Yeah, no. I thought I'd be able to step away from the blog for a bit, but I can't, lol. It's become too much a part of me. So, I'd like to try a new beginning. But first, I want to recap what homeschooling has been like for W so far. Here's a synopsis:
W is 13 years-old and has been homeschooled since Kindergarten. He is currently in 7th grade and has chosen to continue homeschooling through high school.
He has been in CCD class on Sunday mornings since he was 2 years old. He has so far completed 3 Sacraments (Baptism, Reconciliation, and Eucharist) and will be making his Confirmation next year (his last year of formal religious education).
He has been in many different activities over the years:
4 yrs old: Hip hop dance class
5 yrs old: Little League Baseball
6 yrs old: Basketball Clinic
7 yrs old: Tackle Football
8 yrs old: Circus class
8-10 yrs old: Cub Scouts
11 yrs old: Shotokan Karate
11 yrs old: Show Choir
12 yrs old: Dramatic Academy
12-13 yrs old: Muay Thai & Brazilian Jiu-jitsu
As far as homeschool styles, we are eclectic, mixing such styles as:
Unschooling
Charlotte Mason
Unit Studies
Classical
And used various curricula, including:
Ambleside Online
Kumon
Spectrum
Teaching Textbooks
Apologia
Lightning Literature
K12
Flash Kids
Saxon
Hake
...and many more
Since Kindergarten, he has gone on a lot of homeschool group classes and field trips, including:
Ellis Island
Statue of Liberty
Solar One
Federal Reserve
United Nations
Tanglewood Preserve
Alley Pond Environmental Center
Garvies Point
Museum of Natural History
Met Museum
Museum of Folk Art
Museum of the American Indian
Jewish Museum
Union Square Greenmarket
Times Square
9/11 Memorial
Bodies: The Exhibit (Discovery Center)
King Tut (Discovery Center)
Plays at Queens College, York College, & Hofstra
NYC Superhero Walking Tour
Rockefeller Plaza & Christmas windows
Science Museum of Long Island
Vanderbilt Museum
NY Planetarium
Grant's Tomb
Central Park, Bronx, & Queens Zoos
NY & Queens Botanical Gardens
NY Hall of Science
Queens Museum of Art
Museum of Biblical Art
Museum of Tolerance
CW Post (art class)
...and many more
When W was 11, he was officially diagnosed with visual processing disorder, causing moderate dyslexia and dysgraphia. Since then (actually, since he was 8 and I first suspected dyslexia), we have used numerous resources in all subjects, tweaking almost everything in various ways to fit his specific learning style. He is currently on or above grade level in all subjects, something I believe a school would never have been able to accomplish. It's all about the freedom. That's why it works.
2 comments:
I was going to send you a note last post but you posted again! I was going to say I've followed your blog on and off for years and it has been so helpful. Thanks for putting yourself out there and sharing your experiences. We met once, I have two boys (I just don't like to put names on public forums) I live in your area. Last year when I started we were all tired from school and I was suddenly nervous but this are coming along. Thanks for your blog.
Thank you and you're so welcome.
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