A word of caution about Christian home school suppliers: If the material is not produced by a Catholic publishing company or author you should preview it thoroughly. Some Protestant history books may contain prejudiced comments about the Catholic Church in reference to certain historical events. Secular and Christian texts will omit references to famous Catholics. Many Christian programs are based on Scripture and are fine. Some contain blatantly anti-Catholic sentiments. Be careful.

A. "We're thinking about home schooling."
   1. Read about it.
      Suggested books:

      a. Catholic Education, Homeward Bound; A Useful Guide to Catholic
	 Homeschooling by Kimberly Hahn and Mary Hasson, Ignatius Press,
	 1996.
	 available: Catholic Home Schooler's of Western NY (CHSWNY) library
		    Ignatius press

      b. Catholic Home Schooling, A Handbook for Parents by Dr. Mary Kay Clark,
	 TAN publishing, 1993.
	 available: CHSWNY library
		    Monroe County Public Library System
		    TAN publishing
		    Seton Educational Media

      c. Homeschooling and the New Code of Canon Law by Edward N. Peters, 
	 Christendom College Press, 1988.
	 available: MC Public Library System

      d. Dumbing Us Down: The Invisible Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling by
	 John Taylor Gatto
	 available: MC Public Library System
		    Great Christian Books
		    Holt Associates

      e. How Children Fail, rev. ed., 1983, How Children Learn, rev. ed., 1982,
	 Teach Your Own, 1981, all by John Holt
	 available: MC Public Library System
		    Holt Associates

      f. Family Matters; Why Homeschooling Makes Sense by David Guterson, 1992.
	 available: MC Public Library System
		    Great Christian Books
		    Holt Associates

      g. Home-spun Schools, Teaching Children at Home by Dr. Raymond and Dorothy
	 Moore, 1982.
	 available: MC Public Library System 

      h. The Dan Riley School for a Girl; An Adventure in Home Schooling by Dan Riley,
	 1994.
	 available: MC Public Library System
		    Village Green Bookstore

      i. Homeschooling For Excellence by David and Micki Colfax, Warner Books, 1988.
	 available: MC Public Library System
		    Great Christian Books
		    Holt Associates 

      j. Marva Collin's Way, rev. by Marva Collins and Civia Tamarkin, 1990.
	 available: MC Public Library System

      k. I am a Home Schooler by Julie Voetberg
	 available: MC Public Library System
		    Sycamore Tree

      l. For the Child's Sake, Foundations of Education by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay,
	 1984.
	 available: MC Public Library System
		    Great Christian Books

   2. Talk about it.
   3. Pray about it.


B. "How do I know what to teach?"
   1. Think about your child

   2. Formulate an educational statement. What does education mean to you?
      What are the goals of an education?

   3. Know what your state requires
      In NYS, according to part 100.10 of the Commissioner's regulations, these
      subject areas need to be taught:

      a. Grades 1-6: mathematics, reading, spelling, writing, English language, geography,
	 U.S. history, science, health, music, visual arts, and physical education.
	 (I add religion.)

      b. Grades 7-8: English (2 units), history and geography (2 units), science (2 units),
	 mathematics (2 units), physical education (regular basis), health
	 education (regular basis), art (.5 unit), practical arts (regular basis),
	 (add religion)

      c. at least once between Grades 1-8: U.S. History, NYS History, Constitutions of
	 NYS and U.S.

      d. Grades 9-12: English (4 units), Social Studies (4 units); 1 unit of American history,
	 .5 unit of participation in government, .5 unit of economics, mathematics
	 (2 units), science (2 units), art and/or music (1 unit), health (.5 unit), 
	 physical education (2 units), 3 units of electives
	 (add religion)

      e. to be covered each year: patriotism and citizenship
	 health education - alcohol, drug, tobacco misuse
	 highway safety and traffic regulation, including
	 bicycle safety
	 fire and arson prevention and safety

   4. Research curricula from various schools/companies
      Suggested books/resources:

      a. Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum; A Guide to Catholic Home Education,
	 rev. ed. by Laura M. Berquist, Bethlehem Books (div. of Ignatius Press), 1994.
	 available: CHSWNY library
		    MC Public Library System
		    Ignatius Press
		    Town Book Fair

      b. Catholic Home School by Mary Kay Clark, Common Faith Tract No. 6, Christendom
	 Publications, 1983.
	 available: MC Public Library System

      c. Teaching Children, A Curriculum Guide to What Children Need to Know at Each
	 Level Through 6th Grade by Diane Lopez
	 available: Great Christian Books

      d. What Your Child Needs to Know When: An Evaluation Checklist for Grades K-8
	 by Robin Scarlata
	 available: Great Christian Books

      e. Christian Home Educator's Curriculum Manual, Elementary by Cathy Duffy, 1995.
	 (secondary also available)
	 available: MC Public Library System
		    Great Christian Books
		    
      f. Big Book of Home Learning by Mary Pride Vol. 1-4, Crossway Books, 1990.
	 available: MC Public Library System

      g. The Core Knowledge Sequence: Content Guidelines for K-6 (revised 1995)
	 curriculum based on work of E.D. Hirsch.
	 available: Core Knowledge Foundation

      h. What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know (1st -8th grade also available)
	 edited by E.D. Hirsch
	 available: MC Public Library System
		    Great Christian Books
		    local bookstore, Sam's club, BJ's 

      i. A First Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: What Our Children Need to Know and
	 Dictionary of Cultural Literacy by E.D. Hirsch, Houghton- Mifflin Co., 1989.
	 available: MC Public Library System (may be reference only)
		    local bookstores

      j. The Three R's: A Strong Start in Language, An Easy Start in Arithmetic, Five
	 Homespun Steps for Teaching Your Child to Read (K-3) and You Can
	 Teach Your Child Grades 4-8 by Ruth Beechick
	 available: MC Public Library System
		    Great Christian Books
		    Timberdoodle

      k. Good Stuff; Learning Tools for all Ages by Rebecca Rupp, Home Education Press,
	  1993. 
	  available: MC Public Library System
		     Home Education Press
		     Holt Associates

      l. Your Child in School (k-2), (Grades 3-5) by Tom and Harriet Sobol, 1987, 1987.
	  available: MC Public Library System

      m. send for "Typical Course of Study K-12" from World Book
	  Educational Services,
	  World Book Inc.
	  Merchandise Mart Plaza
	  Chicago, Illinois 60654

      n. send for curriculum lists from schools/companies that provide a full-curriculum
	  program for home schoolers

      o. send for scope and sequence charts from various major textbook publishers
       
      p. ask your local school district for local and state curriculum guides

      q. talk with other home schooling parents, look at their IHIPs (Individualized
	  Home Instruction Plan)

C. "How do we structure the day/year?"
   variety of approaches:

   1. "traditional school" at home
   2. unschooling/child-led learning
   3. unit study/integrated subjects
   4. Montessori Method - prepared environment
   5. ecclectic

   considerations: your feelings about your own schooling, 
		   your personality
		   your child's personality
		   number of children
		   criticism from others

D. "What kind of curriculum materials do we buy?"

   Two kinds : Prepackaged/ full-curriculum or Custom-made curriculum

   considerations: time available before starting
		   time available each day/week for planning
		   number of children 
		   new baby, moving, living overseas
		   experience homeschooling/ comfort
		   economics
		   flexibility/freedom
		   need for record keeping/ transcripts/ diploma

   1. Prepackaged/ full-curriculum
      most include: student books, teacher's guides, lesson plans, answer keys, grading,
      achievement testing, record-keeping and transcripts, diploma, and consulting services.
      
      Full Curriculum Suppliers and costs:

      a. Seton Home Study School
	 Application fee - $30 for first child, $20 (2nd), $10 (3rd)

			 Registration   Tuition    Shipping
	 Kindergarten        $120         $50         $6
	 Grades 1-8          $125        $330        $13
	 High school         $125        $360        $13
	 (discounts available for more than one child)
	 
      b. Our Lady of the Rosary School
	 Registration fee - $50 for first child, $25 (2nd)
 
			    Tuition      Books
	 Pre-K                $85         $20
	 Kindergarten        $185         $20
	 Grades 1&2          $360         $25
	 Grades 3-8          $395         $25
	 Grades 9-12         $475         $30

 
      c. Our Lady of Victory School
	 Registration fee - $25 per child
	 Tuition: Grades K-6    $200
		  Grades 7-12   $250 

      d. Kolbe Academy
	 Registration fee - $30 per student
	 Annual fee - Grades 1-8    $150
		      Grades 9-12   $175
	 (each additional child only $75)
	 plus books and shipping and handling


      e. Our Mother of Divine Grace Independent Study Program
	 Enrollment fee - $250/ yr./ family
	 Consulting fee - $195/yr./ family
	 $50 grad. fee for Grade 12
	 $25 transcript fee for Grades 9-11
	 plus books


      f. other Catholic full-curriculum suppliers:

	       Most Holy Trinity Academy 
	       St. Thomas Aquinas Academy
	       St. Michael the Archangel Academy

      g. Major Christian/ Secular full-curriculum suppliers:

	       A Beka          Christian Liberty Academy      Clonlara School
	       Alpha Omega     Rod and Staff 
	       Bob Jones       Calvert School


      Remember- you are always free to add to a full-curriculum program if you find
      weaknesses. Don't let a pre-packaged curriculum control you.


   2. Custom-made Curriculum
      purchasing books and materials from a variety of companies, creating your own
      program to meet the needs of your child/children

      costs- vary

      Ways to keep costs down:
      a. shop around for best prices
      b. use nonconsumable items as much as possible
      c. buy from companies that allow you to return
      d. try to preview if possible
      e. make full advantage of the TONS of resources available through the public library
      f. buy used texts
      g. get textbooks from your school district (borrow for year for free)
      h. borrow books/materials from other home schoolers
      i. estate/ yard sales/ library book sales


      Some of my favorite catalogs: Seton, Our Lady of the Rosary, Catholic Heritage 
      Curicula, Leaflet Missal Co., Saints and Scholars, Town Book Fairs, God's World
      Publications, Great Christian Books, Greenleaf Press, Timberdoodle, Cuisenaire Co.,
      Dale Seymour, David Publications, Delta Educ., Didax, Evan-Moor, Hearthsong,
      Holt Assoc., Ideal, Instructional Fair, Judy/Instructo, Lakeshore, Lifetime Books &
      Gifts, Michael Olaf, Modern Curriculum Press, Montessori Services, Music in Motion,
      S&S Worldwide, School Specialty, Budget Text

      Planning for the year:
      a. Send away for catalogs over the winter and start browsing.
      b. Start a list of what you will buy/use for each subject area
	 list item, catalog, page number, price
	 list supplemental materials you can use through the library
      c. Order your materials in late spring/ early summer
      d. Plan for the year and write your letter of intent to the school district and
	 Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP) over the summer.
	 1. Look over all books/materials, be sure they meet your needs, if not return.
	 2. Using the table of contents or teacher's guide decide how many lessons the
	    book is divided into, or divide the work into workable chunks where this
	    is not done for you.
	 3. Plan your school calendar (usually 180 days), when will you start?
	    when will you have vacations? Divide the calendar into four, ten-week
	    periods, record date for each quarterly report.
	 4. Divide the work between the four marking periods and create weekly schedule
	    (may want to start light and increase work load and independence level as
	    year goes).
	 5. Fill out a plan book for the year, a column for each subject. (I use "The Ideal
	    Plan Book" available at Paul's Teacher's Pet and through the Ideal co.
	 6. Fill out an assignment pad with each week's work for each child. Do this on
	    a weekly basis (usually Friday for me) so that you can stay flexible and modify
	    your yearly plans as needed. (I use "Student Homework Book - form SHB-8"
	    available from Paul's Teacher's Pet).
	 7. Be sure to plan religion, special events following the Liturgical Year, Bible
	    reading, Saint's feast days etc.
 
      Some helpful resources for planning:

      According to the Liturgical year:
 
      Enriching Faith Through Family Celebrations by Sandra DeGidio, Twenty-Third
      Publications, 1989. available: MC Public Library System, Twenty-Third Pub.

      The Year and Our Children, Planning The Family Activities for Christian Feast and
      Seasons by Mary Reed Newland, The Firefly Press, orig. 1956, republ. 1996.
      available: MC Public Library system, Leaflet Missal Co.

      The Christian Calendar: A Complete Guide to the Seasons of the Christian Year
      Telling the Story of Christ and the Saints, from Advent to Pentecost by Leonard
      W. Cowie available: MC Public Library system

      Planning Historical Reading:

      Turning Back the Pages of Time, A guide to American History Through Literature
      compiled by Kathy Keller, 1993, Pilgrim Enterprises. available: Timberdoodle

      Let the Authors Speak, A Guide to Worthy Books Based on Historical Setting
      by Carolyn Hatcher, 1992, Old Pinnacle Publishing. available : Timberdoodle

      Recreating the Past, A guide to American and World Historical Fiction for Children
      and Young Adults by Lynda G. Adamson, 1994, Greenwood Press.
      available: Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881

      America as Story: Historical Fiction for Secondary Schools by Elizabeth Fitzgerald
      Howard, American Library Assoc., 1988. available: MC Public Library System
 
      Planning Geography:
      
      Geography Across the Curriculum by Dennis Reinhartz, National Educ. Assoc.
      (NEA), 1990. available: MC Public Library System

      Planning Read alouds/ Selecting Children's Literature:

      Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt available: Zondervan

      The New Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease, 1989, Penguin Books.
      available: MC Public Library System, local bookstores

      Books Children Love, A guide to the Best Children's Literature by Elizabeth Wilson,
      Crossway Books, 1987. available: Great Christian Books

      Planning Literature-based Music Instruction:

      Music Through Children's Literature, Theme and Variations by Donna B. Levene
      Teacher Idea Press, 1993. available: MC Public library system, Music in Motion

      Teach Your Kids About Music, An Activity Handbook for Parents and Teachers 
      Using Children's Literature by Ruby Chroninger, Walker Publishing, 1994.
      available: MC Public library system, Walker and Company, 435 Hudson St.,
      New York, NY 10014

      Literature-based Art and Music by Mildred Knight Laughlin and Terri Parker
      Street, Oryx Press, 1992. available: MC Public library system

      Planning Science Instruction:

      "Let's Read-and-find-out-Science Book" series by Harper-Collins
      over 100 titles in this series, divided into 2 levels, approp. for Preschool - age 9
      write to publishing company for complete list of titles and authors, available: MC Public 
      library system


      Every Teacher's Science Booklist: An Annotated Bibliography of Science Literature
      For Children (Grades K-8) by the Museum of Science and Industry, Scholastic Books,
      available: Kideology, Scholastic

      A Teacher's Science Companion by Phyllis J. Perry, Tab, 1994
      (resource book-bibliography) available: MC Public library system

      Mudpies to Magnets: A Preschool Science Curriculum by Robert A. Williams, Gryphon
      House, 1987. available: MC Public Library System, Gryphon House

      Planning Reading Instruction:

      Literature-based Reading: Children's Books and Activities to Enrich the K-5
      Curriculum by Mildred Knight Laughlin and Claudia Lisman Swisher, Oryx Press,
      1990. available : MC Public Library System

      The Reading Teacher's Book of Lists by Edward B. Fry (et al.), Prentice-Hall,
      1984. available: order through local bookstore

      Planning "Montessori-style"

      Teaching Montessori in the Home, The Preschool Years by Elizabeth G. Hainstock,
      Penguin Books, 1976. available: MC Public Library System, Borders Bookstore

      Teaching Montessori in the Home, The School Years by Elizabeth G. Hainstock,
      Penguin Books, 1971. available: MC Public Library System, Borders Bookstore

      Basic Montessori; Learning Activities for Under-Fives by David Gettman, St. Martin's
      Press, 1987. available: MC Public Library System, Borders Bookstore

      Montessori at Home; A Complete Guide to Teaching Your Preschooler at Home using
      the Montessori Method by Heidi Spietz, American Montessori Consulting, 1991.
      available: MC Public Library System, American Montessori Consulting

      Modern Montessori; A Creative Teaching Guuide for Parents of Children 6-9 (10-12) 
      years of age by Heidi Spietz, American Montessori Consulting, 1989, 1990.
      available: MC Public Library System, American Montessori Consulting

      Planning Unit Studies/themes:
 
      Integrated Early Childhood Curriculum by Suzanne Krogh, McGraw-Hill, 1990.
      available: MC Public Library System

      Every Teacher's Guidebook on Thematic Integrated Education: How to plan and
      Implement Successful Curriculum Integration by John S. Favors, Jonka Enterprises,
      1994. available: MC Public Library System

      Themestorming: How to Build a Theme-based Curriculum the easy way by Joni Becker
      (et al.), Gryphon House, 1994. available: MC Public Library System


      Themes Across the Curriculum: Ready-to-use Activites and Projects for the Elementary
      Classroom by Karl A. Matz, 1995. available: MC Public Library system

      Planning for Young Children:

      The Instant Curriculum: 500 Developmentally Appropriate Learning Activities for Busy
      Teachers of Young Children by Pamela Byrne Schiller, Gryphon House, 1990.
      available: MC Public Library System


      Teaching Children Basic Skills: A Curriculum Handbook by Thomas M. Stephens,
      Merill, 1983. available: MC Public Library System

      Exploration with Young Children: A Curriculum Guide from The Bank Street College
      of Education ed. by Anne Mitchell & Judy David, Gryphon House, 1992.
      available: MC Public Library System