Have you been considering homeschooling? Well, I am here with some advice to help you make this decision. I will not lie. It can be a lot of work. However, I feel it is well worth it.
If you have a child who loses focus, this can be a win-win situation. Since it is self-paced, you get to set your child’s school day for however long or short they can focus. It is nice too because you can give your child as many breaks as they need.
Parents can benefit from homeschooling. You are not bound to school hours, having to be home when the kids arrive. Should you have a ton of errands in a limited amount of time for a certain day? You can schedule the missed day’s work by breaking it out throughout the week. Spend more time with your child so you can instill your values.
There could be many reasons you are considering homeschooling. It is because you are traveling. This is the main reason we started our granddaughter, Rosalee, homeschooling. You might not like the policies of your school district, or you have an overactive child. Whatever the reason, you will want to make sure you choose an online school program that meets the requirements of your state. You surely do not want to do all the work only to find out your child is not eligible to graduate because of some technicality, which would suck! Not to mention your child will be heartbroken.
Something else to consider is having an activity of some sort for your child so they get social interaction with other kids their age. Summer camp is great for this.
What do we do with the extra time from homeschooling? I do different things with Rosalee, which I feel are important for her to learn. That way, when she grows up, she is prepared for the world.
Planning
Learning to plan out their day not only gives them time restraints for different activities, it also gives them an idea of how to get things done within a certain timeframe. It also allows them to see the consequences should they not get everything done. How it makes their next day much tighter having to roll over uncompleted tasks.
What planner did I start Rosalee with? I got the kid’s planner from Erin Condren. It has many sections to help them with learning to journal, plus to plan out their activities. The first section is All About Me, which teaches them about themselves.
a. Name.
b. Age.
c. Where they live.
d. This is me-a place they can draw themselves.
e. Their family-another place they get to draw their family and list their names below.
f. Favorite color, food, season, animal, and book, are some sections where she can write or draw the answers.
g. Their birthday.
h. Favorite song, game, show, movie, and character.
i. My hobbies.
j. What they want to be.
k. Secret talent.
l. Reading log to track the books they have read.
m. Goal tracker to track their yearly goals by month.
n. Allowance tracker so they can keep track of how much they earned for the year.
o. Saving for.
p. Books I want to read.
2. Monthly
a. Second, to decorate with stickers.
b. This month’s morning and evening routines.
c. Birthdays this month.
d. Monthly calendar–is a section to keep track of events for the month. They get to set it up using stickers for the month and the number of days for each month, so they learn the month’s name and the number of days per month. There are stickers included, holidays, so they learn which ones are for each month.
e. This month I saw… and I enjoyed… this helps them to journal what they saw and what they enjoyed doing during the month. Plus, a section of what they did for fun (example: going to the park).
f. The last thing is an activity for them to do.
They have areas where they draw their answer and others where they write the answer. It is a bit of fun learning how to plan out their months.
Budget
Why is it important to teach your kids how to budget? Well, my dad used to tell me to save for a rainy day. It took me years to figure out about what he was talking. If he had only said to save for a day when you have no money coming in and you have to fall back on your savings, it would have been much better. I would have had more money in my savings account.
If we instruct our kids about this now, they will be prepared for when they have to leave the safety of home. You, as a parent or grandparent, will feel better knowing you have given them the tools to survive.
Below are the areas we have broken down for Rosalee to have in her budget.
1. Savings 10%-My dad said, always pay yourself first. Believe me, this can be hard to do. However, if you can learn to do this, you will be better off than most people.
2. Tithing 10%-The good lord needs to know you can manage the money he has given you.
3. House bills-Your monthly expenses.
1. Rent or mortgage.
2. Utilities.
3. Repairs and/or improvements.
4. Rental or homeowner’s insurance.
4. Vehicles.
1. Insurance.
2. Repairs or maintenance.
3. Tags and inspections.
5. Household items.
1. Food.
2. Paper products.
3. Cleaning supplies.
6. Investments.
1. Stocks.
2. Bonds.
3. Gold and/or silver.
Now, I know in my day my parents did not want us kids to know how much money was coming into the house. They felt it was none of our business and we did not need to worry about such things. Hence not knowing what saving for a rainy day meant.
If you do not want your kids to know about your budget. You can make a makeshift budget for them to get an idea.
Or
If they receive an allowance. Have them set up a budget with their allowance. What do they want to save for, what things do they want to buy, and do they want to donate any of their money? Why is it important to make donations? They get a tax credit for donating.
Taxes
Another area of importance for school kids on, because once they become eligible, they will have to pay taxes. They should understand the tax forms, and how to file online. Where they can go to get help with their taxes. What they can do to get tax breaks. I am no expert, so I sent my daughter to H&R Block to get the questions she needed answers to.
Household Activities
1. Cooking/baking-it allows Rosalee to learn how to use measuring cups and read a recipe. Canning is something else we started this past year. Rosalee gets to see how I plan out the meals for the week to make the grocery list. Once we shop, she helps put away the food as we rotate the food storage, along with why it is important.
2. Laundry-should she ever need to, Rosalee can wash her own clothes. It is unlikely to happen until later in life, but should the case arrive, she can.
3. Sewing-Rosalee has watched me mend pieces of clothing to keep us from having to buy new ones, which saves us money. This fueled her creativity by drawing the type of dress she would like to have. Then asked if we could make the dress she drew. I told her we could make a pattern to make the dress she wants.
4. Crocheting-Rosalee tried this. She decided her hand coordination was not ready for this yet. However, I believe in the future she will pick it up. She likes the idea of making blankets and other things.
Business
Yes, I said business. Why would you not instruct your kids about business? We expect them at a certain age to get a job. However, we never explain the ins and outs of the business world. When it is time for Rosalee to get her first job. I want her to know that she can work for others to make money, or she can become her own boss to make money. Also, I want her to know her worth when speaking to a potential employer or client.
Rosalee loves the fact that I can work from home because it gives us time to do things together, like girl’s time, makeovers, nails, or just a movie day.
One thing Rosalee has learned is when I am working, she has to do quiet activities. Though she watches what I am doing and listens to what is being said, either by me talking to someone or by me listening to something to better learn my craft. When she can, she will ask me questions about what I am doing. Though not all the time does she fully understand everything, but in time, I am sure she will figure it out.
The one thing she expressed, is she wanted a planner like mine? So, I did research, and the planner got implemented in her homeschooling.
A stipulation she has made is, for every book I write, she wants her own personal copy to read. How can I deny her request, especially when it promotes reading?
As you can see, homeschooling can be fun and very educational. Think about it, there is no peer pressure at home, which gives them a more relaxed learning experience. Now, my husband, Cliff and I explain to Rosalee how others will act in a certain way. We use television shows to point out peer pressure so she can recognize it when it occurs.
There are several books about homeschooling pros and cons, which I have listed below.
6. Homeschooling When Learning Isn’t Easy
8. The Everything Homeschool Book
As parents, we want the best for our children. We want them to succeed and do better in life than we have. The decisions we make regarding our children can be some of the hardest ones. Research can be key to having a calm mind in making the right choices.
Karen Carnahan 