where to start?

[delkroemer]

I'm a mommy of two girls, ages 2 and 4, considering homeschooling. I don't know where or how to get started though. I am sure 4 years old is a good age and I can start with her, but I am worried I could not do it all the way through her education. I am horrible at math! I don't know much on science. I don't think I could be a teacher because of these things. I also worry about little things like teaching how to write and sound out words to read! I am awful at teaching things even when I do know them, I think. Any suggestions? Encouragement? Thanks!

[mandm'smommy]

I am in the same boat--two children, daughter is 4 and son is 2.

I actually teach at a Christian school here, but I just don't think we can afford to send both children there (it would take my part-time teacher's salary and then quite a bit more to swing that) and add to that my daughter is extremely "full of life" and I just don't think traditional school will work well for her until she is a little older. She did go to 4K this year 2 days a week for 3 hours each and has done and is doing quite well, and I think we will keep her at this private Christian school for kindergarten, but then I am thinking home school is the answer for a while.

So, didn't really answer your question, but I just had to chime in because I am exactly where you are.

I look forward to the responses.

[delkroemer]

Originally Posted by mandm'smommy

I am in the same boat--two children, daughter is 4 and son is 2.

I actually teach at a Christian school here, but I just don't think we can afford to send both children there (it would take my part-time teacher's salary and then quite a bit more to swing that) and add to that my daughter is extremely "full of life" and I just don't think traditional school will work well for her until she is a little older. She did go to 4K this year 2 days a week for 3 hours each and has done and is doing quite well, and I think we will keep her at this private Christian school for kindergarten, but then I am thinking home school is the answer for a while.

So, didn't really answer your question, but I just had to chime in because I am exactly where you are.

I look forward to the responses.

Thanks so much for your response, it is nice to know someone else is in the same place. I had recently spoken to a friend who homeschools, but her oldest is just 8 years old. so everyhting is still fairly basic. I feel my 4 year old would be a great homeschool candidate because she is pretty attentive. However, I am not great at teaching others, even when it is something I do well (like writing) and I worry about trying to teach when I get to the higher grade levels, as I have forgotten most math stuff and am generally horrible at math, especially if we went on to high school! I also worry about my kids getting to socialize enough. But I suppose we could make time for that on our own. Well, thanks again for responding and hopefully we can stay in touch :-)

[datagirl39]

home schooling is good, but try to find some sort of a trained teacher, there is a reason why there is a training for teachers,

there is a huge difference between teaching and being a graduate.

it's my opinion though,

you are the mom, you are supposed to that decision.

hope it turns out to be the right one.

[july ayers]

At 4 and 2 years of age, kids pick up plenty of things just from asking questions about their environment. Talk to them lots. Read to them. If they have a special interest, explore that a little deeper by reading fiction and non fiction books, seeking out online games, etc.

For the upper grades (actually for all grades) there is lots of curriculum out there that lays it all out on how to teach your child.

[barefoot]

There are SOOO many ways you can homeschool your children, but the hardest part is not getting overwhelmed.

For math, the course we use with our 3 children (6th, 4th and 1st grade) is called Math-U-See. They watch a VIDEO of a math professor teaching them what they need to know for each lesson. You can watch along with them, if you want, and then they do their worksheets. It's super simple and comes with an answer key! )

As for reading and the sounds, that was a HUGE hurdle for me to overcome. I didn't know the difference between long and short vowel sounds. We've used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons for one child and she excelled with it. Our 2nd and third didn't do as well with that so we used Sing Spell Read and Write. It comes with an instructional video for parents/teachers and has a CD that teaches kids the letter sounds. And it's FUN! Even comes with a treasure chest of goodies. )

You can also checkout this free website: Ambleside Online

They have stories you can read for history and have suggestions for simple science while your children are young. As they get older, in my opinion, the science is too lightweight, so I'd check out SuperChargedScience.com It's basically science in a box where you can just give your older Elementary/Middle School aged children the box and they can sit down with the included DVDs and learn how to build some pretty neat stuff. Our girls LOVE it.

I hope this helps. Sorry it was so long. Don't be discouraged and find a support group. Many will allow pre-homeschoolers to check it out with registering.