Hello everyone!
Schooling and illnesses have kept us busy over the last few months. But, now that we are better, I wanted to follow up on a previous post. This post is entitled "How To" - Education with Tablets - BOOKS First, if you have not already read my post for "Tablet Safety" found HERE, please read it before continuing. Although this post is aimed more at Android tablet devices, most points here can be applied to IPads or Windows based laptops. For this post, I will focus on Books. I will follow up this post with other methods of educating with tablets. BOOKS Thousands upon thousands of free books, nonfiction and fiction, are available online. I still advocate paper personally. I love the feel of a book and finding what I want on an actual bookshelf is easier. BUT.....I can not stand looking for a library book, textbook, or spiral that has traveled with us. That missing book may hide in the car, at the doctor's office, in the classroom, back on the bookshelf, the possibilities are endless. I have paid many a late fee due to a library book playing "hide and seek" as we travel. On the contrary, the tablet is under our constant attention, is not as easily forgotten, and it can hold as many books as our "Memory" cards allow. Yet, the world of ebooks (electronic books) can be daunting and confusing to someone not very "tech savvy". My head started spinning thinking just how to explain it. I will try my best. There are 3 separate types of ebooks (electronic books) 1. EPub "Electronic Publication" for a more detailed explanation of EPubs, please see HERE 2. PDF "Portable Document Format" 3. Supplier Specific Formats "Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Library Books...yes, I said library books, etc" These are just Electronic Books (eBooks) in different formats. This does not mean anything to the everyday user other than... You need different software to read them. But, just WHAT software can you use and WHERE CAN YOU FIND THESE FREE BOOKS? 1. Software - To find EBook reading software from the Android Market, click these links for: EPub format Readers PDF format Readers Library Book Readers (from your local municipal library) Amazon Kindle Barnes & Noble Nook Kobo Book Reader Google Books Reader iStoryBooks for the little ones :) Some of the software can support many formats. My favorite FREE Readers (some have ads) are: Overdrive Media Console for the Library Books Aldiko Book Reader Amazon Kindle Nook for Android Mantanto Reader Free this one can annotate PDFs. I snagged some free PDF textbooks. "On the go schoolwork" can be completed within the book reader so spirals do not get left behind. My husband annotates blueprints. Be aware that it is supported with ads. 2. Where to find the books My mind is vastly overwhelmed by the sheer availability of free eBooks. How do I find what I am looking for among the various sites? Here are some lists. I personally snag some of the RSS Feeds (more on that down below) to keep up with fresh content. Flexbooks are free open source textbooks that can be downloaded in EPub, PDF, or Kindle. Please be aware that some of these books may have mistakes. See reviews HERE on Amazon for the various books. I use these only to supplement our regular hardbacks while we are "out and about". Free EBooks by Project Gutenberg From the site "Project Gutenberg offers over 36,000 free ebooks to download to your PC, Kindle, Android, iOS or other portable device. Choose between ePub, Kindle, HTML and simple text formats. We carry high quality ebooks: All our ebooks were previously published by bona fide publishers. We digitized and diligently proofed them with the help of thousands of volunteers." Amazon Kindle Top Free 100 I have gotten many educational books this way. Amazon Kindle Free Collections Barnes & Noble Nook Free EBooks Google Books Free EBooks Kobo Free Ebooks eBookMall.com From the site, "If you want free eBook downloads, you've come to the right place! Many of these free eBooks are only free for a limited time as special promotions, so download them while they are available. This list is updated daily with new selections. Add these free eBooks to your shopping cart just like any other product and they will be free when you checkout -- no credit card required!" One Non Free Option that I have looked into but have not made the jump to membership: World Public Library 3. Sign Up for RSS Feeds to see fresh content Rather than checking sites frequently, I use an RSS Feed Reader for my favorite sites. What is this? Just simply a link to help notify you of new content on the site in a "FEED READER" software. My two favorite Feed Readers... Google Reader and Take a Tour Here Pulse The Amazon Top 100 Free Kindle Books Feed is Here The Gutenberg Project Free Ebooks Feed is Here Truth be told, we still use our "paper" books most of the time. But, I sure have enjoyed EBooks too. Perhaps one day I could be convinced to give up paper .. or not. I know there is still too much information in this post for someone who is just learning about the EBook world. Still, just come back here for refreshers and links as you "get the hang of it". Actually, creating these lists helps to give me a reference point for individual topics vs.my bookmarks...heehee. I hope to follow up this post soon with more on "educating with tablets". "How To" - Maintain the Joy
The stages of your relationship with homeschooling is a bit like marriage. After you overcome being overwhelmed, you enjoy the "honeymoon" period. Years fly by and you find yourself settling in to routine. Perhaps you may even revisit questions of insecurity. How then do you maintain the joy of homeschooling? Well, actually, this isn't going to develop into a "How To" mini workshop. Rather, since we are settling into this school year and with winter on the way, I wanted to revisit my joys and share them with those reading my posts. I posted it here, rather than a ramble, for those who have been following this thread. These are joys I get from homeschooling my family. Each family will have different experiences along their journey. Thus, I love homeschooling because:
I could go on and on. But, for the sake of my readers, I shall stop. The point is... review your joys frequently, because difficulties will arise, to energize your learning environment and keep the zeal for teaching the most important students in your life, your own children. We live in a constantly changing world. The current generation, considered the "Tech Generation" , utilize technology from a very early age. How many babies do you see with a smart phone in their hands? Children walking through a store are blinded by a screen their eyes are glued to. So then, no wonder many parents have difficulty trying to navigate the ever changing technical waters of the information tsunami.
Recently, I experienced great shock when I discovered the new requirement for the local public elementary school parents, with children twelve years of age, to buy their children tablets. Of course, low income families would qualify for financial assistance. Of course, technology, used properly, can facilitate the learning environment with many educational opportunities. I will post more on this topic another time. For example, the PBS Newshour published a fantastic segment on this subject. Even homeschooling families utilize such technology. First, when I heard of this requirement, I thought about the costs to families and cash strapped school districts. I won't express my opinions on that one in a faltering economy. I will leave that controversial subject elsewhere. Then, I started laughing and envisioning future news articles and controversies about the increase of "Computer Vision Syndrome" in children. But, once the real impact began to sink in, I began to worry more about child safety. Yes, many parents have figured out how to protect their PCs with Windows Live Family Safety and Norton Online Family. They may have even installed free Kids Safe browsers for the PCs such as Kidzui.com and Zoodles.com. Perhaps parents have even educated their children on internet safety with such sites as NetSmartz.org and KidsSmart.org. Since many devices have access to the internet (gaming systems, phones, computers, etc.) many parents also abide by advice from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and have their children only use their PC, laptop, or gaming system in the family room. Truth be told, I could not find any step by step advice in protecting children who use tablets or smart phones for this "tech generation", who use screens for everything from games to textbooks "on the go". A recent study stated these facts: · 85% of children don’t have parental controls activated on their mobile phone · 68% of parents think children accessing adult content on their mobile phone is a growing problem · 81% of parents agree that they need more information and guidance on how to stop their children accessing adult content via their mobile phones WHAT TO DO? These statistics boggle the mind. I wanted to post a step-by-step guide for parents who may not understand how to navigate the mobile operating system world. Parental Controls are actually easiest on the iPad. The Maryvale Technology Department has posted an excellent tutorial for this device HERE. Devices with the Android operating system remain more prevalent for most families since they have a lower price point, have more availability from more manufacturers, and have software such as Adobe Flash and Netflix. Therefore, for this post, I will concentrate on the Android operating system. The Android Operating System does NOT have parent friendly Parental Controls built into the software. I was disappointed to learn that the new 4.0 dubbed "Ice Cream Sandwich" did not integrate such controls . Perhaps shopping savvy parents can keep an eye on new manufacturers that may build such controls into their own devices. In the meantime, I have some advice on safety and learning tools for the Android system. SAFETY FIRST TIPS Above and beyond, each family needs to determine the amount of usage and services each child may be mature enough for and the amount of restrictions based on the age of the child. Set up each device yourself before allowing the child to use it.
I am NOT against use of such devices for education. In fact, we use them for online textbooks, educational podcasts, books from the library, and so much more. I AM for constant parental interaction and monitoring for the safety of the children. We as homeschoolers have the right to decide though whether or not such devices enter our homes. Public schooled children may not have such a choice for much longer. Either way, I hope this posts helps someone. Check back later for the educational opportunities these devices offer :) Safe surfing! I have been asked...
How do I translate monthly and weekly goals into Daily Lessons? I will now enter the "opinion zone"...well, really, this whole post is just that, my opinion. I have personally tried unschooling, boxed curriculum, public virtual school at home, and rigid daily planning of the entire year. What works best for my family is considered, in the homeschooling world, "eclectic". I discover books that I like on Freecycle.org, at thrift stores, at garage sales, or on online stores. I research book lists from homeschoolers, boxed curriculum, and public schools. I then pick and choose what I feel will work best for us. When I follow along the Sequences, I find websites that freely teach the subject we are studying and use books from my public library on the subject. This method is considered the "eclectic" approach among those in the "homeschooling world". This means that I may keep books over several years or change them at any time. Universally though, all "educational" books are set up typically the same with subjects and chapters. Once I establish my yearly goals, I set up my daily "routine" with the subjects we will cover. This allows me to visualize what I need to schedule on a daily basis. For example, our inside schoolwork routine today consisted of: Spelling - Three children used WordlyWise3000 and the youngest covered reading with Mommy Math - Three children used textbooks - Singapore Math, and Progress in Mathematics Textbooks are usually set up with a lesson and practice problems. That is exactly what we do on a daily basis. Singapore, organized broadly with Chapters and Sections, is best completed from the "completion determined upon ability" standpoint. My youngest completed work from a workbook, as the attention span allowed, and then completed adding problems with blocks. English - This year, my third child is the only one with an actual English Language Arts textbook which is already organized into lessons. The older two work from various Grammar Books and Composition Books. Since they completed their Grammar and Composition Books a year ahead last year, I determined that we needed to focus on composition this year with Writing Strands. The National Writing Institute has organized this curriculum into days and lessons. My youngest practiced writing letters and words today on dry erase boards. Science and Social Studies - These two subjects trade receiving two full hour blocks on our schedule every other day. I have discovered that one hour is not long enough because the children get very excited and do not want to stop. I use a variety of homeschooling books, textbooks, library books and websites for these two subjects. Rather than focusing on daily lessons and assignments, I focus on Monthly or Weekly goals. I choose to tackle these subjects with the homeschooling method of "unit studies". Since my monthly goals do not technically start until October, we completed a "unit study" based on sequences for Science today. The older two children read the first chapter in their Core Knowledge Series. I read to the younger two children from the Core Knowledge Series. We then found books in our home library to expound on the topic. After one hour of reading and researching, we joined together as a class for continued research, review, and a class project on the subjects they had read. Electives - Our elective yesterday was ASL from which the class completed Lesson 9 on Lifeprint.com. Today, our Art day, they completed a lesson on DrawSpace.com. These websites are nicely organized into lessons for you. Two approaches work just fine for my "eclectic" school. For me, once I have determined the lessons and filled them out in my planner, if life happens, I always feel behind. Filling out the planner with daily lessons for the year, therefore, did not contribute to morale when "behind" or "ahead". Rather, I look ahead and only complete up to two weeks of daily lessons in my planner. Yes, I have my yearly, monthly and even weekly goals. But, I would rather not write them down in my daily planner and set them in stone until I am fully ready. If I do not write down lessons, we know to move on because the books are already nice and organized for us and I write down the tasks for the day in the planner then. If I choose to throw the planner out the door (in Texas I can) and decide to follow the childrens' interests for the day, I have the ability to get back on the train tomorrow without feeling "behind". Yet, I do have the "crutch" of my plan without feeling "lost". Why do I choose this path for our family? It works best for us. Do not let boxed curriculum fool you, they use this same method of breaking down goals into yearly, monthly, and daily routines based on preselected textbooks and sequences. They do not know some mysterious secret. They just do the work for you. Most teachers have little say in the curriculum forced upon them by the school system. As a home educator, at least in Texas, you have the privilege to choose. That doesn't mean that someone who decides to try this "eclectic" method is any less, or more, organized than the next method. This method, just one means to the same common goal, fits our family. Never though do I want our need for organization to crowd out discovery, imagination, and excitement in education. My children love schedules and planners. They also love tossing it all aside and following their interests. Just remember...balance. There you have it. Just a simple method to fill out your daily planner if you so feel. Yay!
You have developed a plan and implemented it! Now, mountains of completed work stumble your every move. Armies of walking paper soldiers visit you while you sleep. You dread another assignment because the children's completed work haunt even your waking hours. Really? No, it is not to that extreme. It sure did sound funny though. Recently though, that question did arise. What do you do with completed work? When and how do you check it? Have you found a practical method? Our family has found a method that works for us. Not only have we loyally stuck to that method, but we are expanding on it this year. Let me explain. First, I view loose papers as enemies! I dread those armies of walking paper soldiers. So, we did what any Texan would do, we lassoed them in. THE OLDEN DAYS In the younger years, the children completed much of their work in workbooks. This was nice because it kept everything together in one place. I checked it as they finished and at the end of the year I kept a few papers that were cute and tossed the rest in the mysterious depth from which they never returned (yes, the trash). The rule was...NO TEARING OUT THE PAPERS!!! If they did, I checked it, put it on the refrigerator for a few days, and then they put it in the trash. Oh, don't cry, they only did it the one time. Now, they know to listen and not tear out papers. Any loose drawings I would proudly display for awhile before they disappeared or I kept. We would take pictures of the projects and they too would mysteriously disappear (the computer sometimes has a mysterious depth too). That did make me cry. Still though, the loose papers seemed out of control. THE PRESENT DAYS As the children matured and moved out of workbooks (first grade for my children now), we developed our NEW and IMPROVED system... Every child has a spiral for EVERY subject. Spelling - Spiral Grammar - Spiral Composition Drafts - Spiral Composition Finals - Bound Composition Journal Math - Spiral History - Spiral + Plus History binder (more in a minute) Science - Spiral + Plus Science binder Music - Spiral + Student 1" binder for books or printed compositions ASL & Spanish - Spiral for notes Art - Nice Drawing spiral sketchpad with thick enough paper for most paintings & regular spiral for notes The subject binders have any information I want in them (timeline for History, etc), empty page protectors and dividers. IF they have any printed pages, worksheets, or other loose pages, they put the loose pages in the page protectors behind a divider. (Do you see a theme here?...heehee, no mountains for me). Once we finish a "unit", the student takes all loose pages in the sheet protectors and creates a lapbook or presentation. What does this accomplish? First, NO LOOSE PAPERS! Secondly, this teaches them that their work is important and not just "busywork". It also teaches them how to create presentations from a very early age. The younger children make "lapbooks" and the older children create "presentations". Although both use manila file folders, what is the difference? The presentation becomes more refined and professional looking as the children get older. I take those lapbooks and store them in a plastic Rubbermaid file cabinet. Special projects deserve special recognition. We take pictures and the project is prominently displayed in the house. Truth be told, I KNOW that the project will not survive the "love" of four children. Thus, after several weeks of the children "playing" with the project, it crumbles from the "love" of their own hands and they dispose of the remains. Otherwise, we gift the projects to others :). The only exception to this rule is.....if I have a particular fondness for the project. If I decide it must be kept, it mysteriously disappears into my "treasure chest". HOMEWORK? Time flies, especially when you are having fun. I don't have time EVERY day to check work. I check work two days a week. If any work needs to be redone, we have a review and it is "homework". If any work can not be found because it has become "loose" before I check it, it is also "homework". The children have insisted that ALL of their work it "HOMEWORK". Yes, it is. But, we have defined "homework" as "work that is to be completed outside of our regularly scheduled school time". They detest "homework" on the weekends, so they try to do their best the first time. END OF THE YEAR At the end of the year, I make portfolios/binders for each child with the year on the spine. We sift through all of the spirals and choose their best work. Once they choose, that work gets put into the YEARLY BINDER. Their lapbooks (presentations) get three hole punched and added to the YEARLY BINDER. Their Final Composition Journal and Art Sketchpad gets slipped into the front and back plastic binder pockets. GOALS Every system needs refining and improvements to ensure efficiency. Now...what we are working on for this year.... I would sad when I realized that our pictures of projects, field trips and memories of the year, at any moment, could mysteriously disappear from a computer crash. Yes, I have them backed up most of the time, but there are others on phones, memory cards, etc. (Or really when time has slipped and the pictures have not been backed up).... This year I assigned my older children design a yearbook. Their deadline is the end of the summer, so they are not finished quite yet. We utilize Shutterfly as the platform, have Shutterfly print it, and ship it to the house. Pictures of poems, field trips, family vacations, and other memories will fill our first Yearbook. My goal for this next year, in addition to our Yearbook, is to print pictures after a special occasion, have the children journal about their experience, and burn additional pictures to disc. This material will then be put into a Special Memories binder. Each year will yield ONE Portfolio Binder per child, a Classroom Special Memories Binder and a Yearbook. Eventually tall bookcases with binders will fill our house just for their "keepsake" work. My goal? To gift them their Portfolio Binders when they are grown and keep the Special Memories Binder and Yearbook until the time is right. I have to tell the truth...paper mountains still arise. Overall, I feel we have tamed the armies. We like our system and intend to improve each year. But, this is our family and this is our system. Try it on and if it doesn't fit, try on another. Always keep in mind, it is your time...to enjoy your children. Don't let the stresses of everyday life cause "homeschool" amnesia. Loss of focus of the WHY you began to homeschool. "Don't let schooling interfere with your education." - Mark Twain So, now, you have gathered books, ideas, curriculum, and momentum. How do those translate into paper? Into a planner? Step by step.
In a previous post, I discussed WHY a planner is important...as a guideline to keep you organized. I also reiterated the importance of allowing room for "out of the box" learning time. Now, I have my planner complete for the 2011-2012 school year. My planner begins the "curriculum" October 1st. Keep in mind that we will spend September with "out of the box" learning...projects, compositions, and math that will be interest based or focused on aspects with each child that need strengthening BEFORE we buckle down to the "curriculum". Therefore, even though my spreadsheets start in October, we will start school a month before. Here is my "step" by "step"..... 1. Decide layout I have tried many different layouts and planners over the years. I have discovered a few things. a. I do NOT want to print a bunch of pages. This takes up too much time and is costly. b. I like a three ring binder (so pages can be easily moved) with my detailed planner AND a thinner bound planner to carry with me everywhere. c. Individual child planners are just a waste of my time. We are more efficient if we work off of a main planner. If they want to set one up for themselves, that is fine. So, this year I decided on a white three inch three ring binder with "D" rings that will stay at home. I also really liked the layout of the "Greenroom recycled 2011-2012 planner". The "Greenroom" planner has a layout that I have used in the past, but I printed the pages out and inserted them into my three ring binder or bound them into a spiral. It has a schedule section, 2011-2012 overview, Long Term planning with monthly important dates, Monthly views, Monthly notes, Daily Planning, General Notes, Contacts, and Resources. These are the same type pages that I used to print out. This saved me a lot of time. Now that we have the basic layout, let's begin. *REMEMBER**** This is YOUR binder, change it, tweak it....make it individual! I am just letting you know what is in MINE ;) 2. Big Binder a. Calendar Page - Although I have the calendars in the small planner, it is nice to have a basic overview one in the big binder. Also, I use recent pictures of the children, print them out double sided (one year on each side), and laminate it. It is such a nice touch when I open the binder. FREE HP Calendars - http://www.hp.com/hho/hp_create/calendars-single_page.html b. Tabbed Divider - Bible
Remember, these guides are tailored to my family. They are to just give you an idea. This is by no means me claiming this is what YOU need to teach your children. (Sorry, legalities here ;) ). How did I come up with my plans? First, I started with Social Studies from Story of the World and the Core Knowledge Sequences. For later in the year, we will be going over what interests the children and wrapping up any ends from the Core Knowledge Sequences. I figured out how much I thought we could cover in a month. Then, I set "themes" for each month and the SOTW Chapters we needed to cover. I then made a list of corresponding "Reading List" from Story of the World, "Literature as History", and we will add books from the "1000 Good Books List". I also noted how we could use these themes in Art, Science, etc. In Science, I used the Core Knowledge Sequences to note what we haven't covered so far in seventh grade (some topics we have already studied in lengthy detail) and used the Prentice Hall Science Explorer set as a basis for study. I bought this whole textbook set, in excellent condition, for cheap off of www.half.com. I did the same idea with monthly themes for science. Then, I used references to fill in the blanks.
g. Tabbed Divider - Field Trips - This is the section I put in Field Trip planning information, journal, photos, etc. h. At the back of the white binder, I have a plastic envelope to keep miscellaneous loose items. This finishes the white binder. Although this is still a lot of printing at first, I reuse much of what is in the binder for the following year. Most of the un "reusable" paper I get from the Dollar Spot at Target. So, last year, I printed off the book lists and Curriculum Sequences. I saved the sequences in another binder and use each grade as needed. Since they are in sheet protectors, I can store them in the Sequence binder until needed. 3. Small Planner - I have filled in the information except the weekly details. On the monthly notes, I have put in our basic books needed from the library so I can remember which ones I need if I do not have the big binder with me. I will fill in the weekly details only two weeks at a time. This allows for change without a bunch of scratching out since I can not tear these out or move these like I can in the binder. I can carry this one everywhere with us. We can school at the park, doctor office, Grandma's house, etc. I hope this helps to explain how I have done my binder for this year. I am sure it will continue to evolve over the years. But, remember, the point is that you CAN change it to fit YOU and your children. Also, if you get off of the organization "bandwagon" and stop going by the planner, you can easily "get back on". But, remember, it is a guideline. Homeschooling allows for many moments in which homeschooling children soar WITHOUT a planner, try to allow for this. NOTE: Out of the list above and my resources list, I have bought over the years: Story of the World - All volumes, test booklets, and practice pages (New) Writing Strands - Two volumes (New) Harcourt English (half.com) Scott Foresman Literature and Integrated Studies (half.com) Prentice Hall Science Explorer (half.com) Spanish Immersion (ebay.com) Hooked on Phonics (whole set from the thrift store for $12) Progress in Mathematics (half.com) Singapore Math (New) What Your _____ Grader Needs to Know (Core Knowledge) (half.com) Portfolios - State of the Art Program (thrift store) In addition, I have a whole library of reference books, textbooks, curriculum books (Konos, Abeka, etc) that I got at the thrift store or off of Freecycle.org Since I reuse the books for many years, my investment cost per child decreases. Still, I buy books cheap (except a few that I decided was worth buying new), buy school supplies on clearance after public schools start, find free or cheap field trips, exchange teaching classes, etc. Homeschooling doesn't need to be expensive :) Many people feel overwhelmed with the thought of homeschooling through high school. Even those who felt confident homeschooling in the earlier years may now reevaluate the idea. Yet, this stage of learning requires the same from an educator as the earlier years - planning, commitment, and support.
Homeschooling through high school actually better prepares your student for college. How? By emphasizing the routine of self learning and self motivation. Resources abound to help a student during this time, despite a home educator's lack of certification in any area. Teacher guides, CDs, videos, syllabi, curriculum, quizzes, tests, and much more offer assistance in such areas. Homeschooling through high school CAN BE and HAS BEEN done! Therefore, let us evaluate the "How Tos". 1. First, develop a plan! Discuss with your student about their interests, goals, and abilities. Weigh options such as college, vocational schools, apprenticeships, careers, volunteerism, etc. Map out a plan that will move the child toward those goals. Do they need dual enrollment in a local college, an apprenticeship with a local business owner, or another method of accomplishing their goals? PLANNING - OUTLINE 1. To start your plan, first research your state laws for homeschooling during High School. Look here on HSLDA for that information. 2. Download a FREE Basic Planner Template @ The Homeschool Shop.com to use as an broad based outline. 3. Gather information for general requirements and content for high school: The HSLDA has information to help with this topic: HSLDA Main Page on High School HSLDA FAQs on High School HSLDA 4 Year Plan HSLDA Timeline and Developing a Plan for High School HSLDA Evaluating High School Credits HSLDA Preparing for College Now determine the necessary requirements and start developing them. If your child plans on college, what are the admission requirements for homeschoolers? Does he/she need to take the SAT or ACT tests? For example, here is the admissions page from Duke University. Perhaps the student can begin college before graduation with dual enrollment at a college such as Collin County Community College. Also, here are some articles about homeschooling and colleges: Home School Your Child into Harvard (or Any Other College) College Admissions for Homeschoolers Colleges That Admit Homeschoolers When should you beginning this planning? Jr. High School will give your student time to lay out a firm plan for their high school career. PLANNING - DEVELOPING Once you have outlined your plan, you need to decide on the route needed to accomplish the student's goals. Many options abound, but I will discuss just a few here. Regardless of the method used, keeping diligent records, transcripts, and portfolios will help to ensure the student meets requirements needed to graduate. For record keeping methods, please see my previous post "Time Management and Planning". 1. Setting your own curriculum plan This method tailors your educational plan to your child and goals. Pick and choose from different curriculum sequences, find the resources and self teach. To know the "what and when", please see my previous post..."The Next Question...How" Then, develop a transcript for method keeping purposes. Click here for a free transcript template. Once your child completes the requirements needed for graduation, set by you the educator, you are now ready to print a diploma. Here is the legality from the HSLDA for diploma information. Here is information from the American Homeschool Association. 2. Credit By Examination (CBE) Many colleges offer undergraduate programs to homeschoolers and credit by examination. Either the course and the exam or just the exam may be purchased. Upon passing an examination, school credits are issued and an accredited diploma may be obtained after the appropriate amount of credits have been accumulated. If the student does not take the course, the syllabus and list of materials may be obtained from the school in order to prepare for the test. Texas Tech offers such a program, click here to see their offerings. 3. Another option is to use a correspondence, distance learning, or online learning private school. This option usually requires payment for tuition and books. Also, although work will be completed by the student at home, assignments will be sent to the school (through snail mail or online) for grading and most include support of a teacher. These private schools also issue an accredited diploma for the student. HSLDA maintains a list of a few here. In addition, I have known some to enroll in Pearblossom and American School. I am sure I will update a continually growing list on my "Resources" page as I learn of more. 4. This last option may seem like a nice option to many families as the economy continues to decline. Free public schools offer a tuition free option with all books and materials included. Many do not yet offer complete high school courses and continue to expand the grade levels offered, so check their sites frequently for updates. Not only are classes, books, materials and teacher support monetarily free, many reimburse for internet and supply computers. Keep in mind though, that although work is completed via distance learning, they are still PUBLIC SCHOOLS. They structure the curriculum with little to no choice for the student. Curriculum may not be tailored where a child may excel significantly beyond their peers or slow down when needed. The child must still stay "on target". Also, there are time limitations, mandatory state testing, and many more restrictions. So, if you child completes their work in two hours, your child must continue to work for another four to six hours. Online classes with peers are required. Also, they usually do not offer year round school and follow the local school calendars. Not following their school calendar attendance rules can lead to truancy. Still, they are an option if they fit with your family's needs and goals. Just weigh the positives and negatives before beginning enrollment. Some in Texas are: Texas Virtual Academy Currently serving up to 11th grade Connections Academy Currently serving up to 10th grade PLANNING - IMPLEMENT Now, you have developed a plan, decided on a course of action, and put in the details. You are prepared to homeschool your child through high school and implement the plan. Just as children may be fickle in college and change majors, so their interests change in high school. Be ready to change your plan to meet their needs. Remember, a plan not "set in stone" allows room for tailoring the education of your child. Also, although law requires core education, our goal as parents is for our children to become mature, responsible and contributing adults that will continue to help our society. "Time is Money"
Time, to our families, is a much more valuable resource than money. Precious time can be used wisely or squandered. Many feel that they can "fly by the seat of their pants" and many others feel that every moment needs scheduling and the family must "stick" to the schedule. Really, balance is needed. Planning and scheduling encourages us plan goals and strive toward those goals. Failing to plan can come at a cost. A dogmatic approach though can discourage a learning environment. How then can balance be attained? Many also feel overwhelmed when even THINKING about organization. Organized educators, they reason, must be "super", "strong", or "one in a million". Truth be told, organized educators do not have a secret, they have just learned how to use their valuable time wisely. YOU CAN TOO!! Extra trips to the grocery store...use meal planning. Unable to find a book, pencil or form...organize your space. Wondering what tomorrow will bring....use a planner. Planning allows us to have MORE time in the long run. Children are happier with structure. Do I always "stick to the schedule"? Not necessarily. I have also found that "spontaneous" learning time can prove to be more valuable than scheduled. So, if you are a planner and scheduler, be sure to schedule "unscheduled" time ;). But, the point is, though we may not feel planning is necessary, plan anyway. Although you may have to chuck them, "fly by" for awhile, or completely redo them. NOT planning is dangerous. Although many can seemingly "fly by", truth is, they too may find themselves drowning if they do not. Did I always, do this? No. Have I had to readjust? All of the time. Do I appreciate this method? Most definitely. My planner is like a bike. If I fall off, I just get back on again rather than being discouraged. This took time to learn. It also took time for me to understand that the goals I set are just that....MY goals. Perhaps my expectations are too high in some areas or too low in others. I can adjust them as needed. Most importantly, I have not lost the valuable time with my children and their valuable learning time. One year, I felt as if I had kept falling off the organization "bandwagon". Then, they astounded me with knowledge they had gained. How many third graders know the life cycle of a Brachnoid Wasp and identify the cocoons on their own in a caterpillar on the sidewalk? Another discovered his love off drawing and aspires to be an artist. I realized that they still progressed and enjoyed learning despite my lack of organization. But, I also realized that I did not enjoy feeling like we never had time and were always "catching up". So, if you want to learn how to plan your home school, start with baby steps and learn balance. You can also be that "super, one in a million, special" educator too without the headache it may seem. Here are some tips: 1. Learn time management The student and the educator, even from an early age, need to learn time management. How long does a task ACTUALLY take versus how long you would prefer it to take? Setting unrealistic time expectations can lead to discouragement and hinder progress. On the other hand, does a task take too long? How can such a task be done more efficiently? For example, rather than long boring Spanish worksheets, utilize Spanish CD lessons when in the car. Errands, doctor visits, and even grocery shopping can be utilized as valuable learning time. 2. Start with goals Starting with goals helps to focus the direction of homeschooling rather than on the details. Symbolically, put the large stones in the glass jar and the sand will fall into place. List your goals, followed by courses, books and lessons. Plan the year, then months and weeks. Working backwards in this manner avoids the educator focusing too much on time allotments which can lead to a dogmatic approach. 3. Involve the student Involving the student in planning instills a sense of "ownership" of their time. Encouraging cooperation as well as responsibility for their actions, children enjoy their involvement. Yet, the educator needs to make the final decisions. 4. Use tools Wall calendars, planners, and software trackers can all assist an educator in planning. Personally, I still prefer the old fashioned way of paper planners and recording with a pen. The nice thing about homeschooling? Not only student tailored education, but teacher tailored methods. Here are some free tools: Software: http://www.homeschoolskedtrack.com/HomeSchool/displayLogin.do http://homeschooltracker.com/tracker_basic.aspx http://www.home-school-inc.com/ Homeschool Planners: http://donnayoung.org/forms/index.htm http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/curriculumplanner.htm http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/gettingorganized/planner.php#readinglog I make a teacher home school planner and student planners. This makes it easy for them to know their plan for the day. Household Planners: http://organizedhome.com/household-notebook/printable-pages http://flylady.net/ Separately, having a household planner keeps the household streamlined. 5. Unschedule or Schedule....Keep a Balance Also, planning is different than scheduling. Planning focuses on goals and scheduling focuses on time increments. Always keep in mind that, although planning AND scheduling are both needed, schedule time where learning is unscheduled. This allows time for exploration, research and creativity. Although we school year round, I use our school "vacations" for this purpose. Overused though, you may begin to feel "behind". "Everything in moderation and moderation in everything" is key to homeschooling success. Take these tips with a grain of salt and use any (or none) to your family's advantage. After all, it is YOUR home school to create and enjoy. Did I just say that? Did I just reveal my innermost thoughts that may discourage others to home school when I should be encouraging? YES I DID!
I thought it best to start with reality rather than a wonderfully painted story of butterflies and children leaping in fields with laughter everyday. Truth be told, I get tired of homeschooling. Although I LOVE homeschooling, I am human. I still have my doubts, fears, and weaknesses. EVERYONE DOES! This normal feeling should not hinder or stop your family from reaping the benefits of homeschooling. Soon, I will create a list of the "Advantages" of homeschooling. Everyone embarking on a journey uses discernment when also listing "Disadvantages". Today, I decided to reveal the bad news first and later overwhelm readers with good news :). Disadvantages do exist to homeschooling. The most overwhelming proves to be the lack of motivation on the part of the "EDUCATOR". This untold secret can halt any progress and cause an educator to place the children back into public school. Overcoming such feelings are not as hard as it seems. Whether it is "I don't want to" because, 1. "I don't want to cry over the tadpoles that die while transforming into frogs." 2. "Do we HAVE to drag out handwriting everyday?" 3. "We could have a financially easier life if we had two full time income."" 4. "I need some ME time." 5. "I could get more housework and errands finished if they were in school." 6. "I seem to run in circles without accomplishing anything." 7. "I don't like the messes that science experiments make." Trust me, every homeschooling parent has thought at least some of those ideas. I have thought them all. The TRUTH IS THOUGH, THIS FEELING CAN BE OVERCOME AND THE BENEFITS FAR OUTWEIGH THE DISADVANTAGES! I can make that statement truthfully from experience. How then does an educator overcome the hurdle? Here is my list: #1 This is the most important...enlist a person close to you that wholeheartedly supports your decision to home school. This person will be needed to give you "pep talks" when necessary. A spouse, a family member, or a dear friend can fill this role. #2 Make a list of the reasons why you began this journey and post them where they are visible to your family. These reasons will serve as reminders and encourage everyone to continue. #3. Attack the reason why the feeling has resurfaced. Does everyone need a change of scenery? Take school to the picnic blanket at the lake or just the backyard. Do you need some ME time? Buy out the time for a bubble bath or quiet dinner alone (remember your support person ;) ). Are you not interested in raising butterflies? That is okay. A National Geographic video with some worksheets still teach them about butterflies. The house is a mess? Make a plan and enlist the help of everyone in the house. Need a break from routine? Decide to learn and new subject and take a field trip to investigate it. Feel overwhelmed? Reevaluate your schedule and readjust it. Once you address WHY you began to feel the "I am done with homeschooling" thoughts, you can overcome them. They will resurface and will again need to be addressed. BUT, overall, I KNOW wholeheartedly that his path fits our family and has benefited our family better than public school. So, just because I may not WANT to home school all of the time, I know that I NEED to. Everyday, a benefit manifests in my family and reminds me of why we continue this course. After all, I did not WANT to change their diapers all of the time, but I DID. So, now that you have decided to home school, perhaps you need information to withdraw children from a public school. This information pertains to Texas.
The North Texas Home Educators Network has information concerning the laws regarding withdrawing your children from a public school, including a "Letter of Assurance and Intent to Homeschool "that needs to be completed and sent to the school. Also, print out the quick "Texas Law Education Code" document for your records. NTHEN Getting Started Page http://www.nthen.org/Resources/GettingStarted/tabid/95/Default.aspx "Letter of Assurance and Intent to Homeschool" http://www.nthen.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=%2fgGJAGtQFAo%3d&tabid=58 "Texas Law Education Code" Document http://www.nthen.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=7uPj8u7uy78%3d&tabid=58 The HSDLA has law information here: http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp?State=TX Once the steps are completed, that is it. You can begin to educate your children at home :). |