To homeschool or not?

Question

I like the idea of homeschooling and teaching my kids Christian values , but after reading a few books on homeschooling and researching about curriculums I am really overwhelmed ; I don't know where to begin . There are so many curriculums and most are more than what we can afford. Also , I don't have any exp. as a teacher . Although I know my state's standards , I am not sure what to teach first and how to send the paperwork to the school district , I don't know how to test my child and I am even worried we can't afford to pay teachers to test 3 kids when they will all be school age . My oldest will be in Kindergarten next year and I have 2 other kids under 3 , it seems like a lot of work with homeschooling and getting all the things done around the house , not to mention I work from home over the phone as a medical interpreter (only about 60 min /day) .
Any advice about how to start and what curriculum to purchase would be appreciated .

Answer 1

Oh, the first thing I want to say to you is relax...relax...relax. Take a few deep breaths and remember that your children are still just babies. It's not like you have to worry about physics, calculus, algebra, and the like at this point.

The things you can be doing with your children now are things like reading Bible stories and other books, doing puzzles, drawing pictures, nature walks, nature journals (with you doing the writing for now), simple kitchen science, math with cheerios or other inexpensive manipulatives, and other simple things like that. I can't imagine why anyone would purchase a curriculum for Kindergarten or Preschool, when the most important things at that age are the things a good mom is going to teach her child anyway (like the love of books, and the love of learning for its own sake, and the intrinsic reward that comes from figuring stuff out on their own!).

Also, there are as many ways to homeschool as there are homeschoolers, and you have plenty of time (like as in years and years) to find the ways that fit you and each one of your individual children.

As to your fear of "getting it all done," first of all, may I please be the first (and certainly not the last) to tell you that no homeschool mom "gets it all done," and anyone who says they do is lying! Also, with regard to the actual time you need to put in, it will, of course, vary depending on what you're doing with your children, but keep in mind that a homeschool family can most often get done from around 9-12 what it takes public schools from around 8-4 to accomplish. With that in mind, what would a half-day Kindergarten program really take in terms of actual time spent?

I have three children, age 10, 6 and 4, and I run two small businesses from home, so I don't have a spare minute. I am not organized, nor am I supermom. What I do have, though, is such a strong love for my children that I am not willing to allow the State to raise them. The other, and most important thing I have, is the power of prayer. Use it, and He will help you daily, hourly and minute by minute.

I hope this was helpful.

Answer 2

Only you and your husband can decide whether homeschooling would be right for your family. I homeschool an only child, so I don't have any insight on homeschooling multiple young children. I can tell you that you don't necessarily have to use a curriculum; you can make your own, nor do you need any teaching experience.

Regarding affordable curriculum, Christian Liberty Press has some very good curriculum for the price. Also, you don't have to order everything for a particular grade; you can order what you need. The link is below:

http://ebiz.netopia.com/clpress

Answer 3

Find a homeschool support group where you live--either in your city or just in your state. There is bound to be something in Yahoo Groups or at the very least a website for a state-based group (just do a search for _yourstate homeschool_). They will be able to tell you about the most affordable testers (do you HAVE to test where you live?) and the ins and outs of how they go about it. And do you have to send paperwork to the school district?

Also, you don't have to buy a curriculum. Most people I know don't buy a full curriculum, just things here and there.

Answer 4

Visit your public library. They will have the curriculums available. There are also churches and home schooling organizations that will assist you. The local public school is suppose to help you as well. They probably will spend most of your time trying to talk you out of it.

Getting started is the most difficult part. Preparing a lesson plan for 3 kids is not overwhelming once you understand what is required.

The amazing part to home schooling is how little time it actually takes. One-on-one, you can teach much more than what your children will learn in publc school. You also will find you do not need to spend all the time from 8am-3pm teaching. You will cover the lesson plans in a fraction of the time.

If there is a subject you are not especially fond of teaching. Another home schooler might be willing to tutor your children in exchange for you tutoring theirs.

You need to find someone already home schooling to show you the ropes. Your church is a great resource.

Your spouse needs to be active in their education as well. Make some lessons taught when everyone is home together.

Answer 5

I have a 13 year old that I took out of public school last year in the middle of the school year. I had him enrolled in a christian academy the previous two years and they taught him to read and spell. The Christan academy switched curriculum to a new program and that is the one I chose for us. It has links in the lessons that are researched before hand so the content is safe. They also have a Bible subject included in the lessons. They have preschool and to high school. With three children it would only be expensive the first couple of years, because you would be re-using the curriculum.

This is the stuff I use they also have a lot of support and do not let you hang.

Answer 6

I think you are experiencing panic from information overload. Yes, you are wanting to do the right thing for the right reasons and you are starting out correctly. You are fortunate to be starting from scratch with young children so you don't have to undo any habits or research where to start. You can simply start at the beginning and teach exactly what you want. Don't panic. You can teach your kids. You know everything they need to know for kindergarten so you could teach them without any curriculum. Just make up your own, or go to the dollar store for workbooks. In the meantime, link up with local homeschoolers so you can look at their curriculum or go to homeschool conventions. You don't have to buy an expensive curriculum in a box. Research the Robinson curriculum, it is cheap-you print it off yourself, it is a whole different philosophy. Many people make up their own for next to cheap, some (like me) cobble together the curriculum using different materials. For multiple children look for the words "reproducible" when you are looking to buy materials so you can use them over again. Also, don't spend a ton on materials, they may not be right for you. Don't be afraid to change what you are doing if it doesn't work. Keep it simple. Keep it fun. Don't panic, don't despair. You'll do great!

Answer 7

Ummm.....homeschooling must no longer be you locked in a basement someplace or chained to a table. Real global events may also be the exceptional side of a house established schooling. We lawn and seek advice from parks and farms. We attend more than a few lectures and my daughter used to be influenced to do a little pictures this iciness. My daughter loves to motorbike within the afternoons, sculpt so much mornings within the solar, move with peers to the library, move browsing and to the films on weekends and we each absorb artwork suggests every time we will be able to. We use town buses and trolleys to get in which we wish to move. We motorbike the greenbelt and hang around on the skate park for "gymnasium magnificence". If you hate the style of homeschool you presently have, difference it entirely! There are as many approaches to homeschool as there are homeschoolers. Currently my daughter and a buddy are becoming in combination to look at a weekly PBS detailed on Native Americans. They watch and talk about even as they've Rocky Road ice cream and revel in each and every others corporation. If my daughter hated how she schooled, I'd inform her that used to be her fault for missing creativeness and gumption, considering the fact that we university in line with her tastes, expertise and plans. You must take a look at that too.

Answer 8

First start by taking a deep breath.
I understand that it can often be overwhelming since there is so much available.

Your work of an hour a day will have no bearing on you being able to home school your children.

Curriculum's can be very expensive when you buy a complete set.
Remember that often these were originally developed for private Christian schools, and therefore have a very prescriptive schedule.

True home schooling gives you the freedom to set you own schedule, and adjust it to fit your familys' schedule, that's why these "school" schedules should only be used as a guide not gospel.
We take a very relaxed and unschooling type approach; this gives us a lot of flexibility, and it is important to remember that you can accomplish in about two hours a day at home what would take an average of 5 to 6 hours in a regular school setting.

That gives you a lot of time to do whatever your family would like to do.
http://www.unschooling.com/

We use Christian Liberty Press as our basic foundation, but we do not follow their whole schedule, or buy a complete curriculum; although by now we probably own most of their books. ^_^

They do get our vote for solid academics, and affordability.
If you'd rather choose to have their Academy do the paper work for you, and have on line support they provide that service, as well as testing.
http://ebiz.netopia.com/clpress/
http://www.homeschools.org/

Depending on the ages of the children there are so many free web sites that provide all kinds of great educational games, and printable work sheets, you can almost home school for free.
One of these web sites is http://www.enchantedlearning.com/

A large list of these web site that I have posted several time can be found at this link;
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiA6OXFILBX9B22t5qCHz9zAxQt.;_ylv=3?qid=20070912064314AALDC9M

Good Luck.

Answer 9

Oh! I remember those days and how much stress it is to make these decisions!!

First of all, you don't really need to buy one of the pre-packaged curriculums!! Take a look at
http://www.cindyrushton.com and
http://www.donnayoung.org
Then take a deep breath!!

First find out what the minimum paperwork requirements are for your state. You can find that if you go to http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/

You shouldn't need the hundreds to thousands of dollars for the pre-packaged curriculums!! There should be educational material stores near you. For me, they are 30 - 50 miles away, but I go every so often anyway! When you go, ask if you can sign up for a teacher discount card if you are a homeschooler. In most you can. Some you need the state form showing that you are a homeschooler, others, just your say-so is good enough.

There are so many books out there, not to mention the LIBRARY!! you don't really need textbooks for at LEAST the first 3 years of homeschool. The library children's section should have everything you need as far as books. You should be able to find workbooks at Wal-Mart or Office Max for the early years. I don't recommend that that is all you use, but it does cover the basics and then you can make up your own or get worksheets off of http://www.edhelper.com or http://www.enchantedlearning.com for math and science.

One or 2 good science experiment books and you should be set. If you want to get a good workbook for math, phonics, spelling, reading, and geography (they may have more, but these I'm sure of!) Spectrum workbooks by McGraw-Hill are available in most teacher/homeschool supply stores at about $10 or less per book. Each book covers one class for one grade. They are no-nonsense books that cover the basics.

Also look at Christian Light Education books. They are from the mennonite tradition, so some of the teaching doesn't apply to me (I'm not mennonite, but I am Christian). They have books on every subject. They seem pretty cheap, too. I get their things from http://www.anabaptistbooks.com/ They are very helpful and honest.

I also went to http://www.rainbowresource.com and requested a free catalog. WOW!!! It is thick!! When I ordered from them, I got my package REALLY fast!! Their catalog is very helpful. It goes into detail on many of the things they sell, so you can find the best fit for your family.

JOIN YAHOO GROUPS for homeschoolers!

Find a local homeschool group.

Hope all this helps and I didn't bore you!!

Answer 10

I would start by getting on google and googling "homeschooling". There are lots of clubs and stuff online that you can lurk in or join. These families will be an enormous help and support to you should you decide to do it. If you are in an area where there is a lot of homeschooling going on there will also be clubs within your city or an organization. These women are really great about helping one another and I'm sure will be more then willing to answer questions you have. When my kids were young I would have loved to have done it but I am to unorganized and knew it was more then I could keep up with. Good Luck to you!