Home Schooling

[samandshawn]

Hi, I would be grateful for any information youcould give me, I think some of you home school, and I would like tohome school my 6 year old son, hes had two schools already and is nothappy, hes a different boy when not at school, hes relaxed nottense. I hated school when I was younger although I enjoyedprimary school, and I know what hes going through, he has the sameproblem I did because he is the only child in the family (I was thefirst grandchild I'm now 24 and the other grandchildren are 13) he isused to adult company, he has a problem with the way the teachers talkto and treat him, he doesn't like being treated like a child, and beingspoken down to.

Where do I start?

How do I go about home schooling?

Is there any criteria I have to meet?

As I live in Cornwall I don't know if there is a difference between theUK and US version of home schooling? I have looked at a fewsites but they just seem to be about the equipment needed nothing abouthow you go a bout it!


Please help as I dont know where to start!!

 

[ayglnu13]

Hey

I am home schooled and I have been since kindergarten, and now I willbe starting my senior year this fall. Now I am not quite sure if thereare any differences between the US and the UK, I assume there would bethough, like different laws I mean.

Every year we have to submit materiel to thesuperintendent ofour local school, just to they know that we are keeping up with theregular schools.

I have found some sites for UK homeschooling, maybe they will help.

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/UK.htm


http://www.geocities.com/sueincyprus/

Here is one about getting started

http://www.geocities.com/sueincyprus/getting_started.html

~Amy

 

[samandshawn]

Thanks Amy, I have contacted a few people andthey are going to send me a information pack. can I ask you acouple of questions?

 

[pamnock]

I homeschool 3 of my kids - Matthew (6), Ryan(15) and Stephanie (16). I absolutely love it!There are many different methods of homeschooling. I useacollege prep Christian based program in the US called Abeka.

Matthew has a blast homeschooling, and I add additional studies that hewouldn't havegotten at public school -- rabbit studies andSpanish for example. He's very socialand is alsoinvolved in group activities outside of our home.Healso enjoys biology & science studies, so can doactivities and labs right along with the olderkids.Lessons are easy to reinforce throughout ourdaily activitiesbecause I know what the kids are doing inschool

Amy has provided some excellent UK links to get you started, and we can help you with additional questions you may have.

Pam

 

[ayglnu13]

Absolutely

~Amy

 

[samandshawn]

I have a few idea's regarding the solicitation aspect,

Amy did you have any problems with solicitation? Do you feel you missed out on anything?

Pam how much does it cost?

 

[ayglnu13]

samandshawn wrote:

Amy did you have any problems withsolicitation?

No we didnt have any problems, but here is a websitehttp://hslda.com/ We are members of the Homeschool LegalDefense Association, and if they did give us a problem we would go tothe HSLDA.

Do you feel you missed out onanything?

Not really, I have never liked the thought of publicschools, but I also tend to be a homebody. I have a lot of friendsthough, through church and such, we have a class of 50 Juniors and theyare all really nice so I get along with most of them. My brother doessoccer with our town and my sister goes to dance class 4 times a week.

~Amy

 

[pamnock]

Do you mean socialization? My kids areinvolved in *more* social activities because they have moretime(we are generally done with school at around noon).

Stephanie is in 4-H, has a job, goes to rabbitshows, goes outwith her friends, andis very involved in thechurch. She also previously playedvolleyball andbasketball.

Matthew goes to summer camp, church activities, rabbit shows and isalso involved with the 4-H group. He has given presentationsin front of groups of people and has alsoperformedwiththe youth group singingat the church.

Ryan has always kept to himself, even when in public school.He has friends that he likes to go mountain biking with and has a jobat the local hardward store.

Prices for homeschooling vary from freetoapprox.$1000 US depending on the program used.I spend over$2000 per year on the curriculum and additional supplies for science,art and basic school supplies. (Yes -- in the US,homeschoolers must also paypublic school taxes).

I've noticed a striking difference between homeschooled and publicschooled children. Homeschooled children(in general) are more mature and less impulsive. Amy (on thisboard) is an excellent example of the maturity andintelligenceof a homeschooler.

A local college administrator had recently told one of my homeschoolerfriends thathomeschoolers areself starters andmerge easily into college life, where public school graduates are usedto being "spoon fed" and basically have to be re-taught.

My son Ryan had mentioned recently that he was considering going backto public school because it was so easy and he didn't have to think atall :X

Pam

 

[samandshawn]

Thanks Pam yes I did meansocialization! I have only heard from one of the people Icontacted and she said it costs 1,500 ($2,706.98) for 3 terms, Ithought this sounded a lot! Do you have any ideas onactivities for my son as he is only six? There is a localrescue center that needs help with all animals from horses to goats torabbits and mice, I will contact them and ask if we could help out ifthey allow children, what do you think?

 

[ayglnu13]

My mom pays about $1000 a year for all three of us

~Amy

 

[Carolyn]

The more I meet children that are homeschooled,the more impressed I am with the education level and the maturity ofthese kids. They seem to have quite a jump on their studiescompared to children that attend public schools. They alsoseem to have a sense of themselves and are veryself-disciplined. They just seem to be ahead of the game ingeneral. I know I shouldn't group people together like that,but it's hard not to notice the difference with the children I've met.

...just my two cents.

-Carolyn

 

[samandshawn]

I don't know of anyone who is home schooled,that I've meet anyway. I wish I did, I never really thought about homeschooling before becoming a member of this forum, now I'm worried aboutthe cost, can I afford it?

 

[pamnock]

Many people purchased their books at homeschooling used book sales, or over the internet.

There are endless activities for small children including sports,dance, music lessons, church activities, children's camps, local rec.centers, local clubs, local play groups. You'll also want tosearch the internet for local homeschooling groups. Theyoften get together for activities and trips.

Pam

 

[samandshawn]

Thats great thanks for all the help everyone.

 

[stanleysmommy]

I'm homeschooled too, and I take Spanish and usea Trisms program for history, and Apologia Science. I love it and wouldnever want to go to public school, I've been homeschooled my wholelife.

I can't answer any questions I just thought I'd add that in.

 

[pamnock]

Of course, I should mention that homeschoolingis not for everyone and there are a percentage of students who are verysuccessful in public schooling. It is nice to know, however,that there are other options, such as homeschooling, whichmay be a better choice for some students.

Pam

 

[rabbitgirl]

Absolutely loved it. Homeschooled from pre-K-12.I survived college just fine.I could go on and on, but feelfree to email me if you'd like any ideas or experiences. Go for it, andgood luck!

Rose

 

[holland]

pamnock wrote:

Ofcourse, I should mention that homeschooling is not for everyone andthere are a percentage of students who are very successful in publicschooling. It is nice to know, however, that thereare other options, such as homeschooling, which may be abetter choice for some students.

Pam

I definitely agree with pam on this. I went to public school until mysophomore year in high school. I started having a lot of problems withgrades and teachers, most of them being coaches as well, and cateringto the kids that played for them and they just let everyone else fallto the side. If you did good fine, if not you were on your own. So, myparents thought homeschooling would be better, but for me I just nevercould adjust to it. I did however go on to a trade school and get mydiploma. I just have such worry for kids going through a transitionlike this. I know how tough it was for me, and I wouldn't wish it onanyone. Good luck, research all options, and listen with anopen heart if he doesn't like it.

 

[naturestee]

My oldest nephew was homeschooled for a coupleof years. He was learning at a faster rate than the other kids, and wasdisruptive in class because he was bored. He was homeschooled from Ithink 2nd grade to 7th grade. He went back to public school this yearfor 8th grade, to prepare him for public high school. He's allowed totake advanced classes at high school so the initial problem is solved.He especially wanted to go to public high school because it allows himto take advanced classes from the local tech school and communityuniversity. It counts for both high school credits and college credits.His three sisters have been going to public school the whole time.

I'm not sure what system my sister-in-law uses. I do know that sheencouraged him to be involved in a lot of activities- several sports(his favorite is hockey, but he plays others in the off season), 4-H,smaller short-term groups like a kids juggling class and such. Hisfavorite thing he did was to go to a NASA space camp last year.

 

[TinysMom]

I homeschooled my children from K-12th grade andI still miss it sometimes. They've since gone on to college(although they are currently both home right now).

You might want to visit Eclectic Homeschool website(www.eho.org) to get ideas and readproduct reviews. I used to be a product reviewer for themwhen I was homeschooling.

I highly recommend Cathy Duffy's elementary homeschool manual whichgives product reviews. However, I recommend it because shegives some EXCELLENT ideas in it for math with a younger child withoutever using a textbook (up through 2nd grade I think?). I usedthe ideas with my kids and they really enjoyed math when they wereyounger.

Good luck with making your decision and looking for material.I have no idea what you can and can't get easily in the UK or even whatthe rules are.

But I do know that our whole family is so glad wehomeschooled. People are amazed now at how close we are andhow much fun we have together. For us, homeschooling was morethan just about education - it was a lifestyle!

Peg