There are so many different ways homeschooling can work for individual families. Kaleidoscope strives to support each family in their homeschooling journey, and we understand there is not just one right way to achieve a well-rounded home education. In this “How we Homeschool” blog series, we will feature various homeschooling families and and give them a chance to answer some of the most common homeschooler FAQs themselves. By doing so, our goal is to help families see the variety that is available in the world of home education. This may help new homeschoolers get ideas for curriculum and the confidence to get started, as well as offer seasoned homeschoolers encouragement and inspiration to shake things up on their educational journey.

For our fourth installment of How we Homeschool, we talked to Katy, who a Kaleidoscope parent.

How many kids do you have, and what are their ages?

  • I am homeschooling three of my children, ages 6, 11, and 13.

In which community do you live?

  • I live in the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.

 

How long have you been homeschooling?

  • Five years.

 

Is there a “type” of homeschool parent you consider yourself to be?

  • We are a family who has cultural needs that aren’t able to be met in a mainstream setting. 

 

What curricula do you use currently? Do you like it, and why or why not? 

  • We incorporate culture into our daily life. We mostly unschool and use a self-guided method for two of the children, which is working well, and one is going to try online this semester. That is the great thing about our choice to homeschool. As the needs for each kid change, we can change too.

How do you track your children’s progress?

  • We are self-guided. We take each to check in and use their needs to decide our next steps.  

How does Kaleidoscope fit into your homeschooling?

  • It is helpful because it allows for us to have interactions, but still be flexible enough to be as consistent as our schedule allows. Kids have SOME structure to answer to, but without it being too burdensome.

Do you have any favorite homeschooling resources you’d like to share?

  • My favorite homeschooling resource is the opportunity to get outside, honestly. Having the time to decide we are going to focus on our home and the surrounding spaces we occupy. Local Kaleidoscope activities that are close to home make such a difference in our days.

What advice would you give to a parent who is just beginning his or her homeschool journey?

  • Support networks and things that have been established in the community are good ways to help get your feet on the ground.

Why did you choose to homeschool, and how have your reasons changed over time (if at all)?

  • We had extenuating circumstances and limited/rural options. Homeschooling was finally possible due to our ability to stay home. The reasons have evolved and become more complex, but they are all essentially the same. 

Thank you, Katy, for sharing your homeschool journey with us!

If you missed our last installment of “How we Homeschool,” check it out here.

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