Being home-schooled doesn't mean missing out on all of the things offered in public or private school.
Several Lake Norman home-schoolers have discovered fun extra-curricular activities to keep themselves busy after classes have ended.
Jana Alexander has always home-schooled her children, 12-year-old Faith and 14-year-old Cooper.
"When Cooper was a baby, we met a family that home-schooled their children and I loved the close-knit relationship they had," she said. "The whole lifestyle was great and their children were so polite and well-mannered; I wanted my children to grow up just like them."
Kathe Ingle decided to teach her two kids, 11-year-old Ike and 10-year-old Caroline, after deciding private school was taking up far too much family time and feeling like her kids never got to see her.
"It's much easier; the schedule is so flexible and we can spend more time with each other," Ingle said.
Jana started to search out after-school activities for her children because she felt it was important for them to interact with kids their own age.
"It also gives them a chance to learn from adults other than me and exposes them to people with different ideas and philosophies," she said. "Most of all, I want them to have fun."
"It's the same as any other child," agreed Ingle. "You want them to be well-rounded."
Cooper and Faith are part of a home-school speech and debate club in Huntersville that meets weekly and competes with similar groups in tournaments.
"I wasn't that into the speech and debate group at first, but now I really like it," Cooper said. "I've made friends and I've gained a lot of knowledge and had fun."
"I'm kind of shy, but the group has really brought me out of my shell," Faith added.
Ike and Caroline are part of the H.O.M.E. group from Grace Covenant that participated in the North Carolina Scholastic Chess Championships. The two also grow basil and tomatoes for BizKids, in collaboration with the Davidson Farmer's Market, to help the children learn business skills while selling home-grown products.
"It teaches them how to price and market things, and makes it interesting and hands-on," Kathe said. "They actually take out a loan from me to get the business started and pay me back through the money they make selling the plants. It's a good learning experience."
Faith is very active in her church's youth group and Cooper has a monthly meeting with friends to play war games. Both say they love being home-schooled and having more free time to do extra activities they might not otherwise have time to.
"We have school from about 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., so we get a lot done and can incorporate other things," Jana said. "For other home-school parents, try finding a support group online, like ours is LIFE at Lake Norman. They can send you e-mail notices on activities, share information and give you resources so you can be a part of a community."
Kathe suggested checking with your local Park and Recreation Department.
"The Davidson Parks and Rec has quite a few activities for home-school kids, like archery, so check their Web site and look on Yahoo for groups," she said.
"Being home-schooled, you can get isolated easily, so you need to seek out fun things, because there's so much to do," said Jana.
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