I wish to do homeschooling, yet allow my children the option of taking classes like chemistry and foreign languages at the local high school.\nAny ideas?
131372
Actually, homeschoolers are enrolled as part-time students when they take classes at public schools. First check your state standards as to what you are required to do to set up your homeschool. Homeschool Legal Defense Association could point you in the right direction. Then contact your school district and find out what classes your child could take. Some districts will only allow hs'ers to take extracurricular classes.\n\nThen figure out what kind of homeschool you want to set up. Do you want your child to direct her own learning, do you want her to fill out worksheets and take tests, do you want her to do unit studies, do you want to unschool her (probably not from what you've said)? Do you like history based studies, literature based studies, or something more math and science driven? Are you looking for Christian curriculum or secular?\n\nOnce you have a little direction, jump on the internet and start searching. Find out if there will be a curriculum fair or convention before you buy anything. And always try to find used curriculum and talk to the person who used it. See what they thought of it and if they'd recommend it.\n\nOh, and see if you can find a homeschool support group near you. Those moms will have a wealth of information. Hope this helps.
115559
I homeschool my two boys and the lady I sit for pays me extra to hs her dd for preschool.  I HIGHLY recommend you hs if you have the will and the ability.  Two big things to remember with hsing at ANY level is: one day at a time...you're not talking about geometry and calculus yet.  Second...it's not forever unless you want it to be.  She can re-enter public school when she is ready.  You can email me, I started hsing my now 4th grader when he was in K.  He has TONS of confidence, he gets ONE  ON ONE education, I teach him the way he learns best, rather than plunking him down in a group of 30 kids and droning on at a chalk board...I use manipulatives, pc programs, games, baking to learn fractions, printouts from sites like enchantedlearning.com etc etc.  When he needs a break, he gets one.  We hs year round, so he doesn't forget half over the summer, but our hs days are short.  He learns things he WANTS to learn about.  When he showed an interest in pirates, we got books from the library, coloring pages from the internet, we built a ship, made our own course on a map, created a flag, etc etc.  HSing is the BEST at your dd's age, because you can take ALL the pressure off of her, and teach to what she needs, one thing at a time if you like.  If she is currently crying over math, take a break from the usual math stuff, and play dice games instead!  Just because it's fun, doesn't mean you can't use it for school.  Think outside the box, teach her fast math skills by having her play games!  Teach her spelling by only drilling in the car, and make it fun!  See what I mean?  And don't let the folks that know NOTHING about hs except for the freaks they find on tv worry you about socialization.  There are hs groups in your area to help.  There are groups online.  There are church groups and public sports and music lessons and play groups for socialization.
239917
This is a hard question to answer in a small space...I'm in the middle of homeschooling my family...two graduated from college, two in high school, and two younger ones, so I understand how confusing it all is. \n\nYou have several options. Have you looked into school over the Internet? In some states, it's even free! Check out k12.com and calvertschool.org, and search on-line homeschool. \n\nAnother option is to do it yourself. That's challenging and fun, but it needs to be addressed individually. About.com has a great homeschooling section, and Yahoo! has several email groups about homeschooling. \n\nBe sure to do a websearch for support groups in your area...they can be invaluable!\n\nIf you need a few book recommendations, look up my Yahoo! 360 page and email me!
256630
I had homeschooling and I really don't advise it. It gets boring and then he might not finish. In my case I did not finish. I think it is better of going to  Public School or even better a Catholic School.
33512
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8259/how.html (it says theey exceeded their bamdwidth so try later) It worked when I first clicked on it.\nhttp://www.naturalchild.com/articles/learning.html\nThere is also a wonderful booklet from The Natural child project (above) on homeschooling. \nhttp://www.kinderart.com/index.html\nDefinantly have her explore Homeschool groups(usually through Yahoo groups or the like) in her area. They do field trips and have play groups so the kids can still get the benefit of friendships. Also check the YMCA's for Homeshool hours at the gymnasiums. They have P.E. time only for homeschoolers at the rec center where I am from. \n\nBest of luck to you and her!!
152690
I think it's his choice whether people like it or not. But I should say I was home-schooled and I also went to a "regular" school when I was younger. I think the homeschooling as long as its taught by knowledgeable people is more rewarding education wise, because you can establish a one on one student teacher ratio. The majority of children learn better that way. Although unless he gets his kids involved in activities with other kids the social aspect is not good. You can become very sheltered and scared to interact with other kids, so you must always get them involved with the community or friends or something. But in his case being a principal maybe he sees things taught at the school that he doesn't agree with. Maybe he feels there's flaws in the teaching methods. Although it could also just be the children attending the school, he may feel they could be a bad influence on his children. But all in all I think if you home-school you must know what your doing and get your kids involved in sports or other activities. Hope I helped you in some way!
524709
Go into online education. With your combination of skills you could \npioneer a whole new way of distributing education. One idea I would \nlike to see is using computer technology to bring high quality \neducation to home schooling. By leveraging a country's worth of \nhome school children you could actually afford to pay University \nprofessors to deliver lessons. HTH.
252104
HomeschoolFreeStuff@3Moms.com\n\n     homeschoolfreestuff.com\n  \n\n\nThese two sites are written by the same Moms.I have found them to be the best ones...as they actually homeschool their kids.There are several others too.but they are not written by home school educators.\n These sites have areas that encompass all grades and even places for extra help & questions. They also screen other sites and reccomend the good ones .\n \n\nI have also signed up for some really great classes on <http:/www.About.com> \n \n\nMy son is testing post high school in most subjects and is in the 4th grade.I like to keep his mind challenged and About.com seems to do the trick too.He loves the classes and thinks the ones on HomeschoolFreeStuff@3Moms.com are great.They have kits for free also ..you just pay for S&H.\n Best wishes !!!
652070
I think it is up to you. I am a teacher and parent, and I would not homeschool my children. I have seen many high achievers and early college starters who have been home-schooled. If you are determined and dedicated to doing it, I believe it will be very successful for your children.
592599
If you want to connect with other home school families I have found the library is a great place to start. Talk to the librarians. Most of the time they will know of the home school families. They may have a contact name and/or number. If you are concerned about social skills get them involved in activities and church. \nIf you are looking for curriculum do a search and start researching what would be best for you children. Also try EBay to help with the budget.
614401
Check out Accelerated Christian Education, or ACE.  Their curriculum is designed for the student to work at their own pace.  I graduated from high school as a homeschooler and loved it.  Actually finished a year early and got a free ride to college!  Definitely check it out.
507180
12th grade is not a good time to completely change education systems. It would also be a difficult time  for you to learn how to home-educate. I suggest that instead of homeschooling you either:\n\n - Enrol her in a distance education program. If her high school has one of these this would be ideal otherwise there are many online programs. This would enable her to study from home while having her learning supervised by the teachers that run the program.\n\n- Examine her reasons for wanting to homeschool and try to resolve as many as possible without her actually withdrawing from her current high school. After all it is only a few more months.
181077
hey, thats really cool! i was homeschooled all my life! dont you hate when other ppl say you dont have a social life? i had a friend a few years ago, and all she ever did was make fun of homeschoolers.
638619
You can have the school board check a portfolio of their work at the end of the year. It will help ensure that they not only are educated up to par, but that theyre completing enough work to stay competitive.\n\nHaving them put together this portfolio throughout the year will give them a sense of responsibility, since if the school decides they didnt do enough, or good quality work they will not give them their stamp of approval. Which is about like failing a grade. Although in home schooling thats impossible because as long as your child can learn you can finish three times as much work in one year as a public school would.\n\nI home schooled off and on throughout my school age. I finished high school in two years, and educated myself from text books and the library. I did it myself and passed with flying colors at 16. I dont believe there is anything better for a childs education than homeschooling, so long as they get enough time with other children and in the real world.
338544
Why not take advantage of the fact that they are young enough to reprogram them out of the typical "one size fits all cookie cutter" approach to learning? Have you looked into other methods along the home-schooling spectrum? I would pick up a few good books about home schooling elementary aged children and start getting creative instead of relying solely (if at all) on a packaged curriculum.
63868
Try Costco or Fred Meyers or any other larger retailer. They have great homeschooling products that could help you continue your education.
358589
I've been using our Bible study as our citizenship program, but I think Girl Scouts would work just as well.  Because there's no real explanation/definition in the law of what 'citizenship' is, we've pretty much made up our own.\n\nI LOVE homeschooling in Texas.  From what I've read and heard, it is SOOO much more strict in many other states.