Homeschooling
Homeschooling is an adventure for the whole family. It is an opportunity for children to learn at home
with their parents and study particular topics that they may be interested in learning about!
Homeschooling makes it possible to tailor to each of your children’s learning styles and instructional
levels. It includes an age-appropriate curriculum and activities centered around learning.
Homeschooling can range from daily instruction with a set curriculum to resources selected by the
parent to individualize each of their children’s learning needs. Group instruction with a homeschooling
co-op is another great option for homeschoolers. Co-op’s range from teacher led instruction with a
school-like schedule offered a few days a week to parent led instructional groups focused on specific
topics.
There are many different ways of homeschooling. These range from a more traditional schooling
approach to more unstructured learning methods. It is up to the parent to decide their approach to
teaching each of their children. A few common methods of homeschooling include traditional, classical,
unschooling, Montessori, unit study, road schooling and world schooling.
Benefits of Homeschooling
There are many reasons parents choose to homeschool. A flexible schedule is one of the most common. Children also receive individualized instruction centered around their interests and educational goals taught by their parents or a specialist in the subject if they are being tutored. Another reason parents choose to homeschool is that it can provide more opportunities for travel, time with their children and hands-on learning. While homeschooling, children can be a part of the learning process as they decide what to study and use their creativity and imagination to enhance learning experiences. They also often have more opportunities to visit tourist learning attractions during the regular school day where there is less crowds. While visiting family in Tennessee during the school week, a homeschooling family might spend the day at the Tennessee Aquarium or the Nashville Zoo. They might bring a clipboard; drawing the animals that they encounter and writing a fact about each one or bringing a camera along to take pictures of the animals and researching them more at home. Then they might head on over to The Johnny Cash Museum, visit The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to learn all about Elvis or go to The Grand Ole Oprey. While visiting these places they would learn about the history behind the music of Nashville and experience Nashville’s best attractions with their family. Another possible stop along the way may be the Adventure Science Center which has interactive science exhibits and a planetarium for children to explore. Homeschooling is more than ‘just schooling at home’.
A lot of homeschool families enjoy engaging their children in activities and making experiences learning ones. The opportunity to learn is everywhere and many families encourage their children to learn everywhere that they go! While homeschooling families can get involved in the community with their kids which is a huge benefit to homeschooling. They can visit locations of professions to learn and meet people such as firemen and learn from them at their profession. This creates wonderful experiences that families can share together. It also gives parents the opportunity to teach their children about being respectful to others and follow directions.
HOW TO GET STARTED HOMESCHOOLING
Homeschooling families often grow closer though spending time doing activities and learning together.
Children can complete their work at a pace that works for them and if they have special needs these can be accommodated for by homeschooling. For example, gifted students that may be known for working ahead can work at their own accelerated pace while homeschooling. Additional benefits for many homeschoolers include more life learning skills opportunities such as cooking, gardening and money saving etc. and spending a lot more time outside. You may be wondering how to get started homeschooling. If your children are currently enrolled in public or private school your school may require a letter notifying them of this change. Check with your school secretary for the requirements of un-enrollment from your school. The homeschooling requirements in each state are different. Visit https://hslda.org/legal/ for information on the homeschooling laws in your state. Each state has different homeschooling requirements and these may change from year to year. Homeschooling is a great way for children to learn from their ‘favorite teacher’, their own parents. Parents, learning to homeschool is easier than you think but it takes the support of many. There are great resources to use while homeschooling. It is beneficial to find local homeschooling groups to participate in activities like field trips and learning days.
LEARNING RESOURCES
"We learn by doing.
There is no other way."
-John Holt
RESOURCES
SHOWS
Magic School Bus
Kratts Critters
Zoboomafoo
Blippi for toddlers
YouTube: SciShow Kids, Science Buddies, Generation Genius, Homeschool Pop, PBS
BOOKS
Series Magic Tree House Series for science and reading
Discover America by State by State for Geography
Life of Fred Math
LEARNING APPS
Reading Eggs
Homer
ABC Mouse
Math Seeds
Other Learning Resources
Online Tutor
Enrichment Classes
Educational CO-OP
Homeschool Methods
Homeschooling is a way of learning the common subjects of reading, math, social studies and science while at home. Who homeschools? Families homeschool for many reasons. The trick is to make learning come to life with activities that are good for the soul. Homeschooling is an adventure within itself! There are several types of homeschooling and these are a few of the most popular types.
Traditional
Unschooling
Classical
Unit Study Homeschooling
Montessori
Roadschooling
These types of homeschooling all have one thing in common. They are all ways parents can teach their children to be hands-on and explore their environment while learning.
Traditional
Traditional homeschool is a homeschooling model that is similar to regular school. Homeschoolers that choose this route either choose to use traditional school-like textbooks or an online platform for learning. School is often organized in lesson plan format and this version of homeschooling uses tests and quizzes to assess student learning.
A few traditional homeschool online options would include:
K12.com
Timeforlearning.com
Connections Academy
Liberty University Online Academy
Fusion Global Online Academy
Power Homeschool
Unschooling
When unschooling, the child’s interests guide the learning process. Children learn by doing and experimenting.
Unit Study
Unit Study homeschool is where a topic is selected and studied in-depth. An example would be if a study is done on different types of freshwater fish and their environments fishing may be an activity on your list.
Prepare for a Unit Study
Collect library books on your topic
Save YouTube videos of your topic
Find lesson plans including your topic
Visit museums, planetariums, fish hatchery, aquariums and zoos etc.
Classical
Classical homeschooling includes three stages; the Grammar stage, the Logic stage, and the Rhetoric stage. Students read content and memorize facts, think about what they have learned and then determine the best outcome.
Classical homeschooling has its beginnings in literature. Children learn primarily through reading. This homeschooling technique includes Latin language learning, the importance of character in development and the steps of developmental learning.
Classical homeschooling includes three stages; the Grammar stage, the Logic stage, and the Rhetoric stage. Students read content and memorize facts, think about what they have learned and then determine the best outcome.
Montessori
Montessori education was developed by Maria Montessori in 1907 when she opened the first school, the Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House) in Rome, Italy. It is based on the idea that given materials children learn naturally through play.
Eclectic
Eclectic homeschooling is using a variety of homeschool methods to create a curriculum. This style of homeschooling focuses on the child’s individual strengths, interests and the way that each child learns best.
Road Schooling
Road schooling is the grand adventure. If you live in an RV or frequently traveling this may be the homeschooling method for your family. School is based off of your travels. This may include visiting museums, zoos, aquariums and national parks etc. This method focuses on engaging, project-based, art and STEM learning. Learning is always happening. Every day is an adventure.
World Schooling
