We're only a month away before school would normally resume, and the provincial government still has yet to release its plan to re-open schools.

Numerous polls and surveys reveal that many parents and teachers have concerns when it comes to returning children to the classroom. With this uncertainty, some families are looking into the option of home education.

Lori Dunbar has been teaching her children from home for over a decade and is a board member of the Saskatchewan Home Based Educators. She says that each family has individual concerns.

"Some families have been considering home education for quite a while and this is now just the tipping point. And then there's those who are looking into the fall and are concerned about their children's mental or emotional health. And some are just genuinely concerned about their family's health regarding COVID-19."

Dunbar notes from personal experience that it can be beneficial for a child to take some time to learn at home and then transition back into public school if they so choose.

"As our older children were going through the public education system, we were concerned by some of the holes in their learning and how they were kind of falling behind. So we pulled them out for five months and caught them up before re-enrolling them later on."

According to Dunbar, it's a relatively easy process to register as a homeschooling family in the local school divisions.

"They've been very good to deal with...You have to notify them that you'll homeschooling. There are three broad annual goals with how they think the child should be progressing at an age-appropriate level that you need to line up with. In the spring we also do an annual report just to say how the year went."

She says when it comes to curriculum, there are plenty of options.

 "There's a really broad range and it's good to do your research. You can get more Canadian-based curriculum, there's online options or textbook style. It really depends on the child and the parent. There are so many different approaches."

The ability to tailor her children's education to match their learning styles has been one of the biggest advantages for the Dunbars. But also, it just allows her to spend more time with her family. 

"It takes a lot of sacrifice, time and energy but it works really well for us. Kids are wonderful and are little for such a short period of time. It's a wonderful way to spend time with family. And we've seen so many families learn to grow together and get along together."

Dunbar says that homeschooling is something that has so many options that anyone can try it no matter their situation.