Believe it or not, there is a huge difference between homeschooling your child and doing school at home. We started this school year out doing school at home. Let me explain what that is. This is where you attend public school online at home. We went through a program called K12. They created the curriculum, sent all materials needed for the school year, and also provided a teacher that you can always communicate with when you had a question. It was a good program, but our son was struggling because the years of him being pushed through public school have taken a huge toll on his eduction. We decided that this program was not going to work for him.
My husband and I sat down and weighed out all of our options, what it would look like to homeschool our children, and if we thought that we would be able to do it. We decided that it was what was best for the kids that mattered. I immediately got online and started Googling everything and anything I could think of to help us figure out where to start.
So what is the difference between homeschool and school at home? Here it is: You must do everything, including planning the day, choosing curriculum, providing the materials, and you have no teacher support. We seriously contemplated buying the expensive curriculums that many places offer. In the end, we decided we were going to make our own curriculum so that we could tailor it to fit our son, since he struggles in some classes more than others. We found used textbooks online through and website called Alibri’s. www.alibris.com We also got on Ebay and found workbooks that we are using for math and language. As for our math manipulatives, we make most of them out of everyday items we have laying around the house. I used this website for inspiration. http://heartofthematteronline.com/15-homemade-math-manipulatives-2/. I also use Pinterest for alot of creative ideas to use for teaching tools.
It is absolutely amazing how much help you can find online. I think what helped me the most was finding other parents’ blogs. They share a lot of experiences and can tell you some things to avoid, some things that work, etc. So before you throw in the towel or feel extremely overwhelmed, hop on the internet and use Google. You will be surprised at how many other parents have the same questions and problems you do, and how many other parents have the answers you are looking for.
SC Homeschool Mama 