Home Schooling Help

On Being Left-Handed

2011-09-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

In picking up an ordinary yellow legal pad today I was reminded of discovering a wonderful little shop in San Francisco years ago, especially for left-handed folk. A quick online search reveals that Lefty's on Pier 39 is still in business, in a larger location, and yes, for those of you outside the Bay Area, with an online store. I also learned that August 13 is Left-Handers Day. Who knew? Well, obviously, a lot of lefties as manifested by the plentiful photos of left-handed children wielding tools made especially for them - scissors, spiral bound notebooks (the spiral is on the right or top), cooking utensils, ergonomic pens and pencils, rulers, mugs, and garden shears.

So, if you have a left-handed child in your family, consider making their life a whole lot easier to navigate with products that will help them succeed, or a book such as A Left-Hand History of the World by Ed Wright, about famous lefties in history which will inspire your lefty!

Our son is soloing in a one-man art exhibition Astral Flight Hangar at the Christopher Henry Gallery in New York. The exhibit includes a giant icosahedron on the center floor reflecting magical geometric projections of shapes and colors. He started drawing geometric shapes and Escher-esque tessellations as a child. We still have the left-handed ruler he used - purchased at Lefty's. :)

NOT Back to School

2011-08-30T17:37:00.000-07:00

I confess we gloated when September arrived. No school buses. No packing lunches. No stressful and expensive back to school shopping for backpacks, new clothes, shoes, and endless lists of school supplies. Instead, we eagerly anticipated the arrival of carefully chosen music, art, and science supplies; enjoyed wandering through nearly empty museums, aquariums, and libraries with seemingly limitless time and space to ourselves, and built sand-castles and played on beaches devoid of summer crowds. During the last lazy days of autumn we romped at the park with other moms and kids reveling in our NOT-Back-To-School freedom.

To achieve the greatest degree of flexibility we became Year-Round Learners.

As year-round learners we divided subject material, sometimes by Spring/Summer/Winter, other years a Sept-May/June-Aug schedule was more effective. For example: September to May we studied Language Arts (including Latin), History, and Math – along with chosen electives, such as Music lessons and anything that fit into Cub Scouts or a Girls Achievement Program. June through August we focused on Art and Science, included theory games and composition with Music lessons, and electives such as typing or mechanical drawing, and had the flexibility for summer camps and Friday beach days. We also enjoyed weekly field trips and park-day outings throughout the entire year.

And yes, vacations. Every six to eight weeks we would take a few days or even a week off from scheduled studies and embark on personal pursuits.

If you are wondering how to fit all the required academic subjects along with your children’s personal interests into your schedule, year-round learning might be an option.

Weather Watch, Natural Disasters, and Family Preparedness.

2011-03-14T17:47:00.000-07:00

Snow in Monterey Bay, blizzards across the mid-west and east coast, near records highs in the southwest. We've had a spate of strange weather patterns this winter. Had meant to write a post in February about discussing weather issues. (see below.)

Now we have an historic 8.9 earthquake off the coast of Japan, and attendant tsunamis that reached the northern and central coasts of the U.S. and south to Chile. Not only do these events provide immediacy to earth science studies, they also open discussions for how and why we contribute to humanitarian aid, what is the history of the Red Cross and how are they involved with assisting during natural disasters, and maybe most important, how your family can prepare for a natural disaster. (Putting together 72-hr kits or disaster supplies for your family. )

Back to weather: Consider interpreting satellite photos, radar, historical highs and lows, and what makes weather happen, or specific parts of weather - tornadoes vs. sand storms, for instance - as topics to generate questions for a weekly 10-20 minute weather watch.

Protecting Your Child from Well-Meaning Advocates

2011-01-24T11:07:00.000-08:00

Shelves are lined with books on how children learn. Educators, psychologists, pediatricians, and experts on child development contribute to our understanding of effective childhood education, nutritional effects on body chemistry, appropriate behavioral learning outcomes, and other aspects of child development. As a parent, however, YOU are the expert. You know your child better than anyone else.

Usually well-meaning educators and experts contribute positively to your child's learning environment. Sometimes, however, you have to protect your child - using your own intuition and common sense.

About five years ago, in what one would hope is a fairly isolated occurrence, this true story happened.

A family I came to know used common sense, and exhibited uncommon courage, on behalf of their autistic son who was chronologically entering high school, but functioning at a first grade level. The school informed the family the child would be bussed ninety minutes one way to another high school with a special needs program. The parents felt the three hour daily trip combined with an unknown class and teacher would cause extreme agitation for their son. The upheaval would negate any hoped for learning outcomes. The parents said no. The school district threatened truancy.

The parents exercised their right of educational choice by withdrawing their son from public school and enrolling in our private school satellite program. They continued battling a year and a half long truancy lawsuit while simultaneously locating behavioral learning specialists to perform in-home skills assessment and teaching for their son.

It was a privilege to support this family and witness their courage and resilience on behalf of their child. After winning the lawsuit, the parents happily found a small private school in their area serving autistic children. They were able to provide an appropriate learning environment for their son based on their understanding of his needs.

Against all odds, or expert advice, it is what parents do.

A New Year - Re-use/Re-cycle

2011-01-12T13:19:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011! Best wishes for a fantastic homeschooling year to everyone!

Often a new year encourages new plans, new resolutions, even new curriculum. But, you might want to think before throwing out those textbooks that are dust-collectors. On occasion we dumped an entire curriculum that just didn't fit our family. However, we have also been able to re-use old textbooks in creative ways.

In fact, we were "green" long before it was re-defined. Thick, dust-laden collegiate textbooks were stacked three high with boards laid across to make shelving units. Dog-eared tomes became flower presses. Photos from old workbooks were artistically re-used in science project montages. Paperback Zoo Book pictures were cut out and pasted into home-made alphabet booklets for the littlest ones.

We also incorporated a compare and contrast approach with subject material. What does Textbook A offer that is similar to or different from Textbook B, or Reference Material C? Teach your child to use the index pages in the back of the book to search for specific information. Then compare and contrast the different resources. Or compare the material with online resources. Compare different viewpoints, how the manner in which information is presented has changed, how our understanding of science, medicine and technology has expanded. This approach helps a child understand that information is fluid.

You can always share or trade resources with another homeschooling family, or donate books, puzzles and games to a local shelter or library. Your cast-offs may become someone else's treasure.

Accidental Home Schooling

2010-12-15T13:43:00.000-08:00

Had a brush with bursitis this week and it reminded me how our family used illnesses or accidents for learning. Broken bones, strep throat, or bronchitis provide occasions to delve into anatomy, illness, and well-being at whatever level your child may comprehend. Discuss x-rays, the jobs of medical personnel from techs to surgeons, how vaccines work - or don't - why and how the body succumbs to illness and how to prevent common accidents or injuries.

For instance, if a friend, family member, or neighbor has a broken bone, take a quick peek at Science News for Kids and you'll find an experiment that takes calcium out of a bone, along with book and video recommendations on the skeleton. Dig out a Human Anatomy coloring book or find workbook pages to color. Identify specific bones using the correct Latin nomenclature. Using a current, relevant situation builds interest and aids in comprehension and retention.

Other interestingtopics on Science News are "What is the Appendix Good For" or "The Tell-tale Bacteria."

Check out the Branson Academy Resource page for other cool science sites. Any topic in the news or community opens possibilities for exploration.

Public Language

2010-12-06T12:36:00.000-08:00

So, Mom is back in college - working on a degree in Theater Arts. And, oh, my! This is sparking all kinds of ideas for homeschooling families!

First, my encounter with public language. The f-word has become not only a frequently used verb and adjective, it is also "like, you know!" An adverb, conjunction, interjection. The language of young adults has altered radically from my time on campus. These are bright college students. Yet, generally, they are unable to use the rich variety of the English language,the scores of existing nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, synonyms, homonyms and antonyms in their conversations,reducing all to a two-syllable expletive.

The students have some sense that this language is not appropriate for classroom use, however, once the bell rings an immediate cacaphony of what was once called "gutter language" assaults the ears. Interestingly, when students engage in conversation with me,the oldest student in the class, they invariably show respect and treat me the same way they treat their teacher by refraining from profanity and apologizing for any lapse. For which I am duly grateful.

Still the thought persists - why? Is this the type of language spoken in their home environment? Did anyone ever say to them, "we don't talk like that" as we did in our family?

Now there's something to discuss over lunch!

A Look Back

2010-10-22T18:19:00.000-07:00

Our youngest son graduated high school in June 2010. I spent the summer traveling, helping my mother move, and contemplating the past several decades of homeschooling.

Do I believe homeschooling was a positive experience for my children, our family? Would I have changed anything? Are the kids successful? Well-educated? Happy? Yes, Yes, and Yes!

A positive experience? To me homeschooling is a lifestyle. Sure the academics are important, but it is so much more than that! It's about living your life, learning, and growing in character and personal responsibility. At times we failed miserably with the discipline of getting up early every day - we are all such night owls! Over the years, though, I witnessed important milestones of growth in each of my children, such as learning to study on ones' own, relying on oneself instead of a peer group, and self-determined career choices. None of our children "followed the crowd." We have raised a group of independent, self-thinking individuals. With a family of eight, it is sometimes hard to get a consensus!

Would I have changed anything? Oh, sure! Thrown out curriculum that didn't work sooner. Worried less about what other people thought. I always felt so pressured to measure up to a higher standard because our children's performances were constantly critiqued by family, neighbors, and church community. I wish we moms could relax and enjoy more of these growing years with our children. Of course, I'm the first to agree that's tough when you want to make sure your kids succeed.

And, THAT can be a trap. Is success limited to getting into an Ivy League college? Having a prestigious, high-paying job?

I have come to believe success is learning to be happy developing your personal talents and living with a passion for what you do, whether you make lots of money or not. In a world focused on material possessions, this is a tough undertaking. I think of Dr. Paul Farmer. He has saved thousands from TB and AIDS in Haiti and all over the world. This would not have been possible without his years of education, passion for his work, millions of dollars contributed by charitable donors and the team of people he inspires. His is a life lived with purpose and passion.

I also think of our son, a ballet dancer, a self-educated young man with no college degree living a dancer's hand-to-mouth existence, and yet, living his life with passion and energy, bringing joy to the lives of hundreds of people in every performance. That is also success.

So, would I do it again? Absolutely! For all the worries, I loved being with my children. I loved teaching them, loved watching them learn. I loved the field trips, and park days, and Friday Beach days. I loved how they relished the crazy science classes, learning about all the countries of the world, building Roman arches, making volcanoes, planting fairy gardens, and working hours and hours to perfect the Bach doubles for violin.

Even as I move into this next season of my life with my children now young adults, I am grateful for the opportunity and the choice to have spent my life living and learning at home with my children.

Spring Into Planting a Home School Garden

2010-03-26T12:25:00.001-07:00

Purple pansies and bright orange marigolds almost jump into my basket as I cruise into the local OSH store. It's my favorite time of year as nurseries begin stocking up for spring gardening - delicate pink nemesia, trailing sweet alyssum and tiny violas overflow next to pots of green Swiss chard, lettuce, spicy basil and fragrant young tomato plants. My fingers reach out to caress leaves and petals as I bend to inhale wondrous sweet and spicy scents. The magic of growing things begins anew!

Gardens are great learning environments for children from toddlers to teens. Watching a seed germinate is fascinating to a small child while an older child will have fun using litmus paper to determine soil types. A unit study on growing greens includes everything from plant classification to photosynthesis.

Topics related to gardens can be studied throughout the year, including: organic pest control vs. agribusiness pesticides, pros and cons of square foot vs. row crops, how farming has changed from hand tilling to modern farming methods, composting, building miniature greenhouses, supporting local growers through farmers markets, and so on.

Your garden will depend on the age of your children and your available space. I like container gardening for toddlers and kindergartners. A very young child can be successful with just a few pots placed on a patio or back porch. A packet or two of seeds, a small trowel, some nice garden soil, and an old bucket, box, or other container are all you need to get started.

An old aquarium makes a fun observation post for root vegetables such as radishes and baby carrots. Mini-peat pots are great for starting seedlings indoors. Or try recycling a cardboard milk or orange juice container. (Lay it horizontally and cut off one long section, leaving a rectangular box for growing. Punch a couple drainage holes in the side.)

Allow your child to make a mess! Let him put rocks in the bottom of the container for drainage before dumping in the soil. Show him how to gently plant a couple seeds and let him have a go - even if the whole packet gets spilled. Have a bottle mister handy for the first few weeks of watering. Here's a link to other easy container gardening ideas on the Better Homes and Gardens website.

Elementary age children enjoy raised beds or square foot gardens. Weeding is usually not a big chore in boxed gardens and plants are easy to reach. Mel Bartholomew's classic Square Foot Gardening is a good resource for planting raised beds. I've used his book for years and love the handy references for plant specific growing times and water and sun requirements. You can probably find SFG at your local library or used from an online bookseller. Here's a link to his website: http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

If your children are middle school to high school age use the winter months to plot and plan your garden. Late Winter and early Spring is the time to prepare your soil and plant seedlings indoors. Spring and Summer months will be dedicated to growing, watering, weeding and harvesting. Perhaps your children would enjoy growing pumpkins for Halloween, or raising flowers to sell or share with neighbors. As the end of the growing season approaches in late Summer and early Fall, your children will complete the cycle of seed to harvest by composting and preparing the soil for next year.

For almost three years we participated in a community garden. Our children chose their own vegetables and favorite flowers. Each bed was a reflection of the personality and desires of the child. One box had tall beans growing on a wigwam pole structure, bushy tomatoes, and bright marigolds. Another bed contained tiny blue lobelia, sweet alyssum, wandering cucumbers, and golden squash.

As the plants grew the children learned to tie up beans, keep tomatoes in cages, and harvest zucchini before it was three feet long. We loved the family time spent watering, weeding and wandering along the paths of the community garden. My city children discovered how potato plants, fava beans and Chinese long green beans grew by watching the process and efforts of other gardeners.

Gardens are safe places for children to experience the wild joys of success as well as astonishing failures. The year gophers devoured all of our tomatoes, peas, beans, zucchini, squash, and an assortment of other produce was devastating. We abandoned the garden to the weeds for that year and the next! Something about the miracle of growing things, our former successes, and a longing for the fresh taste of home-grown veggies, however, pulled us back to the magic of growing things - a magic that children of all ages enjoy.

I think I'll look for heirloom tomatoes this year. Maybe I'll try growing one or two on trellises - in large gopher proof pots!

Sugar at Home

2010-02-05T17:57:00.000-08:00

Sugar is in the news. In fact, it's BIG news -- sugar is BAD!

Sugar is the cause of obesity in our country and around the world. Sugar is responsible for heart disease, diabetes, and several types of cancer. Everywhere I look, sugar is getting a bad rap.

What I want to know is what mom or dad doesn't already know this!

How many times as a kid did you hear... "Don't eat any sweets before dinner, honey - it'll ruin your appetite." Or, "No more junk food! He's bouncing off the walls!"

So, the fact that sugar is bad is NOT news.

The REAL news is the insidious nature of the food industry's dumping so many different refined sugars into our food. Everything from bread to sausage. Sugar intake has sky-rocketed over the last 80 years from 20 pounds of sugar per person per year to current USDA estimates of 158 to 170 pounds of sugar intake per person per year. Who knew? (Actually, the FDA did.)

Think about it - five ounces of sugar is equivalent to 30 teaspoons. You need three times that amount to equal one pound. And, we're consuming 158 pounds of this a year. Or a little over three pounds a day!

Why is this important? Because what we eat affects not only how we feel, but how we think, how we are able to process information, how we learn (or don't learn).

Sugar affects our immune systems causing increased susceptibility to colds and viruses. It can cause hyperactivity, depression, and in plain terms, whiny, cranky kids! Who wants that?

A better question might be "As a homeschooling mom (or dad) how can I create the most optimum learning environment?" Not just "how can I be a better teacher," but, "how can I help my kids to be better learners?"

So, we already know sugar is bad. We already know we should cut back on sugar and refined processed foods and eat more veggies and whole grains. However, unless everyone is convinced and committed - maybe we should use the word "converted" - these changes are very difficult to implement.

There are just so many fast food and quick deli meal options available. Just because I'm a home school mom doesn't necessarily mean I have any more time than a mother who works outside the home. Not if I'm hauling kids to science classes, art classes, music lessons, and then going over math and history and preparing lessons for the next day. I'm just as likely to say, "Hey, let's get a pizza, OK?" Not knocking pizzas here, folks. I love 'em! But just to point out how easy it is to stop in at the grocery store, or Costco, and pick up a take-and-bake pizza or subway sandwich, or what-have-you. Yet, even going for the most healthy quick meals doesn't mean we're eating healthy! Because, as you will learn if you watch the lecture I've linked to below, sugars are hidden in almost everything we eat and drink. They are everywhere!

If we want to make real changes, we first have to be armed with knowledge. Knowledge gives us power. Power to make positive changes in our lives. Face it, there are times when it's Mom who is tired and just as ready to cave in to the request for a burger as the kids. But if the kids are in on the game, they may be just as likely to say, "Hey, Mom, let's make our own!"

So, here are a few ideas to get you going.

First, a highly visual and effective object lesson on sugar intake: Measure 98 teaspoons of sugar into a pile on your kitchen table or counter. (That's a one-pound bag of sugar.) Now, following the math here, if an individual really consumes 158 pounds of sugar per year which is equivalent to 3.038 pounds a day, you really need 294 teaspoons! At this point I hope everyone is saying, "WOW! That's a LOT of sugar." uh-huh! (btw, here's the link to calculate teaspoons to ounces )

Second, make a game of "finding sugar." First list all the different types of sugars that are added to food: malt sugar, brown sugar, white sugar, cane sugar, dextrose, dextrin, sucrose, glucose, maltodextrin, high fructose corn syrup, honey, molasses, maple syrup, rice syrup, powdered sugar. Then go on a "shopping trip" in your kitchen. You can tally the various sugars to see which comes up most frequently. Or make a list of the foods that DON'T have any added sugar. Remember lots of foods have naturals sugars. Milk has lactose. Fruit contains fructose and glucose.

Third, there are lots of websites and videos to check out regarding the effects of sugar on the body, so do some research. I really like this lecture on the metabolic breakdown of high fructose corn syrup (high school level and adults) by Dr. Robert H. Lustig, a UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endicrinology. Although this is serious science, Dr. Lustig uses hi-tech graphics and humor to make his lecture really interesting!

Fourth, get everyone in the family to make an Eat Healthy pact. Stock up on healthy snacks (make sure to READ those labels.) Think carrots, nuts, crackers and cheese. While Jorge Cruise recommends only 15 grams of sugar a day, that is really drastic. Current adult consumption is upwards of 100 plus grams a day. Reducing your family's sugar intake by 50% would be tremendous! Start where you are and work towards your family's goal. It is amazingly easy to cut your sugar intake once you are aware of where the hidden sugars are and the number of grams of sugar in different types of food.

Here's to healthy eating and happy homeschooling!

Surviving Cancer and Homeschooling

2010-01-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

First, I should clarify... my husband is the one who survived the chemo treatments. I'm the one who survived as wife and caretaker of a cancer patient and the home school mom of a seventeen year old! (Maybe I should wait until June when said son graduates to say we all survived!?)

How do you home school when your husband has cancer? Or whenever you experience an extremely difficult situation ... a job loss, an aging parent, a severe injury.

For me, getting on my knees first thing every morning gives me strength to face the challenges of the day. Whatever they are. Life is filled with experiences that are sometimes fun, sometimes challenging, and sometimes just plain hard. So, for me the first line of defense is my faith in God.

Second, is having super supportive friends and family. In dealing with my husband's cancer and subsequent unemployment for a year, I had to focus on the day-to-day, here-and-now. Our friends and family became my reality check and kept me sane. I had no emotional room for negativity. Having made plans for a worst-case scenario, I then let family and friends know that we were just going to stay positive and focus on getting through each day.

Third, as a homeschooling family we found resources that worked for our situation. We have a neighbor who was willing to tutor our son in German twice a week. (I had previously taught her sons Latin and Science, so it was a nice trade.) Our son is enrolled in one academic and one elective class through a homeschool partnership program with a local private Christian school; and we continued his martial arts instruction to give him a sense of continuity and the support of the master and other instructors. This meant we only had one "at home" course to teach. This gave me time to concentrate on helping my husband get through chemo. It also gave our son several other adults to whom he was accountable and to whom he could look for outside support and encouragement.

Yes, there were sacrifices. Scheduling was a challenge! Life is full of choices. We looked at our priorities - getting our son through his last year of high school and getting my husband through chemo - and found resources that would help us reach those goals. I love the scuba diver's motto: Plan the Dive and Dive the Plan! Our family motto has always been: "Just do it! Make it happen!"

Fourth, keeping things in perspective. On chemo days when I had to explain to my seventeen year old that NOW is NOT the time to be ripping on his electric guitar, I tried to remember he was worried about his Dad, too - and we found other times and ways for him to practice.

For a month we had only one working car which meant juggling classes, clinic appointments, jobs, and activities among five people. (Now there's a lesson in organization.) We kept a pretty strict schedule and I was thankful that somehow it always worked out!

Fifth, and Sixth - a sense of humor, and gratitude. When the septic system backed up, the first time was yucky. The second was unbelievable. And the third time, honestly... I just rolled with laughter. Are you serious?? We finally had to replace the entire leach field which turned into a great lesson on how a septic system works and what it would be like to work as a ditch-digger. It was also a lesson in appreciation for the good friends who helped us. Splashing around in mud and gunk is above and beyond true friendship!

Then the tool sheds fell over in the biggest storm of the year, our twenty-two year old daughter moved back home after an ugly break-up, the second car broke down again, and I got bit by a neighbor's dog.

Oh, and along the way.... every week there were blessings. Family and friends helping out - with meals, with repairs, with finances, and with laughter - because who could believe all this!

Really, it's just been a year filled with lots of love... and along the way my husband had cancer, and we homeschooled, too!

I think this summer we'll have a big party. Celebrate Life!

Homeschooling on a Budget: Part 2 Manipulatives and Craft Supplies

2009-08-05T14:16:00.000-07:00

Homeschooling on a Budget: Part 2 Manipulatives and Craft Supplies

by Cynthia Simunovich

Manipulatives are essential for helping a young child grasp math concepts. Creating your own homemade math manipulatives is easy and can save money. We've used wooden beads, small erasers, paper clips, Gummi bears and M&M's to teach a child basic arithmetic skills such as adding and subtracting, grouping, multiplying and dividing.

For a sense of larger numbers make 100-bead strings. String ten strands of 10-beads each for 100's counting. The strands can be laid end to end on the floor or table to show how "big" the number is. A ten strand is easily replaced with ten individual beads for "borrowing" in subtraction. (This is based on the Montessori model of manipulatives for counting. Here's a link to free downloadable Montessori materials http://www.montessorimaterials.org/ .)

Another math manipulative is to use cardboard geometric shapes for fractions. Make a cardboard template and then cut out paper shapes that can be further divided into halves, thirds, fourths and so on and placed over the cardboard as a reference. Use either colored paper or color the shapes yourself for an effective and highly visual manipulative.

Take a look at photos or descriptions of math manipulatives like the one pictured above. You can make your own clocks, geo-boards and 100-count boards. Spend a couple hours and use materials that are readily available to you. If you have a computer you can generate 1-100 sheets and paste them onto cardboard. Make a geo-board with an odd piece of scrap wood and small nails spaced evenly in rows.

For craft projects shop sales, look for coupons and discounts, and limit your purchases. It is tempting to have every color of the rainbow, but purchase only primary paint colors and teach your child how to mix colors using the color wheel. You can also make your own craft/art paper and use free online downloads for greeting cards. I've included a couple links for paper making (using supplies you probably have on hand) and good old play dough. (This link has 6 different recipes including one for Peanut Butter Dough!) Look around your kitchen or in your make-up bag for cutters and shapers to use at no extra cost to your budget.

Trade and barter art supplies and lessons with friends and neighbors. Someone may have tons of leftover beads or fabrics from a former project. Don't be afraid to ask – I've found most folks are very willing to share and maybe even teach your child a new skill. In turn you may be able to bring over dinner, weed a garden, or transport a neighbor to a medical appointment. Making do in difficult economic times can make everyone's life a little richer!

Homeschooling on a Budget: Part One: Textbooks and Free Curriculum

2009-07-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

Wondering how to provide homeschooling resources for your children during tight economic times? How do you find low cost or no-cost curriculum? Take a page from Homeschooling in the Olden Days; modernize with today's technology and voila! you can teach your child for as little or as much as your budget allows.

In the early 1970's and 1980's (before PDA's and family computers!) homeschooling parents designed and created their own curriculum.

Libraries were the number one shop till you drop resource center. We combined adult non-fiction books, such as Audubon and National Geographic (the ones filled with those great photographs and sketches of birds, mammals and reptiles!) with children's books on the same subject to teach elementary science. The same principle was applied to history and art. The kids loved checking out giant atlases and poring over the maps of the world as they learned about different countries and cultures, their inventors, scientists and artists.

While we sometimes paraphrased or adjusted the material to the level of the child, reading adult level text certainly expanded our children's vocabularies. Unknown words were promptly looked up in the dictionary (which had been purchased at a second-hand bookstore!) and sometimes became part of a spelling list or spelling game.

The children's resource section of libraries has greatly improved and librarians are usually very helpful to homeschooling families. Most libraries now carry Dorling-Kindersley books on every topic, the History of US, and extensive biographies of adventurers, scientists, musicians, and modern pop icons. DVD's and computer software for educational enrichment are also available in most libraries today. And if your DSL line is no longer affordable, children and parents can sign up for free computer time at the library.

Used bookstores are worth checking out for interesting inexpensive reading material. Using online used bookstores will also save time and gas. Curriculum savings may be 25%-80% through Amazon.com used booksellers or homeschooling web sites. Check your local homeschool group for an annual end of the year curriculum sale where a used algebra textbook may be sold for as little as ten dollars instead of eighty or ninety. Or start your own share/trade co-op.

There are plenty of free worksheet generator websites for math and writing and even complete math courses and unit studies . Free curriculum resources are listed here. A little time on the keypad will bring you a wealth of information to design a low-cost or no-cost curriculum for your child this year!

Next Blog: Part Two: Manipulatives and Craft Supplies

Home Schooling in California

2008-06-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

When the Second Appellate Court in Los Angeles handed down a ruling last February it sent "shock waves through the nation's homeschooling community" according to WorldNetDaily.com. The ruling which stated that parents must be credentialed teachers in order to home school their children in the State of California was opposed by Governor Schwarzenegger and State Superintendent of Education Jack O'Connell.

The ruling caused a furor among homeschooling advocates and fortunately was vacated - which means that it could not be used as precedent for future court rulings. Amicus briefs were filed by state and national homeschool organizations, and a new hearing scheduled for today should produce a ruling within ninety days.

In response to the February ruling, we have seen a firestorm of media attention focused on homeschoolers. Headlines heralding, "Homeschooling Illegal in California,""Defending Home Style ABC's!" and "Should Parents Be Allowed to Home School Their Children?" are selling newspapers and network time. The old discussions are re-surfacing: Is homeschooling legal? Are parents really qualified to teach their own children? What about socialization? And a new and more troubling question: Should parents be allowed to segregate their children from public school influences because of religious or moral beliefs?

As to the first three questions:

Yes, homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. (To find out more about state laws go to http://www.hslda.org/ and click on In Your State.)

Yes, parents are eminently qualified to teach their own children! Somehow, without extensive parenting classes, the majority of moms and dads manage to teach their children how to button their little shirts, tie their shoelaces (before Velcro !), count all their fingers and toes, look both ways before they cross the street, say 'please' and 'thank you', and play nice.

And there are an abundance of resources to help parents teach academic and non-academic subjects. (Click here for a listing of curriculum providers and free educational resources. http://www.bransonacademy.net/resources.php)

Socialization is no longer a serious issue as homeschooled students continue to demonstrate their abilities to interact and excel at the university level and in the workplace. Stanford University actively recruits homeschooled students because of their initiative and creativity. Employers are thrilled with the performance level of homeschoolers, their personal motivation, and their adaptability.

Even with all these successes there still seems to be an initial reaction among the general populace that only wacko's, extreme religionists, or granola-eaters homeschool their kids.
And should this be allowed???

Opinions are divided and polls are skewed to the organization doing the polling. For example, teacher's unions are pre-dominantly anti-homeschooling, although many individual teachers are extremely supportive of homeshooling. However, as the old issues and concerns have been laid to rest, there looms a new fear - homeschooled children are not being taught 'mainstream' beliefs and tolerances.

Which leads to the fourth question: "Should parents be allowed to segregate their children because of religious or personal beliefs?" "Won't this lead to intolerance and hate directed toward persons with alternative lifestyles."

In turn, let me ask: Isn't that why parochial schools, private Christian schools, private Jewish schools, private Muslim schools, and private Orthodox schools were established? To provide education within the setting of a specific religious belief?

John Locke (English philosopher 1632-1704) argued that individuals should not cede to the government the liberty of individual conscience. Parents have an inalienable right to direct the education and upbringing of their children - whether that education takes place in a public school, private school, or within their own home.

As regarding alternative lifestyles I have to chuckle. In 21st century America, homeschooling is an alternative lifestyle! Although the numbers are growing, homeschoolers still represent only a little over 2% of school age children in America. In California, the estimate is 166,000 children, out of over six million K-12 students. (2005 Children NOW)

It has been my experience over the past 25 years interacting with hundreds of homeschooling families, that homeschooling parents, just like all parents, teach their children their personal religious or moral beliefs, as well as a respect for the rights and beliefs of others.

Now, if certain judges will respect the rights of parents to educate their children at home, California homeschoolers will continue to excel and enjoy the freedoms that the founding fathers intended (and enjoyed themselves!) And that's another blog!