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by Phoenix Desertsong, Parent of Three  Image © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved Taking full responsibility for your child's education through homeschooling can be fun and exciting. There are many choices to be made. While this freedom has many benefits, parents can also find themselves suffering from homeschool burnout.
Some common reasons for burnout aren't even directly related to homeschooling. These reasons can include a new baby or an illness. But, the changes in routines and added responsibilities of doing homeschool can also be factors that lead to homeschool burnout. However, homeschool burnout doesn't need to be a bad thing. It should instead be seen as a wake-up call that you need to make adjustments. Here are 3 tips on avoiding homeschool burnout. Be Patient with Homeschool and Yourself Just as you need patience as a parent, you need to be even more patient in your additional role as homeschool teacher. Don't try to be perfect. Have realistic expectations for each day. It's easy to plan too much. Don't set the bar too high. You're going to have good days and bad days. Everyone does. Even the best laid plans can go away. So, don't stress as long as you're making some progress everyday. Be Flexible With Your Schedule and Teaching Methods A major advantage of homeschool is that if you find one teaching method doesn't work, you can change it! In fact, this may be the greatest advantage over traditional school environments. So, if you're burnt out by doing things a certain way, you can try a different method. Also, you may find doing homeschool activities at different times and breaking things up could help relieve tension and stress. Being flexible helps you recognize when you're burning out so you can switch things up. Don't Go Overboard with Your Homeschool Plans Because you are in full control of your homeschool schedule, it can be easy to pack too much into a day. This is especially true when you're doing a lot of social activities. Even if your child seems to be able to handle it, you need to be able to as well. A burnt out parent isn't any good, as your child will feed off your frustration, which can increase your chances of burnout. Also, whenever possible, it's a good idea to get homeschool support from your spouse, partner, friends, or neighbors. There are also homeschool groups that can help you with social events. Don't try to do everything by yourself if you don't have to and know your limits. Find that happy place where you feel that you can still teach your child effectively and still be an effective parent afterwards, too.  Image © fabola; Flickr.com As a veteran homeschool mom, I have been asked pretty much every question in the book about educating kids at home. One thing that comes up often is the subject of work. Can working parents or single parents successfully educate their kids from home?
Is Homeschool Even an Option for Working and Single Parents? The first reaction for many might be "No way!" However, that answer can be quite inaccurate. It's definitely possible to operate a home school even when parents or guardians have full time jobs. It's even possible for single parents, who may have to hold down two jobs. There are many options that could allow for this. Some working parents may hire a homeschool tutor or work from home. Others might assign their kids schoolwork and just have another adult supervise to make sure they get it done. Another method is to work school around the work schedule. That's one of the benefits of homeschooling. You can do it at any time of the day necessary and in any method that works for all involved. Is it Better for Homeschool Parents to Stay Home With the Kids or Work? This question is very broad because the answer will depend on who you ask. There is no right or wrong way that covers everyone, so there is no better or worse option. Just like any other method that you consider, think about what's best for the students and the situation combined. Parents who stay home are not better than those who don't and vice versa. The most important factor is that the kids are learning. If education is going on and it's working, then you've made the right choice. Should Working Parents Educate Their Kids at Home? The bottom line is that while it’s possible and works for some, whether a family should choose this option actually depends on the family and many other factors. Just like choosing other educational options, the success rate on this happening does not depend on the method, but on whether the method is a good fit for each student and each family. How Can I Tell if This is a Good Choice for Me? Can your children work well independently? If so, are they of age to do so on their own? If they require adult supervision due to age or maturity levels, is there a trusted adult available during your work schedule? If the above does not work, is there enough time for the children to study after you get off work? These and other factors will help you determine if this is the right homeschool method for your family or not. More Homeschool Myths by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff  Image © Brian Metcalfe; Flickr.com Choosing the right type of school for your children is very difficult. This decision will ultimately determine your child's success in the future. So, how do you choose? Each family and child is unique and has differences that play a role in this decision. In our family's case, homeschool was the best option when weighing all the factors. However, you may decide something entirely different. Here are some tips to help you choose between public school, private school, homeschool, or other options.
Public School Public school is the most popular school choice and has been around for many years. One strength about public school is that most materials are provided free of charge. Another strength could be that most of your child's neighborhood friends will probably be there. If your child adapts well to a crowded environment and is not easily distracted, public school could be the right choice. However, not all public schools are crowded, so it may or may not be an issue. Check with your neighborhood school about student to teacher ratios before assessing that particular issue. Look into the teaching methods to see if they are well-rounded. If your child has a hard time processing oral information, you'll need to be sure the school you choose teaches in other methods, besides the teacher standing in front of the class speaking. If higher learning is your concern, you may want to check national public school averages. While all schools will vary, this is something to consider. Private School or Religious school This choice is usually made by parents searching for better student to teacher ratios and higher learning standards. In many cases, private schooled students do have a better advantage. Although, you must be careful with this choice. Just because a school is private or tuition-based, it does not necessarily mean that the test scores are higher than those of a public school. You should interview teachers and staff at public and private schools and determine, if based on your child's needs, they are best. Review private schools you are considering and compare them to each other in all areas. Keep in mind that if you want to make sure your child receives knowledge based on religious preferences, this will not happen in public school. They may be allowed to say a prayer, if they wish. However, religious-based instruction is generally found at a school specific for that. Homeschooling or Private Tutors Homeschooling is growing immensely. Much of it has to with growing parental dissatisfaction with public schools or the need for alternative methods on an individual basis. Some parents who choose to homeschool are tired of their children's individual needs not being met. This not to say that public schools are inadequate, just that the setup does not always allow for this extra attention. While the teachers in public school are mostly wonderful, with classes so large, it is virtually impossible to pay individual attention to every child every day. Even the really good teachers can still face problems with this. There are just too many students for this to happen. If your child seems to fall behind due to lack of attention or if your child is way ahead of others his/her age, homeschooling may be the right choice for you. Homeschooling can be done many different ways. One way is to teach all the core subjects at home and to send your child to public school for electives. Another way may be to hire a tutor for all subjects. There are many different ways to homeschool. There are even "virtual schools" online for homeschoolers. Choose from varied curricula or choose to form your own, based on your child's needs and abilities. Our family uses a combination of various resources. If you are looking for a flexible method, homeschooling is probably a good choice for you. Making the Decision Whatever method you choose, be sure it is right for you and your child. Your child only has one chance at school. Sure, a GED can be earned later in life, but wouldn't you rather your child receive a high school diploma? Also, keep in mind that when your child submits college applications, the grades throughout his/her life will be looked at, so be sure that whatever choice you make, it will be an environment in which your child can thrive and succeed well. It is possible in the early years to try more than one method to see which works right. Just be sure your child makes any transitions gradually. Try using each method one school year at a time, so as to provide your child with security and stability. *This article was written by a homeschool mother based on her personal experiences and is meant for informational purposes only. Be sure to do your own research as well.  Image © stevendepolo; Flickr.com Some may assume that because parents homeschool, their children will not be social. However, this is generally far from the case. Being social is generally a part of a homeschooled child's daily routine by default. However, there are many ways to increase and enhance these skills on a regular basis. I'm a veteran homeschool mom who has been dedicated to enhancing social skills in my kids for years. Many of these methods will come easy because they are simply an extension of your child's daily learning and activities.
Take elective courses, such as art and music at a separate location from your home. You can even do this in a group of homeschooled kids or a co-op. This way the core subjects will still be taught by you and your children will get a little extra knowledge in something they love. Some community centers and private organizations offer these classes for free or at a low-cost. Offer arts & crafts time at your house. If you cannot find a resource, consider becoming one. Chances are, other families have been looking for something similar. Try scheduling craft activities a few times per week for children the same ages as yours. If you don't know many people in the neighborhood, try posting about the events at the local library, schools, or anywhere else you are allowed. Attend story time and other activities at your local library. Depending on the ages of your children and what's on the schedule, your local library could have a great deal to offer. Some libraries offer special classes on a variety of subjects. At the very least, there will be storytimes to take advantage of. Take field trips often. Visiting parks, museums, zoos, and other educational venues can also help enhance social skills. Because these trips will naturally be a part of the homeschool curriculum, this one is simple to implement. Don’t just visit the places. Talk to the tour guides and other visitors. Take the extra informational courses, workshops, and special classes. This gets the kids interacting with people of all ages, which is vital to social development. When visiting the park, go during times many other children will also be there. Let the kids make friends and schedule play dates. Be sure that your child also has many opportunities to play with friends, attend birthday parties, attend family gatherings, and other social activities. The next time you go to the grocery store, let your child do the shopping and have the child ask the store associates for help when an item cannot be found. Also ask the child to pay. Maybe your child is a baker. Have a bake sale and sell baked goods and lemonade. Plan a neighborhood block party once per month. You and the kids can volunteer to help out at a local church, soup kitchen, or other social organizations. This can help with not only enhancing social skills, but in teaching humility and caring. Homeschooling offers so many more ways to be social than other schooling methods because of its flexibility. Just be creative and go with the flow. In the end, your child will grow immensely. When I first started homeschooling my children, I was worried about social skills. But I soon realized that my kids had more opportunities to enhance social skills than they ever did before. The Social Scene For Homeschooled Teens  Image © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved I have been asking readers their concerns about homeschool. Sometimes parents worry that teens educated in the home may miss out on prom and other activities. Layla Lair was wondering if I had any suggestions on things homeschooled teens could do to stay social and continue to develop relationships.
Team Sports Like teens in a traditional school setting, homeschooled teens also can participate in team sports. Sports are great for social skills. Teens not only learn how to work with others, but they may also find lasting friendships. Many areas have teams for homeschooled teens. However, they also are often allowed to play on local high school teams or other co-ed teams that are open to all teens, regardless of schooling method. This actually gives a homeschooled teen more choices in some instances. Volunteer Work Volunteer work is not only a very noble and useful act, but it can also add to the social life of a teen. Depending on the type of volunteer work, teens may interact with people that are a wide range of ages, including their own. This gives valuable work and even friendship experiences. Plus teens will come away from something like this knowing they've made a difference in someone else's life. Homeschooled teens may have more options to choose from when it comes to volunteer work because their school schedule could be more flexible. Afterschool Clubs & Organizations Afterschool clubs and organizations are not restricted to teens in traditional school. Homeschooled teens can attend these social gatherings and activities as well. Organizations that provide great social, physical, and educational activities, such as the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club, are open to everyone. Afterschool Job Just like a teen in traditional school may get an afterschool job to earn college funds or simply to learn responsibility, so can a homeschooled teen. This not only provides valuable work ethics and experience, but it also can be a great social environment. In many job settings, teens will come across a variety of people every day. Community College Classes Because homeschooled teens have a flexible schedule, this leaves many open to taking extra courses at the community college. This is excellent for earning college credits, but homeschooled teens can also use this as an extra social opportunity. Hands-On Learning Homeschooling allows for more flexibility as far as where school takes place. For many homeschool families, school is not always about the books. Of course, it has to be for some things, but homeschooled teens have the opportunity to learn things through doing them versus only reading about them in a book. For instance, when learning about certain things in natural science, a homeschooled teen could study the natural environment. When learning about other things, the teen may go to a museum tour, take an extra course outside the home, or the parent may hire an expert to give a lecture. Children in traditional school do this with some things as well, but a homeschooled teen has more freedom and opportunity to do this with many more lessons. In doing many of these things, there will be social interaction. Church Clubs & Activities If the homeschooled teen happens to be one of certain faiths, he or she may belong to a church. Many will have classes, activities, clubs, and events that the teen can get involved in. Some of these might include choir, praise dancing, drama, Sunday school, or even volunteering. By joining church activities and clubs, the teen can add another opportunity for social interaction with peers. Prom and Other Teen Activities Many worry that their teen will not have a prom or be able to attend school games or other events if they are homeschooled. This does not have to be a reality. Not only do many homeschool organizations and groups hold events like these for homeschooled teens, but they may also get invited to the events at the local high schools. A homeschooled teen may have friends that attend the local high school and most will allow students to bring along someone from another school. This includes homeschooled kids. Homeschool Group Activities Some families who homeschool choose to join homeschool groups. These are groups of people who also homeschool their children. They meet a certain number of times each week or month for social activities, field trips, events, and more. Homeschool Co-Ops Homeschool co-ops are when parents of homeschooled children hold various classes for the children at scheduled times. One parent is generally assigned to each subject and the group agrees to meet at a specified time a certain number of times per week or month. Some homeschool co-ops are meant as a supplement to what the children are learning at home, as well as a way for the children to socially interact with each other. Yet others are used much in the same way as traditional school. Family as Friends Some teens may have one or more siblings or relatives they spend time with frequently. While these friends are part of the family, they still can be considered and do have an important role in social interaction. Whether a friend or group of friends comes from inside or outside the family, interacting with them adds to the overall social skills of a teen. The same is true for the parent-child relationship. Varied relationships and opportunities put together create a great social network for a teen. Ordinary Teen Activities A homeschool teen is still a teen, just like a public school kid is a teen and a private school kid is a teen. They are all individuals, hopefully not defined only by which type of school they attend. On that same note, teens do not have to attend the same school or even the same type of school to maintain a friendship. Ordinary teen social activities, such as hanging out with friends, going to the mall, going to movies, and more are all activities you might see a teenager doing. A homeschooled teen is no different in this regard. If they had friends before starting homeschool, those friends don't automatically disappear. If the teen has been homeschooled all his or her life, there are (and likely already were) plenty of opportunities to make friends, such as at any of the activities listed above, interacting with neighbors, and much more. *I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network RELATED Why Don't Homeschool Parents Teach in a School Building? Back to School Concerns Back to Homeschool: Establishing a Routine Gym Class Activities for Homeschool 
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Back to school time! The fall season brings on new challenges for homeschooled kids, as well as those in a more traditional school setting. It's your family's first year homeschooling and you need to establish a routine. Having experienced the beginning-of-the-year dread several times over, I've learned a thing or two. When you have a basic plan, most things just fall into place as they come. Establishing a routine from the beginning makes each homeschool day much less stressful. If your children learn throughout the summer, like mine often do, then you may already have a taste of what the school year will be like.
Consider your existing family schedule. Do the kids participate in dance, karate, basketball, piano, or other extracurricular activities? If so, then you'll need to remember to work that schedule into your homeschool schedule. Prioritize all of the existing activities, chores, and jobs. Is there anything in the existing schedule that can be rearranged or eliminated if necessary? I find it helpful to number each schedule item in order of importance. That way, if something needs to be changed, I can easily see what to start rotating or eliminating first.
Have a family meeting. This is an absolute must to get everyone on the same page. Establish the routine by discussing goals, expectations, scheduling, and more. Give everyone a chance to speak and ask questions so that nothing is left unsaid. It's easier to establish your homeschool routine when it's clear what everyone wants and needs. Take everyone's thoughts into consideration before finalizing anything. While you may not be able to give Johnny that wish of 169 recess days and one school day for the year, you can probably make sure he gets to ride his bike for recess a few times per week. Make a schedule. It's important to do this during the family meeting so that everyone has input, as far as what's scheduled. It's also essential establishing a routine. If everyone knows how things will be from the beginning, the day to day process will run more smoothly. Be sure to allow time for getting to any destinations outside the home when creating the schedule. For instance, if one child needs to be at soccer practice at 2 p.m, be sure to allow time in between the previous class and getting to the soccer field. Remember that your schedule can be more flexible than in a traditional classroom. If necessary, schoolwork can resume after the soccer practice. Be clear and consistent about what's expected. Talk about how the schedule will work, as well as what each person is expected to do. Every family member should know the overall learning style and methods being implemented. It should be clear that if you choose unschooling the eclectic way, everyone should stick to that. Unschooling is a bit more flexible, as far as establishing a routine. But rules do need to be laid out, such as the fact that even if the operational mood is relaxed, learning should still be taking place. LAST UPDATED 8/24/2022 * I originally published this content via Yahoo Contributor Network: http://web.archive.org/web/20140806195145/http://shine.yahoo.com/back-homeschool-establishing-routine-190300503.html  Image © brownpau; Flickr.com When choosing the right backpack for homeschool, keep your learning style in mind. You might need a traditional backpack for each of the kids. But then again, you may not. Think about your daily activities and what fits in with that best. You may be surprised at the variety of options or you may learn your kids don’t need backpacks at all.
Where does most of your homeschool time occur? Think about where you teach the kids most of their classes. Is it somewhere you would need them to transport materials to in large quantities? For instance, do you homeschool at the park or at the library? If so, do you bring books and supplies? If so, a good, rugged backpack may be in order. Do you take field trips often and where to? If you and the kids take field trips to zoos, museums. Libraries and more on a regular basis, they may need sturdy backpacks for homeschool. On the other hand, if you only go every now and then and don't take materials along, you may only need to get them something lightweight. In some cases, they may not actually need one. What will be transported in your child's homeschool backpack? Consider the items you like the kids to bring along when you go places during the homeschool day. Do they carry heavy textbooks or just notepads? This will help determine which type of backpack or bookbag will work. If you only bring along a couple pencils and worksheets, consider an eco-friendly reusable grocery bag instead. The kids can even decorate them for customization. Do you even need a backpack? Considering the options above and others, does your child really even need a backpack? In some cases, the answer might be no. Some homeschoolers prefer not to cart everything along when going on field trips. In such cases, a backpack is probably not necessary. If that sounds like you, consider buying some other homeschool supply instead or putting the backpack money toward a college fund. What are some alternative options if you don't need a backpack? If your kids need some sort of bag for homeschool, but not quite a backpack, there are other options. For the girls, try a large, but lightweight purse. Canvas totes are another option. Reusable grocery bags make excellent options for carrying around supplies. *I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network Should Every Parent Homeschool?by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff 
Image by ToGa Wanderings via Flickr.com
If you came across this article, chances are you are wondering about homeschooling your child. Are you the right parent for the job? Can any parent teach? Should every parent homeschool? These questions may be running through your mind. As a seasoned parent, homeschool teacher, and advocate for choice in education, perhaps my advice and experience can help you make this difficult and important decision.
What Does it Take to be a Homeschool Teacher? While I am an advocate for choice in education, including homeschool, I am not going to sugar coat things to entice others to do what I do. I will not tell you that it's easy. If anything, the homeschool choice can make some things more complicated. It takes hard work and dedication from both the parents (and/or homeschool teacher) as well as the children. Though it is not easy, in my opinion, the main things required of a parent are willingness, love, and a commitment to their child's educational needs. I feel any parent with those three things may be the right candidate to be a homeschool parent and teacher. Do I Need a Teaching Degree to Homeschool? Because laws can change and because not all states will have the same laws, this is not necessarily a yes or no answer. Check with your state's local school board, as well as homeschool organizations for this information. The Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) is also a great place to keep up with legalities and other aspects of homeschool. As for whether or not a parent has the ability to teach without a degree, read "Can a Parent Be a Homeschool Teacher Without a Degree?" for my opinion and research on that matter. In short, the answer is yes, it is possible. Should All Parents Homeschool? Asking if all parents should homeschool is similar to asking if all people should be on a basketball team. Not everyone has the talent to do so, but those who do should definitely exercise it. I believe that homeschooling is the best choice when parents are able to sufficiently educate the children and have the dedication it takes to do so. But, just like all people do not make great parents, athletes, or singers, not all people make great homeschool teachers. How Do I Know if I'm the Right Parent for the Job? If you can remain dedicated to doing what's best for your child's education you may be able to homeschool. Research to see what other homeschoolers are doing and ask yourself if you can do similar things. You may consider the following questions. Do I have patience for teaching my child? Will I be sure to find proper resources when I don't know a lesson my child needs to learn? Can I keep my child involved in social activities? Those are just some of the many things you will need to think about. There is no exact formula of determining who should homeschool. However, doing research and thinking about what's involved and whether it works for your family and situation can help. *I originally published a version of this via Yahoo Contributor Network by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff  Looking for something new and innovative to add to your child's homeschool curriculum? Need something more challenging or just something different? Try adding web writing. If you are already an online freelance writer, this should be simple for you. If not, study up and teach the kids what you learn. Web writing is a valuable skill for the workforce.
How Does Web Writing Differ? Web writing varies from print writing, in that it needs to appeal to an audience with a shorter attention span. It needs to be more concise. It also needs to be easily found by the search engines. If no one can find it, there is no point in writing it. You can't just go to the magazine stand and pick up a copy. Search engines are generally the way people find works published online. Because of that, it needs to be written in a way that is not only understandable to readers, but to the search engines as well. Catchy titles should be substituted for more to-the-point titles so that readers and the search engines will understand what you are discussing. Those are just some of the notable differences. The Yahoo! Style Guide is a great resource when learning about web writing. Why Add Web Writing to Homeschool Curriculum Web writing skills can be beneficial to many different career paths. In the digital age, it may even be safe to say that web writing is a vital skill. Unless a business is very small or is just starting out, chances are, they have a website or at least a blog or Twitter page. Companies are finding out more and more how important it is to have an online presence. Adding this to your child's homeschool curriculum can help give him or her a head start in life. Even if your child is not planning on being a writer, she may need to maintain a company website for her business. Knowing how to write for a web audience and search engines will help that website (and in turn, the business) get noticed easier. Ways to Add Web Writing to Homeschool Curriculum If your child is old enough, he can sign up for content sites and submit work for publication. Just be sure to check guidelines. Some sites allow 13-year-olds plus to join. While others only allow those 18 and over to write for them. Also, not all sites will pay for your child's work. If she is just doing this to learn or for fun, the payment part may not be that big of a deal. Another option is to have your child maintain a blog or even his own website. It all depends on what your child is interested in and what you think she can handle. Don't put too much pressure on your child. Allowing freedom is important when it comes to creative endeavors, such as writing. What Should My Child Publish? School research papers are a great way to get started with article writing. Writing an article is similar to doing a research paper in some aspects. This makes it easy for you to transition your child into writing articles. Start with one or two things at a time, such as making wording more simple or using SEO. Your child may also want to publish poetry and short stories. Keep in mind that these don't generally do well online, as far as getting views without an existing audience. You can explain this to your child. Poetry and short stories can be optimized for the web. But it's much harder with stories because web readers don't generally stay on the same article or story long enough to read past a page or two. Non-fiction articles generally have the best success online. But allow your child to be creative and publish what he feels in his heart to publish. *I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network  Image © Lyn Lomasi; All Rights Reserved Decided to homeschool but have a limited to zero budget? That's perfectly fine. You don't have to purchase a fancy curriculum or fancy supplies. Sure, those can be nice, but they're really not necessary for a quality education. All you need is the good old internet, the library, nature, and an open mind. I will show you how to use the above resources to your full advantage. Utilize the Public Library This is a very powerful resource if you take full advantage of all it has to offer. The most obvious resource a library has is the books. There are so many books with so much information in them waiting to be checked out and read. There are regular story books, reference books, books on many topics your kids will study, and some libraries even have textbooks. But, What Other Resources Does a Library Have? All libraries will vary, but they usually have tapes, compact discs, and even VHS and DVD videos. Especially look for National Geographic videos when doing science lessons. You can also find how-to videos at most libraries that will be useful in a variety of different subjects. Another good resource at a library is story-time. Although story-time is listed for younger ages, many elementary-aged children still enjoy it. Who doesn't enjoy listening to and acting out their favorite stories? There are also many free classes and workshops available at the library that can be very useful lessons. Some of the lessons I have seen include pottery making, drawing, American History, Ancient History, all about frogs, reading under the stars, and much more. Just keep the librarians informed of what you are doing and what you need and they will help you. In fact, you will probably become good friends with the librarians because you will find yourself at the library often. Take Advantage of Nature Using nature to learn can be very effective as well as fun and exciting. Taking a simple nature walk can enrich the mind as well as the soul. Any park, zoo, or even your backyard or neighborhood field will do for a nature walk. See how many different animals and insects you can find. If you are studying leaves, collect and examine different types of leaves. Maybe you're studying mammals. See how many mammals your children can find and have them study their habits. Whatever you're studying, be sure to observe it in it's natural state and bring home samples of it wherever possible. Nature holds an unlimited wealth of information. Be sure to use every opportunity nature gives you. Even if you come across something interesting that your child is not studying, it is still beneficial to take advantage of it. Remember that nature does not always act in your favor, so if you see something you may be able to use later, study it as if you are learning about that subject. If you can, film it or at least document it in some other way (take pictures, write down everything, draw pictures, etc...). That way when you learn about it in more depth, you will have it to reference back to. Peruse the Internet There are many, many websites filled with the information you need. You don't have to be a pro to find it. Sure, it helps, but it isn't necessary. All you need is any search engine. I like to use a variety of search engines, to mix up the results a little. Some of the results will be the same, but some will not. Whatever you're looking for, think of the simplest way to word it and also in a way so you get more results. Say you need an early fluency reading lesson. While early fluency is exactly what you want, sometimes words like this can give you results for items you'll have to pay for. Instead, try typing in "free reading lessons grade 1" or "free reading printables grade 1". Phrases like this produce the exact results you're looking for. However, this can go both ways. Sometimes you do need to be very concise rather than wording it a certain way. Maybe your child is doing a research paper on Mary McLeod Bethune. You would just type in "Mary McLeod Bethune" because you want information on her. When you are just looking for information, type just the subject you're looking for so your info will be aplenty. Another useful way the internet can help you is by networking. You can find lots of other homeschooling moms who are usually more than willing to share their ideas with you. Try searching homeschooling blogs, homeschooling forums, teacher forums, parenting forums, and even popular websites parents use that have their own forums. Keep an open Mind Sometimes life just throws learning opportunities at you. They may not always be the subjects your kids are learning at the time, but regardless, they are still important. Everything you say and do in daily life is a learning lesson. Don't underestimate the power of a grocery trip, a walk, a bike ride, a camping trip, a car ride, a talk during dinner, or any other daily activity. Draw on life to teach your child new and exciting things daily. When your child asks a question, don't ever shrug off any question. No question is too big or too small. If you don't know the answer, look it up on the internet. you don't have to let your child know you don't know the answer. Just say something like, "That's a good question.Let's see what we can find about that." That way you don't sound unintelligent and your child still gets the answer. Joining a homeschool group can also help. If your city doesn't have any, sometimes a city right outside your city can have one that would welcome you and your child. You'll probably learn so much teaching your child that you didn't learn in school. Homeschooling can do that to you. Don't ever discount anything that can help your child learn. Some ideas people give you may seem outlandish at first, but as long as they don't harm anyone, most everything is worth a try. Your outlook on life will probably change a lot once you begin homeschooling. Who knows, you may even start your own homeschooling group. More from Lyn: Homeschool Tips: Can 'Free' Schooling or Unschooling Help My Child Succeed in Life? How to Keep Homeschooled Tweens Active Positive Parenting: Encouraging Educational Responsibility in Kids *I originally published a version of this via Yahoo Contributor Network |
Heart 'N Mind Homeschool Journal
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Lyn Lomasi is founder and owner of the Brand Shamans Content Community. Services include ordained soul therapy and healing ministry, business success coaching, business success services, handcrafted healing jewelry, ethereal and anointing oils, altar and spiritual supplies and services, handcrafted healing beauty products, and more!
Lyn is your brand healing, soul healing, marketing & content superhero to the rescue! While rescuing civilians from boring business practices and energy vampires, this awesomely crazy family conquers evil and creates change. They live among tigers, dragons, mermaids, unicorns, and other fantastic energies, teaching others to claim their own power and do the same. By supporting us, you support a dedicated parent, healer, and minority small business that donates to several causes. Profits from our all-inclusive store, Intent-sive Nature support these causes and our beautiful family! HIRE OR SHOP WITH LYN | CONTACT LYN FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS
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