Homeschooling Part 4: How Do You Homeschool With Little Ones?

How Do You Homeschool With Little Ones?

I'm not going to lie and say it's easy. You are going to have to get creative. I recommend homeschooling blocks of time while the little ones are napping. I have also found having certain toys, books, and activities that are only for when you're homeschooling help too. I have seen some families make-up a box for each day of the week that has different activities and toys in it. They rotate the boxes to keep things fresh. But remember that homeschooling isn't your child sitting at a desk while you are writing on a chalkboard. You can even school at a park where your toddler or preschooler can play while you're working on math. Truth be told, I've done school at a restaurant like Chic-Fil-A.

Do I Need A Teaching Degree To Homeschool?

There are some more heavily regulated states that offer options if you are a parent holding a teaching degree, but none flat out require it. A teaching degree will not make you more capable of homeschooling your own child. In fact, that can make it harder because teachers are trained to teach in a classroom. That may not work for some children and can be a hard mindset to change. But I have seen some teachers switch to homeschool coop teaching with great success.

Remember you already learned this stuff and what you don't remember you can refresh your memory and learn alongside your children. You already have a greater love and commitment to your child or children than any school teacher could possibly have. Now don't get me wrong, I don't want to badmouth teachers. I had some great ones in school and I have friends who are wonderful teachers who love their classes. But a parent's love is usually going to trump that a 1,000 times over. You have an instinct inside of you to help your children succeed. That qualifies you from the get-go.

How Do I Choose A Curriculum?

I know the choices out there can be a bit overwhelming. But from a veteran's point of view, it is amazing that we have all these choices now. 

First, you'll need to sit down with your spouse and decide what your goals are. What is your vision for homeschooling? Then decide what kind of learner your child or children are; do they learn best by hearing, seeing or doing? This will give you a foundation for what you want to look for in your curriculum. Of course, researching on the internet is a lot of help, talking to other homeschooling families is great too. If you can get to a homeschool convention and talk to curriculum authors, touch the curriculums and test things out-this will help tremendously. Just set a budget and take someone with you that will help you stick to it!

I Don't Think I Have The Patience Or That My Child Would Listen To Me. What Can I Do? 

I hear these things a lot. I even hesitated to add this in, but it is a valid statement and question.  Patience isn't everyone's strong suit. Some parents may become frustrated when one of the kids just isn't getting something that seems simple and you may have explained in 13 different ways. Yeah, it happens. As you get older and more experienced, it will happen less. But let me ask you this, do you think that teachers are always patient and never frustrated? Can you honestly say you never remember a teacher raising their voice or being impatient with you during your entire school experience? 

Think about that when it comes to your child not listening to you when you homeschool. This is a discipline issue and not just on the child's side. Clearly, the child in question doesn't listen already and you're not ready to battle homeschooling on top of the other daily battles. I understand that. 

I can see this issue two ways. First, you need to get your discipline issue taken care of. I'm not talking about punishment; I'm talking about setting boundaries and expectations for you and your kids and following through on those. Each family runs differently but you must deal with that issue. However let me say, you can do that in your homeschooling time too. Often some of these issues are resolved when outside influences from school are removed too. 

Is It Expensive To Homeschool?

Homeschooling can certainly be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. There are so many options with homeschooling. You can buy used through your homeschooling group, curriculum sales and online through sites like Home School Classifieds. There are even sites now where you can rent curriculum like Yellow School House Book Rental. How cool is that?

There are websites, books, and articles to homeschooling on a budget, shoestring or free. You set your budget and make the curriculum choices work for you. Now if you have an unlimited income source, well you can have a lot of fun shopping too! 

What Subjects Am I Required To Teach?

This is something you will definitely need to check out for your home state. Each has its own requirements and they do differ some. I think it is safe to say that math and reading are generally required. Some will have a PE requirement others don't. Make sure to get clarification on subjects like social studies.

Is There Any Funding For HomeSchooling?

At this time I am not aware of any government funding for homeschooling. I don't think most homeschooling parents want this because it gives the government the same sort of control or access to your school as a public school. So that's something to consider. Now I do know that many states have a public school at home option like K12 are available in every state and most have a state-funded option. So your child will be using a curriculum of their choosing and learning virtually through online classrooms and software. 

Do I Need TO Keep Records?

Yes and No. It will depend on your state's regulations. If you don't have specific requirements I would say keep the best examples of your children's work in elementary and middle school. You could decide you don't need to keep anything for those years and that's fine if your state allows it. However, should your homeschooling ever come under investigation it is good to have some proof that it occurred. You could even go high-tech and just keep an electronic copy of what they've done. Things getting a little more serious in high school and you'll need to decide, based on your teaching and curriculum approach, what you'll keep and how you'll configure your transcripts. Most colleges are homeschool-friendly but they won't take your transcripts without some testing, but everyone tests. Some states even require that you keep attendance...this puzzles me but there you go.

Will My Kids Need To Take Any Standardized Tests?

There are states that require it; however, the majority do not. These tests can be a handy tool that you may want to employ from time to time for your own information. Please don't be afraid of the results. It is good to know that some kids test well while others do not. 

Will My Child Need To Take A GED To Pass High School?

No. I am not aware of any state that requires a homeschooling student to take and pass the GED to be considered graduated, Each state's requirements are different for graduation. Some you simply issue a diploma and they are graduated. I do think that if your high schooler is planning on attending a college that you need to have them take the SAT, ACT or both. These scores often weigh more greatly than your home produced transcripts.

Tune in for Part 5: What About Socialization?

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