Finding My Homeschool Tribe
As I’ve started to dip my toes into the homeschooling experience I’ve found myself swarmed by an extremely kind and generous community. Long gone are the days of isolation for homeschooled children.
Homeschooling friends old and new seem to be coming out of the woodworks, and I feel like soon enough, we’ll know just as many people whose kids go to public school as are schooled at home.
My heart has been pulled toward homeschool for years. A quick search of my blog last night revealed that I’ve even shared those thoughts here multiple times. And now here I am. Invested (literally, I’ve already dropped nearly $200 on curriculum and materials) and excited.
One of the first things I wanted to do was find a co-op I fit in with. I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, but I figured I’d know it when I found it.
I wanted a co-op that would involve being outside and exploring. Preferably a diverse group with open-minded people. And would you believe that I found one pretty quick.
It was thanks to a friend of a friend I met at a “last day of school” party. I was lamenting about wanting to homeschool and she spoke up about how the process works for her.
A couple meetings and dozens of questions later, I’m all in baby!
We went to a co-op meet and greet at the park a couple weeks ago. The BYOP (bring your own Popsicles) party was a hit, and we wound up bumping into others we already knew who are also beginning their homeschooling journey. By the way, if you’re looking for a fun way to break the ice (no pun intended) with new friends, a Popsicle party at the park is the way to do it. We brought TMNT popsicles to share and they were a hit.
The truly amazing part of all of this though, is even if we didn’t count the fact that we lucked into a co-op opportunity at the perfect time, we’ve had SO many friends reach out to give advice. I say give advice, but no one is trying to coming across as an expert. However all of the moms I’ve chatted with are more than willing to share what’s working for them, and encourage me to follow what works for us.
We’ve had a playdate at a river with new homeschooling friends, gotten together at friends’ homes, where I can browse through their curriculum. And then online I’ve gotten countless emails and message. Some from blog readers and others from people in Facebook groups, or friends I’ve connected with online through the years. All are offering more encouraging words and helpful answers to questions.
I don’t imagine I’ll become a source for how-to homeschool, but I’m excited to share our journey in this new adventure, things I learn from others along the way, and hopefully those of you who have been there or are considering taking this route will chime in with your thoughts as well.
They say it takes a village to raise a child. I’m so glad I’ve found my tribe.
*I’m passionate about making memories with friends old and new, which is why I’ve partnered with Mirum Shopper on behalf of Target and Popsicle on this post. All opinions are my own.
Tags: homeschooling
Cherry Crush is the best and messiest!
This post is so encouraging! I was homeschooled K-12 and was determined to not homeschool my future kids because of the isolation I experienced. However, we’re about to have our first kiddo (due next month) and my husband and I have already discussed homeschooling as an option to allow our kids to have more freedom to pursue their passions and because the public school system is so broken. Excited to follow your journey!
Love this post! And cherry crush is everyone’s favorite and one of the few things we all agree on!
Cherry crush for sure! Love how red your lips get 🙂
Great post, I’ve tried to get my husband to homeschool or two kiddos but he’s not taking the bait 😉
Excited to see how your journey goes!
Yeah!!! You can do it!! It is about doing what works for you and your kids. And homeschooling has such a great community!
Oh and Jelly Belly flavor sounds amazing.
Lol that little boy wearing 2 different shoes! Great pictures.
Yay, yay, yay!! I am so excited that you have community. I love being able to chat in person with friends about home education.
Tropical paradise would be a good flavor for us.
I love that you are able to find a community for your homeschool journey. I’m looking forward to reading it over the months. I would love to be able to homeschool one day.
Since I’m obsessed with anything Cherry, my choice would be Cherry crush 🙂
I don’t know that any one flavor would win out over the others among our kids, but I would choose the cherry crush variety.
I love that you are a memory maker! I am very passionate about that too, especially this summer! The weather is warmer, we can get out and about more! I am so glad you are finding your tribe with your homeschool friends! Love your pictures!
This is such a great post! And I’m a huge fan of all things blue so I’d have to say the blue raspberry flavor!!
Smashing Grape for Donatello are gone quick at our house! We are a house full of black belts in TKD, so we all have our love for TMNT! But as a whole, that’s def our fav of the TMNT Popsicles for this crew
You will love HOMESCHOOLING so much!!! I love orange with vanilla center or cherry and grape popsicles!
Well my two oldest would for sure choose their favorite colors…purple Donatello and blue Leonardo :-). I just might have to go seek out this popsicles now!
Ahh, these photos! I’m not a homeschooler but I’m also a blogger/photographer/mama, so I enjoyed this a lot.
I’m a Donatello fan, but I think I’d go for Leonardo here since I don’t like grape. My kids do!
That’s great that you found your tribe! I give anyone who homeschools a lot of credit. I can’t imagine having homeschooled my kids.
I used to homeschool both of my boys. It’s a rewarding experience. When I was doing it, I didn’t have access to co-ops, though. More support would have been wonderful. I hope you enjoy the journey.
I have friends who homeschool their kids and it’s amazing to me how they all help each other and share their resources to make homeschooling easy on their children and themselves. I’m glad you found your own homeschooling tribe!
I love the color blue and it’s my friend’s favorite flavor so the blue popsicle is sure to be my fave too.
cherry crush!
Blue Berry Blast
Cherry crush
Smashing Grape for sure!
I like smashing Grape!
Orange Fury is my favorite flavor!
Cherry crush
CHERRY CRUSH IS MY FAVE!
Blue berry blast is cool! get it?
Orange Fury
We homeschooled for 2 years and I wish we were still doing it! My son wanted to try a new school and it’s been great for him. I still have my homeschool tribe and they will always be a part of our life!
Having a tribe you can rely on is so important whether you homeschool are go another route. It’s all about support for sure!
Those photos are gorgeous! I know of people who homeschool their kids and absolutely love it and would have it no other way. It’s not for everyone though.
I am not a homeschooler but know many families that do. I have thought about doing it as well, I adore my kids and this summer having them home all day has been wonderful. You will enjoy it I am sure and your kids will have some great times learning with you!
My neighbors belong to homeschooling tribes and have shared with us how beneficial they are to the students and parents!!
Gotta love those popsicles. AND to find a ‘tribe’ of ANY kind these days is no easy task so good for you )
I think I am a blue raspberry blast kind of gal. These look so tasty for summer. I’m glad you found your homeschooling tribe. I think that kind of community is important, its great to have people who can relate to you.
We would like the red cherry.
This is so nice! I know how important it is to be around people you enjoy being with when you are homeschooling?
Happy to hear you found a home schooling group that will work great for your family! We don’t home school but I’m looking forward to seeing you on this new adventure. I’ve been following you since Little J was just a baby! Oh, and my kids love everything grape and rasberry so we know we’d love blue raspberry blast and smashing grape!