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Homeschool
Where to Begin
Take time if you can. I suggest trying to plan ahead if possible, like the spring or summer before to spend time doing the following:
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Breathe. Snuggle. Toast a cup of tea.
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Embrace your freedom as a homeschooler! to do "school" a million different ways - you are free to find YOUR way!
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Hang out with other homeschool families that are enjoying their experience to get inspired. BUT, also remind yourself that your journey does not need to look any which way, look like anyone else's or produce the same results as anyone else. Homeschooling is truly choosing the path you see fit for your child, adapting and flowing as you feel your way through it, and having fun learning with your child! Don't judge others' journeys. Pictured to the right are my two youngest girls. One is eclectically homeschooling and one is in a full-time classical school. They couldn't be more opposite of learning experiences, but they are both very happy in their chosen environments. I happily support them both!
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Come visit one of our events to meet other homeschool parents, go "shopping" in the resource fair to see all of the local education resources, and get excited... together!
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We also have a big library of homeschool resources (huge actually, so narrow your search by things that matter to you like location, approach, or grade levels)
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Investigate different style of homeschooling and imagine yourself using any of them to see it they fit. Here is a FANTASTIC video on homeschooling approaches.
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Investigate options for curriculum. There are a million (literally) options and it can be overwhelming. Skip to our Curriculum page for some guidance on this topic.
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Test out your ideas and educational tools on your kiddo. Give them the opportunity to choose for themselves what they like! Have fun getting to know your child in this new way and if something feels like you are pulling teeth to get them to do it, throw it out! There are plenty of other ways. Here is a great article on learning styles in homeschooling.
(stepping off my soap box now, LOL). I have blogged about my personal homeschool journey this year (see below).
We don't always have time to plan ahead. Life happens and sometimes we are shoved into homeschooling by unforeseen circumstances. Don't worry, friend. We are here for you. Fill out a contact form or give us a call anytime. We will do our best to support you.
I couldn't have said it better myself!
(So, I didn't - here is a great video intro to homeschooling. Her journey is faith-based, but a great intro for secular as well.)
My Homeschool Journey Blog
The Canopy Project
The Canopy project allows education leaders, school designers, and researchers to explore how a diverse set of learning environments describe their innovative designs. Explore the data in our portal and in our 2022 annual report.
The Canopy project is designed to address this challenge by building collective knowledge about a diverse set of innovative learning environments. Launched by the Christensen Institute in 2018, the project is a collaborative effort involving hundreds of organizations and schools, stewarded by Transcend and the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE). Together we will update Canopy data annually in order to spark connections between learning communities and spot trends in practice. Read about our approach to collecting data in our summary of Canopy methodology.
The World School
The World School is a new type of school. We have combined the principles of forest schools, democratic schools, self-directed education, and respectful parenting to create a new type of learning community for traveling families. -Tuition starts at $300/month - housing and transportation are not included. Each session is in a different locations. Families travel together.
The Boys & Girls Club of the Rogue Valley
After school youth programs: Sports Fitness & Recreation, The Arts, Health & Life Skills, Education & Career, Character & Leadership, and a Teen Center. STEM education, arts and crafts room gyms, games, nature activities, and meals included in a sliding scale monthly fee. Open every day after school and all day on school closure days including spring break!
The TEEN Group
Opportunity for TEENS ages 14+ in Grants Pass. (Conversations can happen around mature 13 year olds who are turning 14 during the term.)
Gabi Johnsen and I are launching a new group for teens: The Education Exploration Network a.k.a T.E.E.N. group as it will be known. We have desires to create community, fulfill a need, and foster meaningful friendships for our teens in a non traditional learning environment through weekly activities and experiences which will include peer instruction and collaboration with adult mentors & facilitators through hands on learning, Socratic discussion, service projects, field trips, outdoor adventures, and more!
