How Hard Is It?

If you do decide to homeschool your children, please join at least one homeschool commmunity either online or in person so you can get support and be able to ask questions of people who are in your shoes and who have been homeschooling their kids for a while. I HIGHLY recommend that you use a curriculum to teach your children the basics, not just through games, random books, and fun DVDs. There are many things out there to "teach" kids to read, but an established curriculum will teach them everything they need to know about reading, including comprehension skills, vocabulary development, etc. You don't have to pay a lot of money for a curriculum either. I am currently interviewing for a job as an art teacher for an online school, and my understanding is that it is a virtual public school so I think it's FREE. www.ConnectionsAcademy.com

That being said, first make sure you look into the public school you are zoned for. Ask here on mamasource if anyone knows anything about the school, and talk to your neighbors whose children attend and see what they can tell you. Every school is different, and every teacher is different. I agree that no teacher can love and care about your kids as much as you can, but there certainly are teachers who are more qualified-- not only do they have education degrees (they went to college to learn techniques on HOW TO TEACH), but they attend ongoing workshops and training for their specific grade level or special area, they meet with other teachers to exchange ideas, and they have experience with many academic and motivational issues they know how to deal with, not to mention the incredible amount of patience they have. Most elementary schools also have trained and certified art, music, and PE teachers, specialists for gifted and learning disabilities, and so much more. I am not trying to talk you out of homeschooling-- I'm just encouraging you to explore all of your options before you make your decision. Yes, public education has a bad reputation, and yes there are budget cuts, but there are also some wonderful teachers out there doing quite well educating America's youth... and some who are burned out and/or working for a principal who is awful-- look into your local school and see what you can find out

Hi Stacy

It is a wonderful opportunity! It is like anything else that you must put effort into and you will get results! I remember when my son was born, I knew I wanted to homeschool, I wasn't I just knew I needed to homeschool him. I was faced with that questions, that I hear from almost all moms, "Will I be the best for him?" Or what if I don't know how to do something?, the questions go on. Having faith in God, I was able to pray, which was a great comfort to me. God answered my prayers. It is amazing. We are the best teachers for our children, we better be, because they are going to learn from us, no matter what we teach, so it ought to be good rather than evil, right! No one else will give your children your values or love them more than you. Now, about reading. There are some really great programs, that if you email me, I'd be happy to share with you, depending on what kind of learners you have. My son learned to read by age 3. I didn't push him. I'm not a teacher, I'm a nurse as a professional, but this was so fun! My son is now 14 and we've homeschooled the whole time. It's been a great adventure and we get to do a lot of things we'd never be able to do otherwise. I'd be happy to share more of my story with you if you'd like.

I had to work because his father is deceased and there's more to that story, but I have a resale store and Homeschool Corner, so now I am able to share with others what I learned over the course of 14 years. We give an informal hour seminar to parents just like you. This is informational about homeschooling and the particulars in your region, but I am not sure what area you are in. We are located in Florida. We get calls from all over the state and could help you if you are located in Florida. We answer questions like what do you do to let your school district know what your intentions are. What the differences between homeschooling and going to a homeschool school, homeschool co-op, homeschool group, etc. We talk about long term goals and options that are available to you now. By the time you leave, all your questions are answered and then some and you can always call later.
You don't have to attend this, to ask me a few questions. But certainly, talk to lots of families who actually homeschool. There are many who will discourage you, trying to say that your children will be unsocial or unsure of themselves, it's actually the reverse! Patrick Henry College has mostly homeschooled students in attendance and they just won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the trials put on every year. Tim Tebow, who won the Heisman trophy last year homeschooled. I can't recommend it enough!

D.

Hi! I am a homeschool mom and I do NOT regret the decision of homeschooling my kids at all. It is work but lots of fun to. I get to be with them all day and enjoy all the stages of there lives with out missing out on any of there adventures. We are part of a homeschool group and go to fieldtrips, parkdays, moms meetings, boys/girls clubs etc. Dont do this by yourself. I am going to give you some webpages I think will be usefull to you. The first is the FPEA which is were you want to start. This website gives you all the laws and "how to get started" stuff. The rest will be websites of free printable start up curriculums you can print and do at home. This is how I started. You can do this all you need is the desire and motivation the rest God will lead you through it.

http://fpea.com/ (you can also find support groups on this website)

http://www.starfall.com/ great webdpage for alphabet learning and reading

http://www.pre-kpages.com/circle_time.html (I used this to get ideas for posters to put up on the wall)

http://www.letteroftheweek.com/ (this one is one of my favorites we had lots of fun doing this)

http://dltk-kids.com/ (great for crats and other lessons)

I hope this is helpful to you. Should you need more info please contact me, I would be glad to answer any questions I can.

Hi Stacy! Good for you on your decision to homeschool. I don't think I would have it in me, but I always respect that decision. Without sounding intrusive, let me just put in a quick two cents...make sure your kids still get plenty of socialization time with other children. My cousin was homeschooled..and her socialization skills, as an adult, are terrible. She also doesn't have a great deal of "real world" experience. She seems to always be quitting her very easy jobs b/c she doesn't like how this person or that person is acting...and I feel like if she just would have had to deal with different personalities as a kid that she would be much better adjusted. All that said, done correctly, I think homeschooling is great! Okay, on to your question. Recently on Mamasource another mom made some reading suggestions...and I am going to try some of them with my 2 1/2 year old, so I am just relaying another moms good advice. Apparently Leap Frog makes a series of DVD's on reading for different levels. For my daughter I am going to buy the Talking Words Factory, and maybe the sing along/ read along karaoke. There was also a recommended book called Teach your child to read in 100 Easy Lessons. I am going to try that one as well. I am sure that if you research online you will find some homeschooling preschool material that will help you teach them to read. I am also trying to find some good reading websites. I go on one called Starfall with my daughter. There are lots of games that include reading as part of the lesson. I hope any of this helps. Good luck!!!!

it's a hard decision....but before you throw public school out the window, go visit some...look into Schools of Choice- this includes magnet and charter schools. Go meet the school guidance counselor or Community Involvement Specialist (in Title I schools)- ask questions, look around. Magnet schools are 'made' to be in 'bad' (ok lower socio-economic) neighborhoods, so don't let that get to you-keep an open mind & VISIT and SEE for yourself! You can also look into schools in other neighborhoods- some counties, like Broward County, will actually prosecute you if you happen to falsify your address,etc for registering your child, but others are not so strict. NOT SAYING to do anything against the law, just telling you to explore all of your options, including 'better' schools in various neighborhoods by where you live...ALSO: if you find a school you love and it's near where you or your husband work or where your mother lives, etc, etc, you can actually ASK for a TRANSFER- called something like a 'hardship' transfer- so it's not out of the realm of possibility to have your child attend another school...(as long as your child is not a behavior problem! then the Principal will nullify the transfer!)
So while I didn't answer about home-schooling, I just wanted to let you know that every single public school is not horrible...and I'm not sure that pulling kids out is the answer, either...unfortunately I don't think there IS an 'easy' answer, but I say we should work with what we have, especially if it's working (ie: a 'good' school)...Hope this helps...please feel free to send me a Private Message via this site if you want :-)

There are some wonderful answers here. You sound like a very devoted mama. I want to add something about reading though. Sweden has the highest literacy rate in the world and they don't try teaching reading to kids till age 8 and up. If you read to your kids, show them letters, they will ask questions when they are ready. They will learn to read, believe it or not, when they are ready. It sounds strange but they learn to read like they learn to walk, by themselves.

I homeschooled my 8th grader, and I think it's better to start young. It works out okay, your 4 yr old is old enough to start now. Just always be positive, don't force, and never say anything negative.

You can buy things at the school supply on Appleyard; also, there is a lot of help for homeschooling in this area. You should buy some time of curriculum for K-1st grade - ABEKA is nice, there are others you can google.

While you're choosing one, block out a time in the morning with your older child to go over the weather, the time of year and/or upcoming holidays, the calendar, (count up to the current day), the days of the week and month. (Either buy or make a large calendar to use - school supply should have one)

Then read a story, and have the child do artwork, (different kinds - cut and paste, markers, paints, clay) perhaps about the story or the current holiday. Find a nice musical tape and do some kind of dance or aerobics. Play with some kind of blocks or Legos with your child, letting her take the lead on what you build. Buy a book on easy backyard science for children, like making rock candy or planting a bean seed, or making secondary colors with food coloring, and do one every day or so (you can repeat as often as you like) while talking to her about what's happening. Then have time for her to ride a trike or other play outdoors, and it's lunchtime and school's over. (Or, if you start later, then lunch can be in the middle. If you start real early, you can have a snack in the middle.)

It's okay to not do it all every day, for the preschool. When you start Kindergarten, you'll really need to do a routine daily. Hope it works!

H Stacy,

My husband and I made the decision to homeschool before we even got married. I had a good public school experience back when we had neighborhood schools and all the teacher's were my parent's friends and my husband went to school in the Massachusetts school system and swore he'd never do it to his kids, lol.

It has been a wonderful blessing for me; and my girls, 13 and 16 love it. Reading was different with both of them but I did use The Phonics Game successfully with both of them. I actually learned some rules that are in English that I, as a A student, didn't know :) When I was a kid, I was told that there were a lot of exceptions to English rules. What I learned from the Phonics game is there are no exceptions to rules...only more rules. That made it simple. The game is fun too and anyone can play. It is as thorough as any curriculum that I looked into or have used since then.

I paid about $250.00 for mine from the manufacturer but you can pick one up on e-bay now for around $20.00. The game takes you from learning to read all the way through 12th grade concepts and you can begin it at any time after they know their letters.

The school system is in crisis in the younger grades as well as the older ones. Don't sell yourself short. No public school teacher cares more for your child than you do and none has any more skill they you have or can get!

Feel free to check back in and ask anything. I'd love to help!

God bless!

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

P.S. Extremely stubborn, needing structure is a perfect description of my girls too :) My 16 year old is a junior in high school and already has her advisor for her doctorate program 6 years out for her D.C.

As far as reading goes, I recommend Hooked on Phonics for teaching the basics of decoding (check your local thrift stores for the books and tapes). There are a couple problems, as I see it, with sending them to public schools first. First, you are more likely to be questioned on progress and other issues if you start with public schools first. The second deals with values and ethics. I firmly believe some ideas, like socialism, have been proven not to work, and therefore should not be forced on a child. Also, I would ask myself, "Why do I want to homeschool?" There are a variety of reasons why to homeschool,the two biggest for me are :1) we know our children better than any one else could, and 2) as their parent, I believe it is my responsibility to train them "in the way they should go"--morally and ethically.

Stacy,

YOU CAN DO IT!!! It's not as hard as it seems. First, get connected with a local homeschool support group and attend some of their meetings. You can google homeschool and your town and it will pull up any available information.
Next, you should ask some of the moms you meet at the meetings what curriculum to use.
Personally, we use ABEKA for everything except Bible and Math. I put together our own Bible curriculum and we use Math-u-see for the math. Math seems to be ABEKA's weak point. But everything else is great. It will guide you in teaching them how to read and you can suppliment with the leapfrog videos to learn letters and reading if you need to. I would go ahead and start them on the videos anyways. They are great learning tools. There are about 5 different ones, 4 for letters and reading and 1 for math.
Once you decide to begin, you send in a letter of intent to homeschool to your local school board, homeschool office(google it and download-very simple form) within 30 days of your start date. You would then order your curriculum and get a plan and record book. At their ages, you can start pretty basic and build on as you go. Before long, you will have a routine and you will be much more comfortable with it.
If you need details about anything, please feel free to send me a personal message and I will be glad to help you along your journey.
Take Care,
T.
Homeschooling Mom
Mom of 4
Wife of 1
Child of God

I am not sure where you are located but here in Ft.Lauderdale there is a private school, Westminster Academy (Classical Christian curriculum) that has a homeschool option where you only pay a small tuition fee and there are certain classes that your child could attend - there may be a school like that in your area. Also, there are homeschool groups (around the country) that get together so that you are supported and not alone (go on field trips...). I would suggest doing alot of research on your options for schooling - what are your options if your daughter is not homeschooled and what kind of curriculum do they follow? Also, google 'homeschool' - you need to find out the ins and outs. Here is a place to start: http://homeschooling.about.com/od/gettingstarted/p/homesc... (that is from a blog on about.com- if the link doesn't work, just copy and paste). Good luck!!!

I homeschool my 5 yr old triplets. We did Pre K at home and they grasped all the letters and sounds. I too was very concerned with my ability to teach them to read. I got them the ABEKA curriculum and it is so easy to teach. They are all reading at above level. There are a lot of various curriculums you can use, you just have to find the right one that will work for your child. I have found the homeschool experience to be wonderful so far, and there are so many people out there willing to help. I wisb you luck with whatever you decide.

Stacy, i hear you loud and clear. I am a retired school teacher (although I am only 39) and I home schooled my children last year and part of this year as we have been travelling.
Homeschooling is not "just something you do". It takes a commitment, it takes patience and most of all it takes a village to raise a child.
Homeschooling you kids is a big decision and there are some questions you should ask yourself before you jump in.
Why do you want to home school?
What is the TRUE reason behind it?
Are you dedicated?
Are your kids open to it?
What are your expected outcomes?
What activities will you plan for socialization, curriculum enhancement, physical activity, art, music, computers, and other options that kids get in school?
Is there a support systen in place for YOU?

Stacy I could go on, but really it comes down to this, what do you expect of your children's education?

For me, when my kids go to regular school. I am COMPLETELY involved, I know all their teachers by their first names, i am visible and i get involved. (my kids are in the 4th and 7th grades). I am involved with homework ~ which is homeschooling ~ I expand on their studies (for example when my youngest one was doing recycling, we studied the community receylcing programs out side of school and made her learning applicable to real life.

You get to decide how involved you are with your kids education. If you wnat to homeschool, do it right. There is SO MUCH more to homeschoolng then jsut teaching them to read and write.

If you want to talk more indepth, feel free to email me.

B.

Hi, Stacy. Well, if you are unsure about how to go about it, I would at least send the kids to kindergarten. They learn the fundamentals of shapes, colors, the alphabet, and other pre-reading skills. Some children actually learn to read in kindergarten (I did!), so that may solve the problem for one or both of them.

In the meantime, getting them into kindergarten will give you some time to do more research into homeschooling and allow you to make the best decision on what curriculum to use, how to structure the school day, and whether or not this is really for you and your little ones.

Definitely, I would advise you to wait a bit and get more information if you have any doubts about the process. Unless the classrooms are overcrowded, our elementary schools don't suffer the way our middle schools and high schools do. And once the little ones start reading, it will be much easier for you to plan out how to teach them.

I would also do some testing out of yourself as a teacher and your kids as students. Try giving them some fun educational things to do and see how you and they work together.

At one time, I myself wanted to be a public school teacher, and I also at one time wanted to homeschool my special needs teenager, but then I discovered that I don't have any talent for teaching classes full of kids or for teaching my teenager full-time. I do, however, have some talent at teaching adults, so now I have a new career: I teach remedial English to adults! So I combine my training at teaching kids with my natural ability to communicate with adults. I would never have known this until I did some trial-and-error things with both kids and adults. So give yourself some time to find your own teaching and communication strengths to make sure they match up with your two precious pupils!

I hope this all works out for the best for everyone in your family!

Peace,
Syl

I, too, am looking into homeschooling. My oldest is in Kindergarten in our local school at this time and, although I like having one less child around during the day, I can't stand some of the things she is hearing from her peers.

I received the following link from a mother who homeschooled all of her children. It may help provide some information that you are needing. I have not been able to look over the site thoroughly as of yet.

http://www.choosyhomeschooler.com/

HTH

S.

It's not as hard as it used to be. I would recommend joining a support group such as South Lake Home Educators so you can get advice and throw specific questions out. Also, I taught both of my 6 year old to read using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. My daughter was reading independently before her 5th birthday and my son is reading better than any first grader I know. You have some time - try it out with preschool stuff and see how it goes. You can be as structured or loose as you want to be - that's the beauty of homeschooling!