How to get Started with Homeschool?

Question

Can anyone explain to me how to get started with homeschooling?

Answer 1

I currently do not have children in school at all, but I was home schooled for most of my schooling and I know many who do. The best thing to do is start on the net, there are a ton of resources available from worksheets, to lesson plans. I would also call your local board of education to see if there are other resources or guidelines for your county and state. Many states have mandatory testing and other rules for those who home school. Some states will also provide textbooks and other things. So really between the net and your local board of education you should find the things necessary to start.

Answer 2

Three steps:

Legal - check the laws in your state to make sure you do everything they require. Go to http://www.HSLDA.org - they have a breakdown for each state.

Methodology - are you going to follow the classical curriculum or do unit studies? Will you be unschooling or following the Montessori school? The answer to this question will help you determine your curriculum choices, which is next...

Curriculum - depending on your methodology/philosophy, you will buy few-to-no books or you'll get a complete curriculum from someplace like Bob Jones or A Beka or something in between. For curriculum reviews, check out Cathy Duffy's website and her book, "100 Top Picks for Homeschooling".

It's also important to get involved in a co-op and/or support group. They can help by sharing curriculum with you and letting you know what field trips/park days/HS programs are available in your area. They'll also help you over the inevitable hurdles you'll face in the first year (it's the toughest).

Feel free to email if you need any more info.

Answer 3

Check out your local and state laws. Then go to the library. Look for The Big Book of Homelearning by Mary Pride. It is a great start. It tells you different types of homeschooling so you can decide which route is best for you and your family. The library is also an excellent place to get most of your curriculum. Pick subjects~get books for free~bring them back~ no clutter! Hope this helps.

Answer 4

The first thing to do is check out the state law and register your child if necessary.

Most likely your child has already been tested as far as I.Q. and achievement, however, many schools do not test writing ability. I went to Sylvan which offers lifetime free testing and my child was tested in reading, math and writing. Alternatively, you can buy the writing portion of an achievement test and administer it yourself and send it back for grading. That information is available from the Internet.

This will give you a good idea of the grade level for each subject area. For science and social studies I use the reading grade level. If the test scores are high or low, I buy Spectrum Test Prep books for other grade levels in order to find the correct grade for my child. The weakest subject area gets more homeschool time than the other subjects.

I buy books on Amazon or I take books and videos out of the library. If your child is a good mathematician, Singapore math has the best internationally ranked math program and it is available for purchase on the Internet. Saxon math is what is given to the average child or slow child who needs repetition. It is often top-ranked in the U.S.

Language arts includes an incredible number of subjects - spelling, phonics work, reading mileage, reading comprehension, writing, grammar and word meaning. Children test at different grade levels for each of these so, I get separate materials for each subject area. I also double the time spent on language arts since it comprises so many subject areas and since it is so important.

For high school homeschooling you may want to stick close to a standard curriculum. For grade school, you are going to want to stick closer to the basics of reading, writing and math. You can be more free with the science and social studies.

The series, "What your child needs to know in 1st, 2nd etc grade" has a great social studies area for each grade level but it is boring.

Each state publishes guidelines on the Internet for what your child should learn in each grade. The federal goverment administers the NAEP to children from each state and has ranked states by the quality of their education. You can take a highly ranked state like Massachusetts and use its state standards.

Answer 5

Start by finding if there is a home-school group in your area, call them up and you should be able to get lots of information, they usually have excursion days and sport days where you could go along and meet others who already home-school. This is a good starting point. good luck. p.s I have been homeschooling for 11 yrs.

Answer 6

1. Buy Saxon math and do a complete lesson every day.
2. Write an one page essay every day and have someone check it.
3. Read. Choose really good books and read for at least 2 hours every day. Find books written by people that made history. Look for diaries of George Washington, Letters of Abraham Lincoln, etc.... Read and study vocabulary -- use a dictionary to look up any words that you need to know.

Answer 7

Each state has its own law of home schooling. Look up your state on www.hslda.org for the requirements. Then pick a curriculum. I like SOS (Switched on Schoolhouse) by Alpha Omega for 3rd grade and up. But the choice is yours. Do the research and find what will work best for you and your student. Have fun and learn as you go.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

http://www.connectionsacademy.com/

Thats the school I go to, and its definately the best one Ive been to. Alot of stuff is online, and some of it is in books, it depends on the grade. Theyre in a few of the US states, I forget which ones exactly, but check out the site and see if your state is one of them.

Answer 10

I was a complete novice myself. Go to this site and they can make it really easy if you are in their area http://www.caliva.org/
The state pays for everything and they do all your paperwork and give you supplies. It has been a blessing to work with them.
Good luck!