SCHOOLS / preschools
Voted Best Private School
for Over 20 Years
Celebrate HAPPINESS//
CHALLENGE// Unique Minds
Encourage CURIOSITY//
Now Enrolling!
Campuses in Fairfax VA, Silver Spring MD and Baltimore MD
▪ www.theauburnschool.org ▪
A school for academic and social success!
START EARLY
FINISH STRONG
SINCE 1953
Accepting applications for
Full Day Pre-K
Full Day Kindergarten
& 1st Grade
! N EW
JOY AND MATH CAN BE USED
IN THE SAME SENTENCE.

To schedule a visit, contact Susan Hower at
susan.hower@lcds.org or register online at:
www.LCDS.org Loudoun Country Day School
PRESCHOOL - 8TH GRADE
20600 Red Cedar Dr., Leesburg, VA 20175 703.777.3841
For BRIGHT STUDENTS in GRADES 4-12
with language-based LEARNING DIFFERENCES.

Beauvoir offers an extraordinary
education designed for early learners.

Accepting applications in September for
Pre-Kindergarten to Third Grade for the 2017-18
school year. Please visit www.beauvoirschool.

org for more information and to apply.

3500 Woodley Road NW Washington, DC 20016
www.beauvoirschool.org
10 TOURS EVERY
WEDNESDAY AT 9:30 am
YEARS 1300 Forest Glen Road, Silver Spring, MD 20901
301-244-3600 www.thesienaschool.org
washingtonFAMILY.com September 2016
31



Homeschooling 101:
5 Tips for Success
TEXT KATE WHITING
P arents are choosing to homeschool for a variety of reasons –
include unit study, unschooling, Moore formula, Waldorf method,
from religious and moral beliefs to personalizing a curriculum
textbook-based homeschooling and blended learning.

based on their children’s needs. Whatever your reason for
choosing to homeschool, it can be tough to figure out where to start.

Take a deep breath. You’ve already done a lot of “homeschooling” –
FIND YOUR LOCAL HOMESCHOOL COMMUNITY
Many beginners fear homeschooling their children might lead to
you were your child’s first teacher after all.

a dip in their kids’ social lives. While it is true children who are
CHECK YOUR STATE’S RULES
most of them have wonderful social lives as well.

Homeschooling is regulated at the state level and the laws
governing homeschooling vary across all 50 states. Before you begin
homeschooled spend a considerable portion of their day at home,
Homeschoolers are a wide variety of people from all walks of
planning lessons, make sure to check your state’s requirements.

life. They include urban parents who want to personalize their
You are required to follow the laws in each state in which you
children’s education, parents who want to ensure their kids learn
reside, including any temporary locations where you plan to stay
religious values along with textbook studies, etc. Finding a local
for over a month. The Home School Legal Defense Association – an
community of like-minded homeschoolers can be a boon. You’ll be
organization founded by two homeschooling dads – has helpful
able to set your kids up for playdates, local sports leagues, volunteer
online resources that explain the laws in each state.

opportunities and much more through an engaged homeschool
community. FIGURE OUT YOUR TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
There are many approaches to homeschooling, and homeschoolers
TRANSITIONING YOUR KIDS
often classify themselves by the methods their homeschools
If you have recently made the decision to begin homeschooling
follow, so it’s important to spend some time learning the unique
children who have spent years in traditional public or private
characteristics of each method.

schools, remember that your kids might need some time to
Ultimately, the method you choose will depend on your child’s
learning capabilities and your own values. Some popular methods
32 September 2016 washingtonFAMILY.com
“deschool.” It’s important for your children to gradually let go of their school