There are so many different programs out there. Some good. Some bad. Some so-so. Some absolutely TERRIBLE.
STAY AWAY from any of the "Christian-based" Curricula. Their science isn't very sound (to say the least) and the underlying messages are all male superiority and females subservient bs.
I for one have never liked any of the canned "curriculum" because that really just becomes "school at home". Same with most "online schools" (which is different from online courses taken individually.) However, I do know people who've done it and loved it. Some students crave similarity and a rigid structure. Some mom's are afraid they don't know what to do, how to "teach".
Maybe you could try it for one year to get your feet on the ground, so to speak, but in reality - you don't need it.
Children are voracious learners. They will absorb just about everything you give them, as long as you don't make it boring or try and stuff it down their throat.
One of the FIRST things you need to do is figure out what kind of "learner" your child is. How does he learn best? Does he like to be shown, listen, or do? What are his interests? That's very important - you can design an entire program around what he likes and then he wants to do it. Does he have any learning differences. Does he excel in certain areas and struggle with others? The beauty of hs is he can move as fast as he is capable of, and can review a topic until the cows come home if that's what it takes. (Although, if he doesn't "get it" after a few tries, stop and come back to it later - say the next day - and I'd suggest using a DIFFERENT strategy. Figure out another way to present it.)
First off, let him have fun. Don't push him - I mean make it challenging enough so he grows and has to work at it, but don't brow beat him into doing xyz in this amount of time. Don't make homeschooling a whole school thing at home. Heck I knew one poor boy whose mother rang a little bell at 8 am and he had a little desk and had to raise his hand to go to the bathroom and they had math for an hour and english and science all in their little schedule. He had "recess" and PE... BLECH. Although - if that's what your child LIKES then go for it.
Second, don't try to keep to some "schedule" - let it flow naturally. Yes, you need to make sure he learns certain things but he does NOT have to learn them in a certain order or at a certain pace. You can do math ALL DAY if that's what he wants. You can spend half the day doing experiments. You don't have to do every subject every day. He may read on a 3rd grade level, and have problems with math. He may struggle with reading yet do math well beyond his years. THAT's OK. In fact, that's one of the things that is so great about hs'ing!
Do you have a homeschooling store in your area? They can be great resources. So can any second hand bookstore for that matter. Then there's the library and the INTERNET! You can find out about anything on there! I would pick out say two "textbooks" I like and then let him go through them a little bit and decide which one HE liked. Some kids don't LIKE all those colors on the page and pictures and small little pull outs - which are so popular now. I usually had to seek out textbooks from the 50's & 60's because they weren't like that (only for things that don't change much - like math, though.) "Workbooks on a subject" are usually fun for that age, too. Just don't get one too much over his head.
He's first grade right? Then LET HIM PLAY!!! Children learn a whole damn lot through playing. Let him color and play with playdough and build houses out of boxes and blocks. Go for walks in the woods and talk about the trees and the rocks and the birds. Talk about why the land slopes down to the creek. Talk about why it rains (the water cycle) - he may not get all of it, but he'll get some of it and use it to build on later. You'll also find out a lot about what interests him. Go outside at night, look at the stars, talk about the moon cycle. Planets. Make it simple and interesting. 5 minutes 10, maybe 15 minutes for that age and that's usually enough. UNLESS he keeps asking questions - then keep answering them. If you don't know - say so and tell him, "hey we can learn about that tomorrow!" then go online or to the library or find books about it. (I liked to find books ABOUT a subject not necessarily just the factual non-fiction kind, but story books, poetry books, art books, etc . .. ) Let him help you in the kitchen - he learns about measuring and math and liquids and chemistry. Take him to the grocery. Talk about how the food got there, where it came from, how things grow. Talk about why 5 for a dollar is a better deal than 39 cents a can. Again, some will go over his head, but some won't. Go to MUSEUMS. Historical places within driving distance.
You can make EVERYTHING a "learning experience", really. (My son used to say, "Mom, now don't make this a whole hs'ing thing I just want a simple answer . . . " then proceed to ask a question. rofl
Are there support groups in your area? There are tons online (though admittedly I left the hsing community some years ago and not even sure if Yahoo "groups" still exist.) However, I'm sure they are there, somewhere - of every stripe and persuasion. There are unschoolers and pagans and secular and secular christian, there are mensans and chinese and gifted and ld (learning differenced - used to be known as disabled) - and combinations thereof. Again, stay away from any Christian group that makes you sign some kind of purity pledge. (Shudder) Heck at one time there was a HS'ers for Kerry group! 
And there was a Liberalhs'er group, too.
These groups can be invaluable sources of information about what is available in your area. Your child will have that socialization everyone talks about with play and/or study groups. YOU get other adults to talk to and advice and commiseration. You get ideas and learn what's going on in the community. Who's getting kids together to learn about cooking or chemistry. Or arranging a "field trip" to the nearest whatever...
If you need help trying to find those groups, I'll be happy to help you. Just pm me.
Unschooling is a very unique form that I can go on about more if you like - hell I can go on about just about anything! (lol) Most people I know were eclectic homeschoolers using a combination of methods. Which, I think, is the best way to go.
WHY is a very good word to use in hs'ing? When they ask a question, ask them what they think and WhY?. . . it gets them thinking.
Teaching children to think critically. Help them to recognize what they know and what they NEED to know and how to go about finding the answer - THAT is the heart and soul of successful homeschooling.
(BTW - no offense to the other poster AT ALL, but don't take her child's experience as the norm. Most don't learn five languages unless they're gifted.) Your child doesn't have to be gifted to be hs'd. You'll meet all kinds. Some for educational reasons, some for behavioural reasons, many aspie-spectrum kids - or who are otherwise 'different'. I tell people who say hs kids are "weird" that they aren't weird because they hs, they hs because they're weird. (BTW - we use "weird" as a sign of being DIFFERENT which is a GOOD thing - who wants to be cookie cutter clone of the kid sitting next to them, eh?)
Again, just RELAX. Take a deep breath. And most of all - have FUN!
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