Homeschooling is Not Expensive!
By Laura | February 8, 2010
One of the greatest misconceptions of homeschooling is that it is expensive. I have read it in many publications, as well as many places on the web, that a person needs to budget hundreds of dollars per child per year in order to give each a proper education.
I understand where this mindset comes from; we have all been led to believe that it takes money, and loads of it, in order to teach children. This is driven mostly by the huge public education machine in our country. Every voting season the media is bursting with pleadings for more funding, with the stories of teacher shortages, building shortages, etc. It is unfortunate just how mis-managed these dollars are, but that is the stuff for other entries and another day.
Fact is, if God is our Source, we have no fears for tomorrow–just to be happy to have enough for today.
If I only had $20, I could homeschool my children. First, I would purchase a few cheap spiral notebooks, which can be found during back-to-school sales for as little as .10 a piece. I would buy some pencils and a small sharpener. Some color crayons would be good as well. I would make sure I had a Bible handy for reading aloud, copy work, etc. A set of watercolors and some playdough could also be helpful (you could make this with flour and salt–little or no expense there!).
Topics: 101 reasons to homeschool, free resources, in the community | No Comments »
WoW 15 Minutes of Fame: Horde of Unschoolers
By Laura | February 8, 2010
Meet <Horde of Unschoolers> matriarch Takulah, mom to two WoW-playing unschoolers and a WoW enthusiast in her own right, after the break.
15 Minutes of Fame: So here’s a question I’m sure you get a lot — what exactly is unschooling?
Takulah, <Horde of Unschoolers>: Freedom to learn and grow, to explore questions and passions. My job is to help, chauffeur, provide opportunities, share interesting things (goes both ways between kids and parents). The answer to this question is considerable. For lots of information, try SandraDodd.com or JoyfullyRejoycing.com, or Google “unschooling.”
How long has your family been unschooling? What got you started?
We’ve been unschooling just shy of six years now. My 13-year-old got me started when school didn’t work for her and a curriculum in a box caused tears and frustration rather than fascination, enjoyment, curiosity.
And so here you are in World of Warcraft. Tell us about the Horde of Unschoolers. What inspired you to start the guild?
An unschooling dad started the guild as a way for kids and parents (most of whom know each other from unschooling conferences) who enjoyed the game to play together.
Are all HoU members unschoolers, or do you allow other members as well?
As far as I know, we’re all unschoolers in the guild. It’s a place where unschoolers who know each other from conferences or online can play, so there are some parameters.
How old are most guild members?
All ages. There’s a group of kids ages 6 to 11 who play almost daily, a few teens who play often and parents who play regularly.
I understand you all use Skype to communicate in game. Is that something you use for other things, too? Have you tried out the in-game chat system?
We use Skype to communicate mostly in WoW, but (also for) other internet things also. Haven’t tried the in-game chat system yet.
We don’t really have enough high-level characters for a raid … I did hear of one raid early on that ended in “Run away!” We do a fair amount to dungeons together and help each other level. Some of the kids go to a farm in Durotar or other place and roleplay.
Do your kids have time limits or restrictions on when or how much they can playWoW?
My kids don’t have a time limit to play WoW – and since it is not put on the “Pedestal of Scarcity,” it is played freely, like all the other things they do.
Do you consider WoW part of your kids’ educational experience?
Everything is educational; learning happens all the time. Anything one does or doesn’t do adds information to her body of knowledge, no? For us, WoW has led to many interesting conversations and research. For instance, one time my son and I played with a couple of guys from Brazil. One of the guys only typed in Portuguese; the other guy would translate. We got to learn a few Portuguese words, look up Brazil, check time zones. We got to make a connection with stories from my husband about the time he was in Brazil (seeing shanty towns and eating the most tantalizing coconut pudding).
What’s a typical day for your family? How does WoW fit in?
Our typical days are easy going days filled with eating, cooking, playing, questioning, reading, exploring, caring for pets, watching, concentrating, drawing, building, relaxing, pondering, writing, experimenting, researching. WoW is played intermittently through out the day, when I have some time. My son plays for considerable chunks of time with several kids.
Tell us about your family — ages, WoW main characters, things each character enjoys in game.
I have two kids ages 13 and 9. They both play WoW.
My favorite faction is Horde, and I like ranged attackers — it is easier to see what is going on around me in the game. My main is a level 68 female troll hunter, Takulah. She’s been the pioneer of the game for me, seeing new zones, learning the ropes. I also have a level 49 female blood elf priest (Talukah) who I’m playing in battlegrounds right now, trying to learn to be a better player at PvP. And lastly I have a level 40 male troll mage (Zeb), who is just downright fun. It is so satisfying to throw a Pyroblast and see a nice chunk of health eliminated from my target! Heh, heh. I’m also getting into roleplaying a bit. There’s a lot to learn in that aspect. So far, I have basic personalities for my characters and can sort of speak like a troll.
What other games do you play? What about your kids?
WoW is the only online game I like right now. My kids also play Puzzle Pirates, Second Life Teen, Warcraft 3 and Sims.
What does your family enjoy doing when you’re not playing WoW?
Scootering, roller skating, knitting, reading, watching movies, swimming, caring for pets, cooking, drawing, building things.
Let’s hear it from the rest of the family: what do you enjoy most about playingWoW with Horde of Unschoolers?
Luke, age 9: I don’t know … I just like, love it, I guess! … questing, dungeon running, roleplaying, stuff like that. (Takulah adds, “Really, I think he is too busy in his life to stop and answer questions; I do see him having lots of fun on the game with his friends.”)
Addi, age 13: I’m always excited to gain a new level. I spend my talent points right away. I’m good at organizing groups, I like dueling and I like *cough* killing Alliance *cough*.
Thanks for sharing a look inside your lifestyles and WoWstyles. Best of luck, and happy learning and gaming!
Topics: in the news | 3 Comments »
Labels That Unschoolers Reject
By Laura | February 8, 2010
Our school systems like to label children, then medicate them for these so-called problems. Kids are said to be ”learning disabled,” “hyperactive,” “oppositionally defiant,” and to have a variety of other “disorders.” I’ve written about this for years, preferring to think that the problem is with the schooling system rather than with the children. All too often, schools deflect blame onto the victim rather than owing the problem, which originates from a misalignment between children’s needs and the demands of an outdated, assembly line education system.
Topics: in the news | No Comments »
Homeschoolers Invited to Enter Google’s Doodle 4 Google Contest
By Laura | February 8, 2010
Homeschooler, get out your colours and your thinking caps for this year’s Doodle 4 Google contest to design a Google logo around the theme “If I could do anything, I would…”
For info on rules and entry, see here.
Topics: contests | No Comments »
An Update on the Girls!
By Laura | February 7, 2010
Dawn and Emily have been busy crafting, colouring, gluing and playing! It’s so nice to see them play together…it makes me glad that I had them close together. With 15 months only between them, they are becoming great playmates to one another!
Emily now knows most of her letters and she’s been starting to work on exercises such as matching beginning letter-sounds to corresponding objects and cutting in a more precise fashion.
Dawn is starting to decode words and is quickly figuring out how to read colour-words through colour-by-number worksheets, of which she has been doing many lately. She just passed her 4th birthday and she is proud of herself for now being a 4-year-old!
Emily practising her cutting.
Dawn working on her first wordsearch!
Emily is starting to match objects to their beginning sounds.
Dawn and her Lego tower.
Emily and her tower
Emily during her 4th birthday party playing with her friend's Leap Pad
Topics: Dawn, Emily, our journey | No Comments »
German Homeschooling Family Granted Political Asylum: A Win for Both Civil and Human Rights
By Laura | February 7, 2010
February 6, 10:21 PM
Davenport Early Childhood Parenting ExaminerValerie Powers
The Romeike Family wins political asylum to homeschool their kids in America Photo: HSLDA
After fleeing to America to avoid political persecution, “Educational Asylum Seekers,” German couple Uwe and Hannelore Romeike have been granted political asylum by a federal judge. The judge agreed that there was a “well-founded fear of persecution,” due to their educational philosophies. The family of seven moved from Germany in late 1998, so that they could openly homeschool their children, without facing repercussion.
The Romeike family emigrated from Germany after they were facing losing custody of their children, due to keeping them out of what they described as a school system that lacks Christian values (the family is described as Evangelical Christian). Germany requires children to attend school; homeschooling is not an option that families can exercise, regardless of their religious beliefs. So the Romeikes withdrew their kids from school, but encountered a myriad of legal problems, including a $10,000 fine. What’s more, is that officials actually took their children to school – something unheard of to most Americans, who are blessed to exercise their religious rights to keep kids out of public and private school situations.
After running out of options, the Romeike family packed up and headed to rural Tennessee - a world away – to seek out refuge from the possible jail time and fines they were facing, which was all in effort to educate their children – in the manner they wanted. The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) worked with the family to situate them here in U.S., where they could freely home school, and rear their family without the encumbrances and stigma that Germany imposed on them.
In a statement provided by the family’s attorney, Uwe Romeike shared that “over the past 10 to 20 years, the curriculum in public schools in Germany has been more and more against Christian values, and my eldest children were having problems with violence, bullying and peer pressure. It’s important for parents to have the freedom to choose the way their children can be taught.”
The couple has not only been embraced in their new town, but actively participates in homeschool networking opportunities with other families and spends time socializing their children with other homeschoolers. The victory for the Romeike represents a significant and monumental win for homeschooling families.
Families in Davenport can learn more about homeschooling, here:
Florida Virtual School; offers subsidized homeschool curriculum for grades K-12
Homeschooling your child: Non-Traditional education series, part 1
Homeschool Legal Defense Association; Florida Chapter with news, legislation and resources
Source: HSLDA
Topics: in the news | 1 Comment »
For All You “Ignorant” Homeschooling Peeps
By Laura | February 5, 2010
A lovely video about ‘ignorant’ homeschooling moms. Please pass it on!
Topics: homeschooling | No Comments »
6 year-old Homeschooled Student suspended…
By Laura | February 5, 2010
From Associated Press
DES MOINES, Iowa – A 6-year-old home-schooler who ran afoul of “zero tolerance” policies was suspended because he took a shotgun shell to his school.
The first-grader’s mother, Charlene Beattie, says the one-week suspension imposed by the Des Moines school district, lacked common sense.
Beattie says her son, Matthias, is “a little kid from the farm” who had no intent to do any harm.
Matthias’ parents say he found the shell as they cleared out a wall of their Carlisle farmhouse. The Beatties say they didn’t know the boy had the shell when they dropped him off last week at his public school class.
Matthias isn’t a public school student in the eyes of state law, and his class meets at a church. But district officials say home school students are bound to discipline policies.
District home-schooling coordinator Leslie Dahm calls live ammunition a “serious threat.”
——
Information from: The Des Moines Register,http://www.desmoinesregister.com
Topics: in the news | No Comments »
Heart of the Matter Online Conference Registration is Open!
By Laura | February 5, 2010
Does the mid-winter funk have you feeling down and wondering what the heck you’re doing homeschooling your children? Can’t remember why you started doing this in the first place? Heart of the Matter, has just started accepting registrations for it’s biannual Online Homeschooling Conference for February 22-24. The list of speakers and topics look pretty impressive:
Registration is only $12.95! I think that this is a VERY little price to pay for the benefit you have of speaking with this wonderful group of homeschoolers and homeschooling professionals. If you can’t make it to every talk, they are being recorded so that you may download them later.
Topics: homeschool newbies, homeschooling, in the community | No Comments »
Millionaire High School Dropouts
By Laura | February 5, 2010
Jay-Z
Think that schooling from home is a sure way to kill your child’s future? Read this:
Millionaire High School Dropouts
People assume that if you don’t have a piece of paper called a “high school diploma”, you won’t get anywhere in life. I’m not one to burst bubbles, but I know MANY homeschooled kids with no so-called “diploma” who lead successful careers. I’ve also met some that haven’t done much with their lives, but equally so, I’ve met MANY more high school graduates in that position.
Employers are starting to value experience and knowledge over pieces of paper and it’s time that this finally has changed. How often are we miffed by incompetent employees who were hired based on their paper rather than their actual abilities?
Topics: 101 reasons to homeschool, in the news | No Comments »
