Advice.

One of the homeschooling groups I'm in asked its leadership for homeschooling advice for new homeschoolers.   I've been thinking about it a little bit, wondering what kind of advice I would give, now that I'm in my 6th year. 

1.  Try it.  You might enjoy it.  It might change your life.  It might not be your thing, but you won't know if you don't ever try.

2.  Find out what your state (or country) requires, the bare minimum.  Do this and then with the rest of it, have fun with it.  It doesn't have to be all serious and it doesn't have to look like the inside of a classroom.  You're at home.  Relax.  Play.  Read.  Learn together.  Enjoy your kids.  They grow up way too fast.

3.  Don't let a written curriculum boss you around.  If it works, great.  If it's not working for you, throw it out.  If only parts of it work, use those and throw the rest out.  It's not the boss of you.  When shopping for curriculum, read reviews. Try to go somewhere where you can actually hold the book in your hands and look through it.  Print out a sample day or week and try and implement it or borrow it before buying.  It's kind of hit and miss buying books without being able to see them. 

4. Find a homeschool support group. Or two. If you can't find one in real life, find one online. Get support where ever you can.

5.  Make a mess now and then.  Go outside and put some mentos in coke.  Make alka-seltzer rockets.  Make some great art.  Make a timeline and a map.  Grow some borax crystals.   Use levers to lift things.  Make a trebuchet out of whatever you can find around the house.  

6.  Go on as many field trips as you can.

To sum up I'll quote Mark Twain " Explore.  Dream.  Discover."  (I got that from my wall quote shopping!)