How to Start Homeschooling
I get so many messages from sweet fellow mamas saying I’ve inspired them to homeschool, but they have no clue where to begin. So I figured this would be something helpful to put into the world, just some of my personal story and experience, and my tips on how to start homeschooling.
1. Define your WHY for Homeschooling
Let’s start with the “why.” We homeschool for so many reasons, but at the top of the list:
For the freedom and flexibility it gives us to go at my children’s pace. For the gift of TIME. To preserve their childhood and wonder! To strengthen their relationships with each other. The blessing of being together and speaking God’s truth into them. Homeschool is truly a gift! And I go back to my “why” on the hard days.
So for the first step in homeschooling, I recommend writing down your “why.” Maybe tape it on your wall, somewhere you can read it often. Keep it in your notes section on your phone. You’ll need to go back to it often, and it’s invaluable to really know and be honest with yourself.
RELATED: WHY WE HOMESCHOOL
2. Decide HOW you will Homeschool
With homeschooling, there are many options- truly, sky’s the limit! And it’s up to you to decide what is the best fit for your family. You can kind of go from most restrictive to least restrictive, depending on your needs! It truly is so much more freedom than you think! Usually, with homeschooling, you either choose a public charter school or file as your own private school, know as a PSA (Private School Affadavit).
PUBLIC CHARTER
You can look up homeschool charter schools in your county and enroll with them. This option means that you have a teacher that you meet with once a month, generally, and provide a few work samples for your child, and check in. They make sure you are meeting state requirements and are just there for any support you may need or want. What’s really nice is the charter school provides funding for any enrichment you may want to do, as well as materials and curriculum! This is the option we have chosen to go with (for now), as the funds are really nice and help us to be able to homeschool how we want, and provide the kids with the extracurriculars they love. We use our funds for our learning center where the kids take some enrichment classes with friends. You can also use funds for gymnastics, horseback riding, rock climbing, there are so many possibilities, and it will vary depending on what’s available near you!
PSA
A very simple and quick process, we actually did this for one year. PSA stands for Private School Affidavit, and it essentially makes your homeschool it’s own private school, with a name and everything.;) It was great, in that it is the MOST freedom in homeschooling. States vary on their criteria, so look up yours for where you are, but here in California it’s pretty simple and there’s lots of freedom! It was as simple as filling out a form, choosing a name for our school, and voila! You are your own school. You don’t need to answer to anyone, which I absolutely loved, but you also don’t get any funding. So you decided which is best for you! It might be worth it, honestly, and it may be something we do again in the future. We shall see!
3. Get a Feel for your Homeschooling Style
I read about many differenty styles (classical, Charlotte Mason, unschooling, Montessori, unit studies, to name a few) and we align best with Charlotte Mason. Seeing the children as a born person- not simply an empty vessel to fill up with information- and nourishing the love of learning are hugely important to me. Also, remember you don’t have to fit into any mold- that’s the beauty of homeschool! You find what works best for your family, mostly through trial and error lol, and eventually you fall into a beautiful rythymn that is uniquely YOURS. :) But I’ve found aligning with a specific style has helped with aiding in my decisions and has been so beautiful for us. Nutshell: you do you, boo!!
RELATED: 2022-2023 HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM CHOICES
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:
As part of your research on how to start homeschooling, I recommend the following books- all are a wealth of information, and they all played a role in my decision to homeschool. They are so encouraging!!
The Call of the Wild + Free (this is THE BOOK that was the ultimate catalyst for our decision to homeschool! So encouraging!)
Awaking Wonder (I love anything by Sally Clarkson! This book focuses on the Charlotte Mason philosophy. Read really good books, skip the “twaddle,” keep lessons short in order to keep wonder alive and learning fun, and spend lots of time outdoors in free play).
For the Children’s Sake
The Brave Learner
Morning Time: A Liturgy of Love
4. HAVE FUN and enjoy the ride!
Figuring out how to start homeschooling is really not as complicated as we make it out to be, I believe. File for your PSA or apply to join a charter, and do your thang! That’s it! Read lots of books, go outside a LOT, explore the same nature place in all different seasons and observe the changes that take place- and hey, jot them down in a notebook with some drawings and BOOM! There’s your nature study! Listen to composers and folk songs and hymns during mealtimes and BOOM! There’s your music! Put up a new piece of art on your wall (I literally print off and tape in our dining room) by the same artist through the course of a few months and BOOM! There’s your art study! I personally love following the Ambleside Online curriculum and that’s what we’ve done for Year 1 and now in Year 2 for my older two kids and it has been so great for us. There is a wealth of knowledge on their website, as well as wonderful booklists, I recommend checking them out! The best part is- it’s all free!
I hope this was helpful. More than anything, I want you to know that you are more than capable of educating your children at home. You were made for this. Homeschool is not merely “school at home”- it is so much more than that, and truly not really that at all. Make it your own. Follow your family’s natural rhythms. Do what works for you! And pivot when need be. Home education is a lifestyle, a way of life, a calling and an atmosphere. I truly hope this blog post was helpful in answering any questions you may have had about how to start homeschooling, but if you have any more in depth questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments and I will get back to you! :) This is a huge passion of mine and something that has been the absolute biggest blessing to our family, and I know it can be for so many others as well.
xo
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