The Latino Family's Guide to Homeschooling 2nd Edition

Five years ago, before the whole pandemic mess started, I published my first book titled, The Latino Family's Guide to Homeschooling. It is jam packed with great information for Hispanic families looking to get started with homeschooling. From bilingual homeschooling to prepping for college, this book includes the stories of eight other Latinas from very diverse backgrounds who share their own experiences and tips on homeschooling.

But after five years and a pandemic, some of the resources I listed changed. A few disappeared, but a lot more have been created. When I started homeschooling 13 years ago, there was virtually nothing available about or for Hispanic families. Over the years, that has slowly changed. But the last two years have caused an explosion of resources. When Latinos couldn't find the resources they needed, they stepped up and created them.

An updated guide for Latino homeschoolers

So I'm super please to announce The Latino Family's Guide to Homeschooling, 2nd Edition of my book, which has been newly revised and updated to provide current products and services available to Hispanic homeschoolers, is now available!

Latinos are one of the fastest growing group of homeschoolers. But publicly, the homeschool arena is dominated by non-Latino whites. And many Hispanic parents still remain hesitant or anxious about starting to homeschool. Information on getting started is just overwhelming. 

If you are looking for a community to help you, consider joining my Facebook group, Hispanic and Bilingual Homeschoolers. We would love to have you. 

As more and more families realize this is an option for them, the demand for Spanish-based and culture-based products increases. Join me in keeping an eye out for new companies. And share them with me!

And if you are thinking about homeschooling but don't know where to begin, pick up a copy of my new book. I think you'll be glad you did. 

A homeschool preschool guide

And if you are just looking for advice and guidance for teaching your preschooler at home, consider picking up a copy of my book Preschool at Home: A Guide for Caregivers. It is a condensed version of my other book and focuses only on preschool.

One of the best parts of this book that isn't included in my bigger homeschool guide is the reproducible pages available in the back. These include checklists of concepts and skills that preschoolers should learn, as well as planning pages for establishing a routine and organizing lessons. 

I know you'll love it. 

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

• A Montessori PreK 9-Month Planner
  
  
• 3 Things to Do to Start Homeschooling
  
  
• What is Bilingual Homeschooling?
  
  
• Book Review: A Place to Belong

Subscribe to the MommyMaestra Newsletter

3 Things to Do to Start Homeschooling

© Can Stock Photo / jolopes

It's time to talk about beginning homeschool. So many people are looking ahead to the fall and realizing that given the current state of things with the pandemic, there's a good chance that schools may not reopen and many don't feel safe sending their child to school.

If this sounds like you, then it is time to start preparing to homeschool. Here are the steps that I recommend you take to get started.

This post may contain affiliate links.

1) Research

Once you have decided to take the leap and homeschool your kid(s), then the first thing you need to do is a little research so that you can make some decisions. 

The most important thing to do first, is find out what the laws are in your state regarding homeschooling.

Buy my book

My newly revised and updated book, The Latino Family's Guide to Homeschooling, is FULL of information on homeschooling. You can find everything quickly at your fingertips. 

Or, if you have the time to do a LOT of searching on MommyMaestra.com, you can find many of the chapters from my book in blog posts. Here's a list of the posts I wrote right after I started MommyMaestra. These all reflect the things I thought about or learned when we were starting. And there are also some posts from guests who contributed their perspective and tips for navigating homeschool as Latino parents.

So if you are thinking about homeschooling your child, these are all good posts to read to prepare yourself. 

• Is Homeschooling the Right Choice for My Familia?
• Thinking About Homeschooling?
• A Brief Description of Homeschooling Methods
• What is Bilingual Homeschooling?
• 5 Tips for Non-Native Speakers to Homeschool Bilingually
• Dealing with the Emotional Decision to Homeschool
• Will My Homeschooled Child’s Social Skills Suffer?
• How to Start Homeschooling
• How to Organize and Keep Track of Your Child’s Lessons
• Six Qualities That Help You to Be a Successful Homeschooler
• Homeschool Isn't for Every Day

2) Decide on a Homeschool Method

Or a combination of methods. Don't worry. It isn't set in stone. You may discover that what you thought you would enjoy most isn't actually what works best for you and/or your child. But we all have to start somewhere, no? So carefully review my post with a brief description of homeschooling methods. Think about what your child enjoys and see if you can find one that appeals to you. You might even ask your kids what they think and include them in the decision.

3) Look for a Curriculum

Honestly, THE BEST ADVICE I got when I first started was to get a complete curriculum. I can't remember if I bought one gently used on eBay or if a homeschooling friend lent me theirs after they were done. But either way, this absolutely 100% helped ME understand my child better and made teaching so much easier. I learned what was a realistic amount of time was for my child to spend on any one subject - it was WAY shorter than what I was trying to make her do! I also learned how to teach and what to teach. 

If you pick a particular homeschool method, you can easily Google it plus the word curriculum. The one thing I want to recommend is that you ALWAYS download the sample pages that the program offers so that you can see what it is like before you buy it. Even if you buy it on eBay, go first to the publisher's website and download the samples.

For a complete curriculum, here are some of the more popular ones with curricula for PreK - 12th grade:

• Calvert Homeschool (Secular) This is what I started out with!
• OakMeadow (Secular)
• BookShark (Secular)
• Sonlight (Christian)
• Abeka (Christian)
• Memoria Press (Classical Christian)

Again, these complete NEW curricula can be very expensive. But homeschoolers often take good care of their curricula so that they can resell it as soon as they are done. So look for gently used ones available on eBay or also on Facebook homeschool buy/sell/trade groups.

4) Familiarize Yourself

I know. I know. I said three things. I'm sneaking in a fourth, but really it could be part of #3. 

This is actually just a reminder. After you've purchased your first curriculum and received it in the mail, go ahead and open it and look through it yourself BEFORE you start teaching. Don't be surprised. Read through the first few lessons in their entirety so you can get an idea of what will be happening.

Con mucho cariño...

The Latino Family's Guide to Homeschooling SALE

Do you know someone who is thinking about homeschooling their child(ren)? If so, don't forget that my new book, The Latino Family's Guide to Homeschooling, makes a great gift!

(PSSST!! It's on SALE if you buy directly from my online shop.)

Also! I've put the Rosita y Conchita book series on sale through the end of the year. This is the only sale of these particular books that I will do each year. So NOW is your chance to get these books at a discounted rate. You'll also find them in my online shop!

Order by Dec. 19th to receive your copy before Christmas.

The Latino Family's Guide to Homeschooling

It is officially August 1st and that means my annual MommyMaestra Back-to-School Fiesta begins!

I'm over the moon to finally - FINALLY! - announce the launch of my book, The Latino Family's Guide to Homeschooling!!

I didn't realize it at the time, of course, but this book has been 8 years in the making. I began writing it when I started this blog. But I didn't realize that I had the content for a book until early this year with the entrance of our country's new administration. Suddenly, I began receiving emails from parents who were scared to send their kids to school and wanted to know how they could start homeschooling. It's all here on MommyMaestra. But I know that it can be hard to navigate through 8 year's worth of content. And if you are like me, you like a physical book that is laid out in an orderly fashion that you can just pick up and reference, write notes in, and take with you.

Really, homeschooling has been around forever. Currently, however, it is considered the fastest-growing form of education in the United States. It is estimated that there are currently more than 2 million children being homeschooled in the United States. And it is quickly growing in popularity among minority families. In fact, according to an article on the Intellectual Takeout, Hispanics now comprise 15% of the homeschooling population and that number is expected to double.

At any rate, it was reading about how recent ICE raids and an increase in bullying were scaring Latino parents into keeping their children out of school that finally prompted me to put together this guide. And for the last 6 months, I've been compiling and editing and asking permission and pleading with other Latino homeschoolers to share their own stories. Then there was the issue of formatting and the cover and...ay-yay-yay! You get the picture.

Plus I chose to self-publish because I felt it was the fastest way to get this book into your hands.

It's like giving birth to a baby...at home. By yourself. Ha!

And I'm so happy to announce that The Latino Family's Guide to Homeschooling (aff) is now available!

Whatever your reason for considering homeschooling (i.e., wanting to nurture your child's bilingualism at home, unhappy with the level of educational opportunities in your area, a mobile/travel lifestyle, fear for their safety...), this book was designed to help you get started and provides resources for those of you who are already on the journey.

Inside this comprehensive guide, you’ll learn the following:

• what is homeschooling?
• how to get started 
• bilingual homeschooling
• homeschooling children with special needs or learning differences
• preschool & kindergarten
• homeschooling older children
• preparing for college

You’ll also read the stories of other successful homeschoolers, most from a variety of Hispanic or bilingual backgrounds. Learn about how and why they began homeschooling, and read their advice for teaching at home. I am SO grateful to all the wonderful parents and professionals who have shared their tips, knowledge, and stories with MommyMaestra readers over the years. Every single one that I contacted about sharing their story in this book quickly agreed, and a few even wrote a piece specifically for this book to help me make it complete.

In these pages, you’ll read about the homeschool experiences of families that represent the diversity of the Latino culture. A veteran Cuban-American mom homeschooled her four children long before homeschooling was considered commonplace, and despite negative reactions from family and friends. A Spanish-American mom decided her autistic child wasn’t getting the support and education he needed from his public school, so she took the chance to homeschool him and couldn’t be happier. And a Chilean-American mom shares five tips that may help you arrive at your final decision as you consider this option for your family. These and many other homeschooling mamis share their stories to encourage other families who may be considering educating their children at home.

Filled with resources and tips for finding great curricula, as well as advice for daily learning, this book is a must-have for every Latino family considering homeschooling.

You can purchase this book directly on Amazon.