The homeschool biggie:

[MelissaM]

Socializing.

Dh and I are for sure (well, almost for sure) bringing home two of our children next year. The oldest is still in debate. My main concern is for them to have lots of peer interaction. How do we do that?

I don't want to join a hs group. If I can have an evening to do whatever I want to do I am NOT going to spend it sitting around discussing (or worse whining and complaining about) children and school. Also, I have yet to find an inclusive group. It is very "Baptist" in my neck of the woods and I refuse to sign the statements of faith. So even if I did want to join a group to meet other familes we couldn't.

Next, we don't have any other hsers in our church congregation. Sunday evenings and Wed. evenings don't provide the amount of friend time we want.

Lastly, there are only 2 children in our neighborhood.

So, where do I find some friends for my dc?

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

Socializing.

Dh and I are for sure (well, almost for sure) bringing home two of our children next year. The oldest is still in debate. My main concern is for them to have lots of peer interaction. How do we do that?

I don't want to join a hs group. If I can have an evening to do whatever I want to do I am NOT going to spend it sitting around discussing (or worse whining and complaining about) children and school. Also, I have yet to find an inclusive group. It is very "Baptist" in my neck of the woods and I refuse to sign the statements of faith. So even if I did want to join a group to meet other familes we couldn't.

Next, we don't have any other hsers in our church congregation. Sunday evenings and Wed. evenings don't provide the amount of friend time we want.

Lastly, there are only 2 children in our neighborhood.

So, where do I find some friends for my dc?

Can't give concrete ideas about where, but my opinion is that inviting kids over is the best way to help them on the socializing side.

Oh, and I would bet that some public school kids would enjoy those visits as well.

[Mrs Mungo]

Socializing.

Dh and I are for sure (well, almost for sure) bringing home two of our children next year. The oldest is still in debate. My main concern is for them to have lots of peer interaction. How do we do that?

I can't tell you how you are going to manage it, I can only tell you how *we* manage it. Every town is different, every family is different.

We have attended classes for homeschooled children (and even classes not specifically designed for homeschooled children): art, gymnastics, PE, classes at the local museum, etc.

I found another family (or series of families) and invited them to do science with us once a week.

My kids have been involved with organized sports in the community.

Church, scouts, playing with the neighbors are some other ways they interact with other kids.

We have participated in homeschool groups. Never once have I done so by spending an evening in a circle whining and complaining about my kids and/or school. Sorry if that sounds snippy but that comment rubbed me the wrong way.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

We have participated in homeschool groups. Never once have I done so by spending an evening in a circle whining and complaining about my kids and/or school. Sorry if that sounds snippy but that comment rubbed me the wrong way.

LOL, I imagine that the OP's experience with homeschool groups has been of people sitting around complaining about kids and schools. That has been my experience a couple of times as well, and since we're military, I've been in perhaps more than my share of groups. It's REALLY great that there are good groups out there, but really, don't be offended that her experience was a bad one. Just rejoice that yours is so great!

[partyof5]

When we removed our oldest dd from ps this was a concern for us as well but I think it can be easily remedied. If your kids have well-established friendships already, simply make it a priority to make time with them. Maybe it's a weekend or maybe it's during a ps vacation day. We've managed to maintain a few great friendships for our girls upon removal from ps, and have many new friendships as well.

Our oldest two dd's are involved in girl scouts. We also try to set up visits with church friends.

Other opportunities would be community sports leagues or outside classes of some kind like art or gymnastics (we're big into dance at our house).

Turns out, my biggest concern when we started homeschooling turned out to be no problem at all. In fact, we sometimes have to limit social interaction so it doesn't interfere with schooling! Who knew? :D

[Mrs Mungo]

LOL, I imagine that the OP's experience with homeschool groups has been of people sitting around complaining about kids and schools. That has been my experience a couple of times as well, and since we're military, I've been in perhaps more than my share of groups. It's REALLY great that there are good groups out there, but really, don't be offended that her experience was a bad one. Just rejoice that yours is so great!

Perhaps I just took it the wrong way. Maybe the socialization question is pet-peeving me lately, lol.

We're military too and have been in many groups. Even the ones I didn't care for didn't really involve whining but maybe that's just me. I really wasn't trying to be snippy but there's no way it comes across well in text. It would have sounded much better in person ;)

[Karin]

Well, socialization as we think of it is a relatively modern concept--the word isn't even that old, if it makes you feel any better.

We have kids living in our neighbourhood. My kids do swim lessons and one does dance. We do art classes (cheap) with some other homeschoolers. What I like about our "group" is that it's not a group as many are, it's more of a loose association of homeschoolers who meet at whichever events they decide to attend. Anyone in the group can organize and post an event, any type of homeschooling is fine and no religious affiliation.

I also want to say that most social skills are learned at home in our case. Manners, consideration of others, how to play/interact with others, etc. Then they're applied elsewhere with friends.

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

Perhaps I just took it the wrong way. Maybe the socialization question is pet-peeving me lately, lol.

We're military too and have been in many groups. Even the ones I didn't care for didn't really involve whining but maybe that's just me. I really wasn't trying to be snippy but there's no way it comes across well in text. It would have sounded much better in person ;)

It always does, in person. :)

I think the key for me is, is the question about socializing, or socialization? Because I can pretty durn well handle the socialization of my child just fine. But helping him or her socialize? Well, that's a harder question! (And that's what the OP was asking about, I guess.) I've had to drop out of a homeschool group because it got too heavily involved, time-wise, in bashing the local conservative homeschool group. I had to drop out of one because it became uber-religious overnight, with a new statement of faith and shunning of those who blinked and said, "Um, wasn't the way we did it last week without you NEW PEOPLE just fine?" And they were wonderful places for dd to socialize. I Just. Couldn't. Do It.

[Mrs Mungo]

Another idea is for you to set up something in meetup or post flyers in the library, a notice in the community section of the paper, a website or whatever and start your own inclusive group.

[Tracey in TX]

Socializing.

Dh and I are for sure (well, almost for sure) bringing home two of our children next year. The oldest is still in debate. My main concern is for them to have lots of peer interaction. How do we do that?

I don't want to join a hs group. If I can have an evening to do whatever I want to do I am NOT going to spend it sitting around discussing (or worse whining and complaining about) children and school. Also, I have yet to find an inclusive group. It is very "Baptist" in my neck of the woods and I refuse to sign the statements of faith. So even if I did want to join a group to meet other familes we couldn't.

Next, we don't have any other hsers in our church congregation. Sunday evenings and Wed. evenings don't provide the amount of friend time we want.

Lastly, there are only 2 children in our neighborhood.

So, where do I find some friends for my dc?
Do your DC already have good friends? Those friendships should continue. We live in a large neighborhood with four elementary schools w/in biking distance, so their friendships are relatively easy to navigate. If your community is different, then you'll need to make a concerted effort to put DC near their peers.
HS daytime activities: gym, PE classes, art, bible study w/in your faith, theatre, dance, etc. Even something as simple as park visits. Develop a circle of hs acquaintances in your community. Even if they might be whiny, certainly you'll meet someone w/ similar values and dislike of whiny hour :) (I found this prevalent in preschool conversations when my kiddos were younger. I avoided it like the plague.)
I would not sign any statement of faith to belong to a support group. Seems a bit counterproductive IHO. I don't find anything wrong with entering a church whose beliefs are somewhat different than my own, though. (I won't try to convert my peers to my beliefs as I feel they are 'correct', but expect the same respect of others. We can be different and still get along!)
Your child will help determine how much 'socialization' is important. Some kiddos thrive on groups and constant chaos, while others shy away from it. If you're willing to follow her lead and find activities and friendships as needed, the rest should work itself out. (Pretty cool that your concern is socialization and not the academics. I was freaked out by being with DC 24/7 :))
Good luck,

[mcconnellboys]

Well, I have no idea what size town you live in, but the homeschool groups here are really a lot more than mom's night out type things. They are mostly group activities for the kids. But I can relate to the statement of faith thing, as I've seen it here, firsthand.....

I'll tell you what a lot of us ended up doing here, some started a yahoo group (anyone can do it) and advertised it as open to all until folks started coming and talking on it.

Then some of us began contacting local businesses about offering courses to homeschoolers and posting those there and handling the sign-ups, etc. Our YMCA offers things; our library system offers things; our Arboretum does classes; 4-H does things for us; university professors will sometimes set up stuff for us; area natural areas or parks will do programming for us, etc.

To start, you'd need to schedule things way out in time so that you have plenty of time to advertise and attract a crowd. Once you get a group going to the website on a regular basis to check for such things, you can schedule things closer in time and work less to attract a crowd. We get the place offering the programming to advertise as well as advertising to hser's ourselves (so the library puts hs programs in their montly flyers and 4-H puts hs programs in their monthly newsletter, etc.)

I haven't been in a coop at all this year. Here are things that I've scheduled or prodded to get for area hser's during this school year (and other folks have scheduled other stuff, as well):

Fall/Spring Golf Lessons (set of 6 each time) at an area golf course with a pro who is terrific with the kids. Cost is $10 per 90 minute lesson and he lets folks pay as they go for only those days they attend, etc.

Library 4 week course on writing poetry - free.

"All About Fall" class at our Arboretum - 4 weeks, $20 (I think).

"Terrifit Tuesdays" have included a variety of play dates around town, including bowling at a place that doesn't get that much business anymore and so lets us come in for $3 total per bowler for 2 hours (including shoes). We've also gone to a place that has a huge tunnel system; Chuck-e-Cheese for lunch and play; a gymnastics place that's empty at that time of day and so lets us come in for $3 for two hours, etc. We used to roller skate once a month, but we can't get them to let us come in now that they've opened a new place...... We ice skated in past. We did 6 weeks of open swim and then 6 weeks of gym and swim time (2 hours) at an area YMCA that doesn't get much business during the daytime hours
($30 per 6 week session with discounts for second children, etc.) These things will give way to a regular, weekly "park day" once warm weather resumes - free.

I schedule field trips on Fridays, most of them free and in our immediate area.

I post on the boards about area homeschool days held at museums, etc., to encourage folks to go together for more fun.

I talked to an area artist and she's been doing art classes with our kids since fall (currently $30 per month) for once weekly, 90 minute sessions. I finally got a friend to coerce some native Spanish speakers to offer an hour long weekly Spanish enrichment class to our kids, too (last half of the year). Cost is $5 per session and folks can pay just for sessions that they can attend.

This same person finally got 4-H to do something with us this year and a man is starting next week to offer us a series of nature related programs (Kentucky regions; water cycle; trees; entomology, and other things....) - free.

We just finished a 6 week Spanish enrichment program offered at our library (1 hour weekly) -free.

Our children's librarian is getting ready to do another writing series for us in spring - free.

So, I have no idea what sort of resources you might have that you can tap, but EVERY place has resources, you just have to get creative in looking for things and talk, talk, talk to people about what sorts of things you'd like to see done..... At to begin with, you'll also have to talk, talk, talk to area homeschoolers to get them to participate, but after a while a group will coalesce for you, I think.

Regena

[Georgie]

You can check with your librarian. When we first moved, the librarians knew of some local homeschoolers near us. They identified us because we were at the library during school hours.:) You can set up a homeschooler's meeting at the library if they can't pass your information along.

We met more friends for my son in the town's basketball and baseball programs. We met more friends for my daughter in sports and at the local dance school.

We met lots of kids at the local park. We made sure to bring paper to get phone numbers of people we kept bumping into. (I was tired of writing numbers on my hand.)

We met more families by just playing in our front yard and driveway. They didn't live in our neighborhood, they were just riding their bikes around the town.

Try not to get frustrated if it doesn't happen quickly. It took us a bit to get settled, but once we did the kids flourished.