Want to Home School and need help please :)

**purpledragon** · 16-12-2011 17:26

Hi there
We moved here from New Zealand in August 2011.
I would like to home school my nearly 7yr old daughter, but have no idea how to go about it.
If someone could give me a step by step guide as to how to go about doing this I would really appreciate it.
We live in Rothwell, Queensland.
If anyone wants to email me about it:
purpledragon1974@gmail.com

Look forward to hearing from you
Thanks
Tania

**Habonia** · 16-12-2011 17:56

You need to contact the dept of Education and Training in Qld - find out more info from them and then put in an application with them. Goodluck!

http://education.qld.gov.au/strategi...ents/smspr014/

**chocorama** · 16-12-2011 18:42

Hey there and congrats on your decision to homeschool! There are some great resources around for home learning families. Two Aussie forums are www.joyouslearning.info and www.liberatedlearning.info, and there are plenty of Yahoo groups (mailing lists) you can join also, try searching the Yahoo ''groups'' category for homeschoolers in your area.

Beverley Paine's site is quite thorough also: homeschoolaustralia.com

Good luck on your journey!

**purpledragon** · 16-12-2011 20:25

What are all the different types/ ways of teaching your child at home?

**zenifa** · 18-12-2011 10:37

http://www.hea.edu.au/articles/style...pproaches.html

The Home Education Australia is a good starting point for finding out more about home ed in Australia. There are lots of options including distance education, using your own curriculum, buying curriculum, unschooling plus lots of styles and approaches.

As you live in Qld, you should also look at this site http://connectinghomeschoolers.ning.com/ as the best way to find out more (as well as reading books, forums, yahoo groups and internet searching) is to meet, hang out with and learn from others already doing it. Have support and community are important for all home educators.

**zenifa** · 18-12-2011 10:40

I love those forums as well chocorama

**wrena** · 18-12-2011 17:12

I'm planning to unschool my kids but there are as many different ways of homeschooling as their are homeschooling families. You can use a distance education type curriculum right through to unschooling/ natural learning. Have a read of some books and the forums listed and get a feel for what you think will work for your daughter and you. Best of luck! Would love to hear how you get on

**purpledragon** · 19-12-2011 07:52

Thanks everyone
All your suggestions have been great and my mind is very over flowing with new information

I'm not quiet sure what style I fit in with. As from the info I have gathered from here, home schooling forums and websites. I like the idea of fitzroy readers, some maths off singapore maths and also all about learning 'spelling', and then just add more stuff on based on my daughter interests and have a different theme each month.
The only thing that kind of boggles the mind is the stuff to do with registering as a home schooler, as from what I have read it is a requirement in Queensland.
Lots of people I have read about have said that they don't both with the registration, but since my DD has already been to school here, I am not sure I can get away with it. Or maybe I could tell them I am moving her to another school and just not tell them where

But then again, because I am such geek and need lists and have some sort of routine and organisation in place. I think going through the registration process wouldn't be such a bad thing.
It is just getting my hear around putting together a plan for a whole year and the reporting side of things,OMG I think my head will explode

Any way I think I will wait till the new year and give the HEU a ring and from what I have read, they are quiet helpful with suggestions to help you put your plan together.

I am really

about home schooling her though. I think my DD and I will have fun and learn heaps together

**zenifa** · 23-12-2011 15:11

Originally Posted by purpledragon

I'm not quiet sure what style I fit in with. As from the info I have gathered from here, home schooling forums and websites. I like the idea of fitzroy readers, some maths off singapore maths and also all about learning 'spelling', and then just add more stuff on based on my daughter interests and have a different theme each month.
The only thing that kind of boggles the mind is the stuff to do with registering as a home schooler, as from what I have read it is a requirement in Queensland.
Lots of people I have read about have said that they don't both with the registration, but since my DD has already been to school here, I am not sure I can get away with it. Or maybe I could tell them I am moving her to another school and just not tell them where

But then again, because I am such geek and need lists and have some sort of routine and organisation in place. I think going through the registration process wouldn't be such a bad thing.
It is just getting my hear around putting together a plan for a whole year and the reporting side of things,OMG I think my head will explode

Any way I think I will wait till the new year and give the HEU a ring and from what I have read, they are quiet helpful with suggestions to help you put your plan together.

I am really

about home schooling her though. I think my DD and I will have fun and learn heaps together

Its fine, you don't need to have a 'defined' style, you can just be 'eclectic' for now, using the variety of resources you mentioned. As far as I know each state has requirements for registration or exemption from formal education. Your plan sounds good to me - to call HEU in the new year, as I've not dealt with them, but hear they are very helpful. As your child has already been in formal education it would be harder to 'stay under the radar', so its best to register - plus if you like to have things ordered, structured and planned, view the registration process as part of that, helping you to get organised for the coming year. You dont' have to report til 9mths after you register so lots of time to do that and lots of help around to do it.
Good luck and look forward to hearing how it all goes

**purpledragon** · 14-01-2012 12:44

Thanks to everyone for you help with this.
I have pretty much got my head around a curriculum for the year, thank goodness,lol.It all seems so much to take in when you first start trying to get your head around it all. But I am pretty sure I have it all sorted now.
Got my application pack from HEU the other day, so just have to get more ink for the printer and fine tune my plan, get a JP to sign it and send it off. Then when school offically starts back up, we will start our first home schooling year.
Tara is still taking a bit to get use to the idea of not going back to school this year.
She loves me teaching her, but it is such an ingrained thing already, that the only place to learn is school.
I am going to enjoy teaching her that there is so much to learn at home and her mummy will be her best teacher ever