Homeschooling - Where Do I Start?

This is a common question from parents that arediscount shops, garage sales, etc. You can also
thinking of home schooling for the first time. Itpurchase pre-packaged curriculum for any
can be overwhelming if you do not have a plan inparticular grade level to make it easier. But
place. There are many different things to keep inremember, that each child learns at a different
mind if you are going to begin home schooling.pace, so what may be in a package for a 4th
First thing you must do is get acquainted withgrader may be too difficult or too easy for your
your state laws. Every state has different lawschild, so you will need to research and decide
for home schooling and you want to be sure youaccordingly. Typically but not usually, for 1st
are abiding by the rules. A great resource is Thethrough 8th grade, it will take a child 4 to 6 hours
Home School Legal Defense Association.a day to accomplish their given school work. Our
So, you are ready to begin, now what? The firstfamily does not follow a time schedule, so like I
thing to do is to develop a plan and a schedule.have mentioned before, we can incorporate
The place is not really important, because one ofschooling in many of our daily activities.
the beauties of home schooling is that it can beHigh School: If you have taught your child all along,
done anywhere. You can have a designated roomyou will know what your child is capable of
or you can do it on the kitchen table, outside, orhandling, so this part should not be difficult. It is
living room. The place will be determined by youvery important to keep a transcript of classes
when you begin.taken in the high school years for college entrance
For Pre-schoolers: craft supplies are a must, whichinterviews. There are many free samples available
will include but not limited to paints, play dough,online or you can develop your own. Check with
construction paper, crayons, blocks, sand,your state and determine the amount of credit
measuring cups, etc. This group is great to workhours and classes needed in order to graduate
with because they are very inquisitive but theyand develop your curriculum at that time. There
also do not have large attention spans. So, time isare many resources available such as
scheduled in blocks.pre-packaged curriculum, home school groups, and
For instance, you may start with the letter of theonline classes available for high school students.
day. In the morning you can make breakfast withHome school groups are wonderful for any age
anything that begins with that letter and thengroup but for high schoolers it will give them a
incorporate a craft, in the afternoon, you cansense of belonging to a group and not being alone.
incorporate visual and writing activities and reading.Many communities have groups that will
It will all depend on you and your child. Typicallyincorporate activities for high schoolers to attend
for a pre-schooler 2-3 hours a day is more thanand some have proms and graduation ceremonies.
enough time, but we are always doing some sortIf this is something your child needs, it is a great
of schooling so it usually encompasses most ofaddition to your home school schedule. High
our day.schoolers also need to satisfy community service
Elementary and Middle School: There is ahours, many states require this in order to
wonderful series of books on the market that aregraduate and that is easily attainable for home
made for each individual grade. It lists what a childschoolers.
should know for each grade level, from 1stI have given you a very brief outline of what you
through 6th. This is a wonderful book to use as acan do when thinking about home schooling or
guide line and as supplemental work. There areorganizing your home school program. With a little
also an abundance of workbooks that you candetermination, lots of love and organization you
purchase in warehouse stores, book stores,will be successful.