Is finding a homeschool community feeling overwhelming? Unless you have family members or friends who started homeschooling before you, finding community can seem pretty scary, can’t it? After almost two years, and much effort, I think we’ve found a community we’re satisified with. I’ll share some tips in this blog. Before that though, I’m going to start by revealing my misadventures in this area first.
Misadventures in Homeschool Community Building
We were really facing an uphill battle when we started our homeschool adventure. We had just returned to Brisbane after three years of living overseas. We relocated to a suburb we had never lived in, and had no connections with. Starting. From. Zero. What did I do? Well, I threw myself into every homeschool thing happening within driving distance and tried to create a couple of my own. I was determined to settle in super quickly and find friends for the children ASAP. How did that go?
Almost Giving Up
It’s hard to say if I would recommend this approach to you or not. We did meet a few lovely friends that we still see today. Overall though, I finished the year burnt out and seriously considering if we should continue homeschooling. Whoa, whoa, wait a minute, you might be thinking. If you have read the blog on our top reasons for homeschooling https://joyfuljourney123.com/5-reasons-we-choose-to-homeschool-2024/ , you might be wondering how I got to that place by the end of the first year. Or, maybe you can perfectly relate. If so, I’m glad you’re here. Let me give a quick run- down on the reasons:
- Outdoor social events and classes were regularly cancelled due to poor weather.
- I would sometimes drive some distance to social events, for most people to not even turn up. It’s very difficult to make solid friendships when people turn up intermittently.
- New groups or classes that look exciting don’t always take off. This happened to us in term two.
- Some people we met in the homeschool meetings were preparing to send their kids back to school in the new year. Many said they wouldn’t be homeschooling through high school. It’s discouraging and a little daunting to hear this regularly as a committed homeschool family. It sure is a great deal of effort for a time limited friendship!
- Three events I personally tried to set up from scratch failed. Once, there was no interest. That was just a simple meet up in the library with our own lesson work to do in each other’s company. The other two times, I arranged classes and was actively recruiting mums to join them. Suddenly, the people who had agreed to run the classes dropped out in the planning stage. One was a craft class, the other a musical class. So embarrassing!
There were other matters, but that last one was really the straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak. I began to question if I really wanted to be a part of the homeschool village in my city. Heavy, I know! Our family are all extroverts who love God and people, and I felt ridiculously desperate running here, there and everywhere just to make a few friends. It felt demoralizing, frankly.
I reasoned with myself, Why are you doing this, when you can get a job at a local school and send the kids into a classroom full of potential friends. Are you nodding your head thinking, Oh my goodness, this is me? Again, I’m glad you’re here. If you cannot relate at all to this scenario and have a huge homeschool tribe, I’m just so glad for you that you don’t know the feeling.
Starting Again
So, what pulled me out of that unpleasant place after my mini crisis?
Firstly, I prayed. I felt that we should continue on.
Secondly, as mentioned earlier, we had made a few good friends through that massive amount of effort who I realised were really worth it.
Lastly, I talked to our kids about my concerns and went back through all the reasons we chose to homeschool. The children strongly opposed going to school because they loved homeschooling. I realized that I love homeschooling them, and I had to make a choice to be committed, despite the challenges with community.
Our Homeschool Community Now
I would say now, getting close to the end of our second year, that we are fairly content with our community. What does it look like, and how did we achieve it? Our community consists of several online classes or meetups, a weekly morning co-op, Girls’ Brigade, netball teams and the occassional playdate with a few homeschool families. In the tips below, I’ll share how we found success.
Tips for Homeschool Community Success
Join the Homeschool Facebook Groups and Go to Their Events
You may have to try a few different ones before you find one that feels like a good fit. If I was starting again, I would emphasize this to the children so they wouldn’t be disappointed if we didn’t continue going to one we were trying out.
You will find all kinds of weird and wonderful people in these groups. I mean, we all have our own weirdness, don’t we? You won’t become close friends with every person in the group. Pray and ask the Lord to help you connect with likeminded families. Make sure to show up regularly to build connections.
Join Homeschool Classes and Co-ops
The caution here is not to overdo it. It is so easy to exhaust yourself and your children by running around to everything going on. Also, it’s so important to know that these homeschool classes and co-ops can collapse at any moment. There may not be enough numbers or volunteers decide to move on. I’ve just learned to accept it for what it is, and to teach the kids to do the same. Enjoy it for whatever it is while it’s running. They’re mostly found on local Facebook homeschool groups or word of mouth. You can find info on websites, but there won’t be nearly as much there as you’ll find on Facebook.
Look For Classes and Activities After School Hours
Due to everything you read about our experience at the start of this blog, I began to look beyond homeschool options for social and learning opportunities. There is so much to choose from, and they are a lot more stable.
- Does your indoor sports centre or local school run a kids’ sports program after school that you could sign up for?
- Afterschool events are often on at local libraries. These can include STEM, board games or craft.
- Is there a local church with a regular kids’ club or youth group?
- We personally love Girls’ Brigade. Boys’ Brigade also runs around the country.
Whatever your child’s interest, there is a high chance there is an afterschool option for it.
Consider Online Options
In our homeschool, we enjoy live online learning options. There are a wide range to choose from. We personally do online music classes, art classes, and writing club. We often join DART Learning lessons from the NSW government. I’ve written more about those here – https://joyfuljourney123.com/discover-free-homeschool-classes-on-dart-learning/
Dart Learning is not so much for stable community, but it’s good for us to see some new faces and learn new things with others. We’ve done several classes through DART Learning and only one has been disappointing. They seem to put a great deal of effort into arranging the classes, or webinars as they’re called.
Create Your Own Events
Based on my own experience above, you do need to be prepared for disappointment going into this territory. I probably would avoid setting up events that depend on other people leading them. Not only because they could cancel at any time. Also, because you don’t want to let them down if they put a whole lot of effort into organizing the activity, and the homeschool community bails on it. I often see mums on homeschool pages frantically trying to secure last minute numbers for an event they’ve arranged with a minimum booking requirement. Not a good experience. Perhaps something basic you can run yourself based on the interests of your own child/ren. You might just attract some likeminded families and make a friend for life!
Enjoy Being Your Own Community
This mindset has been the absolute game changer for us. Over time, we have gotten into our own rhythm. If somebody thinks a particular day is too quiet, we work that out ourselves. One little person in our home, felt that Mondays were simply too boring one term. We decided to go for a playground exploration. Eating lunch in a new park every Monday, weather permitting. Problem solved. Just us enjoying each other’s company and a simple adventure together. Homeschool friends and activities can disappear suddenly. Building and cherishing your family community is so important.
A Special Note To Those Who Are Brand New To Homeschooling
Please don’t despair if things aren’t going swimmingly for you in the first six months to a year. It takes time to find a rhythm as a family and to make connections with others. If your heart is really in homeschooling, ask the Lord to direct your steps. May you find rest in him.
If you are hoping to find community as a new, or not-so-new homeschool family, I hope this post has been helpful and encouraging. If you have any other tips for finding homeschool community, please let us know about them in the comments.
