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We have many resources here on the Zone to help get support. We have many support groups for many different kinds of homeschoolers each with a different approach allowing us to learn from each other.

"Developing Your Own Support Group"
by Lauren Brenner-Katz, homeschooling parent

This homeschooling mom says, ""What about socialization?" "How can I find a support group?"Ah, isn't this what everyone wants to know! "How do your kids socialize when they don't go to school?" It's the top question asked not just by prospective homeschoolers, but also by curious bystanders who seem to imagine us cloistered alone at home, isolated from what they call 'The Real World.'"

Starting a Homeschool Cooperative
excerpted from:
"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Homeschooling"
by Marsha Ransom
Marsha Ransom is the mother of four children, two of whom have always been homeschooled. She is the author of, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Homeschooling. She says, "Many homeschoolers have found that involvement with a homeschool cooperative enhances their homeschooling experience. Some children thrive with the small group experience, so enrolling them in some group activities and classes will nurture that need...."

Get the details from Marsha
on how to set up your own group

Homeschooler & author, Rebecca Rupp, Ph.D., has homeschooled her three sons for more than ten years and has been a leading proponent of the burgeoning homeschool movement. Rebecca Rupp is a regular participating member of our online discussion group homeschoolzone. She has a reputation for being a fountain of great tips and specific resources. In speaking about support groups and creating new support groups, she said:

I think it sounds like a dream.
A support group - if it's the right one for you - can enhance your homeschool experience enormously; on the other hand, if it's the wrong one - all the kids are eight years older or younger than your kid; the other members all share a philosophy that you don't; the atmosphere for one reason or another is just plain uncomfortable - it can be a downer. And here you have a chance to help set the stage, forge bonds, establish parameters.

Your best starting point
might be to sit down together and discuss just what you all want to get out of a support group. Most groups offer a mix of bennies: emotional bolstering, a chance to share and discuss resources, an opportunity to trade news of successful homeschool projects and approaches, a play group for the kids, joint field trips. Some groups, as they solidify, collaborate to offer classes and activities of various kinds - book clubs, art get-togethers, joint science projects. One of our groups used to meet every Friday in the winter for skating, which the boys adored; in another, one of the members was a music teacher - for a teeny little fee per kid, she held a weekly singing class - and another taught French. There are zillions of possibilities.

Of course you singlehandedly don't want to be leading everybody through their homeschool programs, but it's inevitable that your fellow groupies will want your suggestions. But that's the stuff good discussions are made of - somebody says "Do you know of any good books for reschoolers about elephants?" and you say "Why yes, what about..." and somebody else will say "WE just read a great book called..." and somebody else will come up with a project for making elephant masks out of paper bags. Then you propose a joint trip to the zoo.

Zone People Connection

find cyber-friends in all 50 states of the US, Canada and the rest of the world as well as a listing of all of our support groups here on the Zone.

Meet the Author
Rebecca Rupp, Ph.D.
Home Learning Year by Year
How to Design a Homeschool Curriculum from Preschool Through High School
hosted By Joe Spataro
interview & FREE excerpt: "The Truth About Curricula"
In this interview, Rebecca Rupp shares her insights on setting up your curricula. She says, "My new book is different from my previous homeschool books in that it is organized on a grade by grade (year by year) basis and can be used to create complete annual programs of study for kids of all ages." In the excerpt, "The Truth About Curricula," she points out that "One of the primary advantages of homeschooling is the ability to bypass the decreed norm. Homeschoolers can design their own curricula, assembling resources ad using approaches that best suit their own children’s needs." Read much more about this along with specific recommendations and ideas. Best of all, Rebecca Rupp is a regular participating member of our online discussion group homeschoolzone. She has a reputation for being a fountain of great tips and specific resources. In fact, she has graciously offered to answer specific questions on our discussion group.

Did you know that we have support groups for homeschooling, crafts, recipes, health and more?
Find out more

Home Learning: Year by Year
Home learning Sourcebook
Meet the author
Rebecca Rupp
"The Truth About Curricula"
more Curriculum Guides
more homeschooling books
Frequently Asked Questions

more grade school education
more homeschooling books
"Is Homeschooling Expensive?"
Frequently Asked Questions