Homeschooling how it works?

Question

so besides the regular day how does it work. I'm thinking of pulling my child from his kindergarten class and homeschooling him since they seem to think he's to immature when we don't believe he is. SO anyway if i do this how does it work i would want him back in public school for 1st grade. If he doesn't excell like we believe he will obviously he will go to kindergarten next year instead. Basicaly how does it work. Homework turn in, how would they know he was taught at home and is ready for 1st grade in public school? I live in Michigan.

Answer 1

It is hard to answer how home school "works" since one of the great advantages of home schooling is the ability of the parent to meet the individual needs of the child.  If the child needs to tap a pencil or do jumping jacks to recall information or if the child tests best when asked questions, the parent/teacher can teach to that child's learning styles.  Some states do have stringent requirements which may limit the parent's overall flexibility but Michigan is really NOT one of those states.  Check out the information on Michigan's education laws regarding home schooling at www.hslda.org and you will see what I mean.  I would also recommend communicating with the moms on the main home school board at www.homeschoolreviews.com  That same site also shares reviews of various educational programs which are used by home schoolers.  However, I would suggest simply enjoying the riches of your local library and going easy on your pocketbook.  Check out What Your Kindergartener Should Know and use that as a basis for what your son should know this year.  Also, consider getting the book, The Way They Learn, by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias.  People learn in different ways.  A child may struggle in traditional schools if he does not learn best with the learning style that succeeds the most in such environments.  Also, we tend to teach in the way we learn best.  Knowing both how your son learns best and how you will tend to teach him will help you bridge the gap and meet his needs the best.  You will also know better how to help strengthen his weaker learning modalities and prepare him for life back in the conventional school where visual learners rule and kinesthetic learners can sometimes be pushed to the side.  May I warn you about some things though?  Your home school does not have to look like school at home.  Your son may learn addition while doing jumping jacks, if he learns best that way.  He should not be forced to sit and trace letters if he learns best by writing them outside in the sandbox with his finger.  Use the wonderful flexibility of your home environment to your fullest advantage!  My last warning to you is this:  You may change your mind and keep home schooling for years. Be prepared to love this new adventure!  Home schooling, when done right, can be so good for the child that you will not want to stop.

Answer 2

K isn't a requirement in Michigan which means nobody has to send their child to K before starting grade 1. You do what you want without having to worry about any homeschooling laws.

Answer 3

Every state has their own laws but you would just keep records of everything that he did. Altough in kindergarten there won't be lots of book work.  Then again you may find that he learns quickly with you and if he isn't learning quickly in the public school maybe you might want to consider keeping him in homeschool for awhile.  The parent knows their children better than anyone else and would know how he/she would learn the quickest and best.

What would work best is if they are saying he is immature I am guessing that his energy is too much to allow him to sit in a desk or a chair.  And this may be something that takes a few years for him to be able to know how to do.  

This is something that my son has a problem with and was diagnosed with ADHD (attention defacit hyperactive disorder) we opted out of giving him any drugs and I just teach him here at home and he is doing awesome and excelling where as in school it just wouldn't work for him.

Anyway, finding a curriculum that is active and hands on not sitting down will probably work awesome for him.  The best is to find a good curriculum and supplement with what works for him.  Lots of learning with games and such works great for my son also.

With whatever you choose...good luck!

Answer 4

I def. think thats a great idea! You dont "have" to send your child to kindergarten there. Though I would double check anyway(just to make shure) And then just set aside an hour a day to go over basic stuff. I would only do a hour because most of the time at school is spent playing,sleeping,and eating. But make shure to have alot of fun crafts like he would do in P.S.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Hi I just saw your last question and I wanted to tell you about homeschooling, glad you thought of it!

My mom had me Kindergarden for two weeks. She was disgusted with them because they were teaching us stuff she already taught me. She taught me how to pronounce words for reading in books and how to write the stuff I would need for 1st grade. What you might consider doing is talking to the principal and find out what he needs to know to enter 1st grade. There are stores that sell the guide books and supplies you will need. do a yellow pages search online for your area. click on Education and Instruction link and the School Supplies section will come up and list the stores in your area.  The store will give you a good idea of stuff that is made for teaching kindergardeners. Other stores like Wal-mart and such my sell a few similar items for a little cheaper, so go ahead and shop around a little if you have time.

Good luck and this will be good for him too! Because you can help him a lot better with feeling good about himself and his accomplishments then that stupid teacher. And that also sets a good foundation for life.

Answer 6

If I had to do it over again, I would have done nothing but play games with my younger children: geography games, math games, phonics games, spelling games, etc.  Learning doesn't have to be out of a book.  And history is stories, so go to the library and get stories about famous people and events and read them to him.  Get him acquainted with the personalities now.  Later when he is older he can see how they all fit together in the scheme of things.

Answer 7

Like mentioned above, homeschooling is wonderful because you can make "school" how you want it to be and how it works best for you.

Kindergarten (to me anyway) isn't exactly school. It's like learning while you play. This is probably why it's not required in so many states.

You can pull him out of kindergarten..they can't stop you from doing that since kindergarten isn't required where you live.

Many states have homeschooling laws, but I'm not sure if you would have to follow them yet since he's only in kindergarten.

The good thing is, if there's something he has already learned you can move on to something else. You can also teach him things you think will be important. I don't think learning geography in kindergarten is necessary, others might think it is. If he likes math then you can spend extra time doing math. That's the great thing--homeschooling is very personal and you can figure out the way that will work best for him.

Answer 8

In Michigan, compulsory attendance is only required for ages 6 to 16.  

However, since your child is already enrolled in public school, there may be requirements for you to pull him out.  

I don't know Michigan regulations well enough to explain what is required to go from homeschooling to public school.   Most places do it based on age, unless there is a problem for the child to keep up.  

Try the below link for some local info that will be much more helpful to you.

Good luck :)