There are a lot of reasons people will give you for homeschooling their children and while these may be good and valid reasons, they may not be the only advantages to homeschooling. Here are some advantages of homeschooling your children that other people do not realize. While they may not be evident easily, they do make a major difference in the long run.
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Weather emergencies are totally avoided
Wasn’t it worrisome to drop your children off to school when you knew a tornado was brewing? Or did a sudden snow storm come and cut you off from access to the children’s school for several hours? Well come blizzard, rain or hail, when the children are being homeschooled, you don’t have to worry about collecting them from school in inclement weather. They are always at home, safe and dry. The parents never worry about the vehicle breaking down or getting children home on wet and dangerous roads.
Class participation is unavoidable for the child
Teachers in regular school are unable to ensure that each and every child gets to speak up in class. If your child happens to be shy then he can easily dodge class participation by simply maintaining a low profile. However in the homeschool scenario with limited classmates around the child has no option but to speak up and share his thoughts. This allows the homeschool teacher much better access into how much the child has actually picked up during the day.
Your child can’t miss school and fall behind
Since you as the homeschool teacher set the pace for lessons and homeschool the child, it makes little difference if the child falls ill and misses a few days of schooling. Or if the family takes a trip out of station and there are no homeschooling classes conducted. There is no pressure on the child when he returns to the homeschool classroom as there are no peers who have surged ahead and no make up work to catch up on. This can really eliminate a lot of stress that a child in regular school would have to go through.
Article Inspiration: About Homeschooling
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Dealing with challenges is part and parcel of homeschooling your children. Here are a few common problems that you may face and suggestions on overcoming them.
As per legal state requirements you have to grade your child’s test papers when you home school them. This allows the state representative to gain an insight into how the child is progressing in his lessons. Don’t let the thought intimidate you. Take a look at how you can grade the test papers and what a typical grade scale should look like.
Teaching works better with visuals. That is why the classroom has a board for the teacher to write down salient points and may be make a diagram or two to explain the facts better. This is why seeing a video is more likely to help you remember concepts. Today there are any number of videos floating on a number of websites online. The trick is finding ones which are actually useful, entertaining and educative all at the same time.
We all want the best for our children and usually take an active part in making that happen. However there is something like over achieving the goal here where the homeschooling parent tends to go overboard. Are you an overbearing parent who does too much for their kids? Does that make them resent you and unwilling to do what you say? Here are some signs you need to watch out for.
There are a number of websites dealing with scientific experiments and theory available on the internet. Not all of them are reliable and it’s important to peak your student’s interest with the right website. Here are some science websites that you can encourage your home school students to explore on their own and as part of science lessons in the classroom.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD affects a number of children. Such children make careless mistakes, tend not to pay attention to details, and have a short attention span even with games they play. They seem not to listen when an adult is speaking to them and have difficulty organizing their own thoughts and deeds. All in all they are frustrating for an adult to deal with.
There is simple video and then there is educational video content on the internet. While most of us use some video content to supplement learning for our children, there is one excellent source of free educational videos that tends to get overlooked. Adults have been raving about TED talks for a while, but many have no idea about a small subsidiary of TED Talks called Ted Ed.
There is a lot of learning that you can sneak into the homeschool class as you help your children gear up for the holiday. You can make some Halloween decorations which can be placed around the house, or carried along while the family goes “Trick or Tricking”.
If you feel that your child is being deprived of a group classroom setting because he is being homeschooled you can always hold a group class for a specific subject at your home. Host other homeschooling children and their parents can return the favor.
We constantly hear sounds and react to them without even being aware of the interaction. We heard the doorbell and go to check who’s at the door. We wait for the introductory tone as we switch on the computer to know that the operating system has loaded. We listen to the beeps from the washing machine and know that the clothes are done and need to be removed from the machine. Here is a fun experiment that you can conduct with your children to explain the concept of sound.
Homeschooling students are not used to the rigors of tests that a regular school student goes through. Very often the first standardized test that they attempt can be the cause of a lot of anxiety. The responsibility of making the test fun lies with the parent. There are many ways to take away the anxiety and make it a fun exercise.
There is a tendency for the heart to race and the anxiety levels to shoot up in students the minute you mention the word examination. Taking a test should not be blown out of proportion. The homeschooling family should understand the importance of a test but should know how to compartmentalize it in the bigger picture as well.
Teaching homeschool science is challenging as you want to make it an interesting experience for you child. You want the child to be invested and interested in what you are teaching. In addition you want the child to do a hands on experiment to really understand what’s being done and then make them remember what has been taught for not just the school year but for ever.
While printing is commonly the preferred way to write many schools also teach their students how to write in cursive handwriting. Is it necessary for homeschool students to learn how to write in cursive? It is if you live in North Carolina where the state senate has passed a bill that needs all schools to teach their students cursive. Most people never really master cursive and tend to use a combination of print and cursive. So why should students in the age of the computer and internet learn to write cursive?
If you are considering buying a homeschool curriculum you may like to consider the following points. Make sure that you review the different options available before you finally settle on one. Get opinions from friends who are actually using different products and vouch for them. Fix a budget that works for you and then stick to it.
You teach your children at home and feel that sometimes one child is picking up lessons faster than the other one. Does that mean there is something wrong with the slow learner? In most cases there may be no problem at all and the different pace of learning may be attributed to how the child learns. However in some rare cases you may be dealing with a learning disorder. Identifying learning disorders in the homeschool classroom requires the parent to watch out for these signs.
One of the main challenges of homeschooling your children is the fact that there is just no way that you can monitor them all of the time. You need some time for other tasks like preparing lessons, cooking, household chores, errands and the like. So how can you help ensure that your children are engaged when you’re otherwise occupied?
If you homeschool your children for the full year it may be a good idea to give them a new teacher over the summer. Enroll them in a summer camp being run in your city. The town library usually has activities for children during the summer which may interest your children. Or you could sign them up for a summer enrichment camp that offers multiple activities. Look for a camp that has a good word of mouth reputation when you choose where to send your children.
Its summer break time for regular schools and as a homeschool parent you are wondering if you should continue teaching your children at home or give them a break. Consider these points before you make a decision to abandon classes during the summer months.
Teaching homeschool science can be more rewarding than teaching science in regular school because you have the ability to focus on long term science based activities. While you are limited to a few minutes in regular school in the science lab, the same does not hold true with homeschool science experiments. You can take your time and let an experiment carry on for days together. Here are a few simple science based activities that you can do with your preschool homeschoolers.
A short break helps increase productivity in the corporate world as per scientific studies conducted on the subject, so it stands to reason that they will help the homeschool teacher in a similar manner. While one can argue that there is no break from being a parent, it is also possible to remove the associated stress with constant parenting by doing a few simple things. Some of these are listed below.
One of the primary challenges as a homeschool parent is to hold and keep the attention of your students in the classroom. While children are usually blessed with very short attention spans you may need them to pay attention much longer than they can manage to keep their attention focused on you. So rather than yelling at them or getting upset here’s a simple way to give them focused play for a short duration and then bring them back to the task at hand. What you need to do is use sensory toys innovatively. Here’s a few ideas on how you can do so.
If you want to create the formal effect of a science lab for your homeschooling students you need to get some equipment that you would find in a school science lab. This will allow your homeschooling science class to get a more formal structure. Here are some such lab equipments that you can buy and keep in the science lab at your home.
The simple tin can can be an interesting item from a scientific point of view for a homeschool science student. Here are some science principle based projects for which a tin can may be used. Help your homeschool students explore science principles through fun activities involving everyday items.
No one knows your child better than you. If as a parent you feel that your child has special needs, make sure that you read up on all the material that you need to understand what your child is going through. Then consider homeschooling your child to provide him with the understanding and care that may not be so forth coming from teachers in a regular school who have to deal with a whole class full of students.
Homeschooling is a considered a growing trend by many people including the government, which says that 1.5 million students were homeschooled in 2007. This is a 36% increase since the last study they conducted in 2003. Those who see it as something new will be surprised to know that before formal schooling was set up, all children were essentially taught at home by their parents aka home schooled. Here we look at some benefits and detractions of homeschooling.
With regular school the child has two sets of different adults in his life – parents and teachers. The authority of the teachers is evident in the classroom and the parents are part of the more approachable family group. This clear demarcation does not exist with homeschool students. The parent has a double role to play, that of teacher in the homeschool classroom and that of parent in the rest of the home. Does discipline suffer due to this? Not if you deal with the problem proactively.
Teaching science in the homeschool classroom needs to go beyond picking up new vocabulary and formulas for the children. Unfortunately learning new scientific terms is not very interesting or appealing unless the child sees some value in it. STEM educators emphasize the use of science, technology, engineering and mathematics in real life to involve children in these faculties from an early age. This involves students learning about concepts in these faculties in a practical manner.
Regular Gifted School Vs Homeschool
Taking your children out on a field trip is a great homeschooling teaching tool. The trip could be something as simple as a visit to a ballgame, a museum, the local park, or as elaborate as a road trip across the country, or an overseas trip. The experience will provide a rich tapestry of events for your child to appreciate.
One thing that almost everyone agrees about homeschooling is that it needs an extremely organized and focused approach for it to succeed. If you can plan out your school year in your homeschool planner before you start the academic session with your children, you are far more likely to stay on track and achieve your goals. The question now arises what should you record in your homeschool planner?
When the weather turns cold it becomes more of an effort to bundle up the children in warm clothes and take them on educational outings. For most homeschool parents the winter months can drag out, with children becoming frustrated at being trapped indoors and the parents becoming irritated at having to be teacher, recess monitor, lunch lady and janitor without a break. Here are a few things that a homeschooling family can do to ease the pressure and continue learning in a positive and supportive environment.
The homeschool classroom is often like a bottomless pit that gets fed study material and supplies. If you know a homeschooling family it would be a good idea to ask them exactly what they need before buying gifts for them. That way you will give them something that they will use rather than something that will just sit unnoticed on a shelf gathering dust. If asking is not possible, you may like to consider these useful gift ideas when picking up a gift for them. These are gifts that will bring back the joy of getting and using something all through the academic and calendar year.
Using different kinds of forces is a natural part of our daily life. This is why you can make many interesting experiments and activities a part of your homeschool science class. Here we talk about the different types of forces that a child is likely to be familiar with. These include gravity, friction, and fluid dynamics. Given here are activities that can help you introduce these concepts of force to a young child who may be unfamiliar with these more technical sounding terms. After the basic concept has been introduced you can add more complex experiments that may deal with measuring the force or using it in a productive manner to accomplish a set objective or goal.![By Gorkaazk (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.sciencelearningspace.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/By-Gorkaazk-Own-work-Public-domain-via-Wikimedia-Commons-150x150.png)
Very often a homeschooling parent tends to get bogged down with the details and forgets to take a look at the big picture. Yes it is important that you have a well organized study schedule for your homeschool classes. Yes the children do well with some structure to how and what you teach, but it is also equally important for the children to know that there is life outside the classroom.
When you homeschool your children it is a good idea to develop a support system. Very often you will find other homeschooling parents your city who can help you in various ways. Some parents work out exchange deals with others wherein one parent takes up all the children for a subject that they are good at, while the other parent takes care of teaching all the children a subject that they may not be comfortable handling.
Getting a college degree is no longer as complicated as it once was. In fact if you have been homeschooling your child to protect him or her from catty cliques and brutish behavior in regular schools, you may not be so comfortable sending them to regular college as well. In this case you can prepare your homeschool high school student to apply for his college degree online or via distance education.
As the season begins to change it would be a good idea to go for a nature walk in a park near the house to spot the different colors of fall. It will not be long before winter sets in and outdoor outings will become scarce. So take your children on a nature walk and enjoy the great out doors.
The first day of school after the summer vacation is a special one and most schools have some special ritual that is followed on opening day. Being in homeschool should not restrict you from coming up with a “Back to Homeschool” ritual for your children. Here are a few that you could consider adopting.
Most homeschooling families make the decision to homeschool their child at the preschool age. This is where the homeschooling teacher must instill a love of science in the child by teaching him to perform activities that show him science in action. Performing small experiments that are fun is the key here.
Managing an infant or an active toddler along with teaching an older child can be quite an exhausting and frustrating process. The baby needs attention and so does your school going child.
One of the main criticisms of homeschooling is that the children do not learn how to interact with their peer group. Some critics say that they are not as socialized as their regular school going counterparts. This may have been true in the past, but now with the amount of networking that homeschool families engage in, it is just another myth.
Over the summer your children have been out doing different activities. These could range from summer enrichment camps to extra sports activities. All things that they enjoyed, and now suddenly they are back in the classroom. In a regular school set up, children get used to the pattern and are likely to look forward to meeting old classmates in the new grade. How do you customize the homeschool children to the new grade and the new routine?
You’ve had a fairly peaceful summer. The children have been gainfully occupied without much intervention on your part and now it’s all about to end. ‘Back to School Blues’ can hit the homeschool teacher just as hard as it can hit the homeschool student.
Homeschooling is supposed to be hassle free for the child. Its only the parents who need to keep coming up with lesson plans. The general emphasis of stress free education in homeschooling leads to the misconception that homeschoolers do not get formally tested for their skills. This is incorrect as homeschooling families all over the country tend to use standardized tests to check on the progress of their students.
With one parent staying at home to homeschool the children most homeschooling families have a tight budget. This means that the resources that need to be purchased must be bought with foresight and used to full potential. Here are some ways that you can be frugal while homeschooling and still ensure that your children get the best possible education that you can afford.
Using videos on different topics is a really cool way to teach homeschool students.There are any number of educational videos available for free online. However not each of them will contribute to your homeschooling activities unless you follow some guidelines. Here is what you need to do to ensure that your children actually learn something of value from the educational videos that they watch.
An elementary school science teacher has decided to do away with textbooks and teach hands on science with experiments to her fourth and fifth grade students. Leigh Ann Anderson at Barnhart Elementary School in St. Charles, MD believes that in order to learn science, you have to do it. So she has decided to put, “the lab before the blab.” This is something that many homeschool science teachers already do. Here are some ways to put this theory in action.
With the amount of information that is available on the internet it is possible for homeschooling students to learn from experts sitting at their computers. The recent explosion of free course online for the mass public offers one more resource that the home schooling parents can use.
It has got to be said that when you homeschool your children you are running two very different portfolios. One is that of teacher in the homeschool classroom and the other is that of home maker and care taker. Needless to say one set of responsibilities often imposes on the other and can make it tough going for the homeschooling mom. Here are some ways to balance the scales.
The focus of educators in recent years has been to encourage science and technology based education in order to meet the shortfall in skilled labor at the industrial level. This had resulted in the STEM or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics based subjects getting a boost at the schools. However now there is a group of educators who feel that being innovative in science requires you to have adequate exposure to arts. They are now hoping to add arts to the mix and make it STEAM.