Organization/time management
Our Round-about Way to Work on This!
As homeschoolers, we have been able to participate in many wonderful activities - far more than we would've been able to if our children were in a regular school system.
These wonderful activities keep us VERY busy, however! I feel as if we are running to this or that more often then not. It does make actually sitting down and accomplishing our school and chores difficult. As my children have grown older, they are each realizing the importance of and their responsibility to do these tasks when they ARE home!
We have instituted "together time" and "work alone" time. "Together Time" takes place whenever we can fit it in at home. "Work Alone" items can travel around with us and the children are able to work at church (if I need to be there to work on things for our homeschool co-op), various lessons, or even on trips.
Before our children are allowed to have fun computer time (as opposed to school computer time!), all schoolwork and chores for that day must be completed. This has been a great incentive for them to get their responsibilities accomplished first! | | crochetmama |
Other
Volunteer Work at the Library
As your child grows and becomes more independent, he could benefit from being a volunteer. The local public library is a great place for a child to volunteer.
My son is starting his third year of volunteering for the library (he goes for two hours, once a week). His responsibilities include shelving books, picking up litter, getting books from the outside bin and bringing them inside, changing the lettering on signs, and special projects.
Volunteering at the library will teach your child a number of helpful skills and expose him to a better understanding of what is available at the library and how the library system functions.
It also provides a weekly opportunity for your child to check out new books, and this will foster a love of reading.
And, of course, it will be a big help to the librarians, who are facing budget cuts and decreased staffing in these challenging economic times. | | weaver718 |
| | Organization/time management
Getting tasks done in minutes
Sometimes your plate can seem too full, and you wonder how you can get everything accomplished. I've found that using a timer can help me "find time" for jobs that I otherwise wouldn't be able to accomplish.
For example, set the timer for five minutes and do a quick cleanup of a problem area, such as an office. Then get back to whatever else you were doing. Even though the job is not "done," you will get some satisfaction out of the fact that some papers are filed, or some pencils are put away, or some things are thrown away.
Or set the timer for fifteen minutes and work on organizing a child's bedroom. When the timer goes off, you're done (for now).
Even if jobs aren't completed in full, you'll be surprised how much you can accomplish in "minutes."
Even a busy mom can find 5, 10 or 15 minutes here and there during her busy day to accomplish tasks that would otherwise go undone. | | weaver718 |
Lang arts: readers/literature
Library Sales & Yard Sales
I have found terrific buys at Library Sales and Yard Sales and even
Salvation Army for readers, topical/science books, craft materials, framed
art, and other items that supplement our school curriculum. Just
yesterday, I found a world globe in excellent condition for a mere $3 at
Sal Val! Easy way to add to your educational experiences in an
inexpensive way. | | jandusman |
Homeschool helps
Learning Styles
How do you learn? How does your child learn? In the process of doing some internet research in preparation to homeschool, I found a wonderful website that discusses learning styles. The best part is the online questionaire in two versions, one for adults and one for "younger people." You only need to answer 16 questions and then click "ok" to see your (or your child's) score in each of four categories: visual, aural, read-write, or kinsethetic. Then read the help sheets that discuss strategies related to your learning style and preference. The website is: www.vark-learn.com | | lschmit |
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