Home-schooling? I don’t know.

Let’s say that you can afford to do it and that’s not an issue.

Yes, maybe it is hard to do a worse job than the children’s school.

But ... let’s be careful about making a distinction between un-schooling and home schooling.
I do not believe in un-schooling because I think it is essentially the same constructivist approach the schools take done at home.

Secondly, .. as good as some parents no doubt are they would not be as good as a traditionally trained teacher with years of experience. Well, since very few such teachears are still around, maybe it’s a moot point.

Traditionally-trained teachers?  Have you read what the University Schools of Education have become in the past generation or so?  Most try to prevent traditional training of teachers.

A few ideas here.  We have homeschooled, and I am very choosy in what I will use.  Have tried and discarded some resources; loved others.  The Michael Maloney series, “Teach Your Children Well” is right up there at the top of my list.  We do a great deal of handwriting practice in the early years —I use http://www.handwritingpractice.com to custom-make worksheets.  I borrow some of the form drawing exercises from the Waldorf Education movement too (can order these curriculum books from several sources).  We use a Bongo Board for reinforcing vestibular skills.  As my children have gotten to be 10 or so, we have gone into online schools.  Lots of junk out there (had poor or mediocre experiences with two Ontario online schools), but that being said, there are also excellent online schools —mainly out of the U.S.  We have had very satisfying experience with Regina Coeli Academy (online) and Veritas Press Scholar’s Academy (online).  I have also heard of parents being happy with Memoria Press Online.  Teachers/curriculum have been very good through these, and the structure is just what we have needed by that age level.  In fact, a well-structured day has been vitally important to our homeschooling.

I also assign each child a book per week to be read at home, according to their reading skill level.  Can’t go wrong with Newbery Award books for starters.  Might try Veritas Press, Memoria Press, http://www.bluemantle.ca,  or similar resources aimed at Classical Christian Education for the type of children’s books loaded with charm and traditional values and innocence; I was trying very hard to steer away from the children’s books that have come out over the last 30 years or so, full of politically correct indoctrination, and “free to be, you and me” Summerhillian approaches (and I cannot bear Sesame Street”),  so I always sought pre-1970 books for my children.  Some excellent children’s literature in this category!  “Swallows and Amazons” by Arthur Ransome was a favourite with mine, for instance.  Don’t miss the Rosemary Sutcliffe books for slightly older readers.  Scholastic also has the new “Dear Canada” historical series for girls, which isn’t half bad.  Biographies in general are a good choice. 

Audiobooks are another valuable idea for homeschoolers.  We have used many by Jim Weiss and by Naxos.  Amazon.ca carries many of these, as does a Cdn. source at http://www.FiretheImagination.ca.  Again, though, go for the high-quality selections. 

If you are living in an area with the Suzuki Method for music being offered, this is another good resource outside the home.  Same goes for traditional/classical children’s choirs — excellent training on many levels.  I know that several still exist in Canada through the Anglican Church; Ottawa in particular has a number of phenomenally good traditional classical choir programs for children.  Toronto has some excellent secular choirs for children that I know of. 

Try also the associations for gifted children in any given region; they often provide Saturday classes in enrichment.

You really don’t have to do it all yourself while homeschooling these days…...many excellent resources available.