Honey, it sounds like you have a good balance between unschooling and formal schooling. I totally agree with you about what a nightmare school was. I think it's kind of funny when people worry about my kids' social lives because one reason why I (and many others) homeschool is to spare my kids that social scene. You may be interested to know that in the state of Texas, where I live, there are no requirements, guidelines or monitoring for homeschoolers. We are not allowed to use any of the school's programs, but the state does not interfere with us at all. When removing kids from school, parents are expected to notify the school just so that they don't think the kid is truant. Since my kids were never in school, I didn't have to tell the schools or government anything at all. Each state here has its own laws governing homeschoolers and some are much, much stricter. Believe it or not, it was something I considered before agreeing to move to Texas. I think I might have refused to move here if there were strict laws.

Kerri--don't you just love it when your own kids outsmart you? I am never sure whether to worry about the state of my own education or rejoice that my kids are so smart. My two older girls were involved in a homeschooling co-op this year and one of the moms was teaching music. They can actually recognize quite a few pieces of classical music, name the composer and also tell a bit about the history of the piece. All of this is way over my music skills, but it makes me feel like my kids are so well educated!

Lauralyn