There are a number of websites on the internet and it makes sense to help homeschool students understand which ones can be used for factual research, and which ones are likely to misinterpret data. Here’s a list of things that they can be asked to check for, to ensure that the website is a legitimate one offering correct information.

Who is the Owner of the Website?

Is it an individual who collects information and shares it? Or is it a company which is distributing the data? Check who are the administrators of the website. One can usually get in touch with them using the ‘Contact Us’ page via the form or the email id that has to be provided on this page. If a website does not have this page, it is illegal as regulations require all websites to allow visitors to contact them. It is also a sign that the information on the website may not be represented truly.

Date of Creation and Age of Website

We often see a slew of websites popping up around a topic that is trending in the news. This is usually done to tap into the short term desire for information that people may have on this topic. Often such websites are left untended after the initial trend dissipates. Check to see when the website was created, also if the administrators are adding any current information to the website via a blog or new articles. If the homeschool student is using the website for research, the website should not have old information.

Purpose and Design of the Website

One good way to check if the website can be used for accurate research data is to see what it’s purpose is. Does it seek to inform visitors or does it seem to sell products? Is the website seeking to entertain the readers or is it merely stating facts. The design of the website also gives clues about the seriousness of the content. A good website will have well organized data which is easy to trace and find. The links will be helpful to navigate the site as well.

In this era of fake news, rumor mongering and spoofs, it can be difficult for a homeschool student to understand exactly what is true and what’s not. Since they will be getting a lot of their information online, it behooves the homeschool teacher to ensure that they are able to sift through the information available online and figure out what to trust. Here are some ideas to help them tell the difference.

Simplify the Path

The best way to help them find correct information is to give them a list of websites that you know will take pains to verify their facts before printing anything. Let them know that websites ending in .gov are more likely to give the correct data as they are from the respective state governments. Also certain sites with .edu may be more likely to give a balanced view point than a website with .com which may be producing sponsored content.

Discuss the Label of Sponsored Content

In may cases the website will mention a single line disclaimer saying that the post given on the page is sponsored content. Explain to your homeschool students that this means the product seller is hoping to showcase the product in a favorable light to draw more customers. Take them to sites which will give a free and fair review of the same product and show them the difference between such reviews and sponsored content. Ask them to look for the sponsored content signs and labels on websites they visit.

Describe Tools to Create Fake News

One of the prime reasons a piece of writing looks true, even when it is fake, is when it is supported by a newspaper headline image. It may be a good idea to help your homeschool students make a few such fake news headline images to understand how easy they are to falsify. A number of photo editing websites allow users to take a thumbnail image and create a fake headline image. Doing this once will be fun as well as drive home the fact that you are planning to make to the homeschool students.

For homeschool students the summer is the ideal time to enhance their science skills by entering science based competitions. It could be essay competitions, or ones which involve actual working models. You don’t have to even travel physically to a specific location if you participate in the number of virtual science fairs run by certain organizations. Go through the list of science fairs that you can find online. Pick the one that appeals to you best and enter the competition.
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Is it worth investing in a computer just for your homeschool classroom? Yes it is. It may not seem like it initially, but it is a wise investment.  You will do so much with the computer that you will recover the cost in terms of man hours within the first month. Here are some ways to ensure that you get the most out of this teaching aid.

User Ids for Each Homeschool Student

Set up a laptop with different user ids for each of your homeschool students. Ensure that you retain administrator rights on your user id.  It will allow you to restrict their access to programs that you want them to use. It will also enable you to mark the progress that they make on their different assignments. Make sure that they know that the passwords can not be changed. Also ensure that they do not log into their sibling’s user ids or you will have a problem. This will allow all data on the user id to be preserved as well.

Your Schedules, Reports and Lesson Plans

A homeschool teacher has to do a lot of paperwork. Now when you create a digital version of a document, you can use it as a form to fill in later ones. The amount of time spent duplicating these sheets for formal record keeping or simply trying to keep track of what you need to do will reduce drastically. In addition the lesson plans that you make for a specific grade can be easily stored and reused when the next homeschool student reaches the said grade. It’s easy to have a standard weekly schedule form and use it for different weeks.

Worksheets and Printables

Having your dedicated laptop and printer for the homeschool classroom makes it easier for the homeschool teacher to design and take printouts of customized worksheets. Often worksheets online may include questions of stuff that you may not have taught. You can look over stuff on different websites and then design your own so that your homeschoolers have worksheets based on exactly what has been covered in the theory class.

The aid that technology provides a homeschool teacher, is great. So many aspects of teaching will become simplified by using gadgets such as a digital camera, a projector, and a laptop connected to the internet. While a person who is not too comfortable with gadgets may say that traditional schooling with books is all that is required, there is no denying the advantages of using more technology in the homeschool classroom.

Prepare for the Future

You may not want your homeschool student to be addicted to screens, but there is no denying the fact that your child will need to learn how to handle them at some stage in the future. He needs to be able to use a computer, work a basic camera and download images, not to mention learn how to access and use different apps on the smartphone. You are not doing them any favors by keeping them away from basic technology that they will need to master to survive in the future.

Easier Collaboration on Projects

If your child wants to work with other friends on a science project, it would be far easier for them to use technology to keep in touch than meeting up everyday in person. By using email and other software that is easily accessed via the internet your homeschool students can work on the same project and make good progress even when they are apart physically. It is also easier to keep track of how the experiments are proceeding and record the results. Proving it easier to make reports on the science project as well. It can also help your homeschool student learn how to function as part of a team.

Engage Students and Free Up Teacher’s Time

The biggest advantage of using technology in the homeschool classroom is that you can set students tasks using gadgets that do not require your constant supervision. By setting them up on a computer based learning program, you can ensure that the homeschool student is being tested as he proceeds to learn more about a topic. All while you are freed up to handle other tasks in the homeschool classroom.

When you don’t attend a regular school there is a tendency for the summer vacation to be nothing great to be excited about. You know that school will continue as usual even if the rest of the regular school kids are having a couple of months off.This may be a good time to vary the routine for homeschool students.
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Since homeschool students do not have a bus to catch to school, they could start the morning later in the day. However the ideal time to start teaching in the homeschool classroom has been an often debated topic. There are those who feel that allowing the children to run through their daily chores in the morning and begin studying after an early lunch may be a better way to use the whole day productively.

While others may argue that the children’s minds are fresh early in the morning and should be used to concentrate on studies at that time. Also what works for one family may not work as well for another. Plus the age of the homeschool student makes a difference. Younger children need less sleep than a teenager would, making it easier for them to wake up in the morning and begin school work. If you are sitting on the fence of this debate and wondering where side you need to fall on, here are some considerations.

The Circadian System in Teenagers

It is now supported by scientific research that teenagers need nearly 14 hours of sleep as compared to adults who can get by just fine with 8 to 10 hours. Mary A. Carskadon, a sleep researcher at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University has found that most teenagers are sleep deprived due to waking up early for school, and not going to bed early to make up the difference. The lack of sleep has been linked to lower academic performances as well as an increase in petty crime rate for the sleep deprived teenagers.

What Can You Do About This?

As a homeschool teacher of teenage children, you may want to get your homeschool students tucked into bed at a regular hour, relatively early in the evening. In addition you may want to allow them to sleep in late enough to complete about 10 to 12 hours to sleep. Also get them to take that nap in the afternoon to make up their sleep deficiency. You will find that after they get their full quota of sleep, you angry teenagers are actually doing better at school work.

Often a child is encouraged to try a different learning activity if he has access to the materials that he will need. One homeschooling mother shared that having her fiction books up in a proper bookcase was all it took for her children to start reading. They didn’t want to dig into a cardboard box in which she had placed the books earlier, but seeing the books easily accessible in the shelf made them start reading more. Here are some ways in which you can encourage your homeschool students to do more around the homeschool classroom.

List of Tools to Give Access to Homeschool Students

While books are a good starting point, there are a number of other tools that can help speed up learning for your homeschool student. Providing them with all kinds of different tools can help create a learning rich environment for them in the homeschool classroom. A list of such tools could include things such as a magnifying glass, binoculars, measuring tape, rulers, play dough, a camera, blank sheets of paper, and art supplies.

Create a Learning Counter 

Having a dedicated space where they can experiment is a great idea. It can be as simple as setting aside a small table for them. Or they can use a roll up mat on the floor if they need more space to spread out. The idea is to give them a place where they can sit and do what they want when experimenting with the different tools that you have made available to them. It will help them be more creative, learn new facts on their own, and keep busy when you are unable to give them direct supervision in the homeschool classroom.

Invite them to Undertake Specific Activities

A little challenge can go a long way when encouraging them to take up a new experiment or project. You can offer them a reading nook where everyone takes turns to read out a specific story that they liked. Or have them come up with a snack for the siblings at a kitchen center. It would be interesting to get them to draw up a map of the immediate neighborhood on a large chart paper. There’s so much that can be done.

Summer is the perfect season to bring in new learning activities into the lives of your homeschooled children. You are not as focused on classroom activities, formal lessons are on a break, and its time to have some fun. Make that fun instructive and you have a set of learning activities that you can do in the summer holidays.
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Shifting from regular school to homeschool requires a fair amount of adjustment for both the new homeschool teacher, as well as the class full of homeschool students. A tool that can help with this transition is deschooling.

What is Deschooling?

It is a period of time taken out to help students understand that their lives may not be governed by school bells, class schedules and teachers anymore. Instead they are encouraged to learn in new and innovative ways. On their own and often at a pace that they wish to set. It is a time when the child learn to de-link from school as a regular institution and link up with the school ways that allow him to learn on his own with the guidance of the homeschool teacher.

How to Deschool your Homeschoolers?

The longer a child has been in a regular school, the more shifts in attitude and behavior will be required. The homeschool teacher should figure in a generous time for the deschooling of the new homeschool student. Patience is a must because often children don’t want to do things the way they had to in regular school, but may object when a new teaching method is introduced by saying that’s not how they did it in school. The children are confused and need to be guided to the new normal by the parent.

Allow them to Indulge their Curiosity and Imagination

These two qualities have little space to bloom in a regular classroom. A student is often asked to stick to the essentials. They are rarely allowed the freedom to be creative in their expression and imaginations are often kept on a short leash. They need to be shown that now they are allowed to indulge in their creativity. That speaking up with a vivid imagination is not a waste of time. The changes will be gradual as the conditioning of the child needs to be overcome.

Give them the time and space they need to make the adjustments for a more productive learning schedule to take shape in the future. The time spent deschooling can help them immensely.

A number of parents wonder about homeschooling. They want to start, but since their children are already in regular schools, they are not sure how to figure out the transition. They are often also worried about being able to handle the demands of homeschooling. Here’s a simple manner in which these families can test drive the concept of homeschooling without making any major changes.

Speak to the Students

If your children are old enough to go to school, you can discuss the concept of homeschooling with them. Get their reaction to the idea of studying at home. If they are enthusiastic about it, speak of all the ways it will affect them and the changes that they will face. Ask them to get on board with trying out homeschooling during the summer break from school. Should they agree, go ahead and set up a fixed time trial to see if the homeschooling concept works for your family.

Set up the School Room

Having a dedicated space to sit down and study will be important for your homeschool students. Since they are used to regular school, they will do better with a more structured environment and schedule. Tell them to pick seats, cupboard shelves and study areas for themselves in the homeschool classroom that you set up. This will help them ease into the homeschooling trial. It will also give them a sense of control when they begin homeschooling.

Keep Some Time for Summer Fun

The children may resent having to give up their summer break completely. So make sure that you include fun activities like you would have during a regular summer holiday as well. These could include a camping trip or a visit to the grandparents, especially if they stay out of town. Other activities could include summer sports, hobby classes, and volunteering at the zoo or a museum. These activities should be designed to have fun, not to teach the children anything.

At the end of the summer of homeschooling, get the feedback from the children before you make your final decision. The entire family will have a much clearer picture about what they prefer after the trial run.

There are more children being homeschooled today than ever before. The statistical data seems to suggest that most parents tend to prefer homeschooling their children rather than sending them to a regular school to attend regular classes. What is the reason for this drastic shift in the way education is imparted?
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Getting ready for life is the purpose of education, and if you are homeschooling your child, you need to get him or her ready to live in the real world. Here are some basic skills that your homeschool student needs to master to be successful in the journey of life.

Note Taking

One of the most crucial skills is to be able to take notes when some one else is speaking. Not only does this come in handy when the homeschool student is learning something in the classroom, but it is a skill that will continue to serve them well when they are attending lectures in college. It also comes in handy when they join the work force and needs to attend meetings where a number of points may be conveyed to work upon.

Time Management

Taking responsibility of their time is important for the homeschool student. While children who are younger may require constant parental guidance about how to best make use of their time, the older ones should be able to work out their own schedules and maintain them. Having to set realistic deadlines and meeting them is a very useful skill no matter what task your homeschool student may be performing. Time management allows them to keep track of their assignments and goals effectively.

Written Communication

Writing reports, essays, letters, and emails ensures that the written communication skills of a the homeschool student develop adequately. Being able to write down and communicate efficiently is always going to come in handy in life. Everything from a list of chores that you want someone to do, to filing in your taxes once you begin working will require the homeschool student to have good writing skills. It’s a good idea to give them enough practice in the homeschool classroom regarding this skill.

Self Advocacy 

The homeschool parent is not always going to be with the student. It behooves the child to be able to put their own point across to other people even in the absence of their parents and teachers. While familiar adults may be well versed in the needs of the child, the child should learn to explain their needs to others who may not be aware of them. In order to do this the child needs to be able to analyse what he needs in a particular situation, then communicate that need to the person present who may meet it.

There are days when you are feeling tired in mind and body, but you still have a homeschool classroom to manage. These are the days when a homeschool teacher should have a number of back up activities planned for. You can take a partial day off from teaching actively to giving the homeschool students some assignments that don’t need too much in terms of supervision from your side. Here are some ideas that could work for your homeschooling family.

The Educational Videos

Have a couple of DVDs ready for the homeschool students to watch on a topic that would be educational. You can even use the internet to rig up instant access to multiple learning channels on YouTube. To make sure that they actually see the videos and learn something, have them submit a written report on what they see.

Physical Activities

If your children are old enough, you can send them for a bike ride to the local park. Let them pack a picnic lunch and go spend some time outdoors. The older homeschool students will have to be in charge of the younger siblings. Or just let them all out in the backyard and play catch or hide and go seek. The idea is to keep them active and occupied.

The Crafty Project

If your homeschool students are the kind who enjoy making stuff, give them a craft project. Let them design and paint a frame for their photographs. Or have them make and decorate a basket in which they can store their toys. Let them make cards for upcoming festivals or birthdays. Just give them the art supplies and let them lose on their respective canvas or card pages.

The Music Song and Dance

This is a good time to make them choreograph a new set of steps on their favorite song. Or to get them to practice singing a new song by learning it’s lyrics. The activity is fun, and they won’t resist it. Especially if they get to show case their final production to the full family. You can even have family and friends over for the show and provide snacks.

Homeschooling has become a choice that more and more parents are opting for these days. The reasons for homeschooling may differ but it is undeniable that more children are being homeschooled by their parents today than ever before. A number of these homeschooling parents worry about just how well they are coping with educating their children. They may have high ideals but are they really succeeding in passing on the kind of instruction that they hoped to? This is a question that can be easily answered if the child is allowed to compete with his peers in contests.
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You have heard about sick days in the corporate world? It is when the employee needs to take an off to recover from an illness. A homeschool mother’s mental health day is a similar concept. It’s the day the homeschool mother takes off, leaving her loving kids in the hands of another trustworthy adult. How does a homeschool parent spend this mental health day? Here are some ideas.

Settle the Kids First

If you’re worrying about what the kids are up to, you are not going to get much of a break. To ensure that you don’t ruin your day off, try and keep the kids with a responsible adult who you trust. Then you can give them tasks that require little or no supervision such as design a book cover for the book they are reading. Or build a fort within the house. Or draw their favorite cartoon character on a poster with a motivational quote. It’s all about busy work.

Head Out of the Home

Most mothers find it difficult to unplug from the homeschool classroom even when another substitute homeschool teacher is involved. The best way to get a total break is to head out of the home and do something that you usually don’t have time for. Tie up with your friends to do lunch in a fine dining restaurant. Go see that movie you have been wanting to. Attend a workshop on learning something that interests you. Just get out of the home so that you are not thinking about what the kids are doing.

Just Step Back and Relax

If you are so tired that you literally have no energy, then settle the kids as above and settle yourself back into your bed and go to sleep. Yes, sleep deprivation can take a huge toll on your health. A few hours of sleep when you are not responsible for the homeschool students or the chores at home will have you waking up refreshed. You can continue your day of rest by remaining tucked into bed with a good book, not a text book or study resource, and lazing.

Festivals can be used as a great learning tool with your homeschooling class. As most festivals revolve around specific events (such as Independence Day or Thanksgiving)or individuals (such as St. Patrick’s Day or Christmas) your child can be taught about this cultural history in a fun filled manner.
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In the majority of homeschool families the trend is for the mother to be the primary homeschool teacher, as the father is usually busy with the day job that supports the family. This does not mean that the father in the homeschooling family can not contribute to the learning of the homeschool students. Here are some ideas to apply if you want to help your children as a homeschool dad.

Stick With The Strengths

The father should not act like a replacement homeschool teacher for the mother. He should hone in on the subjects that he is good at and help the homeschool students with doubts in those. If he can figure out a schedule for holding regular weekly classes in these subjects, all the better.

Plan Outside Educational Activities

This does not mean just playing out in the backyard with the homeschool students. The homeschool dad has the opportunity to actually organize outings for the kids where they will have a chance to see or learn something new. It could be a field trip to a national park, a visit to the local museum, a musical recital or even a play performance. The idea is to expose the kids to something different each time. They go off with the father for these activities.

The Project Supervisor

Project based learning is a good experiential learning experience for homeschool students. The homeschooling father can be made in charge of these projects. He can supervise the process, guide the children on how to make progress and share the benefit of his experience with them without actually stepping in as a teacher in the homeschool classroom.

The Chore Guide

There are a number of chores that the homeschool students can be shown how to help with around the house, and as they grow older, outside the house as well. The homeschool father can become the guide for these chores. He can give demonstrations about how the chore needs to be done, then mentor the homeschool students as they learn to perform the chores by themselves. All the kids should learn at least five chores around the house.

There’s a lot of writing that can be added to different subjects in the curriculum of a homeschool student. Here are some ideas to get you started on writing assignments.

Historical Reports

Have them study a specific historical event in their curriculum and then write down a report on it. They need to be able to describe the incident, the impact it had and what they feel about it in terms of their own opinion. This will allow them to learn the skills of reading and understanding what they read. Of collecting pertinent facts and putting them down in points. Also being able to think for themselves whether an event was important or not. Not to mention learning how to express their own opinion in a respectful and positive manner.

Science Project Reports

Getting your homeschool students to the scientific method is a good way to introduce them to making their own science project reports. Have them draw up hypothesis, possible ways to prove the hypothesis and records of how the experiments went. It will have them scrambling to note down their observations and speak of the different results that their experiments generate. Want to make the write some more? Add biographies of scientists who discovered the laws that they are basing their initial hypothesis on.

Math Word Problems and Notes

Have your homeschool students come up with word problems that they can write out and solve in math. The real life situations can be used to define specific concepts. Ask them to take notes while you explain mathematical concepts with real life examples. This will have them writing some more. Give them ready worksheets for math as well. They can come up with more word problems of a similar nature and work them out for extra practice.

Book Reports and Reviews

For every book that they read, ask them to write a review. Describe what it was about, discuss how they liked it or didn’t and give recommendations of what could make the book better. It’s a good exercise to get their thinking caps on. It will also help them to think out of the box and come up with new ideas.

A number of reasons exist for parents to send their children to a regular school. There are just as many reasons if not more for parents to make their children follow a homeschool program. Let us consider a few of these reasons.
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There is the basic skill of writing which backs all learning in the homeschool classroom. However most homeschool students are not very keen on writing down their lessons. They are happy to rattle off their knowledge orally but ask them to take a paper and write it down, and more often than not you will hear them groan and complain. So what can you do to help them enjoy writing more?

Get Creative With Writing

If the only time your child is writing is when they have to do worksheets or practice math, they are not going to enjoy it. Instead, allow them to do some creative writing. Show them an interesting picture and ask them to write down what they see in it. Ask them to build a story around the picture if they can come up with characters and a plot in discussion with you. Let them enjoy the process of thinking and writing.

Writing Doesn’t Always Have to be Pen and Paper

By changing the material that they write with or write on, you will interest them to keep writing some more. Give them oil paper and crayons and ask them to write a list of things they want for their birthday. Give them broad markers and ask them to write greetings on card paper to family members who may have birthdays coming up. Give them ideas about what they want to write. Discuss the concept of writing short stories, poems and flash fiction.

The Practical Aspects of Writing

Show them the use of writing in day to day life. Ask them to write out a list of groceries at the kitchen table as you open the cupboards to check what all needs to be replaced. Make them write out a message from a caller to the parent when they answer the telephone. Have them write out their letters to grand parents describing their day or a field trip that they took. Show them the importance of writing in daily communication. When they see it as a useful tool, they will be more eager to learn and practice writing.

It’s Okay If You Can’t Do Everything

The first time you attend a homeschool convention, you may feel that you should go to every single event in the schedule. It’s simply not possible. There will be some happening at the same time. You will have other mingling to do. So it’s perfectly fine to give yourself permission to not do everything. Don’t feel guilty when you planned to do ten things in the day and barely managed to get six done.

Bring Cash, Cards and Cheques

These conventions are a great place to invest in study material and resources for your homeschool classroom. Don’t get surprised if some of the vendors are unable to process a credit card. Many of them are homeschool parents themselves and will be happier receiving cash for your purchases. The bigger brands will have swipe machines available. So keep your payment options open.

Carry a Rolling Suitcase

There will be a number of heavy purchases made. You do not want your shoulders to be weighed down with a bag or backpack. Get a small, empty, rolling suitcase along with you to the convention hall. It can hold all your material with ease and you can have your hands free most of the time as you can simply leave it at your feet and go through the books in front of you.

Visit the “Used” Sales

There is usually a section out back where the “used” and second hand material is available. Some of it may be in remarkably good shape. Make sure that you go through the stuff here, specially if there are already specific resources that you are looking for. At times simply browsing through the stuff on sale can uncover a couple of gems that you would not of thought of.

Go in a Group With Friends

It’s always better to travel in a group. You can scout out more when there’s a good number of people together. Plus it’s a fun experience to share with your friends. If you have kids with you, the other adults can also help keep an eye on them at the times that you are busy with a workshop or some other activity.

Many homeschooling parents enjoy teaching their children at home. They can be quite organized about the time they spend in the “classroom” and equally particular about the play time that their children enjoy. It can be however quite a herculean task to come up with fun activities day after day for the children to do. After sometime all the ideas in the text books get exhausted and the children still want things to do.
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There’s more to attending a homeschool convention than simply showing up. By handling the logistics in advance you can ensure that you stay frugal even while getting the most bang for your buck.

Pre-Book and Get the Early Bird Discounts

Most homeschool convention registrations are cheaper if you get them done well in advance. Up to 6 weeks before the actual event, you should be able to get a good discount on the price. If you can team up with other homeschool families and register as a group, the price may drop further. Float the idea among your local homeschool community to see if there are any takers.

Decide If You Want to Bring The Kids Along

Sometimes it can work out well bringing the kids along as they can be attending interesting workshops and doing some travelling. The experience can help them grow as individuals. However, at times it may be simply more convenient to travel to the convention on your own. This could be a working vacation for the homeschool parent. You get a break from the homeschool classroom, but learn so much that you can take back to it.

Plan Accommodation and Travel In Advance

Since staying is usually the biggest expenditure if the convention is out of town, look out for family or friends in the city who don’t mind you crashing with them for a few days. The next option is to look for homestays with apps like Airbnb, or Oyo rooms. Hotels are the mist expensive and should be a last resort. Traveling to the destination also needs to be fixed whether it’s a bus or road trip in your own car.

Go Through the Event Schedule for Speakers and Workshops

To get the most out of the homeschool convention, go through the event schedule and plan out your days in advance. Some of the workshops may require additional registration. Once at the venue you have little time to think and can become lost trying to figure out what to do next. By ensuring that you have already circled the events you need to attend, you will have a much more positive experience.

Homeschool conventions are run in practically every state of the US. You can get online and find out the schedule for the year with ease.  There are many benefits to attending a homeschool convention. There are a large number of homeschool vendors available in once place. They offer fabulous discounts on most of their products. Speakers will share tips on different aspects of homeschooling. You get to socialize with other homeschooling families and your children can treat it as an educational field trip.

Do Some Research Before You Reach

There will be tons of vendors at the convention. Most of them also will be homeschooling parents themselves. Have a list of people that you want to meet. It will help you avoid the overwhelm at the venue. Just like a shopping list helps keep the weekly grocery shopping on track, your list will keep you focused on meeting with the vendors who you feel can help you with specific issues. Explain your requirements to them and see what they suggest.

Don’t Buy Stuff on Day 1

Most homeschool conventions last two to three days. Make sure that you attend all days and do not buy anything on the first day. Just use the first day to familiarize yourself with all that the convention has to offer. Then make another list of stuff that you feel is cool, useful and what you want. The second day you will have weeded out the impulse purchases and go with what is actually essential. Also remember to have a fixed budget in your head before you  start shopping. Maxing out your card at the convention is not acceptable.

Listen to the Speakers

At each convention you have a host of different topics being covered by the speakers. Most of the talks are free to attend along with the admission to the convention. Make sure you take advantage of these speakers experiences. Most of them have finished homeschooling their own kids and are now out to help others who are doing the same. You will pick up a number of tips by simply listening to them.

Science is all around us. In the flutter of the butterfly or the roar of the car engine we can find science related principles to study. There is always the possibility of converting anything that you see into a science observation. Take it one step further and you can make it an interactive science activity. Be it biology, chemistry or physics, we are surrounded by possible homeschooling science activities.
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Being stuck in a job you dislike can be instrumental in having a miserable life. On the other hand if you choose a job that you love to do, you will be happy every single morning for the rest of your working life. Since the homeschool student is not exposed to many professionals, it may be a good idea for the homeschool parent to ensure that they learn a bit about different jobs by actually getting to do them for a while. Here’s how they can make it happen for homeschool students who are in high school.

Apprenticeship

Self employed professionals in your area may be willing to take on your homeschool student as an apprentice. The opportunities could be in appliance repairs, piano tuning, or even plumbing. The idea is to expose your homeschool student to a skill set that they can pick up which has a professional application. It will allow the real life experience to seep in before the child picks a career of their own. In addition the type of skills they learn will be helpful to them around the house as they grow up and live alone.

Internship

Bigger companies are often looking for interns who can work at the smaller jobs around the office. The internships could be free or paid, full time or part time. Depending on the type of company and work that your homeschool student is interested in, it may be a good idea to trace the companies in your town who are looking for interns. A number of colleges also prefer the students who have done an internship, so besides learning new skills, the student will be able to add positively to their resume.

Volunteering

A number of organizations such as hospitals, zoos, nursing homes, rescue operations, and animal shelters don’t have the money to pay full time employees. Most of them are happy to work with volunteers who they can train to do the hob. This is a good way for the homeschool student to get some experience, pick up new skills and make a positive contribution to society. They can volunteer at different places till they find something they truly care about.

As a homeschooling parent you will need to keep records to help you with the daunting task of teaching all the subjects to your child at home. Things would perhaps go easier if you were able to separate these records into different heads giving you an easier overview of what you have already done, what you wish to do and what all your child has accomplished. The easiest way to keep records is to break it down in terms of time.
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As a child grows older the expectations from the homeschool parent change. When they transition from middle school to high school, it’s a good time to explain the changing rules in the homeschool classroom to them. Here are some aspects that you may want to speak with the homeschool student about.

Guided to Independent Studies

As the homeschool student moves from middle school to high school it’s a good idea for the homeschool teacher to move from hand holding to a supervisory sort of guidance. It’s time for the homeschool student to study on their own more than wait to be taught everything by the homeschool parent. Encourage the child to learn on their own. To explore new topics, and to find the resources that can help them learn more about them.

Choosing the Curriculum and Schedule

As a young child the homeschool student was made to follow the curriculum and schedule that the homeschool parent felt was best. Now as they head into high school encourage them to make their own schedules. Guide them to balance the subjects each day, but allow them to create their own lesson plans and what they would like to learn during the week. It will teach them how to take responsibility for their own learning, while freeing up the homeschool parent’s time.

Identifying and Improving Weaknesses

For the most part it’s easy to tell what subjects a child is weak in for the homeschool parent, however it is important that the homeschool student also learns to identify this. It’s usually the subjects that they don’t feel comfortable with or the ones that they avoid because they don’t understand. It’s important that they understand that this is a weakness, and then figure out ways in which to improve.

Planning for the Future

It’s important that your homeschool student know where he or she is headed. High school is the time to plan what they want to do with their lives. Think of jobs they may want to do, and the qualifications that they will need to do those jobs. It’s a good idea for the children to write down a plan for their own future and then make up the steps that will lead to it’s success.

No matter how fit a homeschool parent is, at one stage they will not be able to keep up with the physical energy of their homeschool students. So how do you find outlets for all that energy without having to push your own self physically to do activities with them. Here’s a list of suggestions.

Family Gym Membership

Getting a family gym membership is a good idea when you want to combine a light workout for the homeschool parent with a more intensive one for the homeschool students. Most gyms offer classes on aerobics, zumba or kick boxing, which could work as an additional exercise session for the homeschool students, while the parent catches their breath.

Yoga Classes

For those blessed with active children, a yoga class can prove to be a boon. Yoga helps balance the mind and body energies. Not only will the children find the yoga asanas challenging, they will automatically develop a serious control over their mind. Yoga is a low intensity workout which can still be quite tiring physically speaking. A good option for your homeschool students.

Athletics

Those interested in a more traditional set of exercises, may like to place their homeschool students in a formal athletics training class. Running could be a simple exercise that doesn’t need a formal class. Other sports that the child may be interested in could also be given a shot. Try the local YMCA or community sports center to get free coaching if the budget is rather tight and doesn’t allow for extra classes.

Rock Climbing

This is a relatively new fad, but can be a good full body exercise. There are rock climbing centers where the homeschool students can learn the basics of safety and technique involved in rock climbing. The homeschool parent does not need to be physically active in this class as the instructors are trained to overlook the safety of the students participating.

Martial Arts Classes

Karate, tae kwon do, judo, or any other martial arts classes are a good way to keep active kids engaged. They are physically demanding and ensure that the homeschool students get a good workout. You can find the local instructors who offer these classes online or through word of mouth from other parents whose children are attending such classes.

It can be difficult for a parent to get the degree of formality required to make the transition from parent to teacher in a homeschool. This is especially true when you are starting out homeschooling your young pre schoolers. In this case it comes in handy to establish a formal identity for the homeschool. Here is what you can do to make the transition from parent to teacher easier for your child to understand.
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