Dear Teresa,
 
Hello, my name is Lisa. I am not only a veteran homeschooling parent 20+ years, but I am also a homeschool consultant. I have heard your plight from many moms that were frustrated and felt hopeless to help their children and themselves. Take a deep breath, because now you are starting down a path of growth for your children and you. God has so much to show all of you about His wonderful world. Start with exploring God's wonderful Creation (Cost:FREE!!) in your textbook, the Bible. Supplies needed: Bibles, notebooks, pencils, colored pencils, glue sticks, double-sided sticky tape, blank maps of the world (several for each child), art paper, and colored paper. Books to check out: water cycle, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, grasses, trees and shrubs, fruit trees, birds, insects, weather, the ocean, geology, volcanoes, and thermal energy. Use the Bible and the days of creation to study science and history. Math can be included in this as well. Grammar is included when you are writing. Discuss proper form, parts of speech, and essay writing. Don't focus on it, just add it in. Your children will love the freedom to explore.

This is actually how I started. I didn't want my son to feel like he had to sit in "school mode" for 2 hours a day or longer. I ordered only 2 sets of books. McGuffey Readers and Rays Arithmetic, both of which I still have and use. The only other materials I used were books from the library. I sat down and asked my 5 year old what he was interested in. "Vikings," was his answer. We spent 6 weeks reading everything we could find on the Vikings: drawing and making models of ships, armor, houses, clothing etc. Maps were used to chart the path they cut across Europe and across the seas. Next we studied bugs; he loved bugs. We sketched and researched bugs until he could identify every type of bug in our region. He had a blast. In addition to that we mapped our entire area and researched the history of the area--notebooks galore. I now suggest parents get a 3 ring binder 1-1.5 inches per subject. We purchased the ones that were designed to use on construction sites: cardboard with a clip board inside. These worked wonderfully for holding paper to sketch on and write on when we were out. We also studied the plants and trees that the bugs used for food, homes, etc. We studied how weather affected the growth and life cycles of the bugs. We followed this method for the next 10 years. We then incorporated college textbooks for physics, chemistry, human physiology, writing professionally, algebra II, and geometry, etc.

For math we did use textbooks: Rays Arithmetic and then Saxon. If money is a factor, look into ordering the Math Mammoth Gold series. It covers grades 3 through high school Algebra. Usually the Green series is attached to this, and you can use this basic format to build the material for 1-2. All answer material is included. The cost is $55 for a CD to be sent to you. You can also order the series to download to your computer.

Saying all of that, my best advice to you is to step back. Lay out a course of basic information that you feel should be covered, and don't restrict them to "grade" appropriate levels. Explore; let them find and record as much as they can, draw diagrams, color them, journal the information on the material.  Sounds too easy doesn't it? It is just that easy. There are so many low-cost resources out there that can help you.

Blessings And Prayers,

Lisa