Now it was time to find some sort of curriculum. New York State requires that within a pre-allotted period of time after handing in the Letter of Intent (I think it's two weeks, but the best place to check is on the Web site, http://www.hslda.org, homeschooling advocates since 1983), one must submit an IHIP, or Independent Home Instruction Program. This is a fairly detailed syllabus explaining what you plan to cover, since your student must measure up to state standards (some states are more lax on the regulations; New York has some of the more stringent rules for homeschoolers).
Luckily, there are examples of IHIPs to be found all over the Internet. Just google it if you're interested in finding one.
I had joined several Yahoo groups of homeschoolers on Long Island, and found a curriculum program that we like, http://www.time4learning.com/
There are many, many choices out there. Some are "C-based" (Christian), and some are not homeschooling curricula per se, as they are actually private schools that just happen to have a virtual classroom. These come with tuition payments, but are still far, far less than a bricks-and-mortar school (around $2,000-$6,000 per year), and parents don't need to file as much paperwork because it isn't really homeschooling, it's private schooling at home. So there!
Time4Learning is $19.99 a month. It includes animated lesson plans in the four main areas of study (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies), a parents' area (with a fantastic parents' forum, broken down by state and covering every question anyone could possibly have), and it also tracks your kid's progress -- how much time they spend on lessons and what they are studying. It assigns homework and grades tests as well. All of this can be printed out and added to the quarterly reports that parents must file with their local school (which acts as an emissary for the State Department of Education) four times a year.
If this all still sounds overwhelming, do what I do, yell "HELLLLLPPPP!!!!"
I yelled on a local homeschooling Yahoo group, and within hours two of the local mothers offered to meet me, with their kids and my kids, at the Morton Wildlife Refuge in Noyac. While the kids (which included two other sixth-grade boys, hallelujah!) fed the birds, the mothers counseled me.
One of the mothers, Karen, a naturopathic doctor from Riverhead, promised me it wasn't that hard once you got going. Teresa showed me a sample IHIP, the quarterly reports, and other sundry and useful materials. Once I saw it in black and white, it really isn't that hard.
Choosing a curriculum is also based on some of the things I know Bing likes. For example, candy. He would do ANYTHING for candy, but he is also allergic to artificial dyes, especially the ubiquitous Red Dye 40, which has been linked in studies to ADHD and has been banned in other countries.
So, the candy, if any was to be consumed, had to be wholesome. I looked up the astonishingly talented confectionista, Miche Bacher, of Sacred Sweets in Greenport, and we went for a visit.
I probably should have made sure it wasn't just before one of the biggest sugar orgies of the year: Valentine's Day. Miche and Nanao were packing box after box, but made time to speak with me and my son. Hopefully, some candy-making lessons are in the works.
We also looked up a future field trip to Hershey, Pa., where we will take the Great Chocolate Ride and maybe it won't be as totally freaky as the ride in the movie of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," which still gives me the heebie-jeebies.
When we looked up Hershey's Chocolate World on the Internet -- glory be! May is Homeschoolers Month! If we can get together a group from Long Island, we get major discounts and all sorts of educational stuff.
We are also going to be reading "Candyfreak" by Steve Almond, one of my all-time favorite books. It is beyond Bing's reading level (Roald Dahl probably would have been a better choice) but nothing ventured, nothing gained.
As you can see, you can construct part of your homeschool curriculum around just about anything.
Stay tuned.
A sample page from Time4Learning.com
There are many, many choices out there. Some are "C-based" (Christian), and some are not homeschooling curricula per se, as they are actually private schools that just happen to have a virtual classroom. These come with tuition payments, but are still far, far less than a bricks-and-mortar school (around $2,000-$6,000 per year), and parents don't need to file as much paperwork because it isn't really homeschooling, it's private schooling at home. So there!
Time4Learning is $19.99 a month. It includes animated lesson plans in the four main areas of study (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies), a parents' area (with a fantastic parents' forum, broken down by state and covering every question anyone could possibly have), and it also tracks your kid's progress -- how much time they spend on lessons and what they are studying. It assigns homework and grades tests as well. All of this can be printed out and added to the quarterly reports that parents must file with their local school (which acts as an emissary for the State Department of Education) four times a year.
Compiling lesson plans on Time4Learning.com
If this all still sounds overwhelming, do what I do, yell "HELLLLLPPPP!!!!"
I yelled on a local homeschooling Yahoo group, and within hours two of the local mothers offered to meet me, with their kids and my kids, at the Morton Wildlife Refuge in Noyac. While the kids (which included two other sixth-grade boys, hallelujah!) fed the birds, the mothers counseled me.
One of the mothers, Karen, a naturopathic doctor from Riverhead, promised me it wasn't that hard once you got going. Teresa showed me a sample IHIP, the quarterly reports, and other sundry and useful materials. Once I saw it in black and white, it really isn't that hard.
Choosing a curriculum is also based on some of the things I know Bing likes. For example, candy. He would do ANYTHING for candy, but he is also allergic to artificial dyes, especially the ubiquitous Red Dye 40, which has been linked in studies to ADHD and has been banned in other countries.
So, the candy, if any was to be consumed, had to be wholesome. I looked up the astonishingly talented confectionista, Miche Bacher, of Sacred Sweets in Greenport, and we went for a visit.
I probably should have made sure it wasn't just before one of the biggest sugar orgies of the year: Valentine's Day. Miche and Nanao were packing box after box, but made time to speak with me and my son. Hopefully, some candy-making lessons are in the works.
We also looked up a future field trip to Hershey, Pa., where we will take the Great Chocolate Ride and maybe it won't be as totally freaky as the ride in the movie of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," which still gives me the heebie-jeebies.
When we looked up Hershey's Chocolate World on the Internet -- glory be! May is Homeschoolers Month! If we can get together a group from Long Island, we get major discounts and all sorts of educational stuff.
We are also going to be reading "Candyfreak" by Steve Almond, one of my all-time favorite books. It is beyond Bing's reading level (Roald Dahl probably would have been a better choice) but nothing ventured, nothing gained.
As you can see, you can construct part of your homeschool curriculum around just about anything.
Stay tuned.
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