Supplies for Home-Schooling

Although this list is general in nature it serves as a starting point for the home educator. Naturally the amounts of items will vary according to the number of children being home schooled.

Paper it the number one item needed on this list. I generally have several reams of printer paper so that I can print various worksheets and alternate reading assignments from the internet. You would naturally want to have lined paper for the child to do their homework assignments on. If you watch you can generally find many of the paper supplies that you will need on sale at the major department stores. I remember buying a ton of composition books for only five cents each at Wal-Mart one year. I still have plenty of them left. Another excellent place to purchase many of your school supplies is the dollar tree. Keep in mind that according to the type of instructions that you will be providing you may require graph paper, carbon paper, construction paper, various pads of paper, spiral note books or even 3×5 cards. Additional supplies could range from ink for your printer, ink pens, pencils, chalk, markers, some sort of glue and tape.

Your math related supplies might be a calculator, rulers, protractors, compasses and erasers. For your English instruction you will need the proper research books such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauruses, classic novels and works of fiction. I make good use of e-books for many of my literary teachings. Your history supply list may include a globe of the earth and maps from around the world.

I am lucky that I have been involved with science for many years and as such I have the necessary materials and supplies for a complete science lab therefore I need very few supplies in this area. At a minimum you should have equipment for experiments, magnifying glasses, prisms, models of the solar system, rock and bug collecting supplies, a microscope, perhaps a telescope, a good chemistry set and books concerning human, plants and animals. Models relating to the human body can be extremely helpful in science as well as health classes. One of my favorite areas of science has also been rockets and a child can learn a lot about them by building and shooting them off.

One of my hobbies has always been oil painting so I tend to push for a variety in my art classes. We have made projects from finger painting, watercolor paintings, oil based canvas paintings and many experimental styles. Supplies should include paints of various kinds, paint brushes, canvas paper, charcoals, water paints and other assorted art supplies.

For me physical education can mean a lot of different activities. My grandson is interested in karate so I naturally sign him up for karate classes. He rides his bike a lot so I can combine his bike riding into his phys Ed program. Other useful activities could be ball playing, weight lifting, hunting, exercising, walking or even dancing.

Music is another great activity that is associated with educating your children. I provide my grandchild with private musical instrument lessons to fulfill this requirement. Even the smaller instruments such as harmonicas can teach them the value of music.

There are several miscellaneous items that you may require such as a hole punch, a stapler, pencil sharpener and paper clips. I rarely purchase books but rather use the e-books on the computer. I try to do as much work on the computer and internet as possible. Research papers can be accomplished via the internet as well. I am sure that as you shop for these supplies you will likely find other nice to have items that you will purchase for your home school needs as well.

It is entirely up to you to determine how you will teach your children. Home schooling is not as involved as many people may think it is. You merely have to be ready to invest your time in.