Just Look it up Online!

“Just look it up online!”

Said every well meaning, already homeschooling parent I met as we were weighing out the decision to homeschool our daughter or not.  Surely, the internet makes finding materiel for homeschooling easier than it ever was.  But when you really are not sure what you are looking for in the first place, it just feels like you’re drowning in information when this comes up:

You click a few of the links and the sites are not easy to navigate, much less understand since you are a newbie and don’t know what you’re doing in the first place.  You have never heard of these websites.  You don’t know which curriculum is a good match for your child and you. You don’t know who you can trust.  You’re not really sure what you NEED in order to homeschool well. 

My first suggestion to you, if you are brand new to the IDEA of homeschooling, is find someone in your area who is already homeschooling.  Amazingly, it won’t be as difficult as you think if you just start talking to people about it.  Homeschoolers will come out of the woodwork!  We are proud of our decision to homeschool because, as we see our children develop and our relationships with our children develop, we begin to understand that we are doing what is best and right for them.  So, just start talking about it.  When you find someone who is already homeschooling and doesn’t scare you (and I’m very sorry to admit this, but we homeschoolers get so excited that it can be a bit scary to hear us talking about it like it’s a cult!  There were some homeschooling parents that frightened me as I was searching for information.  But don’t let them push you away.  The best thing about homeschooling is you get to choose your friends!  You don’t have to be associated with someone that scares you).

Ask this person to sit down with you and discuss what curriculum they are using.  Where did they find it?  What’s good about it?  What’s bad about it?  The answers will be different for each family and what works for the family showing you what they use may not work for your family for a variety of reasons.  But it’s a starting place.  It will help you begin to formulate what you want out of a curriculum and what you don’t want.  Then, when you are talking to others, you will find they know or have heard of just what you were looking for and can direct you to a website.  For example, I mentioned on my personal Facebook page that I wanted to teach my daughter Latin.  Actually, what I said was:

A Precious friend commented this information:

which led to our purchase of First Form Latin by Memoria Press(they do offer other languages, not just Latin! If you are interested in offering your child a foreign language, I encourage you to check them out at: http://www.memoriapress.com).

As you begin your journey toward homeschooling, there are some things you need to know in order to make the most beneficial decision for your family and, specifically, your child.  For starters, what are the laws in your state concerning homeschooling?  And, more importantly, where can you find that information?

Again, homeschoolers, please tell me about any and all websites you have found useful and how are they beneficial to your Home School? 

Also, do any of you remember when you first thought seriously about homeschooling?  What well meaning but confusing information did you receive?