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Preparing to Homeschool 2023
Whether a Homeschool newbie or a seasoned veteran, the start of a new educational year brings the opportunity to recalibrate, make some adjustments and add some exciting excursion planning to your calendar.
If you are totally new to Homeschooling you may be needing a touch more support as you take your first steps. The following article will help you plan as you ease into it.
You’ve decided to Homeschool. Now what? First of all, know that you are not alone. More families than ever are deciding to give Homeschooling a try. The good news is that even the least experienced of families can have a wonderful start to the Homeschool adventure thanks to the plethora of easily accessible Euka resources available.
Homeschooling has become a popular choice for families all across the country. It’s an educational model that is even being chosen by families with two working parents as the level of support and simple to follow Euka program has made it so much more possible for families of all kinds.
Homeschool, like mainstream schools, is based on a year period of time for planning and assessment purposes; progress through a student’s education is measured by grade level. There some decisions you need to make, in order to prepare for a school year; some of this planning has to be done only once or periodically, while parts of the planning are done annually or more frequently. The major tasks involved in preparing to homeschool are in the following table.
| Task | When to Do It |
|---|---|
| Assess each student’s education level | Before each school year – to enrol into the correct Grade with Euka – Remember we are all about individualisation. If you find your child needs a higher or lower level in specific subjects, we can do that for you. We can also make changes as you start. Sometimes you can only know what you need, after you begin. |
| Determine each student’s personality and learning style | Before you start homeschooling, depending on the child’s age – this will be part of the registration process. Euka provides a variety of educational activities in the lessons so you can pick and choose the best activities for your child’s learning style. |
| Look over the curriculum for each topic | 1 – 2 months before each school year – look through the Euka Parent Planner to see what topics are being taught. |
| Identify excursions to support your curricula | 1 month before each school year or as possible during the year |
| Identify activities to support your curricula | 1 -2 months before each school year or as possible during the year. Connect to other families to plan subject activities together – feel free to post a shout out on the Euka Facebook group to find others in your area. |
| Identify outside Homeschooling groups to join. | 1 -2 months before each school year – do some searching online and ask others to identify Homeschooling groups in your area. They generally have art, and PE activities you can join, each week. |
| Obtain and prepare Euka materials for the upcoming year | 1-3 months before each school year – When you enrol, download the activity sheets and print if you choose. |
| Prepare a learning space | 1-3 months before you start Homeschooling – having your activity sheets, and stationary materials ready brings excitement. |
| Order your Novels | 2-3 months before each school year. You will find it far easier to begin each term if you have already ordered the 4 novels for the year. Remember we can provide “Choose your own” novel activities if a novel is not a great fit for your child. |
| Enrol as a Homeschooler | 3-4 months before you start Homeschooling. There are times where situations do not allow you to enrol months before you need to. The Department of Education will take that into account. In most cases, the sooner you enrol the better. It can take longer during busy periods, like Jan/Feb, but as mentioned, there are always situations where time is not on your side and options are available to handle that. |
A School Year By Any Other Name
Although Homeschool is like “mainstream” school in that it is based on a school year, the definition of a year is really up to you. You can define what a school year looks like based on your personal preferences, such as the schedule you like to keep, holiday plans, and so on. As long as you meet your State’s legal requirement regarding the program, how you schedule those days is up to you. Here are some options you can consider:
- A traditional school year. Homeschoolers who use this model keep to a traditional school year that starts in late January or early February and ends in late December. They generally follow the four term dates in their own State.
- Year-round school. Some Homeschoolers use this approach, too. Instead of taking a large break during December/January, several longer breaks are taken throughout the year and school continues throughout the year.
- Hybrid approach. Some homeschoolers take longer breaks during the year and include a shortened summer break, which is still longer than all the other breaks during the year.
One of the great things about Homeschooling is that you can choose the schedule that best meets your family’s needs. You can literally design your schedule the way you want it to be.
Tip: Speaking of breaks, another advantage of Homeschooling is that you can easily plan family holidays at off-peak times for lower costs and fewer crowds. For example, you might take your holiday when most schools have started. You will be amazed at how much less such holidays cost and how much more fun they are because everything is less crowded.
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