Archive for April, 2008
04 30th, 2008
Homeschooling is slowly becoming a trend nowadays and most parents are having fun with the interaction they are having with their child. Some parents are still having second thoughts regarding homeschooling though. Their main concern is that they might be having some problems finding resources to use for homeschooling. This article will help you find resources from different places.
The first stop is a ride to your nearest bookstores. Armed with a list of possible books to buy from a curriculum of a school, you can buy the books at any convenient bookstore. This will save you a lot of time and give you flexibility with regards to your child s studies as bookstores have more choices and references for your child to use.
An alternative stop would be a trip to your closest magazine stores. Magazines provide you a lot of catalogs where you can choose from a lot of advertisers listed in it. This will help you from spending lots of time searching through bookstores and will give you a sense of what your child s going to get.
Of course, with all the technology available on the internet, you should not be really surprised that you can find websites offering help in your child s studies. Some of them can be easily found when searching at Google and some of them can be given to you by other people who are also having their child homeschooled.
The simplest place to look for resources is by going to a public library. Public libraries have books and references for you child to take home and use. To help with that, libraries have different instructional materials such as videos (like those from National Geographic) and cassette tapes (like tapes that will help you learn another language). These instructional materials not only help with the books in teaching but they also help in easing out the boring quality and the monotony ofbooks given out to children.
Libraries also offer a lot of computer software which will not only help with your child s learning but will also help him in understanding different computer technologies and how they work. Often computer software is easy and fun to use, therefore attracting a lot of young people to use it.
Libraries also give book discussions. Book discussions not only train your child to read but also to think and criticize every thing that he/she reads. This will not only develop reading comprehension, it will also help your child in critical thinking.
Another place to look at is at the house of another parent who decided to homeschool their children. You might find it interesting that they are willing to share both their experiences and their used materials (books, references and other activity materials). You could save a lot of money and at the same time learn from these people who have already experienced the joys and the pains of homeschooling a child.
The most neglected place and probably one of the most informational, next only to a library, is the museum. A trip to a museum will not only help your child appreciate art and history but your child will also learn a lot from observing and listening to the history of all the museum displays. The best way to conduct this is by joining a group museum tour where there will be an instructor to guide and give you bits of information that will help your child.
The last place, but definitely not the least in this list, is inside your home. Search your cupboard and teach your child some simple baking lessons. This will not only help your relationship with your child but it will also promote your child to learn patience and of course will teach your child how to bake.
You could also do outdoor activities such as planting seeds. This will help your child be interested in plant life but if coupled with other activities (such as mathematics), this has a potential to be both fun and instructional. You basically just have to find out where your child s attention is focused. Upon learning this, you can try to join your child s playtime and turn it into something educational.
FREE comprehensive guide to homeschooling.
Some camps have a targeted focus like religious study, academics, and competitive sports. Special needs camps meet the needs of a wide range of children with disabilities these camps provide an outdoor summer camp experience along with a therapeutic environment. Choosing the right camp for your child, teen or other children deserves a great deal of consideration and attention to even the smallest details.
There are camps with activities as traditional as model rocketry and riflery, to those nontraditional as aviation, computers, language studies, golf, martial arts or community service. There are four basic types of camps to choose from for your child: day programs, sleepaway or overnight summer camp, day programs with trips, and special needs camps. Selecting the right camp that fits into your child or teen s interests, special interests, needs, special needs and abilities will be one of the first steps
Camps often focus on specialties that include: adventure, art, computer, dance, music, religion, horse riding, sports, theatre, and many others. There are overnight summer camps that are co-ed camps, boy s camps, girl s camps or brother-sister camps where boys and girls may have separate venues and activities. Basically, if you can think of any subject of interest, there s probably a camp that specializes in it.
College credit courses are very popular at overnight summer camps that typically offer students the opportunity to explore a pre-college experience usually, students entering grades 10 through 12 stay in college dormitories and attend summer classes run by the college faculty. Try to determine whether the director incorporates a similar philosophy to running the camp as you do in parenting your child or children. Although camp counselor jobs don t usually pay very well, usually minimum wage or less, counselors receive free room and board many take the job primarily for the camping experience.
Camp tuition can be expensive similar to travel insurance, there are now insurance policies for families sending their children to overnight summer camp to cover last minute cancellations, homesickness, medical emergencies and emergency evacuations. Check the camper-counselor ratio to determine the number of campers for each counselor. Most camp counselors are in their late teens or early twenties and are high school and college students on their summer break.
Some camps are often called adventure camps - having a very specific theme or interest many of these programs emphasize skill development and personal growth through the adventures the offer. Is there a special topic (e.g. religion, sports, educational, performing arts, and arts and crafts) that you hope your child will gain ability and experience in? Weight loss camps are for children and teens in order to help them learn about how to lose weight and how to keep it off while having a great camp experience.
The reputation of an overnight summer camp can also be determined by asking what percentage of counselors returned from the previous year. Children will get more individual attention and supervision with a lower number of campers per counselor. Visit the camp you can view campers and counselors in their element, witness activities as they occur, and just obtain an overall feel of the camp, something that cannot be accurately experienced when the camp is closed.
Typically an overnight summer camp experience will leave a lot of wonderful memories for the child or teen camper. If you think there s a possibility you might have to cancel an overnight summer camp reservation, camper s insurance would be a good idea. Choosing a camp close to home will save a lot of money on airfare and possible hotel or motel overnight stays for a parent, or other transportation costs this is especially true if your child might get a case of homesickness and want to come home early. Think about what you and your child hope they ll get from going to camp.
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