothing! Don't get too frustrated; if God is calling He will lead you..

We also pray and have the kids' pray when they are struggling in an area; for example my son who was a struggling reader; started praying about it; he does much better now -- we prayed for friends -- God brought them; we prayed for his math being too hard for him -- God helped him and brought a tutor..

My dd is now struggling with reading; she is now praying as am i for ways to help and me not to be frustrated or afraid she's "behind" it is working!

Hope that helps!

[HSmomto4]

I think Abeka is going to be to structured for her. She is going to need something that is more hands on and free moving. I would try lapbooks to start with and an unschooling approach to reading and math, at least until she gets the hang of things.

[topekaclark]

Hope this helps. We pulled our dd last year from 2nd grade, this time last year. Our daughter was a year + behind in reading, Kindergarten writing fluency but 2/3 grade math level. We done everything the school told us to do. She was diagnosed ADD (older child is too, plus numerous family members) and I was constantly at the school trying to get her services. After 7 months, I realize I wasn't helping her out and she was falling farther behind. I prayed and God lead us to hs. She also sees a eye specialist, he stated she has the classic symptoms of dyslexia.

We used ABeka and she was reading w/in 5 months. The first two weeks she would buck me every step. First day I sent her to her room because she refused to cooperate. Thinking I outsmarted her and she would give in. Well, two hours later, I realized I was the fool because she is just as stubborn as I am. I had to call her out of her room. I started a prize store and she could earn play money for items to buy. She would earn money for how she stayed on task, if she would try to do her work and stay focus. Good papers, etc. At the end of the week, we would tally her money and she would pay herself. Then we would tally any monies she lost due to issues she may had, then she would pay it back. Then she could buy stuff ($1 stuff or less). This taught her to count money and it really had an effect on her when she realized how much money she was loosing. This year I am using the sticker method (even with the 11 year). They get stickers for memory verses, good papers, etc. After they earn so many they get prizes from the store.

I like Abeka and very impresses with the curriculum. Hs two children, it's harder so I'm looking at other options. I want to be more involved in history and science so I am looking at theme units. Also I heard wonderful things about Sonlight spelling.

I also collected a list of websites to include in our learning. The ladies here can give you better advice about hs curriculum. Abeka can become expensive. I buy used. I'm also looking at the Christian book stores for different curriculum. I am going to use some Abeka next year, but I have decided to try other options.

Hope this helps, every one has a different situation regarding hs. I did research hs before we started. I did find out children who have learning issues, moderate to severe, flourish in the hs environment because of the one on one attention. I found this to be true for our child.

Kellie

P.S. Sam's club and Barnes and nobles has books too, I was very impressed.

One more thing, when you see your child stressing or loosing interest, take a time out. I found out if I let my child run around the backyard (I mean RUN) she comes back more focused. There is no point for both of you to get frustrated.

[firstoftwelve]

I really like sonlight. I've only gotten their core program at this point but my boys are loving the read - a- loud books.

[Lynn]

I think Abeka is going to be too structured for her. She is going to need something that is more hands on and free moving. I would try lapbooks to start with and an unschooling approach to reading and math, at least until she gets the hang of things.
This sounds like good advice. Even though I'm not a HS mom, I do have a hs granddaughter and have been involved to some extent with her hs lessons. The Sonlight books are good, I might add.

Also, there are now so many, many home school families out there, some of which meet one day a week for a more structured classroom setting taught by the hs moms themselves in their particular area of expertise. This, of course, depends on where you live and the kinds of hs groups in your area. Most of them are very helpful and interact regularly to assist one another. There are also opportunities for socialization in many of these groups.

I won't hide the fact that as a former public school (& later college) teacher, I strongly support home school education for Christian families. Some public schools are good and even have many fine Christian teachers on staff, but this is not necessarily available in all areas of the country.

An additional thought, Jill, even children (maybe especially) children with ADHD often do much better in hs setting, because they get the one-on-one attention that they need in order to enhance their unique learning style. You will find an abundance of families who will help you, even some who have experience in hs'ing more challenging children.
May God be with you as you seek to follow His leading in this important matter. :)

[WenC]

My dd is in K and she is just like me - stubborn, moody, difficult, you name it :)

We've been plugging away everyday with these issues and 2 weeks ago I decided to try something different. I write on a whiteboard everything we have to do for the day and then I read it to her. She gets to pick what order we do things (if baking letter cookies is on the list, that's not an option until everything else is finished) and since she knows what else has to be done, we've actually been able to get through the day without fighting. We've gotten through 10 days without fighting actually. It's a minor miracle in my opinion.

[MochaMel]

I did this with my now 13 y.o. our first 3 years i believe. It helped immensely to keep that boy on track.. He was my dawdler.. :thinking He still is; but not like he was in the early years.. :lol2