Homeschool Basics – Tips and Helps for Homeschool Families

Classroom Help, Informative, Organization, Preparing for College, Preschoolers, Single Parents, Special Needs

Written by Jolanthe
http://www.homeschoolcreations.net/homeschool-basics/

Homeschool Basics - tips and helps to homeschool your child

“I want to homeschool, but where do I start?”

This question and many others from parents considering homeschooling show up in my inbox each week and this series began in hopes of helping answer them. While I don’t claim to have all of the answers to the questions, I hope to give some direction to helpful resources available and a little more of a peek at how things are in our homeschool time.

If you are thinking about homeschooling, this series may be a help to you as you begin – or an encouragement to you as you continue your homeschool adventure. Posts are still in the works for several topics, but those completed are linked below.

Ready to start? (more…)

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Play Your Way Through Learning

Classroom Help, Informative, Just For Fun, Special Needs

Published with Permission
Written by Jan May
www.newmillenniumgirlbooks.com
www.TOSMagazine.com

As homeschool parents, we look for creative ways that make learning fun for our children without sacrificing quality education. A child who can participate in all three learning styles: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic, has a distinct advantage. Most educators agree that a higher percentage of learning occurs when there is interaction. A great way to incorporate all three learning styles into your lesson plans is by using puzzles and games.

Puzzles and games are not just fun; they are educational too, right? Actually they are. Some day little Noah may use these skills to become a burgeoning astronaut and here’s why: Experts are saying puzzles are powerful.

According to Istar Schwager, Ph.D., an educational psychologist and Consulting Editor of HighlightsParents.com (www.HighlightsParents.com) there is strong connection between brain development and the problem-solving skills used to solve puzzles.1 Problem solving requires two types of mental skill: analytical and creative. Analytical skills include ordering, comparing, contrasting, evaluating, and selecting. Creative thinking uses the imagination to step outside of the box of logical answers to find a larger range of solutions. Children need to develop both. (more…)

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The Importance of Early Language Learning for Baby

Classroom Help, Informative, Preschoolers, Special Needs

Published with Permission
Written by Marsha Peterson
www.TOSMagazine.com
www.TalkingWithBaby.com

Babies enter this world with great curiosity and a willingness to learn. The first three years of life, and some may say the first eight years of life, will be the most important learning time for your baby. During this time baby pathway connections in his brain are being developed as he makes sense of things in his world. Reading to your baby and teaching him sign language are two ways to boost your baby’s language development.

In a July 2006 issue of WebMD, Jennifer Warner states that it is never too early to read to your children. Researchers from the study found children in low-income families had better language comprehension and cognitive development if their mothers read to them at an early age.1 ReadToYourBaby.com is a website dedicated to helping families with reading. In their experience, “Children who have had books in their lives between birth and five will become the future highest achievers with a lifelong love of learning.”2 (more…)

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