You are the best teacher your children will ever have
because you love them more than anyone else possibly
could. Your mandate comes from God, and your
"certification" far surpasses what governments or colleges
could give. Add a commitment to homeschooling, and you
are well on your way to giving your children the best
education possible.But what about skills and knowledge? Although it is helpful
to know how to read and write, even these things can be
learned, or re-learned, right along with your children. You
can teach what you know, and when your knowledge of a
subject isn't quite what you think it should be, you can read
aloud and learn together, or your children can learn to teach
themselves.Low CostWould it surprise you if I told you that homeschooling can be
free or nearly-free? There are options that can keep costs
down, if you choose to use them. We spent very little on
homeschooling. Each year we have purchased some items,
but only because I wanted to, not because we needed them.
Spending on curriculum should be done prayerfully, even if
you can afford it, because many items are purchased and
not used. Books can be resold, but usually for a fraction of
what has been paid for them.The LibraryThe library can save you a substantial amount of money and
offers a cornucopia of books, from non-fiction for science
and history to classic literature and biographies, as well as
other materials as varied as current events magazines,
research volumes, Shakespearean videos and tapes,
painting technique videos, homeschooling programs,
foreign language tapes, phonics tapes and computer
equipment.Christians are sometimes cautious about the library. But if
you read-aloud, you can skip over objectionable parts.
Recently I discovered that Charlotte Mason, in her book, A
Philosophy of Education, also suggested this skipping of
anything not appropriate for children. You could even skip
the book entirely. If a book that you are reading has an
anti-Biblical view, such as evolutionary theory, you can
discuss what the Bible does say. Children need to know
opposing thought to better defend the faith and become
independent thinkers.Another fine resource is the library in your home which you
can build by finding high quality old books at auctions,
garage sales, thrift stores, and library sales or right here at
http://www.easyhomeschooing.com/rare-antique-books.htm
l! We have been collected for so many years and had such
great books here at home that we eventually used our own
library more than the public library. I prefer this as it keeps
us home and saves us time.Reading AloudThe actual schooling process begins with the basics - the
skills that your children will need to use almost every day
throughout their lives. Professionals' opinions back up our
family's experiences - reading aloud gives children the best
possible start in education.An emphasis on the written word at all ages (especially
important when very young) rather than on visual
stimulation
will result in bright children. Reading aloud or reading
silently will "exercise" your child's brain as he builds hisvery
own "pictures," based on the words that are read. When
good books are read, those "pictures" will stir up proper
judgment, rational thought and result in wise children with
character. Contrariwise, with the visual, the work has been
done for them. No need to think; no growth in maturity.What if your children are not interested in hearing you read
aloud, or in reading themselves? In this case, proclaim a
fast from videos, TV and computers. Keep reading, and
before long they will develop an appetite for good books.Starting to HomeschoolIf homeschooling is started when children normally start
school (5-7), there can be an easing into routines. One
subject can be taught at a time, staying with that subject
until some measure of achievement is reached. Start with
phonics, then, none at a time, go on to reading, handwriting,
creative writing and finally basic math. This simple
technique keeps the pressure off, which in turn keeps a love
for learning alive. Moreover, there is only a minimum time
requirement. If your child is older and you are taking him or
her out of institutional schooling, there might be more time
required at first. In order to find the time for homeschooling,
you may have to make a decision to eliminate unnecessary
activities, wasted time.Teaching PhonicsAll school subjects will be built upon the mastery of reading.
Today many parents with children in public or private
schools find themselves having to re-teach reading. This
shouldn't be, as the school has the child many hours per
day to teach this basic of basics. In the schools and in the
home, the exclusive use of phonics will result in children
who can read well.There are many tools available for teaching phonics. But
most are far too expensive. You can teach phonics for free!
Mothers, tutors, and governesses have been teaching this
way for hundreds of years. Your tools are a book such as a
Bible, a paper and pencil or a black or white board. With
your choice of tool, teach the sounds of the individual letters,
starting with the short vowels. Then teach the consonants,
and finally the combinations ("sh," "ch" and so forth). Then
after your children know several letter sounds, use a simple
playground slide diagram to help them blend the sounds
into words. Write the "ch" at the top and the "at" at the
bottom. Then tell your child to make the "ch" go down the
slide and run into the "at." Go on to the long vowels. You can
also emphasized patterns in groups of words (such as
"gate," "mate," "grate" and "plate").If you want to purchase a phonics course, I suggest Simply
Phonics or Alpha-phonics.As soon as your child knows how to read a few words, he or
she needs practice. You can borrow Hop on Pop or similar
phonics based books from the library, or use a simple
phonics based reader. Don't try to use a Dick and Jane
book. These see-say books have too many sight words in
them, and will just frustrate your new reader. We used
McGuffey's, which we received as an introductory offer from
a book club. You needn't continue with reading classes until
you have completed the books. I am very much against all
the unnecessary work for both teacher and student that
some "experts" consider to be part of a well rounded
program. Such things as spelling and comprehension do
not need to be learned separately. If a child is read to,
learns to read phonetically, is read to, starts reading fluently,
is read to, and continues to read individually, he or she will
learn and learn well all the peripherals of our language.WritingWriting goes hand in hand with reading, for a winning
"language arts" program. Encourage your children to be
storytellers. If they can't yet write, write their stories down for
them. If you have a tape recorder let them record their
stories, and replay them. Have them draw a picture to go
with their story. As soon as they can write, have them write
their own stories, but don't pay any attention to errors at this
point. You don't want to discourage them! If your children
want you to spell the words for them, do it. Eventually they
will know several words. Then you can point out those that
are misspelled for them to learn. (Your student can either
write each word ten times or spell them aloud several times
to learn them.) Save all your students' papers, or at least the
best ones - they will be treasures someday!ArithmeticFor arithmetic make your own flashcards for drill. And for all
other subjects, first plan what you want to teach over the
school year. Then using the library or your own library,
read-aloud together. Have your children tell back, or write on
what you have read. We gathered for read-alouds sessions
even when our children were perfectly capable of
independent study.After all, isn't being together as a family what
homeschooling is all about?If you have been thinking and praying about homeschooling,
or if you have been feeling overwhelmed or financially
burdened by what you think you must do - or must buy - to
homeschool, I want to encourage you. Homeschooling
need not be expensive nor difficult. The public schools give
us a great example that spending does not equal quality
education. A better choice is to use simple, tried and true
techniques and reap the fruit of Godly, well-educated
children.Lorraine Curry is the author of 5 Star Easy Homeschooling
books. See and link to more articles, FREE copywork,
subscriptions, ebooks and more at
http://www.easyhomeschooling.com
Keyword : homeschooling, easy, free
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