Is the public school experience getting you down? You are in good company. A lot of people thing public schools do more harm than good. If you are thinking about homeschooling, you must remember some things. Let the article you're reading guide you in the process.
Check the homeschooling laws for your state before you decide on a curriculum. Different states have different regulations and rules governing the amount of time you need to dedicate to homeschooling your child. Some states offer a pre-determined curriculum, while others leave the curriculum up to you. Align your year with that of the nearest school district to maintain uniformity.
It can be hard to homeschool older children if you have little ones at home. Make sure you designate specific times to see to the needs of every child. Figure out age appropriate activities for the children. Make use of the opportunities you see for engaging both children while not interfering with their own personal development.
Perhaps you want to avoid bad friendships, but you can't avoid all socializing. Your kids should have play dates with others in the neighborhood. Bring the class to the park then let them play as well. Let them join clubs, organizations, and teams too.
You can take field trips together with other families who homeschool their children. Your kids can socialize with similar children and enjoy themselves. You can also take advantage of group discount rates at different places you go to by doing this.
Make sure you have your budget in order before you start homeschooling. Once you establish the resources that you need and the cost of any field trips that you need to take, you will be able to develop a working school year budget. Designate a certain amount of money to go towards each of your children. It's best to stick with the budget, but understand that there will be occasions when it's necessary to deviate somewhat.
Talk to other people who are homeschooling their children. There are many reasons why people start homeschooling their children. Chances are you will find groups of people that share your goals and philosophies. Homeschooling communities are a wonderful resource for your needs.
If you are teaching children of greatly different grade levels, set aside one on one time. You need an area for crafts and educational toys. Guide the older children in teaching the younger ones. This provides a learning experience for all of them, and help the older kids learn how to teach.
It's good to have life skills in addition to academic skills. As a parent and teacher, you should work to integrate the different approaches into a singular lesson plan. While most people understand the academic portion, they may not fully grasp the important nature of life skills like driving or gardening. You can teach both at the same time. For instance, when gardening, you can teach about plants and their growth cycles, as well as how environments affect plants.
Do you want to homeschool more than a couple kids? Take the time to evaluate the work involved and whether you can realistically do it before just jumping in. If you don't have rules in place already, you'll have chaos. You already know what disciplinary questions are likely to arise with each child. Plan your day so that these problems are avoided, allowing each child to progress and not allowing one child to dominate your time and attention.
As you can see by now, public education is frowned upon by many a parent. This is the number one reason! Use what you've just learned to make decisions about homeschooling your children.
As you teach the kids, get them involved with hands-on experiences. When learning about a new culture, try to make their typical food for an added dimension to the lessons. When studying Stalin, cook the foods related to this culture such as cabbage rolls. If your children are studying World War II, immerse them in the culture of that time such as popular music, food and fads. Engaging children on all sensory levels makes it easier for them to learn and retain new information more effectively.