How To Home School Successfully

How to Homeschool
Successfully
by
BrandenburgStudies
Dawn Adams (order #255068) 2

Whether you are a veteran homeschool parent for several years, or just getting your
“feetwet”, welcome to the greatest adventure you and your child(ren) will have.
Whoever said that “stayathome” Moms were brainless, certainly never stayed at home;
and if anyone thought we were “unfulfilled”, they just didn't know us. Homeschooling
challenges you beyond what you thought you could do. But it also rewards you more
than you dared to hope for. Let's look at the results:
*children who are actually polite and respectful
*children who are selfconfident and able to converse with any age
*children who are independent studiers
*children who can actually read and write!
*children who excel academically
The list could go on and on, but you get the idea; that whatever difficulties are required
to do the homeschooling, you will be abundantly blessed. And please don't listen to the
“naysayers” who say that your child will be socially deprived; that s/he will have no
friends; that they will not be able to get into college. As a homeschooling mother of 7 (2
currently in college; 3 graduated from college (and of those 3—2 went on to graduate
school), all that “talk” is a bunch of bunk!
So pull up a chair, grab a cup of tea or coffee and let's get started!
BrandenburgStudies
www.freewebs.com/brandenburgstudies/

First Things First
You have heard about “homeschooling”; you might even have some friends that are
homeschooling their child(ren). And you are wondering”can I do this? Is this the best
thing for my child? How will I know what to do? Are there standards for each grade
level?” As you ponder these questions and more—the most important aspect of success
in this or any venture is—to pray.
The first things to consider as you are praying about homeschooling your child are:
What is your relationship to your child right now?
If your child is outofcontrol or doesn't listen to your authority, homeschooling
will only accentuate that. If you are thinking—my son (or daughter) won't obey me as a
teacher—you just don't have a problem with homeschooling—you have a PROBLEM!
This needs to be addressed, whether you homeschool or not. Because while your child is
young—his/her tantrums and rebellions are “small”. But as your child gets older and
more independent—the possibilities of rebellion are so much greater (and your ability to
lovingly bring your child under authority becomes less and less.) Proverbs states: “A
child left to himself will bring his mother to shame.” To leave your child in a rebellious
state and allow him/her to disregard your authority in the home—will bring pain and
shame in the years to come. Prayerfully come before God and ask Him to not only work

in your child's heart, but also in your own: to show you where you need to change; and
how best to bring your child “joyfully” back under authority. And truly—this is a
wonderful opportunity to depend on our gracious Heavenly Father who promises to not
only equip us for each undertaking, but also promises His faithful dealing in our lives as
well as our child's. What a blessing—to have such confidence. For without Him, life
would seem to be a series of random events, and only through good luck or because of
misfortune our children turn out one way or the other. But we know differently. And
even in the difficulties and seemingly tragic episodes in our lives we can remain
unshaken as we are assured that “all thing work together for our good.” Proverbs also
says “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart
from it.” Training takes time, energy, and discipline (for the pupil and the teacher). But
aren't we called to make disciples anyway? Homeschooling is taking this command to
heart within the family.
So take heart—if your relationship with your child is not what it should be, God
can change it to what it should be. Truly!
In the meantime, shower your child with encouragement and love; set limits on
their speech and behavior—and then, most importantly—enforce the rules (in a loving,
but firm way). Some of our children are “begging” for us to stop them; to put up controls
and to enforce them 100% of the time. They may not seem to respond at first that way,
but as they observe and experience your attention and love, as well as the futility of
“bucking the system” they generally settle in quite nicely. A stable, godly environment
over time produces wonderful results.
And please be patient—a study tree is not grown overnight. Neither is a child.
There will be storms to weather; times of plenty; times of drought. Dig your roots deep
in the Lord—for in Him you will have strength, patience, wisdom, etc for the task. This
is a marathon; not a sprint. You will be spending years with your child, so look for
gradual changes; delight in the immediate changes; but don't expect the latter—expect
the former.

What resources are available to you and your child to help make the
school year successful?
Almost every community, no matter how large or small, has at least one
homeschool support group. Please see the Appendix for a listing of online statebystate
organizations and contact persons. From there you will be directed to local groups.
These support groups are wonderful—especially if you are just getting started. There
will be other "newbies" (Those who are also "new" to homeschooling) there, as well as
experienced veterans who can help you wade through the mountains of curriculum
catalogs, and give you advice on what has worked for them.
Homeschool Support Groups by State
Most groups have various curriculum catalogs on hand, as well as organized field
trips and options to help you add “pizazz” to your school year. We live in the St Louis
area where there are over 800 families in our area of the city alone. There are so many
options that it makes my head swim! There are field trips, sports of almost every kind
(for almost every age possible), music, drama, choir, geography and spelling bees, math
Olympics, art lessons, ice skating, clubs, and coops for various subjects.
Homeschooling has so radically changed in the past 10 years—with families now having
computers and the Internet—the challenge now is not trying to find options for your
child—but having to limit what they can be involved in.
So with those thoughts in mind, use the directory to locate your state support
group and determine to get involved in a local group.
What curriculum should I use?
If you are new to homeschooling, there are 3 reliable homeschool publishers that I
highly recommend.

ABEKA Bob Jones Saxon Math
With these publishers, you not only have the textbooks, but you can purchase (for a
moderate price) tests, workbooks, solution manuals, and teacher's guides. They clearly
spell out how to use the books, and take all the guess work out of the school day. They
also have high standards in excellence in education, so you will also be assured that your
child is not only learning what is required for his/her grade level, but more than likely far
surpassing it. Saxon also offers free testing material so you can access your child's
abilities and place him/her in the appropriate grade level. (This is especially helpful if
you are “pulling your child out of school” to begin homeschooling.) By the way, I just
have to put in a plug here—of all the phonics programs I have used over the years—and I
have used quite a few—Saxon Phonics is the best—bar none! It is a bit more expensive,
but it is “handson” and far superior—it is worth the expense. Their math programs are
the same way.
ABEKA (as well as some others, now) offers videotaped lessons and instructions.
For a price, you can literally have someone “teach” via video on almost any subject. If
you think you are not uptothechallenge in a particular subject—this option just might
be for you. Saxon also has the “D.I.V.E.” CDs to accompany the upper level math
courses—well worth the expense if you are mathilliterate like me.
If you want to peruse through some online catalogs, below is a list of just some of
the major homeschooling companies:
Currclick
Christian Book Distributors
Alpha and Omega Publishers
The Morning Star Academy (Christian Liberty Academy)
Sonlight Curriculum
The WellTrained Mind (A Classical Approach)
The Robinson Curriculum
Take a quiet afternoon or evening and peruse through them. And if you are
like my family, a family of nine living on one income, there are 'bargain"

options:
● Ebay: Ebay has a homeschool section of their auctions where you can
buy new or used itemseven new items can often be purchased at
belowcatalogprices; and used items at substantial savings.
● Curriculum Fairs: Many homeschool support groups have Curriculum
Fairs before the start of each school yearmany publishers set up
booths to display their wares and to explain the advantages of their
products. Often this is a great opportunity to look through the
material and compare.
● The ABEKA Representative: Every year, a representative from
ABEKA travels through the area (most support groups know the dates
for their own particular locationor you can go online and find the
listing for your area.) The advantage here is that shipping is free
which offers you a substantial savings, rather than purchasing from
the catalog.
● GarageSailing!! Yes, that beloved activity of the pennypincher,
purchasing good items at greatly reduced prices. You will be amazed
at what you can get if you are patient!
There are often a number of options that you many not have considered (us
homeschooling Moms tend to be sooooo traditional, and we really need to
think outsidethebox!) In our area there are various churches that offer a
variety of classes for homeschooled children (the elementaryage child
through the high school teen). For example, classes in foreign languages,
art, sports, etc. Check with your local support group for listings. Also, you

might have an option of cooping. For instance, you are a great chef, but
horrid with small engine theory. Some parents opt to offer their expertise in
one area, with the thought that other parents will also volunteer their time
as well. That way, everyone benefits. Another option is using the Internet or
purchasing software on a particular subject. (Obviously you have considered
that as you are reading this eBook). See the end of this eBook for a listing of
subjects listed according to age and gradelevel. These are often indepth,
excellent and at low cost or free. If you are interested, there are even
complete online classes for homeschool students:
Switched On Schoolhouse
And last, but not least, there are a number of "distancelearning" options
from Community Colleges, as well as full 4year Universities. You can "dual
enroll" your child at a local collegetaking some college courses while still in
high school. This is smart thinking, as your child will not only get high
school credit, but also college credit at the same time.
Are there legal requirements that I must abide by?
The answer to this question will depend on which state you live in.
Below is a WEB link to help you find out state requirements for your
particular state:
State Laws and Regulations
It is important that you abide by these laws. Some states have incredibly

detailed requirements, while others have very little. In the state of Missouri,
we are required to log 1000 school "hours" per child per school year. That
breaks down into 600 hours of "inclassroom" on "core" subjects. (By the way,
"hours" does not necessarily mean "time"; while it can, the really crux of
that word means the time taken to complete a daily scheduled lesson. An
effective way to document the hours is by using a teacher's log. You can
purchase one or use the template at the end of this eBook (or even design
your own). Label the child's name, dates, and subjects and then be diligent to
keep records. I also suggest that you have your child write his/her name and
the date on each worked item. Your child might fuss about this at first, but
explain that by doing this, his/her work has become a legal document that
testifies to the assigned work truly being accomplished each day.
Another thing that you should do is obtain a copy of the minimum
requirements for the grade level your child is entering this year. Obtain a
copy from a local public school, Administration office or even from a local
Private school. Use a highlighter to mark through each "accomplished
task"a great way to see your progress and also remind yourself of what you
still need to work on. Make it your goal to have the entire page highlighted
by the end of the school year. (Another benefit of this is to encourage you,
the instructor: we often become afraid that our child is not ontrack with
others his/her age that are in the public school, and it is nice to have an
objective list that can prove we are doing "right" by our children.)
You should also schedule standardized testing on an occasional basis (i.e.
every other year). This will also give you the assurance and confidence as
you continue on (and also provide adequate documentation to any who want
to examine your child's learning records). I especially think it is wise to have
your high schooler tested using an ACT or SAT college entrance exam each of
his/her high school years. By taking these tests each year you lower the
student's anxiety about taking such tests. And generally, you should expect
your student to increase, on average, 23 points/year on the ACT; and 150
200 points/year for the SAT.

Information about the ACT Test
Information about the SAT test
So, in conclusion:
1. be in prayer about this
2. prepare yourself and your child mentally and spiritually for
homeschooling
3. help your student to understand why you are doing this; what you
want to accomplish; pray about and initiate interventions to correct
deviant behavior before your begin homeschooling; be excited and
encouraging about the upcoming school year.
4. locate and contact your local Homeschool Support Group
5. start looking at the various options for curriculums (obtain catalogs,
place orders, etc) Be sure to purchase any "helps" or teacher's editions
that you might needalso tests, answer keys, workbooks, etc.
6. find out your state's requirements for those who are homeschooling
7. purchase (or print out) a Teacher's Log Book (attach a copy of the
student's grade's minimum requirements skills sheet to the inside of
the logbook)

Chapter 2
In the last chapter you were presented with some central ideas that
should be foundational if you are seriously considering and praying about
homeschooling. This is a serious undertaking. And it is important that you
and your husband be united in this effort—for it will take both of you (in
concert) to have success. For the one who will be staying at home and doing
the teaching (and usually this is the wife), you need to come to grips with the
fact that you about about to undertake a 'fulltime” job (on top of your
already fulltime job of homemaker and mother.) I cannot stress this
enough! There is a lot of work involved in homeschooling and if you are
under the mistaken idea that you can run the home, work parttime outside
the home and still take this on—you are courting disaster! For the one who
will the solebreadwinner (now) you need to realize that your partner will
need your support, and your help. You need to think of it this way—that
when you "clockout” of your paying job and head home, you need to roll up
your sleeves and start pitching in once your feet cross the threshold of your
home. This is definitely a 2person job. (I must insert here that there are
some wonderful singleparents who somehow—and it must be by the grace of
God—shoulder these responsibilities alone. I tip my hat to you in awe and

respect, and want you to know that people are praying for you.)
Fathers, do your best to take as active a part in your child(ren)'s
education as you can—a father's roll in the home, as well as overseeing this
undertaking will enrich your child's experiences. Teaching children is not
women's work!!! You and your wife are trying to raise godly children in a
perverse world—equipping them to walk with the Lord for the rest of their
lives. Your children need to see that you expect them to try their best; that
you take their education seriously. Let the children see you planning with
your wife; going over daily work and grades; asking how the children are
doing; supporting the wife in discipline matters—especially ensuring that
they obey and respect your wife. If you have opportunity, do homework with
them; teach a lesson that seems to be a struggle for the child (sometimes
going over a matter a 2nd time from a different perspective can literally turn
the lightbulb on for your child.) Pray with them; read to them; memorize
scriptures with them; ... in other words—any involvement in their education
will accomplish much.
Moms, you run the risk of becoming overwhelmed with this
undertaking, consumed with its details, and forget that your first priority in
the home is to be a spouse (help meet) for your husband. God called us first
to be married—and then blessed with children. Nothing builds self
confidence and healthy selfesteem in children more than a rich relationship
between that child's parents. Continue to work on your relationship
together. Think of it this way:
you are not substituting the education of your children for your role as
their mother—you are adding on another dimension to your role in
their lives. In the same vein, you should never place the children's
education above your desire for your husband's affections.

At this point—hopefully, you and your husband have been praying and
seeking the Lord's direction about this next school year. You have looked at
your relationship with your child(ren) and been prayfully considering if your
child needs some character adjustment. You have looked into various
options for curriculum and hopefully even contacted a support group and
looked up legal requirements and academic standards. So from this point
on, as you continue to read through the rest of this eBook, I will assume that
the Lord has directed you and your husband to begin homeschooling.

O.K., you have made the commitment to homeschool—you and your husband
are united in this. You have contacted the local homeschool support group
and have started looking through some catalogs and planning the upcoming
year. Your children, not mature enough to correctly appreciate this
Herculean effort on your parts, might be expressing their displeasure at not
being allowed to ride the school bus; or play on the school's playground; or
eat in the cafeteria, etc—all the experiences that “little minds” hold so dear
to their hearts. Do not despair. They do not have the maturity to see the
“bigger picture” of life. There is much you can do to show them that you
desire this upcoming year to be filled with as much of those “good”
experiences, as well as many, many more. If your child bemoans the fact
that they will never get to ride the bus to school—you can offer to take
him/her on a ride on a city bus (or other public transportation); if your child
feels that s/he is missing out on not being able to buy their food in the
cafeteria with their buddies, take out the newspaper and read the weekly
school menu. Purpose to serve that same menu for lunch for an entire week
or 2. I guarantee you that the school menu gets “old” very quickly. After
that—the thrills of opening the refrigerator and picking out anything for
lunch became much more appealing. If s/he frets about not getting to play on
the school playground with friends—take your child + several friends over
the school playground on a Saturday or Sunday and let them play all they
want. Also you can pick out a different park to visit each week when you
homeschool—have a picnic. Play an extra ½ hour. Start building what I call
the “bonuses of homeschooling” or the “perks”. That way, not only are you
eliminating the negatives for the child, but you are showing him/her that
there are many more “positives” with homeschooling, than there are in
attending public school. Once you convince your child that you really don't
want him/her to miss out on fun things, and you are working to show the
child that you understand his/her feelings and care about them—alot of
tension subsides.

We also required our children to get up, get dressed, etc—just like their
friends were doing who were going to public school. We had them pack their
backpack, their lunch, etc and head out the door. They would play on the
swing set, shoot hoops on the driveway, skip rope down the sidewalk,...until I
ran a bell and had them march in the front door. We started school with the
Pledge of Allegiance, followed by announcements, turning in of assignments,
signed papers, etc. That helped to establish the feel of officially starting the
school day and transition the child into viewing the day now as “being in
school” and settling down to work. TV was officially “off”unless we were
watching a video for school. We also tried to work in one room in the house.
Our own budget was modest, so our “school room” was the kitchen table. If
you have the space, set aside a room in your house that is used exclusively
for homeschooling. We required all of our children to work at the “school”
location until they showed maturity to be trusted to work independently—
that usually was either in the Junior High or High school years. (But
remember—even “mature” teens can get distracted) Your children (and you)
will be amazed at how much work can be accomplished without all the
distractions. You will find that you usually complete classes well before the
public school kids get home. That is because you are not taking rollcall;
lining up 25 kids for “potty breaks”; doing busywork so that you, the teacher
can work with some of the struggling students; etc. (Another “bonus”!)

The elementary school by us always had a special event in the early fall
called “Donuts with Dad”. Fathers would come to school with their children
and have donuts and juice before classwork began. We had our own version:
we had the children pick out special treats at the grocery store (or bought
special donuts) and my husband had a special time with the kids. He just
went in to work an hour later that morning—just as he would have done if
the children were in public school. As it slowly dawns on your children that
institutional education is not all that it is cracked up to be, you can ease up
on some things—but don't eliminate them! Never let the tyranny of
academia and achievement overcome the school day :) It won't take long for
them to figure out that they have their own private instructor; they get done
much quicker than their peers;and they still get to play with their friends
after school. And wonderofwonders, their friends start to be envious of
your child—saying they wished they could be homeschooled too.
You see, the beauty of homeschooling is that no one knows your child like
you do. No one is as motivated to see him/her succeed as you. No one is as
dedicated to their future as you are. No one else can—because like the
parable of the Good Shepherd verse the Hireling, truly invest in them, love
them, and fight fiercely for them as the ONE they belong to—and that's
YOU! And don't let anyone tell you that you have to have a degree in
education, or a doctorate in astrophysics and child psychology to teach your
children at home. You can teach your child all the way through High School
—and do it better than they can—statistically, that has been documented

time and time again. And that is what really nags at the officials in the
public school system—how do those idiotic homeschoolingparents get their
kids to be so well behaved and have higher test scores?!? No, don't fall for
their malarkey! Your child will be better adjusted, and have a chance at a
better education if you homeschool.
Now it is true, your kids will miss out on many public school
experiences—but those are the very reasons we have pulled our children out
of the public school system in the first place! In our home, there are no
miscreants trying to sell drugs to the other children. In our home, sex is not
rampant or the “norm”. In our home, fist fights do not break out. In our
home, we need never fear a “crazed student” bringing a gun to school and
taking their lives. In our home, disrespect is not tolerated. And most of all,
in our home, the Bible is not ridiculed; nor faith and prayer forbidden!
So hold fast to what is important and true. Do not be swayed. Do not
waver. If God has directed you to do this—you need never wonder if you are
really doing right by your children. You can have confidence that where He
directs, He equips. You are not alone in this venture. The One Who
formed your child knows their needs, and can (and will) supply them.

So, in conclusion:
Be united, as husband and wife, in this venture
Husbands—pitch in at homeschooling
Wives—remember your first vows—your husband comes first;
then the children
Do not allow 'whining” from the kids
Try to show the child(ren) that you are willing to work to make
the school year “fun”
And above all else—cast yourselves on the Lord—Who not only
has led you into this, but desires to 'equip” you for the task.

Chapter 3
Planning your Daily Lessons
If you haven't already, either purchase a Teacher's Log book (here are
some great resources online:
The Ultimate Homeschool Planner
The Homeschool Log
Variety of Log Books from Christian Books Distributors
or print out several copies of the Teacher's Log at the end of this eBook.
Next, order your curriculum. There is no way you can actually plan
your daytoday lessons, without your curriculum. Once you have them in
hand, find a “clear” table with plenty of room to work. And here is what you
do:
1. If you purchased a log book from the above (or something similar)
follow the directions presented in the book for “how to record
assignments” in your log book (then skip the rest of this entire section).
However, if you are using my printable log pages, follow the
instructions below:
 print up at least 9 pages of the Log sheet
 Going down the left side of the page, record the names of each
subject

 Across the top (going Left to Right) begin numbering Day 1, Day
2, Day 3, etc. (I have learned form experience not to write
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. If you take a field trip—the
lesson plan can become confusing, and discouraging—you are
perpetually behind)
 Now beginning with the first subject you have listed in the top left
hand corner, take that textbook in hand; turn to the back of that
textbook so you can see the “last” page of lessons in that textbook.
Take that page number and divide by 150. (Ex: say your first
subject is Grammar. The last page of the last lesson in the
textbook is page 397. I would then divide 397 by 150 =
approximately 2 ½ pages per day. Now I know that I will have to
make sure my child does 23 pages a day or 1213 pages a week, if
I want to get through the entire textbook by the end of the school
year.) I picked 150 as the number to divide into the page
numbers. There is a lot of thought in that number. Most states
require 180 days of classroom time. Soooo, you say, why 150?
(Tests, reports, field trips, etc need to be factored in. Also, if your
child is having difficulty with a concept, you can spend a day or 2,
or 3 without sweating about it—you have some “fudge” room. :)
 In the squares to the right of each subject, begin writing down the
daily lessons, pages, etc.
 Repeat this process for the 2nd page (which would be the 2nd week's
assignments) I don't suggest that you work too far ahead. It will
take sometime to learn how well your child can work through the
material. You might have to make adjustments on your schedules
 As your student works through the Daily Log Book, use a
highlighter to cross through completed tasks (that way you can
see what the work assignment was)
 Now print off a copy of Week #1 for your Student, yourself, and a
”spare” (it is uncanny how often the Log sheet will “disappear”!
Nothing like whipping out the spare—to save you moments from
frustration.) I have my own notebook where I have a section for

each of my children—their log sheets are there and I cross
through the work as I oversee and check things. I place my Spare
on the refrigerator for easy reference.
I also print up a weekly “Chores List “ for each child. You are going to have
less time to do the normal everyday jobs around the house. Just as you are
taking on new responsibilities, your child can help by pitching in also. List
the daily jobs like getting dress; putting dirty clothes in hamper; make your
bed; etc. Then add 1 or 2 jobs like washing breakfast dishes; fold a load of
laundry; etc. That way the child can feel responsible without being
overwhelmed (and you feel a bit relieved also)
Finally, at the end of this eBook there is also a Weekly chores list for you.
And some information about OnceaMonth cooking. The more organized
you can get, the smoother things will go. Just a suggestion.

Chapter 4
School Day 1—Ground Zero
It is School Day 1—ground zero. You've started, and you have one of
the following case scenarios:
 your child has taken to homeschooling with avid eagerness. S/he has
been plowing through her/his work, while profusely thanking you for
taking him/her out of the squalor of the public school system. (Honey,
count your blessings!!! Your situation is RARE)
 or, you've gotten started and all you have heard this morning is
“Tommy's teacher doesn't make him do that!"; "this work is too hard";
"I never had to do that in public school"; "I wish I was back at public
school'; 'you're not a very good teacher”; etc. And now you are at the
precipice of a flood of tears—what do you do?

Regroup! Go off to your Prayer Closet and praise HIM for the opportunity
to teach your child at home; for HIS clear direction in leading you and your
husband to this very day; for HIS equipping you for this task. Confess any
misgivings and frustrations, and then pray for your child(ren). Then get off
your knees and go out into the schoolroom.
When your child wants to compare the way you are doing something with
how others have “done it”gently remind him/her that you don't allow
comparing in your school. You promise not to compare him/her with the
rocket scientist down the street and he/she promises to not compare you with
others also. (And both of you hold to that!) If they express their desire to
be back in the public school classroom, remind them of the story of Moses
and the Israelites leaving Egypt on the way to the promised land—how they
had murmured and said they wanted to go back to Egypt. God was angry
with their murmuring and after disciplining them,reminded them that they
were going to the Promised Land—the place HE had prepared for them.
And you too have been called to this journey—to leave the public school and
head out with God. We need to learn from the Israelites' mistakes—not
repeat them. If your child complains that you are not a good teacher, simply
explain that you are new to this and that you are looking to God to help train
you to do a better job, and that HE can help your child to even be a better

student. Then pause a few moments to pray together and retackle the
difficult subject. If you still have trouble communicating to your child, ask
for your husband's assistance when he gets home from work. Sometimes a
2nd or 3rd “goaround” especially if you can bring in a new person—is all it
takes to have the “lightbulb turn on”. If your child fusses that the work is
too much, or too hard, you can remind him/her that it is not called “work” for
nothing. Their father and mother put in long days as well. There is
NOTHING wrong with working long and hard. I repeat—it is important to
communicate to our children: There is nothing wrong with working
long and hard! So often so little is expected from our children, that that is
exactly all they are willing to put out—very little. Imparting to our children
the Puritan Work Ethic is a noble ambition for the parent, and one we
should take more seriously ourselves. Our society wants everything “now”
and wants it all handed to them without breakingasweat either. We need
to correct that wrong thinking.
Most likely, you found your 1st day to be somewhere inbetween those 2
extremes listed above. Take heart—this is a difficult adjustment period. (I
have found that it takes at least 12 months for a child to completely adjust
to homeschooling if they have been in the public school system prior to
starting homeschooling. Remember—this is a marathon; not a sprint!) And
be gracious and patient with yourself and your child.

Of all the things you can do to prepare for this endeavor, the most needed is
prayer. Ask others to join you in prayer for yourself and your child(ren). Let
this 'activity” be the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you
do at night when you lay your weary head on the pillow. Your dependency
upon Christ will shine as a brilliant light before your child(ren), and nothing
speaks of the REALNESS of faith than this practical dependence upon HIM.
Also, be in HIS Word! Read it; memorize it; mediate on it; talk of it. HE
promises to equip you and guide you—these things are the “rubbermeets
theroad” of life. You may make plenty of mistakes along the way, (I know I
sure have—and mostly likely will continue to), but as you sincerely humble
yourself before HIM, you can have great confidence that HE is able to
accomplish still, all that HE purposes in your child(ren)'s life and yours.

Chapter 5
“Rebellion in the Midst”
This is the part of homeschooling that I wish I never had to deal with.
But, unfortunately, the “little people” I am homeschooling (as well as the Big
ones) are little sinners, and problems do come up. (And they will for you
too) Homeschooling is a wonderful way to get to know your child better,
developing strong relationships, and have more opportunities to point them
in the right direction. And if you approach this area of sin with those
thoughts in mind—it will help.
I am not talking here about the “in your face” sins, like your child digging
his/her heels in and refusing to do their work. For me, that was always an
easy one—my husband and I always dealt with that as any other overt sin
(like “talkingback”, lying, being mean to a siblings, etc) Those are clear
violations in the family and are dealt with in ageappropriate ways. What I
am talking about here are the devious, covert sins that often go undetected
for sometime before they are caught and dealt with. And the reason these

sins are not caught right away is because you have assumed that honesty
was a “given” in your relationship. I am talking here about cheating, or not
doing one's work as they said they were. These sins are soooooo discouraging!
For you realize that your child cannot be trusted. And that is exactly how we
begin in dealing with these kinds of sins. Explaining that to cheat is to steal
(to get a grade one did not earn); to not do one's work and say that they have
is “lying” and “deceit”. And that often when someone does these things, they
have violated a trust. You must help your child realize that s/he must not
only confess their dealings in these areas, but work to develop such character
as to resist such temptation in the future. Show them that 'trust” is
something that is built in their lives one stone at a time. And that one
episode of cheating or lying is like knocking a huge hole in that wall. It can
takes weeks or months to clean up and rebuilt such a problem. Let them
know that 'trust” can be rebuilt, but it will take a long time of consistent
demonstration on their part to earn trust again.
One sin can in a moment destroy what took years to build!
If you never have to deal with this issue with your child, get on your knees
and thank your Heavenly Father for such mercy in your life! But again, if
you come across this in your child, do not despair. It is better that you are
able to deal with this area in a younger child, than to deal with it in the
teenage years.
Also, and this will be very tedious and timeconsuming on your part, but
daily (and often) you need to help your child break this habit by checking on
your child's work. You are dealing with a “covered sin” that in all likelihood
went undetected for some time. Those kinds of sins need to be dealt with out
in the open—for as long as they can remain secret and private—the more
difficult they are to eradicate. And don't be surprised if your child has not
been completely faithful in this area. You caught them, more than likely,
after many days of successfully outwitting you. It was a system that worked

—at least for a while. They did less work, you were satisfied, and no one was
the wiser (at least that is what they initially thought). You must check on all
their work daily and often—you child's “word” at this point is of no value.
His/her word has to be rebuilt—reestablished. And remember, that takes
consistency over time. Do NOT assume that they are now being honest just
because you caught them, explained the sin of the matter and disciplined
them. You must approach this as dealing with a bad habit—it will takes
weeks and months to effectively break.

Chapter 6
Homeschooling the High School Student
This chapter is probably the most controversial chapter in this eBook.
And the reason I say this is that I am one of the minority that actually
considered homeschooling my children all the way through High School. In
talking to many parents, here are some of the concerns that I have heard
about homeschooling through High school:
 I want my son to be able to play sports
 I couldn't possibly teach my child Chemistry or Trigonometry!
 I want my child to have social relationships in High School—go to
dances and the Prom
 How will my child ever go to college without a “real” diploma?
Now, I grant you that if your child does not go to public school, they will
miss out on Prom, and playing competitive sports (for the most part). At
least in the state of Missouri, where we live, a student cannot play on any
public school team without taking a minimum of 5 classes a day at the public
school. My oldest son was a very good wrestler and competed in a private
league until the end of 8th grade. After that, students who wanted to go on
went into High School teams. Our son was actively recruited by the

wrestling coach of our local High school. I received numerous calls from him
asking to please reconsider and allow Josh to attend the High School. He
even promised to personally look after Josh. This coach even appealed at the
state level to enable homeschoolers to participate in sports at the public
school—but was unsuccessful. I have to tell you—those phone calls really
made us think. And while many of you reading this might think we were
exceedingly foolish with our decision to keep homeschooling through High
School, I have to tell you that after praying together we were convinced that
the Lord told us to continue on. HE reminded us that be began
homeschooling believing that we were providing a better education, while
encouraging our children in the Lord and sheltering them from wicked
circumstances. And even though they were beginning to enter High School,
those goals really hadn't changed. (And as a side bar—Josh has graduated
from High School, graduated from College, married a wonderful young lady
—and his heart has a passion for his Lord. And I can't help but believe that
our decision in the summer/fall of his 8th 9th grade year has something to do
with that. So often, we so want our cake and to eat it too—often forgetting
that choices take us down different paths—and the end is not often the
same)
So, from here on out, in this chapter, I will deal with the other 3 issues that
most homeschooling parents have. And as to whether you should homeschool
through High School—I cannot say—that is solely between you, your spouse
and the Lord. But what I want to present here are “options” so that you
don’t feel that you can’t do this .
One of the biggest concerns expressed by parents of Junior High students is
that parents feel inadequate to provide the higherlevel education. But
nowadays, especially with a computer, you have many options at your
fingertips. Really!! Here are some things you can do that we have found
very successful:

• Buy the teacher’s manuals with those difficult subjects and literally
stay 1 or 2 lessons ahead of your child.
• Coop with another parent (I mentioned this briefly before—say you
are weak in Algebra but strong in a foreign language. Offer to tutor
another child (or several) in exchange for another parent to tutor
yours in Algebra.)
• Buy or rent “teaching tapes” (ABEKA, Bob Jones, and Saxon all
have options for teaching tapes or DVDs that go along with their
curriculums. It is just like being in a classroom) Another option we
just found out about recently is The Teaching Company. Check out
their WEB site—you will be impressed!
• Register for a class or classes at your local Community College. We
had one child take a foreign language that way; another is taking
Calculus and Analytical Geometry there this fall) And if you
remember from earlier—your child will get “dual” credit—credit for
High School and college credit—all at the same time!
• Take an online course in the subject of your choice—sometimes you
can find some that are even free.
• Check out you Homeschool Support Group for other options. They
might even have some classes set up. Our Support Group set up
choir, orchestra, band, and drama. In St Louis, we have some
Christian business men that got together and decided to commit
some time on a regular basis to teach High School Students. They
take turns—your child goes one day a week –either all morning, or
all afternoon. Their classes are anything from Small Engine Theory,
to Ancient Greek, to Public Speaking and Debate, to Chemistry. A
real blessing!
Another issue is the feeling that your child is missing out on social activities
by not being in school. This is really the same socialization issue that many
people bring up about homeschooling in the first place. And why parents
suddenly lose their confidence at this point—I cannot figure out. The very
social issues they desired to isolate their children from in the earlier years

are the very same ones they are willing to fling their “sheltered” son or
daughter into once they reach 15 years old. It staggers my mind! Anyway,
anyone who has homeschooled their children for any length of time soon
realizes that their kids can get together with their friends just as easily after
school, as the ones who are in the public school. Get your kids involved in a
youth group and purpose to get them together with their friends. Our kids
participate in Bible Quizzing and also our church’s youth group—that way
they get twice the exposure. They participate in lots of activities together
and have a great time. And really, wouldn’t you want your kids’ friends to be
ones that love the Lord and respect the scriptures? Your teenieboppers have
more of a chance getting friends like that at youth groups than in the public
school.
The last question (fear) that many homeschooling parents have expressed is
“Will my child be able to go to college if I continue to homeschool?” And
“How will they get an diploma?” As to the first question, my answer is an
emphatic “YES!!!” I know, because I have 5 children who have gone to
college (and 2 that have gone on to get their Masters). And trust me, they
can even will Merit Scholarships (and other scholarships) if they homeschool
all the way through High School—we’ve seen that too . And many colleges
actively recruit homeschoolers as their track record has proven—
homeschoolers consistently score higher on National testing; do better in
College; and tend to even go one to higher levels (Masters and Ph.D's). If you
are contemplating homeschooling your son or daughter through High School,
BrandenburgStudies puts out a wonderful eBook called Homeschooling the
High School Student
BrandenburgStudies


As for the diploma, that is the easiest question to answer of all—remember
how I counseled you to check with the state requirements for homeschooling
your child? When you do that, see if there are any requirements for
graduation. Most stipulate that certain courses must be successfully
completed (i.e. 4 years of English; 2 years of science; 3 years of history; etc).
And only a handful require that homeschool students must take the GED
(which stand for “General Educational Development) to “prove” competency.
The rest allow for the individual school to determine if the student has
satisfied all the requirements for graduation (that means “you” and “your
husband”) In the state of Missouri, the later is the case. Our Homeschool
Support Group order diplomas each year—we purchase from the same
company that supplies all the High schools in the St Louis area. We order it,
sign it, and “award it” to our child for graduation. However, we have NEVER
had a college ask for a High School Diploma from any of our children when
they applied to the college of their choice.
Also, if your child is taking the ACT or SAT test for college entrance, most
colleges take those test scores for proof that their education was “adequate”.
Finally, if you are worried about how to do transcripts, apply to colleges,
apply for scholarships, etc, you have some options.
• As a taxpaying citizen, the public High School is obligated to help you
and your student with any forms, advice, etc for getting your child ready
for college—even if you are NOT enrolled there.
• If you don’t want to deal with the public school, you can go to the local
Community College (or literally any College) and set up an appointment
with admissions. I suggest that you do that in the winter of your child’s
Junior year. That is a slow time for the advisors, and by doing this during
the Junior year, it gives you plenty of time to implement the advice they
give you.
• Again, I just have to put in a plug for the book “Homeschooling the High

School Student”. That eBook will tell you everything you need to do
during the High School years.
So you see, it really is not the impossible task that one often thinks. There
are more resources available to make each year a success than ever before.
Lean heavily on the Lord and see what great things He will do for you and
your child!

Chapter 7
Logging the Hours
As a homeschool, you legally have to prove that your child is not only enrolled in
your school, but s/her is attending the school and that your school teaches at least 600
hours yearly in core subjects. What does that mean? Well, in the state of Missouri, the
school year beings July 1st and continues on until June 30th of the following year (i.e.
July 1st, 2007 through June 30th, 2008) All “hours” must be logged in each of the “core”
subjects during that time frame—you can’t “log” hours for the student’s grade past that
date. If you do, then you are really beginning the next school year. And to top that all
off, you student must have 1000 hours total of logged “class time” to complete a full
school year. O.K. wait! You say. What do you mean by “core subjects”. Well, in the
state of Missouri, those subjects would be science, social studies, language arts, etc.
Again—use the WEB links provided toward the beginning of this eBook to find out your
own individual state’s requirements.
Now “to log” means to record that a “lesson was completed”. To “log an hour” of class
time is to record in a ledger or log book that the student has successfully completed the
lesson in that subject that was assigned for that day. Remember, an “hour” is not
necessarily 60 minutes of time. The class could take 10 minutes; 20 minutes; or 1 ½
hours. You are just verifying that “legally” the child completed the assignment. That is
it!
So where does the 1000 hours come in—well, let’s say that you take your child to choir
or band—you record that your child attended the class. You then also can record each
time the child practices. If you do “art” projects or take lessons—that can be part of the
1000 hours. If you take a field trip—mark that as well (the way to mark a field trip is the
time it takes from when you leave the house until you return. If your student only does 1
or 2 other subjects that day (and s/he normally has 8 subjects) log the field trip as “6
hours”.

So, be sure that you record each day in your log book (just a reminder, there are some
WEB links at the beginning of this eBook where you can purchase some very nice log
books. However, I must tell you, there is nothing special about the Log book. It does
not have to be a particular brand or even set up a particular way. It does not have to be
fancy—you can even use a plain spiral notebook. The issue is to daily record what your
child did, how s/he did (grade), and to do it in each subject covered in class. The
bottomline, be diligent to use it and to to lose it. 
Now that you know what “core” subjects are, you might see this requirement listed by
your state: “All core subjects must be taught on site…” What does that mean? You ask.
Now many people become confused about that requirement and think that you must be
in the same room of the house. You can’t take a field trip; you can’t coop that subject
with another family or school, etc That is not what “taught on site” means. The
administrators that wrote that in were simply trying to ensure that your child is really
learning the core subjects. That they are not running around and you are simply logging
their hours while they play video games at a friend’s house. So here is what you can do
to log your hours in each of those core subjects:
• At the beginning of the school year, determine where and how you are going to have
your student learn a particular subject. What I mean is, you child wants to learn
Spanish, and you, knowing nothing of Spanish, decide where and how you child will
take that subject. If s/he is going to take Spanish on the computer, then that is going
to be how s/he will spend the majority of her/his time learning it. The computer
becomes the “site” and the “instructor” for that subject. Your student must then do
the majority of her/his daily work from that setting.
• If another person is offering classes in a core subject , that other person’s classroom
becomes the legal setting for that core subject.
• If you determine that a core subject will be taught at your home, then your home will
become the “site” and “you” the instructor.
• Another option is “dualenrollment” at a Community College or 4yr college. The

“college classroom” becomes the site and the college professor become the instructor
for that particular course.
Do you see what I mean? The state wants a location to be consistent and verifiable.
That’s all that statement means.
So now that you have seen what a core subject is, and how it should have a set
environment in which it is taught, you might be wondering about “how” to log the hours.
There are several legitimate ways to do this—and I will address those oneatatime. But
first I want you to understand what an “hour” is. The word “hour” does not (I repeat
NOT) necessarily refer to actual minutes of an hour—but refer to a “complete daily
lesson”. For instance, if you were teaching your student in mathematics, you would have
a set lesson to teach your child that day. If your child learns and does her/his work in 3
hours, or in 3 minutes, it makes no difference—the “hour” refers to the completed
lesson for that day. You have to get past the idea that you are clocking –in and clocking
out, as if you were on a time card. Now, you brain might be awhirl at this point with a
jillion questions—like, what if my child does not understand the material and s/he works
for several hours and still does not understand it. I have had that very situation in our
home with our 5th child, who has a legitimate learning disorder. I went up to the
administration building to ask about that (I also asked our Support group and a
homeschool defense lawyer)—and I learned that just as in the public school, “hours” are
not just determined by whether a child masters a lesson, but is determined beforehand by
the instructor. There is a difference between mastering a lesson and completing it—I
will explain: you can spend 1 week on a particular lesson in math and that would be
“logged” as 5 separate lessons (or hours) even though you were working on 1 lesson in
the math book. This is were documentation from the student comes in. Every paper
your student does, no matter how minor, should be signed and dated. If your logging
was ever brought into question, your child’s individual papers—showing work over the 5
days is your proof that 1 math lesson can be counted (in this instance) as “5 hours
logged”. Again, the state is looking to be sure you are not eating bonbons on the couch
and watching soaps during school time. They are interested in seeing proof that your
really instructing the child.  On the other hand, you might have the opposite situation
—your child handily finishes an assignment in 15 minutes, instead of taking 45 minutes
to an hour. Can that be logged as “1 hour”? Absolutely! S/he has successfully

completed the assigned lesson for the day. The critical idea I want to get across here, is
that “hours” refer not only to time spent in a subject, but also material covered. And an
“hour” specifically means a predetermined lesson assigned for that day’s work. Who
does the predetermining? YOU do 
Another thing you have to get outofyourhead is that you must complete an entire
textbook in a school year. That is a good goal, and every year I purpose to do that—
but occasionally—there will be a subject that requires extra time to master and we end
up completing the book at the beginning of the next year.
O.K., you say—I “get it”. I am supposed to write everything down each day. But really,
who is going to see this? Isn’t it a waste of time? To that I have this simple true story:
Our son Josh (# 3 in the family) was turning 16 and we wanted him to take
Driver’s Ed at the Public school. His older siblings had done so without any difficulties.
Josh and I went in to the Administration building to sign him up for the class. To our
amazement, the registrar said that he could not take the class unless we provided proof
that he was to be a Sophomore that school year. I could have complained. I could have
said “no thank you” and walked out. But I thought, O.K., Lord. This is my opportunity
to honor you and to stand tall for all the other homeschooling kids that want to take an
occasional class at the High School. Josh and I went home and we started loading boxes
and boxes of “saved work”—signed and dated! We had many boxes. Then we brought
also his textbooks for the past year and the current year, and started bringing them into
the registrar’s office. She was dumbfounded! She thought I would “crawl away in
shame” at her demands—she just didn’t know me! Other administration staff saw what
was going on and came in to find out more. They started looking through the papers,
and textbooks and all I kept hearing was—Wow! This is great! I wish we had these
books! Etc. The registrar admitted defeat and Josh took his Driver’s Ed class that fall.
The bottom line of this story is –you never know when your Teacher’s logs and student
papers might be examined! And what a blessing to have confidence under “fire” and to
also be able to help out other families. So BE DILIGENT in logging your “hours”.
And be sure your student signs and dates each paper!
O.K., you say—I get the picture—log those hours and be sure that my child signs and
dates each paper. But how do I find out “how much is a lesson”. Here’s a very easy

method—look at the textbook you will have your student use. Find out the last page of
the “text” in the book. Say page 436. Divide that number by 150. The answer will be
the number of pages that should be covered each day (the number of pages for each
lesson). Since the student should be in class 180 days in a school year, I have
traditionally divided by 150 so that I have 30 days to “play with”—field trips, test,
working on papers or project, etc. And then, if my child completes the textbook in less
than 180 days—they are done! That’s it. They finished that subject early! Yippeee!
So there you have it—the ups and downs of Logging the Hours. The best way to get
comfortable is doing it on a regular basis. If you keep in mind that you are not only
showing attendance, but lesson planning and lessons covered, the daily recording will be
less of an inconvenience. And the benefit is that this forces us to be more organized in
our approach to schooling as well. And as you glance over the previous weeks that you
and your child have accomplished, you will also be reassured that your child is making
great progress in his/her academic year.

Educational Freeware to assist you in homeschooling
Scientific Calendar for the computer: http://www.calculator.com/calcs/calc_sci.html
Downloadable Study Bibles and Helps: www.esword.net
WordWeb (Free dictionary and thesaurus) http://wordweb.info/free/
Learn Europe: http://www.arcticowlsoftware.com/learneu.htm
Sky Charts(Astronomy) http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/
Typing Software: http://tuxtype.sourceforge.net/
Simply the Best http://www.simplythebest.net/

Where to go to find printable sheets:
There are some wonderful “free” sites on the web that I will be listing
below. Most are written as Microsoft Word documents—so you can either
print off the web site, or import to your own Microsoft Word file on your
computer and use yourself. (No need to go out and buy, ladies! ) If you do
not have Microsoft Word, do not despair! Click on the the following WEB
link:
Open Office
Download and install their software. It works exactly like Microsoft Office
and it is FREE!!
Weekly planners:
http://www.donnayoung.org/frm/1wk.htm you will find several types here—for the
young and old alike.
Onesubject planners
http://www.donnayoung.org/frm/1subj.htm
Grade book and Report cards
http://www.donnayoung.org/frm/grade.htm
Penmanship sheets (both manuscript and cursive)
http://www.donnayoung.org/hwrite.htm
Children’s Journals
http://www.donnayoung.org/frm/journal.htm
Handwriting Worksheets
http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/
http://www.bcpl.net/~owl/homeschool/HomeschoolingOnTheCheap.Handwriting.html
http://www.usu.edu/teachall/text/langart/programs/hwrkshts.htm

Math, Grammar, & Spelling Worksheets
http://www.mathbuilder.com/
http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/math/
http://www.edhelper.com/math.htm
http://www.rhlschool.com/english.htm
http://www.dailygrammar.com/archive.html
http://www.smic.be/smic5022/handoutsgrammarand.htm
http://www.ilovethatteachingidea.com/WRCenter/langarts.htm
http://www.aplusmath.com/Worksheets/index.html

Schedule for:
Week of:
Subject Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Math
History
Science
Liture/
Grammar
Bible
Handwrit
ing/Spelli
ng
Physical
Educatio
n

More Helps for Homeschooling
Free Homeschool Worksheets (and newsletter)
http://www.homeschoolfreestuff.com/html/free_homeschool_worksheets.asp
Homeschooling the Special Needs Child (namely ADHD)

http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/pages/dis.learning.html
Charlotte Mason and the Special Needs Child
http://www.angelfire.com/journal/CharlotteMason/CMSpecialNeeds.html
Disability Resources on the WEB
http://www.disabilityresources.org/
Gifted Children with Learning Disabilities
http://www.dirhody.com/
Reading fun for children with Dyslexia
http://www.dyslexiaparent.com/books.html
Scottish Rites Program for children with Dyslexia
http://www.sofdesign.com/dyslexia/
(These folks have been so very helpful for our Hannah  )
Free printable charts to use in homeschooling
http://www.chartjungle.com/
Homeschool Art Lessons
http://www.homeschoolarts.com/

Name________________________Date_________________________
Fairy Tale Book Report
Fairy Tale ___________________________________

Author ___________________________________
Illustrator ___________________________________
Setting
_________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Main Characters
Good Characters Evil (Bad) Characters

What was the conflict or problem in this fairy tale?

__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Write a summary of the story.

__________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

Conclusion: How did the fairy tale end?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________


Grades for Saxon Algebra 2
Name: Grade: Year:
Lessons: Lessons Tests: Weekly

Weight: 35% Average: Weight: Average:
65%
1. 2. 3. 4.
5. 6. 7. 8. 1.
9. 10. 11. 12. 2.
13. 14. 15. 16. 3.
17. 18. 19. 20. 4.
21. 22. 23. 24. 5.
25. 26. 27. 28. 6.
29. 30. 31. 32. 7.
33. 34. 35. 36. 8.
37. 38. 39. 40. 9.
41. 42. 43. 44. 10.
45. 46. 47. 48. 11.
49. 50. 51. 52. 12.
53. 54. 55. 56. 13.
57. 58. 59. 60. 14.
61. 62. 63. 64. 15.
First Semester Grade:
65. 66. 67. 68. 16.

69. 70. 71. 72. 17.
73. 74. 75. 76. 18.
77. 78. 79. 80. 19.
81. 82. 83. 84. 20.
85. 86. 87. 88. 21.
89. 90. 91. 92. 22.
93. 94. 95. 96. 23.
97. 98. 99. 100. 24.
101. 102. 103. 104. 25.
105. 106. 107. 108. 26.
109. 110. 111. 112. 27.
113. 114. 115. 116. 28.
117. 118. 119. 120. 29.
30.
Second Semester Grade:
Final Grade:

Progress Report — Kindergarten
Today's Learner Tomorrow's Future

Student Name

Teacher

School

Grade

School Year

In the Primary years, children are assessed and evaluated according to their individual
progress. It is normal for young children to acquire skills at differing rates and times.
The following developmental scale is used to describe student progress:
1 – Not yet within 2 – Meets expectations 3 – Fully meets expectations
1st term 2nd term 3rd term
PERSONAL PLANNING — Intellectual Development
Is able to make choices and carry out plans
Understands the importance of health and safety
LANGUAGE ARTS — Intellectual Development

Able to express thoughts and feelings orally
Contributes to discussions and lessons
Listens attentively
Displays a positive attitude towards books
Applies a variety of early reading skills (such as picture clues, scans lefttoright, patterns, rhymes,
sequence of events, retells stories)
Draws pictures to convey meaning
Shows an interest in writing
Is able to print own name legibly
Is able to print/write some letters and numbers legibly
Responds to reading and viewing in a variety of ways, such as discussions, drawing, drama and
painting
Knows letter names
Knows sounds of some letters
MATHEMATICS — Intellectual Development

Is able to sort and classify
Is able to count objects
Recognizes basic geometric shapes
Recognizes, continues and creates patterns
Understands numerals and the quantity they represent
Understands new concepts
SOCIAL STUDIES — Intellectual Development

Demonstrates interest in learning about the world around herself/himself

SCIENCE— Intellectual Development
Demonstrates curiosity about the world of science
Understands simple scientific concepts
Discusses and records observations
FINE ARTS — Aesthetic and Artistic Development

Shows interest in art activities
Shows interest in musical activities
Shows interest in drama activities
PHYSICAL EDUCATION – Physical Development

Demonstrates small muscle control (such as with pencil, scissors, small manipulatives ...)
Participates in physical activities
Demonstrates good sportsmanship
Demonstrates skill in activities (such as running, skipping, throwing, catching …)
Considers the safety of self and others
Understands and follows rules of simple games
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY — Social and Emotional Development

Is considerate and respectful of others
Demonstrates a positive selfconcept
Accepts learning challenges
Finds ways to resolve conflicts and solve problems
Accepts responsibility for own actions
Maintains focus during group activities
Cares for personal and school property
Identifies and practices effective work habits
Works and plays cooperatively with others
Works independently when necessary
Follows classroom routines
Participates in activities
1st term 2nd term 3rd
term
This student is meeting the expected level of development for his/her age range. (If No, see Y N Y N Y N
Comment)
This student is on a modified program (If Yes, see Comment) Y N Y N Y N


Name:
Subject #1 Subject # 2 Subject # 3 Subject # 4

Odds and Ends
Last, but not least, I wanted to include some suggestions to help make life
a little easier. Whether you are a “pro” at homeschooling, or just starting out, it
doesn’t take long to figure out that “organization” can mean the difference
between success and failure. I am not an organized person by nature—but out of
necessity I have learned to be "more organized". And I have appreciated any
suggestions and helps along the way. With that thought in mind, the rest of this
section will hopefully be of great benefit to you:
Once-a-Month-cooking: If you have some freezer space, this just might be a

God-send for you! It takes a bit of time to plan out menus, purchase food and
meal-saving items, but if you can do this—the stress-meter in your life will drop
to the next level down! Another variation of this is Once-a-Week Cooking (I
confess that our budget handles this a little bit better). You literally spend a day
cooking up several meals and storing them in the freezer for future use. The
book is: Once-a-month-Cooking: A Proven System for Spending Less Time in
the Kitchen and Enjoying Delicious, homemade Meals Everyday by Mary Beth
Lagerborg and Mimi Wilson. Look it up in the Library or borrow from a friend.
If neither is an option, the WEB link below has the book on Amazon.com
Once-a-month Cooking
Make some “Chore Charts” that you and your children can do each day. I at
least try to have the basics on the charts: like getting dressed; brushing
teeth; making bed; each child’s meals’ dishes; setting the table for dinner;
walking the dog; etc. Just because the children are ‘in school” doesn’t mean
they cannot pitch in at home. Doing jobs is not only learning to be
responsible in the home, but gives each participant the feeling of “helping
out”. Use your Microsoft Word to create your own charts, or use any of the
following:
DLTK's Chore Charts
Tipz Time Chore Charts
Country ClipArt Chore Charts
Finally—and this is the most important—spend time daily in the Scriptures.
It doesn’t have to be long, but if you can get up an extra 2030 minutes early

each day and start your morning in God’s Word, you will find that your
relationship with the Savior will grow, and your day will go much smoother
(the trials and difficulties will be the same, but your outlook will be more
peaceful ) If you want a suggestion on reading, the following are some
links to Bible Reading Schedules:
Christian Home and Family Bible Reading Schedules
Read through the Bible in a Year
Psalms and Proverbs Daily Reading Schedule
And below are some WEB links for Women’s Devotionals:
Beth Moore's Women's Devotionals
Devotional Thoughts
Crosswalk.com Devotionals

A Bit about the Author
I am a 53 yearold homemaker and mother of seven (yes, 7) children.
My husband and I live in the great state of Missouri, in a suburb outside of
St. Louis. The Lord blessed us with our first five children in seven years
(and before you say “Wow!”, I want you to know that we found the Lord's
grace sufficient for every need, as well as He delighted to provide many
'wants”). As a stayathome Mom, I enjoyed reading to and being involved
with our children. And it was not only our prayer that our children would
trust in the lord as their Savior, but that they would have a passion for HIM
and HIS Word. And one can't be a student of the Scriptures without being a
'good reader”.
My husband and I prayerfully entered the realm of homeschooling
when our oldest was just 4 years old—and that was 23 years ago. We had
been concerned that many children in the public schools were poor readers ,
and we purposed to give our children oneonone tutoring in phonics and
mathematics before they would enter the public school system. Being an
oneincome family, and having several children, private schooling was outof
thequestion. About that time, a nearby church offered a free seminar on
“Homeschooling Your Child”. We both attended, and were amazed at the
different companies that offered material for doing this. After much prayer
and planning, we decided to give it a try with our oldest, Elizabeth. To our
amazement, she quickly learned to read using the 4 and 5 yearold
Kindergarten curriculum provided by Christian Liberty Academy. From
that point on, we were sold on Homeschooling. And it has been one of the
“best adventures” of my life!

Our family: (Left to Right)
Kate and Andrew (our newlyweds); Johnny (age 15) Hannah (age 19); John—my dear husband;
Lydia (age 10) Debbie (me)behind Lydia; Josh and Skye (married 1 year); Becky; & Liz

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How to Homeschool

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Downloadable Study Bibles and Helps: www.e­sword.net

WordWeb (Free dictionary and thesaurus) http://wordweb.info/free/

Learn Europe: http://www.arcticowlsoftware.com/learneu.htm

Sky Charts(Astronomy) http://www.stargazing.net/astropc/

Typing Software: http://tuxtype.sourceforge.net/

Simply the Best http://www.simplythebest.net/

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Homeschooling the Special Needs Child (namely ADHD)

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Fairy Tale ___________________________________

Good Characters Evil (Bad) Characters

What was the conflict or problem in this fairy tale?

Write a summary of the story.

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Lessons: Lessons Tests: Weekly

65. 66. 67. 68. 16.

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LANGUAGE ARTS — Intellectual Development

Downloadable Study Bibles and Helps: www.esword.net