Calgary is a great place to home school, largely due to the endless array of choices regarding how to home school and the many supplementary activities available to enrich your home schooling experience. Sometimes, though, all those choices can be overwhelming, especially if you’re just starting out. If you’re confused over what to do and how to do it, it’s time to simplify.
Sure, homeschooling is a bit different from brick and mortar school, but some things are certainly similar. Here are some things to consider when you are getting your child ready for back to homeschool.
When my son was a tween, I coordinated a field trip to an agri-tourism farm for our home school group. When it came time to do some pumpkin activities with the kids, the farmer asked the kids to line up and take turns. Instead of forming a long, snaking column, with only one child at its head, our children stood in a compact row, side-by-side, so everyone could see the action.
This column comes with a caveat. Before you take action to start a home school support group, please take some time to consider your family’s lifestyle, your kids’ needs and your own strengths, motivations and limitations. You and I both know starting a home school support group isn’t the hard part. It’s the commitment to sustain that group as a positive and fun environment for all its members that can become a formidable undertaking. Don’t expect a rose-colored DIY tutorial. This advice-laden reality check is designed to help you keep from piling too much more onto your already full plate. And it comes from an experienced home educator who has recently traded down to a smaller one.
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