When we began homeschooling 9 years ago, we had a lot of family and friends ask if we would homeschool through high school. They were concerned that our son would miss all of the excitement and activities that come along with being in high school. Our response? We would keep on homeschooling as long as God continues to lead us to. We did a lot of research and have found that are a lot of activities that public high school does that homeschoolers can do.
One of the first thing parents can do when researching for activities for high school homeschoolers, is look for a Support Group for homeschoolers. Depending on the size of the support group, they can offer many different activities that public schools offer. For example, the support group that our family is a part of, has yearbooks. In a nearby town, there are a couple of other homeschool groups that even has Proms. The same groups also offer different sports, like football, soccer and basketball.
Parents can also check with the public school systems. Some states have homeschool laws that allow children being taught at home to participate in the extra curricular activities at their local school. This does open up a few more opportunities for your child.
You can also check with private schools, Christian Academies or even churches with an active youth ministry. Some private schools I am familiar with will allow homeschoolers to come take 1-2 classes to be able to participate in their after school activities.
There are so many different activities and opportunities available for homeschoolers outside of the public school system. If your children enjoy singing and music, check with your local chamber of commerce to see if there is a community choir or orchestra. Check your local classifieds to see if there are music teachers in the area that gives lessons. If your child enjoys dancing, look for a dance academy in the area. If your child loves to perform, you can always call the community theater to see when their next production tryouts are at. Don’t forget to look into the Karate and Kung Fu academies as well.
My two oldest children have been able to have active lives due to the many opportunities that are offered through the community and local businesses in our area. It just took a little time to research. Just be careful to not get too overwhelmed. Ask your children what their interests are. You may just be surprised at what they say!
Joy blogs at My Home In The Smokies.
Donetta says
Yes! This is so true! I have graduated one from homeschooling and I have another who is a junior and they have both been involved in and been able to do lots of things: football, soccer, softball, cheer, choir, co-op, drama, yearbook, prom, and senior trip to name a few. 😉
You don’t have to quite homeschooling before high school – there’s plenty out there to do! 🙂
Joy says
Donetta, that is wonderful! Looks like your children have definitely had a lot to do during their high school years. Thank you for sharing this list. Hopefully you and I have given future homeschoolers activities to think about for their high school years!