The Homeschool SMART Start prepares you for your new homeschool year by helping you organize your Space, Memories, Activities, Rest and Self Care, and Time from August 3rd-7th.

Do you feel overwhelmed thinking about your school year?

Do you wonder if you are doing enough?

Do you want your homeschool to feel balanced? Like you are making sure your kids learn what you need and making sure you connect as a family and making sure you don’t burn out?

Join the Homeschool SMART Start to start your school year feeling confident and prepared.

I know what it’s like to start homeschool years never feeling sure of yourself. I started (too many) homeschool years that way before I realized that the key to feeling good about my homeschool was in my own lifelong learning and preparation. I realized I could make a homeschool that fit my family, instead of chasing after everything new and shiny.

So often, we choose to homeschool because we want what is best for our kids. I know that’s why I decided to homeschool my kid. But in a world where everyone tells you their way is best – it’s exhausting to try and find out what really is. But once I was got clear on what was important to my family, I was able to find peace in my homeschool decisions. And that peace lead right into having a joyful homeschool.

This may not be reality for you. Your reality may look more like this.

• You are overwhelmed every time you think about the upcoming school year.
• You are stuck in a thought spiral where you never feel like you are doing enough in your homeschool.
• You feel unbalanced and like you are being pulled in too many directions at once, but you don’t know what to focus on.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Let me come alongside you and mentor you through the start of your homeschool year. Let me help you start your homeschool year with confidence and joy, knowing that you are enough to homeschool. Let me help you build a homeschool that works for you and your family, so you feel like you are living in line with all your homeschool priorities.

Introducing the Homeschool SMART Start!

These five days will help you set yourself up for a homeschool year that works for your family by organizing your homeschool space, memories, activities, rest and self care, and time.

Here’s what’s included in the Homeschool SMART Start:

• Five workshops spread out over 5 days from August 3rd-7th with lifetime access – spend less than an hour each day watching the workshop
• A guided workbook to help you put into action what you are learning
• 1 text a day during the five days helping you reflect and implement what you learned
• Bonus: A live Q&A workshop on Wednesday, August 5th at 3 PM CST
• Bonus: Self Care Planner to help you make a plan for rest and self care
• Bonus: Audio Recording – How to Structure Your Life to Make Homeschooling Sustainable to help you build a homeschool that works for you
• Bonus: Workshop – How to Choose Curriculum to help you pick curriculum that works for you
• Bonus: Vision Board microworkshop to help you create a vision board for your homeschool
• Bonus: Learning Maps microworkshop to help you create learning maps for your homeschool
• Bonus: Connection Corner – To connect you to other homeschool mentors

How do I know if this is for me?

This is for you if:

• You are a homeschooler!
• You know that homeschooling is a good fit for a family, but you’re struggling to wrap your head around it.
• You want to get your school year off to a solid start, but you’re not sure how to do that.
• You feel overwhelmed by homeschooling and you want someone to walk along this journey with you.
• You know that lifelong learning for yourself. is a key to your homeschool journey.

This is not for you if:

• You are not a homeschooler – you probably wouldn’t get much out of this!
• You don’t enjoy learning in a workshop format.
• You have graduated all your kids from your homeschool – congrats!
• You don’t feel like you are interested in learning more about homeschooling.
• You don’t want advice about homeschooling because you are confident with what you are doing – that’s awesome!!

What others say about working with Melissa of Pocket Homeschool

We have found Pocket Homeschool to be an exceptional resource in our homeschool.  Melissa is thoughtful, academic and thorough in her research, creating products that are both educational and enjoyable.  I have also found the workshops for SMART Homeschool thought provoking and informative, learning new skills as well as thinking about how to approach my teaching methods in new ways.

-A.W.

Hello! I’m Melissa Brander

I’m a homeschooling mom of 2 boys and I run Pocket Homeschool.

I help homeschool moms feel enough, recognize their strengths, and equip themselves with lifelong learning in order to homeschool successfully. I accomplish this by providing SMART resources that are Simple to implement, Meaningful family experiences, Academically oriented, Reasonably priced, Tools for explorative learning.

Through your own personal growth and learning, homeschooling can feel much more approachable and you can grow as a person while you homeschool. This is what my homeschool journey has taught me and what I hope to teach you.

Frequently Asked Questions

I’m a SMART Homeschool Society Member, how do I get access?

Just watch your email! SMART Homeschool Society members go free, you’ll receive access instructions in your email. If you’re interested in becoming a SMART Homeschool Society member, you can learn more here.

I purchased the Homeschool SMART Start last year – do I need to purchase it again if I’d like to attend again?

Nope! You get to go for free again this year!

What are the dates of the Homeschool SMART Start?

During August 3rd-7th, you will receive one email and one text a day, but the materials are yours to keep for a lifetime. The only exception for this is the live workshop on Wednesday, August 5th at 3 PM CST. This Q&A will not be recorded and will not be available afterwards.

What’s the deal with the live workshop?

The live workshop is a Q&A session for you to ask all your questions. Being able to get your questions answered in real time is a huge perk! I don’t record it so that you can feel free to ask about personal situations.

How long will I have access to the material?

We will go through the materials together from August 3rd-7th, with one workshop a day, and this is when you will receive your texts. However, you will have access to the materials for a lifetime (minus the live workshop on Wednesday).

How long do I need each day?

Each workshop is less than an hour. You will only receive one a day with the workbook pages that go along with it. There is no need to devote a large amount of time to this. Grab a cup of coffee or some tea and sit down with it or listen to it while you are busy doing something else!

Will I receive any physical products?

No, this is a digital product. I’m here to help you if you have any questions about the tech!

Will I have to sign up for anything or create a login?

No, everything comes direct to your email. If you are interested in receiving text messages, you will have to opt into receiving text messages with your phone number.

Are the workshops held at a certain time? Do I need to be there at a certain time?

All workshops are prerecorded and can be watched at any time. The only exceptional is the bonus live Q&A workshop on Wednesday, August 5th at 3 PM CST.

What if I don’t like it?

Reach out to me at melissa@pockethomeschool.com. Refunds will be given up until August 3rd. After that day, no refunds will be issued.

Will this benefit me even if my homeschool year has already started?

Yes! You can organize these parts of your homeschool at any time and see benefits.