Deciding to home school your child is a big decision, one in which many aspects of life needs to be considered. Many parents quickly realize that homeschooling is not simply educating your child at home; it is a total lifestyle change. From scheduling to social activity, housework and family time, the dynamics of your day change and sometimes often, depending on the season you are in. Before beginning, it is beneficial to lay a good foundation prior to homeschooling. Doing a little research and preparation a head of time will save you more than a few headaches and time in the future. While you cannot possibly prepare for every bump in the road along the way, considering a few main aspects will help for a smooth ride and good start:
• Education Philosophy/Method & Curriculum: Many people think they have to have their homeschooling methods all figured out before they begin, they choose a method and purchase a host of curriculum to help them to teach accordingly- only to find out after homeschooling begins that the method they have adopted is not working well. Don’t rush to choose any one particular method or curriculum. Take some time to research different teaching methods and try some out with your child to see what is most comfortable for both of you. Many parents and children have different learning and teaching styles. For example, some parents may prefer to teach according to the Charlotte Mason teaching style, but their child may learn better with a Classical approach. For more information on various educational methods you can check out this link, it will provide a good jumping off point for you to start researching what will work for you: http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/methods/Methods.html It is important for you to define how your child learns so that you can tailor your teaching approach to them. This alone will prevent many stressful school days! Most curriculum companies have sample lessons on their websites for you to try before making a purchase, take advantage of those offers to get a feel for what works best for you as the teacher. The following site will help in determining yours and your child’s learning styles: http://www.homeschoolviews.com/quiz/quiz.html Also consider the amount of preparation time involved in lesson planning- Do you want to plan lessons yourself? Or would you prefer to have most of it planned out for you? Keep in mind, that when homeschooling, you are now having a large portion of your day being consumed, other household duties may not be as easy to accomplish as they once were.
• Designating a place to homeschool: It might not seem important, but this saves much time in the day. Choosing a place or room in your home to do schooling helps to make you more efficient as the teacher. You will want to consider a workspace, such as a table or desk; comfortable seating; shelving, cabinets or crates to hold supplies so that they are organized and within reach as needed; and if necessary, any multi-media needs according to your curriculum of choice- this could mean having access to a computer & printer or copier, tv & vcr/dvd player, music player and such. If space does not allow all of these to be in one room, brainstorm about how you can make each space used for homeschooling more organized and efficient for that purpose. For example, the kitchen may be the main area for science lab work and experiments, try to have a cabinet or shelf set aside just for homeschool supplies.
• Scheduling: Scheduling is very important in homeschooling if you want to accomplish certain things every day. Decide what needs to be done each day based on your goals and priorities. For example, chores may be scheduled right away in the morning and school may begin by 9 am. For each subject, have a weekly outline and maybe even a daily plan. Having an evening routine in place can also be a huge time saver: have everyone pick up their rooms before bed, straighten up and prepare your homeschool area for the next day, take showers and lay out clothes for tomorrow… the key is to think- “What can I do tonight to make tomorrow go easier?” This site is an excellent source for printable planners: http://donnayoung.org/forms/planners/
• Meal Planning: It may seem excessive, but this one thing saves countless hours during the daytime of your week. Make good use of your Crockpot for dinners, or you can try your hand at freezer cooking, which many homeschool moms swear by. Don’t just stop at planning dinners though! Breakfast and lunch will now be important for your school day, there are a lot of freeze-ahead recipes that make serving these meals quicker, such as soups, chilies, burritos, etc., and more nutritious than processed foods, involve your child in the meal planning process, ensuring that they will like what you serve. The Homeschool Mom has a very helpful printable menu planner, you can find it here: http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/kitchen/
• Support Groups and Field Trips: Find a local support group as quickly as you can in your community that shares your personal values and goals in homeschooling. Many support groups have websites according to the state they are located in, a quick search on the web should pull any up in your area. There are also many online support groups to choose from as well. The worst thing you can do for your homeschool experience is to become isolated from others. In a support group, you are kept up to date about local legislation within your state, social gatherings and educational opportunities. Another big bonus in belonging to a local group is that you always have help when you, the parent, need it. From advice in schooling to understanding when you’ve had a bad week, having other homeschoolers around offers the security and encouragement to keep going through the tough times. Many support groups become like family over time who are with you through thick and thin, it is well worth it to invest the time in forging relationships with other like-minded families. www.hslda.org is a great place to start your homeschooling adventure, they also offer membership legal services which are good to invest in should the need arise.
• Finally, FUN! : Fun is the key ingredient in making homeschooling a success. The beauty of homeschooling is that you CAN tailor the experience to the individual personalities within your family, so make it exciting! Learn to tune into your child’s likes and dislikes, don’t just talk about butterflies, go visit them at the zoo, or better yet, hatch some from their cocoons! Homeschooling provides a wonderful atmosphere to introduce a genuine love for learning and a chance to know your child in a much closer way because of all the extra time you will be spending together.
Focusing on these main points when starting to homeschool should give you the building blocks needed to insure success. Remember, this is a big decision and the first year or so will be a series of adjustments and fine tune ups to get things running well, but if you stick with the foundational principles, it will help make those ‘bumps in the road’ a bit smoother in the process!
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