The Homeschooling Handbook_ From Preschool to High School - Mary Griffith [75]
We have not used the library system as often as we used to, mainly because we prefer to buy books that are more current than anything the library has to offer these days. We do still go to the Friends of the Library annual sale, though.—Barbara, California
Local public libraries are not the only libraries homeschoolers find useful, however. Don’t forget college and university libraries in your area. Although they may not have the multiple copies of the latest fiction or self-help bestsellers your local library branch has, their collections will be larger and more comprehensive, especially in academic areas the colleges specialize in. College and university collections of periodicals are usually extensive, with many more specialized journals available on microfilm and microfiche. They may also have special collections on local or regional history or other topics. Check to see whether your local college libraries have programs for local residents to obtain library cards; access to their resources can be worth any fee involved.
Community Resources
Far from being the sheltered, even antisocial, misfits of the old popular image, homeschoolers, with their flexible schedules and unquenchable thirst for learning, are active participants in community life.
My kids and I love to take classes in the community. In the past few years, they have studied piano, drums, voice, theater, karate, dance, swimming, art, skiing, flying, and skating. We are involved in Girl Scouts, youth band, and a children’s theater company. We often attend concerts and the ballet and visit museums everywhere we travel.—Barbara, California
Homeschoolers involve themselves with various community resources on several different levels. First, and most common, is simply making use of services offered—for instance, taking a class at a museum or buying a product from a local business. Next, homeschooling families or support groups might arrange to visit a local factory to see how furniture is made or take a tour of the local blood bank to learn how it works. Individual homeschoolers may work as volunteers or apprentices within the community, often finding such opportunities after exploring many options. Finally, some facilities may in turn provide services for homeschoolers after they’ve had experience with homeschoolers working as volunteers for them.
Don’t expect every business or museum to be eager to work with homeschoolers. Some relatively bureaucratic bodies simply haven’t any official policy for dealing with homeschoolers and so won’t even try. Some will be completely unfamiliar with homeschoolers, and a few will have had a bad previous experience with a rowdy bunch and decided not to have anything to do with homeschoolers ever again. Most who are hesitant are simply used to working with school groups, typically one grade or age at a time, and are a bit puzzled when faced with handling a mixed-age group of homeschoolers.
One homeschooling mother talks about a common difficulty her local support group deals with:
In general, resources like museums, local theater and symphony, and so on, have welcomed homeschoolers and have treated us at least as well as school groups, sometimes being even more flexible to accommodate just a few families, or our request to bring entire families rather than just one grade or age level.
But a serious problem here is the lack of available space for informal groups (with no money) to meet. We use the city parks, which usually work out nicely for outdoor space unless it rains. Indoor space for projects or meetings is not inexpensive or easy to come by. When space is available, it is usually more than we can afford or requires liability insurance or lots of paperwork.
The parks and recreation department has been particularly unhelpful in making facilities such as gyms or multipurpose classrooms available to us. We