Are you thinking about homeschooling your child(ren)? When our oldest child was old enough to start school, we did what everyone else we knew did, we sent her to public school. After 4 years, that did not seem to be working for her or our second child, and thus, our homeschool experience began. That was in the year 2000. Now, we are in 2009, and we are weeks away from graduating our oldest child from our homeschool.
I did a lot of reading over the years about homeschooling and the various methods of homeschooling. And I found a “fit” for our family. We love being together and being active. So we do a lot of projects together. It amazes me what our youngest children, who are 5 and 2, have picked up from their older siblings. I think it is referred to as “trickle down education.” It was how the younger children learned in the one-room schoolhouse, and it is how my children learn today.
How do you start homeschooling? First, research the homeschool laws in your state or province. Home School Legal Defense has made it easy for you to find out homeschool laws in all 50 states of the United States. It is legal to homeschool in all 50 states. But each one has its own laws governing homeschooling.
Next, you need to figure out your family’s mission statement and goals for education. This is essential in determining what curriculum to use in your homeschool. I would also recommend reading a book on the various methods of homeschooling. There is a book called, Homeschooling Methods. I sell it on my website, and it is a good synopsis of the various ways you can educate your children at home.
You have the rest of the spring and summer to do all of this, so start reading and researching! You care also welcome to leave your questions in the comments section of this post!