As the number of Internet courses increases over the next few years, here are some questions you can ask when considering a Web-based course.

A list of items you should consider when evaluating a curriculum.

Although you want to jump right into your curriculum search, it will benefit you to slow down and take a good look at your expectations and goal in choosing a curriculum for your family.

You have decided to home school your children. You have been thinking and praying about it for some time. As September approaches you know it is time. Where to start? The choices seem overwhelming.

Need a homeschool preschool curriculum? Have you thought about homeschooling your child – but aren’t sure you have what it takes to persevere? Homeschooling during the preschool ages is a great way to try everything out and see if it’s going to work for your family. Homeschooling preschool children also has many side benefits. It gives you something constructive to do during those long daytime hours while your husband is at work. And it will help you bond with your children in a way that nothing else will. Watching your preschooler learn and grow is a wonderful experience – and one that you and your child will both enjoy. You can purchase a great homeschool preschool curriculum that is all ready to go, if that’s what you’re interested in doing. Or, you can come up with activities on your own.

Sonlight Curriculum gives some guidance to choosing the right programs for your child.

"Can anyone recommend a curriculum for pre-K and kindergarten? This is a frequent question homeschooling bulletin boards and email lists. It's a perfectly reasonable question, but some of the responses can be confusing to new homeschoolers. We all come into homeschooling with some common preconceptions of what the program should be - but many who have been at it for a while or raised homeschool grads are likely to strongly suggest not setting up a structured study program for young children. This is where some misunderstanding can come into play. Saying that a structured study program for a young child is inappropriate is not at all the same as saying that learning is unimportant during the early years. It's simply that many experienced homeschoolers and other educators feel there are certain kinds of activities that are much more important and appropriate in early childhood than studying the 3 R's - and that to establish a structure that emphasizes the 3 R's at that age can actually be detrimental. If a child is asking to learn to read, of course, that's a whole different matter - but it's simply a question of helping that child learn to read, which is very different thing from setting up a curriculum.

These steps will help you organize and plan for your curriculum purchases, finding the best resources for your family

Online message boards and support groups are great ways for homeschooling families to share information about curriculum and teaching methods. We all like to go beyond reading the paid advertisements or professional reviews to learn from the experience of "real families." But in doing this, it's important to realize that there are as many different opinions of the best curriculum and methods as there are homeschooling families. Think of all the variations: personalities, income, number and ages of children, strengths and weaknesses, backgrounds, goals and philosophies. No wonder we don't always agree.

This is a list for discussion of learning materials, and will include posts of commercial press releases, product announcements, and other news about resources of interest to homeschooling families. Sponsored by Home Education Magazine.

You've made the decision to homeschool, so what's next? These suggestions can make choosing a curriculum a bit smoother.

Homeschooling is a journey parents begin every year. Unfortunately, many families who wouldn't even think of traveling without a map begin this homeschooling journey on their own, asking for directions along the way. You should begin by answering "Three Core Educational Questions." Your answers to these questions will help you reach your destination with confidence. They are:

1. What is education?
2. What are the roles of the teacher and the student?
3. What is the role of the curriculum?

Preschool and Kindergarten – what fun ages! Play is learning and learning is play. Perhaps you’re looking for some ideas for your formal Tot School or perhaps you just want to make sure that your little ones will be ready for first grade when it comes along.

As homeschoolers we have a lot of products and services to choose from. There are a lot of really great companies and individuals marketing homeschooling supplies and services. There are also a few "bad apples" in our basket. How can you tell the difference, and how can you know whether the products or services are worth what you are paying for them?

The thought of homeschooling your children may seem quite overwhelming at first. There are so many questions going through your head. Where do I get curriculum, what curriculum should I use, can I really do this, and of course what about socialization? Let me put your mind at ease. It's not as difficult as it looks.