How To Begin Homeschooling Oasis Family Bookstore: Homeschooling Made Easy(-er), complete secular homeschool curriculums with Step-By-Step instructions.

	How to Begin Homeschooling

Oasis Family Bookstore's Introduction to Homeschooling

To Begin:

1. First, realize that you, your family, and your child are unique.

Antal Balogh, doing his work at the dining room table.

You share space in a unique family and home, with a shared set of values. Each individual in the family comes with a unique personality (his or her nature). Given these unique characteristics, though, all parents have a desire to raise the best child possible, and all children have a curiosity about the world and a desire to learn about it. Your job is to provide the best environment in which to let your child's curiosity flourish and teach your child what you feel is important. Your home as a school provides the best place to teach your child about the world and instill a love of learning.

2. Decide who will be the primary homeschooling parent (the Principal).

This parent, usually the mom, will need to make the major decisions as to what and how to teach and how to run the household. The other parent (usually the dad/breadwinner) is the Assistant Principal, who provides the support and encouragement to the Principal. It is important that one person is in charge of running the school most of the time so that the home has the consistency and routine that children need.

3. Prepare yourself emotionally and physically for your job.

The main reason homeschooling fails is not because the students are doing poorly, it is because the Principal BURNS OUT. Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart or the undecided. It is, however, for those who are determined to raise the best children possible with their own efforts. In the beginning, it is a full time job with the task of having children around you 24/7 (with time off occasionally for parental quiet time). As a child gets older and more self sufficient, homeschooling becomes less full time for the parents. Our program teaches and fosters this healthy independence. It is possible to homeschool part time or as a single parent, but this is more for older children, with the help of creative scheduling. Homeschool chat rooms have lots to say about this and other topics (see, for example, www.vegsource.com).

For more information on preparing yourself for the task of homeschooling, read Taking Care of #1.

With experience (2 to 6 months of active homeschooling), you soon realize that this can be a lot of fun. Years later you will also realize that the children you have raised at home are quite different from school-raised children: they are more settled in their nature, they are more interesting, mature and independent. They cost less (the latest fads are not as important) and they help more around the home. They have also learned to teach themselves and others.

In short, almost as if by magic (and by the sweat of your brow) you will have raised a responsible, productive, well-rounded, educated and mature adult.

4. Be the best parent you can be.

This takes a lot of practice and the right tools. Relaxed, effective parenting can turn homeschooling into a real pleasure. Patience is the key, as well as "praising good behavior and stopping bad behavior" each and every time they occur. Read Parenting 101.

5. Prepare your home.

A relatively neat and organized home is an efficient home. It is also the basis for a well-run homeschool. "A place for everything and everything in its place" is our favorite motto. Read Prepare Your Home.

6. Prepare your children.

Your children are, after all, the reason you are homeschooling, so get them involved early on. Teach them the rules of the home, their responsibilities and rewards for a job well done and they will be willing participants. Read Prepare Your Child.

7. Get legal.

Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, thanks in large part to those pioneering homeschoolers of the past. Link to NHEN (National Home Education Network) at www.nhen.org to find out about the legal requirements in your state. In California, go to the Homeschool Association of California (HSC) website at www.hsc.org to fill out the State of California's Department of Education's Private School affidavit (the R-4). Register your homeschool as a Private School, make up a name for your little school and fill in the blanks. Then print the papers and sign at the bottom and mail to the address provided. It's free and you can register a new school any time. The official time to register your established school each year thereafter is October 1st to October 15th.

We highly recommend that you register yearly and make your school legal. That way the state, which has the responsibility for making sure that all of its citizens are educated, will be assured that your children are not excluded.

We also recommend that you use the Private School option because this way you start homeschooling the best way -- with mom and dad in charge.

8. Get connected.

It is hard to homeschool all by yourself. Go online and enter 'homeschool organizations' in your city and/or state. One of the most comprehensive sites for the United States is the National Home Education Network at www.nhen.org.

Every state has several homeschool organizations, as homeschooling is growing in popularity. It's much more fun if you can share your children with others and vice versa. It's also much more fun if you know that every homeschool family has similar challenges.

9. Get a curriculum and get started.

For many homeschoolers, this is the hardest part, as there are so many curriculums and so many books to choose from. This is what happened with our family in the beginning, and for many months we just did not know where to start. If you go online and look up 'homeschool curriculums' you will find a cornucopia of materials. There are many wonderful curriculums available, many more now than when we began homeschooling 12 years ago. But we found through trial and error that the best materials are the ones that encourage independent learning by the student, are well-written, fun to use, and teach the material well. This is the basis of our curriculums, from the experience of our family and like-minded homeschooling families across the country.

If you want to begin homeschooling with all the advantages of experienced homeschoolers, we suggest you begin with one of our complete curriculums. This way, even If you choose to add different books later, or change to a different curriculum, you will have begun your homeschooling journey with time-tested materials.

Once you get set up with your Oasis Family Bookstore complete curriculum, you know your child will get the best education possible, and you don't have to go any further than our store.

Good luck, and enjoy!

Oasis Family Bookstore: Beginning Homeschooling Made Easy(-er)!