Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments HS for beginners

I'm posting for a friend. Although she is still 2 years from formal school age, she is looking down the road to home schooling. Given the experience here... any posts with websites or book references that cover the basics, the pros/cons, establishing environment/structure etc. She doesn't need to buy algebra books yet ;-) She is just looking to build up a knowledge base. Thanks for any support.

Oh by the way, of course I said it is a terrific idea and would you take my kids too :-)

I've liked Linda Dobson's books for painting an accurate picture of HSing (not just the roses but the bad apples as well).

Kudos to your friend for doing the research to get a good homeschool foundation in place. Getting into the mindset of constantly researching, etc. will serve her well as a homeschool parent. I run a local homeschool socialization group. It's a mid-sized group with about 130 familes and IME the parents who take the time research home schooling and "build a knowledge base" fare much better than the parents that I have encountered that look to others to *tell* them what to do, when to do it and how to do it.

IMO, as a homeschooler, home schooling should be very fluid and fit in with the life of the family. In other words, it shouldn't feel like a constant battle. I suggest that your friend join several local homeschool groups and meetup with them for things like park dates, moms night out, and other non-academic geared events to help her build a social network of other homeschool families for herself and her child. This will also give her opportunities to converse directly with other homeschool parents, learn ideas, and dig deeper into how others are applying the various methods and/or philosophies of homeschooling in their lives.

This site offers a brief summary of some of the various types of homeschool methods: http://simplycharlottemason.com/home/started/sixapproaches/

Here is a list of the typical course of study for children based on grade. It might help your friend to see what children in brick and mortar schools generally study and when: http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students?curriculum

Here's an international homeschool support board: http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-pphschooling

I'm partial to this site and method of home education - Charlotte Mason. It's a great site with lots of information: www.amblesideonline.org. (At first, I wasn't sure about this method, it was interesting to me, but wasn't sure how to go around applying it to my life. Talking to other HS Moms in person and seeing it in action really helped it jell with me.)

I also think it's very important to figure out both the parent's teaching style and the child's learning style. While I encourage using various methods of teaching (kinesthetic, auditory, visual)so that the child has exposure to all of them, I think it's important that a parent choose a homeschool method, curriculum, etc. that fits his/her teaching child and the child's needs, as much as possible. One that reuires tons of prep work for example is probably not a good fit for a parent that doesn't like to spend a lot of time cutting out shapes or making photocopies, etc. The parent won't like it and the child will sense that.

Another thing I find useful is to create what I call a Homeschool Manifesto. This is a living document, in that it will evolve with the family. In the document write down the reasons for homeschooling, the short and long term goals for homeschooling. Teaching Leadership, could be an example of a long term goal. IMO, this helps ground the family in their journey and again IME, I have found that families that take the time to create a manifesto (or something similar) tend to be more committed to homeschooling whereas those that just "want their child to learn *something*" or simply "don't like public school" don't tent do last past third grade - or Kindergarten for that matter. (Of course this is all anecdotal, so take it with a large chunk of salt.)



For books I recommend:
A Thomas Jefferson Education DeMille (This is what my family uses as our homeschool philosophy.)
The Art of Education Linda Dobson
John Holt - specifically Learning all the Time and Teach Your Own
Homeschooling Our Children, Unschooling Ourselves by Alison McKee
Home Schooling Reflections Connie Colton
Viral Learning: Reflections on the Homeschooling Life Mary Griffith

I hope this helps! Good luck to your friend on this rewarding journey!

Great post, Mizzou! I like the idea of a manifesto. DH and I have certain goals for our children, but have never actually written them down. I love it that after eight + years, I am still gleaning cool ideas from other homeschoolers. There's always more to learn!

If the child in question is gifted, I like Lisa Rivero's book for a nice overview of different styles. She really presents a nice array of options without coming off as if everyone should be doing it her way. It's a very solid introduction to homeschooling.

I second Lisa Rivero! I think it is really useful to anyone, homeschooling or not, GT child or not.

Her stuff about learning styles and how to handle conflict within a learning setting is applicable to MANY different situations. So useful!