Home Schooling - Why Do It?

Many people look at home schoolers and wonder how and why they do it. Some people think home schooling is a hassle and think "why don't you just send your kids to school so they can be taught by a professional?" It all depends on your world view.

If you believe that you don't have as much to offer your child as a teacher does, then you will think that home schooling is not for you. Actually home schooling can be a positive experience for both parent and child. The parent gets to do some soul searching deciding to take on this endeavor and the student has the benefits of individualized attention and curriculum.

Homeschooling is legal in most states and can be done without fear of doing something illegal as it was at the beginning of the home school movement or in many countries today. We have a tremendous privilege to be able to choose how and what our child learns. There are many people in other countries who would love to home school their children, but are just not allowed to.

Choosing how and what your child learns can be seen as a huge burden and responsibility, but actually can be very rewarding. When you pay attention to what your child likes and how he learns best and then you find a system of learning that you both can live with, true learning takes place. Most school classrooms can't offer the individualized curriculum that home schooling offers. You can't just take your children out of school and let them play, but playing games and creating projects can teach your child many valuable skills.

When you examine what you truly believe about education and learning and trust the fact that this child was given to you to teach and enjoy, then you can move towards home schooling with confidence.

Author Info:

For more tips on how to home school, grab your free report "How to Home school using the Best Resources" at http://www.hjresources.com/freehs Heidi Johnson specializes in helping families find resources to simplify and improve their lives.

Will These Story Starters Tips Help To Improve Your Home School Student's Or Gifted Child's Writing?

When you pick up a book, you usually do three things: you look at the cover; read the blurb on the back and you read the first paragraph to see if you like it.

As an author, you often don't have much control over (1) the book cover or (2) the blurb, BUT every writer knows that a sizzling story start is vital! That first paragraph has to grab the reader's attention instantly. Smart writers know you reveal more about your characters by showing them in action, rather than by writing long slabs of description about where they are and what they wear.

There are lots of ways to create Sizzling Starts. Here are just five suggestions.

Start with a bang

I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.

Make the reader curious

Let me explain about the divorce, the beach house and the bacon.

Create a Moment of Change

Everything was going well, until my Mum said 'I've got a job in California.'

Use humour

Never let your three year old brother hold a tomato.

Dialogue quickly introduces your characters

'It's just a rat,' I said, breathing hard. 'It's an old house.'

'Rats don't growl,' said Mike.

Share these ideas with your children. Then get them to look at the first paragraphs of books from the library or your home and see what other types of starts they can find.

Here is an Action Activity the whole family can try:

Scaffold a Sizzling Start

Start stories with action! Give your kids one minute to write a start for each of the following phrases. The one minute limit makes them think quickly and not fuss about being perfect -- and that allows the creative side of their brain freedom. (Tell students not to worry about spelling until later too.)

• 'Stop! There's a...'
• It was a trap, but...
• 'Get out of my way. You never...'
• The chocolate was great, but then...
• Suddenly he coughed and...
• The car stopped. Then it turned around and started back ..

If your children enjoy the activity, get them to create more story starters. Next time they can run the same activity for you (yes, YOU write, too) as well as your other kids.

Don't forget, the most effective way to teach children to write is NOT to write full stories all the time. Just practice starting stories well and let kids learn in small, confidence-building chunks.

(C) Jen McVeity - National Literacy Champion

Author Info:

Print our Five Minute Fast Starts worksheet by going to http://sevenstepswriting.com/sample.php then clicking on the Sizzling Starts link.

The Seven Steps to Writing Success program, designed by successful author, Jen McVeity, is used in over 900 Schools. Suitable for the home school curriculum and gifted children, it has been shown to rapidly advance children's writing skills and enjoyment.

Visit our website at http://sevenstepswriting.com/ to learn about all the Seven Steps to Writing Success and to find more free writing resources.

Subscribe to our fast and fabulous Free Parent Newsletter, filled with top writing tips and activities. http://sevenstepswriting.com/newsletter.php

Consider the Pros and Cons of Homeschooling and Make the Best Decision for Your Family!

Taking some time to consider the pros and cons of homeschooling, especially when making a life changing decision like home-based education, demonstrates wise decision making.

Knowing the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling, not only helps you make a good decision but will minimize any discouragement or negative feelings you may encounter when educating your child at home.

Homeschooling is not easy, but it is rewarding!

Anyone can homeschool, but it is definitely not easy. It requires commitment, diligence, and at times, perseverance from both you, and your family.

More Family Time... Yay!?

When homeschooling, your family will experience increased time together. This can be a benefit, or perhaps a drawback, if your family doesn't get along with each other.

Homeschooling forces your family to:

• Work together.
• Get along.
• Help each other.
• Overlook differences.
• Develop patience and acceptance.

... on a daily basis.

Family relationship-building, and learning to interact positively with each other, although seldom easy, is always a good thing!

Enjoy a Simplified Lifestyle!

Other pros and cons of homeschooling may be giving up a second income or staying home full time with your children to school them.

Living on one income may not seem like something you think you can do, especially if you are accustomed to living a certain lifestyle, or enjoying particular luxuries.

Downsizing isn't all negative, however.

Homeschooling makes you to prioritize your values, often causing you to realize, or remember what truly matters in life. It can also help your family start to appreciate and find enjoyment in life's simple pleasures - like taking a walk together or watching ants in your backyard, work tirelessly caring for their colony.

Pros and Cons of Homeschooling Vary from Family to Family.

When talking to homeschooling families, you will discover a variety of homeschool benefits, depending on a family's individual values or goals. Each family is unique and chooses to homeschool for different reasons.

If you are serious about home education for your family, take some time to consider both the pros and cons of homeschooling for your family.

Knowing the good, the bad and the ugly about homeschooling will eliminate potential surprises and minimizes any negative effects of homeschooling you may experience.

Author Info:

You can homeschool your child successfully and affordably! From her personal experience as a home educator and group leader, Heather Gneco shares valuable insight to help you increase time, save money and provide your children the best homeschool experience possible.
For more homeschooling success tips, visit:
http://www.homeschool-curriculum-savings.com

Homeschool Field Trips - How to Plan and What to Take

Field trips can enhance any home school. They provide opportunities for learning that just can't take place in the home. The more senses you use, the more you will remember what you learned. Field trips provide a better opportunity to use more sense and experience learning at a deeper level. Whether you go on field trips because your child has an interest in a certain subject or because you want to spark an interest in a certain subject, there are some basic tips you can use to make any field trip successful:

1. Get the details ahead of time. Where is the place located exactly. What did we do without yahoo maps and GPS's? What time does the tour start? What are the hours for this location?

2. Bring snacks and water for your family. Whether you leave them in the car or take them in with you, keeping your family properly hydrated will make the trip more enjoyable for everyone. Nothing ruins a field trip more than hungry and thirsty children.

3. Make sure all the families in your group know what is expected. Do they know when you want to meet? If people in your group tend to be late it might be a good idea to state that everyone should meet 15 minutes beforehand to collect money and be sure everyone is there.

4. Do you know why you are going on this field trip? Read a few brochures or books about where you are going so that you are familiar with what you are going to see. Think of questions you might want to ask when you get there.

5. Make sure the place you are going knows the age range of the group of people you are bringing. Most places can adjust their talk or tour accordingly. They want you to be happy and enjoy their site so that you can come again and recommend them to others.

6. Take your camera! This seems to be the one piece of equipment that gets left at home when our family goes on a field trip. The pictures are fun to take, especially with a digital camera. It will help your children remember the trip and you can use it for future scrapbook practice if you choose.

7. Write a thank you note when you get home. You can write the note and have your children add a line or two or they can each write their own notes. It is good practice for them to be thankful and the people at the field trip site will really appreciate being thanked.

Whether you are taking a field trip around the block or across the country, if you use these field trip tips you will have a greater chance of having an enjoyable and educational trip.

Author Info:

For more tips on homeschooling, grab your free report "How to Homeschool using the Best Resources" at http://www.homeschool-how-to.com Heidi Johnson specializes in helping families find resources to simplify and improve their lives.

Virtual Education in The K-12 Years - Learning, Retention and Technology

"During a learning episode, we remember best that which comes first, second best that which comes last, and least that which comes just past the middle!"

Sousa, D. (2006), How the Brain Learns, Corwin Press.

Simply stated, learning takes place when we are offered information that our brain deems important in the moment to take on. Learning can take place anywhere, for any reason, at any time when the brain is receptive to outside stimulation. Retention is a different issue altogether yet is connected to successful learning episodes to varying degrees as the brain sees fit.

Learning occurs when:

• The learner interacts with the environment and acquires skills and information.

• We find ourselves requiring information to help make sense of a situation we are faced with.

• Meaning is needed in order to make sense of new surroundings experiences or emotions.

It becomes clear that learning is not restricted to a single environment labeled "school". It also is very apparent that the "school" cannot possibly emulate every circumstance that a person may come across in other environments. We perhaps need to consider the ramifications of conditioning our children to grow up believing that "learning" predominantly happens in schools.

Retention: What is it?

Retention is the process where the long term memory stores information that can be later retrieved accurately for a specific purpose. The process of retention is not an exact science and a little unpredictable in it's occurrence.

Keys to more successful retention:

• Attaching sense and meaning to a learning experience will improve retention success.

• Giving the learner time to "rehearse" new information . Rehearsal is geared towards having the learner process the information in numerous ways.. Repeating the process in it's entirety supplies meaning to the experience and enables the brain to make sense of it also.

What retention is NOT:

Retention is NOT learning. Learning can occur yet the information learned in the moment may not be retained. For example you may remember a phone number until you no longer need it. This could be 5 minutes or 5 days. However you are in the position of learning it initially.

Becoming aware of learning as an integral part of being human can bring us all closer to the realization that there are a myriad of answers to the question of "how " to educate ourselves. Moving away from "conditioning" people to "school based" learning could be a huge step forward. To be open to "learning all the time" will provide more people learning opportunities best suited to their particular style of learning. It has the potential to impact retention in an enormous way.

Technology in the home has the potential to bridge the gap and change the way we condition ourselves in regards to where and when we learn. Should we choose to embrace the radical change technology can bring to education we may begin to see the full potential of the human brain

The fabulous part is we all free to choose!

Author Info:

Margit

http://www.2Think2Learn.com

Discover more about the impact of teaching style on learning and retention. Have your student engaging and excelling in response to your improved teaching skills. Visit us at http://www.k12genius.com for interactive approaches to implementing online, web based programs in the home.

Leadership Education - 7 Tips on How to Prepare Your Children to Be The Leaders of Tomorrow

Every parent wants his or her child to be successful in life. More than once we have entertained the thought of how great they will be once they have turned into adults.Our wish is for them to achieve much more than we have.

What many of us don't realize, is that God has already provided for them to be successful and great. God has created each one of our children for a unique purpose on this earth.

And it is our responsibility to lead them to walk in it.

Overwhelmed? True. Our daily routine sometimes looks so chaotic that we can't imagine how we could ever achieve that.

Nevertheless, there are certain guidelines we can follow that will guarantee success:

1.-First of all, keep close to God. Make reading the Bible and praying your number one priority, no matter how crazy your day is. God knows better than anyone what is good for your child. Learn to hear His voice. This is a guaranteed success formula for all areas of your life.

2.-Discover all the promises God has for your children in the Bible. If you have made Jesus the Lord of your life, then you are in a Covenant relationship with God Himself. That is like having signed a lifelong contract with Him. And the promises are part of it.

Start with Isaiah 54: 13. "All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children"

Phew, what a relief. He will teach them.

Here is my favorite one: "Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people. All who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the posterity whom the Lord has blessed."(Isaiah 61:9)

Read these verses and burn them into your brain.Write them all over your house, or better still, memorize them. All of Gods promises are received by faith, and faith comes by constantly hearing the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)

Next time you are exasperated about your dear daughter, or son, claim those verses and speak them over their lives. God is faithful, and He has never broken a promise.

3.- Be a good model for them. Whether you like it or not, your children are watching you. Maybe you will have to make some changes. But it is not that hard. Don't try to tackle this with your own strength. It won't work. Rely on God to give you the grace, His divine and supernatural power, to change the weak spots in your life.

Spending time daily with the kindest person in the Universe will powerfully impact your life. It will automatically change you. You will notice that you will become wiser, more patient and more loving.

4.- Read biographies of great leaders together. Make this the most fun time of the day. Choose a good book. Cuddle up on your sofa and get inspired by the great achievements of other men and women throughout history.

Discussions about the book will arise very naturally. Let them talk and don't just impose your opinion. That will

spur their minds. As you analyze the victories and failures of the hero, you can teach them how to apply Biblical wisdom to their own lives.

5.- Give them enough free time to pursue their own interests. This will allow them to develop their God-given talents in a very natural way. Don't clutter their day with unnecessary extracurricular activities. Just give them big blocks of free time to explore their own little world.

Oh yes, and restrict the classical time robbers and brain killers: the TV and computer games.

6.- Identify their talents and gifts. Once you see a particular talent flourishing in them, identify it and talk to them about it. God is giving you a clue about his plan for your children's lives. Praise them and tell them how good they are at this. Help them to develop their gifts and talents.This way you will inspire your child to love learning, and will ultimately develop their entrepreneurial skills.

Don't push them to achieve something they are not ready for. Children are so different, and you cannot treat all of them alike. One of my children started to read at four, and the other at fourteen. And that's okay. Both of them have written a number of books, and they are constantly engaged in their own learning process, each one at his own level.

7.- Good leaders need good mentors. Be very picky with teachers. Whenever you are led to recur to a teacher other than yourself, provide your children with a good mentor. A good mentor has to be:

• An expert in his field.

• Be of high moral character.

• Have good communicating skills.

• Willing to share his secrets.

8.- A good leader has to be prepared to analyze and solve real life situations well. Share as much of your own life with your child. Tell them about your problems, the decisions you have to make, and how you are going to face these situations.

Don't be afraid to tell them about your mistakes. They will learn that adults make mistakes too, and that you can learn from them. This will help them to analyze and solve real life problems. It is also a great opportunity to teach them Biblical wisdom.

9.- Good leaders serve, bad leaders control. Teach your children to be generous. Don't bury them in toys, teach them to bless others instead. Probably one of the biggest mistakes well-meaning parents make in our consumer-oriented society is that of allowing their children to wallow in self-indulgence.

Teach them to share and to serve others. You can start at home by assigning them different tasks and chores. This is the best character training method there is. Watch their heart, don't just focus on outer obedience. This is a challenge. Changes in attitude won't happen overnight, but they will get it.

10.-Have fun together and express your love to them. All parents love their children, but not all children feel loved by their parents. Invest your time in them.You will have their heart and they will always be willing to listen to you, even when they are grown ups.

"One hundred years from now it will not matter what sort of house you had, or what kind of car you drove, or what your bank account was. But the world may be different because you were important in the life of a child".

Author Info:

I'd like to help you find out how you can teach your children leadership traits, entrepreneurial skills, and a love of learning! Visit http://www.Self-DirectedLearningForSuccess.com for tips and tools for creating and growing in your own learning process. Learn how to teach yourself in my FREE e-book: The Power of Self-Directed Learning, and my FREE e-course: Seven Steps to Consistently Change Your Life.

From Bettina Langerfeldt, who enjoys teaching people how to pursue their God-given gifts and talents by designing their own education with self-directed learning.

© 2008 Freedompioneer

Texas Homeschool - Homeschooling the Texas Way

Contrary to popular belief, it is perfectly legal to take your children out of public school and to teach them at home. However, there are some laws directed toward homeschooling and you should understand these before you begin teaching your children at home.

Education is not even discussed in the Constitution. The Department of Education is the entity that impacts the rules that govern educational services.

It is important to understand that each state creates and oversees educational laws of its own. From state to state, you could find great differences in the laws and practices.

If you are trying to set up a Texas homeschool, for example, the laws are considerably relaxed. Parents just need to make sure that they establish and operate their homeschool as if it were a private school.

The only subjects that are required include reading, spelling, grammar, math, and good citizenship. There are no attendance requirements, no parental qualifications, no recordkeeping necessary, and no mandatory testing.

Even though homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, some states are easy-going like creating a Texas homeschool, while others are stricter. Some states demand state approval of your child's curriculum and submission of student achievement test scores. Sometimes home visits are even required. In severe cases, one parent must be a certified teacher.

Over the past few decades, there have been many endeavors to discontinue homeschooling. There are many parents who fear the possibility of homeschooling to be illegal in the near future.

Looking at the history of homeschooling law, it is unlikely that this will happen as the courts continue to be in favor of homeschooling.

If you are afforded the ease of a Texas homeschool, you will want to become informed about all of the legal aspects of homeschooling in your state.

The Home School Legal Defense Association, founded in 1983, is the only source of homeschooling legal rights. This association also fights many battles in behalf of parents who choose to homeschool their children.

If you are thinking about homeschooling your children, don't be overwhelmed or intimidated by your legal position. It is essential for you to learn what these laws are and how they would affect your desire to teach your child at home.

Author Info:

Discover How to Raise Your Child to Be a True Leader with Our Classical Christian-based Leadership Program. Great for Homeschoolers and Other Parents Who Want to Make Sure their Child Gets the Best Leadership Training Possible.

What is Classical Homeschooling?

Classical homeschooling is an eye-catching choice for parents to think about. When a child is homeschooled, there are various advantages. First, children who are homeschooled have more one-on-one time. This allows children to receive an excellent education.

Students who are homeschooled also have the advantage of learning in a comfortable and safe environment. It isn't necessary for a child to learn how to become accustomed to different classrooms. Learning to adapt to a new surrounding can be distracting. Parents and children who choose to homeschool also have the chance to create deeper relationships. Parents can also have a greater impact on their child's education.

There are several homeschooling methods. Classical homeschooling methods follow a traditional education model. Classical homeschooling is made up of primary, secondary, and tertiary phases, kind of like elementary, junior high, and high school.

There is a big difference, however, between an institutional form of this education and homeschooling. Classical homeschooling in its true form focuses on the mental development of a child, not just age. A child will not move onto the next developmental phase until they are ready.

Classical homeschooling methods go all the way back to the middle ages. This method has been tested and tried, and found to be very effective. Younger children focus on learning the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Once your child has mastered the concepts of this phase, they move on to the next, which consists mainly of grammar. This phase focuses on composition.

The last phase in Classical homeschooling education is the dialect stage. In this stage children seriously study reading and writing and arithmetic. They also focus on rhetoric and public speaking in this phase.

Classical homeschooling allows a child to move at his/her own pace. It is nice to know that a child has to master a concept before moving on. They aren't just passed automatically from grade to grade.

The great thing about homeschooling, is that even if you want to supplement a Classical approach with something else, you can. You can incorporate units of studies that revolve around a theme for example. Teaching your child at home provides you the flexibility to do this.

Author Info:

Discover How to Raise Your Child to Be a True Leader with Our Classical Christian-based Leadership Program. Great for Homeschoolers and Other Parents Who Want to Make Sure their Child Gets the Best Leadership Training Possible.

Learning Styles - The Secret to Choosing the Best Homeschool Curriculum For Your Child

When choosing a homeschool curriculum, many parents seek recommendations from friends without stopping to consider their child's learning style.

Learning styles, or learning modalities, describe a child's dominant mode of receiving, processing and retaining information. The three learning styles are auditory, visual and kinesthetic (or tactile). Children who are auditory learn by speaking or listening. Children who are visual learn by seeing or making mental pictures. Children who are kinesthetic learn through movement or touch.

By understanding your child's primary learning style, you can choose a curriculum that capitalizes on your child's strengths and compensates for weaknesses.

Auditory Learners

Auditory learners receive, process and retain information by listening or talking. They tend to be vocal and generally enjoy music, instruments, story telling, read alouds and audiobooks. These children may prefer group discussions and oral drill to independent study.

Your child may be an auditory learner if he or she:

• expresses emotion by changing his or her tone of voice,
• enjoys hobbies that involve speech or sound,
• asks questions when encountering something new,
• speaks freely in group settings, and
• solves problems and communicates through conversation.

When learning, auditory children may need to move their lips while reading, repeat directions aloud, or say the answers as they write them. These children may also need to hum or whistle to themselves in order to concentrate. When trying to figure out whether or not an answer is correct, auditory learners may ask themselves, "Does it sound right?"

When choosing a homeschool curriculum for an auditory learner, look for programs that involve reading aloud or group discussion. Unit studies, classical education or the Charlotte Mason method may work well for auditory processors.

Visual Learners

Visual learners receive, process and retain information through sight or by making mental images. These children may think in print, through reading and writing, or in images like drawings, charts, maps and graphs.

Visual learners may favor neatness and organization. They tend to like like reading, math, art, television and computer games. They easily notice similarities and differences, and are good at memorizing the written word.

Your child may be a visual learner if he or she:

• expresses emotion through facial expression,
• enjoys hobbies that involve print or images,
• spends a great deal of time examining when encountering something new,
• watches before participating in group settings, and
• looks for visual clues when solving problems.

When learning, visual learners may need to take notes, highlight information, or make outlines and diagrams. They tend to more readily understand written as opposed to oral instruction. When trying to figure out whether or not an answer is correct, visual learners may ask themselves, "Does it look right?"

Visual processors may enjoy worksheets and can typically handle a traditional textbook or classical program. Children who love books may enjoy a literature based program. Those who enjoy computers may thrive on a computer based homeschooling curriculum.

Kinesthetic Learners

Kinesthetic learners receive, process and retain information through movement or touch. They thrive on physical activity or hands on projects. They more readily remember information that is associated with an activity.

Your child may be a kinesthetic learner if he or she:

• expresses emotion through body language,
• enjoys hobbies that involve touch or movement,
• uses the sense of touch when encountering something new,
• encourages movement in group settings, and
• uses gestures to communicate.

When learning, kinesthetic learners may need to use manipulatives or construct models to enhance understanding. These children may find it helpful to rock or sit on a bouncy ball while listening to lectures or completing assignments. They may memorize information more easily while bouncing a ball, swinging or jumping on a trampoline.

Kinesthetic processors tend to have the most trouble with traditional classroom education. The best homeschool curriculum for these children is on that involves projects, experiments and models, such as Montessori homeschooling or unit study program.

Determining Your Child's Learning Style

Spend time observing your child to determine his or her learning style, and don't be afraid to ask how he or she prefers to learn. It may take a bit of experimentation to find the best homeschooling curriculum, but by understanding your child's learning style, you are taking a step in the right direction.

Author Info:

Here are some additional tips on teaching to your child's learning style, along with a description of different homeschooling methods.

Carletta Sanders is a homeschool mom of 3 and creator of the website, Successful Homeschooling.

Some Darn Good Reasons to Home School Your Children

When it comes to homeschooling, one of the first questions that often comes to mind is why. That is, why would parents choose to educate their children at home instead of following the more conventional routes such as public and private schools? There may be many reasons why some parents choose homeschooling, and each family may have its own individual goal in mind.

Instilling sound values and providing a superior education are two of the reasons often given by parents who choose to home school their children. Many parents do not want their children to be exposed to the negative peer pressures and bad moral influences that are common in many of today's public schools. Even private schools can suffer from these problems, not to mention the significant cost of tuition.

But can homeschooling really provide a good education? The answer is a resounding yes. Of course, parents must take steps to ensure that they are prepared for the challenging tasks ahead. However, if the parents are up to the challenge, the result can be an education which is as good or better than what most children receive. In fact, there is a good deal of evidence that suggest homeschooling is usually superior than public schooling.

Though there are always exceptions to every rule, it does seem that homeschooling helps children to excel in the overwhelming majority of cases. In fact, the U.S. Dept of education reports that home school children are often a few grades ahead of their peers by the time they enter junior high.

For those interested in homeschooling, whether to avoid the negative influences of a public school or to better prepare the child academically, the results are encouraging. Homeschooling works.

Author Info:

If you would like more information about choosing a homeschool curriculum as well as general information on homeschooling, please visit http://homeschoolingbasics.info

Homeschooling Resources - How to Get the Most Out of Them

It can be really frustrating, time consuming, and costly to locate excellent homeschooling resources. The Internet can be a great place to find free or low-cost quality resources.

There is an immense collection of homeschooling resources online. However, you probably don't have all the time in the world to go through the tons and tons of resources.

If you are planning on using homeschooling resources from the web, you need to be careful. One of your decisions for homeschooling may have been to remove your child from a negative culture.

The Internet can be a place where lack of values can also be found. It is important that you don't just have your kids surf the internet or use homeschooling resources without learning about them yourself first.

The Internet has some awful aspects to it, but it can also be really helpful, especially as you try and locate educational resources. Finding the best homeschooling resources will take some time, but you can present some of the best educational resources from online sources.

Even though you may be a talented parent, you usually start homeschooling rather handicapped. It is really difficult to plan and prepare instruction everyday, especially while trying to be the source of all the knowledge.

That is one of the reasons why some of the best educators in our nation consider themselves to be learning mentors of information instead of the source of all the knowledge.

They know how to direct students toward the information, not just tell them everything. There is nothing saying that a parent can't do the same. Why not tap into one of the best homeschooling resources there is?

Here are some suggestions as you try to choose which resources online are the best for you and your child:

First of all, it is essential that you look at where the source is coming from. Information on the Internet is not equal. A lot of it is garbage. It is important to learn who has developed the information.

One of the greatest advantages of finding homeschooling resources online is the ability to help visual learners. A short video, in many situations would be able to hold a child's attention instead of a long information text.

Google allow you to search for videos and images. You may want to limit your search to videos and image only, so that you don't get as many results.

When trying to find other resources. It is important to be specific in the search terms you use. For example, if you are looking for a virtual tour, you may want to also type in what kind of virtual tour. Typing in "lesson plan" in addition to the topic you are researching can also help you out.

The Internet is not a substitute for persona instruction. However, it can be a great place to find homeschooling resources if you use it the right way.

Author Info:

Discover How to Raise Your Child to Be a True Leader with Our Classical Christian-based Leadership Program. Great for Homeschoolers and Other Parents Who Want to Make Sure their Child Gets the Best Leadership Training Possible.

Home Tuition - What to Look For in a Good Home Tutor

A good home tutor can really help your child to improve his or her grades in school. Sometimes, it is inevitable that when your child progresses to a higher level of learning, he or she may not be able to cope with the stress and fast learning pace. During this moment, engaging a home tutor for your child seems to be the best choice.

When comparing home tuition and group tuition, home tuition usually costs slightly more. But, your child will get the tutor's full attention and time which will definitely help your child in his or her studies. Moreover, if the tutor has good life value, he or she can pass on to your child subconsciously. This will make your child see the tutor as a life mentor and continue to take in good life values from him or her in the future. So, it is obvious that there are more advantages of giving your child a home tuition when compared to sending him or her to a tuition centre.

So what to look for in a good home tutor? Basically, I think that there are 3 things that a good home tutor must have:

1. The tutor must be motivating. Sometimes, home tuition is more than just getting academic grades. I truly believe that a good tutor should impart good life value to his or her student. The tutor must be able to let your child know how important it is to be motivated in whatever things that he or she does. Without motivation, one cannot achieve great things. With a motivated tutor, your child can also be motivated in the right direction of life and achieve excellent results in both studies and life.

2. The tutor must be knowledgeable. The tutor should be knowledgeable in whatever subjects that he or she teaches. Therefore, you should always ask for references when choosing a home tutor for your child. Also make sure that the tutor can communicate well so that he or she can impart the knowledge successfully to your child.

3. The tutor must be patient. The tutor must be patient when teaching your child. Sometimes, your child needs more time to understand a certain topic. The tutor should be patient and passionate in explaining the details again to your child till he or she fully understand.

A good home tutor can really help your child with his or her academic work. Take your time to screen through potential tutors so as to find the right one for your child.

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