Two years ago, my daughter and hubby were trying to juggle work schedules, with school bus schedules. They live two miles from me and have Five children ages 2-10. The bus stop was 3 miles away and the work schedules did not work with school bus schedules. They could not afford the schools day care costs for before and after school for the older two children. I cared for the younger 3 who were not in school.

Winters here can be quite cold, icy and treacherous with from 2-5 feet of snow depending on El Nino and other things. Often county plows take 2-3 days to get to our back roads. Four wheel drive is needed to travel to our homes in winter months and school buses do not come to the house as the roads are narrow with few turn arounds. Most the families on our roads homeschool.

My husband is a certified teacher for Washington state and he helps a lot but I am the one who does the primary homeschooling for my five grandkids. Yes all five of them are schooled from the youngest to the oldest.

The school officials advised my daughter to homeschool under the circumstances and so we are doing that. I have the children from 9-3 four days a week. The youngest just turned two. He can put togather an alphabet puzzle from A - Z and recongizes the letters. He knows his basic colors and shapes and numbers from 0-10. He talks articulately for his age and loves music and coloring. He is learning to stay in the lines for coloring.

The next just turned four October 14th. She knows her ABC's Her vowels and how to write her name, letters and numbers, she stays in the lines for coloring and is learning to write words and read small words. She knows all her shapes and numbers through 100.

The next one is five she will be six in May, She can write her name, knows her ABC's, Vowels, constanants, is reading a first year reader can add and subract, knows her numbers from 0-200 and all her colors and stays in the lines for coloring and can do dot to dot projects. She is learning to play the flute.

The next one was in first grade last year she is eight, she skipped to 3rd and can read third grade words, do math for third grader, can draw well, and make maps, is learning the states and capitols and can do multipication and is learning to write cursive. Is taking violen lessons, knows how to cook and bake

The oldest is ten and is in fourth grade and can do scientific experiments, knows plant identification, mushroom identification poisinous and non. Reads a fifth grade reader, reads the newspaper, keeps up with current events, knows the states and capitals and can draw a map. Is learning about other continents and other nations and people and is doing fractions and percent. Knows how to cook and bake, is learning to sew and taking piano lessons.

socially they go to church and interact with other kids, they also belong to a rock club group and The Wall eye group where they go on camp outs 5 times a year. The know how to ride bikes the older 3 that is and roller skate.

The four older children can use a keyboard and basics on the computer and can operate a camera. This fall two of them will be in 4-H as well, one has chickens and one is taking cooking.

Homeschooling is fun and you can set your own hours, The children will have the option once they reach Jr high age to go to public school or stay homeschooled. They can still take sports at the local school and or partly home and partly attend public school and attend all extra curricular school functions.

They learn moral values and bible verses as well and stories and we do have sex education and physical education according to age and understanding of the child. The two oldest know where babies come from and why and about the female and male body. They love science and nature and go on a lot of field trips to museums, wildlife habitats, zoos and other places.

We can change hours if we need or days if need and no tardys or unexcused abscene and they don't bring home the flu or colds like they used to. It is less expensive for all and the kids are learning faster but at their own pace.

I highly endorse homeschooling. But it does take patience and a support group of other homeschoolers network. Where we get help or give it. Testing is done at home but results go to the state as well as to us at home. They do art project as well. We made bird houses, calanders and t-shirt decor and greetiing cards in art so far.

We get material from online, other homeschoolers, second hand stores, discovery world and book stores and craft stores. It is rewarding and the kids love it. We watch all kinds of nature videos and they write reports in it. They write letters to relatives for penmanship and words they read and do not know they look up in a dictonary to see it's meaning, Write it down and they become their spelling test words.

Homeschooling is great, wish I had done it for my kids.