In fall 2009, when all of Natalie’s UCLA Lab School classmates went off to 7th grade at private, charter, magnet, parochial, and public schools, Natalie walked 23 steps from the back door of our house to Applewood Schoolhouse, a cozy garden shed in our backyard. Middle school is not a happy time for most people. [...] Read more »
Parent-led Learning Method
Meet the Colfax family of northern California. They built their own house in the forest from clearing the road to the site, leveling the forest floor for the foundation, and installing toilets. Their four boys learned while working alongside their parents and in the end combined perfect SAT scores with Harvard admissions. From farms to [...] Read more »
Unschooling Method
When other homeschoolers ask what kind of a homeschooling parent I am, I kind of shrug my shoulders and say that we are relaxed homeschoolers, not relaxed like lazy, relaxed like a pair of perfectly fitting jeans with just enough Lycra to make them look great and feel even better. Our style works. We borrow [...] Read more »
Child-Led Learning Methodology
From museum visits to enrichment classes to unencumbered time for the pursuit of a gift in sports or music, child led learning puts the student in the driver’s seat of their own education. After all, they already taught themselves to walk, talk, eat, use the toilet (despite our most creative efforts), why shouldn’t they be [...] Read more »
Four Charlotte Mason Ideas
I hear Victorian, I think antique furniture. But for homeschoolers who have discovered Victorian educational reformist Charlotte Mason, there is little antiquated in her philosophy of teaching children to love learning. Her ideas were simple. Let children hear great books, observe nature, see beautiful art, read inspiring biographies and then listen to them talk [...] Read more »
Charlotte Mason Methodology
Charlotte Mason, Isn’t She That New Lady From Park Day? No, she’s not the new lady at park day this week. In fact, she wasn’t technically a homeschool advocate. She started her own schools in England, which at the time where quite radical. Imagine young kids enjoying learning! The woman was such a rebel. [...] Read more »
New year… New look!!!
Home School L.A. is proud to announce the launch of our newly re-designed website.. It’s been LONG overdue, but we think you’ll agree that it was well worth the wait. Thanks to the hard work of two amazing women, Crystal Jones of Over the Hill Web Consulting and Jen Snook of Greentie Works, we now [...] Read more »
Is Homeschooling Legal in California?
Is Homeschooling Legal in California? Sort of. Let’s just start out on a clear platform here. There is no such word as “homeschooling” in any California Education Code. Nor are there any derivations of such a word. This is not to say that it is legally acceptable nor is specifically ILLEGAL to “homeschool” in California. [...] Read more »
