It is a simple truth that public schools are not for everyone. Private schools might not be for everyone, either. At times, parents arrive at the decision that homeschooling is a better choice for their children then sending them to school. If you are one of those people who thinks you want to try and educate your children in a way that will have them prepared for life in the way you feel is best, then there are some things you ought to keep in mind. When getting your homeschool ready to go, there are some very specific things you need to do as preparation. Luckily, we’ve brought you the top ten homeschool setup tips so you can get right to work.

10. Have good lighting

One of the first things you are going to want to do is make sure that your children and students are going to be able to see what you are teaching them and what they are working on. Using adjustable lamps, either built for the floor or to sit on a desk, is going to be best. That way, you can adjust the lighting based on how the room is set up.

9. Designate a school area

#10 leads right into #9. It’s one thing to have a bunch of lamps, but you are going to want to set aside an area of the house where school is going on. This will not only allow you to better prepare, but it will also help delineate “home time” and “school time.”

8. Make the room comfortable

One of the leading causes of kids doing poorly in school is that they are either too hot, or too cold and horribly uncomfortable. Make sure you have the temperature in your house and the area you are going to be homeschooling at a level that the children can feel comfortable. Getting this established during setup just means less fiddling when its time to get down to work.

7. Set the “School rules.”

Before you start homeschooling, you are going to want to make sure that the kids know what the rules of the school will be. If you are transitioning from the kids going to school, to staying home for school you are especially going to want to get the rules out there and well known. Consider starting your homeschool year with a review of the rules concerning work, location, and other important details. But don’t go overboard. After all, public schools have lots of rules only because they have lots of students in one building!

6. Get Organized

When getting set up for homeschool, one of the top tips is going to be to get organized early and often. You may not be able to keep all your school stuff out all day long. You might need to put it away once the “school day” is over. You will need to get yourself some storage bins or organizers that will allow you to store your school supplies until the next time you need them.

5. Use a White Board

If there is one thing that most homeschooling advisers will tell you, it is that you should have a chalkboard or an erasable whiteboard in your homeschool plans. There are a ton of uses for this kind of board. You can explain to your kids what the day’s lesson is going to be, or you can use it for presentations or during the lesson.

4. Get the right kind of table and chairs

Comfort is important when you are talking about learning. If you don’t have the right kind of tables (or desks) and chairs, you are going to be behind the eight ball when you start homeschooling. If you can afford to do so, having different desks and chairs for homeschooling helps to separate home and school time.

3. Get some Bookshelves

This goes back to organizing, but specifically you are going to want to have some kid-sized bookshelves that are dedicated only to school books and supplies. You don’t want school books getting mixed up with the home’s other books.

2. Lay out teaching plan

You certainly don’t want to go into the homeschool year just trying to wing it. There are plenty of websites out there that will help you get started in laying out a lesson plan.

1. Set “School Hours.

One of the hardest things children will have to do is separate when you are their parent and when you are their teacher. It is going to help everyone immensely if you lay out, early and often, what days of the week and what hours of the day are going to be spent learning.