Homeschooling can feel like a daunting task when you are new. We want to help by offering resources at each step. First, we recommend that you take a look at our Christian Homeschool 101 page. It will help to focus on WHY you are homeschooling before you fill in all of the HOW and WHAT.
Homeschooling is an opportunity to disciple your children and to discover who God created them to be, as well as educating them. Take a breath, give yourself time and grace to consider the larger picture, and then take a look at the resources we have linked to below. Remember, God has equipped you to parent and guide your children. He will provide! If you have left the government school in order to homeschool, this is the time for you and your child to take a breather as you study these areas and get to know each other. You won’t regret it!
Click on the text in blue font below to reach each of the linked pages.
HOW DO I GET STARTED? WHAT IF IT’S THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR?
Our Homeschool 101 Zoom Presentation is now available! In this video, TEACH VP, Donna Person, presents the basics of getting started. Joining her on the call are Board Members Art and Cristina Calef, and Legislative Liaison, Pam Lucashu. A written outline of the video and the points made is available here.
TIPS ON GETTING STARTED AND FINDING CURRICULUM:
Guide to popular curricula arranged by method
Homeschool Resource Roadmap - a comprehensive listing of available curricula, arranged by type and updated frequently
Cathy Duffy’s Reviews - complete reviews of most of the available curricula to help narrow your search once you have found a few that seem like a good fit
OTHER HELPFUL WEBSITES:
The Teaching Home - Subscribe for free to their newsletter for timely articles.
This Old School House Digital Magazine
Schoolhouse Teachers - Online classes for the whole family. Over 400 classes with quality teachers in every subject, every grade. No textbooks.
Portals - TEACH-CT is now a proud partner with Portals in supporting homeschool families in the state of Connecticut. Portals provides a call in ‘Hub Support’ line for questions and help with homeschooling, project ideas, or help with selecting curriculum. Call and talk to one of our veteran homeschool parents today. No TEACH-CT or Portals membership is required.
All TEACH-CT members will get a 20% discount off of Portals lesson plans and project ideas for a one year subscription. Ready to use lessons can save you hours of planning time every week. You’ll have core lesson ideas, links, supplemental resources, conversation question prompts and stunning projects to go with every reading. With a full K-12 set of daily lesson plans, you never have to start a day without great literature or a memorable project idea again.
HOW DO I TEACH THE EARLY YEARS?
There is a wealth of information about teaching the early years (toddlers to tweens) and you can access it from one page. At the top of the page, you’ll see tabs that deal with:
Getting Started | Curriculum | Organization | You Can Do It! | Resources | Testing
Each of the tabs have additional breakdown of information. Note that testing is not required in Connecticut, but the tab is there if you are interested.
HOW DO I TEACH THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL?
If you have a teenager, you know that they don’t need us less… they need us “differently.” You can continue to homeschool your teen while letting her develop her independence. That may include self-guided textbooks written for high school level subjects, using online resources, accessing community college, or help from expert parent friends.
WHAT ABOUT MY STRUGGLING LEARNER?
Many parents have discovered that their struggling learners do better at home, where there is less stress. Under these conditions, they see their special needs learners’ progress! HSLDA has compiled several resources for parents of special needs students. They have also addressed the legal considerations one can encounter. Additional information is available for HSLDA members.
By joining TEACH CT first, you have access to a discount code for $15 off your HSLDA membership.
SPED Homeschool - Providing resources, training, tools, and encouragement that empower families to home educate students with unique learning needs. Click HERE for more Special Needs Providers.
WHERE DO I MEET OTHER HOMESCHOOLERS?
Take a look at our GET CONNECTED page. There, we list support groups by region. And don’t forget to look for us on facebook. Our TEACH CT facebook page is designed to offer support and information for the public. Those who are exploring the idea of homeschooling can ask to join our Considering Homeschooling in CT group. Once you begin your homeschooling journey, join our community at TEACH CT Homeschoolers.