My daughter just started to HOME-SCHOOL her 10yr old son...can you give me some tips that may help?

Question

My daughter just started to HOME-SCHOOL her 10yr old son...can you give me some tips that may help?

Answer 1

You have received some great answers.  My answer just repeats their answer: Be supportive.

If it were me, I would just ask her what I could do to help.  There may be days that she will get discouraged or feel that she's not doing enough.  Public school teachers, especially new ones, go through the same feelings.  They have their support through veteran teachers.  Homeschool parents need to find that same level of support through veteran homeschool parents or from their own families.  It is good that you are there for her.

Answer 2

let him search for the information .. for example .. give him a real life project .. and let him find the information .. i believe that kids learn by exploring more than tutoring ..

good luck =)

Answer 3

Support her when she has to deal with the idiots who can't even cite real facts for the reason homeschool is "bad".

Offer to babysit once in a while.

If you are good in a subject, offer to help her teach too!

Answer 4

Others have mentioned tips to pass along to your daughter and how you can to be supportive and not over-react to the academic side of the transition stage. I also want to mention that if your daughter has been working up until now there will also be a financial transition that the family will undergo. Be patient with that as well.

You may have no trouble in this area, but just in case I will tell you a bit about our situation in hopes that it may make a difference in yours. My mom adjusted to the academic side of our transition easily, but never really adjusted to the financial side of it. We are in the 15th year of homeschooling with one graduated with full scholarship and holding high honors at college, another graduates this spring, a 13 year old, and a 7 year old. I have felt endless pressure from her to try to juggle work and homeschool four children. Though we certainly had our lean years, we have been financially comfortable without debt (except for a reasonable mortgage)on one income for some time now and still we cannot seem to have a conversation without her asking when I will get back to working. Homeschooling is my vocation and when the kids are grown, I can easily return to my career.

I understand the source. My parents live a very expensive lifestyle (they made over $160K/yr income before retiring) and I think somehow they feel like we are failures for not having the luxuries and splendor in our lives that they feel are essential. But we don't really have a desire for those things; a modest home, needs, and a few deep wants are enough and we are happy. She has a hard time understanding it. I think the children have actually had a healthier unpbringing because they have learned the value as well as the emptiness of things and they have had a very present mom who is very involved with them. I wanted that for them so much more than I wanted to shower them with stuff all their lives but always be gone working. Once the kids are grown and I return to my career, I will be grateful to have a conversation without a career hint in it. sigh. To me, the way we are doing it, I will get what I wish to have from both worlds, each in their own time.

Answer 5

My advice mimics everyone else's, please just support your daughter's decision.  Offer to take your grandson on educational field trips.  It is perfect one on one time for you and him.  Enjoy!!! :)      And to DHC, I don't know where you come from,but where I live (and loads of other cities as well), there is a HUGE teacher shortage, so JUST ANYONE can be hired to be a teacher.  All they have to do is go get an emergency certification.  Simple as that.

Answer 6

How wonderful to hear a grandparent who wants to be supportive of her grandchild being home schooled (I am a grandparent).

We still have three of our children at home; two of whom we still actively home school.

If your grandchild recently left a conventional school setting, give him some time to adjust; we call it de-schooling.

This simply means that he needs some time to change his thinking from classroom management style education to individual one on one education.

Every child is different, but my advice would be to do nothing academically, workbook, or otherwise until after the first of the year.

Take this time to research what you would like to use curriculum wise, and observe how he learns best.

Does he enjoy sitting still, and read; most boys do not, at least not for a long time.

Does he like to take things apart, and work with his hands?

How long can he stay focused, if this is only for short periods, break up the lessons into 1/2 hour segments in the beginning; the longer you home school the greater his attention span will get.

Connect with a local home school group for activities, sports, and field trips, this is important for him, as well as the parents who can greatly benefit from the support of other families.

If there is a home school convention scheduled in your state, do visit it; they have many workshops on home schooling, and also invite a lot of vendors who will show, explain, and sell home school curriculum's and other materials.

For the first 6 months or so it is all trial, and error until you get used to the schedule that you set for your family, the flexibility home schooling offers, and following the young boys  lead when he strikes out and wants to follow his interests.

Most of all be flexible, if he wants to study a subject like history for a whole year, let him.

Stick to math, reading, and writing, study all other subjects as much, or as little as he would like.

Look into 4H, and Toastmasters (speech), use the library as much as possible, and most of all have fun, learn together.

Good Luck.

http://www.hslda.org/

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/

http://sandradodd.com/unschooling

http://ulfaq.home.comcast.net/~ulfaq/ULf...

These are links to showing that grandparents are very important in the support home school families need.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/taylor/taylor...

http://www.homeedmag.com/blogs/groupnews...

Answer 7

tell her to put that kid back in school

Answer 8

I don't think that people who are not certified teachers should be able to home school.  There is a reason schools do not hire just anybody to teach our children, yet, there are no guidelines as to who can or cannot home school.  Try to get your daughter to put him back in school... for his own good, not only for educational reasons, but for his social growth as well.

Answer 9

Do you have time? Take a little and teach him something you know or are really good at! My sister-in-law (even though she hate the HS idea) took time last year to teach my daughter how to decorate cakes! She is a professional cake decorator. My father started teaching stain glass and wood working (no power tools are allowed yet!) Find something that is fun and do it!

Answer 10

Yes. Allow your Daughter to make her own mistakes and make her own decisions when it comes to teaching HER own child. I can't begin to tell you how many families have tried to get too involved in their children's lives when they are grown and need to learn these things on their own.

Encourage her in words in this endeaver, offer advice only when she asks you, talk positive when it comes to homeschooling, only offer advice that is true and sound. Be there for her when she needs it. She will need plenty of encouragement. Homeschooling can be scary, but also exciting at the same time.

Answer 11

Best tip for anyone who starts homeschooling a child who has gone to school-- don't rush things.

It's a big transition, best eased into.

I know a lot of people are very concerned right off about falling "behind" and other arbitrary school concepts, but really the best thing to do in the beginning for a few months is to just kind of relax and take a breath and get your bearings. The more pressure parents put on themselves or their kids, or the more pressure family/friends/educators put on new homeschooling families, the more stress, frustration and burn-out can result.

Best thing I think your daughter and her son can do right now is just get used to spending their days together, read up on homeschooling, get involved in some intersting activities together maybe and spend a lot of time at the library.

Answer 12

I homeschool my 10yo son as well, and I've got to say it's been one of the best experiences for both of us.  We're in our fourth year of homeschooling, so I'll list some of the things that I wish I had known, going in:

1) Allow time for both mom and child to get used to the transition of homeschooling.  Homeschooling is not necessarily school-at-home...and at first, it can be quite the transition.  Many kids that come out of a classroom structure, especially if they had problems there, need a few weeks (or even 2-3 months) to "de-school".  This is what it's called when you let a child "come down" from whatever stress they felt at school.  During this time, allow a low-key schedule that includes things like read-alouds, movies that teach to a high-interest area (space, lizards, sports, whatever), enjoyable projects, and the like.  Once he is ready to get back into a school mode, go ahead and introduce whatever type of curriculum has been decided on - whether it's a structured workbook/textbook type of thing, Charlotte Mason, unit studies, whatever.

This time of transition is very important for most kids - it is very necessary for them to mentally and academically make the switch.  It won't set him back at all - your daughter will probably notice that he learns much faster and retains info better after allowing this time.

2) Be willing to make a mistake when it comes to curriculum.  It can be a trial-and-error type of situation, as every child is different and has different needs.  I'm sure your daughter has done her homework and chosen a curriculum that meets their needs.  However, please let her know that it's ok to ditch that curriculum and make a switch halfway through if it's just really not reaching her son.  She will probably find that he can learn whatever it is, he just needs another approach.

3) For you - please be supportive of her and provide a listening ear.  This will bless her more than you know.  For the first two years of homeschooling, I had to listen to well-meant but endless diatribes from my mom about how I was going to permanently damage my son - I was taking him away from society, removing him from a skilled teacher, giving him lower standards than a school would, etc.  (Once she found out that he was actively involved in the community, I am fully capable of either teaching my son or finding him an instructor that can, and that I expect more of him than just about anyone else, she stopped...but it was a very difficult couple of years.)

I understand that it may come as sort of a shock - just please know that you can do so much more to help her by being supportive and stepping back to watch the progress in your grandson.  She will make mistakes, as will he; it's normal.  She may need your help to get back up and keep going.  You can be a very substantial blessing to her.

I so appreciate that you came here looking for help to support her.  I hope that everything goes well!

Answer 13

I homeschool my 6 yeard old son and my 10 year old son. We are fairly new at homeschooling but myself and my kids came to it with ease. So far. There are many different ways to homeschool. It all depends on the parent and the child. You can start one way of teaching and end up somewhere else. A great book that I started out with is "The Homeschooling Handbook" by Mary Griffith. It answer so many questions for me. Some of the things I love about homeschooling my kids is the time I spend with them and I get to teach them what I want. When I want. They don't have a set schedule everyday. Everyday is a school day because everyday is a chance to learn. And it doesn't all have to be book work. You can bake cookies, or go shopping and that can be their math lesson for the day. You can visit a museum or a zoo. You can come up with creatinve games for learning. We play muliplication war. Instead of the highest number wins its who ever knows the correct answer. (If theres a 6 and a 5. Its 6X5) We have also adjusted it to addition and subtraction war for my youngest. We have picnics at the park. A healthy body is just as important as a healthy mind. (My boys were only getting 20 min. PE in school) And my boys play sports too. They play for the school or the city. Socialization is very important.  Also if my boys are interested in a specific topic, person, or thing they can learn as much about it has possible. And I don't have to stay at grade level learning either. If my son has mastered a skill (like in math) Im not going to keep making him do it over and over I adjust the learning material to his abilities. One of the biggest things to rememember when homeschooling...have patience and have fun!

Answer 14

Moral support! A "You're doing a great job!" really goes a long way for a new homeschooling mom.

Sorry this isn't going to help you any, but DHC really got to me... I don't understand what your problem is with homeschool. If you are against it, why do you continue to answer in this category? As far as certified teachers go.. I believe that certified teachers are very necessary for teaching a class of 30 students,each with their own style of learning. I believe that is the crux of what a teacher learns while in college... different methods of teaching.  But I don't see how it is necessary for me to be a certified teacher. I already know my children's style of learning better than ANY certified teacher in the whole d*** world!!!

Answer 15

Tell her to check out local community colleges for extra curricular classes and credit classes in a few years. Many colleges offer science or other classes for homeschoolers.

Answer 16

Are you Grandma then?  My very best advice would be to support her.  Don't ever "put her down" or say negative things to her.  That would cause her stress and strain the relationship.  I know many homeschooling families who have to limit contact with grandparents simply because they refuse to respect the parental authority in their children's families.  It brings a breach into the relationship. And never make comments to the child that will make them look down on their parents. Be supportive.

Another great piece of advice is to buy "educational" presents.  Books that are great, computer learning games, any learning games.  Homeschoolers LOVE books.  It is like Christmas every time they get some new books.

Answer 17

try www.k12.com good luck

Answer 18

Offer to be a substitute teacher on occasion.  You and your grandson will get a lot out of it.

My mom will occasionally serve a fancy lunch for my son and uses it as a way to teach proper etiquette / table manners.

Enjoy the journey!

Answer 19

Make sure he stays involved with other kids with stuff like Little League or Karate or something else so that he gets peer interaction. This will keep him from being socially awkward later in life

Answer 20

Do some field trips when practical to museums, galleries, etc.

See if the local parks department has any free program for group activities such as art, photoraphy, karate, soccer.

If you have cable TV use resources like Disovery, History, Science and PBS.  Also occasionally was a classic movie on TBS.

If you can affor it buy some educational things that can be used for both homeschool and as unschooling like a microscope or telescope or electronics construction kit.

Answer 21

I homeschool my 10yr old daughter! We love it. Homeschooling has been such a blessing to our family. Tell your daughter not to listen to critics. They are ignorant and determined to stay that way. Tell her to take joy in each day. Tell her not to push too hard. If she can teach him to love learning, everything else is cake. There is a great site called guilt-free gomeschooling. I recommend it. It is an inspiration on a less than perfect days.

Good luck to your whole family and congratulations!

Answer 22

1) Be prepared for a transition period. For a 10yo who has just come out of school, this transition period could be the rest of the school year! I've known parents who have pulled their kids out of school at that age who have said it takes a full year or two to really find your groove.

2) Be sure to follow his interests as much as possible and provide lots of stuff so he can figure out his interests. Some schooled students moving to homeschooling have a hard time figuring out what they enjoy learning because they've spent so much time simply learning what they've been told to learn.

3) Work *with* him as much as possible to plan the day, pick resources, etc. This will give him a sense of ownership of the homeschooling and his learning.

4) Make sure to connect with others! No longer being surrounded by 30-some kids can be tough on some kids and they come to hate homeschooling. This can be avoided by staying active with others, going out on as many field trips as possible, etc.

5) Make sure the relationship between mother and son comes before the academics. I've seen families give up on homeschooling because the relationship between parent and child was too frustrating--the focus was on the academics. The academics are important, but not nearly as important as that relationship.

6) For your part, be supportive! Not meddling or overbearing, just supportive. You can offer your assistance, but don't go around looking for resources or anything like that without her express permission.

Answer 23

make it fun. turn math problems into a basketball game like play horse. give plenty of rewards. let him stretch and get out of his chair often. boys love to move so move with them. go on plenty of field trips. have fun. i love home schooling my son!