| Sunday, April 15, 2007 |
| The High Costs Of Homeschooling |
by Ricky Lim
Most people think that homeschooling is cheap since there is no need to pay for school fees and other miscellaneous fees. However, that is further than the truth.
In truth, homeschooling expenses can be greater than if you send your child to a regular public school. Public schools are partially funded by government funding whereas for homeschooling, there is no such funding available from the government. There are several non profit and support groups who do fund homeschooling but usually it is on a case by case basis.
Let’s look at some of the costs involved when homeschooling. Obviously, you still need to buy or acquire textbooks, course materials, study aids etc. Secondly, you need furniture. Examples are tables, chairs, lighting, computer equipment etc. Thirdly, include accessories such as pens, erasers and paper. Lastly, as your child progresses into higher grades, you may not be able to teach your child. As such you may need to hire a tutor which can be costly. Lastly, you should also consider any other curriculum such as dancing, piano lessons etc as these do cost quite a lot over the long run.
Also, you should also not discount the fact that one of the parents will probably not be working due to homeschooling. That means a loss of household income for the family.
These are just some of the costs associated with homeschooling. The reality of homeschooling is while it can be a good form of education for your children, you should consider the cost of homeschooling very seriously. Homeschooling is a serious commitment in both time and money. Make sure you plan ahead before proceeding.
Ricky Lim is the founder of http://www.homeschooling-guide.info where he regularly write homeschooling articles to help educators and parents. Visit his site for more Home Schooling Resources, Tips and Information |
posted by All About Home @ 6:30 PM   |
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| Saturday, April 14, 2007 |
| Making Time For Yourself While Homeschooling |
by L. D. Mairet
Making time for yourself while homeschooling seems like a dream. There are several tips that you can do to help yourself while you are staying home and giving so much to others.
First, get up an extra half hour to an hour before your children do. Make your coffee, read the newspaper, whatever you like to do just to start the day off relaxing. Eat a little breakfast to get you going. I personally enjoy sitting out on my back porch, drinking my decaf coffee, and enjoying some fresh air. Nice and relaxing not to mention quiet. Don't think about anything other than just relaxing. I know its hard because there are so many things you could be doing, but don't. Take the time for yourself. Everybody demands a lot out of you and you play so many rolls during the day, wife, mother, cook, house cleaner and educator. It's a lot of stress and you deserve the time for yourself.
Next, take about 15-20 minutes to do some exercise. If your children are awake, they can join in too. It will be great for the both of you. I know if your anything like me you dread the "E" word. I'm not telling you to go lift weights or do some extremely high impact workout. A low impact workout will do just fine. I prefer yoga for relaxation and exercise and your children will have fun with it too.
Get ready for the day. This is a step that most of us stay home moms just don't do. It's easy to not get ready for the day, or throw on a pair of sweats. However, I have found that when you get ready for the day you actually feel better about yourself and it reflects in your attitude for the day. Positive mental attitude will help give your children the best you.
Get dinner started. I know its morning but night time is a very stressful time for all families. If you have an idea of what you are making for dinner it will relieve a little stress off of you in the evening. Thaw your meat, throw in a crock pot meal, whatever you have planned for your evening meal. Now your ready to start your morning homeschool routine and your refreshed and ready to go with no worries.
In the evening, take another 30 minutes for yourself. Take a nice relaxing bath, go for a walk, write in a journal, whatever you can do to take time for yourself. Remember this time is for you. Don't do too much thinking or worrying at this time. This is time to think about NOTHING but relaxing. You can worry later!
Before you go to bed, make sure the house is clean and ready to go for tomorrow. Do your dishes so you don't have to worry about them when you get up. Set out your favorite coffee mug and get your coffee ready to start in the morning. It's going to be another refreshing day tomorrow!
About The Author
L. D. Mairet is a mother of four, former teacher with a triple major in education, and a previous educational preschool owner. You can swap and share lesson plans at her sight http://www.topchoicesite.com/free-homeschool-primary-lesson-plans-and-resource-sharing-center-html
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| posted by All About Home @ 9:33 PM |
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| Friday, April 13, 2007 |
| How To Prepare Great Homeschool Lesson Plans |
by L. D. Mairet
A key factor to preparing great homeschool lesson plans is realizing that all lesson plans are not "set in stone". Meaning that you do not have to follow a lesson plan word by word. A lesson plan should be used as a guide to help in your teachings.
Another key factor in preparing great homeschool lesson plans is realizing that yes, sometimes, your lesson plans may fail. It is what you learn from that failure that helps you to prepare future excellent homeschool lesson plans. If something doesn't work for your child, analyze it, find other ways to teach the same objective.
Get your child involved in lesson planning time with you! Set a time to go over next weeks lesson plans with your child. Tell your child what objectives you need to meet next week in each core subject area. Find out what your child wants to learn about in that area. Ask them to help pick and choose the activities that they will be learning. Not only is this great for you because your child helps while you are preparing lesson plans, but it is good for your child as well because they feel empowered over their education. Your child will be more interested in school time by helping prepare lesson plans with you.
Don't be scared to get off the subject! Be flexible in your lesson plans. If you are teaching your child and your child gets interested in a subtopic that you are teaching, go with the flow! For instance, your objective today in science is to teach your child about 3 different types of spiders. As your teaching this objective, your child becomes very interested in "Why spiders have eight legs?" Instead of telling your child "that's not what we are learning about today", why not learn about it today? This is when they are interested in it, right now. Not later, but now. Stop what you are doing and start learning. You can always go back to the three types of spiders at a later time or another day.
Always keep your child in mind while preparing lesson plans. You know your child best. Adapt prepackaged lesson plan and curriculum to meet your childs needs and interests. Teach your child the way they want to be taught, not the way you want to teach.
If you incorporate these stategies into your lesson plans you will find that your child should gain more interest in their activities ans lessons. You may get a little relief with your preparation as well. Everybodies happier and ready to learn!
About The Author
L.D. Mairet is the mother of four children, former teacher with a triple major in education, and former educational preschool owner. You can submit and share free lesson plans with other homeschool educators at her site http://www.topchoicesite.com/free-homeschool-primary-lesson-plans-and-resource-sharing-center-html.
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| posted by All About Home @ 4:22 AM |
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| Thursday, April 12, 2007 |
| The Social Aspects Of Homeschooling |
by Ricky Lim
Going to a regular school is more than just education. School kids get to mingle with their peers and teachers and in the process acquire social skills that are important when they progress into adult life.
Some critics have criticized that homeschooling does not fulfill this aspect of education. Since the child is studying alone at home, it does not give him/her the opportunity to pick up social skills. Some critics even pointed out that homeschooling children are less able to express themselves compared to the regular school goers.
However studies have shown quite the opposite. Public school children are put under fiercely competitive school environments. The net result is that they lack the confidence to initiate or hold a conversation. They do not know how to interact with other age group people. Some seems to have no social skills at all! This is indeed worrying.
On the other hand, homeschooling children are more aware of the implications and purpose of their learning. They are also able to make intelligent comments and are more attentively when studying.
The studies concluded that public school goers pick up bad influences from their peers while homeschooling children are shielded from such negative influences.
In my own opinion, homeschooling children are better prepared with the tools necessary to face the world. Being shielded from negative influences from their peers plus the positive influences from parents will help them to be more versatile and a more well-rounded individual.
Ricky Lim is the founder of http://www.homeschooling-guide.info where he regularly write homeschooling articles to help educators and parents. Visit his site for more Home Schooling Resources, Tips and Information |
| posted by All About Home @ 6:18 AM |
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| Wednesday, April 11, 2007 |
| The 10 "Be's" of Homeschooling |
by Lorraine Curry
1. BE AVAILABLE! Homeschooling is not hard, nor do the actual classes need to take much time, but it is important that your children find you available 24/7.
2. BE INTERESTED! Keep your child's heart, and their hunger for learning, by being interested in all the do and bring to you, even the worms!
3. BE A PARTNER IN LEARNING! Teach researching skills when they are young, creating a habit to serve them when older.
4. BE FLEXIBLE! Do not be so set in schedules and classes that you miss the real learning, bonding and loving experiences.
5. BE THRIFTY! Homeschooling does not have to cost an arm and a leg. God can direct you into terrific opportunities and resources for learning.
6. BE ORGANIZED! This is so important for our peace of mind! Our schools and our homes will run much smoother when we conquer this area.
7. BE DILIGENT! Consistency and schedules are important! Habit and hard work at God's priorities, teach more than we realize!
8. BE THE EXAMPLE! When our children see that we are under an Authority, and obedient to Him, they will likewise subject themselves to God's and parents' authority.
9. BE LOVING AND KIND! Maintain your peace and don't chase away the Holy Spirit by "blowing up." We can do all things through Christ! It helps to make sure you have a quiet time every morning, no matter how early you must get up!
10. BE BLESSED! Homeschooling is a wonderful opportunity and lifestyle that we would not trade for any other! Enjoy your children. Before you know it, they will be stepping out of your arms into life!
About The Author
Copyright 2006 Lorraine Curry. Lorraine Curry is the author of 5 Star books, Easy Homeschooling Techniques and Easy Homeschooling Companion. See FREE articles, checklists, copywork, subscriptions, ebooks and more at http://www.easyhomeschooling.com
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| posted by All About Home @ 3:00 AM |
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| Tuesday, April 10, 2007 |
| Homeschooling: Answers To The Most Common Misconceptions About Homeschooling |
by Steadman Issenburg
Although almost 2 million families homeschool their children, there continues to be many misconceptions about the entire process. As always, it's best to help illuminate the facts instead of feeding the misunderstandings, and so here are the answers to the most common misconceptions about homeschooling.
1. A homeschool education simply cannot compare to a more traditional one.
Actually, test scores seem to indicate that homeschooled children in general test well above average across the country regardless of income, race or the level of education of the parent.
2. Homeschooled children will not be able to get into college.
This is also a misconception as more and more colleges and universities are admitting homeschoolers into their program including such well recognized institutions as Harvard and Yale. In order to qualify for these schools, homeschooled children will most likely have to submit samples of their work, along with letters of recommendation, and CLEP and SAT test results in order to verify the quality of their education.
3. Homeschooled children are not able to develop social skills.
Many people seem to feel that if a child does not attend a public or private school, they will not be able to develop the social skills needed to function well in the adult world. However, the negative behavior problems associated with many children in the school system has been well documented in recent years, and there is no firm evidence that simply attending school helps children develop social skills that will be valuable later on in life.
Most homeschooling parents realize the need for their children to interact with others of their own age as well as adults too, and so they often arrange for well supervised activities where their children can socialize with others of many different age levels. Quite often, there are even homeschool support groups in various areas that help supply social experiences for the families that take part in their group.
4. Homeschooling is only for the wealthy as it is very expensive.
The truth is that homeschooling can be as expensive as you wish to make it. There are expensive homeschooling materials and curriculums that are available complete with video instruction. However there is no evidence that such educational materials are any more effective overall than more simple and inexpensive ones. Many families who homeschool can find excellent used books and materials online, or even make use of those that are found at the local library. At any rate, the evidence seems to suggest that homeschooled children even from the poorest families often seem to be getting a quality education and scoring well on their test scores.
5. Homeschooling is not legal.
Actually, homeschooling is legal in every state in the United States, although there are different governing requirements set out by the individual states. Some states seem to be more homeschool friendly than others, but there are successful homeschoolers in every state in the country.
If you're considering homeschooling your children, do not be surprised if you meet with opposition and resistance from family or friends who may bring up some of the misconceptions that are covered in this particular article. Hopefully the information provided here can help you better answer these misunderstandings when they arise.
Steadman Issenburg writes on many consumer related topics including education. You can find home school materials and homeschool programs and more by visiting our education website.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steadman_Issenburg |
| posted by All About Home @ 2:21 AM |
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| Monday, April 09, 2007 |
| Home Schooling...A Quiet Revolution |
by Angie Hewerdine
In the last 30 years or so, a quiet revolution has begun, and it’s changing the way people look at the compulsory nature of school forever. What started out in the 60’s as a radical choice made mostly by parents concerned about the lack of religious teaching in public schools has evolved into something spectacular...something so perfect that it seems intimidating. And it’s available to any family willing to make the change.
So often, when people find out that my kids do not go to school, I get responses like “ Oh, I could NEVER do that. I’m not smart enough.” or “I don’t think I could stand being with my kids all day every day.” and “You must be really disciplined.” Truth is, I don’t have a college degree, but I am absolutely ‘smart enough’ to be a home schooling parent, and I have every right to do so. I don’t necessarily consider myself a disciplined person, either, and that is just one of the multitude or reasons why home schooling is a perfect match for our family.
There are many reasons why a family might choose home schooling over public or private school. A child may have an illness or disability for which public school cannot provide proper care. Of course, public schools try hard to be politically correct, and will do what they can to assist any children with difficulties, but it’s hard enough for one adult teacher to watch over and effectively control a class of 25 ‘normally functioning’ students, much less having one or two kids thrown in who have very special medical and physical needs.
I can think of no environment more nurturing, more secure and loving, especially for a physically ill or disabled child, than the comfort and familiarity of their own home and attentive parents. After all, who understands a child's needs better than an attentive parent?
Home schooling is perfect for Moms like me who work from home. It gives flexibility and plenty of time to spend with the amazing individual minds that society calls my children.
Perhaps the child has been labeled ADHD and put on medication. These narcotics subdue the active child, effectively enabling him to sit still longer and to ‘pay attention‘ to what the teacher deems important...a necessary requirement in school. Home schooling, however, imposes no such limitations. If your child needs to bounce, to talk, to run or even to roll, these things can be allowed and even encouraged in a home schooling environment.
The negative and long lasting effects of the commonly prescribed drugs are now coming to light. Concerned parents are becoming more skeptical of physicians quick fix diagnoses and the schools insistence that such things are required to keep the classroom ‘functioning‘....especially when it involves their own children.
Perhaps the child just doesn't excel in school, has discipline problems or just plain 'hates' it. Why make them do something they hate every day? Why not give them the joy that comes along with being free to learn on their own time and focus on what interests them?
No matter what the reason a home schooling parent gives for taking their child out of school, one thing is certain. Home schooling is growing in popularity to the point where almost everyone knows someone who is or was home schooled. It may be a quiet revolution, but it's voice is growing louder year by year.
About The Author
Angie Hewerdine is a Home Schooling Mom, Writer and Successful Home Business Owner with a driving passion for helping people change their lives. She has assisted many in recognizing and achieving their personal and financial goals. For more information she can be reached at 1-800-491-4758 or visit her website at www.TheTimeForChange.com.
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| posted by All About Home @ 10:03 PM |
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