When you start homeschooling, it won’t take you long to discover the world of homeschool blogging. Whether you’re using a packaged curriculum or you’re completely unschooling, there’s someone out there doing the same and sharing it with the world! It’s easy to become overwhelmed with so many choices out there, so I thought I would share a few of my favorites with you—and if you have some great ones, please leave a link in the comments section so others can find them!
Practical Blogs:
Most of the blogs I read on a regular basis are pretty practical. Over the past few years I’ve found several bloggers that either have kids of similar ages or teach in the same way I do and they have been great resources for me!
- Walking by the Way: I can’t say enough nice things about Ami. She is encouraging and helpful and her blog is full of creative ideas for kids of all ages. She posts free printables and class ideas and really is one of the most valuable homeschooling resources I know!
- Blog, She Wrote: Heather is another FIAR mom, and though we have never met in person, I have known her online long enough to recognize pictures of her house online, even when they are accompanying posts written by someone else! She is a former middle school science teacher and her oldest child is middle school age now, so I can usually count on her posts to give me some ideas that are out of my comfort zone.
- 1+1+1=1: Carisa is a well-known blogger who has some amazing resources for younger kids. She does have some resources that are for subscribers, but she also has tons of free preschool packs and other printables. I don’t come anywhere close to doing all the things she does, but I love to look at her blog to get ideas.
- The Teacher Wife: I’m not sure why it took me so long to catch on to this, but there are so many public school teachers out there with some terrific blogs. Many of them have freebies or low cost items that can be easily adapted for use at home or co-op. This is one of my current favorites!
Inspirational Blogs:
Some blogs I read are by homeschoolers, but I read them less for specific teaching ideas and more for general encouragement about the homeschooling journey.
- In the Heart of my Home: Elizabeth Foss does share learning ideas at Serendipity, but her personal blog is my favorite. It’s nice to see someone who has been there and done that and been successful. It’s nice to see someone who is real about it, too.
- By Sun and Candlelight: Dawn’s blog is extremely popular, and my guess is that it’s because pretty much everyone would like to spend an afternoon sitting in her living room and soaking up her calmness. (Or perhaps my own issues are showing here…) I’m nowhere near as crafty and serene as she is, but I love to try some of her ideas here and there and pretend that I am.
Group Blogs:
These are a bit of the practical and a bit of the inspirational.
- Homeschool Share Blog: In the interest of full disclosure, I write for this one, so of course I’m going to be reading it! Homeschool Share’s blog is relatively new and is focused on sharing the (free) unit studies available at the Homeschool Share site as well as good books and other ideas to make your days great.
- Heart of the Matter: This blog has many different writers sharing all kinds of perspectives on just about every issue related to homeschooling that you could think of!
- Totally Tots: As the name says, this is a blog full of ideas for your younger kids. There are many different categories, all listed on the sidebar for easy searching. You are sure to find some fun stuff to try!
Just for Fun:
The overwhelming majority of the blogs I read are about homeschooling, but remember that all work and no play makes Mama pretty cranky. Find some blogs that make you laugh, cry, and try something new. My personal favorite is Enjoying the Small Things!
If these ideas aren’t enough, check out the 10 Days of…Series currently taking place—28 bloggers each posting for 10 days about topics related to homeschooling. There are several blogs I’ve found there that are new to me and have great ideas!
What blogs do you love? Share them with the rest of us!