You’ll love these 6 ideas to kick start your new homeschool year. Also, you’ll love How to Plan Your First Homeschool Year When You Don’t Know How To Start.
I value traditions when it comes to kicking off our year.
Plenty of photos and quirky poses at the beginning of our new school year are a must in my home.
However, the boys have enjoyed our year more when we included others and socialize (gasp ..can you believe we do).
Sure, I have made special breakfasts and bought new homeschool supplies which I love.
But there is something about being with other homeschoolers as we start off our year that keeps us stoked the whole year.
The feeling of excitement is contagious when the kids see each other again.
Not only does it excite our kids, but as moms we enjoy the camaraderie also.
Too, maybe it’s the feeling that you know you are not alone as so many others have decided that not only are we doing this another year, but this is our way of life.
5 Ways to Include Other Homeschoolers in Your New Homeschool Year
It’s the warm feeling of security deep down knowing I won’t have to kiss my sons good-bye and send them off.
Maybe it’s the mother in me and not the teacher when we start our school year, but it gets harder to separate the two each year.
1. Start the Year At the Museum
From a simple idea of starting our year off with others at a museum when the children were little to including way more homeschoolers, we have always preferred being with others to celebrate.
Also, you’ll love some of these books.
5 BEST How to Homeschool Books
I've rounded up some of the best books to help you get started homeschooling.
Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers is a real eye-opener on homeschooling. It will alleviate a lot of the anxieties about getting started homeschooling. Reading each chapter’s highlights will give you encouragement, knowledge, guidance, and peace of mind to homeschool with confidence. The best part is that you’ll be educating the person who loves your kids the most in this world--YOU! Armed with the knowledge to make better choices in curriculum will empower you to continue the path of home education. Unlike many books based on one family’s experience, Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers is also based on Tina’s many years of mentoring hundreds and hundreds of new homeschoolers at live workshops. When you don’t know where to begin Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers equips you to successfully homeschool your children.
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2. Start the new homeschool year with a fun group dance.
Then years later, we had a true Texas hoedown and started off our school year a few years back by square dancing.
We pulled out all the stops, kicked up our heels and had Texas Bar B Q (or you could have Memphis style Bar B Q or Kansas style Bar B Q, or …..okay okay) complete with all the trimmings.
There was no shortage of great food and great cooks among our homeschool moms which I find is the case in many events I have hosted. I love the generosity.
Include Other Homeschoolers in Your New Homeschool Year
We hired a “true” caller and his “gang” to teach us how to square dance and this is what we “learned” on our 1st day of school.
We invited the whole family, grandma and grandpa to celebrate the start of our new year with us. Kelley, Cynthia and I coordinated one of our most memorable back to school parties with our group.
Pssssst……..this is a good way to include those in your circle of family and friends that may not be up on your decision to homeschool. Include them in your fun at the beginning of the year.
That way you really set the standard for how your year will start and then they will know right from the beginning you are a rebel…..tee hee hee
3. Head to the skating rink for a fun cold indoor activity.
Actually, according to the kids it was a tossup between the square dancing one year and ice skating in August another year.
See if you can rent the ice skating rink just for your back to school party and ask for a more reduced rate even if they don’t advertise.
Remember, most businesses welcome customers in the morning or early afternoon when public school is back in session and their business is slower.
{Tiny ambushed one of our Seniors that year.}
Of course playing in the snow in August outside was the icing on the day for us that year!
4. Let someone else teach the first day. So memorable.
Rendezvous at the Reef was another big hit with the group. Start off the new year by somebody else teaching a class and learning about the ocean.
From Public School to Homeschool For a Relaxed Lifestyle
- Transitioning from Public School to Homeschool For a Relaxed Lifestyle
- How to Cope Successfully With Homeschool Mental Stress
- How to Begin Homeschooling A Teen Lagging Behind
- How Early Should I Begin Homeschooling My First Child & Free Checklist
- 5 Ideas to Kick-Start Your New Homeschool Year By Including Others
We headed to Galveston, which is by the coast/ocean to have a class about ocean life and life at the reef.
My kind of instructor who includes hands-on things for both older and younger children to hold and learn about as she teaches.
Things like watching the penguins being fed and watching all the sea life and not in our home class room gets us so excited about the new year.
5. Host a Not Back to School Geography Quest.
The Not Back to School Geography Quest was also another big hit with our group.
We had hands on items from the country the kids chose, experiments to watch and even tasted some food from other countries.
One of the moms getting ready to serve home made salsa after the kids presented information on Mexico.
More Tips for the New Homeschool Year
- Grab my book Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers: When You Don’t Know Where to Begin.
- Get Organized – Rev Up for the New Homeschool Year
- It’s a New Homeschool Year and My Child Wants to Go Back to Public School
- Top 10 Tips To Getting a New Homeschool Year Rolling
- How to Plan Your First Homeschool Year When You Don’t Know How To Start
- Start the Homeschool Year Off Right: 5 History Ideas for the First Week
- 7 Advantages to Starting Your Homeschool Year in the Summer
- 4 Benefits to Planning Early for the Next Homeschool Year
- Free Pre-Homeschool Year Planning Checklist For Your Homeschool Planner
Young or old, anybody can join in this kind of party and everybody learned something.
Though we have had many years that we have spent with others, I wished we would have done something every year.
It has meant the difference between a mediocre start to our year with the kids tolerating all my pictures and poses and a memorable one.
Don’t just set aside a day or two, take a week or more to get in all those back to school pictures and plan a special event or party even if you just include one more family.
What is one week in a 52 week year year if you school year around? I have never regretted the work in coordinating all the events, but I have regretted not planning more.
Studying our square dance moves, gliding on ice and playing in snow in August, rendezvousing at the reef or ocean and “jet- setting” through countries mark years that we won’t easily forget.
How will you start your first day or first week of school?
Tina, I have to say I absolutely love what I am reading on your blog. I found you through pinterest…..We live in the same area as you apparently, we are south of Houston. My husband commutes an hour a day to Galveston. I am in love with all your ideas. I host a pool party for a back to school gathering…. We invited all the homeschoolers we know in our area and celebrate on the first day of public school….tee hee… by staying cool in the pool! We have done this tradition for three years now. I would love to connect with you.
Leave a comment on my blog or email me. I will try to check that email address often in anticipation to hear from you. I am so stinking excited to at the very least keep reading your blog. I would love to connect with you all. We have started up a homeschool band this year. I am not sure if your group has this need met or not.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Melissa
Yes, so very close! And SO nice to meet you Melissa and glad you found me. Sounds like you are up and running with your group and love your ideas. I will let my group know. I know a lot of them are taking private lessons but I can sure pass on the word…Nice to meet you!
We start on August 26th and on Day 2, we went to see the McMichael Canadian Art Collection (http://www.mcmichael.com/) in Kleinburg, Ontario, Canada. We looked at the paintings that take impressionism in a Canadian direction, filled more than a couple of the pages in our sketch pad, walked the nature trails that go down to the Humber River and had a terrific picnic lunch. Great start to the year! If anyone is interested the website has an amazing catalogue of art to see.
Thanks for sharing! I LOVED hearing how you kick started your year. Getting outside and doing nature sketches I would love to do in August, but then again in the Texas heat we would melt. But we do save that for Sept or Oct. Thanks for sharing the link..beautiful!