just give me an apple

For those of you who don't know, I homeschool my 3 kiddos.  My oldest is 7 and technically in 1st grade.  Next is my 3 year old, followed by my 2 year old.  I am often asked, "Why do you homeschool?" and "Isn't it hard?" or "How do you do it?"  For anyone who's ever considered it, I hope this helps.

Why? 

I always had an easy time in school and was often bored.  In fact, as soon as I was able I started skipping days (w/ my parent's permission of course).  It got to the point that I skipped over 80 days my senior year.  From middle school on, I was pulled out of classes to help other teachers - sometimes subbing for them.  Needless to say, I didn't want my daughter to deal with this.  My husband was homeschooled until high school and loved the experience.  Our two backgrounds made homeschooling an option worth considering.  But could we do it?

     It didn't take long to realize that our daughter was very smart, with a high aptitude and appetite for learning.  Even so, I was a little hesitant.  So, we did a trial run of preschool.  We sent her to a well respected Christian preschool when she was 4 years old.  What a disaster!  It only took a few weeks for her to stop learning.  Before preschool, she was always asking questions and taking pride in counting higher and higher, showing off for family and friends.  Then, she came home saying things like: "Mom, my teacher says I don't have to learn how to count to 100 yet.  I only need to count to 20." (She had been counting well over 50 at the time!)  We also received comments from her teacher that irked us. "She's a wonderful help in class." "She can help the other kids learn so much."  My daughter also frequently asked if she could stop school.  As much as I wanted to say "YES!" and pull her out, we made her finish as it had been her choice to go to preschool.  We felt it important to teach her that we follow through on our commitments.  Meanwhile, this experience solidified our decision to homeschool.

How?

Kindergarten is a great year to test drive homeschooling.  Why? Well, it's not mandatory, so even if you taught nothing, your child would still not be behind.  Second, kindergarten is a tough transition for both mother and child. Somehow you are supposed to go from having your child home with you all day to having them gone at school all day.  Most of the moms I've talked to have hated the kindergarten transition.  Their kiddos have to get up early and come home cranky and exhausted.  Worse, they often have to deal with bullying issues.  And yes, bullying is very real in our schools.  We are now in an age where name calling seems minor.  Now our kids face sexual, verbal and physical assaults as young as kindergartners. (I can't tell you how many stories from friends have made me cry and thank God that I have the ability to homeschool.)

     So, maybe homeschooling sounds appealing, but doesn't it take a lot of time and preparation?  In short - no.  Again, kindergarten is a great time to try it out.  There are many curriculum options out there to make this an easy transition for you.  If you like everything in one neat package, Sonlight curriculum is a great way to go. See these links for some examples.  They also have a grade by grade kit that you can purchase.  Sonlight Introduction to World History Part 1 Instructor's Guide with Binder & Tabs   Sonlight Beginning to Read(1) Language Arts Instruction Guide 

That said, these programs are pricey.  They were not a viable option for us.  Instead, I found workbooks.  I highly recommend the Brainquest workbook series.  For kindergarten, this was my base curriculum (although I used the 1st grade book).  I added math worksheets from this site  ( i'll add the link when i am able to get to my computer) (free!) and a map quiz here (also free!). We also read a lot of books from the library and scoured garage sales for cheap workbooks.  

     For first grade I used Brainquest second grade, this fantastic map book, a bible curriculum and a multitude of spelling, reading comprehension and math workbooks.  I also loved using the "what your ___ grader needs to know" as a reference.

Okay, I have the materials, now what?

I love the Charlotte Mason theory of schooling.  It basically involves short lessons to accomodate for your child's attention span. Our lessons are short and largely child directed.  In total, we spend about 3 hours of active school each day.  We have copywork (practice coping a few sentences with perfect letter, capitalization and punctuation), bible reading, and math every day.  History, spelling, geography, music and art appreciation, arts and crafts, american and world history, science, german and reading comprehension are included 2-3x per week. (I adore the magic school bus books for science starting points!)

Testing?

I'm often asked how I know if she's learning enough.  Well, test!  I use the what your ___ grader needs to know series to be certain I've covered the basics and then this test prep book to test her knowledge and acclimate her with testing.  Keep in mind, if your child excels in an area, move ahead!  My 7 yr old is doing the second grade test prep book and the brainquest book.  She's in 3rd grade math and is using the 3rd-5th grade maps and geography book.  My 3 yr old is working on the Brainquest preschool book and can already write most of his letters.

But I have young kids too!

What if you have younger kids too?  Most of your "lessons" are great for all ages.  My kids love to listen to me read the magic school bus books and going on field trips.  Arts and crafts can be tailored to everyone and when reading and science involve baking, everyone takes part.  There are really only a few things that require me to sit down one on one with my 7 yr old or 3 yr old.  Also, my 7 yr old helps teach my 3 yr old.  Part of her schooling involves working on the alphabet, counting, colors, shapes, etc with her brothers. Both boys love to learn from her.  Sometimes our reading lessons involve my 7 yr old and I reading a play to the boys or playing matching games or bingo games with them for phonics.

What about socialization?

Wow.  This is a HUGE misconception about homeschooling.  My kids socialize!  I'm involved in a mom's group at church which allows for playdates.  My kids are in swimming and soccer.  This summer my 7 yr old is taking gymnastics with the local rec department.  We go to libraries and met kids, we go to the gym and have playdates with neighborhood kids.  We've also tried a homeschool gym class.  You can going homeschool groups for field trips and advice.  In fact, I've found it difficult to choose which avenues to take for socializing, rather than being unable to find any!

Bottom line

Homeschooling is a huge blessing in our family.  My daughter gets to be a child longer, learn in depth about topics she loves, teach her brothers and be involved in our family life.  At least once a month she tells me that she's glad I homeschool.  When it's nice outside, we have the ability to work on school outside.  We bake to learn about measurement, go on nature scavenger hunts for our nature studies read books and discuss them or create alternate endings, and of course, garage sale to solidify money math.  For the amount of effort I put into organizing each semester, I receive a tremendous amount back.  Just the fact that I can hug my daughter at 11am or 1:30pm  instead of having to wait until the 2:30pm school pick-up is priceless!  Homeschooling does take work, but the benefits are astounding.

Groups

FISH - a christian based homeschool group out of Sun Prairie, WI

CHEA

WPA - Wisconsin parents association

(I'll post more when I'm at my own computer)

Conferences

CHEA - May 20th-21st - Oconomowoc

WPA - May 7th and 8th in Oshkosh

These are great opportunities to ask questions, look at curricula and meet other families!