How To Get Started Homeschooling
Need some help getting started? Homeschool coaches are available to meet with you in-person or on zoom. Contact editor@kshomeeducators.com to schedule a time.
Research Homeschooling
Join the KSHE Face Book group: (2) KSHE Kansas Homeschool Support Group | Facebook . This is a great forum to ask your questions and find out about the homeschool experience from different families who use different curricula, and do life differently.
Attend homeschool support group meetings.
Attend homeschool conventions, workshops, and how-to classes. (The annual Kansas Homeschool Expo is a great place to start!)
Purchase teaching workshop recordings from the Kansas Home Educators to gain information an insight before you start teaching. Available recordings here.
Investigate The Legalities
Each state has its own rules and regulations that affect homeschoolers. These rules range from states requiring annual notification, testing, and oversight, to states where homeschools operate as private schools and are thus virtually unregulated. It is essential that homeschooling families determine exactly what their state requires.
Kansas non-accredited private school information here.
Find current legal information for Kansas on the Home School Legal Defense Association website.
Enroll with Home School Legal Defense Association as soon as possible. (It’s not a requirement, but it’s a very good idea!)
Register your homeschool as a non-accredited private school with the Kansas State B.O.E..
If your child has attended school outside your home be sure to send a letter of withdrawal and request for records. It is best to send this certified mail or hand deliver to the school. Sample letter.
Curriculum Choices
It is good to evaluate how your student’s learning style and the parent’s style of teaching.
Types of curriculum:
Classical Education
Charlotte Mason
Textbook style learning
Unit studies
Interest-Initiated or Unschooling
The annual Kansas Homeschool Expo draws over 100 exhibitors from across the country with lots of curriculum to choose from. You can also email editor@kshomeeducators.com to speak with one of our volunteers who will answer your questions.
Plan The Paperwork
Once your curriculum decision has been made, the next step is to put that curriculum into action on a daily basis.
Set goals for completion of school work (e.g., which books, which chapters and pages, which special projects, etc.).
Establish a general schedule: a school year (which months and weeks), a school week (which days), a school day (which hours).
Create lesson plans that fit your school’s work completion goals into the schedule you have established. Please note that schedules and lesson plans are tools, not masters. If your schedule isn’t working out, change it. If an opportunity for a terrific field trip comes up that isn’t in the lesson plan, find an eraser and fix the lesson plan.
Determine what records your school needs, based on the homeschooling program you have established, and keep them current. For example, if your school uses a graded system, then a grade book is necessary. Other types of records to consider are: portfolios of student work, student journals, standardized test scores, attendance records, and medical/dental records.
Get Organized
Now that your homeschool program is ready, create an environment conducive to learning.
Prepare a place in your home to homeschool, with good lighting, seating, ventilation, storage space, etc.
Gather the necessary supplies to implement your homeschool program (paper, pencils, notebooks, art supplies, etc.).
Realign your family’s priorities. To be successful, homeschooling must be a priority! (Curb the phone, reduce other daytime activities, etc.)
Allocate chores and other family responsibilities so that everyone pitches in and mom isn’t overloaded.
What About Socialization?
In all the hubbub over curriculum, lesson plans, and registration, take care not to lose sight of the social element.
Become a member of KSHE and subscribe to the KSHE newsletter, The Advocate, to stay informed on news, upcoming events, and educational resources for your student.
Consider teaming up with other homeschoolers in your area, for co-op classes, team teaching, group activities, field trips, etc. You can find a list of co-op/support groups throughout Kansas on our website here.
Take care not to over-commit to extracurricular activities and sacrifice your school time.
Points To Remember!
Educate for excellence!
Be flexible. Don’t get locked into doing things only one way, especially since that one way might not work out.
Your family is unique, so your homeschool will also be unique. Don’t worry if your homeschool doesn’t look exactly like some other family’s homeschool. Your family will need to make its own decisions and find its own solutions.