Homeschool Education: Resources You Should Gain Inspiration From

Homeschooling is truly on the upswing.  There are so many wonderful advantages.  Parents really enjoy spending time with their kids - getting to know them better!

Still, some  parents do experience second thoughts.  They feel uncertain about finding adequate  resources to use in their homeschooling efforts.   Today’s post assists:

Food For Thought???

I’ll have a Hemingway, medium well, and a side of Steinbeck. To drink; hmm, how about a Bombay Saphire Martini, with a twist of the plot.

Author:richardknaus

The first thing is to stop in at some of your favorite bookstores like Powells, or Barnes & Noble. Armed with your list of possible books to purchase from a curriculum of a school, you should be able to find them at a large bookstore. This will definitely be a good headstart, & will save you a lot of time – and give you greater  flexibility as well with regard to your child’s studies (as large, well stocked bookstores have a wider variety of options).

Another option would be to stop in at a bookstore with magazines for sale.  Magazines will give you ideas because they provide you a lot of catalogs where you can choose from a lot of advertisers listed in it. This should provide some insight; you may also want to look at The Old Schoolhouse magazine – here’s an excerpt:

“Ultimately, we hope to provide a starting point, if you will, to begin thinking about what products are out there, what subject matter areas might be considered, and what products other homeschoolers and experts from the homeschool community believe are the best. It’s a perfect starting ground…”

- The Old Schoolhouse magazine (a magazine specific to Homeschoolers)

Now, you can get a 2 year subscription for $39, or the 1 year for $25 bucks.  And they will provide a free sample.

Here’s a sample of the magazine  (No charge)

Of course, with everything available on the net, you should  easily be able to get help.  There are wonderful education related websites & resources nowadays for homeschoolers.  One that I like is donnayoung.org .  There are a lot of printouts available from the Donna Young site.

And for christian homeschoolers,  you can start with this site.

L for Librarian

Something to do with some book, apparently.

Author:Paul Thurlby

The simplest place to look for resources is by going to a public library.

Public libraries have books and references for you child to take home and use. To help with that, libraries have different instructional materials such as videos (like those from National Geographic) and cassette tapes (like tapes that will help you learn another language). These instructional materials not only help with the books in teaching but they also help in easing out the boring quality and the monotony ofbooks given out to children.

Libraries are a good place for homeschoolers, as well, as they frequently offer a lot of computer software.  This should assist  with your child’s education, yes,  but additionally should help him in understanding different computer technologies and how they work.

Libraries also give book discussions. Book discussions not only train your child to read yet also develop the ability of critical thinking & analytical thinking , too.  *This will not only develop the reading comprehension, it will also help your child become more cerebral and able to debate things with others.

Another place to look into is the home of another homeschooler.  You may discover they are willing to share both their experiences/adventures, as well as their used materials (books, magazines and other activity materials).  This might not only prove to be economical,  but also you can learn new ideas from these people who have already travelled down the road of homeschooling a child.

One of the most often neglected places to learn yet 1 of the most informational  is the museum.  At a  museum, a child can gain an appreciation of art, and can learn how to think and reflect on things.

When there are guided tours, your kids can learn the history of all the museum displays.  It is a good idea to ask questions of your museum guide – so don’t be shy – encourage your kids to participate & find out all they can.

Another place to look for ideas is your own home – caught you by surprise there, eh?  But seriously, just open your mind and take a look around.

By relaxing & having an open mind, you can come up with a couple of inspiring ideas in your own home.  The kitchen, for example, is a good learning ground.

For a child, it is important to break down the steps of a recipe(write them down, i.e., so you’ll have an outline).  I did this myself when I worked at a group home & was helping some developmentally challenged young adults to become more self-sufficient – and it’s something that can be enjoyable with your child – for cooking has aspects of science in it.  Might be helpful to incorporate the “experimental aspect of cooking” with a good book .

Yes, one thing your kid will learn with cooking/recipes is Patience.   They’ll learn to do things in the proper order, slowly at first.

Ok, next you can perhaps do some outdoor activities – get some exercise, to round out the day.  A trampoline provides excellent exercise, and most kids love it.

As far as what else to do outside, you might want to have your children try their hand at Gardening!  Learn the joy of planting something, and then seeing it all the way through to fruition.  Not only will your child learn about the biology of plants, but will also learn a bit of a work ethic!  

He or she will undoubtedly experience some satisfaction at harvest time, too – by seeing something ALL the way through (from the planting stage to watering & weeding, to harvesting).  And this should help your youngster gain some confidence, too.

As you do different activities, you will begin to see what your child has an aptitude for, and what interests him or her.  This is good, as you can then expand on those subjects in your homeschooling future years!

 

Further Reading:   5 Advantages of Homeschooling



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