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Feeling lonely and slightly overwhelmed
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Well, we made the move from Florida to Pennsylvania! We’ve been here since the week of the 1st and there isn’t a single homeschooling group in Mercer County that fits our needs. Ok, so There is ONE homeschool group in Mercer, one. However, they only seem to get together once a month for a meeting. I was wishing for play dates, fieldtrips,activities..you get the idea. My daughter, Jorden, is as lonely as ever, she keeps asking to go back to public school. So confused right now. I hate the thought of my sweet innocent little girl going back into the public school system. The Girl Scouts of Western PA have not responded to any of my emails or phone calls. I started contacting them prior to our move…trying to locate and join a local troop. Jorden needs to have friends!
Second, our moving truck was a nightmare. We spent three times as much getting up there than we should have. So instead of buying all the new SCM books and materials I was planning, I can’t afford a single item. I’m new to homeschooling and totally scared out of my mind that someone is going to take an issue with the fact that I am only using free materials that I can find on the internet. I feel like I am doing everything wrong.
Blessings- we have been so blessed, my husband was blessed with a good job almost as soon as we arrived. God blessed us with a beautiful house in the crounty with more property than we could have asked for. My two year old loves having his own own room, as does his big sister.
I know we just moved here, and I know everything will work out. I’m faithful. Thanks for letting me vent.
I’m sorry you are having a rough time.
There is nothing wrong with free materials from the internet! There is a lot of great stuff!
For math, a great free program is MEP (google MEP Math) – there will be cost for you to print the pages….
There are a lot of other great free resources.
You might also want to contact Book Samaritan. They can help with some resources too.
You might want to get in touch with CHAP, the state homeschool organization, to see if they know of any local groups. Their annual convention is May 9–10 over in Harrisburg and Sonya will be speaking. We really enjoyed that convention last year so it may be worth the trip if you can swing it.
I’m new to homeschooling and totally scared out of my mind that someone is going to take an issue with the fact that I am only using free materials that I can find on the internet.
It’s not just free internet materials, you have your public library to draw on too!
Another organization you might get in touch with is the Mason Dixon Homeschoolers Association. They offer a lot of help to homeschoolers in PA, particularly with the legal requirments. They very much like a Charlotte Mason style education.
By the way, how old are your kids?
I also agree with suzukimom that there are A LOT of great resources out there (living books included) that have been made free or for a couple of dollars here and there. Don’t feel guilty about using them! Or the library, if you hace access to a decent one.
I can commiserate on the lonliness issue! We moved out here years ago and it is still very difficult to see like minded people very often. So it often feel like we are all alone, even when surrounded by people. My dd11 has JUST made a good friend in these past few months that has turned out to be a “best friend”. We are able to have them get together about once a week as well as allowing them to chat on the phone. This just happened for her now, after three and a half years of living here! I still have not found the answer to this other than pray for better and more opportunities to socialize.
We met this other girl through horsemanship lessons that they were both signed up for. She does happen to be a homeschooler, too! Though not CM. So, maybe try to find some sort of class that offers times esspecially for homeschoolers in order to meet other girls with similar interests? Finding opportunities like these is pretty much the only “great” thing that has come from our particular homeschool group, for us. It may be worth it for you to join the HG in your area just for that reason. Often people will offer their services for lessons or classes through these groups by making an announcment at a meeting or advertising in their newsletter, etc.
Be encouraged! God can and will provide!
Lovely to hear about your new country home! How exciting! We are hoping to be able to move to the country in the future as well. Keep praying for fellowship and the need will be met. In the meantime play more with your dd, go for long walks in the woods together, play board games, watch “girl movies”, just spend some extra, quality time with her and it should help a little to fill the need for a friend in the interim.
Blessings to you!
-Miranda
Resources from the internet and the library is just fine, especially to finish out the yr. Goodness, even the ps’s are using “printouts” for the students. So don’t fret about that one bit. You have proof of learning and she’s progressing, that’s what’s important – even in PA.
Are you going to be looking for a church? Also, there are 2 American Heritage Girls Troops relatively close to you, if you’re interested. One in Stoneborough (about 15-20 min) and one in New Castle (about 25-30 min).
I know how hard it is for our dc, particularly social ones. We’ve had to leave a large, family-oriented church and haven’t found another option that fits. We’ve visited a few, but there were mostly older people. One thing I’ve found is that they can enjoy time w/ them, too. My dc have really taken to some and enjoy visiting. Is there a place that you could volunteer and get to know others, thus giving her an outlet as well as teaching about helping and service.
Keep searching. You’re still new to the area. It will work out.
K
How old is your daughter? If you go to the monthly homeschool group meeting, you could make contacts for smaller group playdates other weeks in the month, or find out what the others are doing the rest of the month. An afternoon at the park is great. There are usually kids there to play with on a nice afternoon.
Easy Peasy Homeschool (google it) will give you lots of free stuff to do online for school.
You’re three hours from us, so that won’t help you! Hopefully someone here is a bit closer.
I can empathize on the Girl Scouts issue — the 4-H in PA is horrible at returning emails and phonecalls. We ended up and decided to just drop it, it was too much bother to keep bothering them! *L*
Good Luck!
I second the Easy Peasy Homeschool! My girls LOVE it! I only supplement it for English creative writing/individual reading and sometimes for viewing foreign language videos. It’s a complete curriculum all on the computer. All FREE.
Otherwise we stick closely to SCM!
Tara
You can use Heritage History for a great living books history curriculum online (or pay $1.99 per book download):
http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage.php
You can also use the living books from here (click on the left side bar):
Free audio books are also available at librivox.org, booksshouldbefree, and myaudioschool.
I see MEP was mentioned along with Easy Peasy (allinonehomeschool). Also there is Kahn academy which is great and free.
As far as friends for your daughter: have you found a church with a Sunday School? Thats a place to start possibly. It stinks being lonely; as I have been feeling that way too. ((Hugs)). This forum is great and you always get good honest answers from the members here.
Nicole,
I PM’d you. You’ve been given some resources to get you going. I wanted to ask too if you found a church to go to. Beside Sunday School, some churches hold kids clubs midweek. If the homeschool group you found is a good one and they are holding a meeting once a month, don’t they plan activities? The group we are in only holds planning meetings twice a year. Did you actually talk to someone from the group? Keep checking. Maybe something will work out in that area.
Pam
Is this the group you were referring to? Christian Homeschoolers of Mercer County in Grove City. I’m not sure how close that is for you, but they sound like they are pretty active. More active than our group:)
Here’s the link if you haven’t seen it. http://www.freewebs.com/chmc
I think that you have been given some great advice. I just wanted to second Easy Peasy (allinonehomeschool.com) its what we are using this year. The woman who wrote the Easy Peasy curriculum (Lee Giles) actually lives in PA as well. We really like it, I was also feeling overwhelmed and Easy Peasy was great for this difficult season of my life. Another free curriculum to look into oldfashionededucation.com. I have never used Old Fashioned Education, but it looks good, you can download all the books so that you don’t need Internet everyday. I also wanted to let you know that you will be in our prayers.
Thank you everyone for all your Prayers and support, and for all the great resources!
Doug, my daughter is 8. I looked on CHAP for support groups but I hadn’t thought to contact them directly, thank you.
Kerby, thank you so much for telling me about American Heritage Girls. That’s fantastic, I had never heard about them before!
We are checking out the local churches in the area and prayerfully find a church home soon! We need fellowship.
I am also trying to sign Jorden up for 4-H, the 4-H park is right down the road from us, so I thought that was great. Hopefully they’ll call me back,lol. That is frustrating though, they have these programs for kids and yet no one returns your calls!
Yes, I was talking about Christian Homeschoolers of Mercer County. I did reach out to them last week, their meeting was on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend as we’re down to one car ( it was cheaper for the move by the hundreds) for right now, until my husband buys a new truck. I informed them on Saturday I wouldn’t be able to make it but I haven’t heard anything back. So I’m not sure what’s going on there. I’ll reach out to them again . Do they seem to be active? I thought they only got together once a month? I don’t know, I didn’t do a very good job of being thorough on their site. On and then off again..still trying to get the house together here and there.
Again, thank you for all of your wonderful support! I don’t know what i’d do without this site. I know things will get better. We’re so happy to be back home in PA! I just need to give it time. The Lord is good and he will provide for all of our needs, this I know. I’m grateful for all He has given already! However, thank you for the pick me up! And for encouraging me to use the internet for our school needs. That’s a huge weight off.
Miranda,
Yes, being out in the country can be difficult. We’re from western PA, although new to Mercer county. I just really want Jorden to find some fantastic friends. She was so lonley in Florida because I couldn’t allow her to hang out with most of the people she met – for one reason or another, they were not such a good influence. So that was difficult.
I am hoping that changes. However, you’re right! Spend more time “tying those heart strings”! I will pull her and her brother closer and we’ll get through this.
Blessings to you as well and thank you!
PS To those who sent me a PM, thank you. I promise I will reply to you by this evening! Thanks everyone, I really am Blessed to have fantastic support like all of you have provided.
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