slowly to let the children, and yourself,
get used to this new adventure. My kids
also missed being around other children
all day. No, they didn’t have quality time
at school, but they did enjoy being near
so many kids. So before you break open
the textbooks, unit studies or whatever
you’re using, ;nd a local homeschool
group/co-op that meets regularly so
your children know they aren’t “the
only ones” and can begin to make good
friends. Most importantly, enjoy this
adventure with your children!;
—Katy Stephens, Virginia Beach, VA
As a mom of ;ve who has been homeschooling for six years, my ;rst advice
would be to relax! Just enjoy being
home with your children. Get them
back into a sort of family routine. ;ey
have to learn how to be at home all day
just as you need to learn how to have
them at home all day! Take some time to
observe them, ;nd out what they enjoy
and how they learn. It is worth the time
“o;” to get to know your children better. ;en, if and when you choose to order curriculum, base your decisions on
what you’ve learned about them.;Home-schooling is a journey for your family. It
will help you to appreciate your children
for who they are as well as show you
what areas need work, academic or otherwise. Embrace it, don’t give up, and
look forward to the many blessings God
will bring to you through this commitment to educate your children at home!
—Wendy Woerner, Royal Palm Beach, FL
I always tell new homeschoolers that the
;rst year may be full of crying (on both
the mom’s and child’s part) and not a lot
of schoolwork, so don’t give up when
this happens. You may not have taught
before; your children have been programmed to sit in a classroom from 8: 30
a.m.–3:00;p.m.;and;then [do];homework
at night.;Schooled children have no idea
how to transition from one subject to another, and not being under the tight con-;nes of a;classroom feels weird to them
(sometimes acting out in weird behavior).
Start on something simple and fun
like history, reading;or science. ;is will
give Mom time to read over the harder
subjects like math and language arts.
Start having a family homeschool meeting each month. Kids must bring topics
to the table in writing; this makes them
think things through before the meeting and teaches them to be prepared to
speak. Also let the kids make a list of
things that they would like to learn that
school year, such as ;eld trips that they
would like to attend and areas of study
they would like to pursue.
A few other tips: don’t give up, and train
your child’s heart and character. Remember that boys will not sit still and need to
run around to get energy out. Attend a
homeschool convention to get pumped
up. Do not attend every homeschool activity there is to attend—stay home and
enjoy your family. Teach life skills. Don’t
fall for the socialization trap (read the
book by Rick Boyer by that same title).
—Moe Bruns, Central, IL
I got this suggestion from a mom who
homeschools her two daughters. She told
me to:
- Just relax and get used to the child be-
ing home and enjoy each other’s com-
pany the ;rst year.
- Set up home rules you would like to
implement and work on those ;rst.
- Don’t buy any curriculum at ;rst; use
the;library and the Internet.
- Use living books to teach from.
- Have lots of books around. Even if
your child doesn’t like reading, have
them read anyway, be sure to have
some books that they would enjoy
reading.
- Figure out what it is you want your
child to really learn (for me it was
Black History, which was not taught
in the schools and not taught in any of
the homeschool curricula).
- Un-school; let your children direct
some of their learning and have input
in their home education.
- Enjoy watching your children explore
the world.
- Use the world to teach your children—
everywhere you go is a ;eld trip, and
the children are learning from that.
- Don’t believe the notion that homeschool kids aren’t socialized.;(I would
say my child is better socialized by not
being in public school.)
- Don’t stress about getting the learning
work done.;
—Carolyn Scott, Santa Maria, CA
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