What do I need to do to start home schooling my children?

Question

I need to know what age I can start, can they start earlier than they can when they go to public school? Both of mine will be late starters in public school and I thought maybe I could go ahead and get my 3 year old started now (he will be 4 in October), he already knows his ABC's, he can count very well, he knows his colors and shapes, he knows how to dress himself, etc. I just want to keep them home and teach them values and morals that I don't believe children get these days in school! Also, my niece and nephew started getting s*x ed in Kindergarten, NO WAY do I want my son learning about stuff that early!! I don't think I had "family life" (this is what it was called when I was in school) until I was in 6th grade, I just don't think 4 and 5 year olds need to learn about that kind stuff. Do I need to call the school board, is there any online site where I can get free preschool ciriculum, do you recomend a certain ciriculum? I know I want to use a Christian Ciriculum.

Answer 1

If your three year old knows his ABC's, how to count, and his colors and shapes than guess what... you already HAVE begun to homeschool him.  The question is whether or not you will continue.

I say go for it!

At age 3 or 4, you won't have to notify anyone.  By the time he turns 5 you might have to depending on your state.  In my state we don't have to notify anyone until the child is 8, but that differs from state to state.  For some the compulsory attendence age 5, for some it is 6, for some it 7... and some states don't have a compulsory attendence law at all.  

For those states that do have one, you can still homeschool as long as you abide by the states laws about it.

To find out about the laws in your state, go to:

http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp  and click on your state.

Now, as for the curriculum, there are free things for preschoolers on-line.  

Here is a free curriculum that starts with letters and moves on through about second grade level reading, it is Christian based, and has some Bible stories and Bible based Rhymes and stuff:

http://www.letteroftheweek.com/index.htm...

I like to piece together a program from several different publishers, but for preschool I wouldn't bother buying much, there is plenty you can do with with basic art supplies and a simple outline of what you what you want him to learn.

You can find a typical preschool scope and sequence here:

http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students?cur...

Here are some other sites, some are Christian, and some are not, but I have found that even on the non-Christian ones, you can pick and choose, you don't have to use anyting you don't like.  Also some of these sites are free, and some are just companies that sell curriculum.

http://www.starfall.com  (Free learning site)

http://www.handwritingforkids.com (Free worksheets)

http://www.enchantedlearning.com (Free learning site with purchased membership)

http://www.abcteach.com  (free learning site with purchased membership.)

http://www.homeschooldiscount.com   (on line catalog)

http://www.sonlight.com (on line catalog)

http://www.abeka.com  (on line catalog)

http://www.homeschoolstockroom.com  (on line catalog)

http://www.rocksolidinc.com  (on-line catalog)

http://www.christianbook.com (on line catalog with homeschooling section)

http://www.earlychildhoodlinks.com (links to lots of sites)

http://www.kn.att.com (has some learning links)

http://www.first-school.ws  (free preschool stuff)

http://www.wxdude.com  (Meteorology studies)

http://about.com/education (information)

http://www.freeworksheets.com  (free worksheets after membership purchase)

http://teacher.scholastic.com  (some free worksheets and activities)

http://www.tlsbooks.com  (LOTS of free stuff-no membership required)

http://www.mathsisfun.com (free activities and games)

http://www.coolmath.com (free activities and games)

http://www.dltk-kids.com (Lots of ideas and activities)

http://www.auntlee.com (Free games and activities)

http://www.funbrain.com (Free games and activities)

http://www.brainpopjr.com (Games and activities, membership required)

http://www.iknowthat.com (Free activities, registration required, but no fee for registration)

http://kidsites.com (links to lots of sites)

http://www.eclectichomeschool.org (Online newsletter and catalog)

http://www.rainbowresource.com (Curriculum company, request their print catalog, you'll never see all they offer on the website unless you know what you are looking for)

http://www.donnayoung.org (Lots of free homeschool helps, links to some free software, educational fonts, schedules for popular curriculum, record keeping forms, etc.)

http://alphaphonics.com (On-line catalog)

http://www.triviumpursuit.com (mostly ideas and articles, with some resources)

http://themathworksheetsite.com (Math worksheets, membership fee required)

http://startwrite.com (Handwriting program for sale)

http://www.letteroftheweek.com/index.htm...  (Free curriculum for preschool to age 8)

Answer 2

For young children an activity and play based curriculum is by far the most successful as it caters to all of their developmental needs - it's naturally holistic and of course, the most fun, not only for the children but for you too!

I based our early homeschooling years on my daughter's kindergarten and playgroup experiences - we even set our living area up in the same way, with open shelves and toy baskets, an indoor 'growing area', access to the kitchen for making food and doing messy things, a 'junk' box for making things, a small painting easel and lots of books and puzzles and toys.

This worked exceptionally well. The only other thing we added was giving our children lots of our time. We played with them, made things with them, read to them, explored our back yard, the community and further afield with them, and taught them how to help us with the daily chores and everything that needed to be done each day. We included them in our lives as much as possible and got involved with their interests, supporting them by making sure they had what they needed (eg music, riding bikes, keeping pets, etc).

Homeschooling is easy when approached in this way. All you need to add is daily recording. Keeping records of what you and your children do each day is the easiest and fastest way to build confidence as home educator. It will show in an almost effortless way how much your child is learning week to week. I used to use different coloured highlighting pens to show activities that naturally involved maths, or science, or which had a large language learning component.

We added a few inexpensive student work books to our daily homeschooling lives and the children happily did a page or two in their spelling, grammar and maths books four or five days a week. We did projects on interesting subjects, which often took us out into the community on field trips to museums, recreation and conservation parks, the beach - anywhere and everywhere!

Until my children could read for themselves I read everything aloud to them - to give them the message that writing and reading was simply about communication - communicating information and ideas between people.

While you are doing all of the above with your children you can also research homeschooling on the internet - especially looking for support groups or organisations in your local region. These will be able to tell you about the legal requirements and regulations. Nothing beats talking to a few families who are homeschooling in your area to find your feet and feel reassured.

There are hundreds of thousands of pages about how to homeschool on the internet - it can be bewildering, even for seasoned homeschoolers. I've written a few articles on how to avoid feeling overwhelmed on my Homeschool Australia http://homeschoolaustralia.com/articlesi... site.  There are some really dedicated home educators on the internet keen to help you make your homeschooling journey the best it can be!

cheers

Beverley

http://homeschoolaustralia.com

Answer 3

3 is the perfect age to start. The best thing to do is to play games with him.

What state are you in? I ask because the laws are different from state to state. To find your easily go to http://www.hslda.org

I started my son with workbooks from Walmart to begin with. It cost us about $20.00. When he is ready for 1st grade I would start looking into a curricula . It really depends on how he learn as to what program would be best for him. There is always the option of unschooling as well. We use Sonlight and Math U See. Since you are homeschooling more than 1 Sonlight might be a great option. It looks like a lot upfront but you can use it for 2 years and you can use it for both kids. You don't say how old the other child is but if they are within a 2 or 3 year difference than you can use the curricula for both at the same time. It's pretty simple to do. For the younger one you can assign less work or work with him all day. For the older one you can beef it up a bit by assigning projects or whatever you can come up with.

I totally agree Kindergarten is WAY too young to introduce to children the things that should happen only between married couples. That job should be left to mom and dad until a certain age. My 10 year old hardly knows what happens behind closed doors. Why should my 5 year old?

Answer 4

I have been homeschooling since 2001.  I would suggest you look at HDLDA.org.  There is a section that is titled, "About homeschooling", it will most likely answer a lot of your questions.  Also, in the middle of the home page is a map of the US.  Click on your state and it take you to a page that is all about your state and what you need to know.

As for curriculum, there are a ton of Christian curriculums out there.  I've listed a few:

www.aop.com, http://saxonpublishers.harcourtachieve.c... http://www.bjupress.com abeka.com.

Answer 5

Make sure that your kid watches Sesame Street because it's educational. Go to a local preschool and ask what they are learning and how to get their ciriculum.

Answer 6

Here's some information on homeschooling preschool that contains plenty of free ideas and activities:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

For formal curriculum, you could try

Heart of Dakota http://www.heartofdakota.com

Rod and Staff ABC Series http://www.rodandstaffbooks.com

Five in A Row http://www.fiarhq.com

Sonlight http://www.sonlight.com

The following info will help you get started homeschooling once your children hit the age for compulsory attendance.  Here's a list of requirements different states use to make up their homeschool laws:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

You can find a summary of the laws for your state here:

http://www.hslda.org

The next step for you would be to find out your children's learning style.  Here is some information on learning styles:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

Here is some information on different homeschooling methods you could look into, along with links to sources of other info:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

I think it would also help you to join a local support group for information and support for you, and activities for your child.

Here's some info on homeschooling support:

http://www.successful-homeschooling.com/...

I think homeschooling will be great for your family.  Good luck!

Answer 7

you're doing a good job, homeschooling them already.  thisweb site:  www.letshomeschool.com  offers free online curriculuum and info about your state laws about contacting public school boards.  abeka is a great christian curriculuum, but it's not free.  it cost alot more 20 years ago when i was homeschooling, but adertise locally or check ebay for used texts.  also, research a local homeschooling group, they often will 'swap' books