You’ve done the research. You still don’t know where to start.
Here’s the plan. One weekend, and you’re ready.
The Beginner’s Guide to Homeschooling and the Homeschool Starter Workbook take you from research to ready.
By the end you’ll have:
- Your approach chosen: the method that fits your family.
- Your curriculum picked for your child, not from a blanket “best of” list.
- A plan for the real roadblocks: criticism, a spouse who isn’t sure, teaching more than one kid at once.
Still deciding? See what’s inside both books
“I pulled Tashi out in the middle of COVID. I wanted so badly to make it work but I had no idea what I was doing. Most days I felt like I was failing him. I wish something like this had existed then. This is exactly what I was desperate for and couldn’t find.”
The more you read, the worse it gets.
Tabs you’ll never close. Reddit threads from 2019. Three different mom influencers who all say something different. A folder of curriculum PDFs you keep meaning to read. A YouTube history full of “day in the life” homeschool moms.
You’ve put in the hours. You’ve read the blogs and the books and the threads. And somehow you are more overwhelmed than when you started.
Your child’s first day is getting closer. Or you’ve already pulled them out and the days feel longer than you expected.
Underneath all of it is the fear you don’t say out loud.
Here’s the thing: the problem isn’t that you can’t homeschool. The problem is that you don’t have a starting plan. And that one is solvable.
What changes with a starting plan
You stop opening new tabs.
You know what to teach: reading, math, and language arts at your child’s level. You know what curriculum to consider and what to skip. You know what your first eight weeks look like, what to do when your child resists, and how to handle the question your in-laws are about to ask.
You start to feel you can really pull this off.
You don’t finish with more information. You finish with a plan.
By the time you finish the Guide and Workbook, you will have:
- Chosen your approach
- Identified your child’s starting level
- Chosen your curriculum
- Built your weekly rhythm
- Built your daily rhythm
- Planned your first 30 days
- Set up your record keeping
- Written down what you’re going to do
That’s the difference between owning a homeschool book and having a homeschool.
Real pages from both books
These four pages are from the Guide and Workbook. The free sample has four different ones.
See exactly what you’re getting
Two books. 36 chapters. 33 worksheets. One starting plan.
The Guide: 36 chapters
Your reference for the whole first year and beyond. Includes a clear starting plan, a non-preachy, evidence-based explanation of how children actually learn, and practical chapters on reading, math, language arts, socialization, motivation, and homeschooling multiple kids. Curriculum recommendations cover both secular and faith-friendly families.
Part I
Getting Started
Part II
Setting Up Your Homeschool
Part III
Choosing Your First Curriculum
Part IV
Teaching & Learning
Part V
Common Questions & Concerns
The Workbook: 33 worksheets
The companion to the Guide. Worksheets, flowcharts, and curriculum-picking quizzes that turn the Guide’s ideas into decisions you make for your family. Includes the 15-Minute Reading Plan, Math Placement Quiz, Language Arts Flow Chart, and weekly schedule templates.
Part I
Getting Started
Part II
Setting Up Your Homeschool
Part III
Choosing Your First Curricula
Part IV
Teaching & Learning
Part V
Common Questions & Concerns
Wrap-Up
Putting It All Together
Both are digital downloads (PDF). Read on any device. Print what you want. Yours forever, plus all future updates free.
Try a free sample
From Chapter 32: Will My Child Fall Behind?
This is the question every homeschool parent gets from a relative within the first six months. It is also the question that wakes some parents up at 2 a.m.
“Behind” usually means underperforming on standardized tests or grade-level standards, but it can also mean behind on the unspoken expectations of family or community.
In the available research, homeschooled kids do as well as or better than classroom kids on standardized tests. But the real picture is more nuanced, and more reassuring, than the headline numbers suggest.
The free sample includes:
- A breakdown of the most popular beginner math curriculum
- A side-by-side math curriculum comparison
- The full chapter above, with the research on whether homeschoolers fall behind
- A workbook worksheet
- The Introduction
Enter your email and it’s yours.
What other moms are saying
“Valentina, this is spectacular. What a wonderful resource for homeschool moms! This will save busy moms so much time and stress. Thank you.”
“Without this guide, I’d have had to watch anecdotal YouTube videos about each curriculum and do extensive research. This is the single best resource for me.”
“It isn’t prescriptive. These are the options, for you to make the most informed decision on what’s best for your family. The charts and recommendations made it easy to choose.”
Who this is for. Who it isn’t.
This is for you if you are:
- Considering homeschooling and want to understand what it actually looks like before you commit.
- In your first year of homeschooling and still feeling very lost.
- A parent pulling your child out of school mid-year and you need a plan ASAP.
- A working or work-from-home parent trying to homeschool around your job, not instead of it.
- A parent whose child needs more flexibility than school can provide.
- Religious or secular. The Guide offers faith-friendly and secular curricula because it's faith neutral.
- Someone who has been researching for weeks or months and just wants a structured plan to follow.
This is not for you if:
- You are an experienced homeschooler. You have already figured this out. The Guide is for the first year.
- You want a video course you can watch on autopilot. These are written books (at least for now). They expect you to read and to plan.
- You want every curriculum on the market reviewed. The Guide describes and recommends the most common and well-respected curricula in a curated, digestible way. It is not an encyclopedia.
If you have already bought a curriculum and still do not feel ready to start, the Guide is the missing layer.
My name’s Val, short for Valentina. I have a chemistry degree with honours from the University of Toronto. I was on track to do a PhD right after graduation, but I landed in tech instead, and now I’m home with my twin boys, Alexander and Adrian.
I was obsessed with homeschooling for years before my kids were born. When I went looking for a resource with all the information in one place, or even a clear starting plan, I couldn’t find one. So I did the research and built the Guide and Workbook.
I’m a curious mom who wrote down what I learned, so the next parent doesn’t have to start from scratch.
I built this for my own family. I hope it helps yours.
Everything you need to get started.
The Guide and Workbook are designed to be used together.
Bundle
$49+ tax
Save $19
No gaps, no guesswork.
- Everything in both books: the 36-chapter Guide and the 33-worksheet Workbook
- A quickstart plan for your first weeks
- Curriculum guidance for every subject, secular and faith-friendly
- The quizzes and side-by-side comparisons you pick with
- Daily and weekly rhythm builders you fill in
- A 15-minute reading plan and a 15-minute math plan
- Worksheets for the hard parts: resistance, a hesitant spouse, criticism
- Researched answers on falling behind, socialization, and college
- Your Master Plan, and a no-pressure plan for ages 3–5
Guide
$39+ tax
The full step-by-step guide. Everything you need to understand the approach, make the right decisions, and move forward with confidence.
- A quickstart plan to begin without the overwhelm
- Curriculum guidance for every subject, secular and faith-friendly
- Teaching approaches (Charlotte Mason, Montessori, classical, and more) in plain English
- How children learn to read and do math, with the research behind it
- Researched answers on falling behind, socialization, and college
Workbook
$29+ tax
Best used alongside the Guide to put the plan into action.
- Curriculum-picking quizzes and side-by-side comparisons
- Daily and weekly rhythm templates you fill in
- A 15-minute reading plan and a 15-minute math plan
- Worksheets for the hard parts: resistance, a hesitant spouse, handling criticism
- Your Master Plan, everything in one place
- A no-pressure plan for ages 3–5
14-day refund guarantee.
Founding price: $49 USD. Tax is added at checkout based on where you live.
Common Questions
Can I really do this in one weekend?
Yes. But you probably won’t be able to read the whole guide or do the whole 33-worksheet workbook in one weekend. You can start with the Introduction & Start Here chapters to orient yourself. Then, all you really need from the guide to start is Chapter 2, the Quickstart Checklist. In the Workbook, you can either fill out the sheets to build Your Master Plan or do the Bonus Plan for PreK & K. I also have done-for-you curricula picks laid out in their own chapter. Use the rest of the Guide and Workbook as needed.
Do I need teaching experience?
No. The Guide is written for first-time homeschool parents. No background required. Everything in both books assumes you’re starting from scratch.
What ages does this cover?
From the time you start thinking about homeschooling. The Guide and Workbook focus on the K–8 years, with a dedicated chapter on pre-K and kindergarten for moms starting earlier, plus chapters on high school transition and college admissions for older kids if you need them.
What format is it?
PDF. Both the Guide and the Workbook arrive as PDFs you can read on any device, print, or annotate. No proprietary app, no subscription. A weekend to read front to back, or jump straight to the chapters you need.
Is this for religious or secular families?
Both. The Guide offers religious and secular curriculum options. It doesn't take a stance on which worldview is correct. Its purpose is to help you choose what options are aligned with your family's values.
Can I use this if I’m pulling my child out of school mid-year?
Yes. Chapter 4 is specifically about the transition. The Quickstart Checklist gets you started in days, not months.
Does it work for multiple kids?
Yes. Chapter 8 is dedicated to multi-child households, and the Workbook has worksheets that adapt to multiple children.
Does it cover homeschool laws in my state?
The Guide covers what records to keep and what most states ask for. For the requirements where you live, we publish a free guide for every state and every Canadian province, starting with how to withdraw your child from public school, which links to all fifty. For the binding legal text, hslda.org maintains a current state law database. Confirm the current requirements with HSLDA or your state’s Department of Education before you file anything.
Will the Guide be updated over time?
Yes. Ongoing updates as the homeschool space evolves and based on buyer feedback. Buyers get all updates free.
How does the refund work?
Read the first three chapters. If it doesn’t help, email me within 14 days and tell me what you needed that wasn’t there. I’ll refund you in full.
You don’t need another month of research.
The most reassuring thing I found: homeschooling doesn’t work because of a perfect curriculum or a teaching degree. It works because of one-on-one attention, instant feedback and lessons paced to your child. That’s the same thing that makes tutoring so powerful (Bloom, 1984; Hattie, 2009). And yes, it still applies if you have more than one child.
The most important thing is a parent who shows up, pays attention, and cares enough to do this thoughtfully. The fact that you’re here means you’re already all of those things.
Not ready to buy? Read the free sample first and see the math comparison, a full chapter, and a worksheet.
Not ready? Start with the free Reading Assessment and see where your child is reading first.