Coastal Bend Guide to Homeschool

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We are so excited to begin sharing more resources on homeschooling in the Coastal Bend.

Whether you have been homeschooling for years or are just starting your homeschool journey, you’ll love this great list of resources for families who choose to educate their children privately at home.

From co-ops and sports to virtual education programs and enrichment activities, everything you need to know about homeschooling in South Texas is right here.

Coastal Bend Corpus Christi Homeschool GuideFirst of all, let’s talk about the basics.

What is Homeschooling?

According to Wikipedia – Homeschooling, also known as home education, is the education of children at home or at a variety of places other than school.[1] Home education is usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an online teacher.[2] Many families use less formal ways of educating.[3] “Homeschooling” is the term commonly used in North America

How Do I Start Homeschooling?

There is no exact right way to start Homeschooling as it truly looks different for every child, but below is a list to consider when deciding the next steps.

  1. Make sure you review all of the different laws and requirements under Texas Law.
  2. Withdrawing your child from school – you will need to formally withdraw your child from school if they are currently enrolled.  It will also be helpful to acquire all of your child’s transcripts, grades, etc to help you on your journey.
  3. Decide what you want to accomplish when homeschooling.
  4. Research the different curriculum.  There are SO many!
  5. PLAN! You’ll need to plan daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly lesson plans for your child.
  6. Gather school supplies, materials, books, curriculum, and create a learning environment {if you choose to have a designated space}.

 

This is a great post from the Texas Homeschool Coalition that shares details on the requirements in Texas with a comprehensive FAQ section.

In addition, there is a lot of great information on the Homeschool Legal Defense Association website. You can check it out if you have legal questions pertaining to homeschool in general.

Now…let’s talk TEXAS programs.

The TEA (Texas Education Agency) is who oversees public education in Texas. They have provided the following Texas Virtual School Network options.

Courses comprising the TXVSN OLS program are reviewed to ensure they meet the state curriculum standards, known as the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), and national standards for quality online courses that include accessibility standards. Teachers are required to be Texas-certified in the content area and at the grade level they are teaching and must be trained in best practices to deliver online instruction.

Here are some programs included in the Texas Virtual School Network:

https://ischoolvirtual.comhttp://www.iuniversityprep.orghttps://txvs.orghttps://tvah.k12.com

https://www.connectionsacademy.com/texas-virtual-school

Let’s talk other curriculum.

There are LOADS of homeschool curriculums available online – which is AMAZING – but can also be overwhelming. I, personally, have a lot of friends who have homeschooled – across the country – and so I took their experience as our jumping-off point. Please let me know if you have a curriculum that you adore!

Epic Charter Schools is a FREE PreK-12 public school provided in partnership with the Oklahoma State Board of Virtual Education for parents/students seeking a non-traditional educational setting utilizing internet-based, individualized self-paced instruction provided in nearly any location.

K12 Learning An empowering high-quality, personalized learning. They make the most of technology to support inspired teaching and interactive curriculum, so students can learn in the ways that work for them. Over one million students have chosen K12-powered schools.

The Good and Beautiful is another program that came recommended from a Coastal Bend mom who uses this with her children. From their website: Emphasizes family, God, high character, nature, and wholesome literature; Requires no daily prep time—just open the book and follow the instructions, learning and exploring along with your child; Family Style – History, Science, & Electives; Combines multiple subjects, which connects learning and eliminates the need for six to seven different courses; Thorough phonics reading program creates excellent readers; Thorough and advanced courses leave no gaps. The curriculum has incredibly low prices so that more families can afford top-quality homeschooling.

Time4Learning is web-based and accessible from any computer with an internet connection. Members get 24/7 access to a whole year’s worth of materials, so you can begin at any time and use the program however you see fit. This program was recommended to me by a former student who transitioned to online learning due to her family’s travel schedule. She had a great experience and, as a recent graduate, I take her positive review as a plus!

Finally, let’s talk support.

There are loads of online support groups – as well as in-person homeschool coops. Check out the Homeschool Organization of South Texas to get started.

We have also launched our newly formed Coastal Bend Moms Homeschool Community + Connection Group on Facebook. We invite you to join us as we learn and share resources together.

In addition to online groups, we are currently investigating and researching other options to keep your kiddos engaged and learning. We will keep you posted!

Check out these great posts from other Coastal Bend mamas…From our Archives:

The Perks Of Being a Homeschooling Family

Homeschooling: Myths Debunked!

The Parenting Decision I Never Question: Choosing to Homeschool

How to Keep Stress Out of Your Homeschool

That Crazy Thing Called Homeschool

We are in unchartered territory, friends, but we don’t have to do this alone! We will continue to update and share resources as we find them. We truly are #inthistogether!

Did we miss a great group or fun activity? Would you like to be featured in our guide? Shoot us an email at [email protected] or comment below and let us know!