Homeschool Quick Start Low-down
It can be daunting and scary. Google sends you into info overload. Instagram and Pinterest make you feel inadequate. Everyone just seems to know what to do!
Let me stop you right there. Before your feelings go into overdrive, and you start to believe you cannot and should not do this homeschooling thing…. take a deep breath muna. We all started somewhere. Some of us have a headstart on certain things, and some of us are super noobs. SO WHAT.
You can feel the feels, ‘teh. But allow me to also speak into your heart a little bit. We can figure it all out, pramis. Isa-isa lang muna. One thing at a time. Homeschooling is a day-by-day thing. We will make mistakes and have regrets. But we can also find so much beauty, joy, and grace for our children as we take these steps of faith.
Here’s a quick look at how I got started!
We decided we had a strong reason to go for it.
Question for you: Why are you thinking of homeschooling?
We usually have a compelling reason for doing meaningful, complicated things. And even though we love something doesn’t mean we won’t run into a brick wall and slowly slide down the bathroom wall with tears streaming down our faces. (Drama ba? I’m Filipino after all lol).
Homeschooling is a deeply personal, and sometimes practical, choice for families to make.
What will drive you to keep going when the days are hard? What will keep you grounded when people question your decision, or when you have a really challenging day?
See this post for our reasons.
We knew who would do most of the teaching.
Question for you: Who will do the homeschooling?
If you’re a two-parent household, it may be a no-brainer that your spouse is on your side with this. Maybe they’ll pitch in with teaching time (my husband has taken on the role of sometime-Math teacher, and handles morning Bible discussions.) This may not be the case for you, and that’s okay.
If possible, try to think about who can help you and be your support system. This may or may not include Google University! (Real talk). You may also want to look for a homeschool community (often called “co-op”), or you might end up creating one yourself.
There are support services that cater specifically to homeschooling families - and some of them allow you to drop them off for a certain time period. My daughter has enjoyed once a week nature classes on a ranch; she learns about farm animals and gardening - definitely not something I could teach her myself.
You may have a bestie who loves cooking or a cousin who is an engineer. Or maybe your neighbor loves gardening. You can ask whoever is in your family and network about having your children learn from them. Even a one-time learning session can make a tremendous impact!
It may take some research, but I believe you can create what you want and need for your homeschool.
Seriously, you may be surprised that you have more support than you know.
We didn’t stress about where we would do our learning.
Question for you: Where will you homeschool? (Quick answer: almost anywhere)
While it might be a dream to have a loft, or a dedicated room just for homeschooling, fear not.
When I started homeschooling my daughter, we mostly sat on the couch. Our “desk” was a foldable TV-dinner table that we had lying around. Sometimes we sat on the floor or went outside.
My “morning basket” was a pile of books and materials I had set aside in an old shoebox. We had pencils and crayons, some old poster paint, and her easel from 2 years ago. That was it. Can that be it? Yes, it can.
But I get it if you’d like something a bit more detailed than that. In that case, search “homeschool room tour” on YouTube and take a peek at how others are making it work!
We have created “outside school” bags that we take to the park, so we can draw while we have a picnic, or listen to a story under the cool shade of a huge tree. We’ve gone to the library, homeschooled in different hotel lobbies, and visited museums, zoos, aquariums, flea markets, thrift shops.
Learning is not confined to a classroom, a desk, or a building. Learning is simply living and following those “aha moments” that children often have. There is a time and place for table work for sure. But it doesn’t have to look like the school we all probably grew up with. It can be anything you need and can happen in places you might not expect.
We thought about what we wanted them to learn and did our research.
Question for you: What will you teach?
Easy answer - whatever your children are interested in! Yup, it’s that simple. You can add science, math, language, and history just about anywhere. You can use all-in-one curriculums, or DIY it. You can ditch it all and go hard at unschooling. Your family is in control. For our family and as a former teacher, I wanted to place a strong emphasis on literacy and life skills.
Here’s my super-simple 5-point list for getting started:
One main book for science. There are books that have several subject areas in one. Or it could be a super cool encyclopedia (yes they still exist!). Here are two we like:
2. A set of pencils, crayons, and some scratch paper. I wanna say most of us have these already. You can always build slowly from here to include other materials like watercolor, play dough (homemade or store-bought), wooden materials and more.
3. A hefty storybook or two full of really good literature. This is where your language stuff comes in. I cannot overstress the impact reading aloud at home has on children. Get a nice collection of stories like Frog and Toad or Beatrix Potter to start (depending on your kids’ ages of course).
4. Curate some cool playlists for your family. There are lots of really good playlists out there, including Wee Sing, Puto Mayo, and Super Simple Songs. Here’s one of mine.
5. An attainable schedule for everyone that allows you to learn and live free. This one is highly personal and truly up to you. But if you want some samples and ideas, download some of them here.
What about core standards?
You can check your state for standards they have per level. This may be important if homeschooling is a year-to-year thing for you, and you someday will probably put your kids back in “regular” school. Or, you may simply be curious to know what kind of expectations there are for your children.
If you’re really curious, here’s a link to California state standards. Be ready, ‘teh. It’s a lot. Personally, I don’t recommend going through this when you’re just starting out because it can be overwhelming. You may feel like it’s wayyyyy too much and you won’t be able to live up to all of that. Perhaps revisit when you’ve got your sea legs and have a firm grasp being the captain o’ the ship.
Keep it steady, keep it chill.
I think it’s cool to be able to meet your child where they are, without the pressure of keeping up with what all the other kids are doing. That being said, I think knowing where they are and where they could be can allow you to provide them with quick wins through attainable challenges.
This is not a participation trophy-type thing. It’s kinda like how a coach would push you further because they see you’re ready for it, even if you don’t see it yourself. It’s about building their confidence in their own abilities over time, at their own pace. It will hopefully instill resilience, perseverance, and a keen understanding that they can keep going until they “get it”. You can see that even within families, children do not learn at the same pace, at the same time. If you have an only child, you may notice that your kid has a cousin about the same age who learns certain things quicker than your kid does. Let me say it: DO NOT compare. Instead, celebrate.
Comparison does not, and will not, help anyone. It will suck the joy out of your homeschooling like that.
Here’s what I truly believe: You know your child best. Even if you don’t feel equipped, or you don’t have the “credentials”. Here is your permission slip to not know it all. No one ever really does, friend.
There is a lot of trial and error with homeschooling in the beginning, and honestly, it changes all the time. But keep your eyes and your heart on your children - they are constantly showing us who they are, what makes them come alive, and where they are being called to. Let’s enjoy the journey.