There are many helpful online resources for families considering homeschooling. EveryGoodPath.net's homeschool focus is generally on families who are currently homeschooling and are looking for ideas and encouragement in the middle school and high school years. Rather than duplicate what other sites have done, we offer these links to sites and resources to help you begin considering if homeschooling is right for your family. The content at these links may change so we can't endorse them unreservedly, but they should help you start in the right direction.
We welcome you to contact us with your comments and questions.
Homeschool FAQ answers many of the basic questions.
Home School Enrichment magazine's "Getting Started" page
WhyHomeschool? blog's collection of articles for new homeschoolers
Well Trained Mind has active discussion boards geared to the Classical approach
Help-4-Your-Homeschool is a growing site with a variety of good ideas and encouraging articles for every aspect of homeschooling
HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) is the place for all things legal
THSC– information to get started, specific details on Texas law and removal from public schools
Our favorite book for an overview of parenting and home education issues is Home Educating with Confidence by Rick and Marilyn Boyer. Another great help is R.C. Sproul Jr.'s When You Rise Up. Good books specifically on education/curriculum issues are Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning by Douglas Wilson and The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise.
Remember, home schooling simply describes a natural parent-child relationship. Parents teach their kids from birth on. They joyfully learn colors, numbers, basic shapes, etc. sitting in our laps at age 2, 3, 4. Why interrupt this beautiful, natural, loving relationship simply because the child reaches age 5 or 6? It is an alien concept to consider that "it's best for the child" that such a little one should be sent away to an institution to a place where a paid professional will spend the best hours of the day with your child while you as parent miss out on this blessing. It's more natural and right to simply continue the "education" process you enjoyed with your 4 year old as they mature to age 5, 6, 10, or 15.
What we recommend as a good start
Begin with simple reading and counting when they are very young, add a little each year as the child grows, and they will simply thrive. Read to your children regularly. As they pick up an interest in the letters and words, you can start a specific reading curriculum. We use Sing, Spell, Read, and Write.
| Sing, Spell, Read & Write, Level 1 (Edition 2) By Pearson Learning A complete incentive based reading program. Includes music CDs, student workbooks, 17 graduated phonetic readers with a combined total of 960 pages, raceway chart and car, games, phonics place mat with dry erase surface, dry erase marker and eraser, treasure chest and prizes all packaged in a plastic bin. Add a 30 minute instruction video for the parents and complete teacher instructions to make a truly user friendly system. 2nd edition. Grade level 1, from International Learning Systems. |
All of our children have read well after successfully completing Sing, Spell, Read, and Write. As you teach reading, continue reading good books to your kids. We've used Sonlight from age 6 through age 11 or 12 and the kids love it. In fact, our 9th grader still enjoys sitting in on the daily read-aloud hour with the younger children.
Sonlight plus a simple math curriculum such as Horizon Math, combined with your reading program is all you need the first 2 or 3 years of homeschooling. After this, you'll be an experienced pro and can branch out into other types of curriculum as you see fit. It really is simple and inexpensive to teach your child when you start this way. Best of all, it is a blessing to both parent and child.
To further consider general education topics and home education and a learning lifestyle these are Books we enjoy and recommend for the new parent or beginning homeschooler: