HOMESCHOOLERS! question regarding the “s” word?

START a group! Put an ad in the paper, or craigslist.com or something on a poster. I started a games group. We meet weekly and play board games or at the playground etc. It’s super fun!

Go to the library during school hours. You will meet other parents who homeschool then.

I doubt that you could email tons of groups and none of them answer, that would be really, really odd. So maybe the groups you are emailing are not active any longer. Look again, ask at your library as they often are aware of local groups.

Take your son to the local YMCA or rec center or boys club etc. There will be kids there.

what he likes to do… is he *into* certain things? Is he interested in learning new things?

4-H, Scouts, community recreation groups < soccer, football, baseball, stc> Swim teams , chess club, reading groups at the library ~ etc ~ there are many programs and clubs ~ a quick search in the phone book, maybe the library , or a yahoo/google search online will come up with what’s available in your area.

Have you thought about starting your own homeschool group?

Maybe start with others that you know already who homeschool, or ask at the local BOE to see if there is a way to connect with others. You could organize a time when you could all get together and get to know one another. If there are others who have kids the same age as your son, why not try to set up some activities for them ~ if they like movies, have a night where they can meet and go to a movie and maybe pizza afterwards, or have a movie night at your house. Or anything like that. ( this time of year it could be a swim party, or a cook out….) anything to get started, then you could see if the others are interested in having a hs group.

In our area, there is a teen group that meets at Tim Horton’s on a certain Friday of the month just to talk and sometimes they will plan another activity for the month.

anyway just a thought 🙂

>>>I home school my sons, and my youngest is missing friends, which I understand. What activities have you involved your kids in so that they can be around other kids their age? He is almost 14, and there is NO homeschool group in my area.<<< I do not know what area you are in, I'm assuming you are in the US, and if you are, I question the "no homeschool groups in my area" part. I've looked at several websites, and I've found groups all over the US. It may take some work to find the groups, but I'm sure they are there. Besides that, how about local recreation leagues for sports, games, and things like that. the are all kinds of leagues for FIRST Lego League, chess, Scrabble, baseball, football, swimming, and a dozen other things. Check with your local Parks and Recreation Dept., your local YMCA, and your local Boys & Girls clubs. All offer rec programs for the kids. Along with those, many churches offer rec leagues for the kids. I live in a rural area in which there are no local kids. My kids have plenty of friends, but I also work at it to help them.

We aren’t part of a home school group at all. However, after nearly 3 years of home schooling our children have met other kids through our neighborhood, field trips that we have put together, and entertainment areas such as Branson. Some of the kids they have met are due to field trips that we timed just right. After our kids are done with the educational part of a field trip and they’ve done well at it, we’ll take them to a water park or the 3 story go-kart track, a theme park and the other kids find out about home schooling benefits on the side and suddenly they want to hang out with our kids.

No to mention our childrens’ home school always ends earlier than the public school year anyway. This is a great motivator for alot of kids around here.

Based on another question you asked, you indicate you live in the Atlanta, GA area. Perhaps a question you can ask here is with regard to homeschool groups in the Atlanta area? I have a hard time believing an area as thriving as that would not have homeschool groups by the bucketful!

http://www.heir.org/oldsite/support.htm

Good luck!

Home school groups are nice, but at that age they are looking for more than just an activity.

We use 4H, for boys there is air rifle, 22, archery, and much more.

Civil Air Patrol is a great way to get involved in community, educational opportunities, and physical training.

Local sports clubs, are another avenue to explore.

I would not overlook Church youth groups, you do not have to be a member of the church, or even attend the church for your children to get involved in the youth groups.

Give them a call, visit with your son, and see if that is an option.

Good Luck.

Scouting, inter-city sports teams, the Y, martial arts, gymnastics/dance, 4H, local clubs (like LAN gaming, birdwatching, etc.), and volunteering (the library or a seniors home) are a few things I can think of off the top of my head.

Additionally, most of these activities have the advantage of including many different age groups which will make his socialization skills far more well rounded then many of his peers. And older hobbyists love to pass on their skills to another generation, making that type of activity both social and learning!

Get an idea of what he and his friends are into and do a little surfing/calling – you might be pleasently surprised to find whats out there that is not generally known.

Best of luck to you!

Like others have said, sports, 4-H, religious organizations, etc. Another option would be to start your own homeschool group. Advertise in the Newspaper, start a Yahoo group, etc.

I have the same problem,and my kids are getting pretty shy now. I take them to church and all of the activities that they offer. One child refuses to join other childrens activities but she enjoys doing volunteer work at a nursing home. We are planning on putting my other child in the air cadets when she is old enough. They don’t want to do standard, age appropriate activities because they are adult sized and kids their own ages are tiny by comparison. In the summer months I send them to every camp I can with their friends.

Let him do some sort of public activity.

Like…if there’s an archery team nearby, and he might want to try it out, go for it. He could meet some people there.

If there are any other social activities he’s interested in that are nearby, then let him try some of those.