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Hands-On Homeschool Newsletter - Feb. 24,
2006 Vol. II Issue 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In this issue:
> 1. From the Editor's Desk
> 2. Article - Making the Decision to Homeschool
> 3. Letters to the Editor - Homeschooling High
School Students
> 4. Say What? Absurd Homeschool Comments
> 5. Feature Article - Using Theme-Based Learning
> 6. Homeschool Curriculum Ideas of the Week
> 7. Free Homeschool Resources
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. From the Editor's Desk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome!
Have you ever noticed that sometimes it helps to
be reminded... "Now why am I doing this, again?"
We all know that some days are more challenging
than others. Once in a while it helps to refocus
on the why we homeschool and what we hope to
accomplish. The first article of this issue will
remind you of all the great reasons you decided to
homeschool, and maybe a few reasons you never
thought of!
You'll also learn about theme-based learning in an
article by Leilani Mairet, a former teacher and
homeschooling mother of four. I found theme-based
learning to be extremely effective with my
children, especially when they selected the
themes. By prepared for plenty of dinosaur and
shark-type themes for the boys. (Girls seem to be
a bit more versatile.)
I think you'll enjoy this week's history-related
learning activities. You'll also find some great
free online learning resource links.
Enjoy this issue!
Sandra B.
Editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2. Article
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Making the Decision to Learn from Home
by Heather Brunson
Although it has been a predominant form of
education throughout history, many people consider
homeschooling to be a new concept. They might be
surprised to learn that our Founding Fathers were
educated at home. A homeschool once only included
the idea of parents assuming the responsibility of
educating their own children. Today, the modern
homeschool has evolved to include the use of
computers and other technically-advanced equipment
that simulate the real classroom in a household
setting. Online homeschools cater to the needs of
elementary, junior high, and high school students.
Benefits of Homeschooling
1. Low Teacher-to-Student Ratio - With anywhere
from 15 to 35 students in a class, teachers in a
traditional classroom have limited time to give
students one-on-one attention. When students are
homeschooled, they have a greater chance of
getting the individualized attention they need.
Teachers can focus on one student at a time.
2. Instant Feedback - When students participate in
a homeschooling program, they can get immediate
feedback regarding their assignments, quizzes and
exams. Likewise, they can let their teachers know
if they do not understand a concept or need extra
help. There is two-way communication.
3. Customized Curriculum - Homeschooling allows
students to get an education that is tailored to
their needs. For those students requiring extra
help or needing additional challenges, they can
participate in a homeschool curriculum that
focuses on specific areas. A customized curriculum
also enables them to set their own pace. They can
navigate a lesson as slow or quick as they choose.
4. Less Distractions - Homeschooling programs
enable students to solely focus on the task at
hand. They can pay 100% attention to their
studies, without any worries, social distractions
or pressures of a regular school setting. When
students learn at home, they can also schedule
their classes to suit their schedule.
5. Time Management - At home, students can sit
down and get right to work. There is no wait time
before they can read a lesson or start an
exercise. They are no longer bound by a school
schedule as a teacher performs role call, attends
to another student or handles a discipline
problem.
6. More Flexibility - Learning in a home
environment enables students to have greater
flexibility than in a traditional classroom. They
can set their own schedule. If they want to study
or take their tests at night, they have the
freedom to do so. Families can take a vacation in
the middle of the week, or use their kitchen for a
chemistry lesson. The possibilities are endless!
Homeschooling provides people with an option to
traditional educational methods. Whether students
are homeschooled by their parents or take
homeschooling online, they can be in charge of
their education and make decisions about what is
best for them. They have the freedom to create an
education that is customized to their needs. It
provides them with choices.
For information on high school homeschooling or
additional homeschool resources, please visit
www.alliedhighschool.com.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3. Letters to the Editor
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Question:
We have homeschooled our children from the
beginning. My oldest will start "high school" next
year, and I'm getting nervous. We aren't sure
about whether to continue homeschooling or try
something different. How can I teach high school
at home? Even high school teachers aren't
qualified to teach all high school subjects, so
how can I?
Answer:
First, you can homeschool your high schooler,
and you don't need to teach every high school
subject to do it. In fact, you don't really have
to "teach" your high school student at all.
By the time children reach high school age, they
should be well on their way toward self-directed
learning. This means they don't need you hovering
over them; in fact, they don't even need you to
give them specific lessons and assignments,
although you can if that's how you design your
homeschooling program. There are so many avenues
for high school level study that you should never
feel pressured to "teach" high school subjects
yourself. Ideas include:
Independent study - through your local school
district, high school, county education office,
charter school, local independent study school, or
distance independent study school for
homeschoolers (there are many). One of our sons
completed 9th and 10th grade through I.S., meeting
with his resource teacher once a week at the
library. I didn't "teach" him at all, although I
helped him with research papers or math every so
often. He worked independently, turned in his work
every Friday at the library, and receiving his new
assignments for the coming week.
Online study - look on the Internet for high
school level online academic programs. Great for
many families, especially those in outlying or
isolated areas. Or anyone at all with a computer
and high speed Internet access. (Try
http://www.alliedhighschool.com/)
Community college - Many high school students
"skip" high school in favor of the more
challenging, concentrated courses available
through community or junior colleges. Great
alternative, and usually free (no fees charged for
students K through 12).
Family, friends, and other homeschooling
parents - Get together and decide whose skills and
interests could best serve your collective group
of high school students. Math may be one father's
forte', a mom might hold fine arts classes every
Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. Think vocational
skills as well. High school kids could all benefit
from learning the basics of car maintenance, food
preparation, computer technology, or child care.
If school is a real possibility, consider
part-time attendance only. Or, look for an
alternative school in your area. Our youngest
son's first school experience was a Waldorf-based
charter school where he attended eighth grade.
This school gave him some (but not too much)
classroom structure with an arts-infused
curriculum. He received rigorous core academics,
plus many additional subjects such as American
Sign Language, Japanese, ceramics, and
non-combative martial arts. After graduating, he
moved on to a small (150 students) college
preparatory charter high school, again arts-based,
where he flourished and met many other former
homeschoolers.
A common program for home schooling teens
consists of a combination two or more of the above
solutions. A student might attend community
college classes two days a week and meet with an
independent study teacher one afternoon a week for
his three additional classes. Or he may attend
English and PE classes at his local high school
every morning, then fill the rest of each day
taking online or Independent Study courses,
working a part time job, and completing a
self-designed service project.
Speaking of service, keep in mind that all
high school students should be firmly versed in
the value of community service. In fact, many high
schools require community service hours for
graduation. Consider creating a service-learning
curriculum that infuses community service with
other subjects. How can your student make your
community a better place, and what can she learn
in the process? How can she show and document what
she learned? Examples might be a report or a
paper, a photo montage, a video, a journal (for a
long-term project), a poster, an interview with
the local media, or a talk directed to others in
your homeschool group or other community groups.
Encourage your teen to always be on the lookout
for meaningful service projects. Think service
given, not just hours expended.
For more about high school homeschooling
alternatives, please see
http://www.allthingshomeschool.com/highschool_article.htm
* * * * *
Editor's note:
Do you have a question or a comment about an
article or feature in this newsletter, or
homeschooling in general? We would love to hear
from you! Please email your comments to:
sandrabynum@allthingshomeschool.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4. Say What? This Week's Absurd Homeschool
Comments
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mike Farris, the co-founder of HSDLA, recently
asked readers of his column to submit "dumb
statements" people have made regarding
homeschooling. (I've heard quite a few whoppers
myself over the years; haven't we all?) Just for
fun, we'll feature a few of these silly comments
our forum.
From Marci Zinn:
A family member said, "You are just doing this for
yourself so you won't have to buy the kids any
school clothes."
Mike: Working 8+ hours a day for 12+ years just
smacks of selfishness if you ask me.
From MDT:
A friend asked, "Do you use books?"
From Laurie Winkelmann:
I took my daughter to a podiatrist who specialized
in treating plantar warts. I asked how children
contracted these warts. He told me that they often
come from locker rooms or swimming pools. When I
told him that since we home school it wouldn't be
a locker room, but we do take a swimming class, he
replied, "Yup, home schooling, that certainly
explains it."
Mike: Sounds like someone needs to breath a little
fresh air between foot examinations.
* * * * *
Note: Send the most ridiculous comment(s)
you've heard about homeschooling to us
at
submissions@allthingshomeschool.com
and we'll publish them in "Say What?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5. Feature Article
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Homeschool Your Child Using Themed-Based
Curriculum
By Leilani Mairet
Themes are a fun way to homeschool your child. A
theme can be created from any topic that your
child is interested in. A theme is simply a base
topic from which you can teach from in your lesson
plans. A few examples of themes are apples, bats,
zoo, space, fun in the sun, or even Dr. Seuss. You
can choose just about any topic that you would
like for your theme. Using themes will make your
lesson plans more creative, fun and interesting.
Themes usually have a time frame from which they
are based around. Themes can last from one week
all the way to one month depending on how in depth
you want to approach your theme. I would suggest
using a theme no longer than two weeks with your
homeschool child. Incorporating themes into your
homeschool lesson plans is really quite simple and
you and your child will both enjoy the fun that
comes with creating a theme based lesson plan.
Themes do not have to be incorporated into every
teaching objective for the week. You can be
selective and use themed based curriculum once or
twice a day, throughout your homeschool lesson
plans. Get your child involved into your lesson
planning process. Have your child help choose
themes that are interesting to him. When children
are actively involved in the lesson planning
process and given choices they are more eager to
learn. I suggest getting your child involved in
all aspects of lesson plan preparation to keep
their interests.
Let's take the theme apples as an example of using
themes in your lesson plans. In science, you can
dissect an apple and look at the apple seeds or
you could discuss how apples grow. In math, you
could dissect an apple into halves and fourths. In
social studies, you could learn about Johnny
Appleseed. In language arts, you can read many
books related to apples and even write your own
apple related paragraph. During art, you can make
apple prints using cut up apples with paints. In
P.E., you can have an apple toss, jump over
apples, or even bobbing with apples. For music
time, you can find many songs related to apples to
sing with your child. Make homemade applesauce,
apple muffins, or apple butter for your cooking
class. You can make interactive bulletin boards
using apple projects that your child creates.
The most important factor in using a themed-based
curriculum with your child is to integrate the
themes into your child's objectives that need to
met for the school year. A nice blend of themes
into your curriculum base objectives can be both
fun and rewarding for your child. Make learning
fun and interesting by incorporating theme based
curriculum into your lesson plans.
L. D. Mairet is the mother of four children, a
former teacher with a triple major in education,
and a former educational preschool owner. You can
share and swap homeschool lesson plans at her
homeschool site
http://www.topchoicesite.com/free-homeschool-primary-lesson-plans-and-resource-sharing-center-html
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leilani_Mairet
* * * * *
You'll find many more activities just right
for homeschoolers in our new e-book,
101 MORE Hands-On Tried & True Homeschool
Curriculum Ideas You'll Love!
Publication is scheduled for March, 2006. Good
news! Hands-On Homeschool Newsletter subscribers
will receive very special pricing.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
6. Homeschool Curriculum Ideas of the Week
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) In most U.S. states, the
typical fourth grade curriculum requires the
teaching of state and local history. The Internet
has made it much easier to find interesting and
appropriate materials to help kids learn about the
fascinating history of their local area. Search
for information about your state (or province or
country) on the Internet to use in your
curriculum. By the way, it's okay to use with
children who are not fourth graders! Here are two
online examples:
South Dakota -
http://www.sd4history.com/index.htm
California -
http://www.californiahistory.org/
2) Many generations of children
grew up with Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House
books. This series is a must for your homeschool
library. Not only is it wonderful literature, but
a real first-person look into the lives and times
of real pioneers as they traveled and settled in
the American West. Here are a few online resources
with projects related to the Little House series:
Prepare some authentic Little House recipes
and find many more food related activities (such
as grinding wheat and churning butter) -
http://www.laurasprairiehouse.com/recipes/index.html
Assemble a pioneer town using these templates
and background information -
http://hoover.nara.gov/LIW/pioneertown/activities_pioneertown.html
Make a little girl's paper bonnet -
http://hoover.nara.gov/LIW/sunbonnet/activities_sunbonnet.html
Make a pioneer boy's "straw" hat -
http://hoover.nara.gov/LIW/strawhat/activities_strawhat.html
Make wildflower seed packets for others to
plant -
http://hoover.nara.gov/LIW/wildflowers/activities_wildflowers1.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7. Free Online Homeschooling Resources
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://highschoolace.com/ace/ace.cfm
High School Ace is "the ultimate portal to
free high-quality online learning resources for
teens." It features subject guides and reference
tools.
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/k-5.html
A enormous resource from DiscoverySchool. This
is a complete lesson plan library for grades K
through 12.
http://www.bugbios.com/
For "shameless promotion of insect
appreciation." This site aims to help you really
see insects for the miniature marvels they
represent and to understand how intertwined our
cultures have become with these alien creatures.
http://www.factmonster.com/
An online almanac for kids! Find interesting
facts and information about all sorts of subjects,
current events, people, and much more. Daily
features, quizzes and games, plus a useful
reference desk.
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