Trouble with Finding Home Schooling?

If you are in Colorado I would use K12.com. They offer materials, lessons, a real live teacher to support you and everything you need to get going. A friend of mine uses it for his 6 year old daughter and they both love it.

Kim

Hi J.!

The prospect of homeschooling can be confusing at first since there is no one way to do it and no authority to tell you where to begin- but that is also one of the wonderful things about homeschooling as I see it! We are "homepreschooling" right now, but I have already started to seek out groups in the area so I can find out more about what has worked for other families. Depending on where you are, there are several groups to choose from. Some homeschoolers use curriculum (and they vary wildly) some don't. Some people even "unschool" and use the world as their children's classroom! We are mostly unschooling now, with very little formal teaching time but we are learning something new every day, and my boys are already like little scientists because we are encouraging in them a love of learning- we are showing them that it is exciting and fun to ask questions and explore the answers, not that there is one right answer or way to learn.

There is also the option of enrolling your child in an online program where you are using the same curriculum the public school would, but going at your son's pace and going more in depth into what interests him most. Here in Colorado it is called COVA for Colorado Virtual Academy. From what I understand this is very easy to do and some families really enjoy it. I am considering it for the first years, so that I can assure people who are concerned that my children are getting *at least* as good of an aducation as they would in public school. The various groups that meet weekly help to round out the social experience- and when the weather is nice we have been known to join up with three different groups each week!

You can do a google search to find homeschool groups in your area. Just go to google.com and type in "homeschooling in aurora, colorado" (or wherever you are).

If you want any more info, email me! I recently started a Yahoo! group called COCHAMPS (CO- Centennial Homeschoolers And More Play & Support Group) and if you are interested, this is the info:

The group email address:
____@____.com

The group home page location:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cochamps

Best wishes to you on your journey! Remember, the first few steps are the hardest- soon, you'll be off and running.

J.

There is a wonderful website, k12.com It gives resources and tips and lots of other info.

I am not sure where you are located, but I have some info for Utah. Here is a link that can help you no matter where you live. You can look up info for the state where you are living.

http://www.hslda.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1

Otherwise, just spend some time researching it online or going to the library. You can google it or look in any search engine.

I have a book but it is in storage right now about homeschooling. The author is a mom that used to be on a tv show in the 80's. I can't remember her name, but maybe somebody else has it. It has a ton of websites listed in the back of the book to help you in your search.

Remember, don't be too h*** o* yourself. Do what you believe is right. Sometimes homeschooling isn't the best for all families and maybe a different school or private school might be better. If you believe that homeschooling is working for you, don't let others that are narrow minded put you down about your decision. It is your child!! =)(a little hint...try to educate others by showing them information or statistics on children that are homeschooled. Some colleges (UNLV in Las Vegas is one) offers scholarships to kids that are homeschooled....so it can't be all that bad if colleges want those kids!)

I wish you luck in your search!!

J. K. Have you checked on line for homeschooling materials?
I know that there is a huge variety of different resources to choose from. Good Luck!

S.

Hi J.,

I know someone already told you to check in to k12. There website is k12.com I used them when I taught my son at home. There materials is not cheap but you can look on there website and click K12 Education options and most states has a virtual school! I did the virtual school because I was scared to try and teach my child alone. If ever you put your child back in public school it shows as they went to a virtual school so you don't have to have them test into a grade. Also you can work at your childs pace. They have a teacher if you use the virtual school that is assigned to you for questions. I love the virtual school I use to describe it as homeschooling for those of us that have no clue how. The instructions for teaching is so easy. They send you a computer printer and all materials even art and science stuff needed. If you would like more information on how it works you can email me anytime ____@____.com! Good luck!

J.

There is a wonderful Christian support group here in Colorado called Christian Home Educators of Colorado. The website is www.chec.org. They also offer homeschool introductory seminars.

Hope this helps.

L.

If you are looking to home school, but want a little guidence I would suggest Desiderata.org. They are self paced and offer an online program for K-8. The curriculum is taylored to the child so it can be religous or not depending on your preferrence. They even have a few students using COVA through their program though they are currently changing over to a more complete curriculum. They also offer some small personalized classes and field trips to allow the kids to get more social interaction. They have even taken students to Disney World 3 times. The website has some more information about homeschooling laws and other relevent information also.

I applaud your choice to homeschool. I was home schooled my whole life and I am so glad that I did not have to deal with public school issues. I would be glad to get you more information if you are interested. I plan to home school my children as well.

I am also a military wife and I run a daycare out of my house. I have a 10 year old stepson, a 17 month old son and hopefully another one coming soon.

Hello I am a mother of 4 I home school 3 of my children. I love it! I have a cetificate from Davis County School District that allow's me to home school. I contacted them and they gave me what I needed to get it. There are so many items out there on home schooling. I use as many as I can and some creative ideas of my own. Good Luck! I know you will love it! If you need more information I would be happy to give it to you!
____@____.com
M.

You need to find a support group for homeschooling. It can be the most fulfilling thing you do but it's not easy. If you live in or near Aurora we have a homeschool group through our church, Calvary Chapel Aurora. www.calvaryaurora.org You don't have to go to our church to be a part of the homeschooling group. Even if you are just questioning whether or not to homeschool give us a call. ###-###-####

We go through Spiral Academy. They are very inexpensive, they keep records, and you are actually considered enrolled in a private school. They are located in Colorado Springs .spiralacademy.org , and most things are done through your email.
Homeschooling is extrememly easy. Not nearly as complicated as one is often lead to beleive. If you are Christian, I highly recommend CHEC ( Christian Home Educators of Colorado). They are very helpful, and knowledgable. You can also homeschool through them.
Colorado law is very good for homeschooling families. Unlike many other states.
Good luck!

There's lots of information about programs you can enroll in on the internet, although most homeschool programs are religious in some way. I'm a former teacher and I've actually designed homeschool programs to meet Utah state curriculum standards for students in both elementary, middle and high school. I've also run a small homeschool in the past and assisted in the homeschooling of my siblings. I am currently a stay at home mom who tutors in her spare time. Feel free to check out my website if you're interested and you can take a look at my credentials there.
http://teach.shortandload.com/
Let me know if you have any questions and good luck!
K.