Any advice on homeschooling my children and how to get started?

I want to homeschool my children, I just don't know how to get started.Any advice on homeschooling my children and how to get started?
Angela, good luck to you as you investigate this choice. There are many wonderful resources. But start with state laws, then get in touch with your local homeschooling organizations for more information. Get hooked up with a local Yahoo group for support and to have specific, local questions answered and see opportunities for your children within the homeschooling community.





Then there are numerous books in the library to read regarding styles of homeschooling, the history of the development of the public education system in the US (assuming you are in the US), and so forth.





And I just can't resist.......to Kia........Arrogance is not pretty and ignorance is not bliss!








I would hazard to guess that most public school students, let alone public school teachers could not answer those questions. For crying out loud, most of my instructors in undergraduate classes were T.A.'s who could barely speak English and were only teaching for the money, and were 15 yrs. my junior.





Homeschoolers are faced with questions like this everyday. It would not be unusual to have a 5th or 6th grader ask about the human genome project. This is what we would call a teachable moment. At this point we would have them identify what they wanted to know (mine would of course say ';everything';) and off we would go on a learning adventure. Homeschooling, if done well, is teaching a child to learn, investigate, search, be curious, ask questions. It is not spoon feeding facts to an unwilling recipient glued to a chairseat.





And as far as what parents want for their children..... They want their children to be happy, self sufficient, to be engaged and involved citizens. I don't want my child to feel dependent on someone to make a job for them....I want them to believe that they can build a company if that is what they want to do. To create jobs not fill them. I want them to create beautiful art if that is their bliss. I want them to BE an inspiration to others, not search for inspiration from that which is common and ordinary. I want them to be able to think, not regurgitate. I want them to lead, not be trained to follow mindlessly.





AMENAny advice on homeschooling my children and how to get started?
Oh, here we go with the ';homeschoolers aren't socialized'; crap again.





Some people are so ignorant. Do they not realize that school is not the ONLY place kids can make friends? Geeze.





Anyway, the way to get started would be to research what kind of schooling you want to do. Traditional book learning, online classes, etc.





Depending on what kind of schooling you choose you will need to research curriculums. You don't have to get the same curriculums for all 3 kids and you don't have to get just one--you can mix and match. That's the great thing about homeschooling--it's personalized so every child can learn the way that is best for them.





Then, depending on where you live you'll have to check and see what homeschooling laws there are. Some states require that you spend so many hours learning, and so many hours a week for gym, etc.





That's basically it. Pretty easy. Homeschooling can be expensive if you buy everything new. You can always check sites like Ebay for cheap deals...usually brand new or gently used books that are much cheaper.





To give you an idea, my mom homeschools 3 kids and it was about $1,000 for all of our books (combined). Much cheaper than public school when you think about it...no spending money on tons of new school clothes, no money on school lunches, no need for backpacks or lunch boxes, school fees, etc. When you think about it, $1000 is pretty reasonable.





As far as socialization goes you can join homeschooling groups, youth groups, play groups, or get your kids enrolled in art classes or sign them up for sports. They'll have more friends than any public schooler could dream of having.





And ignore the ignorant answer above mine. So parents are not smart enough to teach their own children? Wow, that's a sad argument. You could walk into any public school and ask a certified teacher those same questions and they wouldn't know the answers.





Take a look at statistics---homeschoolers tend to be smarter! Colleges actually seek out homeschoolers because we are smarter and we're better achievers.
I started homeschooling in 7th grade....it is really fun. the younger your children are, the more you have to work with them...once they get into 7th grade, everything is kind of on their own....i would join a homeschool association. start off on a curriculum... classical conversations is good if you are christian...join a co-op...if you join a co - op, you will meet lots of new friends ( i met one of my best friends homeschooling) , and it will make things easier to understand
I homeschooled my daughter and son, who are now graduated from college. I would suggest that the first thing to do is find homeschool support groups in your area. Networking is everything, because you get a wide variety of ideas about what curriculum to use, field trip possibilities, joint learning projects, co-op classes, friends for your children and for yourself. Go into homeschooling having the attitude that you are also a student and an active member of your homeschool group community. The best thing about homeschooling is that it allows you to tailor learning to your children's interests. My friend one told me that she does necessarily see herself as her son's teacher but as a tour guide, finding for them the resources they need for learning. I used ABEKA curriculum for Language and spelling. And I used ABEKA's social studies and history texts, but I found that my children learned best when they explored through additional reading that they chose for history. Saxon math is a good program, but apply it to real life. That is the great thing about homeschooling is that everything you do becomes a learning opportunity. It also allows for children to become responsible about their own laundry and chores and to commit their passions to music, sports, and other hobbies. Find a variety of support groups in your area. Churches are a good start for finding contacts or just google.
Check out this site to find out what the laws are in your state:





http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp





To find good advice from people in your area, search Yahoo Groups for your city...like Houston Homeschoolers, Des Moines Homeschool, etc...I have several in my area and the people are really helpful. After joining a group, searching in the logs for any old questions and answers about getting started might help.





Edit: Everyone always bring us the ';socialization'; issue...don't worry about it. After finding all the resources available to HSers in your area, the problem with socialization is that you find yourself needing to make sure you have time to stay home to get the schoolwork done! We have a great playgroup that we meet with on a weekly basis and the kids have fun with each other. Then there's the weekly HS class at the Y. Homeschooled kids are usually great about playing with kids who are not always the same age and also about being able to socialize with adults. Think about it, when you get in the ';real world'; are you only interacting with people in your age group?





Edit #2: For those mentioning playing with friends as being a good reason to go to public school: I thought school was supposed to be for education, not for playtime. If you don't know anything about HSing why answer this question...I wouldn't answer a ? about sending kids to public school nor tell someone they shouldn't if that's what they wanted to do.





Edit #3: You're right, the expense depends on what you choose. There should be books at your local library that explain some of the different approaches to HSing. If there's a HS bookstore in your area you can look around at the different curriculum to get an idea of what might work for you and your kids.
why home schooling? how will they learn to socialize? Were you home schooled? If you were not, did you enjoy going to school and making friends? Did you enjoy playing with your friends? Why would you take that away from your children?
You do send your children to school


but if you want homeschooling too





you can drop a line to me


as our organisation runs homeschooling as per the needs and requirements of people world wide





with certifications as wel


regards
Home schooling, unless you are a qualified teacher, is going


to hold your children back.


Can you answer the following:


What is a finitely presented group?


What was the long term impact of the Treaty of Versailles?


What role did Camus play in the development of the modern novel?


Explain the Human Genome?


What is wrong with the following:


I feel badly for you.


What role did Senator Joseph McCarthy play in the


early days of the Cold War?


Who is Gauss?


---------------------------


All of the above are of varying degrees of difficulty.


But most, if not all, home schoolers could not answer


these questions.


Do you want your children to go to a good college and be able to compete in a work force in the future?


The United States is graduating about 600 engineers a year.


The Chinese say they are graduating 60,000 + a year.


Even if their figures are inflated, there are more graduating


than in the US. This is also true for master's and Ph.D. degrees.


And there are not enough jobs for them in China.


So, where do you think they will look for work?


Do you want your children to have greater job opportunities? Do you want your children to succeed


in a global economy?


Or do you want them to be service workers?
Homeschooling is definitely the wrong way to go. Your children won't meet any new friends and they will be socially underdeveloped. Send them to public school!