Homeschool Facts

I am guessing you aren’t happy with the schooling your kids are getting, for whatever reason. You’ve suggested homeschooling to yourself. But you can’t imagine yourself doing it because you aren’t superwoman, able to juggle lessons and other mom duties.

As a homeschooling veteran, I can tell you this: you CAN do it IF you love your kids. That’s what it takes: dedication to your kids. You will develop the skills you need as you need them. It’s like juggling. When you first learn to juggle, you juggle just one thing. Then you ad another. Then you add another.

And here’s another secret: homeschooling can actually be easier than the standard soccer mom routine. Soccer moms are everywhere but home, juggling same-age activities that are different for each kid (unless you have twins). In contrast, when you homeschool, you focus on what you can all do together.

The evening homework tussle will go away too. Instead, you’ll spend mornings working on academic subjects. Your evenings will be available!

If you have a large family, you’ll probably want to rely on unit studies. These are studies of large topics, such as ancient Egypt, which can be treated differently for kids of different ages. You can read all of them a novel about ancient Egypt, for instance Mara, Daughter of the Nile. A younger child would write a sentence about it, and an older one a three-page paper with bibliography. The kids can do art projects and learn about measuring the height of pyramids using similar triangles. The unit might last a month or so. There are many available for purchase on the homeschool curriculum market.

Other options include using workbooks and curriculum so that each child has something to work on that is appropriate for his age. These all come with an answer key–you don’t need to be a college graduate to make sure your kid is getting the right answer. In fact, many homeschoolers do almost no direct teaching–their kids learn from the book or workbook. (This is a great study skill for college!)

Correspondence schools will teach your child, too. These can take the form of videos, workbooks, or online.

How do you structure your day? Many families do the tougher studying in the morning, leaving the afternoon for projects or play. There are plenty of organizations these days with daytime classes for homeschoolers, if you want to sign up for something outside the home. You could even send your kids to organized sports with schooled kids in the late afternoon, if you are willing to do some driving! Watch out how much of that you sign up for though! You have to be careful to avoid burnout.

People who don’t homeschool always ask about socializing. Are the kids getting enough socializing? One of the best things about homeschooling is that you get to choose whom your children socialize with. You can make sure the socializing is well supervised. Bullies are not a problem. In fact, you can even choose adults. I have observed that most homeschooled kids are very comfortable talking to adults, much more so than schooled kids.

A homeschool co-op will help you get your kids out and about. You can meet other homeschoolers for classes once a week, or for field trips. Social interactions are well-supervised, so kids learn to act appropriately with one another. Finding a co-op is as simple as asking around. To find other homeschoolers, the local homeschool convention may help you. Network with other homeschoolers till you find the co-op that’s right for you, or start it.

You will need support as well. Homeschooling provides unique challenges, and it helps so much to have others to talk to who are doing it too. You can find plenty of homeschool moms online, in discussion forums and email groups. You should try several!

Can you homeschool? The answer is, “Absolutely!”

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