Why Do You Homeschool?

Everyone chooses to home educate their children for different reasons. Ours is because we like the idea of child-directed learning.

Learning is natural and should be fun. We want to give our children the support they need to follow their innate curiosities and explore the world with an open-mind.

In addition to giving our boys the freedom to learn, we feel strongly about keeping our family connected and doing things together to provide the love and nourishment a growing human being needs.

This year, our two sons are old enough to be at the third grade and kindergarten level, though they both exceed the learning skills of their age appropriate educational tier.

In addition to teaching from books and workbooks, we enjoy cooking, drawing, researching, attending presentations at the library and visiting museums. Everyday also includes a physical activity, the most popular at this time are dodgeball, basketball, kickball, and swimming.

Every year, my husband and I custom build our children's curriculum based on their current interests. We've read many homeschooling blogs and Amazon book reviews to find the books needed to guide the upcoming school year.

The school year often diverges into one direction or another following a new interest or desire for deeper understanding of a particular subject studied, so in addition we take full advantage of the multitude of resources available online to supplement our children's educational needs.

Below are two series that are highly recommended for the subjects of history and language arts. We have been using them for our first three years of home education.

• Do you have to follow a standard curriculum?
  The short answer is you can, if you'd like and there are many out there to choose from, but we have found that custom building our own has allowed us to truly cater to our children's interests, which helps keep them engaged in their own education.
  
• What about socialization?
  Homeschoolers have the opportunity to get out more and socialize than their peers in school who interact with the same teacher and same group of children all year long. In addition, there are many local homeschooling groups in our area that get together and offer opportunities for shared learning and social interaction.
• Can your kids play sports?
  At the elementary level, many sports teams are organized by the town, so it is not a problem. At the high school level, it is up to the school. We are fortunate that our local school system has offered both the educational resources available and the opportunity to participate in school sports.
  
• Does your child have to take standardized tests?
  No. Standardized tests are given to rate the school system, not the children. Regular testing is optional, our children entertain the idea and enjoy quizzing their minds.