Families Flock to Nevada Homeschool Group Focusing on Field Trips

With innumerable educational activities in the greater Las Vegas area, it occurred to Kathy Hernandez that homeschooling families might benefit from an organization that could schedule field trips and arrange special learning activities on their behalf.

What she didn’t expect was her group to grow tenfold by its second anniversary.

Rapid expansion brought both opportunities and challenges. To help address some of these issues, Kathy recently connected with HSLDA Group Services Director Darren Jones, who regularly counsels group leaders on an array of topics, from crafting policies and bylaws to handling finances.

Hands-on learning

Kathy launched Southern Nevada Homeschool Association (SNHA) in February 2024. She and her husband, Eduardo, have been homeschooling their two children since kindergarten. Very early into their educational adventure they came to value the advantages of connecting with other homeschooling families for mutual support, shared resources, and relationships.

With field trips especially, Kathy said, “kids get to learn in an active, hands-on way, which homeschoolers really love.” But with so many options, she added, “it doesn’t make sense that every household should have to find these things on their own.”

The first year she operated SNHA, about 100 families signed on. This allowed the organization to request group rates at museums and other venues. By 2025, SNHA participation surged to include about 1,000 families.

“There is a very vibrant homeschool community in our area,” Kathy noted. “And it’s growing.”

Opportunities abound

Much of that stems from the general population growth in the region. A local newspaper observed that Las Vegas’ urban area may be the fastest-growing in the nation, having added almost 123,000 residents since 2020—a 5.4 percent jump. The US Census Bureau’s most recent tally puts the population at 2.4 million.

The increasing number of local families, combined with a focus on tourism, makes the region highly attractive to purveyors of recreational and enrichment opportunities. A few of SNHA’s recent activities include a trip to a fish hatchery in northern Arizona and a visit to a high-altitude forest near the resort town of Mount Charleston, Nevada.

Tours to view artifacts recovered from the wreck of the Titanic proved especially popular. Kathy had to book multiple groups to accommodate all the interested families.

Her group also developed activities based on the Titanic exhibit, including studying replicas of letters, boarding passes, and menus. Students re-created the ocean liner out of LEGO bricks and put them to the test inside a large bin of water and a block of ice to represent an iceberg. 

“Field trips like this really make the studies come to life,” Kathy said.

Finding a partner

As the end of summer heralds a new school term, Kathy said she’s working on expanding SNHA’s offerings. She’s looking for industry experts to teach workshops in a fun, interactive way for both parents and students.

SNHA became a registered nonprofit in April. Since then, said Kathy, she and her amazing team have been working to secure funding to help assure their workshops remain affordable for everyone. Kathy also hopes to apply for an HSLDA group grant.

In keeping with HSLDA’s mission to help build strong homeschooling communities, Jones was able to offer Kathy guidance on many of her group’s goals. One way he helped was by ensuring SNHA was added to HSLDA’s searchable list of homeschool organizations. 

“Part of the way we defend homeschool freedom is by connecting home educating families,” Jones said. “Whether it’s through classes at a co-op, sports leagues, or even just mom’s night out, groups strengthen the movement by providing encouragement, pooling talents, or even offering a way to save a little money.”