Geomuse Education » Home Schooling

Home Education for Your Reserved Child

admin — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:47:20 +0000

Earlier, it was said that education is a privilege. Nowadays, education is considered as an indispensable part of a child’s rights. John Dewey quotes “education is not preparation of life, education is life itself.” Education plays a pivotal role in shaping the life of an individual. The most important aspect of leading a civilized life is education. It is the most important asset one can ever have. It is the basic parameter to have a worth and say in the social circle; the thing which matters the most is quality of education. Education makes us capable and able to compete. As education has so much to offer, people have started to consider and acknowledge its importance in life. In a country like United Kingdom, education has always been high on the agenda. In fact, in UK, the concept of Home Education has been an essential part of the society.

Now, the question that arises is why studying at home if schools are there. Some parents are not satisfied by the school system, or, there are simply no good schools in the near by area. Some prefer home schooling because of financial reasons as well. In some cases, it may also happen that the child is not medically fit, or is autistic, to attend classes with other students. As far as UK is concerned, Home Education is increasingly gaining grounds. There are many advantages of home education over school education. The best part of home based education is the individual attention given to the child. It is comfortable to study at home with safe friendly environment in the supervision of parents. Then, every child is not same. Some grasp easily and perform better in competition, while some find it comparatively tough to perform among a group of pupils. Home education also refrains from unhealthy competition and nagging to perform and secure better grades in the class.

Home schooling students primarily fall under two main categories: adult learners, who could not complete school education for some reasons and are now willing to attain education, and home-educated youngsters falling in the age-group 11-18 years. Most of the schools that provide such type of schooling have the provision of written study material. This material is studied through a typical syllabus. Self assessment tests are also a part of home schooling. Interaction with special tutors helps students to complete their assignments and clear their concepts. Home Education Courses may include disciplines like English, History, Geography, Mathematics, etc for young children, and subjects like Teaching, Nursing and Policing for young adults above 18.

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Structuring a Christian Homeschool Curriculum

admin — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 15:35:15 +0000

To have a preschooler or kindergarten at home can be very challenging. On the other hand, it can be fun and exciting. At this stage, these kids love to explore and discover their world. In fact, if you have kids at home, you’re actually starting homeschooling. How? When you’re training your child simple lessons like manners and good behavior, you are technically teaching your child something. That is basically what homeschooling is.

Since parents serve as the instructors, educators and teachers to their kids at home, it is vital that parents know how to become good role models. There are many ways to teach a child develop their love for God. Nowadays, parents can utilize Christian homeschooling materials and other resources for free. They just have to be innovative and know where exactly to look. Parents can go to the library and find an appropriate children’s book or other reading supplies. These can include Christian resources like bibles, scripts, Christian text books and more. In addition, there are free Christian homeschooling materials found online. By utilizing these materials, children can easily visualize their daily and weekly lessons.

Although there are several educational materials parents can take advantage of, they still need to supervise their child and observe them for any progress.

Here Are Simple Guidelines to Help Parents Be Effective Teachers to Their Children

First, parents should know that the key to effective teaching is communication. Learning how to communicate with your children is vital in order to capture their interests right away.

Second, when teaching a kindergarten, parents should learn on how to be creative and innovative. Your child’s imagination is rapidly growing and you need to introduce Christian principles in a fun and enjoyable manner. The internet is a great way to browse through whatever lessons you want to teach your child. You may search for different Christian websites or sign up for newsletters and free online groups.

Third, aside from searching online for homeschooling programs, you may opt to look for offline sources like kid’s magazines, educational CDs and DVDs, instructive toys, books, and coloring materials. Usually, these are readily available in your nearby bookstores and libraries.

Fourth, be certain that you record your child’s learning progress. So that you can easily track your child’s individual learning needs.

Lastly, make the learning experience enjoyable.

In conclusion, Christian homeschooling should be a fun and exciting time for both the teacher and the child. You can just spend your usual daily living, exploring, discovering and searching for answers. In fact, that is the most appropriate approach in teaching a child. Don’t worry if your child asks several questions. It’s just natural because at this stage, they are very eager to learn. Try to give them the simplest answers and allow them to explore. That way, they’ll greatly appreciate every new lesson.

For the success of your child’s homeschooling education, you need to look for creative and innovative education resources. To find out where, we have fantastic information regarding homeschooling programs and Christian educational resources, visit our site today.

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Online Homeschooling Children Go Outside And Play

admin — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:55:55 +0000

Beginning online homeschooling can be a freeing experience. No longer tied to a fixed schedule, the child(ren) and in fact whole families can benefit from one of its most distinct advantages: learning outside the box. The restricting, constricting box of public or private school can take many forms.

Some of which are: the daily school day schedule, (often starting and ending with a long ride on a school bus) less and less free time, as recess, enjoyment of the creative arts, and flexibility in teaching academics all tend to be curtailed because of school budget cuts and the pressures on teachers to teach to the standardized tests.

Going outside the school box can indeed be playful, though the work of learning is not neglected, but on the contrary is usually accelerated. Accelerated learning is just one of the benefits to online homeschooling.

The one-size-fits-all nature of the curriculum used in the classroom is less than optimal because it not only leaves some of the students behind, but often dampens the pure joy of learning for all students. Seat learning takes up the majority of the time spent in the classroom, and that alone can so remove learning from real life that it loses connection and thus credibility.

Boredom results as motivation to learn lessens, while enthusiasm and curiosity fade. When the lessons are tailored to meet the needs and interests of each and every student, like with homeschooling the joys of learning are happily rekindled. As Yeats said, “Education is not filling a bucket but lighting a fire.” The homeschoolers fires do seem to be the most promising place for that to happen. Another greatly beneficial aspect of learning with homeschooling is the ability to literally go outside and play, anytime.

The decline in the overall physical health of our children is startling. It’s been well documented that many Americans, including children, are overweight. And the statistics for the accompanying rise in Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes in children is staggering. The good news is that this and many other health problems currently plaguing children are very preventable through changes in diet and exercise.
These positive lifestyle changes are more available to homeschoolers, as regular exercise is more easily implemented and meals and snacks are prepared and eaten at home.

As a child I was often encouraged to “go outside and play.” I wore a skate key at all times so that I could clamp on my shoe skates and go flying down the street. Sidewalk hopscotch was a regular if not daily activity, as was hide and seek, or jump rope, as well as many other wonderfully vigorous games.

TV was minimal then and computers were virtually nonexistent. And in school, recess was an important, indispensable part of the school day. So homeschoolers, do revel in you and your children’s ability to play: both outside, and outside the box!

Marin holds a Masters Degree in Waldorf Education, and a California teaching credential in art. She’s had years of experience as a Waldorf class teacher in the early grades, has taught hands-on science and math to homeschoolers in grades 1-6.

Learn More about Homeschooling visit our website. Homeschool Math Program, http://MathByHand.com

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Free Homeschooling Materials for Preschoolers and Kindergarten Level

admin — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 03:42:53 +0000

Education as many would say is the greatest possession man can have. It can never be stolen. Receiving good education should be the aim of every individual. With that said, parents should try their best to provide their children with the best education possible in order to bring out their child full potential.

Parent’s Role In Homeschooling Education

Parents are responsible to choose the most appropriate teaching methodology for their children. Their decision contributes a lot with the proper foundation of intellectual, social, emotional and skills, spiritual and skills development of their child. That is why, parents opt to homeschool their children in an accredited homeschool education program to monitor their children’s progress effectively.

Most definitely, parents have a big role in homeschooling. They are their child’s first educators or teachers. In the early years of a child, the most suitable homeschooling curriculum should include activities that would little by little introduce a child into the wonders of his immediate world and imagination. As a matter of fact, raising a toddler or preschooler at home, you may not be aware, but that’s how homeschooling starts. So, it is fair to say that education truly begins at home.

Homeschooling Education Resources

In homeschooling education, there are many homeschooling materials or education resources available including pre-planned curriculums, outlines of courses, science experiments and homeschooling programs or handbooks for beginners. Homeschooling programs ranges from a kindergarten or preschooler through senior year. That is how extensive homeschooling education really is.

Christian HomeSchooling

When homeschooling education is just starting, the people who actually pioneered homeschooling curriculum are the Christian families. They facilitated promoting christian homeschooling education resources.

Homeschooling Programs and Curriculum

One of the largest companies that provide homeschoolers with the best homeschooling materials is Rainbow Resource center. The best publishers of homeschooling education programs are the following: ABeka Book, Apologia Educational Ministries, Bob Jones University, Press Cam rose, Classical Academy Christian, Liberty Academy School System

ABeka Book, Apologia Educational Ministries, Bob Jones University, Press Cam rose, Classical Academy Christian, Liberty Academy School System.

The curriculum that is included for Pre-School are language, thinking skills, English alphabetical, science, mathematical reasoning beginning, coloring, construction with building blocks. Reading lessons, language and arts, math, geography, science, thinking skills are the usual subjects included in a kindergarten’s homeschool curriculum.

As for Junior High School and High School, their curriculum includes subjects like Bible, Science, Math, History, Language Arts, Reading and Geography

For years, homeschooling education is proven effective. Nevertheless, for a homeschooling education to be successful, parents and immediate guardians should aid their child and make sure he is ready. It is best to understand that the expectations of a child entering kindergarten is different compared to a high school homeschooler.

Kindergarten should remain to be a fun learning environment. Homeschooling programs for kindergarten are designed to assist children to learn things in a less structured approach like the formal surroundings seen in many private and public schools.

Conclusion

To wrap up, Homeschool curriculum and educational resources are indeed plentiful. Understandably, it can be very overwhelming to choose from a variety of homeschooling materials and educational resources. Awareness of your child’s learning needs is important in order to choose the most suitable homeschool programs.

Finding the right homeschool curriculum for your kids are vital in shaping your child’s learning skills. Learn more about homeschool programs to see if the materials are suitable for your kids’ learning level.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jared_Wright

An Overlooked Secret to Successful Homeschooling

admin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:52:16 +0000

You have listened to seminars. You have read the materials. You have weighed your options. You have learned about different methods and approaches to teaching. You have studied your children and puzzled out their individual learning styles. At this point you may feel you are ready to jump into homeschooling, but you may not have taken into account the key factor that will determine whether you are successful or not.

Jeff Allen, a professional comedian, has built his career around one simple saying. He sums up his hard-earned life experience into one four-word phrase-”Happy wife, happy life.” This is an example of how sometimes the simplest statements are the most profound. Beyond comedy and the realm of personal relationships this motto encapsulates the key to a successful homeschool experience.

The single most overlooked ingredient of a successful homeschool is the positive attitude of the teacher (who, for the sake of brevity, we will simply call Mom). Is Mom happy and motivated? Does she look forward to getting up most mornings to spend a great deal of time with her kids? Is she having fun? Does she enjoy teaching homeschool? Is she enthusiastic about how things are going? Or does Mom feel like she is slogging through each day, struggling to keep her head above water?

Somehow this simple ingredient to success gets all but ignored as we step into our family homeschooling adventure. We focus on what material best matches each child’s individual learning style. We choose a unit study or a living books or a classical curriculum because we feel that our children will benefit the most from that approach to teaching. Yet if we look back in our own lives it is clear that curriculum choices made or the teaching methods used pale in significance compared to the attitude and the zest for teaching that the best teachers brought to our lives. Of all the factors that can lead to less successful results from our children and reduce homeschool burnout, I am convinced that the attitude of the person teaching is far and away the most important and most frequently overlooked.

This is a not meant to be a wag-of-a-finger or yet another burden to place on the shoulders of the mothers teaching their children at home. After all it is easy to tell someone that is their responsibility to buck up, but experience shows us that telling someone to be chipper very seldom leads to cheeriness. We can learn to be content in any circumstance, but truly exceptional results require more than just that-they require joy.

No one has all the answers as to how this will play out in any single family. This article is meant simply as a request for each of us to take stock of things beyond our children when it comes to homeschooling. We need to be reminded that the key factor distinguishing homes with highly motivated children who are happy to learn is the presence of a highly motivated mother who is happy to teach.

Matt, the father of three and a husband of 23 years, has been writing online for a while now on a number of different topics. If you enjoyed this article you may be interested in his web site that helps parents select homeschool curriculum packages that work for their family.

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The Homeschool Advantage in Math

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:28:40 +0000

There was an article this morning in our paper about the new math curriculum being used in our area. I cannot believe they are choosing a single math curriculum that is supposed to fit an entire region. How many teachers are involved? How many different students? All those different individuals, and there will be only ONE BOOK???

I started getting concerned when they mentioned the book “Discovering” for algebra and geometry, and said “It’s also the series our school district has chosen.” First of all, any time our school district chooses anything, run the other way. They have a 46% graduation rate. That is our local high school:-)

“Some of the highest-paying and most competitive careers are in science, technology and medicine – all math-intensive fields. Meanwhile, more colleges and universities are requiring applicants to take up to four years of math in high school.”

That is a very good reason to teach math, and a very good reason to be conscientious about it. I would also like to point out that it is not all about pay either. Nursing, for example, is a math-based careers that is more about mission than money.

But do you have to choose between math “investigations” vs. extensive explanations and practice? I love the fact that homeschoolers can have it both ways. You can take a traditional textbook and add supplements that encourage understanding. But you know, some kids need more practice, and some kids need more explanations. Some kids just flat out need more hands on activities! I am not sure how one math book can serve the needs of every student.

I know that homeschoolers feel very concerned about upper level math. How much harder would it be if you were a non-homeschooling parent? Imagine trying to help your child with homework when you did not choose the book, have not seen it all year, do not have a video or an 800 number to call. What a nightmare! My friend had a child who used the Discovery book in public school. The schools were not able to help her and so they hired a tutor. Even the tutor who had a math degree could not figure out the Discovery book!

It was interesting to see them comparing these math books to the whole language vs. phonics debate. I remember thinking that different children learn to read in different ways, and that a mixture of the two can help. Math may be the same way.

Lee Binz, The HomeScholar shares some of her time each week to provide free homeschooling advice to parents. She also shares many free homeschool resources to help parents in the noble cause of homeschooling their kids through high school. Find more information at TheHomeScholar.com.

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Remembering Sono Harris

admin — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 11:27:00 +0000

Sono Harris, Joyful Mother of Children

For twenty-one years Basic Skills presented the Winter Home Schooling Workshop. Sono Harris was among the many speakers who made regular presentations. Sadly for us, on July 4, Sono passed away after battling cancer.

My wife Jenny and I met Gregg and Sono in the early 80′s when the home school movement was just beginning. While Sono was in the habit of saying “no” to a number of invitations to speak at various functions and events, she always said “yes” to our conference.

Many mothers came simply to hear her. While the men had something worth listening too, they were, after all, still men and did not (or could not) relate or address the topics these mothers needed to hear, to where they were living. While all of our speakers were respected, appreciated, and their expertise recognized and helpful, Sono was all of the above but more importantly, loved.

In the early 90′s she addressed basic, practical topics. But as the home school movement grew, her children as well everyone else’s grew up with it and her focused changed.

Mothers came not so much to hear her teach how to do something, but how to live. Sono filled with them with hope, and that’s what they needed. Many were ready to quit and were tired. But just being around her helped them stay the course. She was gracious, and she lifted spirits. She shared insights that could only be truly understood as spoken by one mother and wife to other mothers and wives. They listened to her because she was completely invested in whatever she was involved in.

I think of Sono when I read the kingdom parable described in Matthew 13:44. “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy, went and sold all he had and bought the field.” She was like that merchant. She held nothing back when it came to her Lord, family, and again, to whatever she committed to. She was, as one of the titles of a talk she gave, a “Joyful Mother of Children.” She invested deeply and completely.

Because of this, her life experiences were rich. She had a way of pulling back the curtain of her life just enough and then inviting the mothers in her seminars to get a glimpse. She related in such a way to those she spoke to that at times it was like having a personal conversation with her. She had the ability to distill ideas into something her listeners could easily take in and remember. If she felt she needed to present a correction (attitude, point of view, etc.), she did so in a way that her listeners did not feel scolded or reprimanded.

As I mentioned before, in her later presentations her topics and focus changed. Near the end our twenty-one years of home school conferences, she spoke more about the difficult issues of life that she and other mothers had in common. Mothers felt she identified with their struggles.

I remember one talk she gave which was titled, “An Anchor for the Soul” in which she introduced her presentation by speaking about the desire most wives and mothers have for stability. She then spent the rest of her session talking about change and in particular suffering. She said “motherhood is about change in a progressively painful direction.” She was talking about the separation we experience with our children as we move through the stages of life.” All of us go through this.

At the end of this particular session, she posed the following questions, “What am I to do with this, how am I to manage this? How am I to handle this suffering, loss, and pain.” She talked about “increasing the sacrifices we make (as mothers) while reducing the expectation of immediate returns.” She said, “It’s about spending all that you have, and letting go. When we embrace God’s will, everything changes.”

In referring to the kingdom parable described in Matthew 13:44, she said the key word was “bought.” We must buy the field. Often we think the field God wants us to buy will be attractive and pleasurable, but it’s often bleak, with trouble, pain, suffering, and loss. But there is treasure in that field. The loss and suffering we experience drives us to the only dependable anchor for our souls, Jesus Christ. That is where our suffering finds its greatest meaning.

For Sono, Jesus was that priceless treasure, and now she is enjoying his presence in person. Sono Harris was and is a joyful mother of children.

If you’d like to make a donation to help the Harris family during this difficult time, an account has been set up at West Coast Bank. Donations can be made at any branch in Oregon and Washington. The account number is 1141007201 under Sono Sato Harris.

To read more about the life of this remarkable wife and mother, go to www.joshharris.com.

Thank you for reading.
Curt Bumcrot, MRE

Please feel free to forward this to home schoolers you think would benefit. Also, you have permission to copy this article to your blogs, forums, social network pages, or other websites. We only ask that you provide the live link at the bottom of the article that leads back to www.basicskills.net

Curt Bumcrot is the founder and director of Basic Skills Assessment and Educational Services. He has earned degrees in Biblical Studies from Grace Institute in Long Beach, California, a B.A. in English from California State University at Dominguiz Hills, and a M.R.E. (Master in Religious Education) from Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary. He has been active both as a teacher and administrator in Christian Schools. He and his wife, Jenny, who home schooled their three children, currently reside in Oregon City.

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Homeschooling is Easy to Defend

admin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:55:54 +0000

If you are considering homeschooling or are already doing it, you know it can be a pretty controversial decision. I am sure you have heard complaints from dozens of people and at least one has told you that keeping your child at home could damage their personality. You may have heard some crazy threats from well meaning teachers. And you are left wondering; “How do I defend my choice to homeschool?”

Your not alone. Most families that choose to educate their kids at home face these challenges from friends, neighbors, and teachers. But homeschooling is easy to defend. Allow me to outline very briefly a solid three part defense that you can use with anyone picking on you.

First, you have statistics on your side. The statistics favoring homeschoolers are overwhelming. Kids who have been taught at home don’t just out perform their public school counter parts by small margins. They outdo the average public school kid by 30 points. It is also important to point out that these statistics don’t change if the parent providing the education has no college experience. A college degree doesn’t really matter in the process of teaching your kids from home.

Also, money doesn’t matter. The average family teaching their kids at home spends less than $500 a year. In contrast, the local public school can spend as much as $9,000 per child, per year. So the public schools are spending an excessive amount and ending up with scores that are much lower than the average homeschooler.

The second defense that you will need to use are the negative alternatives to homeschooling. This will address head on the concerns that most individuals have regarding socialization. The lack of socialization is a common complaint against home education.

But is this a fair point? The socialization found in most public schools is not ideal. It is out of the parents control. The child attending public school, and even private school, can be exposed to all kinds of things that you as a parent would not approve of. You might remember what things you learned from your friends when you were in school. The awful things your parents were probably trying to shield you from were revealed to you through friends at school.

These negative examples are valid points that must be used as a defense. It is reasonable to point out what a child is spared by staying home.

On top of this, you could share the alternative social events that your child attends. Mention the sports teams they play on, or the dance lessons they take every week. Maybe it is music lessons or Boy Scouts that they enjoy. Remind your opponent of these weekly events.

Finally, share your decision to homeschool as a personal conviction. Instead of demanding that all parents should homeschool, inform the other party that it was a personal choice made based on the conscience. If the person you are talking to can’t accept that, ask them where their authority lies in making such a strong case against your conscience. They should not feel threatened by your choice as long as they know it is your own conviction and not a law you want to mandate for their life.

Who knows, they might be convinced by the end of the conversation. If you keep your cool, share the facts, and welcome the conversation, you will probably win their support.

Josh Turansky is passionate about defending the right to homeschool. For more information about finding a homeschool defense you can check out his blog here: http://www.proshomeschooling.com/category/homeschool-defense/

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How To Teach Your Child To Make A Living

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:35:54 +0000

Do colleges teach you how to make a living?

I was talking with an industrial psychologist once about college and making a living. The psychologist said: “the only people who go to college are the ones that aren’t smart enough to make a living without it!” Well, I think that is a gross exaggeration but there is some truth in it. But everyone needs to make a living some time, and the sooner we learn it the better off we are.

As a homeschooler you have the advantage of teaching your child this yourself. It comes naturally to some, some learn it via osmosis from their parents, and unfortunately some never seem to figure it out. Focusing some time on it with your child early will make a difference. I suggest that you teach your child how to make a living by comparing it to how businesses do it. Done right, your child will learn both, and get equipped for either a job or an entrepreneurial venture when he grows up. Here are a few simple things to start with:

Businesses have a purpose, to serve their customers; individuals’ purpose is to serve their employers. Businesses need a product or service that is in demand in the market place; individuals need a service that is in demand. Businesses need to keep their product/service current; individuals need to continue learning to keep theirs current. Businesses need sales people that have relationships with the customers; individuals need relationships with others for personal support, networking for job searches and to help others too.

Businesses need to know their financial situations; individuals need to manage their money also. Businesses need equity to support their business growth or downturns; individuals need savings to support large expenditures and reserves in case they lose their jobs. These are just a few simple comparisons, there are many more. If you are uncomfortable with businesses and how they work, find a friend that is in business or owns a business to talk with your child about these concepts.

Most business people will quickly pick up on the concepts here and can show your child how these things work in their business as well as how they would work for individuals. Not too many colleges I know think like business people, they are educators. I would highly recommend the homeschooler teaches this before investing a large amount of money in college so your child gets the most out of their education. You can teach your child to think like an entrepreneur, that will give him the options he/she needs to make a living.

Rob Severson, Author, Speaker and Financing Coach. I help businesses get new financing to pay off unhappy banks or for rapid growth. I have been in the financial business over 40 years and have a wide breadth of experience in business issues. I have successfully coached 100′s of business to get new financing. I know how to put a deal together. I also wrote a book “Connectiing Peace, Purpose & Prosperity” that is a memoir written for my family showinig them how I learned to live a life that is happy, joyous and free including making a living. It is a short interesting peek into an “average guy’s” life and what he tells his heirs. I also do speaking gigs on the subject for churches, schools, AA groups and others.

http://www.robseverson.com

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Geomuse Education » Home Schooling

Top 10 Tutoring Resources Online

Home Education for Your Reserved Child

Structuring a Christian Homeschool Curriculum

Online Homeschooling Children Go Outside And Play

Free Homeschooling Materials for Preschoolers and Kindergarten Level

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An Overlooked Secret to Successful Homeschooling

The Homeschool Advantage in Math

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Remembering Sono Harris

Homeschooling is Easy to Defend

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