We Might Homeschool: Where Do I Start With Homeschooling?

Where do I start?

First, is the Homeschool Legal Defense Association. It is a nonprofit organization that helps families protect their rights and know their rights.

They are on Facebook too and there are even specific branches of HSLDA like HSLDA Military.

I recommend visiting this website and even considering becoming a member as your membership fee helps fund the organization. The HSLDA has represented families in cases where states tried to deny the right to homeschool and more.

Another place to visit is HomeSchoolStateLaws.

You can quickly get the basics of every state. You might be surprised to know that most states don’t have strict laws. Some of the states with the highest regulations include Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, and Pennsylvania. While these regulations are stricter, they aren’t impossible.

You might be required to get approval to homeschool or you might have to keep records of what you teach and have your children tested each year. Most do not have test score requirements so even if your child failed the test, this wouldn’t necessarily stop the state from approving your homeschool.

Many states have NO regulation, including  Idaho, Alaska, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Connecticut, or New Jersey.

The rest of the states have low to moderate expectations but they can sound daunting or even frightening. They really aren’t that bad.

Here is a great resource for the subject requirements by state.

How do I know what to teach?

What we have done is incorporate curricula that fit our learning styles and beliefs --and when I say beliefs I don’t necessarily mean religious beliefs. I personally don’t believe children learn best with loads of worksheets and electronic media--such as educational apps. We incorporate a little of those but the core of our education is built on reading. We do lots and lots of reading.

For your first year, I recommend NOT buying all the curricula. 

Best Homeschool Curriculum 

Bookshark and Sonlight have always been our favorite. I like this for the new homeschooling family because it allows you to just read books and read books that are all related to each other. 

We have started transitioning much of our materials over to the Good and the Beautiful--because they incorporate all the learning styles into the set of curricula. 

The curriculum is a truly personal thing and all I can really tell you is to try things and avoid committing to huge packages of everything. 

Homeschool Co-Ops

You can also check out local co-ops. We don’t care for that style of learning but belonging to a co-op allows you additional social learning opportunities.

Homeschool Online

There are also options online. Many people have great success with those. Some schools allow homeschoolers to participate in their sports and arts programs. 

These options are great for when you feel that teaching your child a specific subject is just a bit outside your capabilities. So you don’t have to be a great student yourself to teach your kids!

Socialization and Homeschooling

Socialization has never been a huge problem but it does take some effort. You have to seek out your tribe and commit to doing things with your kids. Some things cost money and others don’t. Just remember that the benefits and sacrifices are not the same as when sending your kids to school but there are still sacrifices to be made.

I Could Never Homeschool!

Speaking of that, what about personality. I have to be honest- I’m not good with other people’s children. I’m the last to volunteer to help with kids at church and I generally can’t get a group of rowdy kids in line. It’s just not my talent. However, with my own kids, I do just fine. 

Homeschool and Working From Home

 How do you fit in your career, time for yourself, and breaks for the kids? If you think you can fly by the seat of your pants- you’d be mistaken. I have yet to meet a mom who runs a business and has no routine with school but feels totally content. Usually, the moms who “unschool” or who don’t have a set of goals for what they will finish in the year do not have a career or business they manage.

So if you are wanting to have a career, or maintain your income while staying home with the kids, you do need some form of a routine.

Our routine is pretty flexible- we get to spend a lot of time doing things like swimming, traveling, cooking, getting outside and more. We do also practice a year-round schooling approach. When the weather is unfavorable- we tend to spend time doing extra school work. When it’s the best part of the season we get out and enjoy it. We take extra time off when there are holidays and days off for my husband.

To truly set up your daily time budget, I would recommend checking out the Rescue Mission or any of the other time management courses at the SuperMom academy. For the very serious mom who wants to homeschool and run a business or just be a more productive yet present mom, I would recommend the Life Design or SuperMom Mastermind.

Homeschooling With Special Needs

Now, what if your child has special services through the school?  I have to believe that if the reason you are homeschooling provides more benefits to your family than detriments that it will work out.

You may end up paying out of pocket for more services. Check out the resources on HSLDA. 

But My Child Loves School

Your child may thrive at other activities outside of school once you begin to homeschool but it might require a deep conversation. What if your child gets to do even more fun stuff because of the flexibility of homeschooling. You could always try homeschooling the second half of the year or begin in the summer. This gives you time to work hard together and see what kinds of benefits come up for your social children. 

Continue the conversation here.