September 8, 2009
Home schooling can be a rewarding experience for the entire family. However, it can also be hard on your pocketbook. Frugal home schooling is becoming a popular term among most families living on limited income or for those wanting to cut back on expenses.
The internet is a valuable source that most families can’t live without. From researching essay papers to curriculum, anything you need to search for is available online for free and right in the convenience of your own home. Online auctions are a great way to purchase used curriculum programs and books. A trip to your local library will probably fit most of your needs. Not only do you get to borrow books for free but it makes a fun family outing. Before heading off, make a list of the books and topics you need to borrow so you don’t forget what’s needed.
If you are a member of a home school group, suggest starting a swap meet or book sale of used curriculum and other teaching aids. This is a great way to buy good material for reasonable prices as well as selling some material you no longer use. Do you know someone that has a book or program you would like to use? If they’re not using it, then ask them if they wouldn’t mind you borrowing it. If you have a book or program that they could use, consider either trading or just borrowing from each other for a short time.
Look in your local paper for garage sales and yard sales that have books and craft supplies. Be creative while looking around, something you may not normally think about using could be perfect for a certain craft or science project.
Field trips can be a great change of pace when home school gets repetitive. Often museums are free or cost a minimal amount to tour. Some of your local businesses may be willing for a small group to tour their premises. This is a great way for children to see first hand how certain businesses are operated. Be sure to call them first to make arrangements.
Curriculum will be your most expensive part of home schooling and one of the most important. Before purchasing your curriculum consider the following: Does it fit your religious beliefs and your family’s moral standards? Does it fit your teaching style as well as your children’s learning style? Is the program designed to be used with multiple children or upcoming children? Will additional material need to be purchased for it to work with more then one child? Will it be become outdated in a year or two or will it last numerous years? Could you buy it used or substitute it with a similar but less expensive program? Is the program truly needed or could you get by without it? Check out curriculum review websites to see what works for other home school families. By finding out why or why not certain programs work for other families, it may help you decide if the program is right for your family. Home schooling can be budget friendly by taking the time to research programs and by buying only what programs your family actually needs.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Home School
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September 8, 2009
This can be a difficult decision for the parent to make. But, so many parents have not done this so far for nothing. Home Schooling is one of the new concepts that has caught on in the west of late. It actually is a fun for the mother to see her child learn in front of her eyes.
But there is still some hesistation in making this decision because parents feel that attending a school gives a real life experience to the child and co-curricular activities like debates and games help the child grow holistically and home schooling will deprive their child of that.
But the exponents of home schooling also have equally valid points. Home Schooling can impart values to the child in a secure environment, an environment where the child is much more ready to learn new things. Home Schooling does not necessarily mean that the child would miss out on social behavior. In fact, with less time to finish off with studies, a home schooled child will be able to dedicate much more time to play in the neighborhood. Unlike the real school, in home schooling, the class moves at the pace that the child requires it to. The home schooled child no longer needs to constantly skip over what he has missed to keep in pace with the rest of the class.
A home schooled child can be showered with much more personal care, which is so essential at the early years of childhood. But, all said and done, this is not an experiment that can be done to see if it works or not as this is about the life of the child which as a parent, you would want to make very sure that this is the best.
In order to achieve this, the parent must talk to the parents of other home schooled children. They will be able to give a good review of how the child progress is. There are today a lot of message boards and blogs in the internet that caters to the needs of the parent looking for a good home school for his child. Make the best use of it. Plan and execute. You will then relish every moment of your child’s learning curve thanks to Home Schooling!
Anand Srinivasan is the author of http://XooXonline.info; a website of varied themes and topics for the internet surfer who wants to surf but does not know what to!
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July 28, 2009
Ok, I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have a clue as to why prime numbers are important. My daughter asked, “Why do we need them?” After doing some research on the Internet to try to answer her question, the best I can come up with is that they have something to do with computer encryption technology. Why they were important prior to the advent of computers is beyond me. Nonetheless, I do find them interesting.
During my Internet research I came across easy directions to generate prime numbers. This set of instructions is ideal for any age student who needs to study this topic.
Eratosthenes, a genius who lived about 200 years before Christ, formulated this “sieve,” which is extremely easy to use. Follow these directions to discover how easy it is to find prime numbers:
First, write down a list of integers. Start with the number two and go as high as you like. The example below goes up to twenty:
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Not including two, mark all multiples of two:
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Moving up to the next unmarked number, which in this case is three, do not mark it, but mark all its multiples:
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Continue in this fashion, marking all multiples of the next unmarked number until there are no new unmarked numbers in your list. Draw a circle around all unmarked numbers that remain. If your list went up to 20, it should look like this:
2 3 5 7 11 13 17 19
For a more effective lesson, make the list longer. Up to 50 is a good choice for a younger student; up to 100 might be better for an older student.
To make this a “thematic” or “unit” study, do some research on Eratosthenes and incorporate what you find into the lesson. He’s an interesting historical figure and is worth studying all on his own.
I still don’t know why we need prime numbers, and I still don’t know why I find them interesting. If I figure these things out, I’ll let you know.
About the Author:
Jennifer Thieme began homeschooling her three children in 1996. She is the administrator of a small, private ISP she established for her own family and several of her friends. Her homeschooling articles have appeared in Practical Homeschooling, and her business articles have appeared in Intuit’s Pro Connection Newsletter.
She operates a bookkeeping, tax, payroll, and QuickBooks support service. Visit her business website: Solid Rock Accounting Services.
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July 28, 2009
Educators, Parents, Students lend me your ears, my name is Katie Criss and I am going to discuss home schooling with you. Currently there is a very heated debate over the issue of Home schooling in America. Today I am going to present you with my views on this critical subject. When I say “my views” I’m not going to stick my finger in the air to see what way the wind is blowing with this issue of home schooling. I know there are two sides, and supporters of both.. Rather I am going to present to you my viewpoints with opinion and research on why I am a critic of home schooling.
When I asked myself the question, How do you feel about home schooling? I first thought “Why would anyone do that” So I researched exactly that, What are the reasons that people give of why they choose to homeschool and how valid are they.
One reason that I frequently found through research was that parents home schooled their children because of the violence found in public schools. My response to this is Yes, there is violence in public schools, However, there are many preventive measures that are taken to avert this violence and most schools have incorporated a Zero-tolerance policy. Parents justify themselves by reciting isolated incidents to help build their case for home schooling. My message to parents who use this excuse to validate themselves is, first ask yourself the question, Is their violence in my neighborhood. I am sure if you are living in Harlem, New York compared to South Park, Pennsylvania there is going to be an immense difference in the crime of the area. My next question is, how do you expect to protect your child from all the dangers of society? Home schooling your child is a parents attempt to isolate their child from the real world scary stories. If you are afraid of your child being bullied, what will happen when your child becomes an adult and meets a bullying boss? This is a real-world story; children need the exposure to different people. Why? Simple, because nobody in this world is the same.
After doing much research and learning that parents question the safety of their children in public schools, I myself questioned the safety of home schooled children. From this research I concluded that current home schooling laws allow people who mistreat children to keep them in social isolation in order for the abuse and neglect to go undetected. To back this statement up I will cite a few of many incidents.
Smithfield North Carolina October 13, 2003. A sign hangs on the wall that reads so this is not home sweet home, adjust. In the bedroom, 14-year-old Brandon had committed suicide after killing his brother and sister. Yes, these children were home schooled, but the real point of this story is that the Warrens had home schooled their children before, in Arizona, where they were convicted of Child Abuse. An investigator in Arizona recorded that the children were tortured physically and emotionally. However, that is information that North Carolina school officials are not required to collect. In fact, since home schooling became legal in North Carolina in 1985, the number of home schooled students jumped from just a few hundred to more than 50,000. BUT there has been no change in the number of state employees that oversee the program- there is just three for the ENTIRE state.
In Iowa, a father is serving life, and a mother will go on trial this month, for killing their 10-year-old adopted son and burying him at their house in the backyard. Because they were home schooling no one noticed that he was missing for one entire year.
In Texas, Deanna Laney, home schooling mother of three, told investigators that she beat her children with rocks because she was saving them from Satan.
Another notorious and similar case is that of Andrea Yates, Texas home schooling mother of five who drowned all five children in her home bathtub. Many claim that Yates had been overwhelmed by the demands of constantly spending time with her children due to the fact that she was a home schooling parent.
To compare, Yates and Laney, Both of these mothers were religious. Both were subservient wives handling childcare pressures. Interestingly, both utilized Christian home schooling for their doomed children. Both “talked to God.” Both fundamentalist Christian mothers say they sacrificed their own children “for God.” Each of Andrea Yates children, like Mrs. Laney’s, were home-schooled and had Biblical names. These are Two examples that are very similar to each other, both mentally ill mothers trusted to be at home with their children and give them their education. Which leads me to my next finding, Parents claim to home school their children to provide them with a better education then public schooling can give. My question is, How is a parent qualified to provide their child with an education?
Home schooling parents have no set curriculum to go by, but not to worry they simply can purchase books of the internet entitled “Home schooling for Dummies” if they are having trouble, that should fix any problems. I would like to address educators and prospective educators, and ask them the question, Could you replace your studies with one do-it-yourself dummies book?
I am sure that if you could then that would be the route of study pursued, rather then long hours of tedious work provided by a college institution. In order to even pursue a career in education in the state of Pennsylvania, one must provide clearances that show a clear background check, take Praxis Tests to show knowledge, complete at the minimum a 4 year education program with at least a 3.0 average, a speech and hearing test, observation hours, supervised student teaching, and lifelong learning credits in order to keep their certification in the field. Yet, to homeschool in California the only requirement is that parents provide notification that they will be home schooling their child. The only qualifications to teach listed are that the parents are “capable of teaching”. Even more shocking is the state of Texas, home to both Andrea Yates and Deanna Laney, has no requirements for home schooling, in fact parents do not even have to notify the state that they will be home schooling. They must possess no qualifications in order to teach. That’s it, if they want to be a teacher, they are!
Please note that every state is different. In South Carolina, colored moderate regulation a parent must have at least a GED or high school diploma to teach. However in New York, which is considered high regulation, no qualifications are necessary. Therefore if a parent did not even get a high school diploma in New York they are still qualified to teach their child high school material. I have concluded from this information that a child can only go as far as their parents have, and in some instances that may not be very far. Therefore these children are being cheated out of a valuable education.
Also I have questioned, having a parent as a teacher… are they teaching their children their bias’s? In an institution goals are made to make sure that the material being taught is bias free. However in a home, a parent is free to choose, and some knowingly, others unknowingly are teaching their child their own biases. In a world that is culturally diverse, one must be exposed to different people and situations in order to appreciate our differences. However if a student had already formed biases then they are virtually closed minded to accepting these differences. Similar to this subject, being that both lead me to a valuable question is how home schooling parents can justify teaching their children for a child’s entire childhood. When a student is in a public school they have many different teachers, who use many different teaching methods. However in a home a parent, especially with no education on how to educate, would use only one teaching method. Of course if they are teaching at all, and not just using books and videos. Through different teachers you learn virtually how to learn in different ways. You also learn how to understand people better. My valuable question that ties all these subjects together is how will a child develop his or her socialization skills if they are not exposed to different people? The school environment is much like one’s work environment. If a child has never been exposed to such an environment how will they know how to adapt? How will they react to all the different people, different opinions, and different viewpoints? How will they work with groups of co-workers? All these questions address the issue of socialization of children who are home schooled.
Closely related is one of my biggest questions, that is How can a parent make such a crucial decision without their child’s consent to remove them from a world that is considered to be the “norm” and place them in a world in which they in effect are isolated? These children will develop low self esteems and forever question why it was their parents did not want to send them to school, to show them off to the world, instead they will wonder why are they hiding me? Most importantly, These children will not have the experience that public school provides, they will not have the experience that unites us citizens and provides us with a common background. They will not get to experience the simple things like go to prom’s, participate in sports in which an entire school is benefited, have a school lunch, a lock on their locker, a ride on a school bus, recess, watching for their school to be cancelled on TV from snow days, and all the other little but character building events that take place in a public school students life.
In closing, American citizens, together let’s promote our very prestigious and notorious public school system and crusade against the leniency of home schooling that consequently will benefit our country by providing a solid education for all.
See this Authors Research by clicking here
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June 7, 2009
There are a lot of parents who would like home schooling for their child. But they are afraid because they don’t exactly know if they can be their children’s teacher. They also need to find out if home schooling is suitable for their child and if there really is a need to home school their child. Of course most parents would like to have their children educated in school. The school is such a good place for learning practical skills and application.
Home schooling is efficient and helpful if you want it to be. You will be responsible for your child’s education so you will surely be the one to blame if they don’t learn. If your child prefers to be alone or isolated, you should not force him to go to school and mingle with the other kids. For sure, he will not feel comfortable and the learning process might be slow. If your child wants to learn at home with you, it will be to your advantage to teach him the basics.
Now that the education process is in demand, your child has a lot of options to choose from. First is to learn from the books just like the way they do it in school. Another way is by learning online through the use of e-books. E-books are the easy way to learn if your child does not feel comfortable with the teacher due to traumatic experiences or other reasons.
If going to school is geographically too far, you can educate your child at home. Traveling might be costly, stressful, and tiring. If your child has some physical disabilities, he might encounter difficulties in the public school system therefore home schooling might be the way to go. If your child has low self-esteem, and lacks confidence, he might not be able to deal with the pressures in public school, and could experience a lot of difficulties that may hinder his learning and social awareness. If your child has signs of autism or abnormalities, being home schooled would be the best way to go to ensure comfort and effective learning.
If your child’s interest is learning at home, home schooling will be the ultimate option. There are kids who go to school just to play and never study. If this is the case, bringing him to school will be useless and ineffective.
There is a fine balance with home schooling to ensure that your child has a relevant education alongside socializing and playing sports with other children. Home schooling allows you to impart values and teachings that you hold dear while adhering to the basic curriculum.
As long as your child has plenty of opportunity to mix with other children their age and you feel that you are adequately equipped to teach then home schooling can provide an effective alternative to sending your child to school.
Alison Palmer has an interest in Family & Children related topics. To find out how you can become successful at home schooling your child please visit this Home schooling related site.
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May 6, 2009
Searching for a way to fund a college degree can be challenging and will take time. These scholarships are different from the regular student loan because these are a grant for a college education, so it does not have to be paid off. While researching methods to fund a university education, bear in mind that funds are accessible at unlikely places, such as funding for left-handed students.
Southpaw Scholarships: — It may seem a little strange to offer a grant dependent on a predominant hand, but look at these facts: Albert Einstein was a southpaw, so is the president of the United States, Barack Obama. Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Paul McCartney and J.F. Kennedy Jr were also left handed. Statistics propose 11% of people are southpaws. Although in the past left handers have suffered from discrimination, today they are often believed to be more gifted intellectually and more artistic. Today, lefties are no longer discriminated against or thought of as odd, and may even have some qualities in common with the famous people mentioned previously.
If you are lefthanded and looking for grants for left handed scholars, many left handed scholarships exist which you could receive. The Beckley Scholarship for one thousand dollars is available at Juniata College stuated in Huntington, PA. Granted to scholars of Juniata College and established in 1979, this particular school fund assists many southpaws in their pursuit for a college degree. When searching for college scholarships, be aware that many of them may have requirements or restrictions. This may be grade requirements or monetary needs, but not in every case. Do go for for the maximum number of scholarships achievable to increase the chances of funding your university education with as small a school debt upon graduation as is feasible. Look At local organizations, clubs and even groups linked with hobbies. Lefty scholarships are not a unusual example; funding is available in numerous other cases for example to the scholars from military homes or if you are disabled in some way.
Most scholars have to invest some time searching for grants, but the payoffs will invariably be worthwhile. Used in conjunction with regular lending, they are efficient at reducing the student debt established by a college degree. Ensure you research every suitable grant. The above-mentioned funding is not the only choice — study your clubs and societies and be sure to utilize every accessible resource. If you even consider you may qualify, then go for it, keeping any costs to a minimum, also you will likely look forward to better prospects when you graduate.
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March 12, 2009
Searching for different avenues such as school scholarships to help fund a degree is often difficult and time consuming. College scholarships differ from the regular student loan because they are a grant for a college education, so it does not need to be paid off. As you look for means to fund a university degree, be aware that funds are accessible at unusual sites, for instance financing specifically for left-handed students. Left-Handed Scholarships
A left-handed scholarship may at first appear a little bit crazy, however it’s worth considering this: Benjamin Franklin was left-handed, as is Barack Obama. Raphael, Da Vinci, Bob Dylan not to mention were left-handed as well. Close to eleven percent of the population are left-handed. Frequently considered to be much more artistic and more intelligent, left handers have often been the victims of discrimination in the past. Stigmatization is not a problem any longer and southpaws are no longer believed to be unusual, in fact they may even be linked with the great people noted previously.
If you’re lefthanded and searching for scholarships for lefthanded scholars, a lot of left handed grants exist which you may be able to acquire. The Frederick and Mary F. Beckley Scholarship for anything up to a thousand dollars is available at Juniata College stuated in Huntington, PA. Awarded to scholars of Juniata College and it was set up in the seventies, this college grant has assisted over 40 left-handed students in their quest for further education.
Many grants do have prerequisites or restrictions. In a few cases certain grades may be asked for or particular monetary prerequisites must be met. Multiple applications may give you a greater opportunity of graduating with a negligible amount of debt. You should also consider community organisations, societies and groups connected to hobbies. Bursaries for left handed scholars are just an illustration; grants are available in some other instances for instance the students from military households or if you are disabled in any way.
Many scholars have to invest quite a bit of your time researching grants, however the payoff will be worth it. Any debt accrued by a university degree may be decreased by such grants used in conjunction standard lending. Ensure you research each eligible grant. These funding is not the only choice — be imaginative! Try for everything you consider you are qualified for, keeping any costs minimal, additionally you will most probably be facing better prospects on graduation.
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December 13, 2008
In this second article about Home Schooling we’re going to discuss exactly how home schooling works.
The most logical question about home schooling would have to be, “How can a student learn when there is not a trained professional teacher there to teach the student?” The truth is, most people are so convinced that the traditional method of teaching is the only way that works, that they can’t possibly imagine home schooling being successful.
In truth, home schooling is different for every family. Because there is no traditional classroom each family is free to educate it’s child the way they feel is best, within reason of course as you want to make sure the child is properly prepared to be able to go out in the world and handle whatever job or profession he or she is interested in pursuing.
One method that families use is where they take the child’s interest and curiosity in a subject and help the child explore the subject. The idea is that there are opportunities to explore many subjects like math, science, history, geography, English and many others. By encouraging a child’s normal curiosity eventually all the subjects that would be taught in a conventional classroom get covered.
Another method that families use is that they buy all the books and supplies that a school would buy and follow a normal school curriculum. The material is simply taught at home in a small setting instead of in a large classroom. The theory behind this is that the child is not distracted by his surroundings, feels more comfortable at home and therefore can concentrate better on his studies.
The question many people ask is, “Do children really learn anything in a home schooling setting?” Statistics show that, at least at the college level, students do very well. Obviously this depends on the student and the family. Some children work very well on their own and can actually accelerate beyond a normal work load. Others don’t have as easy a time and must take things at a slower pace. That’s one of the great advantages of home schooling as each child can go at his own pace.
The majority of critics feel that a home schooled child will be at a disadvantage when applying for college admission or a job because they don’t have an official diploma to fall back on. The actual truth is that most colleges and employers are willing to look past that if the child can demonstrate a skill in a more personalized way. Many colleges encourage applications from home schooled children because they feel the child will be more well rounded and therefore help to form a more dynamic and diverse student body.
When all is said and done it basically comes down to the student. One student who would be a straight A student in a traditional classroom could totally bomb out trying to learn at home because they don’t have the structure that they need. Another student who would be lost in a traditional classroom because he can’t keep up with the mandatory pace would be a great home schooled student because he would be able to take things at his own pace and might even, in the long run, become better educated than his traditionally schooled peers.
The debate will surely go on.
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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Home School
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