Time to Get Nervous... All Over Again?
By Heather Idoni
Added Friday, August 24, 2007
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The Homeschooler's Notebook
Encouragement and Advice for Homeschool Families
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Vol. 8 No 67 August 24, 2007
ISSN: 1536-2035
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Copyright (c) 2007 - Heather Idoni, FamilyClassroom.net
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Welcome to the Homeschooler's Notebook!
If you like this newsletter, please recommend it to a friend!
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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Notes from Heather
-- Time to Get Nervous Again
Helpful Tips
-- Rolling School Around
Winning Website
-- Art Lesson Plans
Reader Question
-- Autistic Twins
Additional Notes
-- Searchable Archive
-- Our Email Group
-- Sponsorship Information
-- Reprint Information
-- Subscriber Information
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Notes from Heather
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Time to Get Nervous All Over Again... Not!
Today I had the pleasure of visiting with a neighbor who came
to the bookstore with her 4 lovely children. Her youngest has
just turned one and she is about as far along as I am (2.5 mos)
with baby #5. She has homeschooled all along -- and she is
just as relaxed as you can be... well, normally she is!
It was so funny... as we chatted and laughed about pregnancy
and life in general, she mentioned feeling nervous ALL OVER
AGAIN about starting 'school' for the year with her children.
Had she chosen the best materials, would they have a good start,
did she *really* know what she was doing, etc.
I paused before I responded and my visage took on a sage-like
countenance. With as much mock wisdom and insight as I could
muster, I asked her if it felt sort of like she was walking into
a class with an exam she hadn't studied for.
She brightened up and exclaimed, "YES! It is EXACTLY like that!"
I had to laugh. I had just read the most insightful article
fresh off the press from Ellyn Davis of Homeschool Marketplace
(formerly Elijah Company) where she described it just that way.
For those of you who aren't year 'round schoolers -- who are just
facing the beginning of a new school year (well, anyone for that
matter!) -- take the time to read this great article and RELAX.
You ARE Capable, Qualified, Empowered, and Prepared! (Well, just
keep telling yourself that over and over... hehe!)
Here is the article link:
http://www.homeschoolmarketplace.com/e-zines/ejournalaug2107.html
Enjoy!
-- Heather
P.S. By popular request, we are now available by RSS feed straight
to your prefered feed reader or Google desktop! :-)
Just go here:
http://www.FamilyClassroom.net/Homeschool-Notebook.xml
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Do you have comments to share? Please do!
Send your emails to: heather@familyclassroom.net
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Helpful Tip
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Rolling School Around the House
"My kids don't seem to want to 'do school' in the same spot each
day. Since this isn't a battle I choose to fight, I keep our
current school books and resources in a rolling bin with a lid on
it. That way, we can easily roll our school to whatever area of
the house they decide will be comfy each day. It's also easy to
roll out of sight into a closet when we don't want it to be part
of our decor." -- Jodi in IA
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Overheard in the background: "Kids -- you can take off those
backpacks you've been wearing all day. I just got a great tip
to make things easier from the Homeschooler's Notebook!" :-)
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Do you have an idea, experience, or tip to share? Please write!
Send to: HN-ideas@familyclassroom.net
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Winning Website
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Art Lesson Plans from The Teacher's Guide
http://www.theteachersguide.com/Artlessonplans.html
This site is actually full of interesting ideas for lessons!
Written for teachers by teachers, homeschoolers can definitely
find some treasures here as well. I'm featuring the art section
because it seems moms are always looking for a way to bring the
arts into their homeschool. Lessons are listed alphabetically
and include drawing, creating comic strips, mixing colors, mono-
chromatic painting, tissue strip window design, water color
crayon resist and more. Each project lists the appropriate grade
level, which ranges from Kindergarten to high school.
-- Cindy - http://www.HomeschoolingFromTheHeart.com
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Last Issue's Reader Question
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"Currently I am homeschooling 1 child, in the 8th grade (though she
should be in the 9th grade but they held her back). I would like to
help her get where she feels she should be while being homeschooled.
I also am thinking about homeschooling the twins who are autistic and
16, but for now they are still at the public school. Jamie does
better in a self-contained classroom but doesn't seem to want to be
in school anymore. Joshua is more coorperative where school is con-
cerned -- unless that changes because he is starting a new public
school this year. Jamie attends an alternative program that also
teaches anger management.
What I feel they need are life skills training and character education
-- and of course anger management. I would like help with this because
we are considering traveling full-time with the kids. I am lost when
it comes to unschooling them and I dont know anything else to use.
They are not up to grade level in their academics; is there a free
placement test program available for determining this?" -- Lisa in WI
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Our Readers' Responses
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"I get the feeling that deep down you know what your children need,
but are having difficulty casting aside the conventional philoso-
phies of public school. Life skills and character education are
what all children need most, and in nearly every case, when those
things are taught well, everything else will fall into place. This
is even more true with special needs children.
I would suggest that first of all, you eliminate grade level dis-
tinctions. Your children are where they are, which is just right
for them. Comparing them will never help them learn. Their course
of study should be determined by: your instincts, their interests,
their God-given gifts, and their needs -- nothing else. When you
bring them home, all those criteria will become more apparent to you
as you work closely with them every day. You can use a variety of
resources to help you; you don't have to do it all from scratch.
It can be as structured as you need it to be. But as soon as you
can trust your own judgement and set your own standards, you'll be
well on the way to giving your children what they need." -- Mary Beth
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"As Lisa's twins probably have IEPs (Individualized Education Plans)
for their autism needs, she may have some problems doing homeschool-
ing unless she is fulfilling the goals in the IEPs. I suggest
calling the Wisconsin Virtual Academy's District's Pupil Services
Department at 262-692-2464 to find out if they can meet her needs.
My Husband and I just signed our gifted daughter up for this program
(because it is so well researched and exciting for the kids) after
our friend removed her autistic son from public school and enrolled
him in the CA version. The program pays for his therapies that are
required under his IEP, and because there are placement tests, he is
working at the level that is right for him. For more information on
the program you can find them online at www.wivcs.org and www.k12.com.
-- Cheryl in CA
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Answer our NEW Question
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"My children are old enough now that they've started joining clubs
and teams which travel for competitions or put on drama productions
which cost a lot of money. Can others give me some advice for club
fundraisers? I hate to send my kids door-to-door peddling overpriced
cookie dough like the public school organizations do around here.
Thanks!" -- Jean
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Do you have ideas to share with Jean that have worked for you?
Please send your email answer to: HN-answers@familyclassroom.net
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Ask YOUR Question
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Do you have a question you would like our readers to answer?
Send it to HN-questions@familyclassroom.net and we'll see
if we can help you out in a future issue!
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ear.
Check out our schedule of daily chats and jump right in! :-)
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Our Searchable Newsletter Archive
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Tags: back to school homeschool encouragement, tips, art lesson plans, homeschooling autistic child, homeschool autism, home education help, special needs homeschooling, home school special needs, home school autism, aspergers, adhd, add, homeschool help
