I would lik to know about homeschooling. I have a 4 year old. I hear it is all time consuming. Is it expensive. Is it worth it? Dont know anything about it and I have 1 year to decide. Help.
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If winkles must be written on our brows, let them not be written on our heart. The spirit should never grow old.
James A Garfield
I'll take the chance of sounding like I'm stepping on a soapbox . . .
It can be time consuming, it can be expensive, but it can also be very rewarding. After all, you've already taught your child to talk, walk, eat with silverware, the proper way to act in different situations . . . you know your child better than anyone, therefore, you my be the most qualified to teach them.
I'll admit, I thought I'd never homeschool, but our schools have a lot to be desired. My son was learning things at school that were not acceptable in our home (behaviors, language, attitude) and yet he wasn't learning a lot educationally.
You will hear the "socialization" debate no doubt, but don't let that get in the way. Your child will learn to socialize because you demonstrate socialization in everything you do, there are also ways to get them involved in so many activities, and of course, my answer -I'd rather be around when they are learning to socialize so that I can correct behavior right away.
You have to look at your situation, your child's needs, etc., and figure out what is best for you. And then, don't feel like you have to make the decision set in stone. I know several people who have done both depending on different stages in life.
First thing you might do is find out the laws in your state and find a homeschool group so that you can check out different curriculums or options for schooling. This will give you an idea about how much time is needed, and the financial responsibility associated with whatever curriculum you find appropriate. (We check a lot of books out of the library to save on $$) When I first explored HSing (just last winter), I was told that an average homeschooler covers the same amount of material in 1.5-3 hours per day that a public school student does in a day.
Anyways, good luck with your decision, after all, it is your decision
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A messy house and happy children . . . I choose to spend my days playing!
Thanks for the infor bsktbug2. Now if you dont mind I have more questions. Where do I go to find out about state laws and how would I find a homeschool network in my area.? Jackie
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If winkles must be written on our brows, let them not be written on our heart. The spirit should never grow old.
James A Garfield
My first and foremost answer - The web!
I know Colorado has a Homeschool Association website with all of the links that you could imagine, along with a list of groups/associations within the state in the various cities, towns, etc.
Try here to start with, you're from Arizona, right? Before I searched online, I went to the school district offices and asked for a copy of the Homeschool law for Colorado and a list of any requirements that I had to abide by. They had it and just handed it over, no questions asked. Here, you don't even have to report that you are HSing until your child turns 7!
I found that two of our homeschool associations here in our itsy bitsy community are listed in the phone book.
Hope this helps!
Is your husband a supporter of homeschooling? That was initially my biggest hurdle, although now, he doesn't ever want to send them to public school!
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A messy house and happy children . . . I choose to spend my days playing!
Hey Bsktbug thanks for the info. My husband is for the idea of homeschool. Of course it all depends on what we findout. I do subscribe to a newsletter called Howstuffworks.com. And today it has info about homeschooling. Im not finished looking at it yet. Theres lots of things to consider.
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If winkles must be written on our brows, let them not be written on our heart. The spirit should never grow old.
James A Garfield
I agree- there is a lot to consider . . . There is also soooooo much info out there, so don't get overwhelmed. I did, luckily I have a great mentor here who helped me shred everything out.
Glad to hear your hubby is supportive! Mine at first, gave me the socialization excuse. That, and we both work full time. But since we mostly work around each other's schedules and I can take all the kids to work with me, it has really been a rewarding experience.
We even started the kindergarten curriculum with our 3 yr old dd this year, going at a very slow pace, and she loves her "school". The best was naming our school - my son, then 5, decided he was going to name it Woodhead Academy. We have no clue, but he loves it. We let him make a sign, and I created report cards so that he, like children in traditional schools, could take advantage of the special offers for grades. It also saved him from the ums and uhs when people asked him where he went to school. Although, when we go on business trips, he tells everyone he meets that he is hotel schooled for the week HAHA!
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A messy house and happy children . . . I choose to spend my days playing!
bsktbug2: I love your signature line, it pretty much sums up my philosiphy (sp) on life!
I have a preschooler that I am homeschooling this year. I spent the summer doing tons of research, both online and at the library. I am concerned with the public schools here, and though I haven't decided what we will do when it comes to the time to enroll her in kindergarten, we are enjoying "playing" school at home. She picks up things so fast and does so well, I know she won't get that attention in a large classroom.
Anyway, I am interesting in hearing all everyone has to say on the subject.
I had to homeschool because of my dd is 7 and in the 2nd grade. This is my first year of homeschooling and we started at the end of August '04. I couldn't afford the curriculum with the answer keys so I opted to just get the curriculum. I use A.C.E. (The School of Tomorrow) curriculum. The material is 2nd grade level so it's pretty easy for me to know the answers but there are times I feel like I missed out on something or lacked something. They use pictures and so forth that could mean alot of things but good thing my dd remembers some of them and what they stand for. Cause I wouldn't know. I would think it meant something else. Well, I ordered the A.C.E. getting started kit a little later than the curriculum so I am overwhelmed now just reading the material and what I did not implement in the beginning and so forth. It is not that bad because my dd had the groundwork in 1st grade at the previous school she attended (they used ACE material).
I also need ideas as to what to do with my ds (2 years old) while conducting the school for my dd. I do not have a structure as of yet of what to do with my son. His attention span is sporadic and can't really take in much teaching. i know at this age, fun is the key and play is the best way to learn for them. I admit that I have just been focusing more on my dd and getting things started for her taht ds is sort of just whatever comes to mind.
