Posts Tagged ‘homeschool curriculum’

Music homeschool curriculum for your kids

Monday, July 20th, 2009

Perhaps one of the main reasons why parents like you choose to home school your children instead of enrolling them in regular school is the chance for your kids to pursue other interests outside of academics. Every parent knows that their children are not machines who have to learn to process knowledge based on what is required by the system or society. Clearly, a holistic growth for your home schooled children is one of your primary concerns. As you may well know that homeschooling allows your kids to develop their skills and interests at their own pace.

Many children learn to love music at an early age. For them, listening to and appreciating music comes naturally. While regular schools allow students to join school bands and even enroll in special music classes, the main priority is of course academics. The same can also be said of home schooling but this particular mode of education has an edge over regular systems. Unlike the educational system in the United States, home schooling allows parents to give their children more freedom in pursuing their musical interests. Students are no longer limited by the constraints present in normal school. By having flexible hours in their classes, there will also be opportunities for children to further develop and master music as a result of more contact time between the teachers and children.

However, introducing music in homeschool curriculum is not easy. As a parent, you have to contend with the many requirements needed to develop a good music program suited for your kids. You also need to be well acquainted with music and musical education. You may want to have someone who can tutor you child in music if you lack the expertise yourself. Often, a properly trained music teacher will be able to instill the love of music in your children. More importantly, a music teacher knows how to develop each child’s skills and find the best musical instrument suited for a student’s particular interests.

Music starters abound in many communities. For starters, you can search for one in the local papers. Some tutors advertise their services in the classifieds and even personals. Even music stores can recommend music teachers who might be willing to take on the task of educating your kids. Of course, asking the experts for their opinion is always the best way to start your search for a credible music teacher. In some towns and cities, music stores are havens for talented musicians. You are most likely to meet talented people who may be willing to teach your children on a regular basis. Always take necessary steps of precaution to check the credibility of the teacher before hiring one.

If your children are old enough though, you can give them the musical instruments that they are inclined to. Observe your kids if they prefer one kind of instrument to the other. Find out if they are serious to master any particular musical instrument. Once you feel that your kids will benefit from having a musical instrument, you may proceed for the best buys. To find the best musical instruments around, it helps by knowing people who are musically inclined. Never be afraid to ask for help. Remember, this is your children’s future at stake. What you do will affect their lives and futures significantly.

Remember to teach your children to be responsibily owners by valuing the newly bought instrument. The good thing about buying your own school supplies and equipment is that you have the freedom to choose the best ones you like. Teaching your children about responsibility can help them become better musicians and adults in the future.

Now that your children are exploring the world of music with their instruments, the next step is to look for educational materials that will fit your kids’ musical orientation. Once again, music stores can become valuable resource centers for your home schooling program. There are plenty of books and resources in music stores that will cater to the needs of your children. All you have to do is get the books best suited for their interests and make sure that your kids practice regularly to hone their skills.

There are even music stores that offer weekly and even daily music lessons for new musicians. Because these stores are the melting pots of many talented musicians, enrolling your child in a course can make them develop their musical skills to a greater degree. To be certain about their programs, make it a point to interview the store owners or the musicians giving the lessons themselves. Get a feel of their teaching methods and decide if their approaches will fit your children’s learning style and preferences.

Aside from training books, you can also get helpful lesson guides from the internet. The World Wide Web is full of websites that offer music lessons for your home schooled children. Some sites specialize in teaching classical instruments like guitars, pianos, and violins. Others are well adept in handling students who are keen to learn about drums. Even a combination of information taken from these different websites can help your children play better.

You can also download video lessons for your children. There are many websites that offer videos for download that demonstrates the proper technique and handling of a musical instrument. You can expect to pay for these lessons but they will be more than worth it. Aside from videos, some sites offer printed lessons and guides to help your kids practice their instruments. Your children can even access archives of many topics that can help them learn more about music and hopefully enhance their own love for music.

 

There are literally thousands upon thousands of resources out there up for the taking. Parents of homeschoolers have the responsibilites to ensure that their children get the best quality education.

 

 


10 Total Transformation Tools To Beat Bad Child Behaviors

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

Let’s face it! Parenting is definitely not an easy job.Especially if your child has behavioral problems. Most parents tried hard to change their child but ends up frustrated due to a lack in results. It is vital to understand that we cannot change our kid’s behavior until we are able to teach them the skills they need to be accountable for their behaviors.

Here are 10 tools that I like to share with you and hopefully you will find it less stressful whenever your child is getting on your nerves. These are mere extracts of the total 27 tools in one of the lesson, that you will find in The Total Transformation Program by James Lehman.

1) Use direct statements

You need to be firm, clear and direct when you are dealing with a child’s bad behavior. Do not give rooms for negotiation. This will only give a child leeway for future misbehaviors.

2) Stop the show

If you find that your child is misbehaving badly or exhibiting tantrums, say in a public place, then stop whatever programs that you’ve planned for the day and go home. I understand that this can be tough. Especially when you have already some plans for the day. But if your child is misbehaving, he needs to know that there isn’t any “exciting” activities for the rest of the day unless he stops his bad behavior.

3) Use consequences to get honesty

Take lying for example. If you child is lying then you need to set some consequences for the action. Turning a blind eye will only goes to tell your child that its ok to lie.

4) Be clear about your values

Communicate to your kids about your family values. It’s always easy for a child to understand values if this is ingrain into them at an early age. Start early. For those who are using a homeschool curriculum to homeschool your kids, you may have the opportunities to carefully select curriculums that are in line with your family values. The key is consistency. If your child has grown past his toddler years, don’t give up. It is still not too late. A child will learn by observing you. Don’t just talk about your family values, show them that you really embrace those values as well.

5) Identify Thinking Errors and Excuses

How many times has your child come up with excuses to justify his bad behavior ? Don’t argue over those excuses. Focus on the processes of their excuse, NOT their excuses!

6) Use Single-Issue Focus

Keep focus on the issue. Always address unrelated subjects at a later time.

7) Cueing

This is the single most effective method that I have used on my kids. Try to establish non verbal cue between you and your child. This can be very helpful if you are in a public place and a stare at him and communicate the message that he is in trouble if he continues misbehaving.

8) Use strategic recognition and affection

Give your kid credit when he does something right. Let him know that you recognize his efforts.

9) Give basic direction

I know this sounds simple. But sometimes we parents forget that our kids are still kids and that they need basic instructions for certain tasks. Lead and guide them by showing them the right way to do certain tasks.

10) Demand and expect compliance

Parents need to know why their kid has to comply. Compliance is not submission without an understanding of why. Every parents has to understand why they want their kid to comply. Is it just out of anger? Or you want certain truths and values to be imparted to your kid.

 

 


How to save on homeschool curriculum

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

A lot of parents wonder if it is possible to take on homeschooling under a budget. So, how to start homeschooling on a right note and yet within your budget? The truth of the matter is, this is indeed highly possible, and hundreds of homeschoolers are indeed doing this with a budget of roughly $600 per student per year. Still, there are a lot of ways for homeschoolers to stick to this budget, or they could even squeeze it out to garner a bit of savings. One good way to do this would be to utilize used homeschool curriculum .

 

Save more on homeschool curriculum

By going for used homeschool resources , you actually save a lot of money. Buying used materials for this type of curriculum can help you save at least 25%. You could save as much as 50% of your budget if you managed to find good deals for your homeschool child. So where can you find these great deals? The key to remember here is resourcefulness. Great deals can be found anywhere so as long as you know how to look for them.

Let us tackle the subject of used books first. You actually have a wide array of used books to choose from. More often than not, publishers discontinue their titles. Even the smallest changes in books would require publishers to produce new editions of the book. As long as the changes are minor in nature, those discontinued books would still make great resources for your kid – and you can certainly get these books at discount prices since they are no longer the “latest editions” in the market.

As for your used homeschool curriculum , you can actually seek help from a used homeschool curriculum board. Most homeschoolers are pretty much eclectic in nature and this board would certainly give you vital information on how to get the best and most affordable curriculum for your child. Better yet, be on the lookout at the start of the academic year. There are actually many families who choose to sell the curricula they just bought – often after finding out that the curricula they bought are not really the appropriate ones for their kids. The great thing about this is that the curricula they bought for themselves are brand new so it would be like getting a brand new program at a discounted price. Of course, you would still have to examine the program because it also might not be the best one for your own kid.

You should not estimate your local library either because this is a great source where you can find valuable used homeschool curriculum programs. Some of them you can even get for free! Craft books, bilingual story hours, and even children’s story hours make great ways to supplement your homeschooling needs – all for free. Apart from your local library, you could also check out your local museum. This time, museums would charge fees, but these are quite minimal compared to the programs that you can get from them as well.

The internet is an indispensible resource that you can use to search for quality used homeschool curriculums and programs. Whatever the subject you are currently tackling, you will surely find websites that have lesson plans, worksheets, printables, and all sorts of materials you will need. The good thing is that some of the programs are even offered at no cost to you. Here are some websites that you can check out.

LocalSchoolDirectory.com is one website that offers free lesson plans to homeschooling parents. The website organizes all their materials according to subject and to grade level so you will not have any difficulty finding the materials appropriate for your child’s age and learning capacity.

Internet4Classrooms.com is also a website worth checking out. The website is filled with lesson plans, activities, and K-12 games for the learning pleasure of your children. Moreover, the website also gives you links to other valuable resources that you might find handy for whatever subject you are currently discussing.

The popular TV channel, Discovery Channel, has even come up with its own website that is dedicated to providing used homeschool curriculum as well. At DiscoveryEducatio.com, you have access to free educational videos, lesson plans, worksheets, printables, and other valuable materials you can use all year round. The website even has a section dedicated to science fairs all over the country.

Homeschooling is now gaining popularity and more parents are seeing the value of having this alternative. With all these available sources, you can certainly go a great job educating your child and preparing him or her for the future.