Homeschooling is for everyone!

Homeschooling is an all inclusive event!

Whether your child is Asian, disabled, dyslexic, has ADHD, Native American, a Smurf, or an African American homeschooler or even an alien from Mars wanting to study Earth and Space....they have the right to be homeschooled!

Before you start homeschooling or if you are like us, are accidental homeschoolers...you need to know the laws of your State and/or Country. And your local laws might be even more intensive.

Find groups near you to join even if nothing more than advice on things to do in your area!

Find out what stores in your area offer great resources for homeschoolers like special discount days, discount cards, etc.

Join an overall forum to get some great advice! I like Secular Homeschool because we are non-religious homeschoolers.

Homeschooling is an adventure, but it is the greatest one my family has been on and I wouldn't change it for the world!!!

Happy Homeschooling!

More on Spelling and Language Arts!

June is Language Arts month over at the secular homeschool site I belong to and we have had a lot of discussions about LA and using it in our daily homeschool lessons.

My boys might be high school level but as you have read before, that doesn't stop me from still covering all their lessons, not matter how big or small! And yes, we are on Summer break right now BUT.... we just got goats and our friend gave us tadpoles SO....we will be learning about animal habitats for both of those, learning their care and watching them grow and change!

And all the while, MOM aka ME will be planning and plotting out their Fall curriculum. We will still be focusing on spelling and correct writing of a sentence. Therefore, we will also be matching sentences with words and their definitions because they have to keep a notepad of daily words and then write sentences at the end of the week and email them to their grandmother!

This might seem silly to you as they are high schoolers but to me it is not! You can always learn, you can always evolve and you can never hurt from more learning(unless you hit yourself in the head with the book!LOL).

I want my boys to be well-rounded and ready for life!

Happy Homeschooling!

Planning for our Fall Spelling...

Well, as Mom of 2 high schoolers who I feel STILL benefit learning their spelling.....especially when one of them is NOT a strong speller.....as we complete our last week of their 2012-2013 school year, I am already planning ahead for our Fall curriculum and schedule!

There will be Spelling once again and part of that includes spelling games!!!

And as we get more into lessons that are harder with strange places or latin words, we need science tools and I think that Spelling helps this!

IMHO, spelling is a language arts fundamental and ranks right up there with being able to read and write. A well written paper is spelled well and YES, there is spell check on almost every computer and/or program BUT...what if there comes a time that they do not have access to a computer....spelling is fundamental!

So...as you are planning your upcoming school year's curriculum....consider a spelling program of sorts!!

Happy Homeschooling

Sometimes even parents need a little help with schoolwork!

Ok, I am a great homeschooling parent...if I do say so myself and I was well educated....

Therefore when I teach my children.....we rarely need more help than the lesson gives us.

But, man there are DAYS where I feel like the DUMBEST person in the world!

Give me phonics or what is the difference between modem and mean in Math and my brain is like WHAT?

Or algebra and trying to figure out why a-b=CDE and what the light energy lesson is and why does it need refraction and who is Fred and why was he important in history!LOL

I mean my old Mom brain is only able to hold so much and sometimes things like that are not still inside this brain!!

So then we go to one of many bookmarks I have for some online homework help!

THANK GOODNESS for these... because my boys get the help they need to figure out the problem, lesson or whatever and I get another chance to learn how or what it is - again!LOL

So, no matter how great of a homeschooling parent you are....if there comes a time that you do not know the answer.....do not fret, get online and find the answer. It is OK to ask for a little help once in awhile!

Happy Homeschooling!

What is 1/4 of 3/16 of a whole.....?

Are you as confused as I am!
Learning fractions and teaching fractions makes for a PITA time....
There are tons of ways out there to learn and/or teach fraction lessons.
Finding the one that works for YOU and your child and doesn't make you crazy in the process is the key!
And the thing is, you need fractions for pretty much anything in life.
Cooking, painting, sewing, learning about science or even feeding the family pet.
I mean think about it....I bet you use fractions on a daily basis!
I am not talking about learning how to subtract, add, divide or multiply fractions because THAT in itself is a challenge. I am talking about learning how 1/2 is = to 2/4 and that is the same as 1/4 and 1/4. Or that 1/3 is more than 1/4 despite that 4 is a higher # than 3. Confusing to kids and confusing to us as it goes against the normal numeric train of thought.
Flashcards might work for some. Visual references like a pie chart might work for others. While physically writing it out on paper will work better for others!
You need to find what works for YOU, for your child and go from there in your homeschooling adventure!!!
Never fear, they will learn fractions! Just takes some creative teaching!

Happy Homeschooling!

Looking for some homeschool authors?

I love the fact that my very good friend has a website dedicated to homeschool authors!

These are books about homeschoolers and/or by homeschoolers!

Which personally, I think ROCKS!

I have always been of the mindset that if there a change or issue, to find a book and use that as a teaching tool. When my son was little and had to get glasses, I went to the bookstore and found a couple of kids books about being a child with glasses. It makes them feel like the world KNOWS.

And it is the same with homeschooling! The fact that there is a website dedicated to homeschool literature, shows homeschool kids that there are people out there that know about them and put the positive spin on it!!

When we started our elementary homeschool lessons back in 2008, I went online to find some books and/or movies for them that showed how cool homeschooling is!

Books are an important part of our family! Hence the reason they are spilling off every shelf in every room of this house!LOL Sometimes I am shocked the house hasn't collapsed off of it's foundation!LOL

Happy Homeschooling!