Thinking about homeschooling, asking for guidance.

Cheryl - posted on 06/20/2009

OH- I forgot. The one book I would recommend and you may even be able to get it at your local library is Cathy Duffys 100 best Homeschool Cirriculums. In it she hasa few quizes. 1. What are your goals and disires for homeschooling? 2. What kind of teacher are YOU? 3. What kind of learner is your child? Then you look on her handy dandy chart and WHALAH- it gives you several cirr. that would fit for you. See that's the big homeschooling problem. Mom's talk and say I use this and Johnny is so advanced, but another Mom says I used that too and we were miserable. Every family is different and sometimes every child in that family is different- you have to see what will work for YOU. And the younger years, in my opinion, is the best time try different things because once you get to the high school years, many states require a transcript and you don't want to be bouncing all over then.

Cheryl - posted on 06/20/2009

check out the Home School Legal Defense website (HSLDA) and click on your state, it will tell you any laws or requirements. Do you know any current homeschoolers in your area? They will be a great Q&A source. Do you have a state organization? Here in Michigan we have a state org with a website that you can type in your zip and it will list local hs groups.

The big thing I would encourage you is don't get stressed out!! Your oldest is 3, that's about the time we started doing preschool activities. But don't feel like you have to buy all this stuff or use a set "cirriculum" for preschool or even early elementary. I went overboard and bought LOTS of stuff that I now regret spending all that money. Watch your child- how does she like to learn. Does she like to be read to? does she like doing papers- mazes, connect the dots, etc? Is she hands on, squeeze the playdoh, loves to finger paint type? These are all early clues to what kind of cirr. you could get later. And never buy a cirr new without checking into used book sales, ebay and the hundreds of used homeschool sale webites that are out there.

Good luck and happy homeschooling!!

Heather - posted on 04/09/2009

Each state does have different regulations. They even have different guidelines for what you can do as far as in the public schools....for instance in Missouri, a student can attend various classes for free as long as they are in the school district where the parent pays taxes.

I would research you area for a homeschooling association. They will be able to help you with homeschool sports, homeschool get togethers, ideas for homeschooling certain subjects, and how to get started. Start by looking at a Christian bookstore that sells homeschool information and they should be able to point you in the right direction.

Second, try finding a homeschool defense lawyer for your state. They will be able to help you pin point more specific rules for the area you are in.

Third, start schooling now. Sing everyday with them, read to them, take them to the library, and the museums. Pick a subject and start talking with them about the subject. I have  5, 4, almost 3 and 8 month olds. And we started at birth. My oldest three can quote between 12 and 48 verses each, because we started repeating verses everyday with them from birth. At this age there is a lot of memorizing that can be done and by just sitting down for 1-2 hours with them and repeating things like the bible verses, colors, abcs, numbers, etc, they will learn alot and be farther advanced.

Fourth, alot of homeschool sites like schooloftomorrow.com will give you free online diagnostic testing for the kids when they are old enough.

Good luck and hope this helps