Information Overload!

New homeschoolers used to start in a panic because it was so hard to get information. When I began in 1992, the library had two outdated and useless books. I had met only one homeschooler in my entire life and I didn't want to do it the way she did. I had no idea how to find out what to do.

Today, the typical new homeschooler heads for the Internet and the library and comes away with so much information, so many ways to homeschool, that she is often overwhelmed.

There are many ways to homeschool and most of them can be right, so the first step is to forget the information and begin with yourself and your home. Somewhere in all that information you probably found the laws that regulate homeschoolers in your state. Look those over carefully and decide what you have to do because the law requires it. Obeying the laws is important for your protection. Once you have decided what you are required to do, the rest is up to you.

Curriculum?

First you have to decide whether or not you want to buy a curriculum. If the laws are strict in your state, if you have an extremely reluctant spouse, or if you feel very uneducated or insecure, you may want to start with a purchased curriculum. If you decide to build your own curriculum, you will need to organize all the material you found

Look at all the material you gathered during your research. Which books and websites caught your attention? Which do you tend to agree with? Which make you feel supported and comfortable? Not all materials available will appeal to your personal style, so get rid of the ones you don't feel good about. Trust your instincts.

Now gather the ones you like. Your pile should be smaller. Jot down any ideas that especially appeal to you. Don't agonize over it. You can change your mind later. Every year, we homeschooled a little differently as I tested new ways of homeschooling my guinea pigs....um....kids.

If you are going to have a strict or fairly strict curriculum, you can simply begin subject by subject. Choose a subject. Then decide what you are going to teach in that subject-just the general category. For instance, you decide to teach history this year. Well, you can't teach all of history in one year, or you won't have anything to teach next year. You decide to teach American history. You're off to a good start, but that's still too big. Maybe you will narrow it down to Pre-Columbus up through the Revolutionary War. Okay, you can probably teach that in one year.

What's Appropriate?

Now look through your hundreds of materials and choose out the ones that are about the time period you are covering. Which of these are appropriate for your children? Which do you like? Which ones spark your imagination? These are the ones you will use. Put them in an order that makes sense and start teaching. As you get more used to doing this, you can make changes and get a little more creative. At the beginning, though, you may want to keep it simple. (Your don't have to though). If you like fancy plans, make them. Choose the method that makes you feel at home.

Suppose you are planning the history class we discussed earlier. You will be beginning with Native America culture. Go to the library and find out what they have. Choose some books to use as your foundation.

Since you are a beginner, you will find it easier to read books at first. You might ask the librarian to help you find books of crafts, foods and culture to make the lessons more fun. Look around your city to see if there are any field trips that apply and try to do one of those every few weeks.

You might even try to find some music and videos. Now take the list you have made and put them in order. Vary reading books, listening to music, doing projects and so forth.

You might want teach your children to write a report and give them one or two days a week to research on their own. When you have your list, divide it up so that it lasts as long as you want to do Native American History. You will get off schedule sometimes, but you want to stay roughly where you should be, or else you should look ahead and find things to cut out later. In a subject like history, though, if the children get really excited, just do the rest next year. The second year we homeschooled, we did the Middle Ages. We intended to do the Renaissance as well, but we got so involved that I decided to wait until the following year to do the Renaissance, which was exciting enough to fill a whole year all by itself.

You can't do everything, so be selective. Choose based on who you are, who your children are and what the laws of your state are. If you have things left over, save them or get rid of them. It's your choice.

There are many ways to homeschool and most of them are right.
 

Discuss curriculum here on the Treasured Time Forum