There Is Only One Way to Lose Weight

There is really only one way to lose weight. Before I tell you what it is, let me clarify something. When people say they want to lose weight, they actually mean that they want to lose fat so as to look firm and more attractive. Let's face the truth - nobody likes to admit that they are fat. It's embarrassing. So, what is this one way to lose weight? You have to create a caloric deficit. In other words, your daily consumption of calories must be less than your daily calorie burn, period! If you eat 1800 calories and burn off 1800 calories, your weight will not budge. It is just basic math like 2 - 2 = 0. Now one pound is equal to 3500 calories, so if you want to lose one pound per week, you will have to eat 500 fewer calories per day than what you are going to work off. How are you going to do that? Well, you have three options.

1. Go on a diet, but keep your workload the same. This is the most widely selected option on the planet, and my goodness, you do have a lot of options to choose from. Sadly, the vast majority of diet plans simply do not work because your body will not allow it. After a few days, your body recognizes the reduction in calories and goes into starvation mode. It will automatically begin slowing your metabolism down to match your food intake, and it will try desperately to store as much fat as it can. Your body prefers to burn carbohydrates and to store fat. It will even start breaking down proteins which will result in a loss of lean muscle tissue. The more effective diet plans usually involve some sort of meal plan delivered to your house. These plans tend to be low in carbohydrates to force your body to burn fat. The biggest drawback to these plans is the price, which tends to run about $300 per person per month.

2. Maintain your current eating plan, but start an exercise program. While this is practiced by both sexes, it is used more frequently by younger males. You know who they are, former high school jocks that have noticed that they have developed a belly and say something like, "Man, I've gotta start workin' out!" After a few weeks they realize that they are getting stronger, but that washboard belly they had in school isn't coming back. The problem is this: they are still eating the same junk that gave them that pot belly to begin with! You can do thousands of crunches and sit-ups and not lose that belly. In fact, your belly could get bigger because you will be increasing the size of your abdominal muscles, but you won't be burning off the fat that is covering them.

3. Consume fewer calories, and start a fitness regimen. This is the plan that is recommended by nearly every health and fitness expert. It is important to note that it is not enough to merely reduce the calories and start just any workout routine. Do not go on a diet! Change your dietary lifestyle. Start eating healthy, whole foods, and stop eating processed junk. As for your exercise, forget about sit-up and crunches. Concentrate on the large muscle groups like legs, back and chest. Muscle burns calories faster than fat, and large muscles burn more calories than small muscles. Your doctor will tell you to eat right and exercise. Your health and fitness coach will tell you to eat the right foods at the proper times, and do the right exercises in the correct manner.

The choice is yours to make. You can create a caloric deficit using any one of these methods. You just have to decide what you are really trying to accomplish. Will you be happy losing weight but not fat, or would you rather burn off the fat and build a little more muscle? Have a long and healthy life!

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Homeschooling Tip - Be Prepared for Bad Days

We homeschoolers always like to talk about how great homeschooling is, but if you are new to this experience, I should warn you to be prepared for bad days. They are going to happen. Sometimes your children will be ill or just restless. Other times your own health or personal problems will get in your way. Of course, there are also days that are filled with interruptions like the telephone, an unexpected visitor or solicitor, or your community's Road and Drainage Department decides to work on your street. The cause doesn't matter. How you deal with it does. Here are some suggestions.

• Take a break! My wife could always tell when our son just wasn't interested, so she would tell him that she didn't fee like teaching at that moment. Then, she would suggest going to the park for an hour or two. After he had burned off a ton of energy he was able to come home, sit still, and do his school work. Your children might prefer a nature walk where they could try to identify different types of trees or animals. When you get home have them draw a picture of their favorite thing that they saw. At the dinner table they can describe their trip to your spouse. If you choose taking a break, it would be a good idea to make sure your children are getting some form of exercise.
• Make the day a "favorite subject" day. The entire school day becomes math day, or writing day, or even history day. This will be a kind of unschooling day where your children will determine the direction of that day's study. You will be allowing them to do what they want, as long as their activity pertains to their favorite subject. Your primary duty in this is to provide resources for them to use and encourage them to explore the different possibilities. Do not forget the television. It has stations like the History Channel, Discovery, and the Science Channel. When children are working on something they love, their nervous energy turns into focused energy, and a bad day becomes a good one.
• Have an arts day. Most children love drawing, coloring, music, dancing, and play acting. Ask them to make up a story or to select one of their favorite stories and act it out for you. Hold a talent show, and let them express themselves, either by singing, dancing, or reciting a poem. If any of your children show an aptitude for painting or drawing, ask them to try to copy a famous painting. They might surprise you! Do not criticize any attempt at creating a piece of art. This is a day for them to use their imaginations, and a good imagination will be a valuable asset when they are older and have to compete in the working world.
• Take the day off. For my family, this was a last resort because we still had a required number of days that our children had to attend classes. However, it is not that big of a problem. Remember, as homeschoolers you have all year to meet your requirements, so if you just want to take a day to do whatever, you can. Just be careful that your kids don't try to take advantage of this by misbehaving purposely to get a day off.

Hopefully, these ideas are helpful to you. You can see that a bad day can be turned into a good day. I encourage you to try them out, and I am sure that you will probably be able to come up with your own ideas. Stay positive, and enjoy your kids! They are the most precious gift you will ever get and the biggest responsibility you will ever have.

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How to Run a Youth Baseball Practice

If you are new to coaching youth baseball or have been coaching for awhile but struggle with it, here are some do's and don'ts for running a youth baseball practice session. It is not really that complicated. In fact, after reading these you will probably say, "Well that's just common sense." However, it has been my experience that more than 80% of youth baseball coaches do not use any of these suggestions.

1. Don't try to "wing" it!
Do show up with a game plan. You are dealing with kids. Remember these two things: they want to have fun, and they get bored very easily. With a good plan of action, you will be keeping them busy, they will be learning, and all of you can have some fun.

2. Don't forget about the parents.
Do ask some of the dads to help with practice sessions. Most youth baseball leagues allow you to have an assistant or two during games. That does not mean you can't have four or five during practice. Some of the dads may have played ball in high school or college. Where I live there is a good chance that they played professionally. Their help is vital to running a successful practice.

3. Don't talk down to the kids.
Do establish good communications with them. They already know that you are in charge, but they don't know what your guidelines are. Before they ever step onto the field for the first practice, establish the ground rules. Greet each of them by name, look them in the eye, shake their hand, and tell them you are happy to have them on the team. Then let them know what you expect. This should include things like showing respect for everyone else, paying attention to the coaches, and maintaining a good attitude.

4. Don't allow the activity to focus on one or two players while everybody else stands around.
Do have several different drill stations set up. Each station should have one of your assistant coaches or volunteer dads running it. Be sure that the coaches and volunteers know exactly what you want taught and that no single player is getting all of their attention. Split your players up evenly and have each group start at a different station. It is usually a good idea to separate siblings and best friends. That way they are more likely to pay attention to the coach and less likely to goof around. Allow fifteen to twenty minutes at each station and then rotate the groups to the next work area. It is also wise to have your helpers teach at different stations from one practice to another. This will give them experience at teaching the methods that you want. You will be visiting each station to check on the progress of the players, give praise to those who are working hard, and interject tips that might help a player improve.

5. Don't let a practice session run too long.
Do limit the time from one hour to ninety minutes. This time should include water breaks and progress breaks. Progress breaks are short periods when you call everyone together, have them take a knee, and tell them about the good things that you noticed them doing in their drills. You can also address any issues that you might have seen, but be careful not to single anybody out. That should be done on a one to one basis.

6. Don't embarrass a player in front of his friends.Do not yell at him nor demean him in any way.
Do have a talk with a player who misbehaves. Calmly let him know that you are disappointed in his behavior, but that you are confident that he is able to do better. I am talking strictly about misbehavior here. If a player merely makes a mistake there is nothing for you to be disappointed about. You just have to give him a little more time to develop his skills. Always provide encouragement to a player, even if you think he will never improve. I have seen amazing things happen to kids after they have gone through puberty.

7. Don't end practice on a sour note.
Do ask your players what they liked about practice and what they did not like. Ask them if they had fun. If they didn't, find out why. Remember, youth baseball is a game. The kids just want to have fun. You should also remember to thank the players for showing up on time, paying attention, and putting forth their best efforts.

As I said earlier, this is pretty easy when you think about it. After a few seasons it will seem natural to you. Just establish a plan of action, line up your volunteers, and go do it. Have fun!

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Teaching Mechanics in Youth Baseball - Is It Important?

Next to having fun, teaching mechanics is the most important thing a coach can do for his youth baseball players. Some of you dads who are coaching only because nobody else volunteered, might be wondering just what in the world does mechanics have to do with baseball. The answer is...Everything! Mechanics simply means the correct form and movements required to properly hit, throw, or field a baseball. It also applies to running the bases. Watching Major League ballplayers can give you the impression that there is no one way that is considered proper. Every batter seems to set up differently and go through all kinds of unusual gyrations, each pitcher has his own style of wind up, and infielders throw from every conceivable angle. Remember, they are professionals who are perfectly grounded in the fundamentals, and at the point of attack their bodies are in the proper position. The only exception to this is when an infielder has to perform some miraculous feat of athleticism in order to make a play. Also, bear in mind that they get paid a lot of money to do this. That being said, here are some reasons for teaching mechanics in youth baseball.

1. You want to avoid injuries, especially when you are working with kids. Sore arms, particularly elbows, are one of the most frequent problems in baseball. This is usually caused by the player starting the throw with his body before his arm is in the right position. Consequently, he has to drop his elbow in order for the arm to catch up with the body, resulting in his hand getting under the ball and putting a twisting motion on the elbow. If this is done repeatedly, the player will be complaining about a sore arm by the middle of the season. Hitters develop problems with their wrists from an improper grip. They can also hurt their backs with a crazy swing and lack of balance. I mentioned running the bases earlier. I can't tell you the number of times I have seen broken legs or sprained ankles caused by hitting the base wrong or sliding improperly. Most of these injuries can be avoided through the use of good mechanics.

2. Everybody likes to be a winner. Kids are no exception. Yet, I never coach winning or losing. I don't have to. My teams win more than they lose because I concentrate on mechanics. By learning proper skills, my players make more accurate throws, get more hits, and commit fewer errors from mishandling the ball. Don't get me wrong, they are definitely not perfect. They are still growing and can be quite uncoordinated, but they are learning how things should be done. One thing that helps is lots of praise from the coach when they show improvement. I should probably point out that your players will not be as devastated by a loss as you and their parents will be. Remember, they are there to have fun. However, they also want to learn how to get better, and they will improve if you teach them proper mechanics.

3. As a youth coach, one of your major responsibilities is to get your players ready to compete at the next level, like moving from Little League to Babe Ruth. We lose a lot of young ballplayers at this stage every year for a variety of reasons. Some haven't gone through puberty yet and cannot handle the larger field. Others discover girls or different activities that stimulate their interests more than baseball. But sadly, a large percentage leave the game because they can no longer compete with the other players. They were never taught proper mechanics. The throws are longer so they have to throw harder and, as a result, get a sore arm. The pitchers are faster and they can't get the bat around fast enough to hit the ball. They get discouraged, and they quit. You can help prevent that by teaching them the appropriate skills now. I have seen Little League all-stars fade into oblivion on the bigger field because nobody gave them the correct coaching. They made the all-star team on natural skills that weren't enough for the tougher competition that they faced at the next level.

As you can see, these are some very important reasons to teach mechanics in youth baseball. Some side benefits for your players are that, without mentioning it to them, you have shown them that success can come with proper execution. They are also learning that hard work has its benefits. This goes for you too, coach. Are you prepared to work hard, also? Do you know what the proper mechanics are for baseball? Don't worry, there are many websites devoted to teaching mechanics. Look for sites that talk about the power triangle, and avoid sites that emphasize pushing off the rubber with the back foot. This is something that a pitcher does, but it should not be taught that way, especially to still developing children. Now, go have fun with your kids!

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Coaching Youth Sports - Tips for Well Intentioned Dads

Well Dad you have volunteered/been nominated to coach your child's baseball team. You are excited about it but have no idea just what coaching youth sports entails. Don't worry, you are not alone. There is a lot to it, but with proper planning and expectations you should be fine. Here are some things I have learned in twenty years as a player and another twenty years as a youth coach.

1. First and foremost remember that these are kids, not professional athletes. They play sports to have fun! While some of them may dream about becoming a pro, sadly, most of them will drop out of sports when they hit their teen years. Your responsibility is to help them enjoy their youth right now and learn enough to move up to another level of play.

2. Do not forget the parents! Keep them informed and involved. Let them know what you expect from them and what they can expect from you. Punctuality is very important. It's hard to play if the kids aren't there. Ask them for help with practice, but be sure they understand that their assistance does not make them one of the team coaches. Kids are very much aware of their parents' presence during a game, so it is a good idea to ask Mom and Dad to keep their tempers in check and not yell at officials. As adults, you and they are to be good role models. I have had to remind a couple of fathers that they were there to support their children, not act like them.

3. At your first meeting with the parents and players inform them you will not be coaching winning or losing! The kids already understand those concepts, and quite frankly they are not really all that concerned about them. Sure they want to win, but you will find that five minutes after a loss they will be playing a game of cup-ball or pickle with kids from the team that just beat them 10 - 0, and they will be having a ball!

4. Your primary responsibility in coaching youth sports is to prepare your players for the next level. The bulk of your teaching will be to help them learn the proper mechanics to develop the skills it takes to play the game. I coached an AAU baseball team of fourteen year olds. Of the forty boys that came to tryouts, less than nine had been taught to throw properly. If you do not know the mechanics yourself, you can find a plethora of websites that will teach you what you need to know. Look for sites that talk about the power triangle of hitting and throwing. Avoid sites that teach about pushing off with the back foot, unless you want a team of players with sore elbows. Also, some of the parents may be knowledgeable of good fundamental skills. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

5. Be fair to all of your players. You cannot show preferential treatment. Some kids will develop faster than others and perform better, but you must not treat them better. By all means, compliment them on their performance, but you should also compliment any other player for his efforts and successes, regardless of how small that success might be. I once had a player who always struck out. One game he grounded out to the second baseman. I praised him for making contact with the ball, and recommended to his parents that he deserved an ice cream cone.

This is far from being a complete list of things to know about coaching youth sports, but it should give you an idea of how and where to start. With a little bit of work and a whole lot of enthusiasm you should do well. Enjoy the experience, and above all, have fun with the kids!

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Homeschooling Tip - Include Life Skills in the Curriculum

If you are a homeschooling parent designing a curriculum for your children, please remember to include life skills as one of their courses. I have met some brilliant individuals with multiple college degrees that did not know how to cook or do laundry. They could solve very complex mathematical problems, but did not know how to prepare a household budget. You do want your children to be prepared for living on their own, don't you? Here is a list of some of the things they should know and be able to do. Some of these are mental skills, and some are physical.

1. Taking responsibility. I put this first because it is one of the least taught ideas in the world. Far too many people have never learned the concept that their actions will always have consequences, whether good or bad. They readily accept the good, but when smacked in the face by bad consequences, they start making excuses which is basically blaming someone else. People who cannot take responsibility for themselves seldom develop the self-discipline it takes to live a stable life. Quite often they wind up living fearful and resentful lives.

2. Doing difficult things. This ties in with taking responsibility, but is somewhat different. It involves teaching your children to step out of their comfort zones to learn something new. As a society we place higher expectations on our babies than our teenagers. We expect them to learn how to crawl, walk, talk, use eating utensils, and use a toilet. What do we expect from our teens? Sadly, not much. I have found that when we do place high expectations on teens, they will rise to the challenge. If they do not know how to do something, but also know that you expect them to do it anyway, they will take that step needed to learn how to get the job done. This also teaches them how to earn respect and to develop self-esteem.

3. Cleanliness.This is basic. Start with making their beds every morning and putting their toys away when they are done playing with them. Insist that they put dirty clothes in the hamper - not on the floor. As they grow include them in the housework. They can dust and vacuum just as well as you. Do not allow them to dirty a dish or glass and just leave it on the counter until after dinner. It takes very little time to rinse it and put it in the dishwasher, or better yet, wash it and put it in the cupboard. Cleanliness should be a habit, but it won't be if you do not insist on it.

4. Cooking. I think this is self-explanatory. We included this in 5th grade history. We required our kids to make a Thanksgiving dinner. My wife sat at the table and gave instructions, but they had to do the actual preparation and cooking. My son is now 25 and does the lion's share of the cooking at his house. His wife is not complaining. My daughter doesn't really like to cook, but she can, and that is what we were striving to achieve.

5. Laundry. How many times have you seen college kids bring a duffel bag full of dirty clothes home for Mom to wash? This happens entirely too often, and there is no excuse for it. Please each your children how to do their own laundry. An 18 year old is an adult and should be able to handle a simple task like washing clothes. Have you ever taken a load of clothes out of the machine and found a button lying in the bottom of the washer? Well, they also need to learn how to sew one of those back on the shirt from which it fell.

6. Car Maintenance. I am not talking about being a mechanic. Any person who drives a car should know how to check the air pressure in the tires and change a flat one. They need to know how to check the oil and how often to have it changed. This applies to girls as well as boys. Routine maintenance on their cars should not be left up to Dad.

7. Finances. Money, geld, the long green - whatever you want to call it, your children need to know how to do more than just spend it. Make this a part of their math classes. Teach them how to balance a check book. Explain to them how your family budget works. Where does the money come from, and how is it being spent. Is there a savings plan and an emergency fund. How do credit cards work? How are they different from bank loans? Don't forget about all of the different types of insurance. What kind will they need, and what type to avoid. Lastly, let them know that taxes are inevitable and not likely to go away. This is a good time to teach them about buying what they need, and not necessarily what the want. Maybe they will decide they don't really have to have designer clothes afterall.

There are so many life skills that we learn during our lives, and we don't even realize we are learning them. By incorporating some of these into your homeschooling curriculum, you will be ensuring that your children will be more prepared to leave home than many of their peers. They will thank you for it. My kids do.

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Homeschooling Tip - Establish Goals

Before you actually begin homeschooling your children, you need to establish some goals. These will be long range goals. I like to save short term goals until after I have a better idea of my child's interests. What do you want your children's lives to be like. The most obvious goal will be academic. As a parent, however, you should also set goals concerning their relationships and their life skills.

Academic long term goals should concern skills. Of course reading, writing, and arithmetic are core skills to be mastered, but please do not forget learning how to learn, critical thinking, analysis, reasoning, and forensics (the art or study of argumentation and debate). Unless a student in public school is taking advanced placement classes, he is not even being exposed to these concepts, let alone receiving instruction in them. Teach your children to read between the lines and ask questions like the following:

• What is the author's background?
• Where did he get his information?
• Who funded that research?
• Why is this information important?
• For whom was this written?

Having proficiency in these areas will serve your children well. It is far less likely that they will be as gullible as the general populace. They will be able to make wise decisions. As they are growing and learning, they will start to display preferences for different subjects. When you observe that happening, you can set shorter term goals for their advancement in those courses.

Goals for relationships are varied and can encompass spirituality, intra-personal, inter-personal, and the environment. I'm sure you can probably think of others, or you may want to skip some of these. For spirituality, you will want them to know your beliefs and why you believe what you do. Ultimately, they will choose as they please, but you will have done your part to give them a good foundation. Intra-personal refers to how they feel about themselves. Are they at peace within their own minds? Inter-personal is how well they relate to others. Are they able to show respect for the people around them without allowing themselves to be walked on? Are they helpful and courteous? Do they display good manners? As for their environmental relationship, are they good stewards of our natural resources. Can they appreciate the beauty of the world around them?

We cannot omit life skills. It seems that I meet young adults on a daily basis who do not know how to cook, sew on a button, or balance their checkbooks. How can one manage a budget if he can't balance his checking account? Everyone should be proficient in these skills. They should also understand good grooming, housekeeping, and car care. It is not a bad idea for you to include some type of lifesaving training in your children's skill sets.

I hope you can see the value of setting these goals. You will have your own ideas, I'm sure. My purpose here is to make you aware of the process. You might even want to have your children help with the goal setting. They could surprise you.

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Homeschooling Tip - Be Flexible

One of the greatest advantages of homeschooling your children is the freedom you have to try different things. However, sometimes new homeschoolers are too rigid, and they attempt to operate as if they were in a regular school system. I urge you to take advantage of this freedom and be flexible. Here are three areas to experiment with: time, setting, and what I like to call basics plus.

Since you are teaching from home, you have every day for an entire year to have school. You are not restricted to a set time Monday through Friday for thirty-six weeks. Your state can tell you that your children have to be in school a certain number of days each year, but they cannot tell which days those are. If, like me, you live in the South and want the kids to experience New England in the fall, you can schedule a vacation for October in Vermont. Not only will it be enjoyable for all of you, but it will also be educational. The time of day for schooling can also be varied. Have you ever tried to schedule a doctor appointment for a time when school was not in session? You can now! How about that borderline ADHD seven-year- old who cannot sit still for long hours? Take a break and go to the park for an hour. We did with our son. Use your time in ways that suit your family's needs and desires.

Another area where you have great flexibility is in your setting. School does not always have to be around the dining room table. Field trips are fun and give your children ample opportunity to learn something new. You don't even have to leave home. You can teach a class in your backyard. It is an excellent setting for a nature class. If you have a garden, it's even better. They can help you with planting and weeding. Learning how to work is something worthwhile. Just use your imagination. I am sure that you can think of hundreds of ideas for helping your children learn without spending all of your time in a formal setting.

We all know that we have to teach our kids the basic core classes, like reading, grammar, math, history, and science. The advantage of being a homeschooler is that you can teach so much more than just the basics. Schools are not allowed to teach morality, but you are. They don't have the time or money to teach life skills. You can let your children sit with you and watch you pay the bills while you teach them about fiscal responsibility. One of my children's history lessons required them to cook an entire Thanksgiving dinner. That was during fourth grade for my son and sixth grade for my daughter. That brings up another point of flexibility: no two kids are exactly alike. You can teach them at their own pace. When my son, Seamus, finished his lessons, he always said, "I'm done. Can I go play?" Little sis, Jenna, asked, "Can I go on?" Consequently, she did the first four grades in two years. She isn't any smarter than her brother, but she had a different attitude towards learning. It also helped that she was allowed to play quietly in the same room where he was being taught. She could read and write at the age of three because she was listening and watching us teach him. Once a child learns to read and write, your teaching time is freed up to explore other subjects.

You have a wonderful and exciting opportunity to do so much more for your children with homeschooling. Do not be afraid to take chances. Be flexible with your time. Change your classroom settings. And by all means, add topics to your children's curriculum. They will be better off for it.

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Homeschooling Tip - Know Your Child's Learning Style

If you want to be an effective homeschooler, you must know your child's learning style. What is her preferred method for grasping information? Most people use a combination of styles, but have a decided predilection for one.There are three basic learning styles: auditory, visual, and kinesthetic or physical. Adjusting your style of teaching to her style of learning will greatly enhance the homeschooling experience for both of you. So, let's explore these styles.

An auditory learner is one who learns best by hearing. She does well in a lecture class or by listening to audio books. It is not unusual to hear her repeating something out loud when she is trying to memorize the information. This type of learner is usually good at linguistics. She picks up foreign languages easily, and when speaking with people who have accents, she may subconsciously begin speaking with that accent. My wife has to warn our foreign friends that my daughter and I are not trying to mimic them. We can't help ourselves. Some auditory learners insist on having music in the background while they are studying. It helps them focus. Ironically, others demand complete quiet. Any sound that does not pertain to what they are studying is a distraction. Does your child frequently break out in song? Does she make up a melody in order to memorize a poem? When the light bulb turns on in her head, does she say, "I hear what you mean."? If so, she is probably an auditory learner.

A visual leaner is easier to recognize. She prefers reading over being read to. You will often find her drawing or coloring. List making and doodling are common pastimes. It will take her awhile to understand a lecture, so putting an outline or notes on the board would be a great help to her. Try to avoid oral testing. She will do better with writing essays or drawing maps. She will be a meticulous note taker. Her notes will be complete with underlining, color coding, charts, and diagrams. Do not be surprised when you discover her fashion consciousness. This applies to boys, too. If you have more than one child, the quiet one is more likely to be a visual learner. Her light bulb response would be, "I see where you are coming from."

Kinesthetic learning, or learning by doing, is the most prominent style found in young children. This is due in part to their lack of development. As your children grow, the one that cannot sit still is the kinesthetic learner. She has to experience things, and will be bored to death by lectures. She will be your athletic child, always on the go. Spelling and handwriting - forget about it. Give her a nice lab course any day. She will prefer adventure books and movies over the classics. Having her build a diorama depicting a scene from a book will benefit her more that writing a book report. Field trips are one of your best tools for teaching your kinesthetic learner. Most importantly, allow her to move around, and give her breaks throughout the day. With our son, we would occasionally stop lessons and go to the park for an hour to let him burn off some of his neverending energy. Light bulb moment: "I'm getting a handle on this subject."

It is easy to see the usefulness of adapting your teaching to the child's style of learning. To not do so would result in a long, difficult, and frustrating school year. You will actually find it refreshing to be able to use different teaching methods for each of your children. It will eliminate monotony. Have fun, and enjoy your kids!

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Homeschooling Tip - Do Your Research

Before you begin homeschooling your children, there is one very important step to take. You must do your research. I recommend three critical areas that you need to examine: your state's homeschooling laws, the curriculum you are going to use, and the amount of expenditure you can afford.

Every state has its own laws for homeschooling. Some are fairly lenient, while others can be rather restrictive. All of them have established rules concerning compulsory ages, required number of days for attendance, required subjects, teacher qualifications, and standardized testing or evaluations. Here in Florida, for example, I don't have to be a certified teacher to homeschool K-12, but my friend in Tennessee had to stop homeschooling after the 8th grade because the state required certification to teach high school. While Florida technically does not have any required subjects, we did discover that they wanted every student to take a course in the history of Florida. When it comes to standardized testing or evaluations, we have several options here. We found a certified teacher who works strictly with homeschoolers. She does an evaluation half way through the school year, and administers the Stanford Achievement Test at the end of the school year. You can discover your state's laws at the website of the Home School Legal Defense Association.

Most of your research will be concerned with choosing a curriculum. You are going to want one that fits your family's needs and your lifestyle, but it must also fit your child's learning style. Talk to other homeschoolers in your area to find out what they are using. Go to homeschool curriculum fairs to see the many different varieties that are available. Look online to get descriptions of the different curricula. I suggest you check out both traditional and non-traditional courses. My wife and I used a mostly traditional approach, however, we often added to it. For example: when we discovered that our son had a particularly strong interest in the history of WWII, we backed off from teaching and switched to un-schooling, a method of student led education. This allowed him to pursue the subject to his heart's content. Our only involvement was to lead him to new sources of information.

In your research, you may have some sticker shock. Homeschooling can get very expensive if you let it, but that does not have to be the case. You will have to decide what you can afford and what you are willing to spend. If you need to cut costs, I have some suggestions. Make use of your local library whenever possible. Go online to look for sites that carry discounted homeschool books or used books. There are also sites that offer free homeschool resources. Let your child help in this search. You will be giving him a lesson in fiscal responsibility. He may need that later on in life.

As you can see, there is a little bit of homework involved, but if you do your research, everything should be fine.Please do not try to bypass this step. Remember, you do not want the state coming after you, the wrong curriculum could delay your child's progress, and you could easily put your budget in the red. A little well spent time now will save you from a lot of headaches later. Happy homeschooling!

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Homeschool Tip: Relax - You Made the Right Decision

When you are just beginning to homeschool you are probably going to be a little nervous. You might know why you have made the decision, but then doubt creeps in, and you start to second guess yourself. Well, I am here to tell you to relax because you have made the right decision!

Listen while I explain to you about the three "nobodies" and your child. First, nobody cares about your child as much as you. Second, nobody knows as much about your child as you. Finally, nobody will give your child as much attention as you. As a parent, you want what is best for your child. No matter how good your school district is, they have to tailor their programs for the majority of the children. With somewhere between twenty and forty students in a class, that does not leave a teacher much time to focus on your child, regardless of how good that teacher may be. Are you beginning to feel somewhat less anxious?

Here is some more good news.You are in control. You get to pick the curriculum, which means you can decide whether or not to keep subjects like music and art which are being dropped for financial reasons in many public schools. Keeping your family values intact will not be a problem either. Isn't it nice to know that you can include lessons in morality? A teacher in the public school system could lose their job for doing that! If your child has a special interest in a particular subject, you can grant him extra time to explore it further. You are not locked into a specific time frame. Is this sounding better all the time? Wait, there's more.

There is also the "fun factor" for both you and your child. Do you remember the joy you felt the first time he rolled over as a baby, his first word, or when he took his first step? I promise you will feel that same kind of joy when he learns to read. You will be thrilled when he learns to express his thoughts and ideas on paper. You are also going to be happy with yourself knowing that you are the one that helped him get to that point. I did say the fun factor for you and your child. I have never met anyone who was not happy about learning something new, and I never met a child who did not enjoy spending extra time with a loving parent. In my own case, I had a career that kept me extremely busy. One day I woke up and realized that my children were growing too fast, and I was missing out on it. I chose to tender my resignation to be able to help with their schooling and spend more time with them. What a tremendous decision that turned out to be! Today we have a very close relationship, and neither of my kids is afraid to come to me with a problem. Mind you, we taught them to think for themselves, and they do not always take my advice, but they like that I give them different ideas about courses of action for them to take. I think that you will find a similar closeness with your child. What could be more fun than that?

As I said before, you have made the right decision. This is your child, and you want only the best for him. So relax, have some fun, enjoy your time together, and be prepared for the time of your life. Who knows, you might even find that your child isn't the only one getting an education.

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Seven Tips for New Homeschoolers

If you are a new homeschooler you might be feeling a little anxious right now. You are probably full of questions. Am I capable of doing this? Will I be helping or hindering my child's development? Can I get help if I need it? How do I set up a classroom in the house? Here are seven tips to help ease your mind.

1. Relax. You have made a good choice. No school or teacher knows or cares as much about your child as you do. The individual attention your homeschooled child receives cannot be matched by any classroom anywhere. You get to choose a curriculum based not only on academics, but also on your family values. You are going to have fun with this.

2. Do a little research. Find out what other homeschoolers are doing. What type of curriculum are they using, and did they put it together themselves or purchase it from a supplier? You will also want to look for any homeschool groups in your area. These groups are great for socializing and for finding people who are excellent in subjects that you are weak in.

3. Discover your child's learning style. There are three primary styles: aural, visual, and kinesthetic or action based. Younger children tend to be kinesthetic learners. They learn best by doing, but as they get older they may change. Knowing their learning styles will enable you to tailor your teaching style to their needs.

4. Be flexible. You might want to devote an entire day to a field trip at a nature park. Afterward, have your child write a paper about the trip or draw some pictures of different plants or animals living in the park. At the dinner table encourage your child to describe their day to your spouse. Not every day has to be the same old routine.

5. Try to establish both long and short term goals. Personally, I save this until after I have an idea of what my child's interests are. You should not set a goal of receiving a medical degree for child who is primarily interested in music and art.

6. Be prepared for bad days. They are going to happen, but they do not have to be disastrous. You might notice a lack of attention or an unusual amount of fidgeting or daydreaming. Rather than scolding your child, you might try saying something like this, "Mommy doesn't really feel like doing school right now. Why don't we go to the park for a little bit. We can do this after we come home." It works really well!

7. Include life skills in your curriculum. Teach them how to balance a checkbook, cook, do laundry, and how to shop for needs before desires. Remember, someday they are going to leave home. You do want them to be able to care for themselves. I know that my daughter-in-law loves that my son knows how to cook and enjoys doing it.

I hope you found these tips to be helpful. We used them with our children and both of them are quick to tell others that they were homeschooled. They loved the whole experience, especially when they discovered they were learning more than their friends. Enjoy the time with your children, and don't be surprised when you discover that you are learning, too.

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The Problem With Public School - Putting the Cart Before the Horse

What is the purpose of going to school? Most people would respond with something along the lines of getting a good education so you can become a responsible adult who works and contributes to society. While there is nothing wrong with that result, is it really the main reason to go to school? What about learning how to learn, critical thinking, analyzing and forensics (the art or study of argumentation and formal debate)? Our schools do not focus on these skills! Their focus is on the end result. Why? Would you build a house without first building the foundation? Of course you wouldn't! We commonly refer to that as "putting the cart before the horse." Here are some examples of this problem.

The most common approach to teaching children to read today is the "see and say" method. This actually isn't reading at all. It is memorizing that a certain group of letters arranged in a certain order is this particular word. The children are not taught that letters represent sounds, so it would be pointless to ask them to try to sound out a new word. They are expected to guess what a word might be! What frequently happens is the child says nothing because he doesn't want to look foolish in front of his friends. After a few seconds of silence the teacher tells him what the word is. What the child actually learns is that, if he waits long enough, someone else will give him the answer. This system was developed because some genius (I'm being facetious) observed that adults read too quickly to be sounding out the words. Obviously, they were reading by whole word recognition. Our genius then waged a campaign to teach every child to read using the whole word method. I guess it was too much to consider that an adult might have already read thousands of books, magazines and newspapers. Do you suppose he might have seen enough written words to recognize most of them on sight, thus eliminating the need to sound them out? Reading is an aural exercise. Why are our schools not teaching the forty-four sounds of our language first, followed by the letter combinations that make up those sounds, and finally the seventy-two rules that govern reading? A common argument against this method of teaching is that our language has too many words that do not follow the rules. The truth is that the rules apply to approximately 85% of our words. The average first grade student has a vocabulary of about 20,000 words. Would you prefer that your child enter second grade being able to read 17,000 of those words or only the 850 words contained in most first year reading text books? The whole word guessing game simply does not work! We cannot teach results. There is a natural progression from basic skills to experienced practitioner. It is no wonder that so many children have no interest in reading.

Writing is barely even talked about in our schools anymore. The common thinking is that with today's technology, it isn't important. Our computers can check our spelling and grammar. Wood ewe bee happy two sea you're sun right this way? Spell check doesn't have a problem with the previous sentence. The fact is writing goes hand in hand with reading. The two subjects should be taught together. The act of writing words that one is learning to read helps reinforce the rules that he is being taught. As for using computers, I am not a big fan. I know that children need to become competent at using them, but I think it is better to first learn how to read and write. A young friend of mine grew up using his computer for everything. His computer skills and his understanding of math are incredible.However, he does not read. Consequently, his working vocabulary and his overall vocabulary are virtually identical, and he struggles with effective communication. When he has to write papers for his college courses, he needs to have someone else proofread them and make suggestions on better ways to express his thoughts and ideas. I find that very sad. Our school system failed him.

Let's look at arithmetic. When I was in seventh grade my math class was part of the test group for a new program called Modern Math. The tracking system was still in use at that time, so everyone in the class was an "A" or "B" student. This class was a breeze for us. After two years with remarkable results the experts declared the program was a success. Then, in typical fashion, they put the cart before the horse and started teaching the new math to first graders. The class was easy for my class because we didn't have to learn basic arithmetic. We already knew it. Why would you try to teach set theory or different base number systems to a child who barely knows how to count to a hundred. Children must be taught basic arithmetic first, without calculators or computers! Most people will not use advanced math in their careers, but everyone uses basic arithmetic on a daily basis. They should not have to stop and think that 6 x 8 = 48. It should be an automatic response, but it won't be if our schools do not cease their current practices.

These are merely the three most basic skills that our public school system is not teaching properly. Without these skills how can our children learn anything more advanced? Where are they going to find the information they need to make intelligent choices. How can they learn to think critically or to analyze data. Will they be able debate the different sides to any given issue? Will they even understand the concept and the consequences of "putting the cart before the horse"?

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About Mike Bryan aka:Mickey B

My name is Mike Bryan, and no, I am not the famous artist nor one half of the famous tennis playing duo that will pop up on your screen if you Google my name. I recently celebrated my 28th wedding anniversary with my lovely wife, Pen. We are proud of the longevity of our marriage and of our two children, neither of which can be considered a child anymore.

I created this blog because I like to write, I like to teach, and I like to share my opinion on various topics, goods, and services with which I am familiar. Two of my favorite subjects are education and coaching youth sports. It was in the area of sports where I acquired the nickname of "Mickey B." I played baseball for 20 years and always wore the number seven, which was made famous by Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle. One of the umpires that worked many of our games started calling me Mickey and the name stuck.

I hope you enjoy what you read here. Feel free to comment, but please keep it clean, even if you think I'm an idiot.

Thanks,
Mike