A dear friend of mine called today to pick my brain about homeschooling. I couldn’t call her back fast enough. I LOVE talking about homeschooling. For me starting to homeschool was second nature. Being a second generation homeschooler, plus a former teacher, gave me a huge jump start into the homeschool world. But what do you do when you’ve started thinking about the idea of homeschooling, but don’t have the background I do.
Well, the first place to start is the same for every other important decision that make. Prayer. But I’m sure you already knew that. Seek God for His guidance as you traverse this journey.
But once you’ve prayed where do you start looking? What do you need to know?
Here are a few things to start with:
State Laws
What are the requirements for your state? Some states have almost no regulations and don’t require you to turn in anything. But some states require a lot. It is important that you follow the laws of your state. My state doesn’t require much, but I know we hope to move eventually so I’ve looked into the laws of other states and started getting in the habit of record keeping so if we move it will be already built into my habits (not to mention it’s just wise to keep track of what and when you are doing things).
The best place to look for your states laws is the Homeschool Legal Defense Association’s website. Click here for a map you can click on to see each states laws easily. (Note: You will need to put in an email address, but totally worth it.)
Your Why
What has brought you to this juncture? I’m sure you have a list of things that are making you think about homeschooling. Write them down. Doesn’t have to be a pretty list, and it’s okay if some of your reasons feel petty. That’s okay. Because some days, when you are tired and worn out, it may be the seemingly silly things that keep you going. The fact that we didn’t have to set clothes out or brush hair remind me that homeschooling ROCKS! We can save the arguments for something that actually matters (like, yes, you do have to read this page out loud).
Big Picture Curriculum
My years as a professional educator taught me that curriculum is NOT, contrary to popular belief, the books you buy. Curriculum is technically the topics, the ideas, the objectives that you are teaching. So with this definition of curriculum, what is it that you want to teach your students? Do you simply want to hit the basics of language arts and math? Or do you want to have a full array of subjects including Latin and logic? Or do you want to focus on character building more than academics?
Why are you considering homeschooling? What do you want your students to graduate knowing? What do you envision for your child’s overall education. Make a list. Think big picture. Then move to the details, which brings us to…
Materials (you know, the curriculum) 😉
This is probably the biggest area to address because there are so many options. Back in the 80’s when my parents were forging the way for us in a world where homeschooling was a ludicrous idea to most, there were very few choices. But today there is an abundance! 
So where do you start…
For me, I already had a clue, so I’m trying to think about this as if I didn’t grow up homeschooling and didn’t teaching a Christian school. Because I started with what I knew and ventured out from there.
Other than Amazon (NOT always the best price) and straight from publishers website my two go-to websites for curriculum are Christianbook.com and Rainbow Resource. At Christianbook.com many of the books have a “look inside” option which I have found invaluable when trying to make decisions about books. Sometimes they have the best prices if you can get a free shipping code, but sometimes it’s cheaper from Rainbow Resource. Rainbow Resource also has other great resources, such as videos for helping you navigate all the options.
For amazing reviews of curriculum, check out Cathy Duffy and her Top 102 Picks at cathyduffyreviews.com.
Another great place to look at options for curriculum materials is YouTube. There are a ton of homeschooling YouTubers who have put up what they are using for certain grades. They also tend to do reviews or “how we use” videos that can give you a great feeling for how the curriculum works. Coming soon I’ll put up a blog post of what we’re using this year in our homeschool.
Here are some links to my favorite curriculum companies:
Philosophy/Method
This isn’t super important to nail down now. I really didn’t know what my philosophy was until this year, my third, and it is continually morphing. But I find this fascinating and maybe you will too. A great place to give you a run down of different philosophy or methods of homeschooling is this blog post by Pam Barnhill on her website edsnapshots.com. (Pam is awesome, by the way! She’s got three amazing podcasts that are a great resource for learning about how other people do this homeschooling thing). So since she did such a fabulous job explaining the different models I won’t go into that here.
While it’s not crucial to define your approach, it can help you find resources that are written with the method you prefer in mind.
If you’re wondering, I’d classify myself as a relaxed classical homeschooler. I formally fell in the school-at-home camp, but the longer I homeschool the more I move away from that approach.
Please note that there is no “right way” to homeschool. All of the methods that Pam mentions in her post are great ways of doing it, and frankly, you may take different approaches with different kids in your home. The important part is that you do what works for your family!
You can do this!
My opinion is that anyone can homeschool and every kid can thrive learning at home. No matter your reasons, no matter your philosophy or what curriculum you choose, you and your children will benefit from homeschooling. My mom homeschooled us, despite my protests, and it was the best thing for me. My parents made the best choice, and I firmly believe that homeschooling is the best choice. I know it’s not a possibility for everyone and sometimes second best is best, but if you can swing it, no matter what the challenge or sacrifice necessary, it is worth it. The relationships you can build with your kids and having the freedom to guide their learning are benefits that far outway a little freetime for me or the extra income I could earn if they went to traditional school.
Are you debating homeschooling? What are your questions or concerns? I’d love to answer your questions.
Are you already homeschooling? Share your whys. I love hearing what brought other to homeschool.
Please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!