TOLEDO, Ohio — With the uncertainly of what the school year is going to hold, some parents may say, 'I'm just going to home school and be done with it.' But where do they start?
WTOL 11's Amanda Fay enlisted some help from a local mom school homeschools her kids.
Ashley Granger will be starting her fourth year homeschooling her kids who are ten, six and four. Plus she has a one-year-old to keep up with.
"It's a busy, busy household," said Ashley.
Ashley said she made the shift to homeschooling because it offered her family more flexibility. She said it also gives her kids a chance to learn who they are and be comfortable and confident with that.
"Before they're kind of bombarded with things that tell them 'hey, what you're into isn't that cool.'"
Ashley said if you're thinking of homeschooling this school year, check out Ohio Homeschooling Parents or Toledo Moms online, to walk you through the process. You need to notify the district in which you live your intent to homeschool at least one week before the first day of school. Submit that by certified mail.
"You're responsible for teaching 900 hours a year. Which sounds likes a lot but when you think of all the times you're teaching your kid to do something, it's much easier than you'd think," said Ashley.
She said there are a variety of methods you can research to find the best fit for your family. She likes to incorporate a very active approach with a lot of activities.
As far as teaching different grade levels, Ashley said it's easiest to get her oldest child started first and let him work independently for awhile when she works with her younger kids.
"We just kind of rotate through and get done what we need to get done for the day and if something gets missed, we'll just come back to it tomorrow," she said that's the beauty of the flexibility in homeschooling.
While youngsters thrive on routine, Ashley said her biggest advice to parents is not to feel like they have to re-create a classroom in their home. She recommends a loose routine so you don't feel bad if things go off the rails a bit.
Most of all Ashley recommends parents enjoy the experience.
"If you think about when you teach your child how to walk or you teach your child how to tie their shoe, you think about how proud you were when they were able to accomplish that and you get to see them in that moment, we get to do that every day when we're teaching our kids," she said.