Official Homeschool Support Thread!

You will get to know your child's true self - not the one that he/she has created as a survival or defense mechanism for school use.
Some children seem relieved to be taken out of a peer-dependent environment.
Use homeschooling as an opportunity to learn new things and add dimension to your life.
Homeschooling can lead to the greatest metamorphosis of your life!

What is your child's learning type?

Methods of Homeschooling:
The Charlotte Mason approach - "Above all, children should love to learn, and teaching should aid and nurture such love, not restrict and limit it." Provide "living" books (the characters come to life as real people, as opposed to textbooks)
The trivium approach - "Grammar, logic, and rhetoric" along with "arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy." The oldest method in the Western World; saw value in developing and cultivating a human mind.
The unschooling approach - "Don't do as schools do." Follow the child's interests; preserve the ideal of the self-motivated child - one who is constantly exploring and discovering relevant information, hands-on, not just in books; it becomes integrated into their personalities.
http://www.unschooling.org
http://www.unschooling.com
http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/earl_stevens.html
http://www.sandradodd.com/unschoolingcurriculum.html
http://www.youtube.com/user/UnschoolingChannel
Eclectic homeschooling - "Everywhere you go, there are things to know and learn." Draws from other methods or approaches in order to teach more fully.
They delayed academic method - If the child does not learn to read until sometime between eight and twelve years old, this is not a cause for anxiety. Children who read at this "delayed" time do not suffer for it and within a year or two are on par with children who learn to read at a much younger age - possibly when they were not ready to do so.
The unit study approach - Focuses on all subjects on one central theme. (ie: Ancient Rome - use as theme for learning all other subjects. Incorporate different academics by using Roman games, coin values, literature, numerals, history, and even Latin - to gain insight into the Roman world and learn math, history, geography, art, spelling, writing, etc)
The principle approach - (Christian) Follows seven Biblical principles in raising and teaching children. God-given individuality, Christian self-government, character, conscience, a Christian form of government, local self-government, and a restoration of Christian unity in government.

Know the Laws!
United States:http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp
Canada: http://www.flora.org/homeschool-ca/legalities.html
Ontario, Canada: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/extra/eng/ppm/131.html

Homeschooling Programs In the US - some may be used in other areas as well - (by denomination and alphabetically):

Calvert School - Grades: Pre-k through 8th
K12 - Online public school. Free, including a borrowed computer if available. Grades: Kindergarten through 12th. (Includes electives, international is available at an extra cost)
Time 4 Learning - Grades: Pre-K through 8th

Catholic:
Catholic Heritage Curricula - Grades: Pre-K through 12th (includes electives)
Kolbe Academy - Grades: Kindergarten through 12th
Little Saints - Preschool only
Our Lady of Victory - Grades: Kindergarten through 12th
Seton Home Study School - Grades: Kindergarten through 12th

Christian:
Accelerated Christian Education - Grades: Pre-K through 12th (high school bundle)
Alpha Omega Publications - Offers various options for curriculum choices. Grades: Pre-K through 12th
A Beka Academy - Video and non video classes available. Grades: Pre-K through 12th (plus electives!)
Home Schooling Books - Offers religious curriculum along with a "build your own" program.
Sonlight - Grades: Pre-K through 12th
Western Christian Academy - Grades: Pre-K through 12th

Ontario, Canada
http://www.ontariohomeschool.org/ - Homeschooling parents information for Ontario
http://www.ilc.org/index-main.php - Ontario based curriculum courses

Homeschooling on your own (no program)
Generally, depending on your state, you file as your own private school and will have to send in updates and lesson plans to the head of your district.
It would make for a more personalized approach to teaching your child but it can take up more of your time and resources.
I'd suggest joining HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) to help protect your rights to homeschool your child. Knowing the laws and having someone on your side will help protect you in case the government suspects you of truancy.

List of free/cheap resources/ideas for educating on your own:

Budget Homeschool - Think you can't afford to homeschool? I've got news for you...
Charlotte Mason - "We are dedicated to helping you homeschool your children using the Charlotte Mason method and wonderful philosophy of education."
Donna Young - Printables and resources
Easy Fun School - "Over 1,500 of free educational resources!"
Homeschooling Adventures - Kindergarten through 3rd grade
Homeschool Central - "All the resources you need"
Print Activities - "Coloring, word puzzles, mazes, and more!"
Ship Full o' Pirates - "Free homeschool stuff"

Family Education - Is your child ready to read?
Top 25 Homeschooling Blogs!

watching!!!!...........

Love this!!

Quoting River's Mommy:" watching!!!!..........."

Me too!

This will be interesting, ive been thinking about homeschooling my kids but i just dont have the materials or the social life... (my kids would spend the majoirty fighting if they didnt seperate and hang out with other kids at school) i hated school and would of loved to be home schooled!

YAY!

I'd never do it, but I'm quite intrigued.

Yay! I love this!

Quoting Nachita:" This will be interesting, ive been thinking about homeschooling my kids but i just dont have the materials ... [snip!] ... fighting if they didnt seperate and hang out with other kids at school) i hated school and would of loved to be home schooled!"

I was homeschooled up until about mid first grade... the only reason I wanted to go to school was to be like my neighbor. I'd never even thought of going back to homeschooling after I went back but I was pretty social either way.

I'm about to put up some curriculum programs. Some are completely free.

Quoting eodmommy *OKGFB*:" YAY! "

 

Quoting xpubg:" I was homeschooled up until about mid first grade... the only reason I wanted to go to school was to ... [snip!] ... after I went back but I was pretty social either way. I'm about to put up some curriculum programs. Some are completely free."

That would be awesome!

So excited for this thread!! We are planning on homeschooling/cyberschooling our children. We've pretty much already started informally with our 3 year old.

My LO is only 15 months but I think I'll more than likely homeschool him so I thank you for posting this topic. It seems there's so much support out there now for home education. I live in a rural area and even here there's an incredibly large and active home educators group which provides the children with all sorts of incredible extra-curricular and educational activities.

Quoting MamaCass{Julia&Owen}:" So excited for this thread!! We are planning on homeschooling/cyberschooling our children. We've pretty much already started informally with our 3 year old. "

that's what I'm doing with my 4 year old right now. informal preschool.

Love seeing this thread and participating   I'm already doing informal preschool with my almost 4 and 3 year olds and planning to do a more formal PreK this Fall. Depending on how that goes we will plan for each year to come. Here there's an awesome local home school support network so the kids are never lacking in social activities and have lots of extra opportunities for foreign language courses, sports, and special events but since hubby is changing jobs I'm praying we stay local or find a similar wonderful network where we end up moving.