Comments on: You gotta be home to homeschool http://blog.bravewriter.com/2010/01/21/you-gotta-be-home-to-homeschool/ Thoughts from my jungle to yours Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:45:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Minnie Batty http://blog.bravewriter.com/2010/01/21/you-gotta-be-home-to-homeschool/comment-page-1/#comment-66918 Minnie Batty Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:38:15 +0000 http://blog.bravewriter.com/?p=1480#comment-66918 I enjoyed this piece very much, although our family doesn't exactly fit the bill! We have nine children, age 23 to 3, all at home. We have always homeschooled, although that didn't always look the same every year. There were some years that co-op days seemed to take away from our home life more than it put in, so we didn't go. The first five are boys, so car insurance would break the bank if they all drove when they were sixteen! So we had them get their licences when they were eighteen, and fund their own gas, maintenance, and their share of the car insurance. I have tried to make sure that each of the kids got plenty of unit-study type hands-on school, especially as the more challenging stuff came along, that they got the chance to work for another teacher besides me, to be in a classroom setting other than our dinner table, and to be in at least one team sport. As you can imagine, that sometimes made our home a bit hectic, as we tried to coordinate rides, chores, school,etc.! We have also done our best to encourage excellence, so we bit the bullet as far as time and money when we encountered something that one was really good at, such as Isaac's and Noah's music training, or Abel's competitive gymnastics. It pays off- Isaac and Noah teach their siblings piano and guitar, and Abel is working toward a college carrer in gymnastics. In order to avoid "hotel Batty", each of the older kids is expected to do at least one thing for the family; most times, this entails driving their siblings to activities, but also takes the form of big jobs that the younger ones can't do. We try to have the whole family connect at something besides meals about once a week, but that doesn't always happen. For many years, we would take one month when we didn't do anything outside the home, and just regroup as a family, read a book aloud, play games, etc. We will often take everyone who is home at the time to one child's game or meet, just to have some family solidarity and support. So far, so good! I enjoyed this piece very much, although our family doesn’t exactly fit the bill! We have nine children, age 23 to 3, all at home. We have always homeschooled, although that didn’t always look the same every year. There were some years that co-op days seemed to take away from our home life more than it put in, so we didn’t go. The first five are boys, so car insurance would break the bank if they all drove when they were sixteen! So we had them get their licences when they were eighteen, and fund their own gas, maintenance, and their share of the car insurance. I have tried to make sure that each of the kids got plenty of unit-study type hands-on school, especially as the more challenging stuff came along, that they got the chance to work for another teacher besides me, to be in a classroom setting other than our dinner table, and to be in at least one team sport. As you can imagine, that sometimes made our home a bit hectic, as we tried to coordinate rides, chores, school,etc.! We have also done our best to encourage excellence, so we bit the bullet as far as time and money when we encountered something that one was really good at, such as Isaac’s and Noah’s music training, or Abel’s competitive gymnastics. It pays off- Isaac and Noah teach their siblings piano and guitar, and Abel is working toward a college carrer in gymnastics. In order to avoid “hotel Batty”, each of the older kids is expected to do at least one thing for the family; most times, this entails driving their siblings to activities, but also takes the form of big jobs that the younger ones can’t do. We try to have the whole family connect at something besides meals about once a week, but that doesn’t always happen. For many years, we would take one month when we didn’t do anything outside the home, and just regroup as a family, read a book aloud, play games, etc. We will often take everyone who is home at the time to one child’s game or meet, just to have some family solidarity and support. So far, so good!

]]> By: renee @ FIMBY http://blog.bravewriter.com/2010/01/21/you-gotta-be-home-to-homeschool/comment-page-1/#comment-66712 renee @ FIMBY Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:34:11 +0000 http://blog.bravewriter.com/?p=1480#comment-66712 Thanks Kika for sending me this way. This was a great article, I loved it! We have a 10, 8 & 7 year old so we are home most always with no problem. But I love looking ahead to the bend in the road when I will have a young adult who craves more intellectual and community stimulation. I want to be prepared, thanks for the heads up! Thanks Kika for sending me this way. This was a great article, I loved it! We have a 10, 8 & 7 year old so we are home most always with no problem. But I love looking ahead to the bend in the road when I will have a young adult who craves more intellectual and community stimulation. I want to be prepared, thanks for the heads up!

]]> By: Kika http://blog.bravewriter.com/2010/01/21/you-gotta-be-home-to-homeschool/comment-page-1/#comment-66710 Kika Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:36:16 +0000 http://blog.bravewriter.com/?p=1480#comment-66710 It is so good to hear this from someone who has been there. So many homeschool blogs are written by those with very young kids at home which feels irrelevant to my life at this time. I appreciate your suggestions. I usually guard two days/wk as "at home days" and do extra baking/planning on these days. Lately, though, basketball season has thrown us for a loop. My husband tries to take extra responsiblity for this but sharing one vehicle complicates matters somewhat. I'm not complaining, though. I don't want to be anywhere else but in this situation - figuring things out as a family as we go. It is sure nice to feel understood and to know others are working through the same stage of life. Some of my friends are super concerned about their teens getting their drivers license but I think it'll be great. I loved driving as a teen and my parents allowed me to use a vehicle regularly. We plan to have a second vehicle at our kids' disposal once they reach that age so that they can get themselves to soccer, work, whatever. It is so good to hear this from someone who has been there. So many homeschool blogs are written by those with very young kids at home which feels irrelevant to my life at this time. I appreciate your suggestions. I usually guard two days/wk as “at home days” and do extra baking/planning on these days. Lately, though, basketball season has thrown us for a loop. My husband tries to take extra responsiblity for this but sharing one vehicle complicates matters somewhat. I’m not complaining, though. I don’t want to be anywhere else but in this situation – figuring things out as a family as we go. It is sure nice to feel understood and to know others are working through the same stage of life. Some of my friends are super concerned about their teens getting their drivers license but I think it’ll be great. I loved driving as a teen and my parents allowed me to use a vehicle regularly. We plan to have a second vehicle at our kids’ disposal once they reach that age so that they can get themselves to soccer, work, whatever.

]]> By: Susanne Barrett http://blog.bravewriter.com/2010/01/21/you-gotta-be-home-to-homeschool/comment-page-1/#comment-66703 Susanne Barrett Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:09:57 +0000 http://blog.bravewriter.com/?p=1480#comment-66703 My kids are 17, 14, 12, and 10. We've limited outside activities to co-op (twice monthly) and my middle son's guitar classes which follows my Friday church services, so we combine that outing with a family outing. My 17yo dd has a jewelry business she started 18 months ago. She crafts earrings and bracelets then sells them at co-op. The local Bible camp also features her work in their gift shop. This summer she got a job doing housekeeping at the Bible camp, and she has to juggle her school schedule (admittedly light as she's a senior -- only 4 subjects, 2 of them at co-op) with her work schedule which makes her deal with creative problem solving. My kids have never done the sports thing. We haven't been willing to give up our Saturdays. The kids take PE classes at the co-op, and there's a week-long summer sports camp in our town (kind of a VBS) that they enjoy, and we do swim lessons in the summer. But we protect our weekends. We keep our activities near home -- we have a high school literature co-op (all boys) that meets in our home late Monday afternoons, and before the co-op, the boys all gather at the nearby park to play football, basketball, or tennis. Piano lessons are in our home (when we can afford them). Our exception is math tutoring: my husband takes the tutorees with him to work, and the tutor comes there to teach them. I get an easy day with only the youngest to teach at home, and the older kids get time with their dad. It works well. Doing this has made our home the sanctuary it needs to be, the hub of our days. It's not a hurried place but a place to take our time and be together. My kids are 17, 14, 12, and 10. We’ve limited outside activities to co-op (twice monthly) and my middle son’s guitar classes which follows my Friday church services, so we combine that outing with a family outing.

My 17yo dd has a jewelry business she started 18 months ago. She crafts earrings and bracelets then sells them at co-op. The local Bible camp also features her work in their gift shop. This summer she got a job doing housekeeping at the Bible camp, and she has to juggle her school schedule (admittedly light as she’s a senior — only 4 subjects, 2 of them at co-op) with her work schedule which makes her deal with creative problem solving.

My kids have never done the sports thing. We haven’t been willing to give up our Saturdays. The kids take PE classes at the co-op, and there’s a week-long summer sports camp in our town (kind of a VBS) that they enjoy, and we do swim lessons in the summer. But we protect our weekends.

We keep our activities near home — we have a high school literature co-op (all boys) that meets in our home late Monday afternoons, and before the co-op, the boys all gather at the nearby park to play football, basketball, or tennis. Piano lessons are in our home (when we can afford them). Our exception is math tutoring: my husband takes the tutorees with him to work, and the tutor comes there to teach them. I get an easy day with only the youngest to teach at home, and the older kids get time with their dad. It works well.

Doing this has made our home the sanctuary it needs to be, the hub of our days. It’s not a hurried place but a place to take our time and be together.

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