When you choose to teach your child at home you may think that you will be entitled to some financial help.  This is not the case; the Department for Education are very clear that when you homeschool your child you will also take on all the financial responsibility and that includes any and all exams your child takes in the future.

So, what is the financial responsibility?  How much will it cost me is the question that I am asked the most.  And my answer is a simple one.  If you are talking about money, it does not need to cost you anything.  If you are talking about your time, then it is priceless.  Time is the biggest thing that homeschooling will cost you.  You must be prepared to put the time in with your child to ensure they receive adequate teaching and learning. 

Your budget will be personal to you; when you have made a final decision on how much you have available, grab a pen and a piece of paper and write out your wish list.  I would brainstorm with your child what you both think the key items are that you need to purchase. 

Using my years of experience I have provided you with a list of all the equipment I have found useful and, in some instances, have given you brand names.  I assure you that in no way do I receive any gratuities for my recommendations.  All recommendations are based on my opinion from successful usage over the years. 

Furniture:

I do not want you to get too concerned about furniture.  If you are fortunate enough to have a separate room for your homeschooling, by all means have great fun designing and personalising it to the tastes of you and your child.  If, however, you use a room in your home that is also used for something else it is not a problem.  The most important thing you need to do every day is go through the transition from usual room to teaching and learning room.  This is vital to get everyone in the right mindset.  Ideally you will need a table or hard surface for your child to work on.  If you do not have a table and are using their bedroom, you will need to obtain a hard surface to place on their bed whilst the teaching and learning is in progress.  With the right furniture the transition from break time to learning becomes smoother, especially at the start of the day which can be the hardest to get the motivation. Here’s a link for tips and tricks for the Homeschooling mornings.

Printer:

I am currently using HP Officejet Pro 7720 which I am more than happy with.  I need a scanner, A3 & A4 printing though so you may wish to shop around for your needs. There are some excellent packages out now which include printing costs. This could save you a lot of money.

Laptop, iPad, Smartphone:

Teaching and learning will be a lot easier for both you and your child with internet access and access to a suite like Microsoft Office.  Word processing and producing power points will help with designing and writing work sheets and homeschool work.

Markers and Highlighters:

To underline or highlight sentences that are important in their notes or exercise books, magazines and newspapers.  It is good practice to use a pencil to underline in textbooks and printed books or you can use Frixon ball pens.

Pens:

These are obviously essential.  My favourites are Uni-ball 153528413 Eye Needle UB-187S Fine Rollerball Pen which you can buy in packs.  Use black for everyday writing and have a supply of at least the following colours for use in marking, feedback and underlining etc:  blue; red; green and purple. I also have a supply of Intensity Fine Assorted by BiC which come in a nice range of colours and are very inexpensive. Pilot Frixion Erasable Rollerball Pens are also particularly good.

Pencils:

These are another essential and Staedtler® Noris HB Pencils are my staple.  I have tried many others over the years and always regret it.  Noris School Pencils are the best for everyday use.  If your child is interested in art, you will need to research speciality pencils suited to their needs. I recommend Staedtler for colouring pencils too.  The main reason being they do not easily break and last longer.

Rubbers:

I would buy a pack as they always go missing.

Scissors:

You will need craft scissors, scissors for children, everyday scissors for various uses.  These will all depend on the age of your child and I would recommend you have one good quality pair that you keep with your supplies and have a blunt pair for sticking and colouring if your child is of primary age or younger. For children of secondary school age Hobbycraft do an excellent pair of scissors called Fiskars Student Scissors. These scissors have nearly adult-sized handles, with large and ergonomically designed finger loops. They are an ideal fit for growing hands, providing comfort and control.

Glue sticks and glue:

Necessary for both sticking in worksheets and crafting. 

Please do not use tippex or similar:

It is not allowed to be taken into exams and can become very messy in exercise books.  Good practice is to always draw a line through any work that is incorrect and to be ignored.  This keeps work neat and, in some instances, can gain the student marks if they have crossed out work that is relevant.  I do have a correction tape that I use very sparingly as it is not messy and can easily be written over.

Rulers:

Needed for underlining and measuring.

A set of mathematical instruments:

Especially necessary when your child starts doing geometry.  Your child will also need a calculator, a scientific one once they get to secondary school age.

Stapler, staples and staple remover:

If you are planning on using lots of posters you may wish to invest in a poster board and a staple gun.  A pack of paperclips or binder clips is also useful.

BluTack:

If you are putting posters up on your walls without a poster board you will need something handy to stick them up.  Be aware though that BluTack can leave a messy residue if you are not careful.  You can purchase picture hanging strips which get good reviews and do not cause any damage to your walls. BluTack is also useful when you use the posters as one of your teaching and learning transitions.

Exercise books – one for each subject:

I recommend using different coloured books for each subject.  There are standard colours that are traditionally associated with the different subjects which you may like to stick to.  History – purple, geography – green, science – black, maths – red, English – blue.  If your child is older and they prefer to use folders, you can still choose a different colour for each subject.  And you will need a ream of A4 lined paper.

A mini whiteboard:

This is particularly useful with starter activities and Q & A sessions. Do not forget a whiteboard marker and rubber, although I find a micro-fibre cloth works even better. 

Glass Mobile Revolving Whiteboard:

This is on my bucket list and a fantastic addition to any homeschool.  It would work in both a static teaching room and a transitional one.  They do not come cheap starting at around £220 but would certainly making learning fun for both you and your child.

Ream of plain white paper:

Always useful for printing and drawing.

Hole-punch

Bin with liners

Stickers and stamps:

Most children find these highly motivating.