We’re Officially a Homeschooling Family – Q & A

If you told me 5 years ago that I personally would be writing a post about Homeschool, I would have called you crazy. Homeschool was nowhere on my radar. My husband and I both went to public schools – we met in public school, made most of our friends in public school, and had an overall great experience in public school. To be honest, when I first had kids, I didn’t even think about there being another option. I didn’t realize how many options there really are when it comes to schooling. You can send your kids to public school, private school, charter school, homeschool, forest school, a hybrid of the bunch, and probably many more options beyond those several I’ve named.

So, what put homeschool on my radar? When we moved to Washington State, when our oldest was 18-months, I started meeting a lot of families by joining in on Kids Who Explore adventures here. I love Kids Who Explore – one of my best friends started it in Calgary, and it’s always been an incredible way to get outdoors with kids and other families. Through that, I started meeting friends, who then introduced us to Wild + Free – a meet-up group for Homeschool Families – check out Roadschool Atlas, because it’s a huge thanks to them that we joined that group and went down that path. Also, check out Seattle Storys, who continues to be our meet-up expert! Honestly, I was so grateful they let me join in their meet-ups, because at the time I only had one, and then two, babies/toddlers, and I wasn’t a “true homeschool mama,” in the sense that I hadn’t even decided if we were homeschooling or not. I did know that I wasn’t sending my kids to Preschool, and that I would be teaching them that myself (with the help of Team Kind Humans Leaping Letters).

That group allowed me to essentially interview so many other homeschool families, learn the ins and outs of homeschool, and meet my people, who now are not only our best friends, but who in a sense make up our homeschool co-op community. They inspire and teach me so much, as they are well ahead of me in their homeschooling journeys.

Why did we eventually decide to officially homeschool? The simplest answer is more. For more flexibility of schedule (especially with my husband’s job, giving them more time to see him when possible, and giving us flexibility to move back and forth between our two homes, and give us a chance to travel), more time outside and moving our body, more options for all of our kids to pursue their own interests and dive into specific subjects and topics that inspire them, and more time together as a family. Just more, more, more.

So, now, let’s get to the questions you asked me. For reference, at the time of writing this, I currently have three kids, aged 5, 3, and 1. And my oldest is doing Kindergarten, my middle is doing Preschool, and my youngest is being a baby! We are schooling in Washington State. So, depending on your kids’ grades, ages, and location, these answers may not apply perfectly to you, but hopefully they help send you in the right direction.

I’m overwhelmed. Where do I start?

A year ago, I did an interview with one of my amazing friends, who I have learned so much from – read it here. That, along with this post, might give you an idea of where to start. But also, check in with your location – find out if you need to send in a letter of intent, if your kids need to do testing (be assessed) at different intervals during the year to make sure they are meeting certain standards, if you have to send in progress reports, what the parent’s education level needs to be, and if there are any set curriculums you need to follow if you sign up as homeschool families at certain locations. I know it sounds like a lot, but once you’re in it, and once you meet other families, it simplifies the entire process. I am grateful that I started meeting other families well before we officially started homeschool, because it simplified the process for me. So, that’s also a hugely helpful place to start – join a homeschool group or co-op that aligns with you, and meet some people, ask some questions, get your foot in the community! Because, there’s truly, so many different ways to homeschool!

Where do I find the curriculum options for my province/state? What curriculum do you use?

This topic was the one that was originally very overwhelming for me – how do I choose curriculum? How do I know what is allowed? Etcetera, etcetera, etc. Again, knowing other homeschoolers in your area who have come before you is very helpful. But, also, check your particular Government Education Website and Your Local Homeschool Association Website. Where I am, and how we homeschool, and the ages my kids are at, we are free to choose any curriculum we want as long as we are meeting learning requirements and standards. This is same thing most teachers in schools are doing – most are not creating their own curriculums – instead, they are using pre-created curriculums that speak to them. I have learned that most homeschoolers tend to use a wide variety of curriculums, and now that we are fully immersed in it – I get it! We too, use a different curriculum for each subject. Some subjects, we even use multiple curriculums. Some we take bits and pieces. Some we complete fully. Some we create ourselves. Some we pull out different projects or use during different time frames. So, to answer what curriculum we use, I’m going to need a whole other blog post (here it is!).

What is your cost per subject? Do you set a budget for each or a general budget for the whole?

There is not an exact cost per subject. You can make each subject as inexpensive, or as expensive, as you want. When it comes to curriculum, you can out right buy each (and then sometimes add in the cost of printing and binding), or you can borrow it from homeschool groups. We do a lot of reading-based curriculums, and take out those books from the library, but alternatively you could buy every single book and really amplify that cost. You can hire experts in certain subjects, join groups, and pay teachers for certain classes and subjects, or you can search out content, shop when there are deals, or join a co-op where everyone shares their expertise. You can create worksheets, or you can shop Teachers Pay Teachers. You can reuse curriculums between kids, or you may find you get new ones that fit more with the needs of each individual kid. So, there are many ways to make it work for you!

How do you prepare yourself for learning the curriculum so you can teach? What is your prep like? How do you plan you weeks out and choose what to teach?

When I was getting my degree in Music, and doing the Education components, I got practice in creating lesson plans that spanned the year, and then dwindled down to the day. In addition, as a private and semi-private music teacher for the last 18ish years, I’ve also gotten hands-on experience in making weekly lesson plans. And, what I’ve learned is that the grand scale view can often be too grand. You may think you’ll fly through something that then takes way longer than expected. Or you may think your kid will struggle with something, and instead it’s so simple for them that you do it much quicker, or skip ahead. There will be areas that they get so interested in, that you completely change course and dive head first into that topic, which was nowhere on the lesson plan to begin with. That’s truly the beauty of homeschool – that you can change direction.

So, with keeping in mind that I’m using curriculums that do give me a general idea of lesson plans over the course of the year, I try and plan very small scale. Putting a good amount of energy into curating our chosen curriculums has simplified the prep going forward. Usually on the weekend I’ll spend some time looking ahead at all our material, and seeing if there’s anything I need to prep. I’ll also jump a few weeks ahead to put any library books on hold that I’ll need in the coming weeks. And then other than that, I have the pleasure of working through the material (and happily re-learning, or newly learning) all the material with my kids as we go. In later years, there may be a little bit of extra prep required. I like to say (thanks to the wise words of a wonderful friend), a big part of my job is being the facilitator, rather than the teacher. A lot of subjects are created for and ran by (even through quick videos that direct them to the workbook) incredible teachers, and I get the job of facilitating the learning that they’ve made possible.

Our weeks do have a rhythm to them in terms of knowing what each day of the week looks like for subjects and activities, which helps us keep our flow and helps the kids know what to expect, but with homeschool, it also gives us the flexibility to pivot our weeks or days as we want or need to.

How do you space out the year – do you schedule time off? What philosophy do you follow if any – Charlotte Mason, Waldorf, Unschooling, etc.?

Have I spent this whole time talking about how much I love homeschool? Yes? Well, let me continue with that theme. Another thing I love about homeschool is realizing that every moment is authentic learning. So, in a sense, I never really schedule time off. And, so far, this is working great for us. Especially because of my husband’s work, weekends aren’t truly weekends for us, so, we love to do school on the weekends as well. A friend once said that my kids will never know what it’s like to “live for the weekend” and I couldn’t have loved that perspective more. That being said, by us doing school on weekends and holidays, it means that then when we want to “take a day off” so to speak, to go on a bonus Field Trip, or visit family who is in town, or go on a trip, we can pivot from our more structured learning and not feel like we are “falling behind.”

I don’t follow one specific homeschooling philosophy, but I see it more as a blend. I love pieces of Charlotte Mason for the nature, literature, and “living books” elements. I love Montessori for the “yes spaces,” uses in practical life, involvement of multi-aged kids, and child-led play. I love how Unschool focuses on interest-led learning, especially with play, reading, nature, and baking (even though I am very much not an Unschooler). And I also adore the structure of core curriculum – paired with lots of room for freedom, reading, outdoor time, play, and real life experiences!

How do you juggle your focus on teaching while also engaging with younger kids at their level? What do your other kids do while you do 1:1 learning?

There are a few different ways this looks. This is the reminder that sometimes I am simply the facilitator, and there to help and check in. So I can get my oldest set up, and then go off with my other two near by, and then come back and check in, or answer questions as needed. Other times when I am teaching, it looks one of three ways.

1. We are all engaged with the material, and everyone is just doing what is age appropriate for them. Another question was, “How do you do the same lesson for each kid, but have it be age appropriate?” So to answer that, sometimes the material is me reading something from the curriculum or reading a book and then helping my kids do a journal entry on it – for my oldest I may be helping her write out her journal, while my middle is colouring a picture that follows along with the topic, and my youngest is doing her baby thing. When we do this kind of material with our co-ops, the same thing applies – there may be teenagers writing full paragraphs on the material, while the younger ones are doing a sentence or drawing what it means to them.

2. I have all the kids set up with different things, or allow space for independent play. So I may be doing something more complicated with my oldest, while I have a train set out for my middle, and stacking blocks for my youngest. When I have more kids doing seated work, that will allow me the time to help them all as needed.

3. Sometimes we find pockets of time where we truly get our own 1:1(ish) time to dive into material, if my husband is home to play with the younger kids, or naps or quiet time are taking place.

This is also a good spot to toss out the reminder that sometimes math is learned while we are doubling a batch of waffles in the kitchen, or counting leaves in the park, and then everyone is hands-on and learning together.

What is your set up like? Do you have a designated curriculum area in your house?

With the continuous narrative in mind that the classroom is everywhere, we do have a designated area in our home that we do our written work. And, it’s the kitchen table! I know this might sound like lots of people’s nightmare, having the chaos everywhere, but I know from teaching music, and from watching my own kids, that if the piano (or any instrument) is in an area that is close by and accessible, it will get used all the time. If it’s in an area where they need to isolate themselves, or be away from you, it likely won’t be used nearly as much. Perhaps one day we will make a room a “classroom,” but currently, we love doing school work over a meal or a snack – I love being able to be in the kitchen while work is getting accomplished and come back and forth, and it’s a lovely wide open space for everyone to be able to do their own thing if desired. Beside the kitchen table, we put two different IKEA bookshelves – one purely for books, and one for all of our homeschooling materials. We also have a little IKEA table where all the messy projects and art work can be done! It’s the perfect little set up for us.

What does a typical day look like? How many hours a day is for curriculum, compared to sending them to school?

The amount of time it takes to do curriculum homeschooling versus being at school is significantly less. That’s because there’s not the same classroom management, transitions, or waiting for other kids. At home, you’re able to go at your child(ren)’s pace, dive into shorter stints of deep focus, and of course, have the various learning I keep talking about outside of the ‘sit-down-and-learn’ stuff! Please know that I am not shaming public schooling, and I’m so grateful that we get to homeschool – I’m just sharing why the time frame of curriculum can look so vastly different at home. Kids typically go to school 6-7 hours a day. So let’s say they get 4 hours of curriculum content in there, that would equal up to 20 hours of learning a week. That amount of hours may be consistent with the hours homeschool high school kids are doing, but at the Kindergarten and youngest elementary ages, all the sit-down-and-learn material can be down in a couple hours a day (and broken up however you want it to look).

We don’t have a typical day. We more have a typical week. We have a day at Forest School. We have a day at Homeschool Public School…we adore this – it’s a public school with teachers for all homeschool kids – you choose your subjects – it allows you a day of interacting with friends, doing subjects that you may want a group of kids for, and it allows me to send our monthly progress reports to our Advisor at that school, and they work with the State to do all the final reporting, so no Letter of Intent or Student Testing is needed on our end. We have a day where we do a Field Trip with our Co-op (and sometimes a bonus one in there). And then the other days are just us – where it is full curriculum, activities that we do on our own (I teach the kids music and swimming), and activities that can be booked at homeschool times, like skating and art (pottery, sewing, painting). There are also various “Homeschool Days” at places around the city, such as The Children’s Theatre, The Zoo, various Farms, and more, so we switch up our days and fit those in whenever we can.

A typical day at home would look like curriculum over breakfast (and beyond, if we are in a rhythm). That is surrounded by likely baking something or making sourdough, making breakfast, packing a lunch, getting ready, and doing chores. Then we will likely head out to an activity – scheduled, or simply getting outside. Then back for lunch or lunch-on-the-go. Quiet time and snack time can involve some more curriculum, and then there is space to do the things that inspire us – biking or playing piano or building something or doing art or various other activities. And then it’s dinner time and books on books on books before bed!

How does this set them up in the future for college and university?

Our approach for our kids and homeschool is “one year at a time” and “one kid at a time.” We are not saying homeschool is forever, even though it very well could be. Just as kids change schools all the time, based on their needs, it’s perfectly fine to start homeschool, and then choose another option, or test another option out, and then go back to homeschool. I’ve also met people who have multiple kids and some kids decide to go to a public school at various ages, while some never do. We are very comfortable with the idea that this works best for our family and our children right now, and we will re-evaluate every year as needed.

With that being said, I’m learning the homeschool ropes along with the age of our kids, and our location. At some point, we may live in a different place and then I will have to learn what homeschool looks like in that area, and how it differs. Homeschoolers get into college or university all the time, and the process is fairly straightforward, because colleges and universities are so used to seeing this. I’ve also read that homeschoolers are often seen as strong candidates, because of their independence, and self-motivation, and real-life learning experiences – so, if you needed more comfort, or less fear, thinking forward, there you go!

If we get to the point of homeschooling high school, we would need to create a transcript of their high school work, and they can meet any required prerequisites through homeschool courses, online classes, or community college options. Depending on location again, there may be the same Homeschool Public School option that we do that gives Report Cards that can be used for applications. Or, they can write standardized tests if the schools they are applying for require those marks.

How do I know if homeschooling is the best option for my children?

My conscious parenting self is here to say, you know your kid best. You know your family best. You know what works for you. Listen to your gut. Research. Check out the options. And, as I told a friend recently, if it’s calling your and your child(ren)’s name, you don’t have to feel like it’s forever. You too can take it one year and one kid at a time.

I couldn’t be more grateful for the experience we got with dipping our toes in the water by joining a homeschool group and meeting the community and seeing what it could look like for us – how we could homeschool and still get endless socialization, and a rhythm and calendar that works for our family. So if you want to take a baby step into it, find your community!

Happy Homeschooling!