INDIANA – With many homeschool parents gearing up for another school year — or powering through it if they homeschool year-round — It could be useful to have a few good blogs on hand with helpful tips and resources.
Whether you’re a seasoned homeschool parent or considering making the full switch to homeschooling, these blogs can help.
They also offer supportive online communities for anyone trying to balance the roles of teacher and parent.
1. Hip Homeschool Moms
This blog really covers it all. Homeschool tips and advice are organized by grade level, subject, Q&As, and encouragement, among other topics.
The blog goes even further by including posts on budgeting, travel, recipes, and news. Blog owners Trish Corlew and Wendy Hilton also run the very active Facebook page for the blog, helping readers connect to fellow homeschooling parents and be part of a strong community.
Recommend reading Top 10 Homeschool Do’s and Don’ts; Promises to My Family for Our New Homeschool Year; and 10 Reasons to Try Family Reading.
Follow @hiphomeschoolmoms on Facebook.
2. Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers
This blog was created by homeschool mom Kris Bales. She and her husband homeschooled their three children, all of whom have now graduated. Bales’ goal for the blog is to “be real and to write about the good, the bad, and the ugly of homeschooling,” complete with her self-described “warped” sense of humor. It’s now owned by Trish Corlew and Wendy Hilton – yes, the same owners of Hip Homeschool Moms.
The blog includes posts from a team of other homeschoolers sharing their unique tips and advice for other parents teaching their kids from home.
Experts especially like the sections on high school, which can be particularly tough years for homeschooling, and field trips.
8 Screen-Free Rainy Day Activities to Keep Kids Busy and Engaged Indoors; Because Sometimes Learning {Gasp} Stops, and 10 Grown-up Nature Study Ideas for Teens are good reads.
Follow @WeirdUnsocializedHomeschoolers on Facebook.
3. My Little Poppies
My Little Poppies was created by Cait, a mom, school psychologist, and an unexpected homeschooler. She also co-hosts The Homeschool Sisters podcast with her sister, Kara.
The blog is full of resources for homeschoolers, gameschoolers (if you’re more interested in playing games with your kids to accomplish schooling “must do’s”), and parents of gifted children. Readers also can find a great list of read-aloud book recommendations in a variety of subjects, including history, poetry, and science.
Check out these helpful posts: The Advantages of Literature-Based Geography in Your Homeschool; How To Document Gameschooling; and 1st Grade Sight Word Games Your Child Will Love.
Follow @my_little_poppies on Instagram.
4. NWEA
NWEA is a not-for-profit based in the Pacific Northwest. Its mission is to help measure student success and proficiency in order to assist in developing childhood learning.
The blog is one of my personal favorites because the information is based on in-depth research by a team of writers that takes the whole child into consideration.
A couple of great reads: 4 tips for families homeschooling during the coronavirus pandemic; and 3 ways to support kindergarteners this fall.
Follow @NWEA on Twitter.
5. Education Week: Rules For Engagement
Education Week is a news organization that looks at a variety of topics in education through an unbiased lens. It’s a great source of news on what’s happening in education nationally and also provides resources and advice to educators and families.
Its objective take on what’s going on in the world via the Rules For Engagement blog. Parents can trust that the perspective Education Week is providing will educate them but won’t force an opinion upon them.
Recommend reading Teaching Kids at Home During Coronavirus: Pro Tips From Homeschoolers; and Social Emotional Learning and School Reopenings: A Guide for Schools.
Follow @Rulz4Engagement on Twitter.
6. Homeschool.com
Homeschool.com is an online community of individuals that crowdsource solutions, resources, and suggestions on how to best homeschool one’s child or children.
It’s a great resource for all of us who are new to homeschooling our children. I find the site incredibly helpful and credible as the community has been doing this since before the global pandemic. You can count on their decades of experience to get you through the school year with your children at home.
A couple of relevant reads: Homeschooling When You Hadn’t Planned on It, and 12 Things to Do Before the New Homeschool Year Begins.
Follow @homeschoolcom on Twitter.
7. Confessions of a Homeschooler
Confessions of a Homeschooler is one of my favorite homeschooling blogs as the author, Erica Arndt, has been through it herself. And not only that, but she provides supplemental materials that are easily printable at home.
Confessions of a Homeschooler provides any parent with the materials they need to be successful.
Check out these posts: Short-Term Homeschooling; and 2020-2021 6th Grade Homeschool Curriculum.
Follow @ericahomeschool on Twitter.
Information: Beyond the Bylines
