Updated the list!

WOW!! Thank you so much for all your wonderful help on the list. Although some asked not to have comments posted I did add your ideas. Then added some from friends here too. Hope to have more to add. But with 30 so far I think its a bit obvious that children, who are homeschooled or otherwise are socialized all the time. We don't lock our kids in a closet! Are some kids in more things than others? Sure but aren't kids who go to public schools the same. Not all the kids in public school are in sports. I went to public school, the entire time I was in I did one year of color guard and then ended up sick and only did the summer camp and two events. Am I damaged because I wasn't forced to participate in something I would of hated? No and I don't think that homeschooled children are either. If a child has an interest in something I hope that they are able to explore that, and it doesn't matter where they are schooled. So the next time you ask a kid what they learned at school and they reply, "Nothing", just remember that's what a large number of children reply no matter where they are schooled. Go and enjoy one of those boardgames you have hidden in the closet and remember what it was like to just be a kid who could play!

Unique problems.

Sometimes it can be difficult with home schooling. I know shocking isn't it. Home schoolers are normal people with unique problems sometimes though. It's been busy here. I got in all the new stuff we'll be hopefully using this year. Set it all up so I can try to keep track of what we're doing. We got 10 days done and golf lessons started. I told the girls that we wouldn't do any bookwork if they didn't want to while they were doing them since it is the summer and they already have more schooling done for the new year than most. (Not like we follow that much anyway, lol). So we got through five days of golf lessons without anyone getting hurt or anything getting broken. Then this week they had Vacation Bible School. And here was where the problem came in. The girls have already started their next years so we have a first grader and a third grader. But because we don't follow a "normal" school year they got put in the kindergarten and second grade groups. Now the oldest one didn't seem to care one way or the other. Our youngest on the other hand had major issues with this. She simply didn't see why no one understood that she wasn't in Kindergarten any longer and was in first grade. I tried explaining to her that the children were put into groups according to the year they had completed. But even that was difficult since when I took them out of school most of the work she did at home was first and second grade work. Finally a friend showed up and asked if our youngest would sit with her. Now I look at it and laugh but Monday was ruff for all of us, lol. Check with your local churches and see what they have going on. Many of them will have programs this summer for you and your children to attend. I hope that your first day is simpler than ours started out.

Another unique situation that I found in all of this was a mother who had some misconceptions familiar to home schoolers. You'll know it, "How will the children learn socialization?" Like we lock them in closets or something? Of coarse this is the same mother who actually said, "How will they learn that people don't like them?" This week she asked me, "Aren't you going to let them have a break?" LOL. I honestly couldn't answer. I simply did that cheese laugh, you know the one when try to make the person think you thought it was a joke. So here's a question for you out there:

How do your children learn socialization? Maybe if we start a list somewhere of ways that all children socialize people can pass it out when they get asked this! I'll even start it.

1. They play with other children of all ages on the playground in our community.
2. They play with children at the pool.
3. They went to Vacation Bible School.
4. They took golf lessons.
5. They went to a friends house.
6. They volunteer at the local Thrift Shop helping hang donated clothes.
7. They are part of the Summer Reading Program at our local library.
8. They attend church.
9. They take dance classes.
10. They talk with people around them on a daily basis.
11. They attend Story Time at the library.
12. They attend a Homeschool PE group.
13. They attend a Homeschool Support Group.
14. They attend different Homeschool Groups.
15. They attend karate.
16. They are in 4H.
17. They are in FHA.
18. They are in FFA.
19. They are taking collage courses for dual credit (high school, and college credits at the same time).
20. They are part of the Civil War reenactments in our area.
21. They are in hourly care when I need to have a doctors appointment.
22. They will be attending Space Camp this year.
23. They are part of an equestrian club.
24. They are on the swim team.
25. They are taking Spanish at the local public school.
26. They are part of the dance team at the local public school.
27. They are taking an art class.
28. They are having a bubble and chalk day with the local kids outside.
29. They are in the local play.
30. They volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.

I'll add more as they come in. If you don't want your comment posted let me know and I'll simply add your tip here.