First, the excitement
I was ecstatic when my husband and I agreed to homeschool our kids. There were so many questions, and like you, we began researching, asking questions, and trying to learn where to start... But with time, patience, and a few typing skills, I managed to get the information together and signed our intent forms. Yes! We were registered as an official Homeschool Family. But, that was the easy part.
Then, the Fear
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There are no words to describe the fear I felt when I began looking for curricula!
Rainbow Resources, Apologia, Saxon, and on and on and on. I was flying through a whirlwind and had nothing solid in which to grab hold. That is when I learned that in Arkansas, you do not have to use specific curricula. And that is when the real fun began. I researched which states have the higher academic marks in reading, math and science. And I went from there. I gathered online PDF of one- and two-year-old texts that public schools were using, from the corresponding states with high marks. I found free pdf versions of student workbooks (and if I was lucky - a teachers edition)! I began building our own curricula and I couldn't be more impressed with the results. However, The tricky part was learning how to organize for each grade. When we started, I was teaching my children who were in the 10th, 7th, 3rd and 2nd. I learned quickly to hold on to anything I found online by putting it in a digital file to be used later. Thus, the insane run of blogs for freebies became my new (healthy) addiction... Better than Netflix, right? We opted to use all the resources we could find and apply them when necessary, but our main source is EasyPeasy All-in-One Homeschool! |
"There were no words to describe the fear I felt when I began looking for curricula!" |
Our steps, starting at 1
1. I researched the laws for Arkansas homeschool families. After I was comfortable that I understood those laws, I began researching how to register as a homeschool family.
2. I contacted our local public school district superintendent to find out where to register.
3. I completed the Arkansas Homeschool Intent and Waiver form and submitted it online.
4. I received a confirmation e-mail stating the ADHE had received our intent. We were officially registered as a homeschool family.
5. I started bargain shopping for homeschool supplies, such as storage bins, file crates/folders/hangers, dry erase boards, cork boards, desktops, laptops, tablets, Chromebooks, desks, chairs, etc.
6. Of course, we had to upgrade our internet package because I knew we would be utilizing the web a LOT! We also had to increase our wireless bandwidth, so we had to upgrade our wireless router as well.
7. I then began thinking about curricula. There are an insurmountable number of curriculum providers out there... but I chose to make our own. You should take some time to evaluate whether you have the time to devote to this, or if purchasing a pre-made curriculum would be the best option for your family. For ours, money is an important factor in our efforts to provide a great education for our children, and inversely, we do live on a fixed income. Making our curricula was not only wanted but required.
8. Then I started thinking about how I wanted our day to operate. I asked myself the following questions:
My answers to these questions were important in strategically aligning how I would teach each of the kids since they were in different grades.
9. I found a calendar online that is academically aligned and began scheduling blocks of days in which I knew we did not want to have class. Then I marked the days we would "tentatively" have holiday breaks, such as Thanksgiving Break and Christmas. Then I listed several dates that I would try to schedule field trips for, which would count as out-of-class learning. Then I scheduled our "unschooling" weeks (typically 2 a year). Then I scheduled the two weeks where we would use Netflix for learning. We call it Netflix Learning, but we use more apps than just Netflix. We love our Roku!
10. I began gathering materials for the unit studies I wanted the kids to study. This year, for instance, we are learning about different countries around the world, Native American History, the poetic writing of Hemingway, and toward the end of the school year, a trip to our local Police Department. There is a plethora of online Unit Studies, so feel free to find the ones your children are interested in.
11. Then I marked any important civic get-togethers, such as the Annual Pow-Wow (which also ties into our Native American History unit study), reading programs at the library, and other events.
12. Then I marked the days we would typically be in class. Since the average public school calendar is 180 days, and because the kids are bored by the second week of summer vacation, we go for three semesters at 72 days each, for a total of 216 school days. This allows for us to have a pleasant two-week spring break, and a nice, but not too long summer vacation.
13. I began searching online for additional links that would help the kids learn interactively. Xtramath.com, readtheory.org, spellingcity.com, and skoolbo.com are excellent supplemental learning sites. I receive no compensation for listing them and they DO WORK!
15. Then, we started school!
Some important things you might want to know about.
1. Arkansas does not require a specific type of curriculum for your homeschool. You can purchase curricula, or you can make your own.
2. You do not need to wait for approval to homeschool. Simply submit your intent prior to August 15th for the school year, or the two weeks during christmas break for the second semester.
3. Arkansas no longer requires benchmark tests.
4. You do not need to submit any work to ADHE. I do recommend, however, that you keep some sort of record of your childs progress. This will help you when you begin keeping their transcript. This is a must if your child is considering college after high school.
5. You can purchase a diploma, or you can make one. You can also contact the Homeschool Alliance and they will create one for your.
6. You are not required to become a member of HSLDA, however, they are there, for a fee, should you require their services.
7. The internet contains a vast array of sources, materials, and curricula at little to no cost - but you will need to devote time to finding it.
8. Homeschooling doesn't cost anything, except what you put into it. I began homeschooling on less than $80.00. Over the years, I have invested small amounts. Our homeschool is now well over that, but the cost has not burdened us in the least. Most of our curricula is found online, or I create it myself. What supplies I do buy, I grab at Dollar Tree, the local library, yard/garage sales, and friends and family.
9. You can make a lesson out of nearly anything.
10. YOU are the teacher! This is the most rewarding role next to parenting! You win double!
For additional information, check out my blog and vlog!
2. I contacted our local public school district superintendent to find out where to register.
3. I completed the Arkansas Homeschool Intent and Waiver form and submitted it online.
4. I received a confirmation e-mail stating the ADHE had received our intent. We were officially registered as a homeschool family.
5. I started bargain shopping for homeschool supplies, such as storage bins, file crates/folders/hangers, dry erase boards, cork boards, desktops, laptops, tablets, Chromebooks, desks, chairs, etc.
6. Of course, we had to upgrade our internet package because I knew we would be utilizing the web a LOT! We also had to increase our wireless bandwidth, so we had to upgrade our wireless router as well.
7. I then began thinking about curricula. There are an insurmountable number of curriculum providers out there... but I chose to make our own. You should take some time to evaluate whether you have the time to devote to this, or if purchasing a pre-made curriculum would be the best option for your family. For ours, money is an important factor in our efforts to provide a great education for our children, and inversely, we do live on a fixed income. Making our curricula was not only wanted but required.
8. Then I started thinking about how I wanted our day to operate. I asked myself the following questions:
- Did I want the traditional school times?
- Did I want to include traditional extracurricular activities, i.e., PE, Art, Music, etc.?
- Did I want to incorporate various scheduled field trips to align with our Unit Studies?
- Did I want the children to be active in the community?
- Did I want to schedule small breaks throughout our day?
- Did I want the children to have smaller holiday and winter breaks to allow for an extended spring break?
- How would I handle the household chores alongside the school work?
- Could I really do this?
My answers to these questions were important in strategically aligning how I would teach each of the kids since they were in different grades.
9. I found a calendar online that is academically aligned and began scheduling blocks of days in which I knew we did not want to have class. Then I marked the days we would "tentatively" have holiday breaks, such as Thanksgiving Break and Christmas. Then I listed several dates that I would try to schedule field trips for, which would count as out-of-class learning. Then I scheduled our "unschooling" weeks (typically 2 a year). Then I scheduled the two weeks where we would use Netflix for learning. We call it Netflix Learning, but we use more apps than just Netflix. We love our Roku!
10. I began gathering materials for the unit studies I wanted the kids to study. This year, for instance, we are learning about different countries around the world, Native American History, the poetic writing of Hemingway, and toward the end of the school year, a trip to our local Police Department. There is a plethora of online Unit Studies, so feel free to find the ones your children are interested in.
11. Then I marked any important civic get-togethers, such as the Annual Pow-Wow (which also ties into our Native American History unit study), reading programs at the library, and other events.
12. Then I marked the days we would typically be in class. Since the average public school calendar is 180 days, and because the kids are bored by the second week of summer vacation, we go for three semesters at 72 days each, for a total of 216 school days. This allows for us to have a pleasant two-week spring break, and a nice, but not too long summer vacation.
13. I began searching online for additional links that would help the kids learn interactively. Xtramath.com, readtheory.org, spellingcity.com, and skoolbo.com are excellent supplemental learning sites. I receive no compensation for listing them and they DO WORK!
- For example, KW, my youngest son, was really behind in reading. Public school officials continued to pass him, even though he was not reading at grade level. When we started homeschooling, he was reading at kindergarten levels and was in the second grade. With the help of readtheory.org, he is now reading at his third-grade level! In less than 12 months, his reading increased 200% -- and that is a win for him and for me!
- As another example, my middle son KD was having an extremely difficult time learning his multiplication facts. With xtramath.org, he learned all of the facts in less than 7 weeks, and can answer them in less than 6 seconds.
- The best part -- all the sites I've listed are completely free!
15. Then, we started school!
Some important things you might want to know about.
1. Arkansas does not require a specific type of curriculum for your homeschool. You can purchase curricula, or you can make your own.
2. You do not need to wait for approval to homeschool. Simply submit your intent prior to August 15th for the school year, or the two weeks during christmas break for the second semester.
3. Arkansas no longer requires benchmark tests.
4. You do not need to submit any work to ADHE. I do recommend, however, that you keep some sort of record of your childs progress. This will help you when you begin keeping their transcript. This is a must if your child is considering college after high school.
5. You can purchase a diploma, or you can make one. You can also contact the Homeschool Alliance and they will create one for your.
6. You are not required to become a member of HSLDA, however, they are there, for a fee, should you require their services.
7. The internet contains a vast array of sources, materials, and curricula at little to no cost - but you will need to devote time to finding it.
8. Homeschooling doesn't cost anything, except what you put into it. I began homeschooling on less than $80.00. Over the years, I have invested small amounts. Our homeschool is now well over that, but the cost has not burdened us in the least. Most of our curricula is found online, or I create it myself. What supplies I do buy, I grab at Dollar Tree, the local library, yard/garage sales, and friends and family.
9. You can make a lesson out of nearly anything.
10. YOU are the teacher! This is the most rewarding role next to parenting! You win double!
For additional information, check out my blog and vlog!
