We currently have 2 school-age children...2nd and 1st graders. Having two educators as parents and having gone through public school with fond memories and sound learning, makes bringing homeschooling to the table a little against the grain...
But we've always had it on the table in terms of our children's education...it's always been part of our conversations with them. We've reevaluated several times whether public school is still the option for both or either of our school-age girls. I feel there are many benefits for both sides, but it comes down to what's best for your individual child.
I don't know if I have any homeschooling parents as readers out there (if I do, hey there...you're my hero!), but I wanted to just give out a little helpful tool for those of you who might be looking in that direction or might not even be ready to wrap your brain around it. There are so many curriculum products out there...how in the world are we as parents to know what instructional materials are right for our children?
My mom works for a company called Learning List, which is an instructional materials review service for districts, schools, and homeschoolers...which basically means they take all the curriculum programs and assess how well they align with the state standards...and this is done per grade level per subject. It's kind of like doing all the leg work for districts (or homeschoolers) so that it's clear which are the best materials. Pretty cool, huh?
Having the potentially daunting task of finding the right curriculum for homeschooling my children would be greatly eased through utilizing LearningList.com, when searching for the best instructional materials, as well as which specific lessons are aligned to our Texas standards. If we choose to go in the homeschooling direction, I'm glad I'll be able to have that resource at my fingertips!
If you have young children, what are your thoughts on homeschooling?
Is it on your radar?
*This is NOT a sponsored post.
I am a former homeschooler (1-12 grade), and I plan to homeschool my kids! I have actually been thinking about starting some stuff with my almost 3 year old. I think homeschooling is wonderful, and would be glad to answer any questions you think I might could answer!
ReplyDeleteI homeschool, but I didn't go out of my way to find things that aligned perfectly with the state standards, since I don't believe they are really that great anyways. Instead, I sought out curriculum based on my kid's individual learning styles that met them on a learning level that interests and challenges them. For my kinder son, this means he is reading on a 1st/2nd grade level, doing 1st grade math, 2nd grade language arts and kinder level work for all the rest. If you are looking for more help & guidance in finding curriculum for your kids, many people have had success with Cathy Duffy's book http://www.amazon.com/101-Top-Picks-Homeschool-Curriculum/dp/0929320158/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384275920&sr=1-1&keywords=kathy+duffy . I also really like Rainbow Resource online- they have a good selection, great prices and really nice people to help you. Homeschooling is so fun & rewarding- and for me, it's a natural extension of being a stay-at-home-mom, it just makes sense. Best wishes.
ReplyDeleteI was homeschooled along with my 4 siblings and we all loved it. There are just so many benefits to the child and the family! Hubby is not a homeschool fan so our kids are going to public school (our oldest just started kindergarten), but if I could convince him, I'd homeschool in a heartbeat! I've already seen a lot of negative effects of public school on my 5 year old.
ReplyDeleteI'm so torn on this topic. As a teacher, I've seen things in public school that I don't want my kid to be a part of. As a person who went through public school, it's so fun and exciting. As a parent, I want my baby to never leave my sight AND I want the six hour break each day. As you can see, I"m incredibly torn and SO glad that I have 4 years to figure it out!
ReplyDeleteWe are in our second year of homeschool with my daughter (1st grade) and are working on fine motor skills and colors/shapes with my 2 1/2 yr old. We love it and right now it's what is best. I never thought I would! We hope to move into a better school area in the next couple years. If she wants to try public school (I went and loved most of it) I want her to have that option. Finding curriculum is really difficult until you start to understand the learning methods and then how your child learns. We have had to invest in quite a few different phonics programs as my daughter starting learning sight words in preschool and now has a difficult time understanding she really needs to learn the sounds and blend together. She just expects to know all the words eventually. She can read on her grade level, but I know she would love being able to read the instructions in her assignments so much more. She really enjoys working independently and showing me what she accomplished!
ReplyDeleteHailey | Love, Laughter and Lipstick
As Kristen's mom and a long-time educator, I am super proud of her for carefully analyzing every aspect of homeschooling before making the decision. Teaching is not easy and it takes a great deal of time in learning the pedagogy and content and then prepare worthwhile lessons that are meaningful and connect to self, future learning, and the real world. Before making the important decision of whether to homeschool or not, one should know all that is required upfront. As Kristen mentioned, Learning List provides an alignment verification of the product to the standards but provides so much valuable information in the editorial reviews as well so that you know that you are making the right selection in instructional materials for your child's education.
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