Homeschool Basics and Tips

If you're planning on homeschooling your child, you'll need to learn the many styles of homeschooling that's available so that you can decide which would work best for your family.

Eclectic Homeschooling - This type of homeschooling works under the philosophy that you should enhance your child's everyday activities and emotions, using them to insert appropriate lessons to teach them a subject.

Classical Homeschooling - This is a method of learning that goes all the way back to the middle ages. It works on the philosophy that the younger children begin with learning the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic. Once that's mastered, they move on to the next stage, which consists of grammar. It involves compositions and collections.

Then they move to the dialect stage, where the serious study of reading and writing and arithmetic comes in. Instead of learning grade-appropriate materials that public schools use, the child learns in stages.

The Charlotte-Mason Method - This is one of the most popular methods of homeschooling today. Charlotte-Mason developed this style to enrich a child's education through nature, literature and real life experiences.

Although a child must still be taught with a regular curriculum according to your state's laws, they can learn to love learning with nature lessons, poetry understanding and much more. When learning is more enlightening for a child, they're more apt to absorb the information then when they're given a bunch of facts to memorize.

Montessori-at-Home - This type of homeschooling allows a child to learn their fundamentals through the use of their environment and by using all of their senses - not by memorizing facts from a textbook.

Montessori is a woman who studied children for many years and developed the philosophy that one should control the environment and not the child when teaching them skills.

The Moore Formula - This method is divided into three separate parts. It's a way of teaching with studying for a determined amount of time each day based on the child's needs.

It involves manual work and entrepreneurship, which teaches a child to accept responsibility. Lastly, it involves home or community service, which builds character within the child.

The Reggio Emilia Approach - This method teaches preschool-aged children to learn through exploration and not by having the fundamentals forced on them. It teaches that children have a built-in sense that allows them to learn what they need in this world at their own pace.

The Structured Homeschooling Approach - This is a method of homeschooling that is similar to the curriculum seen in public schools. This approach teaches lessons at a grade level depending on the student's age and where they are at in their academics.

The Unit Study Approach - This approach to homeschooling allows a child to learn a subject as a whole instead of just reading chapters in a textbook. A child learns a subject through use of reading, science, math and other methods to learn that topic. Children can retain almost 50% more than the traditional study techniques applied in public schools.

Unschooling - This is a more laid back form of educating your child. Basically, your son or daughter will lead you in their educational needs. You'll discover what to teach them based on their own interests and goals, not by abiding by a strict curriculum.

Waldorf Homeschooling - This method works on the philosophy of teaching through use of spirit, soul and body. The method teaches that the child will best learn by exploring their environment.

Online School at Home - This is both public schooling and home schooling. There are usually several online schools in each state that allow public schooling at home.

By analyzing your child's learning abilities and your comfort-level with each type of instruction, you'll be able to find a method of homeschooling that fulfills both you and your child during the educational journey the two of you take together.

- dollar tree stores (Dollar Tree, the franchised stores) have great teacher supplies that you can easily use in your homeschool classroom, displays, wall maps, stickers, charts, calendars etc - usually located near the greeting card and paper supplies section

- oriental trading - provides educational and projects supplies as well as bulk pencils etc

- many websites offer books to match up to curriculum of homeschooling - these are just a few:

www.books4homeschool.com/
www.homeschoolingbooks.com/
www.usbornehomeschoolbooks.com/

- bulk discount shops like sam's club and costco for things like paper, pencils, books, notebooks, desk lamps, etc

- Teacher's Place shops are open to the public, go in and pick out some supplies

- science and puzzle shops provide great experiment kits

- ask your local public school for any extras or leftovers they may have at the end of the school year (you'd be surprised how many things get thrown away that you can use)

- ask at your local church or community meeting

- homeschooling support groups often have programs to "share" more expensive supplies and displays

- sign up on homeschool websites to product test the latest homeschool programs and tools

- send emails to education companies and ask for samples, products to test, and ordering information for small classrooms

- be creative, supplies and aides can show up in unlikely places

If you are not particularly artistic or crafty yourself it may be difficult to make sure your homeschooled child is getting enough opportunities for artistic expression. Artistic expression though can be a foundation for writing and for self expression so it is important that art and crafts be an important part of any homeschool curriculum. It is fairly easy to incorporate art into the school routine though. Here are few tips:

Make it From Scratch - Instead of buying new play dough or finger paints make your own with your children as helpers. Recipes can be found online and children will get to practice their measuring (math) and cooking skills too. Homemade art supplies are also healthier and less toxic than what you can buy at stores. Not only will your kids have a blast playing with these items they will have just as much fun making them.

Make Art Fun - Instead of sitting your child down with a paintbrush and a small canvas why not set them up with a big canvas in an outdoor area, some quality tempera paints, some water balloons, and some darts. Inflate the balloons just a bit, add some paint, close them, and attach them too the canvas with tacks. Then your kids can throw darts at the balloons and create art with the paint splatter. No child can resist this incredibly fun project. Later they can sign it and hang it in their bedroom or playroom.

Other fun projects include painting rocks, using body paints to mimic the body painting found in many tribal cultures, and using sidewalk chalks and paint.

Use the library - Your local library will no doubt have many books on various arts and crafts projects for kids. Look for books with unplugged projects, seasonal crafts ideas, and paper crafting like origami. Read the books together and decided which projects you will work on.

Go Digital - Art doesn't have to be all about paper, paints, and getting and your hands dirty anymore. Digital arts and paint programs are gaining in popularity. Kid Pix and Disney Magic Artist Deluxe are two popular programs. They allow children to use digital paper and many different artistic techniques to create beautiful works of art that can be saved and even printed for framing. This method saves you a bundle on supplies.

Make it Educational - Art can also be educational. Have your children roll play dough into small marble shaped balls of different colors and use them as counting and math manipulatives. The same pieces can be used to learn colors and to practice sorting.

Allow free Expression - Don't get in the habit of correcting your child's technique or telling them which colors to use. Let them create their own art. Author Susan Striker of Young at Art discourages using coloring books because most of the artwork has already been done. She has a wonderful line of anti-coloring books available for purchase that give kids an opportunity to create on their own terms without outside interference or guidance.

So now that you have some fresh ideas%u2026get busy!

The Frugal Homeschooler - Homeschooling Doesn't Have To Cost a Fortune

Crack open a catalog with homeschooling supplies and you might quickly get the impression that homeschooling is going to cost thousands of dollars. While you may opt to go this route it's not necessary. You can get your homeschooling supplies inexpensively. Here are a few tips:

Set a budget
Just like anything else that involves your finances, it's wise to set a homeschooling budget for the year before you begin purchasing supplies. If you see some awesome math DVD or whiz-bang chemistry set, you'll have to see where you're at, budget-wise before you make the purchase. Just doing this might keep you from buying a lot of unnecessary stuff that will end up in the storage closet.

Get clear
Decide on your homeschooling style and test-drive curriculum and other tools before you start buying. One of the reasons buying homeschooling curriculum can be so expensive is because most of the time you're buying it sight unseen. It may not be right for your child so you end up selling it at a fraction of retail on eBay.

To avoid this problem, get with the other homeschooling parents in your support group. Ask them what they like and dislike about curriculum they've purchased and used. Read messages on homeschooling support forums online and do the same. Deciding in advance what your style will be means you can adapt the tools to the method, not the other way around.

Once you're decided however, curriculum in a box programs may be cheaper than obtaining everything piecemeal. You can also purchase inexpensive basic curriculum at bookstores for under $30 apiece. For example, www.mkkids.com offers basic skills curriculum as well as the www.mhkids.com Learn at Home series.

Buy used
You can find great deals at swap meets organized by homeschooling support groups. Hooking up with your local group also means group discounts on field trips. To find one, check with your local homeschool association - a simple internet search will turn some up. Try joining booking coops too.

Yard sales, thrift stores, eBay, Craigslist, Freecycle, "for sale or trade" message forums for homeschoolers online are some more places to find cheap supplies. Public library sales is another place to find inexpensive books to fill out your family's bookshelves.

Get creative
When I was a kid, every child I knew who was homeschooling did Calvert. Calvert is a wonderful classical homeschooling program but it's also pricey. Nowadays many parents are getting creative and opt to design a curriculum. You can create unit studies, you can go for a "living books" curriculum by making lists of reading material and getting these from the library. You can print an almost infinite number of free online worksheets (just search for what you need, for example "free third grade math worksheets" etc.).

Math manipulatives can be frugal. Instead of buying fancy things, use stuff you have around your home to teach the kids math - dried beans, dried macaroni, Lego toys, wooden blocks, etc can teach addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions and basic geometry.

Find freebies
Did you know that many office supply stores host teacher appreciation days once a year around August? These are a source of free and discounted items and giveaways. Many larger bookstores such as Barnes and Noble also offer discounts to teachers throughout the year, including homeschooling parents. They also have free book giveaways in the summer.

Public libraries are a neverending source of free homeschooling materials. From the obvious - unlimited free books - to educational DVDs, great music on CD, arts and crafts activities open to the public, symphony days, storytime, even continuing education for older teens and adults.

Public domain books can also be downloaded and printed freely from the internet at http://www.gutenberg.org/

With a little creativity and time, you can homeschool frugally - saving not only money but also allowing you more flexibility in the educating of your kids.

"Whew, it's so hot outside you could cook an egg on the pavement!" Ever heard that phrase used? Well why cook on the road when you can use the sun's power and cook in a clean and safe environment using a solar cooker.

Here's an how to make a solar cooker:

While all solar cookers operate on the same basic theme, cooking by concentrating the sun's heat, there are a variety of designs. Here's how to make a simple solar cooker using items you probably already have in your garage or basement.

Supplies:
* A cardboard box - cube shaped is easier to work with 20" x 20" x 20" is a good measurement to work with.
* Duct Tape
* Aluminum foil
* Glue (non-toxic)
Directions:
* Make two large rectangle panels from your box - each panel consists of one square face of the box together and a flap.
* Draw fold lines on the cardboard panels, each about 15 degrees apart.
* Cut along the cut lines. (Don't draw or cut on the square flaps. These pieces will serve as the foundation of the cooker.)
* Glue aluminum foil onto the inner side of the two large rectangular cardboard panels.
* Position flaps over one another and curve cardboard panels around forming a shape that resembles a funnel with a square center (the square center are the two overlapping flaps)
* Use tape to adhere the ends together and position towards the sun. Depending on the angle of the sun, you'll need to adjust the cooker.
Cooking With Your Solar Cooker
You can use either a small pot or a cooking bag to cook using your solar cooker. Keep an eye on your food because during particularly hot days at the right angle, you can quick quite quickly. If you're cooking on a windy day, consider using a rock to help keep the solar cooker in place, be careful the rock will get hot. And if duct tape isn't working well to keep your solar cooker, it should work just fine, consider using Velcro, that way you can easily collapse your cooker when you're not using it.
What can you cook in a solar cooker? Just about anything.
For example, you can cook rice by combining one cup of rice, 1-teaspoon of salt, and 2 cups of water. Place ingredients in 1-quart dark pot with lid in a 250-275º solar oven for one hour or until water is absorbed. But what about pot-roast, baked beans, bread and even cheesecake? You can find a whole host of solar cooking recipes online.
Solar cookers are a great way to save energy, have a little fun cooking outside and to teach children that there's more than one way to cook.

Happy cooking!