Homeschool History - Simple Ways to Build Interest and Understanding

Children often complain that studying history is dull and pointless. However, learning about family heritage is interesting, builds strong roots, bonding across generations, and leads to the study of other time periods and cultures. What better way to homeschool history!

Start by giving your child a glimpse into the past. Show your child old photo albums and identify different family members. Tell your child what was going on in the world at the time the photo was taken. Recount stories about individuals and family events.

Pull out old clothes and mementos, and discuss how things change over the years and go in and out of style. Talk about world events during the year you were born. Include information about:

• technology that was available when you were a child,
• inventions and discoveries that were made,
• economic conditions,
• presidents, and
• famous heroes and celebrities.

Involve other family members in your studies by having your child interview a relative. Let your child listen to grandpa talk about his childhood, and ask questions such as:

• How did people communicate?
  
• How did people entertain themselves?
  
• How did most people earn a living?
  
• What was the political/economic climate?
  
• What has changed for the better or worse?

During the interviews, your child is not only bonding with a family member, he is learning about another era.

Supplement these discussions with historical fiction, nonfiction books and documentaries. Have a history encyclopedia available and search for information on the internet. As a related homeschool field trip, visit a living history museum.

Don't forget to study your family tree. Learn about famous people and events from your family's homeland. Find out why your ancestors decided to migrate, and think about the traditions you have lost or maintained.

Study stories, traditions, food and dress from your family's country of origin. Compare and contrast them with those of the country in which you currently live. Include homeschool writing activities in your studies by creating a family scrapbook, journal or newsletter.

Author Info:

Carletta Sanders is a homeschool mom of 3. For additional ways to homeschool history, visit Carletta's website Successful Homeschooling For homeschooling information and monthly activities delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for her homeschool newsletter

Meeting Maslow in the Classroom

In terms of schooling, a helpful tool to draw on is the Maslow pyramid of needs. Given that every scholar has his or her particular place on their heirarchy of needs, including physiological, safety, social, esteem, as well as self-actualization at different periods, it's unacceptable to attempt and tutor to a mass audience.

Scholars at the physiological level more often than not prove to be the most demanding to educate. Great care and concern should be taken in order to recognize these scholars, since a scholar without sufficient rest or food in all probability will not have the motivation or desire essential to excel much in the education process. Tutors are of the utmost significance in order to keep these scholars attentive. In certain situations, such a scholar might truly derive benefit from tutoring or mentoring of some type.

Students are able to benefit most academically when they are able to enjoy a safe, secure home life. Students who face fearful situations outside the classroom, in their neighborhoods, or through abuse at home may find it difficult to focus on their academic goals. These students should be identified by educators whenever possible and earmarked for special help in overcoming the obstacles that an unstable life outside of school can create for a student in school.

Not having a sufficient feeling of personal safety can hurt individuals, as well. For example, students with dangerous home lives can exhibit antisocial or age-inappropriate behavior that makes normal social interactions difficult or impossible. A child who grows up with a fearful relationship with his father can bear the weight of psychological damage for years and lack the ability to make and maintain healthy relationships. Extremely shy students can benefit and learn social skills as they are encouraged to work in small groups. It's not always easy to achieve a social goal, but sometimes it's necessary to push an individual to obtain success.

The last two stages of esteem and self-actualization are less influential in the educational process. There reaches a point where the focus is enough that education is not impeded. While a student may lack self-esteem, they may still be able to channel their energy towards their education, perhaps making education their area of strength to build from. Give these students with low-esteem more boosts, these pushes of optimism could be just what they need to reach the next level of success.

Many young children will not be able to reach this level of self-actualization. When you nurture students as they pass through the Maslow hierarchy you can help them to grow to their own potential. Maslow has said that each individual has unique needs to reach the next level. As teachers, we need to discover those wishes to help the students progress.

Author Info:

Daiv Russell is a marketing and management consultant with Envision Web Marketing. Read more Management Articles, learn about Abraham Harold Maslow and Maslow's needs hierarchy.

Homeschool For Free, Or Almost Free

Homeschooling can get to be expensive if you think you need the most highly regarded curriculum or if you think you need tons of books and resources. When you exchange your time for money you can begin to get many books and resources for free that will aid you in your homeschool journey.

You can homeschool for free or almost free if you follow these basic principles:

1. Use free resources - Obviously your local public library will give you the most free resources. With many libraries changing over to the computerized inter library loan system, you can find and receive many books you need even easier than before. I can request something online and have it delivered to my local library down the street in a matter of days. Unless you need a book for more than a month, this system works very well. The internet can provide you with many free worksheets, ideas and resources that can help you avoid purchasing many workbooks and textbooks. Check my bio at the bottom for a complete book that can help you find all the free resources you need for home schooling online.

2. Buy used curriculum - You can find used books and curriculum online or at thrift and garage sales. It will take you a little more time than just buying the books new, but if you want to save money you will need to spend a little time doing it. Ebay tends to be expensive for the buyer but you can sometimes find deals. Homeschoolclassifieds has a very nice searchable database where people can search the "for sale" listings for what they need.

3. Sell used curriculum- Once you are finished with a book or curriculum, you can sell that item and use the profit to buy the next item you need. You'll need to do your research here though. Just because people make money on eBay doesn't mean everything you list will sell. Search the completed listings for the item you want to sell and see how whether it sold and for how much. Also make sure you describe the item correctly and research how to describe it to attract the most buyers. Homeschoolclassifieds is a great place to list items because the cost is very low. Your item may not sell right away but at least it doesn't cost much to have it listed there. If you look up the ISBN number on half.com you can see if your book is worth anything there. That site is not an auction site, so you just wait for a buyer to come and purchase your book. I have had good results there though.

4. Make up your own material - Some children enjoy creating their own books. You can read articles online or get books from the library that can help you get your children started creating their own books. Sometimes they can learn more from developing the ideas in their book than they can from reading a textbook. Their book can have a theme or subject and then everything in the book can relate to that topic. They can take notes on what they have read or write their own stories. Or you can collect free worksheets and unit study ideas online and create your own information for your child to complete.

You can home school for free or almost free, but you will need to be willing to do some work buy shopping and reading and searching online to find what you want to put together. When you purchase resources that are used for a fraction of the cost you pay new, it can be very rewarding. Then you might have extra money in your budget to take a field trip or two.

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.

Analogy Questions Can Be Explained by Non-Verbal Analogies

Analogy questions are among the most feared of all standardized test questions, but they do not have to be a big deal. The trick to teaching students to solve such logic questions is to keep your eyes open to analogies in non-verbal material.

Analogies are usually stated in this format: "A is to B and C is to which of the following?" Each of the letters in the formula is replaced by a word.

In order for students to respond appropriately to standardized test analogies questions, they first have to know what the words mean. Then they have to be able to identify a general category to which something belongs.

Analogy questions are based on the relationship between the first two items being identical to the relationship between the second two. If you can figure out the relationship between the first pair of items, you will know the relationship between the second pair of items.

Little kids' picture books often use analogies. For example, the bird is shown in its nest, the bear in its den, the dog in its doghouse, the cow in the barn. The last page is probably going to be the picture of a child in his or her bed because the relationship is between the "animal" and where it sleeps. By analogy, then, bear is to den as child is to bed .

Students who are not good at words might find it easier to think of analogies as two equal fractions, like 3/12 = 1/4. When you ask the question "how is 12 related to 3?" the answer is that "12 is 4 times as much as three." On the other side of the equation, 4 is 4 times as much as 1. A youngster who is better at math than at English, would probably understand that 3 : 12 = numerator : denominator.

You may wonder why anyone other than test makers and children's book authors cares about analogies. The best way I can explain is by using an analogy.

Sticking with animals for the moment, think of all the different qualities, characteristics, or features on which any two animals could be compared. You might come up with qualities such as appearance, habitat, diet, economic value, defense mechanisms, and locomotion. That list of qualities could become a pattern for examining the characteristics of an animal you had never seen before. In fact, helping people examine a new object, process or concept is the major function of an analogy.

By being aware of the opportunities for applying logic and thinking through relationships between concepts, you can take the terror out of analogy questions, even for youngsters who are not highly verbal.

Author Info:

Linda Aragoni is a writer, writing teacher, and editor of You-Can-Teach-Writing.com, the guide to enabling students grades 7-12 to become competent writers. The analogy is just one pattern writers can use for thinking about information. To learn about other patterns frequently used in presenting nonfiction material go to http://www.you-can-teach-writing.com/expository-writing.html

Copyright 2008, Linda Gorton Aragoni. You may reprint this article provided the whole text, the author's name, the links, and this copyright notice remain intact.

Your Home School Program - What Does it Look Like?

You may be wondering what you should be doing for home schooling. The truth is that your home school is unique. It won't be like any other home school in the world. You and your children are unique individuals and will learn and relate in different ways.

Here are a few things that will determine what your home school looks like:

1. Who are you and your children as individuals? How do each of you learn best? Public schools tend to use the visual or auditory methods of teaching. With home schooling you can determine your children's learning style and how they learn best. Then you can implement learning to help them learn the way they learn best.

2. What is the routine of your day? Most people need a basic structure to their day. It can be formed around mealtimes. You get up, get dressed, and eat. Then you can do certain things in the morning, some other routines in the afternoon and others after dinner. Once children can read they can learn many things on their own. Reading, writing and arithmetic are the most important routines. Then you can add the other subjects you think are important. If your expectations are clearly stated, your children will know what is expected of them each day.

3. What are the boundaries in your home? What are people allowed or not allowed to do? Can your children watch TV before their work is done for the day? How are they permitted to speak to their parents and siblings? If you lay down some guidelines for proper behavior, everyone knows where the boundary lines are and you don't have to feel guilty enforcing those.

Most of all your child needs to feel loved and accepted. They won't remember most of their lessons, although they will grow by working each day. What they will remember most is how they felt when they were around you and how you treated them.

Author Info:

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

Pros and Cons of Home Schooling Your Child

So you are thinking of homeschooling your child? There are many reasons to choose homeschooling over public schools. To help you with your decision, here are some advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling:

• Homeschooled children perform better on standardized tests. For example, in a recent comparison of SAT scores, homeschooled children averaged 568 on the verbal test and 525 on the math; the national average was 506 on verbal and 514 on math.

• Homeschooled children can operate on a flexible schedule according to their needs and personality. You don't have to get your child up at 6 a.m. to get them ready for school. If your child isn't an early riser, you can start lessons at 9 a.m. instead.

• You child gets individual attention when homeschooled. It is hard for a teacher in a public school to give your child the individual attention they need with a classroom full of 30 kids.

• Homeschooling gives you extra time to bond with your child and have family time. You can take educational family field trips and do experiments together.

• There is no peer pressure with homeschooling. If your child mispronounces a word or doesn't get an answer right, no one will laugh or make fun of them. Nobody cares if they have the latest brand name clothes. They can go to school in their pajamas, if you don't care!

• Religion is a big no-no in public school. However with homeschooling, you can incorporate religion into daily lessons.

• With homeschooling, you can set a learning pace that is right for your child. You know their strengths and weaknesses. If they struggle more with math than English, than you can concentrate more on math.

• Public schools often may not have the best teaching materials available to them. With homeschooling, you can pick and choose the best materials for your child's needs and capabilities.

Some Disadvantages of Homeschooling

Be aware that even though homeschooling has definite advantages for your child it does take some sacrifice on your part. You will need to set aside time to prepare and teach lessons, organize outside activities and field trips, and schedule opportunities for the home schooled child to form friendships and engage in other activities.

Another disadvantage of home schooling is the cost. Parents who choose to home school, as opposed to free public schooling, are primarily responsible for purchasing the curriculum needed, which can cost, on average, approximately $400 per child each year. This includes costs for field trips, computer software, and materials for projects, as well as the many other resources available to parents. The cost is even higher for those families in which one parent has given up his or her full-time job to home school. For those families who had previously relied on two incomes, this can be a serious disadvantage.

So take into account all of the factors before making a decision to homeschool your child. Make sure you can commit to it before you jump in blindly.

Author Info:

Find helpful and creative ideas for parents and grandparents while you shop our great selection of kids furniture (including our popular toddler beds) and classic toys. Visit http://www.TheMagicalRockingHorse.com today!

Have I Got The Right Attitude For Tutoring?

What is the right attitude for tutoring?

If you are passionate and enthusiastic about your subject, you will soon find that your private tutoring becomes more of an enjoyable hobby and less of a job. Tutoring solely for profit should be avoided. The best tutors have a true vocation for teaching.

It is essential to have a positive attitude when teaching. Remember that your student will come to you for that extra help that will make all the difference between success and failure at school. Private students often face a situation where they are failing a subject and feel they cannot catch up on their own. But it's not just their knowledge of a subject that you need to improve. Their level of confidence will also need a boost if they are to believe in their potential.

- Always verbally reward your students for their efforts: positive feedback is essential to success (e.g. "it's very good", "well done", "excellent point", etc.).

- Positive criticism is the only efficient form of criticism! Remember that students that come to you will often feel frustrated by their seemingly "incapacity" to understand or succeed in a topic. They may feel intimidated or ashamed. It is your role to bring their confidence back!

- Monitor their progress and show them the improvement that occurred in the time when you have been working together. This is good method to encourage your student, and also a great way to advertise and validate your teaching skills!

- Remember that all students are different. A method that worked with one student might not be successful with another one. It is important to reassess your method in order to find something that works for your student. Avoid commenting on you past success or comparing learning speed between students, even if you think this could trigger competitive feelings and extra motivation. Students usually suffer comparison at school and are more likely to be discouraged by such comments. Ideally, you should treat your student as if he was your only student.

- Be professional but accessible. Allow - appropriate - humour in your teaching, a smile goes a long way and humour help students to relax.

- Try to introduce unusual material in your teaching: mathematical games, historical gossipy anecdotes, words play or other interesting facts are always welcome and help regaining students attention when going through a less exciting patch of the curriculum.

- Always try to be honest and fair in your teaching. The relationship between tutor and student is based on trust.

Next we will discuss the need for tutors to provide their own resources, how to get past exam papers, and contact details for examination boards

Next >> Tutors Resources -Exam papers and Examination Boards

Author Info:

local tutor, a free friendly Tuition resource for Tutor and those looking for Tutors

The Montessori Home Schooling Method Explained

Although there certainly are a lot of different ways that you can teach your child at home, the Montessori home schooling method is one that is preferred by many parents and children alike. The reason why it is so popular is because it allows the child to develop at their own speed for a number of different reasons. Here is just a little bit about Montessori home schooling and what it can do for your child's development into a healthy adult.

The person behind the development of the Montessori method had the basic ideal that children need to develop at their own speed. This is one of the inherent flaws with the public school system, the fact that the entire group moves through the curriculum together. No consideration is taken for the fact that some children are going to develop in certain areas faster than others. This can really hinder a child as far as their current education is considered and can harm their development for the long term as well.

This is the reason that the Montessori home schooling system can really be considered an aide to life rather than a mainstream educational system. By allowing the child to move ahead at their own speed and to make choices that will affect them throughout their entire life, you generally end up with someone who is balanced and healthy, even as an adult. Giving them this kind of education in a home schooling setting is the perfect way for you to make sure that your child is well taken care of.

Author Info:

To learn more about the montessori home schooling method, be sure to visit http://www.homeschooling4you.com.

How To Home School Your Child

Your child has come home for the third day in a row with a black eye. Or your child is lagging behind the other kids in class because the teacher does not have time to give him or her special attention. Or your child is learning a lesson at school that you do not agree with and you wish you could tailor the lesson plan so that he or she only learns what you want him or her to. All of these are great reasons for saying, "I want to home school my child." Many parents say, "I want to home school my child," but they do not know how to go about it. There are many ways you can find out how to home school your child. You can read books, you can research on the internet, or you can talk to other parents who also home school their children.

Give Them A Good Education

The point of saying, "I want to home school my child," is to give them as good or a better education than they would get at a normal school. This means that the curriculum should be tailored towards their age and intelligence level but should also be progressive so that they are constantly improving. Also, the children should be given many tests so that you can tell whether or not they are grasping the information. You should also reward them for their accomplishments so that they are constantly trying to improve themselves.

Finding Information

There are many places to find information on home schooling when you decide, "I want to home school my child." There are books on the subject, there are curriculum books just as they would receive in an actual classroom, and you can research on the internet. Keep an eye out for home school organizations that have designed curricula that you can administer to your children to make sure they are learning what they are supposed to learn.

The best part about online home schooling is that you can tailor the curriculum to how you want it, you can make your children learn what you want them to, you can keep them away from negative peer pressure situations and you can give them the private help they need so that they never lag behind.

Home schooling can provide children with a better education than what they would get in an actual classroom but you have to do your part as parent and teacher to make sure you are going at the right pace, that they are learning effectively and that they remain interested in learning so that they will absorb whatever you teach them.

Author Info:

Zarah Jones is a full time teacher in Florida and enjoys co-writing articles with here college room mate Caroline Bourke. Check out these great Online Home Schooling resources and articles.
http://www.valleyhomeschoolers.org

5 Simple Methods To Teach Your Children Mathematics At Home

I was facing challenges when my four year old daughter requested me to teach her mathematic at home. Personally, I'm not a very numeric sensitive person. I scored moderate in my mathematic during my school days. Here I share some of methods I discovered when I was teaching my daughter math at home, and hope it helps you also!

Method 1 Identity number and quantity

Material needed are bottle caps, flash card with number numbers and numbers in words. Ask your child to count the bottle cap one by one, and match the total number of counted bottles cap to the flash card number. Everyday repeating this once a day, slowly increase the quantity.

Method 2 Identity many, a few, less and more

Material needed are many different items of button, bottle caps, beans, seeds etc. Collect them in different quantity, and put all into different container. Ask your toddler to identify which is many, which is less, which is a few and which is more or the most quantity. After your child can identify it, ask him or her to count aloud of the items, and write the total number on a piece of paper.

Method 3 Identity 2D and 3D shapes

Prepare a few cube boxes, spare, cylinder and a few different shapes of blocks, or card board type of shapes size. Play a game such as when parent say 3D cube, your child must quickly grab the 3D cube to you. Like wise for other shapes. This is helping your child to feel what is 3D and what is 2D, at the same time practise analytical ability with their movement of running, grabbing.

Method 4 Sorting

Sorting is one of the most important mathematic concept to be learnt at the beginning stage. Material needed are many different items of button, bottle caps, beans, seeds etc. Mix are the items into a plate, ask your child to sort each of the items into individual plates. This is helping them to think and learn how to identify different shapes and colors of the items.

Method 5 Addition and subtraction

In this method, parent need to purchase some mathematic problem solving flash cards. Other supporting material needed are, bottle caps, mini white board and white board markers. First, ask your toddler to choose one problem solving flash card, ask him or her to say out loud the number on the card. Teach them the plus, minus, equal signs. Then ask them to use bottle caps to do the addition problem solving by placing the bottle caps below the number and count all the bottle caps together to sum up as addition mathematic solution, and lastly write the answer on the white board. Like wise, do the same for subtraction.

Hope above method give you an idea of simple mathematic learning for your young learners!

Author Info:

Jas's Circle of Parents with Lovely Children
http://www.RightBrainParenting.com
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Home Schooling In The 21st Century - 5 Pitfalls To Avoid For New Home Schooling Parents

Teaching is not a perfect science. There are so many variables. Students, teachers, environment the list could go on forever! Here are 5 of the more common pitfalls that can be avoided if you are aware of them!

Pitfall 1: Teaching every single thing in the outlined curriculum

When facing any curriculum for the first time you must understand "what " in fact the curriculum is and how you might use it in your program. Curriculum are designed to teach materials to a cross section of learners. Therefore it is filled to the brim with materials so that every obvious category of learner is catered to. It would then be an almost ridiculous notion to think you are intended to cover the materials in their entirety, regardless of their relevance to your learner.

Solution:

Take your time to understand the outlined "objectives" and decide how you might USE the curriculum as a teaching tool to meet these objectives.

Pitfall 2: Thinking "more" is better

I have observed many well intentioned educators urge a student to write just one more sentence.

"You wrote the first 3 sentences so beautifully, just write 3 more."

As I watched a whole creative writing experience unravel I was left asking "What would 3 more sentences have told us?" Quantity does not communicate depth of understanding. It merely tells us that a particular student has a particular ease with this form of expression. A student able to produce small amounts of good quality self expression may be insulted and intellectually derailed by such a thoughtless request.

Solution:

Be open to sharing with your student that you are looking for thoughtful works that spark your curiosity. Encourage thoughtful and meaningful communication with regards to the curriculum content. Being positive and curious are two behaviors kids enjoy most.

Pitfall 3: Involving the learner in the adult aspects of the program

Home teaching can be an all too consuming job at the best of times. Often we will openly air our frustrations or expectations without considering what little ears may be hearing. Many homeschooling parents were not home schooled themselves and carry with them their own educational expectations. Releasing these and entering the unschooling mode for many is a difficult transition.

Solution:

Have a homeschooling "confidante" that you are able to communicate with openly to air all pent up feelings! (out of the range of little ears of course!)

Pitfall 4: Not allowing time for student to "play" with concepts in learning

As adults we often get far to serious about the context of learning. Some of the most profound learning experiences or discoveries happen quite by accident. Think of the guy who sat in his bath tub and realized the water level rose!

Solution:

See play as the "active research" portion of your program. Playful minds are curious minds open to discover! Keep an eye on those water level rising moments! They are there.

Pitfall 5: Forgetting learning can be fun!

Again in the terribly serious world of adulthood we often forget learning can actually be fun. It is very difficult to judge what your child is going to be fully engaged in . Your student may find something you deplore, fun. How could this be? Well you are different people and different things will resonate with each of you.

Solution:

Draw a venn diagram with your child and fill in your differences and similarities. This will help both of you appreciate participating in different aspects of one another lives - whether you find it fun or not!

Live, learn and compromise!

Author Info:

Homeschooling has many paths and we all eventually find one that suits the needs of our family grouping. If you are looking for support and more ideas check out http://www.K12HomeschoolSupport.com

How to Choose the Best Home School Curriculum for your Family

One of the most frequently asked question by home schoolers is : "What home school curriculum should I buy?"

It definitely is a hard question and perhaps you are asking that question right now.

However, I will not be giving you a simple answer so that you can purchase the correct home school curriculum for your family. Instead I will give you the tools and questions you need to ask in order to make a good choice.

Firstly, to choose home school curriculum that will suit your family, you need to work out what your
goals are for your family. Goals help you to set out the plan for your family, working within your family's value system, and take into consideration your children's needs and special interests.

When you have decided where your family is headed, it will be easier to make a decision about what sort of home school curriculum you need and also what you do not need.

Here are some important things to consider when choosing curriculum:

• Firstly, not every subject needs a curriculum. Often subjects can be taught simply by reading and discussing and writing. Homeschoolers can also be plagued by the idea that when it comes in a box or is created by an "educational expert", it will teach the subject better than themselves. Don't be fooled - things can be taught far simpler than what you think. We do not need to teach each subject for 12 or more years - adding snippets of learning a year at a time. Remember, we are homeschoolers and have the flexibility of our own choices - how and when we teach.
• Secondly, remember the Curriculum should be there to serve us, not rule us. Make sure whatever you buy that you remember who is in control. Often curriculum is written with many learning styles and optional activities included. These do not all need to be done and home school parents need to be able to pick and choose what will suit their family and not be driven by the home school curriculum itself.
• Cost is a factor which needs considering. How many children will this curriculum teach and what other alternatives are there?


• Time. How teacher friendly is this curriulum? How much time will it take for you to prepare before you actually teach the material?


• Independent learning. For some families, curriculum which encourages independent learning is a positive consideration so that other children can be attended to and so that the skills of independence are taught.


• Is the material consumable or can it be used by a number of children? Can you make it re-useable by using plastic overlays with whiteboard markers or asking your child to work in a workbook, rather than in the book itself?


• What sort of learning style does the curriculum use? Is this important to you?

As you read about different home school curriculum, it is a good idea to weigh the curriculum against others with these factors in mind. One terrific tool which would help you do this, and which I have used is called Choose It. Use this tool and in 5 easy steps you will be able to choose curriculum according to factors which you consider important.

In Step One you write the question your are answering (What history home school curriculum should I choose?)

In Step Two, you list the names of home school curriculum which you are interested in.

In Step Three, you list factors which need to be considered and how important each factor is to you.

In Step Four, you judge each curriculum according to your above factors.

In Step Five - you have your answer! The computer gives each curriculum a percentage which indicates the best choice which fits the factors you have chosen. Of course, you may not choose to go along with the decision, but this step by step decision making software helps you to work out what is really important to you. Give it a go.

Below are some factors you may wish to consider when using Choose It.

When choosing history home school curriculum - these may be some factors to consider:

• Does the homeschool curriculum cover all ages?


• Do I need to buy extra books? - cost factor


• What perspective is it written from? (Christian/Evolutionary basis?) Does this fit with your family's values?


• Is it teacher friendly?


• Does it teach using different learning styles? Projects? Reading? Hands-on?


• Does it use consumable workbooks?


• How involved do you want to be in teaching history? Does this curriculum suit your teaching style?


• Is it an integrated curriculum - covering more subjects? Is this important to you?

When choosing Math Home school curriculum - these may be some factors to consider:

• Does the material span across all ages and levels? Does this matter to you?


• Re-useable textbooks or consumable?


• Independent learning or teacher intensive? - How much time do you have as a parent?


• Cost


• Does it incorporate different learning styles? Hands-on, pictorial and abstract?


• Does it come with concrete materials or can you purchase them separately?


• Video or on-line learning? Would this style suit your child?


• Does this curriculum use enough review? or too much?


• Does the expectation of time needed each day for this curriculum suit your family?


• Does the curriculum have an answer key? Does it keep records or your child's progress when consdering an on-line program?

Using the Choose It! tool and factors which are important to you, you can work out which home school curriculum would be best for your family.

Author Info:

Use the Choose It! tool here
Or read some more guidelines for choosing home school curriculum here

Written by Marianne V from design-your-homeschool.com

Here you will find a Guide to help you uniquely design-your-own home school to suit your family's goals, and develop your own individual approach that reflects these goals and complements your lifestyle and needs.

Wow! - 57 Unique Benefits of Homeschooling

Parents, is homeschooling the right choice for you and your children? Maybe you think you don't have the time to homeschool because you work. Perhaps you don't have confidence in your ability to teach your kids because you never took "teaching" courses.

But consider the alternative. Public schools can destroy your children's self-esteem, destroy their ability to read, strangle their love of learning, put them in physical and moral danger, and wreck their future.

In contrast, here's 57 unique benefits homeschooling can give you and your kids. This list was created by Laura B., a smart, wonderful wife, mother of three, homeschooler, and business owner who works from home and still focuses on her family, and includes a few benefits that I added.

Homeschooling (or low-cost internet private schools), can have the following extraordinary benefits for you and your children:

1. Be with your family

2. Set your own schedule that's convenient for you and your kids

3. Vacation when you want

4. Choose curriculum that best suits the needs of your child

5. Be totally aware of the state and progress of your child's education

6. Keep your child away from unnecessary peer pressure

7. Keep your child away from the bad influence of other children

8. Love, nurture, and teach your child the character and morals you value most

9. Make learning fun

10. Make learning as "experiential" as you want

11. Don't have to get up at the crack of dawn to get your child dressed and fed and off to school where they're so tired they don't learn well anyway.

12. Break up the day however you want to fit your child's learning attention span

13. Teach your child without any "assumed limitations." Teach multiple languages, develop one skill or subject -- the sky's the limit

14. What you teach an older child naturally filters down to the younger child(ren) making learning much easier and faster for siblings

15. Teach at the pace and developmental stage appropriate for your child

16. Avoid educational "labeling"

17. Keep your child as far away from drugs as possible

18. Never have to worry about bomb scares or mass shootings

19. Allow your child to do, think, discuss, and explore in ways not possible in a rigid classroom setting

20. Constant positive reinforcement and gentle correction. No abusive words or actions that scar your child's psyche

21. Don't use the school system as a babysitter. Most parents only need three to five hours a day for homeschooling their kids -- the rest of the day is often filled with unnecessary "busy work"

22. Develop your child's life skills such as cooking, cleaning, and organizing that are easily learned with the additional time spent at home

23. Spend as much time outdoors as you want to enjoy nature and the world around us

24. Teach the value of responsibility by providing daily jobs for your kids

25. To make money management as natural as breathing by allowing even small children to do tasks, earn money, save it, and spend it in an appropriate manner.

26. Never have your child beat up by a bully. Teach self-defense skills that will enable him to deal with any situation, but not until he is mature enough to handle the emotional aspects of confrontation

27. No pressure or set "expectations" from teachers on a younger sibling that follows an older sibling in the same school

28. Be around when your child needs to talk

29. Take a break when your child needs a break

30. Bond as a family through family group activities

31. Pass on your religious beliefs and morals to your children and stay away from the "indoctrination" of other school systems

32. Teach sex education when and how you want

33. Develop your child's imagination and teach diverse problem-solving skills, instead of one institutionalized method of thinking

34. Unlimited possibilities for extra curricular activities that interest your child.

35. Not having to live up to the expectations or skills of others

36. Develop the individualism and unique potential of your child

37. Avoid traditional school "group activities" that may leave one student doing all the work or ruining it for everyone else

38. Never have your child feel the failure, embarrassment, or teasing from "failing" a grade

39. To keep your children out of the care, custody, and control of people you don't know who naturally teach their (sometimes warped) values to your children, whether they realize it or not

40. No opportunity for your child to "just get by" with academics

41. To have your child learn initiative naturally, because there's no peer pressure or fear of embarrassing himself

42. Allow your child to have input and say in subject matter and learning style, so learning will be exciting and an adventure, rather than the boring drudge it is in most public schools

43. Allow your child to focus on growth and development -- not following the latest fad or being in a certain group

44. So your child will only be surrounded by people who love him, encourage him, and want the best for him.

45. To make sure your child doesn't end up graduating without knowing how to read or knowing other basic skills, due to educational failings of your local schools.

46. Keep your child out of private schools that have peer pressure, teacher criticism, drugs, sex, and alcohol that your child never needs to be around

47. Avoid grading scales and testing that gives no positive benefit to your child

48. Not to give local, state, or the federal government control of your child's mind and future, that they arrogantly assume is theirs

49. To easily pass on your unique heritage or language to your child

50. So your child is not limited by "age" or "grade" to advance in or explore subjects in which they are interested or gifted

51. To teach your children to enjoy life and learning

52. To allow your children to go to work with Mom or Dad when you all want to -- not just on the one "go to work with a parent holiday"

53. Go to as many field trips as you want, to places that interest your child

54. To just take a day off when everyone feels like it

55. Flexibility to switch to or experiment with different curriculum and teaching methods to perfectly suit your child's interests and abilities.

56. Teach your kids to read quickly with phonics. Not having your child waste 12 years with idiotic "whole-language" reading methods that public schools use, which can wreck your child's ability to read.

57. Re-ignite your own love of learning, by teaching your kids.

Parents, if you are disgusted with public schools and want your children to have the great education they deserve, why not consider homeschooling? Millions of parents now homeschool their kids, and many of these parents are only high-school graduates.

In the last three chapters of "Public Schools, Public Menace," you'll find many ways to homeschool your kids or use internet private schools, even if you work. Homeschooling can be a lot easier, and take a lot less time than you think. It can also bring you great joy in teaching your children.

Author Info:

Joel Turtel is an education policy analyst and syndicated columnist. He is also the author of "Public Schools, Public Menace: How Public Schools Lie To Parents and Betray Our Children" and "The Welfare State: No Mercy For the Middle Class." Contact Information: Website: http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com Email: jturtel@yahoo.com Article Copyrighted © 2007 by Joel Turtel. NOTE: You may post this Article on another website only if you set up a hyperlink to Joel Turtel's email address and website URL, http://www.mykidsdeservebetter.com

How Home-Schooling Parents Can Telecommute

The very first thing a homeschooling parent should do before seeking a telecommuting deal is understanding how you are going to work and home-school. This is true even if you are telecommuting full-time from home, even though the majority of telecommuting programs are part-time at home. Even if you are working from home most workdays, you have to have time to both telecommute and home-school.

Situations are not all the same. For example, if you are the major breadwinner and your partner (usually the wife) is at home full-time, then you can team-teach. If you like science and baseball, then you can carve out a few hours each week to teach and coach the kids.

But if you are primarily responsible for homeschooling the kids and you are telecommuting, then you will need to do more of a balancing act. It can certainly be done, I do it. But you do have to make some adjustments since these two activities are equally important, especially if you are the family's major breadwinner. You don't want to sacrifice your children's education, but on the other hand you won't be doing them any favors if you lose your job. See my post on "Flexible Homeschooling Time" for more ideas.

Your company may already have a telecommuting program in place, and this is getting far more common than it used to be. It may be formal or informal. Start with your HR department but if they say "no" then don't give up. You will be dealing directly with your boss anyway, and HR is paid to be conservative. The more flex-time and other employee satisfaction programs your employer has in place, the better chance you have to telecommute. You will also have a better chance if you are a proven performer, and many companies will require that before they let you telecommute. (There are exceptions - the small 10-person company I work for is entirely virtual, with only the owner and his assistants coming into the office.)

Do NOT under any circumstances tell them you want to telecommute so you can home-school. That is your personal business and not theirs. You will give your company your best effort and that is all they need to know; how you do it and the schedule you keep is your business.

Dr. Katherine Hansen has some excellent suggestions for crafting a telecommuting proposal that I summarize here:

* Create both a written and oral proposal. The idea is to plow the road by letting your boss absorb the written points and then calmly discussing any concerns or feedback with your boss. (Please don't do it the way I did - I burst into tears. It worked, but I don't suggest you do it too.) The written proposal will also give your boss ammunition should he or she need to get permission for you to telecommute.

* Explain the benefits of telecommuting to the company, not to you. For example, stress your ability to get your work done without constant interruption from co-workers. The benefits to you should be implicit instead of explicit. Your boss doesn't need to hear about your needs but they will be in the back of her mind. If you are a valuable employee then most companies will want to keep you happy if you demonstrate what is in it for them. Common benefits to telecommuters in general include being more productive and have higher morale and less absenteeism, and less employee turnover. Clearly this will not help you if you are already unproductive, have low morale and are absent a lot but then you should be looking for another job anyway.

* Highlight your value to the company. You will want to get across two main points here: 1) your accomplishments and contributions and 2) why you would be so effective as a telecommuter. As in the previous point, be careful to couch your points in the light of how you benefit the company. In some cases the boss may know more about your personal life, including the fact that your kids are already being home-schooled. If that is an issue, mention the fact in a straightforward way and detail why this will not impact your work. When I began telecommuting my boss and co-workers knew I was already homeschooling. (I started off with them as a freelancer, also a good way to get into a telecommuting position.) I stated that I started work early in the morning and my son got up later. By the time he was ready to begin his schoolwork I had already done my high-value work. In addition, he is a preteen and a gifted kid so does the majority of his work on his own. This was a perfectly satisfactory explanation.

* Propose a trial. This is really a good idea not just for your boss but also for you. Not everyone works successfully from home. If your kids are still in school, consider trying telecommuting at this time. You can see if this is going to work for you at all minus the pressure of homeschooling. If telecommuting works out for you, then you can add homeschooling and be successful at both. But starting a telecommuting position along with a new homeschooling program can be a good trick. You can do it, but it's a big challenge.

* Communicate, communicate, communicate. You need to make sure your boss knows you are producing. Email and phone are your keys, burn up those lines especially at first. You might do the same with your coworkers so you don't end up being sabotaged at work. You might also suggest periodic meetings, which not only help your boss know you are doing your work but also maintain good deadlines and goals for you.

* Talk about equipment. Unless your company already has telecommuting in place, do not burden your boss with a list of expensive equipment you will need to telecommute. The equipment they already provide you at the office should be sufficient for your home office along with an Internet connection. Examples include a computer, fax, printer, and a separate phone line that a sweet-voiced little child knows not to answer.

* Be prepared. If your boss feels you are not qualified for telecommuting than ask what you can do to qualify in the future. The reasons will probably vary from a general discomfort with telecommuting, uncertainty that you will do your work, or a job description that does not seem to lend itself to telecommuting. Before you talk to your boss arm yourself by thinking of every objection possible and answering it to yourself. If the subject never comes up with your boss then wonderful. If it does, you are prepared.

* If they turn you down, go to Plan B. It took me two tries to telecommute in my previous position as a journalist. An initial one-day-a-week telecommuting trial did not work out, largely due to poor communication between me and my boss. This was largely my fault and I fixed it and tried again. This time I was allowed to telecommute full-time from home, but I had also been promoted and was a more valuable employee than before. If you really cannot convince them to let you telecommute, and you have tried over a period of time, then consider either finding a telecommute-friendly company to work for instead or start your own home-based business!

Author Info:

If you liked this article and want more information on how to work from home and home-school, then visit http://workfromhomeandhomeschool.com and get my free report "Saving Time and Money for Work-at-Home Parents."

Homeschooling and Community Service

Few families are in as good a position as homeschoolers to contribute to their communities. Unfortunately, community service doesn't always rank highly on many homeschoolers' agendas. We're consumed with concern about which curriculum to use, what teaching methods are best or testing; we're fixated on battles -- real or perceived -- with our school boards; we're busy being social directors, helping our kids pick art, music and dance classes, or organizing field trips. These days, homeschoolers can become bit as busy with school trivia as public school families who are rushing to PTSA meetings, ferrying kids to soccer and Little League practice and agonizing over homework.

I'd like to suggest that overlook a vital aspect of home education if we become too self-absorbed. We're overlooking -- and often disregarding -- the very communities in which we're privileged to refine our chosen lifestyles. As homeschooling has become (for better or worse) more mainstream, our interests tend to narrow accordingly. Homeschool is less often a social statement anymore, than simply an ordinary alternative, like private or parochial school., or a charter or magnet school. Granted, that's a great accomplishment and it's nice that we're no longer (or perhaps only rarely) seen as social pariahs. But at the same time, that spirit of enthusiasm, that drive for social justice, that fire of commitment to a higher ideal has been somewhat quelled by acceptance and convenience. And that's not a good thing.

I believe that there's an important educational subject that we need to inject into our homeschool agenda, and that is Social Action. Or at the very least, Social Interest. Try giving your kids a field trip into the real world. Visit a soup kitchen, a homeless shelter or just walk along a city street and discuss what you see. Is there trash on the sidewalk? What about the guy with the bike and the bag full of rags or tin cans? Visit a nursing home -- not during the holidays, but during some obscure day in the middle of the summer --- and talk about the elderly in your own family. I'm not about to suggest there's any cure-all for social ills, or to venture my own opinion about social injustice and neglect and abuse. That's something I do privately with my own family. But it's something you can do with yours, too.

Go ahead and voice your opinions, and try to get your children to form some of their own. What do they see? What do they think? Do they have any suggestions for improving things? Can you, as a family, make changes in your community somehow? There is a lot to the adage, "Think globally, act locally." From experience, the one thing I can say definitively is that volunteering at least one hour a week to some charitable organization in your community is uplifting and fulfilling. It's something most public school children will never have an opportunity to experience on a regular basis or in that gritty, on-hands way that we can. It's a way to integrate mathematics, social studies, history, geography, science and economics in a real and personal way that children -- and adults -- can never forget.

Volunteering doesn't have to be difficult or terribly self-sacrificing to be effective and meaningful. If you have very young children, obviously you have to take into account their health and well being. You may not want to subject them to places where there is a lot of disease or uncleanness, or to traumatic environments among the mentally ill or abused. There are less harrowing and equally effective ways to contribute to society. Although for much older children and teenagers, helping feed the homeless at a soup kitchen or working in an inner city medical clinic might be extremely valuable experiences.

Those with younger children might find volunteering at a nature sanctuary or park fulfilling. When my children were very young, they enjoyed twice a month visits to a local nursing home. After going for some time , the children became quite at ease around wheelchairs and senility and disfigurement; how could I ever have taught that with a book?! And then there are lots of ongoing projects in every community. Locally, an early intervention center has begun planning a "Boundless Playground," that will give 70% accessibility to disabled children and will be open to all children eventually. We're helping with fundraising and have been invited to help when construction begins. We read about it in the paper and simply called up and offered to help. The center was happy to include us, as are most groups when you offer to help.

The volunteer possibilities are endless: literacy programs, Meals-on-Wheels, shelters, wildlife parks, libraries, reading for the blind, neighborhood clean-up programs and more. You can find out what organizations need help in your community by calling the United Way. Or just read the paper. You'll be amazed at how many ways you can find to help, when you simply take the time to look and identify real needs in your community. Then you and you're children will embark on a real education!

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Child Home Schooling - How To Cope With It And What Are The Pros and Cons

There are lots of people dropping mainstream education to child home schooling. The are various reasons to it. However, nurturing a child through home schooling program is never an easy task even if it may sound like it in the beginning; keeping up with lessons, deciding when to be strict and when to let go is really difficult for a parent.

There is a trend that more and more parents are choosing child home schooling are taking up this new form of education. All they want is to be in charge of what the child is studying while others have a child that has a disability and doesn't want to send him/her to a special school.

Whatsoever is the reason, child home schooling has experienced a considerable increase in participating families.

Having said that, there are certain benefits why most people are choosing home schooling.

What are the benefits?

#1 You are able have immediate responsibility for exactly what your child learns or being exposed to. He or she will give immediate feedback unlike feeling shy during a mainstream class in a school, he might be afraid to ask questions.

#2 Tolerant teaching is the key here. Both the teachers or the parents and the student (the child) will be more patience towards each other. This will enhance bonding among themselves.

#3 Getting to know their child as he/she grows up, thus creating a bond which sometimes is lost when the kids go away to school.

Yes, there maybe benefits, there are also some disadvantages aspect of it.

They are:

#1 Parents tend to go to the extremes when teaching their child. They might be unaware that they are pushing their child too hard or letting him or her get away with much studying.

#2 Without proper training in teaching or the academic knowledge or skills, parents may not be great educators. This often gives frustration to both the parent and child.

#3 The child's social life gets restricted; when a child goes to school he/she learns to adapt and socialize with others, this, is very important in a child's future in order to be able to adapt to different situations later in his life such as finding a job and working in an office.

Despite the disadvantages of child home schooling, I offered some interesting tips for you as an child educator.

They are:

#1Let your child have some time to themselves and allow them to socialize with other children so that they don't get to be timid or scared to deal with the outside world when they become adults.

#2 Logon to the internet whenever possible to find out what you need and know about home schooling. You will be surprised how much information both free and paid are available there.

#3 Do not try it on your own if your knowledge is minimum, get professional help whenever possible.

In conclusion.

Because of your child's future education at stake, you have to try your best to perform this role well, even though it is not easy to take up child home schooling. You just have to remember that the time and effort spent is worth it.

Therefore, Eddy has started a information guide on how to help parents home schooled their kids and also recommend some tips and techniques to home schooling for the kid in developing him to be a genius.

Author Info:

Eddy Kong is the author of a website called, how to have a genius child. This guide will be able to help more parents find alternative solutions to their home schooling methods so as to start the bonding the process. Drop by at his site now for more information.

Home School Curriculum - What's the Best to Use?

Once you decide to home school, the next item on your mind might be "What am I going to use to home school?" While it might be easy to freak out at this point and not buy anything because you don't know where to start, it's just as easy to go out and spend a huge amount of money thinking you need to get the most expensive program. Neither one of these scenarios needs to be the case when choosing home school curriculum and books.

Here are a few tips you can use when deciding the best curriculum to use:

1. In my opinion, the first thing you need to consider is learning style - yours and your child/children. Does your children like workbooks, creating their own books, reading a lot, reading a little, listening to music, having a quiet environment? These and more are all questions to consider when choosing the best home school program for you and your child. Check the learning style resources at my websites. Knowing your child's learning style can save you years of frustration and hundreds of dollars. If you pick a textbook approach and your child learns better with a hands on approach then you are setting yourself up for failure. Why not choose a home school program that aligns with their learning style so they can learn and retain the information that you are providing.

2. Think about what you can afford to spend. If you can't afford to spend anything then you will need to exchange some time for money. There are plenty of free and almost free resources out there that you can use to effectively home school your children. If you have money to spend, set a limit and work within that limit. Remember when purchasing home school curriculum, more is not always better. If you purchase too many books you may be overwhelmed and get frustrated.

3. Is it important for you to have your child work independently or do you want to direct everything they are learning or a combination of both? Self teaching programs are wonderful and can build confidence in the child. When you consider learning style and whether your child likes to work independently or with you, you will be able to make a much wiser choice of curriculum.

4. Realize that not all subjects require a curriculum. For the early years of home schooling Science can be taught with a library card, zoo pass and a walk around the yard. There are many wonderful lists of historical fiction that you can read to your children to inspire them to be interested in History and remember what they heard.

When you choose a home school curriculum or program, it's best to start with a skeleton plan of what you have and what you want and go from there. Determine learning style. Decide what kind of financial and physical resources you have. Determine how much time you have to devote to home schooling and what kind of character you want your child to develop. Then move on from there to choose the home school resources that will fit your family's needs.

Author Info:

For more tips on homeschooling, grab your free report "How to Home school 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.

Where Should I Tutor From

Environment and Location for Good Tuition

This is one of the first questions you should debate when starting private tutoring. Where is the tuition to take place? Depending on your location and your means of transport, the solution can be obvious or tricky. This being said, there are three main options you can chose from: teaching at your home, your student's home or a neutral place.

In Your Own Home

Deciding to teach from your house can have many advantages for you. To start with, this will save you time, money and energy, therefore allowing you to book more students.

It is essential to create a professional atmosphere. Ideally, you should have a room in your home dedicated to receiving students. The best set up for this study area is a room accessible from a hall, so as to avoid having to go through a personal room in order to access it. This would allow a clearer separation between home and office.

Make sure the study room is clear, clean and tidy, with space for two chairs, and a desk large enough for two people to sit asides comfortably. Keep the decoration as neutral as possible, with highly functional furniture (book shelves, etc.) and sufficient lightening.

It is also essential for the study room to be a distraction-free zone. Double glazing will keep street noises out, while light curtains will bring in the light but prevent your students from glancing by the window. Make sure your family does not interrupt your lessons: it is very important to create a strict separation between your work and family time.

You will be able to judge your success at creating a comfortable yet neutral study area from your first lessons and be able to make any necessary adjustments over time. Over all, try not to change the room set up too drastically as a familiar place helps setting up a routine and encourage concentration.

In The Pupils Home

Most parents will be keen on the tuition taking place under their roof, especially in the case of younger children. This is easily comprehensible as they may not know the tutor and want their children to feel safe and comforted by a familiar environment. This is also advantageous for them in terms of time, money and energy.

This setting presents pros and cons for tutors.

The main issue for tutors is transport: this can be a real problem in the absence of a car or of other reliable/easy means of transport. This must be discussed with the client in order to reach a satisfying compromise for everyone. However, you must keep in mind that the student is paying for a service. It is therefore advisable for the tutor to be as flexible as possible. Try to be punctual: check the route to your students' home in order to arrive on time.

One of the potential advantages of this system for tutors is the ability to keep their home to themselves and make an easier distinction between their working day and private life.

Before your very first lesson, make sure you are provided with a clean and tidy area in which you and the student can work together. This is your client's responsibility and should be made clear prior to starting tuition. This area should be free of interruption as the success of your tutoring depends on this (no family members, television switched off, phone in another room, etc.) so make sure this is the case, before any tutoring commences.

Working In a Neutral Setting: a private room rented from a third party

You can rent a room for the hour from many reliable third party resources; a good place to start would be your local library. Alternatively, ask your local council for other options. This not only provides a quiet distraction-free room, but may have many resources for your study subject at hand. We suggest contacting your local library, and asking if they have any rooms available for private one to one tuition.

Wherever you teach, make sure that your lessons do not overrun by more than a few minutes of your student's allocated time. Parents in particular will quite naturally want to get some feedback or discuss their children results with you. Ideally, this should be done within their imparted time. Should they need a more in-depth discussion, tactfully suggest they book some extra time, so as to allow a professional assessment of their concerns. In the long run, it is wiser to keep a financial count of your time.

Next >> Keeping Track of Progress

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