Ten Tips For Revitalizing The Home Classroom

No, we’re not talking about immunizations. We are talking about booster shots for those families that have homeschooled for so long, or so in depth that they have lost the joy of why they started this journey in the first place.

You may be one of those families that has been homeschooling for 9 years or so and now are on the home stretch, or you may be new to the journey and have gotten in over your head and wondered if this is the right choice. Any and all of us could use a Booster Shot at some point.

Here my top 10 ideas:

10. Field Trip! Just a short one or maybe even a day long adventure - your choice, but there is nothing like a field trip to break up the week and breath life into a student’s schedule.

9. Read Aloud! If you don’t already do this, it’s a good time to start when your battery is low. You can read to them, or they can take turns reading to you and each other. It’s a great way to bond and relax. Yes, even high school kids like this still!

8. School Outside! The weather is turning warmer in most parts of the country! Take the books, the art, the portable CD player and learn outside. Even better, just walk and study what is about to bloom and discuss the science of this blessing!

7. Combining 8 & 9! One booster for us, all the way up until mid high school, was to take a huge blanket out under the sun or shade tree and read. We would watch clouds, pet new baby chicks or kitties and just enjoy hearing a good story in the fresh air.

6. Year-round School Schedule! This SOUNDS awful to some people, but it doesn’t ‘t really mean school every single day! It means for each month of the year, you have school for 3 weeks and then one week off. These schedules can often be planned around holidays. If you and your student knew that every three weeks you both got a significant break, there is time to plan fun or just do NOTHING every month!

5. Find a Co-op! Many area support groups have some co-op learning classes. Often it will require that you volunteer a bit of your time once in a while, but the change of pace and learning surroundings can be invaluable to both you and all students involved!

4. Let the Student Plan - not You! One of my children wanted the freedom to plan her own Senior year completely. She chose an extra science and an extra social studies. She also planned every weeks’ work and is doing so that she can be finished WELL before her graduation ceremony date - by her 18th birthday! This has motivated her and also taught her accountability. It has also lightened my load to simply grading!

3. Let a Science Experiment ‘evolve’ into more! This was always one sure fire way for my kids to get a little giggly or off track - but boy it is memorable and it was worth the side track! Take the science experiment to any lengths your child’s questions or curiosity will let it go (but let’s be safe about it). Not only do they learn more by not having to fit into a science ‘box’ - but you will ignite the joy of learning again - and you will LOVE to see how their minds work when unhindered by steps preordained by someone else!

2. Talk with others! When you get the chance, ask other parents for ideas that may be inviting to your homeschool to use. You may also be surprised how your kids react when they find out what other kids do for their homeschool. My kids were actually pleasantly pleased when they heard the schedule and weight of some other homeschooled students their age. I became a ‘cool’ mom (for a little while anyway).

1. My number 1 favorite! Just take the day off (or the week) when you know you’ve all reached your limit! Bake a big ole batch of chocolate chip cookies, play with the pets, make a mess, don’t grade, don’t file and don’t worry. Mix this in with prayer and thanksgiving that you have the chance to be home with your kids and I’ll guarantee that an attitude of gratitude will renew that joy to your homeschool heart!

Wealthy Affiliate Tips: Seasonal Influences For Online Marketing

Just as retailers plan and set out attractive displays to take advantage of seasonal spending, you need to keep seasonal interests in mind for your online marketing. Granted, you reach a worldwide audience, so you don’t need to be too specific. But there are certain “seasons” for buying that are universal.

New Year’s – The start of the year causes people to make those pesky New Year’s resolutions. They promise to lose weight, start exercising, clean out clutter in home and office, establish better time management skills and begin regular savings programs.

The search engines are buzzing with these keyword topics the week before January and throughout the month. You need to be ready with information products to turn those resolutions into workable strategies. But do it fast, because resolutions don’t last much past February.

Spring – When tiny flowers and green leaves peek out from winter weary branches, there’s a sense of renewal.  People start to think about planting a garden, fixing up the patio or landscape and beginning outdoor sports. Package information products on early gardening and join affiliate programs that ship flowers and buds.

Summer – This is prime family vacation time - parents looking for activities for children who are out of school and outdoor entertainment.  You don’t have to compete with the big travel sites. What you have to offer is ideas for summer fun - family friendly resorts, how to choose a summer camp and creating lush outdoor spaces on a budget.

Back to School – At least a month before school starts, parents are shopping for school clothes, supplies and electronics. Present reviews that are informative and connected to affiliate programs for back to school products. Don’t forget the homeschool families and add products for them, too.

Fall, Harvest, Thanksgiving - The change of seasons brings last camping opportunities, team sports, school events and family travel for the traditional Thanksgiving holiday. Put a new twist on information products, such as how to prepare a vegan feast or helping your child cross-train for multiple sports participation.

Winter, Christmas - The colder weather brings winter sports, family gatherings, shopping and decorating for holidays in December. Prepare a list of less crowded, budget friendly winter sports vacations, and how to save time shopping online and decorating using what you already have at home. It’s also leading into the year-end time of reflection when people think about what they enjoyed and what they want to change next year.

As you make seasonal marketing plans, remember that the seasons arrive at different times on each side of the equator. So if you’re marketing outside of the United States, what you consider spring may be fall elsewhere.

Winter break can be prime ski resort time in Aspen, Colorado and sun-bathing on the beach in Sydney, Australia. The good news is that you can use “spring” for both sides of the equator with different timing and slight tweaks of the information.

Great Tips On How To Successfully Earn A High School Diploma

A high school diploma is a basic necessity if you want a decent job in the future or if you want to proceed for further studies. Here are some tips to guide you through the process of successfully earning your high school diploma.

It Requires Hard Work. You will need to devote time and effort in order to lay your hands on that diploma. Just assuming that it is a piece of cake and not working towards earning it can leave a bitter taste at the last moment and it might be too late to activate your brain cells during crunch time. So work hard from the start of the year itself so that there is no undue pressure throughout the course.

Approach Methodically. Have a clear plan of action in your mind and if possible on paper as to how you intend to reach your goals. Keep your plan realistic and achievable but do not push everything at the rear or you could have too much pressure and do not start off with an explosive push since that could burn you out before the end of the semester. Instead, pace yourself with smaller modules. By splitting large tasks into smaller modules, you will be able to achieve them in the fixed time limit and that will give you a sense of satisfaction and confidence to take the future tasks at hand.

Keep An Eye On Areas Of Interest. Even as you study hard to inch towards that high school diploma, keep an eye out on subjects that interest you more and in which you manage to achieve better results. These subjects can be pursued in case you opt for higher studies or you could get jobs related to the subjects of your choice.

Get Help Wherever Needed. You might find some subjects harder to grasp as compared to others. Do not hesitate to ask your teachers for extra help or try to study with a group of other students who might be able to help you out in those subjects. In exchange, you can help other weak students in your stronger subjects.

Measure And Push Yourself Up The Grading Ladder. You will soon come to know as to where you stand since regular tests by your teachers will result in grades. In case you have got a ‘C’ grade in any particular subject, study harder to progress towards a ‘B’ and then ultimately towards an ‘A’ or an ‘A+’. If you do not pay heed to those results then you will always remain at the lower end and might even slip lower during the final tests. So, keep an eye on those grades and push yourself to perform better.

All Work And No Play Makes Jack Tired And Irritable. Work hard but take regular breaks in order to refresh your mind and body. Eat well, sleep properly and pursue your hobbies as long as it is within the prescribed time limit.

Age Is Not A Factor. If you have missed the high school diploma train then do not worry. Try your luck at any age and nowadays there are diplomas offered online too and these can offer you a chance to catch up on your dreams.

Achieving that high school diploma requires will power and hard work and by following these tips and keeping one eye on the future benefits, it might not be long before you could be tossing that graduation cap in the air.

How to Home School - 3 Top Tips

You’ve made the decision that homeschooling your child is the right decision for you, your child, and the rest of your family. Now you find yourself dealing with a mix of excitement and fear. What comes next? Will you be able to pull this off? Do you really know how to home school your child? Are you really prepared for this?

Relax.

I’ve got three top tips to get you started off on the right foot. Knowing how to home school your child isn’t nearly as difficult as you might imagine.

1. Learn The Rules

Every state and many local municipalities have unique rules and requirements that govern their home schooling programs. Some are very loose. Others are quite strict. So you want to begin your new journey by learning and following these requirements.

For home schoolers, you’ll likely want to investigate home education regulations and equivalency laws. For example, you may need to maintain records of child’s progress. And though rare, some states may also require the teaching parent to meet minimum educational qualifications.

Don’t let this scare you away.

The rules are designed to provide the best experience for your child and are generally easily met.

2. Join A Support Group

It’s always helpful to participate in a support group when venturing into new territory and this is true of home schooling as well. A group of like-minded people, many who have “been there and done that” can not only help bolster your decision to home school, but can also provide you with valuable tips and advice that will make your experience go much smoother.

In addition, you’ll find many such groups support outside activities that help promote your child’s social interactions. Visits to the zoo or the museum, tours of the local newspaper, and afternoon bowling league… these all provide great opportunities for your child’s socialization.

3. Establishing Your Curriculum

The next step in getting you past the initial fear of how to home school your child is to determine the curriculum. This is an important step since influencing what your child learns is one of the primary reasons for home schooling. And this is the best place start, with the question: why do I want to home school my child?

The answer to this question can guide you through the decision making process in developing your curriculum.

In addition, the state or local education agency should be able to provide you with guidelines for your child’s age. You’ll also want to make sure the curriculum is appropriate for your child’s unique skills, abilities, and needs. That’s what makes learning how to home school so worth your time and efforts.

Don’t miss your free report: Home Schooling Your Children. To get started home schooling your child, check out: Beginner’s Guide to Home Schooling.

Important Tips for Home Schooling Your High School Kid

Home Schooling is gaining popularity as it provides the best possible education to enable your child to do well at the high school and college level, and in the future chosen career or profession.

Home-school is a boon that keeps your child away from devastating peer pressure. Your child becomes conscientious of the effort needed in a home-school program and thereby works harder.

How Should You Go About Home Schooling for Your High School Child?

During the elementary stages of a child’s education, it is easy to organize and home-school the child. The uncertainty arises when it concerns your high school child. Your child will soon be at the stage when he or she needs to find a place in this world and will be evaluated accordingly by the outside world.

How should you go about home schooling this stage? Here are some important tips to help you home school your high school child.

The first thing to keep in mind and to take into consideration the expectations and apprehensions your child may have when doing a home school program. What is your child’s interest and what career or profession is your child bent towards? You and your child together will need to research the net for suggestions and options and how and where to go about such studies.

You should as a parent, be able to talk and discuss the kind of options that are available and possible for your child. Judging from the child’s interests, you will be able to make suggestions about the direction in which his talent blooms. One should, however, remember that a child’s interests may be inclined towards one profession today and towards another the very next day. As friend, philosopher and guide it will be your job to inform the child about all the professions and what will be required to qualify for it. The final choice and decision, however, should be left to your child.

You should prepare your child at the high school stage for future education in college. There would be a certain level of proficiency that would be required and you need to build that base in your child. Find out what is the level required for college admissions and prepare your child accordingly.

In choosing a home school program for your high school child, it means that you will be able to direct the course of study and supervise the learning. You would also be able to provide a sense of security and bonding thus making it quality time spent with your child. The good thing is that you do not need to rush through a program and are free to discuss and opine on the subject being studied.

The best thing about home school is that your child has reached a stage of maturity and independence to carry on with his studies without constant assistance from you. You should take advantage of this independence in his method of study.

All this enables freedom, flexibility, and bonding between you and your child. Home schooling is a program not only for the younger age group but also for the high schooler.

Child Safety: Fire Safety for Homeschooling Families

According to the KLAAS Kids Foundation, fire is one of the top three leading causes for accidental death in the home. Teaching your children responsible and safe habits concerning fire is important to your child’s well-being. Here are some helpful tips!

Kids tend to be fascinated by the electrical socket. What is a normal, insignificant household appliance is right within the reach of children and appears to be a lot of fun to explore. Therefore, it is very important to discuss with your child that it is not a toy and that hands and objects should always be kept away from sockets and electrical cords.

Although they make the perfect support for a tent or fort, instruct your children to never place clothes, blankets, or similar items on a lamp. It may not seem like it, but lamps can produce a tremendous amount of heat and may ignite these materials. Find other, non-electrical objects with them that can be used instead!

Tell your children that matches and lighters are not to be used if a parent or other responsible adult is not present. In a similar vein, children should not cook in the kitchen by themselves, as accidents may occur. Make cooking a family affair. Children can learn great safety habits by your example.

Take a look around your own home and see if there is anything else that you can find that would be important to talk to your children about. Do you heat with a woodstove? Where are furnaces located? Every home is different, so make sure you have it all covered.

If a fire were to occur in your home, would your children know how to react? Always know where the fire extinguisher is and make sure that it is accessible. If the fire becomes unmanageable, do not take the time to collect prized items. Leave the house quickly. No material possession is as valuable as your life. It might even be a good idea to map out an escape route. Fires can cause confusion and panic, so it’s good to be prepared.

There is one final thing to keep in mind. If a child were to catch on fire, here is a simple phrase that could save their life! “Stop, Drop, and Roll.” Rolling around on the floor will help put out the fire.

For further instruction and information, get a group together and take a trip to the local fire station! Local firefighters would be more than happy to share with you and your children safety tips and fire prevention. It would be a lot of fun and provide your children with a firsthand experience.

Homeschooling, A Different Path

Homeschooling is a common alternative to public or private education for students from kindergarten to twelfth grade. Homeschooling is a great option for children who learn best at their own pace, be it the accelerated learner or the student who may need a little more time to master a subject. Before you fully commit to homeschooling your child, you should gather homeschooling resources. There are endless resources available for parents who want to homeschool their child, and they cater to any sort of teaching style that you as a parent turned educator might posses.

Don’t let the task of homeschooling overwhelm you. It may seem like an incredible and impossible endeavor at first glance, but once the different aspects of homeschooling as a whole, and a closer look has been taken, you will wonder why you ever worried. There are countless and varied homeschooling resources available to the parent who is thinking about homeschooling their child. One of the best hubs of information for the aspiring homeschool teacher is a local homeschooling organization. Most states have homeschooling groups where you can get personal stories as well as tips on how to most effectively homeschool your child.

The best homeschooling resource is, of course, the internet. From blogs written by parents who have forged the homeschooling path before you, to more professional hubs of information, the internet is probably your best bet. A simple Google search will result in complete lesson plans and homework assignments. You can choose what program is right for you; there is no need to be boxed in by certain tests, materials or homework. If you are looking for an explicit pre-written curriculum, again you can turn to the internet to help you find what you need. The best part about homeschooling is you can take pre-existing lesson plans and curriculum and alter them to yours own and your child’s personal needs.

 

Teaching Homeschool Science

Science seems to be one of the most difficult things for many homeschool parents to teach.  It’s a complex subject with many different facets, and some homeschool parents don’t exactly understand a lot of it themselves.

Well, the good news is you can make learning science fun for your children AND for you!  You can learn together, and learning together makes it easier and more enjoyable.

While it’s important to concentrate on firm lesson plans and homework-style lessons sometimes, it’s also very important to get some hands-on experience.  This is what makes learning science easy and fun.  Trying to teach science without any hands-on work will not only be potentially boring, but it will be harder to grasp many of the concepts, too.

Here are some ways you can experience science hands-on:

• Visit a pond and take water samples.  View them under a microscope and describe on paper what you see.
• Visit the beach and take notes about the ecosystem.  What types of plants live on the beach?  Which creatures live in the tide pools?  What types of animals live in the ocean near the beach?
• Cook something like bread.  Explain how the yeast works to make the bread rise, what the various ingredients do for the bread, and what would happen if each ingredient were left out.
• Grow a garden.  Children can learn about botany, food supply, pest control, organic gardening, and where their food comes from.
• Get a chemistry set and experiment.  Did you have one of these as a kid?  They’re a lot of fun and very educational!
• Get a telescope and watch the stars.  Point out the various constellations and draw maps of the ones you see.
• Go on nature walks.  Identify plant species and animal species.  Document when and where you located each species, what they were doing, what time of day they were seen, and how many times they were seen.

Teaching homeschool science can be fun and rewarding for the entire family.  It’s just important to focus part of your time and energy on the hands-on part, rather than spending all of your time memorizing binomial nomenclature and the parts of cells!

Tips to keep the Stay at Home feeling Powerful after a Long Day

It is important that Stay at Home Moms find ways to keep her energy flowing and high. Stay at Home moms give so much of their time and attention to their family and daily tasks, it is easy to feel tired, and run down.

With so much to do around the house taking care of the children and pets and yourself, cooking, cleaning, managing homework or teaching if you are homeschooling your children. Mothers want to give their children so much, but you can’t give what you don’t possess yourself. If you want to give your children the love and nurturing that they need in order to grow and thrive you must first give those things to yourself. Managing your energy is the key to handling everything that comes at you with poise and grace.

Here are some tips for planning your day and managing your energy as you complete your tasks:

Set Realistic Goals

Don’t try to be all things to all people. Aiming to be a supermom is a recipe for burnout and disaster. Learning to say no respectfully without making excuses is one of the biggest gifts you can give yourself.

Pace yourself

Break your larger goals into daily, and then hourly chunks.

Organize living and working space

Keeping your kitchen, office and your children’s rooms organized saves so much time and energy. When you don’t have to rush around looking for lost keys and that missing shoe things go more smoothly.

Identify your daily priorities

Choose the most important thing that you must do on a given day and go after that task first.

Schedule breaks throughout the day

Make sure to have some down time when you can just enjoy spending time reading or playing with your child.

Relax and breathe

When you are in the thick of things don’t forget to breathe. Taking deep, mindful breaths and even a 60 second meditation can completely shift your energy.

Re-assess goals weekly

Take the time weekly to decide what’s working and what needs to change. Ask yourself if you are getting the support that you need. Is it time to stretch yourself further?

Or is it time to take the time and give yourself to do nothing. Visit a Spa, take a day off, and find ways to work in you time every day. You deserve it.

Essential Tips For Choosing a Homeschooling Cirriculum

With the rising popularity of homeschooling, parents have many choices when selecting commercially provided homeschooling cirriculum. Having a balance of structure and spontaneity is important when designing a homeschool cirriculum, and like a restaurant menu, many homeschooling programs provide both a full course or an a la carte option. Parents will need to make some decisions about which type of program to pursue.

Curriculum material can often purchased separately and then combined to create a cohesive program. Usually, the more curriculum materials that are included, the more expensive it will be. Many homeschooling programs will include weekly lesson plans, grade record sheets, an attendance log, an activities agenda, reading list forms, and other tools, such as awards or certificates. Many programs also come with an online interactive element, where the child can do many of their lessons online, or use as a basis for further exploration in their subject area. A successful homeschooling program combines elements of a traditional education with other types of unstructured learning exercises, and hands-on activities, such as field trips.

Specific learning objectives for a particular unit or subject are also an important consideration in choosing a homeschooling program. It is usually best to define specific learning objectives for each subject or topic being covered. This allows children to learn at their own pace, and even excel at a subject at a more rapid rate than they might in a traditional school setting. Having learning objectives also allows for creativity in meeting the objectives with different materials and learning experiences. In addition to specific educational content, homeschooling programs may also emphasize certain values in their curriculum. Many homeschool programs are based on the Christian faith, which is often incorporated into the material, but there are also many programs that convey a humanist or non-religious perspective. It is important that parents review the underlying messages in any program or curriculum they choose, and make sure it is agrees with the values they want to impart to their children.

When choosing a homeschooling cirriculum, a parent will have many resources available, and by being clear about their intended outcome, will find the material that best serves their child. They can commit wholeheartedly to a certain program, or pick and choose out of many models that will meet their children’s educational needs. With so many resources available, they will have assistance every step of the way.

For further information,advice and resources visit http://www.homeschoolcirriculum.info

 

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