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2006 in Review: Homeschooling Blog at a Glance

As a new homeschooling blogger at Families.com, I wanted to know everything that has been discussed to date. In response to my own curiosity, and in an effort to make perusing our articles easier for you, our readers, I have compiled all of the blogs for the year 2006. Deciding to Homeschool Why homeschool Am I qualified for this? Reasons that Homeschooling Works! My Most Important Advice for Homeschoolers. The Cost of Homeschooling Instead of standing up for their own kids, why not stand up for all kids? Disclaimer: I am hardly an expert in education. Did You Know? ‘Empirical … Continue reading →

What Your Second Grader Should Know: Science

Initial experiences in science should be all about observation. I personally believe that one reason kids tend not to do as well in science after 3rd grade is that they were never taught to observe properly. Before your child delves deeply into the world of scientific fact, encourage as much meaningful observation as possible. Ask questions like: describe, what, and show. Encourage details. Of course you will do experiments, and learn facts but your end goal should always be the detailed observation of what you’re studying. After your child starts to observe well, then you can start asking questions like … Continue reading →

What Your Second Grader Should Know: Math

It so happens that our nation is last among 1st world countries in math and science. Apparently we do quite well until about 4th grade and then we start to loose the edge by repeating the same stuff. While math is definitely incremental (meaning that it builds upon previous lessons), a word to the wise: take short times to review basic concepts daily. You don’t have to do it via rote memorization–play games, do a little here and a little there and before you know it you’ll have an expert mathematician. * Counting, reading, writing to 1,000 Cool Teaching Idea: … Continue reading →

What Your Kindergartner Should Know: Mathematics

Simple counting to 20 Teaching Tip: May I suggest simple counting in two languages? If you haven’t already, now is a great time to start. For some reason, Math seems to be one of those subjects where many people feel you need worksheets. You can practice counting wherever you take your child. How many traffic lights have we passed, how many numbers can you find in the signs, or how many apples are we going to buy today. One-to-one relationship Teaching Tip: It seems common sense but young children need to be taught the idea that if there are 5 … Continue reading →

What Your Kindergartner Should Know: Language Arts

Phonics Website: For free lesson plans, ideas and games on how to teach your child to read visit Starfall. They also have affordable reading instruction packages if you are so inclined to buy something. Listening to literature, music, poetry Teaching Tip: What do you listen to in the car when you’re driving here or there? Try some books on tape (always available at your local library). A few of our favorite books: When it comes to poetry for kids my absolute favorite is Shel Silverstein. It’s a great place to start for kids because the poems are so entertaining. Nursery … Continue reading →

What Your Kindergartner Should Know: Science

Observation of everyday, familiar things Teaching Tip: Make a science journal with your child. First copy paper that is blank on top but has lines on the bottom. Secondly, have your child either draw a picture, take a picture with a camera, or use pictures from magazines, for the blank space. Underneath, have your child dictate (or write if he can), one or two sentences about the item. It doesn’t have to be perfect nor does your child have to think profoundly about each item. However, you will quickly discover that when you’ve found something that sparks your child’s interest, … Continue reading →

What Should Your Kindergartner Know Part 1: Social Studies

Here is a checklist for those of you who are teaching kindergarten. Remember that this is a guide, but of course you can use this to pull together your own curriculum. Not teaching kindergarten? Look soon for the rest of the sereis which will go through 12th grade. * Meanings of holidays, traditions, and customs Holidays.net has a HUGE archive of crafts, ideas, recipes, etc. to help celebrate. It’s also worth your effort to search the Yahooligans Holiday page. They have just about every conceivable holiday as well as links to crafts, activities, and lessons. * Understanding and appreciating other … Continue reading →

Homeschool Questions and Answers: Homeschooling a Kindergartener

Question: I just quit my job to be a stay at home to a 5 year old and a one year old. I have very seriously thought about homeschooling for next year’s k-5 but I really need help to start. Can you please pass on any information that could help me make my decision easier and where to start on learning? Answer: If you are planning to homeschool your child next year after preschool, then you have some time do a bit of research. My advice for a mom considering starting homeschooling is that you should read up on different … Continue reading →

Reflections on Homeschooling

As many people do, I try hard to reevaluate where I’m at during these first few weeks in January. I don’t like to set resolutions, but I like to think hard about what I’ve accomplished, what I didn’t accomplish and where we go from here. I’m sure many of you are doing the same thing so I thought I’d share some thoughts. The Importance of a “Big Picture” Mentality It is so easy to focus on what we have not accomplished. Let’s see. . .with 5 kids under the age of 7 my house is almost never fully and completely … Continue reading →

The Week In Review: October 28, 2006

Here we are again at the end of another week. I am sitting here, reviewing our week glowing with pride. Not because I wrote great articles, or because my children did something great but because I remembered to set the clocks back! So to all of you who are equally absent minded–go set your clocks back an hour and then come back and see what we did this week! When your homeschooling statue law says that you are required to teach a comparable curriculum to “that of the public schools.” Do you know what that means? Well, you likely know … Continue reading →