Great information on Homeschooling!

I've been linking up with "No Time for Flash Cards" for a while now. Each week I look through probably 5 to 10 link up that interest me. This week, I stumbled across a blog post that I thought some of my readers might find helpful....I sure did!



I have contacted the author of this blog and asked if I could repost what she wrote for all of you. I realized that doesn't make much sense! She needs to get the perks of your traffic to her site. So, I'm just going to repost a bit of what she wrote. If this sounds like something that you are interested, you can most on over to her "Homeschool Hoop-La" and finish reading.

"The school provides you with $1500 per student as well as a list of providers from where to buy your curriculum. The awesome part is you can even choose Christian curriculum providers such as Sonlight, Abeka, AO Publishers and tons more. What I really love about this is that you can try curriculum risk free! At the end of the school year you are given a list of the non-consumable items that need to be returned. These are things like readers, teachers manuals etc. You keep any workbooks or items that you've used up during the year. At first I was a little disappointed about having to return the curriculum but after realizing I'd run out of storage in about 2 years, I wasn't that upset! Of that $1500, you need to use at least half the money on curriculum of your choice but the other half can be used to pay for non-competitive activities or lessons (such as ballet, gymnastics, karate, piano, ukulele, voice, etc) or field trips, year passes to museums, galleries or other educational locations."

Wanna read more about it???

Why do you homeschool?

You all know how much I love No Time for Flashcards. This week, the woman behind the site posed a question on facebook. She asked: "For my readers who are homeschoolers - what is your number one reason to homeschool?"

I was intrigued by this question, but more by the answers. Scott and I have been discussing homeschool our son when the time comes. I have joined a few forums in my area and I kind of lurk around to see what other homeschool parents are doing and the issues that they are having so that I know what to expect.

As I read the above questions, I asked myself "Why do I want to homeschool Matthew?" From my readings, one of the things that really resonated inside me, was that homeschooling Matthew would give us time. We would not need to be constantly beating the clock to get get up at a certain time, get on a bus at the right time, rushing to do homework before we raced the clock to get to afterschool activities, and planning our vacations around his school schedule. I honestly did not feel like this was a good reason to homeschool though...and maybe it's not, but it is a answer that a LOT of people seemed to give for wanting to homeschool.

One person even mentioned that her husband works Saturday and Sunday and has off on Tuesdays and Wednesday. She said that if they didn't homeschool, her children would not have much time with daddy. How sad!

My primary answer (in a nutshell): I used to be a classroom teacher. I have taught hundreds of kids in different capacities, why would I let someone else raise my kids for me? Why would I not use my knowledge to: 1. teach my son 2. help him excel at what he is good at 3. give him the attention that he needs when he's not good at something? It makes so much sense to me.

I am so glad that NTFFC posed that question, because it reminded me that I'm not alone on this journey. I hope that those of you that are also homeschooling families with share your stories in the comment below.

Thanks!

PS....My husband and I have also had a lot of discussions about how me not going back to the workforce will mean that we will not be "Keeping up with the Jones". That is hard when friends are able to buy nice houses, cars, and amazing new-on-the-market technology and we are just scraping by with help. How do you manage when others around you live a different lifestyle?

Proof that the "Jan plan" is going...some pictures

This was our Aviary Trip a couple Fridays ago....


Our field trip partners - We took turns. I took a picture of her and her daughter feeding the birds and she took one on her camera of Matthew and I.


Matthew looking in the window at the penguins! Sorry, I wasn't able to turn this picture.



The same bird that chased Matthew last time!