Advice on K12 Online School

First, congratulations on picking K12, it's a great program. I have been doing it with my kids for the last 7 years. As to socialization, I think for a five year old it's a bit over rated to begin with, there is plenty of time for that and other five year olds aren't always the greatest influence on each other anyway. I can see being out in the country would add a little challenge to finding activities, but for my kids, they are involved in swimming at the local rec center, have quite a few neighborhood friends, church and church activities, a few play dates with other home school families, etc.

If you're involved in a charter school there are a lot of parent led groups that should have little to no cost to you, you just have to search them out in your area.

Have fun on your home school journey.

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Hi J.,

First, good for you for stepping up to take care of your son's needs. I've been there too! We've been homeschooling now for 12 years and love it.

I recommend that you find a local homeschooling group that you can connect with. This serves several purposes: providing you with support, opportunities for socialization (for parents AND kids), and group learning activities.

I find that the need for socialization varies from child to child as well as at different ages. It's good for younger children to have opportunities to make friends and have playmates, but when it's really important is in the teen years. Most children seem to become well-socialized best if they are around children and adults of many different ages, not with just their peers.

As to low-cost/free activities: your local library is the best place to look. If you have a good library system you'll be able to find books and videos to support most of your learning activities. Libraries usually have children's programs and other activities. If you connect with a homeschool group you'll be able to get a lot of good ideas from them.

Good luck on your new adventure with your son. He's lucky to have such a committed mom.
B. in CO

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K12 and IDVA are excellent! We are in our 3rd year now, and I have three students (1st, 3rd, 5th) as well as a 2-year-old. Hopefully your teacher will plan some get-togethers, and there are often opportunities for field trips as well. Even if you live out in the country, you should try to participate in some of them. We also utilize the public library for outings, or we get together with other families who school at home (whether IDVA or homeschoolers). I want to encourage you that you are doing what is best for your child! Be sure you contact your teacher whenever you feel like you need help. Your child is going to get a top-notch education with you as his Learning Coach!

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It sounds like you are an awesome mom doing what is best for your kids. I think that you have found a great option in an online school. I agree with the advice of others to find a social group to network with during the year. Don't worry too much about socialization, it will come in other ways. If you have a schedule, you will find your kids learning so much faster, then you will have the time to go to story times or the park, or museums........ There are lots of free places around, you just have to look and ask. Good luck. We are all pulling for you!

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There are homeschool groups that do field trips, sports & get-togethers. Look for one in your are. My neighbor said her nephew was home-schooled & socialized more that way then he would have in traditional school.
Good luck J.!

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My husband and I have been homeschooling our children for four years. Our oldest is 14, the next is 8, then 3 and 1. None of them have had any troubles socializing, in fact the opposite is true. We have received many complements that our children communicate verbally better than their peers and are much more mature. There have been numerous studies that have shown that children do not need to be socialized outside of the family until they are between the ages of 12 and 14. Before those ages adult family members teach the children how to socialize without the "other things" by setting the example themselves and instilling their values without the competition from peers and strangers. School is a place where children are raised by peers and strangers, is that the environment you want your children to learn how to socialize in? Don't forget, there are "weird" children in school, too. They are the ones who are teased, bullied and ostracised. Children reflect the social behaviors of their parents, so if the parents are socially "weird" then their children will be as well, regardless of where they learn their academics.

Just for an example: We recently got together with some friends who have been homeschooling their seven children for eight years. Six of their seven and three of our four, making nine total between the ages of 15 and 3, were all in one small room playing with only two wii-motes. There was no shouting, name calling, hitting, fighting, etc. There was a lot of laughter, sharing, kindness, etc. This shows that all of these children have been taught how to socialize properly and respectfully by the adults surrounding them in their lives.

There are many options available for socializing if you choose to do them. Look up your local library for things that are free or cheap. Go to places such as an aquarium, museum, garden, planetarium, etc. When you go to these places talk to people and let your child talk. When you go to the store let your child buy a treat or toy on occasion by doing the transaction himself (with you standing by). Look on the internet for homeschooling groups near by. Sometimes indoor play places offer reduced prices during the day in order to get customers (if you have any near you). Familiarize yourself with the history of your area and start to visit those places. Take your child with you for family and/or friend visits during the day and if there are no children for him to play with have him sit with you while you visit. Don't teach your son that he can only play with those of his age. Our children play with other kids with a two to three year age difference in both directions. This teaches them that socializing doesn't conform to age, because in "real world" situations there are many of different ages that have to get along. Unstructured play time is the best way for children to learn how to get along with others.

Good luck, don't give up, don't worry. You may find you have a lot of fun and truly enjoy having your son at home with you.

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It sounds like you're doing great. Definitely stick with the online school. Full-day school at that age can easily be too much.

He will play with brothers, neighbors, kids from church, kids at his "activities" like soccer or art, and cousins. I've never actually met a child who didn't know how to "socialize" except for kids with autism and kids with mentally ill parents. That's just something that people say to get you to follow the crowd and send him to public school. Many people get uncomfortable when other people do something different, so they try to pressure you to do what they're doing.

Remember in high school when most of the girls had the same hair style? It isn't any different with parenting. Try to find the parents with different "hairstyles" -- their advice will be more well-thought-out.

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I applaud your dedication to your kids. I was home schooled my whole life and I would not change that for the world. I plan to home school my own kids too. When we were younger we co-oped with other home schooled kids in the area. As we grew up we got more involved in the community with everything from 4-H to being on the local roller skating speed team. Being home schooled actually helped us with our social goals as it gave us most more flexibilty for other activities.

Good Luck

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k12 online school is a great option! They work at your childs level! They even have organized get togethers! You can go to a local Bright Horizons and have your child "drop-in" with their Preschool though School Age programs and socialize or join in one of their many "Enrichment" programs- Gymnastics, Dance, Ceramics, Karate so that your child will get group socialization skills too. And then as your child gets older they may be more ready to join in the public school scene-or maybe a charter academy.

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Hi J.,

There is a strong home-school community that share lots of kid activities. Check with your local library about contacting them. The library has a listing of activities they provide for children. The nature centers also have activities, check with them too. The parks and rec, YMCA all have sports and activities for kids. Your child will have lots of opportunities for playing with other kids his age. Be sure to write a letter to your superintendent and president of the school board about your decision and why you felt you had to make it. State facts. They cannot help the district improve if they do not know there is a problem. Good luck!

Shirley, mom to 3

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My sister does online schooling with her two children. They do great. But, she has it structured at her house, just like it would be at school. Set times, set school schedule. This is the key to success when doing home schooling. My neighbors on the other hand, say they do home school, and I NEVER see the children inside to do this. She is not disiplined, and has no structure. One of her children is 7 1/2 and cannot read. I think it is Very imporant to make sure your child has social activities. You can search for a co-op group in your area that do home schooling too. Not to be rude, but you need to proof read your email before placing it where everyone can read it. When you are talking about home schooling your child, and then your own spelling and puntuation is terrible does not look very promising.

You may want to look at programs such as 4-H and YMCA if they are available in your area. Also, when your son is a few years older Boy Scouts. Your library may also have a story time or other children's activities you can join.

You may also want to initiate nurture more contact with children his age from church or other groups you belong to. If those are not available, see if you can start a play group with children in the general area.

Also, check with the online school to see if there are other families in your area that you may be able to form a group with for field trips and special activities. Often times, there are associations of families that are home schooling that get together in their areas for socialization.

While there are positive social skills that can be developed at school, that is not always what happens. Sometimes it is best to have more control of what the socialization situation is, especially when they are young.

N.

Remember being told in school, "Shhhh! You can socialize later"?

Last year our living situation was very unstable (2 moves in 6 months - long story), so we made the conscious decision to homeschool for the sake of stability and continuity. My social butterfly of a daughter did not suffer at all. Church, park playdates, gymnastics class, free art class at the library, story time at the library... There are endless opportunities to get kids together, many of them cheap or free. If you are worried, look online for homeschool groups in your area. Many of them offer social opportunities. Or call your friends and start a regularly meeting playgroup in the afternoons when even your school-bound friends are free to play.

Homeschooling does not sentence your child (or you) to isolation.

You need advice from homeschooling moms. I do know from my homeschooling friends that there are several options. So take a deep breath and relax for a minute - the world isn't coming to an end! You will have people saying, "Yes, I know - I've been there, too!"

I'd just like to point out that you're not going to get a "weird child" by his staying at home. I know there are networks for homeschooling families so that socialization can take place.

If there are going to be problems with schools or with teachers, this is the spot to have them - when they can be corrected the most easily. If I were in your place, I would definitely seek an alternative to what you have, simply because it's important for the parents and the school - whatever for that school takes - to be working together.