Home Schooling at Joy

Many families at Joy have chosen home schooling as the educational option for their children. We have a support group designated for these families to offer parents the necessary resources, curriculum, curriculum styles and tools that they need to provide a Christ-centered home education for their children using the methods that best fit their child's learning styles.

This includes providing a supplemental educational program that assists parents in training their children to be "Daniels" and "Esthers" in this generation, who will have strength of mind and character, and who will proclaim the message of the gospel with power and conviction. As a part of Home Schooling at Joy we offer various opportunities for field trips and activities as well as a full color yearbook.

These resources and tools include but are not limited to personalized curriculum planning; organized monthly social activities; Apologetics classes such as Christian World Views and Creation vs. Evolution, and other supplemental educational courses such as Foreign Language, Home Economics, Physical Education, Math and Chemistry tutorials, and more."

Hightower Learning Center

In addition to traditional home schooling Joy has linked with HIGHTOWER LEARNING CENTER to provide an alternative method of homes chooling that combines weekly structured class times and curriculum to aide the parent in educating their child. For more information about this excellent tool contact (Hightower Learning Center)

Event Calendar for 2009/20010 School Year

Fri.........Sept 4............Immigrant Lake Waterslides
Tue.......Sept 8............First Day of School
Mon......Oct 12............Home School Picture Day
Thurs...Nov 12............Roller Skating
Fri.........Dec 18............Home School Christmas Party
(TBA)...Jan (TBA).......Science Fair
Thur.....Feb 18............3rd Graders and Up - Lava Lanes
Fri........Mar 19............Great Cats Wildlife Park
Sat.......Apr 17............Table Rock Hike
Fri........May 28............Pioneer Adventure
Thur....Jun 3...............Senior Project Presentations
Fri........Jun 18............Home School Graduation

Recommended Curriculum for Joy Home Schoolers

The choice of curriculum for your student is a very important decision. There are so many products out there as well as various methods and teaching styles that it can seem a daunting task to find what will work for you. The following information is not meant to be exhaustive. It is meant to give parents a good basic curriculum plan for students in each grade.

K-12. I have tried to include a variety of choices that will work for the various learning styles. Nothing is fool proof and some amount of trial and error is unavoidable. Remember, home schooling your child is a challenging but very rewarding endeavor. As you wade through the daily ins and outs of schooling, never forget the future generation of world changers you are helping to educate and release. It is a great adventure!

As You Begin:

I would encourage you to read a good book on why you home school as well as one on learning styles. This will help you decide on the approach you want to use.

Recommended Reading:

Home Schooling Methods: Seasoned Advice on Learning Styles - Paul and Gena
Suarez ($11.99 CBD)
The Way They Learn - Cynthia Tobias ($9.99 CBD)
You CAN Teach Your Child Successfully - Ruth Beechick ($11.49)
See the CBD catalog for more Home School Helps


Here is a brief summary of some of the main methods of home schooling:

1. Curriculum approach- Choose a curriculum such as Abeka, Alpha Omega, Bob Jones or... and use it for every subject. There are curriculums available in DVD format, online and standard texts. There are also correspondence schools such as Christian Liberty Academy that send you the books and tests and do the grading etc. for you.
2. Unit Study approach- The Weaver curriculum is an excellent example of this. This is a very effective approach for different learning styles (hands on learners etc.) but does require more advance preparation from the parents. It combines science, history, art, etc. and focuses on a particular area of study at a time such as insects, medieval times, our legal system, and the list goes on. There are many resources available that set up a particular unit study for you.
3. Blended approach- Use a variety of curriculums and some unit studies. Tailor your choices to your child's learning style and interests.

NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, all resources are available through Christian Book Distributors (www.christianbook.com).

In Closing

If you have any questions with this please feel free to contact our home school coordinator Amy Miller by e-mail at peteandamy@q.com and she will be glad to answer your questions.

Again, my goal in presenting this information is to show you the endless variety and fun to be had in home schooling your student. Hopefully this will help you with your curriculum decisions. Talk to other home school parents, go online and look at what is available and most importantly, pray and ask God for wisdom as you select the method of home schooling and curriculum for your child.

Enjoy the journey,

Pastor Kim