This page is dedicated to everything homeschool. My family like many other families have chosen to educate our children at home. Research has shown that many families are choosing home education as a viable option for their families. Let me start by saying that I have been thinking about homeschool since my oldest son Christopher was three years old. I really went into overdrive praying and researching my options when Christopher turned four and I was not happy with the Pre-K options available to us. When I told my husband what I was thinking he was not supportive at first. He thought the idea was strange and was worried that I would keep our children in the house away from others. I informed him that was not my plan and continued my research and prayers that he would get on board. Thankfully he eventually came around. Below are the reasons why we have chosen to homeschool:
- Provide a positive environment for learning to take place.
- Child lead education. While I do follow a curriculum homeschooling allows me to cater our education around things that interest my children.
- Use materials and curriculum that is geared specifically for the way my children learn.
- We the parents are the primary influence on our children.
- There are no bullies.
- I can focus on teaching my children, not just preparing them for a standardized exam.
- Can go deeper with subject matter. We are not limited to the board of education's state mandated standards. Those standards are only a guide.
- Homeschooling works because its patterned after one on one tutoring. If my child has mastered a certain concept we don't have to wait for the entire class to get it before I can move on or vice versa, I can slow things down as needed for his level.
- More one on one time than they would get in a traditional class setting, where there is one teacher for every 20 children.
- Really nurture a sensitive child.
- Opportunity for children to grow in their faith because biblical training in incorporated into our day. Since my decision to homeschool was a faith based decision this benefits the entire family.
- Shelter children from situations they are not emotionally ready to handle.
- Learning extends beyond the classroom.
- Give them the education I wish I had.
- My boys don't have to just sit in a chair and be quiet for hours. The can move around as movement is apart of our lessons. Most boys are not auditory learners, altering their environment to suit them alleviates a lot of stress.
Below is a list of questions that I am frequently asked:
What About Socialization? My children participate in little league sports. We are very active in our church where there are children of various ages for them to interact with. We are apart of a local homeschool co-op, where the children attend class with other homeschool students on Friday. Lastly they have one another. They are learning to deal with their emotions, how to handle confrontations, sharing etc. just by living together.
How Do You Know What to Teach? This is probably one of the easier decisions of home education. Generally what you want to do first is find out what your state requirements are. You can start at this site http://www.hslda.org/ In addition I went here to compare standards. I put the two together to create the guidelines for our Kindergarten year. Remember these are just guidelines you can go more in depth on certain topics or wait to cover certain topics later, depending on your state requirements and the individual needs of your children.
Where Do You Get Your Materials? The are so many options for curriculum it can be and at times is very overwhelming. The best advice I can give is to find out how your child learns first. You can google books on the topic. I will have some selections for books I chose under my book recommendations tab. Another thing to remember is every homeschool family is different just because a certain curriculum works for one family does not mean it will work for yours. Please don't be discouraged when your homeschool friend who loves her curriculum makes a suggestion to you and you try it and you hate it. I will say this upfront there is no perfect curriculum. I will say it again because sometimes you need to hear things more than once. There is no perfect curriculum. Find what you feel most comfortable with and go with it. Here is a great place to start reviewing curriculum.
Homeschool Reviews
Successful Homeschooling (What's so great about this site is it is loaded with information and if you like a review of a product you can click the link and go directly to the publishers site.)
