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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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.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_A_Bryan