Homeschooling Your Own...When Do You Have Time??

[SunflowerMama]

Our twins are scheduled to start kidnergarten in the fall and after researching our public schools and local charters we are considering homeschooling.

Our girls are both very quiet and introverted when in large groups so we feel kindergarten in a traditional school with 25 kids per class will eat them alive and they will just get lost in the mix.

My husband doesn't think it's a horrible idea but just doesn't know when I'll have time to really work with them. I watch between 6 and 8 dcks a day. We do have a consistant nap time 1.5ish hours so I think I could use that time but what do you do when they are older and you need more time?

I just want to give them the best I can and really want that one-on-one but with the daycare I just don't know when I could fit it in.

For those that homeschool when do you get everything done??

[Heidi]

I think the first few years would be the easiest, because you could intergrate unit studies with the dck's and just add a bit for your ds's.

Do you use a curriculum for dc? Maybe you would consider one? That would give you another dc tool AND help with the homeschooling.

I rather like High Reach Learning so far. I just started with it this month, but with the addition of some library books and a few other borrowed resources, my kids get some really cool things to learn about, each at their own developmental level.

[Michael]

You will find that one on one teaching will allow for less time and more productive learning.

[cheerfuldom]

It is just my opinion but I dont think that you will be happy with the amount of time and focus you will have for your twins (or the lack of time and focus). Like another said, you can try and do some curriculum for the twins and work that into your daycare routine but the reality is that your twins will be the oldest in your group during the day and it will be challenging to focus on them and challenge them academically while still caring for all the other ones. Even if you are able to use that nap time for their schooling, it may become a problem for you to be in provider/teacher mode all day long with no breaks. Have you considered half day kindergartens or private schooling? Even one year might help your twins socially and also give them a good foundation if you decide to homeschool next year. We have seriously considered homeschooling. My mom homeschooled my brothers and my own husband was homeschooled so I am very familiar with the process. Still, I don't feel that my own kinder aged girl will get what she needs here with me. The private kinder we are going with is about 10 kids and half day options that will be perfect for us. I would rather take on another daycare child to help pay for private kinder than struggle trying to homeschool and daycare and have my daughters education suffer. I am also very familiar with the social struggles that some homeschoolers face and that is one reason that I think my own daughter will benefit from traditional school. Plus if we try this and absolutely hate it, we can always start our homeschooling at that point. I would rather try then do the opposite.....start homeschooling and then that not work out and have my daughter be the "new girl" in a class that has already bonded together.

[SquirrellyMama]

I closed my daycare when I started homeschooling my oldest in 1st grade because I didn't think I'd have time. I learned that the younger grades really don't take as much time. You shouldn't need more than 30-45 minutes for K. Short lessons are great for that age. I tried to focus on reading and number skills early on.

First grade can be done in 1 - 1.5 hours, again, with short lessons. You can usually just increase your time spent on school by an hour each year.

I'm starting up my daycare again with my kids homeschooling 1st, 3rd and 5th. I find now my 5th grader doesn't need as much of my attention since she can do a lot of her work independently.

Do lots of research and pick something that will work for you and don't be afraid, especially in K to ditch something that isn't working and move on.

Kelly

[AnneCordelia]

My mom did daycare too. But my sibs and I were unschooled so there was no formal learning time.

[SunflowerMama]

My mom did daycare too. But my sibs and I were unschooled so there was no formal learning time.

What were your feelings about unschooling? We were reading about it a bit and thought it was very interesting but felt a lot of key concepts could get lost. But do we really need those concepts...who knows.

Did you attend college about being unschooled and how prepared did you feel?