Most people, when they first encounter the idea of home schooling, have one hundred and one questions. This article is intended to act as a reference point for people interested in the prospect of home schooling their children. The first question many parents ask is “Why would we want to school our children at home?”
There are a number of benefits to home schooling your children. Home schooling yields positive academic, social, emotional, and spiritual benefits for any family that is willing and prepared to give it a chance. Study after study has shown that children that are home schooled outrank their public and private schooled peers in every academic area. Child safety has been cited by many parents as a motivation for home schooling.
With the prevalence of guns and violence in schools, this should come as no surprise. There is also the benefit of reducing your child’s exposure to peer pressure regarding drugs, alcohol, and sexual activity. A cursory glance at the statistics of teenage alcohol/drug abuse, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted disease is enough to scare any thinking parent into considering what actions they can take in order to insulate their children from such dangers.
In the case of children with special needs, parents can rest assured that their children are receiving the attention they need and deserve. Home schooling also goes a long way in bringing families closer together, as children really tend to thrive under parental attention. It has been said that a family that learns together, grows together!
Home schooling also has the added benefit of allowing parents to truly know and understand their children. With regards to spiritual teachings, home schooling offers parents the opportunity to teach and guide their children by the principles of their faith. The idea of home schooling one’s children has literally exploded in recent times.
With some of the reasons cited above, it is easy to see why. There are plenty of resources available for parents and students alike, and a quick internet search of the topic will yield you a wealth of information.
Your local library or bookstore will likely have information, as well. Many communities even have local support groups for parents of home schooled children. Why home schooling? Why not??
by: Kim Yonkers
Home schooling has been around for centuries. The beginning of schooling actually started in the home and then moved into outside schoolhouses. A homeschool is where children are taught by a parent or parents without the outside influence or interference of the school system. There are many variations on a homeschool but all fellowships basic rule of no outside interference. Home schooling is legal in all 50 US states with each state having set guidelines and rules about the homeschool process. Getting started in home schooling will require the parent to do some research ahead of time, so they know exactly what laws apply to them and what they need to do to get the curriculum underway.
The reasons parents choose to homeschool their children vary. Some parents site research like home schoolers placed in the 89th to 90th percentile in national standardized testing. Others state their reasons as being able to provide religious studies and building strong family bonds. Other parents look at the quality of homeschool and feel they have more control over the curriculum and content of the materials studied in addition to knowing their children will be safe. There is also the factor of flexibility that draws some families to homeschool. Flexibility not only refers to time, but methods as well. There are many good reasons to homeschool and each family should decide based on the reasons they feel are best for their family.
Getting started in homeschool involves quite a bit of research and studying before homeschool even begins. Parents looking to home school their child or children need to first find local and state home school groups. These groups will be able to provide you the best information on home schooling in your state. You can also go online and find homeschool websites where you can discuss anything relating to home schooling. They can offer you wealth's of information and help. The more you research and talk to others about homeschool the more you will be able to learn what you want to do in your homeschool curriculum and how to avoid common problems that may come up.
Home schooling is a broad term. There are many techniques that fit under the term home schooling. There are many different styles of home schooling that you can use. The following list describes the most common types of home schooling:
Structured - This works like a public school, in that, it follows a schedule throughout the day. For example, math would be done at a certain time, English at another and so on.
Interest-initiated- This approach is based on what is happening at the current time. For example, if it is snowing, you may chose to revolve the days curriculum around snow or if someone in your family has chickenpox, you may wish to do studies on that disease. This can be very unstructured or structured depending on your choices.
Learning-style- This method is based on each child's learning style
Philosophical- Using educational philosophies and studies to mold a curriculum is the basis for this method.
Accommodating- For families with special needs this approach works around those needs.
Community- Using outside groups and learning areas to teach the children is what this method is about.
These are just some of the methods used in home schooling. Some people may find a mixture of these works best for them. Home schooling is all about tailoring the process to the child, so do the research and find the methods that work best for your family.
by: Jay Moncliff
An ever growing number of thoughtful parents are concerned about the status of public schools in many cites across North America. At the same time, a good number of families are struggling to make ends meet. They simply do not have excess funds available to send their children to private schools. One solution that many families are embracing is home schooling. With each passing school year, more and more families in North America -- indeed, in many countries around the world -- are electing the home schooling for their children.
There are some definite benefits and specific drawbacks to choosing home schooling for your children. Turning to the positive elements of home schooling first, chief amongst them is the fact that parents have greater control over the education of their children.
One of the more significant complaints frequently expressed about both public and private schools is the lack of input and control a parent has over the education of his or her child or children. While there are certain educational standards that must be met when it comes to home schooling, a parent has a significant degree of discretion over how his or her child or children will be taught.
In addition to more control over the educational process, most parents who are involved in the home schooling of their children believe that their children are obtaining a far better course of education. Many of these parents simply believe that public schools are not up to muster and that home schooling ensures that their children will be properly educated.
Of course, when contrasting home schooling with the private school alternative, educating your children at home is significantly less expensive. The tuition costs and other fees associated with most private schools continue to increase each and every year. As a result, many families simply have been priced out of the private school market all together.
People who are involved in home schooling believe that education children at home works to develop a stronger bond between parents and children. The very fact that children will be spending more time with their parents because of being schooled in the home enriches the relationship between the generations.
There are some drawbacks to home schooling as well. The primary complaint that some education experts have in regard to home schooling is based on the need for children to interact socially with other children. These experts maintain that one of the most important components of attending school -- be it in a public or private setting -- are the opportunities for children to interact with each other. These opportunities are more limited when a child is home schooled.
With that said, there are now different organizations and associations that have been formed that bring children who are home schooled together for different activities and events. Home schooling advocates assert that these activities and events allow children who are home schooled ample opportunity to interact with other children their own ages.
Most education analysts believe that the trend towards home schooling will continue onward into the immediate future. These experts believe that an ever growing number of parents are going to elect to educate their children at home as an alternative to problematic public schools and expensive private schools.
by: Colin P
The Benefit of Home Schooling - 8 Reasons to Educate Your Child at Home
Making the decision to home school is, on the face of it, not an easy one. There are many questions that need to be asked, and answered, before you can take this very significant step in your child's education. What can influence the decision is an idea of some of the benefits of home schooling.
So here are some things to think of.
1. Your child will get one to one attention with you. The issues associated with large class sizes will be gone forever.
2. Noone knows your child better than you, so you can tailor the lessons to suit your child. That will be something that could never happen in a conventional class room.
3. If your child is someone who is particularly susceptible to peer pressure, then home schooling can alleviate the problem. With your child completely under your control, you not only dictate the curricular activities, but the friends and social elements of their day.
4. Family life can return to how it should be. No more strangers passing at the breakfast table.
5. Many children get wrongly labeled with 'learning difficulties' when all that they needed was a different approach. If your child falls into this category, you will be best placed to evaluate your child's needs and requirements.
6. Scientific studies indicate that home schooled children can come out ahead in every measurement. Other factors may affect this of course, but the indications are that home schooled children achieve more academic success than their traditionally schooled counterparts.
7. Research also indicates that home schooled children actually have better social skills than traditionally schooled children. This rather flies in the face of most people's beliefs.
8. Although not a statistic that should affect your decision making, every child taken out of the state controlled education system actually saves the tax payer around $9000 per pupil per year.
Whilst it is not a task to be undertaken lightly, there are compelling reasons for educating your child at home. It can be argued of course that the benefit of home schooling will not be so strong for all children, but equally, there are many who could benefit significantly from home tutoring.
by: Charlie Cory
Help is on the way!
Many cities have parent co-ops to help share resources. Check with your local library to see where and when your local home schooling group meets. Sharing books and resources with other parents is an excellent, low cost option.
What if your child is smarter than you?
I
t’s a scary thought, isn’t it? But don’t feel bad – be proud of the great job that you’ve done so far. A great resource of your ‘advanced student’ is to tap into the online home schooling resources. There are curriculums that can be purchased and completed online. Some will provide textbooks as well as standard home schooling products. Another option is to take classes that can be held in a virtual classroom, students can use a web cam to participate or they can simply use lecture based courses online.
Should you consider public or private school instead?
Many parents feel that during the high school years, education at home is too difficult. They consider sending their child to public high school. But, this can be a difficult and troublesome transition for your teenager. The environment in a public high school can be anything but rewarding or inviting to a child who has been home schooled up until now. A private school may be better, but still has draw backs including cost. There are still the problems with your child being ‘the new kid’ at school. New friends, new teachers, new expectations are all anxiety producing for your child.
What else can I do?
If you feel over-whelmed about home schooling your senior high school student and don’t want to consider public or private high school – what else can you do? Consider your network of fellow parents who home school. What are you best at? What are their strengths? There may be a way to trade skills with other parents. A parent who has skills and interests in high school educating may be willing to teach your child along with their child in trade for you teaching one of their children who is younger. The double bonus here is added socialization for both high school students.
Post Secondary Option
Another resource for your ‘advanced student’ is the post secondary option at your local college or junior college. This has great advantages for both you and your student. Your child won’t be branded as ‘the new kid’ – everyone at college is new. Many times you don’t pay college tuition for the classes that your child takes. Your child receives high school credit and enjoys the socialization and mental stimulation that advanced classes can bring. It’s a win – win for both of you!
by: Beth Gabriel
You Control the Environment
The major advantage to home schooling is that you control the environment. You choose the curriculum, you choose the pace. If your child is slow to understanding a concept, you have the freedom to allow the extra time your child needs to completely understand the topic. There just isn’t this level of individualism in public school. Public school is equally hard on the under achiever who feels lost when the rest of the class moves on and for the over achiever who is bored because they grasped the concept long before the rest of the class. At home you can vary the pace to give both types of students the freedom they need to succeed.
Most public schools are overcrowded with 30 or more students in a classroom. The shear level of noise and commotion with this many students in one room makes learning difficult. With home schooling, you control the noise level and can limit the number of interruptions in your child’s day.
Many parents are opting for a Christian home schooling curriculum to reinforce their values and morals. Public schools cannot teach religion and may not teach the moral values that are important to you. At home, you get to decide when to discuss sex education with your child in a private setting. In public school, sex ed is often taught in phy-ed or health class in a large group setting with lots of snickering and embarrassing comments. ‘One size fits all’ sex ed. Are your values being taught? Probably not.
Home schooling is a great answer for parents who want a stronger math or science background for their child. Whatever it is you want your child to learn, there is curriculum available that the home school experience can provide. Many students learn best with tactile, hands on learning. Most public schools do not have the funds to provide hands on learning to children. Through home schooling programs, you can tailor your program to fit your child’s style of learning.
These are just the beginning of the benefits that a home schooling program can offer your child!
Brought to you by www.Help-For-Home-School-Moms.info and www.Home-School-101.info, your best resource for all your home school needs.
by: Beth Gabriel
Enter a classroom in any abacus center in India and you will see children busy with something that looks like a toy - tiny brown beads compiled neatly in columns. On the wall is propped a similar toy, though bigger with large, shiny yellow beads.
The teacher calls out a complex calculation, almost like an open challenge. A little boy, barely seven, comes forward and recites a seemingly funny rhyme. He also moves the yellow beads up and down and gets the answer down pat. No furious adding, counting or subtracting! Amazed?
Welcome to the world of abacus education, where rigid arithmetic takes a backseat and visuals and imagination gain center-stage. Here children learn to use the abacus, an ancient Chinese invention, to solve basic arithmetic sums with speed and accuracy. Institutes, which offer abacus education, claim that they use arithmetic as a tool to develop mind skills, memory and lateral thinking abilities.
Popular in Asian countries like Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand, abacus education is relatively new in India. But several entrepreneurs have been quick to tap the business potential of this non-formal education tool.
Scientific theories associate the left hemisphere of the brain with numerical and academic abilities, and the right hemisphere with creativity and intelligence. Proponents of abacus education claim that while formal education focuses merely on left-brain development, the abacus brings about "whole brain development".
"If the brain is not developed at an early age, one's mental abilities can start declining by 20 years of age. That's why we must tap them young," says Dhaval Shrimankar, CEO, NurtureMinds.com.
The brain gyms - as these institutes are called - are not stand-alone entities, but, instead, operate through a network of local franchises in urban and semi-urban areas. The reach and popularity of abacus education can be gauged from the burgeoning franchisee network.
Today, the same innovative education is available in the US and Canada. The system has taken the home-school communities by the storm. Private centers similar to Score or Kumon are springing up from west coast to the east coast.
As an alternative to investment for a franchise, books are directly sold to the interested customers. Many of the patrons take up on roles of tutors as well as franchise owners.
How does Abacus work?
The abacus consists of 13 vertical rods, separated into two sections by a horizontal bar. Each rod contains one bead in the upper section and four beads in the lower section.
When given a sum, the child recites a rhyme corresponding to the kind of calculation involved. This also makes learning fun and easy. Simultaneously, the child moves the required beads up and down. The position of each bead signifies a specific numerical value. At the end of the rhyme, the position of the beads touching the horizontal bar, gives the answer.
As the course advances, the abacus is taken away and the child is encouraged to picture the abacus mentally to come up with the answer. After sufficient training, the child becomes adept at moving the beads mentally and no longer needs to recite the rhyme aloud to arrive at the answer.
by: Dhaval Shrimankar
For many of us who don’t particularly like the public school system, we think that home schooling may be the perfect answer. You can teach your child the things you want him to know in a one on one environment, and you will be there to ensure he knows the material completely before moving on to the next subject. You will assign his homework, and grade it to be certain he thoroughly understands and remembers what you are teaching him in class. You don’t have to worry about him being exposed to illnesses and bad attitudes that often run amok in public and private schools alike. Considering all of these reasons why would you even think about not home schooling your child?
The previous information about home schooling is what is so often published to try to sway you to home school your children, but are they being up front and honest, telling you everything that you need to know? Of course, many of you already know that the answer to that question is no.
You need to be aware of the bad things that come along with home schooling, so that you can make the best decision for both you and your child. You need to remember that your child’s academic success or failure will weigh solely on your shoulders, so if you slip, if you don’t assign homework, or if you don’t make him do his homework, or settle down long enough to learn, then you are to blame. You have to be certain that your child stays on the same academic level as his peers, and if he isn’t do whatever it takes to get and keep him there.
One of the good and possibly bad parts of home schooling is that you get to spend almost all of your time together with your children. This is good in that you develop a closer relationship, and you know what is going on, without having to rely on someone else to nurture and teach your child. The bad part of this is that when your child is having a bad day, or you are having a bad day, you can’t take him to school, go somewhere and relax, and then pick him up later. You have to deal with the tantrums and bad behavior all on your own, so you need to make sure that you have enough patience to do so.
You also need to remember that teaching your child will become your full time job. Your husband will become the sole source of your family’s income, and you will have to learn how to cut corners to stretch your budget as far as possible. If you can’t live on that budget, or if it will cause undue stress and strain on your marriage, then home schooling may not be the best route to take at this time.
You can’t be a pushover for your child; you have to make him do his lessons and his homework, no matter how much he tries to convince you otherwise. No one loves your child like his parents, but you have to be strong enough to make him do the things that are best for him, even if he doesn’t realize it at the time. Homework Recommended Products
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by: Aldwin Pet
Home schooling refers to providing educational instruction to children in the home. Home schooling supplies children with a more personalized education.
Home schooling has proven itself to be a very good method of teaching children their ABC's. The home provides a very good environment for children to learn. More children feel more adjusted and more comfortable being educated at the home. And with home education, it is more the responsibility of the parents to teach their children. And because of the time spend with each other, this approach has made parents and their kids become closer with each other.
With home schooling, parents will also be able to save a lot when it comes to expenses. They no longer have to worry about getting schooling supplies for their children as required by most traditional institutions. Home school supplies are bought according to need as opposed to requirement. Aside from required learning tools, the parents are the ones responsible for providing other home schooling supplies such as pencils, notebooks, paper and the like.
If you plan on having your own kids home schooled, you might need to be prepared. One requirement is to find time to personally teach your children. With home schooling, you do not rely on anyone else to make your kids learn. That responsibility will fall on your lap. The same goes with preparing your children's home school supplies. It won't be as extensive a list as what public schools would require, but it would be wise to have your own list ready before you do your shopping. Here is a list of important things that you should always have ready on your home for your kids' home schooling supplies.
You should be able to have paper readily available in your home. This should include ample supply of typing and printing paper. You should also be including other paper supplies such as steno and college-ruled paper as your home-schooled children grow. Also include different writing instruments handy such as pencils, pens, colored pencils, crayons, chalk, markers, etc. Also include in your shopping list other items like all-purpose glue, scotch tape, rulers, erasers, staplers, paper clips, portable blackboard, and calculators.
In preparing to home school your children, you should also be able to have different learning tools available around the home. Different subjects may require various educational tools to help your children learn and understand their lessons better. For history and geography lessons, it is important to have a globe or a world map available as well as history and geography books within reach.
For science subjects, your students would require, magnifying glasses, prisms, a microscope or a telescope depending on your child's grade level. You can also include musical instruments to teach music lessons as well as other items that you think would be helpful for other subject types.
by: Low Jeremy
Contrary to most people’s opinions, home schooling is not just limited to primary school students. In fact, there are many home schooling courses available for college students as well both offline and online.
Home schooling has been gaining more popularity in recent years because parents wanted more control over their child’s education. Parents wanted to oversee what their children is learning and teach them the right way.
For higher level college education, there are several types of home schooling programs available. It depends on the type of education you prefer your child to undertake.
One type is religion college home schooling. They have home schooling curriculum that have religious studies as part of their education.
Another type focus on the science while another focus on the arts. It can also be a combination of the above since college home schooling is quite flexible. You can cater your home schooling curriculum based on the interest of your child.
One thing all these college home schooling programs have in common is that they can be taught at the pace your child is comfortable with. Since each child learns differently and at different pace, the college home schooling program can be altered to suit each child’s learning progress.
There are also college home schooling programs offered in your local area. Some are theme based while others are focused on a particular subject. It will help if you can find yourself aligned with a home schooling group in your local community, if not you can do it online via the numerous homeschooling forums online.
by: Ricky Lim
Making reports, filing papers, fielding phone calls and placating your boss at the office takes only eight hours. Do you rest when you return home? The answer is no as you have to prepare dinner, share stories with your husband, spend time doing homework with the kids.
This is a situation typically encountered by working mothers, who for 24 hours and 7 days balance the innumerable demands of career and home. The children are however always at the receiving end and this is the problem. The reason for this needs to be asked.
The cause being the tendency of parents, particularly mothers to submit their children to schools with the faith that the children would be provided the best education by the institution.
Some parents however, in today’s changing world have realized that in order to provide the best education to their children sending them to school is no longer the best option. This is the reason for their choice of home schooling to provide their children the kind of education they desire for them.
Most parents devote their time and attempt to give their children the best education at home in home schooling. This does not imply however that more time should be devoted to home schooling than to household chores. Home schooling uses the ‘one to one’ teaching method as its fundamental tenet. The reason being children can understand the concept quicker and easier due to a more individualistic method.
To plan the right amount of time needed in home schooling given here below are some guidelines:
1. Learning style of the children. Examples can be found that the time requirements in home schooling may be dependent on the children’s learning style. An example would be that you would have to dedicate much less time if your child can learn things at a much quicker pace. You would however have to dedicate more time explaining certain concepts of the subject matter being taught, if your child requires more time to understand the things which are taught to him.
2. The kind of method used. Teaching methods relating to home schooling are many in number. However they differ regarding the time required by the parent to be dedicated to each program, as each has its individual teaching method.
3. The number of children within the family. Having many children in the family would mean long hours of teaching similar to a typical classroom setting where usually the number of children are many. The reason being that you would have to inculcate in students the substance of the subject matter, and would have to explain all over again if one of them fails to understand the idea.
4. The age of the child. More time is required in home schooling, the lesser the age of the child. The reason being that in comparison to children at the higher levels younger children tend to comprehend things being taught much slowly.
The vital factor is having quality time to spend with your parents or students though from the overall point of view the time needed may be influenced by these above-mentioned factors.
by: Phil Kuermam
Homeschooling has become a popular type of education in the past few years. Parents can educate their child in their own homes, free to set their own study schedule and education curriculum.
If you are planning to homeschool your child, it is important you know the legal requirements for homeschooling in your state before proceeding.
Currently in the united states, homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. However each state has their own requirements and guidelines. The best way to determine the legal requirements would be to contact your local school official for more information.
Most states requires parents who wish to adopt homeschooling to file a letter of intent to their local community school. Some states also requires parents to attend a series of lessons organize by the school before they can begin homeschooling. There are also some states that require the lesson plans to be submitted for approval by the school before you can commence homeschooling.
Some states also require children who are homeschooling to take test or evaluations conducted by qualified teachers. Some require the tests to be conducted on an annual basis. However, the tests are not compulsory but is encouraged.
These are safeguards in place to ensure the standard of education for homeschoolers is maintained.
For example in California, there are 3 different options for homeschooling. Homeschoolers can be part of an independent public homeschooling programs. The 2nd option is to get a certified homeschooling tutor and the last option is to enroll into a private school.
If you have a large homeschooling community in your area, the community can also form a private school for homeschoolers.
The graduate guidelines are also different with each state. Some states have no graduation requirements. Other states require the homeschooler to take tests before they are graduated.
Since the homeschooling requirement for each state is different, it is best to consult with your local school for more information before proceeding.
by: Ricky Lim
A practical alternative or replacement to schooling institutions is Home schooling. In conformity with your state laws concerning this kind of education, parents teach their children to study and learn themselves.
Parents have different explanations as well as justifications as to why they want their children to be educated through home schooling. Parents are concerned regarding the safety of their wards, as well as the quality of education that provided in public schools. The costs of private schooling and the struggle that the child undergoes to keep up with the entire class is one of the major factors in favor of such alternatives.
Most parents feel defenseless when their kids are labeled as ‘slow learners’ by their peers, or other such emotional baggage.
In a large class, usually teachers have limited options and remedies to act on such children who might be “slow learners” compared to others. This leads to the need for tutoring, where they are provided the attention they seek, and can learn at “their own pace”, without having to compete with others children even while maximum attention is being paid by the teacher.
Again, a student who is very enthusiastic about learning and who generally does well in class is a good candidate for home schooling, since he can successfully juggle the absence of interacting with his friends and encouragement for excellent work that are components of a regular classroom.
A home schooling teacher must be have suitably eligibility, which suggests that he or she has at least had a “high school education” to educate lower elementary students.
The parent or teacher must be inspired and encouraged enough to educate the students, since home schooling entails hard work as well as rewards; it is, nevertheless, a satisfying job, when the results are for you to see.
Parent or teachers should be available for each day of schooling, there should be no interruption due to daily chores, and dedication to the program is a must.
Plan what the child needs:
The child will need a certain study area that is quiet, with no disturbances at all. Study time should be well scheduled and well planned.
Have a focused attitude towards the child; this is essential, as your child realizes that you are committed and enjoy your time together rather than acting irritable or unsatisfied with your child’s limitations.
A reward is a must to encourage and stimulate your child to create an affirmative emotional and informative experience. You should provide your child with basic school materials such as textbooks, encyclopedia, globe, and dictionaries. Try out the resources the internet provides as an addition to your home schooling program; such information is forever updated.
Store up on educational games of different varieties, art materials and supplies and create an environment for reading books. After your home school hours the kids can do crafts, play games, and read books as and when they like.
How do you define your “home school period?”
To begin the process of lesson planning, you have to determine a timetable or what is the “school year for your program”
Begin, by knowing the total number of “school days” in a formal school.
While determining this there are two main factors that one should understand. Firstly, the certain number of teaching or tutoring days as obliged by the State you are resident of. Usually, 180 days are needed, although some States require more and some less. Consequently, this is the minimum number of days recommended for your program.
Another factor is the total number of days necessary to complete the longest type of curriculum planned by you for the coming academic session. When the particular “longest” session necessitates less than the lowest number of teaching days, then it need not be a reason for outlining your home school yearly curriculum.
If it should need more than the lowest or minimum days, its time will conclude the time span for your year of home school. For example, if your State requires a minimum of 180 days of teaching, you discover in your curriculum, for example that algebra, will need 200 days of teaching to complete. Then 200 days would suffice for your home school year.
Once you have finalized and resolved which days are more, than that of the lowest number of your State's or your longest duration of program, then you should estimate the “actual number of days” of your home school year. That will then be the total number of days that your lessons should be based on.
by: Phil Kuermam
When people consider teaching their children at home, without any structured curriculum, they may think that the home schooling costs will be able to be kept down to a reasonable level. But this is not necessarily the case at all. If you try to ensure that your children get a state of the art education so that they can compete on a level footing with regular school goers, the costs can skyrocket. In actual fact schooling a child at home can turn out to be quite costly.
A computer, current textbooks, course materials, all these things cost some amount of money, also there are extra costs for any tutors the parent decides to bring in to teach subjects that they cannot teach themselves, such as science or higher level maths. These costs can be minimised when several children are able to reuse the materials.
Another point to consider is that the requirement of having one of the parents tied to the home on a full time basis can deprive the family of an extra wage packet. This can, of course have a substantial impact on the family’s income.
Having a membership in a public library, various outside activity classes and other cultural events can also help in keeping the costs down. One idea is to barter expertise or services. For example, the parent of a nine year old has dancing classes; her daughter gets drawing classes in return.
However much it costs, the devotees of home schooling state that the benefits more than outweigh the drawbacks. When you are in control of what knowledge your child receives, and what subjects he or she should be taught and to what level, it can give you loads of freedom and a lot of power. The children and also the parents can benefit greatly from this mutually enriching experience.
by: James Hunaban
