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Adoption Options ~ Special Request

12:00 AM, Oct. 22, 2007

I received a special e-mail from Rebeca that will require your help to answer.

A dear friend of hers, Shelley, is in the process of adopting one, maybe two boys, from Haiti. She asked Rebeca if she knew of any homeschoolers and/or resources for homeschooling an older child (8) who doesn't yet speak English and can't read, write, etc.

Shelley and her husband Corrigan and their two children just returned from Haiti where they spent time at the orphanage with the boy(s) they're in the process of adopting. You can read more about it on her blog here. If anyone has had this experience and would be willing to share about it, it would be a great help and very much appreciated.

If any of you have an answer please leave a comment here and a comment on Shelley's blog. That way if anyone stumbles across this blog entry an answer will be right here waiting for them.

Tia Linschied
Senior Editor of HSB

Posted in adoption, 4 comments, Link
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Comments
Headsprout for phonics

9:14 AM, Oct. 22, 2007, posted by chelelew

My oldest has had success using www.headsprout.com for reading via phonics. Currently my youngest is also using this program. The program has two levels and each level has 40 episodes. The first level of episodes 1-40 must be completed before going to the next level of 41-80. The cost for each level is about $100 -/+. But for that money your child can redo the episodes as many times has needed; there are flashcards to print and use for extra practice; and stories that can also be printed for you to read with your child and your child to read to you. Once the child is in the 41-80 portion, there are chapter stories to print. There isn't a time requirement either. Meaning your child doesn't have to complete the first 40 episodes within a year or you'll lose your money. Once you've paid, your child can take as long as needed to complete. Speaking of paying, they do have the "installment" payment option via credit card.

I would say a child should probably know the ABC's by sight and the sound each makes. However, that is my opinion and I don't honestly know if that is a requirement to use the program.

Also, there are samples of the episodes that you can watch to see if this is something that would meet your familys approval. And the first three complete episodes are FREE for your child to use.

The customer service is EXCELLENT. I've called a few times and asked them to reset my youngest back to episode one as it had been a while since we did a lesson. It was done while I was on the phone.

As an adoptive and homeschooling mom of two boys, I simply can't imagine trying to teach my boys how to read without this program.

~~CheleLew~~

Untitled Comment

6:21 PM, Oct. 23, 2007, posted by Rebeca

Someone just made me aware of a yahoo group dedicated to homeschooling internationally adopted children. Here's the link in case anyone else is interested: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Adopt_and_Homeschool/

Untitled Comment

11:25 AM, Oct. 25, 2007, posted by Rebeca

Here is a blog of a woman who just brought home three older Liberian children and is beginning to homeschool them along with her other TEN! http://bakersdozen.typepad.com/

Adoption of older non-English speaking children

10:25 PM, Mar. 28, 2009, posted by carolinametzgers

Congrats on the adoption! Haiti is a wonderful country to adopt from. I visited there on a mission trip as a teenager and saw the kind of conditions people in that country live in. They desperately need parents for their orphans!

We have 8 children (5 biological and 3 adopted). Our first adoption was of a 10 year old girl (now 16) from Kazakhstan. Annalise knew no English and had no education when we adopted her, so we were literally starting at square one!

I would definitely focus on establishing a household routine....wake times, bed times, hygiene, table manners, chores, etc. For us, our routine included starting our homeschool lessons immediately, even if it was just to learn basic things. I think that it is vitally important that every parent have their newly adopted child start at the beginning...preschool! It doesn't matter how old the an then teach that first!

For us, preschool is actually approached quite naturally, so nothing fancy is needed. Let your newly adopted child(ren) experience life and learn basic things as the names of objects, their colors, shapes, ABC's, numbers, common phrases, etc. I have seen many friends adopt non-English speaking children start their children at their age-appropriate grade level and they unintentionally set them up for failure. The children generally become discouraged, frustrated and angry when being thrown headfirst into a culture and language that is brand new. Do not be tempted to rush them into catching up. They will take off soon enough!

One of the very first things we purchased after our first adoption was a preschool workbook from Wal-Mart for $4. When we adopted Annalise, I had Annalise and Kaitlyn (age 3, at the time) go through their preschool workbooks together, learning the basics. They both enjoyed showing off their accomplishments to Daddy in the evening. After Annalise's book was completed, we used ABeka's letter sound flashcards and had her master letter sounds. This led to the ABeka phonics workbooks and before we knew it, Annalise was READING English and her vocabulary had certainly grown! It had only been 3 months! During that time, we also started basic math and eventually used ABeka's mathematics, as well, omitting anything that she had mastered.

Most importantly, take the time to enjoy your new child and to watch them LIGHT UP as they learn and experience new things on a minute-by-minute basis. It's an absolutely amazing experience to adopt an older child who is not used to the simple things we take for granted!

Hope that helps a little!

Lisa Metzger
Devoted Helpmeet to Mark, Keeper of Our Home, 2nd Generation Homeschool Mommy to 8 blessings:
Annalise (16 - adopted from Kazakhstan at 10), Kaitlyn (9), Ethan (8), Trey and Jake (7 & 4 1/2 - adopted from MO), Julia (3), Ellie Grace (16 months), & Judah Michael (Born on 12/26) and 5 babies with Jesus! Come for a visit: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carolinametzgers

The Metzger Family's New Years Newsletter: http://tiny.cc/jjtwz

Edited by carolinametzgers on Mar. 28, 2009 at 9:30 PM

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