homeschooling....(preferably Christian)?

Question

Does anyone out there home school their children? I want to and have gone online to search it out....but it's almost too much info and I don't know where to start! How much does it cost? How do I know if it's a good program? Pro's and con's etc.

Answer 1

Here we can contact our local County Schools office and they will help you with everything you need. The books are part of the deal.

The cost depends on you and how much you are willing to do, or not do.

Here there are some families that "share" the responsibility of home schooling their children. By that I mean more than one mom has joined together to teach their children. So I guess you could say that they started their own school. But usually not more than two or three moms.

The best set up I saw was where they had a designated room or area of their home that was for school. The children knew when they were their that Mom and Dad were not just their parents but were now their teachers.

Home schooling takes a lot of commitment. Both of you have to be commited to doing this. Your husband has to be committed to being the only one making the living and you have to be committed in teaching your children. The responsibility of their learning will fall on your shoulders. You as the mother/teacher will be spending most of your time teaching/instructing them.

Some parents find this hard as they are not willing to spend that much time with their children. It is very stressful, I'm sure. I never home schooled my children, but a good friend did. But she did it differently, as she'd home school for a few years then put the children back in public school, then she'd be home schooling them the next year. She did this for the socialization, I think. But she never took more than a year off and during this time she was deeping involved with them and their school.

Personally I think you should go for it. Teach them math the practical way, cooking, building something, etc.
Teach them history by having them read historical novels, keeps the interest up and is more memorable.
Teach them the practical things in life those things you want them to know.


Good luck.

Answer 2

Start with the laws. You can do this by visiting www.hslda.org or by finding a state or more local homeschooling support group. The latter will be ideal in getting the ins and outs of how the laws are actually played out where you live. You do NOT necessarily have to go to the county schools office and at times, that may be the worst thing for you to do. Check the laws, first.

Then know that homeschooling doesn't have to cost ANYTHING. You can do typical homeschooling, which is you pick the resources and do the evaluations, or find some alternative (umbrella schools, online schools, etc.). There doesn't have to be a program.

If you want a program--what do you mean by that exactly? A set of books? Or something where your children are signed up to be evaluated by someone else (some sort of online program)? For every program, you will find people who like it and people who don't. It's very individual.

I am going to repeat what I said above: contact a homeschooling support group. Being able to talk to someone and ask them all your questions is invaluable.

Answer 3

I home school my 6 & 8 year olds. I would look for homeschool groups in your community: A cover school, homeschool play group, a homeschool co-op, etc. Anyone in charge of a group of this nature should be eager to help you and answer your questions. Each state has different homeschool laws, so you really need advice from someone in your state. The Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) also can help you.

My one suggestion when starting out is use 1 publisher for your childs books. A Beka, Bob Jones, Sonlight, etc. Just pick one and go with it. You can change a subject here or there as each year goes along. Don't try to find the one perfect publisher for every subject. You will drive yourself crazy. There are so many out there. Don't try to reinvent the wheel.

Answer 4

I'm not going to parrot what the others have said, because it is all good advice, but you had in particular asked about the cost so I will answer that one since no one else gave you a basic figure.

When my kids, who are a yr apart, were in the lower elementary grades, I used A beka. We did history and science together so I had to have 2 of those textbooks. We did extra science kits [lots of them], extra art, and did a few things that others don't do such as logic/thinking skills and music. I found a few textbooks that I bought used,but most I bought new. I spent about $500/yr, but that really did include a lot of 'extras.'

My kids are both in middle school now and because I try to get used books on ebay for the upcoming years, plus borrow some stuff from my sister - I honestly couldn't tell you what I spend. Plus, we do Learnables Spanish and have to have 3 books since I am learning it too, so that is going to boost what we spend.

Answer 5

Start by finding a local co-op. If you can't find one online, ask around at your church or the local elementary school.

Talk to the parents there. Most would be more than happy to help guide you through all the available choices.

Just remember that it is an individual decision that you and your husband need to make, with the input of your child if the child is of an age to have input. It should be what's best for your child, not just what's cheapest, most convenient, or even what sounds the best. Be open to changing your mind, if things don't seem to work out.

Answer 6

It is overwhelming with choices in the beginning. For me, I went to a local homeschool book fair. They have all types of curriculum and approaches, support, supplies, seminars, everything imaginable.

You can look through a lot of curriculum, listen to others and what has and has not worked for them (and why). You can talk with educators and authors of curriculum and their reasoning for approaches. It is also great to take your kids so they can have the time to interact with other children and see what the options are as well.

As far as cost, it is up to you and the needs of your family. You can do bare basics, purchase some curriculum used, or co-op with others. As your children age, they will need more and more extras and these can add up in tutoring, supplies, projects, field trips, and too much to list. I spend the same as in private school (which varies from time to time and year to year), but I know some who spend practically nothing.

I would encourage you to keep the kids involved in social activities, whether music, athletics, youth groups and such as it is really important for social skills, and takes stress off of everyone.