Google searches for “how to create a homeschool schedule” and “homeschooling while working full time” are at an all time high. You are not alone…
If you have a passion for educating your child and are just overwhelmed and unsure of where to start, read on…
Homeschooling Resources
What are the homeschooling laws in your state?
Each state will have different requirements as far as what to do to set up your homeschool legally.
In North Carolina, you do not have to register your homeschool until the upcoming school year that your child turns 7 years old, which I was surprised about! If you have a child younger than 7 already enrolled in school, you can pull them from public school without taking any legal action. You can find out all about the NC homeschool requirements and file an intent to homeschool here.
In order to homeschool in New York, you’ll have to submit a letter of intent by July 1st. You can find out more information about setting up your homeschool in NY here.
Having homeschooled in New York and North Carolina, I can say without a doubt that North Carolina is very minimal in what they require you to do in order to keep your homeschool legal throughout the years. Every state is different.
Consider checking out HSLDA, The Homeschool Legal Defense Association, if you’d like some more clarity and support.
Do you know How your chilD best learns?
Resources for homeschoolers as far as curriculum goes are endless but before you go and begin looking through your options, take a step back and think about how your child best learns.
Stepping back and looking at your problem as if you were an outsider looking in, is a key strategy when feeling overwhelmed with anything.
We are so easily swayed by others opinions on what works best without taking the time to understand our own family.
Just because a math curriculum is well known and loved by many, doesn’t mean that it’s going to work for you. Many homeschool moms become frustrated because they purchase the “best curriculum” only to find that it is a huge flop for their child.
Attend A Homeschool Convention
Homeschool conventions are a great resource for new homeschool families.
You can better manage your time by dedicating a day or two to really dive in and be able to visually see all the options out there. It’s nice being able to talk to each company’s representatives and narrow down your curriculum choices. You can often get an extra discount at conventions as well.
For more detailed information about conventions, check out thehomeschoolmom.com. and greathomeschoolconventions.com
Choosing A Curriculum
There are quite a few open and go complete curriculum options on the market that involve very little prep on your end. These tend to be a bit more expensive but well worth it if you’re the type of person that lacks consistency and struggles with coming up with a plan.
If you aren’t opposed to purchasing used curriculum, you can often snag some great deals on EBay! Searching “homeschool lot” on Ebay generates a lot of complete curriculum options at reduced prices.
When purchasing new curriculum, I’ve found that Rainbow Resource often has better prices than Amazon.
If you’re local to me in Charlotte, NC, The Homeschool Room is a consignment store that has two locations and tons of curriculum options. They also hold some drop off enrichment classes for homeschoolers as well.
The most comprehensive, non biased, homeschooling curriculum review website I’ve found is cathyduffyreviews.com.
Seek out Homeschool Coops
There are a ton of supportive homeschool communities around if you do some research. Search for local homeschooling Facebook groups and coops to find some like minded mamas to link arms with. Many coops only meet for about 2 hours a week so they don’t require too much of your time. Some coops focus on teaching the core academic subjects whereas others focus more on the arts.
Can you homeschool while working full time?
This is something that only you can decide. Schooling at home on your own terms is going to be a lot shorter than the typical school day. You can rearrange your schedule so that you can devote the late afternoon/early evening hours to do some work. You can also do school on weekends. You have a lot of flexibility!
Online education for homeschoolers is a great option for working moms and moms with littles.
Easy Peasy and Ambleside Online are free curriculums that I know quite a few families have used with success!
As a working mom, you can choose to do live classes as well as self paced courses. Check out powerhomeschool.org.
You can also explore distance learning for just one subject that you may not be comfortable with. You don’t have to teach all the subjects alone! You can teach what you love and outsource the rest. Check out outschool.com!
Another unique option for working moms is to find a part time school. You can do a google search for the term “University Model School” to see if there is anything close to where you live.
Homeschooling with a baby/toddler
How in the world do you get any schooling done with needy and destructive babies and toddlers around? It’s definitely not an easy task.
I’ve been homeschooling for over a decade and I struggled so much with this in the past. We still have some difficult days where I daydream about waving to my kids as the school bus takes them away but these bad days happen considerably less often.
My mindset on school in general is very different now. I had to unlearn a lot of what I was taught to do and think about as a public school teacher. It was a long process.
Decluttering and pursuing minimalism with my kids has helped me tremendously. I am able to manage my time a lot better and even think more clearly in the midst of all of the noise. Establishing better habits has helped me get out of the constant state of overwhelm that I was in.
Taking advantage of nap time, doing a complete playroom purge and rotating our toys, and baby-wearing have been so helpful.
However, just know that some days will be chaotic. Expect the chaos and roll with it as best as you can!
Homeschooling preschool
If you have a child in preschool and kindergarten, it’s really important that you remember this…less is more! Don’t be distracted by all the educational standards you might hear about for this age.
Preschoolers thrive off of a home that has good routines, minimal toys, books to read, lots of conversation and free time to use their imaginations and explore the world around them…
PLAY, READ BOOKS, CONVERSE and PLAY SOME MORE!
This is such a sweet age to get them in the kitchen with you. You can teach them so much through life. Workbooks, in my opinion, should not be the focus at this age unless they show a desire to be like their older siblings. The key with this age is having any formal academic work be interest led rather than forced upon them by the parent.
When I was a new mom (and a public school teacher) I pushed my oldest daughter to learn the letters, their sounds, and numbers constantly. I had a stack of fun pre-k workbooks. She enjoyed doing the work with me on most days.
By the time she turned 6 and we started teaching her more formally how to read, I noticed that she had forgotten many of the sounds that she had mastered at 3 years old! It caught me off guard and I started looking into it…
There are studies that support that pushing academics too early has negative impacts.
In this article in psychology today it states that, “Early academic training somewhat increases children’s immediate scores on the specific tests that the training is aimed at (no surprise), but these initial gains wash out within 1 to 3 years and, at least in some studies, are eventually reversed.”
Wow! Learning this dramatically changed the way I parented my littles going forward and helped me get rid of the guilt that I wasn’t doing enough as a homeschool mom.
If you have preschoolers and older children, I’ve found that spending time with them first thing in the morning before working with your older children helps fill their cup and makes them feel loved. They are much more likely to go off and play independently for a while so you can work with your older kids.
Here are some preschool curriculum recommendations:
Starfall and Readings Eggs/Math Seeds are our favorite apps to use during quiet time, when baby is napping. I’ve been using Reading Eggs with each of my girls from the time they turn 3 until they are reading independently.
Homeschooling Elementary School and Teens
With these ages, having a more simplified homeschool is going to help you get more quality work done. I focus on the core subjects (math, reading and language arts) and have the rest on a loop schedule.
We’ve also implemented a 1 hour morning time with all the girls. This has helped us simplify even more and given us an anchor to start our day. Since we’ve started decluttering our home and focusing more on minimalism, it has positively impacted our homeschool as well.
I find that when older children are given time to pursue their interests, they have a better attitude towards schooling in general. My desire is for my children to love learning so their interests play a big part in how I set up our school for the year.
Having a decluttered home has helped me simplify our homeschool, our meals and even our laundry! Once I started decluttering one area, I was inspired to continue throughout the whole house! You’d be surprised at how decluttering gives you the mental clarity to quiet all the noise in your mind and allows you to use your time well at home.
Am I doing enough?
I want you to rethink what school looks like. You are not homeschooling right now. You are being required to meet the demands of the education system.
Am I doing enough?
This question plagues most homeschool moms. Can you blame us for questioning our ability to homeschool our children when articles like this from Harvard Magazine titled, “The Risks of Homeschooling” are written? An article with a headline like this just had to be released at a time when parents are simply trying to keep their heads above water!
You will be looked at differently if you choose to continue the homeschooling route. Don’t expect to be praised by those that just don’t get it.
But you have a secret weapon…
You know your child better than anyone else in their world which means that you are absolutely capable of providing them with a solid, well rounded education. If your gut is telling you to make a change, don’t suppress it! You won’t regret it!
Please share this with a family that needs some encouragement!