I am going to be homeschooling my 7 year old daughter in the fall and am overwhelmed by the choices of curriculum. What is the best and most kid friendly?
I am going to be homeschooling my 7 year old daughter in the fall and am overwhelmed by the choices of curriculum. What is the best and most kid friendly?
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I want to do homeschooling for years 11 and 12 so that I can graduate from school quicker. But I need to know whether or not homeschooling for year 12 stops you from getting into universities. And I also want to know how quickly it will take for me to complete the two years of schooling.
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I home school my 13 year old daughter. My other children are either at home or in public school. I am wondering if any other parents and students want to start an area association to socialize our kids and share books and software, information. No fees or stuff like that, just concerned parents.
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A topic that frequently comes up in meetings and forums that deal with homeschooling is record keeping. The importance of record keeping cannot be ignored. It is not only legally required in various States, but also provides important milestones in your child’s learning experience. An interest-initiated homeschooling approach means that the topic of studies is far ranging and multifarious. Thus, it can be something of a challenge to write quarterly reports for the school district, when it is difficult to classify learning into neatly pigeonholed areas.
Record keeping is important not only for the sake of regulations. It is also an exciting way to record and document the learning process of the child. When most of the learning is done through play and there is no clear cut index of topics that have to be covered, it is necessary for the parent to keep some sort of a log which records the child’s progress.
The records you keep can be as simple as a daily journal, or as elaborate as a software program. If you participate in a support group, you probably have set forms and requirements. But even so, keeping track of daily work makes reporting easy and efficient.
There are various record keeping methods used by various homeschools. Some of the more popular ones are:
Journal: This can be maintained by the teacher or the student. This basically aims to keep a log of what was learned and what was done. Recording memorable events that happened in the course of the year is a great way to reminisce later on.
Daily planner: Lay out the plans and the assignments for the week in a teacher’s planning notebook. Check each item as it is covered. Maintain a separate area where any additional things can be recorded. This includes educational trips, visits and videos etc. Any extra topics that were covered are also recorded in this area. Make a summary every quarter.
Portfolios: This consists of a collection of varied materials that show what the child has achieved and done during the course of study. Portfolio assessment is a very effective way to chart the child’s progress. It gives structure to the otherwise loose and flexible form of schooling called homeschooling. A drawing portfolio will consist of some paintings or sketches that are considered the best in that quarter. A language portfolio may consist of essays, stories, reading-logs, spelling samples or letters. Progress in mathematics, fine arts, history, science and social studies can all be recorded this way. The biggest advantage is that portfolio assessment places control in the hands of the children. Having a tangible record of what they have established eggs them on to greater heights.
Other than the above-mentioned systems, there are also purchased record-keeping systems that lay out a good checklist. Some of these allow one to personalize the organizer. Irrespective of the methods used, record keeping in one form or the other is essential. Your child’s future may well depend on the well-maintained record that you have meticulously kept over the years.
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Despite the fact that Homeschooling is legal in every state, the choice to homeschool your children is not one which you should take lightly. Extensive research and discussion will be necessary if you are to make the right decision. But, how do you tell whether homeschooling will be the correct choice for your children?
Here are 6 questions which you must ask yourself when you are considering homeschooling as an option for your children.
1. Am I happy spending almost all of my day with my children?
An important reason for opting for homeschooling is frequently that people love their children and want what is thought to be best for them. Also, they really do enjoy spending time together with their children, which is a good thing since you will be spending all of your time with them. If you find that your children irritate you fairly easily then homeschooling may not be a good match for you.
2. Will questions worry me?
Homeschooling parents are generally asked a constant stream of questions about things like what curriculum they are using and about the affect which homeschooling has on their childrens’ development of good social skills. If you choose to homeschool your children then it helps if you do not mind answering the same old questions over and over again.
3. How can I find out all about homeschooling?
Begin by checking out the books at your public library where there is most likely a large selection of books that will furnish everything you will need to know. The staff at the library may even know whether there are any homeschoolers in the area, because the vast majority of homeschoolers rely heavily upon the library for source materials.
4. Am I going to have a support system available?
Locating support groups of other homeschoolers is very important and is frequently be done by getting onto the internet and searching for ‘homeschool groups in (your state)’ or ‘homeschooling groups in (your city)’. Homeschooling co-ops are available in a lot of cities as well as plenty opportunities for families to get together and have a bit of fun.
5. What do I do when I have other unanswered questions?
Having located some families which already homeschool you need to ask them about the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling. The majority of parents will be open about their reasons for deciding upon homeschooling and will be quite happy to share their experience and help you in making an informed decision. Question them about the types of problems they ran into when starting out and about things like how you should go about deciding on a curriculum and whether or not you should be worried about socialization for your children.
6. Which curriculum should I choose?
The curriculum choices open to you are wide in terms of both variety and often in terms of the price you will have to pay. Although you can have a ‘home school‘ by choosing books which are very similar to those used in public schools, you can also have a homeschool without following a set curriculum. The books which you found in the library earlier will hopefully explain the different methods and given you a good idea of just what your children should be studying in each grade.
If you are contemplating homeschooling your children then finding the answers to the 6 questions laid out here should help you to make an informed decision. Although not everybody will decide to homeschool after researching this option, if you want to have a greater involvement in the education of your children then homeschooling may well be right for you.
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I’ve heard a lot of parents say they decided to homeschool their child since the learning will be individualized and will enable their child to learn at their own pace. Unlike the traditional school system where all students are placed in one classroom — the fast learners will have to slow down to keep pace with their classmates while the slow learners will have trouble catching up with the lessons. And each child has different learning aptitudes in the different subjects (some learn math faster while others are better in languages). However, wouldn’t homeschooling prevent your child from learning within social circles and from interactions with their classmates? Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.
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People choose to homeschool for any number of reasons. Some of those reasons include homeschooling for religious reasons, not subjecting their children to many new schools if they move a lot, or having a child with health issues that could be made worse by attending public school. For whatever the reason, homeschooling is a great option. Homeschooling does not have to begin when a child first starts school, you can start a child on their homeschool journey at any point in their school career.
Many people think that homeschooling must start at kindergarten. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, you can begin to homeschool your child at any age or in any grade. When you begin homeschooling depends on when you’ve decided to take your child out of the public school system and bring them home to teach them.
While it may be easier to begin homeschooling right from the start, it isn’t unheard of for parents to pull their children out of school in any grade. Depending on the student, parents may decide to teach when they’re starting high school. It’s not unheard of in homeschooling communities to choose to homeschool as their child’s educational career is nearing a close.
One reason parents may choose to bring home a student starting high school is that the parents don’t feel their local school is safe. With the possibility of being introduced to drugs and alcohol, parents may choose to keep their children from those influences. They may also bring their child home because of the threat of violence on campus. These and other issues may cause a parent to pull their high school student out of school to homeschool.
If unhealthy influences aren’t an issue, some parents decide that high school is the right time to homeschool because of opportunities that arise. Some high school students are already in advanced classes, however if they homeschool, they may be able to attend some beginning college courses while still in high school.
Another possible reason for bringing a child home while they’re in high school is so they can participate in a work-study program. Whether they are interested in a work-study program, or an apprenticeship, public high school students may not be able to work these programs into their schedule. As a homeschool student, however, they have the ability to work ahead and therefore may be finished with high school courses which will free them to pursue an apprenticeship position.
Homeschooling is an awesome opportunity for students, no matter what grade they begin. Things may be easier on both the parent and the student if they begin homeschooling when the student is younger. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t bring your child home as they near graduation. Listen to your child, understand what they want to accomplish, and then let them spread their wings and fly.
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I’m planning on homeschooling for highschool. What are the necessary steps to take to begin homeschooling in Massachusetts?
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I really don’t like my new school, so i was wondering if you could switch to homeschooling any time during the year, or if you had to wait till the end of the school year. Also, how long does the process of signing up take? Any information is accepted, and thank you for all of the help!
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In Illinois, a home school is considered a private school, so I may home school anyone. My student is a 16 year old, soon to be an emancipated minor. Illinois does not recognize emancipated minor status educationallly. My student would not be allowed to test for GED here until 2009! Even though she is legally an adult!
Please advise. Are there any states that will test her early?
Also, does anyone know how to get a pell grant with a home school diploma?