Summer Events

Many people probably don’t know what the homeschool group has been up too recently, but we’ve had a busy few months!  This summer we were able to go camping at the church campground together.  Not only did Danielle Klatt do a short lesson on owls, but Andy and Laura came to teach the kids how to draw the nature treasures they found while on a nature hike.  Sorry to the campground neighbors for all the hooting on Friday evening!  It was also a nice time for the parents to fellowship together.

Fall Fun

September brought most of us getting back into learning, but who can object to a good old-fashioned visit to the Apple Orchard!  We learned about apples and apple trees, took a wagon ride (of course) and raced pedal tractors!

 

 

School Picture Day

The end of September saw us get all dressed up for Homeschool Picture Day.  Mandie Schug graciously took “School” Pictures for us and for the homeschool community in and around Menomonie.  Nine families (not including any from our group) came down to get their picture taken.  We have had several of those families join us for recess in recent weeks.

 

October Field Trip

Lastly, in October we piled into the church van (complete with four child car seats) and went to SeaLife Aquarium at the Mall of America.  Sea Anemones were touched (by the brave kids), sharks and sea turtles were awed over and new facts about all the sea creatures were learned by both the kids and their parents.  I mean have you ever heard of a Sawfish or a Seadragon?  Check out this short video a Sawfish!

     

On the Horizon

Soon we will usher in November and the colder temperatures with a baking lesson from Becky and in December we look forward to a special holiday outing (more details yet to come).  We will also continue our weekly recess on Thursdays at various parks around Menomonie, with only rain and subzero wind chills bringing us to church to watch creation videos.   Baseball has been a hot trend with the kids lately, but I’m sure what they all really want is snow for sledding, which we will do from the time the snow flies until it melts.

If you know anyone who homeschools and needs a little more community in their life or if you know someone just thinking about homeschooling, please feel free to send them our way. homeschool@jfbelievers.com

-Tiffany

A Homeschool Education is not Capable

Homeschool is a great way to educate and teach your children about a relationship with Jesus.  But it would be a mistake to think that homeschooling would give your kids a relationship with Jesus.  Homeschooling is a great choice, but we must remember that it takes more than just a homeschool education to save your children.  Here is an article from Desiring God that speaks about the dangers of trusting in homeschooling to save your children.

For more information about our group, email us: homeschool@jfbelievers.com

Be in the know

By now you’ve probably heard the word “Homeschooling” tossed around our church at some point.  You’ve undoubtedly been curious about it.  It’s something that many people ask questions about.  “Does the state give you curriculum to follow?”  “Are you qualified to teach your child?”  “What about socialization?”  “What does your average day look like?”

For those who we would consider our church family- you’ve probably asked at least one of us families who are homeschooling one of those questions.  You’ve probably heard us talk about one aspect or another.  And that’s great, we love talking about it.  We love it when you ask us questions!

However, I wanted to write up a little information for you about the laws and regulations we follow as well as some of the freedoms we enjoy.  I found all this information on the Home School Legal Defense Association website (hslda.org). Each state follows very different laws regarding schooling children at home.  Some states, such as Texas, Iowa, and Alaska have very little oversight of families who are homeschooling.  They require little or no notification to the state.  Formal assessment through the local school district isn’t needed.  Parents don’t need any qualification (such as a high school diploma, a passed background study or even a college degree).

Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island have the highest regulations in the country.  These states require that families who wish to homeschool have approval from local school districts.  Some of the local districts are required to assess/test homeschool students every two years or need to evaluate the curriculum being used to make sure it meets state standards.

Minnesota is considered a state with “Moderate Regulation” according to hslda.org.  It’s certainly not difficult to homeschool here, but there are certain rules that need to be followed.  Homeschooling families with a child age seven or over need to notify their local district in the fall with their intent to homeschool. Reading, writing, literature, fine arts, math, science, history, geography, economics, government, citizenship, health, and physical education are all subjects that need to be taught at some point, but not every year.  Each parent also needs to test their child annually based on a national standardized achievement test.

What about our state?

Wisconsin is a state labeled “Low Regulation” on hslda.org, which means it’s fairly easy to homeschool here.  Every fall, each homeschooling family visits the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website and reports each child ages six and over that is being homeschooled.  In completing the form, they are agreeing that they will provide 875 instructional hours in a calendar year (not school year) of at least reading, language arts, math, social studies, science and health.  These hours can also include electives, such as Bible, foreign language, music, art, physical education, computer skills, etc., etc., etc.

So basically, we need to make sure we are getting 5.25 hours in for a full day of schooling if we are following the local school district’s days.  However, because we are free to school on any day of the week, including summer months (which some do), it would be even less per day.

One area where it gets a little tricky is that because a homeschool is basically a “Home-based Private Education Program”, we can’t count hours that are spent with someone else teaching our kids with kids from other families.  So essentially if there are two or more families involved, it can’t be counted towards the 875 hours.  However, because (I think I speak for all homeschool families of this church) we understand that kids need time developing relationships with their peers, it is a priority to find ways to make this happen.

This is where the importance of having a homeschool group comes in.  Our church is blessed to have an active group that gets together on a weekly basis.  Every Thursday afternoon, you’ll find us playing in a local park.  The kids love their weekly recess and the parents do too!  Once a month, we also get together to learn.  In the past, we’ve done various activities together.  Sometimes, it’s inviting a covenant member with a special skill to teach us.  Sometimes, it’s exploring a local history event, museum or even the zoo!

For more information

In the up and coming months, I hope to address some of the questions you might have about homeschooling.  For now, please talk with one of our homeschooling families if you have any questions, curiosities, or interests in homeschooling.  In addition, if you know any homeschool families in Menomonie or beyond who might be interested in being part of our homeschool group or even playing at recess with us, please email or have them email homeschool@jfbelievers.com to get our current schedule.

The Homeschool Group has been busy during the last couple months! We’re talking Children’s Museum and the Como Zoo.

In February, we spent the whole day playing at the Children’s Museum in Eau Claire.  There is so much to do there- a water play area, art room, building a house (hard hats included), working in a grocery store, and crawling through an over-sized digestive system!

Laura Hartung was able to squeeze in a science lesson during her time here in March.  The kids learned about plants and photosynthesis, even down to the microscopic level using a special microscope.  Thanks Laura!

Our most recent trip found us piled in the church van, complete with 4 car seats!  We headed to cities to see the animals at Como Zoo.  We had to trudge through the snow to find a picnic table, but the sun was out and it was warm!  The kids (and parents) loved seeing the animals- giraffes, lions, polar bears, tigers, orangutans, gorillas, puffins, sea lions and much more!

Our favorite time of the week is definitely recess, when we all get to play together on Thursday afternoons.  We often went sledding during the long winter, and walking on paved trails during the muddy season, but now we are looking forward to playgrounds, kite-flying, soccer and the like now that spring is finally here.