Home schooling transforms the city into a classroom | OregonLive.com

Home schooling was never in the cards for Mona Rentz, or so she thought. But when the all-day special education class for Rentz' son Stephen ended -- who is of normal intelligence but has a severe learning disability -- the choice to send him into a regular middle school classroom didn't sit well with her.

So Rentz did what she never thought she would do. She opted to home-school both Stephen and her younger son Alex.

For the last year and a half, each day has been a new opportunity for Rentz to turn her home and the city into a classroom. And she's not alone. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, since 1999 the number of home-schoolers in the U.S. has increased by 74 percent. To reach these kids, a number of local community organizations are designing programs and events specifically for home schooling families.

Through a group on Facebook, Rentz learned about an event at Hillsboro's Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals. She watched Stephen and Alex dissect layers of coal, learning about the dead plant matter that formed into peat and eventually into the black rock they held in their hands.

A few local organizations offering home-school educational opportunities:

With another home-school group, Rentz has taken her sons to presentations at the Washington County Museum, where instead of just seeing pictures in textbooks the kids were able to handle artifacts like arrowheads and baskets.

Krissy Rowan, director of communication for the Washington County Museum, has a personal connection with home schooling. Her niece, who has a high-functioning form of autism, has a difficult time in a traditional classroom setting. Since Rowan's sister started home schooling, Rowan has noticed a difference in her niece, who is flourishing in the home-school environment.

The museum offers hands-on discovery-based programs every second and fourth Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m. where home-schooled kids are welcome to come and participate in interactive activities. (A $6 per child fee applies.) Rowan has seen many families take advantage of these presentations, which began last year.

Maggie Chapin, cultural arts program supervisor for the Hillsboro Arts and Culture Council, has also noticed a growing trend of home-schoolers using community resources in the city.

"There is a need with arts to go somewhere to get that hands on education," Chapin said. "Kids need to feel the clay in their hands and the paint on their fingers."

Mary Loftin, community resources manager of Hillsboro Parks & Recreation, agrees with Chapin about the increasing number of opportunities that home schooling parents can use as resources.

"We want our facilities to be another extension of the learning place," Loftin said.

Through the Parks & Rec create-a-class program, anyone can request a class on any subject to be taught as a one-time event or even as a six-week class. There is also an extensive list of sports classes and leagues that provide team-sport opportunities.

The Shute Park Aquatic and Recreation Center in Hillsboro offers home-school swim lessons, with 30-minute lessons followed by 30-minute recreational swims.

For Rentz, there never seems to be a shortage of activities for her sons to enjoy. Whether it's collecting bugs in Noble Woods Park or tinkering with electronics at a robotics workshop, Rentz is always able to find something both interesting and educational for them to do.

Home schooling is an educational option in Oregon, but parents must register at the local Education Service District. The Northwest Regional Education Service District includes the Washington County school districts. To register, and for information about services and programs offered, visit the NWRESD Website.

--Taylor Smith tsmith@hillsboroargus.com; 503-702-7083

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com/hillsboro/index.ssf/2013/02/home_schooling_transforms_the.html

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