Entertaining the Homeschooled Child in the Winter

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As the winter sets in and the days get colder, the home schooler may wonder how to keep the kids busy indoors. In reality, while it may not be as exciting to spend the entire day inside, there are still plenty of things to do indoors to educate children. Here are a few suggestions to start out the window.

* Make fairy wings and learn about fairies.

* Create a family artwork on a large canvas or work on a mosaic together that you could put on the front of the house.

* Print coloring sheets online and let the younger kids color and learn their colors this way.

* Make a robot out of cardboard boxes.

* Make a treasure map and tie this into reading a book about pirates.

* Make boats out of milk bottle lids, a straw for the mast and paper for the sail and learn about boats

* Make sock puppets

* Make a long paperclip chain

Advice for Homeschooling the Preschool Kid

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On SheKnows.com, there are many pieces of advice about homeschooling the preschool child. Here are a few of the ideas expressed in the article:

Don’t push the preschoolers to read too early. Let them come to it on their own time.

Let the entire home experience be part of the learning experience. Any activity in the house can be one that teaches. Have the children do the dishes with you; have them help you to clean. The more that they help around the house the more they will feel part of the process. Everything doesn’t have to be learned with the classroom furniture – there are many ways to teach through doing.

Encourage your child to use her imagination. Ask open-ended questions, model creative thinking, encourage experimentation, let your kids get messy. Use manipulatives like LEGO pieces and Cheeries.

Use music to teach. The more that students listen to music, sing and dance the more that they will increase their reading, math, control, balance and self-esteem.

Teaching Kids to Use a Compass

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When you first start to teach your child to use a compass, they may find it awkward or difficult. Here is a brilliant way to start to teach compass use. Learn more here and enjoy other ideas for homeschoolers that can really make a difference in the teaching process.

The World is Your Classroom with Homeschooling

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As the new school year arrives parents are busy helping their children get ready for school. New clothing, pens, paper, school books, and much more are needed to get students up and running in preparation for the return to school. The excitement is palpable, but for many parents and their children who homeschool, there is a different mood. Since part of the theory behind homeschooling is that every moment of every day is an opportunity for learning, summer is not really a vacation, but just another time to learn about different subjects in a different setting.

The summer is a great time for homeschoolers to take a break from their more formal studies such as math, science or history, but it doesn’t mean they stop learning about science or math. On the contrary. A trip to the beach can easily turn into an informal lesson about marine life, or the discovery and exploration of the new world, or estimating the number of people who are at the beach. When parents homeschool their children, they have a homeschooling mindset, and everything becomes interesting and worthy of learning.

Parents who don’t homeschool, but have thought about it, can examine the many resources available to help them get started. It is not necessary to invest in school furniture, classroom chairs or classroom tables. A school desk, kitchen table, or even folding tables will do perfectly for the more formal aspects of homeschooling. But a trip to the beach, a hike in the mountains, or even a walk to the mailbox, is also a classroom for homeschoolers.

Getting Ready to Homeschool

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Once you have made the decision to homeschool your child, there are a number of steps you must take to ensure adequate preparation.  First, you should set aside a room for the lessons – teaching should not be conducted in a regular area of the house as this can confuse the child.  It is important that the child’s “schooling” is undertaken in an area that is specifically set aside for this (preferably an entire room, but, if that is not possible, then at least an area).  Second, make sure you purchase proper school furniture (or something similar) for your child to use before the lessons begin.  Inevitably, since your child will be doing some of his or her work via the computer, they should have their own computer table as well as regular school desks.  Take a look at other classroom chairs and school furniture in general to see what you can purchase for your child and what will be appropriate for them at home in the room you have chosen as well.

Once the room is school-ready for your child and you have all the necessary school furniture, it is time to work on a syllabus. Find out what other parents have done when homeschooling (in these Internet-days it is much easier to do that research).  Finally, as a parent choosing to homeschool their child, it is imperative you work out ways to socialize your child as that is one area that can be quite challenging.

Why America’s Educational System is Failing

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This video offers an interesting glimpse into why the educational system in America is failing today and why so many are turning to homeschooling. If you’re concerned about the future of your child’s education, this is a video worth watching. Think about your own school system and the home school options you have available to you as you watch and learn.

 

Homeschooling Resources to Achieve Success

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Library_book_stacks_on_sixth_floor_of_Milner_LibraryHave you ever thought about homeschooling for your children? Here are some pointers to help you get started:

·        *Begin a collection of resources which will help teach your children: Create a list of items that will be useful in teaching your children. Borrow or buy the things on that list which you don’t already own. Here is a short list of things you might think having in your homeschool environment: a globe, atlas, GPS, measuring cups, rulers, scales, a garden, tools, art supplies, reference books, magazines and newspapers to discuss topics of interest or current events.

·        *Know what community resources there are in your area: the library can be an amazing place for you and your homeschoolers. Enrichment programs abound in most places. Don’t hesitate to supplement your children’s homeschooling with sports programs, language programs, and art classes. One interesting enrichment program is carpentry, where homeschoolers can actually learn to make school furniture and other interesting objects.

·        *Distribute household chores among your homeschoolers: With the kids around all day every day it might be hard for the burden of cleaning and cooking to fall on just one or two people; namely mom and dad. Homeschoolers can also learn to share in the chores, not only easing the burden on parents, but learning essential skills which will be useful for the rest of your children’s lives.

Homeschooling can be an exciting adventure that does not have to be complicated or difficult. The challenge is to bring back the joy of learning to your children in everything they do.

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