Homeschooling ?

[crafty]

Hi there guys,

I was just wondering of any of you has homeschooled children and how you managed running a daycare while homeschooling and why you chose to do it ?

It is something I have been contemplating for a while now. I had always said that if my kids were having problems in school then I would do it but lately there are things in school I just do not believe in and I think children deserve better. Anyway ... care to share your thoughts and/or experiences ??

[sunnydays]

Personally I know I couldn't do it. My kids have soooo much energy and mixing my school aged son with the daycare kids is challenging even for short periods let-alone full-time! I am not sure how I could teach them while caring for all the other kids. I find even trying to encorporate learning activities for the 3-4 year olds can be a challenge sometimes with the toddlers as they are grabbing stuff and want to do it too but aren't ready. Maybe if you had a really small group it might work...or maybe you are more patient and organized than me! I guess it also depends on your child...my son drives me bananas when he is home with the daycare...he needs to be out with kids his age!

[JennJubie]

I have considered it as well. I'm not happy with the way the school is dealing with my son. I think I'd like to see how summer goes before I consider it seriously. That would be my suggestion, start "homeschooling" during the summer and see how it goes.

[playfelt]

When homeschooling and doing daycare you have to look at the schooling as being the most important and then adding in only the daycare children that fit with the program in the sense of not having all babies. At the same time there are several blogs on line of parents that homeschool and how they adapted as each new sibling was born. If you are doing it and put that in your info you may attract like minded parents and end up with peers to school together.

The biggest thing is to remember that homeschool doesn't have to have set hours. There is no reason why you can't set up some things in the morning that child needs to learn too but that are mixed into play like playing with letters but is actually spelling out his spelling words or phonics word families. Have him read alone for awhile, watch a discovery network video and draw something from it, etc. Then during naptime you work more one on one with him and also in the evening as well. Things like science experiments can be done with you and your child but the other daycare kids watching and/or helping too.

[Dreamalittledream]

Just wondering if there are any tax advantages, grants that make it financially worthwhile (I'm thinking to compensate for lightening my DCK load a bit)?

[playfelt]

Unfortunately no and you still pay education taxes even if you don't send your child to school. There are many really good homeschooling organizations and support groups so if you are considering it then try to connect with one in your area and there will probably be others that are doing school and daycare.

Daycare while homeschooling is just about having a large family - they homeschool on 19 kids and counting.

[zoomama]

i have one son gr 2 and 6 dck ranging in age from 1-5. i find it very hard at times, because i find my own kid is harder to manage and if i believed the public school system could offer him a good education, i would definitely choose that easier road. since that is not an option for me, i keep him home, knowing that in the long run it's best, even if it's more difficult. it won't be forever, and there are many advantages, too. i did put him in school for a short 2 months, and hated juggling my dayhome schedule AND the school system schedule. i felt like my time was owned by someone else, and that's the whole reason i love doing what i do...i run my schedule the way i want to and the way it works best for me.

[playfelt]

I was lucky the whole time I homeschooled my youngest because she has special need and was - well still is at age 20 - developmentally functioning at the toddler stage so she was just a part of whatever we did. When I got suggestions from therapists they were either done as a group or during naptimes since she didn't nap past 3-4 years old. Now she more or less just hangs out with us and listens to music or goes in the other room and listens to treehouse music. She loves to watch the other children and for some reason is fascinated when I sit to give a baby a bottle.

[crafty]

My oldest is 4 and my youngest is 2, we are talking baby # 3 and will hopefully move before the end of summer which will give me a bit more financial freedom.

I've worked in the school system a few years ago and I left the field because I did not agree with how some things were done. I don't have any worries that my kids so far will do well in school but I believe they deserve BETER ! I simply am not 100% certain it is the way to go.

[playfelt]

You may have missed them for this year but there are homeschool conferences held each spring where speakers present, companies have curriculum for sale and you get to interact with other homeschooling families. You would get a lot of info to help you make your decision.

Also consider what the starting age is in your province. In Ontario for instance a child does not have to attend school till they are six. Therefore you could consider trying the homeschool for the kindergarten year, see how your child does with having to do "school" work and get a handle on what kind of learners they are. A child that craves learning in a group and interacting does not do as well as a child that can settle to concentrate on a topic for an extended period of time. There is a blog I have followed for daycare ideas called confessions of a homeschooler and she has several children at different levels and created a homeschool classroom setup and as I said some of her ideas are great for daycare too.