Prior to becoming a parent I was a strong advocate for public schools. I was a teacher for nineteen years and an union rep for my school for many years. It was second nature for me until the birth of my first child. Life as I had known it, was gone. My husband and I had a child that needed us to do things differently. As we began the journey of parenthood with all of its twist and turns and ups and downs, it naturally led us to homeschooling. It gave us the flexibility and faith component that we needed. My eldest daughter needed extra support with learning so I immediately got to work developing learning plans that were just right for my children. Whether you are a novice or an experienced homeschooling parent, here are some simple tips that helped us on our homeschooling journey and I hope that they will help you and your family as well.
Here are 10 simple starter tips to help you on your homeschooling journey:
Create a homeschooling philosophy that reflects your core beliefs. It can be a simple statement or a lengthy one. One that you will use to guide your family through this incredible journey. Post this statement in a visible spot so that you can refer to it whenever things in your life get complicated.
Research your county, city, or state for homeschooling guidelines and notify them of your intent to homeschool if it is required.
Look for homeschooling groups for your child(ren) to join. There are many homeschooling groups that meet up at many places around the community. Homeschooling groups meet up for classes at the library, local nature parks, co-ops, museums, and etc. You can participate in learning opportunities as little or as much as you deem fit for your family. The frequency of the learning opportunities are up to you. There are many free or low cost options such as homeschooling days for physical fitness classes at skating rinks, aquatics schools, and etc.
Create a master learning and teaching schedule for yourself and for your kids. This schedule should reflect your belief statements and your non-negotiables. It can be a firm schedule or a soft floating schedule made up of modules. For example, if you would like your child to learn a foreign language or certain values, make sure to include time in your weekly schedule to include the things that matter to you and your family. Choose activities, modules, or homeschooling methods that will help your family navigate the joy of learning.
Set an overall financial budget for the school year that would cover teacher and student materials and resources, transportation cost, educational activity fees, extracurricular activites, and etc. For every family this will be differerent so remember to keep it simple. Your budget should reflect your family's goals and core beliefs.
Develop a simple meal plan based on your family's needs. This will make life easier for everyone when life becomes hectic. Despite good intentions mealtimes can sometimes get overly complicated. I use a set alternating menu for breakfast and lunch, but for dinner I use a floating menu. I have about 5 meals that I choose from throughout the school week.This makes shopping easier so that we always have supplies on hand.
Have a family meeting to share and develop a family vision. Discuss logistics such as scheduling, meal plans, day to day procedures and routines, pick up and drop offs, and etc. For my family, regular informal meetings throughout the year work best so that everyone is on the same page.
Gather your core materials and resources. This should include things that you can't live without. Use the internet to look for free or paid resources that will support your curriculum. You can search for workbooks, learning tools, and materials that will make the learning process fun and interesting. My favorite places to look for resources and supplies are Christianbooks.com, Amazon, Dollar Tree, Target, and Walmart. Be sure to take advantage of free resources at your local library too.
Set up your physical space where the majority of your teaching and learning will occur within your home and based on your family's needs. Be sure to organize and set up your learning materials within your chosen space so they are ready for the first days of homeschooling and beyond. Whether learning happens in the kitchen, family room, or great outdoors, make sure it's an inviting and child friendly space.
Pick a start date and jump right in and get started. As you embark on your homeschooling journey you will make lots of discoveries and mistakes. You will find clever ways to refine and make adustments to the learning process. It is a learning process so it won't be perfect. Let yourself off the hook and have fun with your children as you learn and grow together.
From the desk of Esther Kamoche Robinson 11/10/24 EST 8:27am wix pic.
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