Well my baby is due this November but I am already pondering home schooling in the future. Can anyone give me any tips and what are the requirments to home school a child? I currently live in California but will be back in Seattle, Wa by the time my kid is school aged. I had a lot of anxiety in school and I just despised it. I hated the separation from my family and I didn't like the pressure of tests. This went on from pre-school all the way until high school and even college. I think home school might work out better for my child, but I want to explore it...
My oldest child just turned 18yo and am now homeschooling the last one who is 6yo. The thing I like about homeschooling my kids, is that it goes with the pace at which they learn. Not keeping to a schedule that suits the teacher. It's not one size fits all. Then there are the homeschooling methods. Natural learning, Unschooling, Using conventional (text books for everything), Steiner, Montessori, and everything. It's what you want it to be. My kids still use books for learning to read and doing Math, but you can also make it fun. Cooking makes Math make sense, it also incorporates science and home economics (to give it a fancy word to impress the persons who monitor every 6 months). Board games, teach counting, adding, subtraction (moving back spaces) and then there are board games that teach facts when they are older. When my daughter was older, I bought BioViva which teaches about animals and habitats. Kids get a kick out of doing rather than just reading about it in a book. You can take them on excursions to anywhere you like. Learn by making and creating. My son loves Meccano, simple science experiments (like dropping a peppermint candy into fizzy drink) and electronics kits for beginners (no soldering). Will let him do wood work kits when he's a bit older. If you don't know something, you can learn it together and have fun doing so. Hope that helps. I'm a seasoned home educator.
I would suggest that your children go to high school, unless you have a chemistry lab, etc.... Also, you may wish to look into taking SOME classes at school, such as music classes, unless there's NOTHING of value that the school your child would attend that you personally can't teach better. Until high school unschooling pretty much does all you need.... Make sure they can read well and do enough basic math to feel comfortable in an algebra 1 class. Math is the one thing that can be hard to jump into in school if you haven't done it, I'd suggest "mathematics: a human edevour", and other books by the same guy. When your kid does do high school, if they're like a lot of kids, be there, but do NOT fuck with them about grades, I've seen that seriously fuck up MANY people. They'll get A's when they want, all bothering them will do is make them get F's AND hate you. And feel better about the F, because it's like they're rebelling instead of just hurting themselves, if they get in trouble about it. If you're just disappointed, it makes it THEIR problem. Make sure they see plenty of the outside world, and make sure that they know what really happens in school, and that they have the confidence to deal with it when they need to. NEVER use school as a threat or whatnot, that'll fuck your kids shit UP. (it did for me) I was originally taught at home with some books, and a lot of unschooling, until high school, if where I'm getting my advice matters to you. This is all assuming you can unschool in the areas you're talking about, with little oversight. *edit* most of what happens before jr. high is JUST to make up for a poor home environment, a lot of stupid shit like shape matching shouldn't be taught with stupid busywork but simply being with and talking with your child. Don't even THINK about "baby talk" or whatever, talk to them like they're a damn adult, you'll have a smart child with a large vocabulary and the ability to listen, understand, and respond to adult instructions, conversations, situations, etc. Just talk like they understand you, even if they can't respond they do understand, and the only way they can learn to understand is by encountering, just like learning a NEW language by total immersion. You're not wasting your time explaining something in depth to a newborn, no matter what snide comment gets thrown at you in the supermarket for explaining target marketing or whatever
Follow your children's interests and read to them a lot. Let them choose the books - you will be surprised at what they want to learn about. Offer more experiences in their chosen subject area. Take them on lots of field trips. They will probably want you to read them novels - be prepared for that. I read a lot of novels to my kids. Look for your state's homeschooling organization and join it. I joined and it saved us. You can participate in safeguarding homeschooling laws and policies that are gentle on families. Have lots of educational books and opportunities in your home but don't force them on your child. My children are all age 21 and over now. The homeschooling years were the best!
