Warm Nov. Weather Means Homeschooling Outside

For the 3rd day in the row we have been having what I believe to be unseasonably warm weather for Northern Illinois.  Pant/T-shirt weather so today for the 3rd day in a row we have done what any other reasonable homeschooler would do in my shoes: Homeschool Outside!

We gathered up the magazine holders with our books, notebooks, and went outside to sit at the table and do our work.

Our dogs also have been enjoying the outdoor weather. We are still working with Onyx not to bark and all our neighbors. -- we just want him to be cool with the environment around him and only really bark and be on alert if someone is actually on on property.  It's a slow process -- some days are better then others.

I'm so thankful to be able to allow my daughter the ability to sit outside and enjoy these warm temps vs. being stuck in a classroom/school building all day. Hopefully I will be able to bring my son back home soon so he can enjoy these type of days again too.

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Just a homeschooler - Not a know it all

Just a homeschooler - Not a know it all

Homeschoolers by nature, I think, are genuinely helpful people, enjoy helping others, enjoy giving advice, enjoy giving out pointers, and being there for others.  I know this to be true because of my blog, other homeschoolers blogs, and being apart of the homeschooling community for the last several years. It's great to have friends (even if they are just on facebook) to turn to for help, advice, tips, support, etc.  It's great knowing depending on the platform, group, or forum you can have access to 10, 20, 50, 100, 5,000 or even 20,000 plus other homeschoolers. Homeschoolers that might not share all your values, but they have one thing in common with you: They homeschool and love their children. Okay 2 things in common....

With all this access I see a disturbing trend:  Expecting these homeschooling friends, groups, forums, to be your ONE stop shop for EVERYTHING! Expecting these circles to essentially be your research department, your doctor, your gardening expert, your bug expert, your --- do I dare say --- your GOOGLE!

This is very frustrating! While homeschoolers are helpful, willing to help, they are not experts on every topic.  Need to know what type of bugs those are? Google, search a bug ID site, ask a local bug guy, go to the library get bug ID books. Need to know what type of apples that tree is and if they are edible? Go ask a local small business, family owned, apple orchard, seek out library books, seek help from a gardening or canning group.  Need help ID mushrooms.... well you get the point.

I'm just seeing a trend where to many people expect other homeschoolers do things that they should be able to do themselves.  -- Part of homeschooling is teaching your child how to research things, how to find information, know where to turn when you don't know the answers. While your peers might be helpful on giving you pointers on where to find information they should NOT be called upon for the answers for everything under the sun -- unless they are experts, it's their hobby, etc.

When I looked into homeschooling several years ago I read either in a book, blog, website or newspaper article -- okay maybe not a newspaper article -- that homeschoolers like to be helpful, but they don't want to be bothered with questions you can find yourself.  They rather you spend time trying to research it, find the answer yourself, and if you can't then ask for help.

When I first read it I thought it was referring to homeschooling laws, curriculum, schedules, routines, etc. Now, I think it means much more then that. It means stop relying on your homeschool circles to be your Google and stop asking them for  help for things that are better suited in other forums and quit "hiding" behind the label while it's for school there for it apply to homeschooling.

I've been in this game for a long while. I know that homeschooling is a lifestyle and under that premise anything under the sun is really apart of the homeschooling -- but use some common sense. You wouldn't go to the auto shop looking for a bug exterminator. You wouldn't go to drug store and ask to speak to the pharmacist about your car issues.  While I love all of  you and I'm glad to help when I can and will continue to do so: I'm just a homeschooler - Not a know it all!

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How does homeschooling work?

How does homeschooling work? How can I homeschool? What do I need to do? and other similar questions are what parents or children ask all the time especially this time of year.  Many want to homeschool but don't feel they can. Many students want to be homeschool but don't know how to approach the subject with their parents or want to know if it can be done without Mom's and Dad's approval.

Children and Teens: You need Mom and Dad (or just one parent if you live in a single parent home) or whoever your guardian is to approve and act as the administrator of your homeschooling. You can't just simply be homeschooled because you want to be.

Parents/Guardians:  Every state has it's own homeschooling laws so what you have to do in terms of registration, letter of intent, standardized testing, notifications, logging hours, number of days, are determine by your STATE laws.  So the first step would be to familiarize yourself with your STATE homeschooling laws. One resource to do this is: HSLDA State Laws

After you familiarize yourself with state laws the next step is decided what METHOD of homeschooling fits your needs or your child's needs the best. There are many different methods and one is not really better then the other.  It's just a matter of what appeals to you more and which one will fit your personality better.  It's similar to having cats or dogs or fish for pets. They are all fine animals, and more good pets, it's just some people are not cat people -- and that's okay.  Maybe your method is more of "school at home" where it is very much like school, textbooks, quizzes, worksheets, you might even have a school room. Or maybe your method is more child-led where your child picks a topic and you help facilitate that with giving them access to everything and anything they may need to go deep into that topic -- or maybe you a mix of the two or something else all together.   Knowing what your child's learning styles are might help you determine what METHOD is best too.

Once you figured out method and learning styles, or at least have a very good idea what you want it's time to look at curriculum! However before doing that. You should stop and ask  yourself a few more questions like: Cost? What I'm a willing to spend? Do I want Catholic? Christian? Secular materials?CCS (common core standard) aligned?  CCS independent? Have a little bit more of an idea of what you want before you step on to the curriculum lot. Early on in my homeschooling career I was told to think about curriculum shopping like car shopping. You don't walk unto a car lot without and idea of what it is you are looking for and what you are willing to spend.  Granted once you get on the car lot and start looking at options, prices, and what's available your budget or desires might change, but you didn't walk unto the lot blindly. You had an idea of what you were looking for.

The same is needed when curriculum shopping. You need an idea of what you are looking for before you step onto the lot! Why you might ask? Well Homeschool Roadmap which categorized resources and curriculum options by CCS statuses has over 2,600 options listed. They are always adding to the list too. So with over 2,600 options and counting available you kind of need to know what you want. Again you get an idea of what you want by knowing what method you want to use, what learning your style your child is, what you want to spend, what is your worldview (Catholic, Christian, Secular), what you want in terms of CCS (no CCS or yes CCS), etc.

Summary:
How to homeschool?

1. Know your state homeschooling laws
2. Know what method you want to use
3. Know your child's learning styles
4. Have an idea what you want your curriculum to be like
5. Buy curriculum (or not if you choose to go more 'unschooling')
6. Just do it! 

Just do it: Might sound scary and a huge step and a big leap, but honestly you are not going to know what is like or how to do it until you just do it!  Know you won't miss your kids up, Know that you really cant fail them if you have a plan and goals and do your best to carry them out, and Know that whatever you do -- especially if you are pulling them out of public school or even private school for that matter that it will take TIME to adjust. One of the best pieces of advice I got was to give it 2 school years before you say Nay or Yay.  The first year is adjusting getting your feet wet learning about your kids styles, your styles, figuring out what works for you. The second year is more of that, but now that your feet are a little wet and you have been doing it for a bit more of a groove starts to form and you get a true sense if this going to work out for you or not!

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New Year, New Schedule, New Routines

Or at least that is the plan. I've been reading, my dear friend, Judy Dudich's book: I Surrender and have been participating in the discussion group on facebook.

Recently Judy mention, in the discussion, how she's been reconstructing her schedule and not doing "school" with a few of her children until the evening. This is because her family structure  is such that it's easier for her to give more attention to those children in the evening. With 10 children I'm sure that makes more sense.  In response several other moms mention they did similar things.

I may have only 2, but it gets difficult for me. Often Superstar is waiting for me to help him with one thing because I'm helping Web-Princess.  Web-Princess has to wait for me because I'm helping Superstar.  They get annoyed with each other and impatient. I'm jumping back and forth like a pinball and often feel bad because we get the bare minimum done. That's good, but I would like more. If only I could just focus on ONE.

Out of the two Web-Princess is the child that needs my help more because she's a struggling reader. I don't just want to focus on her I want to be there for Superstar. Jumping back and forth just isn't working. Some subjects go every fast others take longer. There is no way to really plan it well.

Judy's post, in the facebook group, was I light bulb moment for me! Why don't I just restructure our day and focus on just ONE child at the time.  I'm not a very good morning person. It's a bit of a struggle for me to get into the grove of things. Superstar like to start first thing in the day and seeing he often doesn't need my help as much I figure I would focus on him in the morning. I can still get other things done, but be available for him when he needs it. So I could not only be there for him but get some housework done.

Then after lunch it will be Web-princess time to start school. By lunch Superstar should be done if not soonner and I'll have the rest of the afternoon to work with Web-princess. I choose to put her in the afternoon because she does require a lot more of my help and in the afternoon we'll have more time.  Seeing it will be easier to work up to dinner if needed or pick it back up right after dinner and finish it up.

I don't foresee us going that late all the time but the possibility is there so I thought it was best to put her in the afternoon. The other bonus of putting her in the afternoon is that if Superstar gets done before lunch, whihc I see happening several days, I can start her early

I'm going to start this new schedule tomorrow and see how it goes!

Book Rescue: Low Cost Text Books for Homeschoolers

 

Do you live in Northern IL? Do you live near Glen Ellyn, IL? If so then you might want to check out Book Rescue! Book Rescue collects text books from various sources and then turns around and give them or sells them to others for a low fee. School teachers get the books for FREE! However for Homeshoolers there is a small fee. Please see SCARE's Website for details on the fees for homeschoolers.  

What kind of selection is there? I don't know for sure because I have never been there. However seeing this local ABC station's news report I want to go check it out! I'm willing to pay the small yearly fee and text book fee! It seems it would be possible for me to get books for the kids for $50 per year. Assuming that I would be able to truly get all the text books I would need there. 

From the video it looks like a homeschooler's paradise!

Don't get me wrong I love using what I'm using, but I also like to save money. Even if I don't buy anything I would like to go and at least check it out in person!

I could never homeschool!

One of the most common things I hear from non-homeschoolers, family, other bloggers, and friends is "I could never do that!"; "I don't have the patience to be with my child 24/7"; "I need adult time: Time with other adults"; "I need me time"; etc.

First, I would like to say I'm not a saint, nor am I super human. I have my days where I'm pulling out my hair, stressed to the max, and saying "Why?" Then I have my days were everything is peachy keen and right with the world. Those days make everything worth wild!

I understand where my relatives, fellow bloggers, and friends are coming from. I was in the same mind set at one point in my life and at times slip back into that mind set. If a person chooses to homeschool then they are choosing to take on some personal growth.  Growth that up to that point they may have been resistant to do and growth that at times they may fight even with homeschooling.

Choosing to homeschool is like choosing to get married. It requires some personal growth and determination from everyone evolved. Like marriage, it takes hard work, some days are better then others.  Everyday I get up and everyday I make the choice to love my husband and to homeschool my children that day. Some days it's an easy thing to do; other days it leaves me pulling out my hair. At the end of the day I'm glad that I made that choice. It's a choice I have to make everyday.

Homeschooling like marriage is not for everyone. It takes some deep soul searching to find out if you got it within you to do. It also takes daily work and a renewal each day to hold fast to that commitment. It, like marriage, also requires you to grow....

What about me time? Time with adults and all the rest?  Well honestly most homeschoolers network with other homeschoolers. Those networks allow you to connect with other parents (i.e. adults). How much interaction you get is totally depended on you and how much you want or need.

If you connect especially well with another family then you will find yourself making play dates with these other families above and beyond your homeschooling group meetings.

For me time? Make arrangements with your husband. Perhaps he can watch the kids for a hour or 2 on a Saturday and you can just take off doing something you like: walking in the park, reading a book at the library, window shopping, just grocery shopping without the kids in toe. Or just go for a walk around the block without the kids, join a gym if you can afford it. Whatever really. Honestly even if you worked outside the home you would still need to find that little bit of alone time at some point. If mothers and fathers that work outside the home can find that little bit of alone time so can homeschooling parents. It just takes some creative planning and cooperation with your spouse on making it work.

How important is it to know your state homeschool laws?

Just how important is it to know your state homeschool laws? Well if you ask these moms in Indiana it's very important. So important that it could have spared them from being charged with a felony, and pleading guilty to a misdemeanor.

If you are going to homeschool or if you are homeschooling it's critical that you KNOW your state laws and that YOU FOLLOW them! This could save you many heart-aches and being charged with a felony. Not only that but it can also help insure that homeschooling is an option for EVERYONE.

How do I learn about my state laws?

• 1) Visit HSLDA: State Laws
• 2) Visit YOUR STATE department of education website and look for homeschooling or home education laws.
• 3) Read the laws and understand them!
• 4) Review them regularly to be sure something hasn't changed.

I'm not about to list all of the individual states' department of education websites. I'm sure that most of my visitors will know how to Google for those things.

However if you live in Illinois like me: Illinois State Board Of Education: Homeschooling

PLEASE, PLEASE if you are going to homeschool know your laws!! Don't rely on someone else to inform you, especially those that work in public schools. If you withdrawal your children from Public School (or any school), it's YOUR responsibility to know your laws. The school employee's do not have to tell you the laws.

How To Homeschool?

I've been thinking about my website. I'm thinking I would on the homeschooling page like to add How To Homeschool Tips. Of course I could do this on my own, but I thought I would get some tips from all of you!!!

I'm compiling a list, so I will NOT be publishing comments to this post. I just want to collect data and when I have enough tips, I'll be making a post on my website.

So if someone, who was new to homeschooling, asked you "How do you homeschool?" or "How can I homeschool?" what would you tell them? Don't be shy, share your tips today!