Questions about Homeschooling.

[eilonwy]

I fully intend to homeschool ds; I haven't quite won the argument with dh yet, but I think I'll have an easier time once ds starts to talk. I actually made this decision the first time I heard of homeschooling, when I was in 7th grade or so. School was *not* for me! It was miserable and I still regret being forced to go and do something so horribly boring!: I would have been much better off learning at my own pace at home. Some years may have been better spent in a closet with books thrown in! :LOL At any rate, on to the questions:

1. Is "unschooling" the same as "homeschooling", or something different?

2. Do most of you write your own curricula or purchase them?

3. Do your children socialize with other kids? How/where?

4. Are there homeschooling organizations for people who are homeschooling for non-religious reasons?

5. I have been thinking about sending my ds to Kindergarten and then pulling him out for 1st grade; what are your thoughts on this?

6. How do you respond when a child asks to go to public school?

7. Did any of your children ask to be homeschooled?

It seems a little early to be planning this sort of thing, but if ds follows in his mother's footsteps (and thus far it looks like he will), he will be a walking, talking person within the next two or three months. (I know, I was a freaky baby! ) I don't intend to push him, but I'm not gonna let him be bored out of his skull or let him get shafted by the public school system because he's not white (like i was/did).

[gilnikche]

There is a wonderful book called :You Are Your Child's First Teacher by Rahima Baldwin. It refers to age 1-6.

A lot of your questions can be answered by checking out this site.

http://www.gomilpitas.com/homeschooling/

[barbara]

We have had some pretty good threads on unschooling. I suggest you do a search to see if you can find those old threads.

I agree that You Are Your Child's First Teacher by Rahima Baldwin is an excellent book to start with.

You can also check out Teach YOur Own by John Holt and Learning without Schooling by John Holt.

Ruth Beechick has some excellent inexpensive books such as 'You Can TEach Your Child Reading'

Yes there are plenty of homeschool groups that are not religious, and socialization really isn't the problem many people think it is. Especially now that there are so many homeschoolers. YOu can find socialization in homeschool groups, sports, dance and art classes, 4-h and scout groups, church groups and community theater and music groups. It really is easier to over-socialize your child then to under-socialize.

There are tons of places to purchase curricula....homeschoolers have become quite the marketing area. Most people that have been homeschooling for any length of time develop there own style and either make up their own curricula or use an ecclectic mix and match curiculum. And then there are unschoolers who use the world as their classroom.

Now why are you thinking about kindergarten?

Many young children ask to go to school and it is usually because they are attracted to the social aspects. Most find it dissillusioning if they do attempt it.

sorry this is so choppy, but I'm in a rush as this is one of those chuffering days, and I'm in-between picking up and dropping off....or vise versa.

[eilonwy]

Now why are you thinking about kindergarten?

I liked kindergarten The first half, anyway. Of course, I thought that kids went to school so their parents could have time during the day.

[Openskyheart]

eiolwyn asked:

1. Is "unschooling" the same as "homeschooling", or something different?

Different. Like Barbara said, there are some great threads on unschooling here.

2. Do most of you write your own curricula or purchase them?

We are secular relaxed eclectic homeschoolers (LOL!), and my kids and I decide together what works best for each. I do all the research, and pick out things I think will work with their learning styles. I spend very little money compared with "boxed" curricula, and we are not slaves to the books. We use them as tools or guides, mostly.

3. Do your children socialize with other kids? How/where?

Daily - lots! Neighbor kids, friends of the family, cousins, homeschool play groups, homeschool classes, extracurricular classes, park days, etc.

4. Are there homeschooling organizations for people who are homeschooling for non-religious reasons?

Many. Somewhere I read (and I wish I could remember where) that secular homeschoolers outnumber religious homeschoolers now (even though I believe homeschooling and unschooling are different things, I include unschoolers in this particular mix of secular vs. religious).

If you join a homeschooling group, and it doesn't work for you - keep looking til you find something that fits. (This was a mistake I made the first go-round at homeschooling. I didn't feel like we fit with the first group we picked, and then sent my ds to school. It was a mistake - but a correctable one! We're happily homeschooling now.)

5. I have been thinking about sending my ds to Kindergarten and then pulling him out for 1st grade; what are your thoughts on this?

IMHO, if you really want to homeschool, I wouldn't do it. Your child will have a great experience with you and the other homeschooling families you meet. (Now is actually a good time to start networking! LLL often has members who are planning on homeschooling/unschooling in the future). Kindergarten would just confuse the issue. OTOH, if he seems really unhappy at home (unlikely), you could offer the choice of going to school.

6. How do you respond when a child asks to go to public school?

Find out what he/she thinks school will give them that they don't already have. See if we can provide what they feel is missing some other way. If we can't, and they really want to go to school - send them! We have one in school (her choice), and one at home (his choice). It's working out so far. Though I would prefer to have my dd at home, I understand why she has chosen school - and she's happy! Also, because school is her choice, I believe she's much happier there than she would be if she were forced to go.


7. Did any of your children ask to be homeschooled?

Yes! My ds liked some of the classes, and had good friends at school, but school just did not fit his learning style - at all. Now he learns twice as much in a tiny fraction of the time he spent at school, and has tons of free time to explore his many interests and passions.

A good book to read to help answer your dh's questions about the "Why" of homeschooling/unschooling is called "Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense" by David Guterson. It was written by a homeschooling father who was a high school English teacher at in a very good public school at the time he wrote the book.

Good luck with your explorations! (Sorry if this is all disjointed. My son was pulling nickels and pennies out of my ears as I typed this!)

Laura :-)

[khrisday]

. Is "unschooling" the same as "homeschooling", or something different?

Unschoolign is a way of homeschoolers, but not all homeschoolers are unschoolers.

2. Do most of you write your own curricula or purchase them?
I purchase things for some areas, other areas we haven't used much else than the internet, library books and DVD's for yet

3. Do your children socialize with other kids? How/where?
Alld ay long with each other. rec classes, kids at the playground other homeschoolers

4. Are there homeschooling organizations for people who are homeschooling for non-religious reasons?
Yes- do a search for "your state+homeschool" to find out what is in your area

5. I have been thinking about sending my ds to Kindergarten and then pulling him out for 1st grade; what are your thoughts on this?
I don't recommend this. I think that many of us remember our kindergarten as a time of play and exploration, but kindergarteners todat are doing waht used to be first grade work when we were kids.

6. How do you respond when a child asks to go to public school?
My son has asked- he went to preschool and things that "school" would be the same. I have explained to him the long hours, the homework, the lack of freedom, and the time away from his family. He no longer wants to go.

7. Did any of your children ask to be homeschooled?
No

[hydrangea]

Re: Questions about Homeschooling.

There have been some great responses here!

1. Is "unschooling" the same as "homeschooling", or something different?

Homeschooling runs the gamut from radical unschooling at the least structured extreme to "school-at-home" complete with school room, pledge of allegiance, regular hours, etc. at the other. Most homeschoolers fall someplace in between.

2. Do most of you write your own curricula or purchase them?

We are unschoolers and don't do curriculae, purchased or written. We live life and learn from it. http://unschooling.com/ is a good place to learn about unschooling. I think Rebbecca Rupp's Complete Home Learning Source Book is a great place to get an idea of what's out there to help you if that's what you want. There are catalogs filled with homeschooling stuff. I like http://www.fun-books.com/, which comes from more of an unschooling bent. http://www.rainbowresource.com/ is Christian-based but has pretty much everything homeschooling-related, Christian and non-Christian, that you could imagine.

3. Do your children socialize with other kids? How/where?

Constantly, with each other, with neighbors, with friends of my friends, with friends from classes, friends from sports, etc. And not just with children, either. That's one of the things I love about homeschooling. There are no artificial definitions of who one is supposed to hang out with.

4. Are there homeschooling organizations for people who are homeschooling for non-religious reasons?

Many. http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/ is a good place to learn about secular/inclusive homeschooling and find groups and other support networks. Their magazine is great, too.

5. I have been thinking about sending my ds to Kindergarten and then pulling him out for 1st grade; what are your thoughts on this?

I don't see the point. It can work, but I have heard too many negative stories about the kindergarten experience these days. I personally wouldn't do it. Anyway, that is such a wonderful time to be with your child.

6. How do you respond when a child asks to go to public school?

My six-year-old asked to this past autumn. We talked about it quite a bit and got some ideas about what we were missing. We went to staples and bought "school supplies" (paper, crayons, a workbook she begged for, etc.). We also found ways to visit the various school buildings (fairs, performances, classes, etc.) so they weren't such a mystery her. In January we started going to a very flexible homeschool coop, which, even though flexible, in some ways goes against my unschooling grain (two mornings a week, 24 weeks a year), but it really seems to fulfill my daughter's needs and desires, and that is what is important.

BTW, private school isn't necessarily any better than public school. I grew up going to a Waldorf school and hated it. I am not alone.

7. Did any of your children ask to be homeschooled?

We did it from the beginning. But aside from that short period of my 6-year-old wanting to go to school, my children are wholeheartedly in favor of staying home with Mommy and playing all day.

[eilonwy]

Thanks for the great links! I'm already having a great time with this. I hope my little man will, too.

My DH and I both went to private schools (religious) and we both agreed not to do that to our kids; we feel like they foster an unhealthy sense of elitism that doesn't serve kids well in the real world or in public school if they ever have to go. I've always thought that school was a waste of valuble time... I could never do that to my ds.

T (again!) I was talking to my mother about homeschooling, and she said "If you want to meet local homeschoolers, go to the library on any weekday morning. You'll meet at least a few!" She said that if she'd known more about it, she definately would have kept me out of school; even at 4, it was obvious I didn't belong there. .

[sha_lyn]

2. Do most of you write your own curricula or purchase them?
This is our 2nd yr and I've ordered curriculum 2x for DS and 1X for DD. Next yr (1st grade) we'll be more relaxed with DD. I'll be following a Waldof method (golden beetle). DD will begin high school, so we plan to use an accredited school, most likely American School of Correspondence

3. Do your children socialize with other kids? How/where? Yes, all of the time. Book club, park days, field trips, library, karate,their public school friends etc

4 . Are there homeschooling organizations for people who are homeschooling for non-religious reasons? We found a local inclusive ground that we really love. I reaaly began to think we were the only ones in the area that were HS'ing because of religious reasons.

5. I have been thinking about sending my ds to Kindergarten and then pulling him out for 1st grade; what are your thoughts on this?
DS attended K-6 before we pulled him. DD attended a private preschool the first yr I HS'ed DS. We felt DS and needed the 1-1 time that first yr. Personally I'd keep away from PS to keep your child off their "radar". If you have a private K you'd like to try, I don't personally see any harm in it, but if I had it to do over again, DD would not have attended preschool. I just feel that our group offers as much social time, and I could have offered a more balanced education.

6. How do you respond when a child asks to go to public school?
DD asked, and DS quickly told her about a typical PS school day. She changed her mind.

7. Did any of your children ask to be homeschooled?
Yes DS did. We fought the PS for 3 yrs (long story I won't go into, but they tried to force him on ADD meds when the Ped ruled out ADD)