LibriVox is a great online source for free audio books. This means you and the kids can listen to lots of well known classic fiction, nonfiction, and children's books -- at no cost -- right from your personal computer, smart phone, or tablet. The books available on LibriVox are books whose copyright has expired, meaning LibriVox volunteers can record them without violating copyright laws, and you can listen without paying a purchase price. Continue reading »
Search Results for: benefits of homeschooling
Homeschooling at Night: How Nightschooling Can Work for You
Everybody knows that your kids should be up early hitting the books, right? Homeschooling goes better if Mom is organized and has lessons prepared for first thing in the morning. Homeschooling works well when kids focus on academics when they're fresh, and they get to play when they've completed their school work.
Homeschooling at any other time of day is risking disaster.
That's the conventional wisdom, anyway.
However, sometimes homeschooling at night makes more sense than the conventional wisdom. That can even include "nightschooling" - focusing all or part of your homeschooling efforts during the evening hours. Continue reading »
Homeschooling and ADHD
Will your child's ADHD get better if you homeschool? Parents who observe positive changes in their children after starting to homeschool also generally report actively shaping their homeschooling to address attention problems their child had in a school setting. Here are some of the things that have made them successful... Continue reading »
How to Start Homeschooling: Tips for Deschooling
For children who are starting homeschooling after an experience in a traditional school setting, deschooling is an important part of the transition. Here's how to start homeschooling after a traditional school experience with tips for deschooling. Continue reading »
9 Benefits of Hosting an International Exchange Student
Hosting an international exchange student can be a great experience for homeschooling families. We hosted a student from Ecuador, and while the commitment can seem daunting, having Isaac José with us for a school year enriched our lives.
What are some of the benefits of hosting an international student? Continue reading »
What Have You Done for Homeschooling Lately?
Chances are you have benefited from homeschoolers who have gone before you. They have started homeschool organizations, lobbied to keep homeschooling free and legal, blogged thousands of the ever popular "day in the life of a homeschooler" posts, organized conferences, published homeschooling magazines, arranged park days, started geography clubs, shared curriculum ideas, and written homeschool help books. How can you pay it forward?
Continue reading »
High School Homeschooling: Our 10th Grade Plan
From the feedback and questions that we get on our Facebook page, there is a great deal of interest in how to homeschool high school. This year my daughter is a sophomore in high school, and I thought it might be helpful to share our 10th grade plan with you. Contrary to popular belief, homeschooling high school is often easier than homeschooling younger grades. Students are older, more mature, and better able to manage their own academics. When they need assistance, the material is more difficult, but between teacher guides, online resources, and friends with a knowledge of the subject matter, we have not found this to be a problem. Continue reading »
Balancing Homeschooling and Working Full Time or Part Time
"Can I work full or part time and homeschool my kids? What has worked for people?" Many Oak Meadow families responded with their own stories and helpful tips about what has worked for them.
They recognize that finding balance is a work in progress, requiring flexibility and patience, determination, and a sense of humor! Here are some tips to help you move forward with your decision to homeschool while working outside the home. Continue reading »
Contextual Learning: Homeschooling Through Fashion
This year in my role as a homeschool evaluator, I met a number of tweens and teens who are interested in fashion. As we went through their portfolio of work and talked about their year, I was fascinated with the ways they had woven their interest in fashion with their academic studies. Two of the teens I met with had taken their interest in current fashion into the past -- studying the typical dress and accessorizing of women and men in earlier periods of history. They also took their fashion interest international -- studying the current typical dress of modern-day people in other parts of the world.
Both of these girls (who did not know each other -- they had arrived at this independently) had done extensive research to be able to portray the styles of other times and other places, and they could explain how the fashion reflected the culture, religious beliefs, gender roles, classes and roles in society, and daily life. They were articulate about the historical times and geography of the world as they discussed the observations they had made about fashion in these distant centuries and far-off places. Continue reading »
Homeschooling With... Not Just Mom
A lot of us start this homeschooling thing thinking that we’re going to be Super Mom. Yep, we begin the journey starry-eyed and inspired -- optimistic that we will be able to single-handedly teach our children and lovingly usher them into academic excellence and emotional and physical competence.
Then life happens. Continue reading »
Homeschooling Can Change Your Life
When we first heard about homeschooling, my husband and I thought it sounded like a great idea. Our first child had just been born, and like all new parents, we wanted only the best for her. Neither of us had been greatly impressed by our own school experiences, so we put homeschooling on our mental list of pursuits to consider someday. Continue reading »
Homeschooling Freebies
Animal Learn.org (Y,M,O,T) Animals, Ethics, and Education The Science Bank (Y,M,O,T) Alternative to animal use in education Science Museum Travel Passport Program (T) As a member of a science center or museum participating in the ASTC Travel Passport Program, you are eligible for benefits such as free general admission when you travel outside of your local area. The Continue reading »
Benefits of Inquiry-Based Learning
I recently wrote about how homeschooling parents can use a dialogue-based approach to education, which I see as a big potential benefit to home education. While many public schools have been forced into test-prep mania that defines success very narrowly, homeschoolers can use this educational approach to develop critical thinking and evaluate learning.
Scientific American has a recent story that reflects my thoughts on the unfortunate increased emphasis on standardized testing in public education. Continue reading »
Homeschooling: A Guide for Parents
As a growing number of families choose to homeschool their children, curiosity about the homeschooling movement has grown. Learn about homeschooling, including how homeschooling works, what the requirements to homeschool are, how to start homeschooling, what curriculum to use for homeschooling, how to make a homeschool schedule, and more. Get started right now with our Quickstart Continue reading »
How Homeschooling Works - FAQ
Answers to questions frequently asked homeschooling questions Continue reading »
10 Reasons I'm Glad "Back to School" Means Homeschooling
Where has the summer gone? It's hard to believe that vacation time is coming to an end and it's time for "back to school"! Even if you school year 'round, there's just something special about starting fresh in the fall... new supplies, new curricula, getting back on a regular schedule... I just love the fresh start that the fall brings to our homeschool! While most kids, homeschooled or not, are preparing for the new school year, I can't help but be so happy that, for us, "back to school" means homeschooling. With many of the daily challenges and frustrations homeschooling brings, it's easy to lose sight of the myriad blessings this educational choice offers. So here are 10 of my favorite reasons starting up in the fall means educating at home: Continue reading »
Homeschooling is Not Public School at Home
She got me thinking. My friend, who, for the first time, was questioning some of the values, methods, and efficacy of public school and began investigating the idea of home education for her family. By asking me questions about this whole "homeschooling thing" that we do, she brought to my attention something with which we homeschoolers ourselves struggle. My friend didn't even realize it, but with her questions about what we did and why we did it, she displayed what is a very common misperception about homeschooling: that homeschooling is some kind of a microcosm of the public school classroom, transported to the home environment. As I thought about it, I realized that many of us homeschoolers struggle against the very same misconception. Continue reading »
Pregnancy the Homeschooling Way
Pregnancy is, for most people, an amazing personal and family event. It is a marvelous emotional and physical transformation, and, for many, a true gift from God. The anticipation of baby #3 is certainly all of those things for us. But, because we're homeschoolers, it's also something else... the educational experience of a lifetime! Continue reading »
The Miracle Cure for Bad Homeschooling Attitudes
When children balk at their academics, it can twist homeschooling from a lively adventure into a grinding battle. And, unfortunately, in this war, there are no winners. Kids turn sour, parents turn angry, work doesn't get completed, and learning is stalled. If the battle continues long enough, it can significantly alter family life and damage relationships. For some, bad attitudes can lead to giving up on homeschooling all together. So what's a parent to do? Continue reading »
The Freedom of Flexible Learning
One of the most valuable benefits of homeschooling is flexibility. Many families tell us that this flexibility is the reason they are able to “live their learning” in a way that just wouldn’t happen if they were enrolled in traditional school. Continue reading »
How Do I Homeschool My Child? Advice for New Homeschoolers, Part 2
Thinking of Homeschooling? As homeschooling has grown in popularity, I have had more and more people ask me for advice on how to do this thing. And let's be honest, there aren't a lot of guidelines. One of the great benefits of homeschooling is that you can make it be whatever you need it to be for your individual family. However, in this benefit is also a challenge – there are so many options, so many different ways of homeschooling, it can be overwhelming to those who are starting for the first time. Many a friend considering homeschooling has moaned, "I just don't know if I can do it!". Continue reading »
Eight Ways for Later and Less-Fluent Readers to Build Knowledge
One of the benefits of homeschooling is that we can continue to help our kids build content during skill lags, customizing what works for each child. Experienced homeschoolers often fall into these techniques over time, but I offer a few of my favorite ways you can help your child get "subject area learning" before his reading and writing skills are developed to an extent that they can be the primary routes to learning. Continue reading »
Building Content During a Skills Lag
Much has been made of the academic benefits of homeschooling, but often without getting specific about how those benefits actually work. One of the most important benefits of homeschooling I've witnessed over the years has been the way homeschooling allows kids to build knowledge during times that some of their specific academic skills might be seen as "behind" (by school standards). Continue reading »
ROC Academy
ROC Academy is a homeschool co-op program designed to support families within education. We provide two days of instructional support and one day of extracurricular opportunities. Students receive vital socialization while parents gain support with lesson planning and record keeping. Students are assigned homework to complete and return each week. Our co-op fosters social connections Continue reading »
Meet Mary Ann Kelley
TheHomeSchoolMom is part of Kelley Media, Ltd., a North Carolina corporation. Hello, and welcome! I’m Mary Ann Kelley, the wizard behind the curtain here at TheHomeSchoolMom—founder, publisher, and curator. I homeschooled my two daughters, who are now homeschool and college graduates, for almost twenty years. We started homeschooling in 1999 when the internet was in Continue reading »
How to Manage Stress & Find Balance in High School
Being out of balance almost always leads to feelings of stress, which can limit our ability to absorb new information and engage with learning in a meaningful way. Share these six tips with your high school student to help them maintain a sense of balance and joy amidst the day-to-day stresses of high school. Continue reading »
Is This "Safety Net" Holding Your Homeschool Back?
This "safety net" may actually be holding you back and keeping your family from benefiting from all that homeschooling has to offer. Continue reading »
Help Your Homeschool with Rabbit Trails
Homeschooling is boring, your child is resistant, the curriculum seems “complete” but moves on quickly and without depth. You can improve this kind of homeschool experience by opening yourself to following the rabbit trails. Continue reading »
Ask Jeanne: Do I Need Teacher Training to Homeschool?
I am not a parent yet but intend on having children and homeschooling them in the future. I've done a lot of research but never really found an answer to my question. I know that in my state it is not necessary for the parent to have a teaching degree, but I'd like to know whether getting a teaching degree (there are some online as well) or even attending a few college courses surrounding how to teach children would benefit the parent homeschooling the children. I'm getting my pharmacy doctorate so a teaching degree would be extra time and money so I'd like your opinion on whether you think it would be worth it. Continue reading »
Can You Homeschool Temporarily?
Some people know they will homeschool before their children are born. Some begin homeschooling after their children spend some time in school, but then they decide to homeschool "forever" -- or at least, for years. Others decide to take it "a year at a time," but the implication is that if it works out, homeschooling will be ongoing. And then there are short-term homeschoolers... Continue reading »
Office Schooling: One Way to Work and Homeschool
We hear a lot about the flexibility of homeschooling, but people usually mean that the curriculum or approach to homeschooling is flexible, or even that the daily, weekly, or yearly calendar is flexible. However, in addition to how homeschooling is done and when homeschooling is done, there is also flexibility in where homeschooling is done. One example I'm running into more frequently is something I've started calling office schooling -- where parents bring their children to work and use their office as the children's place of learning. In spring of 2015, I met Angie Cutler at the VaHomeschoolers Conference, and she told me she would be office schooling her daughter during the 2015-16 academic year. I caught up with her just before the 2016 spring VaHomeschoolers Conference, and I was able to interview her about how their first year of homeschooling at the office has gone. Continue reading »
Ask Jeanne: Don't Homeschool My Grandchildren
I know you know about this homeschooling thing. I understand it probably can help some kids, but my grandchildren are absolutely fine, and they don't need it. My daughter-in-law quit her very good job when they were born (twin girls) and now when we bring up preschool, she says she's homeschooling. I thought this would pass, but she recently mentioned not registering for kindergarten next year. We have really good schools here, probably some of the best in the country, and I am devastated thinking about these dear little girls missing out. My son won't talk to me about it; I think he has his head in the sand and is so busy supporting the family (this is a high cost area) that he just goes along. I know homeschooling should be legal for the children who need alternatives if they can't function in school, but this is not the case. How can I get them to open their eyes? Continue reading »
Empower New Homeschoolers: Give Information, Not Advice
If you've homeschooled for a couple of years, you may be in a position to help people who are considering homeschooling or who are in their first year or two of homeschooling.
Chances are, by now, you've learned a lot of content for answering homeschooling questions. You know your state law. You know six or eight different approaches to homeschooling. You've examined ten math curricula in detail. You've seen the transcripts of homeschoolers who have gained admission to college.
So you have information to share.
But do you know the best technique for communicating homeschooling information to interested parents? Continue reading »
Parental Deschooling: Your Reading Homework
One of the most important things you can do is to read about homeschooling, education, and de-schooling. Read books, magazines, and online articles, blog posts, and websites.
Stretch yourself and read some things you don’t think apply to you, that are outside your comfort level. You don’t have to accept the premise of each homeschooling book or article you read, but even if you don't agree or find certain ideas too radical, you’ll educate yourself about the many approaches to home education.
Continue reading »
Parental Deschooling: Finding Your Non-School Normal
Have you decided to homeschool? You probably need some parental deschooling. Most parents who are choosing to homeschool their children today attended school themselves. We have also lived for many years in a world where the public school model of education is predominant. School is the status quo. School is the default. School is the norm. As many of my school-teacher-turned-homeschooler friends have pointed out to me over the years, one of the hardest things about transitioning to homeschooling as a parent is getting out of the school mindset. Continue reading »
From School to Homeschool: What is Deschooling?
The longer a child has been in school, the more important it is to allow generous time to process the huge change from not being in school to learning as a homeschooler. Continue reading »
The Homeschool Parent-Teacher Conference
My first t-shirt as a homeschooling parent proclaimed, "Don't bother me. I'm having a parent-teacher conference."
This expressed well my initial thoughts about the roles of mother and teacher while homeschooling. I could see my "teacher self" talking to my "mother self," echoing the familiar adult roles in education that involves public school...
Past my first few months of homeschooling more than a decade and a half ago, I have not separated a "teacher self" from my "mom self." At the same time, I found it was important for me to set boundaries of time and space that made my family function well. Continue reading »
What to Remember When Curriculum Doesn't Work
I'm thinning my library of homeschooling books, and it's an occasion for reflection. I'm setting free a curriculum I was invested in that didn't work in dramatic ways. It took a long while to learn from that experience. How can my experience help you? You can skip the learning curve and be aware of these homeschooling truths. Continue reading »
Teaching Teens About Worldview and Confirmation Bias
Teaching teens to think critically about the resources they use for information is an important part of becoming well-educated. Here is how you can help students challenge themselves with information that comes from a variety of editorial viewpoints. Continue reading »
Our Homeschool: The Standard for Success
Every once in a while in this homeschooling journey, by some miracle -- you are able to see that you did something right.
That happened to me, recently, in an unexpected way.
It was testing time. Standardized testing time.
* Insert ominous theatrical music here.*
Yes, in years past, I have seen testing as the time that informs me of all the ways I am failing as a homeschool mom. Of course it's not that, but that’s still how it felt. If my kids scored well, I scored well as a homeschool mom. If they didn't, well… Continue reading »