How to find out more about homeschooling?

[Momit]

DS is barely 3, but I have recently started thinking about the possibility of homeschooling. I hadn't really articulated those thoughts to anyone, even DH, but somehow 2 different family members asked me over the holidays if I would consider homeschooling.

I said I would consider it, along with pretty much any other school option, but I really don't know anything about homeschooling. There are no special needs or religious reasons behind what I'm thinking. DH and I are both relatively smart and well-educated but neither of us has any experience with teaching or education.

Are there good websites or online communities I can check out? Books? Previous threads here? I am obviously in the very initial stages of research and would appreciate any guidance from people who are more familiar with this topic. I'm especially interested in social opportunities for homeschooled kids since DS is an only child. Thanks!

[Katigre]

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/index.php

http://www.welltrainedmind.com

[Simon]

Dh and I talked about homeschooling a lot when Ds1 was younger--in the toddler to early preschool years. Ds1 is currently enrolled in a public K which is okay with us. We may revisit the issue of homeschooling again, but are planning to use local public schools for now.

I attended a state wide homeschooling conference when Ds1 was about 3yo and met wonderful people and really enjoyed the workshops. We've talked about returning but had schedule conflicts in more recent years. I highly reccomend checking out a local conference for finding great resources.

You could always start with homeschool for pre-K. The Five in a Row or Before Five in a Row are easy places to start. We bought that curriculum though we didn't end up using it as more than a guided reading list. You can learn a lot about it and find some good message boards searching for FIAR or BFIAR as home preschooling.

Here are some of the authors we really enjoyed as thought provoking, whether or not we agreed with them in the end. Dh especially liked Gatto, Holt and Kohn:
John Taylor Gatto
Alfie Kohn
Jan Hunt
John Holt
Sandra Dodd
Rebecca Rupp: less about philosophy but truly an excellent resource for what to cover year-by-year grades k-12. We've kept this as a reference for ourselves.

[KpbS]

I'll second the WTM resources mentioned by PP :) and add you should look into any local hsing groups in your city/state. IME many people are more than willing to chat with you about their daily routines are like, the pros/cons, and give you a good idea of what hsing can look like. Ultimately you'll have to decide for yourself but I was really thankful to all of those I spoke with who helped me picture what hsing would/could be, some of them are here :love-retry:

Here are some old threads

http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=393533&highlight=homeschooling

http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=373530&highlight=homeschooling



http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=359758&highlight=homeschooling

http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=324935&highlight=homeschooling

http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=405875&highlight=homeschool

http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=364395&highlight=homeschool

http://windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=336884&highlight=homeschool

[AngelaS]

Check out the hslda site to see what the laws are in your state. :)

[brittone2]

You've gotten great advice already. I just wanted to say :wavey: . ITA w/ many of the book and website recommendations.

In many areas there are co-ops, homeschool gym programs, etc. so the opportunities to socialize are pretty abundant. Some of that depends on where you live, but the last two places I've lived (two different states) have lots of opportunities. Homeschool "park days" where kids hang out and play and the parents chat, homeschool "gym" at the YMCA, co-op learning opportunities (parent or older child leads a class on anything from a craft to a language to history and math), etc.

I think most people find their philosophy kind of grows and changes through the years, and that's part of the fun. There are so many excellent books on HSing in general, and then books geared toward different approaches.

Best of luck!

[daisymommy]

I just wanted to add that it used to be many people homeschooled their kids for religious reasons, or because their child had special needs, or the schools around them were bad/poorly rated. And it's a myth that only educators can homeschool their kids and do a good job.

Now, it's more about wanting to "give your kids the world", above and beyond what a typical school setting can offer them, wanting to not force your child into a cookie-cutter mold of traditional school and be able to offer a creative, tailor made approach just for your child. And many people do it because they want to spend the precious childhood years exploring, discovering, & learning with their child rather than sending them to school all day.

I'm not saying there is a right or wrong way for the masses to do things, but these are some things to think about for the future.

Great site here:
http://www.besthomeschooling.org/
http://www.besthomeschooling.org/articles/lillian_jones_ps_kdgtn.html
Free early years homeschooling program (so sweet!)
http://weefolkart.com/content/winter-wonderland-preschoolkindergarten-curriculum

[Momit]

Thank you everyone! I really appreciate the links and recommendations. And it's good to hear that there are ways for homeschooled kids to participate in activities and make friends. I'm really excited to learn more about this.

I guess I find it a little odd that I'm even thinking about it. Five years ago if you had asked me, I wouldn't have even been sure I wanted to have a child and now I have one and am thinking about homeschooling him! It has just been so fascinating to watch him learn and develop, and I do feel like homeschooling would offer so many great opportunities that aren't available in a traditional school setting.