It seems to me that home schooling is a lot like swimming across a lake.
When you are out in the middle, the lake sometimes seems to be a lot bigger than it looked when you jumped in, and unlike a swimming pool, it has no lines painted on the bottom to keep you swimming in a straight line. When you are fighting to make it through the waves without inhaling too much water, pushing yourself to keep going stroke after stroke when you are exhausted, and blinking to see in spite of the water stinging your eyes, it is possible to lose perspective.
What's the difference?
"What's the difference between parent-led and teacher-led? Why do some families get different homeschool funding than others? I hear about 'aligned' or 'blended' or 'school-delivered' or 'teacher-led' or 'parent-led'... are there really that many kinds of home schooling?"
We hear questions like this frequently, and hope that the following information will help you to make an informed decision in your own educational journey. All learning-at-home options in Alberta fall under one of the following categories.
Does your family love games? Or would you like to incorporate more family games but are not sure where to start? Games have been proven to rapidly develop cognitive functions in all ages.
Games the Build the Brain is a favourite resource of home schooling families everywhere! Find a fabulous game in this booklet, and learn which cognitive skills it builds and supports. Then, play it with your family to reap the cognitive and relationship benefits!
I was somewhat thrust into home schooling without a great deal of preparation. About all I knew was that I had the right to teach my children at home, and in my first year I simply brought home all our daughter’s textbooks from school. It soon became clear that importing the school into our home wasn’t going to work very well so, in our second year, I copied both method and curriculum from another home schooling family. This whole time, in an effort to research what other options might be available, I spent a lot of time reading books on education in general and some on home schooling.
Are you beating your head against a wall? Is your thirteen year old impossible to teach? Is the curriculum that has worked so well in the past suddenly "boring?"
I recently spoke with a mother of many who, after completing an enjoyable unit study of reading and discussion on Holland, decided her fourteen year old son should follow-up this project with something concrete. She asked him to write an essay on the history of the development of the tulip industry - a topic they had all found to be interesting. As days of reluctance dragged into weeks of resistance, a normally affable mother-son relationship became outright antagonistic....
Celebrating Winter
Studies tend to become mundane during the winter months. Incorporating an occasional Theme Day adds variety and interest to your routine as well as providing a welcome break for your children, especially the younger ones. The extra planning pays off with dividends of excitement and yes – learning!
Welcome to the first edition of Terry’s “Terrific Learning Connections” (and Tender Loving Care, too) for WISDOM Families.
I’ll share great links, contests and connection opportunities for WISDOM Families and Students monthly. I usually share a lot of these ideas on Facebook but want to open it up to the entire Family of WISDOM Home Schoolers.
“Science, science, science…” Those were the words of advice expressed to me, by a home-school mom, in answer to a question about what to focus on in the primary years of home schooling.
When we think of science, what usually comes to mind are subjects in the areas of biology, chemistry, or physics. What does the word ‘science’ mean? The word ‘science’ comes from the Latin word scientia, which means knowledge – to know. Science could be summed up as that process by which we seek to know and understand the deeply intricate things of all that we see (and can’t see) around us.
Who is WISDOM? How did we begin? What do we stand for? What do we have to offer your family?
Find out more about how WISDOM can be part of your home school journey.