| Wednesday, January 31, 2007 |
| Home Schooling for Your Child - Worthy? |
by Anand Srinivasan
This can be a difficult decision for the parent to make. But, so many parents have not done this so far for nothing. Home Schooling is one of the new concepts that has caught on in the west of late. It actually is a fun for the mother to see her child learn in front of her eyes.
But there is still some hesistation in making this decision because parents feel that attending a school gives a real life experience to the child and co-curricular activities like debates and games help the child grow holistically and home schooling will deprive their child of that.
But the exponents of home schooling also have equally valid points. Home Schooling can impart values to the child in a secure environment, an environment where the child is much more ready to learn new things. Home Schooling does not necessarily mean that the child would miss out on social behavior. In fact, with less time to finish off with studies, a home schooled child will be able to dedicate much more time to play in the neighborhood. Unlike the real school, in home schooling, the class moves at the pace that the child requires it to. The home schooled child no longer needs to constantly skip over what he has missed to keep in pace with the rest of the class.
A home schooled child can be showered with much more personal care, which is so essential at the early years of childhood. But, all said and done, this is not an experiment that can be done to see if it works or not as this is about the life of the child which as a parent, you would want to make very sure that this is the best.
In order to achieve this, the parent must talk to the parents of other home schooled children. They will be able to give a good review of how the child progress is. There are today a lot of message boards and blogs in the internet that caters to the needs of the parent looking for a good home school for his child. Make the best use of it. Plan and execute. You will then relish every moment of your child's learning curve thanks to Home Schooling!
Anand Srinivasan is the author of http://XooXonline.info; a website of varied themes and topics for the internet surfer who wants to surf but does not know what to!
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posted by All About Home @ 9:24 PM   |
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| Tuesday, January 30, 2007 |
| Homeschooling – Can You Really Do This? |
by Mary Joyce
As you know, school house teachers prepare for their career path through many hours of course work, methodology classes, and student teaching before they begin teaching school. So how in the world could a parent without such training and preparations expect to be able to successfully home school their children?
As someone who has accomplished both, I can tell you that home schooling is quite a different job than classroom teaching. For instance, a classroom teacher is tasked with the rather prodigious challenge of conveying specific skills to a large group of kids with many different learning abilities and learning styles and certainly they come from different backgrounds. I can tell you, as a teacher, the temperament toward learning in which the child is exposed to at home is a huge influencing factor when it comes to the child’s performance at school. Whether a child comes from a home environment that embraces and nurtures learning or not makes teaching a large group of students an even more challenging task. Then there are those discipline issues that inevitably come. When this occurs, the schoolteacher is bound to follow rules, regulations, and policies. And may or may not have the support of the parents in correcting the behavior.
Disciplinary action is a whole different arena when you are a homeschooling parent. This is a natural duty for you as a parent and as such you can incorporate the rules and policies that not only work best for your homeschool but for your family as well.
As a homeschooling parent, you are in control of the home environment of student(s)! And homeschoolers certainly don’t have to teach, motivate, and reach out to an entire room full of children at one time. We only have to motivate and manage one (or several) children, and even then (if you’re creative with your scheduling and planning) it doesn’t have to be all at the same time. As parents, homeschoolers are driven by the highest of motivators… the love for their children and the desire for them to be successful.
When it comes to the curriculum, schoolteachers are largely bound by a prescribed program and schedule. In the traditional classroom, because of scheduling and time constraints (along with everything else) a teacher must instruct as efficiently as possible. Too much time on one unit will probably mean cuts being made in others. One of the biggest challenges schoolteachers face with the larger class sizes is finding teaching pace that will not out run the slower student yet deliver to the higher learners subject matter that challenges them as well. Unfortunately, the answer is usually a compromise that neither works for the slower or the faster students.
As a homeschooling parent you don’t have to work within the time constraints or the class sizes. And you certainly won’t get called into the office because you spent too much time on one subject either because your child really took to it and you wanted to dig deeper, or your child struggled to understand some of the concepts and you wanted to review, test and teach some more before you moved on. As a whole the homeschooling parent can work with and help their children fully learn something without having to worry about any myriad of issues that schoolteachers face.
It’s been documented that one on one instruction facilitates learning at a much greater pace than can be done in a one to many environment. The homeschooling parent has the flexibility to adjust the schedule as learning dictates. You’ll find that because this teaching model is so much more efficient than classroom learning, that you’ll be able to dig deeper and stay longer within subjects and still have plenty of time on your homeschool yearly calendar.
Preparation is always a good thing and with today’s technologies it’s much easier. Get out there and read books, find some good online homeschooling forums that you like and jump in. You’ll soon get a feel for how those ahead of you on the path have approached the very same questions that you have. Be prepared for some sanding and buffing of your schedule and your plans until you find what works best for you, your child(ren) and your family.
Do you have educational training and pedigrees that schoolteachers have? Probably not; but as you now know, in the case of homeschooling you don’t need many of them.
So, homeschooling… can you really do this? I think you’ll find that with the availability of so many resources today, combined with your enthusiasm for your child’s success and the love of being their parent that… yes you can do this.
Mary Joyce is a former educator, successful homeschool parent, and has written many articles on teaching your child at home for the Homeschool-Curriculum-4u website. Please visit (http://www.homeschool-curriculum-4u.com) for more of Mary's articles, resources on homeschool, ideas, and curriculum information. |
| posted by All About Home @ 9:14 PM |
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| Monday, January 29, 2007 |
| The Power of Homeschooling |
by Reverend Brenda Hoffman
There are 3 powerful reasons why homeschooling works. These include:
(1.) Homeschooling enables exposure to a broad range of people, ideas, and places. Homeschooling is so flexible that it allows family field trips whenever you want. This provides a great way to learn through taking tours, meeting knowledgeable people, and volunteering. What is even better is that you can take advantage of these opportunities during the week when there aren't crowds and when the tour guides, or educators, have time to answer your individual questions. Add in some library books and videos, the writing of thank you notes, the writing of a portfolio entry describing your "adventure," and the possibility of giving an oral presentation to other homeschoolers and you'll see just how powerful this can truly be. This also teaches your child(ren) that there are great teachers to be found in every walk of life.
(2.) If you own your own home business, homeschooling provides opportunities to teach your child(ren) business skills. Starting a home business today is relatively easy and painless. Involving your child(ren) in your home business is an excellent opportunity to teach them skills which will serve them well in any livelihood they might choose as adults. Just think of the various business opportunities that avail themselves. For instance, you can teach your child(ren) how to do basic bookkeeping on the computer.
(3.) Homeschooling allows great flexibility for vacations. You can easily take vacations in the off-season when prices are significantly lower and crowds are rare. For instance, if your family enjoys camping, you can go during the week, or in the weeks before Memorial Day and after Labor Day.
As you can easily see, homeschooling allows a family to do so much of what they truly love to do. That is the greatest power of homeschooling.
About The Author
Reverend Brenda Hoffman has been delivering holistic health and wellness advice for over 7 years. As a home-based professional and mother of 1, she operates a holistic wellness and homeschooling network. Learn to enjoy a healthier lifestyle and richer relationships with your homeschooled children through the range of resources at http://www.yourhealthyfamilyhome.com/.
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| posted by All About Home @ 1:57 AM |
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| Sunday, January 28, 2007 |
| Homeschooling - You Can Do It |
by Phyllis Wheeler
Is homeschooling something YOU could do?
Perhaps you are not happy with your other options, and you are starting to toy with this idea. But you can't imagine yourself doing it. After all, doesn't it take a superwoman to juggle lessons and all the other things Moms have to do?
Take it from a homeschooling veteran, you can do it IF you love your kids. That's the only qualification. As you move through the homeschooling journey, you will develop the skills you need, as you need them. That's how jugglers start--juggling just one thing. Then they add another, and after a while another. And here's another secret: homeschooling can actually be easier than the standard soccer mom routine. Soccer moms are everywhere but home, juggling same-age activities that are different for each kid (unless you have twins). In contrast, when you homeschool, you focus on what you can all do together.
Here's one option for larger families. Homeschoolers look for activities that their kids can share, working with the fact that their ages are different. You can all study one topic, peeling off different layers of it for kids of different ages. You can all study this topic and various aspects of it for a month or so, and then move on to another. This structure is called a unit study. You don't have to invent them, either--plenty of moms who have invented one have published it.
Other options include using workbooks and curriculum so that each child has something to work on that is appropriate for his age, such as at K12.com . These all come with an answer key--you don't need to be a college graduate to make sure your kid is getting the right answer. In fact, many homeschoolers do almost no direct teachiing--their kids learn from the book or workbook. (This is a great study skill for college!) There are also correspondence schools that do all the teaching for you, if your child needs that. An example of that is LaurelSprings.com.
For Christians, there is plenty of available curriculum. Alpha Omega Publications produces a broad range of workbooks, and they include activities you can do together. Sonlight produces a curriculum that focuses on historical fiction. If you buy one module, you can use much of it for several children who are less than about four years apart in age. There are also curriculums that focus on high academic achievement, such as Covenant Home Curriculum. I used both Sonlight and Covenant Home and was pleased with them. I used plenty of curriculum from A Beka to fill gaps as well. For more information on low-cost curriculum, you can try www.easyhomeschooling.com .
Here's an example of a unit study for Ancient Egypt. You head to the library and check out lots of books for the different ages of your kids, all about Egypt. You figure out math problems related to building pyramids--all about triangles, for instance, or calculating the barley harvest in 2000 BC. For art you can observe and copy Egyptian paintings, using high-quality markers and background grids to help you transfer the image (the Egyptians used grids too). You can study hieroglyphics and what sounds they stand for. You can read about Egypt together. For the older kids you can have them read a mystery about Ancient Egypt called Mara, Daughter of the Nile, and discuss whether you think the people in the book behave like modern Americans or like ancient Egyptians. If you are Christian or Jewish, you can work in Joseph and his story. You can give writing assignments on Egypt appropriate to the age of your kids, and go over lists of spelling words for them using the effective method outlined in a multi-age spelling book called Spelling Power.
If this sounds like more than you want to create on your own, just look around for a published unit study on it. Go to a search engine and type in "unit study Egypt homeschool," and you will see quite a few options for you.
Structuring your day is a question for you to ponder. Many homeschoolers get all their less-fun schoolwork done in the morning, leaving the afternoon for projects, goofing off, housework, or whatever. If you want to include your child in an organized activity, you can join regularly schooled children in their sports teams in the late afternoon. But there are daytime activities too. You can also ask around--some of these activities providers are creating daytime classes (in gymastics, for example) for homeschoolers. You do have to be careful to avoid burnout here, though. If you the parent are teaching in the morning, grading in the early afternoon (or near bedtime), and operating weekly field trips in the afternoon, you have to watch how much soccer-mom running around you do. You can't do it all.
But you do want your children to be "socialized." Here's a question homeschoolers get all the time: "Aren't you worried about socialization for your child?" Here's the answer: you have the ability to choose whom your child socializes with, unlike parents of schooled children. You do have to go out of your way to set it up. And you can count socialization with adults--that's the best kind, after all. Adults are generally well-mannered and kind. Unsupervised schoolkids often are not. Homeschooled kids are usually quite comfortable talking to adults! Don't you want your kids to be like that?
A homeschool co-op is one of the best solutions to the need for socialization. If you meet once a week with other homeschoolers for class or field trips, your child gets well-supervised social interaction, and can learn and grow socially in a way that a schooled child cannot. Bullying is simply not a problem for homeschoolers! So how do you find a co-op? You have to ask other homeschoolers. If your area has a homeschooling convention, by all means go to it, and go to workshops if they have any. You need to network with other homeschoolers until you find or can create a co-op.
Lastly, how will you find support? Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart, and it's not for the unsupported parent, either. You will need to find someone to share your challenges with. Many homeschooling parents support each other online. There are plenty of discussion forums attached to homeschooling Web sites, such as at www.welltrainedmind.com . There are plenty of e-mail groups for homeschoolers also. Again, ask around until you find the right one for you.
Here's the answer to the homeschooling question: You can do it!
About the authorPhyllis Wheeler writes books for homeschoolers, including computer curriculum. Take a look at a sampling of articles on homeschooling she has for you at http://www.PhyllisWheeler.com.
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| posted by All About Home @ 11:25 PM |
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| Thursday, January 25, 2007 |
| Rebirth of the One-Room Schoolhouse |
By: Esther Smith
You know you’re onto something hot when you look over your shoulder and see Donald Trump smiling with the same idea. I could not have been happier. Ah, but wait, I’m getting ahead of my story.
A hundred years ago school was serious stuff. Everything had to be memorized. Students wrote on stone slates with slate pencils. In one-room schoolhouses they were seated by grade; boys on one side, girls on the other. Discipline was strict and punishments prompt. All students walked home or in rare cases, rode horses.
Today, children go to school by bus to modern buildings. Every class has a different teacher who is stationary in their own classroom. Discipline is slack and new laws make punishment nearly void. The only serious concern students have is their threads and popularity. The dropout rate is blamed on indifference or pregnancy, not the old reason of “needed on the farm”.
Three years ago, a pilot program implemented by a school district in Salem, Oregon created a new vehicle for learning in their community. This online high school served an eclectic group of teenagers from dropouts to brainiacs, and of course the popular “home-schoolers”. All students accessed courses on the Internet, submitted their homework assignments via email and communicated with their teachers by phone as needed.
This is one example of providing alternative learning options for kids today and is a great safety net for at-risk students. Allowed to work at their own pace, they are closely supervised to make sure they attend their cyber classes on a regular basis. Real benefits include attending classes at any time of the day, seven days a week.
This is an excellent opportunity for teen parents or medically challenged students when traditional learning options haven’t worked. When these kids finish high school and begin planning their continued education a new idea is coming into fruition: Webucation!
Most new terms beginning with Web- have been short-lived but Webucation is showing signs of survival. Distance Learning is an idea seen to have great potential and has the close attention of nearly all educational institutions. Everyone is clamoring to be in the right place at the right time.
It would seem that the one-room schoolhouse has been reborn. These days it is the dining room, upstairs guest-room, or the converted garage. Some of the students are teen parents but there are an increasing number of stay-at-home moms and jobless dads. Add to this the thousands of nine-to-fivers who feel their jobs are shaky at best.
If you saw this trend coming, as did Donald Trump publishing Trump University online, you would definitely be in the right place at the right time. Public education needs a lot of help and this may well be in the form of web-based education. I can think of fifty reasons why this would be advantageous for primary and high school grades, but in this case it still has miles to go.
Career courses are exploding as this trend matures and becomes the next billion-dollar industry. Villanova, Tulane, Notre Dame are only a few offering degrees online boasting: “accelerated, affordable, accredited, anytime training, anywhere knowledge”. Streaming video lectures – just watch and listen to Professors on CDs and review as many times as desired. Learning doesn’t get any easier than this.
Fortunes were made selling shovels to the gold rush miners. Obviously you don’t have to have quality material that would make an online course worth publishing… sell the shovels, or in this case sell the courses. Hard to sell? Not at all! On-the-job experience doesn’t go half the distance of a degree or certificate. Demand for skilled professionals has never been greater than it is today.
The idea of Webucation appeals to busy adults. It is perfect because unlike conventional courses with set time schedules they will be buying courses the other way round; adjusting them to fit their spare time. And all from the comfort of home. With a degree or certificate in hand they will be a much sought-after skilled professional and their earning potential increased tenfold.
Here’s a bonus: sell these educational courses and take advantage of that by getting certified yourself. While you certainly can make a fortune selling the “shovels” it doesn’t hurt to arm yourself with new wisdom on how to use this new wealth. A degree in Financial Planning, Tax Preparation or Real Estate will make you the person to see in a crowded room.
And if money talks you’ll make great conversation.
© Esther Smith
Smith publishes a syndicated weekly Newsletter. She is a Profit Masters Team member: thepermanentventure.com/profitmasters.htm and sells Webucation from her website: www.exec-lifestyle.biz Smith has published many Articles on the advantages of owning a Home Business. |
| posted by All About Home @ 8:44 PM |
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| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 |
| Important Resources For People Considering Home Schooling |
by Jeffery Wilson
There are a good many resources available to those who are considering home schooling. This has not always been so, and that is the good news to say the least. There has been a surge in recent years that has brought about the advantages that so many are finding when it comes to home schooling and the overall experience. For those that are looking for home school information all you need to do is go to the net. There are literally thousands of sites that are available to the potential home schooler that offer scores of information that can be of the utmost in importance when trying to make this very important decision. Making the choice of home schooling vs public schools is not one to be taken lightly and should never be a rash decision. This is where so many people go wrong. They get angry with the school system and pull their children out of school and then are not prepared for the incredible responsibility that comes with home schooling.
For some of the best information you should contact the local home school association. Thanks to the recent surge in home schooling there is a plethora of home school association places that will be more than happy to guide you through the steps that it takes for you to home school your children. They are also a great place to find home school resources that are not nearly as expensive as others which can make the transition a bit more smooth. This also works as a support group for both the parents and children as the home school concept is quite a change for many of the people that are involved. You should take advantage of all that a home school organization has to offer.
In most cases there is enough information available for you to make sure that there is nothing that you can not find out with a little research. The different organizations are a great chance for you to meet with other people in the same or similar situations and then you have the chance to exchange ideas and gain some valuable insight. This is especially important for those that wish to try home schooling and all that comes with it. You are not alone by any stretch and it is important to ask questions when you have them.
Jeffery Wilson is the founder of DoYouHomeSchool.com. Do You Home School provides a wealth of information for parents trying to decide whether or not to home school. Jeffery has addressed many issues such as Home Schooling vs. Public Schools and Everything You Need to Know About Home School Curriculm.
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| posted by All About Home @ 1:55 AM |
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| Tuesday, January 23, 2007 |
| Homeschool Spanish - 3 Ways To Liven Up Your Lessons |
by Jim Sarris
Homeschool Spanish! 3 simple keys to liven up the lessons Are you interested in making the Spanish learning in your home more exciting?
If your kids are studying outside the home, do you feel they need a more lively approach to keep them interested?
Homeschool Spanish can be tough. Many levels to teach, boring and repetitive materials and no connection to the language all make for a tough going.
The thing is, as a Homeschooling parent, you're used to making things come alive.
You bake a cake and make a math lesson out of it. You walk in the park, discover plants and learn about science.
But fear not. I'm about to show you how you can add three tricks to your homeschool Spanish atmosphere that will get your creative juices flowing and help you liven up your lessons.
Key #1 - Bring Spanish to life in your home
Any child wants (and needs) to feel connected to what they're learning. That's why homeschooling is such a blessing. Those connections are real easy when you're the one in charge.
Well, why not start to incorporate some common expressions into your daily routine and see how things go. Here a starter list of phrases you can use with your child.
- No me digas! - You're kidding!
- Qué va! - No way!
- No quiero - I don't want to (a biggie with the younger ones)
- Qué pasa aquí? - What's going on here?
Naturally there are more but, let's not get ahead of ourselves. One expression every couple of days will be enough to get them involved...and you too.
In fact, the whole family can start creating typical phrases that can be used day in and day and allow your homeschool Spanish experience to grow like a freshly watered plant.
Key #2 - Serve it up in ways your kids like it. Most kids love music, TV or reading. So why not try to include a little of each into your Spanish lessons.
For example, for the little ones, there are educational programs (ex. Dora The Explorer) on TV that attempt to use Spanish in a fun and informative way.
If your children are in their teens, you can find Spanish music that's similar to their tastes. You can find any type of music online or ask in your local music store. Then, once you have the music, you can use the lyrics to study the words, the expressions or the tenses.
Reading is no different. You can find bilingual texts of Dr. Seuss' series or Clifford the Big Red Dog for the little ones and similar titles for the older kids. Just go online at Google or check your local library.
Key #3 - Find a great idea and copy it This is important because it saves you the most time and money.
If you're the teacher and the material is a little...dry, go out and look for resources that have innovative, "outside-the-box" approaches to learning. They don't have to be language texts. The idea is to find an approach you like and copy it.
Go browse some local bookstores or libraries. Go surfing on the internet. If you like what you see, study it a bit and think of ways to use the same technique in your Spanish lessons.
Here's an example: Vocabulary Cartoons is a wonderful book that uses mnemonics and visuals to memorize SAT words. Well, why not use the same technique to memorize Spanish words?
If you think you like the resource, make sure it has a guarantee (the longer the better) so you can try it at home.
This whole process doesn't have to cost any money and will certainly save you time thinking up new ways to inject excitement into your homeschool Spanish lessons.
As a Homeschooling parent, you have options a public school teacher doesn't have. Why not take advantage of them?
And remember, if your kids are learning outside the home, you can find something fun to use with them so that they maintain their interest through the year.
Jim Sarris, author of Comic Mnemonics, has created a resource for homeschool families that makes learning Spanish fun and easier using visuals and mnemonics. For free samples and video tutorial, visit http://www.learnspanishfaster.com/homeschoolspanish.html |
| posted by All About Home @ 1:54 AM |
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| Monday, January 22, 2007 |
| The Ugly Side Of Home Schooling: Disadvantages You Must Consider |
By James Masterson
It has always been accepted that parents have an inherent right to determine how to raise and educate their children. These days, the latter decision is made more complex for the simpler dichotomous decision of private versus public schooling is given a third rival: homeschooling. Homeschooling holds an obvious advantage over the other two, that of the fact that as a parent, you are given an opportunity to be completely hands-on with your child’s education, from schedule, to curriculum, and to the sort of development you want imbibed in him or her through that education. While these advantages may hold true under any circumstance, it is important for you as a parent to also understand the disadvantages in the system as well. Only then can you be certain that you are indeed making the right and educated decision in choosing homeschooling over the other two.
The first obvious disadvantage is the amount of investment you have to make as a parent. Why? Homeschooling leaves the responsibility of educating your child completely on you. This means you’re going to have to research and collate a curriculum for your child, as well as determine on your own supplemental activities that will enhance this learning experience. Moreover, this means having to invest greater time in your child than a normal working parent would. Homeschooling may require either parent to stay home and be the teacher, or may put greater stress on parents who both work for a living.
This also means doing away with the expertise of an accredited teacher. Trained teachers are equipped with the knowledge to teach a wide range of topics as well as strategies in order to stimulate greater learning and active participation. As a parent without this training, you may find it necessary to do much more research, especially as you determine what you want to teach your child.
The classroom setting provides inherent benefits of socialization to your child. Homeschooling obviously takes away this opportunity for your child to interact with other children in the learning environment. Although your child may have siblings to interact with, this may translate to your child as not being exposed to a wider gamut of ideas and perspectives. A classroom with children from different backgrounds and personal beliefs provides your child with ideas that may stimulate his mind to think and criticize.
Visit and talk to people who have undergone homeschooling. This may help you get to know more about these disadvantages, and perhaps, help you learn how to appropriately respond to them to make homeschooling work for you.
It doesn’t matter if you just want to explore home schooling possibilities or have made the decision and are looking for a guide to point you in the right direction, "The Parents Guide to Home Schooling" will provide you with the information you require. www.free-online-course.com/homeschool |
| posted by All About Home @ 10:49 PM |
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| Sunday, January 21, 2007 |
| Senior High Home Schooling: Help is on the way! |
by Beth Gabriel
Help is on the way!
Many cities have parent co-ops to help share resources. Check with your local library to see where and when your local home schooling group meets. Sharing books and resources with other parents is an excellent, low cost option.
What if your child is smarter than you?
It’s a scary thought, isn’t it? But don’t feel bad – be proud of the great job that you’ve done so far. A great resource of your ‘advanced student’ is to tap into the online home schooling resources. There are curriculums that can be purchased and completed online. Some will provide textbooks as well as standard home schooling products. Another option is to take classes that can be held in a virtual classroom, students can use a web cam to participate or they can simply use lecture based courses online.
Should you consider public or private school instead?
Many parents feel that during the high school years, education at home is too difficult. They consider sending their child to public high school. But, this can be a difficult and troublesome transition for your teenager. The environment in a public high school can be anything but rewarding or inviting to a child who has been home schooled up until now. A private school may be better, but still has draw backs including cost. There are still the problems with your child being ‘the new kid’ at school. New friends, new teachers, new expectations are all anxiety producing for your child.
What else can I do?
If you feel over-whelmed about home schooling your senior high school student and don’t want to consider public or private high school – what else can you do? Consider your network of fellow parents who home school. What are you best at? What are their strengths? There may be a way to trade skills with other parents. A parent who has skills and interests in high school educating may be willing to teach your child along with their child in trade for you teaching one of their children who is younger. The double bonus here is added socialization for both high school students.
Post Secondary Option
Another resource for your ‘advanced student’ is the post secondary option at your local college or junior college. This has great advantages for both you and your student. Your child won’t be branded as ‘the new kid’ – everyone at college is new. Many times you don’t pay college tuition for the classes that your child takes. Your child receives high school credit and enjoys the socialization and mental stimulation that advanced classes can bring. It’s a win – win for both of you!
Brought to you by Help-For-High-School-Moms.info and Home-School-101.info where help is what we’re all about!
About The Author
Beth Gabriel
I developed Help-For-High-School-Moms.info and Home-School-101.info to give parents resouce ideas to help with home schooling their most valuable asset - their kids!
norskbabe360@yahoo.com |
| posted by All About Home @ 10:28 PM |
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| Saturday, January 20, 2007 |
| Homeschooling Laws |
by Tuscan Brittney
Many parents, for many different reasons, make the resolution to homeschool their children. Homeschooling allows for a particular educational experience designed to suit your child's specific requirements, and in many cases goes above and beyond what can be achieved in a community or private school system. If you make the decision to homeschool your young ones, it is important that you do so legally, and recognize the laws in your area. It is absolutely critical that you do this, because if you fail to meet legal requirements when homeschooling your children you will inadvertently rob your children of postsecondary scholastic opportunities.
Homeschooling laws vary from state to state, so you have to look up the particular laws in your own state. The basis of state laws on homeschooling is the consequence of truancy laws that require children to attend school. The essential idea is that these laws exist to determine a homeschooled child from a child that is merely not going to school, which is of course against the law. Generally, states will demand that you submit a "notice of intent" to homeschool your children before the upcoming academic year, and the state will then reply with the suitable paperwork for you to fill out.
Besides familiarizing yourself with the specific laws of your state you should also consult with a homeschooling organization for advice. In some cases parents will be dealing with school officials who want to discourage them from homeschooling, and in these situations it is critical that you comprehend your rights. In the state of New York, for example, parents are not required to meet with school officials. School officials may request a meeting with the parents in order to discuss homeschooling, but the state may not revoke the right to homeschool if the parents decline this meeting.
It is also required that your child take standardized tests. This is so the state can legally allocate your child to a given grade level. The laws vary from state to state but in most cases you will have a certain amount of elbow-room in non-standardized tests. New York allows for non-standard tests every alternate year between grades 4 and 8, for example.
Although it may seem intimidating at first, homeschooling your children legally is fundamentally not that complex. You just have to make sure that you follow every step, and don't leave out any paperwork. While some state restrictions or rules may seem needless or cumbersome, in the long run you'll save yourself a ton of headaches if you fill everything in properly and on time.
The best thing you can do when you begin to homeschool your children is to consult with other homeschooling parents and advocacy groups. Looking up legal vernacular online can be confusing, but any homeschooling group will give you solid, plain-English advice on how to properly and legally set up homeschooling for your children. Remember: it's impossible to overestimate the value of studying your state laws in regards to homeschooling - if you overlook or violate any of them, you could lose your right to homeschool altogether.
About The Author
Tuscan Brittney
Check out our comprehensive Home Schooling Resource site today - http://www.musthavestuff.ws/homeschooling/ |
| posted by All About Home @ 2:51 AM |
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| Friday, January 19, 2007 |
| Children Can't Be Socialized Without School - FALSE |
by: Reverend Brenda Hoffman
Children are born as social beings. Therefore, schooling is not necessary to "make" someone social. Truth be told, whenever you think about it, you cannot "make" a child do anything. Furthermore, what do you call interaction with parents, siblings and family? This is also social when you think about it.
There are many great joys to homeschooling. One of these is that children tend to make friends with a diverse group of people from all age groups and with a variety of interests. This is because these children spend much of their time interacting within the community.
Schools force children to be segregated by age group. Where else in life are people segragated in this manner? No where. In fact, such segragation creates the generation gaps that cause adults to misunderstand children, and children to know nothing about adults.
So, stop and take a moment to think about the "socialization" of school...
Contrary to "socializing" children, schools create a breeding ground for isolated cliques to form, segregated by clothing style, music style, popularity, money and status of personal interests. This creates a hostage-like environment in which children have little power. This then tends to breed a cruel peer culture in which children vie for dominance and territory. Children who are marked as being even slightly "uncool" (having the wrong hair cut, the wrong clothes, unique characteristics, etc) by the dominant peer groups are referred to as losers, and the harassment these rejected children endure can be socially and psychologically devastating.
The Columbine School Massacre exposed the sobering truth about the devastating affects of children who are rejected by their peers. This doesn't mean that all children will turn to such drastic "measures," but public school children WILL attempt to clone themselves according to the peer culture. In contrast, homeschool children tend to make friends with people based on internal qualities and genuine shared interests rather than on outward appearances and social group membership - something that is much more important than the trivialities of clothing and music.
About The Author
Reverend Brenda Hoffman has been delivering holistic health and wellness advice for over 7 years. As a home-based professional and mother of 1, she operates a holistic wellness and homeschooling network. Learn to enjoy a healthier lifestyle and richer relationships with your homeschooled children through the range of resources at http://www.yourhealthyfamilyhome.com/. |
| posted by All About Home @ 5:16 PM |
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| Wednesday, January 17, 2007 |
| Homeschooling: The Top 5 Tips For Success In Homeschooling Your Children |
By Steadman Issenburg
Making the decision to homeschool your children should not be taken lightly as it will have a definite impact on everyone in the family. The good news though is that families from all walks of life, all sorts of different backgrounds, and from every kind of income level are successfully homeschooling their children. So here are the top five steps for homeschooling success.
1. First and foremost, you'll need to have the willing support of everyone in the family including your children and your spouse if you are going to make this whole new educational adventure work. If you have a lot of emotional and behavioral issues with your children, than most likely homeschooling will not be a good choice for you at this time. Likewise if your mate is not ready to completely support you in this endeavor, you can expect some very rough patches ahead. So try to get everyone in the family to commit to giving homeschooling their best support if you want long term success.
2. Before you begin homeschooling honestly appraise your daily schedule and make sure that you are going to have enough time to be able to handle not only all of the school related activities that you will be involved in such as teaching, preparing for the next lessons, grading papers, overseeing class projects and so on, but also be able to handle the normal household and daily chores as well. When you make the decision to homeschool your children, you'll need to bring a good measure of organizational skills in order to get everything done each day. You also have to realize that some of your own personal time will have to be sacrificed more often than you would sometimes like.
3. Another important consideration that needs to be made before you begin homeschooling is whether or your family can survive financially on only one income or not. Because of the demands that homeschooling places on the time and efforts of the parent that is teaching, its very difficult for both parents to be able to work and bring in income. So it would be very wise for you to go over the family finances in advance and make sure that whatever income can be generated by the parent who is working will be sufficient to handle the monthly bills.
4. Consideration should also be given to how you plan on providing social interaction for your children with others of varying age levels. It's important for them to get to know people outside of the family, so well supervised social events can be important to their emotional development. Very often, homeschool support groups in many areas are able to provide this kind of socialization for all of the families who take part in the group.
5. Finally, get to know others in your area who are already homeschooling their children successfully. Try to find out as much as you can about the whole process before you even begin, and then stay in touch with these families for support as you start this new educational adventure. No one can understand the challenges that homeschooling brings as well as those who have actually lived it themselves, so make good use of the friends and contacts that you make in the homeschooling community.
Homeschooling is a challenge to be sure, but it can also be richly rewarding and satisfying. Hopefully, the suggestions given above will help you be able to be more confident and successful in homeschooling your children.
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. |
| posted by All About Home @ 11:39 PM |
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| Monday, January 15, 2007 |
| Beware of the Five-Minute Break! (From A Slice of A Homeschool Life) |
By Linore Rose Burkard
Do your children ask during school hours if they can take just a little, teeny five-minute break? Mine do. I'm not sure how they came up with the idea that they are entitled to do this (probably the first time they tried it, and it worked!), but they insist that five-minute breaks should be a part of every home-schooling day. Lunch and recess? No problem. Five-minute breaks? Beware!
So,what's terrible about a little five-minute break? The problem is, they somehow turn into fifteen-minutes or more, and then you find out that in addition to growing longer (all by themselves), they are also addictive! Yes, first it was just one five-minute break a day. But soon the requests changed to "When I finish my math can I take a five-minute break?" "When I'm done with spelling, can I?" And then reading, and on and on. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if I opened a teacher's manual and saw the instruction: "STOP NOW FOR A FIVE-MINUTE BREAK." Why not? They seem to be everywhere.
Okay, five minutes is not a lot of time. I realize that. The problem is that kids do not. Really. To them, being granted permission for a break is like getting a key to a magical door to another world: they step into it hoping they will never have to come back. Take my oldest son, for instance.
Hungry for his next five-minute "fix," Brian's eyes, which are large anyway, suddenly take on beagle proportion, and he puts on all the puppy-dog pathos he can muster. (Please, Mom, p-l-eeease, can I take a 5-minute break?) And despite the five minutes stretching into ten or more, I am then subjected to a barrage of complaints such as, "Oh, already! I just started playing with Matt! It can't be five minutes already!"
ME: Well, actually, it's FIFTEEN minutes!
BRIAN: (laughingly) Fifteen minutes? No way! No way!
Despite his blossoming skills at telling time, he just cannot fathom the realities of a sixty-second minute. Somewhere in the mysterious regions of his just turned seven-year-old brain, he thinks of five minutes in terms of seconds (300 of them) and then expects to live them out in years; What else can account for his daily baffled expression when I inform him that his time is up?
Once, losing all patience, I made the radical move of threatening to abolish five-minute breaks from our school. My children were in arms instantly:
ME: Where is it written that you must have five-minute breaks?!
THEM: Mom! EVERYONE has five-minute breaks!!
ME: I don't! I never get a break! What about that?
(For some reason, this morsel of truth never evokes anything other than sheepish smiles: It's true, but they don't care!)
Of course, I do take breaks. I nurse the baby when she's ready for it, but I keep within ear shot of the "classroom"--just close enough to keep up my stream of "Okay, no more talking! That's enough! Be quiet, you two! Brian, did you finish ALL those spelling words? Kaitlin, I thought you were reading!!"
(It seems the closer we get to the end of the school year, the more my children suddenly have to say to each other across the table during school. It's actually a law of the universe, like gravity: The closer kids are to being DONE with something, the more they drag it out.)
Are you thinking that our methods are not enough fun, that school shouldn't be such a drag that kids can't wait to get away from it? I agree. I just haven't figured out, yet, how to complete all the requirements of the school year in a way that is always fun.
Learning, let's face it, is sometimes hard work. Perhaps in some ideal world (and maybe in some ideal homes), it's always fun, but that isn't the case in my experience or our school. My kids show me they enjoy learning by all the spontaneous inquiries they make, reading they do, and so on. The trick, I suppose, is to encourage their natural curiosity with the right amount of work, while trying not to overwhelm them in the areas in which they are not naturally inclined.
Until I get that right, however, I'll just have to live with the five-minute break. Only for now on, I'm setting a timer!
Linore Rose Burkard writes Inspirational Regency Romance as well as articles on Regency Life, Homeschooling, and Self-Improvement. She publishes a monthly eZine "Upon My Word!" which you can receive for FREE by signing up at her website quickly and easily. For her latest short story check Here Ms. Burkard graduated from the City University of New York with a Magna Cum Laude degree in English Literature, and now lives in Ohio with her husband and five children.
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| posted by All About Home @ 10:35 PM |
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| Compelling Reasons For Homeschooling |
by: All Homeschooling
People choose the option of homeschooling their children for a variety of reasons.
For many years, homeschooling was the purview of those families who lived in rural areas and found the cost and/or time it would take to transport their children to school unbearable. For these people, homeschooling was and continues to be the only real option when it comes to their children’s education. Many rural families have traditionally relied on their children to help around the house, and thus homeschooling allowed them to pursue their studies around the family schedule, and work and education could be fit into the day according to a suitable timetable.
Another traditional reason for families choosing the option of homeschool was a fundamental disagreement with what was or is being taught in other schooling environments. Chief among this group are families whose religious beliefs clash with the prevailing educational methods. Families who choose the option of homeschooling are not subject to the rigid curriculum of established schools, and there are many options when it comes to homeschool resources that can offer as wide or as narrow a field of study as far as worldviews that the parent wishes.
A more recent development in the reason people choose to homeschool their children is that of safety. School ground violence seems to be increasing, and that has many parents worried. They feel that the best way to keep their children away from harm is to keep them close.
Hand-in-hand with the safety issue is a concern for the child’s self esteem. Bullying is a common issue within any school system, as any parent well remembers from their own school days. Many parents cannot bear the thought of throwing their children into the kind of system that breeds a pack mentality, and are choosing instead to have them educated at home.
A very recent development in the reasons for homeschooling is the fluidity in choices that homeschooling children allows. This is especially apparent in Generation X, who seem to be fairly insistent on independence and not being tied down to any one place or situation. Homeschooling eliminates the need to plan all vacations around established school holidays, as the pace is determined by the parent and child.
Finally, parents may choose to homeschool their children because they simply feel they can do a better job than any educational system. Parent of gifted children do not want to see the child wasted in the hard pressed for both resources and qualified teachers system that public schooling represents, and private schools are becoming increasingly unaffordable for the average family. Parents who believe their children need the advantages of a more intimate education are therefore turning to the option of homeschooling.
The rise in popularity of homeschooling has meant a corresponding rise in the materials available to the parent who chooses to homeschool. There are resources available to meet any educational needs, and with a little bit of homework a parent will find the curriculum they feel will best suit their children’s needs.
About The Author
All Homeschooling
copyright©2006 allhomeschooling.com. Visit for more articles on http://www.allhomeschooling.com/articles, http://www.allhomeschooling.com and http://www.allhomeschooling.com/homeschool resources. |
| posted by All About Home @ 2:56 AM |
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| Saturday, January 13, 2007 |
| Home-Schooling The Preschool Children |
Different children have varying interests and learning needs not to mention attention spans. And so, for parents who are pondering whether homeschooling is for them or otherwise, it is best to do an initial evaluation of what the preschool child's needs are.
Several online resources provide lesson suggestions for preschoolers. Parents and tutors will most definitely find these materials very much helpful. But of course, consider them only as guides to provide the children's learning some direction. It is highly advised on most of the popular homeschooling websites to be aware of the learners' interests, be it an inclination to writing, sports, arts and crafts, or any other subject, so that these may be incorporated into the learner's list of "things that a homeschooled child should know."
For different age groups of children, parents and tutors may be required to employ different methods and techniques for homeschooling. And in order to know which methods and activities best suits the child under a specific age group, this short list may be of help.
Children of age 2 are found to be the most difficult as the child often gets bored and at times frustrated when being taught. Stimuli are needed in order to catch their interests. Children of this age group are most eager to learn, often walking around, and climbing steps. Common behaviors of this age include self-centeredness and possessiveness. Their sense of humor also develops. Do activities relating to these capabilities of the child.
Homeschooling three-year olds is even more trying. At this point, the child is more physical in affection and also in play. They don't mind change, love having friends to play with, and they take verbal instructions very well. Use these to stimulate them to participate in learning activities. At this age, they are already capable of communicating their needs.
Four-year olds are usually capable of working with scissors, hopping around on one foot or skipping. They start to learn to draw and possess a lot of physical energy. Let them try new things, as this will be their number one interest. They are very imaginative so give them an opportunity to develop and express this creativity.
Remember that all children grow at their own rate, and surprisingly in their own ways. And to achieve maximum benefits for the homeschooled preschooler, parents and tutors should trust them and give them sufficient freedom to explore, inquire, and ultimately learn.
By: James Masterson
It doesn’t matter if you just want to explore home schooling possibilities or have made the decision and are looking for a guide to point you in the right direction, "The Parents Guide to Home Schooling" will provide you with the information you require. www.free-online-course.com/homeschool |
| posted by All About Home @ 8:48 PM |
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