Sorry for not responding earlier, but here is a little info in no particular order from what I know and remember (and yes, my wife actually does the schooling, so she is infinitely more versed in this than I am).....anyway:
How we started and why-
We started homeschooling while station overseas (1.5 hr bus ride to school for half day kindergarten and our son was already at a 1st grade level). We continued once we retunred to the States, which worked out well since I was soon in Iraq and the boys needed to be with their mom more. Tried public schools because mom wasn't sure she could do it and wanted a break. One year later she swore never again, pulled them out and went on her own. Oldest is now 12, next one 11 on Saturday, and youngest (in school) is 5.
What we have used and why we do it now-
Started out reading every book under the sun, mainly stuck to a classic curriculum. Laura Berquist kind of stuff. Initially we got school in a box, good structure, a little dry, but they were young. She got tired of the structure and went with designing her own curriculum. Did that for a few years now and it's worked out well. Next year she is using Seton (based on lesson planning burnout) and designing most of the supplementals herself. For the kindergartener we use "What every Kindergartener Should Know" and play to his strengths for everything (math activity books, puzzles, etc.).
We still do it because we have seen too many kids from the public school system and noticed that they had similar behavior patterns. Homeschooling has allowed us to make a very large impact on how our children behave, how they treat others, how they view their faith, and to some extent (not that we are trying to shelter them) has kept them fairly innocent. The main reason has been that we want their faith formation to be strong enough that they question their faith while they are able to get correct answers, rather than setting them off on their own hoping they fly. Seeing other families that think along the same lines helps immensely.
What we have done and plan to do-
My wife belonged to several homeschool groups over the years, from secular to strictly Catholic. Only advice here is read the label and the fine print. If it's secular, you'll be discussing materials and techniques, but not religion. If it's strictly Catholic, you'll get both sides of the formula. If it's any group that asks you to sign a "statement of belief", run the other way. You will spend more time defending yourself than being yourself. There are national groups, I will get the info from my smarter half tomorrow.
At this point my wife is actually talking about going all the way through high school with the boys. Neither one of us is a college graduate. You do not need to be a rocket scientist. You do need to know when you are unable to do something and ask for help from a homeschooling friend, your curriculum provider, tutors, etc. Even if it's just to learn the material yourself so you can teach it.
As for the group we are in now, oddly enough, my wife started it. She belonged to several groups around the Columbus, OH area to fill all the gaps. The Catholic one was decent, just a little far to drive for activities. They were also a lot more formal with field trips, group studies, events, and so on. They even needed a treasurer for the very modest group fees (not mandatory, by the way). My wife and a friend from this group wanted to do something a little less rigorous as well as closer to home. They now have roughly 50 families in their group. Weekly play dates and the occassional event (zoo, pumpkin ride, museum tour) and throughout the week, they will get together in ones or twos if they so desire. It's more of a loose network for support and weekly fun. Talking to other adults is needed to maintain sanity.
So, short story long, that is some of what we do. I will say that both parents should be on board for this. If only one is, it will be a harder load to shoulder. Still doable, you would just need a local group to bolster yourself. Local can also be online as there are more than a few discussion boards, some very good Catholic ones (Ora et Labora is my wife's favorite).
As for the kids, ours went from HS to PS back to HS. They prefer the hours and the setting of HS, they have said they really only miss the activities from public school. We know people who have forced the issue. If you have older children and you're a strong parent, then pray and you will survive the backlash from your teen. If you're not a strong parent, pray a lot and you will survive the backlash from your teen. If you are called to do it, you're called. Can't fight that.
OK, I've rambled on long enough, my wife will probably read this and set the record straight where I have foggy spots. Hope it helps and if you have any questions, please post.
Ray
