Son was not happy in private kindergarten. They were teaching him alphabets when he'd been reading since before 2. They were teaching him numbers when he was already counting, adding, subtracting and multiplying etc. And he said no one understood his jokes and games. He stopped asking questions (previously very intensely curious child). And he was obviously going to dumb himself down to fit in. Besides, he never wanted to go to school. I was the one who felt he should because he's an only child.
from what age did you start homeschooling?
Kindergarten
do you follow a very structured timetable or do you go with the flow?
A bit of both. Most homeschoolers I know do a bit of both. Unless you're very rigid with things, it's quite difficult to stick to just one way.
what do you think of unschooling for younger kids?
Great if it works for the kid. You'll know it works if you're both happy with the situation and you know your kid is learning loads and you're available to answer questions and help your kid learn things more in depth when he wants to.
do you only follow the required information type learning or do you go indepth as much as your child wants before moving on?
I'm not sure what the point of homeschooling would be if you don't go in depth when your child really wants to.
what advice would you give to someone starting this with young children?
Keep it light and fun. Encourage critical thinking, even at the young age. Encourage questions and deep discussions. Use normal words, don't dumb down what you tell them. Surround them with books and quality magazines, quality TV shows, audio books etc. Lay the foundation when they are young and it will be second nature by the time they are 6, 7 or 8.
what would you change if you could start home schooling over again?
I'd buy less curriculum and use more real-life materials and go on more field trips.
Any other advice or wisdom you can impart?
Time flies so quickly. So make sure you have fun too. And don't worry too much about mixing things up or making changes. Keep it flexible. The homeschooling lifestyle is awesome. You'll really enjoy it if you remember to not overcomplicate things. You don't need every single curriculum out there. Use your library if you have a good one nearby. Use the internet. Again, have fun!
Take care and good luck!
