Groups for Field Trips and Co-ops–Day 4 of Essentials of Homeschooling *Field Trip Friday Link Up*

One of the number one concerns that comes up with discussing homeschooling always seems to be SOCIALIZATION! 

With Homeschooling becoming more and more mainstream, the number of opportunities to come together with other homeschoolers is increasing more and more!

There are several places you can search to see if there are homeschool groups in your area – This is how I’ve found groups near me:

Google Search:  Homeschool groups in {name of town and state}

Yahoo group search:  Homeschool, {town and/or state}

Facebook search:  Homeschool, {town and/or state}

Not finding anything?  When I first moved to Hawaii, Homeschool was like an under ground society, I knew there were homeschoolers out there, but I couldn’t find any information on any local groups!  So…I started my own group.  See this post for more information and tips on forming your own co-op.

I posted an ad on Craigslist and a local military site, looking to form a co-op.  I decided before hand the ages I was interested in including, what activities I wanted to include, etc.  I got a handful of hits, and made some great friends! 

Since then a friend has started a field trip group on Facebook, we have over 500 members, and numerous field trips planned each week.  We have had amazing opportunities and awesome group discounts!  A sister group has stemmed from it as well, for older homeschool children.  It has proved to be an amazing resource, and I am so glad to have been a part of it!  (We are truly going to miss the group when we move!)

Field trips are a great way to get out and into the world!  What better way to learn than to experience it first hand!  For more ideas on how to incorporate field trips into your homeschool see my guest post at The Schoolhouse Review Crew blog. 

I consider field trips one of the top reasons WHY WE HOMESCHOOL!

Link up your field trips below:

Field Trip Friday!

Blog Hop designed to share 'FIELD TRIP' related Blog Posts

(does not have to be a 'home school field trip', can be any trip to any place with your children!)

Please stop by and visit my co-host’s blog and give them a shout out!
Lisa @ Our 4 Kiddos

**NOTE:  Before linking up please review guidelines HERE

 

86 Participating Bloggers!

Here are just a few:

31. Lisa @ A Rup Life

32. Jordyn @ Almost Supermom

33. Jenn @ Teaching Two Stinkers

34. Crystal @ Crystal Starr Blog

35. Jennifer @ Chestnut Grove Academy

36. Brandi @ Brandi Raae

37. Wendy @ Simplicity Breeds Happiness

38. Jodi @ Insane in the Mombrain

39. Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break

40. Lynn @ Ladybug Chronicles

- See more at: http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/5-days-of-homeschooling-essentials-blog-hop/#sthash.MfYKOPyo.dpuf

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Reasons We Homeschool: I is for Individualize

Part 2 in the Why We Homeschool Series, you can find Part 1 HERE

I’m not anti public school by any means.  I went to public school, I have a MA in Early Childhood Education.  There are a lot of really good teachers in the school system.  However, in certain things, teacher’s hands are tied.  Things like The Common Core have tied them even further.  For this reason, we homeschool.

Homeschooling allows me to INDIVIDUALIZE the curriculum.  I am able to adapt and adjust based on the learning needs and interests of EACH of my children.  This is something that is just not possible in the public school system, no matter how passionate or how great of a teacher one is. 

My 7yo is a great reader, he was reading at age 4 and currently reads at probably a 4th grade level.  However, he hates writing, isn’t that great at it, and still flips numbers and letters occasionally, even when writing his own name.  He is fairly good at math and ahead of his grade level.  I am able to adjust our curriculum to the level he is at in each subject. 

I can spend more time on certain subjects based on his interests.  I can add in topics that interest him.  I can pick curriculums based on his interests. 

I’ll admit, I still have to remind myself on a normal basis that THIS IS WHY I homeschool, having a teaching degree, being a product of public school myself, it’s quite easy to fall into the brick and mortar mentality…I have to pull myself off regularly.  This is our 3rd official year homeschooling, and I have relaxed a lot more, and I STILL have to remind myself.  Don’t feel bad if you have to remind yourself too!

Individualization is a MAJOR benefit to homeschooling, and another BIG reason WHY WE HOMESCHOOL!

Reasons We Homeschool: F is for Flexibility

There are a lot of reasons we chose to homeschool, and a lot of reasons why we continue to do so.  This is part one of a series that will take place as we “Blog through the Alphabet”.

The Flexibility in Homeschooling:

*  The Freedom to Make Changes – That curriculum you thought was going to be an amazing fit not working for you?  Change it!  I can’t even count the number of times I have made changes to how we are doing things from the time we started until currently, and many of times those changes occur during the school year.  One of the best things about homeschooling is the freedom and flexibility to make changes until you find what works best for you and your children.

*  The Freedom of Scheduling – As well as finding the curriculum that works best, finding a schedule that works best can take time as well.  Additionally you can choose to follow a typical school schedule, school  year round, few hours a day, few days a week….you name it, you decide it.  (with limitations from states that may require a certain number of documented school hours per year).  We school from 9-1ish 3 days a week, one day we have co-op or PE and the 5th day we have a field trip. We keep this schedule year round, taking more time if needed. This can vary slightly from week to week, but it is what work for us.

*  The Freedom to Take Time Off – As homeschoolers you can take time off when needed. We have been carrying a light load so far this school year, then took some time off after I had the baby and my mom was here.  I’ve also decided to start the official school year in January running it year round from that point…therefore we will continue to have a light load, covering the holidays until then when we start back up.  We will be moving in March, so will take some time off then as well.  Since we school year round, I don’t feel like we are missing out on anything.  Even with light loads, there is still a lot of learning that goes on.

*The Freedom to Learn on the Go – Field Trips, Road Trips, you name it….you can learn as you go! 

*The Freedom to Pick What you Study – you can go off your children’s interest, a recent field trip, a planned curriculum, you name it…you can learn about it…when and how you want to! 

Flexibility is one of the many reasons we homeschool, I love that we are able to explore the world around us at our own leisure, take time off when family comes to visit or my husband is off of work, or a baby is born.  I love that I can adapt and adjust our curriculum to meet my children’s specific learning needs and interests.  I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

A great article about home schooling!!

I love this article, it sums up perfectly WHY WE HOME SCHOOL!  I love that is was written by a public school teacher.  I have found that some public school teachers take the choice of home schooling personally, as if they weren't doing a good enough job, so you are pulling your child because you can do 'better'.  There are definitely many great and qualified teachers who give 110% (or more) and doing the very best they can with what resources they have been given.  I don't argue that!  I am glad there are so many great and loving teachers in this world, the world needs them, and they don't get paid enough for what they do!  God Bless them!
However, For all the reasons this teacher lists, we choose to home school.  Unfortunately, here in the state of HI, homeschoolers still have to take the standardized tests (don't get me started on that!), but the other reasons still apply.
If you home school, are on the fence about home schooling, or think people that home school are crazy...read this article!

Why we home school

In a home school forum that I am part of the question was posed, What is your main reason for home schooling? 12 choices were given, one of which was OTHER. I found that many of the choices fit our reasons, and it also gave me 'inspiration' to answer the question in my blog. *So basically our reasons are these (in no particular order):
*Better education at home (higer test scores, more in depth study, etc)
*Poor learning environment/safety issues at school (class size, bullies, fights, drugs, etc)
*Customize or individualize the curriculum and learning environment for each child
*Prefer the freedom homeschooling offers (Vacations, travel for work, Dr. Appt, etc)

Many would have thought that religion would be on the list, but I feel that religion can be taught at home without the need of home schooling. I don't feel that religion needs to be taught in every subject, we will touch basis on it in History, but otherwise it will mostly be focused specifically during religion/scripture study. Religion does have some influence in our decision, but more along the lines of that we prayed about it and feel this is the right path for us.

There are certain things about being a parent that I always knew I wanted to do, like being a stay-at-home mom for instance. Home schooling was never one of them. It really came into play when C (my oldest) started getting a bit older. Not to brag on my child, but he is pretty smart for his age, and I just couldn't see the school system being able to challenge him. Where we were living in MD, there were no 'gifted' programs for children until 2nd grade, and you had to provide the transportation to the school that offered the program your child was accepted to, considering we were in a very rural part of town, and most of the schools that offered the programs were at a minimum of 30min away, that would be 2hrs of driving a day, having to load up all the younger kids to take C to and from school. A friend of mine whose son had already started K was having similar issues to what I had anticipated for C. He was not challenged, he was bored, and the schools answer to this was to just send home more work. So now you have a 5yo who sits at school for 8hrs, and then has to come home and do more work, b/c he is smarter? Additionally in MD Elementary school went first, so the children were sent to school at 7am. I worried that C's boredom would lead to bad behavior, acting up and being the class clown....we've all seen it happen. After serving as an intern in a local first grade classroom to receive my MS in Early Childhood Education, I was even more convinced as to how impossible it is for one teacher to meet the needs of 25+ students. Every child is different, they all learn differently, they are all on different levels. There were a few students in the class that could not read at all, already at 7years of age, these children had in many ways been given up on. Then there was another child who was light years ahead of the other kids in reading and math. He was given advanced reading group time, where he was still light years ahead of the other kids, for a short amount of time, 1-2 days a week. This child was bored, this child got in trouble all the time. I discussed with the teacher (my mentor) about his boredom, and her response was that if he was bored it was his own fault! What???!!! And unfortunately his parents were not involved in his education, and they missed the deadline to apply for him to go to magnet school...so 2nd grade will be much of the same thing for him.

My first and foremost reason that I decided to home school is that as an Early Childhood Education Major, we are taught that kids learn by DOING, hands on activities, experiencing things...however directly after preschool this form of learning comes to a screeching halt! (and even sadder, I have seen it not used in preschool programs as well). Kids are not allowed to be kids, they are not allowed to learn how they learn best. I don't agree that children in kindergarten need to sit in school all day, and then be given homework! That's crazy...I can teach them all they need to know and more in half the time (or less). In school they are taught what they need to know to pass tests to make certain scores to make schools and teachers look good...when if they taught correctly, the children would learn it anyway. We have more and more kids graduating high school not remember a lick of what they learned those 4years! It starts with early education...teach them right!

Anyhow...for those of you who are interested. Those are my reasons. I have to remind myself of them every so often, learning should be fun...it should be interactive, it should be enjoyable. I want that for my kids...and I try my hardest to give it to them.
We will reassess the home school situation after 4th grade...but it will all depend on where we are living and what is available for education there.