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Unashamedly, yes! However, that does not mean we want to be exclusive or say that everything we do has to be Christian. Our main purpose is to support the homeschool families within our surrounding area, and it is our desire to do it with the love of Christ, period. That may be in the form of offering a helping hand, a co-op class, a fun gathering for the homeschool families, a forum, this website - sometimes they will be expressly Christian based (for example, we've had science classes that use Christian based textbooks) but sometimes they are not (our Valentines Party each year is as typical as you'd see in any public classroom, but a whole lot more fun and widespread!) In all we do, though, we want to make sure that the message of Christ is not hindered or negated. Therefore, while we as a group come from many different avenues, we strive to make sure all that we do does not go against Christ's two-fold commandments: 1. to love God and 2. to love others.

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The sky's the limit! We live in a wonderful time for homeschooling! (Ask anyone who was doing it 20+ years ago - they'll tell you how much more is available!)

The first thing we'd advise you is - PRAY! No greater and more accurate direction will come from what God alone can provide you alone for your family, your kids, and your situation!

The secod place to direct you is to your state's homeschool website(s). They will give you direction on what your state requires you to teach, and sometimes, what you will be required to maintain as far as records. For Texas and Oklahoma - check out our Homeschooling Info page for those sites.

After that - your next best resource is families who are homeschooling! If you live in the TOPS (Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles) - check out our group! Join our site! We cannot at this time provide public access to the forums, but we have threads started to help out in this very area, along with giving you the opportunity to throw out specific questions to experienced families.

Finally.... here's the advice our leaders have to offer you... We are by NO MEANS the expert, just the one who said yes to leading the Homeschool Group! .... where to begin? We started backwards - I have a child I've never homeschooled who graduated a few years ago from public high school (and later, college); the middle kids I pulled out of school over the course of a year, and they have now completed their schooling and our adulting; and then we started our youngest totally homeschooled. When we began, we started with Abeka. I learned quickly it was very time consuming, and miserable for both of us. Great curriculum, but not for him or I! But what I did love about it was it told me everything I needed to do. That was what I needed that first year of cluelessness. As I've ventured in, I've been able to find out so much more, to find out what works, and to discover - what works for one, doesn't always work for another. We've enjoyed a more unit based study - where we walked through history and all subjects revolved around that (except math) - and I could accommodate assignments based on kids level. Mystery of History is good for that; we used that one year, but really enjoyed one called World of Adventure. There are many recommended sites to check out curriculumns - Christian Books, Cathy Duffy, Mardel, so many.

The best advice I can give is: Pray, try, and don't convince yourself that what you decide NOW is the FOREVER AND EVER curriculum. It may be, but it's ok if it's not! I finally came to the realization that when I switched curriculums - I wasn't totally messing up my kids - it was really kind of like they were switching schools, and as long as we kept learning, the HOW we were learning could change as needed! Another great thing I did was finally get myself to a homeschool convention. I went to the Kansas one and have been to the THSC one a few times - but there are lots! I just hated that I waited 4 years before going to one! That helped a ton; the workshops, the vendors, the ability to SEE curriculums and find out about them. So helpful. Another resource I've enjoyed is This Old Schoolhouse - that's a website, a magazine, and you can download the magazine as an app on I-products. It's all free! I've found it to be full of good info too! Please know - this is just MY experience, and anything I've "plugged" is from our own personal use; it is not endorsed by our group as a whole, and each individual's choice of curriculum and resources is as individual as we all indeed are! And also to remphasize - I do think Abeka is a great curriculum, and it still may be an option in our future! I have another child who would probably THRIVE using it!