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How to Start Homeschooling – My Letter to You, Part II
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Here is the follow up email that I sent to a dear friend who was asking about homeschooling. Check out the first email, How to Start Homeschooling – My Letter to You, Part I. I hope you find both of these letters helpful and encouraging. Enjoy!
Dear Friend,
It sure sounds like you are well on your way! If there’s anything that I am personally learning through homeschooling it’s that this is a marathon, not a sprint. There are days when my daughter pushes my buttons and my son begs for attention and the baby is crying, and I think, It would be so much easier to send you to school. But then a day or two passes and she comes to me and we talk about something we’ve studied and I realize just how nurturing this form of education is. It’s amazing how much they retain and how aware of their learning process we parents become.
It’s also so encouraging to me to see my daughter grow in maturity through homeschooling. Two of the benefits of homeschooling are encouraging the love of learning and teaching children to become self-motivated learners. I see both of those in my kids. Other than when my daughter is trying to push my buttons (She’s really good at that! Probably because she’s mini-me. 
), she looks forward to school. And when I tell her that her schoolwork has to be done before she can do something else, she applies herself quickly and well. I realize in those moments that we are moving in the right direction. I really believe it’s as much of a learning process for me as it is for her.
You asked about music. I don’t do a formal music study yet, but music is very much a part of our home. My husband always has music praying, and he is always introducing various music to us. I have introduced some classical music using the Charlotte Mason method. Check out this plan from Simply Charlotte Mason. (I love their stuff.) I tried to do this plan last year, but I’ll be honest, it fell by the wayside with everything else that I was trying to do. One thing I have done this year that seems to be working really well is starting the day with praise and worship. I have a kids’ worship album and we sing and dance to two songs to start the day. I turn it up as a way to signal that school is starting. After P&W, I read from the Bible and then pray. I was just trying to think of ways to teach the Bible and Christian principles in a kid-friendly way. They really like it.
You also wondered how your preschooler would respond to the new schedule. I’ll tell you, I involve my son as much as possible in our school. I bought him a school folder and bought a couple of workbooks and coloring books from the Dollar Store. I keep them hidden so he can’t see or use them outside of school. He is the first to race to his seat and ask if he can open his folder. So far it’s working out well. I also try to incorporate games and group activities that focus on him (like singing the ABC song or doing puzzles). My daughter joins in, or she works on her handwriting during these times. I do the same with the baby by introducing activities and play time that focus on him. When you find out what works for your family, please share with me. I want to keep things fresh and interesting.
Let me know how things go. And let me know what you find works or doesn’t work. I really like to hear others’ experiences.
Blessings!
Gena
Photo: Raise Your Hand by romainguy
How to Start Homeschooling – My Letter to You, Part I
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I’ve recently had two friends ask me about homeschooling. They are either considering it or looking for advice on how to start homeschooling. I answered one with a couple of lengthy emails, which I’m posting over the next couple of days. Perhaps the information I included will be helpful to you. Enjoy!
Dear Friend,
I’m really excited that you’ve chosen to homeschool. Check out the post I wrote on the best homeschooling books. These really helped me, so maybe they’ll help you too. Remember, you may be able to borrow them from your library.
For your first year, I say, keep it simple. If you like a traditional approach, worksheets and seatwork, then check out A Beka for phonics/language arts and either A Beka (up to grade 4), Math-U-See and Teaching Textbooks for math.
If you like a literature-based approach, then check out Sonlight. This one includes a lot of reading and discussing, but not as much seatwork. It can get expensive, but remember that you can borrow the books from the library or find them second hand. What you are really paying for are the lesson plans—everything drafted out so you can just pick up and go.
In fact, all of these programs keep things very simple. They provide the lesson plans, so you’re able to just open them up and get started. Don’t forget that you can buy second-hand curriculum on eBay or at a second-hand shop. There’s a local curriculum store here called The Book Cover. It has an online store that is very reasonable. Of course, I’m sure you can find one near you.
Let me know if you have any other questions. I’ll help any way I can. And let me know how it goes.
Blessings!
Gena
Check out the follow up email: How to Start Homeschooling – My Letter, Part II.
Photo: Raise Your Hand by romainguy
FREE Homeschool Curriculums
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FREE! That’s a word we all like. We like free refills, buy-one-get-one-free coupons and free upgrades to just about anything. Rental cars, spa services, vacation packages, you name it; if it’s free, we’re all over it. That’s why I can’t pass up this opportunity to share about some free homeschool curriculum. That’s right; families can educate their children at home for free. Take a look at these complete, free homeschool curriculum and see if there is one that is right for your family.
Ambleside Online is a free curriculum for those interested in the Charlotte Mason style of homeschooling, which incorporates a heavy dependence on real books and an exploration of the arts. It was created by a group of families who wanted “to design a course of study that would provide as close a modern approximation as possible of the curriculum designed by Charlotte Mason for her PNEU Schools.” Many of the resources recommended in the curriculum are available at your local library or can be attained inexpensively second-hand. Ambleside Online also has an online community, so you have opportunities to ask questions from and interact with other homeschooling parents.
K12 is a public school, online curriculum. The curriculum’s components differ, depending on your state and overseeing school, but because it is, in fact, public school, all curriculums are provided for free. K12 offers perks for students and parents, too, including online seminars, a parent forum, art competition, a free newsletter and representatives who are ready to answer your questions. Some areas even offer social support for students by way of monthly outings. One thing to remember, because K12 is public education, students are still expected to participate in your state’s standardize testing.
Whether you are new to homeschooling or simply looking for a change in your homeschooling experience, it’s nice to know that there are some free options available. Take a look at these two options—Ambleside Online and K12—and see if one of them is right for you!
Free Nutrition Curriculum for Elementary Students
3Do your elementary children need to learn the basics of good nutrition? Are you looking for some fun, inexpensive nutrition curriculum to add to your homeschool? That’s where I found myself this past holiday season.
Around New Year’s I got a sinking feeling whenever I thought of my children’s eating habits. We are a normal American family that favors eating healthy. We like fresh fruits and veggies. I even try to introduce “new” vegetables to my family on a regular basis just to break up the broccoli and carrot monotony.
But after two months of holiday cooking—cookies, candies, heavy meals and eating out with visiting relatives—I began to suspect that my children were getting used to too much sugar, too much process and way too much convenience in their foods. I figured why wait until they are preteen or teenagers before introducing formal instruction on nutrition.
My search uncovered fun, free resources on nutrition for children. First, I began with my local library. A quick online search pointed me to a great non-fiction book: The Edible Pyramid: Good Eating Every Day
Following the book’s advice, I visited the government’s nutrition website: www.mypyramid.gov. There, I found free curriculum, printables, games and activities to begin teaching my elementary student the basics of good nutrition and physical fitness.
This has proven to be a fun unit for my child and has started a dialogue about the benefits and necessity of eating healthily and staying active. Enjoy!
If you have other nutrition related activities or books that you recommend, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear your input.
Rediscover the Library
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When was the last time you ventured into the library? When was the last time you allowed yourself time to peruse the books, books on tape, DVDs and magazines? If you’re a homeschooler, the answer may be “last week” or “last month.” That’s because the library offers wonderful opportunities for homeschoolers.
For me, homeschooling reintroduced me to the library. As a child, I spent hours there discovering all the books, attending children’s workshops and participating in read-a-thons. It was a treasure hunt each and every time. I loved finding just the right books and checking out my favorites to take home and enjoy. This continued until I graduated college.
Since that time I have only visited the library a handful of times. Instead I’ve found myself ordering books from online or brick-and-mortar stores and filling my shelves with books that I only read once. Once I had children, I frequented story time and checked out books for their enjoyment, but really, I was a light user.
All that changed when I became a homeschooling mom, and I hope it’s changed for you. Like all parents, and especially homeschooling families, I want to introduce my children to quality books, but I don’t want to buy every book I discover. I don’t have the room or the budget for such a pursuit. That’s where the library comes in.
Thanks to modern technology, the search for enticing titles just got easier. Many libraries have their card catalogs online. So you can search your library’s titles and even reserve the titles you want from the comfort of your own home. If your library has multiple branches, you can even order books from other locales and have them delivered to your branch. This gives you the benefit of a much larger selection, the convenience of a one-stop-shopping and the saving grace of being able to run into the library, collect your treasures and be on your way before your children can decide to explore the place at full volume. Ever tried to find good, interesting titles with a three-year-old playing hide-and-seek around the shelves? It’s not pretty.
Yes, the library is a wonderful resource. And don’t forget to check out the non-fiction children’s books and educational DVDs (think documentaries), which can add a boost to any curriculum. You may even find new resources for you, too. That latest fiction thriller you’ve wanted to read? No problem. A new business title? They’ll probably have it.
Many libraries also offer cultural events for added fun. They might have a well-known author visit for Black History Month or a folklore dance group for Cinco de Mayo. Events like these will usually be free of charge. You’ll find information about them on the library’s website.
All of this and more makes your local library a great—and frugal—homeschooling resource. Be sure to check it out and let me know what you find. I’d love to hear comments about how you use your library. Let’s learn together.
Photo: A Rainbow of Books by candiedwomanire
Why Homeschooling Works Pt. 7: All Day Learning
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One point of homeschooling that surprises many is the fact that it doesn’t take as long for homeschoolers to complete their daily lessons as it does for students in traditional schools. While most students spend 7-8 hours per day at school as well as time spent doing homework, homeschoolers can often finish their schoolwork in 3-4 hours. Why? The small student to teacher ratio is an obvious reason. The simple acts of handing out papers or giving a verbal quiz takes only seconds or minutes in the homeschool, whereas those same endeavors take much longer in a large group.
But just because the formal lesson finishes, the learning in the homeschool does not. Parents are so involved in their children’s education that they are able to reinforce the learning long after the school books are put away.
Take learning fractions. Parents can reintroduce the topic of fractions while cooking, playing or even doing household chores. This kind of reinforcement solidifies the learning. In fact, it encourages it by showing how the information useful and why it’s important to the student’s life.
A close friend, and veteran homeschooler, once shared that she spent only 30 minutes of instruction each day with her kindergartener. Then she quickly vocalized this point by saying, “Of course, learning takes place all day long.” Having witnessed her five children over the years, I know this is true. They are bright, inquisitive children who many times pull me aside to show me something they are studying. Even after the school day has finished, they are still learning.
And they are not alone. Many homeschooling families enjoy this kind of enthusiasm for learning. The parent-child relationship (as covered in Part 2 of this series) and the fact that the school and the home are in the same place keep the two intertwined. Reinforcing the learning naturally flows in this setting. It isn’t a forced element; parents are simply involved in the process and look for ways to illustrate the lessons they’ve covered.
This allows children to excel. It stimulates them academically and teaches them the importance and enjoyment of learning. One of the goals of homeschooling is to create lifelong learners. Allowing children to learn throughout their day, and not creating a separation between their school and home, instills in them the value of education. For them, the two are one—they learn at home, they are nurtured at school. Both occur in the same place.
I hope you have enjoyed this series, Why Homeschooling Works, and have learned a bit more about the possibilities of homeschooling your children. If you already homeschool and have more points that I’ve overlooked, please send me a comment. I’m sure there are many more reasons that I have missed, and I’d love to hear from you.
Why Homeschooling Works Pt. 6: Context
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Providing context, or giving a clear picture of what happened or why something is important, brings learning to life and makes it more memorable. In an educational setting, there is a great opportunity for parents to provide this for their children.
How many times in school did you ask the question, “Why do I need to know this?” or “When will I ever use this?” You asked this because while studying chapter after chapter in your history, math and science books, you wanted to know how the information you were learning would affected you. You wanted context for the learning process.
In the homeschool setting, parents are able to give context to their children’s studies with real life learning. Here are a few ways you can provide this for your children’s education:
Family Vacations
Homeschooling can bring a whole new dimension (and memorability) to your family vacations. A car trip can be more than hitting every fast food play area on the way to grandma and grandpa’s house. Instead, look for natural history locales to explore (Think caverns, lighthouses, museums, battle fields and homes of notable people). With a little planning you can build a great unit around what your child is currently studying.
Family Projects
Does your family want to get in shape, plant an organic garden or become active in a local service project? These are opportunities for putting what they’ve learned in physical education, science and social studies to use, not to mention they’re great opportunities for character building. They’re also chances for families to spend focused time together, working in tandem, for a united cause.
Day Field trips
Day field trips can occur with regularity. In fact, homeschool coops often plan these monthly. How about adding a trip to a pumpkin patch, apple farm or you-pick-it fruit stand while learning about seasons with your kindergartener? Or how about a trip to the zoo or exotic animal reserve while learning about science with your elementary-aged child? Here are a few more suggestions just to get your juices flowing:
- Federal Reserve bank
- Animal farms (dairy farms, alpaca or sheep farms, etc.)
- Living history attractions
- Arboretums
- Botanical gardens
- State and National Parks
- Theatre productions (including ballet, symphony, opera and concerts)
- Museums
- Exhibits and shows
Common Outings
Even the most mundane trip offers educational possibilities. While teaching nutrition, a trip to the grocery store or farmer’s market can be valuable in teaching children how to shop for nutritious food and give them the opportunity to try fruits and vegetables that they’ve never before tasted. A trip to the bank can open a dialogue about financial responsibility; clothes shopping can teach about budgeting, frugal living and money management; and even a visit to a parent’s workplace can be a great chance for a child to learn more about what his mother or father does and how the professional workplace operates.
All of these possibilities give your children a better understanding for knowing why they’re studying a subject, and makes their studies more memorable, interesting and fun. These examples can be worked into almost any curriculum and subject. They needn’t be expensive, and you’ll probably never hear the question “Is this going to be on the test?” Your children will be having so much fun; they probably won’t even notice that they’re learning valuable lessons.
Photo: battlefield-14 by efz3x
Why Homeschooling Works Pt. 5: Environment
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How many of us remember our first day of school each year? We spent time carefully choosing the right outfit to wear. We wondered which teacher we would have. Would we get along with our new teacher, or would he or she be too hard or too strict? Would we know anyone in our class, or would we have to meet all new friends?
And then once the school year began, we had to maneuver the social nuances that affected the school day. Would we become the butt of a class joke or face embarrassment in P.E. class? Would we become the object of the class bully’s terror? Would we thrive or sink in the face of the academic and social pressure?
Those were our issues. We lived them and perhaps, barring extreme cases, they made us stronger… or so we thought. But consider: Did any of this add to your education? Did forcing you to endure the taunting of a bully really prepare you for life, and even if you did learn a valuable lesson from it, was it necessary? Did you need that experience to become a productive, intelligent person? Probably not.
Did you need the noise and distractions that came with a class of 20-30 students, all with different interests, opinions, learning styles, communication styles and abilities, to learn? Was that really the best way for you to learn? Not necessarily.
And guess what? Schools are getting harder. More and more children are coming forward to confirm that they are struggling under the pressures of standardized tests, social nuances, peer expectations, and more.
And for the critic who would say that we shouldn’t shelter our children from the “real world,” I say, “Why not?” I can safely say that because at one time, I was one of those critics. No, I didn’t want to throw my children to the lions, but I did want them to learn how to maneuver challenging situations. But then I stopped to really think about how I live today. If I meet someone who doesn’t share my values, do I continue to interact with them? No. Then why should I expect my children to do any different? Are their social experiences any less impacting because they are under the age of 18? Of course not.
Creating a safe, nurturing environment is not the absence of teaching social grace. It is teaching in an atmosphere that encourages reasoning, character building and life skills. It is helping children see, from a young age, what is and is not acceptable. It is helping them know how to handle the unacceptable. Through their parents’ examples, children can learn what is normal. When challenges arise with friends or other encounters (and yes, homeschoolers do and should have many social opportunities), parents can provide the direction needed for their children to comprehend and deal with the situation. This isn’t the absence of education; it is, in fact, the benefit of it.
Our homes have been places of learning for the years leading up to school age. It is only logical that they would continue to be places of learning once formal training begins. It is in that safe and nurturing environment that they have thrived for several years, and it is in that safe and nurturing environment that they can continue to thrive.
Photo: After School Special by iboy_daniel
Why Homeschooling Works Pt. 4: Tailored Curriculum
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No two children are the same. Even in the same family, children can vary greatly. And it’s not simply their gender. It’s their likes, their dislikes, their strengths, their weakness, even the way they assimilate information. Understanding this allows parents to choose curriculum that helps their children learn in effective ways.
Learning at home doesn’t have to be a one-size-fits-all approach, something that is typically found in traditional schools. Parents are able to look at their child’s learning style to determine what kind of curriculum works. Does their child learn best with hands-on activities or from visual material? Does their child thrive on social interaction, or does he prefer solitary pursuits? These kinds of questions are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to homeschooling.
Choosing curriculum can get even more specialized. One parent I know has a child who loves airplanes. His entire room is papered with pictures of jets and aircrafts, and he dreams of one day becoming a pilot. This allows his mother to work her child’s passion into his education. He’s able to study about the history and science of flight. In a traditional school, he might learn the dates when flight became possible, but in a homeschool setting learning can come alive with biographies and documentaries about the Wright brothers or Amelia Earhart. This not only impacts his knowledge of history, but it also allows him to improve his reading and writing skills. In time, he can explore the physics of flight and the math needed to achieve it. The possibilities are endless.
There’s also the added benefit of working engaging subjects into your child’s repertoire. A parent whose child has a penchant for music can add music into the child’s regular schedule. The same goes for art, dance, drama or sports. No longer must these pursuits be tagged on as after-school activities. Instead, parents can work them into their core curriculum along with reading, writing and arithmetic.
Every child can benefit from this individualized pursuit. Younger children may need to defer these kinds of decisions to their parents, but older children can join the discussion to decide how to best integrate their interests into their education. Not only does this help build upon the God-given talents that exist in every child, but it creates a passion for learning.
Homeschooling gives parents the opportunities to look beyond merely filling their child’s mind with a list of facts. It’s more than teaching their child how to write a passable sentence, succeed at a standardized test or even gain entrance to a certain university. Instead, homeschooling allows parents to create in their children a love of learning that lasts far beyond graduation day.
Tailoring curriculum empowers parents to do just that. Yes, their children will learn how to read, write and compute, but more than that, it helps unlock their learning and prepares them for life by allowing them to develop the talents that they naturally have.
Don’t miss the Part 5 of Why Homeschooling Works when I’ll discuss the benefits of learning in a Nurturing and Safe Environment.
Why Homeschooling Works Pt. 3: Individualized Pacing
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Sitting at my kitchen table, I listened to my friend share about the challenges her son was having with his fifth-grade math class. The school had opted for a new curriculum the previous year and Brandon* had struggled to learn his assignments. The school had obviously already noticed a problem because they were returning to a traditional math curriculum in subsequent years, but until then, Brandon was on his own.
“It’s not the same method we learned in school,” she said. “He doesn’t understand it; I don’t even understand it. So I can’t help him.”
“What does his book say?” I asked.
“He doesn’t have a book. He has a packet of worksheets that he has to finish throughout the year. He’s supposed to take notes in class, but he doesn’t understand what’s being taught well enough to take good notes.”
Then she said something that saddened me. “It’s affecting his self-esteem,” she said. “He thinks he dumb.”
My friend was facing a situation that can easily be avoided in the homeschool setting. When a homeschooled child struggles with material, the parent has the option of changing curriculum—even mid-year—or taking extra time for her child to learn the material.
In this situation, a whole new approach may be the best choice, but there is the option of taking a slower pace. It’s one of the beauties of homeschooling: You, as the parent, set the pace.
Math is a great example of a subject that may require extra practice. How many students are under the impression that they are “bad at math” when, in fact, they may simply have missed learning the steps needed for more difficult computations? Instead, they received a passing grade and moved on to the next grade or lesson while barely understanding the previous material. Before long their work became riddled with mistakes, convincing them that they just didn’t get it. The homeschool student can avoid this because they can take the time to master the material at each stage.
By the same token, the sky’s the limit with a student who excels at a subject. A child who grasps a subject’s concepts quickly needn’t be bogged down with repetitive practice. A student who readily masters math concepts can move more quickly through the material, preventing boredom and frustration from setting in.
Traditional schools teach the same curriculum to students in a particular grade level. If a child is a second grader, he will complete second grade curriculum for all subjects. Of course, children have different strengths. Some eight-year-olds indeed work at a second-grade level for all subjects. Others naturally understand one subject and should work at a higher level. Still others need additional time or to work at a lower level.
Reading, for example, sometimes comes to girls more quickly than to boys. Giving your daughter the opportunity to read early and your son the option of reading when he is ready—possibly a year or two after your daughter—encourages confidence in both children. Neither is saddled with a label like “gifted” or “slow.” They are simply working at their own pace.
Allowing students to work at their own pace makes for successful students, satisfied parents and an overall positive educational experience. Next time, I’ll discuss another reason for homeschooling’s success: Tailoring Curriculum. Be sure to stop back by.
*Names have been changed.