I think I'm comin' over to the dark side!

[monkey's mom]

My son is still very young (27 mos.), but I think I'm going public with it: We are going to homeschool!

Hold me, though...I'm scared!

I've been reading this forum for so long now--I have a list of books and websites to pore through, and am getting more and more comfortable with the idea. I'm still nervous that I'm not going to be capable, that we will be ridiculed and pressured by family, and that my child will be 18 and not know how to read or write or count!

Phew.......ok, glad to get that off my chest! I'm pretty sure it will be fantastic--we are already doing it, really--but, it just feels like such a leap of faith!

I quietly mentioned it to my friend today, and she said, "Yep, I figured you would." In a very supportive, non-surprised way! Made me laugh!

[Fieryfly]

Congratulations!

Obviously you are already a homeschooler, esp since your friend figured you would do it!

Its okay to be nervous, but you'll be fine!

[Faith]

I think a lot of us are nervous to make the decision.
But then later on, we could not imagine doing it any other way!

Congratulations!

[lizzie]

Woohoo!!

I love a convert! Gladdens my heart! And the deeper you go, the more you'll know! I've been getting my family used to it since before I met my husband. And this board is so supportive and knowledgeable!! It's a wonderful thing, realizing that you CAN do this. I think my family probably assumed I was just in a phase at first, and they'll be thoroughly shocked and appalled in a couple of years when my dc are STILL not in school , but getting there's half the fun!

Congratulations!

Lizzie

[monkey's mom]

Thanks, everyone!

I'm glad to know other people were nervous in the beginning, too.

I am leaning toward unschooling--pretty much how we do it now. This kid is so smart (if I do say so.....hee!)---he really loves to learn.

We are currently doing:

~ ABCs--in sign language and english

~ Days of the week--on a lark at the grocery store, started telling him these to keep him occupied and he just latched right on. Guess a calendar would be good for him.

~ Some Spanish words: Hola, adios, cuidado, gracias, de nada, por favor, no mas, etc.

~ Counting--he counts everything! Seems to have a grudge against 4 and 5, though...hops right to 6! Gets as high as 13 or so.

~ Painting--this is new and he is loathe to get dirty, so I'd like to loosen him up a bit--tap into some more creativity.

~ Nature stuff--lots of exploring at the pond, talking about tree bark, ducks, water, flowers, etc. He is really into birds--got a book on bird calls and he actually cross-referenced it with another bird book!! And a fish tank--which lately is a lesson about "life cycles" (read: death). :

~ Sign class--we started when he was a baby and he LOVES it! (Makes the Spanish words soooo easy to learn).

He loves to read, loves ice hockey (is learning the players' names and different aspects of the game), likes to watch Dora the Explorer on TV, and loves to sing songs.

I really just try to follow his lead in all of this and offer new things so he doesn't get bored. It definitely keeps ya on your toes, huh?

Anyway, sorry to write a book--just glad to be here and will probably copy and paste this into some sort of record of his progress. Thanks again!!