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Start a Homeschool Support Group by Beverley Paine Beverley has also written a comprehensive guide to starting a homeschool aimed at helping you sidestep any potential problems and have a successful and happy group experience. Available from Always Learning Books Why start a homeschooling group? Most of us would think the answer obvious: to provide friends for our children and for ourselves. It's very reassuring having friends who have the same kinds of interests in life as ourselves. Other reasons might include the opportunity to do educational activities together on a regular basis so that you children can learn in group situations, or to take advantage of discounts on group bookings. Informal playgroups are the easiest homeschooling groups to set up. Invite your homeschooling friends to meet, either in one of your homes or in a nearby park. Pick a park with plenty of shade and shelter from the wind, and preferably an undercover barbecue area just in case of inclement weather. You'll want one with lots of room for the children to run around safely and with a playground to suit the ages of the children. This type of loosely organised group has little structure and can be arranged to meet the needs of those that attend regularly while allowing others to join in and gradually get to know other homeschoolers. It's a great way to make friends and help others find their way on the homeschooling path. More formal homeschooling groups come in all shapes and sizes. The more active a group wants to be the more it needs an effective leadership and membership structure. A little forethought and planning in the beginning stages of the group will help to reduce instances of friction down the track. Such groups can establish a calendar of events and activities with clearly defined roles and responsibilities for its members. Often such groups have a limit on the number of participants to suit specific venues or purposes. Once grown to their limit such groups become known as 'closed groups' and entry is by recommendation of existing members once a vacancy arises. Groups members can communicate via cc'd emails, email groups, chat rooms, phone trees, or newsletters. These are all effective ways to advertise coming activities and events and to gauge numbers when planning ahead. If the group is an open group and anyone is welcome, it is a good idea to post notices on local community notice boards, in the library or shopping mall, and take advantage of free community notices in the local newspaper. Contact your state-wide homeschool support organisation and any other homeschooling groups you know about, and place a notice or ad in any homeschool newsletters within your catchment area. Word-of-mouth is probably the most effective way to grow your homeschooling group so don't forget to tell your friends to tell their friends! Although written rules or group policies may be seen as taking the enjoyment out of the group experience, they can be helpful in clarifying how things should be run and can avoid unpleasant confusion or conflict in the future. One person's common sense may not be the same as another's! Groups should review policy and rules regularly to make sure they reflect the current culture and needs of the group. If you, or the venue you hire, are concerned about insurance individual members can join the Home Education Association of Australia if your state organisation doesn't already offer cover. If your group is a playgroup you might seek suitable cover through your state's Playgroup Association. Informal groups usually don't incur any costs but if you want to do activities that will use resources such as art and craft materials then it may be an idea to establish a petty cash fund and ask for a gold coin donation or small fee from each family. If you hire a venue you probably will need to do this anyway. More formal groups might have an annual membership subscription and this would allow them greater scope to organise structured activities for their members. There are many things a group of homeschooling friends can do...
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education in Australia. State and Territory governments are responsible for regulating home education and have different requirements, however home educating families are able to develop curriculum and learning programs to suit the individual needs of their children.
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Pioneering members of the home education movement in Australia, Beverley and Robin Paine are passionate advocates of true educational choice for families. They began homeschooling their children in 1986 and three years later started the South Australian Home Based Learners network.
Beverley wrote Getting Started with Homeschooling in 1995-97 and since then continues to write books and booklets on home education. She balances spending time helping home educators with working in her garden and renovating her home, as well as continuing to build her collection of writing on a variety of homeschooling subjects. Beverley maintains an extensive collection of websites as well as several Yahoo groups supporting families teaching their children at home.
In 2007 Beverley joined the HEA and was a committee member for three years during which time she edited and produced the HEA Newsletter, Stepping Stones for Home Educators magazine, annual Resource Directory and other HEA publications.
If you'd like to keep in touch with what Beverley is up to her in her life, sign up for the Homeschool Australia Newsletter or visit her Homeschool Australia Facebook page.nor do they endorse or recommend products (other than their own) listed in contributed articles, pages, or advertisements.