All About Homeschooling in Saskatchewan

How Many Children are Homeschooled in Saskatchewan?

Can you believe that in the 2021/2022 academic school year over 4500 students were homeschooling in Saskatchewan? The number of families in Saskatchewan choosing to learn at home, instead of opting for traditional schooling, is on the rise. The percent of Saskatchewan children being homeschooled has jumped to 2.2%, raising an important question: Why has there been such a significant shift from learning at school to learning at home? Maybe it’s the opportunity for student-specific curriculum or the flexibility in location and schedule? Whatever the reason, one thing is clear: Homeschooling is gaining traction across the province. Interested in joining the thousands of families homeschooling in Saskatchewan? Click here to learn more about Schoolio.

Is Homeschooling Popular in Saskatchewan?

 

Yes! There has been a surge in the popularity of homeschooling in Saskatchewan in recent years. In the 2021/2022 academic school year over 4500 students were homeschooling in Saskatchewan. Click here to learn more about homeschooling’s popularity in Saskatchewan.

Interested in joining the thousands of families homeschooling? Click here to learn more about Schoolio.

 

Is Saskatchewan a Good Place to Homeschool?

Saskatchewan is an excellent place to homeschool for families who value flexibility in education and want to take an active role in their child’s learning. The province provides an adaptable framework for homeschooling with straightforward regulations. Parents are required to register with their local school division and submit an educational plan. This process ensures that homeschooled children receive a comprehensive education while allowing parents flexibility in curriculum and teaching methods. Saskatchewan’s emphasis on child-centered education plans allows parents to tailor their teaching approach to cater to their children’s diverse learning styles, needs, and interests; ensuring that each child can thrive both academically and developmentally.

Homeschooling in Saskatchewan empowers families to actively engage in their children’s educational journey, fostering strong parent-child relationships and providing an enriching education that prepares children for future endeavours. While homeschooling requires commitment and planning, its growing popularity and supportive infrastructure in Saskatchewan make it a favourable choice for many families seeking an alternative approach to education.

Click here to start your homeschooling journey with Schoolio.

 

How Easy or Strict is Saskatchewan for Homeschooling?

Homeschooling in Saskatchewan is relatively easy! Saskatchewan offers a balanced approach to homeschooling, combining flexibility with a structured framework. The province requires parents to register with their local school division and submit an educational plan, ensuring that homeschooled children receive an enriching and comprehensive education. This process is straightforward, giving parents the flexibility to design a curriculum and pedagogy that caters to their child’s unique learning styles, needs, and interests. Additionally, Saskatchewan asks parents to monitor their student’s academic progress to ensure educational standards are being met. By removing extensive regulations that require heaps of redundant paperwork, Saskatchewan has enabled parents to prioritize creating exceptional and personalized educational experiences for their children. Click here to learn how to legally start homeschooling in Saskatchewan.

Curriculum, Programs, and Other Learning Options

 

What Age Should You Start Homeschooling in Saskatchewan?

Your child’s homeschooling journey can start at any age. Many parents begin homeschooling in Saskatchewan from Kindergarten, while others transition to homeschooling in later years. Schoolio provides the support and resources you need to begin homeschooling at any age! 

Click here to learn more about Schoolio.

 

How to Homeschool Without a Curriculum in Saskatchewan?

To homeschool without a curriculum in Saskatchewan, first submit a Notice of Intent to Homeschool to your local school division. Next, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and dive in! Click here to learn more about homeschooling without a curriculum, otherwise known as unschooling.

 

What is the Best Homeschooling Method in Saskatchewan?

The ‘best homeschooling method’ looks different for every family homeschooling in Saskatchewan. The homeschooling method you choose should include academic materials that ignite curiosity and a love for learning in your child. Schoolio provides educational materials that are child-centred, interest-based, and levelled; encouraging the freedom of choice and celebrating neurodivergence. 

Click here to learn more about Schoolio.

 

Are There Free Homeschooling Options in Saskatchewan?

Yes. There are many free options and resources available for families homeschooling in Saskatchewan. Click here to learn more about free homeschooling options in Saskatchewan. 

What is the Best Homeschooling Curriculum in Saskatchewan?

Choosing the best homeschooling curriculum in Saskatchewan for your family involves considering several factors to ensure it meets your educational goals and your child’s learning style. Start by assessing your child’s individual needs including their learning preferences, areas of need, and interests. Next, research different homeschooling curriculums available in Saskatchewan, considering factors such as educational philosophies, format, and the scope of subjects covered. Evaluate the cost, including any additional materials or resources required, and consider your budget for homeschooling. Take advantage of free trials or sample lessons to assess how well the curriculum fits with your child’s learning style and your teaching approach. Click here to learn more about Schoolio’s  7-day FREE week trial.

There are numerous homeschooling curriculums to choose from, but there is only one Canadian homeschooling curriculum that offers an all-in-one program specifically designed for Saskatchewan students. Click here to learn more about Schoolio.

 

What Are the Online Homeschooling Options in Saskatchewan?

There are many online options for families homeschooling in Saskatchewan, including Schoolio, Khan Academy, and Saskatchewan Distance Learning Centre to name a few. Can’t decide? Schoolio has made the choice simple, as the only Canadian homeschooling curriculum to offer Saskatchewan-aligned courses and interest-based electives, Schoolio is the curriculum for families homeschooling in Saskatchewan. Click here to learn more about Schoolio.

What Are the Homeschooling Subject Requirements in Saskatchewan?

The specific subject requirements for families homeschooling in Saskatchewan are math, social studies, science, and language arts. These homeschooling subject requirements are designed to ensure a comprehensive education while allowing for flexibility and customization.Beyond these core subject areas, parents have the freedom to include additional subjects and tailor the curriculum to their children’s interests. This autonomy in subject selection allows for the exploration of topic areas not typically covered in traditional schools, such as financial literacy and emerging technologies. To explore Schoolio’s courses click here.

Can You Switch to Homeschooling in the Middle of the Year in Saskatchewan?

Yes. You can switch to homeschooling at any time during the academic school year. Schoolio is here to make the transition from learning at school to learning at home seamless. Click here to learn more about Schoolio: the curriculum for families homeschooling in Saskatchewan. 

Let’s Talk About: Getting Started

Beginning Homeschooling is easy in British Columbia! So you’ve made the decision to homeschool- welcome to our wonderful world!! Now you’re wondering what your next steps are.

What Do I Have to Do for the Government?

1. In British Columbia, the government is supportive of homeschoolers. Your options include being a registered homeschooler, an enrolled homeschooler or you can do a blend of public-school classes with homeschool learning. 

Below are some definitions to help clarify these options – 

• A) Register – to state your intent to the government that you will be educating your children autonomously in accordance with Sections 12 and 13 of the BC School Act.
• B) Enroll – to have a child participate, at school or at home, in an educational program provided by a public or independent school and administered and assessed by a BC certified teacher.
• C) Homeschooler – a child registered under Sec. 12 of the BC School Act.
• D) Home-based student – a child enrolled in a distance education/distributed learning program, provided by a public or independent school.

You can find further details here Educational Options in BC | BC Home Educators’ Association (formerly the BCHLA) (bchea.ca) or to understand the difference between registered and enrolled check out this site http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/dist_learning/dl_vs_homeschool.htm

2. You are asked to send a Letter of Intent to provide Home Education to the school board in which your child has been registered, it is also suggested that a letter to the principal of the school your child attends if withdrawing them from a school board.

 

3. Please be aware that as a registered homeschooler, your child will not receive a Dogwood diploma upon graduation, when you enroll your child can receive the diploma.

What Am I Required to Teach?

1. You are not required to teach anything specific in British Columbia.
2. You do not need to use a pre-made curriculum unless you want to.
3. If you think your child may be returning to public school in the future, you may choose to follow a curriculum that is Canadian and similar to the Canadian public school structure, but that is your choice.
4. If you want a Canadian curriculum that aligns with the Manitoba government standards, you can shop Schoolio here: Schoolio.io | Homeschooling Canadian Curriculum Support for Parents
5.  

What Records Am I Required to Keep?

1. For a registered homeschooler, no records are required. For an enrolled homeschooler you are assigned to a support teacher, whom you must be in contact with weekly or biweekly. They require you to either submit a portfolio of the student’s work or have your support teacher do a ‘portfolio visit’ 3 times a year. You are also required to fulfill the BC Provincial Learning Outcomes. 
2. You are not required to do any formal planning in advance or to work on any set schedule. If you’re interested in using planning and scheduling in your homeschool for your own personal organization, you can find a lot of tips and free templates here: Welcome: Schoolio Planning Freebies – Schoolio.io
3. You do not need to provide any sort of Report Card to the school or school board. If you want to give your kids a Report Card just for fun and personal feedback, check out this alternative Report Card for Homeschoolers here: Homeschooling is about more than the “3Rs – Schoolio.io

Is There Funding for Homeschoolers?

1. There is a small amount of money that you can receive (around $150-250 per student per year) for registered homeschoolers. For enrolled students they do receive a larger amount based on the school board but there are stipulations.
2. You cannot write off any of your homeschooling expenses on your taxes.
3. Homeschooling does not exempt you from paying school taxes.
4. Homeschooling does not have to be expensive. Read more about the costs of homeschooling here: Let’s Talk About: Finances – Schoolio.io

Where Can I Get More Help and Advice?

1. There are several great resources available for new homeschooling parents in British Columbia!
2. The Schoolio page has information in the Blogs section from planning to finances to socializing to Kindergarten: Blog – Schoolio.io
3. Covid Homeschooling- Canada is a facebook community dedicated to helping new homeschoolers in Canada: Covid Homeschooling- Canada | Facebook
4. The Canadian Homeschooler has a wealth of resources for the new to veteran homeschooler: Home – The Canadian Homeschooler
5. British Columbia Government Homeschooling – Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca)

In that As parents, all we want for our children is to see them to succeed at life. While there is no set manual when it comes to raising children, scientists have found several factors and a range of practices that contribute to children growing into successful adults. 

Here are 7 useful and interesting habits that parents have taught their kids that helped them blossom into thriving adults.

Teach them to value their efforts rather than their gifts.

Rather than rewarding your youngsters for his/her gifts, praise them for their efforts. This shift encourages them to learn the value of effort, so they become resilient through tough times rather than living up to a ‘gift’ label and being afraid to fail. 

To put it another way, instead of, ‘Sarah, you’re such a smart girl!’, or, ‘Eric, that’s a fantastic painting!’ try saying, ‘Sarah, I’m so proud of how hard you worked on that math problem!’, and ‘I love the colours you’ve used! I can see you’ve put a lot of thought into the painting.’

Much of this understanding stems from the work of Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, and it’s also one of the top pieces of advice given to young people and their parents by Jeff Bezos.

Introduce your kids to positive role models.

Role models serve as inspiration to young children. Providing a good role model for your kids is essential for their positive development and eventually leading meaningful lives. 

Research conducted by New York University, Princeton University, and the University of Illinois researchers, showed that boys and girls at age 5, really believed both men and women were equally intelligent. But this belief changed intensely for girls by age 7 and 8. Their environment conditioned them to believe that men were more likely smarter than women.

This wrong notion led girls to feel less motivated to pursue ambitious career choices and novel activities than boys in their age group. This conclusion, however, is perplexing as girls, on an average, fare higher than boys academically and also have higher college acceptance rates.

It all comes down to the impact of stereotypes, even at such young ages – and this can be only changed when positive role models, especially female role models, are made a priority for both boys and girls.

Outdoor playtime is a need.

Research shows that children had a tougher time developing good reading skills in schools that didn’t incorporate outdoor recess in the course of the day than their counterparts who engaged in outdoor play as a break in their daily learning schedules.

A more recent study from North Carolina State University shows that when time is spent outdoors, kids between the ages of 10-18 show an improvement in their emotional and intellectual well-being, along with their overall health.

Although the world isn’t looking the way we thought it would as we head into the summer, and even though the stay-at-home orders are still in order in many parts of the world, finding ways to get your kids outside is still important.

Reduce their screen time to a limited number of hours.

There is hardly a more controversial topic in the 2020s than kids and screen time. While our parents may have had to share one screen with an entire family, most households today can watch many at once, even on the go.

Although screens can entertain, educate, and keep children occupied, too much use can only lead to problems. Limiting your children’s screen time may seem like a daunting task or an endless struggle, but believe us, it’s worth it. 

When researchers from San Diego State University and the University of Georgia combined many sets of previous data, they found the optimal realistic digital usage to be between 1 to 2 hours a day.

Without screens to keep them occupied, children are forced to engage their critical and creative thinking to entertain themselves. Whether it’s creative play, writing, activities or sports, fine and gross motor skills are developed while a child is physically engaged.

With toys, less is always more.

In a study conducted by researchers at the University of Toled, children who were given fewer toys played longer, deeper and more creatively than their counterparts.

Much like how too many choices may be overwhelming to adults, too many toy choices can also be easily overwhelming for children. When met with an array of choices, children find difficulty deciding what to play with, making it hard to stay focused with so many other toys competing for their attention.

It’s ok for your kids to see you fail.

As parents, we feel an automatic need to hide our fears and failures in front of our children – which works the other way around too, as children start to think of us as gods. But the consequences can be quite the opposite of the intention. 

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted an experiment with children aged 15 months and older to see how this behaviour affected the child. Results showed a direct correlation between how much or little parents allowed a child to witness their struggles and failure, and the child’s resilience. 

Although it may seem counter intuitive, there are long term benefits, for both you and your child, to showing them how to deal with hardships from a young age. Knowing that things don’t always come easy and some goals require hard work is a valuable life lesson for successful growth. 

Stay close, but keep your distance.

With the need to keep their child safe and happy, some parents adopt the helicopter parenting style. These parents take ‘being supportive’ to the next level and hover over their children at every stage of their lives. 

The former dean of freshmen at Stanford University, Julie Lythcott-Haims, described helicopter parenting as the bane of successful kids in her book, ‘How to Raise an Adult’. She goes on to draw from her experiences and share her lessons of letting kids try their hand at things and fail, letting them fight their battles for themselves while you fight the urge to intervene.

Hey, no one said it was going to be easy.

The bottom line is that parenting is important! And by using scientific parenting methods, we can strive to make a significant difference in our children’s lives.

Schoolio Empowers Homeschooling in Canada.

Toronto, ON, May 03, 2021 – It’s common knowledge that every child learns in their own, unique way.  Which makes homeschooling such an obvious choice for many families. Being that with homeschooling, a child has the ability to learn hands-on. And also at their own pace. Schoolio is a Canadian homeschooling education startup. Working hard to empower homeschooling families. They are doing so with excellent resources and curriculum. These are important tools that families need to make their homeschool journey positive, encouraging, and effective for the whole family.

Impact of the pandemic on homeschooling.

Homeschooling allows flexibility and customization for families. Since the beginning of the pandemic, homeschooling parents have grown by 24.5%. The number one reason being that homeschooling provides many wholesome benefits. Including that children are provided with stress-free, personalized, and flexible learning options. As a result, children can also absorb important life lessons. Like how to do laundry or cook. Along with many other life skills that are usually overlooked with traditional schooling. 

“Schoolio was founded by parents. What we do best is enable current and future parents with the right tools and techniques to homeschool successfully.” Says Lindsey Casselman – Lead Writer at Schoolio and founder of Linden Tree learning. “Our curriculum comprises completely of Canadian content. From core math, language, science, and social studies fundamentals. To newly introduced concepts including financial literacy and coding. Schoolio empowers homeschooling.”

Alternative learning method.

Furthermore, homeschooling has seen a rapid rise in 2021. Clearly this increase was a direct result of the pandemic. Evidently, more and more parents are turning towards homeschooling as an added layer of education. And in some cases even as an alternative to their child’s current learning methods. Schoolio works hard to help Canadian parents transition their environment into a wholesome, homeschooling atmosphere. They are doing so by providing carefully structured lessons, practice work, assessment tools, sample schedules, and more.

Finally, homeschooling also allows personal care to a child’s physical, intellectual, emotional, and developmental needs. Schoolio’s unique programs are designed for accessibility, regardless of parental education level.  Facts like fluency with English language, or household income are not important with Schoolio curriculum. As Schoolio provides a thorough, and complete education for students at every grade level and learning ability.

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About Schoolio: 

Schoolio is a Canadian education startup. That provides parents with a range of customizable in-home learning solutions. With a mission to empower parents to be teachers for their students. Schoolio has created easy to follow curriculum modules for Kindergarten through to Grade 8. Schoolio enables millions of students with the best academic foundation materials. While also sparking a love for education. And empowering kids to be fully prepared for their future. 

Click Here to learn more about our in-home curriculum options.

Did you know you can turn your Schoolio units into unit studies?

More than one age/grade level child can participate in a Schoolio unit; even if they are outside the grade range, we recommend the unit. This is how I’ve always done it with my kids, and it works great to minimize how much you need to go back and forth between kids who are learning different concepts.

Let’s use my kids as an example; they’re roughly in grades 4 and 6 this year. Now let’s use Science for our example: there are four recommended units for each grade for Science here in Ontario, where I live if I’m following the government expectations, so I have 8 Science units total for the whole year for my two kiddos. All you need to do to make it a unit study is to teach all 8 units to both kids together, one at a time!

Either I will pick the unit order (sometimes it matters what time of year we study something, like studying Plants and Soils in the spring so we can grow things in the garden simultaneously), or I let the kids vote for which units we do and when. It’s all planned out at the beginning of the year in my long-range planning templates, which you can find in the Schoolio Families Facebook group.

Let’s say we are doing Rocks and Minerals, which is levelled at grades 3-5. I put all the other Schoolio units on the shelf for now, and everyone learns Rocks and Minerals. My sixth grader has done this topic before, but that was two years ago when he was in grade 4, and it never hurts to review things. My fourth grader was introduced to this topic when we did it two years ago, and she was in grade 2, but she’s much more capable now of understanding it more completely and on a deeper level.

Our lesson period looks like this: I read the lesson aloud to everyone, we discuss our thoughts as a group, we ask questions, we look up answers, we watch any included media, we fall rabbit holes online, we do any included activities, etc. When it’s time to hit the books for practice work, the child in Grade 4 does the assigned work in the Schoolio unit because she’s perfectly within the recommended grade range. My grade 6 child is either going to do a second copy of the same work (it’s a grade 3-5 unit, and he’s in grade 6, so it’s not a big stretch), or I will give him an extension activity if I feel like he needs more of a challenge.

What are good extension activity options? It depends on the age(s) of the other kid(s).

Here are some options:

1) Have the kids work together on the assigned work (kids work in pairs and small groups at school all the time). This works best if the other children are younger than the grade the unit is designed for because then the older kid takes the lead and figures out most answers while the younger ones are contributing thoughts and learning through listening and watching the older one. If the other children are older, you want to watch this method that the older kid is not just giving the younger ones all the answers.

2) Photocopy the assigned work and work on the same practice work but their own with their own copies. This is a great option if your kids are both in the grade range of the unit (or close) or if your kids don’t work well together; as we all know, siblings have a tendency to not on occasion…

3) Have some different work for the other grade children. This is the most work on your part, but it’s still much easier than teaching multiple subjects to multiple kids all at once!

1. a) For younger kids, I would go with simple things like colouring pages or even read a levelled reader to you while the older kid works.
2. b) You can also ask younger kids to draw or write a few sentences (depending on their age) about what they learned in the lesson.
3. c) For older kids, writing a summary of what they just learned and discussed in the lesson or doing further research or reading on the topic for more depth of knowledge are great options.
4. c) Older kids can also act as “teacher’s helper” with the younger kids- they can read the questions aloud to them, scribe their answers, and other helpful things like that. Many older kids love the opportunity to act as a tutor to their younger siblings!Creating unit studies is all about each child’s work expectations and making those little accommodations to turn the single unit into a group study. The closer the children are in age, the easier it is, but it is not difficult with children who have wide age gaps either!

Group studies are a fun way for everyone to learn more and for you as a teacher to get that ping-pong ball feeling from bouncing back and forth between children who are doing different work. I hope this helps you make the most of your Schoolio homeschooling journey!

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Online classes and learning schedules have redefined the landscape of school, and clearly, the roadmap to success is still a work in progress. This begs the question, what do we do if kids are already tired of their assigned remote learning? How do you prevent online school burnout?  As parents, virtual learning fatigue is a real concern! Teach our children how to balance, knowing how to learn at home using technology and understanding the difference between playtime and study time is important.

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One of the challenges with homeschooling is thinking about the space that the child needs while studying. Some parents opt to use kitchen or living room space, with some minor enhancement. We also have parents who create a dedicated space that separates the ‘home’ from the class.’

Home education is a growing market, and parents who jumped into homeschooling due to COVID now see its benefits and choose to continue.

Is there an optimal way to set up your home for your child’s homeschooling needs?

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