Hawaii Homeschool Laws
May 11th, 2011 | 
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US $.01
Question: Should I homeschool or public school for a month?
My son is in 3rd grade. My husband is in the Army and we have Orders for Hawaii, but, not until January. We close on our house November 30 and will move in with my in-laws for the month of December and half of January until we leave for Hawaii. During this month and a half that we will be in-between homes -- should I homeschool my 8yr old or send him to public school?
Thanks for your input. How would I get started on home-schooling him? Is there any website references or something? I have no clue where I would begin.
Answer: I had parents who sometimes put me into a school for a short period of time. I think that it was a complete waste of time. I didn't know the other kids and was usually picked on a lot for being the new kid. Schools covered material in different orders so I usually spent some time on lessons I'd just done at the previous school or skipped entirely other lessons that I'd have to figure out on my own.
Plus, since you'll be moving anyway, his life will already be chaotic enough. You likely won't be unpacked enough for him to find all that he needs. Starting a new school will just add to that chaos at a time when he needs to feel that he has some security somewhere.
There are *lots* of websites about Homeschooling. And lots of books that you can find at the public library or at any decent bookstore. Though, if you are Homeschooling for only a month, you probably just want to know how to start. (Since you won't have a new permanent address yet, you probably don't even need to worry about the local Homeschooling Laws, though you'll want to look them up to be sure.)
If you go to a discount store or bookstore, you can find all sorts of inexpensive books of curriculum for 3rd graders that you can work on with him. Or you could give him a break from traditional "school" and instead find some fun (but educational) kits to do--models to build, science experiments to try, etc. Or spend some time doing unit studies--find a topic that he'd be interested in and read lots of library books on them, try to do some fun activities on them--there are lots of sites on free unit studies that can give you some ideas. Or explore the area where your in-laws live; learn about the local culture, visit historical sites, look at local wildlife, etc. And use the time to start learning about Hawaii, its culture and history.
Moving around a lot can be difficult for children. But you can turn it into a positive experience by helping him to learn a lot about the world around him in each new place.
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