# Homeschooling Next Year



## highlandview (Feb 15, 2007)

I have five kids ages: 14, 12, 10, 9 and 5. Except for the youngest they all go to the same Catholic grade school. We have been discouraged with the education they are getting there. It is time for registration for next year and we told the principal we will not be coming back and that we would be homeschooling. We are going to a conference for Catholic homeschoolers this summer. My oldest will still be going to public high school and youngest will be homeschooled but I don't have to officially homeschool her until she is 6. What is your best advice? Are there any books out there for me to read over the summer? Are you involved in homeschooling groups or do you go it alone? Which is better? I am currently on the e-mail list for the Catholic homeschoolers and they get together every week, go to church once a week, go on field trips etc. My kids will still be playing county sports and possibly doing scouts.


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

I'll be following this thread, too, as my daughter is at the age where we have to decide if she's going to public school or staying here for her education.
-Catherine


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

I'm in two groups. One "old fashioned" group, LOL and one Yahoo group (that is local, also). I like being in groups as it gives you field trip ideas, play dates with other kids like yours (IE we can meet at the park for lunch and play all afternoon), other mom's to discuss "issues" with or "how do you.." or "have you tried/seen XYZ". Things non-homeschoolers just can't "get" or have an interest in. 

No matter how involved a parent is in their child's away from home education, most have not had to look through and figure out curriculum, styles, etc. The school does that for them. Most people don't understand having only use of half their kitchen some weeks because the of the weeks science project or the Ancient Egypt unit that has you mummifying a chicken on the counter....so they don't "get" it.....other homeschoolers do. So, for me, a group is a must....I need at least one person in my life, not counting DH, that knows I'm not crazy.


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

www.hslda.com

Find out your states laws.
This website will connect you with home school groups, and with home school
conventions, and with home school book sales.



> What is your best advice?


Keep good records. Record attendance. Record book titles and makers. Record grades.



> Are there any books out there for me to read over the summer?


Find a group, and ask people face to face. Not many books can give you what you are looking for.



> Are you involved in homeschooling groups or do you go it alone?


We tried a group, it was too much like 'school'. So we bailed and did it on our own. It worked out wonderful.



> Which is better? I am currently on the e-mail list for the Catholic homeschoolers and they get together every week, go to church once a week, go on field trips etc. My kids will still be playing county sports and possibly doing scouts.


Every family is different.
WE pulled out of everything. School, youth group, and any other function that was 'peer based'. We deprogramed out kids to "think like everyone else" and to get comfortable in their own skin. We are Bible based, and Believers in Christ.

I would sit down and write out a mission statement.
WHY do you want to home school
What do you hope to accomplish
What are your goals, and how do you plan to achieve them
What is important to you and your family.

Things like that.


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## offthegrid (Aug 11, 2009)

I would actually say my best advice is not to try to decide everything now.  I don't think that writing out goals is a bad idea, but I think my goals are constantly changing/evolving, so I'm not sure I would still use anything I wrote the year before we started homeschooling. I am constantly updating and looking for new materials, and we add things to our homeschooling year all year long. But that's ok!

With regard to a group - I was given the advice not to commit to a group that required us to DO anything (other than choose to socialize) until we'd been homeschooling for a while. I think it's a good idea to see what you can do on your own for a while - although a social group is always nice. We now belong to a group that does include academics so sometimes it is a struggle to get everything done but we like it. 

What will probably be useful for you with 5 kids is to decide on some sort of schedule so that you're not scrambling around every day. Maybe every day you would have your kids work on math, grammar/language arts and [some other thing(s)?....we do foreign language and piano], then try to get one history lesson & one science lesson in each week, some art projects here and there. Sometimes it works, sometimes not, but overall we plug away every day at the basic academics and fill in the others as we can. 

Other useful advice is to have a place for your books and a place for kids to have their books stored - so they can find them and YOU can find them to review work, assign the next thing, etc. I also keep my correspondence w/ my district in a clearly labeled binder so I have everything easily at hand if necessary.

Good luck and have fun!!


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

I would highly recommend a group, if only for the "special" things like a short term PE class, socializing events and parties, field trips, etc, etc. 

If we had a good group closer than 100 miles, we probably wouldn't be looking at going _back_ to public school.


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## Michele of MI (Jul 8, 2009)

We went through the same thing a few years ago. We have homeschooled for 2 years now and find it to be better for us in many ways. You might check out http//www.catholichomeschool.org it has some good links to curriculum and groups. There is a book called A Mothers Rule for Life. I haven't read it yet, but many people have recommended it. 
We belong to two groups, sort of. One is an e-mail group mostly, because they have had some issues. The other group has a lot of activities, sports, etc., like many groups. I think that the groups, for us, have been a way to meet other homeschoolers and get a in a few activities we couldn't or wouldn't do on our own. Unfortunately, the activities we have been most interested in have been either at an inconvienient time for us, or way outside our budget. Look into the groups before joining. Some are great, some are not.


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## highlandview (Feb 15, 2007)

Thanks for all the info - keep the advice coming!


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## rean (Nov 18, 2008)

One thing I learned with homeschooling our four is the older ones are able to help the younger ones. Don't try to be a wonder mom and do it all yourself. :0)


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

> One thing I learned with homeschooling our four is the older ones are able to help the younger ones. Don't try to be a wonder mom and do it all yourself. :0)


Amen. My oldest is a math wizz. My middle is a grammar wizz. The baby is a computer wizz. They teach each other so much. I completely encourage each of their individual strengths, and then encourage them to share those strengths with the others......



> I would actually say my best advice is not to try to decide everything now.  I don't think that writing out goals is a bad idea, but I think my goals are constantly changing/evolving, so I'm not sure I would still use anything I wrote the year before we started homeschooling. I am constantly updating and looking for new materials, and we add things to our homeschooling year all year long. But that's ok!


Very true! I guess with a mission statement it would be somthing like "core values / core reasons".
For us it was (A) To honor God. (B) To learn His Ways and His Word. (C) To develop Godly character in each child. (D) To encourage them to expore their areas of strenghts (gifts) as much as possible. (E) To teach Truth, not speculation or manipulation of facts.(F) To strengthen our family.

That's what our 'core mission' of home education is/was. (one graduated, one a senior, one sopohmore).

Honestly, one of the big reasons we pulled out of public schools WAS the 'socialization'. The 'peer' driven pressure, was insane. Pressure to conform, pressure to preform, pressure to be 'the same'. We are Believers that the Lord Created each of us wonderully and individually, and each one of us has a unique purpose and a unique set of 'gifts and talents'. 
School, youth group, scouts, and the like totally mush kids into the 'sameness' mindset...
When people ask "what about socialization" I ask them to have a conversation with my kids. Pick a topic and start talking, then ask me about socialization.
50% of the time, they don't say another word.
The other 50% are so blown away (some offended) that my kids speak with such confidence, and are not swayed by their 'adult' comments.

I am always amazed at what adults will ask.....adults that really have no place in my kids lives...(team mates parents).....yet ask the most personal questions. If I asked their kid that question, they would flip out!! 
However, it's a great learning tool for my children, and it hones in their discernment!!


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## Teri (Jan 13, 2003)

Check out Catholic Heritage curriculum. From what I understand, it is very user friendly. It's mostly for elementary grades. We are mostly Lifestyle of Learning in our approach, but I think using some curriculum starting out is helpful. God Bless your efforts!


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## Cashs Cowgirl (Jan 26, 2006)

Try not to get overwhelmed. THere is so much out there to use. Think of your children's learning style. Talk with them. MOst kids love hands on things. Check with what your state is teaching each year for the grade level of your child (and it's laws). I make sure that we are meeting or exceeding that level every year. I want their education to be more rounded, more indepth. 

Don't plan too many outside activities when you first start out. You will get overwhelmed quickly. 

I love our homeschool group. It's an eclectic mix of families and beliefs. We aren't there to convert each other or exclude anyone. We are there for our kids to have a great time learning from each other and enjoying each others company. I found the group though after 4 years of homeschooling, lol. I wish I had found them a little sooner. Our group does do some History co-ops. We do hand craft days with the mom's. We have Mom's Night Out evening. But the best part is the vast wealth of information for field trips from everyone. I love it! The kids get to do so many things.

We also school most of the summer. It is so hot here that we hardly go out during the middle of the day so instead we school. THe fall and spring are too lovely to stay inside, plus we may be gardening or painting and the kids help with all of that. More learning involved, lol. 

Use everyday life to teach as well. The grocery store is great for all sorts of lessons. Teach them how to really compare prices of items. How to pick good fruits and vegetables. How to buy seasonally so that you eat well year round. How to read labels...

Use you're library. Get to know the librarians. Get books on CD for time spent traveling in the car to activities. Better to fill our minds with books than with the music that's out there today. My kids balked at first, but then they really got into it and now love to get books. We are listening to Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry. It was getting quite good and we were home...my daughter came home and found the book on the shelf (it's part of our curriculum this year as a read aloud-we use Sonlight) and she had to finish reading it, lol. I didn't find out until she was almost done  Though she still wanted to listen to it as we went for ice cream last night.

Anyways...have fun with it. It's not supposed to be like Public School, but I found that a little structure is important and so is a schedule so that you can rate where you are.

Keep good documentation should you ever need it-grades, attendance, and schoool transcripts. I just keep their lesson plans and examples of their work in a file labeled for each year.

Oh and don't listen to the naysayers...most of it may come from your family. They will, in time, realize that the kids will learn and won't turn into unsocialized heathens, lol.


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## BlueberryChick (May 12, 2008)

A google search for "homeschooling" will give you more to read than you could get to in a lifetime, but it's a place to start. I've homeschooled for 13 years. I started with a call to the South Carolina homeschool association. If there's something like that where you live, it's a good place to get information on legal issues and curriculum choices.

As to a group, if you can find one that suits your style of homeschooling, great. Some are really active and have tons of things going on, and require a lot of time and energy from you. 

That doesn't really suit my personality, so I just get together with two friends who also homeschool. Among us, we have nine children (three of whom have graduated). We meet once a week, sometimes for a lesson, activity or field trip. Some days, like today, we just let the children play while the moms visit.

It may take you a while to figure out what works for your family. Don't be discouraged by that; it's a journey. Enjoy the trip!

*The Well-Trained Mind 

*100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum


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