Homeschool Timeline Checklist for NEW Homeschoolers:

1. Divide your homeschool timeline into three sections depending on when you plan on homeschooling. It is a good idea to give yourself at least 6 months for planning, but you can be successful with only two weeks if absolutely necessary.
2. Concentrate on learning all you can in the first section, for example finding out if you and your children will prefer literature based curriculum, unit studies, classical education, or a combination of all of them.
3. Research your curriculum choices and narrow them down to your favorites in the next block of time. Start talking to your friends and family about your decision to educate at home. it is always nice to have them on your side for support, but you'd be surprised how many families experience resistance to the idea.
4. In the last section of time, make your purchases, find a spot in your house that will serve as your "classroom". Don't go over board with trying to make it look like school, kids generally need access to a computer and a table and that is about it. A white board is nice, but not necessary.
5. When your curriculum arrives look through it ALL. You're new, and you might not ever have to do this again if you make the right choices, but most of us veterans still look at all the curriculum. After all - that is why we homeschool, right? To make sure we're providing the best education possible? This can be a cursory look-through, I mean don't get me wrong I don't actually READ it all - but I thumb through all the pages and see if any modifications are in order. (You do realize you can modify anything you don't like right?) I spend a day or two on this step, but do whatever you are comfortable with.
6. Make your short term schedule. Try not to over schedule your kids, especially the first few weeks. I like to ease mine back into the school year myself. I add the time consuming stuff first and then the easy stuff in later weeks. And remember, 2 hours is plenty for younger kids and 4.5 TOPS for the older ones. It is NOT reasonable to expect your kids to work for 6-8 hours a day like public schools, they will be going through material way too fast in most cases and will retain little.
7. Go over your schedule with the important people in your life - your child or children, your husband etc. so that all of you are on the same page.
8. Pick a start day and go for it!

Psst - after a few weeks go ahead and try your hand at the seasoned homeschoolers checklist below. (Skip this step for now if you feel like you're developing a nervous tick in your eye.)

Homeschool Timeline Checklist for SEASONED Homeschoolers:

1. Review what you covered last year to determine where you need to be at the end of this year. OR - take a skills test to assess the academic needs of your family. This can be as easy as printing out some worksheets online and finding their weak spots.
2. Decide when you want to start your school year, and remember - you can start when it is best for YOUR family. If that is August or September, great. If that is October, fine. Just make sure you keep track of your legal requirements.
3. Divide your year up into sections, I like semesters myself...long term is my motto, but maybe you like 6 week intervals or 12 week intervals - don't do it my way - do it YOUR way.
4. Divide what you need to cover into equal parts so that one section is not overloaded with work. Keep the holidays in mind, often times parents get so busy in December that school takes a back seat. That is OK - you just gotta plan for it.
5. Check off what you accomplish as you go. This serves two purposes, it makes you feel like your accomplishing something and it can talk you down off the ledge when you're ready to call yourself a failure.
6. You're not a failure if your kids don't get it done. Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye - we had TWO YEARS of almost NO PROGRESS when we first started. Things snowballed from there though, and your years will too.
7. Relax and try to enjoy yourself.

To learn more about dealing with friends, family, and homeschool discrimination click here

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