Practical Homeschooling » homeschool newbies

How Much Time Do You Get Your Children To School/Educate Each Day In A Structured Manner?

Laura — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:30:55 +0000

A friend of mine posted this letter to a local homeschool mailing list, and I wanted to share it along with my response, hoping that you too, can share your own opinions.

Hello all.

I took my children out of school at the end of January last term, and have decided to home educate them. I have slowly been imersing myself in the home school community and getting involved with other families as our family schedule allows.

My frustration is this. I have been feeling really bad as though I am not keeping up to what I ‘signed up for’. We have not been structured at all since taking them out. I tried that for the first few months and that just didn’t work, partly due to my oldest having diagnosed adhd (and likely the others have it too). So we un-schooled or de-schooled for months after that (my oldest had been in grade 5 in the school system and is considered near genius level intelligence).

I know my children learn best through using technology and it has been a slow process of waiting for our computer issues to be fully dealt with (having to re format them with another operating system, basically fully wiping them out) so that I can have just computer software. on them to use for learning, and they will not have access to the internet on those computers. So while waiting, they haven’t been technically doing muuch educating (aside from playing online once day, and reader rabbit on the one computer, went to the telus world of science recently and toured all the exhibits briefly, as best as can be with children w/ adhd, and taking books out of the library for them to read and give a brief bullet point word document on what they found interesting about the book they read). Aside from this they haven’t had anything structured, just trying to get the older two more active with helping around the house.

I am anticipating getting them the horse back riding lessons that were posted on here earlier, which I think will be a lot of fun.

So I guess what I’d like to know is about how much time the majority of you get your chilren to do schooling/educating each day in a structured manner. My children are age 4,6,8, and 11.

Thanks for your feedback, I’m looking forward to the replies.

And my response:

It sounds like you are already doing a great job! As I like to say, children learn in spite of us. Give them some tools and let them fly.

Have you thought of using some funding to get a laptop for them? Especially for your oldest, he could make good uso of it to make projects and create computer programs and such. Lotus123 is now free and so easy to use that children can program on it.

Get involved in the community. Tomorrow there’s a gym day at Evangel for homeschoolers–what better day to expend some energy?

As long as you let your children follow their passions, you can never go wrong as far as education goes. Check out Sandra Dodd‘s website for a different perspective on children and education.

What advice do you have for this mother about home-educating four very-active children? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below.

Homeschool In A Box Update

Laura — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 17:12:09 +0000

It’s a BEAUTIFUL autumn day here in Alberta, and we’re hoping to go to the Muttart Conservatory to view the lovely gardens.

I’ve been promising you an update on Homeschool In A Box, and here it is! This is the final update that I will entering in a blog post. In the future, you’ll have to sign up for the newsletter here to get periodic updates. It’s free, and your address will never be used for anything more than to send you relevant updates.

Join Now!

New sections have been added to HIAB, and along with it, new resources. I’m constantly updating the site as I find the time and welcome any additions you’d like to share so that this site can become an awesome resource for FREE resources for homeschoolers and parents.

Newest Additions

New Section: Full Curricula –an area to showcase complete curricula available online. One curriculum is there so far, with more to come.
New Subject: Language Arts –four sub-sections have been added: Literature, Reading and Phonics, Spelling, and Writting.
Reading and Phonics has quite a few awesome (and complete) phonics programs that have been listed.
The Spelling section also has some nice additions, with six new resources as of today.
In writing, an awesome link on the proper way to teach children to write. I’ve found it to be a real eye-opener.
New Subject: Math –lots of new resources here with nine Arithmetic links, two Algebra ones, one for Geometry, and one article of interest.
New Subject: Physical Education –a sub-section was created here for Funding Sources to subsidize your children in organized sports programs.
New Subject: Religion –A sub-section was created for Christianity, with many more to come.
In Christianity, you’ll find a neat Christian character-building curriculum called Kids Of Integrity.
New Subject: Science –this subject has so-far been divided into Chemistry, Life Sciences and Physics.
Chemistry is divided into Atoms and Molecules, and the Periodic Table of Elements.
Life Sciences has been categorized into Animal Science, Botany, the Human Body, Microbiology and Oceanography with lots of resources in each.
Physics is further sub-divided into Energy and Machines, each containing some new links.

It’s my wish that these resources be useful to you, your friends and your family. Help out by submitting your own favourite resources (you will be credited for them), and tell them about the HIAB-Updates list so that they can be aware of new additions. You can send your resources by clicking on the “Contact Us” link in the navigation menu at the top of the page.

Did You Remember To Join?

Announcing Homeschool In A Box (HIAB)

Laura — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 18:01:48 +0000

If you’ve visited the site lately, you may have noticed a new link hanging around in the navigation menu. It’s not active yet, but it will be soon…I am pleased to announce that this site is being taken to a whole new level!

In a bid to make home education as accessible and low-cost as possible, Practical-Homeschooling is launching a free program titled ‘Homeschool In A Box’

Launching April 1rst, the goal is to offer as many resources as possible for you to aid your child in his/her education for free or almost free.

It’s still a work in progress, but I’m positive that you’ll find the resources very beneficial for you and your children. Even if you don’t homeschool, there will be many gems that you will want to explore with your child!

I’m always looking for contributions. If you have files that you’ve created and want to share, please contact me via the online contact form.

“Oh, I could NEVER homeschool!”

Laura — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 02:30:14 +0000

We’ve all heard this statement. Read how Samantha at The Homeschool Classroom responds to this.

If you are a homeschooling mother and have been homeschooling for any length of time (more than a day perhaps) you have probably had a conversation similar to the one that I recently had again:

“What grade is your daughter in?”

“She’s in 7th grade now.”

“Where does she go to school?”

“Actually, I homeschool my children.”

“That’s great, wow! Oh, I could NEVER homeschool my kids. You must be so… insert word of choice – patient, organized, energetic“ (This statement is said with a mixture of wonder, amazement, and outright horror passing over the mother’s face).

Now, I never know what to say next. After being in this situation so many times, I still only manage to mumble weakly that I’m sure they would do a good job. Hopefully, the topic will then drop.

After these conversations, I have often wondered if I have some incredible combination of exceptional qualities that has enabled me to get up every day and teach my children at home for the past 7 years. I have decided, sadly, that I simply do not. I’m not nearly as organized as some moms. I’m not nearly as enthusiastic as some moms. And, I’m not nearly as patient as some moms. Having said that, I do think that to homeschool my children, I do need to be somewhat organized, enthusiastic, and patient. I also think that the best training ground for me to actually BECOME more organized, enthusiastic, and patient has been homeschooling my kids.

Continue reading here.

9 Tips for New Homeschoolers

Laura — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:45:43 +0000

So you’ve decided to homeschool. Here are 21 tips to help you get onto the right path.

1. Know why you want to homeschool

Homeschooling is not easy. As such, it’s not a decision to be taken lightly. Having said this, homeschooling is also an awesomely rewarding experience. You are not only taking responsibility for your children’s education, you are also reclaiming your status as a full-time parent and embracing your children’s presence in a way not possible if they are in a traditional school.

Be sure that you are homeschooling for the right reasons. Don’t use homeschooling as a form of punishment for your children; this could easily backfire on you. Homeschooling should be a positive experience for both you and your children.

2. Get informed about your local homeschool laws

Homeschool laws vary by state/province/country. You need to be familiar with them and if a move is planned in the near future, know the laws that govern your new home state. Sometimes, you have lots of paperwork to hand in, or you have to register yourself as a ‘private school’ in order to homeschool, other places are much less strict and require little in terms of paperwork.

These sites host a copy of homeschool laws which may be relevant to your location:

Homeschool Legal Defence Association

Canadian Homeschool Laws

International Laws

3. A quick note about ‘socialization’

A common criticism is that homeschooled children are not ‘socialized.’ What exactly does this mean? Is it necessary to spend your days crowded into a room with 20 other people the same age and forced to live by a bell in order to be socialized? I know many homeschooled kids and I’ve yet to meed one who is not well-behaved or down’t know how one should ‘behave’ in public.

For your reading pleasure:

What about socialization?

Is socialization a problem for homeschoolers?

What About Socialization?

Your Child and Homeschooling: the Socialization Issue

4. Don’t forget to deschool

After a child has spent x number of years in a school system, they become programmed to comply to said-system. Deschooling is a detoxification process which help children decompress them from the stresses and routines of regular schooling and prepares them to enter homeschooling without being prejudiced to it’s philosophies.

It’s said that for each year of public schooling, a child needs 1 month of deschooling where they can go by their own whims and rediscover life’s pleasures.

On deschooling:

Deschooling for Parents

DeSchooling Tips

5. Google is your best friend.

Go ahead, try it!

Some good search terms to begin with:

homeschool, homeschool resources, free educational resources, free worksheets

6. Get good deals on educational supplies

These are some of my favourite sites for ordering good supplies and resources:

Rainbow Resource Center

Carson-Dellosa Publishing

7. Where to find great curriculums

Whether a curriculum is good or not is often a matter of perspective. Here are a couple of sites that offer help with that all-important decision.

Home School Curriculum Advisor

School and Homeschool Curriculum Books and Resources

8. Look for support

As with everything in life, you’ll find that homeschooling has its ups and downs. Not everyday will be a sunny day, you’ll have your struggles and there will be times you wish you’d kept your children in school. Support makes all the difference in how you ultimately deal with homeschooling. Use the Internet, and other homeschoolers you know to find local support groups where you can exchange successes and failures, and can also organize field trips with, or activities where your children can get together with other homeschooled children.

9. Have fun!

Homeschool is not meant to be a burdensome experience. Everything is a learning activity, from watching TV to playing with Lego. Use that to your best ability and enjoy the journey!