Homeschooling in California

What really helped me feel comfortable with the decision to homeschool was seeking out other homeshooling families and groups. Meeting these families and kids in person was wonderfully reassuring.

I started by joining the HSC Yahoo group I mentioned in an earlier post, and then asking around for a homeschool group in my area. Unfortunately, I didn’t find much in my immediate area, but in a nearby community we found a group we love.

It was great to see my daughter playing with the other kids, and seeing how normal they all were. It also gave me a chance to talk (and mostly to listen) to the other moms. Most of them had more experience than I did with homeschooling, many had older children that they’d been working with for many years, and they knew about resources and books, and places to go that it would have taken me forever to learn about all on my own. Homeschool groups are worth joining just for these reasons if nothing else in my opinion.

Some groups have a set purpose, like to study a particular subject, or pursue a certain activity. Others are purely social, and the kids just get together to do whatever they want. The groups can be formal, or casual, and anywhere in between on the continuum. Whatever type of group you’re looking for, the Internet is a great place to start looking. If nothing else, post what you’re looking for on a homeschool forum or chat board – if a group like the one you want doesn’t already exist, you may get one started just by asking.