Question and Answer: What and How My Homeschooling Works

• Question: Would you like to share how you work with the scope and sequence (and textbook) to make your home-school more efficient?
  
• Answer: To make your home-school more efficient, it means that you need to know:
  - what is your plan that you want to teach?
  - what do your kids want to be in the future?
  - what do your kids love to learn the most?
  - and what is the best method of teaching for your kids?
  We should also remember that we do not want our kids to be fed up with a lot of learning materials that our kids does not need. The most important is that our kids love toward learning in their daily life everyday.
  

• Question: I know you accelerate, so I assume you don't do *ALL*, right?
  
• Answer: We do focus on what the kids need to learn and like the most everyday. They also need to learn other subjects once or twice a week not everyday. This is a way to make them easy and love to learn everyday not getting bored. We also have a break in between school year, having field trips, having a class outside, etc.
  

• Question: You pick and choose, and then move on if your child is understanding, right?
  
• Answer: We let the kids decide which textbook that the kids think easy and understand to learn for them. Sometime, they learn without we are asking them to learn it. The most important is to keep communicating with them what they like to learn and we give support with all the learning materials and the activities they need.
  Yes of course, if they understand then they will continue to the next level.
  

• Question: Which subject do you use as an anchor as to what level your children is? Is it math and language?
  
• Answer: We need to teach all the subjects (Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Study, and Electives). The children need to learn all that subjects which will be presented to Board of Education in the portfolio meeting.
  

• Question: How do you know your children have reached a level where they'll be okay to attend a CC? I assume at a level equivalent to 9th-10th grade?
  
• Answer: To know the kids are ready for college, you should see their academic skill and their maturity.
  We do not want to see our kids immature in the class to handle their own problem in the class, with the home-works load, the classmate with different ages, the materials that being taught for adult, etc.
  For academic skill, I always wait until when they are in the same level of 11 or 12 grade.
  

• Question: And does it guarantee a transfer to a 4 year univ?
  
• Answer: If your kids are taking classes in Community College, then your kids and you should have to plan a head before applying the community college and which 4-years university that your kids will transfer to. The best way is always asking to the admission office to know what the requirements are. By doing so, It will help you and your kids to choose and decide which all the courses are transferable to that university where your kids will attend.
  

I hope my answers will help you.

You also have to remember that each family has different way of homeschooling their children. My home-school may not working for your family and others.
Your home-school may not working for me and others, too.
Because every family is unique.

Have a Happy Homeschooling....

Question and Answer : Home school with Toddlers and Home school to College

Q: How do you keep your toddlers occupied while teaching older children?

A: I think we should have a lot of patience on this situation. First, I hand out some home works to the older that they can finish it by themselves as practices for them, such as

• math drills
  
• math practice
  
• Language arts free worksheets
  
• Read the articles or a chapter of textbook and ask them to make summarize what they have been read.
  

Then if the toddlers can not sit for more than 5 to 10 minutes. Sometime they want to do the same things as what the older do. If in that case, you can try start giving him some easy lessons to do for the toddlers, such as Alphabet Printable Activities and other worksheets or other toddlers activities art and craft.


When the toddlers are sleeping or quiet playing with their toys or someone can help you to accompany the toddlers, then you can teach the older more deep.
My husband is my special help on this situation.
I hope you can find someone can help you, too.



Q: HOW did you teach your kids high school so quickly, with what books?

A: We only have used books that we got it free from book bank. You can use any book as long as the kids understand and learn.




Q: WHAT can I do to prepare my children to apply for community college this coming fall?

A: You need to prepare them that they are ready for college academically and their maturity that they are ready for college life.



Q: Did they take SAT s? What entrance exams should they study for?

A: It depends to how the university or college admission requirements. You have to ask to the admission office of that university or college. Some of the community college doesn't need SAT test score, they only want your kids to have their placement tests. Most of the university ask SAT or ACT score.



Q: What areas do I need them to master? As they only master what they like--and I've been fine with this until now...especially because all their strengths are in Math & Science.


A: I think the kids need to master in Math, Language Arts (Reading and Writing), and some others subjects, such as Science, Social Study, 1-2 Foreign Language if they want to take that in that major.



Q: What about their Spelling & Writing skills? Your advise, tips?

A: Spelling & Writing skill for high school is good for kids to prepare ready for college. The tip is a lot of practices.



Q: What about Qur'an? How many hours a day? Just listen and memorize? Or write, translate, and comprehend?

A: Qur'an is part of our life. At least 15-30 minutes, we have to read, memorize, and learn about it. Most of time the kids love to do read, memorize, and learn the meaning of Al Qur'an and. Once a week, we read hadiths together.



Q: Do you teach your language as a subject too? Because we do Arabic grammar, writing, typing, etc. as a separate subject.

A: Yes, I teach my language to my kids. I don't put it as foreign language, but I put it in one of a cultural learning in Social Study subject. My kids learn Arabic, Spanish, and Japanese as their foreign languages.



Insha Allah, I will put some more answers for other questions, soon.

Happy Homeschooling to all of you.

He Is Going to College, too.

Alhamdulillah, the meeting with the Dean of Academic and the Dean of Student went very well. My youngest son (11 years old) is going to take the class in this Fall in Gateway Community College.
He had go through the same with other applicant to that college.
He did very well. Alhamdulillah.

Mom, I have my own account now in college. He is so happy being student in campus. He used to hear story from his older brother and sister about going to college everyday.
Now he is really going to have that experience in this Fall 2010. The class will start on August 30, 2010. He is ready with the textbook, pencil, and paper college. This is what my kids said to me,"Please buy for us paper for college not the wide ruled line paper. I didn't realize that there are two different kinds of papers.

Now I have one more homeschooling kid, my youngest daughter.

May Allah make increase our knowledge. Ameen.

Happy Ramadan and Happy Homeschooling.