Homeschool Discounts

Well, it's Thursday. Time for some more how to homeschool information. It's getting close to the time when public schools will be getting back in session. That means school supply sales are approaching. Who doesn't like to save money? Nobody? I thought so. Anyway as homeschoolers we always take advantage of back to school sales on school supplies. You can find crayons, pencils, paper, folders, glue, erasers, scissors, calculators and anything else you might need at really cheap prices. The stores around here (Indy) have got all their supplies out and ready. Stocking up now when it's all plentiful and cheap usually means we don't have to buy any more of it for the whole school year.

In addition to school supply sales, homeschoolers can take advantage of teacher discounts at lots of bookstores and office supply stores. Barnes and Noble, Borders, Staples and lots more offer discounts for teachers including homeschool teachers. You may have to have proof that you are a homeschooler. Here is a great list of places to look for discounts.
We always have fun getting our school stuff for the year. It's even more fun for me when it's discounted. I hope you all have fun getting ready for school too.

How To Get Started Homeschooling

This Thursday's post on beginning homeschooling focuses on the cost of homeschooling, curriculum concerns and homeschool methods, and record keeping.



The cost of homeschooling is dependant on the curriculum and materials you choose and the activities you take part in. You could spend a few thousand dollars a year to homeschool, if you choose a fancy curriculum with all the bells and whistles. On the other hand, you could put together a curriculum with local library materials and a few purchased items for a very inexpensive school year. A lot of homeschoolers go for somewhere in between.
The kind of curriculum you choose will be determined by how much you can or want to spend and also the method that you choose. That's right, there are several homeschool methods to choose from. New homeschoolers may try out a few before finding one that's comfortable. Take a look here at some of the methods used. http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/methods/Methods.htm

I recommend doing an internet or library search on these different methods of homeschooling.

Some new homeschoolers have gone out and purchased an expensive packaged curriculum and found out that it didn't really fit. Just because one is more expensive doesn't mean it will be better for your homeschool. In another post I will look at some curriculum choices by subject.

Record keeping will be something that has to be done. You will want to keep an attendance record. What records you need to keep will depend partly on your state regulations. Here are some things you will need to record...



What you have done- Keeps track of progress and is a precautionary measure in case there are any questions or complications.

Some sort of records will be needed to document the student’s work and for placement purposes should you ever need to put your child back into a group classroom situation.

As the homeschooling parent, you are responsible for keeping adequate records. You should keep a listing of the curriculum you use.You will want to keep a record of the activities done each week; this can be in the form of daily or weekly lesson plans or a journal.
Keep all tests, projects, and lab reports. Most families keep a portfolio that contains a sampling of the student’s work, including writing assignments. A simple way to collect this information is to have a file drawer, file crate, or file box for each student, with a folder for each subject.
Most families have a way to keep track of progress (grading system), whether with formal grades or informal evaluations of goals and objectives.

You can get record keeping materials at teacher supply stores or find them on the internet to be printed. I would recommend a purchased lesson plan book to keep track of what you've done.

Here are some more links to help you. There are lots of topics on these links. Spend some time exploring them.

http://www.homeschoolingresourcecenter.org/pages/HRC-GettingStarted.php#Record-Keeping

http://donnayoung.org/index.htm

http://www.homeschoolingonashoestring.com/index.html

How to Get Started Homeschooling

Lately I have had a few people ask me how to go about starting to homeschool. So I decided to devote my Thursday blog posts to homeschooling information for beginning or even pre beginning homeschoolers. For the parent contemplating it, it can be a little unnerving. It doesn't have to be. Arm yourself with the right information and you'll be an old pro in no time.
The first thing you need to do is find out the laws and requirements for homeschooling in your state. Here is a link to the Indiana Department of Education. It has requirements for Indiana homeschooling. Another site for Indiana is here. For those of you in different states look here for your state. Also look at this link http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp and find your state then click the Legal Analysis link.
The next thing is to read, then read and then read some more. Look at your local library. There are lots of books on homeschooling.

• Homeschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith
• First Year of Homeschooling Your Child by Linda Dobson
• The Homeschooling Book of Answers : The 88 Most Important Questions Answered by Homeschooling's Most Respected Voices by Linda Dobson

There are many more books on the subject, just have a look around the library or book store. I will leave you with a couple more links to check out. http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/regional/Indiana.htm
http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/articles/083198.htm

There is a lot of information in all of these links. Read through it to get an idea of the legalities and homeschooling basics. Next Thursday I will be posting about the cost of homeschooling, general curriculum concerns and record keeping.