I’m in a few different homeschool groups on Facebook and I’ve noticed that each group is adding a significant amount of new members every day. Not only that but almost every post in those groups lately is from parents who are choosing to homeschool for the first time this year due to the new Covid-19 policies and they have no idea where to start. I was once that brand new homeschool parent who simultaneously wanted to do the best I could for my child but also had no idea what I was doing, but unlike them, I didn’t have the pressure of having to hurry up and figure it all out in a few short months with the stressful backdrop of a global pandemic. I truly feel for these parents. If you are reading this and you are one of those parents, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that all this is happening and I’m sorry that experienced homeschool parents in those groups are being snarky and answering your genuine questions with things like “just google it”. I get it. I get that a lot of you don’t even know what you should type into Google to “just google it” because I didn’t when I started our homeschooling journey. I am by no means a veteran homeschool mama like some of the women out there who have been doing this for 20-something years but I have been at it since my rising third-grader was a preschooler and I have learned a lot in that time so if you are looking for help on how to get started homeschooling then this here is for you!
Step 1- Research The Laws
If you live in the US the best resource I can recommend for finding out what the homeschooling laws are where you live is HSLDA’s website. I will link it below but on their website, they have a map and all you have to do is click on the state you live in and it will pull up all the laws and requirements for where you live, as well as a step by step guide to help walk you through the process. They provide all of that information for free but if you are wanting extra support or even think you may need legal help in the future, especially if you live in a state or school district that is not homeschool friendly, you may want to consider signing up for a membership with HSLDA. They do amazing work, fighting for homeschool freedom all across the country, and they offer a ton of help and support to parents such as putting transcripts together.
It’s worth noting that some states do require end of the year testing or some kind of proof of progress. While this is not something you need to worry about to get started, it’s something you should be aware of. We do our testing through homeschooltestingservices.com but there are lots of options out there. For more on testing, as well as why I choose to do standardized testing, click here.
Most states require an NOI which stands for Notice of Intent. How much information you need to include will depend on where you live so again make sure you read the information on HSLDA’s website. Where we live we have to include a curriculum description with our NOI so I put together our schooling plans for the upcoming year before I submit our paperwork. However, before you pick out your books it would be helpful to put some thought into what kind of homeschooling experience you what to have which leads me to the next step.
Step 2- Discover Your Style
There are so many different methods of teaching and homeschooling out there. What most people don’t realize is that the majority of homeschoolers are not attempting to replicate traditional school at home. Instead, most of us follow completely different schools of thought (pun intended) which means how we teach, and how our kids learn, is very different. Before you pick out or pull together curricula it would be helpful to know what kind of teacher you are. It’s also important to know what kind of learner your child is but if you’re new to homeschooling it may take a few months of observing your child(ren) and trying out a few different approaches to see what works before you settle on something and that’s okay! Homeschooling is a journey, one where you are constantly learning something new about yourself and your child(ren). Take this quiz to see which methods you naturally lean more towards and spend some time reading about the philosophies you score the highest in. By being aware of what methods you prefer you will have a better understanding of what kind of books you’ll want to look for. There is much debate on the interwebs about which way is the “best” but I believe there no singular right way. The most important thing is finding the best fit for you and your family. The more comfortable and confident you feel with what and how you are teaching the better teacher you will be.
Step 3- Plan Your Curriculum
Now that you know what kind of homeschool method or philosophy you want to follow you can start picking out books and making your plan for the year. There are two ways you can do this. You can make a list of subjects you want to cover like Reading, Writing, Math, History, Science, Art, Etc. and pull together your own curriculum. This way of doing it is good for people who want flexibility and maybe want to try out books from a few different companies. The other way you could do it is by buying books from an all in one type of company. This tends to be a little more pricey but it’s a good option for parents who don’t have the time to spend hours and hours prepping and planning, who would prefer an open and go type of curriculum that comes with a laid-out plan. My personal favorites for these kinds of options are Book Shark, Son Light, Master Books, and The Good and The Beautiful. I understand that spending hundreds of dollars on books each year is not feasible for every family so I do want to mention that there are free options out there! I have heard great things about allinonehomeschool.com! It is an online program and while they do accept donations it is completely free. For more free resources click here.
Step 4- Submit Your NOI
Now that you have decided on your books you can go ahead and submit your NOI, curriculum description, and any other paperwork that may be required where you live. NOI forms are usually provided by the school district you live in but you can also find generic templates online like this one https://eforms.com/letter-of-intent/school/homeschool/.
Again, for your family’s protection, please carefully read what the laws are in your state at https://hslda.org/legal.
Step 5- Plan Your Schedule and Begin!
Congratulations! You have finished up your paperwork and picked out your school subjects and books. You are almost ready to begin! There is just one more thing you might want to do before you start and that is to decide when and for how long is your family going to do school. I’m including this step because new homeschoolers may not realize that you do not need to do 7+ hours of schoolwork a day, it helps you build a routine as you get used to homeschooling, it helps your child(ren) know what to expect so they have the structure that kids thrive on, and it is just helpful all around to have a plan so that you can make time for everything you need to do as a busy parent. Some states do require that you homeschool for a certain amount of time, or days, each year. We don’t have those requirements where we live so we typically do school from 9 am to 12 pm, Monday-Thursday and it is more than enough. When my older kids were in preschool and kindergarten we only did one hour a day of formal instruction. This might seem crazy if you’re only used to the traditional school schedule but even though we don’t do things the traditional way my kids are excelling according to traditional standards. Both of my school-aged kids had high scores on their end of the year tests and one of them even completed two grades this past year. Let me be clear, she did not skip a grade, she completed all of the work for two grades and passed both tests doing just a couple of hours of school a day, 4 days a week. Even less if you count the weeks we were out of town or took breaks for holidays. As proud of them as I am, I’m not just bragging on my kids here. I’m trying to hammer home the point that kids don’t need to be stuck at a desk all day to do well in school. Sure there are homeschoolers out there that have little school rooms with desks and they stay in there every day from 9 am-3 pm but a lot of us take a more laid back approach and our kids are thriving just as well. We cozy up while still pajamas and do school work on the couch. We take books with us whenever we go out and the kids read in the car. We meet up with friends and go on nature walks, observing nature and looking for critters. Learning is a lifestyle that goes beyond the four walls of a classroom and it can be implemented wherever you are, according to what works best for you and your family.
I truly hope this information was helpful and I wish you the best of luck as you embark on this new journey!
