Looking for an Australian homeschool curriculum?

Question

I want to homeschool my 3 girls aged 4(has learning difficulties due to sleep apnoea), 5(has a speech impediment) and 6(way beyond her peers at school) but being that I have never done it before I would really like to buy a boxed curriculum for at least the first year so I don't overwhelm myself. I would really like something with Australian spelling and not overly religious but I would also like to get a complete curriculum for the year without having to spend hours searching through every nook on the internet to find a maths program here and science one there etc. But on the other side of the coin I really don't have a large amount of money to throw around on a curriculum so any ideas and suggestions would be greatly appreciated, I really do feel like I'm in way over my head here lol

Thankyou in advance for any help

Answer 1

Unless you are a qualified teacher I would strongly recommend that you do NOT home school your children.

It is not unusual for a child, any child to have periods where they are way beyond other students in the same grade particularly in grade school - your child is not special.  If I am wrong and your child is gifted then that is even more reason why the child needs to go to a proper school with qualified teachers and all the support and supervision that goes with it.

Learning difficulities require the supervision of specially trained teachers - usually also very experienced teachers are the only ones allowed in this special catagorey.  You will end causing your child further harm by trying to school her at home yourself.

You have said you do not have MONEY TO THROW AROUND.  This is another reason why your children must go to school - not sit around the kitchen table nattering to an unqualified mum trying to be a teacher.

There is a reason why teachers spend four years at university, have to do supervised practice, and then do further study and undergo assessments - would you want the first aid volunteer mum from the local football club to operate on your child in theatre; why not, they have good itentions.

If you do not HAVE MONEY TO THROW around you will not be able to afford all of the extras that are mandatory for a child to excel.  A library for a start - do not be delueded enough to think that you can go down the local library and it is the same - IT IS NOT.

Give this idea up - get a job and pay for your children to go to the specialist schools they need to with qualified specialist staff -

If you do not send your children to school; particularly given their difficulities, then you are been neglectful of your children.

Even things like speech therapy is available free through schools - you claim you do not have the money to pay for much - you will adversely affect your child's life.  Let him have contact with people who know what they are doing.

Frankly, if you do this - given your children's problems I hope you are reported for failing to provide the necessities of life to your children - you are not an educator and you cannot become an educator because you buy a set of books.

By the way do NOT respond by saying that you are a teacher.  It is clear from what you have written, the questions you have asked and what you itend to do that you are not.

Oh dear!  Certificate III in Childrens' Services is actually a glorified child minding certificate.  It is awarded to school kids as well as those who do it through TAFE and RTOs.  It is NOT a qualification to design courses for children or to teach children - Check out a thing called the Australian Qualifications System which replicates the International Qualifications System.  Additionally, with a Cert III in Childrens' Services YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE IN A CENTRE UNSUPERVISED.  ALL CENTRES MUST HAVE A QUALIFIED DIRECTOR OR UNIVERSITY QUALIFIED TEACHER - depending on the structure of the centre - THERE IS A VERY GOOD REASON FOR THAT.

RE below post

My 5 yo, who is actually my step daughter, has speech therapy at her kindy, but instead of being with a a trained speech therapist it is 15 minutes Monday and Wednesday with a volunteer who is given print outs readily accessible on the internet, most of which I actually used last year while working through my then 3yo's speech impediment, who by the way speaks quite clearly now.

Your child is not receiving speech therapy merely doing voice exercises with a volunteer - BIG DIFFERENCE.  Not acceptable to most parents with children who have speech difficulities - and most certainly not appropraite for the development of any child with this problem.  Children with speech problems have the right to be seen by a speech therapist - and regularly evaluated - which leaves room for exercises with a volunteer.

Answer 2

You could try asking at the old AussieHomeschool site or the new one: www.aussiehomeschool.com or looking at Beverley Paine's website.

Answer 3

I don't have a complete Australian curriculum, but one of the sites that I use, does have an Australian history curriculum.  It is a Catholic site, but they do make it clear on the top of this page, that the suggestions aren't specifically Catholic.  Anyway, this is just one part of a full curriculum, but the rest is Catholic so it wouldn't be what you wanted.  Here is the Australian history page, though:  

http://www.materamabilis.org/australia.h...

As for the rest of the curriculum, I am assuming that Australian spelling is the same as British.  If that isn't the case, then this suggestion will be meaningless, but I have found the products from Galore Park to be very good.  I have used their Latin and Spanish programs, but I know others are equally impressed with their English...  

http://www.galorepark.co.uk/

I know you were looking for a complete boxed curriculum, but as an American, I'm not familiar with what might be available in Australian from Australian publishers.  Just thought I would offer the above suggestions as an alternative.

Answer 4

I would suggest Sonlight Curriculum. The only thing it would not include would be the Australian Spelling. They have a great return policy-6 months I think-and you can resell on Ebay the following year for about 75% of what you paid for it.

Contact them for a free catalog.

Warm Regards,

Jana

http://www.purehomeschooling.com