Help & Documentation

Getting Started

Installation

1. Download the installer for your operating system from the home page
2. macOS: Open the .dmg file and drag Homeschool to your Applications folder
3. Windows: Run the .exe installer and follow the prompts
4. Linux: Use the AppImage (make it executable and run) or install the .deb package

First Launch

When you first open Homeschool, you'll see an empty dashboard. Here's what to do first:

1. Add your students - Click "Settings" in the sidebar and add each child you're homeschooling
2. Set grade levels - Assign the appropriate grade level to each student for personalized milestone suggestions
3. Review subjects - Default subjects are pre-loaded, but you can customize them in Settings

Managing Students

Adding a Student

1. Go to Settings in the sidebar
2. Click Add Student
3. Enter the student's name
4. Select their grade level
5. Choose a color (helps visually distinguish students)

Grade Levels

Homeschool supports students from Pre-K through 12th grade. The grade level determines which milestone templates are available:

Switching Between Students

Use the student selector at the top of the sidebar to switch between students. The selected student's data will be shown throughout the app.

Dashboard

The Dashboard provides an at-a-glance view of your homeschool progress:

• Recent Activities - See the latest logged learning activities
• Upcoming Milestones - View milestones that are in progress or suggested
• Quick Stats - Track hours spent, activities completed, and more

Weekly Planner

Planning Your Week

The Weekly Planner helps you organize learning activities for the week ahead:

1. Select a student from the sidebar
2. Navigate to the week you want to plan
3. Click on a day to add activities
4. Use the suggested milestones to quickly add age-appropriate goals

Milestone Suggestions

The planner suggests milestones based on your student's grade level. These are automatically generated from hundreds of educational objectives covering:

• Math
• Reading
• Writing
• Science
• Social Studies
• Life Skills
• Physical Education
• Art & Music

Learning Log

Logging Activities

The Learning Log is where you record completed educational activities. This creates a permanent record of your homeschool journey.

Activity Types

Choose from various activity types to categorize your learning:

Multi-Student Logging

Did multiple children do the same activity together? You can log a single activity for multiple students at once:

1. Click Log Activity
2. Select multiple students by clicking their names
3. Fill in the activity details
4. Add individual notes for each student (optional)
5. Submit - separate activity records are created for each student

Milestones

What are Milestones?

Milestones are learning objectives appropriate for your student's grade level. They help you track progress toward educational goals across different subjects.

Milestone Status

• Not Started - Haven't begun working on this milestone
• In Progress - Currently working toward this goal
• Completed - Student has achieved this milestone

Pre-loaded Milestones

Homeschool comes with hundreds of age-appropriate milestones for each grade level. When you add a new student, their milestones are automatically initialized based on their grade level.

Library

Managing Your Books

Keep track of all the books in your homeschool library - textbooks, readers, reference materials, and more.

Adding Books Manually

1. Go to Library in the sidebar
2. Click Add Book
3. Enter the book details (title, author, pages)
4. Assign it to a student (optional)

Scanning Books with Your Phone

Quickly add books by scanning their ISBN barcodes:

1. Click Scan Books in the Library
2. A QR code appears on your screen
3. Scan the QR code with your phone's camera
4. Your phone opens a scanner page - point it at book barcodes
5. Books appear in your desktop app automatically!

Field Trips

Planning Educational Outings

Field trips are a valuable part of homeschooling. Use this section to plan and track educational outings:

• Museums and science centers
• Historical sites
• Nature walks and parks
• Community visits (fire station, library, etc.)
• Cultural events

Recording Field Trips

1. Go to Field Trips
2. Click Add Field Trip
3. Enter the destination and date
4. Select which students attended
5. Link to relevant subjects and milestones
6. Add notes about what was learned

Calendar

The Calendar view shows all your scheduled activities, field trips, and milestones in a traditional calendar format. Use it to:

• See your week or month at a glance
• Identify busy or light days
• Plan ahead for field trips and special activities
• Track completed vs. planned activities

Reports

Generating Reports

Create reports to track progress over time or to satisfy state homeschool requirements:

• Activity Summary - Hours spent per subject
• Milestone Progress - Completion rates by subject
• Reading Log - Books read and pages completed

Exporting Data

Export your data for backup or sharing with umbrella schools:

• PDF reports for printing or emailing
• CSV exports for spreadsheets