There is a new fad going out there and I have to say its one I like:
Homeschooling through the media!
benefits to this type of homeschooling:
Cheap!
kids enjoy watching TV so why not have them learn at the same time
great supplementary to any curriculum; any subject!
Here is an introduction to get you started:
First off you might want to check out some homeschool Facebook group. This is a good basic one Homeschooling with Netflix. You can also find one for Amazon Prime, Ruku, Netflix for christian families, netflix for secular education....just decide what you want and search.
If you don't already have subscription to any movie/tv show type things (amazon prime, roku, apple tv, netflix) then this is a good read for you to decide what is best.
I personally have Amazon prime, I love it because of all the free shipping (its usually cheeper then you can buy in a store too) plus the amazon subscribe and save, plus all the music and movies and shows you can stream unlimited. I have the Mom subscription which is $79 a month. I also have books unlimited (which is like $5 a month)-really thats for me- and I am hoping to add kids unlimited shortly
We also have just added Netflix to our list of subscriptions. There is soooooooo many awesome educational shows on it. Right now we are working on our science unit so the kids are on a Magic School Bus kick. Its a good addition to netflix because even though there are some things that over lap their is a good variety on both so I am getting a wide spectrum of shows to choose from.
Both of these are easy to stream a variety of ways which is a big bonus for me. We can watch it on on tv with our PS4 or on my iPad or on the computer. having a variety of choices for watching is a big deal to me.
Some other good links:
Homeschool with movies: you can look up different subjects and it will give you a list of shows and what you can watch it on
Homeschooling with Netflix: this is a list of shows by subject. So if you are looking for American history you just find it on the list and it will show all the movies/shows on netflix you can watch.
Pintrest Board: Life just wouldn't be the same without Pinterest! here is a board to a whole bunch of Netflix ideas for homeschooling. Here is Amazon prime and Netflix board.
The ultimate bonus to using these...
if you are sick, the house is a wreck, or just having a bad day you don't have to prevent school from still going on. Take a movie day! The kids will love it and with these easy links you can find something that will work smoothly into what your already learning!
If you knew me as a child you will know I was kinda a nerd for Ancient Egypt. I even wanted to name my little girl Egypt when I grew up...just in case you are wondering, no Papa Bear didn't go for it.
So of course I was super excited when I learned that this year in our Latter Day Learning history curriculum Egypt would be one of the first things we studied. We are half way through our Egypt unit now so I thought I would give a little update for the sake of the grandparents.
Here are a few of the projects we have completed:
Mummies!!!!
We had some friends come over and make these with us (hence why there are 4 of them). It was pretty fun. In stead of the normal glue to make the modge podge to wrap the mummies in we mixed flour and water. It was still just as messy but didn't have to worry about little Ninja bear eating glue....after all he is a ninja! Once they were dried the kids painted them and added some glitter.
We then proceeded to have a long talk: Yes Mummies are real...No they don't come back to life... it was a hard concept for the kids to get, especially after watching The Mummy and The Mummy 2. According to Monkey, his head was about to explode after watching those two movies because it was so full of stuff about Egypt...go figure!
Scarabs!!!
Yesterday Princess and I made some clay scarab name seals. We had just finished a lesson on Hieroglyphs. Sadly Monkey was sick for this one (the flu made its way through the fam) so he made his today and its still drying. Apparently my art skills are not that good because Monkey thought I carved a picture of a Pirate and not a scarab....WHATEVER! IF YOU WANT TO MAKE ONE: we used self hardening clay, rolled it in a ball and carved her name on one side (backwards mind you) then squished it flat. Then we carved the bug on the other side but you can decorate it however you want. Then once dry just lightly coat the back side in paint and stamp.
Papyrus
Today, to go along with our study of Egyptian writing, we attempted to make papyrus. It, sadly, was a failed attempt. I wanted to use corn husks because I thought that would be more realistic. The husk is to thick though and doesn't ever mash together just breaks into a million pieces when you try to pound it together. Next time we will just use strips of real paper.
But with all the strips of corn husk pre-soaked we couldn't let it go to waste so we made some corn husk dolls.
Books we have been reading:
books that are apart of our Latter day learning lessons:
I have been collecting a list of different morning devotionals. I have done my best to post them all here. If you have one you use and love please add it to the comments and I will add it to the list.
These are meant to be for use in homeschool but of course can be used for any family scripture studies.
4. Book of Mormon: This one is great for younger kids. One page per book in the Book of Mormon. This way it is broken down into smaller goals.
Scripture Journals
5.Book of Mormon study pages: From the Red Headed Hostess so you know its good! (I would say good for upper Elementary age and up)
6. Book of Mormon Studies: Great for ages 10 and up or reading through the Book of Mormon for the first time on their own.
7. Scripture-study Sam: This is good for younger kids. Have them make the hand out and use each "situation" as a journal prompt, you can also have them practice handwriting by writing the scripture given in their journal. Ages 4-8
8. Illustrated Scriptures Journal: This is probably my favorite idea and can't wait to start doing it when the kids are older. She uses the illustrated scriptures that you can get from the distribution center. Each day you read the scripture under one picture then she has a journal prom to go along with it. She has also made some awesome printouts that you can print on labels and stick at the top of each journal entry. THIS IS MY TOP PICK!!! 9. Scripture Journal Printouts: A whole bunch of printouts and ideas to look through 10. Walk Beside Me: You could use the scripture story, verse, and song each morning for your devotional. for PrK-K aged kids. Other Devotionals 11. Prayer Journal: A daily prayer journal printout. Great for any age. 12. Article of Faith Posters: We use these every morning. I think It is great for younger kids just being introduced to the Articles of Faith but of course can be use for all primary age kids. 13. Preach My Gospel Generation:This is what we are currently using. It follows along with Preach my Gospel. Each day you read a small section then you pick a video link to watch that goes along with it. It is perfect for younger children because the video is an awesome visual aid to help them understand the basic principles of the gospel. You could also use this for older children and have them write a journal entry each day or even as a prep for a pre-missionary aged child. 14. Armor Your Children: This is a devotional series that is meant for kids before leaving for school but of course it is adaptable for homeschooling also. Great for Elementary aged children. Christmas Devotionals 15. Armor Your Children Christmas Edition: again, a short devotional each morning, meant for before sending the kids off to school but also great if you need a quick devotional 16. Christmas Symbols: Week long devotional (or could do one each week) with scriptures that explains the reason for christmas decorations. 17. 24 Day Advent Scripture reading: A scripture story that leads up to Christ's birth. (Bible only) Truth in the Tinsel: This is more of an extended devotional. Each one comes with a craft. We did a few of them last year and really enjoyed it. Each craft can be put on the tree so it makes it fun to see all the ordainments you made. It isn't a quick devotional though it will take time to plan and do but totally worth it. 18. 24 Days of a Mormon Christmas: I really enjoy this one. We do it every year, though we have never gotten all the way through it. It does add the Book of Mormon Scriptures of Christ's Birth along with the Bible ones. 19. Tell Me The Stories Of Jesus: This is a simple quick one. Great for younger kids. 20. The Jesus Tree:Haven't tried this but looks fun. Similar to the truth is in the tinsel only seems like less prep and less time so might be good for those who need a quicker devotional but likes the idea of adding ordainments to a tree.
Thought I would share:
This book is only ONE DOLLAR right now on Scholastic Teacher Express. Its an ebook with easy printable pdfs. I love these little idea books to shake the mundane out of projects. AND you can't beat 1.00!!!
Since Summer is upon us I have found many people beginning to ask the question "Should I homeschool?" This is a great time to do this after all. School is almost out, you will have a whole summer to prepare, you don't have to worry about the complications of pulling your child out of school, and even better so many curriculum sales! I have noticed with this trend in many of my homeschooling groups that several people are coming out of the woodworks with many questions as they dip their toes in the Homeschooling pool. Of course the one I see the most often is the dreaded "SOCIALIZATION" question. It goes something like this: 1. I want to homeschool, but will my kids be weirdoes? 2. I don't want my children to be taken away from their "friend time" 3. How will my children be able to cope in society as adults if all their school is at home? 4. my personal favorite, I want to, but I am terrified to tell my family because I know they will ask me about socialization and I really have no idea about it?
"The idea that children need
to be around other children
in order to be 'socialized'
is perhaps the most dangerous
and extravagant myth
in education and child rearing
today"
-Dr. Raymond Moore
So lets talk about the glorious socialization the majority of kids are getting in public school
Not trying to offend anyone who has kids in Public School this is just the facts of it:
Well first off lets put 30+ kids of the same age in a class together because that's how it will be in the real world...um no...
Next lets get them competitive against each other for school awards, best grades, and teacher favoritism.
Let me just give a quick example of this: we have all had that one kid in the class who had to be better then everyone else. I had one growing up that was rather persistent. I remember one instant in particular where an entire 1 1/2 period of class was taken up with her arguing with the teacher over every question she got wrong while peer grading our papers in class. When the peer grading was over and she got her paper back she then began to argue how ridiculous it was that she had a A- and continued to argue her points until she was satisfied with a A. Not only was this a big fat waste of the day for the rest of us but also just another chance for this student to have reiterated to her that All that matters in life is that you end up on top and not what you learn in the process.
Even better you are always going to have that one "trouble maker" in your class. Oh did you know that most schools keep a running log on what teachers think about students to be shared with the next years teacher.
So it's no wonder if little Jimmy has trouble in Kindergarden with sitting still and so Mrs. Manning doesn't really have many nice things to say that next year in 1st grade Mr. Smith will already be "pre-warned" and pre-decided that little Jimmy is a "trouble maker". I'm totally sure that's not going to cause perpetual problems in which little Jimmy gives up trying and settles for just barely getting by. But don't worry every teach he has will always pair him up with someone who does reasonably well for all class projects so said student can do the work of two and little Jimmy can just barley scoot by to be the next teachers problem. (and yes I have had teachers tell me they are partnering me up with kids so that they can pass the class)
We all know the big "B" word...Bulling that is. Most who are for public school will tell you that bulling is a way of life and it happens even when you are adults so might as well learn to deal with it now.
I was bullied as early as 1st grade (thats just the earliest I can remember) and told constantly I was ugly...over the entire course of my elementary education and at several different schools. In one particular instance in 7th grade a boy sitting next to me asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I told him I wanted to be an actress. He proceeded to laugh at me, then became genuinely shocked that I was serious and said "Oh, really, why? you know they only let pretty people do that." Lets just say that was one of the finale nails in my acting career. I'm guessing you can imagine how great my self esteem was by the time I entered High School. Now let me tell you how many times I have been told I am ugly since leaving public school....a big fat 0! Good thing I had all that teasing and self-torment as a youth to prepare me for the real world.
Lets talk about more serious and even physical bulling and then that's about all I'll say on the matter. In 6th grade I moved to a new school and within the first week had a run in with the class bully. Lets just say it ended with his hands around my neck and my face turning blue. So there I was sitting in the principle's office being told how sorry he was this happened to me, and that this kid had had problems in the past so don't worry it's not my fault. I later found out he had reached his last chance and was now expelled and being sent to a school for "troublesome kids" oh by the way did I tell you that school was right next door? Oh and did I mention that it also used the same bus as my school? And that upon him clearing out his desk he made sure to tell me that the next time he saw me he was going to kill me? There is a hardy dose of fear for ya. I'm sure this is something all kids need to grow into responsible well rounded adults.
Let me just give one more point then I will move on. Your kids won't ever experience others views. They will be shut up in their own little bubble, with mommy-dear, brainwashed to believe all you say. When they enter the real world, they won't know how to act around people who don't share their beliefs/values/morals/whatever.
Now ON this point I do agree that public schools do benefit in introducing children to a variety of beliefs, values, morals, or even the lack there of. Sadly it is the later that is the most concerning. I have often heard from others Christians say that their children are "the light of the world" and should not be hid. More often then not I find that even if you are an influence to others by your good example you yourself are also influenced by others bad example. And as I said I experienced much good but let me share some of the bad:
I had a friend on several occasions call me and tell me she was committing suicide or had just slit her wrists. I was 13 and too young to understand what to do in that situation and never knew how to properly get her the help she needed
I saw a straight A "good girl" rebel against her "stereotype" and by the end of her freshman year was hooked on drugs, drinking, and sleeping around (thats 13 people!)
I knew a boy who had "come out of the closet" and didn't know what to do because he wasn't attached to boys but had been told his whole life (by other students) he was gay so he HAD to be.
I also had teachers on several occasions and y several teachers, upon finding out that I am LDS, attack me and/or make fun of my beliefs in front of the whole class.
Now think of your own school experience and decide for yourself if you think the "good" parts of public school socialization is worth the bad. Frankly, to me it's just not! I could also be giving all kinds of stats on the disadvantages of all these and so many more problems of socialization in a public school but really that's not what I'm here to talk about.
Now lets take a minute to talk about those CRAZY HOMESCHOOLED KIDS!
So many studies have been conducted to not only prove that homeschooling increases kids abilities on ACT/SAT scores and that it breaks down all barriers of abilities to preform due to ethnicity/income/or parents education level. Now there is generations of Homeschooled kids (from the 70s, 80s, and 90s) that have entered the work force and studies on them have been conducted to see how well they are adjusting to adult life. Let me share a few real quick:
15yrs later: Home-educated Canadians had this to say:(from the washingtontimes) 69% of homeschooled Canadians age 15-34 were socially engaged (participated in organized activities at least once a week) compared to 48% of the comparable population. Not only was income higher comparatively but amazingly where 11% of the population of Canadians 15 to 34 were receiving government assistance as a means of income there was no source of homeschooled participants on welfare.
HSLDA 2003 study: This showed that 74% of Homeschoolers continue on to College as compared to 46% of the general populace. Only 4.2% of homeschoolers found government and politics to be too confusing compared to 35% of U.S. adults. during this study 76% of homeschooler graduates said they voted in the last 5yrs compared to 29% of the equal populace. Most importantly they studied how happy people in the U.S. were feeling. (And really when it comes down to it, in my opinion, this is all that matters) 59% of home-educated graduates said they were very happy compared to 28% of their equal group.
This all just blows my mind because the way that Homeschooling has changed in the last 10yrs is leaps and bounds away from what it was for them!
There are so many groups, co-ops, youth activities, volunteer opportunities (and the list goes on) now for homeschoolers that just wasn't an option back then, due to the fact that they were just a small amount of the population. The idea that my kids will never interact with other people is just unfathomable!
Not to mention that they won't just be socializing with kids their exact same age but people from all walks of life. My friend just recently shared online a trip her kids were able to take to a nursing home where they heard stories from Vietnam vets for Memorial Day. Kids can attend religious youth groups, bible studies, camps, and activities (often all free and no matter your personal denomination). We personally attend a Co-op of a different faith then ours and many kids of other faiths also attend. They see a mixture of all the good in the world. Isn't that so much better then good kids being poured into a vortex of bad situations? They are also given different opportunities in the High School years to learn, work, and experience things that they would not normally have experience because of the flexibility of Homeschooling.
The Bottom Line...tee he he
But really this is all just BLAH BLAH BLAH to me...this is what it boils down to and what I tend to tell people:
"Weird/Socially awkward kids" are the product of weird/socially awkward parents. And no one can say they haven't met a weird kid in public school.
If you think teaching my children in a loving, peaceful environment where they can grow at their own pace, and even better love to learn, where they can learn to be who they want to be without the pressures of peers and stereotypes, where I can teach them to be polite, politically aware, confident, morally sound, and contributors to society before sending them out into the world will make them unsocialized? Then YES my kids will be weirdos! And I'm ok with that.
This is how I feel right now...let me just take a min and share with you why...
3wks into homeschooling and things are going super good relatively well, but now we have hit our first major hiccup and I just want to curl up and cry.
SO we have been easing our way into it by just doing handwriting, math and a lot of reading (beginning readers and me reading living books)
Then I do what all other self respecting homeschoolers do: count slave labor as educational...ya know moping the floors...cleaning the windows...vacuuming...all life lessons here people!
But its hit the fan now! The math curriculum we are using just ain't cutting it! And this isn't like 'oh I tried this book I found on the ground and it's not working out so now I will get something else.' I'm talking HOURS of studying and comparing till I came to the "perfect" curriculum...it's like I just found out Santa Isn't real...
I know buddy, no Santa makes me sad too :(
So now I am back to square one, comparing samples, pricing, reading reviews, and asking fb groups opinions on every choice out there...shout out to my Facebook groups: Im sorry I just blew up every page I'm on. And when did I become that person who can't make a decision without asking 3,000 of the closest total strangers on FB that I whole heartily trust? Darn you social media!
Right now I just really want to...
But, Alas, I can't, I know I have the whole family is looking up to me and my mad homeschooling, mother's intuition, practically perfect in every way skills...
The silver lining is that at least I got my math at a used curriculum fair so it isn't too terrible that I am buying another one at the retail price...shhhh don't tell my husband...don't worry he doesn't read this... But man I could do without the 3 hr OCD, must find the perfect curriculum, quality time I am getting with my computer right now. And, as I am sure you have just figured out I am an awesome procrastinator Muli-tasker since I am also blogging at the same time :)
So a few days ago a very good friend of mine set up a girls night out. I have learned that when one of these things comes my way I must do everything in my power to make it happen for me!
First was dinner then a movie and finally some frozen yogurt. I don't know if you have seen these new fangled yogurt bars, but they are pretty fun.
The movie we saw was Mom's Night Out. If you haven't seen it you must drop everything right now...I said right now!...Don't worry I'll wait...
Ok just in case you didn't take my advice here is a little trailer to tease you with.
Best Movie Ever...Just Saying! You will laugh and cry and then laugh as you cry...it's practically a requirement to see this movie if you are a member of the female race or happen to be married to one. I see a lot of me in the main character...except for the getting up early and cleaning...I wish I did that but that would involve ya know...getting up early!
After our fabulous movie a few of us went for frozen yogurt afterwards. Love these fancy lil yogurt bars where you pick your yogurt then any toppings you want then they weigh it at the end and you pay like 3 bucks for a pint of yogurt there is no way you going to finish. The one we went to, Orange Leaf, is pretty nifty cuz they had these dividers for your cup so you could pick multiple flavors/toppings at once without having to mix....it's genius really!
And seriously we stayed till the place closed down! Ok granted it was a thursday night and it's a yogurt shop not a club, but for this Momma of three lil ones that was a pretty amazing thing! Let me tell you what I got from that night other then some much needed time away to decompress and enjoy some girl friends...cuz hello!? homeschooler here! nothing in life has just one purpose! At the end of the movie when everything is all fixed and happy the husband turns to the wife and it goes a little like this: Husband: "Honey, Your Job is..." Wife (interrupting): "I know, I know Hard...oh, or do you mean easy? Rewarding? Messy? Chaotic? " Husband: "Important, I was going to say Your job is important." And that is the truth of the matter. No matter how much we beat ourselves up, feel like we are not enough, not doing good enough, or working hard enough know that we are and that
If your like me the one thing you look forward to about kids going to public school is the ability to run errands without them running around like maniacs, hiding in racks, spilling things (or even better having accidents), and generally slowing everything down. The worst by far is the dreaded weekly trip to the grocery store.
As much as you may wish and dream a trip to the store looked like this....
More then likely it will look closer to this...
At least thats how it is for me anyways...maybe your children are angels and I'm doing something all wrong. Of course the madness excels with each added child (and yes we are now up to three) SO wouldn't life just be grand if we could ship those pesky older ones off to public daycare...er...I mean school...and do shopping all alone or at least just with one (Cuz seriously some days going out with just one kid is as close to a holiday that a mom is going to get). Well, if you are like me, you were all pumped about Homeschooling. Thinking your children are all going to be geniuses, well rounded, super polite, and practically perfect in every way. Then you remember all that stuff you got done while they were at school and think Oh Crap now I have to do it with them. I can easily tell you the errand I dreaded the most with all three of my kids is the grocery store. I go once a week and it takes me a hour if I take children with me (meaning my younger two) On the rare chance I can go by myself I can pound it out in less then 45mins. I plan on kissing that goodbye now. When going with all my kids there is usually a lot of hot lava (hopping only on one set of square tiles), I want this, I don't like to eat that, I'm hungry, and of course what would be a trip to the store without are we done yet? I got this amazing idea for a shopping list bingo game from one of the many homeschool books I have been reading, Homeschooling Experiment (see reading list on the right). This is how I did it:
Since my kids are smaller, I printed out these blank bingo cards and added in items that I would be shopping for. I drew a picture (and no I'm not going to show you an example cuz trust me I am not an artist) and then wrote the items name under it. For example, we needed pop tarts so I drew my best pop tart picture and then wrote "POP TART" under it. I had enough items on my list (since I had been procrastinating shopping till we were all practically on the verge of starvation) that I only needed to duplicate a few items between the two of them. I tried to keep the repeats the basic ones that I really want them to recognize like eggs, milk, bread. Then the rest of the items on my shopping list was divided between the remaining open bingo boxes. Since they are little we play the "black out version" and since bread is the last thing we get and it's a staple (so they both have it on their bingo card) they end at the same time...everyones happy! The upside to Bingo cards is the kids are going to have a lot more fun and you're going to here a lot less whining. As they get older you can remove the pictures and just add words and maybe even throw some things on their card you don't need and play it like regular bingo. Also when we end, its at the bakery, they each get one free cookies as a reward. This gives them something to look forward to and a lot less "I wants" because they already know they are getting a treat when the trip is over...and free HELLO! The downside to bingo cards: Shopping might take a little longer since you will have to stop and wait for your kids to find whatever item you call out. Use all your mom powers not to show them the answer. Tell them the starting sound, the first letter, maybe show them the word on the box as you take it off the shelf, but let them find it on their own. The other downside that I have found is each of my children have their own unique way of coloring in their bingo cards. Monkey boy will use a shelf and scribble in the box quickly. Sassy girl on the other hand must lay on her belly on the floor and carefully and OH SO SLOWLY color in her box. Just let it be! As long as Sassy girl is off to the side and not blocking anyone from getting by I let her do it her way and let her take her time. Yes, you need to get the shopping done but more importantly there is learning going on and it can't be rushed. Maybe if you have some bingo dotters lying around the house then you can speed things up. I hope you will try out these cards and if you like them share them!
There are a million reasons why you may have come across this blog post. Maybe you are struggling with a child being bullied at school, or you have a struggling or special needs learner that isn't getting what they need in the traditional school system. Maybe you are 100% passionately against this new fangled Common Core agenda or you are frustrated with the lack of morals in the school system. Maybe you miss the time you use to get with your children, or find that family harmony has been disrupted by traditional schooling. Maybe you are a new or expectant parent and weighing your options. Maybe you were homeschooled and loved it or traditionally taught and hated it. No matter the reason something has brought you to the conclusion to wondering "would homeschooling work in my family?"
If you are like most people the first thing you will do is google "homeschool" or something of that nature and more then likely you will be bombarded with a million (literally) links to how to's, the best methods, and why you are screwing up your children just by thinking about Homeschooling. I know I did it. Then maybe like me you will scroll over to some place like amazon to look at some how to books on homeschooling. Again bombarded by a million options and ways. Don't be overwhelmed. This is a good thing believe it or not. Homeschooling today is miles away from what it use to be. One reason is because so many people are turning to homeschooling. In 2013 it was estimated that about 3% of U.S. children were currently being homeschooled, thats about 1.5Million kids. Another reason for the major changes in homeschooling is thanks to good old modern technology. In fact take a moment right now open up your Facebook account and under groups search "homeschooling" either by your area, political views, religious views, you name it and you will find plenty of people willing to help, share, encourage, and comfort you. Hopefully that will help you breath a breath of fresh air. Your not alone and there are plenty out there willing to help you. There are a few steps you will want to take before you just go and rip your kids out of public schools and order one of everything in your Rainbow Resourse (if you don't know what that is just wait you will) First Step
Get this book! So Your Thinking About Homeschooling
Remember I said you will find a million different how to books? This is the one you want to read first I Promise! She goes through just about every method of homeschooling possible and every family situation that goes along with it. It will greatly open your eyes to the fact that anyone can do it no matter if your a single parent, working parent, or stay at home parent, if you have one, two or twenty kids. (and if you have twenty kids let me just tell you, you are my hero)
After you read through this you will find some awesome resources in the back of what steps to take next in your research process. Second Step:
Find out your state laws on the matter. Believe it or not you can't just walk into your kids schools grab them and take them home never to return again. Each state has different rules and regulations on homeschooling, so its important that you find out what your state rules are because it will have a great impact on your method of homeschooling. Three ways you can find out: Either go to your state.gov website and try to navigated it from there. Go to HSLDA.org. This is a Nation wide Advocate group for Homeschooling. I strongly recommend you get a membership once you do decided to homeschool. You may never need their help but someone will and your contributions will be what makes that happen. Option number three is to go to one of those previously mentioned Facebook groups you found and just ask "Im new to homeschooling I live in such and such area what are the laws?" and you will get feedback faster then you can blink…ok maybe not that fast but you know what I mean.
Some common rules that vary state to state are as follows:
Submitting a letter declaring your desire to homeschool to your local school district or gov education office
Keeping record of school work done
counting hours spent teaching
various requirements or classes needed to qualify to teach your kids (for example in my state you must either have a high school diploma and some college education or you can take a qualification class)
Periodic testing, sometimes needing to be submitted to the state.
Not all of these rules will be required in your state and they will all be in varying degrees so its good to know what you need for your area. Third Step:
So now you're pumped!
You know your state laws and requirements, you have read through the above book and think you know how you want to homeschool. You may have even already gotten your significant other on board. Now you need to pick a curriculum you want to use. Please in the name of all things good and holy do not I repeat DO NOT google "homeschool curriculum". It will just make you cry. There are a MILLION options. The goal is to first narrow down what style you want to use and go from there. Take out a piece of paper and jot down the answers to a couple of questions:
1. Why do I want to homeschool
2. How much time can I spend on planning lessons and teaching
3. What learning style best suits my children
4. What Laws/regulations will I need to take into account when homeschooling
5. How much money am I able to budget for Homeschooling
Once you have all that hammered out its time to take a look at some of the main methods of Homeschooling. More then likely you are going to pick and choose parts from all of them. And don't fret if you pick on and start at it and think "this is all wrong" then change. Even if you have been using the same method for years and its just not working out all of a sudden then its time to switch it up. Here are the basic methods
Unschooling
Unit Study
Classical
Charlotte Mason
Traditional
To learn more about these methods check out this video. Sonja Schaffer does a really great job of explaining them and giving some relatable examples to help you understand their differences. She also gives a little quiz at the end that you can correlate with the 5 questions you asked yourself earlier to find out what style you think will best suit you.
Step Four:
Alright you got your goals, you found your flavor, and your pumped. You are now ready to purchase some curriculum. Once again turn back to that newly found Facebook group and ask around. Find out what others use and like. Try to be as specific as you can for example "I am looking for a math program for a 2nd grader. I want the lessons to be preplanned for me. I like the Classical approach. My child is a hands on learner" or "I'm looking for a Christian based all inclusive curriculum pack. I like a traditional approach". Then you can take their suggestions, and if your obsessive like me do a little more review research, pick the best one for you and buy it! If you are lucky enough to have a homeschool convention in your area (usually held early spring through summer) go to it! there are going to be lots of speakers who can point you on your way. Please before you buy everything from a convention check out some used curriculum blogs/groups first. Just a helpful hint to save some cash cuz, trust me, when you get to that convention it's going to be worse then a kid in a candy store. Step Five:
Get your area set up. You probably already have an idea of where your schooling is going to happen but its a good time to get it all set up, organized, and ready before you actually start. For lots thats just the kitchen table and a shelf of supplies. I prefer to have a whole room dedicated to schooling. Step Six:
And for most this will probably be the hardest step of them all. Tell your family of your plans. There is a good chance you have already done this but if you are smart, and no I wasn't one of the smart ones, you will wait till step six to do this. Prepare yourself, most likely you will be bombarded with doubt and skepticism at best. Of course the most obvious question is "Do you want your kids to be unsocialized weirdos?" To this I often respond: "Weird kids are both inside and outside of public school and often are raised by weird parents….are you saying I'm weird or something?" That usually goes over well. This is usually followed by "how can you possible think you can do it?" This is a good reason why I say wait to tell until you have it all worked out so instead of saying "uhhhh I dunno" You can show them all your hard work. Your reasons why you want to homeschool, what method you plan to use, how you picked your curriculum, any co-op groups you plan to join in your area. You can even throw in some statistics on how many kids are homeschooled in the US and how they are often the top scores on all standardized testing" Sorry to say even after all this you are still going to get a parent/sibling/friend who is still going to tell you its a bad idea. That's OK. Some just need to see the fruits of your labor, and when they do they will appreciate your choice.
Wheeew!
Take a break. That was a lot to digest in one sitting. If you need to sleep on it and see how you feel in the morning, then do it. I promise no matter what you choose you are not "ruining your kids for life" as so often the thought may run through your mind…I know it does through mine. The fact that you are looking into homeschooling alone shows what an awesome caregiver you are. So do as my preschooler does so often in her class and give yourself a pat on the back. Go and discuss what your thinking with your partner or a close friend you can trust, pray about it…if that's your thing…and I promise if you are thinking "I really want to but I'm scared I can't" Trust me when I say if I can do it You can do it too :)
