The books Sharen is referring too are published by the Core Knowledge Series and they have a lot of great stuff. Even if you decide not to homeschool it is a great suppliment to make sure your kids fill in any gaps.

I started homeschooling this year. I know tons of people who home school and home school through high school.

As far as your husband's concerns about socialization . . . I would really try to see if you can find someone in your area who home schools and have your hubby meet the kids. I know that is a concern for so many people, but it really should not be. There are so many co-ops, sports teams and other activities that socialization should not be an issue. Plus, there is such a thing as negative socialization . . . that is what I tried to remind my parents (who were against us homeschooling).

I love homeschooling . . . .there are a lot of amazing curriculums out there. I will be praying for you and your decision (and your husband).

No one in our town homeschools and he is still totally against it. His argument is that they will be too sheltered and then will rebel when they get older. He isnt willing to hear any other side of the story. He has his mind made up and has "put his foot down". We are lucky that we do have a great school in our town but I too am concerned about negative socialization issues. But I told him that if I see any problem developing that I will pull her out and do it myself. He did not comment, LOL. In the meantime, I will be working with my son who wil be 3 in sept when she starts kindergarten.

Lesley ~ This is for you, food for thought, to store in the pantry for future use. I just attended a 3 day intensive conference on HS'ing. Huge. 4,000 people attended. HSLDA was there, speakers with 20+ years of HS'ing under their belts, some with as many as 15 children. Research shows HS'd kids are highly socialized, sociable and involved, 50% more so than their PS counterparts. I was actually shocked at the numbers, considering HS'ing makes up 2% (and growing) of schooled children in the US. I do not remember the exact percentages, but it was in the 70th percentile of HS'd children being involved in community service and voting, where as 20% of PS kids involved in the same areas. There are instances of sheltering. It's up to parents to monitor this area. Kids can be isolated, insulated or exposed. Think of wiring in a house. If it is exposed what happens? Haywire - all sorts of unpredicable things happen. If isolated - say all the wiring is in the garage in a heap for instance - how effective will the electricity be in the house? If the wire is insulated it can perform properly under most circumstances.

I understand your hubby's resistance. Mine was, too. Stay on your toes, Mommy. Remember, they are your children, not the school system, not the government. You have been trusted to raise them up properly by their Father.

For anyone with little ones at home wondering what to do, there were several classes on occupying pre-schoolers while working with older children. What I took away from it was let them be children. Nuture, encourage, feed and grow their desire to learn by letting them explore their world. Let them be involved in what you do. They want to do what big people do. Read to them. Let them play with books, pots, pans. One speaker said the worst day of the year for a pre-schooler in a HS home is September 1st. It's like Christmas for everyone except them! Everyone gets new books, crayons, pencil cases, material. They get last years broken crayons, half-used coloring books, broken toys. He suggested we find ways to make old toys new. Add to them if we can. Look for toys that do more than one thing and engage them in exploring the other ways to use that toy. If we are coloring pictures of the sun with the older kids, let the pre-schooler join. No, it won't look like a sun, but it will make them happy to be involved. This speaker (has 6 children) said the play pen/play yard is NOT for the pre-schooler. It is for the 9 year old who needs a place to get away from the pre-schooler to go do his work! I felt very convicted here as I do pen up my 2 year old and he desperately wants to do what the big kids are doing. Point taken.

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Originally Posted by Lizpink I just had to pop in on this thread. Sharen so where did you get the ideas for the age of 3-4 ? was this a pre-school type curriculum?Thank you writing about socializing, my little 3 yr old girl is an only child with no real play friends yet so it is nice to hear you speak of the diff ways of social activity-Liz

Liz ~ see above note regarding the HS conference, and also, I have an older child so my 5 year old listens in on history, I include her in the science experiments and she listens to the read alouds at dinner. We are eclectic in curriculum. The kindergarten book, as mentioned above, is a nice supplement, and a springboard for ideas. Not all children enjoy workbooks so be aware of that and ditch it if you notice it becoming a chore. This has to do with their learning style. Watch for your childs learning style. A speaker at the conference suggested we teach the hardest subjects in the childs primary learning style and teach the easier ones in their less preferred style. She said one of her boys learned his multiplication tables jumping on a trampoline. Another wanted to sit and write them out.

Thanks for the great info Sharen! What a fountain of information you are!!! I need YOU to talk to Hubby! LOL. I will be on the look out but will work with Colton and see what PS brings Rhiana and our family.....in the meantime lots of learning coming up for the summer!!!

On a side note.... I am still trying to discern what kind of learners they are... and me too for that matter! Interesting... any good sites with more info on this I wonder?

More HS proof...my kids (14 and 10) just got their standardized tests back, we take the stanford test. The important point here is that we DO NOT prepare the kids for the tests versus puplic schools that teach to the test. We just drop them off and then pick them up, we use the test scores as a guide to make sure they are on track.

Jacob, my son going into 9th grade next year rated at Post-High School on every line item.

Jenna, our daughter going into the 5th grade, rated 7th to 10th grade on every line item.

All of this accomplished in about 4 hours a day. Now as far as the socialization, its a myth. In fact, I wish our kids had less to do...the beauty for our kids around sports and other activiites is that they get their work done early, so never is there any homework in the evenings. We don't have to rush home from church on weds night - no homework. I could go on an on...I think its cool that we have so much time with our children. I think its cool that my wife taught my kids how to read and write. I think its cool that we "know" how they learn and can tweak each day as needed. I love how when we go on vacation, its a learning experience - since they are homeschooled, we get to go on trips when we want.

Lesley, a great book (old but good) is "The Way they Learn" by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias. Focus on the Family published it in the '90's but it's still available. She also wrote "Every Child Can Succeed." You can get them on amazon or christianbook.com. Don't give up on homeschooling. As Sharen said, the research is there that shows children are socialized, testing well, and don't just know "test skills." As homeschoolers you can CHOOSE what to study, how long, and when. You and husband are in my thoughts. I have seen many a husband have a change of heart about homeschooling!

Thank you all so much. And please do continue to pray for us on this. I am feeling a little anxious about it right niow as we get closer to september.....

Lesley ~ What is the compulsory attendance age? Here in CO it was just lowered to age 6, raised to age 17. Which means, they don't HAVE to go to "school" until they are 6 by the start of the school year.

Hi all,

I want to provide a counter-point to some of the conversation here. I was an academic advisor and counselor for an honors program at a major university. This particular program had the top 2 or 3% of students at the university and in the State. A number of those kids were homeschooled. There is no question that homeschooling can academically benefit advanced kids. As I said many of the kids in the top honors program at the university were homeschooled, and a number of them graduated from high school and started college early as well.

However, the majority of those kids (and literally all of the kids who started college at 16 or 15 years old), had significant social problems in college. The thing that we as parents miss almost universially is that school is not primarily about academics. As the homeschool phenomenon demonstrates teaching academic excellence is possible (and may actually be easier) in a home school setting. But the social interaction is almost totally missing. A number of these kids dropped out of the program and some even left school (one was kicked of of the university and another had to move back home and commute) not because of any academic problems, but because of social problems.

Having said that, the homeschool movement (in parts of the USA at least) is now very advanced and conscious of this problem. I know many home school kids who participate in intramural sports, extracurricular clubs, group field trips, etc. through homeschool organizations who organize such things.

So, the instincts of your husband are correct. Socialization is a fundementally important part of primary and secondary education. The social aspects of learning are at least as important as the academic aspects. The good news is that as long as you are aware of that and take as much care with their social education as you do with their academic education you should be able to avoid those pitfalls.

Thanks so much Mark for your reply. I do appreciate my husbands concerns and I do recognize exactly what you are saying. I also know that lik eyou said, with a consciousness of the issue, it is most certain to be taken care of by the parent, as long as they are aware and make the effort to involve the child outside of the home.

I am lucky in that I will be able to be involved with my daughter at her school as a volunteer etc (as I have been this year to expose her to the environment). Being present in and around the building even and being in such a small town will make it easier for me to keep a close eye on how she is doing both socially and academically. In the meantime, I do intend to challenge her further if i feel that she is not being challenged in school academically. She is very bright and I fear her getting overlooked as the system tends to focus on the average child. I mean, I don't think she is a genius or anything but I am aware of how she learns best and where her strengths and weaknesses are and have spent the past 4 1/2 years tailoring my dialogue and teaching to that at home....something must be working! LOL!

Thanks again. I find all of thei discussion VERY interesting!

Several of my friends have Home Schooled their children and all handled the socialization issue easily and the same way.
Play groups and activities K-8th + Summer immersion programs then 9th-12th attend traditional High School.

Just throwing that out there since I have been witness to many success stories in real life!
Frank

Mark ~

I am very glad you addressed this point. I wholeheartedly agree with you, that socialization quality for every child's future is important as is academic ability. It's also very important, vital, we as parents are interested and actively and consistently engaged in the life of our children in all areas so we can be aware of their individual strengths, weaknesses and readiness. Teachers have 20+ kids per semester or year to keep track of, and then they move on to different kids. We know know our child best. We watch them grow year to year. We witness first hand their everyday struggles. We have an incredible opportunity before us to help shape their future!

The social concern now, in this day and age, is not the quantity of social opportunities, but the quality of it. Most, not all, but most parents are highly concerned about the level and quality of social activity in which their children engage. What takes place during the school day, without their supervision and ability to counter or correct the situations their children confront, leaving it up to the institution, is one of the many reasons families (religious or secular) choose to home educate. The few times I volunteered at our son's PS it appeared the teachers either take a blind eye or their hands were tied when it came to disciplining children after interactions boiled over. I know with our three at home, these uproars are constant and it's a job in itself to monitor and advise our children on character development and proper respectful interaction!

There are those students who fall through the cracks socially and/or academically whether from public, private or home education. The homeschool law in Colorado just turned 20 years old this past May. Before, it was illegal to home educate in Colorado, and most parts of the country. As part of the celebration, families who have home educated for 20+ years spoke to crowds gathered at the Capitol building and the HS conference about what it used to be like, 'back in the day.' Kids ducking down under the car windows during school hours to avoid being seen. Field trips were almost non-existent for fear of being reported. No one went to the grocery store or post office between the hours of 9-3. Social opportunities were extremely limited. It's not like that now. The home education movement is growing and with it greater awareness, acceptance, larger groups providing support, information and enrichment opportunities, research, and data, from those who wear the hat of experience. These organizations, groups and most parents entering the home education arena have their fingers on the pulse of the social issue. It's a topic that is almost over-discussed.

I absolutely agree that just because a student graduates through the highschool curricula does not mean they are ready to interact or academically achieve at the college level. I believe this goes for all forms of education. Parents have a responsibility for assessing readiness of their child no matter how they were educated. Would you say the institutions considering admission of an applicant should also assess readiness on all platforms? I know there are entrance or placement exams. Each semester, I had a handful of kids who could not read a biology textbook or phonetically spell simple words (we really don't expect anyone to know how to spell phosphofructokinase LOL ), write a complete and coherent sentence, yet somehow, they slipped by the college placement as they slipped by their HS exams as well. But I tell you they sure did know how to cheat!!!!

Parents must do their research and fully understand what they are facing and committing to when it comes to our children. We must be involved. It's our job to help our children succeed in all aspects of their life. I believe some of the effects on our children is a result of the adults in their life not taking care of themselves, not being in a healthy place physically, spiritually and mentally, not being fully engaged and present in a productive life for themselves. Transformation can have a beautiful ripple effect to all those around us. Imagine the possibilities!!!!!

(I've re-read this a dozen times. All is said with concern and out of love! Thanks for this lively discussion!)

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Originally Posted by fit_mommy Does anyone homeschool and have any advice or thoughts? I'd really aprpeciate it.

Hi there.

We have homeschooled three kids since Pre-K. (The oldest one is about to start middle school.) I will tell you something that, if you are anything like I was when I started, you will have a tough time believing: You have PLENTY of time.

When we started, I was ready to plan every year all the way through high school. Now, I have relaxed about it quite a bit.

I haven't finished the rest of this thread...but wanted to pop in quickly and say, "Hey!" If there's anything I can help you with, I will be glad to share what i have learned. But for now, "easy does it" is the best advice I have.

(Now I will read the rest....)

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Originally Posted by fit_mommy Looks like I am out of luck on this one, Hubby says no, absolutly not, only reason being the socialization issue, if I try to talk about i he gets angry. Pray about it for me please, that God will guide me (and Hubby) to make the best choice for our children. They will be 3 and 5 this coming fall. We do have a great school here and are in a VERY small community and the children are much more "innocent" here I guess, but still in all I am not anti school but very pro- homsechool, he is not however....

I still believe there's lots of time. Unity is important, so I will pray with you about this, regarding unity between you and your husband. There are many, many, resources all over the web that address the socialization issue. For me, socialization is one reason why we homeschool. Our kids can talk with any age group, and are not heavily peer-dependent as a result. They really, really like their friends...but they have friends of all ages now..... We go on field trips with other homeschooling families, attend AWANA, and are very active outside of our home with local events and travel. It's just a lifestyle now.

Best wishes, my friend.

Kimberly makes a great point - "For me, socialization is one reason why we homeschool" Yes I can see that being a compelling reason WHY to homeschool and a positive attribute. My kids definitly have some bad behaviors from things learned from their peers.
Frank

Hi Fit Mommy,
I am a mother of 5 children, ranging from 13 to 22. I have homeschooled all of them. I suggest you do what you feel right in your heart and HEAD....meaning, at 5 years old your daughter is too young to be making her own decisions. You have the quote posted, I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. Yes, you can. =) The reason I am saying this, is because life is hard enough, adding in the equation of outside influences is something that is real. Nothing is a cake walk, and even with homeschooling - life has to be discipline with structure. There are some wonderful curriculums available out there. One is ACE, Accreditted Christian Education or otherwise known as School of tomorrow. This is self paced and surely would help you when she is so young. I know often kids look forward to going to school and that time can and will come....but for now it is up to you to train her up in the ways she will go. Alot of people worry about the whole "socialization thing" but that is not true, my kids were all involved in other things outside of school, such as little league, youth groups, scouts, etc. I know your husband is concerned but it can be done.....there are so many people that do this. Unless you were to shelter your kids completely from other kids there is NO truth to the whole socialization theory....and that is what it is just....a theory. One of my sons in the Military, getting ready to go to Iraq. Two of my daughters just graduated as part of Phi Theta Kappa, and they are social butterflies. I have one son who is in a public high school, and has so many friends, and the other one(13) is being homeschooled for one more year. You must build their foundation first....then they can build the home upon the rock =)