The Online Helper

Pre-Schoolers to Adults - Hooked On Phonics Teaches Everyone To Read
Did you know Hooked On Phonics Also Teaches - Spelling, Math, Early Concepts, Languages and More?

THINGS TO MAKE HOMESCHOOLING FUN

On This Page You'll Find

• Books & Ebooks
• Educational Games
• Educational Videos
• Educational Interactive Resources
• FREE Games
• FREE Educational Games
• HomeSchooling Articles
• Keyboard Piano & Link To Guitar, Elec Guitar, Violin and More
• Money Saving Teaching Supplies
• Books & Ebooks
• Fun Ideas For Homeschoolers
• Teacher & Student Gifts
• Teaching-HomeSchooling-Ideas
• Teaching Resources
• Links to many other resources.

Helpful Tips

• The in the box means scroll down for videos.
• Use Scrollbars for More Resources
• There May Be More Than 1 Article or Video In Each Box

* For an Honest opinion of what the task of homeschooling means please read "Confessions of a Homeschooling Mom" located near bottom of this page.*

Homeschooling

Is It Right For Your Child Or You?

• Today more parents are choosing to homeschool their children.

• If you choose to homeschool it is important to carefully weigh out the Pros and Cons.

• Pros might be that your child wouldn't be exposed to the bullying, drugs or other negatives of an outside education system. Pros might also be not having to get your child on to the bus so early in the morning or not having to rely on the education system to provide them with a proper dietary lunch.

• Cons might be that by not exposing your child to the bullying and bullies he or she would not develop the social skills to deal with bullying. Another Con might be that by not exposing your child to the reality that drugs are nearly everywhere, they might not develop a strong enough attitude to reply with a firm "NO"!

• Homeschooling is strictly a Personal Choice, one that should not to be influenced by the people who think you don't have enough education, skills or discipline to homeschool your child.

• The truth is that any parent who is actively invovled in the education of their child already homeschools them to a big degree. After all..... it is the parent who helps the child with the never ending homework and school projects.

• If you do choose to homeschool talk with your local school district to find out which programs your state approves. Shop well in advance of the year in which you want to start homeschooling, this way you can take advantage of the terriffic offers online and off for new and used books, dvds, cds, art supplies, science supplies or anything else that may be on your homeschooling list.

P.S. Don't worry we know some great websites where others will help you along if you need it! We will be bringing you more links very soon. We are here to help you in anyway we can.

** Email to: valerie@theonlinehelper.com

..MAKE
.......LEARNING
....................FUN !

* FREE Educational Games
* FUN Educational Games

On this page you'll find several Fun Educational Games.

For More:
CLICK

Benefits Of Homeschooling

Why let Tim and Lisa learn at home than send them to school?

Well, first of all, you don't have to wake them up at 7 every morning and bundle them off to school with umpteen numbers of instructions, and wait with an anxious heart till they return.

Homeschooling gives you more control over the influences that affect your child. The growth and development of your child is removed from the realm of the unknown. You, and you alone can decide what your child needs to do or learn. Tailoring the curriculum to suit the needs and interests of the child is one of the most obvious benefits of homeschooling

Individual attention is another salient benefit of homeschooling. For instance, if Lisa needs more time to learn Math, then she can reduce the time for her English lessons. There are no fixed hours of learning per subject. This means that a child has the advantage of assigning more number of hours to the subject that seems tough WITHOUT any additional pressure. The amount of time needed to learn each subject will depend on the abilities and interests of the child.

The schooling of the child becomes an extended family activity. Parents get involved in every step of the learning procedure. Field trips and experiments become family activities. Thus, the child receives more quality time with his parents. The entire family shares games, chores and projects. Family closeness becomes the focus here. The child is also free of any negative peer pressure while making choices and decisions.

Competition is limited when it comes to homeschooling. The child does not need to prove his ability with regards to other children. His confidence remains intact. Since parents have a deep understanding of their child, they can plan the learning
program to pique the child's interest. It is also possible to intersperse difficult tasks with fun activities. A tough hour with Algebra
can be followed by a trip to the nearest museum. Learning becomes fun. Parents can also tailor the curriculum to suit the learning style of the child. Some children learn through reading, while others need to write, and still others need to see objects in action.

Homeschooling allows parents to take control over the moral and religious learning of the child. Parents have the flexibility to incorporate their beliefs and ideologies into the child's curriculum. There is no confusion in the child's mind either because there is no variation between what is being taught and what is being practiced.

Lastly, more and more parents are getting disillusioned with the public school system. They believe that their children are being pushed too hard or too little. Other worrying issues pertaining to discipline and ethics also make the school system less welcome. Many repudiate the educational philosophy of grouping children solely on the basis of their age. Some parents themselves have unhappy memories of their own public school experience that motivates them to opt for homeschooling when it comes to their own children.

Homeschooling is the best way to teach a child if you have the time, the ability and the interest to follow through with his education. After all, nobody can understand or appreciate your child more than yourself.

Webpages, Product, Video, News and Tips about Homeschooling - Goshgo
http://goshgo.com/
Andri Irawan
www.articlesbase.com

ACT IMMEDIATELY if you believe that your child is missing.

What to Do:

* If your child is missing from home, search the house checking closets, piles of laundry, in and under beds, inside large appliances, and inside vehicles, including trunks and wherever a child may crawl or hide.

* If you still cannot find your child, immediately call your local law enforcement agency.

* If your child disappears in a store, notify the store manager or security office. Then immediately call your local law-enforcement agency. Many stores have a Code Adam plan of action— if a child is missing in the store, employees immediately mobilize to look for the missing child.

* When you call law enforcement, provide your child's name, date of birth, height, weight, and any other unique identifiers such as eyeglasses and braces. Tell them when you noticed that your child was missing and what clothing he or she was wearing.

* Request that your child's name and identifying information be immediately entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) Missing Person File.

* After you have reported your child missing to law enforcement, call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children on our toll-free telephone number: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678). Or you can use our Live Hotline to talk to NCMEC through our web site.

Adapted from Just in Case...Missing. Copyright© 1985 National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). All rights reserved.

Increase dopamine naturally with Neu-BeCalm'd. Dopamine is a natural hormone produced in the human brain that plays an important part in regulating your mood, emotions, ability to deal with ADHD, stress, anxiety levels and sleep ...

FREE MAPS of the USA + other Countries




Live 24/7 TUTORS for All Subjects & Grade Levels of Educational Needs.
Tutors for College Students.

How Do You Educate With A Home School Math Book?

Well, you've done it, you decided to home school your child or children, to improve their education and safety.

Now what do you do?

The first thing to do is to contact your state agency that handles home schooling and determine their requirements for you to be validly home schooling your child. They will be specific about what you will need to do to get started in the home schooling and help your child meet his education goals.

While it is true that home schooled children exceed public school children in test scores, that goal is partially up to you. One of the areas you will need to address is math. You will need a home school math book, and there are some free home school math books the state may find appropriate. It will require some research to find what you need and what works best for you.

Many schools have altered their teaching methods for math and their math books. Your choices for home school math books will be substantial and important for your child. Since some of the programs used to teach math in the last twenty years are now being abandoned as failures, your choice of home school math book need to take into account what those failures are and what method you want to use to teach your child.

This will mean extra work on your part, but I think most parents will make the time to determine what can be more efficient. One such method, which was abandoned, a long time ago, is repetition. If you are over thirty years of age, you remember memorizing the multiplication tables, however, that practice has stopped for a long time. It is now back in vogue, mostly because repetition is the way most people learn.

When it comes to home schooling math books you might want to consider a program that builds on teaching concepts and keeps children repeating tasks they have earlier learned. The learning from such a home schooling math book will be more substantial and long-term. It is easy for children to forget what they have previously learned if it is never again part of their work and tests.

Especially in math, where the concepts really do build on each other, a missing or lost concept will stop your child's progress. In your home schooling math book you need to find one that will continue to include older concepts in ongoing work, rather than leave it and move on. Good luck in your search and your child's education.

Douglas M. Parks
If you love this article, you will also love another article written by this article's author on best printer scanner copier and printers scanner copier.
ArticlesBase

The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home (Third Editition)

If your PC cannot enter Windows, or your Windows has problems, this CD can help!
Boot Up Any Computer; Recover & Install Windows Easily!

Basic Tips on How to Homeschool Your Children

It is estimated that around 1 million students are homeschooled in the United States every year.

Homeschooling is an excellent way to stay close to your children; give them the proper care they need while helping them become well-rounded adults. Homeschooling allows you individualize; to find education that is best suited for your children.
Reasons for Homeschooling vs Public School
Find out whether you share the following thoughts about why homeschooling is required: (i) Parents have religious belief that they can provide better education at home; (ii) Parents thinking that the environment at school will not be congenial for their children; (iii) Homeschooling will help develop character and morality of a child; (iv) There are subjects taught at schools that are not in accordance with the faith, thinking of the parents; (v) The child has special needs or disabilities.

Now, the question arises whether or not homeschooling has any adverse affects on a child's education; maybe not. Homeschooled children have above average test results on CLICK the ACT and SAT college entrance exams. Also, homeschooled kids are sometimes better at social adjustment than kids who go to school. The way the homeschooled children make up for not attending a regular school is by participating in homeschooling support groups, scouting, church or faith based and recreational activities, and other associations.

Getting Started with Homeschooling
One way of knowing more about homeschooling is by joining local support groups. Such groups can be found by word of mouth or through public or private schools, religious groups, or state or national associations. Each state has at least one homeschooling association. These groups offer necessary advice and information and hold conferences at which families who school at home
discuss legal, philosophical, and teaching issues. Some school districts allow homeschoolers to attend public school part-time.

Following are different homeschool methods:

• (i) Diane Lockman's authentic classical trivium (The Classical Scholar) unit studies,
• (ii) Charlotte Mason's methodology,
• (iii) Montessori or Waldorf methods, and
• (iv) Eclectic blends of different styles.

Is Homeschooling for Everyone?
Maybe not.
Homeschooling is can be hard work.
It can also be expensive, as you have to pay for educational materials and extracurricular activities. You may also be faced with a loss of income if one parent has to quit a job to homeschool. References: The Responsibilities of Homeschooling means being able to devote yourself to your children all day through. You, as a parent will be fully responsible for the direction, depth, and breadth of your child's education for the rest of their life. This is a very big responsibility and should not be taken lightly, homeschooling vs public school.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What is your choice homeschooling vs public school?
• What is your choice? Why do you think you want to homeschool?
• What is it that your child will be able to achieve by being homeschooled that he or she will not receive in a regular school? What do you consider a "good" education?

These questions can help you make the decision, and help you create the right environment that will be best for your children.

For further information and resources visit http://www.homeschoolingvspublicschool.info

Homeschooling Vs Public School
The author is a mother, wife, teacher and educational Psychologist who has homeschooled 3 children who loves sharing her experiences and expertise with other homeschoolers.



www.articlesbase.com

Parents Deserve A Break

• Computers and the Internet do so much to help us teach our kids.
• One fact still remains.......it is that a computer with or without the internet, can not teach our kids the pencil to paper writing skills they must learn.
• Homeschooling parents especially find themselves spending a small fortune on ink and ink replacements. So in an effort to do our part we have searched the internet to find the best places to buy ink replacements for every possible printer model. We were surprised to find that there are thousands of places which sell inks and toners.

Neat Tip: Many places give terrific discounts based on the amount of ink cartridges bought by the same person at one time.
If you know someone else who has the same printer as you do, team up with them and order your ink, that way both of you will save a good deal of money over time. Also, before buying ink for printers which are over a few years old sometimes we've found it is cheaper to buy a new printer which comes with the inks as part of the package.

Here Are A Few Places We Found With The Best Prices
( These aren't in any Special Order )



101 Inks has good prices on ink & toner for nearly every model of printer, copier, fax, etc.,

• If you have a Best Buy in your area you can even order online and pick it up in your local store.
• Time and Money Saving way to shop for your ink. Or you can just order it online & have it delivered to your home.

SuperBiz carries tons of electronic or mobile type of devices at money saving prices.
No ink replacements but we found HP printers for as low as $35 plus SH & tax (if applicable)
At that price in most cases it would be cheaper to buy a new printer instead a set of black & color replacement inks.




Kmart also carries a huge selection of cool priced electronics, mobile devices, and printer, copier, fax, etc., inks and toners.



Inkjet STAR has ink for Canon, Laser Toners, Kodak, Dell, Lexmark, Brother, Samsung, and Epson machines.
We found ink for our printer for as low as $5.99 black and $8.99 color that was over 78% less than we had been paying.

CompAndSave.com - Printer Ink Cartridges and Laser Toner, Fast Delivery and 1-Year Money Back Guarantee

CompAndSave







Inkjet Super Store

CLICK
Great Gifts for Great People


Notebookparts.com Free Installation of Motherboards

EVERYTHING YOU NEED
AT MONEY SAVING PRICES

Teaching Is More Successful When.....

1) You engage your students in subject matter which is interesting.
Almost all students find the required subject matters like English, Math, or History etc., boring at times. Providing students with unique enjoyable ways of learning means an increase in the student’s abilities to retain the information.

2) Find different ways to actively involve your students in the learning process and to help students experience the subject you are teaching.

3) Use interesting ways to provide a hand’s on type learning experience.

4) Don’t just TEACH subject matter. A teacher’s creativity goes a long way in the process of increasing their student’s ability to learn and to retain what they learn.

Here's A Good Subject To Get Kids Involved and Give Them Some Hands On Experiences.
Included are 4 (four) short, but good videos to help jump start the thinking and learning process.

VOLCANOES

Volcanoes are a great subject to teach hands on and creative thinking on the part of the teacher and students as well.
Studying volcanic activity can lead to discussions about many other things that occur in nature and the world around us.

• Why?

Volcanoes come in many forms, not just the magma filled hot flowing destructive form we all have come to know.
I'm sure others remember being in school and having the teacher show them how a volcano erupts by using a model.
But it seemed this was only done with one type of model explaining only one type of volcano.

• Do your students know just how many different kinds of volcanoes there really are?

• How many of your students have even heard of Mud Volcanoes?

If they have heard of Mud Volcanoes do they understand the differences between them and Magma filled volcanoes?
Below is a brief video of a "Mud Pool" which is really a mud volcano. When left alone mud volcanoes don't pose the huge problems that magma filled volcanoes do, but when people attempt to plugg them that can be a different story.

• Do your students know that volcanoes erupt under great bodies of water?

• Have they ever seen an underwater volcano erupt?

Below is a video of a underwater valcano erupting filmed by some underwater divers. There's nothing special about these divers except the fact that they happen to be in diving in the place where the volcano erupted. How do you suppose these divers were able to be so close to the volcanic eruption, film it up close, without worry about being burned by the magma?

• How do earthquakes help with predicting a possible volcanic eruption?

Below are some sources to get you started on the subject of volcanoes, and to give your students more of a bird’s eye view, hands on type thinking and learning process.

• When a major volcanic eruption takes place how does it affect the rest of the world?
• There are many subjects to be covered by this one question, like how it affects the weather in the rest of the world.
• Countries coming to the aid of another country in need, what they need to first take care of, food, fresh water, medical attention, and much more.
• How people survive these devastating ordeals.
• How much it costs, in US Dollars, the Country's own Currency, have your student use the countries who are helping the volcano struck areas convert the dollar amounts into the different countries currencies. This is an opportunity to make Math challenging and fun.
• and many more subjects.......

• FREE Teaching Resources
• The internet offers many videos and web cams which allow students to experience almost all types of volcanoes with more of a first hand, bird’s eye view, learning process.
• They can even watch volcanoes and other deadly processes in nature as they unfolded with time elapsed videos and up to the minute web cams.
• Harness these valuable free sources to make the learning experience one that’s more enjoyable and stays in a student’s mind long after the process ends.

All About - MUD VOLCANOES

The term "mud-volcano" generally is applied to a more or less violent eruption or surfaces extrusion of watery mud or clay which almost invariably is accompanied by methane gas, and which commonly tends to build up a solid mud or clay deposit around its orifice which may have a conical or volcano-like shape. The source of a mud volcano commonly may be traced to a substantial subsurface layer or diapir of highly plastic, and probably undercompacted, mud or shale. Mud volcanoes also commonly appear to be related to lines of fracture, faulting, or sharp folding. There appears to be a close interrelation between undercompacted (overpressured) muds or shale bodies, mud or shale diapirs, mud lumps, and mud volcanoes; and all degrees of gradation from one to another. Mud volcanoes are one of the most useful surface sources of information on the nature of materials in mud diapirs and undercompacted shale bodies.

The motivating force responsible for a mud volcano is, in part, simply the weight of rock overburden borne by the fluid content of undecompacted shales. However, mud volcanoes all over the world are associated so invariably with quietly or explosively escaping methane gas that it is reasonable to conclude that the presence of methane gas in the subsurface is also an essential feature of the phenomenon. The mud of the volcanoes is a mixture of clay and salt water which is kept in the state of a slurry by the boiling or churning activity of escaping methane gas. Probably the methane gas was derived either directly from organic matter in muds or shales or from secondary accumulations in sand stringers within the source-rock shale or from larger reservoirs just above or just below such shales. Some liquid oil often, but not always, is associated with the hydrocarbon gases of mud volcanoes.

Commonly the activity of a mud volcano is simply a mild surface upwelling of muddy and usually saline water accompanied by gas bubbles. However, many ,instances are known of highly explosive eruptions where large masses of rock have been violently blown out hundreds of feet into the air and scattered widely over the countryside. These intermittent violent eruptions strongly suggest that motive force is not merely weight of gradually increasing overburden but is due to periodic buildup and release of internal pressure from the generation of methane gas within the shale body or diapir.

---

---

---

---

---

Sources: Wikipedia a wealth of TOTALLY FREE information
USGS the United States Government Site has a ton of FREE information, videos, web cams and so much more
YouTube ever popular video web site
Tina Carder theonlinehelper.com

Hand's Free Portable MassageRelaxing, Soothing and Portable. Get a Mini Masseuse Today!

+

Learn More CLICK on Any Book

100s Of Original Stencil Designs

12 Stencil Design Pattern Books 40 + patterns in each book and 3 Great Bonuses

• Stencils are great for teaching kids to trace and cut out designs.
• Stencils are a fun way to help improve eye to hand coordination.
• + Stencil Catalog 700 Designs
• Scrapbooking
• Guide to Start Your Own Online Craft Business

• You only need to download them, cut them out and then you can decorate just about anything you feel like decorating.

Use them for SCRAPBOOKING - FABRIC PAINTING - EMBOSSING - CREATIVE ACTIVITIES
or just plain old STENCILING

Click Here!

Click for more teaching help and ideas!
K-12




Mysteries of the Bible DVD Collection

The Planets DVD

Intervention Season One: Then and Now DVD

The Dont Miss List - Great eBook reads at great savings. Instantly.

Buy any 3 Unabridged Children's Classics for $19.95.

Homeschooling During the Primary Years

Homeschooling during the primary years can be fun and very stress-free. A lot of parents get worried that their kids won't learn everything that they need to. But with the right resources you can keep your kids on track and develop all the necessary skill sets for high-school and beyond.

The primary school teaching style can be a lot more intense than the highschool equivalent. Primary aged children require constant attention to their learning. Every day the learning process begins again and every day you need to practice concepts and learn new things for a successful learning progression. Drills, testing, and practice are absolutely necessary. This requires a lot of time, so be prepared to be very involved in their learning. Planning each day's material is very important because smaller children can be easily confused and get lost. Proper planning is crucial.

The nice thing about the primary years is that you can use a variety of real life events to teach mathematical concepts and other important primary concepts. There is so much scope for fun.

I find the kitchen is the heart of the home and the laboratory. Practicing reading by reading labels not only teaches nutrition but also provides practice for word and number recognition. Cooking with measuring cups teaches fractions and reinforces simple mathematics. You can take basic concepts and teach them using every day objects and activities. If you choose not to introduce these concepts in this way, you can still use real situations to reinforce simple learning. The nice thing about homeschooling is that the world (your home) can be your child's classroom, whether they are "in school" or at play. The task of schooling during the primary years is to lay basic concepts for middle and high school.

Having the kids at home during the primary years also gives you the chance to zero in on your child's specific difficulties and correct them early, before they become stumbling blocks in your child's academic career. This is the time to make sure that all the basic skills such as reading, writing (both grammar and hand writing), and math are well established so that your children are ready for highschool. Also, other challenges can be remedied during this time, such as speech impediments and dyslexia. These challenges can be easily overlooked by teachers in schools who have the daunting task of teaching and caring for a whole classroom.

In the primary school years don't forget that your usual homeschooling resources are also at hand: online websites and search engines, local homeschooling groups, state associations, and libraries to access any resources that you might need. Many parents find specific programs helpful in the primary years and others find the eclectic method of using a variety of books and resources helpful and best for their kids. Use what works!

Melissa Murdoch has a passion for life span development and education, and believes wholeheartedly that a healthy society begins at home. For further information on how to get started in homeschooling, please visit www.YourHomeschoolCommunity.com.

Help Teach Fair Treatment Of Others

This is one of the most requested programs in FRONTLINE's history. It is about an Iowa schoolteacher who, the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered in 1968, gave her third-grade students a first-hand experience in the meaning of discrimination. This is the story of what she taught the children, and the impact that lesson had on their lives.

Helpful Tips:

• If You're Teaching Young Students You May Only Wish To View and Discuss The First 3 Videos
• Watch the Videos Separately One Each Day and Discuss After Each One

Watch this 46:00 program here in five consecutive chapters.

You'll Need Flash 9.0 or better To View These Movies
If you Need --FREE Flash 9.0 or better CLICK HERE

CLICK ON A CHAPTER BELOW TO START WATCHING

The Daring Lesson
Day Two
14 Years Later
Teaching It To Adults
How the Adults Reacted

Acrylic - Colored Pencil - Drawing - Mixed Media/Special Subjects - Oil - Pastel - Watercolor

• Art CD's & DVD's
• Art Magazines
• Art Video Workshops
• Best Sellers
• Clearance Art Books, CD's & DVD's
• New Art Books
• $10 or Less Art Books

Why is my PC so slow?

You can fix your PC yourself. You can speed it up.

Run a free scan to test your PC's performance now.

Cool Ideas For Homeschoolers

Kids and grownups alike love Magnets, Tattoos, T-Shirts, Mouse Pads, Decorated Cups, Cool Water Bottles, Personalized Pictures, Personalized Photo Books, and many more items which all can be acheived at home with the Specialty papers listed below.

Now you can make any day special with a printer, these papers, and a little imagination.

Here Are Couple Of Cool Things We've Used These Papers For While Homeschooling

These papers aren't like the ones you buy in your local office supply or craft store these are all Commercial Grade Papers.
They work fabulous. But the Best Part is the Price. Some of these papers are as little as 20 sheets for $11.70 plus S&H and tax. That's cheaper than the non-commercial grade papers we had been using and at least 100% better quality. You can order as little as 10 sheets but the more you order the bigger your savings.

• You'll also need an inkjet printer, laser printer or color copier to use with the papers.
• It doesn't matter if your printer uses dye based or pigment based inks, they all work very well.
• If you want to use images on wood or a few other select surfaces you'll need to buy a can of Clear Krylon Spray which you can buy at your local hardware or craft store. The instructions for these papers will tell you when and if you need to use Krylon spray. In our area the Krylon Spray is about $4 for a big can.
• The T-Shirt Transfer papers for light or dark colored fabrics work on so many fabrics.
• Other of these Commercial Grade papers work on any non-porous surface, even rocks. We suggest if you do use them on rocks from outside be sure to wash the rocks and rinse them thourghly and make sure they are dry before decaling.
• The magnet sheets are absoultely great for making tons of different ideas.

We Made Cool Progress T-Shirts.

What are they?

• We thought it would be Cool if the kids had some way of showing what they worked so hard to learn over the homeschooling year.
• We used off-white T-shirts and for each subject the kids would be studying we made neat designs. * You can use any color t-shirt you like.......just be sure to buy the right transfer paper. ** If you aren't artistic you can always scan images from books or get images from the internet. You won't infringe on copyright laws because you aren't selling the t-shirts.
• On plain sheets of paper we printed out the designs, placed them in clear sheet protectors and placed them in sight in the room used for teaching. This served as a way of showing the kids what we would be studying all year and also what their finished shirt at the end of the school year would have on it.
• As the year progressed and the kids passed subjects we printed out the Transfers as needed and thus there was no waste of transfer paper.
• We used an off-white T-shirt as a model and each time one of the kids passed a subject they got to pick where on their shirt that subject's design would be placed. Some of them got very creative in where the designs were placed.
• The adults kept track of where to place the designs on each shirt and then we ironed the cut out designs on in our spare time.
• At the end of the school year each child got their Progress T-Shirt as sort of a grade graduation gift.
• What was so great about this idea was that the Progress T-Shirts were worn with a sense of pride for both the kids who passed all of the subjects and for those who didn't. The kids who didn't pass certain subjects had the choice of putting their own words like, "Almost ", "I Never Give Up", or "Next Time", in place of the subject or they could choose to leave it blank. One of the kid's has a friend who isn't homeschooled and really envied his Progress T-shirt, saying," It's a lot cooler than the piece of paper and candy we got !"
• Over the summer we found that the shirts reminded the kids of what they had accomplished and what they needed to accomplish for the next homeschool year.

Printed Magnet ABC 's & 123's
We do this for both the pre-school kids and the early grade levels.
These also make thrifty gifts.

Every home has at least one metal surface, usually the biggest one is the refrigerator or freezer.
So why not use that surface to teach ABCs and 123s to kids. So handy when mom's cooking and kids want something to do in the same room.
We even make traveling versions for the little ones.
We got the bigger kids involved by having them help with cutting out the magnets after they were printed. It's amazing how many places inside and out the kids find to use these magnets on.
One day my friend went to work without knowing that ABC's & 123's were on the passenger side of her van. One of her co-workers noticed and ask her if she was testing people in traffic on her way to work. Everyone got a laugh out of what happened.

Here How We Made The Magnet ABC's & 123's

• We bought the Magnet Sheet Paper * You don't have to have a metal surface to use these they are a nice weight and can be used almost anywhere. *They take up very little space. * We even use them with books for matching games.
• Then we downloaded some really colorful ABC & 123 text fonts for Free from the internet.
• Next we enlarged the fonts on the computer in our Ulead PhotoImpact X3 program and saved each one. *****You only need to do this once and then you can print these out forever. That is unless you decide on a different set of fonts or different sizes.***** Ulead PhotoImpact X3 is so easy to learn and to use. It's at the bottom of this box for anyone who's interested. It's also has a very cheap price.
• We printed out the designs onto the Magnet Sheet Paper and set them aside to dry overnight. We found drying them overnight just seems to make the design last for a very, very long time.
• Then we got the bigger kids in a group and had them help with cutting out all of the magnetic ABC's and 123's. It doesn't really take that long to cut the designs out, it just goes very quickly when the bigger kids help. Especially when we are doing like 100 sets of these to give for charity to our local homeless shelters and hospitals.
• Once all the cutting is done we decided what we want to use to store the ABC's & 123's in, some were stored in sandwich size ziploc bags, others in small plastic snap-top type containers, and some of them were placed into decorated boxes for gift giving.
• Unlike the ones you buy at the local toy store these have no sharp edges and the colors in the designs can make them irresistible to kids.

*****Even though most of the inks aren't toxic you should be careful about letting the little ones place these or any other magnets or toys in their mouths.*****


Learn More About These Great Transfer Papers
CLICK

Learn More About The (Corel) Ulead PhotoImpact X3 Program We Love
CLICK
Corel has many nice software products.
Save $50 on Corel PhotoImpact X3. Was $69.99 Now $19.99 & Free shipping. Limited Time Offer


Find Out More About Making Custom Made Temp Tattoos or To Order Ones Already Printed
CLICK

ButtonBeats.com

Click

It's Easy to Teach Your Child The Fine Arts.
Teach piano, guitar, drums, painting and even Ballroom dancing all in the privacy of your home.

How To Organize Your Homeschool

So you homeschool - that is great!
Homeschooling is wonderful, we have been enjoying it ourselves for a number of years and we love it.

The big question - I have all this great stuff - where do I put it?
How do I organize the papers, and pencils and pens and those little tiny bears and don't even get me started on the books, oh my the books. I have the stuff, now I need to know how to organize it all.

First - take a deep breathe and know that you are not alone, either in your homeschool journey or in your quest to manage the madness and learn how to organize.

The Steps to Organization (a.k.a. How to Organize) are fairly straight forward. Imagine you are putting together a puzzle. What do you do first? (Well, first you open the box, but I am figuring we got past that part.) So what do you second? Depending on the kind of person you are, you start by sorting the pieces. The pieces with the straight edges go into one pile and the pieces without the straight edges go back into the bottom of the box. So our first step in learning how to organize is:

HOW TO ORGANIZE STEP 1 -- SORTING (woo hoo, yeah, think trumpets and fanfare -- this is exciting, we know where to start learning how to organize)

After you are done sorting your pieces, we move on to step two. (I know, I know - I didn't tell you how to sort or what to sort or how to organize anything yet - that comes later in the article. Just hang in there.)
So what is the next thing that you do when building a puzzle? Do we sort it out and then just walk away? Do we put all the middle pieces (i.e. pieces without the straight edge) together first? No, first we build a border for our pieces. So step two is:

HOW TO ORGANIZE STEP 2 -- BUILDING A BORDER (more fanfare, sounds of cheering)

The border is now built, but we are not done yet. If you left the puzzle with just a border you never get to enjoy the beauty of it. The same goes for learning how to organize. Building a border is great, but now you have to use it. How do you use a border? I am glad that you asked (ok, I am glad that I asked, but if you were here I am sure you would have asked.) We use a puzzle border to give us information about the puzzle. The border tells us how big the final product will be. It helps us to determine where the interior pieces should go and it also lets us see a light at the end of the tunnel. (I went from puzzles to trains, and soon I will go back again. It's a mixed metaphor, but I digress.) So step three of how to organize is:

HOW TO ORGANIZE STEP 3 -- FILLING IN THE PIECES

This makes sense when you are thinking about a puzzle, after all you have this pile of non-straight-edge pieces just sitting there and waiting. How does this work with organizing? Do you recall way back in how to organize - step one where we were sorting? Those are our missing pieces, so filling in the pieces means that you are now putting stuff away. (Yes, another light at the end of the tunnel) So that's it we are done, right? After all, we sorted the pieces, we built the border, we filled in the pieces, our puzzle is done. Right? Wrong! Sorry, but there is one more step before you are organized. (Actually, I am not sorry, but it sounds nicer to say it that way rather than - tough luck bucko, quit being a whiner.) So then what is the last step? Take a minute and think about it - when you are done with a puzzle what do you do? Do you leave it where you built it? Do you take it all apart so you can do it again another time? Do you smear goo on it so that is will become a work of art for you to hang on the wall? For the purposes of our analogy (i.e. comparing building a puzzle with learning how to organize) We are going to so no, no, yes. No, we don't just leave it where it is - that just adds to the clutter. No, we don't take it apart (What? Are you crazy? We just did all this work getting organized, for goodness sake, don't take it apart.) Yes, we smear goo on it so it is a work of art. Now, before you go get actual goo and really make a mess of things remember - this is an analogy. The goo is basically the stuff that holds the puzzle together and keeps it looking nice. That is what we need - we want our newly organized area to look nice. So the final step is:

HOW TO ORGANIZE STEP 4 -- THE FINAL STEP - KEEP IT ORGANIZED (I forgot the fanfare for step three so let's just add it in here - fanfare, fireworks and a laser light show, and a skywriter writing out "you just learned the basic steps of how to organize".)

Now that we have climbed the "Steps of Organization" (aka how to organize) together, let's look at an example.

Note: if you have only short periods of time to work on your organizing project then still work your way through the steps, however organize in small sections. For example, organize the floor first, then organize shelves (one at a time), etc.)

Step 1 : Sorting

This is the hard part, but if you want to learn how to organize and stay organized, it really is necessary. Let's head off to your homeschool room / area / closet and bring some boxes with you. Begin by labeling your boxes in the following way - trash, donate / sell, doesn't belong in this area - depending on the amount of stuff that you have you may need multiple boxes. Once you have gone through your initial sort, take the trash away, and move the donate / sell boxes to another place (preferably out of your house). Now we get down to the nitty gritty of learning how to organize - in the next step we will start building our border so that we are able to put things back in an organized way. Keep a box or two around so that any items you decide you no longer need can be placed in the box. If you have a lot of items you no longer need, consider selling them at a local convention or online homeschool books site.

If you are limited on space in your school area, take a look around your home to see if you have storage spaces anywhere. To keep the number of school items to a minimum you can choose to keep out only what you will be using immediately (within the week, month, semester or year). For the items you are storing organize them on a shelf (if possible) or in labeled boxes. Label your boxes with the contents so when you need to retrieve items they will be easier to find. An idea for how to organize the storage boxes are to label them with the approximate year (i.e. first grade, middle school, etc), the subject (math, science) and the date of when you put the box into storage. If you find that you have one or more boxes that you do not use for a while, consider if you need to keep the items in the box, or if you can sell or donate the items.

Step 2 : Building a Border

Since I have yet to see two homeschool rooms that look alike I am going to go over some of the basics of how to organize your homeschool items, from there, you should have a pretty good handle on things and can continue on. If not, send me an email through our contact us page and let me know your question on how to organize your homeschool (or any other area) and I will try to be of some assistance.

Books :

Living books, textbooks, workbooks, lab books, notebooks, chapter books, first reader books, picture books, puzzle books, teacher books, student books, books about homeschooling, books, books, books - if you homeschool, you have books. The question is how to organize all of those books?

One option, depending on space, is a bookshelf. We have used kit built shelves as well as have custom bookshelves built into a closet by using shelf brackets and wood from our local hardware store. Homemade shelves are fairly simple to make and if you don't have the equipment to cut the wood at home, most hardware stores will cut pieces for you (for a small fee), just make sure you measure before you go. (Measure twice, cut once - otherwise it is measure once, cut once, buy some more . . .)

If you want other shelf organizer options, you can look at the cubbyhole shelf options, or a wall mounted book shelf. There are a number of options available so take your time and look around to determine the best idea on how to organize your books. (after all, you have to live with it, I don't)

Supplies :

Supplies tend to multiply, you start with a few pens, then they somehow grow into dozens of pens. Deciding how to organize these supplies will vary from homeschool to homeschool. Below you will find a variety of drawer suggestions and other ways to organize various supplies. Use these items as a spring board to style your own border. Be sure to read through step 3 for information on using a label maker to help you learn how to organize your bins, boxes, and drawers in an easy to use way.

Wide drawers will organize paper, pens, even workbooks. I discovered these drawers when I was trying to decide how to organize lab supplies. One of my drawers is for live experiments, this doesn't mean that I keep frogs or bugs in there, instead I use it for organizing food for fish and frogs, seeds for plants and other supplies. Another drawer is our Explorer Gear drawer, that one contains binoculars, small nets, a small bug habitat as well as other supplies. Wide drawers are can be found in the plastic storage section or the craft section. These are generally 12 x 12 so they are great for books and papers.

Mini drawers are great for organizing pens, pencils, paper clips, rubber bands and all of those little office supplies. When looking at drawers be sure to check the information on the drawer sizes before buying online. For example, on some websites the mini drawers look larger than the wide drawers, this is however, not the case in real life. Check your space allotment by measuring, then find drawers that will fit. (Great homeschool project - make the kids measure then figure out the area of the space and which drawers will fit best)

Shoe boxes may not seem to have a space in your homeschool space, but they are wonderful for organizing. When you want to discover how to organize math manipulatives, various games and science equipment think shoe boxes. Items can be easily organized and as the boxes have lids they can also be stacked. When looking for storage boxes, be sure to look for clear boxes for ease of identification of the items within, if you constantly have to take the tops off of boxes to find out what is in the box you will soon give up on your organizational system. You also want boxes that have lids. While having baskets may look prettier, they do not stack and if something is taken off of the shelf incorrectly it make a big mess. Another reason to have boxes with lids is that you are learning how to organize, and it is very easy in the beginning of the learn how to organize process to fall back into old habits. A box without a lid becomes a dumping ground for little things.

A decorative way to organize includes the use of baskets (I know I just said don't use baskets, but after you have learned how to organize, you can begin to look at other options, like baskets. Just be sure they are used for very specific things. We have three baskets under a long table by the front door, these are our library baskets. Only library books and the check out slips are placed in the baskets. You can also utilize door space, by using something like a 15-Pocket Over Door Organizer or a file folder holder. We have also used the Kids' Toy Organizer and Storage Bin, but not in the schoolroom. It started in the schoolroom, but then I have found this doesn't work as well since there are no lids. In the kids rooms, toy organizers work fairly well to keep toys organized, but it all depends on the ages of your kids and the variety of your supplies. Teaching your kids how to organize their own things now will save you time later.

Step 3 : Filling in the Pieces

Now is when you start putting things back. An item that I have found to be a great organizing tool is a label maker. Some examples of label makers are the DYMO Personal Label Maker or the Brother P-touch Electronic Labeling System. You can even use printable Avery Mailing Labels. The whole point is you need a way to label. What are you going to label? The short answer is : everything. All of the boxes, drawers, and pockets should get a label. This way if you find an empty box, you know what was supposed to be in it. Also, when you look into your storage area you can see at a glance what you have. Where else can you use these labels? 3 Ring Binders! If you want to know how to organize multiple binders in the same space (I usually buy them as a multi-pack so they all look alike) without getting having to open each binder to determine its content, put a label on the spine and eliminate this issue.

Step 4 : The Final Step - How to Organize to that You Can Stay Organized

Once you have learned how to organize you need to learn how to keep it organized. A simple organizational system will make it easier for you to keep organized. One of the ways I do this is by labeling my boxes on both ends, that way when the kids put them back onto the shelf (see - teaching kids how to organize) backwards it doesn't matter, because the boxes are labeled on both ends. Another way I keep organized is by having a Mommy section and a kids section. In the kids section there are the items that the kids can use and learn with on their own, in the mommy section are the things that I think they need help with. This will vary based on the age of your kids. Remember unless you live alone (and if you homeschool then you don't live alone) you are not the only one who needs to know how to organize. If everyone knows how to organize then your life will be a lot easier.

The bottom line - have fun turning your school area into an organized place to be, that way you will all enjoy spending time there. Organizing doesn't have to be hard - take time to look through your things. Keep what you want, get rid of what you don't and organize what is left so that you can find everything when you need to.

Copyright © 2010 Crookers Software Design & Consulting -- All Rights Reserved Worldwide
Michelle Crooker
ArticlesBase
Michelle is a wife, mom, engineer (Go Hokies!) and is currently homeschooling three children. Michelle has attended many seminars on how to organize and is sharing this knowledge (at least what she can remember) with you.

We hope you enjoyed learning how to organize your homeschool. To view other organizational tips and ideas be sure to check out our website: How to Organize.

If you would like to see more about how to organize your homeschool you can go directly to that section of our site by following this link: How to Organize your Homeschool

Enjoy your newly organized space.

Top-rated laptop bags and tech/travel accessories


Raising Children Parenting Tips on Raising Children including Child Health & Child Care
For Raising Children Tips -- CLICK on Raising Children

How to Help Homeschool Students Stay on Task

Many of us parents who homeschool our children have struggled with getting our kids to stay on task when doing their school work. In the home setting it is very easy for them to get distracted by all the activities around them like when little brother clamors for mom's attention, the phone rings and mom gets pulled into a conversation or baby sister is watching television in the next room while the older kids try to review their spelling words. The following are some suggestions on how to help your child stay on task, minimize their distractions and help keep them focused throughout the day in the midst of a busy household.

First, write out what work your children are expected to complete for that day. Last year my wife started writing down their assignments for that day on a white board so they could keep track themselves and know exactly what was expected from them for that day. This really helped our girls stay on task and helped them get their work done in a more timely manner. They also love feeling a sense of accomplishment when they finish each assignment and get to check it off themselves on the whiteboard when completed.

Secondly, find a quite place for your kids to do their work for that day. Our oldest girl has a real difficult time staying focused on her work when other things are going on around her. However when my wife notices this she helps her find a place in the house where she be alone to complete her assignments.

Finally, understand how your child is wired and how each child is different in their attention span and learning styles. For example, get to know how much hands on attention are needed for each of your kids. Also find out how long your children are able to work productively and how often they need a break from their work. Long term, find out what their learning style is to help you make any adjustments needed and choose the next years curriculum that best fits their individual learning style

Chris Kasterman has been married to his wife of 14 years and currently lives and works in Northern Virgina. Chris and his wife currently homeschool their three childen ages 10, 7 and 4. If your new to homeschooling or or have been homeschooling for a while but feel frustrated and need more direction, encouragement, and better resources to homeschool your children and help them stay on task, check out http://www.homeschoolingabcz.com
www.articlesbase.com

All of the Items Below + More
In 1 Downloaded Pkg

CLICK BOOKS

Make MATH So FUN & So EASY They'll Want More!

4 Books packed full of kids math games and fun math activities.

• Kids Math Games can sometimes feel like math drills. But this collection of Printable Math Games is NOT a collection of the same old tired games that you might find free on a website somewhere.

PLUS You Get:

• Robot Reader Reading Games
• Make Your Own Board Games
• 172 Classroom Games for 5-11 year olds
• Games Masters

These are electronic books (e-books) that are downloaded to your computer in a flash. Which means you can be reading them and playing all these games in as little as 5 minutes from now.

This Abacus Puzzle is Totally
Mind Boggling!

You're challenged to remove the light colored ball from this devious device. Calculate its escape to solve this daring puzzle. Solutions included.
Click Here for Puzzle Master

What do you get the person of any age on your list who finds the usual gifts boring?
Puzzle Master has one of the most unique lines of brain teasers, puzzles, specialty jigsaws, mechanical banks, puzzle books, and chess items. These puzzles make great gifts for men of all ages. CLICK Above to solve that problem now.
These are also great gifts for anyone who needs a little more challenge in her life.
*The Abacus Puzzle is for the most advanced puzzle solver, it is almost impossible to solve without the printed solutions.

Ten Burnout Busters
Marybeth Whalen

"Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil." (Proverbs 4:25-27)

Burnout.

In my ten-plus years of experience, I think I have met only one homeschooler who claimed to never struggle with it. Whether burnout occurs as a result of financial stress, major life change, marital struggles, difficulties with a child, or just plain old exhaustion, most of us are bound to encounter burnout at some point in our homeschooling journey. The question isn't whether we will face burnout, but rather what we can do about it when we do.

Below are ten "Burnout Busters" I have found helpful to me at different points along my homeschooling journey:

1. Don't subscribe to the dangerous "grass is greener" syndrome.

If you have a friend whose kids are in school and you find yourself envying her freedom, read the verse I included at the beginning of this article. These are the times when we must keep our focus on God and on His calling on our lives, not looking to the right or the left. Instead of lamenting your lot in life, focus instead on the benefits of the life you have. Don't circle past the local public school and cast longing glances. Don't ask your kids what they would think about going to school. This is a slippery slope that leads to a declining attitude and much lost ground in the end. When this thought pattern invades your mind, this is the time to ramp up your prayer life and find another homeschool mom to encourage you-even if that is just a blogger who encourages you through her written words. I know I have several blogs I read to encourage me via the miracle of the Internet.

2. Bookend each day with prayer.

Greet the day with a "Hello, Lord, what do you have for me and my children this day?" Living a life that looks for God's activity and His answers leads to the life of abundance that Jesus spoke of in John 10:10. End the day with a time of praise for what He did in your lives, as well as asking for any needs that arose during the day.

3. Each day after school is over, spend a few minutes assessing the day and planning for the next. This is a good time for reflection and preparation while the day is still fresh on your mind. What went wrong? What went right? What needs to be done differently? You can keep a journal and jot notes in it each day-which books to look for at the library, craft ideas you want to try, and any moments you want to remember from your day.

4. Open several Bibles around the house so that you can glean from the Word as you go about your day. Keep your mind fixed on Truth, so that lies have no place in your thought life. You can also write Scripture on index cards and post them around your home. (Don't forget about the kitchen, your bedroom, the bathroom, and the school area.) Write down any verses that ministered to you when you first began homeschooling.

5. Work toward establishing order in your life.

If you are struggling with disorganization and a messy house, that can add to the feeling of being overwhelmed. Consider purchasing a book on organization to help you if this is an area you struggle with. I love The Complete Guide to Getting and Staying Organized by homeschooling mom Karen Ehman. Take time off from schoolwork and designate a week (or two if necessary) to get your home in order. Involve your kids; this is all-important life skill training!

6. Create a rhythm to your day.

I am not advocating a strict schedule unless you think that would work for you. For me, just a fluid rhythm to my day where both my children and I know what to expect is good. This includes time for meals, rest, and play, as well as school.

7. Take a few minutes to plan your meals.

This might sound silly, but it will go a long way toward helping you feel more on top of your day. There is something about already knowing what's for dinner that makes the day feel more do-able! I work on my meal plans on the weekend, posting my list on a write-on/wipe-off board on my refrigerator. I also do my shopping during the weekend so that all the ingredients I will need are in the house for the week. This is a big time saver during the week and is definitely worth the effort I put forth on the weekend when I don't have schooling responsibilities.

8. Get outside. Go for a walk. Go to a park. Look for bugs and rocks and leaves. If you want to make it educational, then use a guide to identify what you find and let your kids take turns sketching these things-or just take a photo and keep an inexpensive photo album of your findings. Getting outside and appreciating God's vast creation never fails to give me a fresh perspective and a renewed energy level. If nothing else, just carry a blanket out to your backyard and do schoolwork outside, or read aloud on the deck, patio, or in the hammock!

9. Take time to be alone. It's okay to need, as one friend put it, "just a few hours where nobody calls me Mama!" from time to time. I like to have a nice leisurely lunch all by myself with just a good book for company. Or join other homeschooling moms at my church group's moms' night out. Or venture to a bookstore with my planning notebook for some time to plan and read and pray over what we are doing for school.

10. Don't forget to laugh! Don't be so teacher-oriented that you forget that you are first and foremost a mom. Enjoy your kids. Laugh when they say funny things. Make jokes and be silly. Appreciate the sheer joy that can be found just by looking into their eyes and hearing the sweet things they say. Recently I wrote across the top of my goals for this year: "Be joyful! Motherhood is a gift, not a burden!" Why is it that sometimes I forget that simple truth? "He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord." Psalm 113:9My hope is that some of these ideas will infuse you with new life, new perspective, and new hope for your homeschool!

Marybeth Whalen is the wife of Curt and mom of six children, ages 14 to 1. The family has homeschooled for ten years. Marybeth is the author of For the Write Reason, a speaker for Proverbs 31 Ministries, and a freelance writer. Learn more about Marybeth through her blog at www.HomeschoolBlogger.com/marybeth.

Copyright 2009. Originally appeared in The
Old Schoolhouse Magazine, Spring 2009.
Used with permission. Visit them at www.TheHomeschoolMagazine.com.
For all your homeschool curriculum needs visit the Schoolhouse Store.
ArticlesBase

Are You Looking For Homeschooling Support

For all those who want to provide a good education to their children than homeschooling is a good option.

Before starting a homeschool first thing that you should consider is planning.
You must talk to a homeschool support group in your area to get an idea on what things needs to be done first. Look for the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling before taking a decision. This kind of education brings benefit for both the family and child. The child is grown and brought up in the warmth of their parents. Such children have an opportunity to develop and grow on their own pace. They are kept away from the negative social interactions with the help of homeschooling.

Some parents do not have idea of how to start home school education for their child. There is a curriculum which parents must know before starting homeschool. Generally parents are the first teacher of any child whether the child is in regular school or at home school. For homeschooling, you must select the method of home education. The child's learning aptitude is also considered and the education is provided accordingly. One of the parents will have to stay home to provide education to the child. The parents or the homeschoolers who provide primary education to their children know well how to give good education to their children.

Usually people think that homeschooling is cheap as there is no cost involved like admission fee, buying books and other miscellaneous charges that is levied by school administration. But one thing is sure that children get deprived of many benefits that one can find in going to a school. Sometimes you will find the cost of homeschooling more than a public school. So it is advised, to get a homeschooling curriculum before planning for a homeschooling. You must match the curriculum with your child's learning ability and grasping things quickly. After all this you need to buy textbooks, all the other requirements of studying like pen, pencil etc. Other than this you also have to buy chairs and tables, lights, computer etc. These are the basic requirements for a homeschooling to start with.

You should also consider dance and music lessons for your child. Look after your child properly and observe whether he is taking interest in education. What else you can do is to consult a home support group to take child to educational trips, vacation, and other trips like museum, zoo etc. If not then try to bring some change. As your child grows up you also need to bring a good tutor. To hire a good tutor, you can consult a homeschooling support. Above all the aspect, it has been found that homeschooling is a good form of education for your child. So you can consider if you are ready to deal with the high cost of this type of education. Moreover, you can also consider online homeschooling for your child. Online programs are very helpful in developing the skills of your child because these programs are well tested. It brings something different in course material other than normal subjects like science, math, arts etc.


Tamma DeHart
Ms Tamma DeHart originator of hssegue.com, an interactive homeschool support community serving the interests of parents involved in home school support,homeschool forms,homeschool classifieds,homeschool programs. for more detail about homeschool forms, homeschooling support visit: california homeschooling & SEO Services http://www.hssegue.com/Looking-for.html
ArticlesBase

CompuCover® Dust Covers provide critical protection for your valuable equipment, computers, and electronics.





Make your check book sing. Now you can customize your check book with 18 new songs, click here for more information.

More than just checks! ChecksUnlimited.com has address labels, note cards and more to kick-start the New Year - CLICK HERE!

x-----Recipes Kids LOVE!xxxxxxxx
Click Us!--------------------------------x-----------------Click Me!

Kid Approved Meals Will Help You Quickly And Easily Prepare Healthy Meals Your Kids Will Enjoy Eating.

You Need Quick And Easy Meals Your Kids Will Actually Eat!
There are many fun and easy breakfast and lunch recipes for kids.How about Breakfast Pizza or Cheese and Meat Pinwheels to change things up a bit?

It is important for the nutrition of our children to have a balanced assortment of foods in their diet.
In addition, their little taste buds need to be exposed to variety to help them learn to appreciate various foods as they grow.

Get up to $50 in Free Goods! My Twinn The Just Like Me Doll: www.mytwinn.com/freegoods

My Twinn The Just Like Me Doll: www.mytwinn.com

Homeschooling Prevents "Bad" Kids From Influencing Your Kids
by: Larry Anderson

Homeschooling is not for everyone but many parents should consider the benefits - financial and personal - that homeschooling can provide.

You'll save on kids clothes - you save money by not having to buy "back to school" clothes. Your kids can learn in their pajamas or casual clothes.

You'll save on transportation costs. Not every community has school buses. If you drive your children to school every morning, think of the gas money you'll save over the course of a week. This may be offset somewhat by trips to the library, but these won't be everyday trips, so you still save.

Are you wary of the influences other kids will have on your child? You should be. Most kids WANT to learn, until they're taught by the cool kids in their peer group that learning or knowledge is 'so uncool'. Homeschooling eliminates this peer group pressure. It allows your kids to develop emotionally in an unthreatening environment until they're eventually emotionally mature enough to resist peer group pressure

Unfortunately, many schools today are nothing more than glorified baby-sitting centers. That's fine if you're just looking for an excuse to get your kids out of the house. But if you're looking for your child to get real learning, many schools fail miserably.

As far as personal benefits, homeschooling will keep you emotionally close to your children. It'll give you more time to impart your personal values to them, to teach them right and wrong, to teach them the values that you want them to grow up with, values that will help them in later life.

Also, many studies show homeschooled children to be academically ahead of similar children at their age level. Why is this? It's primarily because in most cases you will care more about your child than a teacher will. You will be able to teach your child one-on-one, as opposed to him or her being one of 35 to 40 kids.

Individual instruction works demonstrably better than group instruction. This is true even if you only have a high school education. In most instance, it's not the number of degrees a teacher has that makes her a good teacher, it's how mush she cares about the children that she teaches. Just think back to your favorite teachers in grade school and high school and you'll know exactly what I mean.

It's important to remember that making the decision to homeschool doesn't mean that you are forever locked into that decision. Maybe you'll only homeschool until grade 3. Maybe you'll START homeschool at grade 3. Maybe you'll be guided by what your child wants to do - regular school or homeschooling. In any case, the most important thing to remember is that you have choices and that your choices are not cast in stone.
About The Author
Larry Anderson is a freelance writer for http://www.e-homeschool.info.

Compelling Reasons For Homeschooling
by: All Homeschooling

People choose the option of homeschooling their children for a variety of reasons.

For many years, homeschooling was the purview of those families who lived in rural areas and found the cost and/or time it would take to transport their children to school unbearable. For these people, homeschooling was and continues to be the only real option when it comes to their children's education. Many rural families have traditionally relied on their children to help around the house, and thus homeschooling allowed them to pursue their studies around the family schedule, and work and education could be fit into the day according to a suitable timetable.

Another traditional reason for families choosing the option of homeschool was a fundamental disagreement with what was or is being taught in other schooling environments. Chief among this group are families whose religious beliefs clash with the prevailing educational methods. Families who choose the option of homeschooling are not subject to the rigid curriculum of established schools, and there are many options when it comes to homeschool resources that can offer as wide or as narrow a field of study as far as worldviews that the parent wishes.

A more recent development in the reason people choose to homeschool their children is that of safety. School ground violence seems to be increasing, and that has many parents worried. They feel that the best way to keep their children away from harm is to keep them close.

Hand-in-hand with the safety issue is a concern for the child's self esteem. Bullying is a common issue within any school system, as any parent well remembers from their own school days. Many parents cannot bear the thought of throwing their children into the kind of system that breeds a pack mentality, and are choosing instead to have them educated at home.

A very recent development in the reasons for homeschooling is the fluidity in choices that homeschooling children allows. This is especially apparent in Generation X, who seem to be fairly insistent on independence and not being tied down to any one place or situation. Homeschooling eliminates the need to plan all vacations around established school holidays, as the pace is determined by the parent and child.

Finally, parents may choose to homeschool their children because they simply feel they can do a better job than any educational system. Parents of gifted children do not want to see the child wasted in the hard pressed for both resources and qualified teachers system that public schooling represents, and private schools are becoming increasingly unaffordable for the average family. Parents who believe their children need the advantages of a more intimate education are therefore turning to the option of homeschooling.

The rise in popularity of homeschooling has meant a corresponding rise in the materials available to the parent who chooses to homeschool. There are resources available to meet any educational needs, and with a little bit of homework a parent will find the curriculum they feel will best suit their children's needs.

About The Author
All Homeschooling
allhomeschooling.com. © Visit for more articles on http://www.allhomeschooling.com/articles, http://www.allhomeschooling.com and http://www.allhomeschooling.com/homeschool resources.

FREE Teaching Resources
Interactive Online Activies - Lesson Plans

Below is just one of the K-12 resources you can find at PBS.org for FREE. There are hundreds of Interactive Educational Games, Educational Videos, and Lesson Plans and so much more.

CLICK on this CD to play Switcheroo

Switcheroo
Interactive/Online Activity
Practice logic and matching skills as by sorting and organizing pictures so that the top and bottom halves work together to make a single picture.

Want More?
Click on this CD

Look for Family and Education on the page. There you'll find PBS Parents and PBS Teacher Resources.

Homeschooling
Things That You Need To Know

Homeschooling is the provision of education in a home setting. It is an independent study guided by a correspondent school for the benefit of getting a diploma. Commonly, the parents are the teachers and the whole family participates, but there are also some parents who hire tutors to do this job. The entire academic study does not only happen at home; various trips to libraries, museums and churches are sometimes arranged for the learner, and these are termed as extra-curricular activities.

Nowadays, many parents choose to educate their child at home. This results to close family relationships as the parents participate in the education of their child. It's also convenient for families who have unusual jobs. Those who frequently travel like the circus performers and businessmen often bring their family with them; and because of impermanent addresses, homeschooling has been the answer to the academic needs of their children. The same thing also happens for those children who are working at an early age: young actors, actresses, dancers and performers who are legally registered to work. Their schedules are commonly in conflict with school time, so home education is perfect for them. Parents of genius kids also prefer homeschooling as they can control the curriculum in order to adapt it to their child's interests and talents.

Commitment to time is very vital in home education. Once the parents have decided to go for this, they should be ready to commit as concentration is needed to push child's learning. Time budgeting is often helpful but hard especially if there are a lot of other things that should be done inside the house. It's a matter of personal sacrifice for the mother as it is she who is primarily responsible for her child's education. If time will be compromised, home education is not advisable; it's better to put the child in school rather than to waste time in home learning minimally. The child's willingness and dedication should also be considered. If the child is unwilling, the whole effort would be worthless. The entire day will be wasted on trying to qualm tantrums. On the other hand, do not put your child on a full day schedule. Give them time to play; intoxicating the child with jam-packed lectures would make him/her tired and it will result to them giving up on studies early.

Dedication of the mother in teaching her child is the most important thing above all. She should be patient in educating her child as a mother could never be replaced by any tutor. Educating herself would help a lot; refreshing one's knowledge would make the teaching experience more productive and successful. The father's support is also essential since home education is allegorically a family team work. After all, what your child would someday be will reflect the efforts that the family has exerted in the learning process of the child.

Choosing homeschooling is a crucial decision; the parents should think a lot of times before making a final decision as home education is very different from regular schooling. The most important thing to consider here is the child's welfare, so choose the best education for your child.

Linda Allison
http://thecookiedietrecipe.com/
Visit us for more information about homeschooling facts and cookie diet recipe.
ArticlesBase

The Different Cons Of Homeschooling
by: Low Jeremy

Despite being a viable alternative to traditional classroom setting, there are still some people who feel that Homeschooling is not for everyone. Like many things, this new system of education has its disadvantages.

Here are some of them.

1. When you decide to put your kids to homeschooling, you have to be prepared to spend all day with your children for several days. With homeschooling, you have to be their teacher. You have to be there to supervise their lessons and even check on their progress. You also have to think of activities and make worksheets. This is why most parents would leave work to go fulltime in teaching their kids.

2. Deciding on homeschooling will mean that you have to go against the norm. Be prepared to be grilled by other parents. You should also be prepared to find some difficulties when you do decide to put your kid back to mainstream. Adjustment will be hard as they will not be used to the environment that traditional education has.

3. Spending 24 hours of the day with your child and being their teacher is no joke. At the beginning, you really have to be patient with your child as he or she will not always understand the lesson as fast or as easily as you want. Do not lose your temper because this will only make matters worst. Remember that it is just normal for your kid to be behind in some subjects or to take a longer time understanding lessons.

4. Most would think that a homeschooling education is cheaper. This is not the case. Although you are not paying for any tuition fee, you have to shell out money for the materials that you will be using. Also, a parent may need to quit his or her job to become a full-time teacher. This can pose a problem in the finances especially if both incomes are needed to make both ends meet.

5. Being a teacher is not an easy task. Not only will you have to patient with your child but you also have to put an enthusiastic appearance even when you are not really in the mood to teach them their lessons. It is important that you make the lesson appear fun and interesting for them so that they will be interested to learn. When they see you bored stiff, they will also follow suit, making your task of teaching them all the more difficult.

About The Author
This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included. For more information on home schooling & other information, please visit http://home-schooling.articlekeep.com.

Homeschooling: How to Get Started
by: Heather Brunson

Homeschooling is becoming a common alternative to traditional classroom teaching. Today, more parents and guardians are opting to teaching their children at home, with an estimated 750,000 to 1,000,000 students learning in a home environment. Many parents believe that homeschooling provides their children with a custom or more complete education than public or private schools. It is easy to get started â€" you just have to do your homework.

Legality -- Can I Teach my Child from Home?

It is legal to homeschool your child in the U.S. and many other countries. Each state has different laws regarding homeschooling, which can range from simple guidelines to more formal legal requirements. Look for a local, state or regional home education organization to provide basic information on the laws that pertain to your state.

Finding the Support You Need

Some home education departments will also provide a list of support groups in your area. These support groups are usually run by volunteers who also homeschool their children. You can find a support group in your area to get the encouragement and information you need from experienced homeschooling families.

In addition to state and local support groups, private groups can be particularly helpful. Their services range from providing books, materials and other resources to consultation, testing and distance education programs. These groups are designed to serve homeschooling families and not only sell the supplies and services you need, but provide helpful information and referrals.

Additional Resources

There are many resources available to the new homeschooler. Get the information you need to get started on the right foot. Read books on homeschooling. Browse web pages and links and read different articles that are available to you.

Remember that the benefit of homeschooling is that you can customize the education to fit the needs of your children and your family. You can choose the educational methods that work best for you.

About The Author
Heather Brunson is a lead marketing writer for Allied Schools. She has a B.A. in Journalism with an emphasis on public relations. She has additional experience in technical writing. http://www.alliedhighschool.com

Eclectic Homeschooling

The available definitions for Eclectic Homeschooling are as wide and varied as the possibilities it provides. Many non-homeschoolers imagine homeschooling to be very similar in structure to public schooling, although at home. They assume that homeschooled students sit at a desk all day, working their way through a set curriculum, as well as completing assignments and exams. Indeed, this is the way that some families choose to homeschool, and it can work very well.

Eclectic homeschooling, however, involves utilising resources and information from anywhere and everywhere. Rather than be restricted to one set curriculum, they may utilise a variety of text books. But, eclectic homeschooling certainly doesn't stop there. Eclectic homeschooling also includes using a variety of methods, tools and even locations, to educate your children, as well as letting their needs and desires determine what is taught and how. Many parents of special needs children home-school their children in an eclectic fashion.

Eclectic homeschooling is a form of homeschooling that is simply bursting with potential, because your family's educational
journey is only limited by your imagination… and, perhaps, funding. Many parents will take a child interests and turn it into a fun school subject
or use a variety of books to teach literature instead of buying a program or a boring anthology of works. Eclectic homeschooling families are often very talented at discovering what works. While some parents will buy a curriculum and persevere, following it to the letter, even if their kids are struggling, this should never be the case in homeschooling. Don't be afraid to change! If the kids are struggling, and there is little progress, maybe its time to look into another way to doing things. This is where eclectic homeschooling really comes into its own. If it's broke, definitely fix it. It's your kids and their future, and they are the reason we are homeshooling in the first place!

Unschooling

Somewhat closely associated to Eclectic Homeschooling is the concept of Unschooling. This method of education takes advantage of the fact that children are natural learners. Instead of setting a rigid structure, Unschoolers allow their children's interests to direct their education, with the parents, as homeschool teachers, acting as facilitators of the learning process, rather than directors/writers/dictators.
Unschooling can be surprisingly effective when well-guided, allowing the child to maintain an interest and some influence over his/her own learning materials, utilising real life activities, as well of books and standard resources. Orthodox Unschoolers believe that learners self-determine what is important to know in the world and, as there is more to learn than can ever be learned, the skills learned in self-directed learning will keep students in good stead throughout life. Also, they argue that there is no such thing as particular topics of study being critical to know, or more important than other subjects in the grand scheme of things. Therefore, whatever direction of study the student chooses is the right one for them. Critics of Unschooling, however, express concern that Unschoolers may avoid topics that are not of interest, and may therefore be lacking in particular aspects of education and/or social skills, including those deemed important for the workforce.

Regardless of the style of homeschooling adopted long-term, many homeschooling families make good use of Unschooling as a transition from government schooling to homeschooling, allowing the child to create new educational associations, and slip into the new freedoms that homeschooling allows.

Melissa Murdoch
Melissa Murdoch has a passion for life span development and education, and believes wholeheartedly that a healthy society begins at home. For further information on how to get started in homeschooling, please visit www.YourHomeschoolCommunity.com.
articlesbase

How Can I Learn In This Competitive World?

Self-directed learning (SDL) has always played an important role in the world as an alternative form of education. It exists as long as people maintain the drive to accomplish their goals. There have been many self-directed learners who have made remarkable contributions to the world in different fields, like Socrates, Benjamin Franklin, George Bernard Shaw, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Alva Edison, Srinivasa Ramanujan, Michael Faraday, Steven Spielberg, David Bowie, and Malcolm X.

Keeping pace with the present world is a very difficult task. Markets are developing in many forms whether in the form of mall-culture or online marketing which leaves less communication among the people to tell you what is good or bad for you. Today students and teachers are dissatisfied with the knowledge industry and the bureaucratization of intellect. New art, science and technology are developing at a much faster rate in the present world than ever. The existing formal learning institutions cannot accomplish enough to meet such a great need. The general public does not have the money or time to learn. The present intellectual society needs to explore informal and extra-institutional aspects to make people more conscious.

The knowledge should not be viewed as specialized professionalism but as equipment for living. The rapid growth of knowledge often causes one to desire to find himself. Consequently, large numbers of people will have to learn many subjects by themselves, self-directed to different extents based on the learning resources available to them. There are also large numbers of potential self directed learners who do not yet know where to start and how to tackle the task.

Unfortunately there are also large numbers of potential self directed learners who do not yet know where to start and how to tackle the task. Self-directed learning on a large scale is still a relatively new phenomenon, so some proper guidance and the learners' awareness of difficult areas will make the learning more effective. One method of SDL can be the gradual change from teacher-centered teaching to learner-centered teaching, leading to the development of self-directed learning.

Individuals learning depends on the making the strong concepts and theories. Concepts and theories are the tools people need for acquiring knowledge and experience. SDL involves applying knowledge at the work place for efficient outcomes when an individual analyzes his learning needs, devises learning goals, recognizes sources, makes decisions and plans and judges the results. SDL offers an individual the ability or willingness learn at his own pace. Considering the requirements to prepare for real-life hurdles, it is logical for one to be aware of his upcoming circumstances. William Blake never received any formal education due to his insubordinate temper which he overcome by reading widely on subjects of his own choosing. After getting impaired due to knee injury, Judo expert Moshe Feldenkrais developed himself based on his own experience with SDL in physiology and neurology.

Proper direction needs to be precise to achieve these predetermined targets for required skills. Performance reviews are helpful for effective communication and growth. SDL's effectiveness is related with the growth set of an individual's skills and can be useful for helping him become a booming learner. The adaptive capacity is high for university students because of their age and prolific environment of university when they use different SDL methods for their potential careers. They can easily access many sources at universities or nearby learning centers like public libraries. The resource used most often nowadays is a social networking Web site-like facebook, myspace and orkut-where people can interact with each other. There are many organizations working voluntarily to provide knowledge, training and skills in various disciplines, like government training programs or community programs.

There are techniques in the SDL system which can emphasize the motivation for people to boost their interests in activities required for successful careers. Skill Banks can be used for majors like nursing, technology, business, art, entertainment and literature, but each will need diverse learning styles. Formal and informal learning
both require self-directness but depend on an individual's motivation for the outcome. Resource identification-like libraries, lectures and academic books-is a common approach and internet websites are modern approach.

SDL can build professional skills required for long term career goals, perhaps better than a traditional academic structure. One can potentially conduct tests on an Individual Development and Educational assesment system and a Self-directed learning readiness scale while analyzing SDL potential. Considering the conclusions from these tests, students who achieve high scores in the self-directed learning readiness test generally posses lifelong learning skills resulting in the probability of higher success at the post-graduate level, in a professional career and in multidisciplinary hurdles. The quality of an individual's lifelong learning can increase the likeliness of success but performance, student attributes, moods and many different emotional factors affect the learning outcomes.

The process of understanding and applying SDL for better outcomes is a matter of ongoing research, but to do so makes sense when the nature of SDL brings favorable outcomes for students, general public and professionals to develop careers and survive in present competitive world. Methods to foster SDL in adult learning envirnoments will be different depending on the disciplines, study type and work. A learner's readiness also depends on his personal attributes and moods; therefore, his success depends on his attitude and motivation toward his career and life.

kaushik shandilya
http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/kaushik-shandilya/163451

Getting Through The Home School Math Curriculum

A lot of us can think back to the days when we were in school and we would complain how there is no possible way we would ever use most of the stuff that was being taught to us. And now that we are adults we can see that we were right all along but we cannot let that judge what we allow our children to sip out on when it comes to education. Too many parents within the home school program allow their children to relax on subjects that they feel the child may never actually us.

The sad thing is though that you never know what your child may end up wanting to go to college for and without the basic knowledge of the home school math curriculum your child could very well be left behind. The basics of the home school math curriculum are pretty easy to learn so you have to just push your child through it because it is important that he or she does not give up. There is nothing wrong with being frustrated over something but you cannot let them learn that it is time to give up when something gets a little rough.

Something To Remember
While they and even you, may feel that they will never use half of the stuff in the home school math curriculum it is important that he or she keeps pushing ahead. The grades that are achieved out of the home school math curriculum is that it could help them get into the college of their choice. If the colleges see that the student always flunked out of the home school math curriculum then they may not be all that willing to let them into their college and this could prove to be a big problem.

Also the love of math that the child could gain from pushing through the home school math curriculum is something that could be very beneficial to the child in their adult years. So no matter how hard you child tries to stay away from the home school math curriculum you need to make sure that you keep them focused and on the right track. In the end all of your efforts will pay off. After a while, your children will stop complaining and just deal with the work because it will be widely known that you are not going to just cave in and that is a wonderful lesson for him or her to learn.

Clifford S. Magno
If you love this article, you will also love another article written by this article's author on computer desks for home and computer desk for sale. http://computerdesksforhomechoice.com/computer-desk-for-sale.html
ArticlesBase

Confessions of a Homeschooling Mom

When I first heard about homeschooling, we had 2 children as opposed to the almost 7 we have now. I think our oldest was not quite in Kindergarten. Life was definitely different. I never did think it was crazy or weird, as some do, because I always had a longing to get out of the workforce and be at home with my babies. When that longing finally became a reality 5 years ago, I had just given birth to our 4th child.

At this point, my husband and I decided if we could ever make it work on one income we would pull our kids out of school and bring them home. That is exactly what we did. I wasn't completely ignorant to what homeschooling required because I had been exposed to it through several friends that had already been homeschooling for years. But, like any good thing, I had my idea of what it would be like, and then there is the reality of it.

I naively envisioned:

• Children gathered around my side reading together for hours.
• Craft and art projects that would make Martha Stewart green with envy.
• Brilliant children that would far surpass all of their public school peers.
• A clean house with the smell of homemade goodies for snacks.
• My children would be best friends, and nary the unkind word would be uttered between them.
• My husband singing my good graces to everyone he met, and my children adoring and honoring me at every turn.

The center of all of this domestic bliss, of course, would be me.

What I have found over the past five years, is that far from being the center of all of this domestic bliss, I am often the cause for household strife. It is true. I am at the center. I set the tone, as my husband is fond of reminding me. What I didn't realize when I set out on this path called homeschooling, is that I was the one who would get schooled and needed it the most.

When I worked full-time at the corporate level conducting management training and investigations in a human resource capacity, I thought homeschooling would be a breeze comparatively. But in the corporate world, there are places to hide - like behind polices and procedures. There are places to escape - like the break room or home, for goodness' sake. If you mess up, you may receive a warning or some form of corrective action. If your employees mess up, there is a policy and procedure manual that tells us step by step how to deal with every possible situation. I should know: I helped write it. But with parenting - and particularly homeschooling - there is no manual. There are no warnings or corrective action where your boss tells you how to fix the problem. Nope - it is all you.

I began to discover that all of the things that I struggled with: patience, kindness, selfishness, self-control, anger, etc. - were the things that I was dealing with most. I thought this was supposed to be about the "Three R's," or even about developing my kids' character. The truth is that those things are part of it. But the schooling doesn't stop at the children. How can I expect my children to have exemplary character, if I show them daily my own lack? How will my children learn how to be diligent in completing their schoolwork in a timely manner, if I can't stop wasting all my time on Facebook? How will my children learn to make peace with each other if I am constantly arguing with them?

For us, homeschooling isn't taken on a day-to-day basis or year-to-year basis.
It is part of life. It may be one of the hardest parts of life, because I am faced to see myself and all my weaknesses reflected back to me in the eyes of my children every single day. It would be much easier to shuffle them off every morning to an expert who will fill their heads but not their hearts, and never have to deal with the parts of me that need to be dealt with. Yes, after five years of homeschooling (and at this point, about 17 more to go) I can honestly say that I was right and so was my husband: I am the center and I do set the tone. That just doesn't look the same way that it did in my imagination. The lessons I have learned from homeschooling start with an examination of my own heart. Only then am I capable of teaching my children the lessons they need to learn.


Tasha Hussey is the proud mother to 7 of the coolest kids on Google Earth. She was suckered into marriage by her husband, James M. Hussey, when they were fresh out of high school. When she's not educating the kiddos, she's tending the family blog farm or otherwise finding a cool way to make barefoot and pregnant look like the next hot thing. Her blog farm includes Themes For Baby Shower where you can get baby shower theme ideas like the Noah's ark baby shower, always a fun time.
http://themesforbabyshower.com/baby-shower-theme-ideas/
http://themesforbabyshower.com/


www.articlesbase.com

free hit counters