If you want to have a more enjoyable homeschooling experience, good planning and organization is essential. Even if you adopt a more eclectic style of homeschooling, being organized in your routine and materials will prevent stress and aggravation in your day.

First of all, an important part of getting organized is making sure you are in compliance with your state’s homeschooling laws. Whether the state you live in is more restrictive or flexible will have a bearing on what kinds of records you keep.

If you live in a state with more stringent requirements, a homeschool planner may be essential so you can easily create monthly or yearly progress reports. These are also helpful if you’re keeping transcripts. Of course, if you enroll your child in a virtual school or certain “in a box” curriculums, you can opt to have records kept for you. If you have a hard time with paperwork that may be a good option for your family.

Homeschool planners help you keep track of textbook and workbook pages covered, projects completed, unit studies you went over, field trips attended, books read, and daily attendance. You can purchase these in stores or online, or create your own. It can be simple or elaborate – a 3 ring binder can suffice if you’re so inclined, or you can search online for free homschool planning worksheets. If your state requires more documentation, it might be best to go with a more elaborate system for your peace of mind.

Reducing clutter is important when you’re homeschooling. Books, workbooks, art materials, DVDs, computer software, etc can quickly get out of hand and spread all over the house. In order to minimize this, assess your situation and figure out what system makes the most sense for your family. If your kids are older you may want to keep their homeschooling supplies centrally located in the kitchen, study or living room, wherever you spend the most time doing school. If your kids are younger (or if you have toddlers who may get into things and damage them!), you may want to keep your supplies high up in the kitchen or on bookshelves, out of reach but easily accessible for you to get at them quickly.

A cabinet in the kitchen, a filing cabinet, a shelf, a large plastic container, etc – most of us already have these in our homes. You can organize art materials, paints, paper, pencils and erasers in smaller plastic tubs or containers with lids so everything stays together. If you have multiple kids homeschooling, you may want to have a color coded system so everyone knows where their stuff is. It might help to think like a preschool teacher – each kid has a cubby to store their gear.

As a homeschooling parent, you might find that a Sunday night review/planning session before you start your week means everything goes more smoothly. It’s good also to reassess every once in awhile so homeschooling stays enjoyable and rewarding. What’s working well? What’s not working? Simple adjustments can be very helpful in getting back on track.

Remember that learning can get messy! Relax your standards a bit and be ok with messies. Don’t hamper your kid’s excitement for learning by expecting perfection when it comes to cleanliness. One way to minimize the mess is to take learning outside or to the library. If everyone’s getting stir crazy and you need a burst of energy, head out for the day.

Fieldtrips are great way for homeschooling families to add some excitement and some real life learning experiences to the day. It can get tedious to stay at home most of the day and work out of textbooks and workbooks. Even computer work and games can become monotonous. Fieldtrips provide an opportunity to get out of the house, get some fresh air, learn some new things, and interact with new people. Here are some ideas for fieldtrips that are educational and fun!

Zoos, Wildlife Preserves, and State Parks – Most cities and towns have zoos and wildlife preserves and many people live within driving distance of a great State Park. All of these venues give children the opportunity to actually experience natural science first hand. They interact with animals and learn about the ones that live in their area of the world…what they eat, when they sleep, their social habits, and more. These places are also wonderful for learning about different plant species that our local animal life depend on for survival and how human actions may be impacting them. It might be helpful to look online to see what these places offer and then write up a list of questions your kids have. Help them find the answers while they visit.

Art Galleries – Even if your kids aren’t particularly interested in art, most find galleries to be fun and interesting. Many even have exhibits that feature the work of child artists. Take a look around and have your children write down the names of their favorite artists. Afterwards you can research each artist and learn more about their life and their work.

History and Science Museums – Children of all ages usually love history and science museums. History museums give them a look into mysterious times long ago. What child can resist a dinosaur, caveman, or ancient Egyptian exhibit? Not only can they see how people lived in times past they can see first hand what prehistoric creatures like the Wooly Mammoth or the Saber Tooth Tiger looked like. Science museums usually give children an opportunity to learn about science by seeing different scientific principles in practice. They may be able to about pressure and the effects of gas by launching a bottle rocket or learn about lasers by using mirrors on a grid. These museums also have seasonal exhibits that are sure to delight children of all ages so check with yours often to see what they offer.

Farms – Homeschoolers can learn about farming and agriculture first hand by visiting local farms. Many even provide an opportunity for tours or for you to pick your own produce. This allows them to connect with their own food chain and perhaps trace their food from farm to plate. The economics of food distribution is another area they can learn about that is practical and valuable to know. Some farms have special days were younger children can get involved in farm chores as well.

Local fieldtrip spots are not hard to find and your children will greatly appreciate the opportunities.

Do you know about these wonderful books? They are all fantastic resources for homeschooling parents. There are many wonderful books written by and for homeschooling parents. These are some of the bestselling favorites that homeschooling parents recommend over and over.

100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy –
The key to a happy homeschooling experience is to marry the curriculum you choose (or create) with your overall educational philosophy. This book helps you do just that. It’s a must read for parents at the beginning of their homeschool journey or anyone who wants to breathe fresh life into their child’s home education.

The Core Knowledge Series – If you’re concerned about your child keeping up with their non homeschooled peers, the Core Knowledge series is for you. The books are titled “What your first grader should know”, “What your second grader should know”, etc. You could in fact use these volumes as a guideline to create your own curriculum.

The Kingfisher Books – The Kingfisher First Animal Book and The Kingfisher First Human Body Book are wonderful for preschoolers and young children and could form the basis of early science curriculum. The other titles in the Kingfisher lineup are also excellent resource materials for homeschooling families.

Susan Wise Bauer’s Story of The World – Susan Wise Bauer is a homeschooling advocate and author of several books on classical homeschooling. Her Story of the World history books are favorites among home educators. They create a real, living history experience for children and are enjoyable for parents too. The series have companion workbooks for those who want to use them alongside the volumes.

John Holt’s Teach Your Own and How Children Learn – John Holt, a public school teacher turned unschooling advocate, has written many groundbreaking books on the topic of how children learn. Even if you don’t adopt an unschooling style, reading these books will give you confidence that as a homeschooling parent you’re capable of educating your child well.

The Ultimate Book of Homeschooling Ideas by Linda Dobson – This one is another favorite of homeschoolers everywhere. One of the challenges we face is coming up with ways to teach our kids (and ourselves!) the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic from day to day. This book offers hundreds of ideas you can try to keep things fresh and interesting.

The Unschooling Handbook by Mary Griffiths – Unschooling, or child directed learning, is practiced by an estimated 10 – 15% of American parents. This book teaches you how to use the “whole world as your child’s curriculum” and is a breath of fresh air to parents who trust their children to learn naturally with minimal outside interference.

If you are not particularly artistic or crafty yourself it may be difficult to make sure your homeschooled child is getting enough opportunities for artistic expression. Artistic expression though can be a foundation for writing and for self expression so it is important that art and crafts be an important part of any homeschool curriculum. It is fairly easy to incorporate art into the school routine though. Here are few tips:

Make it From Scratch – Instead of buying new play dough or finger paints make your own with your children as helpers. Recipes can be found online and children will get to practice their measuring (math) and cooking skills too. Homemade art supplies are also healthier and less toxic than what you can buy at stores. Not only will your kids have a blast playing with these items they will have just as much fun making them.

Make Art Fun – Instead of sitting your child down with a paintbrush and a small canvas why not set them up with a big canvas in an outdoor area, some quality tempera paints, some water balloons, and some darts. Inflate the balloons just a bit, add some paint, close them, and attach them too the canvas with tacks. Then your kids can throw darts at the balloons and create art with the paint splatter. No child can resist this incredibly fun project. Later they can sign it and hang it in their bedroom or playroom.

Other fun projects include painting rocks, using body paints to mimic the body painting found in many tribal cultures, and using sidewalk chalks and paint.

Use the library – Your local library will no doubt have many books on various arts and crafts projects for kids. Look for books with unplugged projects, seasonal crafts ideas, and paper crafting like origami. Read the books together and decided which projects you will work on.

Go Digital – Art doesn’t have to be all about paper, paints, and getting and your hands dirty anymore. Digital arts and paint programs are gaining in popularity. Kid Pix and Disney Magic Artist Deluxe are two popular programs. They allow children to use digital paper and many different artistic techniques to create beautiful works of art that can be saved and even printed for framing. This method saves you a bundle on supplies.

Make it Educational – Art can also be educational. Have your children roll play dough into small marble shaped balls of different colors and use them as counting and math manipulatives. The same pieces can be used to learn colors and to practice sorting.

Allow free Expression – Don’t get in the habit of correcting your child’s technique or telling them which colors to use. Let them create their own art. Author Susan Striker of Young at Art discourages using coloring books because most of the artwork has already been done. She has a wonderful line of anti-coloring books available for purchase that give kids an opportunity to create on their own terms without outside interference or guidance.

So now that you have some fresh ideas…get busy!