I was homeschooled as a child and I know for a fact I missed out on a lot of social things and I am kind of upset about that now. You sound like you are realizing that as an issue ( I dont think my mom did at the time ) So I really think you should be fine if you make a large effort to fix that. I would ( depending on her age ) see what groups are on here or click on yahoo groups I know thier is one for homeschoolers. Having her in playgroups ect will defently fix that :)
If you have any questions feel free to ask!
Don't know how old she is but maybe get her into t-ball or soccer. I know the Y has basketball leagues too.Then she could get to know some kids her own age. Those are the cheaper ideas, there's also dance or gymnastics.
I personally don't homeschool, but I have 1 friend who does, and 2 cousins that do too. One of the cousins has 8 children, so there is LOTS of interaction, but they involve their kids is some of the community sports and things to get their kids involved with other kids, like soccer, gymnastics, wrestling, tae kwon do, softball, those types of things, and they do very well socially. The other cousin and our friend, their children aren't placed in too many social situations with kids their own age, and we've actually had a few instances of dealing with that interaction being with our own kids, which was interesting! But, bottom line is, I know there are LOTS of other activities/groups for your child to participate in for some good old fashioned social interaction! Good luck!
We homeschool our 2 children. One concern we had was also socialization, but we haven't found this to be a problem. Our daughter is active in gymnastics, has done t-ball, tae kwon do, and ice skating. We belong to a homeschool group that meets weekly for park day, tours, and activities.
The group we belong to is sdhsa (South Dakota Home School Association). The website is www.sdhsa.org. In the Sioux Falls area there are two other homeschool groups.
On a side note if anyone is interested in homeschooling we are having a Q&A on June 26th from 6:30-8:30 at the Caille Library.
Your daughter could make friends in any sport that she would like to join. I know the gymnastics place i work at does home-school groups during the day. They do gymnastics and also play games. Also, i know the community centers do differnt activities during the summer like cooking classes, plays, etc. That may be a great way to meet some girls her age and then you could set up playdates.
We are going to be new homeschoolers this year, after trying public school for two years, and we are excited!! Sioux Falls has a lot of opportunities right now for homeschoolers.
Homeschool groups:
SECHE (Sioux Empire Christian Home Educators)
SDHSA (previously mentioned)
there is also a catholic group, not sure what they are called.
There are also two co-ops that I know of, Living Legacy Academy and Classical Conversations, that meet weekly and have parent-led classes and activities. We are doing LLA and I plan to join both SECHE and SDHSA. I think lack of socialization will be the least of our problems, I think we'll have more trouble getting actual school work done :)
Just had a friend stop by to pick up something, and she happened to give me a flier from SDHSA for a "thinking about homeschooling" meeting, it is Thursday June 26th at 6:30pm at the Caille Branch Library. Their website is www.sdhsa.org
The catholic group is St. Margaret http://stmargaret.homestead.com/ They also do co-op classes, I know the classes fill up quickly, so if you are interest it would be best to start looking now.
Dance gallery also offers dance classes for homeschool families on Thursday afternoon starting in Sept. I wish I could remember the name of the book, but the idea behind it is that many of the problems that today youth face have to do with the fact that they have been over socialised with their peer and not enough in a family setting. SO I think you child is very lucky that you take the time to homeschool and find activities that would get them out with there peers.
This my have been mentioned, but scouts would be another opportunity,
Good Luck I know you will find the right things for your family.
SDHSA is a great group. I am glad that word of our informational meeting on June 26th is getting out there.
Here is a direct link to our website: www.sdhsa.org
You can also click here to join our Yahoo Group (membership in SDHSA is not required).
The 2007-2008 academic year was a busy one for us. We had regular meet-ups at Bowden Youth Center (gym time), and Backyard Adventures, monthly swimming, holiday parties, and lots of tours. We also had some other fun get-togethers (painting pottery at Color Me Mine, to name one). We are working on new activities for the coming academic year as well.
This summer we are meeting up every Tuesday at either McKennan Park or Pioneer Spray Park, we have monthly swimming meet-ups planned, and have some tours scheduled, too.
In addition to the opportunities offered by support groups, there are lots of opportunities in the community: Some that I don't think were mentioned are art lessons at the Washington Pavilion, kids classes at Michael's Crafts, The Home Depot, and the Horse Barn Arts Center on Saturday mornings, classes at the community centers, Outdoor Campus, Great Plains Zoo, Sertoma Butterfly House, as well as Kids' Activity Days at the Old Courthouse Museum.
Good luck to everyone spending time this summer trying to decide whether or not to homeschool. I know how tough it is to decide!
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I am wondering how any of you who HomeSchool handle the need for kids to get together with other kids? My husband and I homeschooled our daughter last year, and while it was great for us, and she did really well academically, we both feel that she missed out on the social aspect of things. Our dilema is that we would like to keep homeschooling, but don't want to short her the life skills needed to succeed as an individual...Any suggestions on groups or activities would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!