Choose Curriculum Materials

Find out what subjects are usually taught at your child's grade level. List the subjects you have decided to teach in their order of importance to you. Curriculum review manuals are helpful in bringing awareness to what is available in each subject area.

Become acquainted with a variety of curricula and approaches. This can be done by reading mail order catalogs, by asking friends what they are using or by attending a curriculum fair in your area.

When you do choose the curriculum methods and materials you will use for your home school, purchase them and your basic school supplies. However, keep these guidelines in mind:

1. Everyone likes best what she is currently using, so take advice with a grain of salt.
2. Don't fret over making the wrong decision. You will grow in confidence to make appropriate choices as you school.
3. Consider home education as a long-term marathon rather than a short-term sprint. Be in this for the long haul!
4. You can decide what is best for your children. Relish the opportunity to be responsible instead of overwhelmed!
5. If the material isn't working, put it aside. If you do not like it, neither will your child. You are a "home" before you are a "school." Take a deep breath and do those things that bring you together as a family.

Create a Learning Atmosphere

Decide where you will physically "do" school in your home. Do you have the luxury of a separate schoolroom? Will you be working at the kitchen or dining room table? Will you read together on the sofas in the family room?

You may, but you do not have to, duplicate a conventional school setting with individual desks and bells and flags. You have the opportunity to define school as you individualize it to your family, particularly if your children have not attended another educational setting.

Decide how you will organize and store books, papers, pencils, globes, etc. Designate work and storage places for each child and for you as the parent-teacher.

Establish Structure

Determine a general schedule for the year. Decide the number of days you choose to teach or the number of days of instruction that are required by your state law. Count out the days you need (usually 170-180 days), using a pencil, on a calendar. Try one of the following patterns:

Thirty-six 5-day weeks: This is a good choice if your children are already used to such a schedule from conventional school.

Forty-five 4-day weeks: This is a good choice if you have preschool children. One day per week may be left free for doctor appointments, catching up on the laundry, and snuggling with toddlers.

A year-round schedule: This is for families who want to take scheduled breaks throughout the year instead of one 2-month vacation in the summer. Your pattern could be three months of school, one month off, three times a year; OR nine weeks of school, one week off, four times a year. Year-round schools have the flexibility to work around family trips and vacations.

Determine a weekly and a daily schedule. Plan the subjects that you will work on daily or two times per week. For each day, plan a specific order of subjects (or time blocks) for devotions, academics, chores, reading aloud together or silent reading time, clean-up, snacks and meals, and library time.

Decide How to Handle Interruptions to your Schedule

Get an answering machine and use it to screen all telephone calls during school hours.

Sickness, either yours or the children's: school can still continue around Mom’s bed, if she desires, or children sick with a minor cold can still do a certain amount of work; just lighten the load that day.

Ministry opportunities: if a church family needs a meal taken over or Grandma needs some help with chores, decide to work together to accomplish what needs to be done and reschedule the schoolwork.

Handling housework and laundry: relax your expectations. Your house will be lived in twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week with a number of children and adults being creative! Teach your children how to help you with these two tasks as soon as they are old enough. Simplify meal planning as much as possible.

Plan to include your babies and toddlers in your school activities as much as possible. They are part of your home school, not obstacles to getting school done. You will be amazed at how much the younger ones will learn by just listening and being around your older children!

While some parents may fear a home schooled child would lack academic success, studies show otherwise.

Easing the Homeschooling Load

If taking your child out of a conventional school, keep a number of things in mind…

Easing the Load

Are you starting home schooling by taking your child out of a conventional school? Realize that this will require more adjustment time for both student and teacher. Allow three to nine months for this adjustment. You may need to focus on family, faith and character before hitting the academics. Establishing your authority as the parent-teacher, develop a good working relationship together, learn to be punctual when there are no bells that signal class changes, and find ways to include a younger child while you work with an older child.

Remember the freedoms you have that conventional school teachers do not have. Individualize the academics to meet your child's needs. The tutorial method of teaching is one of the factors making home schooling so successful!

You may need to ease slowly into a full schedule. Begin with a few subjects. When you think that you have these areas up and running, add a couple more.

Your child's joy for learning may have been quenched from conventional schooling. If so, determine to restore a love for life-long learning by modeling your own enthusiasm for what you are doing. Your enthusiasm will be contagious!

Your Child's Academic Level

For each subject area, decide if your child is on grade level, below grade level, or above grade level. You have the flexibility to design a curriculum that is individualized for your child. You have the flexibility to put your child in a second-grade reading book, a third-grade math book and a first-grade speller.

Much has been written and published determining what to cover at each academic grade level. The following are very general, but is a good overview of expectations:

Preschool

• Develop the character qualities of attentiveness, obedience, and discipline.
• Using 4" x 6" blank index cards, write down all activities that are available in your home for this child. For example, baking a cake with Mama, riding the tricycle, playing catch, singing songs together, taking a nature walk, drawing with chalk, playing in water at the sink, listening to story tapes. Choose five or six cards from the stack you have made. Allow your child to select and do the stated activity one at a time.
• Let your child be a child. Do not expect too much too soon. Explore and discover God's world through play and recreation.
• Read aloud together as much as possible.

Kindergarden

• Check your state compulsory attendance laws to determine if kindergarten is mandatory or voluntary.
• If your child is interested, begin a basic phonics program. Add some fun math.
• If your child is not interested, wait. Work on faith, character and exploring the world.
• Have your child work alongside you as much as possible.
• Read together­both fiction and non-fiction.

First Grade

• Emphasize faith and character.
• Incorporate language arts and math skills. Language arts include spelling, reading, writing, handwriting, alphabetical order and dictionary skills. Math skills involve computation, time, calendars, seasons, money and measurements.
• For science and history, use library books. Take advantage of exploratory field trips like going to the zoo or the park.
• Keep reading­both alone and together.

Elementary Grades (2nd through 5th grades)

• Begin devotional times of Bible reading and prayer.
• Continue individualized language arts and math studies.
• Emphasize science and history using library resources and unit studies. Study history chronologically and together as a family.
• It is not too early to start computer keyboarding skills.
• Read, read and read some more!

Junior High (7th and 8th grades) OR Middle School (6th through 8th grade)

• Encourage personal devotions and study.
• Take time to try to fill learning "gaps" (what your child should know but does not) or move ahead.
• Try not to overwhelm or under-challenge your child.
• Teach study skills and test-taking skills.
• Continue grammar and writing.
• Begin learning about high school record keeping.
• Continue reading alone and together.

Senior High (9th through 12th grades)

• Continue developing faith and character.
• Teach basic life skills: budgeting, writing checks, nutritional eating, changing the oil in the car and answering the telephone politely.
• Your student can help determine his or her own program and can handle more self-directed instruction.
• Add driver's education and work skills.
• Plan for college and/or career placement.
• If college-bound, plan to take the SAT and/or the ACT