How would I start homeschooling my child?

Question

She's not of age yet, but how do i get started when the time comes?

Answer 1

The first thing you need to do is check with your state Department of Education regarding the laws you need to follow in order to home school. My state has this posted on the Internet. I was able to email a "Letter of Intent" directly to the commissioner as well as the superintendent of my local school board which is what my state requires...yours may be different.
Learn what your state will require you to teach daily. Then research curriculum. You will probably want to do alot of research here to find the one that most fits your family.
Your may decide you want a ready made curriculum (Abeka or Bob Jone, etc.), then again you may be really creative, and choose to follow something less rigid such as "Five in a Row."
Years ago I purchase a book I found extremely helpful called "Teaching Children, A Curriculum Guide to What Children Need to Know as Each Level Through Sixth Grade" by Diane Lopez. The book has a separate Kindergarten section, and I found it indispensable in keeping my goals in line.
Your local library or church may know of a home school group that meet regularly in your area...visit, and meet other parents of teens...this will be a tremendous support system for you!
Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Check around your area for homeschool associations. They are just about in every state. You should also go to the Homeshcool legal defence fund. Check the internet if you don't know where to look for either. They will back you when the school district calls you and asks why your child is not in school. Your school should have a name and your child attends that school. You do not need a degree in teaching or a college degree. What you need is to commit yourself to the fact that you will be inivovled every day in your childs schooling and social behavior. Many High Schools will allow your child one elective, such as Drivers Ed Etc: Its a toss up when it comes to sports. I don't know why because you pay the same in tax except the school gets no federal money for your child not being there. Unfortunately that is the only thing the school districts care about. One nice thing is that you can hold school whenever you want, where ever you want. No lost vacations because of school. I have three, Two went on to college, and one is only 16. The word is comnmitment. Many times you will learn things you did not know by teaching your child about it. Its worth the effort

Answer 3

Good for you...homeschooling can start at any age...give her a head start with the usual ABC,123,Colors,Shapes,jumpstart her reading..when you go to the grocery store have her find items that start with a certain letter,start her math with 1 apple and 1 apple make ???.
Do check your local laws---Alabama does not allow Homeschooling unless you use an Umbrella School.
Keep a Portfolio---sounds harder than it is...all you do is keep the work your child does, take pictures of her doing things and put it all in a file box(i buy mine at Walmart) in order (math,reading,science, etc.), you'll want a file box for each year and be prepared to keep it for 5 years.
Field Trips----if you go to the Zoo,park, beach..anything really can be used as a Field trip.
Do find a support group,my little girl goes to gym once a week with our group and she's part of a History Club that meets weekly. Dollar Tree (at least ours does) has educational materials (posters,stickers,workbooks) and there are lots of online resources. There's Girl Scouts (Daisy's, Brownies), music lessons, ballet,gymnastics(counts as gym)...use your imagination because the Sky is the limit.
Good luck

Answer 4

Find yourself a local homeschooling support group (or two or three--they can all be so different!). It's the best way to get to understand homeschooling, understand the laws where you live, get a peek at the resources people use, make friends, etc.

Other than that, read everything you can get your hands on about homeschooling.

Do this all NOW, not when your daughter has hit school age.

Answer 5

First go to the website http://www.hslda.org
Next go to you state's website and find the laws that pertain to home-schooling. Also see if there are any home-school groups in your area. They are a good resource and it is always nice to have a friend who can help, support or just listen to you. ;-)

Now you have the information you will need to start. Next you will need to ask yourself and child/children some questions such as,
what is your learning style? What is his/her learning style?
Does my child/children listen when I tell them something?
Can I make their education interesting? When things go wrong do I get upset? Am I an authority figure to my child/children or do they think of me more as a friend? Will my partner support my efforts? Will my extended family support my decision?

These are just a few questions you might consider asking but there are many, many more. Home-schooling is a full time job and you have to be willing to let a few things around the house go until you can get to them. Or until everyone can get to them. Yes, chores can be part of homeschooling too. :-)
Next you will have to find the curriculum that will suite your teaching style and their learning style. I have found that if you want to do it with minimal cost these websites might be helpful.

http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com
http://oldfashionededucation.com

Have fun, don't put limits on education and go for it. You can do this and you will succeed.

Answer 6

First, find out your state's laws about homeschooling. Then a good website to check out is http://www.nhen.org/. Until you start just read, and read, and read, to you child