Getting Started with Home Schooling

As a mother of a two year old, the thought of “school” crosses my mind more than occasionally. I have to admit, I don’t like what I see. Schools these days have many problems. Violence is growing. The standards aren’t high enough to make sure our children are learning. Many parents are not taking their child’s education seriously enough or just aren’t getting involved. And unfortunately there are teachers and school administrators out there that are more interested in numbers, politics, and money than they are in the welfare of their students.
All of these things and other considerations are making more and more parents look into home schooling as an option. This allows parents to spend more time with their children. It also allows them to be actively involved in their child’s education to make sure their child is succeeding.
But, where do I get started? I’m not a teacher. Where do I get the materials? What do I teach them? Is there some guideline to home schooling that has been successful for other parents? Where can I find more information about Home Schooling? In this article I will do my best to help you find all of the information and resources available for get started with Home Schooling.
First of all, home schooling is not free. There are a lot of materials you will need. Depending on the age of your child, there are specific requirements and specific subjects they must learn as well as standardized tests they must take. This is all set up to be sure parents who take their children out of school are actually home schooling them.
The first thing you will have to do is find out what the home schooling laws are in your state. Open a new browser window so you can keep this articles open and copy this link and put it into the address bar of your new window. http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp There you will find out what the laws are in your state. Some states do not require you notify them and others do, so make sure you study up on your state’s requirements.
The next thing you want to do is talk with people you know that are already doing home schooling. They will be able to offer you valuable home schooling advice. Try your local church or social group if you do not know anyone doing home schooling. You can also search at Ask.com for “Home Schooling Support Groups.” These are groups of parents that share their information and experiences with home schooling.
You can buy complete home school curriculums for children of any age by searching for “Home School Curriculum.” Many come on CD-ROM with workbooks and everything you need. You can buy everything at once or you can pick and choose the subjects you want to teach first. You can also find curriculums that incorporate your religious beliefs. There are many options!
There is also the theme method of home schooling where you teach your child everything at once by using a theme. You pick a theme your child likes like “The Old West” or “Outer Space”. Then you combine teaching them math, geography, history, language skills, etc. based on using their favorite theme.
Children learn very fast when things are interesting to them. Theme-based home schooling is one way to keep your child interested and also a great way for both of you to have fun learning. If you combine this theme-based method of home schooling with field trips or vacations that go along with it, you will find your child really interested in learning more. For instance, a field trip to the space museum or observatory if you are using the space theme. A vacation to a ghost town on the western theme would work as well.
If you are considering home schooling, you will also want to make sure your child has ample opportunity for social activities. You may be able to provide them with the highest standards of academics, but children also need to socialize with their peers. This can be done through organized sports, music classes, and many areas actually have home school “community groups” that get together. Once you are able to connect with other home school parents in your area, you will be sure to find an abundance of activities for your child to participate in.
The bottom line is this. Do not be intimidated by home schooling your child even if you did not do well in school yourself. You can learn together. The benefits of home schooling can far outweigh the disadvantages. If there is a day where it is just not going to work out, don’t worry. Don’t force it. Be creative and make learning fun for your child. If you are committed, you will succeed. Best of luck!