Homeschool Support Group

Indonesian

Homeschool support group is what keeps my sanity. Oh yeah, homeschooling is a lot of work and it can be overwhelming. But I wouldn't trade it for anything.

When I first decided to homeschool my kids, I was just confused and not sure of what to do. I went online, found a local support group, emailed them, and joined.

I did this without thinking, without even knowing the group. I just wanted to start doing something. Then came baseball day, park days, building days, enrichment class, field trip to a donut shop, book club, physics club, and before I knew it, I was overwhelmed with all the activities I had to stop myself. Whew !! The list of activities within the group are endless.

There are a variety of homeschooling support groups out there. Religious-based, non-religious, non-sectarian, etc. There might even be support group for single parent. Choose one that you think you're going to be comfortable with. Or form your own, even if there's only 2 families, it'll grow.

The advantages of having a homeschool support group are :

• if you're new to homeschooling, you can see living proof that homeschooling is real and it works
• you can ask about different methods and curriculum
• provides information on local used bookstores, local resources
• provides another way of socialization for you and the children
• easier to plan field trips
• enriches they way you homeschool your kids
• helps to make your voice stronger

Find a local homeschool support group

What if there is no local homeschool support group ?

There is local homeschool support group in every state. So you can contact them and ask if they know of anyone in your area that has contacted them about a local group. You can ask them how to go about starting your own group.

To start your own support group, book a room (choose the library or community center, people would feel more comfortable than meeting in your house, for example). Then invite a couple people you know are interested in homeschooling. Invite them for a playdate. Once you have your playdate, you can talk about homeschooling, and hopefully this will be YOUR homeschool support group.

So form your own. Go to your local church or community center, talk to people, identify those who are homeschooling or is interested. Or if your support group consist of mostly older kids, ask if anyone is interested in forming a 'younger' group. Take initiative ! It may sound like a lot of work, but once you have a group, it's all going to be easier.