Parents are required to keep account of 180 days of school in most states; however, they have a lot of freedom in deciding when to teach required subjects and how much time to devote to them. Parents are not required to teach every subject every day or, in most states, to teach a particular number of hours per day. (Check your state laws for actual requirements.)

Many parents teach two major subjects per day (ie. history and language one day, science and math another day). They spend larger amounts of time on those two subjects and cover in one day what would normally be covered in two or three days. Some parents teach history for one-half year and science the other half. Until a child has mastered his basic reading, writing, and math skills; however, it is important to do a little of each every day, even if for only 10 - 15 minutes per day. An average homeschool day includes 1/2 hr to 1 hour of one-on-one teaching for preschool or kindergarten, 1 to 2 hours for 1st through 4th, and 2 to 3 hours for 5th and up. During the remainder of the day, the child (depending on the age) is assigned reading, writing, or studies on their own, participates in field trips, or works on extracurricular classes or activities. Schedule your day according to what works for your family.

Most record/log books are geared toward a traditional classroom and have predetermined blocks of time allowed for each subject each day. We recommend using a record book that leaves out the subject headings, allowing you to write only what you need each day. Draw vertical lines to add a second or third child. Be sure to write down all extra-curricular activities, volunteer opportunities, work experiences, and field trips. I highly recommend the Lesson Plan Book or the Teacher Plan Book (ISBN 1576900932) pictured above. The Teacher Plan Book is more expensive but has a lot more room. You could easily keep track of six kids in this one.