How to Begin Homeschooling

1) Do you have your spouses support? I do not believe that homeschooling can be successful without the support of both parents. I would recommend talking at length with your spouse before determining to homeschool. My husband may not be active in our homeschooling, but he does support homeschooling 100%. Homeschooling is a big decision and can be stressful. Homeschooling is not for every family.

2) Check your state laws. It is legal to homeschool in all fifty United States. However, each state has its own laws and regulations. Click now to check your state laws.

3) Chose a curriculum. The curriculum decision is the main reason many families never start homeschooling. Many parents are afraid of making a bad choice or just do not have the budget to purchase the curriculum they desire. There are many awesome homeschool curriculum's on the market, so how do you chose?

Switched on Schoolhouse - A completely computer based curriculum for grades 3-12. For first time homeschoolers, working homeschoolers, and homeschoolers with a whole gaggle to teach Switched On Schoolhouse to perfect. Switched On Schoolhouse keeps all the records for you and you can customize settings to your preferences. Best of all Switched On Schoolhouse can be used over and over again for every student in your homeschool.

Home Sat - Homeschooling with DVD's or with satalite. I have heard nothing but rave reviews from the homeschool families that I know that use Home Sat. Home Sat is available for grades Kindergarten through 12th.

CLASS - The CLASS system is unique in the homeschool arena. This program is associated with an actual school so homeschool participants can attend graduation at the academy if desired. The CLASS system uses testing to determine where the student is strong and weak academically and the the curriculums taylored to the indivdual homeschool student. They even offer a less expensive plan for families that would like to keep their own records.

4) Set a schedule and stick with it, sort of. You have to keep control over your time, but be flexible. If one of your homeschool students is excited to share with the whole family what he just learned in Biology stop for a moment and listen. If your to stuck on your schedule you may pass up learning opportunties. My son is easily distracted so we use a kitchen timer at the start of each lesson. The timer counting down helps him remember that he needs to focus and gives him a confidence boost when he finishes before the timer goes off. However, if he doesn't finish there is no punishment. I make sure that he is not having trouble with any of the concepts and encourage him to press on. Many times I will find that he didn't finish before the timer because he went online to learn more about the subject that was presented.

5) Keep accurate records. Many states require homeschool families to keep detailed records of the subjects taught and the time spent on each subject. Even if your state does not require records it is always a good idea to keep records for legal issues and as transcripts. Homeschool transcripts are especially important for homeschooled high school students.

6) Join the Homeschool Legal Defense Association.Unfortunately legal problems may arise. With the Homeschool Legal Defense Association you are protected before any problems arise!

7) Purchase a homeschool ID card.Just like a school id your homeschool id can get your student discounts. More importantly however the id card can be used when your children are not with you doing school hours.

8) Use games as learning tools. There are many excellent games that are fun to play and are educational. One of my sons favorite games is Sentence Says. We also enjoy Word Sense, Smart Mouth, Smath, Don't Quote Me, and Scrabble. Each of these games builds knowledge and skills. Short on money? Use a regular deck or cards or pair of dice to practice addition, subtraction, and multiplication.

9) Experiment and explore. There is nothing more enriching and fun than hands on learning. Go out in the backyard and explore bugs, plants, and weather. Turn your kitchen into a homeschool science lab. Make learning fun!

10) Don't be afraid of failure! If you are actively reading, exploring, and using hands on learning you will not fail. I know when I first started homeschooling I was fearful of somehow failing to teach my son something vital. After three years of homeschooling I still fear that I may miss something important, but then someone will stop and compliment me on how intelligent and kind my son is and for awhile I forget my fears. I think fear is a good thing when homeschooling. It is a healthy fear that will keep us on our toes and remind us that we are teaching and raising the next generation and that it is a big job.