Read these 18 Homeschool Online Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Home School tips and hundreds of other topics.
If you have a high school child and are feeling overwhelmed at the thought of transcripts, scholarships, grants, college prep classes and more, take a look at an accredited online homeschool program. One of the benefits of enrolling with an online homeschool program is that your student will have access to college advisers. These professionals will work to prepare you and your student for the college admissions process. Online homeschool programs are very popular among high school homeschooling families. The teens can still work at home, yet they have access to all the resources that public school children do when it comes to college readiness.
For the high school student, the Internet has provided a revolution in the homeschool classroom. The availability and quantity of homeschool online resources and support is well beyond what anyone would have imagined when homeschool first began. For the modern homeschool high school student, the internet is a way to take distance courses from accredited colleges, work with accredited high schools and academic facilities to receive professional high school diplomas and transcripts for college, and to join support groups and chat rooms with peers raised in homeschool classrooms across the globe. The Internet offers academically independent resources that are ideal in the creation and development of their personal online homeschool curriculum or independent study program, assisting in the many hours of research, design and completion of their projects. The Internet has not only provided homeschooled high school seniors with a number of resources for homeschool success, but their parents as well. For many homeschool parents, they began homeschooling their children at an age in which most were comfortable and confident that they were able to successfully provide for their child's education. However, many parents become increasingly more intimidated and worried as their children grow that they will not be able to benefit their children if they continue to homeschool in the middle and high school years. As the technological times have changed, many parents have courageously maintained the homeschool status, even going against their own comfort level, because their high school students were so confident in the successful completion of their high school years in a homeschool environment and the technological age.
If you are looking for supplements to your homeschool program, it is only a click away. Free and Useful is a website geared towards students. When you go to www.freeanduseful.com/education.shtml you and your child will have access to e-libraries, online encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlas, thesauraus, as well as puzzles, quizzes, homework help and more. This site caters to the entire family. There are coloring sheets and interactive activities for pre-schoolers and there are financial aid resources available for high schoolers. This site should be bookmarked by every homeschooling family.
No matter what homeschool program you choose for your children, you should supplement their studies with natural and hands on experiences when possible. Allowing your children to see and do things interactively reinforces their studies and greatly improves their ability to retain the information.
Distance learning is not just for college students. You can enroll your child in a homeschool program online. You have your choice of web-based, web and text based or honors based curriculum. You can enroll your child with an online homeschool program at any time, even in the middle of the school year. The teachers at these online sites understand that homeschoolers lead busy lives. They also understand that you may be taking a unique approach to education. Online homeschool programs are set up to work with each family individually to find a plan that will fit in with your lifestyle and education goals.
With the total population of homeschooled children surpassing 1 million, it's no wonder that a plethora of support groups have sprung up to guide and enrich home school households.
Organized by geography, these gorups organize group classes, trips, events, get-togethers and more. For those parents who questioned whether home schooled children get enough socialization, here's proof that homeschoooled kids, as well as their parents, have those with whom they can share experiences and consult for advice.
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It can be difficult to teach a homeschool program such as science or health if your children really do not have a concept of the human body. Inner Body is a site geared for teachers who want to take their children through a tour of the human body. Visit www.innerbody.com and use the interactive tools to show your children how the skeletal, digestive, muscular, endocrine, lymphatic, nervous, cardiovascular, urinary and reproductive systems work.
Build community with homeschooling parents all around the world who can answer questions, help you work out issues, or just vent with. Online Forums provide parents with the opportunity to find others with similar views or particular needs to carry on conversations with.
And, one of the joys of online forums is that you can post an issue at 3 am if you can't sleep and find responses waiting for you by the time you finish your morning coffee.
Oh the places you can go! Web cams can open up your student's world. By simply keying in web cam in your search engine, you'll find portals that list active cams by subject.
Go on Safari in Africa, watch a baby gorilla at the zoo, or stroll down a street in Paris. What's wonderful about these cams is that its real life - not edited film or video.
Elementary students who are struggling with a traditional homeschool program can benefit from online learning. Online homeschool programs cover one or two subjects or your children can take all their courses online.
Online programs include age appropriate curriculum. Your child will complete both online and offline lessons and projects. Parents guide children in the lower elementary grades through each step of the program. Children in older elementary grades complete coursework independently.
In addition to homeschooling independently with online programs, you can choose online cyber schools. They function like public school, but classes are completed online instead of in a school building. The cyber school provides a computer, printer and other essential resources like art supplies or worksheets. Your children complete required state testing and receive a regular report card.
Cyber schooled children work with a certified teacher in a virtual classroom with other students. Each course includes homework that’s completed online or on printed worksheets after class. Depending on the school and the child, your child may progress through the curriculum without attending live classes with peers.
If you and your elementary aged children prefer a more structured homeschooling approach and hands-on assistance from a certified teacher, cyber school options are probably a good fit. If you prefer a more laidback and casual approach to education, independent online programs would work best for your family. Either way, online elementary programs provide a quality education for your homeschooled children.
How would you like to take your homeschoolers on a field trip through the Rainforest? Maybe they would prefer to explore marshes, volcanoes or get up close and personal with endangered species? Sounds like a pipe dream, doesn't it? It doesn't have to be. You can take your homeschoolers on virtual field trips online. Virtual field trips are the perfect way for your child to set in on a Shakespearian play or for them to watch a past
While the Internet can be a very productive and educational resource for homeschool students of any age, it is not uncommon for parents to worry about what their children get exposed to.
Developing an Internet list as you might develop a reading list is a good way to guide your children to Web sites that are not only appropriate but augment the curriculum they are working with. For those who are doing specific research online, it might even prove to be a good time management tool, saving them from visiting less useful sites.
Whether the US Department of Education posted this resource as extra help for public school students or as a creative resource for homeschool students makes no difference in this program's merit.
Math in the Home is a US Deptartment of Education Web site where parents can find interesting math lessons to use with 5-13 year old students in the home or at the grocery store. Explore volume, learn measurements and the value of coins, discover fractions, add up money, and hone weighing skills.
The Internet is a vast information highway that can locate specific online homeschool information in seconds, bringing the world together in a whole new way. For the homeschool parent, the internet has provided a new way to teach children research skills, opened up homeschool chat rooms and online support groups from all over the world and has greatly reduced the number of trips to the local library for research materials. Homeschool parents need not feel alone as they brainstorm, create and construct innovative and exciting new curriculum for their students, as the resources and ideas are so plentiful on the Internet.
For many, a simple online search with a favorite search engine can provide all the information necessary. Others prefer to discover new resources and Websites from friends and fellow homeschool parents. For those that have used every available resource and still want to locate a specific homeschool Website, look no further than homeschool resource books and homeschool magazines at your local library. These different resources provide a plethora of information, suggestions and obscure websites that are filled with valuable information.
If homeschooling is a dream you have for your family but the reality of living on one income is limiting your academic resources, visit your local library and check out the Homeschooler's Guide To FREE Teaching Aids, printed by Educators Progress Services, Inc. This wonderful resource is full of free teaching aids that are available from hundreds of different agencies across the United States. If you would like to keep a current copy of this extensive manual available in your homeschool reference library, it can be purchased from the publisher for a reasonable rate. The book takes approximately two weeks to arrive if ordered by telephone and is an inexpensive way to access many valuable resources for curriculum planning. The book is organized in an alphabetical order, with topics and addresses provided first, and lengthy lists of web sites in the following pages. The subjects within each segment are across the board for curriculum ideas, goals and opportunities to enhance your classroom and children's learning. The resources are valid, listed with specific learning resources and supplies that are available and the process by which to order. Be sure to read each entry as they each have different procedures that you will want to adhere too in order to receive your free items.
If you are struggling with homeschool assessment and want to accurately determine where your child is located within the homeschool instructional ladder, there is a Website that provides just the services you need. Let's Go Learn is an Internet company that provides assessment services in the academic areas of math and reading. The Diagnostic Online Reading Assessment (DORA) and the Diagnostic Online Math Assessment (DOMA) help parents to identify exactly where their child places on comprehensive and individualized reports. There are three different DOMA tests, one for basic math another for pre-algebra and a third for algebra. Once the evaluation is complete, you can use the information to purchase appropriate curriculum from their associates or to create your own program that will target both the strengths and weaknesses for your own child. Additionally, Let's Go Learn offers individualized instruction and online tutoring in math and reading. There Unique Reader, Unique Math and Pre-Algebra Pathways are each specific online programs designed to online instruction specifically for your child's academic weaknesses. The Let's Go Learn assessment system is designed to adapt to each student as they respond to each question. The test naturally progresses through the program according to the performance level of the child. If you are new to homeschooling, or are concerned with your student's level of performance, the assessment programs at Let's Go Learn are a wonderful online homeschool program.
This program is supported by many reputable online homeschool companies such as Sunlight Curriculum®. And while the assessment does not match your child up with the exact placement within the Sonlight programs, their virtual assistant is able to process the information and find the level of curriculum that will best fit your child's academic needs. What a simple way to provide the best education for your child without ever having to leave your home.
One of the truly fun benefits of any homeschool program is the opportunity to travel for educational field trips. The scheduling of educational field trips is much easier as homeschool families are able to take educational vacations without regard to the standard school schedule. If you are interested in visiting local or long distance historical locations, the information is as close as the Internet. To get started, use your computer and favorite search engine, enter the words “homeschool field trips” into the search line. In moments you will have a variety of different websites that will provide detailed explanations about educational field trip locations all across the nation. Using Website resources to access state specific field trip locations will provide assistance as you plan your homeschool programs and units of study. Planning your field trips to work with your curriculum is a fantastic way to extend the learning opportunities for your children. But what if the location your child wants to visit is just beyond your financial boundaries; today with the Internet it is often possible to take virtual tours of famous locations around the world.
Encourage your child to use search engines to locate possible virtual tour locations that you might visit together. Using the internet in this way and encouraging your child to be the responsible virtual field trip planner will allow for the building of independence while in the safety of your own home. If your child needs assistance, make sure that they have exhausted all possible searches prior to requesting your assistance, teaching research skills is an ongoing part of any homeschool plan and using the internet as part of your homeschool online curriculum is a key element for success in the technological world in which we live.
There are a variety of online homeschool programs that offer Internet courses. These online homeschool programs work to enhance the learning opportunities presented to middle school and high school students. For many students, the idea of completing homeschool curriculum while working online with a group of peers located in Australia is a lifelong dream made possible through the Internet. In an economy where overseas study programs are very expensive, the Internet online study programs available through many different companies provide the opportunity to study and exchange ideas from someone in a different culture while never having to leave your home. For many highly capable homeschool students, individual travel plans are not age appropriate but the Internet makes the educational exchange not only cost effective, but age appropriate as well.
If your homeschooled student is interested in online homeschool curriculum including different study options overseas, he or she need only input different search keywords and the opportunities will present themselves within minutes. Another resource in homeschooling information is the opportunity for students to take college courses from major universities around the globe without having to travel to the distant locations. This arrangement is again ideal for the middle school homeschooler that is eager to pursue higher education level courses but is still too young to leave home for college. A simple search across the Internet and class opportunities will be abundantly available. For the younger child, homeschool online programs offer all types of various level learning programs that will enhance computer and academic skills in a manner that is both fun and educational.
Guru Spotlight |
Joe Wallace |