Help & Prayer please, this is completely new

My story is almost exactly the same.  I withdrew my 11 year old son (my only child) from a Georgia public school in mid-October.  He has “ADHD” and an auditory processing disorder.  I was tired of hitting a brick wall every single day and he was even more tired.  We are still very new to this but I will share with you what we have done and are still working through. 

This site is an exceptional resouce.  I definitely recommend the free curriculum guide as a starting point.  I tried to make a general outline of what I wanted to study for each subject and then added in books/resources as I researched them.  I then had to whittle it down to something that could be done in less than 100 years!  From that outline, I had a good idea of what resources I wanted to use but I have made some tweaks based on resources and books I could easily find/afford.  I am a single mom and on a very limited income so I was not able to buy much to start.  I try to add in things as we go and use the the library liberally.  Below is what I did or am doing for our subjects.

For me, the easiest place to start was history.  What time period do you want to begin with?  I wanted to chronologically study history, so we began with Ancient Egypt (with add-ins of others – Sumerians, Babylonians, Indus Valley, etc.).  I used the Curriculum Guide and Bookfinder and I searched for a variety of books about Ancient Egypt and others, mostly using what was available to me from the public library.  I searched for hands-on activites online and added those in periodically.  For example, we have made a salt-dough map of Egypt, made a “plate” with Sumerian cuneiform, a methen game from Ancient Egypt, etc.  And, we have worked on a lapbook project from the beginning.  I could not afford to purchase a lapbbok guide, so we have made up our own lapbook as we go.  I like to give my son a topic, say “Scribes in Ancient Egypt” and then give him several books to read about the education and work of scribes, and then have him make a mini-book about what he has read.  I do not dictate what the book should include.  I really want to see what has made an impression on him and what he is making associations with.  If he misses a main point or something that I think is very important, then I may read something aloud to him about that point.

For literature, I made a list of books that I wanted my son to read (slightly below his level since we left a difficult public school experience) and then let him choose one.  He reads one chapter per day and then narrates orally to me, does some form of written narration every fifth chapter and at the end.  There is a list of narration ideas on this site that is very helpful.  When he finishes a book, we move on to another he chooses.  I have now added in some books that are at his level and some above his level.  To give my son spelling, vocabulary, and a little grammar practice (without a curriculum), I select a passage from our literature selection that contains words that I would like my son to learn.  I try to make sure that there are no more than 2-3 words he may not know in the passage.  He does copywork for the passage throughout the week.  We do a the “color-spelling” technique on copy paper.  We discuss any grammatical matters present in the passage, focusing on one at a time (i.e. adding -ing/-ed to a word, etc.).  We do some vocabulary work for at least 5 words per week, that I pull from literature, history and science.  We study the spelling, look up the definition, draw a picture representing what the word means, look up synonyms and antonyms.

For science, I could not afford to buy a curriculum right away (like God’s Design or Apologia) so I pulled up the table of contents of the book I wanted to study and then searched for books available to me on the topics.  That way, when I can purchase the curriculum, we will be on the same track (hopefully).  I use books, DVDs, field trips, and nature study to learn about our topics.  Similar to history, we do a lapbook of the topic.

Our Bible study was already in place, but I added in the use of Greenleaf’s OT Guide, along with Victor’s Journey through the Bible.

Math is my son’s struggle subject, so I have not started him on a formal program yet.  We are working on hands-on activities with the Rightstart Abacus and math games.  My son does very little written math work for now, but will begin in a couple of weeks, or as soon as I can make a decision on what we will use (and stick with it).

Other subjects, such as Art and Music, I have not started anything structured yet.  My son is doing a drawing “course” using Mark Kistler’s Draw in Thirty Days.  He had a lot of fun going to the craft store and selecting his own drawing notebook and utensils.  We hope to use the Creating a Masterpiece program offered by SCM soon.  Music, we just listen to various artists, using CD’s we have or YouTube. 

That is all I have so far.  I am sure some of the more experienced moms will have a lot more advice (that I probably need too)!  The best advice I was given was to relax and enjoy this time with my son. 

HTH.

Stephanie

Welcome!

we are in Ga too!! I just wanted to add that YOU can do this! And this is a great forum w/ wonderful ladies! I agree just add a bit at a time!

🙂

I just wanted to give you the link to planning you CM education.  🙂 It covers the things that are covered in the DVD.  It’s incredibly helpful!  I thought Tristian had given you the link, but it must have been a different thread.  http://simplycharlottemason.com/series/planning/

And welcome aboard!  What you said about being blessed and encouraged by this forum just echos the feelings in everyone of our hearts!!!  I would be lost without this place!