Teaching Resources

There’s a number of things that you need to finish handling even before the next homeschool academic session begins.

Ensure the Legal Paperwork is Done

There are different requirements for homeschooling in different states. Make sure that all the legal paperwork that needs to be filled in is done before the beginning of the academic session. Understand the requirements that you need to meet and ensure that you have organized yourself to meet them.

Set up a Day to Plan out the Year’s Schedule for Each Homeschool Student

If you have more than one kid being homeschooled, you need to be organized. This means that you need to have a week by week break up of what each of your children is supposed to be doing all through the academic session. Set aside a day each for every child and figure out their syllabus and weekly schedule for each subject. Make sure to factor in the breaks and field trips that you are going to add.

Get the Children Involved in Setting up the Homeschool Classroom

The basics of having enough number of notebooks per subject, pens, pencils, rough work papers and different types of art supplies can be left to the children. Give them a list of things that they should have ready to use once classes begin. Then have them give you a list of the things that they are falling short of on the list. This makes it easier for you to restock the material that you will need for the next academic session.

Cull out the Papers Floating Around the Homeschool Classroom

Each homeschooling year has a tendency to generate a whole bunch of papers. While you may need to keep some of them to record the progress of your children through the different grades, you can definitely take them out of the homeschool classroom and store them elsewhere. Sift through all the papers from the previous year and sort what you need to keep. Then cull the rest and destroy them. This will make it easier to find storage for the new material that is sure to be generated.

When there is no formal distinction between classes and the homeschool students simply drift from one lesson to the next in their own sweet time, there may creep in a level of tardiness which prevents them from completing the day’s scheduled activities. Should this continue to happen over a period of a week, you may have a large number of lessons pending with no time to cover them in your weekly schedule.

The homeschool teacher needs to put in a system against being tardy in the homeschool classroom to avoid this kind of lag in the studies. This allows better control over how the school day proceeds. Here are some tips that should help you formulate a system that works best with your homeschool students.

Awareness of Schedule

The first thing that the homeschools students need to be aware of, is the schedule for the day’s classes. They need to be clearly told about the number of lessons that they need to finish in the school day. This gives them a chance to mentally space out how much time they have for each activity that they need to undertake. The homeschool teacher can even allot specific time slots for each of the activities that they need to complete initially, to give them a better idea of how to handle their time.

Consistent Consequences

If they are unable to finish their work on time, there needs to be specific and consistent consequences. In some cases, the homeschool parent may allow the student to shift to the next activity only when the first one is finished. In other cases the activity left over will be shelved and the rest of the day’s work is continued. Then the homeschool student needs to stay back and complete the left over activities after the formal homeschool day is over.

Reward System

Since rewards and praise are much better motivators than criticism and punishment, it may be a good idea to set up a reward system for the homeschool students who are not tardy. The reward could be a star on a performance chart, a treat such as being allowed to do something they enjoy or even allowing them to pick the next family outing.

The local homeschool co-op is a good place to find used study material at a a cheaper rate. It is also good for finding other homeschool teachers who are willing to take classes for subjects that you may not be proficient in, especially in the higher grades. However, the homeschool co-op is also a nice place to share social activities as well as give homeschool students an opportunity to indulge in team sports. Here’s a sample of the stuff that you can do.

A Homeschool Students Sports Meet

Children enjoy playing. Adding a competitive element is more fun for everyone. While no one expects the young homeschool students to compete like they are qualifying for the Olympics, a little bit of competition is a good way to motivate them to push themselves harder to excel at their respective sports. A homeschool co-op can organize a mini- sports meet with up to three sporting events. Races, cycling and basket ball would seem like simple events that could be added to the sports meet.

The Social Aspect

The sports meet can be started in the morning with the first and second event. Follow that up with a light meal. The last event and the prize distribution ceremony can be held post lunch. This will space out the sports and the socializing nicely. The homeschool students can enjoy their time out while learning a sense of community. The homeschool parents can look forward to meeting more like minded adults who have chosen to homeschool their own children.

Plan it Out

The key aspect to make a grand success of the sports meet is to ensure detailed planning and delegation of responsibility. Depending on the number of people attending the meet, ensure that every homeschool parent has a duty to take care of. Have each sport being officiated by at least two people, that way if one is unable to make it the other can take over. Food needs to be brought by all participating members. It can be like a giant pot luck with everyone sharing what they brought. A little planning can go a long way at such an event.

If there are specific subjects that you don’t feel comfortable handling in the homeschool classroom, you can form a homeschool co-op that allows your homeschool students to take classes with someone who is an expert at the subject. In exchange you can offer classes to students in subjects that you are comfortable with. This works out more economical than having to hire a tutor, or paying for online classes for your homeschool students. Here’s some pointers to get the homeschool co-op class exchange started.

Pick the Participants

There will always be people in the homeschool community who have children in similar grades to your homeschool students. Get in touch with them about your idea to hold a homeschool co-op to teach different classes. See who all are interested in participating. To be fair, each child who is enrolled for a class should have a parent who is taking another class for the other homeschool students. Most homeschool parents will be happy to pick up a class if their children are going to attend one taught by someone else.

Distribute the Subjects

Once you have clarity on the number of people who will be teaching the classes, have them pick the subjects and grades they want to teach. The homeschool students should also be divided up on basis of the subjects that they need to be taught. Ask the teachers handling a particular subject if they feel comfortable handling different grade students in the same session. Most of them should not have a problem with that considering that they are homeschool teachers with different ages children in their own classrooms.

Design the Schedule

This will probably take the most amount of time as you will be coordinating with a number of people about the best timings for them in the week to take classes as well as send their children to classes. However once this step is done, all you need to do is take a printout of the schedule sheet and hand it over to all participants. This can be used as the basis for the schedule for the next year as well.

A homeschool co-op is a good place to find study materials for your homeschool students at a reasonable rate. Depending on where you stay, a homeschool co-op may already be in existence and could be traced through other homeschooling friends. However if there is no active homeschool co-op in your area, you may consider starting one of your own. It’s not really very difficult and will provide ample saving for the little time that you invest in setting it up. Here’s how you can go about it.

Set a Venue

If you have a place that all the homeschool families in your area can congregate to, it will serve well as the venue for your homeschool co-op. However, if there is no place close by you can simply host it in your own home. If the other members of the co-op are willing, you can have it by turns at each homeschool co-op member’s home.

Have a Schedule

It is important to have a fixed date for the homeschool co-op meeting each month. Pick something generic like the second Monday of each month at 10 am. Make sure that the majority of the homeschool co-op members are comfortable with this. Now you don’t have to spend hours trying to find out which member is available on what date in a given month. Then schedule the hosts for each month in the year on the first meeting in your house. This makes it easy for people to plan ahead.

Clarify Guidelines and Roles

Do make sure that people understand that it’s not a social event. The host should not be expected to serve food and drink. The focus of the meet is to drop off material that you are not using and to pick up stuff that you do want. Having food and drink around will be actually bad in case of spills. Also the host of the day should be able to direct the others about where grade wise material needs to be placed.

Offer a Material List

Not everything may be claimed at a homeschool co-op. Stuff that can still be made available should go on to a master list that you can maintain online. Mention the material available along with the contact information of the person offering the material.  This will make it easier for people to sift through the material available.

Join forces with other homeschooling parents to plan learning activities for your children during the summer months. Given here are just a few ideas that should help jog your imagination. Find the perfect activity for your child and let them have fun as they learn through the summer holidays.
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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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Getting out of the house and exercising need not be a chore. There’s a lot of activities that a homeschool family can take on, which can be fun and prove to be a complete physical workout for the homeschool students. Here are some options to consider.

Basket Ball

A single basket ball hoop can provide hours of entertainment and exercise. The family can play together, the children can practice on their own, friends can come over in the evening to shoot hoops, there’s so much that can happen by getting this one sporting accessory fit. You will also need the basket ball and a pump to ensure that it’s not run out of air. Teach the homeschool students to care for their equipment.

Cycling

Getting the family to go out for a long ride on the weekend is a good way to start a picnic. The homeschool students can also use their bicycles around the neighborhood in the evening. Friends can team up and have cycle races, and it is a good way for the children to learn to get around independently on their own. Ensure that safety equipment like helmets, knee and elbow pads and training wheels are available if required.

Hiking

If the family sets out to explore local hiking trails, it’s a good field trip to study rocks, flora and even the smaller animals that may cross the path. It also ensures that the homeschool family gets a good amount of exercise as well as a healthy dose of Vitamin D by being in the sunlight. Take a look at the area around where you live, what are the best places to start exploring?

Weights

Improvise doing body weights with the homeschool students around the house. You do not need to spend on dumbells, just use plastic bottles of water in pairs. Squats, push ups and sit ups can be added to the workout. It can be done in a competitive manner by encouraging the homeschool students to do more repetitions than they managed to do the day before. Keep a record of how many each child manages each day.

The technological advances made in the last decade alone have created a generation gap between the current set of parents and their children. As gadgets allow the homeschool students to connect to the internet in new ways and gain more information, it’s imperative that the homeschool parent teach the homeschool class to use technology wisely.

Teach yourself before you teach them

There are a number of things that you can do using the internet, and new gadgets that you are probably not even aware of. For instance did you know that it’s possible to find an App to learn just about anything? Check out the ones that you feel will be helpful to your homeschool students and play with them yourself before asking them to try it out.

Teach them the limits and boundaries 

There is so much to do, but they should have a limited time each day to be online. Makes sure that they understand basic security threats and how they should avoid them. Never ever allow them to give out their information online on any website without you being present. Plus educate them about malware and virus attacks. They should have a fall back drill for all such eventualities and you need to make sure that they remember them.

Supervise from a distance

Learn to set up filters for the internet so that your homeschool students don’t inadvertently end up on websites that they should not be accessing. Keep a check on the internet browser history to see what they are doing online. Ensure that they are being safe when they go online. Trust them, but keep a check as there are many kinds of threats these days.

Act as a role model

When you ask them to limit their screen time, ensure that you do it as well. If you are setting up a guideline for them to follow, educate them about how it works. Then ensure that they see you following the guideline when you go online or use a gadget. All children learn best when they imitate their parents, so it’s up to you to act as a good role model.

Unlike in Germany, where homeschooling is actually illegal, in Canada homeschooling programs are legal. The regulations for home based learning come under the provincial jurisdiction. This means that each province in the country may have a somewhat different set of rules to follow for homeschooling your child. This is similar to the United States where each state has a different set of legal rules for homeschooling.
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There is little that can be done without rules in the homeschool classroom. The homeschooling parent needs to make the rules very clear to the children so that they can be followed. Also important is to make the children understand that if the rules are not followed, there will be consequences. These must also be defined for breaking each rule. Here are a few house rules to get you started.

Be Respectful of Everyone

This means there will be polite behavior towards everyone. No fighting, no name calling, no biting, no punching, and no ill will created. Use the golden words of ‘please’, ‘thank you’, ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘You’re welcome’. If this rule is ignored, prepare the child to lose a privilege. The exact course of consequences will have to be modified for each child based on their interests, but these consequences should be communicated in advance.

Be Honest in Speech and Actions

To develop a conscience early will allow the homeschool student to do well in social interactions later in life. They need to be taught that they must always speak the truth. Not to lie by omission. To say what they really mean and not simply what they feel the parents want to hear. They should always follow through on their promises.

Be Responsible for Own Words and Deeds

The homeschool students should be aware that everything they say and do will result in some consequences. They should be able to take responsibility for the consequences that follow their actions. They should clean up the messes they create. Learn to ask for help when they need it. Think how their actions will affect others before they act. apologize when they have done something wrong, even if it was unintentional.

Be Full Of Gratitude

It is important for children to understand that not everyone has everything that they seem to take for granted. Make the homeschool students show their gratitude for their blessings. Have them help those less fortunate than them on a regular basis. Also a small thank giving prayer said at the end of the day for all the good things that happened would also be a good idea to implement.

Many homeschooling families have to get creative about how to make up for the loss of a second income because one of the parents chooses to stay at home and homeschool the children. Most of them come up with ideas to work from home along with handling their homeschooling responsibilities. This is easier with the many opportunities that are present with working online. However would it be possible for the homeschooling parents to both work away from the home and still do justice to homeschooling the children? Here are some ways that could make it work.

Work Different Shifts

By working around each other’s shifts it is possible for one parent to always be present at home. This parent then becomes the defacto homeschool teacher for the school day. In this way the children can be taught by both parents. Mom can handle the subjects she is comfortable with and Dad can do the ones he likes. Both are equally invested in the schooling of their children. This is easier to do when the children are somewhat older. Toddlers may still need the mother more than the father.

Get Extra Help

If both the parents are working away from the house, it would be a good idea to get more help with the children. A relative who is free to help out would be best, but it’s easy enough to hire someone responsible to be with the children while they are at work. This person could be given the homeschool schedule and made to supervise the homeschool student’s work while the parents are not there.

Independent Studies and Extra Classes

Another way to help the schedule is to have the homeschool children work on independent studies while the parents are physically unavailable. That way they are guided to continue learning even when the homeschool teachers are not present. Also extra classes for music, sports and other activities can be scheduled at the time the parents are at work. This ensures that the children are gainfully employed and learning something new, at the time that the parents are unavailable for supervision and teaching.

While homeschooling is legal in all 50 states in the US this is not true of all other countries. In some countries in Europe, such as Germany, it is illegal to homeschool your children. So it is indeed lucky for you if you have the choice of following a homeschool program for your child no matter where in America you live. In fact you can even teach your children at home when you live abroad for some period of time as long as you conform to the legal requirements of the state that you will return to live in.
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Words are a much more powerful force than we reckoned. It is an old idiom that the pen is mightier than the sword. The words we think and speak have a very powerful impact on the young minds around us. The choice of words can encourage them to try better next time, or convince them that nothing that they ever do is going to be worthwhile to us.

In addition to minding our own words when we are in the homeschool classroom, it is a very good idea to teach our homeschool students the power of words for themselves. It is one of the most important life lessons that you will ever teach them. Here are a couple of things that a homeschool teacher may suggest to their wards.

Monitor Self Talk

Words are all about communicating. There is no better way to check what we think about ourselves than to actually pay attention to that little voice inside us. Teach your homeschool students to listen to what their inner voice says and share it with you. If it is saying things that are negative and tearing down their confidence, teach them to cancel that type of self talk immediately. Then instead have them say a positive and encouraging statement to themselves. This small exercise when done once a week can bring about a huge positive change in their confidence levels and ability to take on new challenges.

Think Before Speaking With Others

Now that they are speaking kindly to themselves, have them monitor how they are speaking to their siblings, friends and other people around. Ask them to keep their words positive whenever possible. The idea is to teach them to take a second to say the sentence they mean to speak out loud and consider if it is going to hurt the other person. Make them think about what they really wish to communicate and have them consider the words that would best do so. This will have less fights breaking out between siblings and get your homeschool students to be more considerate about others feelings.

A homeschool family depends on one individual to provide all it’s needs. Be it in the homeschool classroom or at home in general. This means that the homeschool teacher, usually the mom, has a lot of pressure on her at all times to perform at her best. Here are some resources that allow a homeschool teacher to meet all the needs of her family in a stress free and organized manner.

A Computer

Having a dedicated computer for yourself is an absolute must for any homeschool teacher. Set up a separate user account for each of your homeschool students so that they do not inadvertently destroy hours of lesson plans, schedules and more that you will be working on. The computer matched with a printer is one of the most important resources that a homeschool teacher will need.

A Library Card

Yes, there are a lot of books available online. Yes, you may own a kindle, but truth is that a visit to the library is more than just getting study resources. The feel of a physical book, the hunt for a new story that will be read out loud, or simply a couple of good who dun its for you to relax with, a library card can help with all this and more. A trip to the library is one of the easiest field trips that you can take as a homeschool teacher.

An Organizer

It can be a paper and pen one that you lug around or it can be online on Google Calendar. The organizer should hold all your appointments, chores, and schedule for the homeschool classroom. It can take a few hours on the weekend to update for the rest of the week, but it will save a lot of time and effort at a later stage. Since no two days look alike for a homeschool teacher, an organizer is an absolute must.

Membership to a Homeschool Support Group

There is a lot to be said for a support group. Meeting with people facing the same challenges you are, can be therapeutic as well as helpful as you learn from their mistakes.A homeschool parent will gain a lot out of a membership to a local homeschool support group.

Homeschooling means different things to different people. Some think of homeschool as a means to teach the child all that they were taught, others want their child to decide what he or she really wants to learn and then teach them that specific topic. There are different methods that a parent can use to teach a homeschooled child. Of these unschooling is the most controversial as it leaves the progress of the education solely on the shoulders of the child being taught.
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There are a lot of resources that may be used in the homeschool classroom. Given here is a list of four resources that will make it much easier for the homeschool parent in the classroom.

A White Board

So much can be explained and done on a white board. It does not have to be very large, but it would be a good idea if it is hung up on a wall of the homeschool classroom. Ensure that you have white board markers in all different colors available along with a duster to wipe the board clean.

Art and Craft Supplies

No matter what subject you decide to make a project in, you will need all kinds of art supplies. It’s a good idea to invest in these scissors, cutters, colors, pencils, sharpers, glue and staplers in bulk. They do not spoil over time and they will always be used in the homeschool classroom.

A Laptop and Color Printer

Most families will already have a computer dedicated to the homeschool classroom. Having a laptop with an internet connection is such a basic requirement, that it need not even be mentioned. However having a color printer available at home is a resource that is quite invaluable. So many worksheets, lesson plans, notes and more can be printed out right in the homeschool classroom if a color printer is available.

A Lamination Machine

This may at first not seem to be a very useful resource to spend money on in a homeschooling family. However the sheer number of pages, documents, flash cards, and chore lists that you can laminate and save time on later will be well worth the initial expense of investing in a lamination machine.

A Kindle

Books are the best resource that a homeschool classroom can invest in. However physical books take up a lot of space, which can be in short supply in the homeschool classroom. They also tend to cost much more than their digital counterparts. This means that buying and using e-books is a much better alternative to spending on physical books. Plus with the Amazon Kindle, you have the option to use the Kindle Unlimited membership to have free access to hundreds of books at a very low cost.

Cutting down on expenses is not always easy when you have a classroom full of homeschool students. However there is always a way to stretch what resources you do have to benefit everyone. Here are some ways that you can do more without going bankrupt in your homeschool classroom.

Re-Use What You Have

Instead of investing in workbooks, invest in textbooks. These can be re-used for the next homeschool student who reaches the grade. Buy more unit studies as these will have activities and knowledge for different grade levels and experiences. Use educational games. These can be played with all the homeschool students and can be modified in difficulty levels as they grow older. The idea is to be able to use each resource that you buy for at least two academic sessions and with at least two of your homeschool students to make them more economically viable.

Inexpensive Supplies and Furniture

A lot of money and effort can be saved if you re-purpose what is already available within the home to use in the homeschool classroom rather than going for store bought supplies and furniture. Stock up on spiral notebooks in the month of August when they are cheapest. They can be used throughout the year for various purposes. Buy school supplies in bulk packages where ever possible to ensure that you get good discounts. Reuse school bags, pencil boxes and other material which is still in good condition. Buy something new only when the old breaks beyond repair.

Frugal Field Trips Combined with Errands

Taking the homeschool students on a field trip could often be combined with chores such as picking up groceries so as to save money on fuel. Also field trips can be made to places like public parks, town libraries and historical sites which do not have any entry fees. There is plenty of learning that can happen on such field trips as long as the homeschool parent plans the trip well in advance. Spending on food on a field trip can prove to be quite expensive, so make sure that each homeschool student has their own food packed from home.

The study of science is characterized by attending classes of theory and then putting it to the test in a laboratory experiment. With parents who teach homeschool science is the lack of a formal laboratory in the home a limiting factor? While some may think so, it need not necessarily be so. There are many ways to conduct experiments and the lack of a laboratory need not be a limitation for a home school student if the parent is able to harness the power of available resources.
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Money is always a consideration when a homeschool parent looks into resources for their homeschool students. There are always surprise expenses that tend to throw the homeschool budget out of kilter each academic session. However that does not mean that the homeschool students will have to do without good study material. Here are some ways to homeschool effectively on a shoestring budget.

Don’t Buy, Borrow

When it comes to text books, buying new ones can prove prohibitively expensive. Instead of buying new books look for homeschool cooperative associations and libraries from where you can borrow them. Many such libraries allow you to keep books for a month or more. Use each subject text book to set the tone for the topic being studied and then move on to using other free resources.

Buy Second Hand

Not only are many homeschool parents looking to recover some of the money that they spent on textbooks, it also gives the next homeschooling family a financial cushion to be able to buy textbooks second hand. Keep in touch with parents whose children are in a grade higher than your own and ask them about selling their text books at the end of the academic session. This can be a major savings source.

Library Sales

Books that may not be in the best of states physically are often sold for a song by libraries. The material inside is still good. Check the condition of the books before you buy them to see that you can use them with your homeschool students. You can get a number of reference books at an extremely reasonable rate if you keep track of the local library sales.

Public School Giveaways

While you may not get exactly the sort of books you want your homeschool students to read, you can still pick up map books, encyclopedias, workbooks and other reference material at these giveaways. There is no harm in checking out what you can pick up for free or at really minimal costs. Make sure that you go through all the second hand books you get before handing them over to your children to use.

While every homeschooling parent would like to pretend that the picture perfect classroom runs like clockwork everyday, we all know that it’s a fallacy. There will be good days just as often as there will be bad days in the homeschool classroom. The idea is to keep trying to gather as many good and productive days that you can with your homeschool students. However there are some emotional costs of homeschooling that a homeschool teacher may find difficult to pay.

Explaining Your Decision to Homeschool

“Why do you homeschool your children when there’s a perfectly good public school near by?” This is one of the most energy draining questions that homeschooling parents have to deal with. Having to explain the rationale behind their decision to homeschool, and why they feel that it was a better choice for their children is a huge emotional cost. Even when you stand by your decision firmly, the mere fact that so many people seem to question your choice, can be difficult. It is one the single, most difficult things attached to being a homeschooling parent.

The Constant Supervision

When your children are being homeschooled, you never get a break. A parent whose child goes to regular school can enjoy the time off from supervising the children while they are being handled by teachers in school. A homeschool parent never gets that kind of time off. No matter how they are feeling, in good health, or sickness, with guests arriving for dinner, or grandparent’s dropping in for a quick visit, the homeschool parent is always responsible for their homeschool students. The only true break is when the spouse takes over for a while.

Struggling for Acceptance

While things are much easier now, since there is a higher level of awareness about homeschooling, the regular parents always struggle to accept homeschooling parents. To be a part of a group of parents in the neighborhood who are seen as some what strange or different for their decision to homeschool, is also a taxing emotional experience. They may like you as a person, but not be sure how to react to you or even how to socialize with you.

Unit studies allow a parent to teach a child all possible aspects of a topic or theme in a single schematic manner. This means that if a child is learning about hometown he will learn about the geography of the state and the location of the hometown. Then he will learn about the places of interest in the place which deal with the history of the hometown like museums, the city hall and other related places.
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There are many costs of homeschooling and not all of them are monetary. Here’s a look at what you will be spending when you take on the task of homeschooling your children. This post focuses on the possible monetary costs that you are likely to encounter on your homeschool journey.

The Curriculum and Text Books

These are the basics of providing an education in both the public school as well as the homeschool set up. You will end up buying books for your homeschool students for every grade and each subject that they need to study. This is a given.

Home Library and Internet Data

The reference data that you will need to teach all the subjects will come from one of two primary sources. Books and websites. You may choose to use your local library for the books but may still end up buying books that you refer to often. Similarly you can use the internet at the library, but it makes much more sense to get a good data plan and use the computer at home.

Professional Memberships 

There are homeschool associations, local support groups, legal support groups and homeschool cooperatives that all charge a minor amount as membership fees for all the help that they provide. Depending on the number of groups you join and the features you want available to you, you will have to make payments accordingly.

Standardized Testing

Many states have made standardized testing mandatory for the homeschool students. This allows the state education department to monitor the progress of these students in an unobtrusive way, as well as compare their performance to others in their peer group. These tests all have fees associated with them. Be prepared for these expenses by charting them out in advance.

Extracurricular Activities and Sports

Often a good way to socialize homeschool students is to make them join classes for crafts, arts, music and team sports. These can be as per the interest and talent that your homeschool student displays. As well as what is locally available for the child to attend. These classes will also bear a monetary cost.

A High School Diploma is usually considered a must for admission into a college. It is a good idea to get in touch with a college counselor to get details of what kind of homeschool diploma will be acceptable to the college for admission purpose. For a homeschool student who may have completed the high school requirements at home, is it possible to get a formal diploma?

The most common practice for the parents to design and present the homeschool students with a diploma by themselves. In this case the homeschool is treated as an independent educational institution. The details include the name of the institution (i.e. the homeschool) issuing the diploma, name of the student,  city and state in which the diploma is issued, date, and a signature of the individual who has overseen the student’s education.

For some parents who may be associated with an online school or correspondence school, it may be possible to arrange a diploma from this educational institute as well. This will have the name of that specific school along with all the other details outlined in the passage above. It will be issued to the students who have enrolled for a specific course with the institute and have successfully completed it.

In extremely rare cases the parents may approach the local public school and ask about them issuing a high school diploma to their homeschool students. The educational institute will probably ask the student to undergo some testing in order to determine that the child is competent in the subjects that he or she is supposed to be graduating high school in. Usually this is not seen as public schools do not encourage homeschooling.

In some states it is possible for the homeschool student to obtain a high school diploma from the Department of Education. This is specially true of states where the homeschool parents must continuously update the department about the progress of their homeschooled children through the years. The years of transcripts and standard tests which are a must for this process serve as the basis of the allotment of the high school diploma.

In regular school each academic subject is taught in a different class and at times by a different teacher. The same is not necessary in a homeschooling program where the parent can teach the child using unit studies.
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Moving from homeschooling to regular school can be a monumental step. It is a decision which can not be made lightly on the spur of the moment. For the process to be smooth and the transaction to be successful certain tasks need to be taken care of before hand.If you went through your initial education as a home schooler and now want to get into a regular high school you will need to get a few things in order before you can join classes.
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Self-doubt is the worst affliction that a homeschool teacher can be afflicted with. There are so many people around you being negative about homeschooling that it’s difficult to keep telling yourself that you are doing the right thing. Questions such as  “Am I doing the right thing?” or  “Is my child getting all that he needs?” are usually floating through the minds of any new homeschooling parent. How do you deal with it? By asking yourself some tough questions.

What Are Your Reasons For Homeschooling?

Are you homeschooling your child for the right reasons? Is is because you want your child to have a good learning experience and to be able to grow into a well adjusted human being? Or are you simply trying to instill the correct moral values in your child that you find are lacking in the public school set up? Maybe you just think it’s cheaper to homeschool your children? What is the reason that turned you to homeschooling your children? Think about it. You will know if it’s a good one in your heart.

What Are Your Priorities?

No matter what your reason for homeschooling your child, do you make it a priority to ensure that the child is studying well?Does the child have age appropriate toys and books? If the child has enough to challenge him while he learns new things, it means that as a homeschool teacher you are doing a credible job. If he can hold his own in a conversation with peers and share his toys while playing, he’s adapting well to his social life.

What Values Are You Passing Down?

Does your child wish elders? Is he mindful of other people in the room when he’s playing loud music? Does he help with chores around the home? What are the messages that you send him with your own actions and words regarding correct values and morals?  No parent will try to willingly harm their child, and neither are you. Your New Year Resolution should be to have faith in the process. To know that you are doing your best and that your child is benefiting from your efforts.

No matter how hard you try, the holidays are likely to throw the schedule you have for your homeschool classroom out of kilter. While this is especially true for those who are new to homeschooling, most homeschool teachers will face this issue to some degree. This means that you need to reorganize what you will be teaching the next month to include what you have been unable to teach this month.

Since you will not be making too much progress with your homeschool students during this period of time, it can be used instead to get yourself more organized about the upcoming homeschool schedules post the holidays. Here are some things that you can do in advance to stay ahead of the game in January.

Get the Homeschool Classroom Cleaned Out 

There are a number of tasks that a homeschool teacher will put off on a normal school day. Now is the time to catch up with all that cleaning up. Go shelf by shelf and check what is no longer needed in the classroom. Collect the old worksheets and discard the ones that are not going into the children’s portfolios. De-clutter and make more storage space available.

Check Materials and Furniture 

Take a stock of all the arts and crafts material and see what supplies are running low. Make a list of all the stationery items that you are going to need, if possible place the order for delivery after the holidays. If the furniture needs to be cleaned out or painted, this is a good time to do so as the class is not is use. Painting the walls or wall papering is also an idea to consider.

Make Correction to Your Study Plans 

The lesson plans that you may have worked on at the beginning of the year may not be working out so well now that you are actually using them. Now is a good time to remake these plans with a healthy dose of reality thrown in. Add the extra days that you didn’t give yourself to make up work that is left out from previous classes.

The homeschool curriculum you follow is essentially a guideline to help you teach your children. Do not make the mistake of following it so rigidly that you lose the advantage of teaching your children at home at the pace that they are comfortable with. Each child is different. Just because your first child enjoyed coloring it does not follow that your second child will also like it as much.
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Sharing is Caring

The winter months can be a tough time for people who are less fortunate. By making your homeschool students aware that they can do something for such people, you give them a practical lesson in sharing is caring. Make a list of people who your family knows who could do with some brand of sharing. This could be in terms of time spent with the elderly who are lonely, or putting together a care package for students or military personnel in foreign countries, or even just gift wrapping toys for the local orphanage. Think up of new ways that they can share things as well as their time to show how much they care.

Possible Places to Visit

The local orphanage is a good place to visit during the holidays. Take along all the clothes that the homeschool students have outgrown. The books that no one seems to be reading anymore and the toys that have been sitting on the shelf without being played with in ages, are both good gifts to give away. Maybe make the time and effort to visit a local veteran center and perform a play to entertain them. One of the easiest things is to prepare a set of Christmas Carols and go singing them at locations such as the children’s hospital, the old age home, and even the orphanage. The idea is to spread some cheer in society.

What is Expected of the Children

Explain to the younger children about the concept of giving. How giving anything from a smile to a favorite old sweater away can bring joy to someone else in their life. Speak about how people less fortunate than the homeschooling family that they belong to deal with the harsh realities of life. It is never too early to develop compassion in your children. Make it a point to have them behave well with everyone they interact. Remember they should not feel that they are doing someone a favor, instead they should realize that it’s about giving back to the society that has already given them so much more than others their own age.

The holidays can be fraught with numerous activities and trying to schedule a regular homeschool day in the midst of Church activities, Christmas shopping, carol singing and gift exchanges can be difficult. Instead why not shift the focus during the holidays on other activities?

Slow Down the Formal Academics

It’s okay if you don’t hit the textbooks regularly during this time. Remember homeschool learning is pretty flexible. You can teach your homeschool students different subjects without ever opening a reference book. Use daily activities to instill good values and morals. Pick up on activities that teach them how to do something new, while staying away from worksheets and practice in the formal set up.

Start a Deliberate Acts of Kindness Routine

Advent calendars are a good way to reinforce kindness training. Have a small act of kindness written on top of the date and a small gift in the pocket below. The homeschool student needs to complete the act of kindness and have it approved before he can get his hands on the day’s gift. You will find them planning ahead and thinking up of ways to get the act of kindness done as soon as possible.

Teach Life Skills for Actual Living

Things like baking cookies, wrapping gifts, making handmade cards, addressing and posting the cards, decorating a tree with home made ornaments are all skills for life. Just because the children are helping the homeschool parent to get ready for the celebration doesn’t mean that they are not learning anything. They are being instilled with actual life skills that will serve them for a lifetime.

Read Stories and Sing Songs

Set aside some time for just having a bit of fun. Yes there are a million little things that need your attention for the celebrations to be ideal, but you aren’t always going to have your children in the house with you. Have a story read out loud by the eldest sibling. Follow it up with some carol singing for just the family to have fun. Get into the true spirit of giving by giving your children some memories that will last them a lifetime.

As you fend off a crisis in your life it may well affect your ability to deal with the home school curriculum simultaneously. There can be all kinds of special situations where you may face an out of the way crisis. It could be a simple thing like the death of a near and dear person, or something far more catastrophic such as a physical natural disaster like an earthquake or a tornado aftermath. Truth is a crisis of any magnitude can make it nearly impossible for you to continue your regular home school schedule and studies.
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Random Acts of Kindness done during the month of December allow homeschool children to realize that there’s more to the holidays than gifts and merry making. Put up a list of such random acts in the homeschool classroom and ask your homeschool students to tick off at least ten by the time the month’s over. Here are some suggestions that you can use for kids in different age groups.

A toddler in kindergarten can be asked to call up a long distance relative and bring them some holiday cheer. This would work even better if they were to speak with grandparents who may not live in the same town. It will also instill in them a sense of family and belonging. Another act could be to compliment someone. Explain the concept and have them practice on the full family.

Young ones till grade 5 can be asked to do a chore for someone else. It could be for the homeschool parent, a sibling or even a neighbor. As long as the child can manage the chore safely, that’s acceptable. This shows the child that all people have responsibilities and they need to step up with their own. Allow them to do something fun like wishing a stranger with a smile. It’s a good way to help shy children make friends.

Middle school homeschool children could be asked to make cards and tree ornaments to be given away to people in the hospital, or even posted to those serving in the military who are unable to be at home. This activity will not only show them the importance of charity, but will prove that there are people in a worse situation than they are. Allow them to create a sidewalk greeting and write it out. They can mark it out in the snow as well.

Your older teenagers can be given a more comprehensive list with items such as thanking someone for making a difference in their lives, to collecting clothes and books around the house that can be donated. Do include simple ones like give someone a hug and letting a person behind them in line get in front of them as well.

A number of states have different legislation required when it comes to homeschooling within the United States of America. Some states are easier to homeschool in than others. States requiring no notice to the school district include Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Texas. The HSLDA is an organisation that allows you to find out the legal requirements you need to meet when you are considering homeschooling.

Unfortunately, it is not always legal to homeschool your children in other countries. If you are a homeschool family that is planning to live abroad for a while, it would be well worth the effort to find out exactly what the country’s laws regarding homeschool entail. There are more than forty countries listed on Wikipedia where it is illegal to homeschool your children. Make sure that if you are going to one of them, that you enroll your child in the legal school system.

While homeschooling is a progressive movement across the globe, and more people are opting to teach their children at home instead of sending them to public or private schools, it is still not quite as popular as it will get. Many governments around the world still feel that parents are unable to impart quality education to their children, and in third world countries this may be true because the parents are barely literate themselves. In time the option to homeschool your child would become available in more nations.

There are already nations where homeschooling is illegal, but allowed for children with special needs. Since the public school system is unable to cope in these countries with the extra attention that a special needs child requires, they have allowed parents to homeschool these children. As more people around the world realize that homeschooling can have just as many advantages as public or private schools we will see them rallying to make it legal in their own countries as well. Till then, be grateful if you live in a country which will not arrest you and throw you into jail simply because you choose to give your children an education within your home.

A few decades ago regular schools were the only logical choice for schooling because most parents just did not have the resources to teach their children at home even if they wanted to. Thanks to the advance of technology this is no longer a limiting factor for parents looking forward to teaching their children at home. These days it is easy to get homeschooling help if you chose to teach yourself.
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Homeschooling Parents are free to either use a fixed curriculum or pick and choose books and resources for each subject. The choice is often difficult to make. Should you save time by picking up a ready made curriculum offered for the grade your homeschool student is in? Or should you be flexible about what your child may or may not study in the academic session based on his or her interest?

Independent Learning

The end goal of a homeschool student is to be able to teach himself about whatever subject he may have interest in. To encourage independent learning the homeschooling parent may choose to forego a set homeschool curriculum with fixed books and learning resources. This will allow them to pick up learning material as and when they require based on how they proceed in each topic.

It can be more economical to buy a single books or so each month than buying an entire set at the beginning of the year. However in the long run, you may end up spending more on individual books collectively during the academic session. It will depend on the homeschool family’s budget to pick the option that suits them best.

Hands On Tools

With a set homeschool curriculum kit, there will be a limited number of activities that encourage hands on learning. Yes, the books will tell you about activities and there may even be a kit or two in the pile to do something interesting, but on the whole they will focus on books and workbooks for the learning.

While a homeschool teacher, who is not restricted by a set curriculum kit, will be able to add any activities that they like. They can pick up art kits, robotics kits, craft materials as required for different projects, when they want to. The flexibility and freedom of choice will be much greater in this case.

So, which is better? To have a formal, set homeschool curriculum or to make up your own along the way? That is a question best answered by the homeschool teacher by taking finances and teaching preferences into account.

The winter months can be chaotic for homeschooling families. Not only is the weather chilling the bones, the holidays mess up all the daily routines that worked so well through the rest of the year. Here are some activities that may help the homeschooling parent make some progress with the learning of the homeschool students.

Build a Snowman

Physical activity is what gets relegated to the back burner for most children during the cold months of winter. Don’t be afraid of the homeschooling students falling sick. Instead bundle them up nicely, ensure heads and hands are protected, and let them loose in the backyard to build a snowman. Doesn’t snow where you live? No problem. Just add an outdoor trek in the local town park instead. Make sure that they get to burn some calories. They will look alive. Make sure to save these memories of rosy cheeks by taking plenty of photographs.

Bake Cookies

Not only do winters cry for some home baked cookies, they are also a great way to set up an impromptu lesson for your homeschooled kids. Let them convert a recipe into making twice as many cookies, doubling all values. Make them do the measurements with the cups and the spoons. If possible get a recipe in metric values and get them to convert it to pounds and ounces. Teach them about how the oven heats up and bakes the cookies. Heat transference can be a great physics lesson in the kitchen. Talk about the chemical reaction that cooks the raw dough into yummy cookies. There’s so much to teach in the kitchen.

Make Decorations

With the holiday season upon us, it’s easy to come up with a ton of arts and crafts projects to make decorations. You can do up the homeschool classroom first with indoor decorations. Then move on to more challenging projects for decorating outside the house. Lawn figurine sculptures, painted rocks, bottle art and a whole lot more can be given a seasonal holiday twist. If you have trouble coming up with ideas for projects just browse the internet. There are a lot of do-it-yourself projects with step by step directions easily available.