Tell me EVERYTHING about homeschooling?

Question

How do you become home schooled?

Where do you get the study materials?

How many classes do you take during a day?

Does it cost a load of money?

Do you take PE?

any more info would be helpful

thanks thanks :)))))

Answer 1

Okay, well. Every kid has to go to school, and if the parents choose to take them out of Public school, or private school, or whatever, and teach them themselves, they have to register or whatever. So the government knows that your child is getting an education. Basically, whoever decides to homeschool you is your teacher. They will get worksheets out of little workbooks and buy you their own choice of textbooks and gives you things to have done by the end of the day. You don't really have a schedule or anything. My friend's mom just gives her a list of things she needs done. And gives her the paes where the information is, and then comes home from work, and re-teaches the things she failed to understand. There are special stores that teachers go to to get workbooksand textbooks and whatnot, so that's where you would get your stuff. As far as classes, you have to take AT LEAST four core classes, I know for sure. As for electives, that depends on the laws your state has put down for home schoolers. It doesn't really cost a load of money. Most of the things you have to buy are things like textbooks. And it depends on which kind you get. Some cost up to $70, and others are like $15 and $20. Again, the PE thing would have to be asked about for your state. :| It differs from place to place as to what requirements lay about. But there are programs from home schooled kids at our YMCA. "Home School Day" and whatnot, where a bunch of homeschoolers take the day off and swim and whatnot. Pretty cool. And they have proms and dances and stuff in areas for homeschoolers. As for when do you graduate, that depends on the kid. A kid could start home schooling at Grade two, and graduate by the time they're fourteen. You can go through up to one or two or three grade levels a year, it just depends on how fast you are at learning your materials and passing the tests.

Answer 2

I have been a homeschool mom for over eight years. So, I know a lot about the process of homeschooling.

How do you become homeschooled? First you must find a place that will keep your grade and attendance records. I go through Gateway Christian Schools for record keeping. Twice a year I have to mail in the children's grades and attendance record. They will always keep this on file for me. There is not cost to go through this place. When you contact them they will send you an application for enrollment for your child or children.  (link at bottom of page - when you go to the link - push "total home education.")

Where do you get the study materials? There are many different places to get your curriculums. I have tried several different kinds. I feel that the best curriculum is by Alpha Omega Publications called Switched On Schoolhouse. It has 5 core subjects in the package. (Bible, Math, Science, History, and Language Arts). They also have electives (other subjects) you can order seperately if you wish to. The whole program is downloaded onto the computer. You set your own school days (180 days per school year) and then the program will schedule out the work over those days. It grades all of the work as well. They also have free placement test that your child can take online to see where he/she should start out. (That is optional and not required). You can find the AOP website link below to learn more about the program. However, if you want to get the Switched On Schoolhouse curriculum then you can buy it cheaper at lighthousehomeschoolresources.com. (The link is below) Just go to the webpage and push Switched On Schoolhouse on the right list.

How many classes do you take during a day? That depends on if your child is in elementary, middle, or highschool. If your child is in elementary or middle school the five core subjects will be all they need. If they are in High School they will also need to have credits in Physical Education, US History, and High School Health to graduate (PE can be walking, jogging, excersizing to a video 30 minutes a day, YMCA, local gym, a sport, etc.) US History and Highschool Health can be bought in the Switched on Schoolhouse program. If your child plans to go to college he or she will also need to take 2 years of a foriegn langage and also 1 year of Visual or Performing Arts. (These can also be bought in the Switched On Schoolhouse program)

Does it cost a load of money? No, it don't When you consider how much you pay for lunch money, school fees, gas for transportation, etc - homeschool is MUCH cheaper. I am homeschooling my two children and they are both in the 10th grade this year. I purchased every single thing I needed for them for a full school year for less that $500. If you are using the switched on schoolhouse it will cost approximately 250.00 per year. (high school years will be about 350.00 a year)

Do you take PE? Yes, you take physical education. Running, Jogging, Walking, Exercising with a video, Skating, Sports, Trampoline, Bike Riding, etc.

They should not graduate until they are 17 years of age. However, there are some exceptions. Your child can finish Highschool in 3 years if they take summer classes in Language Arts. However, if your child graduates before the age of 17 - he or she will have to take a test to get the diploma. They do receive a regular High School Diploma and if they are planning on attending a college - then he or she should take the SAT test which cost about 100.00 (after the completion of 12th grade.

You can also print of record keeping forms for free at donna youngs homeschool site. Attendance Forms, Course of Study, Grades, Report Cards, Field Trips, Progress Reports, Journal, etc. Personally, I use the Attendance, Course of Study, and Grades form. I then take pictures of my children doing activities in school for a yearbook that I make them at the end of the year. (website for donna young below)

Interaction with other children is very vital for your children. Make sure that they have some source of interaction with other children. My children have a YMCA membership where they take PE classes for free and also have two classes a week there to interact with other homeschool children. It all comes with the price of the Family YMCA membership fee. My children also attend church where they have many friends. There are local places where they can play sports, etc.

Another thing that helps is local colleges. If your child needs tutoring and you can't afford it (normally is around $20 per hour) then you can call your local college. They have students there that tutor children in all subjects for free. They do it for extra credits.

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions my yahoo ID is aangela72

Answer 3

It depends on whether you decide to use an online charter or a text book based home school program. Some online charters are free while others are private and charge tuition..  Text book or online programs are also fee based and vary in prices. Options really depends on where you live. As far as PE, yes by law you have to take PE in high school. For my children who (attend an online charters) ,  simply had to keep a log of physical activities and sometimes do a small writing assignment.

Answer 4

It sounds like you have a bunch of questions. You might enjoy my homeschooling blog and the links to different forums on the web.

Warm Regards,

Jana

www.purehomeschooling.com

www.summerhouseliving.com

Answer 5

It's impossible to tell you everything. You can find out a lot on your own by checking out websites and books from your local library.

*How do you become home schooled?*

Depends on where you live. Some places require registration or notification, in others you simply start homeschooling. You'll have to find out about the laws where you live. If you have in mind an online or other form of similar program, then you would register with them.

*Where do you get the study materials?*

Wherever you wish. There are lots of companies out there offering materials. The hard part is actually deciding what to use since there's so much to choose from.

*How many classes do you take during a day?*

A class is a place where you go in and sit down with other students. I suspect you mean how many subjects are covered? That depends on the age and the style of homeschooling followed (there are many ways to homeschool).

*Does it cost a load of money?*

Depends on what you choose to purchase or participate in.

*Do you take PE?*

Again, taking a class means going in somewhere. There are homeschool PE classes set up in some places, but many homeschooled students just stay active in a variety of lessons rather than taking something specifically called PE. If you go running every day, that's PE, isn't it? If you go swimming, that's PE, isn't it?

*also at what age do homeschoolers graduate?*

When they are ready to. Many graduate at 16, many graduate at 18. It's not like there's a set age.

Answer 6

1.  We wrote a letter to our state dept. of non-public education and told them we wanted to homeschool.  They sent a card back to us telling us that we were homeschoolers.

2.  We had some used books that we found in the dumpster at the school where we work.   Since we were excited about beginning homeschool, we took a trip to local homeschool used book store and bought a Saxon math pre-algebra curriculum ( book, answer key, solution book, and test book) and a US History set of books ( quiz book, teacher book and text book) and several other things for less than a $100.00.  

After understanding more about how our son learns, we have found that using video lectures and presentations from online are better learning tools for him.   We do research (by reading)  based on  the things that interests him and/or me.

Study material can be anything that interests you.

3.    Usually 3 different areas of study a day.  

4.    Our main expense is the cost of internet connection and gas to go to library.   After that initial spending spree that we did 4 years ago when he started homeschooling, we just don't spend money on things that we can learn by reading, listening or seeing online or by doing.

5.   Our son likes skateboarding, swimming, basketball, and golf.    We have a weight machine and tredmill in our living room.    (Hope Martha Stewart doesn't find out)

6.   Homeschool kids graduate at all different ages.  The youngest that I know personally graduated after her 16th birthday and immediately started community college classes.   She will have her B.A. by the time she is 20 and will begin work on her master's degree.   The oldest that I know was almost 19 and his parents wanted to make sure that he was prepared before granting him the diploma.

Answer 7

How do you become home schooled?

A: It depends on the laws of your state. In my state (MA) it wasn't a big deal, but some states (CA) make things harder. Your best bet is to work through home school legal defense. They'll talk to the state offices and negotiate for you.

Where do you get the study materials?

A: What grade and age are you talking about here? My family used Abeka (really bad math in that course) for the first four grades. Grade 5 through 8 were critical thinking themed courses. Chronicles of Narnia in the eight grade was my personal favorite. I'd suggest you weigh your options carefully because the wrong courses can mean h**l (figuratively speaking). High school was an online program.

How many classes do you take during a day?

A: Usually the same as the public school, although, it's depends on the course and what the parent feels comfortable with. It can be stressful sometimes for both parents and their children, but there is no "formula" like the public school?

Does it cost a load of money?

Well, it cost a lot of tired hands and sore butts (joke: I'm exaggerating. It depends on the family and the children). The actual cost is money for the courses and fun extracircular activities-plus the time put into it. You can find out more frome HSLDA. Also, some state organizations have material sales.

Do you take PE?

A: We just went for walks, but it depends on the state laws.

More information?

A:  I'd like to give you some personal advice about discipline in home schooling and difficult children. An occassional spanking and time out is fine, but if you keep your kids engaged there will be less of a need for constant discipline . If your kids are interested they won't think about misbehaving nearly as often, and when they do-you'll know what kind of discipline is required. I thought I'd tell you something my family didn't always realize.

Answer 8

All of this depends. It depends on the state you live in, your learning style and your budget.

To home school you must first know the law! While Home school is legal in every US State the laws vary from one to another. You can get the law for your state at http://www.hslda.org

The materials can come from any number of places a quick Internet search of home school curricula brings up 13,000,000 sites. Thats just that one set of wording look up just home school and you get 3,710,000,000. So you need to figure out how you like to learn. Are you a reader or a hands on learner? Do you want Christian or Secular? Cyber or books? Lesson plans written for you or make it up as you go along? Work sheets or papers? $30.00 or $1,000.00 or more?

The amount of classes taken each day depends on you and the laws of your state. They may require you take Math, Science, History and English or they may have no regulation.

You can home school practically for free using the public library or you can go through a Cyber school and pay close to 1500.00 or more.

We do PE through our local Co-Op and local sports teams.