Basics of Homeschool

BREATHE

I was thrust into homeschooling against my will and I went kicking and screaming! After a challenging start to school in a pandemic, it soon became clear my daughter was suffering. The yo-yo effect being inflicted upon her was damaging her psyche and brought so much chaos into the home. After yet another let down, I had no choice but to try my hand at homeschool. Thankfully, I started with Kindergarten, so I wasn’t overwhelmed by the thought of a challenging curriculum. But what terrified me the most was being solely responsible for her education.

I picked the brains of the homeschooling moms I knew. That is one thing you will find about the homeschool community, we love to share and learn from each other. Everyone homeschools in a slightly different way, but that is what is so amazing about it. You can tailor it to your skill set and your child’s needs.

While straight homeschooling was a challenge, I learned I could do it! I also learned I didn’t want to do it all the time. We got into a hybrid charter school where they attend on campus school 2 days a week, we co-op 1 day a week, and I teach 2 days a week. Some families hire tutors, or full time co-op with other families. You can do whatever set up fits your needs.

FIND A CURRICULUM OR PROGRAM

*Before you do anything, it is important to make sure you have met your state’s requirements to homeschool. Some states require you complete a PSA (private school affidavit). Check your local requirements. If you choose a charter school or similar program, they should take care of all of that.

When I was thrust into homeschool, I didn’t have any set teaching plans. I went to Target and found a couple of Kindergarten workbooks, googled work pages, and borrowed some things from my sisters-in-law. I bought a planner and worked out a daily schedule for teaching. By this point, we had missed 2 months of Kindergarten, between holidays, moving, and pandemic school closures. I had some serious ground to make up. The schedule was important but I also had to learn, and relearn, that life happens and some days the schedule just goes out the window. That is another benefit of homeschool, it can happen anytime, anywhere. 

During that transition period, we used the “Big Kindergarten Workbook” for overall learning, The Good and The Beautiful for math, and Bob Books to learn reading basics. It wasn’t anything fancy, but It worked for us! Now, our charter school provides the curriculum and we follow that primarily. I supplement at home if I see my child needs additional help in an areas. Lakeshore learning has some great area specific workbooks that I use to supplement their Math, English, and Literature with. They also have awesome science kits. Another source of prepared kits is Homeschool In A Box. I love that its not a subscription, then I don’t feel pressured to teach at a certain pace to keep up. However, If that’s your style, there are some awesome options for it. Kiwi Crates is a well- loved subscription that is pretty affordable.

GET ORGANIZED

Oh how I greatly envy the moms with dedicated homeschool rooms. I am working on making that a reality in our home but for now, my dining room table will do. The real challenge for me was finding ways to get organized in a space that is multipurpose. We have a built-in dining hutch, that was full of table cloths, candles, etc. I’ve reallocated much of those items to other spaces in the house and took over the cupboards and drawers for all of our homeschool gear.

When I first started with 1, I used a stacking organizer with one drawer per subject. I’ve changed up my system since then. Now I use magazine holders to divide teacher manuals from student workbooks. I keep completed work in a file folder, sorted by subject. Any extra resources I keep in the cabinet next to it. This system keeps most of the school supplies out of sight so my space can be multifunctional when I need it to be.

Here are some items I have invested in to get organized and keep my space orderly.

Supply Caddy– For pens, pencils, scissors, etc, this organizer is amazing.

Stackable Supply Organizer– I use a similar system for my extra supply storage.

Magazine Holders- Our program gave us all of the workbooks, reading books, etc at the start of the year. While it’s great having everything already on hand, It’s a lot to organize. These magazine storage containers are big enough for most workbooks and can fit an entire units workbooks together for easy organization.

Planner- It is hard enough keeping lessons organized when you just have to keep track of 1 grade level. When you have multiple kiddos, you really have to be on the ball. Here is the planner I use to help me stay organized. I have one for each child, that’s just what works best for my brain.

SOCIALIZING AND FIELD TRIPS

Why learn farming in a textbook when you can learn it in person?!

This is probably one of the most important aspects of homeschool, IMO. While homeschooling is amazing in so many ways, one of the challenges it comes with is the effort it takes to ensure age appropriate socialization. Our kids have to learn how to interact with others without our constant presence. We want them to grow into successful adults, and we have to give them all of the opportunities to develop. When kids are little, playdates and small outings are perfect for this. As they get older, extracurriculars like sports or music, study groups, and hang outs with friends become essential.

Organizing co-ops with other families is another option to help socialize your kids and as a bonus also take some of the teaching burden off of your shoulders. If you don’t have a built in network, reach out in your community and create one. You can find local homeschool groups on social media or just start asking around!

Be the initiator. Don’t wait for someone else to make a plan, take charge and plan field trips, play dates, etc. Invite other families to join in. Many local places offer homeschool hours, just ask around! The zoo, museums, hikes, farmers markets, farms, etc. are all great locations to host a field trip. You may find investing in annual passes to a local attraction may be worthwhile. Truly take advantage of the places where you live!

ENJOY

There will be days you want to quit. Days where mom or kid or both end up in tears. But there are also days you are just so thankful to have your kids around. Days where you get to make memories and strengthen your relationships.

There is an insane amount of pressure that’s been created by the public school system to lump every child into the same category and gives little room for different learning paces. Children are given lots of busy work to meet a certain number of classroom hours which often spill into added hours of homework. Studies show our children’s attention spans are about 3 minutes per year old.  Take the pressure off of yourself to meet a time quota and focus on teaching the important information. You do not need to be, nor should you be homeschooling your small children 6 hours a day. Busy work is not beneficial to your child’s learning. Remember, everyone learns in different ways. Find your child’s learning technique and watch them thrive! 

Bonus Tip! While it is most practical for many to teach from home, don’t feel confined to the walls of your home. Homeschool is great, because everywhere you go can be a homeschool classroom. Writing words in the sand instead of a white board, science at the zoo?! That works too! Get creative, follow your kids passions, and enjoy the freedom of teaching from home.

You’ve got this!

Sincerely,

Amanda

Have questions? Want to share your homeschool experience? Connect with me on Instagram, lets chat!

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