Home School Curriculum - Do I Need It?

Home school curriculum and books are plentiful. Choosing from the huge selection can be overwhelming. Do you really need to purchase a home school curriculum or can you save some money and home school with books alone? Here are some thoughts that can help you make your decision:

1. You need a core plan - Whether you purchase a home school curriculum or develop your own, you need to know what you want to accomplish. What do you think your child should be doing each day? What do you want them to know and understand by the time the school year is over?

2. Focus on reading, writing and arithmetic - Any good home school program focuses on the basics. Make sure you address the core subjects and know what you want to accomplish there before you add any other subjects to your list.

3. Know how you and your child learn best - Learning style plays a key role in how you and your children will learn. In public school teachers can't really teach based on learning style because of the volume of students they have to work with. But a home school parent can certainly know their child's learning style and use resources to support that. If you don't know yours or your child's learning style you can take an assessment online and find out. http://www.hjresources.com/hsrecommend Then when you decide to choose curriculum or books you will know what types of resources you need. You might even save yourself a lot of frustration in the long run.

4. Use your resources - In the early days of home schooling there wasn't much available to parents. That is definitely not the case now. There is almost too much information available now. You have the internet, library and a host of used curriculum sites where you can get books and resources at a fraction of the cost.

5. Do you use a curriculum to learn something yourself? Think about what you do when you want to learn about something. Do you buy a curriculum to learn or do you read books, listen to audio and watch videos? Your children need to see you have a love for learning. You can learn about how to cook, sew, garden, remodel your house, improve your skills at a job, etc.

Even though purchasing a curriculum can give you a feeling of security knowing that everything your child needs to know will be covered, be careful that you don't take on too much and get burned out. If you focus on the basics and know what you want to accomplish, then you can make an informed decision as to whether you will need to purchase a curriculum or whether you can just use books and resources to accomplish the same goals.

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.

Seven Things You Can Do While You Homeschool Through High School

Why would you want to homeschool through high school? Do the advantages really make it worth while? My husband and I homeschooled all four of our boys from kindergarten into early college, and we'd do it all over again in a minute. It was a joyous journey! Here are seven reasons you may want to consider Here are seven reasons you may want to consider homeschooling through high school.

Home educated teens have time to:

Build Strong Relationships

As my boys have grown through their teen years and into adulthood, it's been a joy watch our relationship develop and change. Without negative peer influences teaching them that they shouldn't like or respect their parents, the boys have remained a delightful part of the family. It's fun to have real conversations with your young people, and to see them bring their own insights, knowledge, and understanding to the discussion.

Get a Jump Start on College

Why spend four years just doing high school, when you could exert a little extra effort and earn college credit at the same time? By taking advantage of college-level exams, community college and online classes, and other opportunities, it's possible to graduate from college when most teens are graduating from high school.

Serve Others Through Volunteering

I've heard it said that teenagers are old enough to be useful, but young enough to be dangerous. One thing that can help a teen through this awkward stage of life is serving others. There are countless volunteer opportunities, formal and informal, within the church and community. Homeschooled teens have the opportunity to learn while meeting real needs for real people.

Start a Microbusiness

What could be better than a summer job flipping burgers? Entrepreneurship, for one thing. Just think-instead of spending time in a mindless entry-level job, teens can start and run small businesses, and not only earn money for the future, but also learn about planning, budgeting, organization, marketing, and customer service, and perhaps even gain experience for a future career.

Do Career Sampling or an Apprenticeship

In traditional school, you're lucky to get one day off each year to shadow a worker at his or her job. Homeschooled teens can try different careers through informal mentoring relationships, formal apprenticeships, or volunteering opportunities.

Develop Special Talents

Have you noticed who is winning spelling and geography bees, music competitions and chess tournaments, debates and robotics competitions? Homeschooled students are often at the very top of these contests. Why? It's because they have time to pursue special interests. If they want to spend three hours a day practicing violin, there are no deadlines. They don't have to put down their instrument after 45 minutes and go rushing off to algebra or soccer. A homeschooler's world lacks arbitrary deadlines, which means they can spend time on things that really matter.

Learn Through Travel

Just over a century ago, well-educated students were expected to complete their schooling with a Grand Tour of the world. While you may not have the resources for a Grand Tour, you can probably travel to nearby historic sites, visit other states, or yes, even travel around the world. By preparing wisely and choosing to travel when rates are low, you can experience different cultures and make unique memories without breaking your budget. Travel can be an education all by itself!

Author Info:

Janice Campbell, author of Get a Jump Start on College! A Practical Guide for Teens; Transcripts Made Easy: The Homeschooler's Guide to High School Paperwork; and the forthcoming Excellence in Literature series, has been writing and speaking in central Virginia since the late 1980's. She homeschooled her four sons from kindergarten into college, using the principles she now shares in her books, blog http://www.Janice-Campbell.com workshops, and her free e-newsletter. Sign up for it today at http://www.Everyday-Education.com

The Benefits of Homeschooling Online

If you homeschool your children, it is very likely that you haven't been able to get very much support from your local school district. You can find many resources by homeschooling online.

If you have an Internet connection, homeschooling online is a great method of ensuring your child is getting a quality education. Especially an education related to world events and skills. There are various ways in which you can homeschool online. You can find traditional high school programs that offer courses over the Internet.

If you live in a state where your child needs to meet a specific curriculum criteria, homeschooling online can usually help you meet those standards. Homeschooling online provides an efficient way of receiving support, curriculum, and a check and balance system that helps your child learn the needed subjects. If your state demands the study of certain subjects and testing, incorporating an online program is a great idea. You don't have to ignore your child's interests; you can just supplement the online program with additional learning.

Homeschooling online doesn't have to be as rigid as traditional high school. If you don't have to meet mandated items in your state, you find resources to help you. There are various homeschooling website that provide lesson plans, forums, and resources. These aids can support you and give you some great curriculum ideas.

Online resources can also be great for creative lesson ideas and researching. There are some websites that are just dedicated to providing lesson plans. Others, however, are more for support. You can also find online encyclopedias, dictionaries, and periodical databases. Homeschooling online provides you the opportunity to teach your child no matter where you are living.

You can also find virtual tours of museums and galleries. This makes learning really fun. You don't have to travel anywhere to see what the world has to offer. There are many learning games you can also find online. This can help change things up once in a while, or you can use online games as a reward for working hard throughout the week.

Homeschooling is a great choice that many parents decide to implement. Homeschooling online can be a beneficial way of making learning more interesting and fun. You can also get a lot of help from other through the web.

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