Q: I have decided to home school my son, who is 4.8 years old for kindergarten. Would you please guide me where do I start? Thank you very much.

A: Dear Mom,

There are a number of good web sites dedicated to home schooling. You can find many resources by checking out search engines on the subject. Here are a few in particular to try:

http://www.hsadvisor.com/
When you go to HS Advisor, you can ask questions about homeschooling and get a prompt reply from one of their home education experts, buy homeschool curriculum online, find local homeschool support groups, discover your state's homeschooling laws, and a lot more.

http://www.homeschool.com
A description from this web site: Everyday over 2 million homeschooling children wake up ready to explore their world. Now there is a place where their parents can help them receive a 21st century home education using the vast resources of the Internet, online classes, advice from America's leading homeschooling experts and the support of fellow Homeschoolers from across the street or across the country: Homeschool.com -- your virtual homeschool.

http://www.midnightbeach.com/hs/
Jon's homeschool resource web site is full of useful information, including links to other homeschool sites with ratings.

www.sitesforteachers.com
This site, designed for teachers, offers links to many useful teaching tools, including free worksheets.

If you are interested in a Christian-based curriculum, here are two popular programs' web sites:

http://www.abeka.org/
A Beka's toll-free telephone number ia 1-877-223-5226.

http://www.abeka.org/
Timberdoodle's telephone number is 360-426-0672.

A number of homeschooling books also are available. To choose a curriculum, it's best to examine what's available to decide what is appropriate for your and your child. Perhaps ask a friend who already has done homeschooling.

This book was discussed on a talk radio program Gail heard and it sounded quite interesting and helpful…perhaps you can check it out the library. The following is the listing about the book from www.amazon.com:

"The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home''
By Jessie Wise, Susan Wise Bauer
List Price: $35.00
Our Price: $24.50
You save: $10.50 (30%)
Hardcover - (August 1, 1999) 764 pages

Book Description:

Teach your child at home or supplement his or her classroom learning --this book provides you with the techniques, curriculum, and resources necessary to ensure that your child's education is the best it can be. As a parent, you worry about your child's education. With thirty students per classroom, most dedicated teachers often can't give each student the individual attention so urgently needed, and neither teachers nor parents can control the social environment of many schools. Is your child getting lost in the system, becoming bored, losing his or her natural eagerness to learn? Maybe it's time to take charge of your child's education --by doing it yourself. This book will instruct you, step by step, on how to give your child an academically rigorous, comprehensive education from preschool through high school; one that will train him or her to read, to think, to understand, to be well-rounded and curious about learning. Through a language-intensive process that organizes learning around the maturing capacity of the child's mind, your child will receive the complete education that today's overcrowded schools are often unable to provide. You do have control over what and how your child learns; "The Well-Trained Mind'' will give you the tools you'll need to teach him or her with confidence and success.
You can read more about this book at amazon.com by clicking on the book below:

Good luck!

--Gail and Jo