Starting Homeschooling-Step Seven: Organized Homeschool
Jul 28th, 2008 | By Jessica Parnell | Category: New to HomeschoolingWhat next?
My next piece of advice is essential for an organized and relaxed homeschool program:
Be sure to set aside a specific area in your home for homeschooling.
This does not mean that all learning and teaching must take place in that room or area; however, it does mean that each child has their own area to store books, to keep their school supplies, and to go to for more information.
This area could be:
Establishing this specific area before you begin homeschooling, allows you to start off the year right–organized and ready to go. Your child knows where he or she will find supplies and books and has a place to spread out those books as the learning takes place.
When we started, our homeschool area was our dining room table–the kid’s books went into a dresser that we had placed in the dining room. By the end of that first year, we had purchased inexpensive desks for each child, a set of plastic drawers to store their school supplies and books, and posted a bulletin board above each desk for them to post their projects and schedules.
Do they always do their homeschooling at their desk? NO.
On many occasions throughout each year, we can be found spread out in the dining room, laying on the living room rug, snuggled in my bed, or outside on the porch reading, writing, discussing or working in the curriculum.
But the kids got into the habit early on of putting their materials away in their desk every day. This eliminates the need to go searching for things each day and gives them a sense of ownership and responsibility.
So, before your year begins, I strongly recommend that you find a space in your home that is reserved only for your homeschool materials.
I guarantee you will not regret it!
Go directly to New to Homeschooling Step Eight-Commit to the Homeschool Lifestyle
Additional homeschooling posts:
New to Homeschooling-Ten Steps to Success
This is step one in a ten part series on the ten steps to starting homeschooling.
Starting Homeschooling Step Four-Know Your Child
Does your child love to get dirty and explore the world around him?
Is she a child who loves to sit down and listen as you read a story?
Is he an analytical thinker, who tends to question what is happening around him?
Is she one who can connect events and experiences to lessons in life?
Does he seem to thrive when able to create with his hands?
Does she naturally "get it" the first time she hears it?
These kinds of questions can help to define the best kind of learning approach for your child.
