you can homeschool for next to nothing . use the internet, library, thrift stores, and free sites.
homeschooling can be so much fun and does not have cost alot.
[question posted by indywahm]
responses and comments:
the only downfall to homeschooling is there is no social interaction for your child, also the school has breaks and lunch and is organized a schedule where as at home it could change from day to day, but i think the child needs that stability of a routine though, what do you think? [goldberg55]
There is also a lot more time than you would think to socialize when you are homeschooled because your schoolwork doesn't take you all day. Brenda Marie Homeschool 4 Us (My homeschool blog): http://homeschool4us.blogspot.com/ My ebook: "Homeschooling Without The Headaches" http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=812683 [wahmbrendamh]
In my mind home schooling does cost a lot. It costs the amount in wages that you could have earned if you had a job during the hours that the kids were at school. That is one of the reasons why I haven't chosen to home school. Well I do teach my kids at home but my eldest goes to school as well. [michelledarcy]
I home school my children and I work outside of the home at east 27 hours per week. I also sell on Ebay and do this along with some survey sites, so the income is not an issue as you can do both. Socialization is not an issue either as my children play with neighbor hood children every day after school. My oldest child works two part time jobs and does school plus spends time with her friends. My youngest probably has a list of 50 or more friends. We also have a home school group that we have spent time with and they have a few friends through there. People seem to think that home school children never go out of the house and that is no where near the truth. We go to the library at least once a week, we go on field trips, etc. We have fun but we learn and we can incorporate a lesson into almost whatever we are doing. Going grocery shopping can be a field trip if we learn enough. Parents all home school at some point in their lives- you teach your child to walk,talk,ride a bike, etc. We just take their learning a little farther! [carolscash]
I did TONS of reading on homeschooling when I was considering it for my children. I decided not to for our own reasons. But I did find many ways to do it at a low cost. As far as kids lacking social skills and such, I don't belive it. Alot of parents who homeschool have groups and outings with other homeschoolers. Not to mention neighborhood kids to play outside with. Playdates too. [CRiley27]
We use Christian Liberty since they have scannable tests and teacher books and beautiful books for the kids. They are available if we have any problems. They send us the California Achievement tests so that we have results to prove to the school system that they are learning. Also C.L.A.S.S. sends our report cards and have a graduation after 12th grade. For about 400 dollars per student this is a good deal for us. We can even make payments if we need to. You better have all your I's dotted and T's crossed if the school system begins to mess with you. The places you mentioned are tools for homeschoolers. [Willowlady]
I was home schooled and graduated at 16. I would do it right now for my son, but my husband is absolutely against it, so I don't have a say so. [CatEyes]
There is social interaction. There are a lot of homeschooling families that meet on a regular basis for trips, day camps and sporting events. There are a lot of misconceptions about homeschooling - that kids never hang out with other kids or that it is a 24 hour party. With more and more cyber and charter schools opening people have options outside of sending their child to a private school. You have to be dedicated to teaching as well as learning and if you handle things the right way, your child will get an education that is well rounded without having to walk through metal detectors or having a religion forced on them. [freak369]
I'm not sure where all these misconceptions are coming from but they're irritating. I would think that a lot more people would be better educated about this today. I'm not sure why they're not. Brenda Marie Homeschool 4 Us (My homeschool blog): http://homeschool4us.blogspot.com/ My ebook: "Homeschooling Without The Headaches" http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=812683 [wahmbrendamh]
I agree with you. There are great sites you can get lessons from and I have gotten so many books from the thrift store. So far as socializing with other children, you can simply take them to the park or let them play with neighborhood kids. [sweets9900]
That's what I've been doing... Getting tons of books from the library to use. It's working well for us. My dd hates textbooks so this route is a lot better for us. Playdates are also wonderful as we have tons of them. It seems we're only home 2 days a week. The rest of the time we go somewhere at least for a few hourse each day. If we didn't do that we'd get bad cabin fever. Brenda Marie Homeschool 4 Us (My homeschool blog): http://homeschool4us.blogspot.com/ My ebook: "Homeschooling Without The Headaches" http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=812683 [wahmbrendamh]
Yes there are a TON of free and cheap resources out there for anyone wanting to educate at home. I think that a very important note needs to be mentioned here though ... The laws governing homeschooling vary a LOT from state to state... in some states it would be very difficult to fulfill the legal requirement by using JUST the free stuff online, while in others it would be easy. Now I am all for homeschooling, I am a single SAHM of three boys I am homeschooling. However the FIRST thing (IMO) someone who is considering homeschooling should do is check into the laws in the state they are in. That way they know what they will need to do in order to stay out of trouble. If anyone is wondering www.hslda.com is a great site for basic information including state laws and requirements. They also work internationally to help people who want to homeschool. As for social issues, what do you call interaction with the rest the family? Thats certainly social ... who the HECK decided that a child NEEDED to be stuck in a room with only other children his/her age in order to be "socialized" ? That has got to be one of the most absurd things this society has come up with. I would much rather my children be exposed to real life and learn to interact with other people of ALL ages then to be around others their own age and come home with all sorts of stuff I would never teach them myself. Yes there are also plenty of homeschool groups and other activities you can get involved in as well in order for your children to learn to interact with their peers. (Church, sports, trips to the park, etc) That being said, one of my all-time favorite free sites is www.oldfashionededucation.com they have links to older texts and such that are no longer copyrighted so are free to print out and use. Some of them are outdated, and some are still good to use. They also have a few fonts (for your computer) that help with teaching handwriting. If you just Google free worksheets , or free (subject here) worksheets , or put in a grade level ... etc .. you can find all kinds of stuff. There are some sites that require a fee to get access to all of material they have, but most have some free as well. Hope this helps out, and happy homeschooling to all that do! [rdolphingirl]