Can I start to homeschool mid year?

“My kid doesn’t want to go back to virtual school!”

  What’s a parent to do when the part-time/ hybrid school option is vanishing and virtual school was a nightmare in the spring? This question has been floating around more lately as COVID case counts rise, and states begin restricting public gatherings and discouraging private ones. Maybe thoughts of switching to homeschool mid year are beginning to float to the surface? If so, take heart! 

Families can ABSOLUTELY switch to homeschooling in the middle of the year, and I will lay it out for you as simply as I can. The process may be a little more involved because you have to disenroll your students from the school they are attending. In good news, they can continue work through their public school while you prepare to homeschool.

Let’s think about what needs to be done.  The very first step would be to research your requirements for beginning to homeschool. In some states, you would simply let the school know you are going to homeschool and go on your merry way. (Texas and Idaho pop to mind here!) There are school districts that may ask for information to which they are not legally entitled. Educate yourself about the state requirements and don’t feel the need to give anything more. It is also NOT appropriate for school personnel to try to talk you out of homeschooling- which happened to a mom I was in contact with.

Other states require parents apply to the state and being approved to homeschool (North Carolina is one example).  You may have to fill out online forms, send copies of your college transcript or high school diploma, and wait for approval before legally withdrawing your child from school. That process could take a few weeks, depending on how many people submit paperwork at the same time. A few states will also want your scope and sequence or a list of curricular materials. Knowing is half the battle, and a little research can help you avoid jumping through hoops that are not legally required.  

A little research can prevent jumping through unnecessary hoops.

While you are in research mode, and since the school year already started, I recommend that you make your decisions about curriculum and course of study BEFORE withdrawing your student. (Check out my blog on curriculum choices here) This is especially important for the older students.  Your elementary school student will be okay if they have an extra week off of school while your materials arrive (and it is a good chance to “de-school“ anyway). High school is different, and that extra week could mess things up a bit.  Curriculum choices can be slightly more complicated when doing a mid year withdrawal because they have already done work under another program. As I discussed elsewhere, you need to know WHY you are homeschooling. Is this an option to do your best through the COVID uncertainty? Have you always wanted to try homeschooling? Is public school just not a good fit for your student? The answers to those questions may point you in different directions when it comes to choosing materials for your student. 

A mid year break while you wait for homeschool materials will not set your younger students back.

If you are just trying to survive the educational upheaval, and plan on re-enrolling when things settle down, you may want to use materials that are aligned to the Common Core, which the large majority of states use. Get an idea of what topics your students are working on now (most important for math), so that you can skip what they know when the materials arrive. Recognize that even Common Core aligned materials may not present topics in the exact same order. Most publishers also offer placement tests to ensure that students are working on the correct level, which can be helpful to parents unsure where to place their child.

Get an idea of what topics have been covered- especially in math!

DO NOT just start at the beginning of whatever books you order! They are designed to be an entire year’s worth of work, and your student is starting homeschool mid year. Some complete homeschool programs (here’s a video on complete programs and other homeschool options) offer mid-year enrollment. That may be an option for you if you want or need that level of support. 

Give yourself AND your student grace!

Once your material arrives, you are ready to go! Remember to give yourself and your student lots of grace in the first few weeks. You need time to establish routines and get a handle on the curriculum. Recommended seated work time for Kindergarten students is only 30 minutes to an hour. Even high schoolers should only have 4-6 hours of work. If you are WAY over that, try to discern why. Is the material too challenging? Do they need a quieter place to work to minimize distractions? Does your kiddo need more exercise or movement during the day (which is totally okay!)? Homeschooling is a way of life that does not simply replicate the school environment in your kitchen. Feel free to adapt it to what works best for you.  

Another question that is common for families who switch to homeschool mid-year is “what about the 180 school days?” Many states require that homeschoolers have 180 days of instruction, which most parents track by marking a calendar each day. Your 180-day count includes the days that they attended public school. If your children were in public school 60 days, you only need 120 days more to meet the requirement. Remember that educational day trips (assuming everything doesn’t get locked down again) ARE school days, just like they are in public school.    

Hopefully that answers some of your more immediate questions about switching to homeschooling mid-year. If you want more information on you can follow me on Facebook or Instagram, and can contact me at [email protected]. 

Time to Choose Homeschool Curriculum

How to choose your curriculum wisely

There are lots of stressful aspects of a major life change, but for many new homeschooling families, how to choose homeschool curriculum tops the list.  The options for families have expanded exponentially since I began homeschooling in 2003, and the internet will make sure you hear about all of them. There are all kinds of articles about recommended subjects and online v. textbooks. That is all fine and well, and I do talk about some of those concrete things here. What I want to focus on is really matching your family to the curriculum that fits you best. Let’s talk about how we discern what truly fits.

You are the expert on your child.

Our first consideration when choosing curriculum is your student. You are the expert on your child, so think about who they are. What does your child like? Are they active kids? Do they rival the Energizer bunny? Are they quiet and thoughtful? Is reading her favorite, or maybe math and science? Does she live to play sports? Is school her favorite? How does he play? Is it adventurous and imaginative? Does he prefer building with Legos and blocks? Are your children more introverted or extroverted? Do they need to know what the schedule is for the day, or do they like to do things on the spur of the moment? Do they like to read alone, or do they prefer to be read to? Do they like to work with their hands, taking things apart to see how they work?

After thinking through all that, now factor in any relevant academic background. How did he do in school? Which subjects were easier? Which subjects were more of a struggle? What areas are they more interested in- history? Science? Dinosaurs? Homeschooling should encourage the pursuit of areas of interest as much as possible, and sometimes a parent can get a child to work on reading by choosing books about a topic the child in interested in.

The next consideration for choosing a curriculum is the teacher. What makes YOU tick? Do you need a predictable schedule? Is a general “list of things we should do today” more your speed? Are you a math lover? Maybe you are more of a humanities person? Were you the kid in high school that was absent on the day frogs were dissected? Do you love to garden? What are your hobbies? Do you want to share them with your kids? Do you want to do a lot of hands on activities (and can deal with the tiny pieces that are part of that)? Do you like to read aloud?

As homeschoolers, we strive for learning be an organic part of our life.

That seems like a lot of touchy-feely nonsense, but as homeschoolers, we strive for learning be an organic part of our life. Choosing a curriculum that fits the life we live (or want to live) is really important. Since we are free to choose any curriculum, we want to use a program that plays to our strengths and needs, as well as those of our children. If you were inclined to google “homeschool philosophies”, you would find websites about Charlotte Mason, Montessori, unschooling, nature-based learning, child-led learning, classical education, and so on. You will also find those terms in connection with curriculum items or programs. Thinking about you and your child will lead you towards one or two general homeschooling philosophies, and then can help shorten your search for the right curriculum. Make sure that you choose a happy medium for you and your child- homeschool curriculum should work for both the teacher AND the student.

Other factors to consider

Here are my less philosophical considerations on how to choose your homeschool curriculum, which are also important to think about!

  1. Am I putting them back in school as soon as we are back to “normal”? If you are one and done (and that is OK), you may want to stick with common core aligned books and use a traditional approach that will mimic school and ease the transition back.
  2. Online, workbooks, or something else? There are many ways to skin the education cat. This is actually a fairly easy question for most parents, but that doesn’t make it less important.
  3. Do you want your children to have a secular curriculum, or do you want to incorporate your family’s faith tradition?
  4. What subjects do you need to/ want to teach? Some states have required subjects- usually reading, math, science, history, civics. PLEASE check your individual state requirements. You may not live in one of those states, or you may wish to cover other subjects- like geography, foreign language, or computers. For high schoolers, I recommend keeping an eye on your state’s graduation requirements. You may not be required by law to teach those exact classes, but if your child wants to go to college, you’ll want to make sure you have covered the basics.
  5. Do I want the support of lesson plans or guidance for parent/teachers? Some curriculums have teacher guides. There are also programs that families can enroll in, which provide lesson plans, grading, and record-keeping. Other books are divided into 36 chapters or 180 lessons, and expect parents to realize what that means. (Pro tip: 36 or 30 chapters means 1 lesson per week to make a whole school year. Many states require 180 days of school, making the 180 lessons -or 150 lessons with 30 tests- intuitive to use.)
  6. How long do I want my school day to last? Recommendations for Kindergarten are 30 minutes of seated book work per day! High schoolers are around 4 hours or so. Make sure you don’t pick too many books that will over work your kid (and you!). Some subjects, like electives for the older kids, can be done for only half a year, allowing you to maybe do both geography and music history.
  7. ASK FOR HELP. This one. ALL DAY. Even if you do not want to work with a homeschool coach like me, you can reach out to other homeschoolers you may know in your community. We are usually a pretty helpful bunch. Some communities are lucky enough to have big homeschool groups that have used curriculum sales, which are a great opportunity to look through books before you buy.

Remember, that the best curriculum is the one that your kid will do that doesn’t make you crazy.

It is a good thing I didn’t promise a simple way to choose your homeschool curriculum, because this is pretty long. My goal is to help you buy ONE curriculum (or set of items) that works for you, instead of you falling into the trap of “I bought this stuff and my kids and I HATE it.” It happens, and it can be an expensive lesson to learn. Remember that the “best curriculum” is the one your kid will do that doesn’t make you crazy, and ALWAYS feel free to reach out to me if you need support.

Setting up a homeschooling room

How do I set up a room for homeschooling? Do I even need a separate space?

I have been hearing a lot of questions about how to set up the homeschooling space in your home and what it should look like. It is a totally understandable question when one considers the super-decorated classrooms some teachers put together! I’m going to talk you through this and give you some tips, and hopefully, you will feel less anxious and less inclined to try to put an addition on the house before school starts.

 Tip #1- Kids are like housecats. Just because one sets up a special place for them, doesn’t mean they’ll want to use it.

We have 4 cats. We own three of those cat tree/ climber things. The last creature I saw actually sitting on the cat tree was my six-year-old son. When I look on social media, I am seeing workspaces being built, rooms being repainted, and elaborate shelving systems being assembled. People are getting serious out there. I have made efforts to have dedicated work tables for the kids in at least 4 different houses. You know where we end up? The kitchen table. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. So if you have space and money and you REALLY want to have that child-sized workstation, go for it.  Just remember, to rephrase an old saying, you can buy the fancy cat tree, but the cat is most likely going to sleep on your bed.

Tip #2- You don’t have to re-create public school in your house.

What are you imagining as you think about setting up a homeschool room?  Most of us went to public school, and that is what we think of when we hear the word school- rows of desks in which kids sat all day and diligently did their work. Give yourself permission to think outside the “school” box. What will work for your child? Are they more active? Maybe having them stand at the kitchen counter for some subjects will work. Bouncing balls and skipping rope has been shown to improve retention of spelling words and math facts. One of my daughters likes to work on the floor. She has to sit at a table when I help her with math, because the hard floor isn’t comfy for me. We all tend to do reading and history on the couch. My oldest daughter likes to do her reading assignments in the hammock outside. The point is that you can do something DIFFERENT than brick and mortar school, and it is O.K. This is especially true if it makes the work go more quickly!

Tip #3- Picking a “school room” or space off by itself sometimes backfires.

It is pretty cool to try and keep everything organized and, in theory, out of your living room. The fact of the matter is that homeschooling is a lifestyle that isn’t easily banished to a back room. Kids want to be near us. My youngest daughter, especially, likes to ask lots of silly questions if she needs more attention. Unfortunately, parents have other things to do during the day (laundry and dishes come to mind). If the school room is upstairs or off by itself, you will have to stay there with them. From experience, I can tell you that most kids will VANISH when you walk downstairs to move the laundry to the dryer. As I mentioned, we spent most of our 12 years of homeschool at my kitchen table. It had some downsides (like needing to eat lunch somewhere), but I could also fix snacks, empty the dishwasher, wipe counters, make more coffee, and they were never out of my sight. Yes, I had an alphabet chart in my kitchen. My response to curious glances from visitors was always, “We homeschool.”

Tip #4- Limit time on Pinterest. Too much décor can be very distracting, and informative posters are definitely in the category of “less is more.”

This is especially true for kids with trouble staying focused. Think about what your kiddo is learning and what they REALLY need for quick reference. A letter chart (print or cursive) is a good idea, along with a number chart for younger kids who are still mastering writing numbers.  I have a visual reminder for my dyslexic child about “b” and “d”. As my kids got older, I took down the numbers and swapped out for a world map.  That’s it. No cute banners or anything like that, unless it was immediately relevant to a topic we were studying- like the Civil War map that I hung last year. Personally, I think homeschool room ideas on Pinterest (or other sites, not just picking on Pinterest here) fall into the category of “Homeschool Porn.” That term refers to any catalog or website that gives you unrealistic ideas about what homeschool should look like, makes you feel inadequate, AND makes you double-guess your plans. But like the workspace set up in #1, if you TRULY love decorating and want to spend money on tricking out your schoolroom, then do it. If you aren’t into it, then skip it!!        

Tip #5- If it is beautiful outside, WORK OUTSIDE.

This should be obvious, but I know I didn’t really think about it until halfway through our first year of homeschooling. I REALLY embraced the idea when we moved to a state with fewer gorgeous days and long, cold winters. Most parents have read that sunshine and fresh air are super important for kids, so might as well get some sun while learning multiplication. My kids know that they have the option to work on our patio with their books anytime, provided they bring everything back inside. I also make them take outside breaks, even if we are doing our work indoors.

                Hopefully, you are feeling a little more relaxed about what you need to do to prep your home for school. Less can be more. Think about your family and your (hoped for) daily rhythm. Remember, do what feels comfortable for you! Don’t let anyone’s expectations push you in a direction that feels forced or wrong for your family.

                If you still feel unsure about all this and wish to sign up for curriculum suggestions or first-year coaching, you can learn more about how I can help.

Kristen Sloan is a mom of seven with twelve years of homeschooling under her belt. She has a B.S. in European History from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and served six years in the active duty Army. She also completed training through the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education on the Orton-Giliingham methodology, which she uses with her kids. Kristen loves reading and hanging out with her family, and has an unhealthy relationship with caffeine.

How do I start homeschooling?

With so many choices, you might not even know where to start.

Ever see those posts on social media in which people choose a word for the new year? Most people choose words like “growth” or “peace”, or maybe “Wisdom.” The word for 2020 clearly should have been “overwhelmed.” I see the o-word everywhere, especially now that it is back to school time. Because your schools may not be back at all. Or they are back, but only two days a week. Or every other week? I know I am not the only parent who would be likely to send a kid to school on the wrong day. (Good thing I already homeschool!) So let’s talk about your options for not-back-to-school.

Who is doing the teaching?

The first thing you really need to consider is who is doing the teaching? Here’s a hint- the options are you or not you. Either way is totally okay. Homeschool rule #1- the program has to fit the child AND the parent.

Two options for homeschooling

Maybe the student you are looking to homeschool is in middle or high school, and Algebra is a hard pass for you. Many parents are still working from home and barely made it through the sudden switch to Zoom school in the spring. If this sounds familiar, you might be interested in a Virtual school. Unlike what the public schools tried to throw together with absolutely no warning or training (God Bless them for it!), these programs were conceived as an online entity. Most states have an online public school option that your student can enroll it and it. is. free. Some states have (also free) online charter schools, and some states have online schools that come with some funding for academic materials (hi there, new printer that actually works!). Depending on how things are set up in your state, you may not even need to register as a homeschooler, because they are legally enrolled in a public school. There are private virtual schools as well, if the virtual public options do not thrill you. Many of the private schools are aligned with a religious worldview if that is something that is important to you.

Let’s look at the upsides here- you aren’t the teacher. The virtual school faculty gives out assignments, grades assignments, and keeps the records. The possible downsides- if the classes are synchronous (or “live online”) and you have more than one kid, there could be a computer and bandwidth issue. It can be a little trickier to monitor your child’s progress in a virtual environment. A parent could log in one day and realize that the kid hasn’t done an assignment in two weeks. (It’s me. I’m that parent.) So some diligence is required on your part. But if you have a good internet connection and a fairly motivated student who will not get up and wander off, this could be a great option for you.

If you decide to dive in and teach your child…..

The other option for “not back to school” is parent-led homeschooling. (Yup. You are the teacher in these next two possibilities.) If you decide to dive in and teach your child, you have one more choice to make. You can purchase a complete curriculum from one of the many curriculum providers, or you can assemble your own curriculum subject by subject. Let’s dig into these two options for a bit.

A complete curriculum is referred to by some as “school in a box.” I do not like that term because it sounds very derogatory. Parents that choose to teach their own kids at home are NOT “less than” for buying all their stuff from one program and following that. In reality, this is a great choice for many families. A lot of new parents find this to be a gentle transition from public school because they don’t have to figure out the differences between reading programs. Many of the complete curriculum programs also (for a fee) will provide lesson plans, grading, and support by email or telephone. They also do placement tests, and can help you combine students in different grade levels if you wish. And guess who doesn’t have to figure out how much math a third grader needs to do each day? YOU.

The other parent-led option is an assembled curriculum. In this scenario, a parent chooses each individual subject, which means that there are a lot of opportunities to play to the strengths of the parent and child. You can also tailor to particular interests (natural sciences or physical sciences?) and provide support to kids with learning differences (some complete curriculum providers can work with LDs as well). There are so many more options than there were when I began homeschooling, you can find great materials for almost any kid.

When we evaluate the parent-led option, the upside is the relationship you can build with your child. It is different from the normal parenting relationship. You will see exactly where he struggles, and enjoy when he masters a concept or finds something that sparks his imagination. If you homeschool into the high school years, you will be able to let their goals and interests guide their coursework. A complete curriculum comes with (usually) lesson plans and support. An assembled curriculum can meet the diverse interests of parent and child.

The downside of parent-led homeschooling is the time commitment, even with a motivated student. Younger students will need more teacher time, especially if they are still learning to read. When we discuss an assembled curriculum, we have to acknowledge the stress of choosing all. the. things. That can be intimidating, especially if you are new and have multiple kids! If you want to see what I mean, go ahead and do an internet search for “homeschool math curriculum.” Now imagine that search for the other 6 or so subjects your child takes. The experience can be worth it, though.

Only you can choose what is right for your family.

Are there more steps after this? Yes. But this is the first hurdle, and there is no shame in any answer. Only you can choose what is right for your family. Whether you choose virtual school, parent-led homeschool, or traditional school, I wish you this best this coming school year!

Still feeling overwhelmed? Read about how I can help you navigate the process here.