Essentially, the idea here is that you can turn anything into a pretending game. The example the author used was a marketplace:

Occasionally, in the elementary years, we turned our entire house into a miniature town. Each room in the house became a place of business, with signs, menus, goods, and services for sale. Each family member became a character with a name, a costume, and a history and started the day with a pre-determined amount of play money. We put things around the house up for sale with price tags. We offered services for a fee. Other family members would stop by the rooms to buy goods and services. Even the kitchen became a restaurant with a menu. Family members had to purchase their own food and beverages. Business owners were required to put reasonable prices on their “products” and to give correct change to customers. They were required to write proper signs, menus, and instructions for their businesses. It was amazing to see just how much math and writing my students ended up doing and how their enthusiasm for it never waned.

There are other examples within the post. It’s a great idea, after all kids naturally lean toward make believe, so why not use that to turn learning into something fun? While I think we can all agree that school isn’t always a piece of cake, this role playing sounds like something everyone can enjoy, even parents!

What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you use role playing in school?

Higher Education
More than 74% of homeschoolers have gone on to take at least some college courses, while only 46% of the general population has done so. When the survey was done, over 49% of the respondents were still full time students.

Moral Fiber
71% of homeschooled adults are active in community service activities like working with a church, volunteering to coach sports, etc. This is compared to just 37% of other adults of the same age. So much for the whole socialization business!

Civic Duty
In general, 29% of the relevant population in the US participate in votes, whereas 76% of homeschoolers of the right age vote.

Passing on the Torch
Out of all the adults surveyed for the homeschool study, 95% said they enjoyed being homeschooled. I’m sure many of them wouldn’t have said that during their teen years, but as adults, we can look back and see how things were really for our good. In addition to this, out of the homeschoolers who had children of their own, a whopping 74% were already doing second generation homeschooling, though 82% said they would, which really speaks for itself.

The results are impressive and it confirms what those of us who have chosen to teach our kids at home are doing the right thing. Homeschooling really is good for your kids and leads to happy, productive adults.

It’s completely normal to stress out about whether or not you are a worthy teacher, to wonder if you are doing the right thing or if you are going to destroy your child’s life and traumatize him forever.

First of all, the very fact that you are looking into homeschooling proves that you are a worthy teacher. A good teacher isn’t necessarily the one who knows the most, but the one who is passionate about children and if you are considering homeschooling, you are that already. You care about how your children are educated and that is a great place to start from.

Are you doing the right thing? That is the question you need to answer. Chances are, if you are planning on homeschooling, you have a good reason for it. My suggestion? Write down your reasons. Whether it’s because you don’t want your child to study in a potentially dangerous atmosphere or dislike the school system or simply want to keep your children near you to enjoy them longer, write it down. Then put it somewhere that you can see it every day, like your sock drawer. When people tell you how terrible a parent you are, look at the reasons and remember why you want to do it.

There will be naysayers and we will address that in an upcoming post. But for now, stand firm in the reasons that you decided to consider homeschooling your kids in the first place.

The last one, will you mess your kid up, is pretty unlikely. Yes, it’s possible to turn out children who are unable to function in society, but if you are one of those parents, you wouldn’t be reading this blog. Kids are thrilled to learn when the information is presented the right way and learning at home is a great way to promote parental bonding and give your kids one on one tutoring . . . how could that be bad? As long as you know when to bring in outside help when necessary, homeschooling will be an enriching experience for the entire family.

What are your fears about homeschooling? Why are you scared to homeschool? Let us know in the comments and we will do a future post answering your fears.

The internet is a big place and thanks to it being worldwide, we are able to connect with other homeschoolers around the world. Just on this blog, for example, we have two homeschool parents from the US and myself, from Canada, but living in the beautiful country of Guatemala.

Just what are the benefits of being part of an online homeschool community? Well, let’s take a look.

• Get viewpoints and new ideas from other homeschool parents.
• Let your kids safely connect with other kids who are in similar homeschooling situations.
• Talk with people from around the world and let your children learn about other cultures by actually interacting and asking questions of those living in those cultures.
• Find tutors in areas of school that you just aren’t good at teaching.
• Problemsolve and brainstorm with other homeschooling families.
• Work together on school projects with one or more families.
• “meet” other homeschoolers even if you live in a remote area or are on the road.
• Trade schoolbooks and curriculum, saving time and money.

There are plenty of other reasons why you might want to join an online community, including special resources and ideas provided by the administrators. What are your favorite reasons for partaking in online communities?

Let`s take a look at the pros and cons of each age group.

Early Readers (3-5 years)

Pros:

Kids this age are already in super learning mode and may pick up new things faster than older kids.

They will have a head start on other kids going into the school years.

Reading isn`t looked at as a chore at this age, but something fun.

Cons:

Young children rarely have the attention span to sit and study something as complicated as reading.

Very small children will still be learning normal speech and it may confuse issues to start working on reading skills.

It`s easy for parents to push too much at this stage, wanting their child to be a genius.

School Age Readers (5-6 years)

Pros:

At this age, most children are considered to be developed enough to understand the concept of reading.

Writing can also be integrated, making it easier to learn reading at the same time.

School books and readers are usually geared to this age group.

Cons:

Some children may not be ready to read at this age.

Reading might be looked at as a chore, since it is part of school, particularly if the child has a dislike of all things scholarly.

Late Readers (7+ years)

Pros:

Leaving reading until the child decides he wants to learn means he will be more dedicated to the task.

Reading will take on more meaning when the child finds that she cannot do some things without knowing how to read.

Cons:

Delayed reading can hold up other areas of education.

The child will be far behind his peers, though late readers do tend to catch up fairly quickly.

It can send the signal that reading and writing are not important skills.

In the end, it all comes down to what is best for you and your family. Look at your kids. Are they interested in reading? Can they speak clearly? Are they taking an interest in letters or trying to read on their own? Then you might need to start teaching that skill soon.

For example, my 3 1/2 year old, Dorian, has been sounding out letters on his own and asking what sounds different letters make, so we`ve started working on some very simple lessons from Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Would I recommend this to all parents? No, because each child is different and you need to make the decision yourself based on their level of interest and abilities.

Summer school doesn`t have to be a big thing, just a quick review two or three times a week of the more important things your kids need to know. This might include math skills, reading and writing, as well as any other topics they will be building on in the fall.

By going over the areas you know your kids are most likely to forget, even for 15-30 minutes a day, you will make the entire year easier on everyone. The kids won`t be thrilled with having to do schoolwork during summer, but you can explain that it`s non-negotiable and that the faster they get through it, the faster they can enjoy summer fun. Or make it into a game to see who can finish the times tables fastest!

Do you use summer school? We`d love to hear what`s going on in your school during these vacation months.

When this separation of ideas occurs, you can run into some serious problems if you aren`t careful. Since simply demanding your spouse do what you want isn`t really a good option, you may need to take more tactical steps.

Find Homeschool Examples
Look for examples of homeschool success to share with your spouse. You might want to start with the post I wrote last week on this very topic.

Write Down the Pros and Cons
You can talk til you`re blue in the face about the benefits of homeschooling, your spouse will likely come up with a list of their own on the benefits of going to school. A better solution is to sit down and take the time to work on a list of pros and cons together for both cases.

Meet Some Homeschoolers
Your spouse might be worried that your children will end up weird and socially stunted if you homeschool them, so find some other homeschooled families in your area and make a point of getting to know them. Your spouse might be pleasantly surprised and change his or her mind.

Suggest a Trial Period
Committing to 12 years of homeschooling can be frightening for anyone. By suggesting that you try homeschooling for one year and see how it works out, your spouse will be more likely to agree. If your children are still young, doing a year of kindergarten can be an excellent test to prove that homeschooling works.

Talk About Fears
Why is your spouse so against homeschooling? The best way to find out is to ask what their reasoning is behind the decision not to homeschool. Once you know why, you can do some research to find solutions to the issue or to dispel it completely.

Homeschooling works best when both parents are involved and on board with the decision. It`s not always easy, but it`s well worth the effort to show your spouse why you are so passionate about homeschooling.

Past

Thomas Edison: Though he did go to school for a short while, it didn`t work out . . . . his teachers considered him dumb and he was educated by his mother at home instead. He went on to invent many things including the light bulb.

Mozart: He was homeschooled during a three year trip around Europe with his family. Obviously taking time off school to travel is a great idea! Read about a modern day family doing the same thing here.

Leonardo da Vinci: Famous for his studies of many areas and his inventions and ideas that were far before their time, da Vinci was also a home-taught child.

Louisa May Alcott: This famous author (Little Men and Little Women, among others) was homeschooled by her parents, but was also taught by friends of the family who had other areas of expertise, similar to homeschool groups nowadays.

Also, no fewer than 15 American presidents were homeschooled, which really says something about the quality of education!

Present

Christopher Paolini: After graduating at the age of 15, having been homeschooled his entire life, Paolini went on to write the Inheritance Cycle books, which are now being made into movies.

Mattie Stepanek: Homeschooled because of a rare form of muscular dystrophy that killed his sister and two brothers, Mattie began writing poetry at the age of 3 and went on to publish 5 poetry books before he died at the age of 14.

Dave Thomas: The famous entrepreneur who founded Wendy`s restaurants was homeschooled.

Hilary Duff: Both Hilary and her sister were homeschooled, studying with their mother in between acting auditions. Of course, Duff is now well known as an actress and singer.

Jennifer Love Hewitt: Another notable actress, was also taught at home.

Agatha Christie: Too shy to attend school with her sisters, this now famous author stayed home and was taught by her mother.

Here`s a more complete list of famous homeschoolers.

The majority of children aren`t going to sit down and focus on studying their schoolbooks for hours on end just because. That`s where a little old fashioned competition comes in.

Competition between siblings is the most common type found in a homeschooling family. Some people don`t think competition is a good thing, but let me tell you, there`s nothing so motivating as the urge to do well when there`s someone else to go up against!

How can we promote fun and productive competition among our children? There are a few ways to go about it.

In the Family

Within the family, you might implement ideas like having a prize list or a box of small treasures that children can pick out when they accomplish their goals. For example, you might assign points to certain things like finishing a book, doing chores on time (yes, chores can and should be a part of homeschooling), etc. Kids can then redeem their points for a small prize or save them for a larger one. Obviously this has many possibilities, so use your imagination.

Rewards don`t need to be physical, you might offer an hour of one on one time with a parent after the other kids have gone to bed, the chance to choose the Family Night game, or something similar.

In the Homeschool Community

While it`s fun to compete with your brothers and sisters, sometimes it`s just not that exciting and some kids won`t find themselves very motivated by it.

This is when it can be a good idea to start up a competition among other homeschoolers. It could be something academic, such as seeing who can finish the most literary works in a month, or it can be something more meaningful . . . perhaps which family can successfully start a business first. These certainly don`t need to be cutthroat competitions, they can just be a fun way to up the ante a little.

How do you use competition in your homeschool?

These days, things have vastly improved. Not only is homeschooling legal in many areas, it`s also becoming quite common. People know what it is, you don`t have to launch into a lengthy explanation about what exactly you do for school and with the internet, it`s possible to connect to other families around the world.

The benefits of meeting with other homeschoolers are many, but for some families, it`s just not possible to hang out in person with other homeschoolers all the time. For example, I live in Guatemala, where teaching kids at home is unheard of. We`re lucky enough to know another family of expats that is also homeschooling, but they are the only ones we`ve met. Another family I know is traveling from Alaska to Argentina by bike and teaching their kids along the way.

Many families also live in areas where they might not be exposed to many other homeschoolers, but that`s where the internet comes in handy. You can connect with people of similar interests easily online, no matter where you are. It`s good to be able to discuss educational techniques with other people who are on the same page as you and the internet allows us to do just that.

In the near future, Barnabas Way will be the ideal place to link up with other homeschool families. Your children will be able to talk to other kids who are schooling at home and you`ll be able to network with parents who have the same interests. While we`re working out the kinks in the membership site, however, why not get started in the comments? Let us know who you are and how you got started in homeschooling.