Although homeschooling is gaining in popularity, many parents are a little nervous about finding resources for their kids. Parents are excited about being a real family and still having time to spend with their families, all while imparting personal knowledge on their kids. You can find plenty of resources and spend time with your kids without worrying. Here are some great places to start:
Bookstores or Magazine Stores
My personal favorite is your local bookstore or magazine store. At a bookstore, you can buy books for your own curriculum or for the school's curriculum. In magazines, they will have a plethora of choices from different companies' curricula and you will not have to search so much in the bookstore.
Internet
Another easy choice is the internet. There are several free choices there, but you might spend a lot of time searching. Ask friends that are homeschooling if they have any preferences or tips when searching the internet. You can also look at popular search engines.
Your Public Library
Your local library not only has books, but also has videos, books on tape and references! You can use computer software and book discussions at the library. You can find lots of educational videos that can relate to any topic and the computers there are completely free. You can use book discussions to help your child with his or her reading comprehension.
Other Homeschoolers
If you have not already joined a homeschooling organization, you should do that immediately. Then, use your contacts to help you find new sources of information to instruct your children. There is no substitute for experience, and these veterans can give you a ton of information! They might even share resources or used books that they have! These tried and true lessons will save you countless hours of research and tons of money.
Museums
Museums are underused in most cities. If you have a "free day" at your museum, this is a free resource to you. You can also use the exhibits to teach your children "living" history or art! If you can find a museum where there is a tour, that is even better, as your children enjoy hearing a new voice or point of view. The tour guide can usually tailor it to your children's age group or learning styles.
Your Own Home
Have you thought of your kitchen as a classroom? When you bake, you are measuring...which is a math lesson. Baking is an important lesson in economy and patience. Also, word problems can follow a cooking lesson, giving you a teachable moment that is hard to duplicate.
Garden or Yard
In your garden, you can teach your kids to plant seeds. You can take any play activity and teach something with it. Do your kids like to play with chalk? Can you teach them science with the chalk? What about weathering? What happens with time when you leave the chalk on the cement. Your imagination is your boundary with common everyday household items.
Finding homeschooling resources does not have to make you nervous. Do not let it stop you from following your dreams of homeschooling your own children. You can be a more tight knit family and teach your own values for little money with your imagination!
Herman Sunday loves to teach about home schooling. To get a free private access to his videos, visit his blog at http://www.hermansunday.com.
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