{Crew Hop} Homeschool Co-Ops

 

I fear that I will be in a minority today. I have heard many folks singing the praises of homeschool co-ops over the years. This will be my 10th year homeschooling and in that time they have grown to become a large part of the homeschool community. Many people complete all of their schooling via a co-op. Some use them for just a subject or two. Me? I've yet to find one that works and works well enough for me to want to use it often.

I began home educating so that I would be the biggest influence on my child. While I may know the people teaching at a co-op I attend, I have to be sure whatever influence they exert over my child's education is what I would want for my child.

I also need to evaluate time. One of the things that pushed me towards homeschooling was learning that my child would spend 40 hours of their waking hours a week at school rather than with me. I had just quite my job to stay home and "raise" my children. If they were gone the majority of the day at school, that wouldn't happen. I live in a very rural part of the state. So it most likely will be at least a 30 minute if not a 60 minute drive one way to get to a co-op. If the co-op is half a day, then I loose a whole day of being home and teaching.

If I am going to loose a whole day at home teaching my kids, then I also need to look at what is being offered. Does it enhance what we are learning? If I am teaching, how much time will I be putting in to preparing? That is all time taken away from what we'll be doing at home.

Over the years I have discovered that for us, the best co-op method is small as in one or two other families only. It needs to be informal. It needs to fit a need I have currently.

The most successful co-op I have done is one just with my sister. She has one son. One year we got together every other week. We week would be at her house (an hour away) and one week would be at mine. We studied a lot of music and art together. For music we would learn about two different instruments each week. If we had access to the instrument, we brought it out for the kids to use and play. If not, we used a lot of YouTube videos to show others playing it.

We also did a study on a composer or two each week as well. We used various resources for all. For art we did a study on an artist and tried to find a hands on activity since we were teaching all boys. We used two video teaching series from Barry Stebbing for art instruction and for art history. I really enjoyed both.

This worked because it was just the two of us, my sister and I, teaching. I taught art and she taught music. There were only four students, my three boys and her one. It was subjects we wanted the boys to learn about but would let slip. Since we were accountable to each other to be ready, the boys had a great art and music education this particular year.

I have also done a mini-science co-op with a few others families. We got together every week for 11 weeks to do just the Apologia Biology experiments together. Two other moms and myself taught all the younger siblings ages 5-11 using Considering God's Creation while the other moms and all the high school level kids did the experiments. The rest of the course was "on-your-own." This worked because it was short and filled a need.

Every time I see the large co-ops, I am tempted. Then I remember that it's just not usually a good fit for us. I started this homeschooling journey in order to teach my children. I wanted to be the biggest influence and I wanted to be home. I guard our "at home" time fiercely and I'm looking forward to having more of it once we move in a few months.

Having said all this though, I am planning another small co-op (just two other families - five children total) for the fall. We'll be working out way through Apologia's General Science course and will again do the book work at home, but come together to work on the experiments.

I know I am in the minority on this topic. I also realize there are probably some fantastically wonderful co-ops out there, but I have yet to find one that makes me want to dive in feet first.

Hop on over to the other Schoolhouse Crew blog to read more about Homeschool Co-Ops.

{Crew Hop} Homeschool Classrooms

I really don't have photos of an uber-cool school room to share. We don't have one....yet.

When I first began homeschooling, we had just sold our 4,000 square foot home so I could stay home to raise my boys. We moved from all that room to a four room apartment. At the time I had a four year old and a three month old. In the three years we lived there, we added a third child. All three boys shared a bedroom. 

School was held at our kitchen table and on our living room couch. I used an old china hutch in my kitchen to store manipulatives and games. I had a plastic shelf next to it to hold our curriculum. I didn't need a lot as I was teaching just one son first and second grade. 

Then we moved to where we live now - a 14x70 foot trailer in the country. The hutch came along with us and, to this day, still holds games and manipulatives. I added a bookshelf or two or three or...well as many as I could squeeze in to the living room. There are currently seven. Books started showing up everywhere and we still did most of our schooling in the kitchen and the living room. We don't really have a dedicated space which makes things interesting at times.

Circa 2008

However, soon we will be moving to our new house. We still won't have a dedicated school room. My oldest is now almost 16 years old. I like sitting around the kitchen table together to work. They'll each have a space in their room if they need or want to work alone, but we'll still be using our kitchen dining room table to school. 

The wall from the window to the opposite side is where I'm hoping to have 

floor to ceiling bookcases built that go the whole length of that wall.

My goal is to reduce our seven bookcases down to one massive one that will line the wall of our dining room. My hope is it will hold all the educational books and curriculum. Each boy will also have a bookcase in their room to house their own special book collections. We do have a den-like room just off our living room. This will house the computer, piano, and the closet (rather than the old hutch) will house manipulatives and games and such. 

Our new to us piano will go where the desk is located now.

The staircase separates this room from the dining room.

Our computer will go where the bookcases are currently located.

At the front left of this photo you can just see the closet.

I'm also planning to get bean bag chairs for the boys to sit in. 

Needless to say I'm very excited to have space to spread out and around in. I'm looking forward to decorating and making the house feel like a home. I'm especially looking forward to having more space to educate my boys in. I'm sure I'll post photos after we move in.

Hop on over to the other Schoolhouse Crew blog to read more about Homeschool Classrooms.

{Crew Hop} Homeschool Planning

I actually considered not participating in this day's blog hop for the simple reason...I am so not a good planner. I try. Honestly I do. I just can't seem to get the hang of it. 

Over the years I have tried a number of different things. When I only had one child, I bought a handy-dandy planner and figured out what we would do each and every day for a few months in advance. Then our first spontaneous field trip occurred and my planner was off. So I went with Plan B. I wrote down what we did as we did it! That worked great until son #2 arrived.

I again tried planning ahead only to be thwarted every time something occurred that wasn't in my planner. It was at this point that I realized I need just a general idea of what I wanted to accomplish and how much I wanted to get done each day (1 page, 3 pages, 4 chapters...) and work that way. Then son #3 arrived.

The more I tried to plan things out, the more frustrated I became and the less we accomplished. Finally I hit on what works best for us and this is my "planning" method that I have used for last few years. I create a daily checklist for each child. I also create, as needed, a "together" checklist for subjects/activities we'll do together as a family. These are then saved and I enter them on my homeschool "log blog." And if you click over there, please note I am very behind in getting the current school year entered!

This helps keep me accountable not only to do the teaching and planning but also to correct the work. I find that otherwise I miss problem areas until they have been problem areas far too long. This also helps instill accountability in my boys.

This past year has been a tough one for my middle son in particular. Many times he would tell me his work was completed, but when I was later correcting it (unfortunately after he was in bed), I would discover a lot of it undone. When asked about it the next time I would hear that he didn't understand it or had questions. I'm typically available for questions so it was simply an excuse to not do his work. We've been working through the issue and it's been getting much better. Although, this year I plan to do as much work as we can together instead of separately.

While this does take time each day to plan, I have found this is what works best for my personality. The boys also like having a daily checklist. They know that once the checklist is completed, school is done. My middle son is an early riser and typically will have most of his checklist done before the rest of the house is even awake.

The beauty of the checklist is that not only do I include their daily work, but I can also include daily chores! This helps remind them what they should be doing every day. I can explain what I need to explain. And doesn't everyone like to cross things off their "to do" list?

While I wish I had the capability to plan ahead more, I do start my year knowing what curriculum I want to use and what I wan to accomplish. I also create a "days/subjects" list so I know how often we'll touch on subject each week. When I was only educating one child at home, I would teach every subject every day. That's much harder to do with three and three that are spread out in ages/grades.

Overall this is the method that works for me. And I'll definitely be continuing it this year. Now I need to go update my school blog before it's time to start adding days for the new school year!

Hop on over to the other Schoolhouse Crew blog to read more about Homeschool Planning.

{Crew Hop} Homeschool Curriculum

For a number of years I worked with my state's organization as a regional representative for new homeschoolers. I've hosted yearly workshops for the last six or seven years designed to support new and seasoned home educators. 

The biggest question I am asked time after time..."What about curriculum?" 

When "veteran" homeschoolers began educating their children at home years ago, they had very few choices. It was either purchase materials from some of the bigger supplies of curriculum for private Christian schools or write your own. Thankfully many decided to write their own and we are benefiting from that today.

Today's homeschoolers face a different challenge in picking out curriculum....there are too many choices!

The first thing to consider is what I discussed yesterday about determining your homeschooling method. Figure out what works best for you and begin eliminating curriculum that doesn't fit. For example, if textbooks are not what works best for you or your child, than you can cross those off your list of curriculum to look at. However, if reading aloud is a favorite activity for everyone, then begin looking more closely at providers who teach through literature. 

I also always tell people that you will buy curriculum that does not work for you or your child. You may also  buy curriculum and think that it doesn't work and change your mind. This, however, seems to only occur after you have sold it to someone else!

Those are my basic tips for picking out curriculum and I will share that even after 10 years of teaching, I still change my mind a lot about what we use. I'm still refining what we'll be using in the fall, but for now, here are some of my top picks for curriculum for the 2012-2013 school year...

• History - Simply Charlotte Mason: Early Modern Times & Epistles - this is a curriculum that combines history, geography & Bible and gives a study guide/reading lists for grades K-12. This will allow me to use this for all my boys at once. It also contains a daily schedule for all 180 lessons. 
• Science - Apologia Elementary Series: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day - I'll mostly likely be using this only with my youngest son. I love this entire series of books and we'll probably finish this in half a year. I'm not sure yet what we'll do for the second half. My two older boys will most likely be using Apologia's General Science series. 
• Language Arts - All the boys will be using Learning Language Arts Through Literature this year. This may prove challenging as they're all at different levels, but the older boys will be able to do most of it independently. 
• Foreign Language - We reviewed Visual  Latin last fall. We are going to continue with this program as our foreign language this year. 

I'm still working on finalizing the rest of our studies. I almost have math figured out for the two older boys. They will all continue with piano lessons (fine arts) and we typically do outside art classes throughout the year as they come up. We also attend various plays. I'm also considering buying a level of Harmony Fine Arts to use with them. This is a music and art appreciation course in the style of Charlotte Mason. I have her fourth grade study and it's fantastic. I'm not sure if we'll continue with that or if we'll buy a new one.

As you can see, even seasoned homeschoolers change up what they are using and have a hard time figuring out what to use. There are so many great curriculum providers out there that it's sometimes hard to narrow them down. Just remember the tips I shared above and remember that you will buy something that doesn't work. Not if you buy, trust me at some point you simply will buy something that doesn't work. Realize it and move on. Home educating is more about instilling a love of learning than anything else.

Hop on over to the other Schoolhouse Crew blog to read more about Homeschool Curriculum.

{Crew Hop} My Homeschool Methods

This will be my 10th year of homeschooling. I have three boys ages 15, 11, and eight. My oldest is in high school. I remember well when I first started homschooling and just being completely overwhelmed by all the choices I had for how to do this home educating thing.

In fact, one day still stands out in my mind. I was trying to teach my then five year old to read. I was using a very popular curriculum to do just that. However, every lesson seemed to end in frustration when we worked on the writing aspect of the curriculum. One day I was venting to a friend of mine who had been homeschooling much longer than I. Her words of wisdom still ring in my ears..."Then don't do the writing part. Just use what works." You mean I don't have to use the curriculum exactly as written? It was definitely a moment of epiphany for me.

circa 2007 (age 10)

There are a wide range of methods out there. They range from "school at home" to unschooling and hit everything in between. Today I'm going to expand a bit on what I find works best for our homeschool.

If I were asked what my homeschooling method would be, I would answer "eclectic." I use a bit of everything but I have a "classical-Charlotte Mason" bent. So let's look at those two methods a bit more closely.

Classical

Classical education consists of three stages commonly called The Trivium. The first stage is the Grammar Stage. This is when children are able to easily memorize facts and enjoy doing so. This is typically grades K-4 or 5. The next stage is the Logic Stage. This is when children like to learn the why and discuss why those facts are true. This is typically grades 5-8. The Rhetoric Stage is the last stage and is typically high school. This is when all the facts and logic are applied and the children become more independent in their thinking and learning.

Charlotte Mason

Charlotte Mason was a real person who lived from 1893 to 1923. Her methodology of education included Narration and Copywork, Nature study along with creating a notebook of your study, Fine Art study, and learning through real-life experience as well as what she termed to be "living books." 

circa 2007 (age 3)

Over the years I have continued to "use what works." Sometimes it is a Charlotte Mason style of teaching while other times it is a classical method. I incorporate whatever works for us. The one main goal I have for my children is to teach them how to learn. I always hope that we have fun and enjoy the process along the way. Does that always happen? Unfortunately, no. There are many days when we just work on getting through the day. But in the end it all works out.

circa 2077 (age 6)

One thing I have found over the years is to figure out what method not only works best for how you want to teach but also for how your children learn. Both are as important. I know that I like gentle approaches. I do not like teacher intensive programs or ones that require a lot of background work on my part to implement. My boys are, well, boys so anything that has them active and learning is a great fit. Hands-on learning is essential.

Research what method fits you best. This article appears to be pretty comprehensive. I also urge you to not think you need to do just one method. As I mentioned above, I am a mix of a few different ones. You may find that is what works best. And that is the key...find what works best and enjoy your time at home educating your children.

Hop on over to the other Schoolhouse Crew blog to read more about Homeschool Methods.

Back To School Blog Hop

 

Starting a week from tomorrow, over 70 Schoolhouse Crew Members are taking on a 5 Day Blog Hop all about heading Back to School! 

Actually, we (as in my own homes school) started back already but many homeschoolers start at various times of year given what works best for them - a great benefit of homeschooling if you ask me! Since we'll be moving at some point in the next couple of months, I wanted to get a jump start on getting in our necessary 175 days thus our early start. 

On Monday Crew members will be talking about homeschool methods. Tuesday will be a discussion about one of my favorite topics - curriculum! I'm going to have to make sure I spend some time hopping to other blogs on Wednesday - planning is not one of my strong suits! Thursday will be a fun day as we get to peak into homeschool classrooms. Mine will be virtually shared. As I mentioned we'll be moving and our new house will have a place for a dedicated learning room! I'll be sharing things I'll be looking to have in our room. And on Friday we'll be talking co-ops. You may be surprised to hear my thoughts on that subject.

It's going to be a fun day and this will be a fun hop. There will be a Blog Hop Linky in each post which will make it super easy to "hop" from post to post. Be on the lookout July 30th-August 3rd!

{TOS Crew} Having Fun

I hope this week I have shared enough to give you some confidence in starting on your homeschool journey. Homeschooling can definitely be a hard undertaking. I've told others from time to time that there is stress involved with taking on the education of your child. After all, if there are any issues you can't blame the teacher - you are the teacher!

However, I find true joy in knowing that I am completely responsible for what it is my child learns. I was there as each of my children learned to read. I was the one who taught them that skill. I am free to follow their interests. My oldest loves all things computers and this year he'll begin a computer programming curriculum. My middle son lives and breathes airplanes and we are incorporating that into his learning.

While homeschooling can be tough, it should also be fun! I strive to instill a love of learning in my boys. And yes, many days that is an uphill battle! However, my one goal is to teach them simply how to learn. At the end of the day if they can figure out how to find the information they need, I'm okay with that. 

Now having fun can mean a number of different things. For us, it means lots and lots of field trips. Winters in Maine can be tough, well, this last winter was very mild but that's not the norm for us. That means we fit in field trips whenever we possibly can. 

From hiking with our west coast cousins here on vacation....

...to heading to a local pond for a science class...

...to meeting up with homeschooling friends, from out of 

state (New York!), here on vacation at a 

historical site (one of our favorites)...

...to attending various plays...

...to going to our favorite old-fashioned agricultural fair...

...to attending class at our favorite natural history museum...

...to attending monthly art classes.

As you can see, we spend a lot of time out and about. Perhaps too much time but it's all educational and beneficial. And all of the photos I posted were from a mere two months time last fall. 

We actively embrace all the fun activities available to us here in the woods of Maine. I'm sure for many locales, there are even more to chose from. Be sure to evaluate each opportunity as it comes along and make sure it adds to your homeschool experience and doesn't detract. Many times there have been activities that have come our way, but they were not beneficial or did not add in some way to our educational needs.

While homeschooling can be hard, it's the fun days that help us get through the tough times. Make sure you plan for them just as much as you plan any other part of your curriculum. Learn to enjoy spending time together. 

I pray that this series has helped encourage you in some way. And be sure to head back to the anchor post over at the TOS Homeschool Crew blog to explore all the other "5 Days Of..." posts linked up there. 

{TOS Crew} The Dreaded "S" Word

If you don't know what I mean by the title of this blog post, than you most likely haven't started homeschooling or haven't been doing so for long. I have been homeschooling now for almost 11 years and I still hear this question quite frequently....

"What about socialization?" 

First let's define what is really meant by this question. Dictionary.com defines socialization as "a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position." 

Okay, so let's get real for just a moment. I remember way back when during my own public school education years. I spent 6-8 hours a day at the local school and of that time the majority was spent in a classroom being quiet while the teacher lectured/taught and we learned/did school work. All told there was perhaps an hour a day  - spaced throughout the entire day - when I was able to "socialize" with my friends. Socialize as in talk and chat and play and interact. 

Let me put this into perspective. I have three boys ages 15, 11, and eight. While I may complain about my teenager from time to time, I rarely argue with him about his attitude, clothes, or music choices. When I ask him to do a chore for me he typically does so without complaining. I trust him to watch his brothers while I run errands as well as complete all the schoolwork I give him without me watching his every move. Believe me, I know how lucky I am about this. However, the main reason he is like this...he has no peers telling him he shouldn't act this way. This is the behavior we expect from him and that is the behavior we get as a result.

Now, I'm not saying we're extra-special parents with extraordinary kids (well, maybe just a little), but when a child doesn't see how other children act, they will conform to the higher standards - those of their parent. 

Another example...my 11 year old son loves planes. For his recent birthday, my mother-in-law bought him a membership into the local R/C plane club. He is the youngest member by about 30 years - at least. However, when he showed up at his first meeting, he easily conversed with the other members and interacted with them at a very mature level.

The problem with this question is that most people think homeschool means your child never leaves the house. They feel it means that your child never sees another child outside of their siblings - that they rarely get to interact with other children.

My children and I are involved in so many extra activities that I have to limit them. Otherwise we'd be out of the house so much we'd never get any schoolwork done! My boys are active in our church's AWANA program - which means interacting with a variety of age-level kids. They all attend the same 4-H group. Our group has about 15 kids in it ranging in age from 3 (tag-a-long siblings) up to 18 - all working together. Our homeschool group is active and we attend a lot of field trips. Since August we've gone on 16 field trips and we have a few more planned before we finish up our school year.

However, it's really the exact opposite. My children not only interact with other children, but they interact with adults. They aren't stuck in a room all day with their age-peers. Instead, they go about the community interacting with people from varying ages and all different walks of life. They are able to hold a conversation with anyone and not be caught up in the "cool" factor of it all.

In fact, I truly believe that my children, as well as other home educated children, are better equipped to go out in to the world. Typically work environments require people of all ages and walks of life to interact with each other. They are not age-driven. All the 27 year olds aren't grouped together to work and neither are all the 30 year olds. However, that is what we generally require from our children in a typical government school setting. 

So for those that worry about the "s" word, please don't. Really, the bigger concern might be finding the right math curriculum or the best piano teacher, but left to their own devices, socialization is rarely an issue for most children.

{TOS Crew} Curriculum Choice

I sometimes longingly look at the "good old days" of homeschooling when homeschoolers only had about three places to purchase curriculum. It was either that or write their own. Why do you think we have so many choices now? Exactly! A lot of those pioneering homeschoolers also published their own curriculum. And we do thank you. Honest.

I want to preface this discussion with these words of wisdom...Be prepared to spend money on curriculum that does not work for your family. Be prepared to spend money on curriculum your children doesn't like and makes it harder for them to learn. Be prepared to spend money on curriculum you simply cannot teach to your children. Not many get it right the first time...or the second time...or the...well, you get the picture.

But where does that leave a newer homeschooler? Floundering at times so let me share some tips in picking out curriculum.

It's helpful to also look at various styles of homeschooling. This is slightly different than the learning styles I discussed yesterday. Here is a brief look at the most common.

• "School-at-home" or textbook based. Typically this means that the basis of your teaching will look very similar to the public school setting. Textbooks are the basis for the learning. 
• Classical education or the trivium. Learning is divided into three stages. The first four years are called the grammar stage, the next four years are considered the logic stage and the last four years are the rhetoric stage. Each stage builds upon the other. During the grammar stage the foundation of the education is laid. The logic stage is when the child begins to apply cause and effect to the facts previously learned. The final stage, rhetoric, is when the child takes all that has been previously learned and applies it.
• Unit Study. In this method of learning, everything the student does revolves around a particular topic. All subjects are tied into the topic. For example, a popular unit study is called The Prairie Primer and it uses the Little House on the Prairie books.
• Charlotte Mason. Charlotte Mason was an educator who lived in the late 1800s to early 1900s. She believed in teaching a child with "living books" and not "twaddle." She was a proponent of nature study, learning hymns, studying composers and artists, and teaching language arts through dictation. 
• Eclectic. This is how I manage my homeschool. I use a bit of each of the above approaches and more.

Once you find a style or method of homeschooling that seems to fit with your educational philosophy, the next step is to pick out curriculum. I'm not going to list all the places you can buy curriculum. I'm sure at this point you have looked around a bit.   However, two of the better discount sites are CBD and Rainbow Resource. There are even two sites that I like to share about that are completely free and completely full curricula - just add an internet connection, a printer with ink, and paper and you're good to go: Ambleside Online (a Charlotte Mason based site) and An Old-Fashioned Education. 

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't suggest you head over to the TOS Homeschool Crew blog. In the last four years a lot of curriculum has been reviewed. Check out what fellow homeschoolers have to say about curriculum you might be interested in. Check the column to the far right for a list of what's been reviewed over the years.

Many homeschoolers worry that they aren't meeting state standards. In my case, there are no state standards. The state of Maine allows each district to determine the standards for that particular district so they can vary widely. I typically will point new homeschoolers who ask to the World Book Typical Course of Study. In my opinion this should only be used as a guide!

Needless to say the amount of information out there can be overwhelming at times. Remember why you chose this path, pray, and let the Lord lead you to the curriculum that will best fit you and your family. And most of all...enjoy this time with your children.

{TOS Crew} The How of Homeschooling

So you've made the decision to homeschool. Now what? The biggest struggle most homeschoolers - new and old - go through is what curriculum to use! However, before we can tackle that topic, we have to determine something equally as important - how does your child learn and how do you best teach. 

My oldest and youngest doing their math drill 

at the same time at their own level.

I would encourage you to figure out how your child learns. There are a number of ways to do this. You can simply observe your child and see how they interact with the world around them. 

There are three major ways a child learns. A visual learner prefers pictures and images and dislikes being read aloud to. An auditory learner likes to be read to and enjoys sound and music. A kinesthetic learner likes to touch and prefers "hands-on"methods of learning. They typically can't sit still. You can read more in depth descriptions by clicking HERE. And yes, a child can be more than one type of learner.

You can even have your child more formally evaluated. In fact, I recommend heading over to the Homeschool Buyers Co-Op (free membership) as they are offering a coupon code for the month of May for Learning Success Institute that gives you a significant discount off their learning assessment. 

Not only is it important for you to know how your child learns, but it's equally important for you to know how you best teach. Do any of those styles above ring true to you? These styles can also fit you as a teacher. How do you best process information? How do you best convey the information to your child? Be mindful of this as we begin tomorrow to look at how to pick out curriculum.

For example, I have learned over the last ten years that's it's very difficult for me to implement any program that requires intensive learning for me. It could be the best program out there and one that might even be a great fit for my child, but if it's not an "open & go" type of curriculum, I'm less likely to use it. I am also a visual learner so I look for bullet points of information and a quick and easy guide.

My middle son - who is a "how-does-it-work-kid"

working on his math drill.

Another very important point is this....you need to tailor fit your curriculum to your child and not the other way around. Most public education settings choose a curriculum based on the average student. This will work for most, but those above it and below it are left wanting. When you homeschool you have the luxury and ability to find the curriculum that best fits your child. Take advantage of that and work to find one that will spark their interest and create the joy of learning in them that most of us are aiming for with our children.

Come back tomorrow for my tips on how to find the right curriculum for your child. And don't forget to hop back over to the TOS Homeschool Crew blog to check out more 5 Days of Blogging!

{TOS Crew} Why Homeschool?

Welcome to the TOS Crew blog hop! It's going to be a fun week around the blogosphere! There are lots of topics that will be discussed and shared. Here at The Berry Patch we'll be discussing Homeschooling 101.

So you have decided to homeschool....congrats! Let me first share a bit about my story and how I decided to go this route. 

I am the mom to three boys. When my first son was born, I was working full-time. I figured I would continue to do so. At first I tried to do both - raise my son myself and work full-time. However, it soon became apparent that was not going to work. I was so sleep deprived from my work schedule and caring for a newborn, that I soon found a new job (he was four months old) and a day care. It broke my heart to leave him there even though he was receiving good care. 

When I became pregnant with my second son, however, the urge to stay home and raise my boys became my desire. My hubby and I had just bought our first home about 18 months previously. We realized that we'd need to sell our home and downsize our life in order to make this happen. So we did so and never looked back. At the time we had a newborn and a four year old. 

My oldest son was due to start kindergarten that fall. However, here in Maine we could delay the start if they were a "young five." In other words, he would have turned five the day school started so I opted to keep him home a year. It was then that I started hearing about homeschooling. 

And that's when I actually sat down and did the math. I had just quit my full-time job, sold my dream home, and moved from a 3000+ square foot home to a four room apartment in order to raise my boys. I realized my son would be spending the majority of his waking hours with someone else. Why then had I done all of that? I called it my "bonus year" and began our homeschool journey. I figured if I messed it up, I'd just enroll him as I had planned with no time lost. It's now been 10 years and he's never been to public school.

My oldest - age 11 - circa 2007

Have those 10 years been easy? Absolutely not. There have been many times I have longingly looked at those yellow school buses bringing kiddos to school and thinking of all I could get done at home if my boys were gone all day. Then I remember why I chose to homeschool.

I know everyone has various reasons as to why they chose this route. In fact, more and more people make this decision every single day. And everyone has different reasons why they want to educate their children at home. They range from religious, to safety (their children are bullied or the school itself isn't safe), to academic (their child is gifted or on the other end of the spectrum), or any number of reasons. Why did you decide? 

I encourage new homeschoolers - no matter what age your child happens to be - to create a mission statement. Write out why you want to homeschool. What has led you to this decision. There will be some tough days ahead. It could be relatives and friends who think you are crazy for going this route and you'll begin to believe them. Read your mission statement. It could be the day you and your child are frustrated over a new learning concept. Read your mission statement. It might be the day you just feel like you can't do it anymore. Read your mission statement. 

My youngest - age 3 - circa 2007

I also recommend checking out Homeschool Legal Defense Association or HSLDA. HSLDA is an organization that supports homeschooling. For the first time in 10 years, I have felt the need to become a member (and that is not an affiliate link). HSLDA supports you in all things homeschooling from legal issues all the way to what type of curriculum would work best with your child. 

HSLDA also has all the homeschooling laws for your state. It's important to know what your state requires or doesn't require for you to legally educate your child at home. You do not need to be a member in order to access their site, but certain parts of it can only be seen and used by members. 

I really encourage people to follow the laws of their state. There have been many who have gone before us - long before homeschooling was so main stream - and helped to create those laws. They fought for our rights to educate our children at home. By supporting the laws, you help fight the stereotype of families educating their children off the grid anyway they like. Some states require very little while others may require a lot. Continue to follow and fight so our children can have the same opportunities with their children. 

My middle son - age 6 - circa 2007

It's also important to do some research. Look at what type of support is available in your state. Check out Yahoo Groups. Many states use these to connect members. Try looking for groups on Facebook as well or other social media outlets. Ask at your local library. Libraries are a great resource for homeschoolers and a great way to find others. Head to the park in the middle of the day. If you see older kids playing, generally they will be homeschoolers! 

Tomorrow I will be discussing how to figure out your teaching style and your child's learning style and why that is important when choosing curriculum. If you have any questions about what I posted here, please leave it in the comments. I will spend time on Saturday answering questions in a blog post. 

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