I once considered joining a homeschool group that required uniforms. I was a bit annoyed at the time that the only reason they gave for requiring the uniforms was that it would ensure modesty standards were followed. I considered this to be an insult toward my ability as a parent to dress my children modestly. I'm rather happy in retrospect that it didn't work out because I didn't need one more thing to worry about.
Personally, I see uniforms as an element of "school at home" rather than "home school". But, I know there are other families who think it's just easier and/or helpful to use uniforms. I think if I had access to an abundance of gently used, modest uniforms, I might have a different perspective, but to me it's an unnecessary expense. (Incidentally, the aforementioned group had to special-order the skirts for their members in order to get them to a length they felt was modest.)Oh,
Oh, that is so bad on so many levels. All the families in my homeschool were really excited about the uniforms.
The boys wore standard school uniforms and with the generous donations from other members, there was no added expense for those who were on a tight budget. However, the girls had a great project. They had their own special club, as did the boys, but the girls made their own skirts, blouses, and graduation dresses, which could double as a church dress as it was ankle length.
You would be surprised how much the families saved. The girls wore their skirts mid-calf length. For the primary and elementary school grades, the little ones wore A-lined skirts with elastic waists.
One of the families had a large home that they would open up to the girls. This home had a large family room with extra sewing machines. Some machines were donated by grandmas who no longer would sew. They had lots of sewing supplies, all the threads, needles, thimbles, and scissors that one would need along with extra irons and ironing boards. Parents would help instruct the girls in sewing skills, and older ones would teach the younger ones for an extra merit badge called teacher's aide.
Initially, the families and children voted for skirt colors or different patterns for each grade level (K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, middle school and high school), and the skirts were lovingly handed down from sister to sister or to another family. This encouraged the girls to study so that they would be promoted to the next grade level and get to wear a different color.
The girls would go to a fabric store such as JoAnn's whenever they were having a special, pick up some fabric and sew skirts using only a yard or two depending on the size they needed. They learned how to sew straight seams, flat-feld seams, French seams, blind hems, and elastic casings. The older girls learned how to sew more complex patterns with pockets, buttons, buttonholes, zippers, and pleats. The girls would get merit awards much like the Girl Scouts for their activities such as learning to cook, publish a club newsletter, sew, ride a horse, etc.
The older girls would sew skirts for the younger ones, and some families would purchase these skirts, so the girls could make extra spending money to help their parents. It was a win-win situation. Each girl had at least two to three skirts, one of which was a floral calico pattern for their club uniform. They made sashes for their project badges, but I do not know where they obtained those badges.
The blessing of making their own clothing: girls were not influenced by the fashions they would see at the stores or online. This is why the ladies were so excited. It really saved them a lot of money as they did not have to drive to stores.
Since my son was in the boy's club, we did not interact very often with the girls except for Christmas parties, etc.
Topic: Pajama Days (Read 1053 times)