this may come off as sounding like a slightly ignorant homeschooling questions but it’s been pestering me for a bit.
currently we live in a city that has a ton of programs offered to homeschoolers… science classes at our local ecology centers, art classes through our local rec programs and museums etc etc. i can easily see being able to educate our children here with a variety of options (since the state can’t seem to find the money to get the job done). but here’s my question: we (hopefully) will get to move nearer to my family which is a different ball of wax. much much more rural. can anyone here tell me of their experiences homeschooling in a rural community? what activities have you found? what kind of ease have you been able to find outside options? how about living in a smaller community and the attitudes you’ve faced?
I think that living in a rural is even more reason to homeschool possibly because schools will not have as many resources. 
Well I live about as rural as you can get - bush Alaska. My village has about 300 people in it and about 130 kids in our public school grades K-12. We don’t have any stores except 2 very small 7-11 type stores where all you can really get is junk food. We have to order in all of our food. Our village is off the road system so the only way in and out is by plane. ($250 to the nearest town with doctors, hospital, restaurant (not McDonalds or Walmart, etc.)
Each state has it’s own rules about homeschooling and resources too. Alaska has a lot of resources as lots of people are even more rural than I am. (meaning no village even). I would recommend googling your state’s Department of Education website and you should be able to find info on homeschooling. In my state homeschooling curriculum from 2 different company’s is paid for as long as your child isn’t enrolled in any school. Right now there is no one in my village homeschooling. When my son is old enough to go to school I will send him to our village school so that he can have the social aspect of school. But I’m hoping to get him designated as “gifted” before then so that he can have an individualized education plan since he’s going to be so far ahead of the other children.
But anyhow, no there are no resources out here - no activities really even for public school kids. We don’t even have a school library. I’m paying out of pocket so much for my son’s education already and he’s not even 2.
I don’t have any bad attitudes that I’ve faced. Maybe surprise at how much my son already knows before the age of 2. But really most people don’t notice it except for his large vocabulary and knowledge about things. I don’t talk about what I’m doing at home with him. I think though that if he got to be school-aged and we didn’t send him to the local school he wouldn’t have very many friends. He’d be a bit socially isolated because so much of the only activities in our village are either school-based or church-based. Also we aren’t Eskimo so that already sets him apart a bit.
Anyhow I hope I answered your question a bit.
Hee, hee! I giggled at the part, “we’re not Eskimo.”
home school is good but i say that if u home school them they might not get the socal skill that they will need in life it can put a damper on a lot they have trouble finds friends and date later in life
This is not true. :nowink:
Homeschoolers are not locked up in the house and separated from society. I encourage you to research homeschooling. I’m not talking about the negative comments from bias people who are only repeating what others have written or stated. To get a true understanding of homeschooling, you will need to be objective and come to your own conclusion without bias outside influences.
My son gets out and socialize with people his own age all the time. While the public and private school kids are in school, we are able to explore and take field trips with other homeschoolers of co-op groups. He also plays with the children in our neighborhood. I am sure he will be able to find a date.
lol
However, the OP’s case may be different. According to her, she will be living in a rural area. She may want to research whether there are other homeschoolers to socialize with.
I live in a rural area in KY and there are tons of things to do, including 4H club that offers everything you can think of even a summer camp. When my child gets old enough he will join. They have certain groups that met everyweek. The arts councils here offer the arts programs that are great. My family has offered later on to take our son to work with them to adventure to different settings. Look around and research your area that you moving to, you might be surprised what you find even for a toddler to do.