How Did You Learn to Homeschool?

Homeschool moms: how did you learn to homeschool?

Was it mainly from books? Blogs? Podcasts? Conversations with friends or mentors? Crowdsourcing on forums? Something else?

Just like our kids, we parents have different learning styles. Some people love to research and learn as much as they can before beginning an ambitious endeavor (me!) Others prefer to learn by trial and error, and jump into new experiences with both feet!

As a person who loves to prepare, plan, and research, I have noticed that these processes give me a lot of peace and clarity. However, I have definitely learned so many things “on the job,” while homeschooling, by trial and error, that I know both methods of learning are hugely important.

How I Learned To Homeschool

You may have read the reason we left public schools, in my last post. This was a hard decision for me–not only was I raised K-12 in the public school system, I also taught in two different public schools, in two different states! I by no means want to opine about public schools in general (that is too hard, and too nuanced!) only specific aspects that caused our family to make a switch. You can browse that blogpost, here.

Here is a little summary of what I did to “learn to homeschool,” before actually beginning to homeschool:

• Read 10+ books off popular book lists, about homeschooling (see my list of favorites, below)
• Created a simple Google Forms Survey, and sent it to friends & family members who either 1) were homeschooled themselves, or 2) were currently homeschooling their kids (or, for some, both!) to get some of my pressing questions answered
• Started following some homeschool Instagram accounts, blogs, and Pinterest pages to familiarize myself with the lingo
• Began emailing various co-ops in my area, asking for tours

Best Books About Homeschooling

I did a basic search on my local library’s system, which came up with dozens of popular homeschooling titles. Some I picked on instinct, and others I looked up on Goodreads for a quick summary and reviews, before selecting. Here are some of my favorites:

1. How Children Learn, by John Holt: this one was unique. John was an educator for many years and this book is almost like a scientific report about how children responded to him (but I promise, it’s not boring!) He taught me a lot about children’s minds responding to basic stimuli, interesting everyday things, and even how to motivate kids to learn and be curious. He did little experiments with kids as young as babies, noticing their reactions, curiosities and natural ambition. I loved this one.
2. Raising Critical Thinkers & The Brave Learner, both by Julie Bogart: Julie is a favorite of mine! Along with books, she often shares insights on her Instagram, and I love her podcast. She is a master at providing whimsy, magic, and innovation to your homeschool day. She is a veteran homeschool mom and specializes in writing, but when I think of Julie, I think of a cool, encouraging aunt-like-figure whose ideas are too engaging to pass up. Major “big sister energy” with this one!
3. Homeschool Bravely* by Jamie Erickson: Jamie is someone whose blog I discovered by accident! I first read her curriculum reviews years ago, and her daily routine posts blew my mind in the best way. Before stumbling upon her blog, I didn’t know so many amazing things could (typically) be accomplished in one homeschool day! She totally gave me the framework for what I do today. Her book offers faith-based encouragement for homeschool moms, and lots of practical tips too.
4. For The Children’s Sake* by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay: This is a great one if you are interested in Charlotte-Mason style homeschooling. It helped me appreciate the inclusion of nature, quality “living books,” copywork, and music in my school schedule.
5. The Intentional Family by William Doherty: I loved this one as a parenting book, and a family culture book, even more-so than a specific homeschool book. I felt it prompted a lot of reflection on my part, and discussion with my husband about what we want our family culture and traditions to look like.
6. Homeschool Hacks by Lindsey Knerl: this one was by far the most practical book I read about homeschooling!
7. The Unschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith: while the term “unschooling” initially freaked me out, this book gave me a better perspective about the freedom, flexibility, and beauty of certain types of “unschooling,” even if I don’t adopt that style exactly. I like the idea of child-directed learning, in many ways, because that really motivates kids.
8. The Call of the Wild & Free by Ainsley Arment: this one had a lot of awesome ideas to ensure your kiddo keeps their childhood “wild and free.” I was inspired to let my kids explore, set the tone and give them more chances for unstructured play.
9. Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff: I finally read this book after years of hearing others rave about it! I thought it was thoughtful and I gleaned some great insights, but I also had a few rebuttals 🙂 Definitely thought-provoking, especially for a global perspective on parenting and teaching.
10. The Montessori Toddler by Simone Davies: I rated this one 5/5 on Goodreads, so I must have loved it! It’s been about 5 years, but I do remember it having many practical tips I could immediately implement. When I read it, my oldest was 5, my daughter was 3, and I had a newborn. It was heavily applicable back then, and still is today!

(*Asterisk indicates faith-based resources)

Surveying Friends About Homeschooling

Perhaps one of the most helpful and more personable things I did to learn about homeschool, was to ask family and friends about their real life experiences! I reached out to people I knew who either 1) had been homeschooled themselves as children & teens, 2) were currently homeschooling their own children, or 3) both options! I had about 15 people who responded, and their input was invaluable to me.

Here are the questions I posed to homeschooling parents in my Google Form Survey:

• What are your favorite things about homeschooling?
• What has been difficult about homeschooling?
• How did you find community for your kids while homeschooling?
• How have you expanded upon or found community for yourself as a mom, while homeschooling?
• What do you feel are key factors for a good co-op?
• How will you incorporate extra curriculars like sports, music, clubs etc. once your children are middle school-aged and above?
• Common societal pushback to homeschooling includes claims related to socialization, and children not being held to certain education standards. While I personally do not hold these viewpoints whatsoever, how do you respond to family members or friends who present this pushback?
• I am currently a member of several homeschooling Facebook groups and have been learning a lot! What online resource or community has been helpful to you?
• What is one thing you wish you would have known, before starting homeschooling?

I also reached out to current homeschool students, high schooled or recently graduated, to hear their take! Here are some questions I asked them:

• What do you remember loving about being homeschooled?
• What do you remember being difficult about being homeschooled?
• How do you feel homeschooling affected relationships and culture within your family (especially if it would have been different, had you been at a traditional school all day instead)?
• What types of community were you involved in (church, co-op, sports, clubs, other extra-curricular activities)?
• Homeschooled kids sometimes face societal scrutiny and doubt for things like “ample socialization” and nebulous educational standards. Did you deal much with this discrimination, and if so, what effect did it have on you?
• Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience being homeschooled?

(Side note: all of these questions were written before I had started homeschooling. I now know that the whole “socialization” issue is a moot point for most families. I can honestly say that in the past three years that we have homeschooled, I have not once worried about my kids’ socialization. If anything, homeschooling has provided a higher quality of socialization that is more multi-generational, with more real-world, enriching interactions. )

Homeschool Instagram Accounts

Here is a small assortment of my favorite Instagram accounts. Honestly, there are probably more, but these are the ones that come to mind off the top of my head. I do go through periodically and unfollow accounts that cause too much pressure or comparison, or ones that are no longer edifying in my life. Some current favorites include:

Treehouse Schoolhouse

Little School of Smiths

Julie Bogart

Homeschool Glue

Unlikely Homeschool

Kids Are Built To Learn

Homeschool Blogs & Homeschool YouTube

One blog I stumbled upon early on was the Unlikely Homeschool, who is a Christian homeschool mom from Minnesota. I found her curriculum posts, which she has done every year for the past 15 years. She included links, plus a lot of explanation for what she does, when, and why, and it was hugely helpful for me. It was almost like a sample map, a framework for what to do.

I also remembering discovering her on YouTube, where she would explain different concepts in depth. This helped immensely, especially when I was a beginner! The history timeline link (linked right above) was an incredible supplement for our history curriculum. I love having my kids paste images onto their timelines, and fill in the dates with summaries in their own words.

Honestly, I have not made the time to explore homeschool content on YouTube, further. They always get added to my Suggested Videos, and I am always intrigued! I may do some time to explore this summer, because I know there is an incredible wealth of knowledge available for free, that I could benefit from!

Touring Local Co-Ops

One of the last things I did to learn about homeschooling, before starting myself, was to research local co-ops and request tours!

I did some Google searching and came with a list of 10 possible co-ops in my area.

I then started emailing! I asked for more information, whether they had spots available for my (at the time) three kids and myself, and a few other questions.

I ended up touring six co-ops in our area. Some I toured alone, and to some I brought my kids.

I narrowed it down to a final two: one was an academic co-op, and one was a social co-op. The academic co-op was weekly, and we stayed two years! The social co-op is twice per month, and we will be starting year four there, this fall.

(I can detail in another post, the differences between the two and their pros and cons!)

I would highly recommend touring a co-op you are interested in, to make sure you can get a feel for the culture. It will also give you a chance to observe classes, speak with the director and/or tutors or board members, and just try to envision yourself and your kids being a part of that community.

These are some of the most influential things I did to learn how to homeschool before jumping in. I hope this post has been helpful to you! If you have other questions related to co-ops, here are a few other posts that may interest you.

As always, if you are considering homeschooling and are unsure of where to begin (or whether to take the plunge!) feel free to reach out, I am happy to offer whatever novice advice I can!

With love,

Cait