Where to Find Online Support Groups for Homeschoolers
The job of a homeschooling mom isn’t easy and it can be lonely. In some areas a real life support group is not possible or hard to find. Fortunately there are plenty of ways to find the support you need online. I continue to discover new places for support online on a weekly basis.There are several methods for finding an online support group that suits your needs:
- Search Engines. You’ve heard that saying, ‘Google is your friend’. I consider it one of mine. It’s wise to be as specific as possible about what you’re looking for and to put the term in quotes to narrow your search. For example: “Homeschooling support” or “Christian Homeschooling Support”
- Social Media. You can do a search on Facebook or Twitter. On Twitter the best way to find homeschoolers and groups is to search for #homeschool. Facebook has a ton of Homeschool groups – Heart of the Matter Online has a page for example.
- Blogs are a great place to find links to like minded homeschoolers. Most homeschool bloggers have links to their favorite blogs. Warning – one can lose hours perusing other homeschooling blogs. (Not that I’ve ever done that – LOL)
- Message Boards or Forums. Several popular books used by homeschooling families have their own message boards. Five in a Row has a wonderful message board run by the Lamberts where moms can discuss Five in a Row, homeschooling and life in general. There are also forums for the Well Trained Mind, Sonlight (though access is on a pay basis), Homeschool Share, VegSource and Heart of the Matter Online’s new forums. There are many homeschooling boards I haven’t listed and some are very active and others are not. The best way to know if a forum is right for you is to ‘lurk’ or read the board for awhile to get the ‘tone’ of the message board.
- Yahoo groups. You can find a yahoo group for just about any homeschooling style, method or curriculum. Just go to Yahoo groups and use the search engine.
- Toolbars. My newest way of finding support and resources has come in the form of ‘toolbars’. Currently I have The Homeschool Tool Bar, The Homeschool Gadget Toolbar, and The Homeschool Resource Toolbar on my web browser. The toolbars do not install any spyware and contain lots of wonderful links – from blogs, to message boards, to groups and curriculum reviews and freebies.
- Communities. The Homeschool Lounge and Our Lifestyle of Learning are two of the most active that I have found. There are others out there as well. Just go to http://www.ning.com/ to search for others.
So if you don’t have a local homeschool group that you click with, don’t despair. There’s an online community support just a few keystrokes away.
Peggy Dalley has been married to her best friend and husband for 13 years. She uses the eclectic approach to homeschool their three sons, 12, 10 and 7. Her interests include writing unit studies, Bible study, history and she is working hard to become a Proverbs 31:10 woman instead of a Proverbs 21:9 woman.
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