Alright, let’s talk about how important it is to team up with others to homeschool…one of my favorite subjects!
Want to start homeschooling now? Be sure to read my post, Yes, You CAN Homeschool!
Team Up with Others as You Homeschool
One of the myths about homeschooling is that you need to sit at home all day and do schoolwork. Boring! I highly recommend that you spice it by partnering with other homeschooling families in your area.
Here are some ways to do just that.
1. Join a local homeschool co-op.
In many areas, there are already-existing homeschool co-ops you can join. In our area, I can think of at least five. These established co-ops have tutors who teach certain subjects like science or choir.
Co-ops are a great way to have your learners participate in learning with others, especially in subjects you don’t really want to teach at home. For me, that would be art. 🙂
2. Start a Poetry Tea Time.
A poetry tea time is a simple way to team up with another family or two. We did one last year with another homeschooling family once a month. The beauty of a poetry tea time is that there’s food {who doesn’t like yummy food?} AND each child can learn or memorize a poem on their own level to share with everyone. Last year, I shared about our poetry tea time on Instagram.
3. Start a share group.
We started a share group with about five other homeschooling families that lasted for several years. We met every other week for about two hours. We shared lunch together, and then the kids would take turns sharing.
What would they share? Anything. A science project. A favorite poem. A paragraph or two from a favorite book. A piece of writing. I’ll never forget a middle schooler sharing how to practice shooting a deer with a bow and arrow. Yep. Anything was fair game.
This required very little prep because kids shared what they were already doing at home and it gave our kids practice with public speaking.
4. Partner up with others to teach certain subjects.
Want to do science experiment with other kids? Find a family that might like to join you once a week. Take turns hosting. My sixth grader teams up with another friend her age to work on IEW twice a week.
5. Pay a teacher to teach certain subjects to several families.
You may find someone who doesn’t teach in the classroom anymore who would be willing to teach a class once or twice a week to your kiddos. Several homeschooling families in our area will be paying someone to do a SAT prep class with our high schoolers soon.
6. Try private lessons when you can.
Yes, I know private lessons can be a little on the expensive side, but work out a deal with someone if you can. Three out of my four kids take music lessons during the week. Although I could teach a couple of them, it’s nice to have someone else they’re accountable to if you know what I mean.
Enjoy homeschooling!
~Becky
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