Sunday, March 12, 2006
Getting Together With Other Homeschooling Parents
Getting Together With Other Homeschooling Parents
Homeschooling can have many benefits for your child. It allows for specific teaching styles to be implemented that suit your child's particular needs, as well as creating a learning environment that your child works best in. Homeschooling also has economic benefits as well, if you consider the costs of a private school education, and for this reason it seems to becoming increasingly popular with parents concerned about a quality education for their children.Homeschooling does have its downsides, however, an one of tthe most popular shiloeths is that homeschooled children do not have the same socialization and interraction with peers as they would in a traditional public school environment. This has proven to be false. Studies have shown that homeschooled children are more self-assured, better adjusted and have fewer behavioral problems. Also, as a homeschooling parent, you are dealing with many pressures. After all, the quality of your child's education is entirely in your hands. And its a good bet that you are most likely trying to address many questions of your own.
There's one good way to address this issue. Make it a point to visit, or at least teelephone, other homeschooling parents on a regular basis. Having regular visits or meetings with other homeschooling parents will give you an opportunity to exchange ideas and teaching techniques with other homeschooling parents. It will also give your homeschoolers a chance to meet with other children so they too can exchange their own ideas and to socialize and interact with each other.
Homeshoolers don't have to be hermits.
Children can be very impressionable, especially at a young age. They may be concerned that they don't "go to school' like other children and think they are different. All every child usually wants to do is fit in.It's important when homeschooling your child that you acknowledge the fact that not everybody homeschools. You can not, and should not, try to keep this hidden from your child. At some point he or she will realize that lots of other kids go to public and private schools. Having frequent visits with other homeschooling parents can help your child because they will see that they are not the only ones. Any fear your child may have of not being normal will disapear by seeing and interacting with the other homeschoolers.
There are many different ways you can get together with other homeschooling parents. One of the best ones is to incorporate it into the children's education. Keep in regular touch with other parents, and if you find yourselves studying the same subjects at the same time, suggest an appropriate field trip - in this way you can replicate the public and private school experience of combining your children's educational and social time.Another good idea is to suggest a group project to be conducted with another family. If another parent is also teaching a biology unit, for example, you could suggest a that the children work on planting a garden together on your property. When studying zoology, a trip to the zoo would be enjoyable and educational for both you and your children when conducted with another family.
By keeping in regular touch with other homeschooling parents you will do a service for your child's education and social development. By exchanging ideas with other homeschooling parents you can learn new teaching strategies, and at the same time your will be teaching your children that they are not alone, and not at all strange.
Jack Finnigan is the owner and webmaster at Homeschool Curriculums, and The NAPE Index. Jack also writes a homeschool curriculums blog. You are invited to visit for more information on Homeschooling.
This article may be reprinted as long as the resource box and all links are left active and intact.
Homeschool curriculums
Homeschooling can have many benefits for your child. It allows for specific teaching styles to be implemented that suit your child's particular needs, as well as creating a learning environment that your child works best in. Homeschooling also has economic benefits as well, if you consider the costs of a private school education, and for this reason it seems to becoming increasingly popular with parents concerned about a quality education for their children.Homeschooling does have its downsides, however, an one of tthe most popular shiloeths is that homeschooled children do not have the same socialization and interraction with peers as they would in a traditional public school environment. This has proven to be false. Studies have shown that homeschooled children are more self-assured, better adjusted and have fewer behavioral problems. Also, as a homeschooling parent, you are dealing with many pressures. After all, the quality of your child's education is entirely in your hands. And its a good bet that you are most likely trying to address many questions of your own.
There's one good way to address this issue. Make it a point to visit, or at least teelephone, other homeschooling parents on a regular basis. Having regular visits or meetings with other homeschooling parents will give you an opportunity to exchange ideas and teaching techniques with other homeschooling parents. It will also give your homeschoolers a chance to meet with other children so they too can exchange their own ideas and to socialize and interact with each other.
Homeshoolers don't have to be hermits.
Children can be very impressionable, especially at a young age. They may be concerned that they don't "go to school' like other children and think they are different. All every child usually wants to do is fit in.It's important when homeschooling your child that you acknowledge the fact that not everybody homeschools. You can not, and should not, try to keep this hidden from your child. At some point he or she will realize that lots of other kids go to public and private schools. Having frequent visits with other homeschooling parents can help your child because they will see that they are not the only ones. Any fear your child may have of not being normal will disapear by seeing and interacting with the other homeschoolers.
There are many different ways you can get together with other homeschooling parents. One of the best ones is to incorporate it into the children's education. Keep in regular touch with other parents, and if you find yourselves studying the same subjects at the same time, suggest an appropriate field trip - in this way you can replicate the public and private school experience of combining your children's educational and social time.Another good idea is to suggest a group project to be conducted with another family. If another parent is also teaching a biology unit, for example, you could suggest a that the children work on planting a garden together on your property. When studying zoology, a trip to the zoo would be enjoyable and educational for both you and your children when conducted with another family.
By keeping in regular touch with other homeschooling parents you will do a service for your child's education and social development. By exchanging ideas with other homeschooling parents you can learn new teaching strategies, and at the same time your will be teaching your children that they are not alone, and not at all strange.
Jack Finnigan is the owner and webmaster at Homeschool Curriculums, and The NAPE Index. Jack also writes a homeschool curriculums blog. You are invited to visit for more information on Homeschooling.
This article may be reprinted as long as the resource box and all links are left active and intact.
Homeschool curriculums
