*** Homeschool List ***

[disneymom3]

Wecome Candice--and I love the brochure idea! Several (well okay, several, several) pages back I swore I was going to start responding people who asked me if I was crazy when finding out I homeschooled with something along the lines of "You send your kids to public school????? Are you out of your mind?"

Seriously though, I do think that it is important to not make brick and mortar schools out to be the worst thing ever and Candice's situation is one of the reasons why. I always figure I don't know what the future holds and it may become necessary to send my kids to public school. I focus on what we like about homeschooling and the choices that WE make while trying to have my kids open to the idea that for some people homeschooling works best, and for others a traditional school works best.

Ashley--I also think that sometimes because we are out of the "norm" we feel like we have to prove to our kids that this choice is the right one. Yet, I have never heard of a mom of a child heading off to the local school for Kindergarten who really worked at convincing her child that this would be a good idea. It's just what is done. If you and your DH have made this decision, there are days you might just have to say, "Sorry, but Daddy and I decide what is best for you and we believe this is it." Just like I don't let my kids eat candy all day, while I have the choice, they also won't be attending the public schools around here. Try to look at it just like any other parenting decision. Doesn't matter what other people think and you don't need to feel guilty. If you have a Y anywhere near you, they often offer homeschool swim and gym classes which is a great non-religious way to meet other homeschoolers. Have you tried doing a search on Yahoo groups for groups in your area or state? I think the religious groups are easier to find, but I bet there are groups out there for people more interested in just the activity portion.

 

[Ashley Kees]

Wecome Candice--and I love the brochure idea! Several (well okay, several, several) pages back I swore I was going to start responding people who asked me if I was crazy when finding out I homeschooled with something along the lines of "You send your kids to public school????? Are you out of your mind?"

Seriously though, I do think that it is important to not make brick and mortar schools out to be the worst thing ever and Candice's situation is one of the reasons why. I always figure I don't know what the future holds and it may become necessary to send my kids to public school. I focus on what we like about homeschooling and the choices that WE make while trying to have my kids open to the idea that for some people homeschooling works best, and for others a traditional school works best.

Ashley--I also think that sometimes because we are out of the "norm" we feel like we have to prove to our kids that this choice is the right one. Yet, I have never heard of a mom of a child heading off to the local school for Kindergarten who really worked at convincing her child that this would be a good idea. It's just what is done. If you and your DH have made this decision, there are days you might just have to say, "Sorry, but Daddy and I decide what is best for you and we believe this is it." Just like I don't let my kids eat candy all day, while I have the choice, they also won't be attending the public schools around here. Try to look at it just like any other parenting decision. Doesn't matter what other people think and you don't need to feel guilty. If you have a Y anywhere near you, they often offer homeschool swim and gym classes which is a great non-religious way to meet other homeschoolers. Have you tried doing a search on Yahoo groups for groups in your area or state? I think the religious groups are easier to find, but I bet there are groups out there for people more interested in just the activity portion.

Thank you for putting that so clearly for me. Reading your message really helped me put things into perspective. Good lord, she's 4 and I'm already letting pressure from other people make me questions what I KNOW is right for my kids! I hope this gets easier, or I grow some tougher skin! Bless you all for doing the right thing no matter what society says, you are all inspirational to me.

 

[disneymom3]

Ashley I am really glad it helped. I didn't want to offend, but this is a realization I have come to fairly recently in my own life. (And I am in my 6th year of homeschooling!) 'Course, my oldest is probably going to an actual school school next year so that will make my MIL happier.

 

[Ashley Kees]

Ashley I am really glad it helped. I didn't want to offend, but this is a realization I have come to fairly recently in my own life. (And I am in my 6th year of homeschooling!) 'Course, my oldest is probably going to an actual school school next year so that will make my MIL happier.

I didn't sense any offence at all! You very kindly gave me a swift kick in the rear, as my grandmother would have said! (And boy do I wish she was here! She would have been very supportive of me!)

 

[dee47]

I have a question -- knowing how resourceful people here can be:

I would love to homeschool my DS. I work from home, which is great. However, 3-4 times a year I have to travel (normally 4-7 days) for my business. His dad works a regular office job full time. Any ideas on how to work this out? My travels are usually in Sept - Oct and May - early June. I can't take him with me because I'm in meetings all day, and writing summaries late into the night. His dad is not crazy about the homeschooling idea (we're divorced, but he'll agree to it), so he won't go out of his way to help...Don't get me started.

 

[graygables]

I have a question -- knowing how resourceful people here can be:

I would love to homeschool my DS. I work from home, which is great. However, 3-4 times a year I have to travel (normally 4-7 days) for my business. His dad works a regular office job full time. Any ideas on how to work this out? My travels are usually in Sept - Oct and May - early June. I can't take him with me because I'm in meetings all day, and writing summaries late into the night. His dad is not crazy about the homeschooling idea (we're divorced, but he'll agree to it), so he won't go out of his way to help...Don't get me started.

Is there someone you could take along to watch him while you're at work? I run my business from home and this next year will be on the road 110 days. Some of that time, hubby/in-laws will keep them, but some of the time, they'll go with me and my mom will join us to babysit. I've also thought of hiring a local sitting service, if necessary, but that hasn't been the case just yet. They get a chance to explore a new place and still get some time with me. Also, we use Switched on Schoolhouse, so it hits the road with us on their laptop!

 

[NHWX]

I have a question -- knowing how resourceful people here can be:

I would love to homeschool my DS. I work from home, which is great. However, 3-4 times a year I have to travel (normally 4-7 days) for my business. His dad works a regular office job full time. Any ideas on how to work this out? My travels are usually in Sept - Oct and May - early June. I can't take him with me because I'm in meetings all day, and writing summaries late into the night. His dad is not crazy about the homeschooling idea (we're divorced, but he'll agree to it), so he won't go out of his way to help...Don't get me started.

One thing which would matter a lot would be how old your son will be next year. I have a friend who homeschools her two and occasionally Dad will take their son on a business trip or two. He's 13 now and is quite independent. He's happy as a clam either attending the tradeshow, playing electronic games at the hotel, checking out the gym or using the pool. As far as the time off goes, call it vacation and be done with it! Many hotels in resorts areas have children's program which may or may not be lame. I know when our kids were young we occasionally used the hotel babysitter - why does the childcare start at 9 and the dive boat leave at 8?

If you have a close friend, you could possibly agree to trade childcare. I've never done it for a week but I did do it over a school year when the kids were preschool age. My friend took my boys for a whole day every other week, I took hers the other week. It saved a whole year of preschool bills, and that was very good.

NHWX

 

[dee47]

He's not mature enough to be trusted on his own -- he's highly impulsive. And we have no family we can trust him to. I cover huge (20,000+ people) medical conferences when I travel, so having him hang out on his own is not an option, nor can he get into the sessions with me.

I thought about a nanny, but not sure a) if the cost is not prohibitive and b) can I get someone for such short periods?

I have a friend who MAY be able to help with 1 or 2 of these weeks, but she has her own business and is extremely busy too...

 

[disneymom3]

I would start looking now at homeschool groups in your area. For two years, while DH was out of work (at least in his field--he worked at Target) I sold real estate. Not real conducive to having three kids at home who weren't old enough to care for themselves. Through one of the groups I looked into (I didn't even join) I met a mom who lived within two blocks of me and had at that time a 15 yo who babysat. She actually just left for college this fall and in the meantime did babysitting for us. Don't know if you have met any homeschooled teens but the ones I know are all a lot more responsible than your typical teenager.

The only thing would be though the overnight issues, I suppose.....

When I taught at a daycare center we also had a couple of aids who took care of some of the kids when their parents traveled and did the overnights. I did several weekend babysitting jobs for parents going out of town when I was in college too.

I think it might just be a matter of finding the right person. A temporary nanny service might be a good idea too. No idea about the cost though.

 

[Ellester]

He's not mature enough to be trusted on his own -- he's highly impulsive. And we have no family we can trust him to. I cover huge (20,000+ people) medical conferences when I travel, so having him hang out on his own is not an option, nor can he get into the sessions with me.

I thought about a nanny, but not sure a) if the cost is not prohibitive and b) can I get someone for such short periods?

I have a friend who MAY be able to help with 1 or 2 of these weeks, but she has her own business and is extremely busy too...

What do you do now when you are out of town? How old is he? You may be able to find a local homeschool mom who would be willing to help out a few times a year.

 

[crl]

Hi all! I've been mostly a lurker here since my DD is only 4.5 yrs old right now. She's been enjoying some small unit studies I put together around the princesses. So I was wondering if anyone uses unit studies. Do you make your own, or do you have a resource book?

 

[NewEnglandCamper]

Hi everyone!! I'm trying to accumulate a list of Disers that would be interested in a Homeschool board, you don't have to Homeschool to add yourself to the post! Anyone who is interested in education in general, you should add your post as well, there will be a myriad of resources for any parent, teacher, hs, daycare, or early education providers!! I'm hoping to get a list on this board and also the community board!! Thank you and see you soon!!

Count us in! We are homeschoolers from Mass. As homeschoolers, We are fortunate to head to WDW 2 weeks before our Winter break vacation and avoid some of the crowds.

 

[DawnM]

I would start looking now and think about it.

If you lived closer I would certainly offer! I actually wanted to move to WA rather than NC, but that is a WHOLE different post for another time!

You may be able to find a homeschool family with a teen daugher willing to take on the task, esp. if the mother of the teen allows your child to stay in their home for some compensation. Teen hsers can often be an awesome resource.

Dawn

He's not mature enough to be trusted on his own -- he's highly impulsive. And we have no family we can trust him to. I cover huge (20,000+ people) medical conferences when I travel, so having him hang out on his own is not an option, nor can he get into the sessions with me.

I thought about a nanny, but not sure a) if the cost is not prohibitive and b) can I get someone for such short periods?

I have a friend who MAY be able to help with 1 or 2 of these weeks, but she has her own business and is extremely busy too...

 

[TNKBELL]

I would start looking now and think about it.

If you lived closer I would certainly offer! I actually wanted to move to WA rather than NC, but that is a WHOLE different post for another time!

You may be able to find a homeschool family with a teen daugher willing to take on the task, esp. if the mother of the teen allows your child to stay in their home for some compensation. Teen hsers can often be an awesome resource.

Dawn

This is sooo true! Our piano teacher is a hs teen and so are our babysitters.

 

[crl]

Ashley - It helped to point out to my daughter how early she would need to be dressed and leaving our house. Then sit at a desk till such and such time. No snacking unless it's lunch or snack time. And then show her what time she'd be getting home. Once she saw how long it took for the school bus to come back in the afternoon, she was easier to deal with. Now as we do activities during the day I remind her that if she was in school, she'd probably still be sitting at her desk quietly listening to a teacher. Since my DD (4.5 yrs) likes to make her own choices, the thought of sitting still and doing whatever the teacher wanted was enough to turn her off.

Lori - I don't know how old your kids are, but we are doing unit studies about the princesses. We pick a princess every couple of days to learn about which leads to learning about her country too.

 

[earthfaries]

I would start looking now and think about it.

If you lived closer I would certainly offer! I actually wanted to move to WA rather than NC, but that is a WHOLE different post for another time!

You may be able to find a homeschool family with a teen daugher willing to take on the task, esp. if the mother of the teen allows your child to stay in their home for some compensation. Teen hsers can often be an awesome resource.

Dawn

Me too! That's what I do you know, babysit in my home. Not only do I have 2 full-timers, but I have a couple of people who use me when they need me on weekends, evening, school closings, etc.

I know people like that are hard to find, just look and put out your good energies about it and hopefully the right person will find you, or you find them!

I suggest looking on bulletin boards at local coffee shops, health food stores, etc.

 

[lori1043]

Hey ya'll!
I have decided to make and do an EPCOT world showcase unit study this month before we haed to Disney. I have looked up all the countries and printed activites and gotten recipes from the countries, and songs, too. Any ideas???

Happy New Year!!!

Can't wait
2008!!!


Lori​

 

[graygables]

We are planning to learn how to say some basic phrases (hello, goodbye, thank you, please) in the different languages, then ask the CMs to check the pronunciations and teach one more phrase that they commonly use (for instance, in some places in Germany, they say "tchuss" instead of auf wiedersehen for goodbye)

 

[lori1043]

OKAY, COOL!!! I am going to do that too!! Never thought of the language (duh!!!)

Thank you! I will share the websites with you that I have found interesting if you can share with me??!!! Just a thought.

Lori

 

[earthfaries]

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE