We did what I called weather- based homeschooling: did school during bad weather, no school when it was nice. I grew up in nature and wanted my kids to as well. We have some land and a creek. We live in Virginia, so it was a good balance. My boys got plenty of exercise and sunshine- had some farm animals along the way. Also, life stuff happened over the years- if I needed to take a break for a trip (like when my mom had a stroke) or whatever- we just took a break. In general, we tried to keep math going year around so there wasn't all that review to do. There is an excellent, but intimidating (as in they taught their kids Latin and Greek), book called Teaching the Trivium by the Bluedorns- lots of great info in there. She has a lot of research that shows starting math too soon (before that child is ready) is counterproductive. There is also a book series out called, "What your X-grader needs to know." I never bought any of that series, but I know it's out there. We did the Seton testing each year (setontesting.com), and it (the CAT Survey test) only covers Math and English (it's the easiest test)... so I could teach science and history however I wanted (sequence, etc.)... different states have different rules. Virginia is a great state to homeschool in- I sent them a test score and a letter once a year, and they left me alone. When my oldest reached 8th grade I got two priceless resources: Lee Binz' book called Setting the Record Straight on grading and transcripts for high school; and College Prep Genius' e-course on learning how to take the SAT. My son got his score up a couple hundred points, and that super high score validated my transcript for a lot of colleges. He earned a 4 year AFROTC scholarship. The course costs $150, the scholarship was worth over $90k. He ended up getting medically disqualified, so he lost it, but the point is--- those two resources teach you how the game is played. No grades prior to 9th grade count--- so you have a lot of time to figure out what you're doing. Just be clear on the testing and notification details of your state. Homeschool Legal Defense Association HSLDA should have a guide for each state. :) It's a wonderful path to take. Last comment: One thing I don't regret is cutting television and buying tons of library books at the sales they have (often 25 cents a book). My sons also didn't get a smart phone or use the internet until their older years... and no video games. Books, real games, art, nature, activities--- all real life stuff. If you are competing with video games and youtube from the time they are small, you'll have to break the addiction and deal with their withdrawal symptoms (from the dopamine feedback). I'm writing a book! Lol You'll meet great people homeschooling- and I always enjoyed our state convention- good speakers, materials, and inspiration. I could't afford to go for years, but when you can it is always nice. Have fun!