Homeschooling is a great choice for many parents and students. It provides flexibility and saves money, too! But some people are hesitant to homeschool for fear of not having the right materials or support network. Here’s a list of homeschooling essentials to get you started!
Luckily, with the Internet making information and resources more accessible than ever before, along with an increasing number of peer support groups, learning from home has never been easier or more accessible. If you’re thinking about homeschooling your child but aren’t sure where to start, this blog post will walk you through the top homeschooling essentials you need to get started today! You can also check this Homeschooling Guide article out!
The Basic Homeschooling Essentials: What You Need To Homeschool
Before you dive into buying curriculum, it’s important to sit down and outline the other materials and tools you’ll need to homeschool. You’ll need to decide how you want to structure your homeschooling day, how you’ll handle assessments, and what other tools you’ll need to start.
Curriculum
You can’t homeschool without a curriculum! It’s the backbone of your learning and what will keep you on track each day. Homeschooling curriculum comes in many forms and can be purchased online or you can enroll in accredited homeschooling schools that have their own curriculum.
There are also free online homeschool curricula such as the Ambleside. Online or Easy Peasy Online School.
Planners or Organizational Tools
As with any job, you’ll want to stay organized. You can use online tools like Google Calendar or Trello to keep track of your day-to-day activities and assignments. Here’s a Homeschool Planner Template from Trello. You can copy it and make your own version.
If you’re the writing kind, you might also need a homeschool planner to keep yourself on track and help manage your day. You can find many free copies online. Seriously, the amount of free stuff online made by homeschooling moms is a lot, and the community is very supportive!
Computer/Device and Internet
So I’m not sure if I need to put this here but, well, for me, the internet plays a vital role in homeschooling. You’ll use it for researching, communicating with your child’s teacher, and for coursework. Make sure you have a reliable internet connection at home, either via your computer or an internet-enabled device like a tablet or smartphone. My youngest is enrolled with Centris and has her whole coursework online.
Textbooks
You may choose to use textbooks as part of your curriculum, or you may find that you don’t need them at all. Your child’s grade level will help you determine if you need textbooks. As you know, I’m a fan of not spending money when you can get good ones for free. You will find that there are a lot of online textbooks or e-books that can help you save money. Some online textbooks are even free! Since the Ambleside Online website is based on the Charlotte Mason’s classically-based principles, it has links to a lot of free books that you can use.
School Supplies
You can definitely teach your child at home, but you will need to buy a few supplies. National Bookstore is definitely your best friend. Lazada and Shopee as well.
Basic Homeschool Supplies List
| Scissors | Glue stick |
| Colored pencil | Pencil sharpener |
| Pencil | Hole punch |
| Post-it Note | Paintbrush |
| Marker pen | Construction paper |
| Adhesive tape | Whiteboard |
| glue | Stapler |
| File folder | Crayon |
| Paper | Ruler |
| Math manipulatives | Exercise book |
| Notebook | Microscope |
| Crayons, Markers, Colored Pencils | Binder clip |
Printer
Apart from the laptop, no other big buy is as important as the printer. You will be printing a lot of stuff, both for schoolwork, worksheets, and in my experience, lots of drawing and coloring sheets. If budget allows. choose the one that has a scanner. I file all of my kid’s work online, so a scanner is pretty helpful. Mine has always been Epson and I have the Ecotank L3210. When budget allows, maybe I can get the Wifi L3250 version. :)
Epson EcoTank L3210 A4 All-in-One Ink Tank Printer -P9849
Original Epson Printer L3250 Wi-Fi Wireless , Scanner Copier Xerox P13899
Sports Equipment or Exercises
Although you don’t need to sign your child up for sports or join a gym, you can still encourage him or her to be active at home. Some parents choose to invest in sports equipment for their children to use at home or attend a few exercise classes at a nearby facility. You can also sign your child up for online exercise classes.
Co-op or Group Learning Experiences
If you decide to join a homeschooling co-op or group, you’ll have the opportunity to meet other homeschooling families and share your own knowledge. You can also partner with other families and share the workload, helping each other along the way. Check groups on Facebook. The homeschooling scene for Filipinos are pretty active there!
Afterschool Activities/Sports
If you sign your child up for sports, you can choose to do so after school or on weekends. But keep in mind that some sports may require you to be at games, practices, and other events on the weekend, too. You can also look into afterschool activities, like art classes or robotics clubs.
Conclusion
Homeschooling may seem like a big task, but it’s a rewarding experience for both you and your child. Once you prepare the necessary homeschooling essentials and get organized, you’ll be off to a great start. You can also join a local homeschooling group to get support and meet other like-minded families.
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