How do you handle homeschooling?

Question

If you've decided to keep your kids at home instead of at school, where do you begin finding resources?

Where do you look for books? Do you try to teach them everything yourself? What are your experiences?

Answer 1

Read about different educational philosophies: unschooling, Waldorf, Montessori, Classical Education, etc.
the great thing about homeschooling is your ability to pick the best of these and leave the rest, the parts that don't suit your family.
You can buy prepackaged curriculum k-12, but if you'd like more flexibility you can get books on the curriculum planning and use various sources to achieve the same ends.
Two I recommend are the Core Knowledge series (What Your Kindergartner, 1st Grader, etc. Needs to Know) and Home Learning Year by Year by Rebbecca Rupp.
Check your local library, and Amazon is a great source for opinions on the various books on home schooling. It can save you a lot of money to read what other people found helpful or didn't.

Answer 2

If there's a local homeschool group near you, see if anyone would be interested in a curriculum show and tell. Or, if you've already looked online and have an idea what you want, you may be able to borrow from someone in the group until you decide if you want to use it or try something else.

My favorite place to buy homeschool books is Rainbow Resource. There's also Timberdoodles, Children's Books, and the Homeschool Superstore.

I do most of the teaching, but have also used co-ops and tutors. As my boys get older, I realize they will grow beyond my knowledge and I will have to place them in more classes/co-ops. My older son does some learning on his own, but hasn't shown much self-motivation (yet). I'm hoping this will change as he gets older.

Answer 3

The internet is a homeschooler's best friend. Yes, it can take some digging, but it's amazing all the things you can find. In fact, when it comes to curriculum/learning resources, it's not a matter of finding them, it's a matter of deciding which is best for you and your family. (Or if you want to use any curriculum at all.)

I recommend starting here for answers:
http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/newtohomeschooling/

As for our experiences - we've found homeschooling to be the single best thing we ever did for our children. We currently use the Alpha-Omega Switched on Schoolhouse program, but I'm not sure we'll continue with it next year. I like the program but I do feel sometimes that we're a little too chained to the desk/computer.

Here are some other links about homeschooling - though some are definitely geared toward Floridians.
http://www.highday.net/hdlinks.html

Generally yes, I "teach" them everything myself, but only as far as their core curriculum goes. We belong to a co-op (different moms teach different classes) where one of my kids takes geography, drama, PE and logic and the other has Art History, dance, sign language, and Bible Drills. They both also take music lessons from professional instructors.

One more thing - I personally consider it a MUST that you join some sort of support group. They're invaluable as a resource for homeschooling help and simple fellowship. They can help you learn about all the things available to you locally.

Answer 4

Depending on the age of the children, you may even find used textbooks at the local used bookstore. Next, teacher stores - great for workbooks. The local chain bookstore will have different resources as well.

You may already know that purchasing these items will be quite expensive if you don't take the time to compare. Once you find something you like, check e-bay or Amazon too.

On the internet, the History Channel provides videos and more, PBS provides quite a bit on various topics.

Answer 5

The options are overwhelming...from free worksheets on the internet, to fancy curriculum packages, you find teacher stores, used book stores, homeschool fairs and local homeschool families that will trade with you.

Try to have as many things combined as possible, if you have several children, so you can save money. This can be literature, art, science or music, and each child does work appropriate for their age and level. Individualise math and writing.

I found used bookstores around colleges to have lots of used curricula that works for homeschool. Look in the yellow pages under books. Also teacher supply stores have lots of workbooks that are thematic, you can do short sets for all kids with the same themes, like Greek Mythology, Ecology, AIDS, or the Roman Empire. Each child then goes and does extra work, writing, reading or investigating for their level.

I found google to be helpfull, type in "free math worksheets", then look thru by grade, print them and there you go.
If you can afford it, visit a homeschool curriculum fair in your state, and get all the catalogs and and all free stuff you can carry! This will help you in designing a curriculum for your kids. You will see who has what for what price!

You can order piles od "Dover Thrift Editions" on Amazon.com for $2-$8, these are all great titles. If you join a homeschool group, you can trade books, or buy used ones and save money.

If you enter the high school grades and get stuck...there are video classes, video descriptions, there are software CDs on all subject, there are friends or co-workers that might be helpful (is Uncle Bob the electronic-nut? Aunt Emma knowledgable in the history of Virginia? Next door Steve is a great mechanic and knows everything about the Civil War???

Start looking everywhere, ask questions! Also the library, they often have reading days for kids, they give lessons in library use, they have listings for tutors, they may even know of courses at the local techn. schools...

You must teach the children to ask questions, and to find the answers themselves, otherwise you will not get far. Encourage their thirst for knowledge. Find their favorite topics and incorporate them into the day. Have outings. Allow mistakes, you too, if you find something does not work, dump it and find something new!

Answer 6

I have found resources everywhere and I mean everywhere! The internet, library, bookstores, garage sales, church, even home depot (the how-to classes are great). I do not try to teach them everything myself I believe in Mentoring for my kids. There is always someone else out there that know something I can't teach them. But, I do teach them quite a bit on my own. I studied learning styles, teaching techniques, child psycology, and whatever else I thought I would need. Its very hard work and at times frustrating but I wouldn't change it for the world. My children are worth all of it.

Answer 7

I started with recommendations from fellow homeschoolers. I also checked out websites, the library, got free catalogues from places like Sonlight... I was homeschooling out of one school board that also had resources we could rent.

In the end, I've picked up a few workbooks from places like Staples or local bookstores, buy things from Scholastic and make use of the library A LOT. And teacher supply stores. Oh, even the local school district's bookstore.

I was going to say that I teach my kids everything, but that's not true. They learn a lot just on their own plus they have done classes/lessons, camps and the like.

Answer 8

young babies that age do no longer do a number of formal artwork, so it extremely is going to no longer be too demanding. consistent with danger some thing like Sue Patrick's Workbox device (can purchase the e book on amazon) could artwork for you. it may make it trouble-free to schedule so which you're able to have Mamma time with one, on a similar time as the different works on an self sufficient undertaking, and vice versa. There are lots of blogs around to purloin suggestions from, or merely take the belongings you in many situations do and stick it interior the workboxes.

Answer 9

I would try to find an accredited schooling organization, otherwise you have to have them take tests to prove that they are at an appropriate grade level. It really depends on the children's ages. They do need some time learn how to act around other children. I was only homeschooled after 2 yrs of high school. Search online for accredited programs and find one that would be most appropriate for you and your children.