Use a corner of a room or extra room for home schooling. Organize this area or room with a desk and a comfortable chair. Your student's school supplies can be kept on the desk. Extra supplies can be kept in labeled, clear plastic boxes.
Make sure the room or area is well-lit and place a lamp on the desk to provide extra light if needed. Place bookcases with school and reference books, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias, close to the child's work area.
Put a computer and printer in a central location in the room if it's going to be used by more than one child. If the computer is to be used by one student, place it on the student's desk.
Keep a log, written or computerized, and track titles of books, field trips and teaching materials. You should also keep completed student projects, book reports, essays and other samples of your students' work. If the Texas Education Agency (Board of Education) questions whether you are home schooling, these records will provide proof.
Choose or design your curriculum and purchase the appropriate materials. Texas requires you to teach reading, grammar, spelling, math and good citizenship. You may design your curriculum based on the TEA's curriculum standards or you can write your own.
Purchasing a "school in a box" curriculum that includes all the teaching materials for an entire academic year for your child's grade level is another option. You can also use library books or a free curriculum from the Internet, with worksheets, book report forms and educational games. Ambleside Online and Old-Fashioned Education are two free Internet curricula.