Noting that an increasing number of parents turn to home schooling to avoid what they see as limited, inadequate, or even dangerous school options, this book provides a comprehensive guide for parents in their first year of home schooling. The chapters are: (1) "Thinking about Homeschooling?" considering the motivation for home schooling; (2) "Homeschooling as Grand Experiment," encouraging parents to think of home schooling as an experiment with the purpose of finding out their child's individual learning process; (3) "Homeschooling Nuts and Bolts for Every Parent," focusing on obtaining and sharing information, putting together an educational philosophy, assessing student progress, and finding learning materials; (4) "See, Hear, Touch? Catering to Your Child's Learning Style," including information on learning readiness and the learning-style portfolio; (5) "In a Way that Fits Your Family, Begin Where You Are," provides information on various ways to home school to fit into a family lifestyle; (6) "A Week in the Life," presenting a glimpse into the daily routines of nine families involved in different types of home schooling; (7) "Half a Dozen Homeschooling Myths," addressing misconceptions of socialization, achievement, and expectations; (8) "What To Expect When Starting at the Beginning," highlighting the challenges unique to starting home schooling with children who have never been to school; (9) "What To Expect When Bringing a Child Home from School," dealing with additional challenges of home schooling a child who has been to school; (10) "First-Year Hurdles," presenting common obstacles faced by parents, including family relationships and housework; (11) "Gold-Medal Hurdle Jumpers," describing the experiences of several home-schooling families; and (12) "After Your First Year," including reflections from parents regarding home schooling's benefits. Each chapter includes learning activities for home-schooled students and comments from home-schooling parents. Two appendices list print and web site resources for a variety of areas related to home schooling and delineate state requirements for home schooling. (KB)