ALEXANDRIA, La. (AP) — Alexandria resident Barbara Elkins had no idea how homeschooling her children was going to work out, but she was certain that she wanted to give it a try. She and her husband, Brian, gave it a shot.

‘‘We knew a lot of people who homeschooled, and we liked the way the children interacted with adults, how they interacted with each other as a family and that they enjoyed learning,’’ Elkins said.

Elkins has homeschooled her children for 13 years and, she said, she hasn’t looked back.

Homeschooling is by no means easy — nor inexpensive. But while the challenges are many, Elkins said the rewards are in the close bond with her four children, the flexibility of scheduling for family activities and being able to pass on the family’s faith and values to the children.

More and more families around the country are homeschooling.

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s National Household Education Surveys Program, about 1.5 million children were being homeschooled in 2007, compared to 850,000 in 1999 — a 74 percent increase.

State figures show that Louisiana had 7,275 BESE approved home-study students in April 2007, and 7,760 in April 2009.

The federal survey questioned 10,681 parents. The most common reasons for homeschooling included worries about school environment, lack of religious or moral instruction and dissatisfaction with the academic instruction at public schools.

‘‘We wanted to be the greatest influence in their life. We wanted to pass our faith to our children, and we learn that it’s easier to teach them’’ values and faith this way, Elkins said.

The Cenla Christian Home School Association represents 100 families with 235 students in Central Louisiana. President Sarah Touchet said parents who want to take on their children’s teaching tend to be individualists, with different reasons for doing so.

Most believe they can give their children a better education. She said one family that joined last year was taking a year off paying for private schools.

Parents of home-schooled children said it’s a major misconception that homeschooling keeps students from getting to know other children.

Home-schooling associations may not offer as many extracurricular activities as schools do, but do offer a variety of group activities, Touchet said.

At least 22 Christian home-schooling groups in Louisiana participate in the Christian Home Educators Fellowship, or CHEF, a state organization that offers teaching, training, conferences and weekly e-mails. The organization also keeps tabs on legislation affecting home-school groups in the state.

Touchet said local groups also get together and organize field trips throughout the year and learn from each other when it comes to teaching methods. ‘‘This community in particular is very supportive of homeschoolers,’’ Touchet said.

Her organization also offers First Class Cenla Co-op, a one-day per week school where mothers help to teach the children.

Homeschooling can be challenging.

Home-schooled children — like public school students — are supposed to have 174 days of classes. That can prove overwhelming, said Ruby Smith, Rapides Parish School District’s director of child welfare and attendance.

Louisiana law doesn’t include any qualifications for homeschooling parents.

Homeschooling is approved by the state Department of Education, and applications and information can be obtained at Smith’s office.

‘‘A lot of them go for homeschooling and then return,’’ Smith said, adding that every year the public schools re-enrolls students who have been previously homeschooled.

Touchet said, ‘‘If you are not ready for that type of a commitment, then it’s not for everybody, but I would emphasize that there is a lot of support and encouragement.’’

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Information from: Alexandria Daily Town Talk, http://www.thetowntalk.com