Home Schooling My 6 Year Old Daughter

I was homeschooled from kindergarden to 12th grade, I am 21 now and have a TON of friends!
My mom had me in sports, gymnastics then swimming through my high school years which provided tons of friend opportunities for me.
Also, when I was 12 and under we went to local homeschool meeting. Maybe search google for local homeschoolers in your area and see if they hold meeting at the park or at their homes etc.
We actually had a catholic homeschooling group that would have meeting once a month to socialize for moms and kids during the day after school and even had a homechool end of the year graduatin get together.
Homeschooling is great, I'm a 21, well adjusted adult and very glad I was homeschooled!
Good luck!

Hi S., I am starting to homeschool my son this year and I also have a baby girl. I live in NW Arkansas and there is a wonderful group here that does all kinds of activities and educational field trips as well as sports and co-op classes as they get older. Socializing is SOOO NOT a problem! I know that's the first thing people always say against homeschooling, but it really just shows that they don't know anything about it. I have to laugh when people bring up that question to me because there's really MORE social activities than we could possibly do! Not to mention that I have witnessed that homeschooled children are socialized with all age groups, not just their peers. They learn to carry on educated conversations with adults, senior citizens and little kids all with ease. That's something public school kids don't usually have an opportunity for. And to say that public school children will be socialized just because they are in public school is not true. I was in public school and yet I graduated without having the public social skills I needed for life. The following years were very hard for me. It's really more how the parents raise the child and also the childs personality that determines if they get socialized properly, not whether they are public or homeschoolod! If you are in NW Arkansas let me know and I will hook you up with our group. If not, I'm sure you can find one in your area. :)

The first homeschooling book I read was "The Well-Adjusted Child: The Social Benefits of Homeschooling" by Rachel Gathercole. It can be repetitive at times, but it got me thinking about my own experiences in school and how there are more options out there than the traditional schooling model. Another very useful book is "The Imperfect Homeschooler's Guide to Homeschooling" by Barbara Frank. This is perhaps the best book I've read in terms of reassuring and helpful tips. "The Homeschooling Handbook" by Mary Griffith provides an overview of different homeschooling styles and approaches, so it's good for a practical handbook. I found a magazine in my local library called "Tulsa Kids" which had a list of local organizations for anything kid- and parent-related, as well as advertisements for artistic and health clubs and activities. You may find something similar in your public library, or talk to a librarian about where to find the information. Also, Google is great for finding homeschooling resources and online communities, and it just takes some fiddling around with your search phrases. Some excellent materials and supplies sites are http://www.timberdoodle.com/ and https://www.lovetolearn.net/ . Both sites provide detailed evaluations of many products and occasionally have some great sales. Customer service and product quality are excellent! I'd like to homeschool, but we think our eldest would enjoy preschool and kindergarten, so we'll see how things go. At any rate, I know from what my mom did that I can supplement what they learn with materials at home and possibly use homeschool materials to fill in gaps in their education. You'll probably be surprised how many people in your community do homeschool and would be willing to make play dates or study groups. Good luck with everything!!

Hi S.,
We have been homeschooling our 4 kids since the oldest 2 were 5th and 7th grades. It has been a wonderful experience for us. You are right in believing that there are a variety of homeschool group opportunities in NW Arkansas. Our kids have been a part of church groups, karate classes, music lessons, flag football, dance lessons...you name it, and are actually much better in any social situation than most kids. They know how to interact with people of all ages, not just their peers. It has been a great fit for us. Our oldest children are now in college (we homeschooled through high school) and are doing well. Our youngest 2 are 13 and 11, and we will continue to homeschool them as well. You might find the link to the article helpful. http://www.homeschool.com/articles/Socialization/default.asp#
I'd also be happy to point you in more specific directions with groups, etc., if you'd like.
Enjoy your daughter! It sounds like she is a joy!
K.

Hi S.,
I was home-schooled all the way through, from Kindergarten through high school. I loved it! Of course there were 6 kids in our family, so we had interaction through that, but we also were involved in our local homeschool group and church. I never felt that I lacked social interaction. And to be honest I think that many home-schoolers get an advantage in this area because they have more chances to socialize with a wider range of age groups, rather than just the kids in their class.

Definitely get plugged into your local home-school group if you do decide to homeschool. They will provide support and fun activities and give you both those chances for social interaction.

And by the way, all of my siblings and I have attended college and graduated (with the exception of the one that is still in college now). I am currently home-schooling my oldest daughter who is in 1st grade. We are loving it.

Thanks,
M.

They are as social as you let them be. If you stay home to teach rather than go places, fairs, events, they will get all the learning in but never see another person. As wonderful as HS is, your child needs more people than his/her parents. I've seen people be so concerned over lessons that they skip the people part, and yes that is detrimental.

HTH :)

My advice is not to. I was in public school until I was 10 and then my mom homeschooled me. I did not have anny social skills until after I was 16. It is very hard on them (me included) to take them out of a very social enviroment into an not so social enviroment. It doesn't matter if there are groups that get together, your daughter will not be with them on a daily basis. I know that if my mom had given me a choice that I would not have gone to homeschool.

I am not sure what part of arkansas you live in but there are several groups around. I live in NE arkansas and there is a wonderful group that meets in Jonesboro and they also go on several field trips. I know on the the 1st we had a field trip and we are going on another field trip on the 8th then we are meeting again on the 15th. If you have any questions that you are wanting answered feel free to email me at ____@____.com and put Homeschool-Mamasource in the subject so I won't accidently delete it.

B.

You could always see if there is a Girl Scout troop in your area. She would get plenty of socialization with Scouts. Also check with your local library and see if they have a weekly book club for her age group.
We just started home schooling back in January out mid year because of issues we had with the school administration. My daughter (13yo) has been in Girl Scouts since the 1st grade (she is now an 8th grader......and her Cadette group of 8 girls are all best friends.....5 of them are home schooled). They meet every Tuesday as well as going on various trips, doing community service projects, participating in the Christmas Parade, mentoring younger girls, etc.. My son (12yo) is in Boy Scouts....he started in Cub Scouts as a Wolf Cub. They meet every Monday as well as going camping at least once a month, doing community service projects, mentoring a group of Webelos from a local Cub Scout Pack etc.
They both also do a book club at the library one afternoon each week, and participate in the library's summer reading programs.
See if your area has a home school association......they may also have group gatherings as well as their own activities.....ours has a home school band, an orchestra, a soccer team, a volleyball team, a robotics club, a flag football team, as well as some sort of fun family gathering practically every month.
There are many other ways of getting your child into a social group. In this day and age, that really isn't much of a factor when deciding to home school. Just do what is right for your family and your child.

Do not worry. There are lots of groups. Look in your paper, ask your friends, check the churches.
To reassure your husband, get some homeschooling books. Your library will have some. In fact, our library sponsors activities just for homeschoolers. Show your husband what the books have to say.
Also, consider this. Public schools do not have a great record of socializing people. Just look around. Could you do worse?
I have been homeschooling my 15-yr.-old daughter and 12-year-old son since their first grade years. I agree with the books that told me homeschooled kids tend to be closer to their family and more independent in their learning--self-starters. I also enjoy how often people say to me, "Your kids are so well mannered," "Your son was so polite on the phone," etc. They always sound surprised. I think it's that homeschool socialization, myself.
Fathers tend to be anxious about teenage daughters. You might go so far as to remind your husband that one day your daughter will be fifteen. At that point, would you rather she be closer to her friends or her family?

Hi S.,

I homeschooled my daughter when she was in the 4th grade. It was the most fun and most frustrating task I had ever taken on. My daughter and I enjoyed our times together and would make our afternoon walks a science lesson. But, as organized as I am it was difficult to plan out the weekly lesson plans and be prepared to answer any questions. We did a good job and it was a good experience but I wouldn't do it again. As far as socialization we belonged to a homeschool group that met regularly for outings. The one thing she missed out on was gym class...though we did go to the park almost daily. I heard afterwards that homeschooled children can also have access to public schools gyms and sometimes can be enrolled in just a gym class...don't know how truthful that is but you might want to check it out.

I hope this has been helpful...good luck.

W. Q

You can go with Gateway Christian Schools and teach you child and send in her grades and they will send you a report card, then when she is finished she will grad. with a class of the same year. You can teach her what you want to teach her. Socializing will happen by getting with other home schoolers and if you go to church. There are a lot of home schooling groups out there. Teach her a home would be my choice. God Bless. B. A.