pWe do homeschool. But, it is for so manybr /
reasons. I have two children, ages 7/p

pYes, we homeschool because of my child's p.a. She becomes ill from just being around others who have been in contact with p.b. I also do not think ill of anyone with a p.a. child that sends them to school. If my child was not airborne allergic and did not have reactions from casual contact, she would probably go to school. Homeschool has worked well for us, also. This fall I will also h.s. our second child (K-5) mainly because she will barely be five by Sept. 1 and only all day Kinderg. is available, which I am against. Private school is also an alarming $3,000 a year. I see the benefits to both types of schooling but for us h.s. is best. As parents of p.a. children, we need to consider the severity of the allergy and whether you trust the school to handle it, not only from a medical stand point but emotional one as well. As parents we must decide what is best for our children. . . P.S. Don't let anyone tell you that h.s. children are lacking in social skills. Just sit down and have a talk with a h.s. family and listen to the activities they do (P.E. class, art class, spanish class, etc.). I make sure my child participates in such classes outside the home./p

pBarb I am taking place in that debate too..I tried to calm it down, but to no avail. I don't homeschool nor did I ever think to..it never even crossed my mind, nor would I./p
pFor some, home-schooling is not an option. Both parents need to work and need the health insurance to deal with the cost of life threatening allergies and everything else that goes along with it./p
pI will say on that board though, I don't know who wrote it, but a child or parent bringing a pa food to school being compared to a murderer, or a loaded gun..I don't like that comparison because it causes sterotypes and prejudice, making an already lethal situation worse./p
pDid you read the one post by shmooty about the child that kids were bullying and smeared peanut butter all over and the kid almost died? The comparison of murder and guns etc., can cause that kind of hate in the school and doesn't get us anywhere, I believe. The above situation however, I would consider murder if the child died and I consider that also to be a felony act of attempted murder which the legal system should be involved, if it isn't already. If that were my kid, the school, the kids, the parents would all have a major lawsuit on their hands./p

pCan you post the link to the parentsplace debate on peanut free schools? I've been unable to find the debate/postings on parentsplace. THANKS./p

pBarb, you are not an irresponsible idiot! We have never considered home schooling, and have not had any problems at our public school. I have worked very hard to educate school personnel, and they have done a lot more than I have asked. They are very receptive. You have to do what works for you./p

pI am bringing this topic up because there are a lot of good questions on the topic of home schooling and I don't think everyone knows this topic is here./p
pOf course, you can post anywhere you like, but this thread helps keep some of the subject info together./p
pSue in Sunny Arizona/p
p[This message has been edited by Sue (edited October 27, 2000).]/p

pditto, Naomi! We chose to homeschool long before our oldest was born. *I* knew I wanted to homeschool before that even, but hubby and I never discussed it until we found out we were pg. He agreed almost immediately that this is the way we should go. He knew he didn't want public schools, but had been worried about 'socialization'. Once I pointed out all the extracurricular activities (soccer, scouts, dance, 4H, etc) and all the 'field trips' out in public (stores, zoos, museums, libraries, etc) he realized that wasn't really an issue. /p
pI don't know that we would have chosen homeschooling based solely on PA, though. I tend to think we would NOT have. I can't say for certain, because we have never been in that position. We had already planned on homeschooling. /p
pWe've only just 'gotten it' when it comes to PA (thanks peanutallergy.com!!), and so this may change, but right now, we are trying very hard to not allow PA to 'rule our lives totally', ya know? What I mean is, we're trying to keep the changes in our lives as minimal as is safely possible. If Matt were airborne sensitive (and we haven't seen any evidence that he is, that we were aware of), the changes we are making would be much more severe, I'm sure. So maybe had we NOT been planning on homeschooling originally, and found out Matt was airborne sensitive, maybe we would have opted for homeschooling then. I just don't know. /p
pThe whole key, though, is that each family/situation is very, very different. So how each family deals with PA, and how each family deals with education, is going to be very different. You have to do what is right and best for you./p
pI hope this post made some sort of sense. lol I oftentimes have difficulties getting my point across clearly. =(/p

pI am homeschooling my almost 5 year old daughter. I started exploring this option over a year ago due in part to PA. The more I learned about HS the more it felt like the right choice for our family. PA is only one of MANY reasons. It is a HUGE decision tho, and certainly not for everyone. But it is a valid, viable, enriching alternative. We belong to 2 HS groups and get together 3 times a month. I definately recommend that, very empowering and supportive. My daughter also takes a dance class and swim class. a lot of people are concerned with social aspects but Im fairly confident that won't be a problem. There are many hundreds of thousands of HS, you're bound to connect with some. And with the library, park, friends, extra classes, life, etc, she's social enough!/p

pMy family is basically home-schooling. I decided on home-schooling many years ago before I even met my husband. This was a part of our talks while dating. He was opening to trying. We began home-schooling our PA daughter when she was 5, but she was not a diagnosed PA child then. Our decision had to do with our faith, not PA./p
pHaving said that, we were forced into the situation of sending our two daughters to public school for the 2000-2001 school term. We had just returned to Canada from six years in South Africa and had to both work as part of the adjustment stage. While there were many things that we were very unhappy about, the school's handling of Kwanita's allergy was not one (for the most part). This was mostly due to the fact that she was not yet diagnosed (we only suspected) and that she had a PA teacher. /p
pWe finally got into an appointment with an allergist in June and she was diagnosed then. I was still pretty happy with the school until I discovered that they lost her epi-pen!/p
pAll that said, home-schooling works for us. We are returning to it, but we did not consider her PA as a reason even then. Things with the school system really trouble me, but if it were necessary, I would be willing to work with her school and teachers to do whatever I can to safeguard her./p
pThe choice is up to you as a family. No-one else need concern themselves with your decisions. You do what you need to do that allows you to have peace each day and then you stand firm in your choice./p
pHope this is helpful. Natalie./p

pI have been home-schooled since the end of 2nd grade, and it was not just because of my PA. Most schools are so terrible now that I wouldn't dream of going back. Even at our private, Christian school, there were scary people hanging around, kids teaching other kids bad words, etc. Of course, my PA had something to do with it...that's another reason I wouldn't want to back to school, public or private. I understand that home-schooling is not an option for some people, but I think that if you can home-school, you should do it! I don't miss having friends at school at all. I am in a home-school group which have meetings, field trips, parties, etc./p

We considered it. I definitely admire those who do and can. I homeschooled our oldest son (not PA) for a year. I don't regret that year but found that I was having constant anxiety attacks. It isn't something that works for us, but I wish it could.
All the best to you if you decide to homeschool. There are some good support websites out there for homeschoolers.
Take care,

We homeschool our son. Between multiple food allergies, asthma, GI issues and occasional migraines, he simply would be missing too much school otherwise. It's not for everyone, but it's also not as daunting as it initially may appear. There are entire school programs available, and some public libraries also carry the local school curriculum. In addition, there are local homeschooling groups that get kids together for field trips, socializing and the like. Our son likes it and is doing well. Happy to answer any other questions you may have.

We still have a few years untill dd is in school but because of dd being contact reactive and having such severe ana. reactions I have already began thinking about homeschooling. Although, two days ago dh brought up sending her to a private school that would probably work better with our allergy requests. So, we will first check into private schools and then have homeschooling as a back up. I have alot of cousins that were/are homeschooled and always thought positve things about it.
Cindy

We homeschool too.
Personnally I think anyone could homeschool *IF* they choose to, but no one should be forced to homeschool. It's a lifestyle, not a 8:30 to 3 job. If you choose the lifestyle freely, chances are you'll love homeschooling. If it's forced on you, you may resent it.

We are returning to homeschooling this year. My son wanted to try school last year, but he prefers homeschooling.

We homeschool. Takes away a good portion of PA concerns for us. If you have the desire, it's definitely worth looking into. E-mail me if you have any specific questions.
Jessica

We homeschool in part for the allergies, but for the many other positive benefits as well. This is our second year and as a family we love it. We have a large support group in our community and even classes for hs'ers at our Y. I never realised how much anxiety I had about my childrens safety in school until I had them safe at home with me. We love the flexibility it provides us. If anyone has any questions feel free to email me.

we homeschool because of allergies, and other reasons too. I'm not liking it much though and my kids always say they want to go to regular school. we won't quit though.
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[b]~Gale~[/b]

We are planning on homeschooling, but did not even think about it before ds' PA.
The more I looked into it, the greater it seemed so if by chance he outgrows PA, I think we will still homeschool.
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Tina
Trevor age 2 -PA
Harmony age 1 -Asthma, EA
Trace Michael-born June 18, 2004!!

I will be homeschooling all three of my children starting next week. Two of my children are severely PA. Two of my children have asthma. So, yes, their allergies played in my decision to homeschool. I am looking forward to a great school year. I am just taking homeschooling one year at a time.
Also, just a note to Attlun, All of the private schools here that I checked with, do not have to make accomodations for PA/food allergy children. I do not know of any private school that receives federal money so therefore the 504 could not be enacted. If this is incorrect, I know someone will let me know (LOL).

Question for gw_mom3. I have a PA son and a positive skin test/negative rast test PA daughter. My son is in a private Kindergarten this year (half day) but I am looking at homeschooling next year. I have been to a "Homeschool Expo" and have actually been considering homeschooling since he was born, so obviously it is not because of PA, but that is another good reason to Homeschool. I am also applying at a Christian School that I absolutely think is the best available. My dh is not excited about homeschooling because he feels with two other toddlers at home, the house, and other responsibilities coupled with our son's outgoing and also strong personality that it will be too much. We both would prefer the Christian School, but there is no guarantee of acceptance, so I am working on the back-up plan (homeschooling). My sister-in-law homeschools but she was a teacher before having children. I'm curious why you are not enjoying homeschooling. Would you share little about the negatives (for you), please?

I had considered it last year after my son's year in grade K. I had gotten a lot of good information from people on this board. I just couldn't decide if I wanted to take my 10 year old out as well as my 6 yr old and then soon my 3 yr old.
I really loved the benefits from it and I admire the people that choose to do it. But, my school was very accommodating and so far the school year is starting off well.
Good luck in your decision.
Renee

We homeschool our 2 sons (7 1/2 year old with mfa's and 10 year old with no food allergies). We love it!!! We had always been interested in homeschooling, but the food allergies spurred us on to do it. We started homeschooling my younger son, and then when we were confident in what we were doing, allowed my older son to choose if he would also homeschool, which he did, as he saw what younger ds was doing and jumped at the opportunity (he completed 2nd grade in public school).
We love the lifestyle. There is time to really delve into what they want to learn. Time for family activities. We are able to really guide and be involved in our children's lives, and they have input into their academic progress and focus.
I agree that you only should homeschool if that is the educational and lifestyle choices that you want for your family. Schools should provide a safe environment for all students.
Some things that seem to make homeschooling work:
1) that you really enjoy spending lots of time with your kids; everybody loves their kids, but with homeschooling you are with them often and this includes all aspects of them, quirks and all.
2) that you live in an area that has lots of homeschoolers, plenty of various activities, classes, and lots of nearby places of interest (museums, recreation leagues, pools, community centers, libraries, etc). There are over 1 million homeschoolers in the USA (I'm sure other countries have similar numbers), so unless you live in a very rural area, you are certain to be able to connect with some.
3) you have a child or children who can work independently or with each other on certain things. This can usually be taught, and will allow you some time for the various life and personal tasks.
4) As they get older, they become very helpful. It is now much easier to shop with my 10 and 7 1/2 year olds, as they push and load the cart, bag groceries, and carry bags into the house to unload. This is true of most everyday things now that they are older (if you include them in the day-to-day when they are young, although it is sort of a pain, they learn and become helpful thereafter).
5) Every aspect of life is a learning experience. We don't just "do school", but learn in many other ways. They do volunteer work and help in our community. This creates a feeling of real worth for children.
6) Financial concerns can sometimes be met in other ways. Some people work part time, alternate with spouse, work from home, or are able to spend a lot less and be really, really, conservative with money. I started a business and work my own hours (sometimes from home, sometimes with the kids, and sometimes I go out before they are up in the morning)- maybe some day my husband will work for himself and we will all be free agents.
*** But I don't feel that by homeschooling that my mfa child is necessarily safer. We are in various environments every day, so he has been taught about his allergies and knows how to stay as safe as he can. Would he be safe at school? At 7 1/2, he is more knowledgable than most adults about food allergies. I'm sure that he would be fine. But, I wouldn't put either of my children in school. Not that the public school was horrible, but I see how they learn and thrive. They are excited to learn! I see how the many homeschoolers in our area learn and thrive. They have a love-of-learning and enthusiasm that is allowed to blossom with homeschooling.
Take care,
Andrea

Try this site
[url="http://www.besthomeschooling.org/"]http://www.besthomeschooling.org/[/url]
Also, a good book on homeschooling is by Lisa Rivera, called Creative Homeschooling for Gifted Children (not sure this is the exact title).
[This message has been edited by ACBaay (edited August 09, 2004).]

Quote:Originally posted by CC'S MOM:
[b] I'm curious why you are not enjoying homeschooling. Would you share little about the negatives (for you), please?[/b]
I think the main reason is lack of support. My husband supports it, of course, but I can't find any local homeschoolers and don't know how to find them. I have joined a homeschool email group for my state but there is no one within 2 hours of me. I have asked at the public schools and they will not give me any information. I've asked around at other places with no luck. I found the "local" homeschool support group but it is over an hour away and it would be difficult for me to go to the meetings (which, btw, include food so I wouldn't feel comfortable taking my kids, especially my pa/tna dd) because of their schedule. When I called them they weren't very sympathetic to my situation (the allergy situation or the lack of support) so I wasn't very impressed.
As for the actual schooling, it's taken a while to find a curriculum that works for us. The only way to do that around here is to keep trying different ones which is very expensive and can be very frustrating-we can't afford to buy two different ones for a year because we decide one is not to our liking. So we had to suffer through it and hope that we find something better the following year. There is no homeschool convention near us. I really do live way out in the sticks-I'm in one of those areas where even the internet service providers don't have access and we are lucky that our local phone company offers dialup or else we wouldn't have internet at all.
The other thing is I had 1 child doing schoolwork where she needed my help constantly (K and 1st grade) with 2 others vying for my attention. Now my oldest is doing 3rd grade work and my younger two are doing 1st grade work. I still need to help them all a lot and it gets a bit overwhelming. This year my oldest is going to use SOS which is all on the computer so I'm hoping that frees me up a little to teach the younger two. Also I'm not really very disciplined-it's so easy to give in to the kids wanting to go outside instead of doing lessons and we did it far too much last year, which is why we're way behind now, at the start of the new year. I'm just going to have to commit to getting caught up and staying caught up this year and from here on out.
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[b]~Gale~[/b]

We are into our second year of homeschooling. DD was in public school until the middle of fifth grade. I had enough of the worry and frustration! Homeschooling for us has been very positive. I also HS my 7 yo ds. He doesn't have any allergies but I gave him the option of HSing with his sister or continuing on in PS and he chose HSing. I would be happy to talk about our experiences off the board (the good, the bad and the ugly).

KS mom.... is there [i]ugly[/i]?? LOL!!!
(Some days more than others... where [i]IS[/i] that cooking sherry??? )
My daughter (7.5 yo) has never been to "school." (At least not since she was 2.)
The trick is to not open your mouth when the only thing in your head is [i]"WHY, oh WHY can't you just be someone else's problem for a few minutes right now?????!!!"[/i] I've learned to say, "Go to your room and read or play quietly for a few minutes so I can think."
If you like, I can try to find a few threads in the Schools forum that deal with HSing.
Don't let anyone judge your decision-- sometimes retreat is the better part of valour. HSing [i]as a lifestyle[/i] works incredibly well for us. We are able to school when we like... and take our vacations, run errands, visit doctors/hairdressers/family where and when it isn't crowded-- which reduces risk. I can't imagine having to do things with everyone else in the world now. My DD has trouble enough allergy-wise without us trying to fit things into peak usage/times. Christmas shopping, for example. We have gone out [i]ONCE[/i] this year during "traditional" evening/weekend hours. And DD had a reaction.
HSing also gives my daughter time to read and play that her B+M schooled peers do not have.
The down side is that if you have a kid that [i]really[/i] needs a lot of social peer interaction, it can be hard on them (and you). Church/synagogue activities can help fill the gap, but only to a point. You also have to fundamentally [i]like[/i] your children as people to HS for long. I [i]never[/i] get a break from her. I am away from her for perhaps 6-12 hours each week. But you find ways of generating the personal space that you all need, too.
If you have a child that has multiple unmet/special needs within the school system, this [i]can[/i] make homeschooling either that much more obvious a choice.... or that much harder to do well, depending upon what those needs are. (But your SD is still obligated to provide associated services to you if they are needed under an IEP-- even if you are HSing.)
There are a LOT of different philosophies regarding HSing... as many as there are people doing it, probably. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img] They can probably be broadly broken up into three categories:
1. School at home. (This most resembles "regular" school and is what most parents are comfortable with, at least initially.) Prepackaged curriculum is available for each grade level from a variety of suppliers, both secular and religious.
2. Unschooling. This approach is the "way out there" homeschooling that most people think of... the child is in charge and directs their own learning. You simply provide a rich environment for it to happen in and answer (or help research) what they are interested in. NO 'instruction' is initiated by the parent.
3. Philosophies in between. This includes Charlotte Mason, Montessori, Waldorf, and "eclectic" methods.
Do your homework. Check out the resources that your local library has. Don't be too quick to jump into a set curriculum unless it [i]really[/i] feels right for you and your child. I would even issue the same caution about HS support groups. They tend to fall into one of the two extremes above (1 or 2, that is) and can be dismissive of other philosophies.
Your heart has led you this far, in other words-- don't turn your back on it now!
[img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

lol...Yes Corvallis mom, we have the odd "ugly" day where public school sounds like a dream to me. But honestly, there have only been a couple of those. Most of the time, especially my dd is very cooperative. She really appreciates my efforts and is grateful that I am giving her this option. She was so stressed out at school, partly because of pa and partly because of her personality.
I have to say that I love my kids, I love hs'ing but I do find that I need a little time for me. At the end of the afternoon, before it is time to start supper, I have a little bit of quiet time in my room. I get a good book and the children know that this is MY time (I tell my 7 yo that if he continually interrupts my quiet time that I will interrupt his x-box time...works well...lol). They are not to disturb me for one hour unless it is something important of course. It recharges me and allows me to unwind from the day.
When we first began I was very regimented and close to the school at home way of hs'ing. Now we have chilled out a little and have become a little more flexible. My goal from the beginning has been to keep the children ahead of where they should be (according to the SB) and once and a while I stop to make sure we are covering all of the bases. I am very proud of my childrens progress. It is amazing what they can accomplish with the one-on-one attention.
We use a variety of curriculum. I think it is great that I have been able to choose different approaches that work for each child. For instance, my dd works best with the Saxon Math program and my son works best with the Singapore math program. In PS, they don't have the choice.
Then we have the hot topic of "socialization". I won't go there at the moment...lol.

i am homeschooling my 5 year old. we also have a 4 year old with food allergies. we are very laid back in our approach and i probably lean more toward unschooling at this age than anything else. that doesnt mean i will always do this but i see my son learning so much from everything we do that i havnt seen a need to follow anything structured. he has lots of interests and seems to soak up so much information and knowledge. he is learning all the "kindergaren-first grade" stuff without alot of effort on my part except providing him with a stimulating environment and a chance to play with other kids. we take a few classes like art and gymnastics. he is in choir at church and goes to sunday school. we go to library story times sometimes and our local homeschooling group has some classes and a monthly show and tell/arts and crafts time. they are also thinking about starting a monthly pe time to play group games and we go on field trips as a group. i love homeschooling so far and we have alot of fun. I dont try to "teach" alot but i do initiate alot of activities where the kids do learn.
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Lalow
James 4 yrs, NKA
Ben 3 yrs, PA and MA and SA

We are homeschooling too.
Our five year old is nka and our three year old is mfa. We love the homeschool lifestyle!
Good luck to you on this new journey.

Thank you all so much for sharing with me!
KS mom- I understand about the worry and frustration, we've been there for 5 months now, it's stress city.
Corvallis mom- thanks for all the tips! I have read alot about H.S. and I have decided to go the traditional approach for now. I am a certified teacher still and that way only comes natural to me! We will be flexible though, I'm sure. I'm going to start talking to groups after Christmas, I'll proceed with caution!
lalow-I know what you mean about kids just naturally learning! My son seems to be teaching himself how to tell time lately, it's amazing! This age is fun to watch.
2BusyBoys- OOOOhh! the lifestyle. The flexiblity for vacations, and etc. is one thing I will certainly enjoy.
I've got one thing to ask all of you. How hard is it to work with the allergy through HS groups??? I'm sure different people (and regions) are not alike, but just in general??
I'm nervous, but looking forward to the adventure!

We are homeschooling as well, for a variety of reasons. My 7 yo and my 9 yo are both in 3rd grade. I don't think that public schools would let a 7 yo (he just turned 7 in April) in 3rd grade. My 9 yo is very immature for her age and somewhat slow and has a pronounced stutter (we are getting ready to take her to a speech therapist for that) so I'm not really sure how she would fare in public school. She often needs extra help with her lessons, which I'm not sure she would get in a public school. My just-turned 11 yo (pa/tna) is in 5th grade. All three are doing very well at home but they still complain every day when they have to do their lessons. They've never been to public school so they don't realize how good they have it. lol.
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[b]~Gale~[/b]

Quote:Originally posted by TinaM:
[b]
I've got one thing to ask all of you. How hard is it to work with the allergy through HS groups??? I'm sure different people (and regions) are not alike, but just in general??
I'm nervous, but looking forward to the adventure! [/b]
Our main hs group is small (about 15 families) and has been so understanding and careful! It truly has been amazing for us. It helps that another family in our group is also dealing with pa. Of course there are times when an activity just seems too risky and we skip it. Those have been few and far between. We joined a group that was just getting started. I think that helped vs. jumping into an established group with established habits.

Quote:
...I don't think that public schools would let a 7 yo (he just turned 7 in April) in 3rd grade.....
All three are doing very well at home but they still complain every day when they have to do their lessons. They've never been to public school so they don't realize how good they have it. lol.
Isn't THAT the truth!!! This is our situation as well. There are times that my um, "little princess" doesn't think much of homeschooling, or of Mom, for that matter. She pines for a "real" school and a "real teacher" which makes Dad and I grit our teeth... We're both ex-educators.
Anyway-- we eventually went to a cyberschool so that she has an "official" school record. It was important to us so that people would stop diminishing her capability and accomplishments with a dismissive "Oh, but she's homeschooled." So what. She's homeschooled so we're making it up? Is that it? Unfortunately, you do end up needing to "prove it" to a fair number of people and this allows her to be involved in ability-appropriate activities that her age makes her too young for. (She's 7 and entering 5th grade in Feb.)
Homeschool groups. We have not found an inclusive HS group that we were comfortable hanging around with. Locally we have two groups of people-- those who HS because they are afraid of what PS is teaching their kids, and those who HS because they believe that kids should be free to follow their every impulse. Neither philosophy is very compatible with ours... and the second can be a dangerous group from a FA standpoint.
We have met some great homeschooling families in the places they hang out during the day, however. The library... swimming lessons. (Lessons and practices for school-aged kids that occur during the regular school day are great places to find them.) School supply stores!
I also wanted to plug Singapore math. Both from our experience and also from a pedagogical standpoint-- this one is a real standout. It gives kids critical thinking skills about problem solving. That is the foundation for all higher math and all science, too. We mourn its loss each day with Calvert math. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/frown.gif[/img] (Which is what our cyberschool supplies.)
Personally, we found that Charlotte Mason worked GREAT for us. My DD is quite the reader and quite the talker. But we used Montessori methods for preK/K.
We definitely started out homeschooling with MFA as a huge part of the picture... but it soon became apparent that a profoundly gifted child was also going to have a great deal of difficulty in getting FAPE out of a school as well. Even without her MFA, we would be reluctant to enroll her in a B+M school now. Of course, our cybercharter means that finally my tax dollars are doing [i]something for ME.[/i]

our homeschool group has been ok with it all but it depends on the people. we have a small group and they range some are VERY accomidating and others frankly just forget or dont care. for the most part it isnt a great issue cause we typically dont eat together but sometimes on park days there is an occasional incident. I have had to ask people to have their kids wash their hands which they did very willingly. (one 9 year old was just covered with PB) we do alot at the library where eating isnt allowed and i bring his own food or skip some other activities where it is there. There are several homeschool groups in this area and I chose a small one cause we are pretty compatable and i figured the fewer people to explain it all to the better. Different groups seem to have their own personalities and sometimes can be very judgemental. We dont do school at home or anything close but I like our group cause many there that do and they dont care that we dont... as long as you dont call them in the mornings [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img] They are deffinately more accepting of what ever works for you family.
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Lalow
James 4 yrs, NKA
Ben 3 yrs, PA and MA and SA

Well, I guess we'll start looking at groups soon, but we're in no hurry. We live in a very small southern town and it will be hard trying to find activities and etc., but we will manage and hopefully much better!
To rid ourselves of the fear and frustration that we've gone through will be an advancement to say the least!
I'm glad many of you have had positive experiences with your groups and homeschooling in general, it gives me hope!

We've had no luck finding groups around here. My kids go to the YMCA twice a week for swimming and sometimes they go for other sports too. My oldest goes to horseback riding lessons once a week. I'm always hoping they'll make some friends out of these activities but they haven't so far-but at least they're around other kids (all ages, not just their own age). They are "friends" but they don't see each other outside the activities.
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[b]~Gale~[/b]
[This message has been edited by gw_mom3 (edited December 21, 2006).]

Just wanted to bring this back up to the top again...
I want to thank each of you who responded to my thread. It has been most helpful and supportive.
To update...
We are really enjoying homeschooling! Just getting rid of the pain of public school is a blessing in itself! DS is doing great and is learning by leaps and bounds.
We are taking it one day at a time. We haven't gotten into the groups yet, as we're taking things slowly. We especially love the flexibility of H.S. We do have a regular schedule, but it's nice to be able to accomodate sick days and etc.
Thanks again for the re-assuring thoughts about homeschooling!

Up until last weekend I never thought of homeschooling my children. Now that my baby has a PA and I am researching and finding out how scary this is I am starting to wonder if I need to do that when he is school-aged. It is so overwhelming right now. I am sure I will have a better idea when he is old enough for kindergarten.
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Slk70 (Sheryl)
Mommy to Nathan (born 2/28/06 - Peanut & Pea allergy)
Aidan (3 yrs) - so far no food allergies

We just started homeschooling, too, although I've always wanted to and have been on homeschooling email lists for years. Food allergies did end up playing a big role in our decision, but learning and behavioral problems with our eldest non-allergic one were a big part too. If my daughter didn't have multiple life threatening allergies, I'd probably feel more comfortable with sending her to a public school, but I've never been a huge fan of schools anyway, so it just worked out for us all to do this.
As far as homeschool groups go, I've been very reluctant to jump into involvement with them thus far. The food allergies are the biggest issue (I've put out feelers trying to find other homeschoolers with food allergies who would be willing to do regular food free things), but soon I may take the plunge and join a co-op. This is a huge problem for me in general.
I can't say I feel like a homeschool success story, but it's getting better!

we joined a homeschooling group for one main reason... so that my son would know that other people are homeschooled and he wont be the only one. everybody he knew was going to start school and he needed to meet some kids that were not. he has made some friends there but he doesnt see many of them other places besides those function (a couple of them are in other classes or church with him). but most of the friends he plays with are in public school. we have had very few food issues as most of the activities dont have anything to do with food.
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Lalow
James 5 yrs, NKA
Ben 4 yrs, PA and MA

slk70, I've been where you're at several years ago and I can say that I wish I had put my energy and time into homeschool planning rather than public school planning!
However, I know that everyone's situation is unique, so you'll have to figure out what's best for you.
lauramacf, all I can say is that we are happy for now. We hope it continues!
lalow, I know what you mean about letting your child know that there's other homeschooled kids out there. DS is asking about that and he's a very social kind of kid, so I will do whatever it takes to cover that area, whether it be groups or etc. We do get in several activities through church and friends, so that helps.
TinaM
Jacob, 5 yrs., PA

I homeschooled last year, but not by choice. We were battling with our school district and were forced to homeschool until we were sure the school was safe.
Our daughter thrived academically, but was absolutely miserable socially. Every day she would ask when she could go to school. She went to preschool for three years and loved it.
If your child is not a social butterfly and can handle the situation, it might be a good alternative. I would just suggest involving your child in as many social activities, field trips and outings as possible. I know this helped our daughter and me feel less isolated. We also joined homeschooling groups and are still in contact with some of those people today. We homeschool through the virtual academy and it was great - they provide all the materials, have an incredibly rich and academically advanced curriculum with plenty of support from teachers, staff and administrators. There are chat groups, field trips and much more. It's definitely worth looking into if your are going that route.
I hope whatever you decide, you enjoy the experience.
Stay safe

Here's another alternative. Cyberschooling! If you are already considering HSing but would rather be part of a larger "community" we've so far been very impressed with Connections Academy. They do group field trips but it evidently isn't mandatory to go on any particular field trip...
(The curriculum is from the Calvert School, which is academically superb.)
Plus because it is a public charter school, its your tax dollar hard at work! In other words, it is "free." Other than the fact that you almost have to have one SAH parent.
If you are new to Homeschooling, this has another big advantage of giving you a teacher to fall back on for professional guidance when you need it. It [i]is[/i] highly structured, however, so if you are an unschooling type, this may feel confining. But you do get to decide whether you want to do short lessons each day or "block" scheduling, and give lots of options to tailor things to different preferences. They also seem to be pretty sensitive to different learning styles.
[url="http://www.connectionsacademy.com/state/home.asp?sid=fl"]http://www.connectionsacademy.com/state/home.asp?sid=fl[/url]
DOH! Just realized that this is what the above post was also talking about!!
Wanted to also add that we did independent eclectic HS for three years (give or take) and it is not that hard either, as long as you have a child whose learning style you can figure out how to accommodate. My daughter is strongly VERBAL so this wasn't a problem. Did I mention that she talks a lot? No-- I mean [i]a lot[/i]... LOL! We virtually LIVED at the library, and she read for hours each day. Kind of a modified Charlotte Mason approach with extra math instruction. Not a bad education, really. She just wanted to experience "school," and this turned out to be our only real option. (She's class 6, w/Hx of ana and demonstrably aerosol sensitive.)
[This message has been edited by Corvallis Mom (edited April 09, 2006).]

We homeschool and we're in Florida!
I looked into homeschooling when I was staring preschool in the face. Couldn't imagine sending DD to the wolves without an Epi (or even WITH an epi!). Haha! But, even though PA brought us to homeschooling, DH and I know that if PA were to vanish tomorrow, we'd continue homeschooling.
Florida is one of those "tweener" states. They don't give us free reign, but the requirements are pretty easy to deal with. Have you checked out [url="http://www.fpea.com?"]www.fpea.com[/url] ? The convention is coming up at the end of May in Orlando. Might be a good time to check it out. There is always a workshop on New to Homeschooling and another one about the Law.
If you want more info, just let me know. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]
Carolyn
[This message has been edited by tcperrine (edited April 14, 2006).]

Oops
[This message has been edited by tcperrine (edited April 14, 2006).]

We are also in FL and decided to homeschool for Kindergarten this coming fall... I am going to check this site and cyberschools. Any other tips for beginners?
Thanks,
Luisa

here are a few good websites for resources -- beware! you can overload on info! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]
a great pre-school and kindergarten curriculum (free!)can be found at letteroftheweek.com we have started using it and love it. to continue after that we are following the classical education method used in the book "the well trained mind" by susan wise bauer.
[url="http://www.youcanhomeschool.org/"]http://www.youcanhomeschool.org/[/url]
[url="http://www.home-school.com/"]http://www.home-school.com/[/url]
[url="http://www.nhen.org/"]http://www.nhen.org/[/url]
[url="http://www.homeschool.com/kits/default.asp"]http://www.homeschool.com/kits/default.asp[/url]

Bump for Tammy