I want to homeschool, need advice?

Question

I have heard questions children ask....I couldn't even answer 1/4 of them. How do you answer the 1000 questions every day that just have you stumped? And how on earth do you do all your houshold chores, cause surely laudry and mopping and vacuuming can't possible be that educational?

Answer 1

Get thee to your library and browse through the homeschooling books. You'll find lots of advice. The fun part is that some advice will conflict with other advice -- and you get to decide what will work best for your family. My 17-year-old son and I are just starting on this venture and, after all I've read this summer, I regret we haven't been doing it all along. My best to you*

Answer 2

get a wig because you're gonna tear your hair out doing both.

as far as the questions, you say "Lets learn about it together!" and then you guide their learning.  You both grow, cool, eh?

Answer 3

Actually, laundry, mopping and vacuuming ARE educational, it's called life skills and if I had a dime for every kid I knew who could NOT do that when they moved out...blahblahblah. Learning isn't all about academics!

As Glurpy said, one of the best parts about homeschooling is that I don't HAVE to know all the answers, and I'm more than proud to tell my kids "GREAT question, let's figure out the answer together!" Teachers don't have that option, they have to stick to the schedule and move on (happened over and over to my oldest kid). So schools do, in fact, limit imagination and thinking skills just by the way they are run.

All my kids that can read, can google. If I am, by some weird possibility, unable to help them right away, they get on it themselves. Sometimes they do it without even asking...someone will come up and say "Mom...did you know that Easter Island has three volcanoes, but only two are active?" Um...okay, thanks for sharing! And next thing you know they are memorizing all the volcanoes on the planet, by approximate height, or latitude, or something like that.

But I can tell you honestly, when it comes between my kids and chores, the kids come first every time. I'll have chores the rest of my life, and my kids will be gone before I know it.

Answer 4

I want to homeschool, need advice?

sure....DONT

kids need to be socialized too

sheesh!

Answer 5

Out of 7 answers you need to disregard 5 of them because they have NO CLUE what they are talking about.

I am no brainiac and will never claim to be, but I do have a brain that works and two hands  with which I can look things up either in books or the inernet or just by good old fashion trial and error. If I don't know the answer, I tell my child 'I don't know' and will either find the answer or have her research it with me. I also tell her that while there is nothing wrong in not knowing the answer to something, it is wrong to not attempt to find the answer.

Housework is not all about them learning anything more than RESPONSIBILITY. While some things like cooking and gardening and careing for pets have lessons other than responsibility, being able to care for themselves and their homes when they are grown is the MAIN goal.

Answer 6

If you are already having problems with all of the questions, I think that home schooling may be a mistake.  Though I am sure your intentions are noble, they really scrutinize people that do this sometimes, and you may be taking a chance at winding up with a disaster on your hands as a result of that.

Answer 7

You can't approach homeschooling as if you know all the answers, because you don't. Part of why homeschooling works is it teaches them that if you don't know the answers, you find them out. Go to the library, look things up online, join a homeschool co-op where one parent teaches their strengths, and another their strengths. When they ask questions you don't know, admit it, and find the answers together. When homeschooling, you're not doing it for six hours a day like when they're in school. That's not necessary when you're working one on one and don't have the distractions that exist in a school setting. Typically, the most you work is three hours a day, average is two. So, you have time to do your chores, you just have to rearrange your schedule. And, the chores are educational, if you make them that way. Those are the most important things you can teach your children: why you seperate whites from colors, how much detergent to use and why, being responsible for the family instead of thinking of only yourself. So you can include those in as well, and offer a reward system for doing so. Then, you're also teaching the concept of earning their privileges/money, whatever you choose.

Answer 8

I think students really need to be in schools with other students. Public school or private school is up to you. However, I remember when I was in school we used to think that homeschooled kids were... weird. And no offense but they kind of are. Reason to me is that they dont get that daily social interaction from learning with and from their peers. They seem to grow up too fast being around mom or dad so much.

I think u may wear urself thin if you do try to do both. To lessen your load, let your child grow both mentally and physically around other students his or her own age that aren't siblings!

Answer 9

If you are a Christian and you kids are 3rd grade or higher than I have a great homeschooling program to recommend. Go to www.aop.com and look up Switched-on Schoolhouse(a.k.a. SOS) it is a computer program that teaches all needed subjects and it grades about 98% of all of the stuff and it is easy for them too read it on thier own! I am homeschooled and in 8th grade I started this program in 7th grade. When I was in 6th grade I took the test the any kid in school must take and I got a 9.7 grade point average. In seventh grade took the test and got 12.4 grade point average!!! In just ONE year my grade point average raised nearly three points!!!! Oh and 12.4 grade point average means that I am as smart as the average 12th grader in the 4th month and that was last year(in 7th grade) when I scored that.

Answer 10

Did you cheat in school, have the braind your homework.

I can see a 16 year old getting the best of a High School graduate, but a College Graduate should be able to slap them silly and have them seeing little birdies for the rest of the day.

Now, if a 9 year old can get the best of a 29 year old, one has to wonder what rock you hide under in school!

There is, after all, the internet and you can google anything and be super smart in less than 20 minutes.

Or are you NOT as smart as a 5th grader!

When push comes to shove you can always hood-wink them.

I got this from an old episode of "Our Gang" you know that series from the 1930s with Spanky and Alfalfa.

If Farmer John has 6 cows and 5 pigs and 12 chickens.

How many shingles does does it take to roof the barn.

Then go do your cleaning, while they mull on that for the next month!

Answer 11

I agree with glurpy & Melissa, the chores are a responisblity, & as for the questions, & answers, stop to think, the child isnt the only one learning, so are you the teacher. Ever heard of the saying "Learn something new everyday". This is so true, but its also true for adults too. Just becuse were not in school anymore, dosnt mean we stop learning.

My son & us look up & study the answer together as a family, see your still keeping the family thing going, dont lose touch with each other either because you cant figure out the answer.

Answer 12

My mom made sure that I did my work while she was doing whatever she was doing, like laundry or dishes, by asking me questions or answering them while she was doing whatever she was doing.  I know some people do it while their kids are napping or doing other schoolwork, having lunch, playing outside, etc.

AND don't listen to those b***s that say homeschooling is a bad decision.  You could also enroll them in a homeschool co-op (if you have one in your area) and spend the day at home or with other moms and figure out how they do what they do!

Answer 13

You have to research.  Besides the most active time in most children's lives as far as the questions go is the preschool years!  You also teach the kids to research.  Type the topic in "Google", its also okay to say "I don't know, lets see if we can find out tomorrow."

The household chores ARE educational, ever hear of "home ec?"  Your kids will eventually have to learn how to sweep, mop, do laundry, clean the bathroom, and cook.  Why not incorporate it into their day?  For the chores you do alone, its pretty easy to put a load of laundry in while Johnny does a math worksheet, or mop the floor while Janey is reading a book.

Answer 14

Who says you need to answer the 1000 questions they ask? The best education is one in which you teach them how to find out the answers--teach them how to learn. A person being the sole source of information is not good for those who are going to be independent some day.

How much time do you spend doing laundry, mopping and vacuuming each day???? I vacuum once a week. Actually, my kids vacuum once a week now that they are old enough. I do most of the laundry, but I make sure that the loads are full, so laundry isn't done each day. Surely if two working parents are able to get household chores done, then a family at home more can get the chores done. Sure, you've got to get a good routine going, but there's absolutely no reason why these things should take hours every day unless there's some obsessive compulsiveness going on. Even if I felt the need to vacuum every day, it takes no more than 15 minutes to do a quick vacuuming of my house.

Answer 15

if you really really really want to home school your kid/s then i guess the answer is to research it with them...parents don't know all the answers....teachers do for the most part but even they don't know certain things either...get out that fancy encyclopedia...or just get online!