Hi, I’m Diane Hopkins.
And I’d like to introduce my family!
Hey, isn’t this a website about how to homeschool?
Well, yes, it is, but without my kids, I would have never even started homeschooling, so you’ll hear a lot about them. Although the photos on this site range from when they were little until the present, I’d like to introduce you to the people they are today!
Daniel & Isaac
Daniel, my first. Daniel introduced me to the challenging job of mother. Daniel excelled in the public school system and was in 6th grade when we began homeschooling. He loves organizations, maps, and weather information. Being my first, he got experimented on way more than any child deserves! He taught me that teens need social life, that what you study must be relevant to your life, and that kids are more capable than we give them credit for. Daniel graduated from college, works in computer technology, and has a darling family.
Nathan comes next. I can blame Nathan for this fantastic adventure of homeschooling, as he did not thrive in the public schools. He is an intelligent, sensitive and gentle person, an inventor who sees the world from a different perspective. His difficulties sitting and focusing in a school classroom forced me to consider alternatives, homeschooling being the result—and what a blessing that has been! Nathan endured college so he could get paid for inventing: he works for a company that produces small radio-controlled airplanes manned with video cameras used in rescue operations. Nathan is the happy head of his little family!
Mark is my 3rd son in a row, and what a rough-and-tumble wrestling time it was with 3 little boys under 4 years old! Mark is super smart and amazing: he speaks many languages, plays the piano at a performance level, has traveled all over the world, and he owns multiple houses in his thriving investment business. He graduated in political science, hoping to better the world. He married his beautiful red-head bride, Jessie and is now growing a farm of his own.
Julianna, my first daughter, is sweet, sensitive and caring. She graduated inFamily Living at the university. She excels at cooking, arranging flowers, singing and dancing, as well as making friends. Everybody loves Julianna. Julianna was my right-hand-gal during most of my childbearing years so she has lots of “mommy” experience which she is eager to put to good use. She married her sweetheart and is now enjoying making a home for her husband Michael. Michael builds websites and loves my daughter—fine credentials!
Emily, full of fun and ultra-responsible, Emily was the ideal homeschool student during her high school years, where she pretty much schooled herself, and used me as someone to discuss things with. When she was young, her need to play taught me to make homeschool fun and inviting, so I could help keep her focused. Emily graduated from a local high school, by working to get credit for her homeschool classes, and attending high school part time. She has worked to earn a college degree in business, and also is the manager of our business, naturally. If you call to place an order, you’ll most likely talk to Emily.
Ammon studies Botany at the university. What Ammon loves to do is plant, grow, and harvest tomatoes, melons, squash and all else green. Plus graft. Plants are wonderful to him! He also plays the violin, works for us in our business, helps anyone whenever he can (one of his endearing qualities) and is nice and steady.
Louisa, my miracle baby! After many miscarriages and countless prayers, we were finally blessed with Louisa when I was in my forties. Social and very creative, Louisa loved homeschool as it gave her time for friends and for art, sewing, playing her violin, piano and mandolin—and all the other things she loves to do! Louisa and I are alone in the mornings, which is a very different scenario from those years of homeschooling with my 7 children around the kitchen table. We are enjoying a new kind of homeschooling!
Mom, that’s me! I am the voice on this website, the mommy of this family, and the conductor of this homeschooling experiment. What a most meaningful experience it has been to be best friends and pretty constant companions with my kids, and the director of their education! I couldn’t have picked a better life to enjoy.
Let’s see—stuff about me? I love the beach, flowers, swimming, babies, sewing, gardening, writing, reading, cooking, teaching History, traveling, watching British romance movies, and friends. I just asked my youngest daughter, “What do I like to do?” and she replied, “You like to be with your kids, and you like to go on a date night with Daddy”. Guess that sums it up!
Dad, the rock. Rick is quiet but not shy, kind, patient, willing to go along with my constant flow of hair-brain ideas. He is the ever constant stability in our family.
He likes raising chickens, keeping our little farm going, working in our business, studying the scriptures, teaching at church, and helping me make all my dreams come true.
Daniel’s family: Melissa, my son Daniel’s wife, is the very loving and attentive mother of 5 little ones. She is a great cook, gardener and mom!
Rebekah, my first grandchild, is bright and interested in life.
Abigail, blonde and cute as can be, laughs easily and loves everybody.
Isaac, our first grandson, has a very Biblical name: Isaac Samuel, and is a very sweet little guy!
Elizabeth, brown curly haired and spunky, was unexpectedly born on Julianna’s wedding day!
Christina . . . sweet, blonde and petite, a darling!
Nathan’s family: Melanie is Nathan’s wife. She is very patient, pleasant and gentle—a great match for Nathan. Melanie was a first grade teacher when Nathan persuaded her to become his beloved companion.
Rachel Lily love music, plays the piano, is a girly girl with her sparkly shoes and twirl-around skirts.
Christian weighed almost 13 lbs. at birth! He is intelligent and loves space!
Joseph is amazingly perfection oriented! He loves to get the details right.
Annalie Love is blonde and busy!
And new baby Samuel!
Mark’s family: Mark’s bride Jessie, redhead and pleasant, is another elementary school teacher to join the Hopkins family. Baby Matthew makes 3.
That’s us!
It just started with Rick and I, two people who fell in love. And our family continues to grow! Family life is the best, and there is nothing so great for family life as homeschooling!
Hi There
I am a mother of 2 busy boys, one 4yrs & the other 2rys old. I would like to home school them but I have no idea where to begin. I see that there are a number of syllabuses to choose from but how will I know which one is suitable for the boys.
The oldest one cannot do one thing for long. He is brilliant and loves music. The youngest is quite payful, observant and independant.
I reside in South africa & I am proud of my heritage and culture so I want my boys to grow up knowing the Xhosa language. People always mention that I will deprive the boys of meeting their peers and interacting with them. I do not think that is a problem as we have a large family and I believe that they can always go for music lessons, dancing or any other sports they wish to do. This way they will be part of a club.
I will be grateful if you can give me some valuable advise. I am quite open.
Thanks & best regards
Nonhlanhla
I am raising a special needs Grandson, and am looking for a homeschooling that will not require a rocket scientest, or much of my time. Do you know of any please reply ASAP!!!
Love your beautiful family! I was so fortunate to be able to homeschool my daughter for a year. By the time I had my first grandson I didn’t work and was able to teach him at home for his first five years. I have a M.S. in education and wrote my own curriculum with my grandson. We studied physics, Shakespeare, computers, and of course, all the basics. 🙂 He started 1st grade at 5. My daughter came home in the middle of 4th grade and announced, “Mom, I want to quit school.” After speaking with her teacher, I realized she was bored. We traveled the rest of that year and I taught her for a year, using Calvert. When she went back she was placed in 7th. Homeschooling works!!! She went to University on partial scholarships and he is in his 1st year of jr. hi finishing his first hi school credit in algebra. What a blessing it was to be able to do that — we were able to pledge the flag, study the Bible, pray, and study the Lord’s Prayer. It was good chatting with you. 🙂
Hello,
My name us Theresa and I recently moved from Texas to the Dominican Republic , I am looking in to possibly home schooling my children. I have no knowledge on home schooling and what the laws are. If you could please be so kind to give me some information or point me in the right direction.
Thanks,
Theresa
Hi, I love to hear about your family. I am mom of one 9 year old Joshua. He loves to play, play, invent, invent and more and more. I did put in school in grade 2 but this did not work. He was bullied and the teachers did not like that he could not sit still or listen without counting up everything in his desk. Therefore, after two months in school he is back home learning. He loves Science, mom reading to hime and did I say play. I am married to a lovely man Craig, who works alot to keep his family supplied with what they need. We are Bible believing Christians. My only questions is how do you make learning fun when you are using a curriculum? He is bored and I am not sure if I am doing things right. Thank you for your web site. I was also looking for some incentives for him or rewards when things are done. Be blessed with your beautiful family. Hope to chat some more.
So cool! I am the youngest of 7 kids, I have 4 brothers and 2 sisters, and they were born in the same order as your kids, 3 boys, 2 girls, then a boy, and then me! 🙂 I am doing my final government project on homeschooling, and your blog has helped me out! I was not homeschooled, but many of my friends from church are, and it interests me so much! I have decided if I am blessed with a husband and children, and the ability to homeschool, I am going to homeschool my future children!
hello my name is summer i dont really like school ive been wanting to be home schooled for ages i was wondering if you could help me be homeschooled if i payed my self i get £20 every fourt night thanks e-mail me
How can I get my kids in the program
I am a homeschool mom of 5 children, and I have recently published a children’s book called Mom Says “No”. My second son, Joel, a design major in college, co-illustrated the book and helped me self-publish it on lulu.com. I would be honored if you would allow me to submit an article or a link to your fantastic web site.
Hiya –
I just posted a 1921 article that I thought the homeschooling community would find interesting. The column pertained to a piece of Congressional legislation that would have created a Federal department of education way back then, had it not been for a number of wise souls who recognized that such an organization could never created good results. It was not surprising to find that the bill was supported by the NEA.
http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/article.php?Article_Summary=4072
I am a believer in your organization: keep up the good work.
Matt Jacobsen
Editor,
OldMagazineArticles.com
Hiya –
I just posted a 1921 article that I thought the homeschooling community would find interesting. The column pertained to a piece of Congressional legislation that would have created a Federal department of education way back then, had it not been for a number of wise souls who recognized that such an organization could never be counted upon for good results. It was not surprising to find that the bill was supported by the NEA.
http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/article.php?Article_Summary=4072
I am a believer in your organization: keep up the good work.
Matt Jacobsen
Editor,
OldMagazineArticles.com
I am 25 years old, married with 5 children. My kids ages are 8,5,4,3, and 6 weeks. My oldest is currently in second grade and attending public school. My 5 year old and 4 year old are currently attending preschool at a Lutheran church and the other two get the privilege of staying home with mommy all day! I am a stay-at-home mom and I have devoted every day of the last 8 years to raising my children. With my youngest son getting ready to start kindergarten next year, I am once again feeling the anxiety and just a bundle of mixed emotions. I am a basket case to say the least. Our family will soon be moving to Michigan and after doing the research on the schools out there, I am not thrilled about the idea of putting my children in public schools out there. I am now toying with the idea of homeschooling and was hoping to get some advice and input. If you, or anyone else out there reading this that is home schooling, have any advice for me, please send it my way! I have so many questions I don’t even know where to start so I thought I would just listen and hear what everyone else has to say about their experience.
DO I NEED PERMISSION FROM THE STATE TO HAVE MY SON STOP GOING TO HIS SCHOOL IN ORDER TO BE HOME SCHOOLED? What are MY RIGHTS AS A MOTHER AND HIS RIGHT’s UNDER THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES? Can the School make a Educational Neglect complaint to Social Service where I live in NY for not attending so many days from illness?
they just made another Complaint and it s always the same,, Educational Neglect,, my son has always graduated to the next level every year and has always have an average of 85 and over!! He is in 6th grade and an Honor Student !! This has been more of a profiling and harassment slanderous statement on their part,, All the complaints have been UNFOUNDED..THE SCHOOL HAS MORE THAN 12 UNFOUNDED COMPLAINTS ON ME. HAVE I MENTIONED I AM A ADVOCATE FOR THE CHILDREN IN MY LITTLE COMMUNITY FOR THE CHILDREN AND BULLYING.. HOW IRONIC. Thank You so very much for your advice and help in this most personal and serious matter. Sincerely Your’s , pattyann and Cameron ,O’Loughlin Merry Christmas!!!
http://www.hslda.org/hs/default.asp
This website will tell you the homeschool requirements in your state. Hope this helps.
Hi,
I have subscribed to your You Tube channel and enjoyed watching your video about Handwriting Without Tears.
Best wishes,
Jake
Please forgive me if I am being presumptuous. I am writing in the hope that you might consider adding my new website to those that you recommend to home schoolers.
The site (www.tweenverses.com) contains rhymed, metered poems for and about tweens and young teens and their lives. I wrote most of them when I taught 5th and 6th grades.
I’ve updated and revised them and have added some new ones.
I would be grateful if you could look at the site to see if it would be an enjoyable and worthwhile new resource for home schoolers. Thank you.
Richard Thomas
I have a 10th grader and we are new to Homeschooling. All the online programs are SO much money. I really need programs that arent costly that my son can use to help him. I am at the point where I want to send him back to school. I really want home schooling to work for him.
It doesn’t have to cost a lot to homeschool. Use your library card to get your reading materials. Use Wikipedia to do research reports online for free. Most of the major colleges have “open courseware” which are free classes that anyone can take. They won’t give you credit, but you can learn all you want, which is what is important. Best success to you!
Diane
I am curious about your son Ammon. Did he just come into the world liking plants? I have a 3-year-old son who loves to garden. He is so interested (obsessed) with plants that it is kind of crazy. He knows the names of all the plants in our yard and all of his favorite books have gardens. He loves to listen to Charles Dowding chat about his garden. I guess since you have seen the full spectrum I am wondering if you have seen that with your kids that they are who they are from the start and we just need to provide fertilizer and compost for them to grow into their best selves?
Yes, our children come to us with their own unique personalities and affinities. Ammon learned all the Latin names of the plants and eventually took Plant Propagation classes, learning to graft and more. I fully believe in giving them the time and supplies to flourish in their natural interests. By the time Ammon was 12, we had created a makeshift greenhouse from plastic sheeting in one of the south facing rooms of our house that received a lot of sun. For his birthday, we took him to seed expos and Botanical gardens over the years. It is thrilling to see children flourish in the areas of their natural inclinations. Best success to your little gardener! What a good mother he has!