Secular Homeschool Info

So, you’ve done your homework and you know you want to home school. What’s the next step?

Curriculum

First, you have a few decisions to make. What kind of curriculum do you want for your child?

Do you want a lot of structure – an accredited Internet-based or correspondence school program that maintains transcripts of your child’s academic record?

Or do you feel that structure is one of the things you are trying to get away from by homeschooling? Many homeschoolers feel that way.

Setting Goals

You need to determine the reasons you want to start homeschooling your child. Some like the freedom offered by not being tied to a rigid schedule or routine, the freedom to be spontaneous.

Don’t, however, confuse spontaneous with unplanned. You need to set and achieve basic goals in your homeschooling.

The best way to do this is to outline a teaching plan for your homeschooled child, but you also need to be flexible.

Setting Up Shop

After determining your goals and the level of structure you want, you are ready to start gathering your teaching tools: textbooks, reference books, educational software and videos, school supplies, etc.

These do not have to be expensive.

Used textbooks can be found on Amazon.com, Abesbooks.com and a plethora of other bookseller sites on the Internet. You might also try eBay.com or CraigsList.com.

There are usually “For Sale or Trade” sections on the homeschooling forums on the Internet.

In an upcoming article, I will supply some good Internet sites and other resources available to homeschoolers, many of them sponsored by others who home school their children.

Be “at Home” with Your Homeschooling

Do you want to designate a specific room or area in your home as a classroom? That’s fine. Some, however, prefer their child to home school in a more casual atmosphere, feeling that as long as their child is learning, the “where” does not really matter.

That freedom is just one of the many plusses of schooling at home.

Your child can curl up in an easy chair to read; draw, paint or create masterful works of art on the dining room table; or conduct science experiments at the kitchen island.

Are they having fun? If so, you have accomplished your number one goal: You’re children enjoy learning.

Resources

Use local resources for your secular homeschooling – the public library, of course, and your local museums and parks, municipal recreational complexes or the YMCA, historic sites, a science center if you are fortunate enough to have one in your area. Use your own backyard as a resource.

You can combine gardening with a biology lesson, discussing the anatomy of an earthworm or the benefits of ladybugs or birds to your garden.

Make a common trip to the grocery store a lesson in economics, comparison shopping, or the health benefits of certain foods.

Be Willing to Learn Along with Your Child

Homeschooling is a learning experience not only for your children, but for YOU, the parent. It’s a Learn-As-You-Go opportunity to give your child the best of yourself.

Start homeschooling now and see if you don’t agree it’s the most rewarding experience you’ve ever had.

Just relax and enjoy it. And check back for my next installment: Secular Homeschooling Resources.