Is there a test for me to take to begin schooling my child? Anyone currently home schooling out there who can give me some good resources for a small budget? Any advice is helpful. Thanks!
2006-09-03 02:35:07 · 16 answers · asked by Barbie 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Home Schooling
Wow. You're getting many confused answers.
Home schooling is a wonderful way to educate your child.
Start out by checking into the Home School Legal Defense Association. www.hslda.org
They will have many links to resources for you. And the information you will find will help you to know if your State requires any kind of teacher test. It is unlikely.
To be a teacher to your own children you just need to know something. And I'm positive that you know something!!!! Right?! Of course you do. And you are the parent. Parenting is teaching. Thus Teaching is Parenting ---- you don't have to give the job to anyone else.
In Oregon we have an organization that is very valuable: www.oceanetwork.org
The best things to get started are very simple.
Teach colors by sorting toys. Teach numbers by counting toys.
As your child gets a little older you can begin flashcards (use beans or coins for counting and setting up a visual of the equation -- aka manipulatives)
Read often to your child. Begin phonics by teaching letters and sounds. Use the McGuffey Readers and/or The First Reader by Phyllis Schlafly. Teach handwriting with a large pudgy pencil. I like the writing workbook that comes with The First Reader --- and I also like the computer program StartWrite. It is great! You can download it from the internet. It cost about $49 but it is well worth it.
Be very patient and smile a lot!!!! Keep learning as fun and relaxed as possible
I have used the Robinson Curriculum for 8 years with my children. It cost $195 and has instructions and material that covers kindegarten through 12th grade and a little more -- the great thing is that we only had to buy it once (divide $195 by four children and then again by 12 years and it is an awesome bargain). The only other thing we had to buy is math.
Saxon Math costs between $50 and $75 depending on grade level.
You can invite people over to your house or go to other homes for group activities or just simply get together with friends IF and WHEN you choose.
My children and all of our home-school friends are doing very well with their education.
2006-09-03 03:14:32 · answer #1 · answered by Barb 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
You and I are in the same boat with the small budget thing. There is no test that you have to take in order to home school your child. I'm in my second year of home schooling and, so far, this is what I have done. I go to Walmart, buy their workbooks, flash cards, etc. I submit (with grade 1 and up) the proposed curriculum for that year: math, reading, grammar, social studies, etc. to the school district, they send a letter letting me know that everything has been approved and that my child is 'excused from attendence' for the school year.
As for those people who believe home schooled children have no social interaction, that is entirely untrue and unfounded. We have a group which meets every Wednesday for a play date and once a month, we have a big field trip. The kids love it, it gives us a breather in the middle of the week, and there isn't one child who doesn't interact with the others.
Also, these children are well-adjusted and have a higher acceptance rate into colleges across the country.
Socially, the older children (jr-sr high school ages) have dances, parties, and even a prom. They miss out on nothing except peer pressure, bad influences at 'regular' school, and the chance to be shot, stabbed, raped, or abused by their classmates. How can any child learn in that sort of environment?
I applaud and encourage you in your choice to home school. Be proud! You and your child are going to have the best times, be closer to each other than most other parents and children, and you will both find this a wonderful experience.
Keep it up!!!
(as for those who frown on home schooling, don't knock it till you've tried it.)
2006-09-03 06:51:20 · answer #2 · answered by Kathrine E 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
in response to all the discouraging comments you've recieved, here's what I have to say:
Homeschooling is great for your child intellectually and emotionally and morally, but I think that you need to supplement the social aspect. Here's why: I was homeschooled through Jr. High and had 2 friends, my little sister and an acquaintance at church. During that time I could really have used a close friend, but I had no opportunity to make one. There were other circumstances in my family that affected this outcome, as well, but it took me 4 years of high school attending a school to learn how to make and be a good friend, as well as interact in a group. I loved the curriculum and being with my family, but I missed having friends my own age.
So when you start homeschooling, make sure to provide opportunites for your daughter to make friends, and she will have the best education.
2006-09-03 06:24:00 · answer #3 · answered by megansheart 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Way TO GO!I'm home schooled,and from personal experience,you are making the best decision.anyway,my parents didn't have to take any tests for home schoolinging,and they aren't certified teachers,and they are teaching me great.I would first look into going a homeschool group,because they might have meetings where you can learn some more about home schooling,also,either buy or borrow homeschool books,though it might be difficult there's like 5 million different books on EVERYTHING on homeschooling,but if you can weave through them,do that.And remember,don't let other people convince you that your child is never going to make it in society if they're home schooled,cause we are fine,and make friends just like any other kids,and you will have a great relationship with your child,like I have with my parents,and you would never have that kind of relationship if your child was public schooled.even though it is going to be a challenge,its all worth it.
2006-09-03 05:06:15 · answer #4 · answered by thepinkbookworm 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. You need to have basic knowledge, reading, writing, arithmetic to teach your daughter
Invest in a HSLDA membership, there you can request an informational packet concerning your state guidelines.
Start when you and your daughter are ready. Kindergarten should only be about 3 hours, this you can split in morning and afternoon. Get some workbooks for her to practice her letters and numbers. Have some drawings for counting or color and shape telling. Start with concepts of money, concepts of simple science, concepts of morals, and telling time. Depending on how she does, you can start with reading simple short words. Include some music, singing, and memory games. Teach her to organize her work, be on time, pay attention, ask questions, etc.
Check out these sources for curricula:
A Beka, Alpha Omega, Spectrum Math, Rod and Staff, and don't forget the library!!! Be sure she has her OWN library card!!!
2006-09-03 03:08:09 · answer #5 · answered by schnikey 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You need to check out the regulations where you live. Also read whatever you can find at the library and get involved with your local homeschooling group. It will give you the next few years to really immerse yourself and learn all you can. Also buy the book "Homeschooling on a Shoestring". It'll show you how cheaply you can homeschool your child.
Don't let naysayers put doubts into your mind. If you are willing to do your end of things, which you've already begun by asking questions, there's nothing to fear in homeschooling.
2006-09-03 04:14:19 · answer #6 · answered by glurpy 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First, you will need to check out your state laws. The easiest way is to go to www.hslda.org and look up your state.
You can start now by teaching some basics like colors, shapes, numbers, and letters. One web site I found helpful for this is www.crayola.com for preschool.
You can start learning how your daughter learns now so you can choose the best curriculum to teach.
Another web site to get worksheets from is www.schoolexpress.com. They have worksheets for all ages, for now select the category for 3-5 years.
Good Luck and please keep in mind some people are very closed minded when it comes to home schooling.
2006-09-03 04:28:33 · answer #7 · answered by MomOfThree 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No-one can possibly tell you anything without knowing whereabouts your niece is in the world (country *AND* state or territory). Different places have different rules; ergo, it's impossible for anyone to know the requirements of homeschooling without knowing where in the world she lives. Coming from a home educating family in the UK though I can tell you this much : there is nothing amiss with the situation *IF* she happens to live over here. The law here says her parents don't have to send their daughter to school, nor do anything that resembles 'school' while home educating her, nor do they have to provide her with the opportunity for social interaction with anyone else her age.
2016-03-17 07:07:31 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Each state has different laws regarding homeschooling. Go to the HSLDA website to find the regulations for your state. Most states require very little. You may have to file some paper work and you might have to be a high school graduate. There might be no requirements at all. You might check out www.k12.com. They have a wonderful curriculum and are used by many virtual academies in quite a few states. If you are in a virtual academy, you are officially a public school student, but the parent does the teaching at home with input from a certified teacher. It can be a good way to start if you are feeling unsure, and it is a way to get a great curriculum and computer use at no cost to you. The curriculum is also available independently, but is quite costly.
You can check out www.mothering.com/discussions and look at the learning at home and beyond thread for discussions on different styles of homeschooling, different curriculum, and great tips for a tight budget. This is a great site for secular homeschoolers as well as those looking for a christian outlook. If you are more interested in a christian perspective, you might check out www.homeschoolspot.com.
Great sites for pre-school/kindergarten age are www.starfall.com and www.enchantedlearning.com.
Check out a book call Homeschooling Resources for Smart Families by Lisa Rivero - you might find it or request it from your library. It lists tons of great resources for homeschooling.
Despite the snarky comments by some users here, homeschooling offers great social activities. In fact, my daughter states that less time with friends is her primary reason for not wanting to go to school. She works several grade levels ahead of her age mates in school, participates in several outside classes in art, piano, dance, tumbling, etc. She has regular get togethers with friends and with our homeschool group at the park, skating, on field trips, to theatre performances, etc. She has great friends who go to the local public school as well as homeschool.
Read all you can - you have plenty of time to sort it all out. Most of all, have fun!
2006-09-03 03:35:25 · answer #9 · answered by mom21gr8girl 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You already are homeschooling! In fact, ALL mothers of toddlers and infants are homeschooling......it just isn't formal. We start the day our children are born to educate them about the world around them. It is to our shame that we turn our kids over to the state to finnish what we have started. As for my family, I have three sons who went to public school for a while, then I followed my heart and brought them home. (I had wanted to homeschool since they were born but gave in to the LOUD opinions of outsiders) My boys were doing alright in school but have really done well since bringing them home, both academically and socially. Two of my sons are really shy and I worried about them at school.....I did worry that bringing them home might make it harder for them to make friends, what I found was the total opposite! They do their work in the early mornings then usually in the early afternoons we are done. Every Friday they attend a homeschool co-op where they learn with kids who are close in age, (there are co-ops everywhere and classes many times start as early as preschool age). This semester in co-op for example my boys are taking...health and nutrition, volleyball for gym, and then the older two take caligraphy for art, and the younger one takes a geography class.
In our area there is homeschool soccer, gym and swim at the YMCA, art lessons offered by the counsel for the arts (and these are really good in depth art lessons not a 20 minute craft class as they would get in public school) The art classes are 90 minutes long and have, so far, covered many aspects of the arts. There are group field trips, homeschool book clubs, the possibilities and opportunities for a homeschool child is as endless as the time the parent's put in. My boys have made closer friends since we started to homeschool than they ever did in PS. Although they are still friends with the ones they made there.
As far as resources for a small budget....just involve your little girl in your everyday things....you can learn a lot of math while cooking or grocery shopping if you talk about what you are doing while you are doing it! As has been suggested already you will want to check out your local homeschool support groups...just type a search with your state's name and the word homeschool and you should come up with loads of information and contacts. Another great resource is yahoo groups....go to yahoo groups and search homeschool preschoolers...there is nothing like talking with another mom the same age as your child to get ideas from.
Good luck and enjoy your little girl. It seems like yesterday I was in your shoes and thinking about homeschooling, now my oldest is nearly as tall as me! It goes too fast.
Blessings!
2006-09-03 10:30:04 · answer #10 · answered by Greencastle PS 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋