Everything Homeschooling

"How Children Learn" – "Love lies at the heart of all true learning"

2012-01-11T12:16:00.000-05:00

"Love lies at the heart of all true learning."

I recently reread How Children Learn by John Holt, an early advocate of education reform and learning at home.

The last paragraph, in the last chapter, continues to echo through my mind. It states:

“Gears, twigs, leaves, little children love the world. That is why they are so good at learning about it. For it is love, not tricks and techniques of thought, that lies at the heart of all true learning.”

That bears repeating and digesting: “It is love that lies at the heart of all true learning.” Not tricks, as John Holt pointed out. Not techniques. But love.

"Curiosity grows by what it feeds on."

Earlier in this book, Mr. Holt states:

“People have often said to me, nervously or angrily, that if we let children learn what they want to know, they will become narrow specialists, nutty experts in baseball batting averages and such trivia. Not so.”

He goes on to explain that healthy children, still curious and unafraid, are not boxed in by their learning.

Rather, their learning:

“… leads them out into life in many directions. Each new thing they learn makes them aware of other new things to be learned. Their curiosity grows by what it feeds on. Our task is to keep their curiosity well supplied with food.”

"Keep their curiosity well supplied with good food."

I believe that all of us who have homeschooled our children know exactly what John Holt means. We have seen it with our own eyes, in our own children, in our own homes.

“Keeping their curiosity well supplied with food doesn’t mean feeding them, or telling them what they have to feed themselves. It means putting within their reach the widest possible variety and quantity of good food,” explains Mr. Holt.

When we provide encouragement and guidance, plus an interesting environment filled with a wide variety of topics and ideas to explore – along with the time and flexibility to follow those interests – there’s no stopping a child or the learning that will result. Because “their curiosity grows by what it feeds on. Our task is to keep their curiosity well supplied with good food.”

Happy homeschooling from www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Learn about Microscopes, World Geography, Electrifying Facts, Self-Education, and more

2012-01-10T21:57:00.000-05:00

This week at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com, learn about:

- Microscopes
- World geography
- Electrifying facts
- Green living
- Self-education
- Famous authors
- Math and literature
- History and literacy
- Science experiments
- Art and music
- Life skills
- And much more!

Start with our Home page at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Activities, Winter Crafts, and More!

2011-12-15T09:56:00.000-05:00

Start learning and having fun now with:

* Christmas Lesson Plans
* Christmas Unit Study Ideas
* Christmas Craft Ideas
* Facts about Christmas
* Origins of Christmas
* Facts about Snowflakes
* Making Snowflakes
* Creating 3D Snowflakes
* Making a Snow Globe
* Visiting a Christmas Tree Farm
* Facts about the North Pole and Arctic Circle
* Facts about Polar Bears and Penguins
* Singing 100s of Christmas Carols
* Writing Fun, Winter Crafts, and much more!

Enjoy our Free Winter and Christmas Activities at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Happy homeschooling!

Thanksgiving Activities for Kids

2011-11-21T12:45:00.000-05:00

Learn about the "First Thanksgiving" and Thanksgiving traditions this week, in the Free Homeschool Activities at: www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Enjoy the Thanksgiving activities, crafts, and games, too.

Have fun with the cooking activities, which help to enhance skills across the curriculum.

At www.EverythingHomeschooling.com, click any of the Monday - Friday links and enjoy the learning!

Happy Thanksgiving to All, from the Editors at EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Weekly Homeschool Lessons: Week 3 Overview

2011-09-12T12:28:00.000-04:00

Week 3 at "Everything Homeschooling"

For 36 Weeks of Weekly Lessons for Grades K through 12, visit our Everything Homeschooling website weekly at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Overview of Week 3

* Language Arts:

- Learning about, and discussing, the many different types of literature, drama, and poetry.
- Read the excerpts and examples of the different types of literature and poetry.
- See and read the suggested genres, stories, and books for experiencing more of the different types of literature and drama.
- Act out or perform the plays, comedies, or tragedies, using the suggestions provided for each grade level.
- Become familiar with the list of authors everyone should know.
- Choose books from the Picture Book Database.
- Do worksheets (if desired) on Reading Skills, Vocabulary, Spelling, Grammar, Phonics, Writing, and more.
- Create and write stories or poems, as described on our Daily Writing page.
- Try the fun learning games to enhance vocabulary skills, special skills, critical thinking skills, and more.
- Print the Reading Logs for books you read and use this week in your homeschool.

* Social Studies:

- Researching your community, your city, your state, your world.
- Creating replicas of your community with the fun, hands-on projects provided.
- Use libraries and museums to research the history of buildings and historic homes in your area.
- Use the various activities to practice and enhance map-reading, map-making skills, and creative-thinking skills.
- Use the ideas to create a “Community Journal” and add to the journal throughout the year.
- Browse and print History Worksheets, Crossword Puzzles, and Word Searches on topics such as Famous People, Medieval Times, Pioneer Life, Civil War, World Wars, Presidential Elections, and more.

* Math:

- Focusing on problem-solving techniques and strategies this week.
- View the problem-solving strategies outlines.
- Use the techniques described in the activities to help enhance problem-solving skills.
- Try solving the 30 Math Problems, using the step-by-step instructions.
- Print the Math Problem-Solving worksheets and solve the problems together.
- Try the challenging Brain Boosters to stimulate reasoning and logic skills, and more.
- For worksheets on math skills, choose Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Units of Measure, Fractions, Decimals, Negative & Positive Numbers, Geometry, Algebra, Graphing, and more.

* Science:

- Comparing living and non-living things.
- Cataloging, discussing, and sketching living things.
- Using estimating skills to guess the size of various living things.
- Visit the insect zoo and research insects.
- Using creative-thinking and critical-thinking skills.
- Creating new creatures and imaginative stories about creatures.
- Try the Science Worksheets and Activities on topics such as Animals, Birds, Insects, Reptiles, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Magnets, Machines, Weather, Seasons, Marine Life, Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and more.

* Life Skills, Health, & Safety:

- Discuss heroes and what being a hero means.
- Visit the heroes/heroines website for researching and writing.
- Read and discuss the heroes in Greek mythology.
- Write about favorite heroes/heroines.
- Use the ideas for enhancing character education.

* Arts & Music:

- See where to learn more about Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, Brahms, and other amazing composers.
- Play the educational online game based on composers in various periods, such as Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, etc.
- Play the musical online game about Beethoven.
- Have fun making the musical instruments and singing favorite children’s songs.
- Continue with the Art Appreciation Program discussed in Week 2.
- Continue with the Music Appreciation Program discussed in Week 2.

Plus, Free Activities, creative writing, weekly challenges, hands-on projects, unit studies, unschooling ideas, and more at: www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy homeschooling!

Weekly Homeschool Lessons: Week 2 Overview

2011-09-06T18:24:00.000-04:00

Week 2 at "Everything Homeschooling"

For 36 Weeks of Weekly Lessons for Grades K through 12, visit our Everything Homeschooling website weekly at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Overview of Week 2

* Language Arts:

- Make books, using a variety of different, yet easy, methods.
- Reading Comprehension: Read stories together, then help children answer comprehension questions. Use the charts and worksheets described.
- Do worksheets (if desired) on Reading, Vocabulary, Book Reports, Story Maps, Poetry, and more.
- Creating and writing stories and poems.
- Vocabulary games to enhance vocabulary skills, word building, root words, suffixes, prefixes, antonyms, synonyms, spelling, phonics, and more.
- Reading suggestions for practicing Reading Comprehension.
- Reading Logs for printing and recording books read and books used in your homeschool.
- More Language Arts Activities to enjoy and learn from, for reading and writing skills, adverbs, adjectives, mnemonic skills, and more.

* Social Studies:

- Research your family history and learn about genealogy and creating family trees.
- Make a family tree out of real branches!
- Interview family members, grandparents, and other relatives and record family stories.
- Correlate family histories with other historical events and create timelines of events.
- Browse and print History Worksheets, Crossword Puzzles, and Word Searches on topics such as Famous People, Medieval Times, Pioneer Life, Civil War, World Wars, Presidential Elections, and more.

* Math:

- To practice Math Skills, use the Math Worksheets and Activities on Decimals, Estimating, Money, Geometry, Algebra, and more.
- Geometry: Do the fun activities, such as 3-D Drawing and Geometry, Buckyballs, Tessellations, Crystalline Structures, and more.
- Money Concepts: Try over 30 Money Lessons, such as Funny Money, Money Values, Shopping Skills, Banking Skills, Cash & Credit, and more.
- Play the online cashier game to practice money skills.
- Try the money activities, such as Money Word Problems, Money Order Form, Money Unit and Activities, and more.
- Learn more about Consumer Math topics, on understanding Commission, Discounts, Sales Tax, Interest, Unit Prices, and more: Click here and scroll down to “Consumer Math.”
- Read the suggested books on money concepts and skills.
- For worksheets on money and money concepts, choose Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Units of Measure, Fractions, Decimals, Negative & Positive Numbers, Math Challenges, and more.

* Science:

- Science is all about making new discoveries. What new discoveries have been made about our solar system recently?
- What makes a planet, a planet? See the differences in planets, their composition, surface, atmosphere, and other unique characteristics.
- Do the activity on the size of the planets and their distance from the Sun.
- Construct a miniature replica of the solar system, using the example.
- Create a replica of the solar system in a new or different way, using your imagination.
- See how to think like a scientist, exploring and analyzing your ideas and experiments.
- Read the suggested books on scientific-thinking, science experiments, and the scientific method
- Try the Science Worksheets, Science Reports, Crossword Puzzles, and Word Searches on topics such as Animals, Birds, Insects, Reptiles, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Magnets, Machines, Weather, Seasons, Marine Life.

* Life Skills, Health, & Safety:

- Read about the many benefits of exercise and physical fitness, as well as mental and emotional fitness.
- Discuss the benefits with children and how fitness helps us to handle everyday activities.
- Encourage children to create a Physical Fitness program or routine for the upcoming homeschool year.
- Choose from the exercise ideas, such as Wiffle Tag, Long Rope Skipping, Watermelon Crawl, Upper Body Strength, and other activities.
- Read the suggested books on exercise and physical fitness.

* Arts & Music:

- Begin an Art Appreciation Program to complement your child's interests this year.
- Begin a Music Appreciation Program with the Mozart Music Appreciation Lesson.
- Browse the ideas to best suit your child's art interests.
- With your child, play the suggested online games about arts, music, literature and dance.
- See the art lessons and activities for imaginative artistic ideas.
- Read the suggested books on art and masterpieces.

Plus, Free Activities, creative writing, weekly challenges, hands-on projects, unit studies, unschooling ideas, and more at: www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy homeschooling!

Weekly Homeschool Lessons: Week 1 Overview

2011-08-28T21:41:00.000-04:00

Week 1 Lessons & Activities at "Everything Homeschooling"

Here are some of Week One's lessons and topics, as we gently ease into the New Homeschool Year! Enjoy!

Explore, Do, and Learn About:

* Language Arts:

- Writing, thinking, sketching, drawing, and keeping a Writing Journal.
- Reading and discussing a variety of books.
- Reading "Animals of the World" to learn about Geography.
- Reading stories about endangered animals online or from the library.
- Reading Classic Stories online, such as Aesop's Fables, Alice in Wonderland, Jungle Book, Time Machine, O Pioneers!, Great Expectations, and many more!

* Social Studies:

- Learning World Geography by reading about animals of the world.
- Reading and learning about habitats of animals around the world.
- Finding endangered species in your region through the interactive map.
- Visiting virtual zoos in locations around the world.
- Creating and crafting animals, habitats, dioramas, visual displays, and collages.
- Choosing history and social studies worksheets to do, if desired.

* Math:

- Measuring how high a rocket or kite flies.
- Making a geometric T-shirt with geometric designs.
- Creating animals, and more, with tangrams and your imagination.
- Choosing math worksheets on topics such as basic or advanced math skills, fractions, decimals, percentages, geometry, algebra, graphing, trig, if desired.

* Science:

- Observing and drawing constellations in your night sky.
- Visiting a planetarium online and viewing constellations.
- Learning 88 constellations to share with family and friends.
- Making a shoebox constellation viewer.
- Playing the Constellation Matching Game.
- Reading books on constellations.
- Building an easy DNA Model.
- Choosing science worksheets to do, if desired.

* Life Skills, Health, & Safety:

- Remembering to take care of ourselves.
- Having a stress-free homeschool year.
- Reading "cooking with kids" cookbooks for healthy meals.
- Trying some healthy recipes online.

* Arts & Music:

- Learning about different styles of art and artists.
- Designing and creating artistic hot air balloons.
- Printing and drawing art pages.
- Being creative with arts and crafts ideas.
- Choosing a new instrument to learn to play.
- Building the DNA Model on the Free Homeschool Activities page.

For 36 Weeks of Weekly Lessons for Grades K through 12, remember to visit our Everything Homeschooling website weekly at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Happy Homeschooling!

Why Homeschooling Is Not "School at Home"

2011-08-18T10:14:00.000-04:00

Summer is winding down, and September is just around the corner. It's the time of year when thoughts turn to "school."

As you begin your homeschool year, remember that homeschool is not "school at home." Home education is simply a natural part of living, thinking, imagining, creating, learning, doing, and growing each day.

The "school" system was unfortunately modeled on authoritarian Prussian schools. Intents were not necessarily the "intellectual training of children but the conditioning of children to obedience, subordination, and collective life."

The state viewed itself as "the true parent of children."

As a dissatisfied Albert Einstein said about his experience with Prussian schooling: "It is in fact nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry."

An early proponent of state control of education in America states: "Let our pupil be taught that he does not belong to himself, but that he is public property." - Benjamin Rush

Sociologist Edward Ross believed in giving the child a teacher to imitate, instead of his father. He saw the school as the means for gathering "little plastic lumps of human dough from private households and [shaping] them on the social kneadingboard."

"Education reformer" Horace Mann said: "We, who are engaged in the sacred cause of education, are entitled to look upon all parents as having given hostages to our cause."

These are just a few of the reasons why it's important to understand that homeschool is not "school at home."

As parents of wonderful, curious, eager children, spend time talking with your children to determine what interests them, what they want to explore this year, what they want to learn or delve into, and their ideas on how to go about learning these things.

What amazing things can your child imagine? What fantastic creations can your child conceive of, invent, construct, create, bring to life? What unique capabilities or qualities can your child share with others or use in a way that makes a positive difference in his or her life, as well as in the lives of others?

As author Joel Turtel stated: "Parents, for your children's sake, walk away from the public schools. Also, don't depend on vouchers or charter schools, which are few and far between. Take control of your children's education and the values you teach them by homeschooling your kids or enrolling them in a low-cost Internet private school of your choice. Your children's future is at stake, and so is, by the way, the future of our Republic and our liberties."

So, as you begin your homeschool year this year, remember that it's not "school" you want to model your homeschool upon. Rather, it's your family's values, morals, and educational goals of your children that you want to keep in mind. It's the way they learn best, that you want to model your homeschool upon. It's their curiosity, eagerness, and joy of learning that you want to follow. It's the excitement of guiding them and helping them to learn, which results in a positive educational experience for your entire family, a lifetime of wonderful memories that you will all treasure forever.

Happy homeschooling from www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Easy Homeschool Forms for Keeping Homeschool Records

2011-08-06T15:08:00.000-04:00

Our Homeschool Forms make record-keeping easy!

Subscribers can print and use the following homeschool forms from our www.EverythingHomeschooling.com site.

* Weekly Planner Logs - Includes space for recording daily lessons for all subjects, week by week. Tip: Use the 36 Weeks of Lessons on our site. Then jot down the activities for each subject area each day, along with any other educational activities you do.

* Reading Logs - Includes space for recording all books read, plus all reference materials you use, along with the authors' names.

* Attendance Records - For recording the days that your homeschool is "in session."

* Report Cards - For recording your child's grades, if desired.

* High School Transcripts - For recording grades and credits earned in each subject, semester by semester, year by year.

* Notice of Intent to Homeschool - For submitting to your school district, if required.

* Educational Philosophies & Educational Goals - For determining the directions you want to go with your homeschool, along with your goals and expectations for your child's education.

* High School Diploma - For awarding to your child upon his or her graduation, when your child has met the goals and standards you set for your family's homeschool.

To print these Homeschool Forms, click the "Homeschool Forms" button in the menu on the left of our www.EverythingHomeschooling.com site.

Happy homeschooling!

Homeschool Crafters

2011-08-03T19:19:00.000-04:00

Are you a crafter, craftsman/craftswoman/craftsperson, or artist? We'd like to showcase your work and provide some extra publicity for your "objets d'art."

If there's enough interest, we will feature your creations in a special Crafters' Corner on our website at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com. If you already list your handcrafted items on sites such as Etsy or Artfire, we could include a link to your stores, too.

We have thousands of subscribers who visit our site each week. It'd be a great way for homeschool crafters to connect and to show others what you're creating or currently have for sale.

If you're interested in having your handcrafted items featured on our site, visit our Message Board at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com. Or if you prefer, e-mail me to express your interest.

We look forward to hearing from crafters in the homeschool community!

Happy homeschooling!

Summer Activities

2011-06-17T18:56:00.000-04:00

Here are a few Summer Activities your children can enjoy:

* Travel Maps: On short day trips or long vacations, map out the routes you travel and label your map with the places you see along the way. Research the places you see or visit, to learn even more about them.

* Summer Constellations: Select a good book depicting the summer constellations, such as Constellations of The Night Sky or Glow-in-the-Dark Constellations, and use the illustrations to locate and learn about summer constellations.

* Creative Writing Activities: Use summer themes, such as picnics, parks, pools, beaches, flowers, sunshine, cookouts, fireworks, ice cream, camping, hiking, to stimulate creative writing and drawing ideas.

* Insect Crafts: Make fun, simple, or imaginative crafts that mimic summer insects. Discuss each insect, where or how it lives, and try to find them outdoors, too.

* Create a Summer Time Capsule: Make a shoebox or tin-can time capsule and include items that depict this summer's adventures and events.

* Remember to Read: Summer reading programs began in the 1890s, to encourage children to read during summer vacations. Reduced reading over the summer results in lost reading skills. Yet, reading skills are important for comprehending topics across the curriculum. So visit your library often, and encourage your children to select a wide variety of books to read this summer!

See the "Summer Reading List" suggestions on the home page of our site at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy homeschooling!

Homeschool Freebies and Creative Writing Activities

2011-05-01T15:30:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to all the winners of our Homeschool Freebies these past few months!

The Homeschool Freebies available for May are:

* The Everything Kids' Nature Book

OR:

* 1-Year Subscription to EverythingHomeschooling.com

See details about these items and enter to win on our Homeschool Freebies page at:

Homeschool Freebies

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One of our "Creative Writing" activities was on "re-writing" Carl Sandburg's poem, "Fog". Jeremiah C. of Missouri wrote his own version of a poem on Fog.

See the original "Creative Writing" exercise about Sandburg's "Fog" poem:

Creative Writing Activity

Then see Jeremiah's version on our "Creative Corner" page at:

Creative Corner

Remember to send in your stories, poetry, or other creative writings, too!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

What are you and your family learning or exploring this month?

Visit the "Discussions" section on our "Everything Homeschooling" Facebook page and share your learning experiences.

Everything Homeschooling on Facebook.

Happy homeschooling!

Learn about the Oregon Trail

2011-04-11T13:34:00.000-04:00

Experience the Oregon Trail!

- Read Amelia Knight's diary about life on the Trail,
- Map the Oregon Trail online,
- See historic sites along the Trail,
- Learn new facts about the Oregon Trail, and more!

Use the activities for a fun, interesting learning unit, too!

See our "Free Activities" page at: www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy Homeschooling!

Homeschool Science, Math, Reading, Writing, Art, and More!

2011-03-27T11:11:00.000-04:00

Read articles by homeschool families on how they teach Science, Math, Reading, Writing, Art, and more!

Plus, read articles by homeschoolers on how they taught themselves and pursued their own education! All available here:

www.EverythingHomeschooling.com/Articles.aspx

Happy homeschooling!

Story Writing and Poetry by Homeschoolers

2011-03-18T15:21:00.001-04:00

Remember to visit our "Creative Corner" page, which features a short story written by Gracie, an 8-year-old homeschooler from Missouri.

Read her exciting kite-flying story on the "Creative Corner" page at:

www.EverythingHomeschooling.com/Creative.aspx.

Check out the poems by Ashley, Nichole, Tianna, Kayla, and other homeschoolers, too.

Boys, we'd like more writings from YOU! Don't be shy -- share your stories, poems, haiku, book reviews, or other creative writings!

Whether you're a boy or girl, teen or toddler, send us YOUR stories, poetry, and creative writings! We'll publish them on our "Creative Corner" page.

For story prompts and creative writing ideas, see our "Daily Writing" page at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy writing!

St. Patrick's Day Crafts & Fun

2011-03-17T09:04:00.001-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Everything Homeschooling!

Who was the patron saint of Ireland? Where is Ireland? What are some of the legends surrounding St. Patrick? Are any of the legends true? What is the significance of a shamrock?

Visit our "Free Activities" page to find out! Then have fun with these crafts:

- Sprouting Shamrocks
- Leprechaun Friends
- Shamrock Balloons

www.EverythingHomeschooling.com/Free_Homeschool_Lessons.aspx

Happy homeschooling!

Homeschool Activities, Creative Writing, & Homeschool Freebies

2011-03-14T15:48:00.003-04:00

This month's Free Homeschool Activities include:

* Creating a Historical Timeline
* Learning about the Equator
* Geography Fun
* St. Patrick's Day Crafts, and more!

See our Free Homeschool Activities at:

www.EverythingHomeschooling.com

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The "Creative Corner" page features a short story written by Gracie, an 8-year-old homeschooler from Missouri.

Read her exciting kite-flying story on our "Creative Corner" page at:

www.EverythingHomeschooling.com/Creative.aspx

Remember to send in your stories, poetry, or other creative writings, too!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Homeschool Freebies available this month are:

* The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book

OR:

* 1-Year Subscription to EverythingHomeschooling.com

Enter to win one of the above on our Homeschool Freebies page at:

www.EverythingHomeschooling.com/Homeschool_Freebies.aspx

Happy Homeschooling!

Homeschool Freebies and Free Homeschool Activities

2011-02-20T12:16:00.000-05:00

Remember to Enter the Drawing for our Homeschool Freebies on our Everything Homeschooling site, www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Check Back Each Month! New monthly drawings for helpful homeschool items will be posted at the beginning of each month.

At the end of each month, a winner will be randomly chosen from all the entries.

Enter the Drawing Today: www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

For Free Learning Activities: www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy homeschooling!

Valentine's Day Activities, Valentine's Day Cards, and Homeschool Freebies

2011-02-10T12:59:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day Activities, Crafts, and Cards

Learn about Valentine's Day, make Valentine's Day cards, and have fun with Valentine's Day crafts and more on our www.EverythingHomeschooling.com site!

For the Valentine's Day activities, click the "Free Activities" link on our Home page or the "Free Activities" button in the menu on the left of our Everything Homeschooling website.

Homeschool Freebies

Enter to win helpful homeschool items in our Homeschool Freebies drawing. Enter the free drawing on our site by Clicking Here.

Happy homeschooling!

Homeschool E-Books

2011-01-28T14:24:00.000-05:00

E-Book Submissions

We're still accepting Homeschool E-Books and Educational E-Books, plus books that homeschooled children and teens will enjoy reading, e.g., Fiction, Nonfiction, Short Stories, Adventure, Mystery, Historical Novels, Fantasy, etc. Authors of E-Books receive 50% royalties on each of their E-Books downloaded from our site.

Please send a query letter or book proposal describing your homeschool book, educational book, or fiction or nonfiction book for children or teens, via e-mail or regular mail. See our contact information at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

4 New E-Books

Four new E-books on teaching your children to read, by S. V. Richard, are now available at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

The activity books provide step-by-step, day-by-day processes a parent can use to promote literacy skills. The author/teacher includes strategies on how she taught her own children to read. Visit our E-Book Store on our Everything Homeschooling site to learn more about these books.

Happy Homeschooling!

FREE Inflatable Globe!

2010-12-31T15:51:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

The First 100 Subscribers in 2011 will receive a FREE Inflatable Globe when you subscribe on our www.EverythingHomeschooling.com site!

Visit us and subscribe today, to receive your Free Inflatable Globe.

Best wishes for the New Year from the Editors and Staff of www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Happy Homeschooling at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Learn about Snowflakes

2010-12-01T18:09:00.000-05:00

Make paper snowflakes! Learn about snowflakes, too.

For snowflake folding and cutting instructions, visit our "Christmas Unit Study" at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com. Then click the "Make Snowflakes" link.

Or check out books from your library, such as Make Your Own Paper Snowflakes or Snowflakes for All Seasons.

To learn about snowflakes, read Snowflake Bentley or The Story of Snow.

How do snowflakes form?

Click this link to find out!

How Snowflakes Form.

Happy homeschooling at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

No. 8 of 365 Homeschool Activities

2010-08-31T18:19:00.002-04:00

As This Homeschool Year Begins, consider using some of the Unit Studies on our site.

Many kids enjoy them and learn more through Unit Studies, as well.

Today's Activity: Choose from these Unit Studies:

- Ancient Egypt Unit Study

- 13 Colonies Unit Study

- Presidents Unit Study

- Weather Unit Study

- Movies Unit Study

- Autumn & Fall Unit Study

- Holidays Unit Study and more.

Select the "Unit Studies" button in the menu on the left of our site at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com and have fun!

Happy homeschooling at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

No. 7 of 365 Homeschool Activities

2010-08-13T09:09:00.000-04:00

A new "homeschool year" will begin soon.

Remember: Homeschooling is not "school at home." When we keep this in mind, we have a much happier, successful homeschool year!

Today's Activity: Think about the upcoming homeschool year.

What do you want to learn about this year? What are your favorite hobbies? What new hobbies or interests do you want to explore this year?

Write about your favorite hobbies and interests. Describe why you like them and how you spend your time on them.

Then make a list of all the new hobbies or interests you'd like to explore in the coming weeks and months!

Happy homeschooling at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

No. 6 of 365 Homeschool Activities

2010-08-03T16:25:00.002-04:00

August is here. It's still summertime, yet for many, thoughts are turning to "school" topics.

Sometimes, the media makes "school time" come too soon, with images of school buildings opening their doors in the sweltering heat.

Sometimes, the stores place their "Back to School" items right inside their front doors, tempting families to purchase "school supplies."

Sometimes, the school bus comes rolling up the street, turning our thoughts toward "school" matters.

But, as homeschoolers, we know that education takes place every day, every month, regardless of whether it's August or September, January or June.

Sigh a big sigh of relief as the school bus rolls on by!

Thankfully, we don't need a school bus, we don't need "school supplies," we don't need a school building!

Today's Activity: Turn back to your children and embrace them and the summer!

Have a picnic in the park, take a nature walk, name the different trees you see!

Skip stones on a stream, discuss the erosion of stones and soil, count the minnows in the water, gauge the water temperature with your toes!

Name the cloud types in the sky, forecast the weather for the next 24 hours, measure the distance from the park to home!

Read a wonderful book together by a new or favorite author! Write a story about your fun day at the park!

And be thankful you are homeschoolers who can still enjoy Summer in August!

Happy homeschooling at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

No. 5 of 365 Homeschool Activities

2010-07-05T20:55:00.000-04:00

If your children aren't sure what they'd like to learn about, or where their interests lie, help them with this activity.

Today's Activity: Each day, have your children write a sentence (on individual strips of paper) about something they like. Maybe it's baking, bicycling, building things, or anything else they enjoy.

Also, on individual pieces of paper, have children jot down something new they'd like to learn -- such as how to play the guitar, how to crochet, or how to create a web page.

Place the strips of paper in a basket, bowl, or jar. Each day, add more strips of paper containing ideas and interests to the basket or jar. Every time an interest or idea comes to mind, have your child add it to the container.

Shake up the container and have children draw a strip of paper from it each day. Use that idea as your "Learning Guide" or "Activity Guide" for the day. If the idea on the paper isn't particularly interesting at the time it's drawn, have your child put it back in and draw another!

Try to keep dozens and dozens of ideas circulating in the Idea Container at all times!

Happy learning, and happy homeschooling at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com

No. 4 of 365 Homeschool Activities

2010-07-04T23:48:00.007-04:00

Here's an activity listed in our "365 Homeschool Activities."

Today's Activity: Learn the history of ice cream -- and have fun making it and eating it. Click this link to learn more about the invention of ice cream, how it's made, and why we enjoy it.

History and Making of Ice Cream

Happy homeschooling at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com

No. 3 of 365 Homeschool Activities

2010-07-03T23:45:00.004-04:00

Try this activity listed in our "365 Homeschool Activities."

Today's Activity: Run a Lemonade Stand! See how to build a Lemonade Stand. Then play the Lemonade Stand Game. And try the Lemonade Stand Activities, all listed on our Free Homeschool Activities page at this link:

www.EverythingHomeschooling.com/Free_Homeschool_Lessons.aspx

Or click the "Free Activities" button on our home page.

Happy homeschooling at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

No. 2 Activity of 365 Homeschool Activities

2010-07-02T22:07:00.000-04:00

Blog Post No. 1 of our "365 Homeschool Activities" stressed the importance of understanding that homeschooling is not "school at home."

We suggested that it's helpful to listen to children's ideas on homeschooling, and to be in tune to their interests and suggestions.

Yesterday's Activity centered on asking your children what they'd like to learn about or what new hobbies they might like to try.

Today's Activity: Encourage children to keep an ongoing scrapbook of their hobbies. The scrapbook can be as simple as a notebook or loose-leaf papers kept in a folder. Or it can be as creative or unique as a child likes.

Have children take pictures of their hobbies, draw illustrations of them, research and write about them, describe why they like their hobbies, and keep all the information in their Hobby Scrapbook.

Happy homeschooling at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

No. 1 of 365 Homeschool Activities

2010-07-01T12:34:00.001-04:00

The Number 1 Criteria for homeschooling your children is to understand that homeschooling is not “school at home.”

Homeschooling is not a mysterious, difficult task. Rather, it's a pleasant, natural part of living each day.

We repeat this often on our www.EverythingHomeschooling.com site and throughout my Everything Homeschooling Book.

Why is it important to remember that homeschooling is not school-at-home?

Because it’s the one area that causes the most frustration -- and often failure -- for homeschool families. Misconceptions and unrealistic expectations trip up even the most well-intentioned family.

Some parents might find themselves trying to fill two full-time roles in the home -- as a parent and as a schoolteacher -- which adds unnecessary stress to their lives.

You needn’t turn homeschooling into "school at home" nor turn it into an overwhelming task. Homeschooling is simply a part of everyday parenting, of interacting with your children each day.

There's no need to stand in front of a desk to teach and instruct!

There's no need for textbooks, tests, and quizzes!

Your role is to help your children learn by providing guidance, resources, assistance, and encouragement to start them on the road to an enjoyable educational experience. Listen to your children's ideas; be in tune to their interests and suggestions.

You can still have structure in your days, without each day mimicking a traditional school day. Remember that learning is a natural part of living, and homeschooling is a natural part of your family’s lifestyle.

Today's Activity: Ask your children what they'd like to learn about or what new hobbies they might like to learn. Then jump into those activities and have fun learning, right alongside your children!

Happy homeschooling at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

365 Homeschool Activities Coming Soon!

2010-06-30T07:49:00.000-04:00

Starting tomorrow, we'll begin posting an Activity-per-Day, here on our Everything Homeschooling Blog!

Check back often as you begin preparing for the upcoming homeschool year!

We all know what the first posting will be, don't we? The No. 1 criteria for homeschooling, right?

Check back tomorrow to see if you guessed what the first post will be for our 365 Homeschool Activities!

Happy Homeschooling at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Sherri, Author of The Everything Homeschooling Book

Homeschool Graduation, Homeschool Diploma, and College

2010-06-17T16:48:00.000-04:00

Yes, you can issue your child a high-school diploma through your own privately established homeschool and by keeping high-school transcripts of your child's credits earned.

As stated by the U.S. Department of Education:

"Home schoolers should be admitted to colleges and granted financial aid without having to take additional tests beyond what is required of traditionally schooled students. Ignoring a home school graduate’s diploma and requiring him to take a GED, SAT II, or ability-to-benefit test, while graduates from traditional high schools are not required to do so, is discriminatory." (Quoted from HSLDA's website: Home School Diplomas for College Admittance at www.hslda.org.)

What is a diploma?

A high-school diploma is simply a document stating that your child has completed his or her high-school education according to the standards you set for your child's overall education. The diploma you issue is proof that your child did meet your standards, did earn the appropriate number of credits during the high school years, and has completed his or her high-school education.

What's more important than the diploma:

Your child's:

* Overall education
* Happiness
* Character
* Knowledge base
* Capabilities
* Growth and development
* Quality of life
* Desire to learn (now and in the future)
* Happiness in his or her future, career, and life.

Happiness, knowledge, the ability to learn and be self-dependent, to have morals and values to believe in and adhere to, to have goals and desires, to awaken each day with excitement and enthusiasm for life and learning -- these are true, meaningful accomplishments. No diploma, nor certificate, nor piece of paper can adequately measure and convey these accomplishments as accurately and realistically as the child or young person with that glow of excitement and enthusiasm for life and learning.

Your child can attend college:

Remember that you can award your child a high-school diploma, your child can attend college and apply for financial aid, and your home-educated child cannot be discriminated against, as stated by the U.S. Department of Education.

More on this topic:

See our "Articles" page at this link:

www.EverythingHomeschooling.com/Articles.aspx

Happy homeschooling!

End of Homeschool Year

2010-05-29T10:30:00.000-04:00

Assess and Evaluate

The end of the homeschool year is a good time to evaluate the past year and plan for the year ahead. You might be like us -- we often start each year with more plans than we can work into nine months!

We have high expectations for each year and might feel let-down if we don't accomplish everything we've planned. But don't fret about those things not accomplished! Just make note of them and work them into next year's plans, or try slipping some of them in during the summer.

Summer Catch-up

If you didn't get around to the study of the solar system in science this past year, don't fret. During the summer, visit the library and choose some nicely illustrated and informative books on the solar system. Read them together on lazy summer afternoons.

If possible, visit a planetarium. Or rent a video from your library on the sun and solar system. Pop some popcorn and sit down with your children to watch and discuss the video.

Get the family involved in making a mobile of the sun and the planets. Your children can invite their friends over to take part in the fun, too. Let them work on the project on the back porch or on a table where they'll have plenty of room to spread out their materials.

Do the same with a variety of topics and learning activities over the summer. But keep the activities fun and interesting, so that it doesn't seem like homeschooling!

Learning Ideas

For more ideas, see our Free Activities, Summer Activities, Articles, Daily Calendar Fun, and more on our Everything Homeschooling site at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Happy summer!

Books for Homeschooled Kids on Our Homeschool Message Board

2010-04-27T09:27:00.000-04:00

What are your child's/children's favorite books? As homeschoolers, we often find books that are interesting -- BUT they revolve around a classroom, a teacher, or school event. This can be a disappointment to our homeschooled readers who don't relate closely to those situations.

Has this been an issue for any of your children?

On our Homeschool Message Board at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com, we asked this question.

A Homeschool Mom replied with descriptions of a few books on homeschooling that she and her children have read:

1. Allison's Story: A Book about Homeschooling – It’s about homeschooling, which is nice. But it’s not our style of homeschooling….

2. I Am a Home Schooler – We liked this book better. It’s more like reading about a child’s “typical homeschool day.”

3. Kandoo Kangaroo Hops into Homeschool – It’s okay for very young children, but we preferred I Am Learning All the Time.

4. I Am Learning All the Time – Our 5- to 7-year-olds liked this book. It also helps others see that homeschooling is a process of learning-through-discovery and through everyday events.

5. Shouldn’t You Be in School? – This book “rings a bell” with all homeschooled kids who are often asked this question!

---

Visit our Homeschool Message Board to add your child's favorite books -- whether about homeschooling or any other topics -- and to read suggestions by other homeschool families.

Simply go to www.EverythingHomeschooling.com and click the Message Board button.

Happy homeschooling!

Everything Homeschooling, Homeschool Help, & Love of Learning

2010-04-07T15:34:00.000-04:00

I came across the 1st Edition of my Everything Homeschooling Book a while back. Someone had highlighted various passages with a yellow marker.

It was interesting to read the parts that "clicked" or made an impression on that reader. Here's just a few of the passages that she (or he) highlighted in my book:

* "Children are natural learners, and parents are natural teachers."

* "Homeschooling, however, is not 'school at home.' Rather, it is a lifestyle, a learning style, that is a natural part of each day."

* "Every child benefits from learning in a safe, caring, stimulating environment surrounded by those who truly love and value him. Never doubt that you are the best teacher your child could have."

* "Children are natural learners. Learning is an integral part of their lives, woven throughout the hours that make up each day. As they go about their normal lives, they encounter, gather, process, and grow from the information they naturally absorb. This is learning."

* A statement by former Secretary of Education, Richard Riley, was highlighted. He said: "I believe that all parents, indeed any adult, regardless of his or her station in life, or even their level of education, has the capacity and obligation to teach their children a love of learning."

These are just a few passages from the 1st Edition. The new 2nd Edition of my Everything Homeschooling Book was released in February this year. New chapters were added to the 2nd Edition: "Fun Learning Activities" and "Frugal Homeschooling Hints." Plus, updated homeschool resources and information are included in the new edition.

The new Everything Homeschooling Book also includes homeschool help, activities, and ideas for:

* Veteran homeschoolers
* New homeschoolers
* Single parents
* Two-career families
* Only children or multiple children
* Special-needs children
* Early-years learning at home
* Elementary-years homeschool
* Middle-years homeschool
* High-school homeschool and graduation
* College and career preparations
* Typical homeschool days, curriculum choices, record-keeping tips, and much more!

Visit our online homeschool site at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com for more information or to purchase the new 2nd Edition of my Everything Homeschooling Book.

Happy homeschooling!

Get Published! Homeschooled Kids Writing

2010-03-16T18:02:00.000-04:00

Homeschooled Kids: Get Published!

Encourage your children to write poems, plays, stories -- fiction or nonfiction -- book reviews, articles, descriptive writing, comics, and other creative writing projects. Then send them to us at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

We publish writing by homeschoolers on our "Creative Corner" page at:

www.EverythingHomeschooling.com/Creative.aspx

See your writing published, and receive a Certificate and Bookmark for your Creative Contribution, too!

See what others have written on our "Creative Corner" page at:

www.EverythingHomeschooling.com/Creative.aspx

Remember, we provide Over 300 Creative Writing Ideas -- plus Weekly Lessons and Homeschooling Activities -- on our Homeschool site, every day, every week.

Visit us daily for fun, educational ideas at:

www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

And remember to send your creative writing projects to be featured on our "Creative Corner" page!

Happy homeschooling!

Online Homeschool Fun

2010-03-01T15:27:00.000-05:00

What are you and your children learning today, this week, this month?

Share your current homeschool experiences with other homeschool families!

What science experiments are you conducting? What projects, activities, or unit studies are you involved in? What are you and your children reading or researching?

Spark new ideas for other homeschool families by sharing your learning experiences. Or get new inspiration from others! Visit our Homeschool Message Board at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com/threads.aspx to see what others are doing and learning!

Happy homeschooling!

Free Homeschool Lesson Plans

2010-02-10T16:08:00.001-05:00

The Free Homeschool Lessons at our "Everything Homeschooling" website can be accessed simply by clicking: www.EverythingHomeschooling.com/Free_Homeschool_Lessons.aspx.

The many lessons include Historic and Current Information, Activities, and Games for many of the topics, such as:

- Airplanes
- Animals & Sleep
- Elevators
- Solar Energy
- Lasers
- Static Electricity
- Human Skeleton
- Medieval Times
- Geography Fun
- Green Living
- Paper Structures
- Geometric Shapes in Nature
- Ostriches, Owls, Bats, Spiders, and More!

These are just a few of the thousands of activities on our Everything Homeschooling website, designed to make homeschooling easy, yet educational for your entire family! Visit us at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy Homeschooling!

New Everything Homeschooling Book!

2010-01-20T15:52:00.003-05:00

The new, updated Everything Homeschooling Book is now available on our website at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

The 300-page, glossy-cover book provides all the help you need to homeschool your children from Kindergarten through High-School Graduation.

This Book Provides:

* Low-Cost Homeschooling Hints
* Free Learning Activities
* Curriculum Guidelines
* Unit Studies and Thematic Learning
* Unschooling and Natural Learning
* Typical Homeschool Days
* Learning Styles and Homeschool Methods
* Record-Keeping and Organizing Tips
* Only-Child Homeschooling
* Multiple-Children Homeschooling
* Single-Parent Homeschooling
* Working-Parents Homeschooling
* Gifted and Special Needs Homeschooling
* Homeschool Help through All the Years
* High School and Teen Years
* College and Career Preparation
* Chapter-by-Chapter Resources and Tips
* Curriculum Providers and Homeschool Resources
* How to Avoid Burnout and Keep Homeschooling Fun, Interesting, and Educational.

Remember to visit our website at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy Homeschooling!

Plan Homeschool Lessons & Homeschool Lesson Plans

2010-01-10T16:53:00.000-05:00

Use These 5 Tips to Plan Your Homeschool Lessons:

1. As you go about your day, think of topics that you and your children would like to learn more about.

2. Keep several small notebooks handy for jotting down learning ideas as they come to you throughout the day.

3. Briefly search book websites, such as Amazon.com, to find books to complement your topics of interest. For History lessons, for instance, you'll find "The Civil War for Kids" or "The American Revolution for Kids." For Science experiments, try "Science in Seconds for Kids" or "150 Captivating Chemistry Experiments." Note the book titles on your "Library List" and take a field trip to your local library this week to pick up the books.

4. With your ideas and books in-hand, spend a comfy afternoon relaxing, sipping tea or hot chocolate, and jotting down homeschool lessons for the coming week. Use each book's table of contents and the index for lesson plan ideas, including reading and writing activities, hands-on projects and art-related projects, plus math and reasoning exercises, all gleaned from the books you've selected.

5. Follow this format with every topic or idea that comes to mind, and you'll have plenty of homeschool lessons and activities for each month.

Or, Use the Homeschool Lesson Plans Already Created for You and Your Children:

1. Visit our website at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

2. Click your child's grade level and follow the "Weekly Homeschool Lessons" outlined for you.

3. If you'd prefer to follow the "Free Homeschool Lessons" and "Free Creative Writing Lessons," you may click on those, instead of the Weekly Lessons.

4. Print the "Weekly Planner Log" and "Reading Log" Sheets from our "Homeschool Forms" page, and fill them out with the "Weekly Lessons" and "Books to Read" Suggestions.

5. Do lots of fun Hands-On Activities and Experiments to complement the Weekly Lessons. Keep the Log Sheets, your child's completed projects, and photos of projects in your child's portfolio or homeschool binder or box.

Happy homeschooling!

Happy New Year + New Homeschool Lessons!

2010-01-01T21:28:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to Homeschool Families everywhere!

We at EverythingHomeschooling.com wish you all the best with your homeschool experiences and homeschooling goals for the coming year.

Remember that we are always here for you, every day of every week, throughout each year.

We answer all your questions, offer support and guidance, provide an interesting homeschool curriculum and weekly homeschool lessons, plus daily activities for learning fun every day of the week!

Visit us often at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Have a wonderful, interesting, and educational homeschool year!

Happy homeschooling!

Win a FREE Subscription for Homeschool Activities & Lessons

2009-12-16T12:42:00.002-05:00

WIN a FREE Year's Subscription to our online homeschool site! You'll have access to all the Weekly Lessons for Grades K-12, Daily Learning Activities, Unit Studies, Hands-On Activities, Field Trips, plus everything on our site at: www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Each week in December, we're awarding a NEW Subscriber a FREE 1-Year Subscription to: www.EverythingHomeschooling.com. If you have not yet subscribed, please enter to win. Or, if you know of someone who would enjoy a Subscription to our site, encourage them to enter!

Simply e-mail Sherri@EverythingHomeschooling.com and tell us why you'd enjoy a Free Subscription to our educational website, www.EverythingHomeschooling.com. Include your e-mail address, too.

Each Monday in December, we'll announce that week's Winner, and we'll e-mail the 1-Year Subscription to the Winner. So be sure to enter a working e-mail address! To enter, visit www.EverythingHomeschooling.com or e-mail us!

Happy Homeschooling and Happy Holidays!

Christmas Unit Study + Winter Crafts & Activities

2009-12-01T08:52:00.001-05:00

CHRISTMAS UNIT STUDIES and ACTIVITIES are now available on our Unit Studies page at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com. You'll find crafts and activities for Christmas and Winter, such as:

- Making your own Snow Globe and Snowflakes
- Virtual Field Trip to a Christmas Tree Farm
- Visiting the North Pole and Playing Word Games
- Reading Christmas Stories and Legends
- Christmas Traditions Around the World
- Crafts to Create and Activities to Do
- Christmas Recipes to Cook Up
- Lyrics to Over 100 Christmas Carols, and much more!

Click the "Christmas Unit Study" link for Christmas and Winter Crafts and Activities on our Home page at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com. Then enjoy the holiday season!

Happy homeschooling!

H1N1 Homeschooling

2009-10-25T15:00:00.002-04:00

With the H1N1 virus and seasonal flu in nearly all the schools, many parents are expressing new interest in homeschooling. As a result, we're receiving more questions each day about homeschooling.

Here's some homeschool help:

1. Yes, you can homeschool your children, even if you work full-time, part-time, or are a stay-at-home mom or dad.

2. Yes, homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. Each state has its own homeschool laws, but these are simple to comply with.

3. Contact a homeschool group in your area with any questions or concerns you have about homeschooling in your state. If you need help locating a group, just contact us at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

4. Homeschooling is not expensive; in fact, it's possible to homeschool for free.

5. Yes, you can design your own curriculum and lessons, and award a diploma when your child has met your standards and educational goals. And, yes, this is easy to do.

6. If you have any questions at all about homeschooling, please visit us at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Homeschooling is a wonderful experience for families and children, an experience that will be cherished for a lifetime!

Happy homeschooling!

Homeschool Curriculum Tips & Homeschool Activities

2009-10-17T15:01:00.005-04:00

A curriculum is defined as:

1. courses offered by an educational institution,
2. a list of all the courses of study offered by a school or college,
3. a program or plan of activities.

Your "homeschool curriculum" probably matches definition #3, above. New homeschoolers often become confused over "which curriculum to use" or "where to buy a curriculum."

In reality, a homeschool curriculum is simply "a plan of homeschool activities" that you use in your homeschool. It need not be an expensive curriculum, nor does it need to incorporate textbooks or workbooks.

Homeschoolers can use textbooks and workbooks if they'd like. But it certainly isn't necessary.

Your child will learn more readily and more fully when you and they homeschool in a manner that best complements their own unique learning styles. Spend a bit of time determining your child's own learning style. Consult the book, Discover Your Child’s Learning Style, by Mariaemma Willis. Then, based upon your child's learning style, create your own curriculum -- your own program or plan of homeschool activities.

Remember: Homeschooling is not a school at home. Don’t confuse yourself or your children, thinking that it should be. You’ll only make it harder on yourself.

As John Holt warned: “To parents I say, above all else, don’t let your home become some terrible miniature copy of the school. Live together, as well as you can; enjoy life together, as much as you can. Ask questions to find out something about the world itself, not to find out whether or not someone knows it.”

Remind yourself each day that your duty is to guide your child, not force instruction upon him. Your role is to help him learn how to learn and to encourage him to seek answers to questions, find materials and information that will help him learn, explore the things that interest him, and find new and challenging ways to learn.

This, then, will be your family's homeschool curriculum!

For more help with creating your own homeschool curriculum, using homeschool activities, or hundreds of educational ideas for weekly homeschool lessons, visit Everything Homeschooling at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy homeschooling!

Free Homeschool Newsletter

2009-10-08T20:48:00.004-04:00

Now you can receive our Free Homeschool Newsletters, full of Homeschool Activities, Lesson Ideas, Science Projects, Math Activities, Reading Suggestions, Arts & Crafts, Homeschool Help, Homeschool Resources, and much more!

Use our SafeSubscribe form (at right) to sign up for your Free Newsletter. Simply enter your email address and begin receiving our Helpful Homeschool Newsletters delivered right to your inbox. (You can Unsubscribe at any point.)

Or, you may visit our Website at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com to sign up and to enjoy our many homeschool activities and resources. Enjoy!

Happy Homeschooling!

How to Homeschool

2009-09-29T13:41:00.005-04:00

We at Everything Homeschooling sometimes receive questions on how to homeschool, using our site.

Here's some information that has been helpful to our members:

1. At www.EverythingHomeschooling.com, click the Weekly Lessons (for Grades K-2, Grades 3-6, Grades 6-9, or Grades 9-12), then log in.

2. Click on the "Week 1 Lessons" (or Week 2, Week 3, etc.). All of our lessons are adaptable and flexible for each grade level, with lots of additional ideas and suggestions. That's one of the great things about homeschooling: You can go as far as you'd like and explore as many topics as you'd like!

3. Keep track of your lessons: As you proceed through the lessons, have your Weekly Planner sheet ready. You can print this from our "Homeschool Forms" page. (The button for the "Homeschool Forms" page is in the menu on the left of our site.)

4. Keep track of books or articles with our "Reading Log" for recording books or resources used in your homeschool. You can print a blank Reading Log from our "Homeschool Forms" page.

5. On the blank Weekly Planner sheet, jot down what your children did for the Weekly Lessons listed on our Website.

6. On the Reading Log sheet, write down any materials you used for reading, learning, researching, and even "leisure reading." This can be library books, or books you read for pleasure, or newspapers, or articles from magazines or online articles, or Web links to Websites you used for research, etc.

7. Branch out into the other areas of our www.EverythingHomeschooling.com Website, such as the Unit Studies, Hands-On Activities, Weekly Challenges, Field Trips, Unschooling Activities, Worksheets, Teens Place, Preschoolers Place, and other areas, in addition to the Grades K-12 Weekly Lessons. Enjoy all the fun, educational activities we offer!

Happy homeschooling!

Homeschool Lessons for Grades K-12

2009-08-28T15:25:00.011-04:00

See some of the Homeschool Lessons and Fun Activities covered in just the First 3 Weeks of the New Homeschool Year!

Then Join in the Fun at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

These Lessons and Activities are available at the appropriate learning levels for all Grades K-12 in the Weekly Lessons for Weeks 1 through 3. And there's much more available for all the weeks ahead!

For all the topics listed below, we provide Numerous Activities and Resources. This results in dozens of interesting activities in every Subject Area. And these are just a few examples of the First 3 Weeks!

Language Arts:
- Creative Thinking & Creative Writing
- Reading Exercises & Reading Comprehension
- Phonics + Spelling + Grammar Games
- Book-Making Activities
- Books-to-Read Suggestions
- "Reading Log" Updates
- Turning "Discussions into Writing"
- Creating Picture Books
- Authors Everyone Should Know
- Different Types of Literature
- Reading Literature "Right Here, Right Now!"
- Hundreds of Creative Writing Ideas & Story Prompts
- Reading & Language Arts Worksheets for All Grade Levels
- Book Suggestions for All Subjects Areas

Social Studies:
- Learning Geography through Animals
- Camviews Around the World
- Online Maps for Geography Studies of State, National, and World Regions
- Map-Making in Your Neighborhood
- How to Create "Virtual Maps"
- Historical Biographies
- Historical Buildings, Landmarks, & Architecture
- Creating & Recording Family Histories, Interviews, & Family Traditions
- Historical Figures
- Historical Events & Eras
- Worksheets for Social Studies, History, Geography, Government & Economics

Math:
- Devise New Ways to Measure
- Make Geometric T-Shirts
- Money Concepts & Shopping Games
- Math-Solving Rules & Strategies
- Mental Math Techniques
- Hands-On Math Fun
- Consumer Math & Economics
- Brain Boosters for Every Day
- Word-Problem Worksheets
- Worksheets on all Math Concepts, Adding, Subtracting, Multiplying, Dividing, Fractions, Decimals, etc. + Advanced Math, Geometry, Graphing, Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus

Sciences:
- Learning the Constellations
- Making a Constellation Viewer
- Planets and Solar System
- Constructing a Solar System
- Insect Zoos & Animal Zoos
- "New Creature Creations"
- Living Things vs. Nonliving Things
- Nature Walk Activities
- How to "Think Like a Scientist"
- Loads of Science Experiments
- Science Games + Science Worksheets for All Grades

Life Skills & Health:
- Cooking Activities
- Nutrition & Healthy Eating
- Physical Fitness
- Exercise Fun
- Activities for Endurance, Strength, & Flexibility
- Loads of Recreational Games
- Good Character Traits
- "Hero" Traits + Everyday Heroes/Heroines
- Heroes in Greek Mythology
- How to Be a Hero
- For Parents: How to Care for Self + Reduce Stress

Arts, Crafts, Music, Hobbies:
- Arts & Crafts to Keep You Busy All Year
- Art Games that Teach about Art & Artists
- Art Appreciation
- Art Timelines
- Musical Eras
- Composers & Compositions
- Musical Games & Instruments
- How to Make a Variety of Instruments
- Listening to & Singing Along with Dozens of Songs
- Constructing & Creating Crafts for Any Theme or Occasion

DON'T MISS OUT on Upcoming Lessons & Fun Learning Activities!

Visit us now at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com and Happy Homeschooling!

Homeschool High School and Homeschool Curriculum

2009-08-22T15:47:00.006-04:00

When homeschooling teens, it's helpful to understand that homeschooling isn't "school at home." Rather, it's a lifestyle, a natural part of everyday living and learning. If homeschooling tries to follow a "school format," the results can be disappointing, as well as boring. Teens, or children of any age, simply don't learn well if they are bored and have lost interest in learning.

Therefore, fun, flexibility, and following one's interests are key.

This doesn't mean that one needn't learn algebra, or needn't learn how to write a proper sentence, or needn't learn the anatomy of a frog. These things can easily be learned in a fun and interesting manner in the home environment. Then, while learning these topics, take the opportunity to branch off into other interesting areas, as well.

In school, while learning a topic, students might think, "Oh, I wonder why or how...." But they rarely get the opportunity to find an answer to their questions. The teacher keeps them on-task, or the bell rings, or they are otherwise interrupted, and that key learning opportunity -- finding an answer to their question -- is gone.

In the homeschool, though, teens can spend as much time as they like, sating their curiosity and finding the answers to their questions, so that learning is never-ending.

We at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com have made it easy, educational, and interesting to homeschool your high school teens -- or all of your children, from Grades K-12!

You can use www.EverythingHomeschooling.com for your sole homeschool curriculum in all subject areas, for all ages. Any books that you might want to use can be obtained from your local library. For instance, there are numerous books in the library covering biology and chemistry, along with illustrations of experiments and educational projects to do in your home.

Our Weekly Lessons in Science (and in all the other subjects) provide online resources, in case you're unable to get to the library or prefer not to use the library. On our site, you'll have the convenience of using online reference materials and hands-on project ideas for all your subjects, for all grade levels.

For credits earned, you can keep a High School Transcript. This Transcript can be printed from our Homeschool Forms page. Also, request the current High School Transcript from your child's high school, then add to it, as he or she completes each subject at the end of the semester and the end of the year. More on keeping a transcript, and recording credits earned, is available on our site at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

When using our site for your homeschool curriculum, print out our Weekly Planner Logs (also available on our Homeschool Forms page) and jot down what your children do each day. Or, your teens can easily jot down what they do. For instance, if they dissected a frog, that goes under Biology. If they synthesized water, that's Chemistry. (We provide loads of links to science experiments in all branches of the sciences.)

The links in our Weekly Lessons include resources for reading about topics, plus hands-on projects, plus worksheet resources. All Subject Areas are covered on our site -- Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Science, Life Skills/Health, and Arts/Music/Crafts/Hobbies.

In each of the Subjects, there are 5 to 7 educational activities, sometimes more. This provides plenty of learning activities for each week. And, more importantly, it provides lots of extra ideas for pursuing various areas of interest, so that teens and kids of all ages can acquire even more knowledge about topics that interest them.

Our Weekly Lessons are based upon "national curriculum guidelines." Yet, they are also flexible and wide-ranging, to help keep education interesting to children.

Our Weekly Lessons generally flow from week to week. Yet, we incorporate interesting games, new hands-on ideas, and freshly updated material that keep learning fun each week, for all grade levels.

Enjoy homeschooling with www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Happy homeschooling!

Homeschool Curriculum, Homeschool Lessons, Homeschool Activities

2009-08-12T07:52:00.011-04:00

Keep Your Homeschool Easy, Fun, and Educational!

1. Homeschool Curriculum or Curriculum Guidelines are very helpful if you're not sure "what to teach." Find them at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

2. Weekly Homeschool Lessons are provided for each week, too! Select from Grades K-2, Grades 3-6, Grades 6-9, or Grades 9-12, at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com. Then start homeschooling today!

3. Daily Homeschool Activities are included to bring new knowledge and interest to each homeschool day at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

4. Hands-On Homeschool Activities provide science experiments, arts and crafts, and ongoing educational projects.

5. Unit Studies offer "learning across the curriculum" and interesting themes to keep variety and fun in your homeschool.

6. Online Field Trips provide additional opportunities to explore and absorb new knowledge, ideas, and experiences.

7. Weekly Challenges motivate children and teens to stretch their imaginations, thinking skills, and problem-solving skills to create or design new objects or ideas.

All this and more is available Every Day at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Start Homeschooling Today, and Have a Happy Homeschool Year!

Homeschool Room Photos

2009-07-28T10:57:00.005-04:00

We are seeking photos of your Homeschool Room, Homeschool Space, or other Learning Areas in your home.

Many are interested in how other families organize their homeschool spaces. Do you have a dedicated Homeschool Room? Or a special corner or closet for organizing your homeschool supplies?

Snap a photo and e-mail it to us at Sherri@EverythingHomeschooling.com.

We'll post your photos for other homeschool families to view here on our Homeschool Blog and on our website at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

We look forward to seeing your photos!

Happy homeschooling!

Summer Learning: Retaining Skills and Knowledge

2009-07-06T13:38:00.008-04:00

It's been noted that school children lose about 2 months of knowledge over the summer. As a result, school teachers spend 4 to 6 weeks re-teaching material that students forget during the summer.

Homeschooled children have an advantage over traditionally schooled children during the summer months. Here's a few reasons why:

1. Homeschooled children are accustomed to learning every day, whether it's a weekday, weekend, holiday, or vacation. Learning is simply a natural part of each day, just like eating, sleeping, playing, living.

2. Homeschooled children have a sense of responsibility where their education is concerned. When learning is a natural part of each day, it ranks right along with brushing teeth, getting dressed, giving hugs, caring for others, helping friends or family, choosing a book to read, making something new, solving problems, and other daily activities. Education isn't something that occurs only at school. Rather, it's a natural part of a homeschooled child's everyday life.

3. Homeschooled children enjoy learning, they enjoy challenging themselves, and they enjoy finding new things to learn, whether it's summer, fall, winter, or spring. With the freedom and flexibility to explore a world of knowledge, they are off and running! One idea will lead to another, and -- just like a tree that branches out into new and varied directions -- the homeschooled child follows new topics that consistently branch off into areas of new knowledge and fascinating activities.

Join us at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com to share ideas on Summer Learning through our Message Board, or to see dozens of Summer Activities that have been suggested.

Happy homeschooling!

Summer Homeschool

2009-06-24T19:50:00.008-04:00

For most homeschool families, summer is a time to relax, take a vacation, or enjoy a couple "get-away weekends." This doesn't mean that learning has to be suspended for two or three months, though!

Vacations or day-trips can provide plenty of learning opportunities. It's usually easy to include geography, history, and science themes during most trips. Include math concepts, too, by figuring distances, speeds, miles per gallon, costs for attractions, lodging, meals, and the total cost for the entire vacation.

Even if you don't leave home, there's plenty of activities to keep children learning all summer long. Join your library's Summer Reading Program. Books can open doors to new worlds, new experiences, and new knowledge -- a wonderful way to gain an education!

Become involved in 4H or summer programs at the local Parks & Recreation Department. Try new hobbies. Try old hobbies! Take art classes, music classes, woodworking or weaving classes.

Visit local museums, nature centers, zoos, state parks, and other areas of interest. Then create crafts and activities based on the places you visited and the things you saw there.

Make a list of all the new things children want to learn, then learn them together. Jot down fun learning ideas on paper, cut them into strips, then place the strips into a jar. Draw a "learning idea" strip from the jar each day, then create fun ways to learn about the topic.

Use books, such as 365 Simple Science Experiments or The Everything Kids' Science Experiments Book for educational science projects. Check into the Summer Smarts Activities or the Summer Bridge Activities books, too.

The "Summer Activities" on our www.EverythingHomeschooling.com site provides dozens of learning ideas! And new summer learning ideas are added all the time!

Happy Homeschooling!

Homeschool Activities + Homeschool Lessons + Unschooling

2009-05-01T08:12:00.001-04:00

Homeschooling begins to wind down for many families in May and June. However, your children can continue learning with fun, educational projects all Spring and Summer at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

It's a great time to try the "unschooling" method of homeschooling, too. Our site provides a section just for unschoolers or for those of you who would like to incorporate some of the unschooling strategies into your homeschools.

You might be so impressed with how much your children learn through "unschooling" over the Spring and Summer, you'll continue unschooling year-round! If so, come visit us often at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com, and watch for our expanded "Unschooling" section debuting soon on our Everything Homeschooling website.

Happy homeschooling!

Successful Homeschool Activities

2009-04-30T08:57:00.008-04:00

Successful homeschool experiences are most often the result of "student-driven interest" and the willingness to be flexible and adaptable to the learning opportunities that present themselves each day.

We hear from many parents who are thinking about homeschooling their children. Some of their most-pressing questions revolve around "grading" and "testing" their children. However, grading and testing are tools that are used for judging a large mass, when you, otherwise, do not have the time nor opportunity to determine a child's true knowledge, skills, and abilities, one-on-one.

Most tests simply show how well children do in taking tests. They are an indication of test performance, and little more.

When considering homeschooling or a homeschool curriculum, try not to become overly concerned about "grading" and "testing." "Grading" is done through discussing each day's learning experiences with your children. "Testing" is achieved through observing their strengths and weaknesses in the subjects and topics you've been covering.

Yes, tests can be "interesting" and quizzes can be "fun" when they are kept in perspective. But for determining your child's learning successes, you can focus more on discussions and observations to see, first-hand, how well your child is progressing or where he or she might need extra help.

For more insight, read the articles from actual homeschooled students on our "Articles" page at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com. Read "Confessions of an Autodidact" and "Taking a Look Back" to see how flexible homeschool activities and "student-driven interest" led to successful homeschool experiences.

Happy homeschooling!

Library Week Activities

2009-04-13T14:38:00.006-04:00

Celebrate "National Library Week" by adapting these Book and Literature ideas in your Homeschool!

1. Select and Read New, Interesting Books
2. Try Fun, Unique Book Reports
3. See How to Create Silly Stories and Tales
4. Enjoy Author Activities and Learn About Authors
5. Create Your Own Picture Books
6. Turn Favorite Stories into Plays or Musicals
7. Construct Dioramas of Scenes from Favorite Books
8. Join a Kids Reading Club
9. Join a Teens Reading Club
10. Take Part in MORE Activities in Our FREE Writing Ideas Section!

Get started at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com by clicking our Free Writing Ideas!

Visit your local library this week, too, and thank your hard-working librarians!

Happy homeschooling!

Easter Activities, Spring Activities, Homeschool Activities

2009-04-07T11:43:00.006-04:00

Enjoy Spring and Easter Activities, freshly updated, on www.EverythingHomeschooling.com! What, exactly, IS Spring? Why do plants and animals "spring" to life in the Spring? What examples of "birth" and "rebirth" can you find this Spring and Easter?

Make flowers out of eggshells! Make eggs hatch from balloons! Visit our www.EverythingHomeschooling.com site to do these Easter activities!

Why are birds building nests now? What are nests made from, and how many different types of bird nests are there? How can you help birds during their nest-building season? Visit www.EverythingHomeschooling.com to learn more about birds, nest-building, and other Spring activities!

Spring is a wonderful time to make Nature a part of your Homeschool Lessons!

Happy Homeschooling!

How to Start Homeschooling

2009-02-12T11:18:00.017-05:00

We've had some questions lately from parents who'd like to know where to start homeschooling.

Our site, www.EverythingHomeschooling.com, is simple to use, and we'll provide information on using it.

First, as far as starting to homeschool your children -- the best place to start is WITH your children. Discuss what THEY want to learn, what they want to do, regardless of their age.

Remember that "homeschooling" is not "school at home." Rather, it is a natural part of living and learning each day. When families try to "school-at-home," both parents and children often end up disappointed, confused, or frustrated. That's why we are here for you.

Flexibility, variety, and fun ways of learning ARE the KEYS to successful home education.

Read some of the Free Articles on our "Articles" page, which are written by homeschooled youth, such as Andrew Tipping, Michelle Healey, and Hannah Glenn. Their first-hand experiences are very insightful. Simply click the "Articles" button in the menu on our Website.

If you're just starting out, it's helpful to check your state's homeschool regulations and see what they require. The state laws often sound intimidating, but generally they're quite simple to comply with. If you have questions about your state laws, please e-mail us.

In many cases, homeschool families keep a homeschool portfolio, which can include homeschool records. Our "Homeschool Forms" page includes printable Weekly Planner Sheets, Reading Logs, and other forms for our subscribers. Click the "Homeschool Forms" button in the menu on our Website. You may use the Forms if you are unschooling, deschooling, homeschooling, or eclectic-schooling.

To use our Weekly Lessons, go to our Grades K-2 Lessons, Grades 3-8 Lessons, or Grades 8-12 Lessons and do the activities with your children. Start with Week 1 or start with any week listed there.

Or, you may click the Lessons by Subject, on our Home page, such as: Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Science, Life Skills & Health, or Arts & Music. Then choose your grade level, and choose a lesson or activity.

Go as far as your children would like to go with the activities -- and, most importantly, let them branch off into any other directions. That's the beauty of homeschooling -- pursuing amazing paths and new adventures sparked by one small idea.

Do the Weekly Challenges, the Hands-On Activities, the Daily Activities, Daily Writing Prompts, Field Trips, Unit Studies -- all included on our Website and designed to provide ideas and inspiration that are interesting, enjoyable, and educational. Write down the activities your children do on the Weekly Planner Sheets from our "Homeschool Forms" page. (Older children can write down the activities they do each day or each week, to save you time.)

We have a "Teens Place" page with more advanced educational activities and interesting topics for teenagers. And we have a "Preschool Place" to keep preschoolers learning while you're working with your older children.

The main goal of our site is "Click and Do." It's simple for working parents, single parents, stay-at-home parents. We provide hundreds of educational activities throughout each year.

Simply "Click and Do" the activities, and allow your children to learn, to explore, and to pursue the activities and special interests, or follow new ideas, as well. Help guide them along the exciting paths that inspire or enthuse them.

Feel free to e-mail us with your questions. Our contact information is on our Contact Us page.

Happy Homeschooling!

Daily Homeschool Activities & Homeschool Lessons

2009-01-31T19:31:00.008-05:00

Sometimes it's challenging to come up with enough ideas to fill a week's worth of homeschooling. That's why we provide FREE Homeschool Activities for you, right here: www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

You'll always have lots of educational ideas that kids love to learn about, along with fun hands-on projects.

Check out these topics today and do the hands-on activities provided:

Green Living & the Environment
Mayans, Aztecs, & Incas
Snow & Snowflakes
Paper Structures & Towers
Colors & Rainbows
Electricity & Electrifying Facts
Medieval Castles & Villages
Story Writing
Geometric Shapes in Nature
Life on the Rails & Trains
Bats, Bats, & More Bats
Spiders & Spider Webs
Squirrels & Owls
And many more topics added all the time!

Plus, there's Weekly Lesson Plans for all subjects: Language Arts, Social Studies, Math, Science, Life Skills, Arts, Music, & Computer Skills.

Don't miss out! Visit us today!

Happy Homeschooling!

Free Homeschool Books

2009-01-18T11:41:00.017-05:00

Good News! We have FREE BOOKS available for giving away!

Starting this January, 2009, Subscribers will be eligible for our Free Book Giveaways every 2 weeks!

You can see some of the books we're currently giving away, by going to www.EverythingHomeschooling.com, then clicking on the "Win Free Books" link.

Books include The Wind in the Willows, Read-Aloud Stories, and Tales from Shakespeare! We also have Robin Hood, 101 Great American Poems, The Swiss Family Robinson, Black Beauty, Favorite Fairy Tales, Anne of Green Gables, The Jungle Book, The Red Badge of Courage, and many more!

Free Bookmarks are included with each book, too!

All Subscribers -- current and new -- are eligible for the Free Book Giveaway!

Check it out today at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Enjoy our easy-to-use Homeschool Curriculum, Weekly Homeschool Lessons, Daily Homeschool Activities, and Hands-On Homeschool Projects, too!

Happy Homeschooling!

Homeschool Curriculum & Homeschool Lessons

2009-01-09T15:03:00.007-05:00

Do you provide a Homeschool Curriculum?

This is one of the questions we're often asked at Everything Homeschooling.

Yes, we do!

However, different people have different concepts of what a curriculum is. By definition, a curriculum is "a course of study" or "a set of courses."

The Weekly Homeschool Lessons and Homeschool Activities at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com follow, or complement, the "Typical Course of Study" that most educational institutes follow across the nation.

Yet, even those educational curriculums will vary, depending on the regions or districts where the curriculum is being used.

What one probably means when asking if Everything Homeschooling provides a curriculum is: Do we provide a "packaged curriculum"?

A "packaged curriculum" is not the best educational resource for homeschooling your children.

Why not? Because every child is unique, every child has his or her own learning styles, and every child learns at his or her own pace. A "packaged curriculum," on the other hand, is not designed specifically for your individual child's learning style, pace, or interests.

At www.EverythingHomeschooling.com, we help YOU help your children learn, by providing Weekly Homeschool Lessons and Homeschool Activities that interest YOUR CHILDREN. Plus, this Homeschool Curriculum can be adapted to YOUR CHILD's individual learning styles and abilities, at any time.

The best Homeschool Curriculum is the one that captures your children's interests, keeps them wanting to learn more, and helps them retain what they've learned. This occurs when the homeschool lessons are fun, interesting, and hands-on. And also because the homeschool curriculum is adaptable, flexible, and varied -- to work for YOUR child!

This is the type of homeschool curriculum we offer at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com. It's easy to use, very affordable, and, above all, it helps to make your homeschool successful, interesting, and enjoyable, as well as educational for your child.

Happy homeschooling!

Avoid Homeschool Burnout

2008-12-30T12:36:00.008-05:00

Your family can avoid homeschool burnout by discussing what is still enjoyable each day and what is not.

Try these tips to reduce the chance of burnout in your homeschool:

Discuss what is working and what is not. Ask for suggestions and ideas to inspire and motivate learning.
Determine the ways your children learn best and use those learning methods.
Add more flexibility to your homeschool days, and take advantage of spontaneous learning opportunities.
Avoid over-scheduling your days. You need a good balance of quiet activities with the busy activities.
Add more fun and laughter to your homeschool lessons and homeschool activities.
Set aside homeschool curriculum packages or programs that are not interesting to your children. (If your children aren't interested, they won't learn as well.)
Switch from "busy-work" -- such as worksheets, writing assignments, or dull reading assignments -- to fun, hands-on learning projects and science experiments.
Try unit studies or "unschooling" for a while, rather than traditional subjects. Remember that "homeschool" is not "school at home." Experiment with different learning methods.
Ask children what they would like to learn this week, this month, this year. Encourage them to find and share fun ways to learn those things.
Take field trips to the library and allow children to check out books that appeal to them. Also guide them in selecting informative books that look interesting. Use those books as the backbone of your daily learning, and discuss the books you read.
Use arts and crafts as an excellent way to reinforce learning and to complement the topics you read, study, or explore.
Find online homeschool activities that promote family learning projects. Many interesting projects and activities are available at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.
Reduce stress by lowering your expectations. Try not to do so much each day. Get support and help from others.
Have children record their daily lessons in their homeschool logs, organize their homeschool books and supplies, and clean up after homeschool experiments or learning projects.
Ask family members to help with daily chores around the home and to be responsible for specific aspects of the homeschool day.
Take time for yourself to relax and unwind. Spend at least an hour each day on something you especially enjoy, such as reading, painting, knitting, or sitting in the sunshine.

When you are rested, refreshed, and recharged, homeschooling will be easier, and children will be happier and will learn more!

Happy homeschooling!

Start Homeschooling + Homeschool Activities + Unschooling Ideas

2008-12-10T08:13:00.005-05:00

During the Christmas break, many families once again consider homeschooling. Here's a few things to keep in mind:

One of the first things you'll want to do is give your children some "down time" to decompress and to relax, after being in the school environment. There's no need to jump right into lessons today, or this week, or even next week. Just relax and enjoy being together.

Have lots of interesting discussions with your children, find out what their current interests are, and basically reconnect with who they are today. Ask for their ideas on things they'd like to learn, hobbies they'd like to try, things they'd like to build or create, etc.

Many children have lost the ability to think for themselves, after being in school. So allow them the freedom to relax for a while, to think for themselves, and to consider all the possibilities and opportunities now open to them, as a result of homeschooling.

Always keep in mind that homeschooling is not "school at home." Homeschooling is simply living and learning each day, in ways that are interesting for your child and fit your child's individual learning styles and goals. Yes, there will need to be some structure and organization to your days eventually, but focus on the above, first.

Other things, such as cursive writing and multiplication tables, can and will be learned in time. But, first, redeveloping a real interest and joy in learning is important for the child who has been in a school environment.

For lots of homeschool activities, homeschool lessons, unschooling ideas, and homeschool information, please visit us at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy homeschooling!

Educational Christmas Gifts for Children

2008-11-24T08:26:00.033-05:00

The holiday shopping frenzy is underway, and many are wondering: What are good gift ideas for children?

Toys or games that stimulate creative thinking, wonderment and discovery, artistic skills, and motor skills are always enjoyed by children.

- Creative Thinking Toys: These can include building and construction toys, such as LEGO's sets, Hexabits sets, Superstructs sets, ZOOB sets, Gears building sets, LaQ construction medium, Dado Squares, Quadrilla marble sets, Frigits marble sets, Kapla building sets, Zome building systems, Uberstix sets, Wedgits sets, GeoMag sets, PixelBlocks, K'Nex, Capsela, and the traditional Lincoln Logs, Erector Sets, TinkerToys, and Wooden Building Blocks.

- Wonderment & Discovery Toys: Chemistry sets, microscopes, telescopes, erupting volcanoes, tornado tubes, storybooks, adventure books, ant habitats, Sea-Monkeys, butterfly gardens, Magnetic Space Puzzle, Science Magnets, Solar Robots, Solar Cars, Terrariums, Plant-growing sets, Snap Circuits sets, Physics Workshop, and other science sets and activity books.

- Artistic Skills: Art & craft supplies, finger paints, watercolor sets, paint-by-numbers, Crayola sets, scrapbook kits, Fractiles, mosaic art kits, stained glass kits, pottery and sculpting sets, Nature-Sketching Journals, fashion-design kits, car-design kits, mask-making kits, Play-Doh, clay, Rock Painting, sidewalk chalk, Colorforms, model kits, EZ Build Projects, easels, chalkboards, yarn crafts, beading sets, paper doll collections, wire figure kits, I Can Play Guitar, drums, keyboards, hand bells, xylophone, rain sticks, recorders, and other musical instruments and art supplies suitable for your child's age.

- Motor Skills: Marble shooting games, Tiddlywinks, Jacks sets, Pick-Up Sticks, juggling sets, jump ropes, Hula Hoops, yo-yos, Sensory Balls, Cranium Hullabaloo, magnetic Dart boards, magnetic toys, puppets, Pogo stick, Hopscotch, Maze games, beading sets, jigsaw puzzles, pretend play sets and figures.

For more Educational Christmas Gift Ideas for Children, browse sites such as FatBrainToys.com and DiscoverThis.com.

For Daily and Weekly Educational Activities, visit www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy homeschooling!

Weekly Homeschool Lessons & Homeschool Activities

2008-11-21T07:34:00.009-05:00

How do you find weekly homeschool lessons to keep your children actively involved in learning each day? New Weekly Homeschool Lessons are provided every week at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

It's simple, easy homeschooling, designed to make your homeschool run smoothly every day. It's a huge time-savings for you, too! The homeschool lessons and the homeschool activities are right there at your fingertips, any time, day or night! The research has been done for you, and your children can start learning and exploring right away, in a fun, interesting way.

At www.EverythingHomeschooling.com, just click on the appropriate grade level for your child, by selecting Grades K-2, or Grades 3-8, or Grades 8-12 Weekly Lessons, in the menu on the left of the page. You'll then have thousands of homeschool activities available to you and your children.

In addition, there are Hands-On Activities, Homeschool Unit Studies, Virtual Field Trips, Writing Activities, Creative Thinking Activities, Unschooling Activities, Book Lists for Homeschoolers, Weekly Challenges, Science Experiments for all ages, and much more.

The site is there to make your homeschool experiences enjoyable, educational, and successful! Don't miss it!

Happy homeschooling!

Online Curriculum for Homeschooling

2008-10-23T06:25:00.010-04:00

An online homeschool curriculum should be easy-to-use, interesting and educational, very inexpensive, and not an off-shoot of a public school system.

Remember -- repeat often -- "Homeschool is not school-at-home!"

Homeschool is a "learning lifestyle" -- fun, enjoyable, stimulating, flexible, full of variety, full of new adventures and new learning experiences -- just like life itself.

When one tries to turn homeschool into "school at home," the homeschool experience and the benefits quickly disappoint and disintegrate. Those who deny this fact, will see it play out before their very eyes. And then say, "Homeschooling didn't work for us" or "Homeschool wasn't right for us."

Actually, homeschool can and will work for everyone, and it can be right for anyone. It just requires a little "opening up" of the mind, to understand that it is not school-at-home. It cannot be "run" like a "school-at-home."

Often, parents will try to seek the perfect homeschool curriculum, trying to emulate the schools. This can result in a failed homeschool experience, simply because -- Why? That's right! -- "homeschool is not school-at-home!"

In addition, it can be a very costly mistake! Before looking at a curriculum, look to your children. See how they learn best, see what they want to learn, see where their interests lie. Then you will begin on the path to a truly successful educational experience!

Yes, your children will want and need knowledge. And, yes, you and they will want some guidance. But that "guidance" should not be costly, nor boring!

We can easily help you with a successful, educational homeschool experience, through the online Curriculum Guidelines that we provide.

Plus, we include fun, interesting Daily Homeschool Activities and Weekly Homeschool Lessons that support homeschool curriculum guidelines. And we go even further, by providing Weekly Challenges, Hands-On Projects and Experiments, Artistic Endeavors, Life Skills, and much more -- in ways that children and teens enjoy and remember!

Never hesitate to ask us for assistance. Visit our Online Curriculum Guidelines, Daily Homeschool Activities, and Weekly Homeschool Lessons at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

We are always here to help homeschool families, and to ensure that online homeschooling is easy-to-use, interesting and educational, and very inexpensive!

Happy homeschooling!

Creating Homeschool Lessons & Homeschool Activities

2008-10-16T06:30:00.005-04:00

It's not difficult to create Homeschool Lessons or Homeschool Activities. It starts with "wondering" and "thinking."

These are two critical abilities that some people "don't have time for" in their busy days. But it's imperative that people shift their priorities, so that they do, indeed, have plenty of time for wondering and thinking about a wide variety of topics each day. Especially homeschool families!

What is it that sets human beings apart from animals? "Wondering" and "thinking" are a couple of those elements that distinguish humans from animals.

Right there is a Homeschool Lesson, in itself. For your Homeschool Activities today, have children think of how many ways humans and animals differ from each other. Have them look at and compare pictures of both, research and consider instincts of both, wonder and think about the qualities of each species. Then write a descriptive paper on what they learned, along with drawings and illustrations, depicting some of the differences between humans and animals.

Wonder. Think. This is how Homeschool Lessons and Homeschool Activities are created, and enjoyed, and learned from.

Brainstorm with your children on more ideas that THEY would like to learn about. And, for more ideas and encouragement for your homeschool, be sure to visit www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Happy homeschooling!

Remove Child from School

2008-10-01T17:22:00.009-04:00

About six weeks into the school year, I begin getting e-mails from parents who want to remove their child from school.

"My son is having problems in school. Can I take him out?"

"My daughter is being harassed in school. Can I withdraw her from school?"

Yes, and yes. No child HAS to go to a certain school. Every child CAN be educated at home.

So that you'll know your homeschool laws, check with your state's Department of Education. Don't rely upon information from your school or from the local school district. Call your state's Department of Education and request to speak with the Homeschool Department. (Every state Department of Education has a Homeschool Division.)

Armed with the information you receive from them, write a letter to your son's or daughter's school and explain that you are withdrawing them from school. There is no need to explain why, or to get into a lengthy discussion at your child's school, or try to "defend" your decision. At the same time, if you need to submit an "Intent to Homeschool" notice to your school's superintendent, you can do so. (The homeschool information you receive from the Dept. of Ed. will tell you if a Notice needs to be filed or not.)

Caution: If you start feeling overwhelmed by the legalese contained in the packet of homeschool information you receive from the State, don't let it bother you. Call your local homeschool support group, and they will explain what you need to do. It's truly much simpler than it sounds!

Once you have removed your child from the school system, the fun begins! And so does the learning! You'll be amazed at how much enthusiasm your child will begin showing for learning!

But FIRST, he or she will need to "decompress." This is a very important step that falls between the removal of your child from school and the beginning of the homeschool adventure.

Children are "conditioned" to function in a certain manner in school settings. When they are taken out of school, they need time to get used to NOT going to school. They need time to begin viewing their home as a place where their education will continue. They need to get a feel for how their days will play out in their home. They need a couple weeks -- sometimes more -- to get used to their new routine.

Don't worry. Your child won't "fall behind" during this decompression time. Many homeschoolers finish their homeschool year in half the time of a regular school year!

So go ahead, find out your state laws and withdraw your child from school. Then let the fun and learning begin!

If you need help or guidance, just visit us at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy homeschooling!

Homeschool Lessons Online

2008-09-16T08:18:00.008-04:00

We've found that our homeschool lessons online provide the homeschool activities and homeschool learning that's easy for parents, yet challenging, interesting, and always educational for children and teens!

In one convenient location, we provide everything you need to succeed in your homeschool, at: www.EverythingHomeschooling.com!

Here, you'll get Weekly Lessons for All Subjects for Grades K-12, plus Daily Homeschool Activities -- for All Year! In addition, you'll get over a year's worth of Science Experiments, Hands-On Projects, Arts, Crafts, & Music Activities, Weekly Challenges, Unit Studies, Virtual Field Trips, Homeschool Help, and much more.

And, if you have older or younger children, there's the Teens Place and the Preschool Place, just for them!

With the simple-to-use format that busy homeschool families love, our Everything Homeschooling site is a huge hit! The many testimonials, alone, explain why homeschool families thoroughly enjoy homeschooling with our weekly homeschool lessons online.

It's a New Homeschool Year! Don't get Left Behind! Visit us today at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com, and contact us with any questions you have!

Happy homeschooling!

Homeschool Experiences for New Homeschool Book

2008-09-04T11:46:00.004-04:00

We are looking for YOUR homeschool stories and YOUR input for the new, 2nd Edition of "The Everything Homeschooling Book."

This book will be totally updated with fresh, new information on ALL aspects of homeschooling!

The following 3 areas are of particular interest, and we hope YOU and your families can contribute:

1. What homeschool information is most important to YOU, in regards to homeschooling? What do you most want to find in a book on homeschooling? Please e-mail me and let me know!

2. What are some of the "ah-ha!" moments you and your family have experienced in YOUR homeschool adventures? What surprised you? What delighted you? What inspired you? Share your homeschooling experiences!

3. What are YOUR adult homeschooled children doing today? This is one of the most fascinating chapters of "The Everything Homeschooling Book" -- descriptions of real home-educated young people and what they're doing in their lives today. Please share these experiences, too!

You may e-mail me at Sherri@EverythingHomeschooling.com to share your ideas, insight, and homeschool experiences. My publisher needs to have the book in their hands within the next couple months, so please send your stories and experiences within the next few weeks!

We hope to include as many personal experiences as possible in the newly updated version of our book. It's a wonderful way to help other homeschool families now and in the future! (Names can and will be kept private, depending upon your preference.)

We're looking forward to hearing from all of you! And looking forward to YOUR wants and needs regarding homeschooling, YOUR special "ah-ha!" moments, and the success stories or adventures of YOUR adult children who were homeschooled.

Remember: Visit us each day at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com for fresh, new homeschool activities and weekly homeschool lessons!

Happy Homeschooling!

Daily Homeschool Activities

2008-08-27T10:49:00.005-04:00

Homeschooling is most successful when it's kept interesting and challenging through daily homeschool activities.

Your children are your best source for learning ideas that interest them -- learning ideas that they want to pursue. When children (or adults) want to learn something, that's when the greatest learning takes place.

Remember to ask your children each day what they'd like to learn that day. Then, together, explore the resources that help them learn those things.

Our www.EverythingHomeschooling.com site provides a multitude of daily learning activities. On our Home page, simply click the "Daily Homeschool Activities" link at the top of the page, under the heading "Most Popular on Our Site."

You and your children will then be able to take a Virtual Field Trip along the Transcontinental Railroad and learn the history of the railroad and about the "boxcar children."

In addition, you can learn about a variety of other interesting topics, such as insects, owls, hummingbirds, squirrels, spider webs, and more.

You can also visit our Monthly Educational Activities Calendar for daily activities based on historic events of that day.

Or take off on more Virtual Field Trips, experiment with a variety of Hands-On Activities and science projects, try the Weekly Challenges and Unit Studies, select some of the Books to Read suggestions, and explore the newly updated Unschooling Activities.

Our Weekly Lessons for grades K-12 are added each week, plus over 1,000 activities from last year's 2007-2008 Weekly Lessons are still available!

With so many homeschool activities, homeschool lessons, and guidelines for homeschool curriculum, your children will always have interesting and challenging educational activities to keep them learning and loving it every day!

Remember to visit us each day at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com for fresh, new homeschool activities!

Happy Homeschooling!

Back to "HomeSchool"

2008-08-20T18:06:00.003-04:00

August is "Back to School" month for some. For homeschoolers, it could be viewed as "Back to Homeschool" month.

However you think of it, one of the most important things to remember about homeschooling is that it's not "school at home."

Homeschool parents are scrambling right now to find the "perfect" homeschool supplies, the "most educational" curriculum, and some are even seeking teachers to teach their homeschooler and to grade assignments!

Please, parents, remember WHY you are homeschooling!

The reasons are varied, and each family has their own educational goals, objectives, and philosophies. Most reasons to homeschool have to do with family values, social issues, faith, flexibility, one-on-one learning, higher academic achievement, natural learning, unschooling as a way of life, and so on.

Whatever your reasons, avoid turning your homeschool adventures into a "school at home!"

For lots of fun and interesting homeschool activities, weekly learning ideas, reading suggestions, hands-on projects, thinking activities, and more, remember to visit us at www.EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy Homeschooling!

How to Start Homeschooling

2008-07-24T11:05:00.004-04:00

Many wonder how they can start homeschooling. What should they do first? Who should they contact? What should they buy?

A good place to start is with your local public library. They often help homeschoolers in a variety of ways. They usually keep a list of local homeschool groups or homeschool associations, too. Call or visit your library, and ask for a list of local homeschool groups or homeschool families.

Once you've spoken with some local homeschool families, you'll find out all you need to know about homeschooling in your area!

What should you buy? Really, you don't need to buy anything! You probably already have all you need right in your home and at your local library.

This summer, as you prepare for the upcoming homeschool year, spend some quality time talking with your children. Ask them what they'd like to learn this coming year -- whether they are 6 years old or 16 years old. Ask them for their ideas on how they might like to learn those things. They can come up with great, imaginative ideas, which we might've never considered.

The best "homeschool tools" are family discussions, imagination, creative thinking, brainstorming ideas, pursuing interesting topics and learning together, online access to educational information, and access to a world of information housed in your local library.

Those are the homeschool tools that make homeschooling successful, continuously interesting, and a joy to look forward to, year after year!

For more on "How to Start Homeschooling", click on our article here: Getting Started Homeschooling.

Happy Homeschooling!

Homeschool Curriculum Activities

2008-07-17T09:14:00.007-04:00

I've received many phone calls recently from parents searching for the "best homeschool curriculum."

One of the most important things to keep in mind, regarding a homeschool curriculum, is that homeschooling is NOT "school at home." Homeschooling is a wonderfully enjoyable lifestyle. When you view it as a natural part of everyday living and learning, it will provide highly successful results for your children and your family.

When parents try to turn homeschooling into "school at home" -- with textbook readings, quizzes, tests, endless worksheets -- the benefits of homeschooling quickly fizzle out, resulting in boredom and disinterested children. And, as we know, when children are bored and disinterested, they do not learn.

For the parents who call or e-mail me, seeking the "best homeschool curriculum," I suggest several ideas for them. One suggestion is: The best homeschool curriculum is right outside your door. Step outside and enjoy nature's own Homeschool Curriculum Activities.

Or try some of our Free Daily Homeschool Curriculum Activities here. Just look for the Free Daily Hands-On Activities (beside the red-and-blue hands) on the Home page of our Everything Homeschooling site!

You'll quickly be on your way to an enjoyable, educational homeschool experience that your children will enjoy and learn from!

Happy Homeschooling!

Nature Activities & Exploring Nature

2008-07-13T08:09:00.012-04:00

A lot is being said about "nature-deficit disorder" as a result of Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods. As with most books, there are pros and cons, but he does make some good points: "In nature, a child finds freedom, fantasy, and privacy." And sadly, as he says, schools today assign more and more homework, which results in less time for exploring nature.

Fortunately, as homeschoolers, we have time on our side. We can spend all day outside, if we like! We can still study math, science, history, English, etc. -- all outside. Or save those subjects for "inside time" and simply get outside and enjoy the fresh air and Nature.

As naturalist John Muir said: "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."

Here's some Nature Activities:

Discover something new in nature each day!
Identify trees, birds, insects, or constellations you see
Create and keep a Nature Sketchbook of what you see outdoors
Capture the colors of Nature with paints, colored pencils, or crayons
Make bark art or bark paintings
Create a collage with leaf rubbings or bark rubbings
Use objects from nature to create a 3D piece of art
Find, follow, and identify animal tracks
Determine when birds, animals, insects eat, sleep, migrate, hibernate
Write about the things you see, hear, smell, and experience in Nature each day!

For more, see our Summer Homeschool Activities and Homeschool Curriculum here.

Learn more about John Muir, here: www.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit

Learn more about the Richard Louv book, Last Child in the Woods, here: http://www.richardlouv.com/

Right now, I'm going outside to see what more I can learn about nature. It never ceases to amaze me!

Happy Homeschooling!

Homeschool Summer Reading

2008-07-08T06:38:00.005-04:00

While browsing through some books for Homeschool Summer Reading, I became captivated by reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Indian Boyhood, The Secret Garden, White Fang, The Wind in the Willows -- all online and quickly available for reading in just seconds!

How I would have loved that as a child! Growing up in a rural farming community -- far from libraries and bookstores -- I hungered for literature to read, daily! Hence, I read and re-read cereal boxes intently, junk mail, front and back, and devoured the Reader's Digest when it finally arrived in the mail.

I would've never dreamed that it could be possible to click a button on a machine and have access to all the great literature in the world! Amazing!

You and your children can access all this, too! Here's one site to get you started. Some of the books include illustrations. But make Homeschool Summer Reading even more fun by encouraging your children to create their own illustrations for the books!

Books for Young Readers:

http://etext.virginia.edu/subjects/Young-Readers.html

For more on Homeschool Summer Reading, see our "Books to Read" page on our Everything Homeschooling site.

Books to Read for K-12:

http://www.everythinghomeschooling.com/Reading.aspx

Happy Homeschooling!

Summer Homeschool Activities

2008-07-03T15:48:00.004-04:00

Here's some Summer Homeschool Activities your children might enjoy:

Earn Free Books with the B&N Summer Reading Program
Go on a Nature Scavenger Hunt
Build a Playhouse, Treehouse, or Clubhouse
Create Fun, Summer Insect Crafts
Keep a Summer Scrapbook, Vacation Journal, or Garden Journal
Learn about Summer Constellations
Make a Summer Time Capsule
Do the Hands-On Projects & Science Experiments on our Site

These and dozens more are explained on our Online Homeschool site, under Summer Activities, at http://www.everythinghomeschooling.com/.

Happy Homeschooling!

Summertime and the Learning Is Easy

2008-07-02T07:14:00.002-04:00

"Summertime... and the livin' is easy...." -- such a nice, relaxing song for the easy-going days of summer.

From the famous musical, Porgy and Bess, it's sometimes called the "Gershwin Lullaby."

For homeschoolers, I like to revise the tune in my mind as:

"Summertime... and the LEARNING is easy!"

Every day provides something new to learn -- and it's so EASY! Just step outside your door, straight into the arms of Mother Nature! The learning naturally begins, simply by being there, soaking up the summertime.

Two more lines from the song "Summertime" are:

"One of these mornings, you're gonna rise up singing,
"You're gonna spread your wings and take the sky...."

Yes, your children are certainly going to spread their wings one day and soar to the sky. With loving parents as their teachers -- and with Summertime as a wonderful learning environment -- they'll soar far and wide when it's time to spread their wings!

Take a Summertime Exploration Hike today. Document all the new things you see and new things you learn with your camera and a Summertime Journal -- complete with notes and hand-drawn sketches!

You can also try some of the Summer Learning Activities on our online homeschooling site at http://www.everythinghomeschooling.com/!

Happy homeschooling!