How to Celebrate a Homeschool Graduation

Successfully homeschooling your child through high school is a tremendous accomplishment, not just for your graduate, but for the whole family. Many support groups have traditional graduation ceremonies for their seniors, complete with caps and gowns. For this article, the focus will be on a smaller gathering to celebrate a single graduate.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Graduation location reservations, if applicable
• The diploma and leather binder
• Announcements
• Stamps
• Return address labels
• Cap and gown, if desired
• Thank you notes
• Decorations
• Food for refreshments
• Memory album
• Camera

How to Celebrate a Homeschool Graduation

1. Determine the budget for the celebration. This budget will affect the rest of the decisions, including location, number of guests, decorations, and refreshments. Although you want to include your teen in planning her party, this is one area she will have no control over.

2. Ask the graduate what type of ceremony he wants, including whether he wants a themed event. Does he want a traditional ceremony, complete with cap and gown? Or would she prefer a casual backyard barbecue with all her friends? Maybe a combination of a formal ceremony followed by a simple meal?

3. Begin making plans early, especially if you have to reserve a room. May is a busy month for other events, such as weddings and proms, so the earlier you book the room or secure the caterer, the better.

4. Order the announcements once the date and location have been set. If you need to cut expenses, this is one area you can do that. Many people create and print their own announcements, including pictures of the graduate on the card.

5. Order the cap and gown early as well if you are buying them. Some homeschoolers buy a pattern and sew their own. If your graduate doesn’t want the traditional cap and gown, you can wait until closer to the date to buy their new dress or suit.

6. Decide if you want to order a diploma or print one on your computer. Consider getting a leather binder for the diploma. You can find websites that sell these-and other graduation-items.

7. Mail the announcements a month in advance. This will give guests the opportunity to put the date on their calendar and to RSVP if necessary. Encourage your graduate to write and mail the thank you cards as gifts arrive.

8. Plan the order of the ceremony and write down what you want to say. Ask people who are important to your teen to participate, with either a reading, sharing a memory of the graduate or playing music.

9. Set out the memory album so guests can write their wishes to the graduate. Remember to take plenty of pictures that can go in the album or arrange for some time to videotape the event.

Tips & Warnings

• A nice touch is to buy a long stemmed rose for your graduate to give her mother, as a thank you for the sacrifice of homeschooling.
• If you are planning an outdoor event, have a nearby location as Plan B in case the weather turns bad.

Resources

• Homeschool Diploma
• Graduation Cards Shop
• Home School Legal Defense

[paulakparker]

on 5/5/2008 Thank you. We homeschooled our five children and made sure each had a wonderful graduation experience. In fact, the graduation validated the whole concept of homeschooling for our in-laws.