Fine Arts - local theatre groups

Homeschooling in the middle school years and into/through high school can be intimidating. Although we loved to craft and make things around our house, I struggled some with the idea of fine arts credits for high school. That is until my kids discovered a local children's theatre.

We calculated the time involved in production and figured they could earn 1/2 a credit in fine arts for each production. (our local theatre has 8 weeks of production and 2 weekends of performances)

Our middle daughter decided that acting was fun and on stage was definitely where she wanted to be. But neither of the other kids wanted anything to do with being on stage. One found her passion in tech. She started out operating a spotlight and worked her way up to operating equipment in the tech booth; she has even acted as the senior technical director for a few productions. The third child has a gift for all things crafty and found that she enjoys building things and painting sets with me. She has even helped with some sewing projects in the costume department.

It has been a wonderful experience to find something that my kids and I can do together, earns them school credit, and is fulfilling to each of us in our own way.

Outsourcing Classes

As my children approached high school years I began to think about things like higher math, fine arts, and science. Could I continue to teach all subjects to all children? Just short of a nervous breakdown, my answer was loud and clear. "No, I could not."

So I began to look at what we could outsource (classes away from home). Not having a large budget, we needed to get creative.

Here are some of the things we discovered:

Math
1. Teach what you can at home using parents or other family members as the teacher.
2. Consider programs taught by video or online
3. If you cannot find someone within the family to teach, consider bartering (trade them weekly cookies or meals, cleaning, babysitting, etc.).
4. If free classes are not possible, search around your area for existing classes. This might be through a co-op, a homeschool store, or even another homeschooling family willing to teach classes for a reduced fee.

Science
1.  We personally did not do formal science classes until middle school (6th grade). Elementary years were spent in nature studies and science experiments. (Did you know that you can grow vegetables that you can eat? Did you know that cooking is a "food science" or that you can explode a zipper baggie with vinegar and baking soda? I wonder why...??? Science).
2. If you live in a well populated area, chances are that there are other homeschoolers looking for the same class. See if you can co-teach or trade classes. I have known people who traded teaching with other families to save them both some money. If you need science, what can you teach? Do you know a second language? Do you enjoy the messy craft projects that other moms might not want to do?
3. Search around to see if there is a co-op or class taught locally. Many co-ops offer classes with qualified teachers in higher math and science.

Fine Arts
1. You can do online learning with programs like Meet the Masters. http://www.meetthemasters.com/
2. Co-op with friends to do art and/or music classes together. It is always more fun with friends.
3. Check around for a local children's theater. My kids earn 1/2 credit in Fine Arts on their transcripts for each production they are in. 2 productions a year and they have a full credit. Whether actor/actress or working in the technical area of lights or sound, they get the full experience of what it takes to put on a live production.