Now this is Western Civilization done right!  Annenberg Media has put together on-line, a 52 week series on Western Civilization, that is billed for High School and Adults.  I though will tell you that you can use this series for your home-schooled middle school child without it being too lofty for them, and the educational benefits are tremendous.

The 52 week series is done in video format, using thousands of images from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it is interesting, and entertaining using these visuals to teach. Taking you from the dawn of civilization to a look to the future. It is an impressive mixture of History and Art woven together. These lessons are only 30 minutes in length, and can easily fit into your daily or weekly schedule, and are free of charge. Some of the lessons are as followed:

• The Dawn of History
• The Ancient Egyptians
• The Rise of Greek Civilization
• Greek Thought
• Alexander the Great
• The Hellenistic Age
• The Rise of Rome
• The Roman Empire
• Early Christianity
• The Rise of the Church
• The Decline of Rome
• The Fall of Rome
• The Dark Ages
• The Middle Ages
• The Late Middle Ages
• The National Monarchies
• The Renaissance and the Age of Discovery
• The Rise of the Middle Class
• The Wars of Religion
• The American Revolution
• The French Revolution
• The Industrial Revolution
• The Age of the Nation-States
• The First World War and the Rise of Fascism
• The Second World War
• The Cold War
• Europe and the Third World
• The Technological Revolution
• Toward the Future

I did not include all the subjects, but enough to give you an idea on the order the program heads.  You can read a description of each program on the website.  In the very first lesson within the first few minutes, there is a delightful 4 minute "short" movie on the History of Civilization done in four minutes.  It is quite charming! There is nothing to download or buy.  To access this wonderful series go here:

Annenberg Media

 

Many homeschoolers enjoy the benefits of using Microsoft Office.  Between Power Point, Excel, and Microsoft Word there are numerous activities, lessons, charts, graphs, and displays that can easily be created and used with your curriculum.  However, not everyone has Microsoft Office, or the featured word processor, Microsoft Word.

For those who feel that they have been missing out on numerous resources because they don’t have Microsoft Office, help is on the way.  There is a free word processor that is compatible with Microsoft Word documents and will even save your documents in PDF format if you choose.  The program is called, “Open Office.” You can download and install Open Office online and choose it as your main word processor.

 

When you want to open a Microsoft Word document, simply click on the file and Open Office will open it for you.  If you create a document in Open Office, you can choose to save it as a Word document, or even export it to a pdf file.  There are numerous formats available for saving your documents as well.

 

Open Office is “open source” software.  This enables it to be free of charge and also allows different programmers to create their own programs to enhance the software.  These programs are called “extensions” and can be downloaded free of charge as well.  A great place to find Open Office extensions can be found here: Open Office Extensions

You’ll find that once you download Open Office that it is very simple to use. 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology has opened it's doors to the public for free on-line.  You are now able to download 1800 different courses right to your computer, including lecture notes, exams and other resources.  Those of you who are home teaching older students, or those with advanced students should take advantage of this free gold mine of education.

You of course, will not receive college credit for taking these classes, but it sure will give your student a head start on his or her college career.  Many of these courses are available in video form.  Here are a few of the courses offered in video that may appeal to your home-schooler:

• Introduction to Biology
• Introduction to Psychology
• Animal Behavior
• Circuits and Electronics
• Introduction to Drama
• Understanding Television
• Introduction to Musical Composition
• Practical Electronics
• Documentary Photography and Photo Journalism: Still Images of a World in Motion

Also available from M.I.T. is a off-shoot called "Highlights for High School", where your student can take such classes as:

• Practical Electronics
• Furniture Making
• Building in Landscapes
• Introduction to Robotics
• Toy Product Design
• Solving Complex Problems
• Technology in a Dangerous World
• Writing and Reading Short Stories

Go ahead and see what M.I.T. can offer you and your student.  Or perhaps even sit on a few college lectures yourself.  This site is crammed full of learning for any teen who has any interest in the technology or engineering fields.  Visit online:

M.I.T. Open Course Ware

Highlights for Highschool

Lapbooks are very popular with many homeschoolers these days, especially for preschoolers and early elementary-aged children.  What are lapbooks you ask?  Good question!

A lapbook is basically a learning tool that is interactive, made from a pocket folder or manila folder, and can be targeted for almost subject that you teach.  Another word for a lapbook might be a portfolio.  It is a fun way for younger children to remember lessons because the lapbook is fun to make and fun to play with after it is completed.

There is no secret that children learn best when they are able to delve into their projects.  Hands-on activities improve how a child remembers information.  What do you think...is it more fun to read a worksheet about volcanoes, or to build an actual working model?

How are lapbooks made?  Another good question!  Lapbooks are made from pocket folders or manila folders.  You can use other materials as well.  The contents are mini books and games/activities that you paste into the folder.  You use the pockets of a pocket folder as a way to make flaps that your child can flip out to find more information.  There are are endless ways you glue things into the folder.  You can add recipes, small worksheets, and other fun things to do, along with the mini books.

It does take effort on a parent's part to put one of these things together, but websites like Hands of a Child, have made it extremely easy by providing pre-made materials for lapbooks called project packs.  They have virtually any subject that you can imagine, and the site is continuing to grow.  If you want to give lapbooks a whirl, they offer quarterly freebies, so you can try your hand at making one!

Benefits of Lapbooks

**Encourages creativity in your child
**Can be used with a unit study or as a standalone learning tool
**Easy to store and use as review material

I strongly recommend that you visit Hands of a Child to see a lapbook in action.  You don't realize the wealth of material you can cover until you actually make one yourself.  Warning:  They are addicting!

   This year we have been trying very hard to create and stick to a regular schedule for lessons. This can be very challenging at times when you consider the fact that Jon has a part time job (a great benefit of homeschooling are the flexible hours that the student is available to work), and the extracurricular activities that at times overlap our schedule.
   I have found that the easiest way around scheduling issues is to do lessons around the jobs and extracurricular activities instead of vice versa. This allows our family a stressless approach to learning without playing beat the clock with their education. Some days require earlier start times, some evening lessons, and others require teaching twice a day to accommodate two separate planned activities.
   I know some homeschool parents that would find this to be a bit of an annoyance or exhausting, but it really has proven to be a calm and peaceful way to mix school with the opportunities that teens need to help build their self-esteem, confidence, and understanding of the real world. 
 

   As the old year will soon be over and a bright, new year quickly approaches I am busy attempting to get the curriculum set for the return to homeschool on January 3. I like to plan ahead and have all of the work set up ahead of time and entered into the planner (Homeschool Tracker is my favorite www.homeschooltracker.com) and then all I need to do is assign the days work, grade and then plug the scores in when they are finished.
   This year we are studying algebra, chemistry, spelling, reading/literature and geography/history. I like to add a few "extra' fun classes each quarter that focus on art and music just to keep them using both sides of their brains and experiencing different forms of both. During December the boys had a great time doing hidden pictures everyday, even though this is a project often used in elementary school art they found it a lot of fun trying to guess what the picture was before coloring it.
   Once a month I schedule a "Fun Friday" where if we have completed the weeks work and chores then we plan for a road trip. This is especially exciting since I am usually the only one that knows where we are going until we get there.  It might be to the local bowling alley to bowl a few frames, or special museum exhibit, or maybe even the local water park (in the summer) or "The Fridge" when the winter weather allows for bobsledding along a long and winding course of frozen tubes. These adventures usually provide us with an inexpensive way to have fun, learn and attending during the weekday offers the benefit of less crowded facilities.
      
  

If you are looking for some additional lesson plans for science for your teens, you need to look no farther than the Endowment of Human Development.  You can build a whole science curriculum from their site alone.

The EHD website is done so professionally, and uses 4-D imagery and video to teach human development.  Your first step though is to sign up as an educator, (yes, home-school parents are encouraged to sign up), and take a 45 minute crash course on what the site offers, and how to use it to your advantage, once completed you will be able to download a certificate of completion.

Imagine, being able to teach your 12+ child or children using 4-D video the miracle of birth and development.  It is fascinating to watch and learn step by step.  You may stop the video at any time, and replay as often as you need.

Once you have finished your 45 minute course, you are given access to the "Teacher Lounge".  Here you not only have access to all the videos, but also imagery, time-lines and articles, all for FREE. 

The best part of these web courses are that you can design your own program for your home-schooling children, or you can use lesson plans and test already made out for you.  You also have the choice of making the lessons easy, intermediate, or hard depending on what your students' ability is.

As breathtaking as the human development lessons are, you can also choose from other subjects such as drugs and pregnancy, environment, health, and substance abuse. EHD is also in the planning stages of adding additional web courses on fetal origins of disease and risks of maternal smoking and drinking.  If you have suggestions for other related subjects, feel free to write them through their feedback page.

As a home-schooling Mom, it is so important to me to make sure my children learn the preciousness of life from the very beginning.  Through these 4-D programs, I am able to teach them much more effectively.

45 minute Web Course and access to materials

Endowment of Human Development

Word Mastery A Course in Phonics for the First Three Grades

 

Today, there are many homeschool families that utilize works that were written in the late 1800’s to early 1900’s.  These educational texts offer several benefits. First, for those who are homeschooling with a Christian emphasis, many of the older texts are written from a Christian perspective.  Second, these older works are in the public domain and are free.  However, when using older texts you must realize that they are in fact, old.  Using texts for subjects such as history, math, or the social sciences may prove disconcerting, as knowledge was vastly limited to what it is now.  However, there are certain texts that are still quite valuable and plenty of these are free to download, copy, and distribute.

 

For example, the classic text, “Word Mastery: A Course in Phonics for the First Three Grades” is available free of charge from a number of different sources.  The content or meat of the text is still highly applicable and this course may prove to be an excellent addition to any homeschool reading class.

 

There are several places where you can access the text.

 

First, it is available through the Google Book Search here: Word Mastery: A Course in Phonics for the First Three Grades

You can select, “download pdf” and save the entire manuscript.  It is wonderful to print out and use with children and will complete any phonics curriculum that you are using.  It is also thorough enough to use by itself as well.

Don Potter, a wonderful educator who makes many texts readily available on his website has also added a version of the text (one with some appended notes). Don Potter's Appended Version of Word Mastery

In the appended notes, Don Potter includes a word list of all of the words taught in the text as well as an additional list of 36 sight words that weren’t included.  His work is an enhancement to the course and you can download it here:

Don Potter's Word Analysis for Word Mastery:  A Course in Phonics for the First Three Grades

If you are looking for a remedial reading curriculum, or a curriculum that you can use on its own, this is an excellent one that has stood the test of time and is free.

 

 

 

When contemplating homeschooling, it may seem difficult to decide upon which method is right for your family.  Part of the reason is that there are so many methods to choose from, and it can be hard to differentiate between them.  My hope is to let you know what the different methods entail, to help answer your questions about homeschooling as it pertains to the methods available.

I'll be honest with you...the way you homeschool your children may require some trial and error until you find the best method that fits your child's learning style.  You may even find that one method that works for one child will not work with another.  But, that's the beauty of homeschooling...you can tailor it to fit a child's direct needs.

So, here are some of the methods used:

Unschooling Method:  This method is used not so much as a learning method, but as a way of life.  Unschooling means that you do not teach using textbooks and workbooks, but rather personal experiences.  It is taking advantage of every day situations to use as learning points.  A great book about unschooling and its successfulness as a way of teaching is How Children Learn by John Holt.

Montessori Approach:  This way of teaching is designed to let children learn at their own pace.  Textbooks and manipulatives are not suited for age groups, but rather just by skill level.  It is thought that when a child can learn when they are ready to absorb new information, they will have learned it for the rest of their lives.

Charlotte Mason Method:  This method is based on teaching the arts, nature, and the love of books.  In fact, the "living books" that support this method of homeschooling are written to open a child's senses and give them a feeling of being part of the stories they are reading.  Children learn the basic skills, such as science, math, etc., but in a natural setting and through stories.

Christian Homeschooling:  This method of homeschooling is based on teaching children biblical principles as their first priority, while catering to their need to learn basic skills.  Subjects such as history are taught to show how the Bible relates to historical events.  Science proves that God is the creator of everything, and backs this up with biblical principles.  Daily Bible reading is a part of many Christian homeschooling families.

Secular Homeschooling:  This type of teaching is based primarily on what traditional schools are teaching children.  Secular homeschoolers use many of the same textbooks as public schools, or may even use some of the methods mentioned above.  They do not have "religious" reasons for homeschooling, but want to have the right to teach their own children at home.

As you can see there are numerous methods for teaching your children what they need to know.  People have different opinions on how homeschooling should be taught, but it is because they found something that really works for their family.  There is no right or wrong way to homeschool your children, as long as you know in your heart you are providng them with the best education that you can.

Some states allow homeschoolers to choose an option where they can use Internet courses as their choice of curriculum.  These Internet courses are referred to as "correspondence schools."  They offer all of the same school subjects that you would expect to find through physical workbooks, and actually often provide you with the physical textbooks your child needs to complete work.

A correspondence school is one that plans the lessons for your child, keeps track of the grades for you, and sends you reports on how well your child is doing.  Some correspondence schools take care of everything, while others will give the parents some flexibility with the lesson scheduling.  Correspondence schools are also responsible for administering your child's tests and quizzes.

A correspondence school will either be one where your child receives physical textbooks and workbooks, as mentioned in the first paragraph, and you correspond through the mail with tests and quizzes.  The other type of correspondence school offers Internet courses and everything is done via Internet and e-mail.  Some or no materials are physically sent to your child, depending on the program you choose.

Advantages of Correspondence Schools

• It's a good way to know that your child is receiving a quality education.
• It gives parents peace of mind knowing everything is being taken care of.
• It does most of the work for you, if you are not a planner.
• Some offer parents flexibility with class scheduling.

Disadvantages of Correspondence Schools

• Internet courses tend to be pricey.  This tends to be the biggest disadvantage.
• Corresponding through "snail mail" takes time to prepare and send off.
• You lose the flexibility to teach the subjects you want.

I know people who use Internet courses, and they love it.  We prefer to pick and choose our own curriculum, but I can't say that I have never entertained the thought of using a correspondence school.

Here is a list of some correspondence schools that offer traditional and Internet classes:

• Alpha Omega Academy - Uses the popular Switched-on-Schoolhouse software
• Bridgeway Homeschool Academy - Both Internet courses and traditional style
• American School - Offers workbooks and textbooks sent to students
• Time4Learning - Complete Internet course study; provides parents with reports

There are many, many more options.  Just type "homeschool correspondence" into your search engine and you will see all of your options.  I do suggest visiting A to Z Home's Cool website for a comprehensive list of correspondence schools.

Many of you are probably already aware of Homeschoolestore.com, but for those of you that are not, you are really missing out on some great stuff.

All products in this Homeschooling store are in electronic form, easy to download, view and print. Hundreds of lesson plans, stories, curriculum that you can easily search by subject, age, or publisher.

When you sign up for their e-mail newsletter, you have added benefits. Free products that are offered weekly. We here in our home just finished a lesson St. Nickolas that we had received free through one of Home-school E-stores newsletters. Oh by the way, though they also send their previews of paid products, they are never pushy about it.

Looking for some new ideas? They offer up their "Pick of the Week". This week for example their pick is "History of Ancient Times Complete Note-booking Set (c.5000 BC to c.500 AD), which you can preview on the order page, as you can with the majority of the items offered here. You have so much to choose from that you can get lost for hours on their site. Stocked full of curriculum and teacher plans, everything from Arts and Crafts to Writing Composition.

If you come visit the site today, you will be just in time for their "freebie" this week, "Copy-work Note-booking Pages (Animal and Floral Designs) Combined Sets". While you are there, be sure to check out the lesson plans and curriculum to help you with your homeschooling plans, and remember to sign up for the newsletters so you will be notified of the free products being offered each week:

Homeschool E-Store

 

I had recently polled kids in my surrounding area of Richmond, VA to find out what they believed to be the benefits of homeschooling.  They managed to come up with some pretty neat responses.  I think it is important to get a kid's perspective on homeschooling because often times parents make the decision to homeschool, but we don't take the time to ask our kids if they see the benefits.  Let's take a look at what they said.  These responses are not in any particular order.

 

*One reason kids like homeschool is because they can take field trips to great places and take as long as they like at their destination.  Public schools need to leave by a certain time to get the kids back to school.

*Older kids really liked the fact that they can learn subjects that interest them instead of following what every student has to learn at the same time in public school.  An example of this includes learning about the Bible.  Some teens who want to become a minister or a missionary can study this during their high school years, whereas you cannot do this in public school.  It gives them a head start on their career much quicker.

*Kids like the fact that they can master a subject in homeschool before learning something new.  In public school, the teacher pretty much has to teach a concept, especially in math, and move on to a new concept within a time frame in order to complete a curriculum on time.  Sometimes kids will ask for their parents help, if they did not understand a concept, and other students will not, and end up with a poor grade.  With homeschooling, you have the opportunity to master a concept before learning new things.  You can basically work at your own pace, and kids like that idea.

*One family shared that they consider a birthday a holiday in their home.  If someone's birthday falls during the week, they don't have school that day.  It is a day set aside to make that person feel very special.  When their child's birthday falls in the summer, that child gets to pick a day towards the beginning of the school year to make his day off.  So, it all works out.

*Taking a vacation mid-year is something a lot of homeschooling families take advantage of.  They are able to rent places to stay during off-season for better prices, and they have the ability to see the sites without bunches of crowds.  It is really cool to be able to go somewhere really fun and enjoy it feeling totally relaxed.

*If an emergency arises at home, homeschooling families know that they have the flexibility to take care of the situation, and school will not suffer because they can make it up easily, or just treat it as an off day.  Homeschooling is a way of life, so it does not have "set hours" that work has to be done by.  Flexibility is something kids really enjoy.

*One child shared that his dad is the "principal" of his school.  That is true for many homeschooling families.  I think that is pretty neat to have a principal who can hug and kiss you, and say "great job."  And just think...you don't have to wait for an appointment to see your principal.  He is always there for you!

*One family gave their homeschool a name.  They put this on letters to the Board of Education, and they display it in their "school room."  They found a way to make their homeschool personal.  Not many students get to name the school that they attend.

I bet you and your kids can think of more advantages to homeschooling.  It is a neat opportunity, and I feel blessed every day that I can teach my kids and enjoy their company 24/7.  How about you?

Home Economics is not offered in very many schools across the country anymore.  It was a class that I enjoyed a lot when I was in middle school.  We were taught the basics of sewing and the basics of cooking, it was a lot of fun.

Homeschooling allows home economics to be brought back.  I have always allowed my kids hands on in the kitchen from the time they were very small, my older daughters were able to make pierogies and cabbage rolls from the time they were twelve.

Since homeschooling has started this year, we try to do a project each week.  My daughter selects what she would like to try, and we then search for recipes to try, a few weeks ago, she put together her first 3 course dinner, designing the menus and preparing the shopping list, and of course preparing the meal.  It was a great success.  Her younger brother even went back for thirds, and he is pretty picky.

This week we are making Peanut Butter Cups, and have found three different recipes for you to try too:

This first one is for dark chocolate and organic peanut butter - Homemade Peanut Butter Cups #1

This one is better suited for younger children - Homemade Peanut Butter Cups #2 

This last one is actually a cookie recipe using peanut butter cups - Peanut Butter Cup Cookies 

If they get anxious while waiting during the process, why don't you whip out those cloth napkins you have stuck in a drawer and teach them how to make napkin folds?  Here are instructions for the pyramid fold:

Making a Pyramid Napkin Folding 

Children who are allowed hands on in the kitchen benefit greatly.  We parents learn a lot too, mostly patience!  Have fun! 

 

 

 

 

 

Is a homeschool field trip any different than a field trip that public and private school children take?  Absolutely!  I want to take this time to discuss why this is so, and give you some great ideas of places to visit, if you want to take your family or homeschool group on a fascinating adventure!

Distances:  Consider the distances that you can travel being a homeschool family.  You are not limited by the time that you need to be back to school.  A field trip is your day of school.  You can get up at dawn and stay until dusk, if you desire.  If the field trip destination is an hour or two away, that doesn't have to sway your decision to go on the journey.

Stop Off and See Other Sites:  Are there some really cool places that are on the way to your field trip destination?  Well, you can stop and see them.  Again, with no time constraints, you can take advantage of any opportunity to teach your kids by taking them to a variety of different places.  Flexibility is great!

Field Trip Frequency:  Just think of the ground you can cover in a year!  There are field trip opportunities for many types of lessons, including history, science, and others.  Instead of taking perhaps two or three field trips in a year, consider taking two or three field trips a month.  Field trips break up a mundane routine, and they keep kids interested in their lessons.

Here are some super field trip ideas:

• Museums
• Park events
• Zoos
• Day trips to different cities or states
• Airports
• Farms
• Native American reservations
• Festivals and fairs
• Historical landmarks

I am not saying that pubic school children are under-privileged because they don't have the opportunity to go on that many field trips.  They still get to see some really great things.  What I am saying is that homeschoolers just have the opportunity to utilize field trips to their fullest potentials.

If you are a homeschooling parent, there are two comments that you have most likely heard from non-homeschooling people...

1.) What about socialization?

2.) I knew a homeschooler once, and he was sooo strange

Hmmm....let's talk about strange shall we?

The middle school my daughter left was chock full of your non-strange people, let me introduce them to you:

Brianna and her Mom: Mom works for Hooters, so sees nothing wrong with her daughter wearing her Hooter t-shirts to school, when Brianna explains to her Mother that she was made to turn her t-shirt inside-out for the day, Mom responds with a loud rambling of four letter words.

Michael: Michael is a boy with a lengthy history of emotional problems. Michael twice this past year stood up in class and threatened to "blow everyone away", he has not been removed from the school....and by the way, Michael's brother is already in prison serving time for murder.

Band Teacher: Band teacher constantly warning children that lying about having gum in their mouths will send them to hell........yet.....she has no problem yelling "YOU SUCK, YOU SUCK, YOU SUCK" to her students after hearing them play.

Britney: Britney is the self-proclaimed queen of fashion, who gathers her gaggle of girls together to torture others to tears over what kind of shoes they are wearing. She also has the unique talent of teaching other girls how to pole dance around the flagpole.

Lexi: The young lady who is constantly talking about spirits, ghosts, spells and potions, holds impromptu seances whenever anyone shows an interest.

and last but not least....

Sean: A 13 year old boy who talks sexually to your children. Encourages two girls standing together to "make out", and uses language you have probably never used.

And you knew a homeschooler once that was strange?? Big deal, I knew a school full of nut-cases that would take decades for psychologists to figure out.

If it is hard to picture, do yourself a favor. Go to your local Junior high and just stand there outside for a few minutes before or after school. Within five minutes you will wish that you had a shower nearby. Believe me, most parents don't have a clue what their children's environment is like.

I call it "sending your child into a enemy zone". You couldn't pay me for my child to "socialize" with these people. My daughter does not suffer, she benefits from not being bonded with such characters. She has no lack of socialization, she belongs to her teen group at church, and we belong to 3 homeschooling groups that ice-skate, roller-skate, laser tag and toboggan with. Children of ALL ages, and (gasp!) their parents too! I have not heard one offending word, no one breaks out Ouija boards, and there is plenty of hugging that goes on. (Which by the way was banned in our local schools). There is plenty of encouragement to go around and plenty of room to grow. The truth we have found is Quality parents and Quality kids in homeschooling, not a bit strange, but wonderfully unique!

Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.

C.S. Lewis

 

 

 

 

Homeschooling is a growing trend. In fact, statistics indicated that it is the fastest growing form of education. It is estimated that 2.1 million children were being homeschooled in 2003. The number of homeschoolers is on the rise, growing 7% to 15% per year, according to Dr. Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute.

 

 

   

    Why is homeschooling becoming so popular? It probably has something to do with the fact that homeschooled students, or their parents, can set their own schedule. If a student, or parent decides that they want school to get out in April, then they can double up their efforts and get finished when they so choose.
    The popularity could also have something to do with the fact that homeschoolers are generally better socialized. This may come as a shock, because it seems ironic, however, Thomas Smedley, a graduate student at Radford University of Virginia, wrote a master's thesis indicating otherwise. He says that homeschoolers are, in general, better socialized than public-schoolers. Homeschoolers are usually more sociable around people that are not their age, both adults and young children. This has given homeschoolers a unique advantage when interviewing with prosepective employers.
    Lastly, homeschoolers, on average, score between 15-30 percentile points higher than children from public schools on standardized tests and also score above average on the SAT and ACT, according to Dr. Brian Ray, president of the National Home Education Research Institute. Because of this, colleges are beginning to actively recruit homeschool students. Is that not enticing?

 

Of course, nothing is as easy as it sounds. What does it take to homeschool? What do you need to know to start homeschooling? Find out soon!