Hybrid homeschooling combines home learning with instruction at a private school, learning center, community organization, or homeschool co-op. It may also include taking online classes or participating in dual enrollment at a local college. The goal is to customize your child’s education and provide the optimal learning environment for that child. Parents are able to select their child’s educational program to best fit his or her learning style and interests.
There are many different ways to homeschool.
Your children do not have to stay home all day reading textbooks. Explore your educational options. Talk with other homeschool parents and teachers. Look at church and community education programs in your area. Visit local learning centers, private schools, and homeschool co-ops. Consider online classes. Take frequent field trips and travel across your state or around the world. If possible, study abroad to learn a foreign language and customs. Actively participate in extracurricular activities. Children can learn when they volunteer, do chores, or get part-time jobs. Each child is unique and so is each family’s homeschooling journey. Find what works best for your family.
Our family embraced hybrid homeschooling.
Our kids enjoyed taking classes at several places three or four days a week. One year, my children took a science course at a learning center on Monday and homeschool co-op classes on Tuesday and Thursday. They took field trips and did service projects with a private school on Fridays. They completed assignments at home when they weren’t in these classes. We traveled across the country and volunteered with a local nonprofit. We experienced a kaleidoscope of classes and activities.
While you have options, you do need to follow specific educational guidelines. Homeschooling is legal in all fifty states, but requirements vary. You may visit hslda.org to see what your state requires. In some states, you may have to submit monthly attendance sheets, lesson plans, and letters of intent to homeschool. Students may need to take standardized tests every two or three years and have their transcripts accredited. Children need to complete required classes to graduate from high school. Homeschooling parents definitely need to keep academic records. For help with this, check out wikihow.com/keep accurate homeschooling records and simplehomeschool.net.
(Excerpted from my book, Treasured and Teachable: Homeschooling to College with Hope, Joy and Asperger’s)
Treasured and Teachable 