I'm new and have some questions...

[Sunshine89]

I'm new to this board. I have been thinking about homeschooling my children for a while now. Two of my kids are in public 1st grade and kindergarten... we have been fortunate to have good teachers and we like the school, but I am a SAHM and I would like to be able to spend more time with my children. They are currently gone for 7 hours a day and then they have homework and activities and I don't feel like I get much quality time anymore, and my husband gets even less. I'm also very passionate about education (I even considered becoming a teacher) so I get excited about the thought of educating my kids. I have researched the classical model and I'm currently reading The Well-Trained Mind and I'm leaning towards that, though I'm really open to all types of learning methods. I definitely want to incorporate good literature as much as possible and I want to keep things fun, but challenging. 

 

I'm a bit concerned about being too isolated from other people. Obviously homeschooling requires a certain amount of time spent at home working on school and that time we wouldn't be around other people. I know there are various ways for us to meet other homeschoolers and other families through sports, church and groups but it's still a little overwhelming. We do live in a big city so lots of opportunities and my research shows that there are about 50,000 home schooled kids in our state. It's also an easy state to home school in (no testing/curriculum requirements). Anyways, do you plan daily outings for your kids? How often do your kids interact with other kids their age/gender? I have 1 boy and 3 girls so I'm definitely most concerned about my son not spending enough time with other boys his age. He likes playing sports and has tried soccer, baseball and will be starting flag football but he is very shy and doesn't interact with the other kids on his team much. In fact, all my children are a bit shy/introverted (as am I, which is probably why I worry so much). 

 

Another challenge is that with 4 children who are 7, 5, almost 4, and 1, I'm not exactly sure how we will juggle school work for all of them and keep them all on task? My 7 year old is getting more independent and he can read, but he is so whiny and video games are his favorite pass time.. it's hard to keep him interested in anything else when he's at home. My 5 year old is very, very strong willed and impulsive (possibly ADHD)... she pretty much destroys every room she walks into (gets into everything) and can be destructive when she is not getting enough attention or is upset. She doesn't concentrate well on her homework at home (though I know she is tired) so I'm not sure how she would respond to school work at home. My almost 4 year old is mush easier. She can be a bit grumpy and demanding but she plays quietly and likes to color and we just started teaching her the alphabet which she is responding well too. My 1 year old is very busy and likes a lot of attention, so keeping her out of trouble and occupied while we do school will probably be a challenge. Despite that, I really think all my kids would benefit from a structured home school environment. They are very 'bright' and I feel like 1:1 attention would really help them soar. Still it's a bit overwhelming. 

 

What are some good curriculum's for teaching multiple children close in age? What do you use to help you 'know' what your kids should be learning at each grade/age?

 

Finally the last concern is finances. I want to give my kids a great education but I'm not sure how much it's going to cost. We are a one income family. My husband is just now finishing up his bachelors and will probably go back for a Masters in the next year or two (so his time will be limited as well) so we hope to see his income go up, but there are no guarantees. I'm not sure how we will afford all the extra classes and resources right now, though we are definitely willing to make sacrifices to try to make it work. How do you keep homeschooling affordable? 

 

Anyways any encouragement or tips would be great. I'm not planning to pull my oldest two out of public school until next year so I have a little bit of time to think this through and plan. 

Edited February 5, 2016 by Sunshine89

[HomeAgain]

That is a lot of questions!  I can only answer based on personal experience.  I think with enough of us doing so, you'll be able to get a rough idea of a plan for you.

 

I have a 6yo. We school 5 days a week, and plan outings at least 3 of those days: a 2 hour class, a park time, library, and often a museum.  This year we're homeschooling on a shoestring.  I am lucky enough to live in a place that has a used curriculum sale/swap, and lovely thrift stores.   Since we do a loose Charlotte Mason philosophy, much of our curriculum is in the form of living books paired with an outline of things I want to cover.  Art and music studies are worked in using a free copy of Meet The Masters, youtube, and the library mainly.  There are LOTS of freebie sites like Homeschool Share, Homeschool freebie of the Day and even Easy-Peasy (though we don't do a lot of online work yet so that's not used here).  MEP is a math curriculum I print out and use.  It is teacher intensive, but I'd rather use it than something else.
 
I'm not homeschooling any other kids of my own, but I do have a 5yo and 2yo some of the time.  We do active work with the 2yo in tow - hands on science, acting out literature, math - and either just include the babe or make sure there are comparative things for each to do.  For example, the 6yo may use the cuisenaire rods, the 5 yo the base ten blocks, and the 2yo one-inch colored cubes.  The 6yo may work on the slate, the 5yo on a white board, and the 2yo with an aquadoodle mat and paintbrush.  At naptime we do written work, keeping it nice and short.  I want them to focus on doing things right, not doing a lot of things, kwim?  For a long while we focused on behavior as primary, and academics as secondary.  A child who has learned to self-critique and produce quality, even in 3 minute bursts, will do well as they get older and more mature.  A child who works sloppily and you fight with isn't going to do himself any favors. 

 

The first year is always the hardest.  You come in with preconceived notions of what your day will look like.  So do your kids.  It may require some adjusting to reality.  February you'll see a lot of posts here of being frustrated/bored/ready to scream, and it's often a side effect of feeling stuck inside during the winter.  Take breaks.  Take care of yourself, and set healthy boundaries.  The second year gets much easier, I think, and after a few more years you even start to feel competent. :P 

 

[UCF612]

Welcome!   I can't help with some of your questions.  I only have 2 kids, both school age and both pretty easy when it comes to schooling thus far.  But as far as finding friends/being isolated that hasn't been a problem for us.  We actually end up turning down social things because at some point we have to get school work done!  We are a part of a co-op, our area offers a homeschool PE which we did for 2 years and will do again next year.  We have other homeschooled friends that we do park days or field trips with.  Just today we went to another house and did a lesson on Claude Monet and the kids did imitation paintings.  I feel FAR less isolated as a homeschool family than we did when we were in a B&M school (I was teaching that year so we were all there all day).  

 

As for budget, you could homeschool for a ton of money or for very little money.  There are a wide array of prices on curriculum or you could make your own.  Or you can buy used.  We kind of prioritized, I was willing to spend more on reading and math than history for example.   And I picked things I could reuse with my younger son which helps with the cost.  

 

Good luck with whatever you decide.  If you want to homeschool you CAN do it successfully!  It can be a blast! You have plenty of time to do your research and find a group that you fit well with if you choose to join a homeschool group.

Edited February 5, 2016 by UCF612

[barnwife]

Welcome!

I may not be a lot of help with your questions as we are only at the beginning of HS. We currently have 3 kids who are 5.5, almost 4, and 2.5. We will hopefully have another in about a year.

We currently only do formal math and phonics for the 5.5 yo. The other two tag along. The almost 4 yo insists on doing everything the 5.5 yo does. The 2.5 yo joins us for a minute or whatever and moves on to whatever strikes his fancy.

We have a routine, not a schedule. We generally aim to do one of our formal things in the morning and another in the afternoon. For us, phonics happens ASAP after breakfast. We don't spend longer than 10 minutes on it. And even that sometimes get interrupted by the youngest. Such is life and we try again later.

As for curriculum, the choices are almost endless. Our children are close in age. My plan is to choose things that I think will work well for the oldest/myself and let the littles tag along. Right now we use Webster's Speller for phonics and Miquon for maths. Everything else is covered through read-alouds and life at this stage. We aim for poetry teas, PE, play-doh, puzzles, legos, art and more every week. Some of these are in that gray area (are they school or just living life or both?). 

As far as finances, as a pp said, you can spend anything from practically nothing to a lot. Part depends on what you consider "school stuff" too. I recently bought a globe ($3 at Goodwill). Is that "school"? Well, yes, we've already used it for school. We looked up places we read about.

Regarding socialization, we have found plenty through library storytime, church, etc...That may change if any of ours end up being very extroverted. I'd think you'd find plenty of social opportunities, especially with time before beginning to HS

However, I also just thought it'd be nice to have one. So I'd have bought it whether or not we HS. 

 

Hopefully others have better advice/answers to some of your questions.

Again, welcome to WTM! 

 

[Hunter]

Welcome! :grouphug: :party:

 

HOMEschooling is all about the HOME for some families. If they have a really strong idea of what home is, then school tends to just be an extension of that.

 

When a family has been in brick and mortar for generations, and education and careers have dragged them across great distances and taken them through many communtities that they have had to adapt to one after another, this family can really struggle to know who they are and make a home.

 

For this family that had sacrificed everything for education, especially if it is some vague and fickle idea of "success" or more money or my favorite--good health insurance--they tend to want to homeschool to provide a "better" education, with little desire or ability to extend the home. What is "better" and is that "better" best accomplished at home?

 

Homeschooling is touted as a more effective form of schooling. That isn't always true. Depending on your definitions of home and school, bringing kids home can disrupt what some families value as the "better" parts of home and school.

 

Again, welcome. And if you are totally confused by my post, don't worry. Ignore me for now. Or maybe always. :lol: I am crazy and write some weird stuff. We preY2K oldschoolers were weird and some of us are getting even weirder as we age.

Edited February 5, 2016 by Hunter

[Kiara.I]

Regarding how to juggle school for them all:

It doesn't take as much time as public school.   :laugh:  That's the whole secret, really.  It only takes 2 hours a day for a grade 2, really.  Maybe a couple of other activities.  But you can fit it in around caring for the younger children.

 

Lack of contact with people--again, I think you may be picturing spending the whole 7 hours they're currently in school.  It doesn't take that.

 

Plus, they have siblings--you don't need to do daily outings to find playmates, as they do have siblings to play with.

 

Regarding the shyness--you went to public school, right?  And are shy?  Well, some kids just are that way, and you don't necessarily want to push them out of that.  Does your *son* want to spend a lot of time with boys his age?  It doesn't exactly sound like it, if he's not interacting with the kids on his team much.

[SeaConquest]

Can I ask what state you are in? That might help some of us guide you with more options for socialization in your area.

 

And welcome!

 

ETA: I was a reluctant homeschooler myself, with extremely extroverted children. Regular interaction with other kids is very important to my kids, so we make it a priority.

[Sunshine89]

Regarding how to juggle school for them all:

It doesn't take as much time as public school.   :laugh:  That's the whole secret, really.  It only takes 2 hours a day for a grade 2, really.  Maybe a couple of other activities.  But you can fit it in around caring for the younger children.

 

Lack of contact with people--again, I think you may be picturing spending the whole 7 hours they're currently in school.  It doesn't take that.

 

Plus, they have siblings--you don't need to do daily outings to find playmates, as they do have siblings to play with.

 

Regarding the shyness--you went to public school, right?  And are shy?  Well, some kids just are that way, and you don't necessarily want to push them out of that.  Does your *son* want to spend a lot of time with boys his age?  It doesn't exactly sound like it, if he's not interacting with the kids on his team much.

 

Thanks for the welcomes... I know I kinda threw out a bunch of questions so sorry about that. I just want this to 'work' and I feel like I have to convince my kids that this is going to be awesome, because they will be aware of what they are 'missing' at school. Hopefully they will love it, if that's what we decide to do. 

 

As for my son wanting to spend time with other boys... he does make comments about wishing he had a brother but he doesn't seem too bothered by not hanging out with other kids regularly? We are friends with another family that has several children and he loves playing games and interacting with them. I'm having a hard time getting to know other kids in his class at school as I don't really get to see them much. My kids take the bus to/from school and I can't bring my little ones to volunteer in their classes or PTA (and that's not really my thing). The few times when I have been to the school and another kids waved at him he was too shy to wave back. He says he plays with the other boys at school on the playground and I think he will miss that if we decide to homeschool but I also don't think recess is a strong enough reason to keep him in public if homeschooling is better for us in other ways. 

 

Welcome! :grouphug: :party:

 

HOMEschooling is all about the HOME for some families. If they have a really strong idea of what home is, then school tends to just be an extension of that.

 

When a family has been in brick and mortar for generations, and education and careers have dragged them across great distances and taken them through many communtities that they have had to adapt to one after another, this family can really struggle to know who they are and make a home.

 

For this family that had sacrificed everything for education, especially if it is some vague and fickle idea of "success" or more money or my favorite--good health insurance--they tend to want to homeschool to provide a "better" education, with little desire or ability to extend the home. What is "better" and is that "better" best accomplished at home?

 

Homeschooling is touted as a more effective form of schooling. That isn't always true. Depending on your definitions of home and school, bringing kids home can disrupt what some families value as the "better" parts of home and school.

 

Again, welcome. And if you are totally confused by my post, don't worry. Ignore me for now. Or maybe always. :lol: I am crazy and write some weird stuff. We preY2K oldschoolers were weird and some of us are getting even weirder as we age.

 

I think I get what you are trying to say.  I've been a stay at home mom for 7 years now so home is definitely my comfort zone. Even when I was in public school I preferred to do my work at home as well. I would often just pretend to be working in class and would finish my assignment at home where I was more comfortable. I took college classes on campus for 2 years and did the same thing.. I took a few notes in class but mainly did the work at home.. then I switched to online classes and that was a total win for me. I'm not antisocial I just don't like too many friends. It takes me a while to warm up to people and even then I'm just not that into the friend thing. I would much rather spend time with family than friends. I'm not necessarily looking to raise geniuses. Obviously, we all want our kids to do well in school but I'm also very big on developing their character and getting them to enjoy learning. By the time I get them at night they are wiped out from school and I get crabby kids who are melting down and totally tuned out to me and I definitely don't like it. 

 

We are a Christian family too so getting to spend a little more time covering our faith would be great too! 

Edited February 6, 2016 by Sunshine89

[Sunshine89]

Can I ask what state you are in? That might help some of us guide you with more options for socialization in your area.

 

And welcome!

 

ETA: I was a reluctant homeschooler myself, with extremely extroverted children. Regular interaction with other kids is very important to my kids, so we make it a priority.

 

I'm in Arizona - I just checked AFHE website and there are several groups in our area that would fit our needs. I think the hard part will be trying to figure out which one to try first. 

Edited February 5, 2016 by Sunshine89

[Hunter]

Your response to what I said makes me think homeschooling has a good chance of working for you. I'm slower to just recommend homeschooling than I was in the past.

 

The world is different, and the people asking about homeschooling are different, now. In general, families with a strong sense of home, and that have some sort of strong belief system are happier with the lifestyle and results.

[ScoutTN]

Welcome!

If you spend some (of your non-existent free) time reading here, you will learn lots about curricula, schedules, homeschooling on a budget, doing school with littles to care for also, etc.

Keep it simple; your kids are young. Major on the majors - math, reading and writing. Add in the extras and content subjects as it works for your family. Realize that you all will be learning a whole new way to think about and do education and change is usually not easy. The library is your friend; use it well. Look for fun family-oriented free stuff in your area. And of course homeschool activities.

Scouting can be a great extra curricular activity which has a relatively consistent peer group over time. Different from most sports for younger children where the season lasts two months and then you may never see those people again.

When I was starting out, one thing that helped me was to meet with a few homeschooling moms who were a bit or even way ahead of me, in terms of the age of my kids, and ask them a zillion questions and borrow/read some of their curriculum to see if it looked like it would work for us. It helped me to understand my philosophy of education to hear others articulate theirs.

Don't feel like you have to have Everything all figured out to begin. Your homeschool will change as you gain experience, understand yourself and your kids better and as your kids grow up.

Edited February 7, 2016 by ScoutTN

[....]

How often do your kids interact with other kids their age/gender? 

 

Another challenge is that with 4 children who are 7, 5, almost 4, and 1, I'm not exactly sure how we will juggle school work for all of them and keep them all on task? 

 

What are some good curriculum's for teaching multiple children close in age? What do you use to help you 'know' what your kids should be learning at each grade/age?

 

Finally the last concern is finances. I want to give my kids a great education but I'm not sure how much it's going to cost. We are a one income family. My husband is just now finishing up his bachelors and will probably go back for a Masters in the next year or two (so his time will be limited as well) so we hope to see his income go up, but there are no guarantees. I'm not sure how we will afford all the extra classes and resources right now, though we are definitely willing to make sacrifices to try to make it work. How do you keep homeschooling affordable? 

 

Anyways any encouragement or tips would be great. I'm not planning to pull my oldest two out of public school until next year so I have a little bit of time to think this through and plan. 

 

My kids are 14, 13, 11, 8 and 1.  We've been homeschooling from almost the beginning (my oldest went to a ps 1st grade).

 

We do a lot of outside activities.  My 14 year-old works one day a week at a pit bull rescue.  The 14 and 13 year-old both help teach a sports class for special needs kids one night a week.  All 4 are really into a particular sport, so we do that 2-3 times a week.  11 year-old takes private lessons at an art studio and 8 year-old does ballet once a week.  We don't do a co-op or anything.  But, I really push my kids to get out and do things around other kids/adults.  The older ones do volunteer work sometimes with our church youth group.

 

How do you keep them on task?  Be organized, get up early and they really get used to getting their work done.  Organization is really important.

 

Good curricula for multiple kids...we really like anything that's a unit study or Charlotte Mason-ish.  Two of my kids do very well with the Charlotte Mason method.  We've liked Five in a Row, Konos, Story of the World...putting our own unit studies together...

 

If you have a good library, you can homeschool for pretty cheap.   

[mamiof5]

Welcome!! I am in AZ too, wonderful state for homeschooling!! Will try to address some of your questions. Socialization? Not a problem here. There are SO MANY homeschooling groups!!! Depending on where you live, I don't think you'll have trouble finding a wonderful homeschooling group. We belong to a Christian homeschooling group, and love it. Also, not sure where in AZ you are, but if you happen to live near Mesa...google Eagleridge (a public school for ho.)...it has been a blessing for us! It sounds to me like you know what you want to do, and you know this could be the best for your family...but it's hard to make the jump and get started. I personally absolutely love it (including the good, the bad and the ugly). For us it has been a blessing, and wouldn't change it. Is it easy? NO. Does every day go as planned? NO. Do I feel like throwing the towel? More times than you can count. For us it has been an entire change in our lifestyle, and it hasn't happened over night. And that's OK, Rome wasn't built in one day. I've been homeschooling for 4 years I think? Currently schooling an 11, almost 10 and almost 8 year old. Also have an oldest, and a baby (15 months old). PM me if I can help or if you have any more questions :)

[calihil]

My oldest is only in 1st grade but next year I'll have a 2nd grader and a K'er, and I'll have a 3 year old and a newly walking toddler, eek! So I'm sorta in the same life stage as you. :) My kids have never been in any kind of school environment. As for the social aspect, I honestly haven't worried about that. We go to church, Bible study during the week, they have neighborhood kids for friends, and they are in gymnastics right now. Next year I'm looking to putting my oldest in a homeschool choir. There is probably more in your area available for homeschoolers than you think.

 

I often get a little scared of schooling them all together, but then you have to remember that as the older ones move along in school, they will get a bit more independent each year. But it's also one of those things you just do it, learn your new normal, and adjust accordingly. It will all work out!

 

For my 1st grader, we only spend about 1.5 hours a day on school. The rest of the day she has time to play with her siblings, play outside, read, or just whatever she wants to do. Right now with an infant we don't get out as much as I'd like (naptimes are sacred, ya know lol) but I expect we'll get out more when it gets a bit warmer. We do reading lesson/phonics (10 mins), copywork (10 mins), math (30 mins), a little history workbook (10 mins), then memory binder work (20 mins). We do that in the morning and then in the afternoon I read one or two chapters of read alouds to her and she reads a bit to me. I'll also read a book or two at bedtime, plus Bible stories. Next year I think we will do MFW Adventures in US History before we dive into Ancients the year after that. The beauty of HSing is that you can make it whatever you want it to be!!! Good luck!!! :)

[My3girls]

It sounds like he'll get plenty of time with friends through sports and church. At their ages, school should only take 2 hours at the most. Libraries, museums, zoos, parks, and aquariums often have homeschool days for outtings which always make things more fun and interesting. Some curriculum that you can use for an age range are Story of the World and Real Science Odyssey. There are others out there. Those are just the ones that I have found helpful.

[kbutton]

I think it sounds like you are worrying realistically about a lot of the right stuff. :-)

 

There is no perfect time to decide to homeschool--every age, stage, and set of siblings comes with their own pros and cons. I think it's cool that you're working through your options now. We started considering HSing about this time of year when my son was in 2nd grade, and it gave us time to research, plan, and even take in a huge homeschool convention (don't do that without a way of filtering the information you get, or you'll freak out). Being able to go someplace and look at, touch, hold, and compare curriculum was PRICELESS. I am not sure at what point I joined this forum, but every time I wanted curriculum information, google sent me here. I could read the good, bad, and ugly of all my potential choices, lol! I'd also already worked through some popular curriculum choices via my son using them in school and figured out that what I'd loved about them as a kid was not going to serve my kids well. 

 

There are some threads on homeschooling philosophies (search Homeschool Mom in AZ), and I think it's a good idea to know what kind of environment you want to create while also holding loosely to that idea until you try it. I found that my philosophy has remained unchanged, but working it out in the day-in and day-out has been harder to categorize--I'm not as eclectic as some eclectic homeschoolers, but I'm not a classical homeschooler, unschooler, or traditional curriculum gal either. I have very different goals for each of my kids (they both have some exceptionalities). So, we've had to adjust a lot, but all that work I did ahead of time really did translate into being mostly realistic about how things went day to day, and what needed to be adjusted was within my range of tolerance (barring a few weeks of madness here and there, lol). Cathy Duffy's extensive information about types of kids and moms along with her curriculum reviews really helped me whittle down what i wanted things to look like. I did know myself well enough to know that schedules would not work for me--I'm much better at eyeballing things and saying, "Hmm, more math less grammar this week" or "more science and less math this week." to finish by the end of the year. I knew going in that I'd be the kind of mom who would NOT do science every day or even every week, and we might have binge days or weeks for science. If you don't know those things, that's okay, but it's a good idea to think about what your options are if your first choice doesn't work out. I've also found that there are certain subjects I want to tackle and then dump for the rest of the year, so we do that--trying to do spelling every day with my older son is frustrating for us both, so we do Sequential Spelling at an insane rate and finish the book by Christmas (it's designed to be able to do this). Then, he can spend that time slot on some other short-term, let's-not-fiddle-around-with-this subject in that time slot until that option is completed as well. 

 

Best wishes! You sound like you are well on your way. You can always come back and start asking specific curriculum questions. In general, I would say that history and science are the easiest for combining in the early ages. As your kids grow, you might find that the 4 year old and 7 year old pull apart too much to keep together (or maybe not), but I bet that you can get a lot of mileage out of combining them for now and continuing to combine the 4 and 5 year old right up through middle school. In these early years, it's fairly easy to choose a main resource (spine), and then throw a few extra books and videos at the 7 year old or maybe keep them together on the content part but let the little ones do less output than the 7 year old. My kids are 3.5 years apart, so we've not been able to combine as much as I'd like to, but that's also helped me see how different they are and cater to their personalities (we have more extremes than many families).

[wendyroo]

This year I have a 1st grader, a preschooler, a toddler and an infant.

 

We school 4 days a week and stick to a simple routine.

 

5am - I wake and start the day

6am - The kids wake and look at or read books in bed

7am - The kids get up and get ready

7:15 - Breakfast while I read a chapter book aloud to everyone

7:45 - The toddler and preschooler play while I spend 15 minutes 1-on-1 doing spelling or writing with the 1st grader

8 - 9 - All the kids play together

9ish - Clean up and then a snack while I read a picture book to everyone

9:30 - 10:30 - Toddler plays in his room while I do "together school" with the 4 and 6 year olds

10:30-12 - Play dates, outings, speech therapy, errands, free play

12 - Lunch and an educational show

12:45 - Clean up and get toddler down for nap

1 - 1:30 - Math time.  I alternate between teaching and helping the 4 and 6 year olds

1:30 - 3:30 - Quiet play in rooms.  The 4 and 6 year olds each have one day a week that they get to do free art for an hour during this time.

3:30 - 5 - Outside time

5 - Dinner

5:45 - Family time

7ish - Stories and bed

 

Since we only school 4 days a week, we can schedule around appointments, homeschool group trips, free museum days, etc.

 

Wendy

[Incognito]

FWIW, I have found that through the years the time spent building relationships with a consistent group of kids has been the best investment for us as far as socialization goes.  My kids have done many classes, and enjoyed them, but classes have not grown friendships.  You may find that a few consistent, well-chosen groups (after dipping your toe into many to see what suits you all) will be the best way to do things.  Being out every day of the week isn't really a goal.  Having friends is, and if that is every other week co-op, that really is enough.

 

 

[ExcitedMama]

First of all you CAN do it! I think knowing you can do it is really all you need to get started. You've gotten a lot of great advice above. It really takes much less time to school at home than it does at school. So much of school time at a school is taken up by moving from one thing to the next. Plus they can't teach to every child. One on one at home means you teach to the child and meet them where they are. You can move them up in a subject to keep them challenged while going slowly in something that is harder for them. I started with no idea what I was doing and planning on starting off slowly and I've been amazed how far my son has come. Last year he could not sound anything out and now he can read anything in sight. I hadn't planned on starting spelling so young but he wanted to write stories and I'm amazed at how well he can spell big words. All from a few minutes a day with lots of days skipped if we have something going on.

 

Start slowly and start with the basics. How is reading? Writing? Math? Start with that and once you're comfortable add on. Maybe something that interests them. My son loves science and mechanical stuff so I try to add that in. At those ages you'd be surprised how quickly you can get done the important stuff. CathyDuffyReviews.com is a great place to start and see what your options are for every subject. It's also a great place to look up stuff you see here. I know all the acronyms here for everything really confused me at first so look up the ones you see a lot. Reading here really helped and continues to help me know what curriculums are popular. Once you get started you'll get a better idea what works in your house.

 

Try not to get overwhelmed and just move forward in small steps. Remember how you felt before you had your first child? That no idea what's going to happen next? It's not going to be such a dramatic change but it will be a change so just take it slow. See how everyone adjusts and what works best for everyone. Maybe more family time and less rushing will calm down your routine. Don't worry about socialization at first. Once you have schooling at home going well then you can evaluate. See if your son wants to do something outside and go from there. So far at 6 my DS loves going to karate, AWANA and Sunday school every week. He talks about the kids he sees there a lot but so far those outings are enough for him so I'm not worried about anything more. The kids he sees aren't interested in anything more either but I assume that will happen when they get older. You'll know how to meet his needs.

 

I'm a very introverted book worm myself so I worried about socialization too but it really isn't a big deal. If anything it really is better because they only see good role models and influences and aren't stuck next to that kid that's a bad influence all day. My kids interact with people naturally all the time and are very chatty and personable. I think it's actually easier for a shy person to have to try for smaller periods, like for a class once a week instead of having to do it all day in class if that makes sense. We don't know any real life homeschoolers so we've had a lot of criticism about it but it's already almost completely turned around. Everyone is so impressed with how smart and well mannered DS is that we mostly only get encouragement now.

 

I think it can be done pretty cheaply too. Especially when you considered that you only need to buy any teacher's manual once and reuse with the next child and you can buy it used in the first place.

 

There really is no downside to following your heart on this. After all what's the worst that could happen? Even if you decide it's not for your family you will still have fun memories of giving it a try! Plus you won't have that lingering thought in your head about trying it. As a newbie myself you can find all the information you need here and just ask anything when you need help and you will get so much support. Good luck!

[Sunshine89]

Thanks so much for the additional comments about curriculum and schedules to think about. You have all been very helpful and encouraging! 

 

I'm going to continue to lurk around here for some ideas and I'll ask questions about curriculum after I've narrowed it down a bit. 

[Garga]

Thanks so much for the additional comments about curriculum and schedules to think about. You have all been very helpful and encouraging!

 

I'm going to continue to lurk around here for some ideas and I'll ask questions about curriculum after I've narrowed it down a bit.

When you're ready and have started doing a little research, look for threads about particular curriculum. Like, let's say you want to research The Story of the World history. First see if you can find threads about it.

 

I find that the "search" feature on this page is pretty useless. I don't know what I'm going wrong, but it never finds anything for me. So, I go to google and type "welltrainedmind story of the world" and tend to find things better that way. It's not 100%, but at least I usually find something.

 

If you can't find threads, then start one about a narrow topic, "What do you guys think of Story of the World?" You'll most likely get a lot more responses that way. Not that there's any problem with asking a lot of questions all at once! It's ok to do that, but sometimes people don't respond as well.

 

Hang around here for a while reading, reading, reading, and you'll start to gain a lot of knowledge pretty easily.

 

I probably was doing it all wrong, but even at 2nd grade I took more than 2 hours for school, but we used to do a ton of stuff for school. I don't know if that was a good or bad idea. All I know is that it worked for us, and it was more like 3 or maybe 4 hours sometimes. We used to do a lot of subjects though. You don't have to do that, but it worked for us.

 

My boys have friends but are very content just staying home. We're mostly introverted around here. For your son, I'd try to find some homeschooling or church friends and be very deliberate about planning time with them. I was always the one setting up play dates with my sons' school friends. I didn't mind. I knew they were busy and their priority wasn't setting up playdates so I was happy to be the one to do so. It's still that way for most of their friends. Make a point of calling to invite someone to the house at least every other week. Doesn't have to be the same friend, but make sure he has someone visiting twice a month at least. More if you can swing it.

 

If you decide to homeschool--welcome! My kids are 10 and 13 and tell me all day long how much they love me and we hug each other all day and even when we get really mad at each other, we have a bond that I didn't know was possible to have with other people. We're so close. I just don't see how that would have happened if we were apart physically all day.

 

But...sometimes it is ROUGH, don't want to lie. It's very difficult for me to deal with Kid Emotions. They're so intense! Shew! Take a chill pill, kids! But, they also love me and each other fiercely.

 

I guess, bottom line, it's a wild ride and I am soooo glad we made this choice. I have a few friends who tried homeschooling and it wasn't for them and that's ok, too. Each family will have different results and have different needs. Some people will try homeschooling and realize, "This is NOT what we need!" It's ok to stop without shame.

[redsquirrel]

I did read over the other replies, but I might have missed this, so I apologize if this has been mentioned, but have you read The Well Trained Mind?

 

I think its a great place to start when you are trying to envision homeschooling. It is very reassuring and has a 'you can do this' attitude that I found very helpful.

 

One thing I always tell people who are new to homeschooling, is that if you read The Well Trained Mind, don't read the high school section until your kids are older. Stick with the chapters dealing with teaching elementary grade kids. If you read the sections for older kids you will freak out.  Now that I have older kids those chapters make perfect sense to me, but when I had a first grader and a toddler they looked insane. So just hold yourself back, lol.

 

And the first year is the hardest. You are all trying to find your groove and things get weird and hard and then fun and then hard again and you worry all the time.  But, after that first year, you find your groove and things start to click. You find yourself at the end of your second year and start to feel like you know what you are doing.  So, just give it some time.  It's just second grade. You aren't going to do any irreparable damage, lol.