So, I meant to post this last blog in the "So You Want to Homeschool" series last week.
That didn't happen. :)
Welcome to the life of a homeschooler. Nothing happens on time. :)
State Laws
The laws for homeschooling in your state can be found at www.hslda.org. Click on "my state" on the right and follow the instructions. This is the sight for the Home School Legal Defense Association. I would recommend that you look around the sight and familiarize yourself with it. It has some great tools.
In addition your state may also have it's own website for homeschoolers. In my state of Montana we have the website http://www.mtche.org/
Some states have stricter laws than others. In Montana we only have to file an notification of our intent to homeschool with the county superintendent and have a record of immunizations and attendance on file at home (which the superintendent has the ability to request). To find the forms I would suggest doing an internet search for homeschooling forms in your county. Some states require testing or even particular curriculum that you must follow. Personally, I'm thankful for the freedoms that we have in Montana.
Even though I have previously stated that socialization is not as big of a deal to us homeschoolers, we still want to make sure that our kids have the opportunities to reach out to other kids and to do the activities that they love. In my beloved city of Bozeman, MT we have a program guide that is put out for summer, fall and winter, and spring. (http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/app/special_sections/park_rec_summe_in_13/) It has all kinds of activities for kids up to adults. There are swimming classes. cooking classes, art classes, dance classes.... you name it and we have a class for it. They normally cost a minimal amount and the kids have a great time. There are also other opportunities through local churches. Another internet search should be able to help you find events and classes in your community for your children.
Be sure that you look for homeschooling groups on the internet for your specific area or town. We have a yahoo group for Bozeman called BHN. Activities and get togethers will be posted in these groups. They are wonderful resources.
Conferences
While I have yet to go to a homeschooling conference, I know that they are a wonderful resource. Most conferences have classes that will help you to homeschool your child better. They even have classes that your children can attend. There will also be vendors there with curriculum, so you can get an up close look at possible materials for the next school year. These conferences help you get pumped up for the next year of homeschooling. I am eagerly awaiting our conference for next year.
One of the most asked questions of someone who's new to home education is, "What curriculum should I use?" This is really hard for seasoned homeschoolers to answer. There are so many philosophies on how you should school or schedule your day that it can wildly differ from one homeschool family to the next.
The first thing you need to ask yourself is what you and your family want your homeschool day to look like. Does your family work better on a strict schedule, a flexible schedule, or do you want to have a schedule at all? There are a few philosophies on homeschooling that are good to know.
Here's a quick rundown of some of the types of homeschooling out there. Many of them have subcategories. If one strikes your fancy, a quick internet search will give you mounds of information. I am no expert on any of these. We kind of found our own way.
1. Unschooling - As far as I understand it, unschooling is when you allow your child to direct their own education. The parent would provide all materials necessary for the child to pursue their interests. Parents may have the child do a some structured school time during the day for, say, math. Some don't. They usually don't have any type of formal curriculum. Many people believe that this means that the child is allowed to either play with legos or video games all day. While that may be the case with some families, that is not the case with most unschoolers. The important thing in unschooling is that the child pursues their interests.
2. Charlotte Mason - You will hear a lot about "living" books in the Charlotte Mason approach. Living books tell stories that capture the reader and engage them to pursue deeper thinking rather than "dry" textbooks. It is, of course, literature based.
Forming good lifelong habits is also a large part of this approach. Character is emphasized.
The last part of Charlotte Mason is that it is directed by God.
3. School at home - Basically this is doing what you would see in a public school setting in your own home. You might have a room set aside as a school room with textbooks or workbooks of the major subjects for your children to go through during the day.
4. Classical Education - I'll be honest, I know the least about this philosophy. There is a three pronged approach in classical education called the truvium. The three prongs are the early learning years, middle grades, and high school grades. In the early learning years you lay a foundation for the rest of their learning. Your child would learn the "what" of a subject and will do a great deal of memorizing. In the middle grades you would begin to teach logic and help the child to pursue the "why" of a particular subject. In the high school years your student begins to learn to voice their own conclusions and opinions on a given subject. A high schooler in classical education would begin to focus their learning on whatever particular subject sparks their interest. Classical education is very language focused.
5. Unit Studies - Unit studies are very involved, but they are a ball of fun. All of your learning that day or week would revolve around one subject. You would take a theme, like Ancient Egypt,and have the kids do an essay on the life of a Pharoah, then wrap each other in toilet paper while mom or dad explain how a person was mummified. You may also build a pyramid, and then for math measure the perimeter. You might prepare a meal that they may have eaten in Ancient Egypt. The possibilities are endless.
6. Computer based - This is school at home while the child sits at the computer. The curricula is likely to include videos and games that help your kiddos to grasp concepts. It can be self grading or the computer can do it for you.
7. Eclectic approach - My favorite. Take any of the above philosophies and meld it together to create the perfect homechool experience for your family. This is for those of us who don't want to be tied down to any one philosophy.
Ask God to show you the best philosophy and curriculum for your family. It's not one size fits all. Every family is different. I'm ashamed to say that this is the first year that I have asked God what curriculum to use. We've kind of floundered into some of the things that work for us. I know if I had gone to God first that He would have led us far better than I did. I have a peace about what He's shown us for this year. Do research on the different curricula that follows the approach that you've chosen. Take into account the amount of time that you can devote to homeschooling every day, the amount of money that you are willing to spend, how many kids you are teaching, and how much help you may get from your husband or older kids. That's right, your older kids can help teach the younger ones. You will also need to know what your state laws may be concerning curriculum. We're very blessed in Montana to have no laws concerning curriculum. Through all of this continue praying. God made it very clear what we were to use. JOY!
I can't speak on all of the different curricula out there. I'm overwhelmed by the many choices that I see when my Christian Book Distributors catalog comes. The options seem endless. I will share with you what works for us and what we've used before.
For science we use Apologia (www.apologia.com). I have not found a better science, and most of the homeschoolers I know won't use anything else. My kids absolutely love science since we've begun using their books. So far we've used the Zoology 1 and 2. Even though these are technically textbooks, they are alive with color pictures, lively text, and many experiements. It holds my kids attention (even my ADD child). Science is everyone's favorite subject at this house, and I used to hate it. Apologia also offers notebooking journals that have crafts, puzzles, note taking pages, and questions to supplement what your child has learned. They also have Jr. notebooking journals for children not quite ready to take extensive notes. This is good for my dyslexic child. She gets to draw and label things, and that helps her to remember. These journals really help the kids to retain the information, and they are beautiful keepsakes for the kids when they're done.
This coming year we will finish up Zoology with their third book on land animals. We normally finish one book a semester by doing one lesson a week, so in the second semester we will study anatomy. I can teach all of my kids at the same time. That's a wonderful thing. It saves us time, and they can help each other with assignments. My oldest daugher should be starting middle school sciences this year, but since she was public schooled last year I decided that she would be taught the same things the other kids were learning as much as possible. Apologia has options for elementary, middle school, and high school science.
We are also doing a biblical worldview curriculum from Apologia. It is designed very much like their science curriculum, with the notebooking tools. We'll be starting with their, "Who is God(And Can I Really Know Him?)" I haven't done this one before, but we are really looking forward to it. I'll give a review at the end of the school year.
Our favorite for math is Saxon. It's easy to understand, and the kids can do it all by themselves. I generally look over the lesson, make sure they understand it, and then leave them to it. I really only have to be there for questions and to grade tests. Saxon also offers a CD-Rom that can teach your child the curriculum. We've never used the CD-Rom, so I'm not sure how good it is. I have heard that the high school math in Saxon isn't so good, and I'm thinking of changing over to Teaching Textbooks for those years. I've heard great things about Teaching Textbooks too. :)
For history we LOVE Mystery of History by Bright Ideas Press. (www.brightideaspress.com) My favorite part is that it not only shares what was going on in the world in a given time period but also teaches about biblical events that took place at the same time. With Mystery of History I'm able to teach all the kids together. At the end of each lesson are assignments for younger, middle, and older kids. You can take it as far as you want or do as little as you want and still have a good foundation for history.
In early elementary grades for Language Arts we used Alpha Omega's lifepacs. It really laid a good foundation for the kids in reading, grammar, etc, but my oldest daughter and my son found it a little dry for the older grades and really had a hard time motivating themselves to do the work outlined for them. This year I want them to read more "living" books.
We have yet to find a language arts program that we love, but we're hoping that we've found it this year. We are turning back to Bright Ideas Press for our Language Arts. They have a new curriculum called Illuminations for 3rd graders through highschool, and it's completely reusable. (https://www.brightideaspress.com/store/index.php?main_page=page&id=11) The spine of this curriculum is our beloved history choice, Mystery of History. Since we have not had any experience with it, I can't really tell you how good it is. I can say that it looks great. I'll let you know at the end of the year. We are going to try everything that Illuminations has planned in their curriculum with the exception of their science program. Illuminations has a customizable schedule for all your curricula. So there's very little planning for you. It covers all subjects (including grammar, vocabulary, spelling, writing, science, history, Bible, geography, and humanities. It includes graphic organizers, literary study guides, and printable notebooks. The above link has videos to explain the curriculum itself. The only problem I see so far is that I have to buy most of the parts of this, like books and other curriculum, on other sites causing higher shipping prices. That's a small hill to overcome.
The last curriculum that we tried was Sonlight. (www.sonlight.com) I loved it. It's literature based, and while we didn't love their science at all, it does a great job teaching history, geography, and literature. But it's pricey. That's the main reason we do not use it. (And the fact that we love our history program.) If you have the money I would suggest looking into it.
Don't forget your planner. I was going to print off my own using some forms that I found on homeschool blogs, but God quickly showed me that wouldn't be a good use of my time. I'm going to use Deb Bell's, "The Ultimate Homeschool Planner". It looks to be perfect. Once again, I'll give a review at a later date. Randi will be using "The Ultimate Daily Planner for Students" to keep up with her assignments and social activities. I will probably start Caleb with a planner next year.
My goal this year was to find curricula that would spark my kids interest, where we could learn together as a family as much as possible, and still have a comprehensive education. Since this is the curriculum that God has lead us to, I'm expectant that this year is going to be great.
I should mention that these are my own opinions. I'm not being paid or solicited for them. :)
Next Topic: State Laws, Community Activities, and Conferences.
So, you think you want to homeschool. Congratulations for beginning the journey of thinking out of the box about education for your children! It's truly a journey that I would not change. Okay, that's a lie. I would change it a lot. But if I did I wouldn't know half the things that God has taught me through this adventure. Like humility. Gobs and gobs of humility. And patience. Oh dear, sweet Lord Jesus, He has taught me patience. If you want to really know if you are full of the Spirit and display the fruit described in Galatians, then by all means homeschool your children. :D The most important thing that God has shown me is how precious and what a blessing my kids are.
When my husband and I got married he mentioned that he would the kids to be homeschooled. Now, he had already talked me out of two kids and into four. I had grown up thinking that I would have a career. I would be a business woman, and I was well on my way up the corporate ladder. So naturally my kids would go to public school, maybe even to daycare. Michael and I came to a compromise. I would stay home with the kids, but then they would go to school. I was convinced that this was best for them and me. Looking back I see how selfish I was. Not that every woman who sends their kids off to school is selfish. Certainly not! Homeschooling is not for everyone. It is a decision that should be made between you, your spouse, and God. It was what God has called me to do. This is the first year that I feel that in my bones. Even though I came to homeschooling as, I felt, a public school refugee, my reasons have grown and matured somewhat.
You should know that it's not easy, but if you want to accomplish something great it should be beyond your reach. It should only be possible if God is leading you every step of the way. You can't do this alone. Even with God's help you will feel like a failure. But it's worth it.
Homeschooling is one of the best decisions that I feel I have ever made for my children. There will be days when you feel like you're on cloud 9. You've watched your kids FINALLY understand long division, or they've decided that they actually DO like to read. There's that look of accomplishment in their eyes when they finally get something that has taken them a long time to understand. Your heart soars when you see that. You helped them with that. My family gets to laugh together every day. My kids aren't stressed. We pray together for each other. There's a bond that my family has that I can't say we would have if we didn't homeschool. We experience life together. That's a blessing.
If you haven't decided if you would like t to homeschool, pray. Ask God, and He will surely show you. Homeschooling isn't for every family. It's a big decision. Don't let your's or anyone else's preconceived ideas and ideals direct you. Let God. Don't take this on without Him. Believe me, you don't want to.
If you've decided to homeschool your children my first bit of advice would be to write down why you want to educate your children at home. Why write it down? You will need to remember why you chose to follow this path on the hard days. Additionally, many people will ask why you've chosen to homeschool. Sometimes you'll have to defend your decision. What are your reasons and goals? Think beyond just the educational. Pray about it. Write them down. Keep them close. Pray about every aspect of homeschooling. When you're done praying, pray some more. Then find some homeschooling friends and ask for a heap of advice. You'll need it.
Here are my reasons for homeschooling in no particular order.
1. We're Christians, and we don't compartmentalize that part of our lives. Jesus is a part of everything that we are, do, and think. I want my kids to learn about the intricacy that God used when creating the Earth, and see the complexity in it. I want them to see the creativity and beauty of the words that God gave us in literature. I want them to see how God created order during math lessons. I want them to see how He gave us free will, and what we've done with that through history. They would not get that with a public school education.
2. Family unity. Besides God, the most important thing is family. We found that when our kids were in public school that we were a pretty disjointed family. When we homeschool we know better how to pray for each other, help each other, and love each other. As our kids parents we also believe that it is our job to teach our kids character. Home educating allows me more chances to do that. Lastly, there's a bond there that I can't explain. It's something that you have to experience.
3. One on one attention. No one knows my children the way my husband and I do. We have their best interests in mind at all times. I know exactly where they are struggling academically, and because I only have four students I can give them as much undivided attention and help as they need. If one of the kids is struggling in an area, I don't have to push them to grasp a concept by a certain time. This is pretty important to us because one of my kids is dyslexic, and another has ADD. Neither one of them was ready to start reading at age 5. We've been able to teach them a little more slowly, with far more attention, so that they don't get frustrated and shut down. This doesn't mean that they won't catch up. Many times with kids that take longer to learn something, they get to a point where it seems that the gates of learning open up and gush on them. This was certainly true of my son. In homeschooling no one gets left behind.
4. We want to help our kids to master concepts and principles. I don't want to teach them just so they get a good grade or do well on a test. I don't want them to just know facts. I don't worry as much about grades as I do about whether they actually know what I'm trying to teach them.
5. Socialization. Yep, I school at home because it is a better way to socialize my kids. Seriously. Who really thinks that putting kids all one age, together in one room, with only one or two adults is a great way to socialize kids? (Especially in middle school) If you do, I laugh in your general direction. Who's teaching your kids character? Other kids who don't know any more about life than your kids do! And they may be people that you don't know and may not even approve of. Other kids are the most powerful influence on a school aged kid in a school setting.
The other is the teacher in front of the class. How well do you know them? I'm not trying to down teachers. Most of them are great, and I appreciate the time and effort that many of them put into their classes. It's certainly a thankless job. Unfortunately, our experience with public school, and a few of the teachers, has left a bad taste in our mouths. They did not have our set of values and beliefs, and it came through in their teaching and how they handled the kids.
My kids hang out with kids and adults of all different ages and treat them all equally. Most of the homeschooled kids that I've met have done the same, but most of the public schooled kids I've dealt with treat adults with either fear or contempt and younger children with disdain. At most they tolerate people of different ages. Unless their parents have purposely put them in settings with people of all ages, they may not be able to socialize well with those younger or older than them.
You will get that odd set of homeschooled kids who are....... well....... weird, but you have public schooled children who are the same. (I should know. I was an odd duck in my school years.)
6. Who really believes that government run schooling is actually a GOOD thing? They will be run by the Federal government in no time flat, and if you don't believe that, I once again laugh in your general direction. There is not a one sized fits all education. Our kids learn differently. God made them unique. We must teach according to how they learn. Just like we love according to how someone feels love.
I've been doing a little research on the new common core being rolled out by our federal government, and honestly it worries me. At the end of this post I will link two YouTube videos on one state's interpretation of common core standards. Please watch both. They are very informative, especially the second one.
7. The public school setting engenders "group think". You might like that, but I don't. As I stated before, God made kids unique. One of the ways that He made them like Him was in their creativity. He also made them individuals with minds of their own. While I do believe that kids need to learn to work together in group settings, I want my kids to know that they are individually responsible for every one of their actions and decisions, whether good or bad. They are not responsible for any one who is not specifically under their care or teaching. I also don't want them to "go along with the crowd". I tell my kids all the time that I don't want them to be like everyone else. I want them to be an example. I want them to be logical and not depend on the emotion and biased opinions of others. This is also discussed in the second video that I mentioned before.
8. I want them to actually love learning and not just learn dry facts. I want it to come alive to them. We make life a learning experience for the kids and include as many field trips and messy experiments as we can.
9. Lastly, in science, kids are being taught that evolution is fact. Mathematically speaking, without God leading it, it is impossible. It takes just as much or more faith to believe in evolution, as it does Creationism. But they weren't taught any other theory. I don't want my children to miss anything because someone else might be offended by the teaching.
10. I'm hesitant to share this one. The idea of bullying has become so broad that kids freedom of speech is being systematically shut down. What public schools are pushing, as far as bullying is concerned, can overreach and tend toward political correctness. Don't get me wrong. Bullying is horrible, and it's becoming an epidemic. It must be addressed. But I think that as an American society we must step carefully. Children should be taught to be kind and thoughtful towards others. But if we go as far as teaching them political correctness as young children what will it look like when they are adults? Will they know how to respectfully disagree with someone, or will they just go along because they are scared to hurt someone's feelings? What if we teach them that if they don't agree with someone they must keep it to themselves, or tolerance means we must accept everyone's beliefs and not just them as a person? What are the consequences of that teaching? Are we growing a weak willed group, or a strong, respectful, self-assured individual?
There are so many smaller reason that we homeschool, but these are our big reasons. I'd love to hear what yours are, so please share them below.
Next post: The big question: Curriculum
P.S. I realize, as a homeschool mother, that my writing above wasn't always grammatically correct and my sentence structure was often wrong. If you are wondering about my writing style, I am taking my favorite author's advice (that he's given in many of his books), and writing how I speak. That author is Dean Koontz. Check out some of my favorites like Lightning, his Frankenstein series, Soul Survivor, or The Door To December. I love how he wraps science fiction, suspense, romance, and comedy into one novel. And, no, I'm not being paid to say this. :)
