homeschooling...where To Start Looking? and How Did You Decide?

The process I took when my oldest was around three was starting to research how much material my child would ideally learn in a great curriculum in a great school starting in kindergarten. I looked into international customs as well as regular guides like "What your Kindergartner Should Know" type books. I decided I wanted a "Classical Education" and looked into what would be offered in that. Some people feel more they would like and "unschooling" approach, less structure, more play based, some like Montessori style schools, some focus on religion, etc. So first figure out what kind of education you WANT for your child.

THEN I studied our local public school, and our local Christian private school, met with faculty, asked what would be covered in kindergarten, and to be honest, they weren't going to cover close to half of the material I felt my daughter should have. At age four, she was already proficient at what they were going to teach all year in kindergarten, and the full time schedule wouldn't leave time for her music and language lessons without being "overkill" for a five year old. If there was an awesome charter school, or even highly rated public one, I may have sent her and kept up with supplementing some information. So. I knew that for the style of education I wanted her to have, she would not get it from a school near us. I had to make the hard choice-to emphasize socializing in a school, or learning enough information, because I couldn't have both.

We're now half way through her first homeschool year (kindergarten). We're using the Well Train Mind Guide to Classical Education as the base. It took me a few months to study the book and get prepared accumulating resources before we started. I am astonished how much she is learning in just a couple hours in the morning leaving ample time for her lessons and lots of free play time. I know it's the best option for now. That said, it's a LOT of VERY HARD work on my part, and I am hoping to move to a better district in the next couple of years and send her to school.

So. Figure out what you want (style of education). Figure out what that would entail by studying curriculums in that style. Figure out what you have (in your available schools). And then figure out the best way to get the education you want. Maybe your school is great or sufficient. Maybe you would need to supplement. Maybe you would choose to homeschool. Good work starting to think about it now, it does take time to figure it out!

I am homeschooling my 2 and 3 year old right now... Not sure if I will do it long term, but I thought why not get a head start on learning and see if I like it.
I'll post a few sites I use for things to print out. You can buy full curriculums or just print out daily/weekly what you need. I was just doing all the free stuff they offer on the sites, but next year I might splurge and do the curriculum one, so each day is set up for me.
I only do 2-3 days a week (9am-12) for now. I don't want to be crazy about it since they are so small. And I'll be honest getting them to both focus isn't always easy lol.
I say if you do this now you will see if you can handle REAL school once is comes. My biggest challange is giving each one the attention they need. When one needs me, the other is off doing something else or doing the work wrong. I have gotten better with giving one something simple to do, while going over something with the other child. But it is still hard at times. I am lucky that they are 16 months apart so many things I can overlap... letters, numbers, colors ect, but my 3 year old is just way better at using pencils and tracing. That drives the 2 year old crazy....
Anyhow good luck and I'll leave the sites below.

http://www.kidsparkz.com/index.html
http://www.first-school.ws/INDEX.HTM

side note... I follow our local schools schedules for holidays ect. I also got a daily planner so I knew what letter we are on each week and what our weekly theme is. Planning ahead is key!
If this seems like it is going well for us, we will look into REAL homeschool sites and see what to choose....

I have 4 children, aged 1-15 and we have always homeschooled. The decision for us was easy, but if you are on the fence, I would advise you start with a local conference or homeschool support group. There is a fabulous non-sectarian conference in St. Charles in March. You can attend seminars and browse different curricula.

http://homeeducatorsconference.org/

There are many other conferences in the area, but most are religious-based, and you didn't say if that was one of your considerations. There are also many local homeschooling groups. Check out Illinois H.O.U.S.E. or google "homeschool groups Illinois".

Hi,
I have been homeschooling my 2 children for over 5 years now. There are a ton of support/social groups in the Chicago area, and the information can be overwhelming.
A few good sires to check out are:
(for legal, and basic info) http://illinoishouse.org
(general friends and support) http://e-h-e.org/ and http://www.northsideunschoolers.org/

Those are just a couple, but I don't want to totally overwhelm you with information! Please feel free to message me, I am happy to answer any questions you may have :) ~Jen

Hello!
You can start looking at your state requirements at www.hslda.org, this site will give you not just information about laws but a lot of help to start with your home schooling. Illinois HOUSE also is a good site for you to check.
If you decide to home school it is a good idea to be member of the HSLDA, they will legally assist you and help you with everything you need. Also you may find useful to look at:
www.besthomeschooling.org
www.gomilpitas.com/homeschooling
www.thehomschoolzone.com
It is important that you know what you want your kids to learn; there are different curricula out there, religious and non religious based, you may want to build your own curriculum (mixing 2 or 3)or get something totally prepared for you where they send you and assist with everything like records, textbooks, tests (if you want your kids to be tested), academic counselor, etc. The Library has also good information about home schooling.
Go to home school conferences (like a mom said H.) it will be very useful and you will have the opportunity to talk to home schooling moms, BUT do not get excited and buy everything to home school the kids....take your time, your little ones are too little yet.
I have been home schooling 3 years, I pulled out my older kid from public school and I am starting home schooling officially my 5 year-old boy (he already reads fluently and know basic math...and more....sorry I am so proud of him....). I am happy with my decision and especially the kids are SO happy. Home schooling whether you decide to do it for a long time or just one year at a time, it is a very rich experience. lots of changes in everyone's life...this is a family thing, in my opinion..
Good luck!

I have been back and forth about this for many years. At first I wasn't really into it, BUT I have spent the last year doing alot of volunteering in my kids' (6 and 9, 1st and 3rd grade) classes and that has sealed the deal for me. 27 to 30 kids in a class all with a myriad of behaivior issues and learning differences and litterally SEEING how much of my kids' time is spent sitting and doing nothing at all, plus dealing with behavior issues at home that they have picked up from other students, I just decided that we could do better at home, at least for now. Since I am new to this I decided that next school year we would try k12. I researched some curriculums and such and it is overwhelming. I think that k12 will help me get my feet wet and I will have professional help if needed. Good luck! You are smart to start looking now!

I decided to homeschool when I saw the state of education in our rural Southern Oregon district. The teachers were brainless, all educated at Christian Bible Colleges and selling their religion at school. Needless to say I was arrested for failure to send minor child to school. I went to court with the passport of my older daughter to show the 15 nations she had visited in her young life. And, my two higher education degrees.
The administrator of the entire school district met with me and a friend who had been a vice principal in another district. I explained to him that what went on in the public school was against my religion. To which he replied, " I thought Quakers were extinct."
Imagine a religion extinct that is not possible as extinction refers to a species. He was as ignorant as the dumb bunnies he hired to teach.
I went back to court and the judge ruled in my favor.
Do what I did. Keep religion out of your teaching and do not buy the stuff made by religious groups. I took my kids to Chinatown in San Francisco for Chinese New Years. I took them to see the Dalai Lama, to meet many religious leaders of every stripe to improve their world view. We went to Canada and on trips around the USA. We went to Europe and to museums wherever we traveled.
I also had them read and write about any topic that interested them.
Children need socialization and so some years depending on where we were living they went to private school. Junior high school each child was in private school and then they went to regular high schools.

I have been doing Carol's Affordable Curriculum. It's very cheap, $12 plus shipping. It goes one month at a time. It's a preschool curriculum and you can also use it for 18 month olds. Next year, I'm going to buy some subjects from K12. Look into it because some states have an actual school that's free. You should also read the book, The Well Trained Mind. It will help you choose what kind of schooling and subjects are best for your child. It might be at your library.