Help for friend (first-time homeschooler)

[xmas74]

A friend has decided to homeschool her 11 year old daughter. She has made this decision because her daughter becomes bored in the classroom easily and is rarely challenged in academics. She would like any suggestions about setting up a cirriculum that would be challenging in all subjects and keep an emphasis on religion out(she is Methodist but she doesn't believe in mixing religious training w/ education so she is having a very hard time finding info w/o it being religious in nature).
Any websites, books, etc. that you could suggest would be highly appreciated!
(fyi-she lives in the D/FW area, in case anyone has any good suggestions for outings that could follow some lessons).

[mzteris]

1. some suggestions

First - do NOT rush out and by ANY "curriculum".

Second - RELAX. Let her decompress from "school" a bit. Get to know her again. If the girl was bored in school it's probably because she's smart and not being challenged. Find out what she's passionate about. What she WANTS to do. What kind of "learner" is she? There is so much out there - in libraries, on the net, used bookstores, hs bookstores - that it's "usually" idiculous to buy a one-size fits all curriculum. Rare is the child is "ON" grade level in all subjects at the same time. One of the real beauties of hs'ing is being able to design a course of study just for YOUR child.

Third - find local support groups - here are a couple that sound promising:

DFWSaFE · DFW School-Free Education Zone

The DFW School Free Education Zone is a progressive support group for parents/guardians of home-learners. We are pretty relaxed about pretty much everything. We are a secular group, so we have no "statement of faith" or Biblical mandates to follow. We don't care if you are Catholic, Atheist, Hindu or Pagan.

We are unschoolers, believing that child-led learning is preferable to curriculum use. Some of our members are very relaxed eclectic home-learners and do use some curriculum, but it simply isn't the focus of our group. We are not a conservative school-at-home group, and find little reason to discuss "how to make Johnny finish his English paper," but can get intense about respecting children and gentle parenting. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DFWSaFE/

*** That one may be a bit scary for her as it's a bit more unschooly - BUT it could be a starting point for making friends and getting information.

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DFWSHSC · DFW SECULAR HOMESCHOOLERS CALENDAR
Welcome secular homeschoolers of all stripes in the DFW Metroplex and beyond. This list is for all home learners for the purpose of getting information to other home learners in the Metroplex.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DFWSHSC/

**** They look brand new.

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hs_friends_of_FW · Homeschooling Friends of Ft Worth
Welcome to the list for familes who homeschool in Ft Worth.

This is not a religious, political, or "organized" list. There are no dues, by-laws, paperwork or other things to create work for the moms. All members are welcome to plan something they are interested in and invite the others to come along. It is our hope that everyone meets new families, forms new friendships, and feels supported while they are on this list.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hs_friends_of_FW/


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http://www.midnightbeach.com/hs/Texas.html

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FOURTH: Have FUN! Learning should be an enjoyable experience - not a grind. Not "something you HAVE to do" but something you should WANT to do. If it's not fun, you're not doing it right! LOL

[xmas74]

2. I forwarded this info on to her.

She says, THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!!!