Homeschool References for Others.

I have had several requests for information about homeschooling lately and I thought this may be the best place to keep all my information. I get approached maybe once or twice a semester about what we do and what I like or dislike about it. But when a school shooting or in our current case an illness the number of inquiries goes way up.

When starting out it is so helpful to know all the different options.  Indiana is a great state for homeschooling – we are required to declare 180 days a year.  Now the time for each day is not specified.

We have a chart that shows their daily activities and they turn the items over when completed for the day. It is basically a chore chart that now incorporates all the things and I update each semester.

• ·         Clairana (4^th grade) – Morning Loop, Math, Dress, Teeth, Make Bed, CC Board, Handwriting, Typing, Spelling, Read Aloud, Service
• ·         Nephi (2^nd grade) – Morning Loop, Math, Dress, Teeth, Make Bed, CC Board, Handwriting, Read Aloud, Service
• ·         Coraline (Pre K) – Morning Loop, Dress, Teeth, Make Bed, CC Board/Skip Counting, Reading/Letters, Service
• ·         Bella – Morning Loop, Dress, Teeth, Make Bed, Pledges (Pledge of Allegiance and CC & 4H Pledges), Service

Morning Loop = Prayer, Pledges, Weather, Calendar, Hymn, Poetry, Devotional with Activity, Religious Youth Article Reading (Friend Magazine)

One Other Thing – Rotated:

·         Artist Observation Activity/Picture Study

·         Science Notebook/Science Reading

·         Cooking Lesson

·         Map – Drawing

·         Creative Writing/Narrations

·         Fairy Tale

·         Music (harp, bells, piano, ukulele, tin whistle)

·         Shakespeare

·         Science Experiment

·         Laying down the Rails (habit training lessons)

Books I recommend when getting started.

Pam Barnhill – Better Together, Plan Your Year

Cindy Rollins – Morning Time

Sarah Mckenzie- The Read Aloud Family, Teaching from Rest

Susan Schaeffer-Macaulay – For the Children’s Sake

Look up books on Charlotte Mason

Leigh Bortins – The Core

Other Resources:

Greater Lafayette Home Educators Association (lots of different information about coops and different groups around the area)

                https://www.homeschool-life.com/84/

KLASS – Kids Learning About Something Special

                I joined this group several years ago and they go on monthly field trips. Very low key and is such a great way to have a planned trip on your calendar and something to look forward to. They do the typical Fire Station, Police Station, Purdue Aviation Center….. and many more each year is different.

Sports – Homeschool Unified Sports Teams of Lafayette (Your child may also be able to play a sport at a local school you just need to check with the principal and the requirements may be that they need to take a class there as well)

                 http://www.hustlathletics.org/

Classes at School – Lots of homeschooled children in the area do take classes at the school as well. Some are more flexible than others but I do know several homeschoolers who take math or band/choir at a school.

Coops – We have been part of two coops here in the area – Wildcat Creek Coop and Lafayette Christian but they do have several in the area. Depending on how much time you would like to commit to and your level of wanting to volunteer.

Facebook – Lafayette Area Homeschoolers 

                Great place to see what events are going on locally and if someone is selling curriculum. Purdue has several convocations that they offer at a discounted price to homeschoolers and this is where they post those details.

Classical Conversations – We joined CC three years ago, it provides us a ‘get your backpack’ school day once a week for 24 weeks (September – April) It is a very structured curriculum that children can do from 4-graduation. The classical model divides the learning process into three stages: grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric. In the grammar stage, children devour facts. In the dialectic stage, children ask many questions as they sort and evaluate these facts. In the rhetoric stage, teenagers synthesize their knowledge and apply it. This is a worldwide program and we have two communities that meet in Lafayette and West Lafayette.  Purpose – To Know God and Make Him Known.

Children go through different levels – Foundation, Essentials, Challenge

We Explore – History (Memorize a 12 min timeline song) English, Geography, Latin, Math, History Sentences, Science, Art, Orchestra, Tin Whistle

https://members.classicalconversations.com/classical/classical-education

Charlotte Mason - https://simplycharlottemason.com/what-is-the-charlotte-mason-method/

We do a combination of Charlotte Mason and Classical Education in our home.

Math-  Saxon which is used in some of the school locally and has been around for a long time. We also use this in conjunction with Nicole the Math Lady which is an online teacher for 4^th grade and up.

Typing – Good and Beautiful (its great nothing too fancy)

Handwriting – Handwriting without Tears

Spelling – Spelling Power (although I am still searching a perfect match)

Science – Nature Journals, Charlotte Mason Living Science Books

Map – Draw the World books – step by step drawing book

Creative Writing – Good and Beautiful

History – Story of the World book series

Reading – Coraline Teach your Child to Read in 100 easy lessons (I have used it for the other two) then BOB books and Early Readers.

Writing – Institute for Excellence in Writing

We never started homeschooling thinking we would do it forever. Also, we decided to homeschool on a whim of Clairana being the youngest in her class to start Kindergarten. We were actually in the best school district and even 5 years ago school safety wasn't a concern for us. 

We have always said we would take it one year at a time. I will say the freedom that comes from homeschooling is worth all the rough days and getting to watch my children all be together and grow together makes our family unit so much better. Plus, I LOVE getting to learn with them - somethings over again and some things for the first time. 

One caution I do give mothers who are questioning homeschooling is that it is a lifestyle and your husband needs to be on board and supportive. ** I should say vice versa too because I have had several husbands approach me about wanting their wife to do it.

Also, I prayed more about homeschooling Clairana in Kindergarten than I did about marrying Levi. You are going to need Heavenly Father on this Journey.

Most would say "there is no light at the end of the tunnel" or "I need alone time"
    You find time. Early mornings, late evenings, nap/quiet time, while they play outside or put on an         audio book or my kids watch Dr. Pol if I need to pay bills or have a break. Some homeschoolers         use naptime for their littles to homeschool their olders but I do not. I use that time to have a break       and do things I need/want to accomplish.

A great benefit to homeschooling is that you have no mom guilt. When I have a night to meet up with girlfriends for dinner or book club, I take it. I am with them everyday all day so I do not feel like I don't see them or that they just got home from school and I had to leave. Same with date nights. (although those are unfortunately few and far between but in Arizona we did weekly dates and it was awesome)

Another point is that you are in charge of timing. Clairana loves to stay up late and as much as I have tried to change her habit it has never worked so I let it be a couple years ago. She stays up and reads or even does her handwriting or math and in the morning I check it or she narrates her story back to me. Gives her something to do quietly at night and then she sleeps in while others do theirs in the morning.
     

Its amazing and I never thought of myself as a 'hippie' but after birthing babies outside of the hospital and now loving the homeschooling life it must just be me. 

You can always try it out for a semester or a year and see what happens. 

The biggest concern people have for us is that our kids aren't socialized .... they have plenty of activities (church, activity days, sports, instrument lessons) and friends and frankly the mass majority of this world needs to stay home a little more. You are the parent if you think they are lacking sign them up for something the possibilities for extras are everywhere.

We have church activities on Sunday and Wednesdays, a monthly bookclub get together, weekly coop days, and a few other items throughout the month. I feel like being gone from the house two or three days a week is plenty for us. Also, when we need a break I just call up another homeschooling family to come over and play or meet us at the park.

Other concerns are that I do not have a teaching degree so how can I feel qualified to teach my children - I have a Business Admin/Accounting degree.... I can teach 2nd and 4th grade now when they head to college I will happily give them up because who wants to do that math again......

Time - Your one on one or one on three time with them is far more efficient than 1 on 20 some in the public classroom setting - we learn the new concept we celebrate and move on.

There are LOTS of curriculum so it will feel overwhelming in the beginning. Don't buy everything. Get a library card and hot chocolate for math time. JUMP. I Promise its Worth It. 

Hopefully that helps! Prayer will guide you in what is right for your family.