My DD Jenna will be 4 in June, and I also have a 20 month old son. DH and I have always said our kids would be homeschooled or go to a good private school, no public school.
When Jenna was 2 she started in the mother's day out/preschool program at our church one day a week - partly because she loved being around other children her age, and partly to give me a little time with her new baby brother one on one (and time to run errands without both of them in tow!). She LOVED it! This schoole year she is going two days a week, again to a church run preschool (we moved, so it's not the same one). She still LOVES it and generally gets really excited when she realizes it's a "preschool day". I had to switch to a new preschool for this coming fall in order to keep her in at only 2 days a week - her current preschool didn't offer a 4 year old class less than 3 or 5 days a week, and I just felt that was too much. She seems quite happy with twice a week and it works well for me, too. Noah will also be going twice a week to that preschool in the fall.
I have only skimmed the surface of homeshooling - I haven't really delved into serious research about it. I always thought "I've got plenty of time to think about that later!" but I'm realizing now that Jenna is going to be ready for kindergarten before I know it and I better start making a real plan now.
We can't afford a private school - it's just not realistic on our budget. I have serious concerns about public school, especially since I have heard that the Alabama public school system is one of the worst in the country. I really don't know how to go about judging that for myself, though! How do you know if a public school is good or not?
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The thought of homeschooling scares me, I admit - not only because I'm just not sure I can do it well, but also because Jenna loves preschool so much that I'm afraid she won't like homeschooling and will miss the school environment she is used to! On the other hand, in kindergarten she certainly won't have the same environment - I'm sure her class will be much larger than 13 children and it will be 5 days a week.
We are active in our church so she has lots of interaction with other kids her age there.
Have any of you started homeschooling children who had previously been in a more traditional school setting and who really enjoyed that school? I'm sorry this is kind of rambling, I'm just pretty confused about it all and feel like I'm kind of floundering around right now...
When Jenna was 2 she started in the mother's day out/preschool program at our church one day a week - partly because she loved being around other children her age, and partly to give me a little time with her new baby brother one on one (and time to run errands without both of them in tow!). She LOVED it! This schoole year she is going two days a week, again to a church run preschool (we moved, so it's not the same one). She still LOVES it and generally gets really excited when she realizes it's a "preschool day". I had to switch to a new preschool for this coming fall in order to keep her in at only 2 days a week - her current preschool didn't offer a 4 year old class less than 3 or 5 days a week, and I just felt that was too much. She seems quite happy with twice a week and it works well for me, too. Noah will also be going twice a week to that preschool in the fall.
I have only skimmed the surface of homeshooling - I haven't really delved into serious research about it. I always thought "I've got plenty of time to think about that later!" but I'm realizing now that Jenna is going to be ready for kindergarten before I know it and I better start making a real plan now.
We can't afford a private school - it's just not realistic on our budget. I have serious concerns about public school, especially since I have heard that the Alabama public school system is one of the worst in the country. I really don't know how to go about judging that for myself, though! How do you know if a public school is good or not?
:The thought of homeschooling scares me, I admit - not only because I'm just not sure I can do it well, but also because Jenna loves preschool so much that I'm afraid she won't like homeschooling and will miss the school environment she is used to! On the other hand, in kindergarten she certainly won't have the same environment - I'm sure her class will be much larger than 13 children and it will be 5 days a week.
We are active in our church so she has lots of interaction with other kids her age there.
Have any of you started homeschooling children who had previously been in a more traditional school setting and who really enjoyed that school? I'm sorry this is kind of rambling, I'm just pretty confused about it all and feel like I'm kind of floundering around right now...
