Considering homeschooling for K but still really nervous. Any good experiences to share?

[Anonymous]

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

We love homeschooling! It is a blast. Wouldn't trade it for anything. Consider joining your local homeschool group -- we're a friendly, welcoming bunch. And, if it doesn't work out, you can always choose school. There are lots of books and websites also for encouragement. Go for it!!!

[Anonymous]

Can anyone suggest any good books or websites? I might be in the same position next year and have no idea where to start. We will be overseas and there is no homeschooling group near us.

[Anonymous]

Hi. I was not homeschooled but my cousins were so I grew up around it. I am curious why you are thinking about this? My aunt did this for religious reasons--there budget did not allow for private religious school and they did not want non religious. Anyway..

pros
1. My cousins are extremely close and sweet kids and growing to be nice adults

2. Family went on interesting trips at the drop of the hat--uncle had own business so there was flexiblility there

3. They are very religious so got to control discussion of issues that public schools are just not very sensitive too--ie public schools are so focused on keeping god out that they tend to go in the other direction ie almost teaching no god..

4. They definitely aligned with some other homeschooling groups..still do for the ones still in school. So there is that social aspect

5. For hs I recall some of them taking math classes at the local hs

Cons

1). They are soooo innocent almost clueless at times

2) The one out of hs have had trouble adjusting to college..one got into drinking (but this I suppose to could happen to other kids) and just have had trouble keeping up

3) Missed out on proms etc and that is important. They were allowed to be part of local hs sports teams but dropped as they felt freakish

4) My aunt is not a teacher by training and I have always wondered if she was acting out her dreams on her kids. She is allowing the younger to go to math class at hs as she now admits..she is over her head in that area but obviously this wasn't ideal for the older ones.

So I guess mixed bag. If religion is important and budget is tight..maybe this is the right path but there is so much downside in the older years. I would also consider hs if you live in a really bad school district that is dangerous or so overcrowded that learning is difficult. Anyway..feel free to post questions and I can try to answer. Again..I can see both side..I can

[Anonymous]

My neighbor homeschools and her house is a disaster and extremely dirty. This kind of surprised me since I thought kids would have more time for chores, but it takes a lot of time to homeschool all her kids and they're just around the house so much that a lot gets messed up.

[Anonymous]

My SIL, who is a certified teacher, tried to home school my nephew for K.

It was a disaster. She was so busy with his infant brother than she never taught him anything. He was behind in all the basics that you learn in K -- letters, numbers, basic reading, etc.

I also think she lacked the personal discipline to run a classroom at home every day and spent most of her time on Facebook when she should have been teaching.

Homeschooling needs to have structure to work. And it helps if there are no smaller siblings to tend.

[Anonymous]

I homeschool my DD. To be honest, I don't use a specific curriculum. Just looked at the requirements children are supposed to meet by the end of each grade and I make sure DD is there or beyond.

She has asked to go to school beginning in 7th grade, and I think we may enroll her then.

DH and I both work from home, and we each handle different subjects. I do English (language, spelling, reading), Math, Gym, and he does Science, Social Studies, and Music. We both do art - he does traditional art and music, while I do dance and acting (performing arts).

We usually do about three hours of schooling from 9-noon, then DD does half her independent work for an hour in the afternoon, and the other half for an hour after dinner. She takes enrichment classes after school hours. The schedule bends depending on field trips and DH and I's work schedule.

[Anonymous]

Check out Well Trained Mind Forums -- kind of like DCUM for homeschoolers.

[Anonymous]

Teacher here. A BIG part of K is socialization and cooperation with others - you'll have to fill that in somehow.

Aside from that - you don't really need a full curriculum for K and often they are too worksheet based anyway. Focus on letters (recognizing, creating/writing, and letter sounds), numbers (rote counting, 1 to 1 correspondence, and writing/recognizing), categorizing, shapes, etc.

Handwriting Without Tears is great for letters too.

Then move onto simple sight words and if ready sounding out simple words and reading and the concept of adding/subtracting (with objects first to build the concept). 10 frames, rekenreks, unifix cubes, and other math tools are great for early math skills.

If in doubt, look at your state's goals/objectives for K to make sure you're on track. If really in doubt, send him to school for the year and see how it goes. K is a good year to test the waters and will give you a starting place if you do decide to homeschool.

I was homeschooled. It was good in some ways, not good in others. It depends on how it is approached. There is no safety net to catch and address learning difficulties, and your weaknesses in different areas will be passed onto your kids unless you seek out help.

[Anonymous]

I homeschool my younger one. We just finished K. I used the dept of education as a resource as well as the curriculum posted by Montessori. Also look around your area for enrichment classes for your LO to take on certain weekdays. I have found that N. Va has a lot to offer for homeschoolers. My LO also takes piano so we mix it up. For starters, Definitely get a lesson plan book, laminator, dry erase markers, a standing whiteboard. Those are some good basics to have as you pull or make teaching materials. I bought my laminator from amazon and it was fairly inexpensive ($39).

As the PP mentioned, the morning hours are the best hours to work with your little one. The afternoon after lunch is more for independent time. My DD will either work a puzzle, read, play piano, or just relax.

As for books to have on hand, the Spectrum books are great. For K, I bought the reading, language, and math.

For handwriting, I used those dry erase flip charts where you trace the letters for uppercase and lowercase...the same fr numbers.


I will tell you that homeschooling does take a lot of initiative, persistence, patience, and discipline but if you are up for it, then you should do it. I never imagined I old be doing it, but seeing the progress my LO has made this past semester has been incredible. I can see how her confidence has skyrocketed and he proud she is of herself. Those are the rewards!!! Good luck and have fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I homeschool my DD. To be honest, I don't use a specific curriculum. Just looked at the requirements children are supposed to meet by the end of each grade and I make sure DD is there or beyond.

She has asked to go to school beginning in 7th grade, and I think we may enroll her then.

DH and I both work from home, and we each handle different subjects. I do English (language, spelling, reading), Math, Gym, and he does Science, Social Studies, and Music. We both do art - he does traditional art and music, while I do dance and acting (performing arts).

We usually do about three hours of schooling from 9-noon, then DD does half her independent work for an hour in the afternoon, and the other half for an hour after dinner. She takes enrichment classes after school hours. The schedule bends depending on field trips and DH and I's work schedule.

I don't mean to be rude, but how on Earth do you actually run school for your child during the workday if you both work from home? Are you self-employed? Because no employer I'm aware of would ever tolerate this in a million years. That would be highly unethical.

[Anonymous]

The problem with homeschooling in general is that it's generally practiced by people at the extremes of two ideologies.

The vast majority of people who homeschool are Jesus freaks and are using Bible-based curricula.

And there's a sizable minority of liberals who think school is "too academic" and believe they can do better.

What do they have in common? Both groups fear outsider influence on their children. They're hell-bent on controlling the information their children absorb and resent unwelcome intrusions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I homeschool my DD. To be honest, I don't use a specific curriculum. Just looked at the requirements children are supposed to meet by the end of each grade and I make sure DD is there or beyond.

She has asked to go to school beginning in 7th grade, and I think we may enroll her then.

DH and I both work from home, and we each handle different subjects. I do English (language, spelling, reading), Math, Gym, and he does Science, Social Studies, and Music. We both do art - he does traditional art and music, while I do dance and acting (performing arts).

We usually do about three hours of schooling from 9-noon, then DD does half her independent work for an hour in the afternoon, and the other half for an hour after dinner. She takes enrichment classes after school hours. The schedule bends depending on field trips and DH and I's work schedule.

I don't mean to be rude, but how on Earth do you actually run school for your child during the workday if you both work from home? Are you self-employed? Because no employer I'm aware of would ever tolerate this in a million years. That would be highly unethical.

I am self-employed. DH has two partners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem with homeschooling in general is that it's generally practiced by people at the extremes of two ideologies.

The vast majority of people who homeschool are Jesus freaks and are using Bible-based curricula.

And there's a sizable minority of liberals who think school is "too academic" and believe they can do better.

What do they have in common? Both groups fear outsider influence on their children. They're hell-bent on controlling the information their children absorb and resent unwelcome intrusions.

You sound very defensive. Why are you hating on the homeschooling? I find your comment about school being too academic humorous. What county are you in??? Lol.

Going to public, private, or homeschool route is a choice. Each child is different and as parents, don't you think it is our job to do what we feel will work best for him/her? It is all about doing or trying what works. Try to be cognizant of that, ok?

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone! DH is home with the kids and he would be the one doing the homeschooling, at least initially. It does seem organization is key. Any tips or resources on getting organized? We would have a full year to prepare for this.

And yes, in our case we would probably do this for the lower grades and try and switch into schools at a later point.

Thanks to everyone for their varied opinions.