Here are some suggestions to start your year and homeschooling career off on the right foot! Remember, these are suggestions - do what you can or what suits you.

• Be in prayer with your husband/wife and talk through your purposes. (see Mission Statement)
• Discuss reasons for home education and develop vision, conviction and priorities.
• Join your local Home Education Association for support.
• Get involved with a local support group and find a mentor (an experienced mom to help you get going and be a prayer partner with you).
• Register your child by September 30th with school of choice (see BC Laws for details).
• Join BC Home Learners Association and HSLDA of Canada.
• Set up a schedule of chores and responsibility training.
• Establish book work area and curriculum and supplies storage.
• Research educational philosophy.
• Determine learning styles of each child.
• Investigate curriculum for all subjects; set a budget, order catalogues, visit Nechako Learning Ladder.
• Decide what goals you have for each child, and what features curricula must have to meet these. Include your child in curriculum purchases.
• Set up a yearly schedule of when school will be in session.
• Set up monthly and weekly schedules to accomplish specific academic goals.
• Set up daily schedules which are flexible, realistic and consistent. Weed out unnecessary activities from family schedule.
• Choose methods for lesson planning and record-keeping, record progress.
• Buy notebooks and supplies for organizing paper work.
• Devise your own personal mission statement to give you purpose, fortitude in the tough times and the feeling of success when referring to it at the end of the year.

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