How To Homeschool, Roadschool, or Oceanschool
When I decided to try homeschooling back in 2009, there were quite a few big stumbling blocks:
I had no idea how to homeschool.
We were raising our kids in a very rural area.
We only knew one other homeschooling family, and they lived hours away.
I had a full-time job outside the home.
The internet was something I rarely used for anything beyond work.
But I knew we had to try it - and I'm so glad we did.
My mama heart desperately wanted more time with my children, and I desperately wanted to teach them.
It has truly been the adventure of a lifetime - even in the hard times.
Thankfully, so much has changed since then.
Now as I look back on 10 years of homeschooling, I find myself celebrating the many ways we now have to do school with our kids, making homeschooling, roadschooling, oceanschooling, or whatever-schooling easier than it ever has been before.
Here's what we have these days in the homeschooling world:
1) Years of research on the value of individualized, child-led learning
Here are a few I've been loving lately:
Lots of homeschool family research by Brian Ray
2) Books written by experienced homeschool mamas
Here are my top three:
3) Homeschool podcasts
Here are my favorites:
and of course, the brand new Togetherness Redefined podcast too
4) Curriculum options - so many options
Boxed curriculums (bring them home and do them - everything's included)
Online public school like the cyber academy through your local public school district
Online private school like Connections Academy or other K12 vendors who offer a private option
Online curriculum (you can pay for K12 and other programs and administer them at home)
A la carte online classes with Outschool and others
Design your own curriculum with lots of books and free resources (my personal fave)
Suggestions from traditional school teachers online
Roadschool, oceanschool, boatschool, etc. to learn from your surroundings
5) Homeschooling blogs with so many curriculum suggestions
My favorites right now are:
And several more mamas sharing their curriculum picks on social media and on their blogs too.
Interested in our curriculum suggestions? Click here for links to what we’ve used elementary - high school.
6) Online tools at our disposal - so many online tools
Google for all the questions
YouTube for even more questions
Curiosity Stream for documentaries
Netflix for more documentaries
Audible for audiobooks (I suggest the Platinum membership)
Nitrotype for typing
Mango Languages for French or Spanish, etc.
Fieldtrip Zoom for online fieldtrips
Khan Academy for everything
Pinterest (where I find suggestions from teachers in traditional schools)
and so many online homeschool parent communities where we can find more resources (here's a link to my favorite one right now)
7) Access to the good old stuff too
Libraries
Coops
Homeschool groups
Playdates
Museums
National and state parks
Farms
8) A school day that goes beyond 8-3
Learning at home means that we can learn before 8am and after 3pm, and it all counts for school. Forget to cover that character development book or health concept? No worries - throw it into the bedtime story mix, and you're golden. Didn't have time to get the math lesson finished today? No worries - let's finish it up just after dinner is all cleaned up.
So, if you're on the fence about homeschooling, I want you to know a few things:
It's your decision - no one should pressure you either way.
It's your decision (yep, I mean it).
There is so much support out here in the homeschooling world - even if you don't have any you can touch with your physical hands just yet. So if you decide to go for it, we're here!
Still have questions?
Check out these posts for more info:
The 3-Step Strategy for Successfully Homeschooling Any Subject
A Day in the Life: Desire-Led Worldschooling with 12 and 14-year-old boys (while working from home)