Special Note

Reopening After Covid-19

Many families -- homeschoolers as well as those remote learning -- are finishing their academic year and wow, it certainly was unusual and unpredicted!

It is hard to know what the fall will look like for many schools and educational providers; families are telling us they are waiting to hear what the proposed protocols will involve before they finalize plans.

Regardless of what lies ahead, GSHE is committed to supporting families with whatever educational choices people make for their children. We hope to continue to serve as a support group to homeschoolers - both experienced and new - as well as remote learners as we move forward into the 2020-2021 school year.

We hope our resources have been, and continue to be, helpful to families as we navigate through these uncertain times. Please feel free to share them with your friends who are looking for information. Many are listed in our article School at Home isn't Homeschooling. We have also compiled many free and discounted resources in Coronavirus and School Closings: Unexpected Homeschooling; we've updated this article a few times with more resources that are great for enriching our children's learning experience regardless of their educational environment. We also have a mentorship program available -- experienced homeschoolers who are willing to be a personal connection for advice, suggestions and a friendly ear to help you navigate through those "bumps in the road" that we all experience occasionally. Also feel free to share our newsletters and social media posts with your friends.

News and Articles

Year-End Assessment Waiver Announced

On June 2nd, the NH Department of Education announced that the year-end assessment requirement is waived for homeschoolers for the 2019-2020 school year. Families that choose to utilize the waiver must print out a copy and keep it in the children's portfolios for a minimum of two years. The waiver is available here. 

The announcement follows a recommendation by the Home Education Advisory Council (HEAC) to the DOE to provide a blanket waiver on an "honor system" for families who are experiencing a hardship due to Covid-19 issues.

Read more about it here.

Intro to Homeschooling Videos

We typically host several Intro to Homeschooling discussions around the state, but with the Stay-at-Home order and facilities closed, we are unable to hold them in-person.

To make this information more accessible, we created some videos of our presentation so you can watch from the comfort of your home, even after all the libraries and community centers reopen!

The videos are perfect for prospective and new(er) homeschoolers to answer many common questions, and serve as a "guided tour" of our website to help put all our resources and information at your fingertips.

While the videos are no substitution for an opportunity to talk with you directly, we hope they are helpful and answer your initial questions about homeschooling in NH. As the state reopens, we hope to plan more in-person discussions soon.

If these videos are successful, we plan to expand on the series to cover topics in-depth, such as year-end assessments, portfolios, and more.

You can find the videos here and on our redesigned YouTube channel.

HEAC Requests Year-End Assessment Waiver But Discussion Continues on Ed 315

The Home Education Advisory Council (HEAC) met on Thursday, May 28, 2020 via virtual meeting to discuss "reopening and redesign" of schools for fall 2020, a year-end assessment waiver, Ed 315 revision efforts, and the council's annual report to the state Board of Education.

HEAC has a place-holder meeting available on June 25^th if needed; it is expected to be called to finalize work on Ed 315. The public is welcome to attend, so watch our FB page and group for the link if you wish to join us. 

Read details here.

Online Panel Discussing Homeschool Freedom, Hosted by Cato
Cato will host a virtual event on Monday, June 15th at noon with Elizabeth Bartholet (Morris Wasserstein Public Interest Professor of Law and Faculty Director, Child Advocacy Program, Harvard University); Kerry McDonald (Adjunct Scholar, Cato Institute, and author of Unschooled: Raising Curious, Well‐​Educated Children outside the Conventional Classroom); Milton Gaither (Professor of Education, Messiah College, and author of Homeschooling: An American History); and Neal McCluskey (Director, Center for Educational Freedom, Cato Institute). Pre-registration is required and available here.

We Asked GSHE Homeschoolers... 

We recently asked GSHE homeschoolers about their summer plans given many places are staying closed. We asked for suggestions to share with other homeschooling families to keep kids active, engaged, learning, and having fun. Lots of great ideas – thanks for sharing!
 
Rachel – My daughter, who is a teen, has been doing skill-share classes. We garden (veggies mainly in our greenhouse) and walk a lot. She will do pre-college online now. We put together a summer reading list and watch list to prepare for 12^th grade. We put off our baking curriculum and decided to finish it through the summer. After chatting today, we also decided to maybe start 12^th grade a bit earlier than we previously decided, just because we hope summer 2021 will be better and we can be done sooner to enjoy it before she goes off to college.
 
Lauren -- We’re still in limbo, not knowing if golf camp is a sure thing.  In the meantime, the 12-yr old boy chose how to remodel his room; picked his paint colors and design theme and helped with the whole process. He and his dad have a tree house under construction. This coming weekend, our vegetable garden will be finalized. We are thinking road-trip to the mountains of Georgia, if life continues as is for the summer. We'll add in a lot of "stop and see" along the way including a beach in South Carolina.
 
Jennifer -- We’ve been focusing on outdoor learning. Self-awareness while hiking, foraging, exploring animals that live in our habitat.

Denise -- We decided to just keep going! Our little kids wrapped up their school year but the high school kiddos who see that there is graduation in front of them started their next school year. Will is now a freshman and sophomore at once and Cole is barreling toward graduation. Still camping, hiking and a vacation booked. We take a longer break at Christmas than most.
 
Michelle -- Life as normal... homesteading, landscaping for others, volunteering... the kiddos are coming along more -- more interested in what we're doing since friends aren't around & the libraries/community ctr are closed. Life-learning at its best because they're joining of their own accord & not being forced. One has started teaching himself computer programming, another practicing on different instruments. I've watched my non-reader pick up magazines and even a book on his own over the past two months... I'm seeing lots of blessings around the horrors of this pandemic.
 
Elizabeth -- We have been doing a rail trail challenge we issued ourselves and it’s been great. We are also going to add a creativity project we will do as a family to build something in the back yard from scratch- right now it’s a tie between a clubhouse and a new swing set.
 
Lori -- I have been teaching some fun classes on Outschool.
 
Tammy – We have officially been home 75 days as of today, and since the weather turned nice, about a month ago, it’s been very pleasant to be home, so many projects have been completed – a garden, chickens, and a fence. My children have not been bored. With the weather steaming up this week, I plan to break out a slip-n-slide and new squirt guns to keep them cooled off. The freezer is also stocked with ice pops! We finished our school year and testing last week so my children are very much looking forward to relaxing. Being home, we have been just as busy as pre-pandemic.
 
Catie -- The older kids and I plan to watch an educational or historical movie together in the hot afternoons after mornings of a couple school subjects, practicing healthy food prep, launching another small business, lawn care for neighbors, dog training, reading in a hammock, installing more fencing, interior painting, learning to surf, and helping baby sister learn to read and memorize poems!
 
Rebecca – We have been interested in learning outdoors this summer – trying to walk/hike as many state parks in NH as possible.

Hot Topic in the GSHE Group

We will occasionally share content of hot topics discussed in our GSHE Facebook group (while preserving people's privacy). This time we initiated the conversation -- Welcome to all the new members of GSHE! Seasoned homeschoolers, let’s help them out! List one thing you learned, or changed, after homeschooling for a while and why was it beneficial to your child and/or family? If you’re in our FB group, you can see the thread here.

Lauren – To be less stringent! We reduced overly structured learning time which allowed our child to discover very serious passions.

Olivia – The rhythm of our day. It took observing when my child and I were both at our best to do certain tasks.

Brenda – I learned to not use curriculum or force any soft of learning. Children are wonderful little beings who do it all on their own.

Michelle – Allow your student to work when/how it fits them. It doesn’t matter if math gets done at 9am at a desk or 4pm in a hammock. Enjoy the flexibility.

Jennifer – That is what I was going to say. Flexibility!

Read additional suggestions here.

ArtistsNetwork -- Live draw with us programs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 3:00pm EST.

Foster + Partners -- Architectural templates your children can print out, color and fold to create paper cities. 

MIT's Summer HSSP 2020 Program -- HSSP will occur July 11 to August 15 and registration is open through June 25th. It is a six-week program for middle and high schoolers, grades 7 to 12. Programs are on the MIT campus and are from noon to 5pm each Saturday beginning July 11th. 

The Museum of Science, Boston -- They are hosting several virtual presentations and events! Check out their FB page for a full list. 

New England Aquarium -- They are hosting several virtual events each week! 

Newfound Audubon Center, NH Audubon Masssabesic Center and New Hampshire Audubon -- They is hosting a Backyard Summer Camp series, starting with Feathered Friends on June 22 at 9am. More summer camp information here.

ParentingNH -- Check out this list of family-friendly hiking spots across the Granite State. Such a great way to explore the beauty of our state.

Pizza Hut Book Club -- Enrollment for the 20202-2021 is open now! For students kindergarten through 6th grade (ages 5 to 12 years old) as of September 1, 2020. One order per household.

Polar Caves -- They are now open on weekends in June for two-hour self-guided tours.

Seminary Ridge Museum -- Free online learning opportunities for middle and high school levels.

Stonehenge -- For the first time ever, Stonehenge will stream live on Sunday morning, June 21 (local time). Mark your calendar! 

Tales2Go -- Free 30-day trial for instant access to over 10,000 audio book titles.

The White Memorial Conservation Center -- They are hosting a virtual event featuring Hand Wing Bat Conservation and Education with Maureen Heidtmann on September 26 at 10am. 

Check our article here for even more online learning resources. If you're on our Facebook group, look on the Events page for even more fun and educational opportunities coming up!