Homeschooling ABCs: Curriculum for Mom! Review

 

In 1991, I was a brand new homeschooling mom with a bright eager student.  Reading every book and glancing through all the curriculum I could get my hands on still left me feeling insecure.  What I wanted was someone to be there just in case they were needed in the first few months.  "What if...?"  "How should I teach....?"  "Is there an easier way to explain...?"

There were other homeschooling moms in my life, but they were finding their own way too.  What a blessing Homeschooling ABCs would have been to me when I was just starting out.  Are you new to homeschooling, feeling a little lost, or just wanting someone who is a further along in the homeschooling journey to give you a hand?  "School for Mom" arrives each week in small packages, manageable in your hectic life.

Intrigued? Terri's vision is summed up in her own words:  "Creating and maintaining a healthy, well-rounded, academically superior, and God-honoring environment at home requires some intentional planning and execution." Sign up for the course at Homeschooling ABCs.  When you order, you can instantly download your first lesson and freebies that come with it!  After the initial download, you receive an email every week with a link to download the next lesson for six months!  Yes, it's like being homeschooled by Terri!

Let's continue the interview we started earlier this week with Terri? 

Meredith:  What inspired you to put together this amazing course, Homeschooling ABC's?

Terri:  One day last summer, it hit me like a ton of bricks...there is nothing comprehensive out there that takes a new homeschooling parent by the hand and guides her through the steps necessary to being homeschooling her kids. Over the years, we have talked with many parents via email, over the phone and at homeschool conferences about "how to homeschool." And, yet, I know that these ten minute conversations are just not enough to fully equip a parent to dive right in. There is so much information out there, but your brain goes into overload when you try to digest it.  Have you ever googled "homeschool"? There is a lot of information out there, but none of it assembled into one easy-to-digest comprehensive program.

That's what inspired me to put together the Homeschooling ABC's course.

Meredith:  Please tell us about Homeschooling ABC's.

Terri:  Homeschooling ABC's is a 26 week long course that takes a new homeschooling parent by the hand and walks her through the first 6 months of her homeschooling journey. The class is delivered by weekly emails that contain a link to a PDF download that contains a week's lesson. The lessons are usually 10-12 pages in length and cover a single aspect of homeschooling such as:

 A - A Great Start

B - Begin with the Basics

C - Copy the Classroom--Not! (Organization)

D - Dare to  Differentiate (Learning Styles)

E - Establish Your Philosophy of Education

F - Finding the Best Curriculum

G - Get together--Networking with other Homeschool moms

H - Hands on Learning

I - Internet and Library Research Skills

J - Just say, "No!" - Staying focused

K - Keeping up with Kindergarteners & Pre-Schoolers

L - Living and Learning at Home

M - Math

N - Nature Study and Science

O - Out the Door--Time for a Field Trip!

P - Phonics, Reading, and Spelling!

Q - Quintessential Expression of Art of Music

R - Review and FAQ

S - Socialization

T - Teaching the Multi-Grade Classroom

U - Used Curriculum

V - Evaluations, Testing, & Grades

W - Writing

X - Explore His Earth:  History and Geography

Y -  Yes, You Can! Homeschooling High School

Z - Z End is Just the Beginning

Classes go on to cover individual subjects in detail, such as math, phonics, science, etc. The reason for this unique format is to allow the class member to read, absorb, and apply that week's lesson before moving on to the next. We all know how easy it is to read a great big book and then apply maybe only 1 or 2 points from the entire volume.  With this weekly delivery method, you get the opportunity to apply 1-2 points from each lesson and therefor are able to glean much more from the material over the course of the 6 months.

You can read all the details on the website, Homeschooling ABCs.

These classes are geared for homeschooling parents who have children of all ages and in all grades K-12. However, because of the unique demands and requirements of high school students, we have created a separate course just for parents of middle and high school students. It is called Upper Level Homeschool and you can read more about the separate 13 week course on our website, UpperLevelHomeschool. 

Meredith:  Thank you so much, Terri. (You can read the full interview on Terri's blog, Knowledge Quest News or on my website, Joyful and Successful Homeschooling.)

You pay $10.00 initially for the first month, followed by $10.00 per month for the next five months ($60.00).  In today's economy, this is a real bargain!  That comes out to less than $2.50 per class--not bad! You also get over $250.00 worth of free curriculum and samples with the lessons--all downloadable.

Here are just some of the freebies:  Cindy Rushton's Get Organized:  Easy Ideas to Make this School Year Great, Living Book's Curricululm, Teaching Less While Your Child Learns More, In the Hand's of a Child's Ocean Habitats and Under the Sea Project Paks, Write Shop's Lesson Sampler, 2 digital issues of Teach magazine, Felice Gerwitz's Teaching Science and Having Fun, Motherboard's Internet Scavenger Hunt, and Old Schoolhouse Magazine's The Schoolhouse Planner.   

If you are new to homeschooling or need mentoring, consider this course for homeschooling moms. 

Comments

[Connie]

Just finished reading the first lesson! Great tips, thanks. Looking forward to the next lesson.

Connie

[Linda Hsu]

Thanks for the first lesson for Homeschooling ABCs. We just officially began homeschooling our 4 kids (all under age of 6 yr. old) on 8/1/09. I am so glad to read thru the first lesson. I liked the idea of delight directed learning. It makes me to be more creative in teaching them math and art and writing. Thanks for the ideas for outdoor play, too. Most of all, I like to remind myself to put focus on building the relationship with my kids and not so much on the academic part.

[Emily Plowfield]

Thank you so much for the first lesson! I just finished reading it, and I loved the idea of circle time and outside time. The circle time idea was brand new to me, and I plan on using it this year! The outside time idea wasn't new, but I needed a reminder as to how important it is! I have 9 and 10 year old boys. We have been using virtual charter schools to school them at home for 3 years now, but this will be our first year truly homeschooling on our own. We are very excited, and your lessons are sure to help us on our journey! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[Wanita]

It is so good to read this type of information again. Even though I have been homeschooling for awhile now, it is good to hear some different ideas.

Thanks!!

[Marilyn]

Just finished reading "B for Basics." Very good information especially for new homeschoolers, but contains lots of ideas for veteran homeschoolers to help them"get out of a rut." I enjoyed it! Thanks!

[Leann]

I like how you incorporate review of the first week's material. I need to be constantly reminded of the focus - relationship and enjoying the learning process. I pray that God will make that a reality for many homeschoolers this year.

[Jennifer]

Why is character training so difficult? I know I don't do enough of this, but I get frustrated. My 2 girls are the sweetest, kindest, most giving children to other people, but they're just so selfish and horrible to each other! Thanks for lesson 2!
Jennifer