When you first start thinking about homeschooling, you probably wonder if you’ll be the only one in your area. However, with the ever increasing number of homeschooling families, that is not likely. Finding other homeschoolers, however, may not always be easy. You just need to know where to look.
One place you will likely find other homeschoolers is at local churches. Although all homeschoolers aren’t Christians, and it certainly isn’t a requirement to homeschool, many homeschoolers are. If you don’t currently attend services, you might consider attending a couple of services to see if there are homeschoolers at the local church.
Besides churches, another place to find a homeschooling family would be the public library. Many homeschoolers use the library as a source for learning materials. Go to the library and see if you find children there during normal school hours. If you find children, most likely they are homeschooled and a parent is sure to be nearby. You could also ask the librarian if she knows of any homeschoolers. Most likely she will because they will be some of her best patrons.
If you take your kids to the park during school hours, you’ll probably run into at least one homeschooling family there enjoying the sunshine and fresh air. Or they might be picking up leaves for a nature book, or finding other items to use in a school project. In any case, local parks are a great place to find homeschoolers.
You might find a homeschooling family at the grocery store while you’re doing your own shopping. Many homeschoolers use real life circumstances to teach rather than just depending on books. So, if you see children standing around the meat freezer with calculators, it’s likely they’re doing comparison shopping for their math lesson.
The Internet is another place to find homeschoolers in your area. Try doing a search on one of the common search engines for “homeschool groups (your city).” If that doesn’t work, expand your search to include your county and then your state. Since there are homeschoolers in every state of the union, surely you’ll find someone close by. On the outside chance that you don’t find anyone locally, don’t give up. You can still find support online through any number of Yahoo homeschooling groups. MeetUp.com is a great web site to find an existing local homeschool group or organize one of your own. The MyHomeSchool Community here on this site is yet another great resource.
When searching for homeschooling families locally, don’t be afraid to approach a family that you see out and about during school hours. Most homeschoolers are used to being asked why their children aren’t in school. They probably won’t be offended and asking questions is a great way to meet new acquaintances. Keep an eye out for them; you may find there are more homeschoolers in your area than you first thought.
