Thinking About Homeschool? Best Homeschooling Resources

Ever since my first daughter was born, like most parents, I was thinking about her educational needs. We want the best for our kids. So naturally, I had a battle with myself about the type of education they should have.

Public school?

Private school?

Homeschool?

A mix?

What was best? I had always heard that homeschooling produced anti-social kids so even though I wanted full control over her education and wasn’t thrilled with the public or even private school systems, I wasn’t sure homeschooling was right for us, either.

That was until I got more involved in the online homeschooling communities. I was blown away at the amount of resources and encouragement from the homeschooling crowd. I expressed my concerns about lack of socialization and they were all so kind to reassure me that there is no such thing.

It’s a huge myth that kids are ‘more social’ just because they go to public school. What makes them so sociable just because they go to school? They get a few minutes in between classes, some lunch time to socialize and when they’re young, they have recess. And sometimes they also have group activities in classes.

So when they’re not in school, they’re, what, trapped at home? They aren’t socializing in the public? They aren’t going to museums? Not going to the park? Not hanging out with neighbor kids? Kids get socialized through everyday life. Every single time my children go out, they’re being socialized. My kids even have friends that were acquired outside of school.

There are so many ways that we can educate and socialize our kids. I’m convinced now more than ever that homeschooling is the right path for me and my family.

Homeschooling certainly takes a lot more effort on the parents part and it also requires at least one parent to be home at least part of the day to teach their children.

I understand that many parents simply can’t homeschool because everyone in the household needs to work and might be unable to homeschool their children. Not to mention, some kids have difficult home lives and their only time to relax or get a free meal is at school. A large strain is put on parents because of COVID-19 and I understand it can be tough on parents right now, especially if they had never planned to homeschool, even if it’s only schooling with the public school.

Deciding to homeschool isn’t as easy as flipping a switch, it took me 3 years to finally make the decision. Though, sometimes we’re forced into the homeschool life because we feel it’s the best option in certain circumstances.

However, if you are thinking about it, I wanted to share some resources to help with your decision making process.

Here are some of the top homeschooling resources:

Check local laws

The first thing you’ll want to do is check your local homeschooling laws. There are different requirements for each state. The best resource I’ve found to get this information is through Time4Learning. Once you pick your state, it gives you an overview of the local laws for your state. It shows everything from laws to field trip options to groups and co-ops. It’s an extremely helpful website.

Of course, don’t hesitate to check the official government website.

Finding curriculum

One of the biggest concerns to me was how to find the right curriculum for my child. What do I teach and when? If your local laws allow you to completely make up the curriculum yourself, then that can either be a huge relief or even more confusing, especially if you’re not a teacher. You can also do a hybrid of your own curriculum, online learning and even in person learning.

Here are some online curriculum options:

Here are some places where you can purchase curriculum to use at home:

Finding support

The homeschooling community is generally very helpful. There may be local groups in your area that meet and discuss and even have play dates or go to group field trips together. Getting involved in your local homeschooling community could be a great relief to exchange ideas and get help.

You can find local communities through places like Meetup.com or Facebook. If I lived in Texas, I would search ‘Texas homeschool’ in the search bar to find local groups. Don’t be shy, either! Getting to know the local community is a great resource, especially when you’re feeling lost or need to get your kids involved with field trips or other events.

Homeschooling Facebook groups:

No matter what route you decide to take with homeschooling it’s certainly something that will change and flow through time. However, it’s a lot of work, too. It’s about setting boundaries for your children and making sure they are learning what they need to learn in the home environment.

Homeschooling is a great option but shouldn’t be taken lightly. It’s a commitment with both parents and children.

Here are some homeschooling tips:

Set a routine, but also be flexible. Kids tend to thrive on routine. Set times for learning, breaks, lunch and free time. In saying that, some days kids just need a break. Mix things up sometimes and be flexible with their education.
Have a set area where they’ll learn. This way, you can say, “Ok, time for school!” and you’ll all hop on over to the designated learning area. This may only be for part of the learning, as much of the learning may or may not be while sitting in a designated area. But it’s nice to have a designated space that everyone knows is for school time.
Be hands on. Don’t just sit in at a table all day, get outside, go on a field trip, make some DIY projects, do a science project, do some painting, etc. Engage all of their senses and learning abilities.
Learn together. If there’s something you don’t know, then learn it together! That’s part of what makes homeschooling great, everyone can learn something new.
Get creative. You’re the teacher so you can be as creative as you want to. The great thing about homeschooling is there aren’t any strict ‘rules’ for learning. Learning happens throughout everyday examples. Learn math by counting fruit. Learn colors through painting. Learn science by building a kite.
Throw all the rules out the window. There are so many ways to learn and teach that we don’t necessarily have to put ourselves into a box. As long as they’re learning necessary skills and education and following local laws, YOU are the teacher and therefore get to decide how the education is presented and learned.

Have fun with it! This is such a great time to engage and connect with your kids on an educational level.

Family Preparedness

Thinking About Homeschool? Best Homeschooling Resources