I am going to be starting homeschooling my son this year for the first time. He'll be in kindergarten. I know I still have alot to learn, but we'll learn as we go I guess. I'm just scared and unsure if I can do this or not, but I don't feel I have much of a choice because he won't get his needs met in the public school. Planning to do the private school option. Any tips or advice welcome! Also if anyone has anything that might help us as far as books lessons, I'd get them with you for credits.

lol im with you there.. im still trying to learn. ive got another year though before i start my kids. :) good luck in figuring it all out hehe

I am willing to share my 24 page presentation, 7500 words, that I gave at a HS conference in 2005 about how to homeschool preschool and Kindergarten for FREE with you (or anyone). It recommends not using an expensive curriculum and explains a lot. Anyone who wants it can email me at christinemm at snet dot net and ask. It's a PDF document.

My boys are 13 and 10 now and they are smart, normal, nice, competent people.

I will email you now!! thanks sooo much!

My advice is to just RELAX and enjoy!! Don't worry about what the others are learning in public school. Just  focus on what your son enjoys. READ a lot!! and Explore your surroundings. I have an almost 14 year old boy myself and we have always home schooled and I can tell you that he is well mannered and has more friends than I ever did at his age. Just do what works for your family.

haha i am going to the dollar tree and getting disney workbooks. :)

One of my boys (I have three) is now in 2nd grade and I read a lot (sometimes 20 books) everyday to him during those years. They are sponges at those levels and I did not worry so much about phonics and writing. 

People are amazed at the amount of information he knows and how he uses it in a conversation with critical thinking skills...space, animal habitats, even scientific vocabulary, wars,etc.

We read a lot and did science experiments...just simple ones that do not require much work and that did a world of good! I tried to stay away from just busy work like workbooks for the most part.

We are a Christian homeschool family so science is very important to us in that we want him to be able to think in a biblical way but also know how to defend his views. He 

can identify evolution which he understands is theory not fact, etc.  And science is fun!

And we read to him about different people groups from around the world and in our own country so he can be 

compassionate to others and show God's heart towards all people. This is a very good age to start teaching to be sensitive in those ways...it will amaze you how tender their hearts can be 

to those less fortunate or different than themselves.

Be excited about what you are teaching and they will love you more for it.

OK I need to go to bed.

If you need any ideas on curriculum just ask. You are a courageous woman doing this for your son...and you definitely can do it because no one else can teach him loving him like you!

Blessings,

Rachel

Thanks so much! We completed out first week of it and I've been doing alot of thinking and I know I will have to lay off him a bit and just relax more and enjoy teaching him. I thought I had to do 4 hours a day of homeschooling and I would have him do 1 hr of online curriculum and then take a break and do an hour of art and then lunch and then writing his letters and then reading. I think 1 hr is too long for him and I will have to break down the time for him and go with the flow a bit more. I was exhausted after this first week and I don't want to burn out.

In the beginning of K with my oldest daughter I made her sit down and do her phonics. She hated it.  So I backed off per advice from some veteran home-school moms. Later she picked it up on her own and started doing it. She was a fluent reader by 1st grade and is a voracious reader.  My son did not end up reading until 3rd grade.  He is now on the honor roll in college, (electrical engineering).  Not trying to brag, only show you what can happen when you relax.

Have fun.

Nancy

All my son wants to do right now is art. So, I'm trying to find ways to involve his letters and colors and other education stuff mixed with it.

i start next year and cirriculum is a big issue with me.. trying to find the right now.. i know that i need to have fun with them.. gonna do sea monkeys and those rocks that grow.. easy science projects.. my girls will only be 3 and 4 though when i start pre-k/k cirriculum so im NOT worried about them being completely good at those ages haha