considering homeschooling...any advice/opinions?

Tama - posted on 02/12/2010

I have a 7 yr old daughter and almost 5 yr old son. My kids have never been to school. We are unschoolers, which means that we don't set aside special time for "learning". It's child-led learning and I follow their interests and they learn through every day activities. We do no curriculum/worksheets/tests. I don't take a "teacher" role. Kids are naturally curious and want to learn. My role is to be available when they have questions, to offer them interesting things to do (Zoo, history museum, park/hiking, swimming, etc.), to supply them with books that interest them, other crafty supplies at hand, etc. We don't have a schedule, other than putting fun things to do on the calendar w/ friends or groups and then doing them. This is what works well for us though and some people I know thrive on a schedule and doing "lessons". Depends on your reasons for homeschooling. We do b/c I don't think that's the best way to learn. I think kids following their own interests is a better way. (I taught public high school for 7 ys.) I have no desire to make them sit and do lessons.

A couple of books I'd highly recommend if you are thinking of homeschooling --
"The Well Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling" and "The Homeschooling Book of Answers: The 88 Most Important Questions Answered by Homeschooling's Most Respected Voices". Great info!

Best wishes to you!



Make sure you find out what is required by law where you live. In our state the requirements are fairly minimal and even some things are required for me to do and keep in my records but aren't required to be reported to the state.

Allison - posted on 01/16/2010

I thinks homeschooling is very rewarding. I did it when my duaghter was younger and when she rejoined mainstream school she was way ahead of the othe kids. Make everything a game - that's the key. Kids learn when they are having fun! my duagher is 15 now but you can see her reading here when she was 18 months old http://www.earlyreadingskills.co.uk/

Heidi - posted on 11/11/2009

I just recently took my son out of public school who is eleven now. I always had the battle "That's not what my teacher said." It was very frustrating that he misunderstood his teacher, and didn't trust my judgment on schoolwork. I don't have that problem anymore. The balance in being a homeschooling mom is wonderful. You're teaching your son right now how to crawl, how to talk, and so much more. You know, every parent who helps with homework is already homeschooling. Give it a try. Start off with preschool. Then you'll have a feeling of how much fun you two will have together.

Don't worry about the chores. You will find time to do it. You son might even benefit from a chore chart where he can help you with his daily tasks. My daughter loves sweeping, and my son finally has time to clean his own room & isn't bombarded with nightly homework.

We joined a Parent Partnership Program where the kids are listed as public school children and the state gives us $500 a year to spend on classes at the school or to pay for our curriculum. Their Library is filled with home school supplies and there isn't really a need to buy curriculum, unless you want specific materials. My son is taking a robotics class & piano lessons this semester, while my daughter is only in Kindergarten and attends pottery class weekly. I love the program because it helps us with all the things I can't teach at home and it's free! I encourage you to check into it! Good luck on your research and let me know if you have anymore questions.

Jenni - posted on 10/17/2009

I agree with the other two comments...give it a try, but don't freak out when nothing goes as planned for the first two months! It takes that long to start developing a routine. And trust me, as a former public sducator, there are days in the classroom that nothing goes right either! It's the nature of the beast :) I will tell you that one thing I have found to be helpful for balancing time is first and foremost starting my day with time alone with God, then starting our school day with Bible time. When those two things happen life just goes easier! Then, there is a scheduling program I found through a website: www.titus2.com They are a homeschooling family of 8 and she had to create a schedule out of necessity. She is more strict with her approach to her family's schedule than I am (I only have one child) but that's the beauty of it. You can make it what works for your family! It does take some time to set it up, but its so worth it! It has made a night and day difference in how I feel and how I approach things. And I'm getting SO much more done!!! Amazing! Hope this helps some....

Blessings~

Jennifer Ward

Rachel - posted on 09/01/2009

You have lots of good questions. There are pros and cons to all 3 options; private school, public school and homeschooling. I think a lot depends on the child. I currently have one in private school, one in public school and I am doing my first year of homeschooling with my 4 yr old. There are lots of free resources I have found for pre-K and K on line that give you curriculums and schedules that make it easy for teaching. I took my son out of public school because of bad attitudes and behaviors he was picking up at school and we put him into a Classical Christian school this year. It's spendy so my daughter had to stay in public until next year when she will go to the same school as my son. I plan on teaching my other daughter here at home because she picked up really bad behaviors at the Head Start here. I think a lot of what you decide to do will depend on what morals and virtues you want your child to learn. If you are concerned about that I definately reccomend homeschooling or a really good private school. There are lots of groups out there who get together for field trips, play dates and regular homeschooling meetings to share ideas, so you don't have to worry about the social aspect of homeschooling. If you still aren't sure when your son is old enough, try it out. See what best fits you and your family. Good luck.

Lori - posted on 02/19/2009

where in Ontario are you Sarah?  I'm in Brantford and I just started homeschooling this past September.  We pulled our kids out of the public school system because of problems we were having with my stepdaughter.  I believe homeschooling my kids (even though we have our moments) has been the biggest blessing of our lives.  It has allowed me to see where they are at academically, and we are able to spend the amount of time we need to on the problem areas.  I have 2 fourth graders, my stepdaughter is one and my son the other.  My stepdaughter is quite a bit behind my son academically, yet she was being passed to the next grade.  When I first started homeschooling I broke down in tears one day because I couldn't believe that she had struggled so much and she was not helped.  We knew she was struggling, and had asked the school to help her on numerous occasions to no avail.  I've seen such a change in her self esteem since starting this, it's truly amazing.  Okay, I could go on and on.  I don't know if this encourages you or not, I hope so.  My theory is, if you are even contemplating homeschooling then you should give it a shot.  I just got two invitations today to two different homeschooling conferences in April.  One is in Kitchener and the other is in Hamilton.  I have not been to one of these yet, but I hear they are very informative.  If you want more info let me know you can e-mail me at    jerlorosborne@hotmail.com    I hope to hear from you and have a fantastic day!!!