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I will admit that I have anxiety about homeschooling "correctly". I think HOD is FABULOUS. I mean, I LOVE it. However, I keep finding myself feeling anxious in regard to state standards & more rigorous academics.

I was a teacher, so I keep struggling with my former training regarding state standards. Now, I realize that some standards set forth by states are completely developmentally inappropriate. But, I get very concerned that i am going to miss something in covering the education of my children.

Also, I have been reading a good deal of brain research showing that a child's ability to use all areas of the brian is pretty much set by age 7-8. The research I have read recommends rigorous (but fun & engaging) academics in order to develop all areas of the brain during this foundational time for children.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

What are your state's standards? Could you perhaps make a chart that showed how each standard was being met? Maybe that would give you more peace.

I have also read similar research. And I certainly believe that children are little sponges when they are young. For me, I have to balance what current research and my own background says (BA in elementary education) with what actually works for my children. My oldest was seriously delayed in reading until last year. She was 14 when it finally all clicked, so I know that older children, when presented with the right material, can still make great strides in their education. (We started doing DITHOR with her and she went from a 6th grade reading level to a 9th grade reading level--praise God!). My 10 year old is extremely bright. When he was littler, I used the most rigorous curriculum I could find and supplemented it even! He impressed the relatives at the family reunion with all he knew, but he was miserable. He hated school. I have since backed off a bit, and I discovered something wonderful. He is still very bright, still impresses the relatives, and loves school.

One of the things I truly love about HOD is that because it does not take us tons of time to finish, we have that time to do things that I feel are enriching, like art, French, piano, chess, working with the church homeless project, taking nature walks, searching for that perfect shell on the beach, seeing a local live production, taking the train in to have lunch with Daddy. You get the idea. I guess what I'm saying is that I absolutely agree that young ones are developing their foundations, but I also believe that older ones still are also, and I think that one of the best things about homeschool is the ability to round out the academics with all the other experiences I hope will make my children well rounded, happy, productive servants of the King. I'm sure there are others who have completely different views, which I think is wonderful. Variety, after all, is the spice of life!

ps--If you are still worried about academics, could you just use a higher level of the math and reading/la that's scheduled? Which guide are you using? Beyond schedules several different level options. HTH just a little bit!

Mamas4bugs,

Those are great points. Thank you for your thoughtful reply.

Hi Shannon (and others!!)

I was wondering about the research you have read. I sometimes get caught up with thinking "I am doing enough" too. I have also read some of the Moore's research on starting children late with the "formal" education and spending the early years (up to about 7 or 8????) doing character training/home skills etc. When I read some of the Moore's research, a lot of it made sense to me. On the other hand, it also makes sense, that while they are so young and impressionable they learn lots too, oh it can be so confusing

I was just wondering what people thought (i do realise it is a really personal choice how people choose to homeschool their children, I also realise that everyone on this site is really loving and respectful with their comments, I just thought it might be an interesting "conversation" to see what everyone thinks)

Anyway, feel free to make a comment...

Love Deb

My opinion is that, ultimately, it depends on your child's abilities as well as your overall life philosopy. You can push a child to learn his numbers and letters, but if he has a delay, a visual impairment, is not as interested...it may be a long road! The challenge would be teaching that child in ways he learns best (which I guess is the challenge for all of us!) and capturing moments in that way. On the other hand, some children (my oldest ds in particular) are after information before they're even talking clearly. My oldest ds knew all his letters by the time he was 2, took to reading very quickly, and now reads at a high school level and spells at a middle school level; he's in 5th grade. He is very sharp and I'm so proud of him...but he has his own challenges too. We all are different, so our decisions about what and how to teach have to be based on the abilities and interests of the child. That could mean we're doing unit studies with one child, textbooks with the 2nd, and notebooking everything with the 3rd.... Or maybe we use a combination to teach them all...beginning to sound like HOD! Anyway, I'm not sure if that's really what you're looking for as a 'conversation'...but there it is. I just have to say, I have not read a lot on education and methods, etc. except what is specifically home school related. So, I'm probably terribly uninformed. I can't wait to read what others have to 'say'.

Shannon,

I'm sure more wonderful moms will be along to discuss this ever present fear that homeschool moms face! But, I did want to pop-in and tell you that HOD does cover the state standards in its guides. We do not cover health, but you will find that if you print off your state standards, HOD is covering the other needed bases for you. We do write with a checklist of state standards in mind and in hand, although states do vary there are many similarities! So, I wanted to put your fears at rest and let you know that we watch that carefully as we write.

Blessings,
Carrie

Shannon,
I can understand your desire to dot your i's and cross your t's. Why don't you print out your state standards and then think of ways you can fulfill the requirements not covered in HOD. For example I live in NY and so patriotism, the constitution etc. are mentioned as standards. So, among our reading I picked up the book that John McCain's daughter, Meghan, wrote about his life. I heard his wife wrote a book about the constitution for 4-8 yo, which I'd like to get. Their are children's books written about Obama and Clinton as well. We are talking about the election and we talk about the constitution when we discuss how our country is different from other countries. Our oldest was adopted from Russia, so this comes up in conversation and is not unusual. That fulfill part of the requirements.

I got R&S 2nd grade health (they only have 2nd & 4th grade) and it was like $6 for both the teacher's manual and the student workbook. I don't make her write all the answers as she is only 6 and in 1st grade and would take too long, but we talk about answers etc. You could make a list of topics you want to cover for health and get library books on the topics and have them do some unit studies. For example talk about the scripture about parts of the body while you are studying the human body and which organs do what. When you are talking about how things grow (plants etc) then go over the food groups. Discuss hygiene and caring for the temple (our bodies). Discuss safety (October is fire prevention month) so you could go to the fire dept. for a field trip. Discuss scriptures on following the Lord's plan ("A man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps") - doing what we know God wants us to do or what parents direct.....or wisdom ("Their is wisdom in the counsel of many") We learn from those who are older and wiser and should ask for help in tough situations. NY State standards require discussion of AIDs which of course how do you tailor it for elementary school....I would start with discussion of germs (handwashing, not touching other people's body fluid....dirty kleenex or used bandaids etc.) You can even discuss different cultural practices for health....for example the hebrews were the only ones who quarantined their sick and that was why they didn't spread disease as much as the other cultures and their religious practices kept them safe where the pagans did not do such practices and had epidemics of disease etc. Eating kosher food kept them safe from foods that might cause them to get sick. So you can combine culture/history and health. Just grab a few library books each week, print off coloring pages for younger kids (or have older kids write a short essay about it...make collages etc). Substance abuse is also a requirement....smoking is and easy one to cover...it is everywhere so it isn't like you have to explain about something that is unheard of.

So, I am like you and that is why I bought the book from R&S, not sure what I'll do next year but that is okay. If you go to WorldBook website they have a "course of study" that describes what is likely to be taught in each grade. It helps me just to be sure there isn't anything we forgot.

My issue is finding time for the activities, like cutting and pasting and the science experiments etc. I am so focused on the 3 R's and Bible that I have a hard time doing the other stuff. I just need to figure out a system that works for me. HOD is easy to follow though, so you can add in what you want.

Let us know how you decide to proceed with this. We can learn from each other.