A Successful Start { Back to school.....Homeschool style}

As many other Parents we choose to homeschool for a number of reasons, but it was primarily because of a mismatch between our child’s needs and the school’s mandated curriculum. However, simply knowing something isn’t working doesn’t automatically mean knowing what will. It was hard at first finding where we wanted to start and what we would use to be our gauge .

Finding the best curriculum for each of our children's individual needs was very confusing at first. Here are three tips that we used to help us wade through the dizzying array of choices. I pray that this might aid other parents as well.

1) Find a Community:

Thanks to rise in home-school families across the country, there are many wonderful communities of homeschool groups that will offer help, support and trusted resources. A great place to begin is homeschool.com. They showcase a wide variety of curriculum choices, as well as product reviews. You’ll have the opportunity to find out what other activities home-school families enjoy, and helpful tips on handling those not-so-wonderful school days that will come no matter what.

Communities also provide a platform for purchasing power. Seek out the nationally prompted, Homeschool Buyers Co-op offers group buys, deeply discounting accredited homeschool products, you can also print homeschool ID cards.

2. Keep It Simple:
   Even experienced homeschool parents understand it can be very intimidating to teach a not-too-familiar subject. (Or one that your not that good at) . To save both time and dignity, look for content and lesson plans made easy for parents to understand quickly. Ease-of-use is essential! Community sites such as The Homeschool Mom have helpful reviews and testimonials to help find a “best fit” lesson plan. Then there is sites like All in one homeschooling that offer a full curriculum for all grades.

3) Be Flexible:

One major benefit of homeschooling is the ability to easily individualize instruction. A child may be ahead in science and math, but grade-level in English, requiring flexibility in curriculum choices. A trusted resource is Time 4 Learning. They offer comprehensive online content with a multigrade approach. For one subscription price, students have access to grades both one level ahead and one below, allowing flexibility in pace.

Extra : Value Creativity:

The arts have been sidelined by the Common Core standards and in most public schools have totally fazed out the arts. Art and creativity is an essential tools for all children and both side brain development. So be sure to include art and music, as well as the so-called “core subjects” in your school days.

Most importantly, don't forget to have fun. Being a home-school parent is a tough job, but the rewards are tremendous and pay off ten fold.