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Advice for Families Considering Homeschooling Next Term
Many people have heard of homeschooling, but they do not realise how popular it is. When you think about it, this makes sense, since they may not meet many homeschooling families. But the fact is that homeschooling students in Australia are growing every year!
It may seem like there is a lot to know when you are considering starting homeschooling. There are curriculum choices to make as well as scheduling to think through. However, a lot of this work has already been figured out by thousands of people who have tested homeschooling out before. Read on to learn more about homeschooling and everything you should know before starting it!
Familiarise Yourself With Homeschooling Laws
One of the most important questions to ask when considering homeschooling is what you have to do to homeschool legally in your state, as laws differ from State to State.
In some places, you may need to prepare your education program before you register. This will greatly impact the choices you make when you decide how to provide your program. In other cases, some states allow you to register prior to providing your learning plans for the year ahead. The great news is that Euka can provide you with everything you need to make registration simple no matter which state you are in.
Don’t Worry About Imitating the School Experience
Mainstream school is designed the way it is for a lot of reasons. A lot of those reasons simply won’t apply to you if you are homeschooling.
At the end of the day, the homeschool experience can take inspiration from the mainstream school experience, taking the pieces you like, removing what you don’t, and adding the things you love. Feel free to get creative and think about the best ways to inspire and educate your children.
Get in Touch With People With Experience
A lot of the decisions that you were going to make about homeschooling are new. You have more information than anybody else about the nature of your own children. However, you may not be aware of all the different options that are available in homeschooling. For example, when homeschooling with Euka, you can choose to start at any Grade and Term or individualise the program by having extra subjects added for revision or extension.
Get in touch with the homeschooling community. You can do this in person as well as online. Online, you should spend some time posting questions about homeschooling and running your ideas past the community. Euka has a great online community which is not only helpful but also facilitates meet-ups between families.
The more feedback and advice you can get, the better. You do not necessarily need to follow the advice you receive. However, you do want to become aware of the incredible breadth of options available to you.
Do Create a Schedule
As we discussed before, not everything about school should be imitated. However, you do want to provide order and structure. A schedule is important if you want your kids to be able to learn.
Learning works best with a predictable schedule. Help your children to draw up a timetable that suits their needs. Knowing when your children learn best is a great start. Adding creative active learning after lunch can be a great way to finish your day.
Starting the day with English and Maths is often a great idea, while they are fresh and find quiet activities best. A timetable will encourage your kids as they know exactly when to start doing various tasks.
Do Create a Dedicated Learning Space
This is something else you should do when switching to homeschooling. Having a specific place and time for learning helps to distinguish between learning time and time spent on other things. These kinds of structural cues can encourage kids to focus on their learning.
With a dedicated learning space, you will find there is a natural desire for children to learn. In some cases, a specific workspace is not possible. In this case, have a special table cloth and materials that you use only for homeschooling time. It won’t take long for children to identify the set-up of the table with learning time. Homeschooling benefits include the opportunity to design structures that can do that work for you.
Pick an Education program that is adjustable
All students are different. Homeschooling allows you to move away from the one size fits all type of education. The Euka team is here to help you tailor the program to fit your child. It is not uncommon for a child to need some revision after leaving mainstream school, however, Euka can keep you moving forward while providing the revision needed. This is vital so that the child doesn’t lose confidence or enthusiasm. The same goes for the extension. Making sure the education is properly meeting the needs of the child is our specialty.
You also want to know that the Education program covers the full curriculum. Using one program to cover all subject areas, allows you to relax and focus on what is important. That also makes a huge difference when it comes time to register as the process is far simpler if the learning plans are already done for you. Euka provides your full-year learning plans already written and ready to send away for registration.
Your program should make reporting simple. If all subjects are included, as they are with Euka, then reporting is simple. Euka highlights specific lessons that you should keep aside to prove coverage of the curriculum. We also provide Parent Checklists to go with each work sample. Reporting has never been so simple.
Having an education program that also includes answers is a huge advantage. Let’s face it, in most cases, it has been some time since parents attacked Grade 9 Maths or Grade 7 Civics. Having a full answer booklet saves time and provides confidence.
The more personal experience you have with different kinds of curricula, the better you will be able to judge which one you should use for your children. We find when families enroll with Euka the support and freedom we provide, give them the tools to enjoy homeschooling for years to come.
Enjoy All of the Benefits of Starting Homeschooling the Right Way
We hope that you were able to find something helpful from this brief post on some of the most important things you should be looking at when you are deciding whether or not you should be starting homeschooling.
To learn more about the advantages of homeschooling and how to start doing it, feel free to reach out and get in touch with us here at any time!