Hello!  My name is Joice and I am a full-time stay at home mom to two, beautiful children, Isabella, age 9 and Nicolas, age 3.  I am new to homeschooling and I am trying to gather as much info as possible.  My daughter has been in the public school system since first grade and has done exceptionally well.  However; my husband and I both feel that she would benefit from homeschooling.  She has been tested as a gifted student who is reading and writing at seventh grade level and I was hoping that someone has experience homeschooling gifted children and could offer his or her experiences, suggested curriculum, etc.  Also, are siblings allowed at homeschool outings: field trips, park days?

thank you so much for your time and I look forward to meeting some fellow homeschoolers

Joice :)

Joice,

I have a son 9 who sounds similar to your daughter; he is gifted in several areas and I have found that unit studies really fit the bill for these children.  They are usually very interested in one subject very intensely until they have exhausted it and unit studies can be built around that study any subject; I have so far used unit and classical education.  I am always open to new ways so I'll be looking for the posts from others about this.  My main problem has been keeping him interested because their minds move so fast.

Good Luck! :)

Pamela
Thank you so much for your reply; I will check out the unit studies.  Do you mind if I ask how long you have been homeschooling your son?  Also, how long did it take you to feel comfortable teaching him at home?

Joice

Hi, Joice!

I'm Diane, mom to Brian 10 and Katherine 8. They've both been homeschooled from birth. I've never had either kid tested for reading level, but I know they tend to read materials beyond their ages. We use (very loosely) Sonlight curriculum, and I think it's great for bright, avid readers.

Most homeschool activities allow for siblings--park days always do, and if a field trip isn't appropriate for little ones, it will be clearly stated in the information.

Welcome, Joice!  Yes, many of us have kids across an age range, and many activities have a large span of ages.  I hope you will come to one of our park days listed on the scrolling banner on the forum page- we have them weekly, one on the west side and one on the east.  I hope to meet you soon!