How to Find Out About Good Homeschool Experiences for Your Kids

I keep being asked how I find out about things. In the homeschool world I rely heavity on networking and word of mouth. When I say word of mouth in the Internet Age I mean online communications, but I also network in person.

Yes, I know, networking takes time, but really it is worth it if you can find the time, and make the time.

Our family just had our third annual Boston visit to MIT for their two day Splash event. For my older son it was his third year and for my younger, it was his first as a real participant (versus being dragged into town with us and doing non-Splash events). I learned of this event through homeschoolers. My son was too young to attend back when I first heard about it, so I had to wait. This did not stop me from spreading the word via the internet.

I can't recall if I learned about it face to face at a support group meeting or through the YahooGroup for local homeschoolers but it was definately one of those two places. I then asked my friends about it on the phone or in person and some told me of their experiences and how much their kids enjoyed it (and they shared tips on how to do the then-tricky registration).

I told my friends who didn't know about it and was able to talk a few into attending our first year. I also shared the information with smart school kids we know who I thought would enjoy attending.

In the second year we attended, I talked it up even more and got a friend of mine to book the same hotel as we did. Another mom took it upon herself to rally the troops and tried to encourage everyone in our homeschool learning group to attend, and most did. The kids had a great time together as a social experience (most were in 8th grade that year). The kids didn't need the adults to walk them around if they were with one or more friends. This gave them more of a sense of independence than they'd had before due to the simple logistics of a homeschool situation where a family is together almost all the time with a parent at the helm.

Regaring various things we do, I'd ask acquaintences if they were going and I put more direct pressure on my closest friends. I would ask casually in person when I saw an acquaintence, or I'd call them on the phone if I knew them well enough. I thought that many kids would love the experience if only their parents knew about it, and if they had the means to travel a few hours to Boston to attend.

I encouraged my kids to ask their friends if they are doing something and to tell them about it. I taught them how to discuss an event and how to say they wished that their friend could also attend, and how much fun it would be.

I know networking can take a lot of time. Hours of it may seem a waste of your time and unuseful. I have spent up to two hours a day reading emails for YahooGroups. I have driven all over the place to attend face to face support group meetings especially on niche topics like how to homeschool high school.

I know our time is precious. If at all possible I encourage networking, even though it is time consuming. The reason that homeschoolers can't get away with being lazy about networking is we just don't know it all, about how to educate our kids or what educational programs are available or about other enriching opportunities in our local areas or things that may be a half day's drive away.

If you are not participating in the homeschool community to learn about shared events and finding out what is available in your local area then you must put in time in other ways such as reading local newspapers or doing things that you learn about from the community (i.e. what special event is held at the museum for the next six months or what stage production will be held on X dates). If you want to find great programs for your kids you have to take the time to learn what those opportunities are, plain and simple.

The homeschool community should be a give and take relationship with networking as a core component. I tell you about this cool thing and hopefully you won't keep that other thing I don't know about a secret. I don't necessarily mean "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" because I freely share information, even with strangers, and know that often others will never return the favor. But if you are my personal friend and I tell you about something I know your kid will love and you intentionally withhold telling me something you know my kid would love, well, then you re not really my friend at all, and you're greedy and selfish!

Why should people keep things a secret? It takes less than a minute to share something online or to dash off an email to someone you know with a tidbit of info you think they can use. I feel that there is enough to go around. I do not feel that homeschooling is not a zero sum game. I do not feel that my kids are in direct competition with other local homeschoolers. I feel that eaach of our kids are unique and that all can thrive where they are planted, if given the opportunity.

Homeschoolers also must create their own social network for their kids. They do not receive default social contacts just by attending school. If you do sports or scouts or other programs then there are contacts, but if you want or need more then you have to do the legwork. You must connect locally in order to find out about local programs.

If you feel you don't have time to put into networking, or if you are burdened with too much stress to take on one more thing you have to accept that what you are able to do and figure out on your own will have to be good enough, at least for now in this stage of your life. I am at that place right now. Due to the move and homeschooling high school and dealing with my son's neurological issues, the kid's sports and Boy Scouts my hands are full. I don't have time to read every email from the local homeschool groups and none of us has time for park days to meet homeschoolers. I am just accepting this for now. Hopefully in the future I will find more time and have more energy to invest in the local homeschool community.

My friends back in Connecticut keep asking how I am connecting with the local homeschool community. They know I was a vocal and helpful voice before I moved. My response to them is I have not yet made real connections. I have been trying but not full force. My gung-ho attempts for a few months which began before we actually moved were pretty much a waste of time. No big payoffs have occurred yet. I also have not yet found a truly open networking community to share with. There are so many rules in place about what we can and cannot post on the chat list that most people I have talked to admit they are scared to share on the list. So, I am just not finding the same situation as we had in Connecticut.

I am busy and I am trying to attend to my responsibilities. I am keeping my priorities in order, and right now, making new network connections is not at the very top. I think that getting through the first year of this major move with our sanity intact is our family's top priority.

We are making do with what we have and that will have to be good enough, at least for now. This is a process that may stretch out for this whole first year. For example for friends for my younger son we have tried the local homeschool tween group, but it does not meet frequently enough to make real connections. Also the formal activities they do prohibit the kind of communications that are the basis for friendships. My son goes to Boy Scouts and he is making connections there. He has made connections with the only two neighbor boys who are around his age. He will have to wait for spring to connect with the local lacrosse players.

Also both of my sons are keeping in contact with their old friends via telephone, Skype, Facebook and its live chat, and xBox360 Live talking while playing games together. We get together when we visit Connecticut and hopefully some will visit us in Texas.

I have now been in the situation of being the homeschool mom to young kids who needed mentorship and basic information and have been the more experienced mom whose oldest is now in the high school homeschool years.

I have been very well connected and now I am the newbie in a far away place.

I have connected with homeschoolers on chat groups and website bulletin boards.

I blog here. I have read lots of blogs in the past and now read only a few when I have time.

I have been in various situations and can say truly if you can, make the time for social networking in local circles and online circles in order to get connected with others for friendship and to find out about great things which may become an important part of your children's lives. The time you invest will be worth it even though perhaps most of it may seem wasteful. It is not a waste of time, trust me.

P.S. I find face to face support group meetings to be very helpful, however as use of the Internet has increased such old grassroots style sharing has decreased in favor of internet discussions. It is a shame really.

If you are doubtful about that, just ask yourself if you think it was better when you were a teen and seeing your friends face to face and talking and then talking on the phone (especially if you were a girl) or do you think today that how most of today's teens only "talk" via texting (and avoid a phone call or think face to face hanging out together and talking is unnecessary).