The wilson reading program

Back in April, we had X tested for dyslexia. Our suspicions were confirmed. He also has dysgraphia and HFA. After we received the report back I sent copies to the CSE hoping they could restart his speech and OT services. We were able to start privately over the summer but the insurance burned up quickly. The CSE had us bring him in for reevaluations. The OT is recommending the use of graph paper, text to speech and speech to text. The speech results came back as average and that his issues are with phonetic awareness, not speech. They have a reading specialist but it's a gen ed service so it's not available to homeschoolers. He has made great gains with his writing and motor skills since becoming homeschooled. At least we were able to update his IEP to include the use of google doc's reader. I remember when his OT teacher had told me that his handwriting would never improve (his a's looked like q's). Well, I proved her wrong! Gladly X receives services through a local non-profit organization that was able to get him approved for the WRS. The WRS is a system specifically for dyslexics. I'm considering becoming a certified tutor in this program.

Death

I haven't posted because we had a death in the family. I'll be back next week...

Evacuation

Our local middle school had a bomb threat and had to evacuate the premises. Since X is homeschooled he was able to avoid that situation. Homeschooling is the life for us <3 Sadly not everyone is that lucky.

Love of learning

X has now been pointing things out to me for school. His favorite subject is science. He has been talking about wanting to become a pharmacist tech when he is older.

Cheetah presentation

X and I went to an endangered cheetah presentation. Counts as science. We even stayed afterward and chatted with the owner of the studio. I also ran into a former art teacher from middle school.

Turtles

We went on a field trip for a turtle presentation. X is hilarious. He calls C a turtle because of how long he takes in the bathroom when going #2 lol. So he told him we were going to see some of his relatives. While being told their names we just said hi daddy.

Trying something new

X and I tried yoga! He didn't really care for it but I found it relaxing. Here's to trying something new <3

It's officially been a year

Phew! We started homeschool last October and have now surpassed the one year mark! We've had so many opportunities to see things we would have never had the chance to do otherwise. What's holding you back?

Rocks

There is a new fad with rock hunting and painting. X has found a few around town and seems to enjoy it. So I decided to have him paint one of his own. And it counts towards art.

Woods walk

We went on a woods walk at the nature center. The guide Joel explained the trees in the area. X said it was the best walk ever and gave it a 10! He is excited to continue going for this weekly event. Science, history, health and PE check.   

Open mic

I found a local gallery that has a monthly open mic night. We checked it out and really enjoyed ourselves. This can be used towards music. We have a field trip Tuesday with other homeschoolers to the Wilder farm.

Negative interactions

The SLP (speech) asked X AGAIN if he thinks he will ever go back to public school... I've told her 3x's now that he will not be going back. Then she proceeds to say to him Why not? I think you would like it. He told her that he was bullied by both students and teachers and that his ears are sensitive and that they have bells in middle school. Her response was that he could use earplugs! He told her that he did use them in the school cafeteria. She changed the subject and got back on task.

I posted our experience in the local homeschool groups and received positive feedback. Some others have also been through this. So far this has been our only overstepping that we've been involved in. Outside of the CSE trying to make us feel guilty for pulling X. Family has been very supportive and notices the better in our decision. I've heard NY is more unfriendly towards the idea though.

Getting back into the routine

We like having a schedule around here. We have an order for our subjects to keep stress low. Our dry erase calendar was the best purchase ever! We've gotten back into our school routine even with car problems. I love seeing X excited to explain what he's learned for the day to C when he comes home. What is your homeschool like?

I went to a homeschool moms night

I had a much needed night out with other homeschool moms. It went great. We also just had a not back to school picnic where I met some more moms. I feel young compared to most of them and a little like the oddball out because I have an only child and we're not religious. Not to mention they're much more seasoned and already know each other. I really really wish I had started sooner. We have another trip planned for the end of the month and I can't wait.

School starts Thursday

This is our first year not having to buy a supply list or back to school clothes. I'm excited to see what this year brings. We already have a homeschool picnic at the park planned for the 12th. I'm always searching and finding new things to get into. Learning doesn't just happen Mon-Fri. I hope everyone has a great 1st day back!

Discounts

Teachers get discounts at a number of businesses. Some are also available to homeschoolers. This is one of the reasons to order an ID card. Of course, you would have to ask at your location to see if they participate but it can't hurt to ask. Save on food, books, crafts, and other supplies. At places like Pizza Hut, Barnes & Noble, and Joann Fabrics. Programs such as book it and read to succeed are open to homeschoolers as well. Happy saving!

I made a Secular instruction facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/Secularinsruction

An idea of a homeschool day

After breakfast, we start health and act out healthy ways of handling stress. Next, we move onto science with a virtual tour of a dairy farm and learn the differences between free stall vs tie stall and pasture vs feed lot. Then we begin history and discuss events during the civil rights movement such as the little rock nine. Along with activists from that time period like James Farmer co-founder of CORE and involved with NAACP. (People, events, and organizations I never heard of) After our lunch break, we dive into music by exploring the woodwind instrument family. By now it is time for ELA where X uses the dictionary to put his spelling list into alphabetical order and finds the definitions. Finishing with math making homemade detergent. Figuring out the unit price, measurements and how long it should last.

Secular curriculum

There are different styles of homeschooling. Unit studies, relaxed, unschooling, eclectic and of course secular. I'm going to list some sites I've come across for the core subjects. (Science, history, ELA and math)

Science: time4learning.com or discoveryk12.com (FREE)

History: khanacademy.org (FREE We've used for math but didn't work for us), discoveryk12.com or time4learning.com

ELA: freereadingprogram.com (FREE K-6 it does glitch sometimes), discoveryk12.com, time4learning.com or allaboutlearningpress.com (haven't used myself)

Math: discoveryk12.com, xtramath.org (FREE it times them for mastery), mobymax.com (FREE), khanacademy.org, prodigygame.com (FREE), time4learning.com

You could always make your own. Don't forget the library, documentaries, Netflix, amazon prime, Hulu even youtube.

Learning style

Three main learning styles are audio, visual and kinesthetic. You can find out your child's learning style here

Some ideas to incorporate into your curriculum for visual learners would be using maps, diagrams, taking notes, watching videos, timelines, graphs, charts, painting, sculptures, flashcards, color coding, demonstrations, lists, highlighters or underlining words because they learn in images.

Kinesthetic learners could role play, use manipulatives, build, puzzles, legos, toss a ball back and forth while reciting spelling words or math problems, cut and paste projects. Get them moving.

Great audio resources are songs, audiobooks, videos, podcasts, oral reports and reading out loud.

These suggestions are to help guide you in the right direction.

Annual assessment

Step 4: Per NY regulations a written narrative must be completed along with the 4th quarter report. Starting in 4th grade every other year a standardized test must be given. Then every year starting in 9th. The most common is the online untimed CAT test. These can be administered at home. You can use coupon code FIRSTCAT for $5 off https://www.academicexcellence.com/complete-online-california-achievement-test-not-timed/ Link is not affiliated

-Sample- Written narrative

6/30/17
                Annual Assessment for X 5th grade
School Year 2016-2017
X has satisfied the requirements for this year. He has made adequate academic progress for his ability in all subjects and has completed 900+ hours of instruction.
Highlights of the year include field trips to the Adirondack research room, Charles Dickert wildlife collection, Alice T. Miner museum along with many others. He also attended an art show, science fair and a planetarium show on ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­the sun's path. Another experience was X volunteering for ALERT, Autism Law Enforcement Response Training. We've even given ourselves a name and mascot for our school pride.
This summer X will attend weekly tutoring to continue improving his reading and math skills. He will also be participating in track and field. We are extremely proud of his achievements and look forward to another year of learning together.
See the previously submitted quarterly reports for more details.
X will begin 6th grade in September 2017.
This concludes X's reporting requirements for the 2016-2017 school year.

N
Address

_______________________________________________________________________________

I myself haven't submitted any test scores since this was our first year. I did hear that you may write the percentile rank and state a copy is available upon request.

The year is now complete. Now you would send a new year letter of intent.

Feel free to ask questions. I've tried to be as thorough as possible.

Link to NY regulations http://www.p12.nysed.gov/part100/pages/10010.html

Quarter reports

Step 3: Based on NYS. These are due roughly every 10 weeks. You may choose your own dates however they have to be spaced in even and logical segments. They suggest November 15th, January 30th, April 15th, and June 30th. Each quarter report will need the number of instructional hours, a description of what was covered in each subject, a grade or narrative for each area and a written explanation if less than 80% of the materials planned for that quarter have been covered in any subject. There are attendance requirements of 180 days with the cumulative hours of instruction for grades 1-6 with 900 hours per year. The cumulative hours of instructions for grades 7-12 with 990 hours per year. You are required to maintain attendance records which must be made available to the school district upon request. They'll let you know if something is wrong. 

I keep a notebook exclusively for homeschool purposes. For what the day covered and when the quarters end. It makes it much more simple when filling out the quarterly. 

-Sample- This was one of our quarter reports (Change yours accordingly) the 3rd quarter report is common to mention how you plan to do your testing.

 4/15/17
                3rd Quarter Report for X 5th grade
School Year 2016-2017        Quarter beginning and ending dates 1/31/17 - 4/15/17
X is progressing at a satisfactory level or above in all subject matter.
He has had instruction in all subjects listed in Section 100.10 of the Regulations of the New York State Commissioner of Education and as outlined in his IHIP.
Some materials covered this quarter have included:

-Arithmetic: Flashcards, budgeting, fractions, and baking
-English/ Language Arts: Read Highlights & Lego Club magazines, learned how to address an envelope in preparation for valentine day card exchange, worked on creative writing skills, printouts in spelling & grammar from treasures along with monthly visits to read to Ranger the therapy dog at the local library.
-Science: Animal facts on cows, rhinos & monkeys, visit to the wildlife refuge in Wilmington, documentary Koko the gorilla who talks and watched episodes of Bill Nye the science guy
-Social Studies: Located states on map in which we sent and received Valentines day cards, attack on pearl harbor, WWII, bill of rights, the civil rights movement and the process of becoming a US citizen where they take oath of allegiance at a naturalization ceremony
-Health & Safety: Attended survival skills workshop, understanding and responding to dementia-related behavior seminar and had a field trip to the fire department for a fire safety class
-Visual arts: Ancient Egyptian gods study, Decorated Valentine's day cards, textured slab mug, and clay pottery wheel classes
-PE: YMCA homeschool gym & swim, practiced good sportsmanship and went for nature walks
-Music: Used beat lab to create his own music, worked on scales, listened to Pandora radio and talked about different genres


He has had no absences from instruction this quarter and has exceeded the required hours of instruction (225).
We have covered at least 80% of the planned material for this quarter.


X's annual assessment will be submitted in a written format composed by N, his primary instructor, for the 2016-2017 school year.


N

Address

___________________________________________________________________________________________


Link to NY regulations http://www.p12.nysed.gov/part100/pages/10010.html


Coming up Step 4: Annual assessment

Individualized home instruction plan (IHIP)

Step 2: Again these are per NY requirements. Once the IHIP forms are obtained you have 4 weeks or by August 15th whichever is later to complete and submit the document. Within 10 business days, the school is supposed to notify you that the IHIP complies with the requirements or give written notice of any deficiency in the IHIP. If you must revise the IHIP you will have 15 days or by September 15th whichever is later to send it. The school will then inform you if it complies or not. If it does not meet the standards this time the district will send the date of the next regularly scheduled meeting of the board of education that will be held at least 10 days after the mailing of the notice, and shall indicate that if the parents wish to contest the determination of noncompliance, the parents must so notify the board of education at least 3 business days prior to such meeting. At such board meeting, the parents shall have the right to present proof of compliance, and the board of education shall make a final determination of compliance or noncompliance. IHIP needs to include the child's name, age, and grade level, a list of the syllabi, curriculum materials, textbooks, or plan of instruction to be used in each of the required subjects,  the dates you will submit your quarterly reports and the names of the individuals providing instruction. *Side note* Finding your child's learning style will help in choosing which curriculum to use. I will discuss these in a later post(s).

-Sample- This was X's 5th grade IHIP (You will need to customize yours)

 INDIVIDUALIZED HOME INSTRUCTION PLAN (IHIP)
Date 10/31/16          School Year 2016-2017
X    Age 10      DOB xx/xx/xx    Grade 5  
Dates for submittal of quarterly reports 1st 11/15/16 2nd 1/30/17 3rd 4/15/17 4th 6/30/17
X will be using various methods/tools for 5th-grade instruction in all the subjects specified in Section 100.10 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education. Materials and activities listed in one subject area may also apply to other subject areas. The resources may include and are not limited to, the following list as well as reference materials (including dictionaries, maps, non-fiction books, videos, DVDs, CDs, magazines, newspapers, and internet resources), hands-on activities, experiments, projects, field trips, group activities, art supplies, free play, conversations, and real life.  We also take advantage of the many library, community, and internet resources available.

Primary Resources:

-Arithmetic: khanacademy.org
-English/ Language Arts (including reading, writing, and spelling):  Primary Resources: McGraw-Hill  Treasures Workbooks at mhschool.com
-Science (Includes life sciences and physical science): Primary Resources: allinonehomeschool.com
-Social Studies: (Includes geography, NY state/US history, and constitution, patriotism, and citizenship) Primary Resources: allinonehomeschool.com
-Health: (Includes HIV/AIDS, alcohol/drug/tobacco abuse, arson prevention, fire/traffic/highway/bicycle safety education, child abuse) Primary resources: classroom.kidshealth.org
-Music: Primary resources: musiclessons.com
-Visual arts: Primary resources: artyfactory.com
-Physical education: Primary resources:  Indoor/outdoor play, seasonal activities (swimming, biking, etc) and fitness education.

Primary instruction to X will be provided by N and C his parents. Supplemental instruction will be provided by others, as necessary. Due to the nature of homeschooling, this plan is subject to change at any time.

N
Address

__________________________________________________________________________________


Always double check state regulations http://www.p12.nysed.gov/part100/pages/10010.html

Coming up Step 3: Quarter report

Letter of intent (LOI)

Step 1: You will need to notify the school in writing of your decision to homeschool. This is for NY state. (I believe NYC is a different set up) Due by July 1st of each school year. I make sure to send it by mail via return receipt. One must be done for each child separately. Parents who begin after the start of the school year must send their letter within 14 days. Within 10 business days of receiving the notice, the district will send a form to submit an individualized home instruction plan (IHIP) for each child of compulsory attendance age who is to be taught at home.

 -Sample-  Make sure to fill in the red to fit your details

DATE
Dear Superintendent,

We are sending this notice of intention to instruct at home as required of Section 100.10 of the Regulations of the New York State Commissioner of Education.
We intend to homeschool our son/daughter child name for the 20xx-20xx academic year. Child's name will be entering grade X.

Sincerely,
Your Name
Address
________________________________________________________________________________

This gives you some time to figure out your curriculum.

Coming up step 2: IHIP

Always make sure to check the state regs http://www.p12.nysed.gov/part100/pages/10010.html

It's a wrap!

2016/2017 school year is over! It was X's final year of elementary school. I've sent in the 4th quarter report, his annual assessment, and our letter of intent for next year. I will share samples in my next few posts.

Secular illusion

We can't afford all kinds of fancy curriculum or to buy something just to find out it doesn't fit our family. I've been using a free online program for science and history although it is christian based so I just skip all the bible talk. It makes me sick that this is actually being taught to many kids as fact. We are NOT one of those households. At least I tell my son what I believe is my opinion and allow him to ask questions.
I can't help to think anyone who finds out we homeschool that doesn't know my views thinks I have this outlook and I feel like its a stench I can't wash off. We have to travel an hour away for any co-op functions or group field trips because our local one is LEAH and they make you sign a statement of faith. Which I'm not ok with.
I made a mistake in this particular curriculums group for my state asking if anyone was in my county. I wanted someone to hang out with this summer. I have a hard time making friends. And now with homeschooling its just another obstacle I have to not relate with others. The only person to respond said they're in the next county over and immediately asked if I was interested in joining the Christian Fellowship Academy enrichment program on Fridays. (Really?! Can we not have anything else in common?)That they offer art, music, gym, character class, and biblical apologetics for the older students. They also help with quarterly reports and IHIPS. And that she could get me some info on putting in an application. I told her I'd keep it in mind. I feel like a fraud in the homeschool groups I've joined.
Since we are continuing our journey I will keep searching for secular history and science options. Unschooling comes to mind. Now that I've bared myself. I realized I don't implement any religious materials into my instruction so illusion does not apply.

Free science DVD's

https://www.hhmi.org/order-materials Includes shipping. No catch! I personally ordered these myself.

Sorry, these are no longer available.

3 subjects in 1

We covered 3 subjects with HIV/AIDS. Health with prevention (this included use of condoms GASP lol), history with a timeline from the CDC, and science with treatment. I love our open discussions.

Netflix can be educational

For science, we've watched Bill Nye saves the world, a documentary about Koko the gorilla, penguins spy in the huddle and pandas the journey home. I love our discussions that come up and how he is learning without it looking like school.  

Horseback riding as PE

X was willing to try horseback riding. He was very apprehensive at first but once he got the feel for it he really enjoyed himself. I told him he will be a pro in no time.

Science fair

We went to a science fair. My favorite experiments were the self-inflating balloon, the painless band-aid removal, the self-made lava lamp, and the laser demonstration. 

No looking back

Last month the local 5th graders went to the middle school for orientations. I asked X if he was interested in checking it out. He wasn't even interested in entertaining the idea lol. We are content.

You might be a homeschool family if...

1. You use nature walks for PE
2. Home depot workshops go towards art
3. Baking counts as math
4. Pandora radio for music
5. The principal kisses the teacher without being a scandal

Post yours below

Wildlife refuge trip

Our last field trip of the year. Everyone was inviting and informative. I wasn't expecting anything overly exciting but we stayed for 2 hours! There were wolves, bald eagles, a silver fox, bobcat, many breeds of owls, an adorable and friendly porcupine, a couple rabbits, even a duck. We wandered down the trails and found a peaceful setting with a bench overlooking a beautiful view. A wonderful experience.

End of year bash

X's final year of elementary will be done next month. He will be graduating and we plan to celebrate his advancement to middle school.  

Like a sponge

X sucks everything up like a sponge. We're learning about communism in China and now he is more aware of what is made in the USA. He saw made in China and said, "Look at these dirty words!" Then he pointed out something made in the USA saying "That's what I like to see." 

Note: We talked about the difference between patriotism and nationalism.

Another quarterly report finished

We're in the home stretch! Just two more months to go. I'd love to hear what my readers would like me to write about. Drop it in the comments below.

Stern center for the arts

X has taken a textured slab mug class and a try it on the wheel course. They were $35 each and we had to travel an hour away but he really likes his accomplishments. They have a melted crayon art coming up in June. 

Our first group field trip

It went great. The other parents were very inviting. We took a fire safety class where fireman Don geared up and showed us how he would call out and crawl on the floor while trying to rescue anyone inside a burning building. Then we took a tour of the station. There was the very first motorized fire truck, a hovercraft and smokey the dalmatian. All the kids got a chance to sit upfront in their #1 fire truck.

Helping the local community

Yet another benefit homeschooling has allowed us to do. X was a volunteer yesterday for Autism Law Enforcement Response Training AKA ALERT. I'm so proud of him. He did such a great job. He stood up in front of everyone and answered all their questions. Hand flapping and all Autism Acceptance is what I ask for!

Library

We love our library. We go once a month to read to Ranger the therapy dog. We go to Friday movie nights. We even rent DVD's. They have workshops we've attended for Alzheimer's. All of it is free! Be sure to check out your local library. I'm sure you won't regret it. 

We have a name

We named our school and ordered ID cards!

Structured homeschool gym and swim

We finished our 9 week session this week. The best part was we weren't the only 1st timers :D Made it less awkward. On the last day, the kids climbed the rock wall!

Life skills

For math, X helped DH measure a new railing for the basement. Then they went to Ward and purchased the needed lumber. Came home and measured what needed to be cut. <3 Homeschool life! It is now 100% decided that we will keep X home at the very least through the end of 8th grade. High school I'm still unsure of but we can revisit that when the time comes. I'm horrible with keeping this updated but I'm going to try and post once a week. Possibly on Wednesdays starting next week...

The best moments

X's face lit up and said: "I get it now!" These are the moments I cherish. Another great thing is that my MIL said how she has noticed a difference for the better in X. He is much more engaged with his learning. She said how he will rattle off various things he has been learning while he didn't do this before homeschooling. I know I've made the right choice. He is happier home and it is noticeable.

Clay, cloth and wood

Another art class away from home. We stopped into a local ceramic shop and X painted R2D2.

Field trip

We visited The Saranac Laboratory Museum and learned about local history on TB. Located in the actual building used for the research of tuberculosis. X stayed interested for over an hour. I highly recommend it.

Home Depot for art

The 1st Saturday of every month Home Depot offers a FREE kids building workshop. We've used them towards art class. Lowe's also offers free build and grow programs but they're not on a set schedule. We've been going months before we even started homeschooling.

Some of the reasons we homeschool our son X

I knew within 10 days that homeschooling was for us. Here is a small list of our why:

<3 Homeschool life because...

1. X will never have to hear another student say lets kill X and nothing be able to be done about it because of the age of said student.

2. X will no longer have to deal with inappropriate conduct from a teacher.

3. It removes the possibility of school shootings and bomb threats.

4. There are no bells for his sensitive ears.

5. X gets real socialization from all age groups by experiencing the world through everyday situations. Life itself becomes the classroom.

6. Doctor visits don’t count against him. They can be educational and have the flexibility to work into our schedule.

7. Unlike the public school system X won't won't fall behind if he hasn't grasped a concept because we can keep working on it instead of the class moving forward. He will be able to learn at his own pace in ways that work best for him.

8. We get to SEE him learning and growing instead of HEARING about it from teachers.

9. No school traffic.

10. We can learn where we want, even outside.


Why do you or want to homeschool?

Welcome to our journey of homeschooling

Hi! We recently started homeschooling in late Oct 2016. I only wish we had started sooner. It can be done and this is where I'll be sharing our experiences.