Announcement

**Alwaysgreener** · 08-21-2023, 01:57 PM

Michael

My state says that I can let my school district know but that I do not have to. Due to the fact that she was enrolled for 6 years and it was a choice school we are going to let them know. I just had my daughter remove all her Google Classroom assignments that she wanted to keep. (they wrote letters to themselves last year)

With my ds, I emailed last night and said due to no bussing that we were going to wait to send him, again choice school, but he is also 5 and I do not have to school him until he is 6 here.

My Homeschool friends also recommended HSLDA, she said that they will protect you if the school district makes a fuss.

Before dd started school, I wanted to homeschool but my DH was not for it. However, I had come up with the name Maplewoods Academy for my school, although a name is not required in my state.

I told DH that he can be the principal and the field trip planner. He also has a background in art so he can do that too. DD has been buying art supplies all summer. She is looking forward to this venture.

**Michael** · 08-14-2023, 11:06 AM

My wife and I homeschooled our children all the way until graduating them from high school. While spending time teaching them one-on-one, there were times that online courses (k12.com) and using tutors allowed us to do our other businesses from home. You should be able to educate them from apart from your daycare business while separating, managing, and supervising both in the same household. As long as your children’s curriculum is maintained each day they should advance well in homeschool.

We found that our children could progress even after normal school hours as long as they completed their required studies and homework with our supervision. In,many ways they become more self-sufficient over time. Some may think that is neglecting them, but both advanced quickly and they eventually completed and attained their high school level diplomas years before their friends attending public schools. They excelled in college. My son worked for NASA’s JPL and is now completing his PhD. My daughter is studying criminology and is an actress.

I highly promote homeschooling for those parents that can be actively involved with their children’s day to day learning and extracurricular activities.

**hsm** · 08-15-2023, 01:39 PM

I did both for nearly 6.5 years and am still homeschooling. Having everyone on a routine (not necessarily a schedule) but a flexible routine was key for me. Each group had scheduled 1:1 time with me and time when I was supervising but 1:1 with someone else. We all learned to work with a baby on our lap.
Parents received a copy of our general routine at the beginning of each school year and the start of summer so they knew how I planned to get everyone's needs met.
Prepping ahead of time as much as possible for meals worked well too.
I'm happy to answer any specific questions you may have.

**Alwaysgreener** · 08-20-2023, 11:38 PM

Originally posted by hsm View Post

I did both for nearly 6.5 years and am still homeschooling. Having everyone on a routine (not necessarily a schedule) but a flexible routine was key for me. Each group had scheduled 1:1 time with me and time when I was supervising but 1:1 with someone else. We all learned to work with a baby on our lap.
Parents received a copy of our general routine at the beginning of each school year and the start of summer so they knew how I planned to get everyone's needs met.
Prepping ahead of time as much as possible for meals worked well too.
I'm happy to answer any specific questions you may have.

hsm

Well, public school starts this week and I am planning on postponing starting homeschooling a week, dd will be in 6th grade and is going to start this week working on workbooks and placement tests to see where to start her. I plan on visiting a bookstore to see books and then buy online as advised.

I planned on starting dcgs preschool this week but then I was told that the older one is leaving for all-day preschool. Then DS did not get bussing for K so he will be homeschooled too. So I thought he can just do the extra preschool work that dcg will not be doing.

Currently, that leaves me with one almost 2-year-old all day with DD and DS.

What is your reasoning for telling the parents your routine?

My original plan was to have Dd work on typing and homework or Khan for an hour in the morning. Do some chores, Then at nap, read while I take a break then would on her other studies leaving her with homework or a website to do. For extra classes, she wants cooking/baking and art, so she can help with making lunch.

Since we do not have to go out to the bus stop anymore, I will be able to adjust my dc schedule.

What kind of schedule/routine do you suggest for my older child?

Ds was gifted 5 workbooks by his great aunt last year, he struggles with the fine motor but he can do most of a workbook verbally just not tracing. He also can cut just does not write well. So with those workbooks and preschool work. I am not sure if I need to add any more curriculum, just learning to read.

How did you teach your kids to read?

Do you have any online stores you would recommend?

Do you have any online resources you would recommend?

**Alwaysgreener** · 08-21-2023, 01:57 PM

Michael

My state says that I can let my school district know but that I do not have to. Due to the fact that she was enrolled for 6 years and it was a choice school we are going to let them know. I just had my daughter remove all her Google Classroom assignments that she wanted to keep. (they wrote letters to themselves last year)

With my ds, I emailed last night and said due to no bussing that we were going to wait to send him, again choice school, but he is also 5 and I do not have to school him until he is 6 here.

My Homeschool friends also recommended HSLDA, she said that they will protect you if the school district makes a fuss.

Before dd started school, I wanted to homeschool but my DH was not for it. However, I had come up with the name Maplewoods Academy for my school, although a name is not required in my state.

I told DH that he can be the principal and the field trip planner. He also has a background in art so he can do that too. DD has been buying art supplies all summer. She is looking forward to this venture.

**girlmomma** · 08-22-2023, 05:06 AM

It’s crazy that the schools would even give you a fuss about homeschooling your children.

**hsm** · 08-22-2023, 09:05 PM

Originally posted by Alwaysgreener View Post

What is your reasoning for telling the parents your routine?
Probably mostly guilt on my end about whether I could balance the needs of my homeschoolers and the children of my clients. I wanted to reassure the families that their kids would get at least as much of my attention as my own kids. I'm a routine driven person so I already had a daily/weekly schedule made up. I just made copies and gave one to each family. They knew that it was a guideline and that the needs of all of the children in my home (theirs and mine) would override the schedule as needed.

It also helped one of my families (part-time and liked to push the envelope on changed which days and early arrivals) understand that changes in schedule really affected how we schooled. I loaded days that family wasn't here heavier with work as my other families had later arrivals and kids who were capable of longer periods of free play.

What kind of schedule/routine do you suggest for my older child?

Since your older child attended school he/she may need to "deschool" for a bit. I don't have lots of advice on that as my kids have never attended school. Start small. You can always add things in as time and interest allow.

Consider your child's personality and strengths/weaknesses and build around that. How well will she be able to concentrate with the noise of dcks? Can she stay on task if she is in her room or otherwise out of your sight? How often are breaks needed? I did the bulk of my instruction with my kids in one chunk in the morning, starting before drop-offs. Once I was done teaching they worked on seat work until they were finished. I was available for help/questions during nap time in upper grades and as needed/dc schedule allowed in the lower grades. That worked for us, but absolutely would not work for some families I know.

Homeschooling doesn't have to happen M-F 8-3. It can happen in the evenings or on the weekend. It can start at 6 am or 2 pm or whatever time works best for you. We worked on a 4 day week for until about 2 years ago. Whenever you do it, it will likely not take the same amount of time "regular" school took. Because you can tailor the work to the needs of you child and because you are cutting out all of the lining up and turn-taking and busywork that is part of public/private schooling, you will accomplish more in less time (most days

). You don't have to do every subject every day.

Establish boundaries and procedures for the dck and the homeschoolers as needed. In my home the dck were not allowed to play in the room my kids were studying in once they were old enough to understand that rule (I could see and hear them in the adjoining room with a large doorway and I was usually standing in or near the doorway). My kids were not allowed to interrupt preschool/language group/other group activities I did with the dcks. I taught my kids how to recognize when they were distracted and move to a quieter room to continue working. EVERYONE went outside for a little bit after lunch for fresh air and movement.

Consider your own routine. How much work will homeschooling require you to do after hours? How can you batch tasks and streamline things to limit the time you need so spend outside of the work/school day on school and daycare prep?

How did you teach your kids to read?

I used 100 Easy Lesson to Teach Your Child to Read. Cheap, easy, scripted for the parents, Orton-Gillingham based. I loved it and my kids loved it. Both hit one point partway through where we had to stop and put it away for a few weeks. Brought it back out, back-tracked a couple of lessons and then progressed fine through the remaining lessons. After 100 lessons, the child will be reading proficiently at a mid-second grade level.

100 Easy Lessons is not recommended for children with learning disabilities. If you suspect that may be an issue, All About Reading is another good program and has been used successfully by many families with kids who struggle to learn to read. It's more expensive, but used copies are widely available.

With my younger child, I needed to foster an interest in books. She was read to a lot from infancy, but I found using the concepts behind the "Five in a Row" curriculum really helped her develop a love for books and reading. I used the framework from this curriculum to make literature-based units for my dcks as well. The 3-5 yr olds loved it. The repetition of reading the same book for multiple days in a row and really deep diving into it appealed to them all.

You mentioned struggles with fine motor/tracing. While it sounds like your son is still pretty young and may age out of that, Handwriting without Tears is an excellent resource for building those skills. They have preK through 5th grade materials. It was developed by an occupational therapist. I used it as a classroom special education teacher, for homeschooling and also as part of a preschool curriculum for a 5yr dck who was delaying K till age 6.

Do you have any online stores you would recommend?

I usually order curriculum from Rainbow Resource. Many homeschoolers I know use Christian Book to order from. I like to get used novels from ThriftBooks and Abe Books. Ebay and Marketplace are hit or miss but I've gotten some good deals there.

Do you have any online resources you would recommend?
Until this year we haven't done a lot of computer-based school, and are only doing a tiny bit this year, so I don't have many resources for that.

*Cathy Duffy's website is great for comparing and researching curriculum for just about any subject.
*EasyPeasy Homeschool is a completely free K-12 curriculum that is mostly online (some printables). You can customize what coursework you want your child to take.
*AmblesideOnline (Christian) and Mater Ambilis (Catholic) have free Charlotte Mason style curriculum online. I am a classical homeschooler, but I do reference the booklists from these two sites. I don't know if there's a secular version of this out there.
*TPT can be a good resource. There's tons available - quality/value is mixed.
*I have friends whose kids love taking classes on Outschool.com.
*Local or regional if you're rural homeschool groups. These are a great way to find out what else is going on in the local homeschool community and to connect with other kids/parents.
*I like homeschool podcasts. Pam Barnhill, Andrew Pudewa of IEW, Raising Lifelong Learners, and Sarah Mackenzie's Read Aloud Revival are a few of my personal favorites, but there are many to choose from.

HSLDA is a good idea if you think your school is going to push back on homeschooling. Members also have access to sample withdrawal letters.

I hope this helps some and good luck on your homeschooling adventure! While some DAYS I am contemplating enrolling everyone in school, I have never regretting the YEARS we've spent homeschooling.

**Alwaysgreener** · 08-23-2023, 06:38 AM

hsm

I plan on getting HSLDA, I don't trust the district. I wrote my letter to the school for DD like Tom always recommends to do with terming and said the school was not currently a good fit for my DD. With ds he got enrolled but used lack of bussing as why I was going to wait to start him.

Sometimes I feel I got this then I start feeling so over whelmed. I planned all summer to homeschool DD but expected ds to be in school.

I have lost two of my three families one to free preschool and the other due to no bussing. I can't seem to replace. So now I am advertising that I am open Friday to see if that helps.

The prices of the school books are all over the place depending on what brand you get. I think she would benefit from math u see because it focuses on one type of math at a time but the books are pricey.

My DD is not ready to move directly to sixth grade because she hates reading and doesn't know her math facts, then she fights class time because she wants to play.

I went to a HS bookstore yesterday, it has all different brands of books and a used book section. I came home exhausted and still not sure what to get for her. Is there a website that you could take a quiz and it tells you what to get?

**Alwaysgreener** · 08-23-2023, 06:42 AM

Also...

Do you track what you taught? How? Lesson planning?

Do you pre plan a school calendar? Or do you follow the school schedule on being closed or start/stop?

Any must have school supplies do you recommend outside the basic (pencil or binders or paper or coloring supplies) ?

**Michael** · 08-23-2023, 10:46 AM

We used k12.com which keeps track of their daily studies and curriculum path. We found that our children moved forward at their own level but if they were struggling with a subject, we engaged with them to help them along. If the subject was out of our league, we hired a tutor to get them through a difficult learning period. I liked that we had oversight of their learning. If they wanted to do something with the family that day, they had to make sure they were done with their school work. It seemed they only needed a few hours a day. My son finished high school at 15 and my daughter at 16.

I used to get all types of criticism from other children’s parents about homeschooling and how our children wouldn’t learn adequately or socially if they weren’t attending a conventional school. That’s hogwash. I found my children were much more social and they excelled later in college. They were never bullied, in clicks, or had peer pressure.

The perception was that my children were not learning the social skills in public school that they would need in public life. Again - not true. If school were like a job, then it would be like prison, You can change jobs but you really can’t leave public school. They even “recommended”, here in California, that parents pay the $40 a day that the schools would lose if a child misses school for those days. We never got a tax break for the costs of homeschool but still pay the costs for public school in out state taxes which are 10%. California’s educational cost are over $125 billion a year and we are ranked near the bottom.

I know this is more of a vent but we loved it and paid for it. The upside is that homeschooling was the best option for my kids and family.

I’m sure there are other forms of online schooling. Here’s the FAQ for K12.com

FAQs

https://www.k12.com/parent-student-resources/faqs/

FAQs for K12 online schools. Learn about our K12 curriculum and teachers as well as how to register and why we stand out from traditional homeschooling.

**Alwaysgreener** · 08-23-2023, 11:56 AM

Michael there is so much hogwash out there. When DD was a year my sister asked when was I going to put her in daycare (I opened years later) because DD need socialization.

I got complaints on cloth diapers because it delayed walking. I got oh you are still breastfeeding, how does dh feel about not being able to feed his own child. (Don't worry he didn't feel left out breastfeeding was his idea, too)

Mil asked if I had given DD a bottle of water yet, because that use to be a thing.

My other sister insisted that I get baby detergent or getting matching crib sheets, blankets and comforter.

So many people were shocked that I didn't have a theme for the nursery or that I didn't want to know the sex of my baby, because how do you know whether to by pink or blue. (My response, queen Victoria dressed her boys in pink so I don't think color matters to the baby)

I know I am going to get grief for homeschooling, too.

I have HS friends that are saying you got this, do it and a preschool teacher friend that trying to give me options for my ds to attend ps.

**Pestle** · 08-23-2023, 12:09 PM

I was homeschooled K-12. It worked for me but not for my brother, and neither did public school or college, so I think that was a him thing.

I tried homeschooling my daughter in kindergarten, and we ended up in behavioral therapy. She could not emotionally cope with my attention always being turned first toward whichever daycare baby had pooped themselves or was otherwise having a crisis.

She's in fifth grade now and her school only goes through sixth, so I'm hoping we can homeschool from seventh grade onward, but her ADHD puts her emotionally several years behind other kids and causes her to be disorganized, so it may be asking too much of her to get through the school day without a parent who can turn 100% of their attention on her.

My mom and my spouse are both neurodivergent and experienced hell in public schools, so I am pretty committed to keeping my kid out of the remarkably-bad system where we live. But that may mean switching to a half-day daycare program in a couple of years.

**Alwaysgreener** · 08-24-2023, 08:06 PM

hsm

So at what point did you let potential families know that you homeschooled?

I am trying to fill spots and figure out the whole homeschool and how it is going to look, especially if I have to start working on Fridays. I don't want to give the impression that I don't have it figured all out. So how and when should I bring up homeschooling?

Funny side note

DS told dcg4 today that he was being homeschooled or as he put "my school is at home" which I never really talked to him about it. Before I was saying you are going to go to school with DCG6.

I told Dd that we would start in September when I had things figured out and she kept bugging me to do something today.

**hsm** · 08-25-2023, 03:54 PM

I was homeschooling before I started daycare. My kids were K and 2nd grade when I opened my daycare in January of that school year so the families knew when they signed up with me that this is what they did. I was upfront about my family's commitment to homeschool and wanted to make sure they were onboard with how things worked for us. Because adding the extra kiddos was new for me (and 2/3 I added were infants) I provided the parents with a schedule I had made that I felt would work and told them this was what we were going to aim for and that the needs of the children would drive any schedule changes that were necessary. Because my own kids were with me 24/7 I could catch up on school after daycare hours if necessary so the needs of the daycare kids would come before schoolwork. If I saw school work was taking a back burner more often, then I looked for ways to rearrange the schedule. This year, before deciding to close, I turned away a couple of families looking for infant care because I knew baby schedules (or lack thereof!) wouldn't fit into the flow of our day.

I would recommend looking at your daily routine, plotting out pockets of time to work on school 1:1 with your kids and thinking through what the daycare kids will be doing at that time and then share that framework with families that may have concerns. Some might be just fine with the idea of homeschooling and they trust you will balance it all. Maybe schooling during naps would work for you (It didn't for me for multiple reasons). Maybe your kids will be doing online school mostly and it works best for them to concentrate when you take the dcks outside to play. The prospective families don't need to know you are doing math at 9 with Math-U-See and spelling at 9:45 with All About Spelling. They just need to know that 9-10 is your homeschool instruction time and the daycare kids will engage in supervised free play during that block. Unless things drastically change, they don't need to be informed of every schedule change if you've presented the initial routine as "this is what we are aiming for and the needs of the kids will dictate any changes made". Let me know if you'd like me to message you a sample or two of the schedules I shared with families.

My kids learned to work within the time I had set out for them most days because they knew that the families were paying me for a service and that they had agreed to allow me to homeschool while I worked so my kids needed to be respectful of the time the families were paying us. In my case daycare income provided breathing room in our budget and some extra savings so they knew that without the daycare families, our budget for "fun" would disappear quickly.

Yay for kids that are excited to start homeschooling!

One of the best things about homeschooling is that you can change whatever doesn't work whenever you need to, so take a deep breath and jump in! I'm on year 12, have a far more flexible schedule and I've already tweaked a number of things in our first week back. I'm still in search of a science curriculum I love. Always room to grow and improve.

**Alwaysgreener** · 08-28-2023, 10:53 AM

I sent both the elementary and middle school a notice of withdrawal from school and neither building sent any kind of reply. I even sent one to the K teacher directly. Not even an okay or thanks for letting us know. Should I be worried?

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Homeschooling During Daycare

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