Why families homeschool varies from family to family. However, the underlying reason for everyone is the parents’ devotion to their children and the desire to provide them with what they believe to be the best education for each of them.
Other specific reasons families choose to homeschool include: to spend more quality time together as a family, to provide children with an individualized education, to provide a nontraditional approach to the children’s education, a desire to provide moral and/or religious instruction, and a concern about the environment of other schools.
How each family homeschools will be uniquely constructed to support that family’s goals and guiding philosophies. Below are common approaches to homeschooling; they can be followed strictly or in combination.
Traditional
Traditional homeschools look like traditional public school classrooms with an emphasis on structure, schedules, textbooks, and workbooks.
Classical
Classical education is based on a three-part process of training the mind known as the trivium. The grammar stage is the first stage and focuses on a student absorbing facts. The logic stage follows and is characterized by students learning how to think through an argument. The final stage is the rhetoric stage during which students develop their self-expression.
Charlotte Mason
Modeled after the teaching style of a British educator in the early twentieth century, the Charlotte Mason approach focuses on the use of “living books” and rich literature rather than textbooks. Her approach also utilizes nature study, handicrafts, and art and music appreciation in addition to the regular academic subjects.
Unit Studies
Unit studies seek to integrate subjects like language arts, science, history and/or geography, music, art and others around a particular topic.
Eclectic
An eclectic homeschool uses a combination of any of a number of philosophies and methods to varying degrees.
Unschooling
Unschooling is an educational method and philosophy that seeks to follow the interests of the child rather than a set curriculum.
Over the past ten to fifteen years, the homeschool curriculum market has grown massively. Part of the reason for this is there is no “perfect” curriculum and certainly no one option that will be best suited for every homeschooling family. Rainbow Resources has outlined how to choose curriculum the “FAMILY” way. The video description can be found here: CHOOSING CURRICULUM BY RAINBOW RESOURCE
A family’s faith or philosophy distinctions
The approach to education
The money available to spend
The individuals who make up the family
Family life
And You, the homeschooling parent
Families who live outside of the Ames Community School District and wish to participate in the Ames HSAP can open enroll by submitting a request to open enroll by March 1st for the following school year for grades 1-12 or by September 1st for incoming kindergarteners.
Approval is granted by the student rather than by family, so a form must be completed for each student and just once in each student’s school career. Completed forms can be mailed to: Ames Community School District
District Offices
Attention: Barbara Peterson, Registrar
2005 24th St.
Ames, IA 50010
If a family desires to open enroll due to relocating to a different district, they have two weeks from the move date to request open enrollment.
OPEN ENROLLMENT APPLICATION 2021-2022
By selecting the dual-enrollment option, students can participate in academic classes and/or extra-curricular activities at the appropriate Ames public school. Students can attend the public school for up to 75% of their instruction and must have at least 25% of their instruction provided at home.
Contact Program Director Kathy Geis at kathy.geis@ames.k12.ia.us to sign up for an orientation meeting to have questions answered, receive necessary forms, and receive a username and password to access online class registration.