Homeschooling: Start Here!

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Are you considering homeschooling due to COVID-19 or other public school concerns? This post contains ALL my favorite resources for why and how to begin homeschooling your children in the best way possible. Every family’s homeschool journey will look vastly different but I’m here to tell you that you CAN do it!

You guys already know that I’m a big fan of homeschooling and it’s been a great choice for us and our family. But it’s been hard to see so many of my friends and family struggle with suddenly being thrown into “crisis schooling” with online courses or other at-home options that they weren’t prepared for!

Because of this, SO MANY friends have reached out after pulling their children from their local public school, determined to have a positive schooling experience this year but needing help with getting started. I finally combined lots of my favorite resources into ONE place, so this if this is you, read on!

If I could tell every new homeschooler 2 things, it would be these:

1. Even if your kids just read good books, played outside and practiced life skills for a year, they would be FINE. They’d still graduate high school, they’d still get into college, they’d still get good jobs and becoming good citizens. Do yourself a favor and don’t buy into the rhetoric that your child needs so many days of official schooling each year to be a success. Breathe deep, realize that you are fully qualified and prepared to guide your child’s education and lower your crazy high expectations 🙂

2. Home school should look different from “regular” school. Public, charter and private schools are designed for a certified teacher to teach a mass number of children of one age and educational level at one time. We parents and our homes are NOT set up this way. But we can teach our children one-on-one, we can teach to their strengths, we can offer more unique educational opportunities, we can add or remove whatever subjects we want for them and our children can thrive. Embrace the benefits of homeschooling while you can and do your best to enjoy this special time at home with your kids!

Audrey and I have SO MANY episodes to help with homeschooling! Download a list of them here (or search “outnumbered the podcast” on your podcast app).
episode 35 – Homeschooling 101
episode 65 – Overcoming Homeschool Obstacles
episode 68: Teach the kid, Not the Lesson
episode 69 – Circle/Morning time
episode 80 – How to Start Homeschooling
episode 82 – Guest Jason Harney. author of School Off Ramp, a very well-written and informative homeschool blog.

My blog posts about homeschooling:
How to know if it’s Right for You
Our Daily Homeschool Schedule
The Biggest Gift of Homeschooling
A Day in the Life of Homeschooling (this one is just a fun vlog about what we do all day – not super informative but kind of interesting)

One of my favorite places for homeschool curricula and other resources is https://www.lovetolearn.net/ They also have fun puzzles and other educational toys and games. I could spend all my money here, however lots of their regular supplies are currently out of stock. I also enjoy reading their homeschooling blog.

Homeschool.com  is a great place to start as well. Check out their entire “getting started” tab.

I especially love this page about homeschooling methods because chances are good there’s a method that appeals more to you than others.

Before I get into all the “official” curricula that we’re using this year, I have to gush about Raising Wonder’s Creative Core Class! It’s a phenomenal online course for kids to stretch their creative muscles and incorporates 9 difference types of creative lessons in each unit (STEM, movement, art, crafts, food, etc.). I can’t recommend it enough for kids who need a creative outlet!

We use The Good and The Beautiful for history, language arts and science.   It’s Christian based and just amazing.

The only stuff my elementary school kids do on the computer is math. I’m not a big fan of kids spending time on the computer but I’ve found that math is infinitely easier when they watch instructional videos.

My youngest kids love ST Math (I think they’re offering it free for a couple more months this year) and the older ones like CTC Math (a fabulous family-owned company based in Australia).

Home Education council of America is another fantastic resource. You can join using their free plan or pay a fee for additional access.  I love these videos from homeschool moms answering a lot of common questions.
Those are the big ones that come to mind. Let me know if you have any other specific questions and I’ll try to help! In all honesty, it’s easier than most people think and (usually) a lot of fun 🙂 

I also this blog from one of my very amazing homeschool friends. So much good stuff, especially in the homeschool resources tab! 

I know it seems crazy overwhelming and like SO MUCH to take in. But just take one hour and one day at a time. Fill your kids’ days with great literature, work and wholesome, creative play and build up from there. This can be a super stressful, crazy time that everyone despises…or a really fulfilling, relaxing time that your family looks back on with fondness! We get to decide!