Some home-school families have found ways to save money on basic curriculum, and some also have discovered creative ways to make sure their children are exposed to a variety of subjects and learning experiences. Some families pool their resources and hire small-group instructors for tougher subjects such as languages, calculus, chemistry or physics. Families like the Carricks and Ramsays of Berea even trade teaching skills. Three days a week, the two families' children meet for several hours. Martin Ramsay teaches science lab to the group, and Debbie Carrick teaches language arts.
Many families also supplement at-home curriculum with outside activities.
Will and Joe Cooper, ages 10 and 8, of Lexington, are in their first year of home schooling by their mother, Amy Cooper. The boys are learning about geography, art, music and history. The Porter group also provides music, art, physical education and science experiments. Testing, testing Requirements for standardized testing vary from state to state. Kentucky currently does not require home-schooled children to be tested.