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Hands-On Homeschool Newsletter - Apr. 21, 2006 Vol. II Issue 8
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In this issue:

> 1. From the Editor's Desk
> 2. Article - 10 Secrets of a Successful Homeschool
> 3. Letters to the Editor - Learning Art
> 4. Say What? Absurd Homeschool Comments
> 5. Feature Article - Learning Styles and the Homeschooler - Part III of III
> 6. Homeschool Curriculum Idea of the Week - Analogies
> 7. Free Homeschool Resources

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1. From the Editor's Desk
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Welcome!

Oh my -- I'm really late with this issue! Right off the bat, let me apologize! If it makes in any better, I DO have a reason for my tardiness.

If you have looked at the www.allthingshomeschool.com homepage lately, you will have noticed a new section. (Go ahead and take a look, I'll wait for you right here...)

Back? Isn't it great? I'm opening an art center! And very soon, too. This past month has been very hectic to say the least. Please feel free to take a look at the Blackfoot Art Center weblog for more information about what we are doing. If you live in the Blackfoot area, you may want to download flyers and a registration packet. Classes are offered during after-school hours in May (come on, schooled kids need art classes too!) and I'll be setting up daytime classes for homeschooling groups as needed. Summer sessions will start June 12, and yes, we'll offer sibling discounts. You can find our weblog at http://blackfootartcenter.blogspot.com.

Last week our feature article discussed the importance of identifying your child's personal learning style(s), and how to do it. You'll find the final segment of this valuable article series in this issue.

You'll find a great learning activity involving analogies; and more free websites for your homeschool.

Enjoy this issue!

Sandra B.
Editor

Just a note... we are STILL in the process of archiving our past Hands-On Homeschool Newsletters. Missed an issue? You'll soon be able to find it online!

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2. Article
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10 Secrets of a Successful Homeschool
By Sherri Chekal

1. Have fun. Attitude is everything with home learning. Enjoy learning and your kids will enjoy it. Make it drudgery and they will respond as well. Try to make even boring tasks, pleasant at least. This is not to say that everything must be a 3-ring circus, but if you have a fresh, upbeat attitude even with times tables and spelling tests, this will reflect well on your children's enjoyment and learning potential.

2. Limit interruptions. My biggest interruption is the phone. Get a good answering machine and use it during regularly scheduled learning time. Or use voice mail. Record a message that states from this time to that time we are home educating and will get back to you after we are finished. Tell friends and relatives that this is the case, and eventually they will learn to respect this. This also means well meaning drop in visits and babysitting for friends, etc. Keep your children's learning time sacred and your family will benefit from this.

3. Dedicate your time to their learning. If you are doing 101 things while your children are trying to do bookwork, how can you expect them to concentrate and finish tasks at hand? Keep your focus on them, it is a priority that rewards!

4. Keep it simple. Be careful not to fall into the "Curriculum of the Month" club. Trying and swapping and changing your education plans with every new program that breezes by will kill your children's spirit. This is not to say that you should stay with something that is not working, just be careful not to flit about like a butterfly in a field of flowers. Your children will quickly learn that all it takes in a bit of whining and they'll have a new book, workbook or system in no time. Also, simplify your life. Too many commitments and outside activities and responsibilities can really wreck havoc with your schedule. Try to keep your life simple and you will be rewarded.

5. Have FAITH! In yourself, your kids and in God. If you are doing the best you can, you will be rewarded. How can you do any worse than an overworked, underpaid public school teacher with only 6 hours and 24 - 30 children to teach? Overcome your own shortcomings with help, tutoring assistance and your own re-education. Don't count yourself short. Children learn in any environment even the slums of Calcutta! Provide them with your time and enthusiasm, good basic materials and faith and you will do as well if not better than that poor teacher can. You have the best interest of your children in your heart. Let it work for them.

6. When in doubt READ! If the washing machine is flooding, the baby is sick, your toddler is fussy and lunch is burning don't just give up, get reading. Reading is the best way for your kids to learn and retain. Gather up the brood and snuggle on the couch with a good classic. Reading aloud is a wonderful activity for your family. Even experienced readers will love to hear a story aloud, especially when they don't have to sound out each word and get through those they may not know. There is a rhyme and rhythm to books read aloud that delights even little ones. Make it a drama performance, use voices change the sound levels of your voice, and discuss the plot. You can even tape record your story time so that pre-readers can listen again and again and enjoy the story while you worry about that washing machine!

7. Surround yourself with home school mentors. Whether it's an online group, or a support group, or just a great mom you met at church or at the library, keep in touch with these people! Ask questions; ask for helpful advice, most likely, they will be happy to help, because someone in their life helped them. Don't do this alone. Even a good home education magazine will help you in your quest. Read home education books when you are in need of a little boost.

8. Use the Library! What a wonderful resource most public libraries are. Not only books of any and every subject but reference books, video tapes, audio tapes, learning materials, computer accesses, computer software and so much more. With just a notebook and some pencils, I truly believe you could educate your children with just a library at hand! Don't spend a fortune on all these reference books for home. Use the libraries! And the librarians love homeschoolers

9. Take frequent break days. If you are sick, or some family obligations make a day difficult, take a day off. Instead of great big weeks off or even the whole summer, take frequent days off through the year to refresh and empower you. The children will be pleased and you will get a chance to regroup. Just make sure they aren't every other day!

10. Watch for outside time stealers! Field trips and social outings and classes for this and that are important, just make sure you are not overdoing it. Too many errands and outings can kill a day's learning and overwhelm your schedule. Remember that you are home schooling not car schooling! Try and schedule a day that is busy and three or four days that are not. Your family will appreciate this!

copyright © 2006 by Sherri L. Chekal

Sherri Chekal is the art director at Westvon Publishing. She is the editor of the popular http://www.TheParentTeacher.com and the http://www.TheHomeschoolShop.com websites, as well as offering her graphic talents to several bands through websites, promotion and writing talents. She plays with the Fulton County Bluegrass band in Ohio. She homeschools her two daughters and is quite the Renaissance woman of talents and skills. She is the art director for the bluegrass newspaper, http://www.TheBluegrassJournal.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sherri_Chekal

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3. Letters to the Editor
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Hello Homeschoolers!

Instead of answering a question this week, I want to let you know more about our new art center weblog, where you'll find great tips and ideas for teaching art; including drawing, painting, pastel work, crafts, and even basic photography. Find us at http://blackfootartcenter.blogspot.com. The weblog will serve as an announcement board for the Art Center, of course, but will also highlight student artists' work and give you great art lesson ideas and resources for your own home fine arts program. Be sure to bookmark it and check in often!

Sandra B.

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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

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4. Say What? This Week's Absurd Homeschool Comments
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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 in this forum.

From Kara Becker:
Our realtor learned we were home schooling. She commented about the lack of social development that would result, but tried to still be positive by adding, "Even though they couldn't be realtors, thank goodness that there are lot of jobs out there which don't require people skills."
Mike: Thank you, Dale Carnegie (author of "How to Win Friends and Influence People").

From the Austin family:
A friend said, "Won't your children miss the experience of the goods and bads of dating people from other cultural and religious backgrounds?"

From MDT:
A friend said, "MY child is being a light in a dark place, but I guess SOME children are not able to do that."
Mike: With that much condescension that lady probably fogs up her own glasses.

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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?"

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5. Feature Article
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Learning Styles and the Home Schooler - Part III of III
By Pamela Connolly

This is part III and the last part of this report. I hope you and your child are benefiting from the cues to their individual learning style and suggestions on how to can adjust your learning environment to achieve a successful and enjoyable homeschooling experience.

Next consider your child's level of structure.

STRUCTURE effects how your child handles new material.

If your child is analytical and detailed oriented, structure the style of the lessons on:

- Details
- Step by step order
- One thing at a time
- Specifics
- Individual competition
- Preparation
- Values over feelings
- Must know what to expect
- Logical sequence
- Self motivation
- Fact finding

If your child is global and "big picture" oriented, structure the style of the lessons on:

- Relationships
- Seeing the "Big Picture"
- Giving many options
- Reading between the lines
- Groups
- Avoiding of individual competition
- Avoiding conflict
- Reassurance and reinforcement
- Keeping on track, steps and details
- Going with the flow

These styles are not meant to confine your student into a box. The guidelines are meant to offer the parent/teacher options to create the best environment for the student and finally find the "path of least resistance". Evaluating individual styles is aimed to educate the parent/educator on how the child sees and processes information.

Do not try to fit your "round" child into a "square" hole... You will find very little success and lots of frustration and anger. Every one of us was made with different strengths and abilities. One is not "better" than the other, they are just different! This report is meant to illustrate learning pros and cons but most importantly that each style is manageable and has value.

One of the most valuable lessons I learned during my homeschooling adventure is to take the path of least resistance and not fight nature. I know you can do it!

Pam Connolly is a professional educator with the San Diego School District. She
has been teaching kids how to type for over 11 years. To teach your child typing,
visit http://www.1stoplearntotype.com. To improve your child's memory, visit http://www.1stopezmemory.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pamela_Connolly

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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 soon. Good news! Hands-On Homeschool Newsletter subscribers will receive very special pricing.

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6. Homeschool Curriculum Idea of the Week
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ANALOGIES!

Have your children been brushing up on their analogies? Finding analogies can be a fun word game for children, and it will help them to recognize word relationships, both narrow and broad. This is an important skill to learn for educational testing and especially for college placement tests such as the SAT and ACT tests. Let them regularly solve analogies, then write some of their own. Encourage them to find "tricky" relationships for others to figure out (beyond the obvious "opposites" or "parent-offspring," for example). For young children, word relationships are usually written in a sentence:

A cat is to a kitten as a dog is to a __________.

Analogies in standardized tests look like this:

CAT : KITTEN

(A) chicken : egg
(B) dog : puppy
(C) goat : lamb
(D) baby : child

It often helps to write out what the exact relationship is between the first set of words, in this case CAT and KITTEN. Then proceed to find that same exact relationship in the second pair of words.

Now, copy and paste these analogies for your children to work out, then have them create some more of their own for you to figure out. Be sure to discuss the relationships in these analogies, especially the tricky ones.

EASY:

1. Good is to bad as win is to _________.

2. A glove is to your hand as a shoe is to your _________.

3. Mother is to son as Father is to _________.

HARDER:

4. A car is to a limousine as a boat is to a _________.

5. Building is to skyscraper as village is to __________.

6. A child is to a human as a fledgling is to a __________.

VERY CHALLENGING:

7. Raincoat is to storm as shade is to __________.

8. Batter is to cake as a cream is to _________.

9. Rope is to string as cardboard is to _________.

ANSWERS:

1. lose 2. foot 3. daughter 4. yacht 5. city 6. bird 7. sun
8. butter 9. paper

(Allow for creativity here! For some of these, your child may find an equally correct response.)

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7. Free Online Homeschooling Resources
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http://www.amblesideonline.org/New.shtml
Ambleside Online is a free curriculum guide and booklist designed to follow Charlotte Mason's method of homeschooling. Each year/grade has a list of books to lay out what resources will need to be collected or purchased, and an optional 36-week schedule to break the resources into smaller increments to help with pacing the books throughout the year. (Read more about this literature-based program on the website)

http://www.endhomelessness.org/pub/factsheets/index.html
While working on an article promoting volunteerism onbehalf of homeless youth, I found these "age-appropriate materials that provide educational activities to help young people learn about the issues surrounding homelessness, ways homelessness can be ended, and opportunities for young people to become part of the solution." Thoughtful community service should be a facet of every homeschooler's curriculum, and these free, downloadable factsheets are a good place to start.

http://www.youthnoise.com/
Youthnoise is another site I found while researching my article. Do you have teenagers? I don't often provide provide enough resources for this age group, but this one is a goodie. Designed to be interactive, and in-your-face, it appeals to young people and encourages them to speak up about issues of concern and to get invloved and take action. Very positive and upbeat; I recommend they explore it (there's a lot there!)

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