Choosing to Homeschool: Where Do I Begin?

Many Christian families are making the decision to take their children out of public schools and homeschool them. This can bring about many questions, I know it did for our family. We began homeschooling in late 1980s, at a time when doing so was not as popular as it is today. I hope to share some of my experience with you and give you a starting point when it comes to your homeschool.

Your home is already a blessing but when you choose to homeschool it can become blessing upon blessing.

You might have concerns about the costs for homeschool teaching materials, state requirements, and connecting with other homeschoolers in your area. It is my hope that the following links will help you with your search for answers.

Let’s begin with laws concerning homeschooling within your state. HSDLA is a great resource for homeschoolers when it comes to many questions. You can find your state law here. 

Connecting with other homeschoolers in your area is typically as simple as an online search for your city or county homeschool groups, co-ops, or associations. Most will offer meetings for new homeschooling families and information on how to get started. They can offer any clarification you might need concerning your state laws and any record keeping that might be required. You may find they also offer field trips and several opportunities for social activities that include the whole family.

Choosing a curriculum can be overwhelming. There are literally multiple hundreds of options available. Below are a few tasks that can help make this easier for you.

Make a list of strengths and weaknesses for each child. Doing so will help you narrow down your search and help you recognize the needs based on the individual.

Set a budget. Some companies offer materials that are more affordable than others.

One of the advantages of joining a homeschool group might include information on homeschool fairs which often include sales of used curriculum. Or, you might discover anther family within your community is selling exactly what you need.

Some homeschool families use their local library and online resources to create their own curriculum.

If you are considering creating your own curriculum or if you are interested in knowing a little more about what each school year might include, this book titled, Home Learning Year by Year, might be of interest. A book like this is an excellent resource for any homeschool library.

Congratulations on making a difficult decision when it comes to your children and their education. I know it wasn't easy. There will be days when you wonder why you ever decided to make the decision to homeschool and there will be days when the answer is so obvious you can’t imagine doing anything else.

Homeschooling is one of the best decisions we could have made for our family and one I have no regrets about. I hope you and your family find it to be a wonderful experience.

Cherish the Journey.