Today I’m sharing my favorite homeschool websites and blogs. I’m so eager to share these with you because I know how much homeschool websites and blogs have helped me find the ideas, resources, and tips that have helped our homeschool thrive! 

Why Online Community is Helpful

I’m in an age and stage where I find myself more and more guarding my time online. After many years of carrying a smartphone and having access to ALL the information ALL the time, I found it depleting my mental capacity in a number of ways. After a long season of social media engagement, I’ve come to realize that I simply do not have the capacity to thrive on Facebook, Instagram, or anything similar. 

I’ve made an exception for Pinterest, mainly because of how I’m able to interact with it. Since I use it far more as a search engine, I’ve benefited from Pinterest as a source for recipes and homeschool resources. I’ve been really thankful for it! I still have to keep an eye on the amount of time I spend scrolling, but it’s been far more beneficial than other forms of social media. 

Let’s get back to the main question – why online community is helpful to homeschooling parents?  Here are the biggest reasons I’ve found the online homeschooling community beneficial.

• Before beginning our homeschool journey, my husband and I were able to have easy access to homeschool laws pertaining to our state. This helped us navigate how to prepare our family for the entry to homeschool. 

• When my daughter was around three, I began reading homeschool blogs and articles that helped give me realistic ideals for our homeschool years. This was long before we began attending a local homeschool co-op, and these blogging mamas really helped shape my ideas for what I wanted our homeschool years to look like. 

• When I began to deep dive into the vast about of curriculum choices, it was helpful to read about family experiences rather than formal curriculum descriptions from the curriculum writers. For example, I was able to read pros and cons of curriculums, as well as what led families to switch from one curriculum to another, and it helped me understand which curriculums would likely be the most beneficial to our family.

• I’ve been able to find resources and ideas I may never have heard about in our local community. I’ve learned about Hoffman Academy which offers online piano lessons at a fraction of the cost of in-person lessons from Whitney Newby of Brighter Day Press. I was skeptical at first, but after reading her article about her son’s successful experience with beginning online and transferring to in-person lessons, it has seemed like an excellent entry point for our season of life. Since our local friends have only participated in-person piano lessons, we’d have missed this opportunity and deferred piano lessons until they fit our our budget (which honestly may have never happened). 

These are just a few of the reasons I’ve benefited from staying engaged with the online homeschooling community. I do have to be mindful of how I engage, and how often I’m engaging, but I’m really thankful for the men and women who have stewarded their online presence well and who have blessed so many homeschooling families. 

Why Local Community is MORE Important

Before jumping into these amazing online websites and blogs, I just want to add a word of caution for homeschool families: Your local community is more important than any online community. 

We live in a day and age that online community is easy, and local community takes more effort, intentionality, and perservearance . It’s easy to feel connected without actually being present with your community, and I’ve sadly seen the effects it can have for a family to isolate. The Lord intended for us to be in regular community with friends and family in our local context in a way that online community can never replace. Consider this verse — 

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25

While this verse is primarily speaking to gathering as a local church body, I’m firmly convinced that Christian homeschooling families benefit greatly from meeting regularly with local like-minded families to encourage and uplift one another along in the task of educating and training the next generation! This may look different in different seasons with different families, but prioritizing time in community is essential for homeschool families. 

My Favorite Online Resources for Homeschool Parents 

Without further ado, here’s a list of my favorite online resources for homeschooling parents, broken down by category.

Laws & Regulations 

If you’re looking into homeschooling for the first time, you’ll want to start with a proper understanding of the rules and regulations for state compliance.

HSLDA.ORG

The Homeschool Legal Defense Association was my starting point when I began to research the possibility of homeschooling my children. Since homeschooling state laws vary widely state-by-state, I needed to know the expectations for homeschooling in Kentucky before I started researching anything else. 

Kentucky Department of Education 

Since I tend to be a little overachieving, I also checked our state’s Department of Education website to confirm our homeschool laws. I’m glad I did, because looking at both sites provided additional clarity in the laws and regulations. Be srue to check your local state department of education, as the link above is for Kentucky’s DEA.

Homeschool Blogs 

These blogs have been the bread and butter of my online homeschool community, so much so that I have subscribed to each of their mailing lists to stay up to date on their resources and blogs!

Brighter Day Press

Whitney Newby has been one of my favorite sources of mom wisdom and inspiration for creating a thriving, Gospel-centered homeschooling environment. Whitney also offers amazing book lists as well as beautiful curriculum for homeschooling families. Her watercolor courses look like a dream, and I’ve been wanting to do them with my daughter as she gets older!

Treehouse Schoolhouse 

Lyndsey of Treehouse Schoolhouse is my go-to girl for problem-solving issues that pop-up in our homeschool. This spring I was researching how to support my toddler while I was teaching my daughter, and she had some great advice! She’s also offers beautiful curriculum and an awesome YouTube channel! 

Read Aloud Revival 

If you ever need a great book list, Sarah Mackenzie is your girl! She’s also got an excellent book entitled Teaching from Rest, and it’s the most gospel-saturated book on homeschooling I’ve found yet! She also offers subscription-based community resources to enhance your homeschooling literary life!

Podcasts

I love a good podcast, particularly when paired with a good walk around the block! Here’s a roundup of my favorites.

Read Aloud Revival 

Sarah Mackenzie has to have the spiritual gift of encouragement, because I always walk away from these episodes feeling refreshed and energized for my life as a homeschooling mama! 

1000 Hours Outside

Like Sarah, Ginny Yurich is an excellent encouragement for any mama (homeschooling or otherwise) in giving our children a rich, healthy childhood. I’m so thankful for her wisdom and encouragement! 

The Literary Life 

This team of literary experts dives into the classics, offering rich insights for teaching classic literature in your homeschool. This is a must-listen, particularly if you’re teaching  middle and high school classic literature in the home. 

Charlotte Mason Specific Resources

For those seeking to implement a Charlotte Mason philosophy in their homeschool, I’ve included a few resources specific to this educational style.

Simply Charlotte Mason Website 

Simply Charlotte Mason was one of my first go-tos for learning about Charlotte Mason curriculum. After reading AND LOVING her mother’s book entitled The Hidden Art of Homemaking, I was delighted to find that Susan Shaeffer Macaulay was a proponent of the Charlotte Mason philosophy. Her book entitled For The Children’s Sake: Foundations of Education for Home was foundational to our decision to model our homeschool after Charlotte Mason’s principles. 

Ambleside Online Website 

Ambleside Online offers a free K-12 curriculum for Charlotte Mason Homeschooling families, and it’s been a valuable resource for a few years now. I’m so thankful for the community that has made this giant resource available! For our daughter’s second grade year, we’ll be relying heavily on the curriculum map found on this website.

Alveary Website & Booklist

The Alveary is a subscription-based curriculum and lesson planning tool for Charlotte Mason families. They recently began to offer their booklist for free, which I love because they tend to use more modern living books in their curriculum. I plan to supplement our Ambleside curriculum with a few of these books for a well-rounded curriculum. 

Modern Miss Mason Podcast

In the days I was researching the Charlotte Mason philosophy, I loved going for walks and listening to the Modern Miss Mason podcast! Leah Boden’s accent is a total delight, and she really encouraged me in the days of dreaming of our home education journey! 

Yay! I truly hope this list becomes a blessed resource to you and your spouse as you desire to grow as homeschooling parents! Cheers to a thriving homeschool life!