Home Schooling Reflections

Coming to the end of our 8th year of home schooling causes me to look back with reflection. How are we doing, how have we done, and would I have done anything differently? These are the questions I ask myself.

I think we are doing fine. As a matter of fact I think we are doing great! But we are not the same as when we started. We have changed over the years. I think most home schoolers would agree.

It is the nature of home schooling.

If I were to do something differently I would have started from the beginning. Both of my girls went to public school for kindergarten and first grade. That is a precious time. A time that can be spend exploring nature, planting gardens, watching birds, visiting zoos and museums, visiting libraries and curling up with books, cooking with Mom, and doing craft projects. Do these things and you've got it covered. There's no need to have a strict schedule, sit at a desk all day and then have to come home with homework!

If I were to do something differently I would not have used a Charter School. Tracking every assignment and staying on schedule even when Egypt calls for more time than a week is not what home schooling is suppose to be about.

Home schooling is about learning at your own pace in your own way. If you start reading at 5 great, if you're not reading until you're 8 then that's okay too. If you can't write paragraphs in the 2nd grade who cares? And please don't sweat spelling; it really does come with time...with or without a spelling program.

If I were to do something differently I would not have done school at home.

Many of us start out doing "school at home". We make it the way we remember it to have been. That usually doesn't last long.

Now this is all fine and good, but I must remember not to be too hard on myself. I probably had to go through the steps I went through in order to get to where I am today.
I needed to see that public school was not right for our family and I needed the security blanket feeling of a charter school when I started home schooling. Life is about growing and growing is a process and we have to go through all the steps.

So why am I even writing this article? Well two reasons. Maybe you are thinking of home schooling, but not sure you can. Maybe reading about my experiences will give you the strength to skip some of the steps along the way. Or maybe you, like me wish you had done some things differently. I needed to remind you and myself that the path we took is the path we had to take and that it really is okay.

Author Info:

Linda Tyler a home schooling mom in San Diego, CA. Please visit my home schooling how to web site. How to get started, how to choose curriculum and how to save money.

http://www.home-education-works.com

Home Schooling Math - Why You Can Teach Math

Math is one subject that scares a lot of home schooling parents, especially as their children get older. Usually this is because the parents didn't do well in math when they were in school.

The main problem with math, is that math is a very "sequential" subject. The new material always depends heavily on what you were taught before. If you have a problem (i.e. if you miss a few things because of sickness, a bad teacher, or other problems in a particular school year), you have to go back and "fix" the problem, or you will have difficulty understanding things after that point.

If this happened to you, even only a few times during all the years you were in school, the chances of you having done well in math, are very low.

Many people have a problem at some point, in school. Then they end up trying to learn the previous material and the current material at the same time. Normally this means they learn it more poorly. They struggle a lot with it, and they don't learn the current material fully. Then the next material is difficult, too. Then they conclude they are poor at math.

In my family, when someone had a problem with math at school, they were helped at home until they got caught up. We all got very good at math, and this is why. It was also because of the effectiveness of one-on-one tutoring, just like when we are home schooling our children.

Also, having helped adults who were "supposedly poor" at math, I know that their ability is usually not the problem. They just were not taught every thing they needed, to do it well.

Just because you found math difficult at school, doesn't mean you can't teach math to your children. And if you are starting off with the lower grades, you probably know most of that math by now, anyway. Get good materials, and learn the few details you missed, as you go through it with your child (also, go over it the day before you teach it, and you should be fine).

And, check out our home school math teaching tips, on our site, listed below. Many of these tips are not even used in schools yet (to be fair to teachers, some of these tips would be more difficult to implement in a classroom environment, with lots of children in a big class, but home schoolers don't have that limitation).

Combine these tips with a good curriculum, lots of determination from you, lots of love, and getting the occasional outside help when you need it, and you will build a great math foundation in your child, that will serve them well, as they advance to more challenging math, and through out their adult life.

You may also want to read "If You Did Poorly in Math," on our site, listed below.

Author Info:

Jim McGinn has many more home schooling articles on his site, here:
http://www.homeschool-guide.com and make sure you sign up to receive his free home school tip each week by e-mail, here: http://www.homeschool-guide.com/hs-tips-request.php

Jim McGinn is a home schooling dad. He is the primary home schooling parent in his family, and has been home schooling formally for 7 years. Before that, he owned and ran a computer school for senior citizens, for over 10 years, where he learned a great deal about teaching from the most experienced people alive.

What You Can Uncover From Homeschool Curriculum Reviews

There are a wide variety of reasons why parents choose to homeschool. More and more children are being educated at home.

What is the reason for this increasing number of homeschool? It varies from family to family. But you'll find that there are usually three major reasons why parents make the decision to homeschool their children.

I've been reading lots of different homeschool curriculum reviews. What I found is that the biggest reason parents take their children out of public school is because the system is not giving their children a quality education.

The public education system of America is struggling to give our children an adequate education. Much of this struggling is a result of out-of-date textbooks, inferior equipment, and unfit buildings.

When parents decide to homeschool their children, they have hands-on control over what kind of education their children will get.

By reading homeschool curriculum reviews, I also learned the second reason why people choose to homeschool: They want to control the influences their children are exposed to.

This is often based on religious preference, though not always. But in any case, the homeschooling environment gives your child the best chance to learn values important to the family. Families are also able to decide to when their child is ready for certain information.

Public schools are known to not encourage good disciplinary measures. Because of this, kids know they can get away with a lot: Students are known to disrupt and sabotage classes, showing complete disregard for teachers and the learning of their peers.

Discipline is one of the most important components in a homeschool environment.

If you read homeschool curriculum reviews, you'll learn a third reason why parents teach their kids at home: Safety. Just watching the news or reading the paper illustrates that violence is a common problem in the school system.

This problem is not getting any better. Increasingly, the acts of violence are becoming more and more deadly. The Columbine High School shooting isn't an isolated case: There have been other firearm-related incidents around the nation.

Schooling your children at home gives them a safe learning environment, whereas at school they are at great risk for harm.

There were also some disadvantages I read about when going over homeschool curriculum reviews. Some of these disadvantages include how the state decides to get involved when you decide to educate your children at home.

There are some states that require all homeschooling parents to be certified teachers. They also require that the children learn using state-approved materials.

Sometimes parents are afraid that by homeschooling their children, they might block from them athletic and musical opportunities.

Socialization is one of the most commonly voiced fears. People are often afraid that children will lack social skills if they don't interact with peers.

There are obviously ways to work around these disadvantages. Still, you'll want to weigh the pros and cons that are revealed in homeschooling curriculum reviews, and especially learn what your state requires.

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 Schooling Is It For Your Family?

Almost 1.1 million children were home schooled in 2005, according to the National Center For Education statistics, At one time, homeschooling was something radical, similar to a declaration of independence. Conservative Christians first advocated the idea of homeschooling in 1980s and had it legalized in every state.

Today, the typical home schooler is not motivated by religion. The fact is parents are fed up with public school systems. They see the schools as places where too much learning is compulsory and superficial. Parents also have concerns about the negative and sometimes dangerous school environment, which has problems that range from abuse to drugs to unsavory peer pressure.

The homeschooling advocates of today represent a mix of people from all walks of life. They come from all religious and regional borders with the goal of providing productive and meaningful education to their children. They want their children to learn in ways that strengthen family bonds as well.

Modern homeschooling families are committed to the sanctity of childhood. Children are the primary focus for these families. Many feel that homeschooling lets them raise their children in a more natural and nurturing way. Public schools make these parents nervous, and they believe their children could be come anxious or mean by attending them. The children who receive homeschooling are protected from such negative influences until they are of an age to handle them.

The whole family is involved with modern homeschooling. The practice has a role for everyone. Parents bond with their children, and all experiences can become educational ones. Both mothers and fathers know exactly what their children are doing during homeschooling periods, and they have more control over the type of moral and religious values that impact the children. With homeschooling, even a simple act like watching a movie can become a learning activity. Things like going to the library become educational and recreational alike.

A family that is involved with homeschooling is generally dependent upon the income of a single 'breadwinner' who brings in the money. This fact tends to bring family members closer together because everyone in the family is involved with the process of saving money.

One of the advantages of homeschooling is that one parent is always at home to supervise the children, and to care for and nurture them with love. Every member of the family is involved with the activity of homeschooling, and there is no time for boredom.

There may be problems from time to time, and parents may feel moments of self-doubt and misgiving, but homeschooling families have the satisfaction of knowing that they are always there for each other. Homeschooling represents a very rich experience for the family.

Author Info:

To find more advise about home schooling visit http://family-tips.com

Tips For A Kindergarten Homeschooling Curriculum

Do you want to create a rewarding and interactive homeschool curriculum for your child? Is this your child's first year in school? Are you interested in creating a positive homeschooled educational experience for your kindergarten student? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you will benefit from the information listed here. You will be introduced to what you need to know about an effective curriculum for having your kindergarten student homeschooled.

When creating a homeschool curriculum for the kindergarten student, it is important to understand that it all starts and ends with you. It is important for you to tailor the home-schooling lesson plans to match the interest level, and maturity of the child. Children who are in kindergarten must have a lot of interaction. It is also important for the homeschool curriculum to have plenty of room for play and creativity. These three elements - interaction, play, and creativity are the components to success when it comes to curriculums for kindergarten homeschooling.

Kindergarten Studies

We all remember our days in kindergarten. This is one of the most important years of school that your student will take part in. Many ideas, skills, and lessons are taught during kindergarten that will help shape the success that your student experiences in other grade levels. When creating a successful curriculum for kindergarten homeschooling, you must include information from a variety of subjects. Being similar to more traditional school's curriculum these homeschoolers subjects include art, social studies, music, science, geography, home life, writing, reading, activities, physical education, and more.

Creative Implementation

There are a number of creative measures that you can use while teaching your homeschool student that is in kindergarten. Math manipulatives, such as shapes, play money, and similar items can be used to reinforce basic math skills. Implementing the use of foam letters to reinforce tactile learning in language development can be a fun and interactive teaching method. Purchasing a world globe that talks and interacts with the child is a great creative implementation of teaching geography skills. Purchasing pictures that can be painted by the child is a great way to spark creativity.

Curriculum Goals

When creating a curriculum for kindergarten homeschooling, it is absolutely essential to have a set standard, or a set of curriculum goals in mind. The best way to create these curriculum goals is to find out the state standard as far as what a kindergarten graduate should know. Once you have discovered this standard, raise the bar a bit. This will ensure that the transition from kindergarten to first grade is a smooth one for your student. In addition to curriculum goals on academics, there are many life skills that should be implemented during this year of school.

Conclusion

Creating a successful curriculum for kindergarten homeschool can be a challenging task, but with the proper amount of research and consideration to the matter, it can be easily done. The main thing to remember when teaching a kindergarten student at home is that it should be fun and interactive. This will allow the child to keep a positive perspective on the educational process, and it will allow you to complete the goals that you have in mind. These components will ensure that the curriculum for kindergarten homeschooling is a success.

Author Info:

Terry Graves discusses How To Home School so you can understand it. Learn how home schooling works. To receive more information visit the How To Home School website.