When people think of homeschooling, they think of families sitting around the kitchen table at home or in a home classroom doing work. But, did you know that a lot of homeschoolers actually take advantage of quite a few out of home educational opportunities? Here is how you can do homeschooling outside of the home.
In our years of homeschooling we have been so lucky to be a part of many great homeschool groups. But, I used to be against having others teach my kids. “I don’t need their help to teach my own children!” I’d say to myself. Then, I found the right person to help teach my kids, and I changed my tune.
There are a lot of opportunities out there for homeschooling away from home. Let’s explore four of them together.
Homeschool co-ops
A homeschool co-op is a homeschool cooperative class. It’s where a bunch of families get together and help teach each other’s children. This is probably the most popular method for homeschooling outside of the home. In the co-ops we’ve seen, there have been a number of classes being taught by different parents in a church building or other public place. Classes range from your typical language arts class, to fun, hands on science, or even extracurricular classes like cooking. Usually every parent has some type of job, whether it’s teaching, prepping, being a class assistant, or helping with the younger children of other parents. This is a low cost, easy way to get your homeschool kids out of the house for some fun learning with others.
Paid homeschool classes
There are some really great options for paid homeschool classes in my area, so I had to take advantage of one. My kids participate in a STEM science class once a week taught by a retired school teacher and NASA volunteer. It has been an amazing opportunity for my kids! The woman who teaches it gives them hands on experiences I could never give them at home with the equipment she has available. We have made a lot of friends through this class and have a whole new homeschool group of people to build our community with. Our fall semester starts back up this week and my kids can’t wait! Homeschooling outside of the home through this class offers me a nice break, which I won’t complain about at all.
Homeschool field-trip days
Many places have special free or discounted visits just for homeschoolers. This includes museums, historical sites, theme parks, and more. With the new school year just starting up, our calendar is filling up quickly with homeschool days! So far we have a pumpkin patch, aquarium, and museum as a part of our free homeschool field-trip plans just in the next handful of weeks. Search online or call local museums to see if they have homeschool days available in your area.
Informal homeschool groups
Even though our informal group doesn’t do any type of formal teaching, I wanted to include it because getting together with your local homeschool community is so important! (Here’s 4 reasons why you need a homeschool community!) Our local group gets together weekly for park days. This is not only great for my kids to get some good play time in with their homeschooling buddies, but it’s also an essential part of my week to get together with like-minded parents. (Don’t be fooled…90% of the reason we go is because I can’t miss a week with my homeschool mom friends!) We also plan field-trips together occasionally and also do other get togethers like holiday parties and pancake breakfasts. If you’re not a part of a homeschool group, find one or start your own!
Some weeks we have so much going on outside of our home it’s difficult to find the time to do formal lessons at home! I’m so grateful for our local homeschool community and everything it provides us with.
If you take advantage of homeschooling away from home, share what your family does in the comments below or in my online homeschool community!
Looking for more tips on homeschooling? Everything from homeschool rooms to socialization can be found by clicking the image below!
