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NYC Homeschooling Articles are below, and listed by category here with other homeschooling articles
Formerly HomeschoolNYC
The History of HomeschoolNYC
When I started homeschooling in the mid 1990s, there was no Google search, most people didn’t have a home computer, and no one I knew had a cell phone. It was hard to find homeschool support! Even the massive NYC library failed to help me, since there was nothing listed under homeschooling in the local directories.
At that time there was only one support group in NYC, NYCHEA (New York City Home Educators Alliance). I had no clue that homeschool support would be listed under N! Back then, NYCHEA members had one weekly activity for kids (soccer in Central Park), and one monthly gathering for families. By the time I started homeschooling my second child, five years later, the number of activities for homeschoolers had multiplied. Soon there were over a dozen weekly sports activities happening in four boroughs, and classes taught by parents, local artists and professors. Homeschooling parents founded Different Directions, a Manhattan homeschool learning center offering arts and academics for preK-high school. It was thrilling to watch the NYC homeschooling community grow so fast! But in the beginning, I struggled!
At first, I felt completely alone. And I was broke, with no money to spare. I wondered, was NYC the wrong place to homeschool? In the big city everything is costly and there’s so little space. Why wasn’t I in a rural environment with a big backyard? Within days I realized how foolish I was, as I discovered the astounding variety of free and cheap educational activities in NYC. I made a list of a few hundred free activities, along with some free resources, to share with fellow homeschoolers. When I finally created the HomeschoolNYC website in 2005, I had vast amounts of information ready.
Homeschoolers know that no one does this alone. When I finally connected with NYCHEA, a mom took time out of her hectic day to help me, and many more helped me on the homeschooling journey. Here, I do the same, lending a helping hand, passing forward the help I once received. I hope that you find information here that will improve your homeschooling life!
~~Laurie Block Spigel, January 2025
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I was a rambunctious, strong-willed, independent child, and my mother was determined this would not stop her from pursuing one of her passions: museums. She devised ways to keep me interested. I probably raced down the museum galleries yelling my head off, but somehow she kept me amused.
We played treasure hunt games, where she would direct me to find something. "Look for the hidden dog in a painting in this room," which I proudly pointed out once discovered. I never forgot the "Three Musicians" by Picasso, with a wagging tail keeping time and the rest of the large dog sitting in shadow under their legs. You can see it at MoMA. At the Metropolitan Museum you can pick up treasure hunt guides developed by curators just for kids. Browse the Greek galleries for animals or gods and goddesses mentioned in the Percy Jackson books. Find scenes and objects From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Search the African galleries or the arms and armor collection, or look for games of chess. You can download the guide before you go or pick it up at the information counter.