Get the Most of Homeschool

Children may not like school in any form even if it is homeschool. And your children may not be taking this homeschool business very seriously. I encountered both, so below are a few things I did to gain control of the situations. I hope that you find the following information helpful

1. Although I still hear whining on occasion, I allowed our son to select which order he would like to have each subject. If the whining increases, then we change those subjects around to a new order to try to improve the situation. Usually, it's just a matter of boredom and switching the subjects around helps.

2. I've found that it's easier for us to vary the subjects daily. Spelling and Math require a lot of repetition so those are daily on most occasions. However, rotating Science and Social Studies every other day may help your child concentrate on each subject better. The same holds true with Language Arts skills (such as L.A., Phonics and Vocabulary) & Reading and Writing.

3. Many homeschoolers argue against teaching from text books and other related curriculum, however, if your child will be tested by the state, it is in my opinion a given to use the proper curriculum so your child will be prepared for those state tests.

4. Again, many homeschoolers argue against grading the homeschooled child. But I realized that our son actually tried harder if he knew that I'd grade him at the end of 9 weeks. He strives to be correct on his work knowing that he will be given a grade at the end of the 9 weeks. Not all of my grades work on a scale of right and wrong answers. Sometimes I give a grade based on how well I feel that our son has tried and how much he may have argued about completing his lessons. The more co-operation and effort given, the better the grade will be in most cases.

5. Look over the lessons the night before and be sure you will have all the proper tools necessary to conduct class the next day. For example: a ruler or calculator for math and a globe or map for Social Studies.

6. Another thing that works great for us is to have class on a regular schedule. I have had virtually no arguments since I set a routine class schedule 8 am to Noon. That way, our son knows what is expected of him. Other schedules may contrast greatly from the one I've set for us, but getting the classes over early allows the child to have the rest of the day free. And me too, which is important since I work at home.

7. Have a dedicated space for the child to have school (i.e. kitchen table or bedroom desk).

8. Respect the fact that your child will not enjoy every subject. Then figure out how to make it more enjoyable if possible. Sometimes it helps to explain why the subject may help them in the future.

9. Relax. Don't panic if your child doesn't seem to be learning at the pace you think he should be. At those times, it may be necessary to put that subject aside and work on something else that gives the child confidence. Remember that all children learn differently. Ask your child exactly what he doesn't understand if he can, then try to create baby steps to help him better understand.

10. This isn't much different than if you were helping with homework. Remember to look at your state's education websitesite under Curriculum Standards & Scope and Sequence sections - or similar - to be sure you're staying on track for the school year whether you're child will be tested or not.

Links to Free Tutorials and Articles

I hope it doesn't seem that I'm straying from the homeschooling theme of this blog, but I have a few more links that I'd like to share with you. These links are a great way to introduce you and/or your child(ren) to new forms of art. Learn a side-business to help you earn money while you stay at home to teach the kids! The articles serve as wonderful guides to help you start up your own craft business. Some of the articles may help guide you in other business ventures as well. I hope you enjoy the links.

http://www.creativetimesmagazine.com/articles_list.php

http://www.creativetimesmagazine.com/tutorials_list.php

http://www.ecraftclasses.com/articles_list.php

http://www.patternmart.com/articles_list.php

Also, for those pressed for time, here's a link to find craft kits: http://www.patternkits.com/. This will eliminate a lot of searching for supplies. The site is directly linked to Ebay so that it is instantly updated when new kits are added.

Another Great Arts & Crafts Site

Below is another link to arts and crafts projects. I find many of these sites while looking for supplies or ideas for my online business. I figured that many homeschoolers can benefit from them also. This site even offers a Project Assistant program to help navigate through the site to purchase the supplies needed for their projects if you don't want to run around town to find the supplies.

http://www.craftsetc.com/projects/

While we're on the subject, you can also view my home made items (made using my patterns) in the Sew Practical blog found on the right side of this page. I created the blog for my customers (and others) to use as creation inspiration.

You may also be interested in viewing the patterns I sell or download the FREE patterns & tutorials on my website to use for your homeschool art projects. Go to www.sewpractical.com and click on Patterns and Free Patterns to view those.

K-12 Art Site

I ran across this site tonight and I thought I'd share it with you. There are lots of free crafts for kids (and adults). Be sure to check out all of the activities. I hope you enjoy it.

http://www.kinderart.com/

Other Ways to Homeschool

Why consider different methods other than doing it yourself? Well, some subjects are challenging for some parents to teach. For example, algebra may be a weak subject for the parent and having an alternative way to homeschool will be a big help for the parent and the child. Some parents will not be able to homeschool beyond a certain grade level because they don't have the education required by the state and an alternative way of homeschooling may be required to keep your child(ren) at home. Whatever the reason, many of us will be looking for a little help at one point or another in our homeschooling endeavors. When and if you do reach out for that help, you must not use the term homeschool when you sign your child up with the state for in-home education. Otherwise, you may have to send your child(ren) to public school.

CRS, or Church-Related Schools, is one form of in-home education. Check with your state's DOE site to find a CRS that might work best for you. They will list the state-accepted CRS schools that you can register with. When you educate your child through a CRS, the school signs you up as a teacher (to teach your own child(ren) of course) and they supply you with the proper curriculum and regular testing materials.

These are relatively inexpensive for the help they offer, however, many require that you sign a Statement of Faith, meaning that your child(ren) must attend church on a regular basis. Many families believe in and worship God but do not have a regular church that they attend and cannot sign the SOF that is required for admission. Your state's online site may be able to offer Church-Related Schools that do not require that SOF. Or you can search Google to find that information. Those schools may be slightly higher in cost, as well.

You can also check to see if your state has a Virtual Public School system. This allows your child(ren) to attend public schools without leaving home. They will attend class online. That's pretty cool. In those cases, the school is free to the in-state citizens and offer services to out-of-state members for a fee. The fees vary considerably depending on what is offered by each school. The in-state parents get free curriculum and tutoring in most cases. For those that have to pay out-of-state fees, be sure that the curriculum and tutoring are included in your tuition fees. Our state has passed a law to allow Virtual Public Schools but is still in the process of trying to get it in motion.

I hope this helps if the time comes when you won't able to teach on your own.

Fun Education & Business

These sites are great for any homeschooling mom. The following site, http://www.homeschool.com/, offers almost anything you need for homeschooling help and updates including newsletters, forums, other helpful sites and more. She also offers some areas for work-at-home support. It's full of information so take time to browse the whole site.

The following is a site that I just happen to be closely associated with: http://www.creativetimesmagazine.com/

The site offers great places to shop, wonderful advertising packages for your home-based business along with inspiring articles and tutorials. Reaching more than 5000 readers, Creative Times Magazine is a FREE bi-monthly online craft magazine that inspires women to not only discover their creative side, but how to use it as well. Columns include:

1. "Getting Organized" which deals mainly with organizing your home, but will sometimes include organization skills for craft rooms and more. The writer is a homeschool mom like us.

2. "Serious Business" is all about business and how to manage your time, bookkeeping and more.

3. "Crafters Q & A" - a question is selected from one of our readers for each issue. The answer is highly detailed so that you are actually learning a craft. For example, you will learn about the proper technique for candle etching, aging techniques for antiquing home made dolls, how to make salt dough ornaments and so much more.

4. "Creativity Corner" inspires decorating for each season.

5. "Quick Tips" is one of our newest columns and offers 8 to 10 crafting and household tips to make life easier.

6. "Children's Corner" is our other new column and is written by a lady who works for a children's book publisher. She offers fun children's craft articles.

7. "Trend Forecast" is written by the Creative Times Founder, Kelle Arvay. This column reflects on the latest crafting trends and how to promote them in your online business.

8. "Featured Business" features a new business in each issue. Meet business women who share their stories of success and their wonderful products with us.

Each issue has FREE patterns to download and you'll find great sites to purchase more patterns and great finished products from. Be sure to visit the archives section on the Creative Times Magazine site to see what our past issues have for you. New issues are released on January 1, March 1, May 1, July 1, September 1, and November 1 each year.

Educational Sites

These are sites that I use or have used on a regular basis during my many years of homeschooling. I hope that you find them helpful.

http://www.gamequarium.com/index2.htm (turn down speakers until you can turn off the music on the home page)

http://reg.scdsb.on.ca/Classes/jackson/links/abcteach_com.htm

http://www.cogcon.com/gamegoo/gooey.html

http://donnayoung.org/forms/index.htm (she is very generous - awesome site)

http://www.50states.com/tools/

http://www.multiplication.com/worksheets.htm

http://www.imcpl.org/kids/guides/index.html

http://www.crosswordpuzzlegames.com/ (create your own crossword puzzles)

http://www.dltk-kids.com/ (kids' crafts)

State Testing

If you live in a state colored in orange or red on the following map http://www.hslda.org/laws/, chances are pretty good that your child will have to be tested occasionally, if not often, by your state. A writing assessment is mandatory for 5th graders enrolled in the public school system. Since we live in an orange state, our homeschooled son was required to go to the local elementary school this year to take that test since he's enrolled as a fifth grader with the Dept. of Education. I got the notice about 3 weeks before the test was administered which I thought was a little unfair. I know that he has to take the standardized tests in the spring, but I was never told that he would have to take the writing assessment test. So I'll admit that we were totally unprepared for that. He practiced for the three weeks we had to practice in. He seemed pretty confident when he was returned to me in the office that day of the test.

Below are a few sites to help your child prepare for the 5th grade writing assessment test.

http://www.state.tn.us/education/assessment/tswritinggr5.shtml
http://www.newton.k12.ks.us/tech/fifth_grade_internet_activities1.htm#Writing
http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/hme/k_5/

Below are a few sites that offer free practice standardized tests for all grade levels.
http://www.okaloosa.k12.fl.us/bobsikes/standardizedtestpractice_frame.html
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/tcap_test.htm
http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEDetail.aspx?page=3&TopicRelationID=240&ContentID=4348&Content=31665

I hope these sites help you and your child better prepare for your testing situations.

Famous Homeschooled People

I thought this was interesting and thought you'd enjoy sharing this with your children. Click on the following link to find those famous people who were homeschooled. A few include biographies.
http://www.christianhomeschoolers.com/hs_famous_homeschoolers.html

For those whose biographies aren't given, Wikipedia is a great place to find out about most of them. Wikipedia is also a great place to find current events, historical events, research science, and more! Scroll to the bottom of the page for their online dictionary, Wiktionary, and other Wiki sources.

Thinking About Homeschooling?

Welcome to Homeschool ABC. We are a homeschooling family. Let me tell you from 6 years' experience that you have to be dedicated to do this. So be sure this is something you have time and patience to do before you jump into it. You will need to first check your state laws to see what is required of you. Below is a good site to begin with. It shows state-by-state laws at a glance. We happen to live in a state with moderate regulations which is stricter than it sounds. Also at this site, you can view other options such as operating a home school in association with a church-related school as well as operating as a satellite campus of a church-related school.

http://www.hslda.org/laws/

In today's world, there are many reasons that more and more parents are opting for the homeschool experience.

1. Your children are safe at home.

2. You can teach them how the world was REALLY created. By God, of course! And how the Big Bang Theory is just that....a theory.

3. Many children need the one on one attention that they can get from homeschooling. But be sure they get time to work on their own also. Be immediately available when they run into problems.

4. It's very satisfying to know that you taught them how to read, spell, multiply and all those other things they'll learn from you.

Once you decide to homeschool, you should stick to a regular schedule. This makes it easier for you to control and almost everyone gets along better with a schedule.

Many states' online Department of Education sites offer a curriculum to go by. This is mainly for the public school teachers, but the homeschool family can find it very helpful also. It keeps you on track for the school year.

It isn't necessary to buy expensive books to teach your children from. The internet offers an array of educational sites, many of which are free. You public library will have many books you can check out to use. You may need to purchase books for some subjects, such as math and spelling, but you won't have to pay a fortune for them. All of this information and more will be posted to this site to help you with your homeschooling needs. My personal choice in text books is Spectrum. You can find those books along with so much more for the educational experience at the Learning Things site found on the right side of this page.

We hope you will bookmark our site and join us frequently as we update it to keep you informed on homeschool issues.