photos of home educating children learning in groups situations
Homeschool Australia!
Teach your children at home!
Have a homeschooling question?
Join our free support group
 

Home educate the easy way... simplify and save time...
Learn from experienced homeschoolers how to write your own curriculum.

cover of Getting Started with Homeschooling by Beverley Paine
 
  "Thank you... The information you supply is real and generous - fantastic reading. I am so inspired... Your honesty is rare. Most books do not really explain 'how' as well as you do." Tracy

"I cannot seem to get enough of your writings on the whole home ed subject! You portray a lot of wisdom, knowledge and experience..." Marie

"A fabulous source of information and inspiration. I am very pleased to have some of your titles on my bookshelf... providing me with wonderful, detailed information and resources." Faye

  "Every time I read your writing it feels like a pat on the shoulder, and that feels really good...Thanks!" Maaike
BONUS OFFER! FREE membership
'Getting Started Club' when you buy Beverley's manual on how to write your own homeschool curriculum! Still only $25...

Getting Started with Home Schooling: Practical Considerations
 
 

QUICK GUIDE to teaching your children at home!

Interested in homeschooling, but still not sure? Read All You Need Is...'

Keeping Home Education Records

Many home education parents wonder why they need to keep homeschooling or unschooling records and some see them as simply an imposition. There are many valid reasons for keeping track of your children's educaitonal progress, including:

  • an aide to memory
  • a celebration of learning
  • can prorovides a springboard for further explorations
  • linking outcomes of knowledge and skills to the 'big picture' of your child's education
  • forming the basis of a reference source, comparison against self, can be reassuring to look back on
  • involving your children improves their literacy and mathematical skills, and encourages a sense of responsibility
  • potential for revealing insights about what they understand or can do after the activity is completed
  • acting as a 'proof' of learning to reassure others

What to record

  • Preferably not everything your children do! Children enjoy some privacy;
  • Selected samples should easily be able to demonstrate progress - don't forget to date them;
  • Include samples of your children's best work as well as anecdotes that describe new abilities or developmental milestones;
  • Write down some of your children's questions and insights;
  • Collect photos of art, craft, technology projects, excursions, etc;
  • A log of what they are reading or the resources they access (text-books, computer programs, people/classes, etc;
  • Encourage your children to record their reflections in a regular diary or journal;
  • Your reflections on how you are travelling as a home educator, what worked, what didn't, etc.

Different Ways to Record

You can document your children's educational progress using:

  • Daily diary - for the parent plus child's personal daily journal. A great habit to develop with lots of educational benefits.
  • Photographs, videos - especially useful as a record of social interaction, activities, etc. Helps to overcome the 'socialisation' objection to homeschooling!
  • Learning contracts or check/tick lists - these can be in subject areas or for set periods.
  • Calendar pages - use a calendar for keeping track of field trips, events, etc.
  • Tests - you can create your own, find them in books, or your child can enter national competitions in different subject areas. Collect certificates of merit. Tests and exams aren't required by educational authorities. It is possible to arrange to participate in National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) if you desire.
  • Keep 'samples' of your children's work in a folder, portfolio, exercise books or
    scrapbooks, on your computer, on a family or personal blog or website. Record the date and any comments on all 'samples' kept.
  • Outlines of learning plans and programs, unit studies, etc.
  • Each year review and update your homeschool curriculum (overall learning program).

As your children grow the recording process becomes more important and will form the basis of a portfolio they can present for higher education or employment entrance.

As a home educator I developed a couple of different diary formats: the weekly homeschooling diary is very similar to the familiar school diary and the learning naturally diary has been designed to help parents understand that when children are engaged in play, chores or following their interests they are also learning. Another recording approach I developed when my children were high school age, is the Home Education Report / Portfolio. Similar to an end-of-year school report, this document records major assignments or learning tasks undertaken throughout the year. It also contains broad objectives for students in each subject area. It was my aim in creating these resources to help ease parents into home education and to take the worry out of recording their child's progress.

There are dozens of articles on this site about record keeping and evaluation and assessment. Use the search function or look under 'Record Keeping' or 'Evaluation' on the site map. Getting Started with Homeschooling has a whole chapter on this subject, with many examples drawn from our own homeschooling life.


Click here for a full list of articles and pages on this website.

Was this article helpful? Was it worth $1.00 to you?
Your donation of $1 helps to keep this site operating and allows Beverley Paine
to continue helping encourage and reassure families wanting better outcomes
for their children. Thank you - your help is very much appreciated!
Click here to make a gift contribution and help keep Beverley online!

 

SEARCH this site:

Since 1989 Beverley Paine has
steadfastly promoted and supported
home education as an educational
choice for Australia families.
Her books and websites aim to
demystify education, gently deschooling families so that they may meet their children's individual and unique
educational and developmental needs.
Her honesty, insights and wealth of experience continues to bring hope, reassurance and confidence to families. Beverley publishes her recent articles,
tips and links to resources in
her quarterly magazine, Homeschool~Unschool~Australia!

If you like what you
read here, you can
order Beverley's books!

  Choosing Homeschool Curriculum
Getting Started - how to write your own learning programs
Natural Learning Answers
Beverley's E-books
Learning Without School - how 30 families homeschool
The Homeschooling Trail - Christian unschooling life
Learning in the Absence of Education - how we did it
Practical Homeschooling Booklet Series - your questions answered!
Educational Games Booklet Series - make learning fun!
Practical Homeschooling Language Development Series
Natural Learning Series
Homeschool Diaries
Ready to use
Portfolios / Report Cards
Sample Learning Programs
Stock Clearance

Be the first to find out about new
books, ebooks and booklets
by Beverley!

Beverley's LATEST book
was LAUNCHED at the
Unschooling Conference!

 

Please note:
the information
on this website is of a
general nature only and is not intended as personal or professional advice.



Join the conversation with Beverley on Facebook:
Homeschool Australia
Unschool Australia

Conference/Workshops

Spend a WEEK
with Beverley Paine at the
Annual National Home Education CampFest
Workshops for parents, activities for children, time to relax and chat to us about our homeschooling experiences.
March 2013

Consciously Parenting and Natural Learning Conference
August 2012
Ballarat VIC 8-10th
Byron Bay NSW 11-13th


Camp With Wings for Teens

Life Learning Magazine link
Please join one of my Yahoo Groups if you want to know more
about home education or have a question.
Home education is a legal alternative to school
education in Australia. State and Territory governments are responsible for regulating home education and have different requirements, however home educating families are able to develop curriculum and learning programs to suit the individual needs of their children.

Questions about homeschooling or wondering
what to teach? See the Site Map for our
full list of articles.

Interested in homeschooling, but still not sure?
Read All You Need Is...'

animated Australian flagWithout revenue from Google Ads we
could not continue to provide over 700 pages of information to home educators.

animated smiling face Thank you for visiting!

photo of Beverley and Robin PainePioneering members of the home education movement in Australia, Beverley and Robin Paine are passionate advocates of true educational choice for families. They began homeschooling their children in 1986 and three years later started the South Australian Home Based Learners network. Beverley wrote Getting Started with Homeschooling in 1995-97 and since then continues to write books and booklets on home education. She balances spending time helping home educators with working in her garden and renovating her home, as well as continuing to build her collection of writing on a variety of homeschooling subjects. Beverley maintains an extensive collection of websites as well as several Yahoo groups supporting families teaching their children at home. In 2007 Beverley joined the HEA and was a committee member for three years during which time she edited and produced the HEA Newsletter, Stepping Stones for Home Educators magazine, annual Resource Directory and other HEA publications. If you'd like to keep in touch with what Beverley is up to her in her life, sign up for the Homeschool Australia Newsletter or visit her Homeschool Australia Facebook page.
The opinions and articles included in the suite of Homeschool Australia websites are not necessarily those of Beverley and Robin Paine,
nor do they endorse or recommend products (other than their own) listed in contributed articles, pages, or advertisements.
Site Map. Text & Images on this site Copyright © 1999-2012. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions of Use.