Homeschool used to be looked at as the “weird” choice, but in the last 5 years interest in homeschooling has been up 30% (according to the Pew Research Institute). Since the pandemic, more parents realized they could design their life to spend more time with their family, and homeschool is a big factor in that.
For us, an incident with our kids safety had us pull them from school. Since it was mid-year, and we were looking for any sign whether we would stay in Florida, homeschool felt like the obvious choice. Both to protect our children’s wellbeing and as the first step to move abroad. But where to start? I felt like I was thrown to the wolves with no structure, support, or idea of what I was doing!
First Step: Check Your Local Laws
Depending on where you live, different states and countries have different requirements for registering your children when starting to homeschool. If you’re in the United States, you can find your local homeschool laws by state. Some have age minimums (registration at or after 5 years), while some states like New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island have higher regulations.
Depending on your child’s age, they will still have to opt into state testing. As a parent and instructor, it is also your job to keep track of your lessons and progress. You may have to provide these at end of year.
You may also have to formally withdraw your child(ren) from the state school system.
Pro tip: Some states, like Florida, offer homeschool scholarships that give parents up to $8,000 per child. This money can be used on homeschool curriculums, co-ops, and supplies!
Curriculums and Lesson Plans
The internet is filled with resources, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed! What works for us might not work for you. Use this as a starting point but always take your child’s cues as to what works.
Time4Learning is our top online platform. This online curriculum program is personalized for your child’s level of learning. For example, Santi is 5 years old and “entering kindergarten” but because he has tested higher his learning is at a 1st grade level, 2nd for reading! Time4Learning helps us tailor their education through video and game based learning. Lessons go from Pre-K all the way to grade 12! Parents can view and track progress, utilize lesson plans, and Time4Learning even has a language component!
Education.com is a great resource for lesson plans and worksheets! This saved me in the early days where I had no idea where to begin. Lesson plans are already made for you, and they include any worksheets and videos that relate to the lesson. You can also search by grade level. They have an interactive platform where the kids can play games to learn, parents can assign work, track progress, and even give little “gifts” and badges to students. I especially love the interactive worksheets the kids can complete online!
Outschool – okay technically not a “school” but this platform has helped to supplement our learning and our fun! There are classes on literally everything, from art classes, to circle time, cooking classes, and even Minecraft ones! A great way to get the electives in, with classes led by real teachers and professionals. Get $20 off your Outschool credits by clicking this link or use code GxOcsSRG
Teachers Pay Teachers is an incredible resource. Filled with both free and low cost lesson plans, crafts, manuals, syllabi, and so much more. You can search by grade level, subject, and resource type. You’re getting knowledge from real life teachers and helping support their classrooms at the same time.
Co-Ops and In Person Groups
Homeschool doesn’t just mean school at home. There are tons of co-ops, communities, and groups in local areas that provide support. What is a co-op? A co-op is when a group of homeschool families come together to share resources, teaching responsibilities, and social activities.
How it usually works is you get a core group together, and parents sign off on their week, in which they will provide an educational activity, lesson, or field trip for the group to do together. Think of it as sharing the responsibility, while also getting your kids socializing, often with the same group of kids. Co-ops are usually one day a week. Some even specialize in certain things, like nature co-ops or STEAM co-ops.
Facebook is a really great resource to find local homeschool groups in your area!
Many museums have homeschool programs to help enrich learning. Some have a small fee while others have weekly programs to join. Google “Homeschool Museums” and you should get a list of locations and programming near you!
Religious vs. Secular Groups
While it is true, many people choose to homeschool their children due to their religious beliefs. For us, that was not the case, but it made finding a homeschool group in Florida that much harder. We have no issue with religion, and we teach our children about God and being good humans. However, I personally did not want religion to be the foundation of their homeschool support. Again, there is nothing wrong with this if you want to go that route! But there is a disproportionate amount of religious homeschool co-ops, at least in Florida, and they tend to lean to an extreme I was not willing to expose my kids to.
Being a Latina mom homeschooling bilingual kids, the fact of the matter was not all of these groups are welcoming to “others” outside of their circle. Many have you sign a testament of faith before even speaking to someone. The good news is there are more secular groups forming as more people dip their toes into homeschooling. It just might take some time and research to find the right fit.
Bilingual Resources
As a very proud Cuban-Colombian family, our culture is at the root of everything we do. Homeschooling is no different! In fact, it gives us more flexibility to focus on language learning and comprehension. Whether you are already bilingual, or want to promote language learning, these resources are for you!
Home of Cultures is an online class for kids starting at 3 years old! They have multiple languages and levels for beginners or advanced speakers. We have done their weekly Spanish class with the boys and absolutely love the classes! Everything is done online but in real time, so they can interact with other kids and practice speaking with their peers. Plus, the classes were extremely affordable! Still, here is a link to get you 20% off your kids language class that Home for Cultures shared with my audience reading this!
Rainbow Homeschooling is another program we have looked into. Based from Colombia, they send supplies and lessons that help promote Spanish lessons in homeschooling.
Time4Learning has a language learning component to add on!
Supplies and Materials
There are so many places to find supplies to make your journey easier.
Lakeshore is an educational teacher store that has everything from supplies, to decor, furniture, and more to make your homeschool journey mirror that of a traditional school. We’ve gotten quite a few supplies here and they host free events two Saturdays a month!
Ollie’s, believe it or not, was a great resource to find dry erase and educational workbooks for cheap! I’m talking $1-3 cheap! If you have an Ollie’s Discount store near you, I really recommend checking it out. I slept on this place for too long!
Okay, before you say it, I’m against this too, but Amazon really is a good resource especially on a budget. I try to avoid Amazon as much as I can, but sometimes you can only find something, or afford something, because it’s on Amazon. I made a list to make it easier for you to find the supplies you need. you can check it out here, but as always if you can find it from a local or small business first!
Is Homeschooling for you?
There are endless reasons to want to homeschool. Maybe you want the freedom to travel, maybe you’re concerned about safety within the U.S. school system, maybe you want to give your kids more opportunities to learn from the world around them. Whatever your reason, remember that learning looks different for everyone.
Homeschool is a great opportunity to let your kids learn at their pace. Maybe you have a child who needs more help, homeschool allows you to focus on their strengths. School doesn’t mean sitting at a desk all day.
We mix our days with online curriculums, real world adventures, and life lessons. What better way to teach math than at the grocery store with a budget? Science class looks like nature walks and zoo visits. Museums are our best friends and we make sure we are on memberships or annual passes to maximize our visits.
Whatever your reason, remember that homeschool is still work. It’s not just lounging with your kids on the couch all day and it’s not using YouTube as your sole educator (though we do love us Khan Academy Circle Time). Homeschooling your kids takes work, a looooooot of patience, and planning.
Still, this has been the best decision for our family! Homeschool was our first step to our leap abroad. If you have any questions just leave them in the comments or as always, my DMs are always open!
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