Sunday, December 7, 2008

Homeschooling

It is hard to imagine that in about 2 1/2 years, we will begin to officially homeschool our little ones. Abigail will be old enough to start Kindergarten level and Micah will be doing Preschool. In preparation, we have been looking at homeschool curriculums for the children. We have certain criteria that we are looking for that we feel are important considerations to make.

1. The curriculum must be Christian-based. No exceptions. The curriculum must come from a reputable Christian resource that will not only teach the courses needed, but also include the Bible's teachings along with the material.

2. We want their curriculum coming from a single source. We realize that many homeschooling families use the "buffet" method in choosing curriculums. Math form one source, science from another, language arts from yet a third source, and so on. For the sake of simplicity and also a continuity of the scope & sequence of the curriculum material we want to use one resource for all the curriculum.

3. We want the curriculum to come from a source that offers accreditation. We wish for our children to be able to receive a diploma from an accredited school once their homeschooling years have been completed.

4. We do not want to use a correspondance school system. We do however want a curriculum that will allow us to homeschool & grade the children's work with us sending in reports so that the school can keep the records.

Part of the reason for the accreditation requirement is that we want our children to have the advantage of having a recognizable diploma after they finish their homeschooling. We are also looking ahead. Oklahoma has very few requirements made of the homeschooling families at this time. We want to be prepared in case this should change at some point in the future. By already being established with an accredited school program, we would be able to continue as we always have with very little changes needing to be made to accommidate any new regulations or laws that should come up in the future years.

We have been looking at Bob Jones University's homeschool program and are very impressed with it. We are still researching though to make certain that the Bob Jones University program is what we really want to use before making the final decision. The Bob Jones University's homeschool program offers the Christian-based curriculum that we are seeking. The children would actually be able to graduate and receive a diploma from Bob Jones University upon completion of the homeschool program. One additional advantage of the Bob Jones University program is that once the children have completed their homeschooling years, the money spent on their homeschool materials will be credited towards their college education at Bob Jones University.

We have 2 years yet to make our choice. There are so many options available that it is taking time to find the one that will be best for our family. I would love to hear from other homeschooling families who use accredited school programs. What program do you use? What made that curriculum stand out and become the one you chose for your children? Are there any out there that we should use caution with?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hope this goes well. Growing up happens so fast, doesn't it?

x Sanna.
(note the new blog address)

Anonymous said...

We also homeschool and live in Oklahoma. We have been using Rod & Staff this year for all 3 children and I am so pleased with the solidly Christian character taught in these books. They do not have the diploma option though, at least no that I am aware of. Best wishes to you and your family!

Unknown said...

We are using Rod & Staff for the most part. We've used Christian Light in the past as well.
As to diplomas, we issued our own to our eldest when he graduated -- Illinois had little restrictions and homeschool was a private school in their eyes, at least at the time.
I've looked at BJU, but the price steers me away. I have far too many to school, though I do like many of their resources.

I will keep your schooling plans in prayer!
Deanna

Carrie said...

I started with the BJ press as well, but what worked for one did not work as well for the others, etc...so we are more of an ecclectic homeschool family which builds to the strengths of the people who write the particular items we use and to the strengths and weaknesses of our children...I love this way of homeschooling, but realize that it is not for everyone and you have very valid reasons for your choice. I believe that Abeka is another option, but as I have never used it, I cannot verify that... Two years will go faster than you will be able to believe...seems like we were just where you are and now I have a high schooler...a couple of pieces of advice...pray often, seek your husband's opinion of things, go to Christian homeschool conferences if you can, enjoy the journey, learn right along with your children and make sure they know their math facts...that is foundational to everything they will ever do in math (and I really wish someone would have really got that through my brain)!

C~

Bella Bride said...

I was home-schooled with ACE curriculum, and I loved it. It thouroughly prepared me for entering into college.

PrairieMom said...

We loved using BJU for our children's science for grades K-3.
However, Abeka has been the best choice for us in terms of a complete curriculum, specifically, history, language, health, and reading.
We love SAXON for math.
Whatever you decide, please take some time out to visit this website, http://www.homeschooloasis.com/
And, enjoy every minute of your homeschool journey. ♥It's really, parenting kicked up a few notches!
Respectfully....
Another Prairie Mom ☺