Some homeschooling questions?

Question

The reason I'm asking these is that my fiance and I are planning on having kids in a few years and I just like to plan ahead & want my kids to have a good life, so here is a few questions:

1. Can I get my kids into public school sports?

2. Can you teach however you want? (I want my kids to have fun learning, & I am very good at teaching kids without letting them know it while they're having a lot of fun)

3. in the gradeschools/junior high do you have to hand any tests in to the state or anything like that? (I'm planning on raising them in Kansas and the site I was just reading says they have very low controls on homeschooling, but why I'm asking is the way I would teach would be giving them a question at a time during doing fun physical activities and games)

Please answer these questions to the best of your ability, & if you know one but not the other just answer that one. thanks in advanced, 10 points and a thumbs up to the best answer!

Answer 1

You'll have to learn about the laws in your area. All of those things vary from state to state.  A Google search should take care of that. Usually you are required to a broad subject. How you teach it and when are up to you.

Answer 2

1. I don't know about Kansas, but here in Maryland we are unable to play on public school teams. That said, lots of home schooled kids play on other recreational leagues.  

2. You can teach them however you want, however you will need to submit paperwork and examples of work to the state (or to your umbrella group) to demostrate that they are learning.

3. I am in high school now, and I still only have to submit examples of my work so that it is clear that I am learning.

I hope that helps :)

Answer 3

1. In our state the children do participate in PS sports.  The rules become a little tighter for those that do this.  They have to test every year, etc....  In Oregon we are only required to test in grades 3, 5, 8, and 10.  Many don't waste time and money on the tests.  If you are homeschooling and paying attention to each child's daily progress you don't need a test result to tell you what they know.

2.  Generally, Yes, you can teach however you want.  We like to mix it up a bit.  Many hours are spent in fun activities where they learn many things.  But we do add in formal studies with a self-teaching method.  This leaves the student free to work at a suitable pace for their own maturity, knowledge and needs.  They study math on their own (with supervision and minimal help). They write complete essays every day on subjects of their own choosing.  And they read from a great list of books for 2 to 4 hours every day.  Many people do what you want to do and call it "unschooling" -- learning without the formal school setting.  Our self-teaching method works well when hand in hand with the unschooling "un"-method.  ;-)

3.  Testing by the State depends on your state.  If Kansas doesn't have testing rules then you don't have to.  We test for fun -- the children sometimes liked to *see* for themselves if they could pass the same material as the PS.... duh... never any problem passing!!

Go for it!  And welcome to the real world of practical education!

Answer 4

I'm homeschooled and i'm pretty sure you may be able to get into public activeities...

Yes

No

Yes.

Answer 5

Your kids may not be able to play public school sports, but there are many other options available:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

You can definitely teach your kids however you want.  That's one of the advantages of homeschooling.  Here are some of the different homeschooling methods:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

You can find details on your state's laws here:

http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp?St...

Best wishes!

Answer 6

yes if you keep on a schedule

yes you can

no

Answer 7

I HS'ed in Kansas for three years.  It's one of the easiest states to HS in.  There is a "non-accredited private school" registration form you are supposed to fill out, but most people don't.  I did, and found it in handy when trying to get educator discounts (I kept a copy of the email the KSBE sent me).  You are supposed to do "the equivalent of 186 days of school or 1116 hours per year (July-June).  I found I easily did that each year.  (I'm a datahead who keep track of hours spent "in school".)

In Kansas a HS'ed child cannot participate in public school anything.  They are considered a privately schooled child, so the same rules apply.  It has to do with the Kansas Academic Association and their bylaws.  They don't wany "out of district" kids possibly beefing up one school's teams.

Yes, you can teach however, and whenever you want to.  There are no state mandates for scope & sequence, materials used, etc.  When you get to that point, just find out your child/ren's learning style and work with that.  My son is a global learner, so we use a variety of methods.

There is no standardized testing requirement in Kansas.  I did test each year just because of my aforementioned datahead self ;-).  It also helped w/ the naysaying family members when I could show them that DS scored in the 99th percentile :-)

Speaking of my son's testing, he was tested on IQ & achievement by our school district (for free) at age 7.  They school highly supported our decision to HS.  He was offered a gited IEP (Individualized Education Plan) for anything we wanted from the school.  We never sought help from them.  They suggested putting him in middle school science (uh, no, not at 7!) or hooking him up with a honors high school student.  (Didn't need it.)  So you can get some services if your child is "special needs" (covers both learning disabled *and* gifted children in KS).

I know HS in another state that is just as easy to HS in.  I'd have shock after five years of doing this if I had to have more controls imposed on me.  It's working for us and we know it is.  My son's achievement tests show it each year.

FWIW, here's the KSBE page about HS'ing (officially non-accredited private schools):

http://www.ksbe.state.ks.us/Default.aspx...

Kansas also allows state-wide online virtual charter schools.  These are a "bridge" between *true* HS'ing and public schooling that many famlies have opted into.

EDITED TO ADD:

Here's the info about athletics from the KSBE site:

"Athletics

-According to Quality Performance Accreditation (QPA) guidelines, all nonaccredited private schools (homeschools) must follow the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) guidelines regarding all athletic activiites.  Please visit www.kshsaa.org or call 785-273-5329 for more information. "

Answer 8

Hey Homeschooling is one of the best and most enriching expiriance you can give to your kids. I myself have been home schooled since 2 grade and this is my last year ( in 12th grade) and i loved it.

Its the best way to get to know your kids and see where the strenghts and weakneses are also you'll have a better relationship with your kids.

umm i dont know about the homeschooling laws in Kansas but....

1. Can I get my kids into public school sports?

Not sure about Kansas but in PA the law allwowes homeschooled kids to do any kinda of public school activity they want to do, last year i was in the drama club at my local highschool.

2. Can you teach however you want? (I want my kids to have fun learning, & I am very good at teaching kids without letting them know it while they're having a lot of fun)

LOL thats good, yeah there are a lot of different curriculum's that you can use, go to www.rainbowresource.com, they have a lot of difernet curriculum's to chose from, thats what my mom uses.

3. in the gradeschools/junior high do you have to hand any tests in to the state or anything like that? (I'm planning on raising them in Kansas and the site I was just reading says they have very low controls on homeschooling, but why I'm asking is the way I would teach would be giving them a question at a time during doing fun physical activities and games)

umm not sure, in PA 3rd, 5th, 8th, and 11th grade your kids have to take PSSA's testing, contact the school board.

anyway i say  go for it, it will be the best thing you ever did.

also if your worried about socialization for your  kids put them in lots of extra curricular activities and look into homeschooling co-ops, my family used to be a part of one, and what they do is one day of the week its kinda like goin to school, its a lot of fun and you meet lots of friends that way.

i hope this helps!! ^.^