Parents are looking for better ways to educate their children. Part of the problem is that the public school system is antiquated. I’m not saying it is bad, just an outdated system. First of all, it was designed to teach the masses to do basic reading, writing, and arithmetic. Unfortunately, those basics are just basics, and do not provide our students with what is needed to compete in today’s global market.

A second thing that makes the public school system, as it was designed, an outdated system is the fact that our population is changing. More students with learning disabilities are admitted to schools. In the days when the school system was first created most students who had learning disabilities did not attend school. As our society understands more about the nature of learning disabilities, we now know that students who have difficulty in school are not incapable of learning; they just need a different way to learn.

And it is not only the children who have difficulty with learning who need a different form of education. Gifted children tend to learn differently than the majority of students. Gifted students often do not tolerate much repetition and do not thrive in settings where they are constrained to the pace of other students. Even gifted children do not do equally well in all subjects and because of this tend to need individualized instruction.

As parents look for alternatives to traditional education, regardless of the reasons for looking, they are finding that homeschooling can be an alternative that can be customized for their children. Whether a student needs to take more time to learn certain subjects or needs to move at an accelerated pace, homeschooling can accommodate that difference.

It has been said before, but it bears repeating, there are as many ways to homeschool as there are families who homeschool. And even within families, what works for one student may not work for his or her siblings within the same homeschool. Some students learn better with workbooks, textbooks, and regimented class work. Other students thrive with online curricula that allow for lots of color, sound, activity and interaction.

If you are happy with the way your student’s school year turned out, and you are happy with the amount of material your child learned, then you probably don’t need to look into a different method. However, if you look back over the school year and decide that you and your student need a change of method or a change of pace in education, you might consider homeschooling. If your child needs an individualized learning plan, then homeschooling might just work out well in your home. As a school year comes to an end and plans begin to take shape for next school year, homeschooling might be worth looking into.

It is that time of year again. Many families are winding down the current school year and figuring out what to do for next year. Some families will continue what they are doing this current school year, because it works. We fall into that category…mostly. My daughter uses a great online homeschool curriculum, one we have used for five years. It works for her, caters to her learning style, and she is making awesome progress. Progress is a good thing, except when she progresses beyond her current curriculum and needs something else. That is what has happened to us with science. So we are on the lookout for a science curriculum to continue her education with.
Other families are looking for a change. Sometimes they are looking for a change because things are not working out with their current educational choices. That might mean that they are moving from traditional school to a different system, like homeschooling. Or a homeschooling family might be looking for a different curriculum. This is not always because what they are using is not working, but like our family, maybe they are just growing into new needs.
Sometimes families just need to find something to supplement what is working. Maybe a family just needs to add some kids’ learning software to help review, or pack down a concept.
If you are just finishing up a school year, maybe the most important thing you can do is take a deep breath and look back at your successes. Once you can recognize what is working in the big scheme of things, it becomes easier to focus on the parts of your curriculum that need tweaking. And remember that one of the greatest things about homeschooling is that you can be flexible. Do what works, and if it doesn’t work try something different!

I am constantly amazed at the places where my daughter learns vocabulary. Before you wonder just what kind of vocabulary she is learning, I will tell you that it is all good!
Reading is one place that she learns vocabulary words, and the beauty of learning vocabulary words in reading is that the words are learned in context. What that means is that she learns the word and is able to figure out what it means, even if she didn’t know before she encountered the words. This is because it is not on a random list, but is within a sentence, within a paragraph, within a story. I would, of course, encourage her to look a word up if she doesn’t know the meaning, but I would never refuse to give her an approximate meaning if she asks. Context games help further pack down vocabulary meanings without seeming like too much of a chore.
Another way that she learns vocabulary is simply by talking to her. We have never allowed baby talk at our house, nor do we restrict her conversation in any way. If she can form a question and ask about a subject, we will cover it in an age appropriate way. I was amazed at the people in the pediatrician’s office waiting room who never spoke to the children they were waiting with. Talking to your children is one of the best ways for them to learn to pronounce and use vocabulary.
Another way to help your child increase her vocabulary and understand the meanings of the words is to allow her to listen to audio books. My daughter listens to audio books every night. Because the books are set in different time periods and the vocabulary she learns from them spans many different writing styles, her usable vocabulary is an eclectic mix of modern English, and more antiquated versions of the language.
Remember that your child also learns vocabulary in other subjects besides Language Arts/Reading/Writing. My daughter gains vocabulary words from science, social studies, and math that she needs to understand and remember the meaning of.
We are not actively studying vocabulary lists and definitions right now, but every now and then I toss in a vocabulary quiz that will include words from all of her subjects just to make sure that she is remembering and building words she has been exposed to. I also have to remember that in a world where texting is rampant, that knowing the full word, and how to spell it, doesn’t seem as important to the next generation. I think vocabulary is a skill worth cultivating, and the use of that vocabulary an art worth saving!

I look at the calendar and I am just amazed at how quickly this year has flown. Seems like it was just yesterday that we started the New Year with lots of hopes, dreams, and resolutions. This year is a big year for us because we are moving from one state to another in the next month or so, and I have to admit that our homeschool is suffering somewhat.
We do homeschool all year long and so a few missed days here or there will not negatively impact whether my daughter finishes her current grade by the time it is fall, and time to start the next grade. Because we homeschool year round I don’t have to worry about what I am going to do with my child over the summer. She will still have her online art curriculum, and her regular curriculum to complete. I’m really grateful for that, too, because it will mean that even though we move to a new state my daughter will still have something that is constant and familiar.
I have friends, homeschoolers and traditional schoolers, who are in that frantic search to figure out what they are going to do with their kids over the summer time. One family is going to send their kids to camps almost every week, all summer long. I look at the cost of that and my eyes roll back in my head!! Another family is going to register their children for online summer school so that their brains don’t turn to mush over the summer break.
Last year our summer schooling was interrupted by family issues that demanded my attention. There was only so much of my time and energy to go around, and because of that my daughter was left on her own to work through school. Many days, I have to admit, she watched videos, or science programming on the television. When I tried to get her back in the swing of things when the family situation settled, I understood why year round schooling was our best option.
I don’t have to change her schedule. I don’t have to find expensive camps to send her to. I don’t have to look for additional educational opportunities to keep her brain engaged. Things don’t change. We get up, we do school, and then we go on with our day. I guess that I am really fortunate that even in the midst of great family upheaval, moving, selling a house, finishing another one 2 states away, I still know what most days are going to look like this summer. Continuity is a great thing!

I’m having to think about how homeschooling will work in our house. Why? Well, two reasons really. We are in the process of moving to a different state than we started homeschooling in. And my daughter is a middle schooler, about to complete the available material for one of the subjects covered in our online curriculum.
When we started homeschool, in the middle of 1st grade, we depended very heavily on our online curriculum. We did not have to supplement very much, everything added was really just for enrichment.
As my daughter moves into homeschool middle school, we have had to adapt our online curriculum, and definitely add more enrichment and more subjects that are of interest to her. When she was in elementary school we spent a lot of time on the basics. In middle school, she has the basics pretty well secured, and is looking for more depth, and a wider range of subjects.
I thought we would have a couple of years before I had to move into homeschool high school, but the reality is that when my daughter finishes her science for this year, she will have completed the available material in her online curriculum for science. Because of that I am having to look for science books and work already even though she will only be in 7th grade in the fall.
When she actually begins homeschool high school work, we will be looking for dual credit courses. These will be available through local community colleges usually. With those courses she will get not only high school credit for the course, but also college credit. That sounds pretty exciting to me, and a little scary, actually.
What I am trying to remind myself is that one of the reasons we homeschool is for the flexibility. Homeschool will not be static from 1st grade through 12th grade. Every year brings new needs, new interests, and new opportunities. My daughter is completely flexible; I’m the one who has to accept the changes from year to year, or even semester to semester.
If flexibility is one of the reasons you homeschool, then remember to accept and take advantage of changes as they come to your homeschool.