Homeschooling Help

Because of my role as a homeschool consultant and evaluator, I receive many calls for information about homeschooling.  

One common struggle that parents have is determining their reasons for homeschooling.  

For some, their reasons for homeschooling are a toss-up between academics and school aggression; for others, it is a desire to raise their children in an environment that does not undermine their belief system; for still others, their reasons for homeschooling include a need to help a struggling student as well as a desire to avoid labels. 

• We know from research and tracking (through standardized testing) that homeschoolers are better prepared academically.  
• We know that colleges and universities often state that homeschoolers are better prepared for the rigors of college academics and that they contribute more to the school.  
• And we know that homeschooling provides an irreplaceable avenue to really pour yourself into the lives of your precious children.  

Technorati Tags: 101 Reasons to Homeschool - Top Homeschooling Reasons

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Many parents find themselves at the end of the school year and realize that they forgot all about the need to cover art in their homeschool program. Others see it as a daunting class all year long and are unsure of the best way to provide art classes to their homeschooler.

Art is actually a requirement that allows a lot of freedom. In the elementary grades, you are not required to have a formal art curriculum–you are simply required to provide some form of art program that will expose your child to the various aspects of art.

Some choose to purchase an art course, easily available through homeschool curriculum warehouses like www.curriculumexpress.com; others choose to cover art in a more casual way.

Giving your child a variety of art experiences is actually fairly easy.

Some common art projects that our students have produced are listed below:

Technorati Tags: Art Requirements for the Homeschool - Homeschooling Req

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One of the biggest questions asked by our Bridgeway Homeschool Academy students is How do I teach music to my homeschooler?

Music is another elective that must be covered every year but does not need to be a formal course. Some choose a research method; others use music lessons; and still others use their children’s involvement in music activities.

Some great suggestions:

• Piano or other instrument lessons
• Voice lessons
• Involvement in a children’s or youth choir
• Participation in a musical
• Music appreciation activities (focus on an artist, his work, time period, other similar artists, etc.)
• Study of a specific genre (classical, jazz, opera, etc.)
• Field trips to concerts, musicals, or other music events (check out your local college or university for terrific music events)
• Study of a specific instrument

Technorati Tags: Meeting Homeschool Music Requirements - Homeschooling -

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I call my husband “The fun patrol.”  Why?  Because he is a master of finding adventure, of pushing the limits, of creating fun experiences for my kids.  Through their dad, my kids have learned the joys of hiking, biking, kayaking, landscaping, building, designing and racing pinewood derby cars, wrestling, camping, building a fire, drawing, electronics, and so much more!  He is the one who has given them the confidence to try new things, to overcome their fears, and to press on to excellence. 

And he does all of that after work!

But there are a number of dads out there who are the primary teachers in their homeschool. Whether he is the support network for your family or the primary instructor in your homeschool program, Dad is important and very necessary!

Technorati Tags: Homeschooling Dads - Importance of a Homeschool Dad

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Diagramming, identifying sentence patterns, finding parts of speech . . . every student’s favorite element of grammar, right?  How many times have you heard your child ask, “Why do I have to learn this?” As a writing teacher, I loved that question because it was always the perfect lead in to a unit on the value of sentence patterns in writing.

Using each of the different sentence patterns adds an incredible amount of interest to what you are writing.  Most children tend to stick to the same pattern: subject, then verb.  However, by simply varying those patterns, your child can turn a rather dry piece of writing into something that makes the reader want to keep reading.

Have your child try fit all six of these sentence openers into their next piece of writing and be prepared for instant improvement!

1. Subject then Verb 
   1. i.e. Hannah jumped the fence.

Technorati Tags: High School, homeschooling, Six Easy Steps to Extraordinary Writing - Homeschoolers

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Today is a day of excitement and celebration!  I hope you take the time today to celebrate with your kids and enjoy this final day of the Easter season.  If you did not have the opportunity to see my post on Friday, visit it now for some fun to use homeschool activities to help celebrate resurrection day!

Technorati Tags: Happy Resurrection Day! Homeschooling at Easter

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Resurrection Day is my favorite day in the Easter holiday.  Imagine the excitement that must have coursed through Christ’s followers as the news began to spread.  “He is alive!” must have been on everyone’s lips and the desire to see Him must have driven many to search Him out. I pray that as you celebrate with your children, they catch the excitement and realize the incredible gift that He gave when He gave His life for us.  Plan ahead for Resurrection Day.  These easy activities make learning fun and engaging and will more than likely make your homeschooler smile!

One of our favorite activities was always making Resurrection Eggs , looking up each verse, and talking with my children about the importance of each item hidden inside.   Another fun and delicious symbol we used were the resurrection rolls.  These were probably my kids favorite because they involved food!Happy Easter! 

Technorati Tags: Resurrection Day Activities for the Homeschool!

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With Easter just around the corner, it is the perfect time to stray from your regular homeschool lessons and have some well-deserved Easter fun! 

The homeschool student at Bridgeway Academy always look forward to our annual Easter contest.  This year’s contest involved homeschoolers of all ages, who wrote in their answers to various Easter questions.  Because it was such a hit, I thought I would share some of my favorite homeschool unit study links for Easter.

Science Fun:
Peep experiments:  http://www.peepresearch.org/
Learn chemistry by dying Easter eggs with natural dyes.
Another fun science experiment with eggs. 

Easter Math Projects:
Use measurement for circumference and estimating
Multiplication and Division
You will need a bag of Jelly Beans for this one

Homeschool English Activities for Easter:
Poems and various Easter activities
Various language arts activities around a Christ-centered Easter
Be the star of your own Easter story

Technorati Tags: Homeschool Easter Activites - Fun teaching activities f

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Homeschooling laws differ in every state or province.  In some areas, homeschoolers simply file a notice of intent the first year they decide to homeschool and then have no further action required.  However, in most locations, students are required to take standardized testing either annually or in specific grade levels.  In most cases, standardized tests are administered in the spring.

Many homeschoolers welcome these tests and view them as a confirmation of a job well done; others find them to be intimidating and scary and worry that they will mean the end of their right to homeschool.  However, in most cases, homeschoolers end up more relaxed about the tests once they have experienced them a few times.

If your child is in elementary school, be sure to check your state or province’s homeschool laws to determine whether a test is required.  In areas that do not require annual testing, testing is usually required in grades 3, 5 & 8.  Click here to learn the laws in your state. 

Technorati Tags: Homeschool standardized testing - end of year homeschoo

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