Homeschool Organization

Anyone who has homeschooled for long may likely tell you that organization is an ongoing effort and sometimes a huge struggle. Just like most things in life there will be times where you are very devout about keeping all your supplies, texts, misc. books and more organized but then there will be seasons where you will fall of the wagon. No worries, just get back on when you can and enjoy the organization while it lasts.

Here are a few things to help you be organized, remember these are just suggestion and not things you have to have to homeschool or to do a good job.

• Plenty of book shelves. This sums up a lot because on these shelves you can put your books but you can baskets and plastic containers with supplies and other objects. For example on my shelves I have three tubs of science lab supplies, a tub of crayons, a caddy for other art supplies, texts, stacks of lined paper, folders, a caddy of pencils, a bin for math manipulatives, etc.
• Tubs, baskets, bins and caddies. By reading the above paragraph you can see why you may need these.
• The Rubbermaid (or other brand) plastic drawer sets that are on casters are very helpful. This is a great way to store school supplies and such.
• Plenty of supplies. Part of being organized is to be well stocked so that you are not making haphazard trips to the store. Planning ahead and preparing will ultimately save you tons of time as well as money.
• Make zones. Being organized with everything in one place can be difficult if you don't have an area large enough for an "all in one" school center. You can divide the home into zones where there is a computer lab, a place set apart for science, a corner that is well lit and quiet for reading, a place for desk work (make sure the table is not to high), and a place where maps can be on the wall for reference in history, geography and more.

These are just a few tips to help you get started on homeschool organization. Different ways of doing things work for each individual. Most would agree though that being organized and knowing where things are takes a lot of the frustration out of educating your children.

Extra Curricular Programs

Do you as a homeschool parent start to wonder if your children are doing too much? Or do you wonder if they aren't doing enough? I think that perhaps all parents, no matter how their children are educated, come to this crossroads more than once in the child rearing process. I for one am someone who has a hard time balancing things and am all or nothing so I am always seeking for that fine balance between work and play, even with my kids.

My children do a full day of coursework as well as their individual reading and their music practice (30 minutes per day minimum). They have a great neighborhood social life, a church social life and my boys are both in the Boys Scouts of America and very active in that. My oldest just signed up for a basketball team which should be fun.

I guess that at any given point in time the needs of the child are different as are the opportunities! I have a three year old that is definitely waiting for preschool in the fall but she will go. Despite my homeschooling efforts for all other grades, preschool is something I just don't do. I have a seven year old that I think should finally get into music lessons, possibly dance and we are looking into Girl Scouts for her. She needs more social interaction. Not because she is "backwards" or socially impaired but because she thrives in social situations and I want to foster that. She is also very artistic and I want to plant her in places that she can bloom. She is my third child but she is the first that I wasn't quite sure if we should homeschool all the way. We take it year by year, month by month. I am ever evaluating our children's needs to see if a change is in order and I am very open to the thought of it.

The most important thing that experts warn parents about is finding that balance and not over scheduling our children. It is a very fine line we walk as parents between giving our children opportunities and helping them develop skills and talents and then over scheduling. It takes a lot of time, thought and energy. I hope that as your year continues you are better able to find this balance and I hope we can bring you more postings with information on ways to do that.

When Reading Progress Halts!

What do you do when you are on the path of teaching a young child to read and all of a sudden the child has no interest in reading at all. Do you push, do you manipulate, do you entice? What is the right way to approach such matters?

One way of looking at this issue is to see that not all children are the same and even most public school teachers will tell you that in general some things will work for all children but that each child has unique needs. When it comes to reading this can be very true. It may be wise to back off a bit for a while but to keep in mind that putting off progress for too long can be risky for the child in terms of test scores or their learning ability in other subjects. Taking a week or two off of being pushy about reading can be a welcome break to both you and your child if you are a homeschool parent.

You may also want to look at the curriculum you are using and see if maybe it is too dry and down right boring for the child. This is not to say that everything should be vibrant or exciting (in fact, some methods of homeschool do not believe in anything "fluffy" or "dumbed down"). You may also want to consider how the curriculum or program you are using is progressing. Is it giving the child the necessary tools to be able to make the appropriate progress? Is there a foundation in phonics and knowledge of letter blending, etc. to help the child build upon? If not, it may be time to switch things up.

From experience I can tell you that Sing, Spell, Read and Write is a great program for such a time. I have used this on two out of four children who hit this wall during the learning to read phase. You can buy it new but you can also find it on EBay and other homeschool "used curriculum" sites.

Another great program that teachers a great foundation and can be used for years in the elementary level is the Writing Road to Reading. Both of these programs mentioned are wise in that the incorporate handwriting, reading and spelling. They are all so interconnected in our lives that it seems silly to disconnect them in a curriculum.

If you are having this issue with your child we wish you the best of luck. When you teach a child to read you truly hand them the world because they can go so many places and have so many experiences through the joy of reading. It can be magical and yet frustrating and it is hard to know just how to tackle it with each individuals learning style. Best wishes in your endeavors!

Homeschool Incentives and Rewards

In a perfect world we wouldn't need to entice our children to do what is simply expected of them and hopefully this is usually the case. Many child psychologists are against rewarding good grades in school and think that a child's education is just what their work is during childhood. While I agree with that to an extent and will not be rewarding a child's grades I do know that it is hard to keep up self motivation while homeschooling. This comes from homeschooling my children since Kindergarten (I now have a 7th grader).

We all become disenchanted with our lots at some point and we need some sort of change of pace and incentive to get us through at times. With this thought I started a new program with my kids today that I thought I would share. We came into this new year behind in science so I was trying to find a way to get my kids excited about catching up because quite frankly, the idea of just being caught up isn't doing it for them any longer.

This morning I made a list of this weeks educational goals and told them that if they achieved these (music practicing included) that we would go to a movie at the end of the week. When I say movie I should clarify. We are lucky enough to have a $2 per seat theatre in our town and so for under $15 we can all go to a movie at a theatre. And we were lucky enough to get gift certificates for Christmas.

The goals for this reward were not just science related. As I noted, we added music practice in but they also had all of their other daily assignments as well as personal reading time included. This means that they have to stay up on current work and get an extra science lesson in each day to get their reward. It will also be a reward for me! Win - win!

For those the unschool or don't do a boxed curriculum as I do you can do your own incentives. I'm sure there are many ways to mix things up for just about any homeschool style. I am a fan of just about all methods of homeschool and have tried many but I know the reality that we all at some point get bogged down in how large the task seems. It is good to have something to look forward to and it is always good to go do something fun as a family. The reward does not even have to be called a "reward" and most definitely wouldn't have to cost a dime. My children would be just as thrilled if not more so if I told them we would spend an hour or two at a park for an outing. Children of all ages are generally pleased with the more simple things in life, it seems that the adults tend to complicate things.

So what will you do when you are in a bind? Will you entice your kids by having something to look forward to?

Homeschool New Year's Resolutions

It's that time of year again when we all sit down to set goals for the New Year! This can be a great thing if done wisely but it can be a very negative experience if we aren't careful.

If you homeschool you are apt to set goals for what you want to accomplish during the year. Some homeschool families make these goals at this time of year and some make them at the beginning of a new school year. Regardless it is extremely important to only set realistic and reasonable goals that you can attain. It does not help you, nor does it set a good example for your kids if you set goals that you cannot reach. After all, you don't want your children to start early in life by making goals and then never being able to reach them. This is the perfect opportunity to teach your kids about realistic goal setting and what it can do for their self esteem if they can stick with what they put their minds to.

Here are a few keys to setting goals:

• Look back at the past year and review what goals you made and where you stand with those. If you even made some progress in the right direction give yourself kudos! Don't beat yourself up, there is nothing you can do to change the past year now, all you can do is move forward.
• Write down your priorities in life first thing. Take into account your values and start with what you ultimately want in the long run. If your goals don't get you to this ultimate end then they have no place for you.
• With your priorities in mind make a list of goals that you would like to reach. Be as specific as possible. This will make the other steps a bit easier. Most people say things like: lose weight, change careers, make money, finish school. Be more specific: how much weight, what career change, how much more money, what classes do you need to finish?
• Take off of your list those items that are not within your control. Also really analyze and if they truly are not reachable within 12 months get rid of them. As an extreme example, you probably shouldn't set goals that your 8th grader will be ready for the local community college by next year. You get my drift. And chances are none of us will lose 150 lbs. in the next 12 months. Doesn't mean we can't aim for 40 lbs.
• Take your larger goals and break them down into lists, just like a "to do" list. So for example: I may want to lose those 40 lbs. so I would list the daily things that I know will get me there such as shopping smart, eating smaller portions, eating healthier foods, exercising three times per week, etc.
• Make it official. Most of us will take our goals more seriously if we post them on our bulletin boards or let others know our goals and ask for the help and support. This doesn't mean that we need people nagging at us or to be our keepers but it would help to have a support system. With a weight goal this can be helpful because those around you may help you by not inviting you over for fried chicken but they may serve a healthier option to support you. Take what help you can get.
• As you make your list of things to do for each day keep your goals in mind and see how your everyday actions can help you accomplish the larger picture.

When homeschooling it is particularly important to realize that you have many variables to deal with. If you have multiple children you don't know how every day will go. You may have a general routine but we all know that the more children, the more chaos. Maybe one goal is to remain flexible but to get back on track as soon as possible without being too rigid. Finding this balance can be one of the hardest aspects of homeschooling.

Some goals (very general that you would have to break down for your individual family) for homeschool may be:

• Start a homeschool support group
• Be involved in a group
• Take part in more extra curricular events and activities
• Complete all course curriculum even if another percentage is acceptable
• Milestones for you students such as: Mary will be reading "I Can Read Books" by summer's end.
• Being more organized
• Incorporating more arts into our curriculum

These are just general ideas but the list could be endless. Just keep it specific to your family and your goals and not what other's ideals are for you.

Homeschool Holiday Break

If you are like a lot of homeschool families you probably take a break from homeschooling during the holidays. For my family this means keeping about the same schedule as the public schools in the area. We don't always do this but it is really fun for the kids to be out of school and available during the time that their friends are out of school and available to play.

Even while taking a break for holidays there are so many opportunities for learning during the holidays. There are opportunities for learning about how some homes have their lights synced with music or how they have their music broadcasting on a radio station for people to hear while they look at the lights. They can learn about the Christmas Tree industry and a bit about our environment while they are at it. They can learn the history as written in the Bible about the origins of Christmas and how other religions and countries celebrate. And as many parents can imagine, there are countless arts and crafts to go with the season!

Another fun way to look at the world and other places is to study how each country celebrates the New Year or when they have New Year's. These customs are fascinating and can help your students with geography as well as civics and other subjects. It can even be fun to make some of the traditions you learn about part of your families traditions.

The great thing about homeschooling is that every day can be educational if you just look at the ordinary things you are doing and talk about them or take them one step deeper. It's amazing how much learning can be done just by living through each moment and seizing the opportunities to explore that are naturally around us. Homeschool provides the perfect atmosphere to foster your child's natural tendency to explore and inquire.

Have a very happy holiday season and we hope your New Year is a very successful one!

K12 Curriculum Review

In this post we will look at the K12 curriculum. There are pros and cons to all programs so it is wise to shop around before signing up for any particular school or purchasing any curriculum products.

K12 is an innovative approach to home based learning. They offer curriculum for kindergarten through 12th grades. You can buy this curriculum on your own and pay privately but it is pretty pricey. The elementary grades average about $1200 per year. You do get almost everything you need but you will have to buy certain things for science projects and typical school supplies. What I am getting is that they do not provide your pencils and notebooks. It's like normal public school in that respect.

Another option with K12 is their Virtual Academy programs. Available in most states this is an extraordinary program and most are publicly funded. This means that in the states available there are programs where you student is actually enrolled in the public school system in your district and then they receive K12 curriculum at no cost to you. You just buy the few homeschool supplies that are needed and you do have to have a computer and Internet connection. You then have a teacher assigned to you through your school district that works with you to help you accomplish the educational goals you have for your student.

The great thing about the Virtual Academy programs is that they allow for some great resources like a teacher to contact and there are extra curricular activities, clubs and more. The support of a teacher is a great bonus because no matter the skills you have as a teacher there will be times where you present information in every way that you know how and a particular student still won't understand a concept. A teacher can just step back and give you a fresh look. It should be noted that the teachers in this program are not there to breathe down your neck and be task masters but you are accountable for attendance and you are required to do standardized testing through your state department of education.

Overall K12 is a great company. The math has had a few complaints because the program does not seem fluid and organized but my understanding is that they are building a new curriculum for their math program at this time because the users have spoken up and K12 listened. There is a lot of online support and the online school interface is easier to use than a simple email program. It is wonderful. If you can get the publicly funded version I highly recommend it but it is well worth the money if you have to pay out of pocket.