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With the many problems that are on the rise in public schools such as overcrowding and out-of-control behavior, many people are looking at the resources for home schooling to decide if it is a viable option for their family.
Curriculum is one of the first topics that comes to mind when the topic of homeschooling is discussed. The good news on that subject is that there are ample resources for homeschooling books, course manuals, and lesson plans available from bookstores and from online home schooling specialty companies that publish systematic, thematic and comprehensive curricula on many topics.
Resources for home schooling support activities are everywhere around the community, and some good options are: Local libraries, local museums, nearby historical sites, county courthouses, local and state government offices, public parks and recreational facilities, and nature centers.
One of the best things about taking on the responsibility for home schooling your children, is the ability to take virtually any family outing, activity, day-trip or vacation and turn it into an opportunity for the kids to learn more about the activity or the location, or both.
Making learning fun is one of the hallmarks of homeschoolers. Often in the institutionalized learning style offered by the public schools, the natural desire to learn and intrinsic curiosity of children is stymied in order to make them fit into the structure and plan of the school. Because schools have so many students they are responsible for, this is completely understandable but still detrimental to many students.
Homeschoolers have the flexibility of time and of what they are learning about that helps to keep them motivated. Many homeschooled children will take a topic of interest and spend weeks or months exploring all aspects of the subject, not only learning about that specific subject, but strengthening other basic skills as well such as reading, writing, study skills, and the like.
When looked at through the eyes of a wise parent who is always on the lookout for home schooling opportunities, ordinary real-life activities can take on significance as teaching moments. For instance, writing letters to distant relatives or to the editor of the local paper, budgeting and shopping for ingredients for a meal, handling the money in the stores, doing the measuring or observing the way ingredients interact while cooking, simply observing the stars, and talking to a variety of people, young and old, all offer a wealth of learning experiences.
So, it should be clear that in addition to any standard curriculum, students can gain knowledge from just about every activity that the family engages in. It simply takes some extra time, and sometimes a little extra preparation, and such daily experiences can be valuable, and fun, learning times.
One thing that sometimes stands in the way of parents deciding for home schooling is their concern about needing to be well versed in every topic that their homeschooled children need to learn. However, with all of the resources available, especially in the form of online home schooling materials and lessons, there should really be no fear in this area.
