If you are new to homeschooling, read these 6 tips below on the essentials of getting started!
Tip #1 Join Local Homeschooling Groups
Joining local homeschooling community groups helps you to gain insight into the different types of homeschoolers, helps you to find your “tribe” or community, and hear from others what homeschooling is about. Homeschooling is more than just school at home. From others, you will hear about the teaching materials that they use, recommendations for curricula and activities, and you will get to hear personal experiences that can and may be relatable in the future. In addition to attending meetups, some active community groups, especially on FaceBook, may have files and resources within their groups to navigate homeschooling in your area. Check these out! Or you can also do a search within the group to find out specific questions like what is your county’s law, how do you submit the LOI (letter of intent), and so on.
Tip: Not every group is going to be your cup of tea. So don’t be afraid to leave the group and find others that you click with.
Tip #2 Research Your State and County Laws
Visit your Department of Education Website to learn more about homeschooling laws. This is Florida’s DOE website. From here you can check out your specific District’s requirements. I live in Orange County, so take a look at their requirements here. We usually have to provide a letter of intent, keep a portfolio of schoolwork, and submit an annual evaluation or testing. We get to pick out our curricula for each subject (which I love!) or you can use programs like FLVS which are free if you are enrolled in the county district with homeschooling.
Finding a homeschool evaluator is so helpful, too! I met a wonderful and knowledgeable homeschool evaluator that I have used for years now. I can go to her with any question and she is amazing at answering them for me. So be sure to find yourself an evaluator who knows the law and respects your decision to homeschool. SO IMPORTANT!
Tip #3 Deschool Yourself (and Your Significant Other)
What is “deschooling”? Well, in a nutshell, it is taking out the way you were taught (if you were public schooled) and understanding homeschooling is NOT school at home. Rather, homeschooling is an educational journey to fit your child’s specific needs and it is not one size fits all. This is where it is important for you to write down WHY you are choosing to homeschool. When you do homeschool, do realize it does not have to look like a structured school with textbooks and sitting down at a desk for 6-8 hours. Now if your child prefers that, then sure. It’s all about meeting your kids where they are at. If your child does not like writing, but prefers typing, then you can do that. If you choose to use YouTube videos for curricula instead of a textbook, then yes! Do it! If your child wants to read in a halloween costume, upside down, then yes! That’s ok- why? Because they are reading! Do you get my drift? So before you start homeschooling, make sure you deschool yourself (as well as your significant other especially if they were already on the fence about you choosing to homeschool). Check out this deschooling article here.
Tip #4 What Type of Learner is Your Child?
There are 4 main types of learners: Auditory, Kinesthetic, Visual, and Reading/Writing. I myself am a mix of Kinesthetic, Visual, and Reading/Writing, so it is important for me to know how my children learn and cater to their needs because we are all so different. In observing my children, my oldest learns best through reading, visual, and kinesthetic experiences. My youngest learns best through kinesthetic and visual experiences. This is valuable information because the type of curricula you choose should match your learners so they can achieve the maximum learning potential. Learn about the different styles here. There are free quizzes you can check out online if you do a quick search.
Tip #5 What Type of Homeschooler Are You?
I am an eclectic homeschooler. I appreciate many styles of homeschooling and have at one point used quite a few methods over the years. But ultimately, I love using different curricula to meet my kids where they are at academically. We have used Singapore Math, Wordly Wise, various resources for science, Curiosity Chronicles for History, various resources for art, and so on. We have never used a boxed curriculum although they look pretty cool! This just works for us. So do check out the different descriptions and research the types that you think may fit you and your children. Here’s an article that describes the 8 types of homeschoolers.
Tip #6 Researching Curriculum
There are so many choices for curriculum! It can be very overwhelming! When I first started 6 years ago, I visited 102 Top Picks for Homeschooling by Cathy Duffy and just browsed through the different resources for each subject. Knowing how my kids learned, I was able to also look at different blogs and see what other kids similar to mine were studying and then I would cross reference on Cathy’s website, just to learn more information. I have also reached out to the vendors and asked about their curriculum, especially if it was pricey. I YouTubed videos as well to check out the curriculum before purchasing. Make this fun for you! It really is a lot. And what works for one child may not work for the other. What works for one homeschooling family, may not work for another. So take notes, and when you attend a homeschool meetup, ask questions! Oh! And one thing I learned about was secular v.s. non-secular resources! Secular is non-religious and if you want a curriculum that is not religious-based, it is important to search for that.
So these are my 6 tips for when you decide to homeschool. What other tips have you found helpful on your homeschooling journey?
*Adult Supervision Is Required For All Activities*