Homeschooling

Shedding the Adult Agenda by Barbara Frank

I’ve always admired unschoolers for their relaxed approach to learning. Yet while my own style of homeschooling has become much more relaxed over the years, I will never be called an unschooler because I am incapable of being one. It is simply not in my personality.

Do the math: I’m a first-born (yes, there are Kevin Leman books on my shelves), public-schooled, Missouri Synod Lutheran (Lutherans live for and by their routines), child of a career military man. Let’s face it, I was never meant to be an unschooler.

Tips for Frazzled (Homeschool) Moms by Scott Stroud

Any home-schooling family with more than one child knows the challenge of keeping “Baby Kong” from tearing apart the house during school time. Now that we are teaching the oldest two of our four children, my wife, Mary, has had to develop an intricate strategy in order to have a productive day.

An Unschooler’s Summer Journal by Peter Kowalke

I just left Hampshire College, determined to unschool my way through the college years instead. Here’s my summer journal (well, excerpts from it):

May 27—We, as a family, need to work together in this tough period of reintroduction now that I’m living at home again. Dad and I had an hour conversation about integrity and the dire need for good communication. It was an encouraging conversation, which comes on the heels of positive interaction with both Mom and my brother, Adam. All three of them have, in their own ways, shown an interest in cultivating a new, positive family dynamic.

Royal Academy Grad Shares at Commencement by Rachel Hamilton

I only wish I could have had the privilege of time to get to know each and every one of you individually throughout the last four years of high school. But the truth is I stand before you today, almost a complete stranger, because we chose an alternative route of education. It is because of this alternative route that I can now recognize the more intimate details we seniors have in common.

In The (Homeschool) HOT Seat
by Janet McKay

As all 7 pairs of eyes stared at me, I began sweating uncomfortably and I couldn't help but think of my sister. You see, she has been home schooling for  seven years in Indiana. I had just started the week before in Massachusetts. 

Family Cohesion on the Ranch
by Jon Remmerde

 When Juniper reached the age when she would have started school, we took care of the Rouse brothers’ ranch in northeastern Oregon. Getting to school on the rambling rural bus, being in school all day, and then getting home would have taken twelve hours. We weren’t willing to commit her to that long a day.

We had already started her education ourselves. When she was six, Laura helped her learn to read, and she launched into an avid reading career that has rarely slowed down since.

What If YOU Had Been Homeschooled?
by Jane R. Boswell

We are now seeing a new generation of homeschooling parents that were, themselves, homeschooled. This is certainly refreshing. For these, the path of home education is a natural, logical and thus, comfortable choice for them. Now embarking on the adventure with their own young children, they come prepared with valuable experience and are sometimes envied by their traditionally schooled peers.  But does walking the "homeschool experience" automatically guarantee immunity from the doubts that plague every parent? No. 

Homeschool High School and Beyond

College At Home by Matthew and David Bass

 Many parents choose to educate their children at home to protect them from the low academic quality and dangerous moral and spiritual atmosphere rampant in the public schools. But when it comes to college, the decision is often one-sided. Parents believe that their children must attend a traditional four-year school and acquire at least a Bachelors degree in order to be financially and vocationally successful. Our society places so much emphasis on a college degree that parents and students see no alternative.

Things Never To Say To A Teenager by Nigel Lane (Teen Coach)

 1.  When I was your age ….

Actually it doesn't matter what you say when you get to that point in the sentence because the young person has already switched off and isn't listening. In fact, if you have been on the advanced training course on understanding teenagers, you will be able to read the LCD screen just inside their forehead - it will be clearly stating, “yeah right, whatever.”

Seriously though, you probably were never their age.  Well chronologically and numerically you were but when you were their age the world was a totally different place. Research has shown that there are 3 main things missing from society today that were readily available when I was a teenager and those deficits make the world a different place. (See the next article at the end of this one.)

The College Application Process: Helping Your Teen Cope by Katherine Dahlsgaard, Ph.D.

 The experience of stress during the college application process is inevitable – for both teens and their parents. Here are some guidelines to make this a positive experience – one where adolescents have a chance to learn and practice good coping skills that will be of benefit for the rest of their lives.

Why Students Don’t Value School by Tim Meyer

 This is my first week of teaching as a full-time faculty member and not as an adjunct or TA. While most of the new experiences have been positive, I’m seeing things in a new light. The most intriguing facet of my new “education” experience is confirmation that economists do indeed think and act differently than “normal” folk.

Homeschool - Teaching and Learning

Eyesight Tips - Avoid Learning Difficulties
by Shirley M.R. Minster
When I was growing up, the annual spring visit by the school nurse to test our eyesight was a big event.  She asked us to cover one eye and recite the letters on an eye chart that was thumbtacked to the wall at the end of the hall.  Then we covered our other eye and repeated the process with other lines.  Later that day some students took letters that encouraged their parents to take their children to an optometrist because the school test indicated that glasses might be needed.

Baby-Steps Toward Independence
 by Kathryn Stout, BS Ed., M. Ed.
Are you eager for your children to be able to work independently?  Most of us juggle so many responsibilities that it's impossible to direct our kids all the time. We may sometimes supplement with software, videos, books on tape--anything they can do alone. Happily, there are also activities that will train our kids to find, process, and present information--equipping them for true independence. Even better, these activities can be used again and again, so we don't have to spend extra time planning.

Three Fun Activities to Increase Your Child’s Attention Span by Jackie Paxton, Ed.D
 One of the foremost problems facing children and parents over the last decade is the increasing number of children being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder. This problem has become widespread throughout society. Many parents are well acquainted with the symptoms that are associated with this disorder.

Homeschooling Using 19th Century Readers
by Alexandra Ceely
What do we mean by “Readers”?
Readers were books published solely for the purpose of teaching children to read out loud.  In a time when there were no TV1s, no radios, and no phonographs, listening to someone read was a common form of entertainment. Being able to read clearly and pleasantly was important.   The student was taught how to breath, how to stand or sit, and how to enunciate.  Passages in Readers were usually selected with this in mind.

Well Organized Writing by Dave Marks
– Writing Strands
It’s not unusual for young people, still learning to pass on information in writing, to present that information in jumbled and chaotic ways. In fact this is the norm, so if you’re reading your children’s writing and are finding that the ideas don’t flow smoothly from one information bit to the next one, don’t despair. You’re having an experience that’s shared by most teachers.

Planning a Meaningful Aquarium Trip for Your Kids by Jasmine Ho T. K.
Visiting the aquarium is definitely one of the most enriching experience for your kids. Capturing their hearts are highly interactive galleries with touch tanks, video presentations, wildlife tours and diving with the sharks, just to name a few.   Bring your kids to the aquarium and learn about aquatic life through exploration and discovery and bring back fond memories.

How to Properly Use a Telescope to Bring the Stars Closer to You by Gregg HallDo you dream of the stars? Maybe you just can't get enough of those astronauts on CNN, fixing the space station or walking through airless space. You might even own your own telescope with the hopes of seeing or discovering something that no one else has seen. If so, consider the following tips to maximize your experience with your telescope.

Homeschool Family Life and Parenting

A Few Essentials for Getting Organized
by Cheryl Carter

 In some circles, being organized has become synonymous with quenching creativity and individuality.  However, nothing can be further from the truth.  Creation itself testifies of this fact. This year we can resolve to have a greater measure of success by just doing a few things differently.

Talking to Kids About Terrorism or Acts of War by Robin F. Goodman, Ph.D., updated by Marylene Cloitre, Ph.D.

The reports of attacks in Iraq and other places in the world may prompt questions among children about war and terrorism. Many questions parents have about terrorism, including how to explain terrorism to children, how much information to give, how to assess children’s emotional reactions and how to provide comfort and a sense of safety are all discussed.

Viewpoints

Parents...or pimps ... (Who Will Win)?
By Rebecca Hagelin

Any parent who doubts the need for great vigilance in our Internet age should take note of a recent survey conducted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It found that more children are falling victim to the products of perverted pornographers.

The survey of 1,500 children and their guardians found that one-third of Internet users ages 10 to 17 were exposed to unwanted sexual material -- up from one-quarter in 2000. “Researchers said this increase was partly due to aggressive marketing tactics, including adult pop-up ads and computer viruses that can download material from pornographic sites,” reported Cox News Service.

Resources and Reviews

The Dialogue Game: 10 Easy Rules for Creating More Enjoyable, Productive & Enlightening Conversations

Author: Peter Gryffon Winchell

Publisher: The Invisible Press, 2006

Number of Pages: 336

When we think of “dialogue” in the everyday sense of the word, we might think of “talking” or “conversation”.  A first glance through this book made me think of highly intellectual, gifted types sitting around a table picking each other’s brains in a very civilized manner. However, the phrase “10 Easy Rules” caught my attention. Anything that boils a complex idea into a nice round number with the word “easy” affixed to it is worth a closer look.

Words of Our Founding Fathers

429 pages containing original quotes and beautiful pictures.Available as an Ebook or in a printed bound edition.Author: Tom Haskins. http://www.wordsofourfoundingfathers.com

 Decide what our founding fathers intended, from the evidence of their own words!

With over 300 quotes from America's founding fathers on todays current issues, this book is the ideal reference for every American and especially those who want to know and spread the truth about the Founders' "original intent".  Tom Haskins, author