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What you WON'T do for homeschooling?


Tracy
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I recently saw a thread on another forum about dissection, and one mom said, "Any child old enough to dissect is old enough to find a mentor!"

 

That got me to wondering what areas of schooling are off limits to others.

 

Now dissections don't bother me so much. I remember even volunteering to do them for a school fair at the mall. But I just hate nature walks. I feel so guilty about it, but I just can't do it. Luckily, I have a dh that enjoys that sort of thing and does a great deal of it with the kids.

 

So how about you? What won't you do?

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haha! and that's ok (hating nature walks), everyone has something they detest! When we first started homeschooling mid year I asked my daughter (who was 10) what she wanted to learn about, etc. and she said she really wanted to dissect!! Now, I aced Biology and Bio2 in high school, which were both full of dissections. But I'm older now and just didn't want to go there. But I still bought a frog & she happily did it with her dad. I bought a new kit for this year with several things to dissect! Anyway, I think that counts :) But in looking at the bigger picture, taking on homeschooling is huge, we've got big plans this year, we've got a lot of upward momentum going into this (our first year with all) so I'd have to say there's nothing I wouldn't do to the point of putting my kids back in public school.

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haha! and that's ok (hating nature walks), everyone has something they detest! When we first started homeschooling mid year I asked my daughter (who was 10) what she wanted to learn about, etc. and she said she really wanted to dissect!! Now, I aced Biology and Bio2 in high school, which were both full of dissections. But I'm older now and just didn't want to go there. But I still bought a frog & she happily did it with her dad. I bought a new kit for this year with several things to dissect! Anyway, I think that counts :) But in looking at the bigger picture, taking on homeschooling is huge, we've got big plans this year, we've got a lot of upward momentum going into this (our first year with all) so I'd have to say there's nothing I wouldn't do to the point of putting my kids back in public school.

 

I will not and cannot do anything involving snakes.

 

Crap, now I'm feeling really bad, lol! I thought the PE thing was bad enough, but you cannot PAY me to dissect or handle snakes. I should just turn in my membership to the homeschoolin' momma club now!

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Crap, now I'm feeling really bad, lol! I thought the PE thing was bad enough, but you cannot PAY me to dissect or handle snakes. I should just turn in my membership to the homeschoolin' momma club now!

 

Hey, dissection is easier to delegate than those darned daily nature walks!

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I'm not against anything. I probably won't end up learning an instrument. Tried that as a kid and just wasn't that into it. Possibly because I really wanted to play the drums and my mom wouldn't let me so the fire fizzled out. But I'm encouraging my children too and I can't wait to listen to them on Christmas Eve in twenty years as I sip hot chocolate and have the warm fuzzies while they play The Christmas Carole. Anyway they(4yr & 6yr) start Piano on Wednesday. :D Both are interested in the guitar too but I've told them they have to learn the piano first, which is what the instructor I called recommended for their age.

 

Anyway I'm good with everything else. I'm in school and have biology this semester and there were several dissection books on the recommended list. I was not thrilled in middle school about the frogs and worms. I can barrel through it as long as I get gloves and something to prevent splatter.

 

We don't do nature walks but it's just not the right neighborhood for that. The boys have soccer and play in grandmas back yard. We need to get our backyard renovated... The 6yr is in a homeschool enrichment once a week and they have PE so there's that too.

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I won't quit my career. I am happy that we have been able to swing homeschooling with two working (out of the home) parents.

 

I don't mind PE at all...I do fitness bootcamp to stay in shape for my hobby of roller derby and I love to get him to exercise with me. Us each doing planks in the living room is not such a rare sight. We also do yoga together.

 

Dissections are fine, though they are likely more up my husband's alley skill set wise (he works in healthcare and has a lot of science experience, I am a math, business an finance person by trade who took rocks for jocks as my lab science requirement for college and filled in the rest of my science requirements with physics which was right up my mathy alley.)

 

I am not qualified to teach things like Spanish or sewing or musical instruments. I would if I could. Heck, I may just have to learn right alongside him myself.

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Dissection of any kind, but my eldest couldn't handle it without passing out or throwing up. He was present when a sibling had stitches removed and he ran screaming from the room for fear the would would burst open and start bleeding.

 

I'd prefer NOT to organize a co-op because I'd hate to get too caught up in that vs the individual education of my children.

 

Art, I stink at it. I'd love to have lessons WITH the kids.

 

My dh teaches music lessons.

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No P.E.

No dissection or experiments involving killing critters of any kind.

No unsupervised field trips.

 

Probably this. Our "P.E." is playground time...not organized P.E. Can't see us ever really doing that. I have NO intentions of ever dissecting any animals, ever. Pictures worth a thousand words there ;) And the unsupervised field trips...can't see that happening for a while either, if ever...

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I outsource PE and lab science. The former I stunk at in school and don't feel I can, or want, to teach it adequately. The second I feel like I SHOULD be able to teach and be good at, but it never seems to happen when it's up to me-so I send DD to a weekly lab class for homeschoolers, and then read about the subject and get materials for her to explore on her own during the week at home.

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co-ops

I've grown into farming out math after Algebra. Not b/c I can't do it, but b/c I choose to use my time otherwise.

 

Co-ops are not in our line-up, unless they are for fun and fieldtrips...but classes, nope. Too much work, never enough return.

 

Stop using TOG or PR. They make my life so much better as a hser.

 

Take any more kids :)

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I will not obtain and dissect a grasshopper.

Any other critter is fine.

By the same token, nature walks in the summer are not happening. We go outside, but too many infected ticks and infernal grasshoppers inhibit any enjoyment of organized nature study.

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Dissections are out. No way, no how. Had dissect a pig in HS and, although I lucked out and had an enthusiastic lab partner who gloried in the gory and did a majority of the hands-on work, was scarred for life; I can still recall the way the lab smelled.

 

Math is another subject I refuse to take any part in. I hated math during the years of my own schooling, and I feel--like a prisoner released--that I've done my time, so my husband (who has a much greater natural ability in that area anyway) oversees the math instruction around here.

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My children do P.E. at the YMCA. Homeschool P.E. twice a week. Bam. Delegated. :D

 

They also do lab classes at the local science center (2 classes a month), in addition to our low-tech home experiments. I do think when they get to middle school, they do dissections there which would be FINE with me! :D

 

I also apparently won't do co-ops. In theory I actually really like the idea of a co-op, but it would have to be with just the right mix of like-minded people and apparently it doesn't exist. All the co-ops I've found are either hyper conservative Christian or crazy liberal unschoolers. Neither is really my cup of tea.

 

Even if I found one that was more moderate it'd have to be pretty awesome for me to consent to giving up a day of normal home instruction.

 

So while I like to THINK I'd do a co-op, apparently, I wouldn't.

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Crafts.

 

I don't mind art etc....but crafts where you spend an hour making some awful mess with glitter then look at it and think, "now what on earth am I going to do with THAT?!?" Because of course my kids will want to keep it for the next 8 months on display (as more and more glitter falls off and gets dragged around my house..)

 

I honestly feel awful that I feel this way...but it's the truth folks.

 

Dissection doesn't bother me, though :D and I don't think snakes should count....I never had to do anything involving a snake at ps from K-12 so no reason to start now!! :D

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co-ops

:iagree: I like to do things on my schedule and don't like the time restraints that co-op brings. Having to be at there on a certain day at a certain time. I also don't want to prepare to teach a class and there are usually those requirements. I would just assume stay home and take care of my kids with all the flexibility that homeschooling brings :001_smile:

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No useless crafts

Most likely no dioramas or dissections either..

 

For everything else, not sure! Considering a co-op an hour and a half away - Lego Robotics, Mind Lab.. Sounds exciting. Can commit for only a few classes at a time up to three months.

Edited by sagira
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Lapbooks

 

cut and paste timeline - ds finds any cut and paste project (unless it's for art) totally useless. I finally bought a timeline and the DK encyclopedia, we're done with pictured timelines.

 

co-ops

 

dissections - ds is not squeamish, but hates looking at dead insects and such. I have many issues with dissections, so we'll do something like Frogouts and call it good. We love nature study though.

 

start before 9 a.m. - we are not morning people, period.

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Lapbooks

 

cut and paste timeline - ds finds any cut and paste project (unless it's for art) totally useless. I finally bought a timeline and the DK encyclopedia, we're done with pictured timelines.

 

co-ops

 

dissections - ds is not squeamish, but hates looking at dead insects and such. I have many issues with dissections, so we'll do something like Frogouts and call it good. We love nature study though.

 

start before 9 a.m. - we are not morning people, period.

 

 

 

Yes to all of these and add crafts to the bunch! :lol:

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Lapbooks.

 

I think Satan invented them to torture homeschool moms.

 

 

:smilielol5:

 

 

 

I also agree on the "won't pay for something and be expected to stay and help." Our co-op is paid, so I don't have to teach a class or anything. They want all families to do one volunteer thing a year, but they haven't caught me yet. :auto:

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