Homeschooling on a Budget

"Amy-I'm glad you found the article so informative. But I have to give credit where credit is due: Alexandra from Happy Hearts at Home was my guest blogger and provided all the links and information."

"Hi Amy!

I'm excited to check out the article over at Frugal Upstate.

And, I am not an experienced homeschooler - but it is something we're planning to start with Emily next week.

The thing I have learned already is that EVERYONE has loyalty to some program or to some format. So, when you do receive tons of different opinions - just take what you receive and sift through it yourself to choose what you feel is best. You are his Mama and you are the best equipped to choose what you know will work for him and you.

Not feeling smart enough? I know that feeling! I don't feel adequate to be Emily's teacher - but I know that there are tons of resources out there and if I use what I think is best for us and am willing to invest the time and energy - we will do just fine. I will have to ask for help when I need it and I'm sure I'll be doing a lot of praying.

Why are we homeschooling? I think this answer may evolve, but for now - I'm not ready for Emily to leave home for x number of hours per day or week. Private school is not in our budget either and I really want the Christian perspective which I can provide her with at home. I am not in favor of many of the agendas of public schools and don't want my daughter getting caught up in junk that she is too young to deal with at an early age. It is just a conviction we have for our family right now.

With that said, we are not sure how many years we are going to homeschool. But, I am very against her going to public school in Middle School and High School unless I am seriously convicted otherwise in a few years. My husband works in a Middle School and I would never want Emily around a lot of that stuff.

I think this is a personal family decision that must be decided by each family and within that - even for each child and for each year. Only you and your husband know what God is placing on your hearts in relation to the children He has given you.

Sorry to write a book - and, this is just my OPINION.

Your friend,
Monica"

"I think you should start now - homeschool for preschool.
Try Five in A Row, or I use "Teaching Montessori in the Home the Preschool Years", or just go to a website like www.first-school.ws and plan out a couple of days of alphabet activities crafts, etc. Don't worry about a strict curriculum, just spend dedicated time working on specific skills and see how it goes.

See if you, and he are suited to it (but give it a REAL go). Trust me, as his mother, you are qualified to teach him kindergarten!

Many people join co-ops or get together and hire a teacher for things like chemistry, algebra, etc. in high school, so don't be afraid.

I use this free program for phonics, and anyone could use it with their child IMO:
http://donpotter.net/PDF/Word%20Mastery%20-%20Typed.pdf


You don't need fancy words or degrees to teach reading, arithmetic, etc. and you will also be able to teach so many other things they will never get in public school!"

"I've recently come to the decision to homeschool, and I agree it is scary and can seem overwhelming at first. My advice? (no, I'm not experienced, except with the deliberating part) Don't think about high school. Think about next year. Think about what you would like to do with a kindergartner (and include his younger sister (?) too!). Take it one day, month, and year at a time, and it will seem much more doable. There are so many resources that you're going to get as many recommendations as people you consult. But you've taught him so much already! There's no reason you can't keep teaching him."

"Pray, then pray some more. Ask God for direction to the right place for your child. Ask Him to close all doors He doesn't want you to be using. Ask Him to direct you through your husband's heart. Ask Him to send good counsel and friends to help you along whatever path He sends you on. I did this 13 years and 5 kids ago and He has blessed it.
Kathryn"

"I have to agree with the other commenters! We're now homeschooling one daughter for 1st grade (age 6) and one daughter for preschool-kindergarten (age 4 1/2). And two more kids listening in (that 2 year old is a sponge!).

I think the key is you have to want to do it! Doesn't matter about organization or anything else. Scared? Use a package curriculum (or video or computer), just be prepared to pay more. I think choosing is the most overwhelming part!! :)

I like http://www.cathyduffyreviews.com/
she has several books out with her reviews (you can look at some online but mostly it tells you to look at her book). Check it out from the library or peruse it at a bookstore.

Also, Life In A Shoe http://inashoe.blogspot.com/
has been an encouragement to me. She encourages you to teach your child to read then they can teach themselves! :)

Look for a homeschool group in your area. They can encourage, guide, answer questions (what are the laws for your state), give you others to do field trips with or just playdates. Many have yahoo e-mail groups too.

We homeschool for many of the reasons you mentioned - don't trust public school, can't afford private. And other commenters - don't want our children gone from home that much, teach Christian-based curriculum, and still under our influence.

Be prepared to let some things go as you choose to see fit - home cleaning and organization is not my strength and it still isn't! We eat off of paper plates a lot at lunch (3 meals per day at home is a lot of dishes!). But a lot of this is based on your energy level (mine's low) and preferences.

Jennifer"

"In response to your post about homeschooling. My first advice is to realize that it is not only an educational choice but a family lifestyle choice as well. My second piece of advice would be to find and become a part of a local homeschool group. It is not necessary but very helpful and fun for both you and the kids. It can be as good as you make it or as scary as you make it. Go to HSLDA and check out the requirements for your state to make sure that you are in compliance with any state laws. In my state there are no notificaiton laws, but there are requirements for daily lessons and so on. Information is key. I hope if you make the choice to do this that is goes well for you. We sent our dd to Christian school through the sixth grade and then started our homeschooling. The choices for Jr. & Sr. High in our area were as you say, scary and even if we could afford to send her to a private school, the only one available to us is 30 miles from our home, not doable in winter weather. Hope this helps."

"Well, I'm a homeschool vet w/ 2 grads and an 8th grader left to go. Regarding homeschooling in the primary years, in a word, relax. Probably the most common mistake newbies make is to set the bar too high. Enjoy these years. There will be plenty of time for compulsive heavy lifting as a child reaches the middle-school grades.

If you make your way through the alphabet in Kindergarten you're doing great. A letter a week sets a nice pace.

Keep in mind you've already taught your little one a lot of hard things...like potty-training, don't throw food, be polite and chores around the house. Teaching to read and write isn't really any harder."

"Well, both DH and I are a product of homeschooling. We both attending HS though. Me at a public school and him at a private
one. I am glad that I had the HS years to prepare me better socially and academically for the collge experience.
BTW, my mom was only a HS grad herself and she managed ok. However by the time I was in Jr High I had pretty much surpassed her math abilities.
Anyway, kindergarden and the elemtary ages are easy I think. You can even purchase complete curriculums or you can get a copy of the public school curriculum and use that as a guideline of what exactly to teach. Hook up with homeschoolers in your area to share materials and resources.

I am a former public school teacher myself and I can definitely see both sides of the issue. For now, we are staring some Pre-school "homeschool" with my toddler and I am going to see how things go."

"jThanks for the mention Amy...what a nice surprise!

Amy, just take it slow. If you want to do it, you can do it. There's no "right" way. You just tailor it to your lifestyle and your son's learning style. It's really a lifestyle you customize. No two homeschools are alike, just like no two people are alike.

Just do lots of research and read other homeschool mom blogs. There's a wealth of information about curriculum and home school styles out there from other moms. The rest is just experimentation based on your instincts about your child. I went through a few at first, but I think I got within the ballpark of what he might like. He eventually chose which curriculum he liked, and we've stuck with type of learning...tweaking it along the way as he matures.

You certianly have a lot of support here in blogland if you decide to do it! Feel free to ask me questions anytime, and I'll do my best to help. I'm sure other mom would do the same."