You've decided to teach your kids from home. You want to make sure that they get the right education at the right pace for them. You're excited about this new adventure and you take the whole family out to an educational store to buy some school books, and other homeschooling resources.
You get to the store and see racks and racks of books, curriculula, guides, tests, workbooks and anything else you can imagine, and it hits you. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING! The racks start to spin and you start to feel like you may faint. Then you realize that this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are lots of questions you haven't answered yet. Fear not. I'll help you get started, and direct you to some essential homeschooling resources to use as you go along.
Homeschooling Resources - Check State Laws
The first thing you need to do is research the homeschool laws in your state. Some states, like Texas, don't really have any requirements for homeschool teachers, while others require a lot of documentation and red tape. Check out the Home School Legal Defense Assocation for information on your state.
Homeschooling Resources – Choosing a Curriculum
Choosing homeschool curriculum is only one step in the process. You have to answer a few questions first, about what kind of homeschool you'll be running. First, will you be a traditional homeschooler, a unit study homeschooler, or an unschooler?
Traditional homeschooling is similar to public school in that you teach each subject as its own separate entity. Homeschooling allows you the freedom to set the pace according to your child's needs, so you may be at a 1st grade level in math at the same time you're teaching 3rd grade english to the same child. You can use different homeschooling resources for each subject if necessary.
Unit studies combine multiple subjects into one lesson. For example, a cooking lesson can also include lessons in math (for measuring), science (talking about how different things react together), reading a cookbook and talking about the history of the culture the food came from. You can plan lessons like this from almost any activity you can imagine.
Unschooling is the concept that you should only teach a child what he is interested in learning. You go about your day and only teach when the child has a question. For example, if you are taking a nature hike, the child might say "This butterfly is really cool, where does it come from?" This would lead you to discuss butterflies and their place in nature. This is an effective part of homeschooling, but probably should be used in addition to other methods.
Once you decide which category you fall into, it's time to look for curriculum. Don't just go to a store and start looking. Think about what your child likes and what they enjoy. It is also important to consider your own needs. How much can you spend on homeschooling resources? How much time can you devote to preparation and teaching? Do you want to include spiritual perspectives in your teaching? If so, you will need to learn more about a Christian homeschooling curriculum Search for homeschooling forums and email groups and solicit advice. I will provide information and curriculum reviews on this site to help you along. If you have a store in your area that specializes in homeschool supplies, talk to someone who works there about curricula such as Sonlight or A Beka. Use these people to do the research you need to find out what is most likely to work for you. You should also be aware that the curriculum what works in first grade may not work in third grade. This is very much a trial and error process, but the fact that you know your kid better than anyone else will make it somewhat easier.
Managing Time and Place
The next step is to figure out a schedule. One of the beauties of homeschooling is that it can be so flexible and you may not need the six to eight hours that normal school takes out of your day. That said, you need to set a schedule to keep you on track. You can do each subject every day, five days a week. You can have a four day school week. You can offer a specific subject every other day. You have the freedom to do whatever works best for you and your child. However, you do need a plan. If you "wing it", it becomes much easier to skip lessons and get behind. You need to have a disciplined, yet flexible, approach.
Designate a place for school. This does not have to be anything fancy. You can just use the dining room table, especially if you ony have one child. If you have several kids, you may want to consider setting up a room with either a long table or some desks. Decorate it with maps and hang a dry erase board on one wall. You can make it as simple or as complex as you like.
Once you've made the decision to homechool, there are a lot of factors to consider, such as a schedule, best curriculum to use and where to set up your school. I'll be here to help you with these and other decisions. You will be able to find reviews of various homeschool curriculums and other homeschool resources to take some of the stress out of getting started.
