Blog: Home School Curriculum Advice

Here are some Usborne books that I have found to be very interesting and helpful to students and have become some of our favorite books.

Have you found your self wanting to have some great resource books that will help boost your homeschool curriculum?

The Illistrated Dictionary of Math is a must have for every homeschool home. It gives all the basic facts and formulas needed to be successful in math. I wish this book was available when I was homeschooling my 3 older children. Everyone studying math needs this book. Usborne Books at Home explaines it best"Its concise explanations, enhanced by examples and diagrams, provide the confidence and understanding of math that are the key to exam success. Over 500 clear definitions of all the main mathematical terms and concepts. More than 300 illustrations and diagrams help to interpret, clarify and explain each subject. Over 100 worked examples show how to put theory into practice. Comprehensive cross-referencing and a detailed index guarantee easy access to information. This affordable book is a wonderful resouce to have handy in your reference homeschool library."

The next set of books that I feel is really great to have in your reference homeschool library is Usborne's Internet Linked books. Below is the information from Usborne Books at Home about the Internet Linked Books:

"How does an Internet-Linked book work?
Usborne Internet-Linked books serve as a gateway to knowledge for fact-hungry children. Visit Usborne Quicklinks (link found in the book) to enter the book and page number you are interested in learning more about. This site will provide you web addresses of safe, content appropriate websites you can visit to research a subject in a fun and informative way.

What ages are these books designed for?
From Usborne's new Beginner's Series to the Science Encyclopedia, there are Internet Linked Usborne Books that are appealing and appropriate for all age ranges - early childhood through adult!

Can an Internet-Linked or Internet-Referenced book help my child with homework?
Downloadable quizzes, word searches and activity sheets make learning a pleasure - Amazing photographs, illustrations and diagrams provide the child with additional information on any subject…The facts found through Quicklinks help a child to fully understand a new concept and will be very helpful with school papers, science fair projects, etc.

Will Quicklinks recommended sites change?
Recommended websites will change over time as new and improved sites become available.

Is a computer necessary to own this book?
A computer serves to provide an additional learning tool however; it is not essential to fully enjoy Usborne Internet-Linked books.

What is the difference between Internet-Linked and Internet-Referenced books?
In an Internet-Linked book, the content of each double page spread includes specific websites. An Internet-Referenced book contains quicklink websites that pertain to the overall topic of the book."

I know that at this time of year, you are well into your homeschool year. You may find that you need some extra resources that will help you through your children's curriculum. These may be just the ticket. It is nice to get the right homeschool tools, which can make your life as your child's teacher/mom much easier.
P.S. Don't forget that Usborne always has some great internet specials, right now is no exception. AS a bonus, this month, for every order of Usborne Books made through my website, I will send you a free mini book as my gift of thanks. Have a great day!

Here is a good article that confirms to us, that homeschooling is the best way to educate our children. Homeschooling is definitely parent controlled. Read the article to see what our kids are missing out on...

http://www.hslda.org/docs/news/washingtontimes/200511280.asp

I have written before about the importance of homeschool parents helping their children through their career choices. That was made all the more clear to me just recently, when my husband and I attended our quarterly West Point Parent Club meeting. The point was made how we as parents had made purposeful choices to give our children the best education possible and it was evident that each of us had played an important role in helping our cadets to reach their current goal of attending the United States Military Academy at West Point. I do need to clarify that not all the families homeschooled their cadets, some sent their children to private school, some public schools, and a few of us homeschooled, but we were all involved in the process of getting our cadets to USMA. It makes such a difference in a student's life when they have the support and involvement of their parents as they make these important decisions that will affect the rest of their life. Homeschooling is not just getting children through the academics of K-12, it goes much farther. The last half of a homeschooler's grade school years should include research into the opportunities, and resources of their career choices. I can not emphasize enough how important this is. We can not expect our children to magically make these decisions on their own and find out what it would take to reach their goals, if they have one. It takes a highly motivated child to be able to do that on their own. Most children lack the knowledge and know-how to find the resources available to them. That is why our role as parents in helping them to take the proper steps in their college and career choices is so important. Since 3 of my 4 children are now grown, I have come to realize that many of our skeptical friends and relatives, were watching to see how our homeschool children turned out. In my experience, they were not so concerned with how they did on their spelling test this week, or if they have learned their multiplication tables, but as to how successful they will be when they are grown. As you and I both know, our kids need to do well in their schoolwork because it is vital to their success in reaching their career choices. We also know that across the board, homeschoolers test better than their public school peers, because we give our children the individual attention they need. There are a few observers that do give us encouragement to keep on going and to win this race. I am thankful for that. As I watch my older children, now that they have grown up, I feel really blessed to have had an active part in their decisions in such a big way. If one plays an active role in your student's interests, what their passions are, and also what they would like to do when they grow up, this will go a long way in helping them to reach their goals. So take the steps to lead your children to help them reach those goals, whether it is having them cover the kind of subjects needed, or researching possible colleges, etc. which pertain to their carreer choice. Incorporating these things into their homeschool day, elevates their interest in their studies. This is so important! Our second grader says she wants to be a doctor when she grows up. We take her seriously on this and use this desire to encourage her to study diligently. This really is a great motivator for her. Our oldest son wanted to be an engineer when he was very young. Now he works in the engineering department of a public utilities in a major city. Try it on your kids using their interests. I think you will be very pleased with the results; more than pleased, very proud of what your children accomplishes!

Now that my husband and I have children that are grown and living their own lives, there are 3 simple things that I feel is most important about homeschooling. As parents of homeschooled children, I believe it is our duty to do the following:
1. give our children the best education that we can.
2. guide them to their best suited career path.
3. through it all, cultivate a bond of friendship and love that will last a lifetime.

It hasn't been easy to let my children go to live their own lives. Infact, I believe it is one of the hardest things a parent has to do. Our oldest daughter just moved out this week. It is hard to explain the emptyness that a parent feels when their child moves out. If your household is very busy, full of lively noises and activity. Remember, that will all change someday and it will become very quiet at your house all the time. The amount of food being prepared for meals reduces drastically, especially when the boys move out. The number of family members dwindles down at mealtime. I had to remind myself that there was one less person coming home for dinner, this week. And the bedrooms become empty. Right now, your whole day is centered around your children and their needs. Later, you may wonder what you are going to do with your time, when their children are all out of the house. There are times now, when I try to think of excuses to call my children, just to hear their voices again. As parents we have to readjust our lives and look forward to new events, such as weddings and grandchildren. We haven't yet experienced becoming grandparents yet, but our daughter is getting married within the next few months. Right now, it is comforting to have my 2 oldest children within driving distance. But my youngest son who is currently attending the United States Military Academy at West Point, is over 3000 miles away from us. Circumstances have prevented us from seeing him no more than twice a year. Technology has enabled us to be able to talk with him every weekend and then there is always email. But through it all, there is still that bond of friendship not only with him, but with all our children. We still have one more daughter left at home. It is our purpose and intent to give her the best education we possibly can, and will guide her along the best career path suited for her needs and interests, but most of all we are cultivating a bond of friendship and love that will last her a lifetime as well. We as parents of homeschooled children can join together and say that we are truely proud of our children and their accomplishments! It is such a great feeling to know that with the help of the Lord, we have had a hand in our children's future. Have a great homeschool year and don't forget to give your children a great big hug everyday!

From time to time as my kids have grown up I have thought about the reasons why we are homeschooling. Now that 3 of my 4 kids are grown, I have the benefit of seeing both ends of the homeschool spectrum at once. I couldn't be more prouder of my 3 grown children as they are living their own lives and seeing the relationship that we have with them as priceless. Now we are experiencing the excitement of watching my youngest grow in homeschool.

So why did we decide to homeschool? Well as I look back to those early years, before my 2 oldest were even school age, we moved to another state so that my husband could be a teacher in a brand new Christian school that a church was opening up. During the time that we were there, there was some changes going on in the public schools there in their curriculum. This was causing great concern among the parents from then on. While we lived there we met a family that was enrolling their children into our Christian school, who had homeschooled previously. We were impressed with the manners and intellegence of these particular children. This planted a seed in our hearts to possibly homeschool someday.

It was when my oldest was 5, when I realized that the time had come to think about the education of my son. My husband and I had a short, but important and unforgetable conversation about that subject. I simply mentioned that it is the time to think about where Josh would be going to school. My husband simply said, "Well, he isn't going to public school!" And I replyed that we couldn't afford private school, so that left only one option, homeschool. For a brief moment I felt the weight of 12 years of homeschool sitting on my shoulders. But I just had to brush that off and forge ahead. We have never regretted our decision to homeschool, infact it has been the most rewarding thing we could have ever done for our children.

Since that time we have learned that homeschooling isn't just teaching the academics of booklearning, but as parents we have a real opportunity to instill values that our children may not quite get, if they were in public school. The bond that we have been able to have with our children, stays with them, even after they leave the nest.

As we are now beginning another school year with our youngest who is just starting the second grade, we have been asked by other people if we are STILL homeschooling her. We tell them with an unwavering and resounding answer, "Yes we are!"

Do you ever lose your temper? Is it difficult for you to resolve conflicts, solve relationship problems, or make right word choices when you are in an argument? "The Win Win Game" may be just the thing for you or your loved ones. "It's all about relationships" my pastor and good friend always says about living life. Everything we say and do affects others either for good or bad. This game, if played by the rules, can help you gain and maintain healthy relationships. It's also an excellent resource for parents to help resolve sibling rivalries between their children. You owe it to yourself and others to check it out. It's a win win situation.
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When choosing a curriculum, it can sometimes be a very overwhelming task, if you don't already have a plan in place. It doesn't have to be a complicated issue. Whether you are a textbook/workbook style homeschool parent, or a unschooler style homeschool parent, or somewhere inbetween, I believe the principles are the same. Let me break it down for you in a simple way. You are welcome to vary this according to your student's needs.

I believe it is important to cover the core subjects. Reading, writing, and math are the 3 foundational subjects that all other subjects hinge on. Think about it, a student has to be a good reader in order to be able to read and understand science and history, as well as math and English. To learn how to write good papers will help with conveying understanding of subject and it also helps to know how to write papers when a student goes to college. As far as math goes, it depends on the goal of the student. If the child wants to be an engineer, then going on to high level math is definitely a must. If the child wants to help out in the families business, then business accounting is as far as the student may need to go.

So here is a list of subjects that need to be covered:
1.Math
2.Writing
3.Reading or Literature
4.Spelling
5.Handwriting (for the lower grades)
6.Social Studies and History
7.Science

This is a general list for you to go by. The beauty of homeschooling is that you can tailor your child's curriculum according to his needs. So if you have a student that is at different grade levels in different subjects, don't dispare. Just go with where he is at. If the student is lower in reading, for example, start him where he is at and find tools, such as a good phonics program that can help bring him up as far as possible. It will be more relaxing for you and and your child.

I hope this gives you a good guide to help you to know where to start in getting your student's curriculum for next fall. I too am making my list and double checking it to make sure I get just what I will need to have a successful new school year.

Here at HSAdvisor.com, in our bookstore, curriculum is listed according to grade level and subject for your convience: http://www.hsadvisor.com/bookstore/ and if you are looking for used curriculum or have some curriculum to sell, check out Ebay on that same page. I do hope this helps you, if you have any questions please feel free to email me at this link: http://www.hsadvisor.com/questions.shtml.

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