Teaching a foreign language seems to be tricky for some but it is so important to try to incorporate into your home school curriculum.

We are at an advantage because I am fluent in the Spanish language and will actually be teaching my children conversational Spanish this year.

For those that aren’t as lucky, there are several resources that offer easy ways to learn a different language.

It is important to choose a language or several languages that you will be able to use on a daily basis. Many children learn by hearing the language spoken. I actually learned Spanish by listening to my parents, and of course listening to Spanish radio stations, and television programs. The best part was watching programs that were originally in the English language and translated or dubbed into the Spanish language.

Here are some tips in learning a new language:

• Listening is very important - purchasing computer programs, tapes or CD’s in the foreign language will be helpful
• Use flashcards to reinforce the learning process
• There are many programs that are available in different languages that can be checked out for free at your local library
• Choose one day and make it French, Spanish or Italian Day (or whatever language you choose)
• I love music so incorporate music into learning, kids are having fun and learning at the same time
• On the day you choose you can make an ethnic meal, dress in their custom garb, etc.
• Patience is key

Although I will be incorporating a different language into my schooling this year, I do not have high expectations. It is very difficult to learn a new language but with some patience and fun, it can be done. To give you some ideas, here are some of the things I have planned for this coming year while teaching a foreign language.

• Spanish Day - have chosen one day out of the week, when I will speak Spanish the entire day.
• Cooking - I have decided to incorporate home economics and language into one, we will learn to cook and learn to cook some ethnic meals that I enjoyed as a little girl
• Reading/Writing - I have collected various Spanish written resourcesto have my children translate as well as using flashcards and several games
• Labeling - my entire house has index cards as labels with the name of the object in both Spanish and English
• Music - once again I have incorporated foreign language and music class together. Will learn basic Spanish songs and rhythm all at the same time - great for the kinesthetic learner
• History - learning about the culture is very important and just as important as learning to speak the language
• Movies/TV Programs - I have taped several programs that are entirely in the Spanish language and perfect for children learning a new language, and of course this is wonderful for my visual and auditory learners.

I hope that I have given you some ideas on how to incorporate the learning of a new language into your home school curriculum. You may not have the advantage of knowing a second language, but don’t let that stop or hinder you. Learning together is fun as well and your child will see and appreciate that you are trying to learn along with them. Most importantly make learning fun.

My last post was about Auditory learners and today we will focus on Visual learners. This topic is not difficult for me because I can classify myself as a visual learner.

A visual learner is one that needs to see pictures to connect what they are learning. Do you have a child that jumps on your lap while you are reading a story? This child is looking for pictures to connect with the words you are saying. This child is also looking at the words and getting more familiar with the pronunciation and how it is spelled.

A visual learner will sometimes:

• need to see pictures to comprehend a story
• take notes during a lecture
• will draw and doodle while taking notes
• will learn more from a video or movie

Unlike an auditory who can learn by hearing mainly, this type of learner needs to see the lesson to learn. An auditory can learn phonics quickly because of the pronunciation but a visual learner needs to see how the word is broken down and connect pictures with the phonics to learn.

This type of learner benefits from flash cardsand enjoys that type of learning, because of the visual manipulatives. When learning the states for geography for example, puzzle maps work wonderfully. A blackboard or white board will also help this type of learner.

Lap books are great resources for visual learners. We have incorporated the use of lap books in our home school and our children have enjoyed them and actually learned more than just sitting and lecturing. All the senses are involved in lap books, and the visual learner will benefit immensely from this resource.

Of course, having many pencils and pens handy along with notebooks are a must. Colored pencils, and crayons are a necessity for visual learners.

Computer programs also are a great resource for visual learners. There are many educational programs available for your visual learner and many available online that are free. I have shared some resources here and will continue to share resources, be sure to come back often.

There are different learning styles and the one I will focus on today is Auditory.

How do you know if you have an auditory learner?

Well, first let’s describe an auditory learner.

An auditory learning remembers best what they have learned by hearing the information. An auditory learner will sometimes:

• read out loud to themselves
• talk to books, movies or the television when involved in the story line
• hears the story in their mind when they read
• will sit in lectures and listen rather than take notes
• remembers things that are said especially if in a pattern or rhythm
• can remember the lyrics of a song after listening once or twice

Auditory learners have their weaknesses and we must be aware of them. Many times an auditory learner will have a weakness in a different learning style. They may not be able to learn visually or through kinesthetic means but can be trained. This type of learner may have difficulties with flashcard learning for instance, but with no other distractions it is possible. It often helps if they combine auditory with visual and read items out loud to themselves, like reading directions.

The ways to help an auditory learner is to have discussions. I have an auditory learner in my family and actually I believe I may have more. When we are schooling and sit down to discuss what we are about to learn and discuss after the lesson, it seems like light bulbs go off. Recordings also work well in remembering materials and learning via audio helps this type of learner tremendously. When this type of learner can hear the information they can retain it longer. When learning phonics, saying the words or sounds out loud help as well as putting them to music. This is a wonderful way to learn to read for this type of learner. This goes the same for any subject. Math and the multiplication tables can be learned by repeating them out loud or turning them into a song. History and Science is retained more when discussed rather than reading or taking notes.

Another great way for this type of learner to retain information is to have them teach you. This is a perfect way for them to recite what they have learned and they will be able to remember easier as well.

Try these tips with your auditory learner and watch their learning expand to new heights.

The internet is an amazing tool and a great asset for the homeschooling family. Remember my last post on Homeschooling for Free is it really possible? I believe I mentioned that it indeed was possible to home school for Free or for very minimal. Below I have found more free resources to add to your list. I will continue to research ( which I love to do ) and will share more resources as I find them. Until then enjoy these and send me some feedback.

Spelling City - this site is great for spelling. It allows you to input a word and it will test and retest until you spell it correctly and will also incorporate games to make it more entertaining.

Peak English - this site offers placement test for reading and comprehension.

Alpha Omega Publications - this site offers tests for Language and Math.

Sonlight Curriculum - this site offers a wonderful quick reading assessment.

Good Typing - this site is great for a free typing course. Everyone should learn to type in this day and age and this site is great for children and adults.

Handwriting Pages - we can never have enough handwriting pages and this site offers manuscript and cursive pages for our children to practice.

High School Elective Courses - this site offers FREE elective courses for High School students, a great resource.

As a home school mom of 5 children that range from Kindergarten through High School, I enjoy finding resources that will help not only our family but that may help others that home school or are simply looking for information to supplement their child’s education.

I hope that you find the information that I share here informative. If you feel you need more one on one help with homeschooling or are meeting with unexpected challenges, you may need a Home School Coach. Visit my page here for more information and a free consultation.

Teen years come with a lot of different battles and one of the battles we may face are those of reluctant readers. This at times comes about because they feel reading is a chore, or part of school work and therefore not enjoyable. Another reason may be that they are struggling with reading at the same level as their peers. Because of these reasons, the teen will take a defensive position and claim that reading is boring and no fun.

As parents, there are many ways to encourage our reluctant readers to enjoy reading. One way is to encourage independent reading. Independent reading is separate from their school work, it is basically led by their interests. Encourage your teen to pick out something that interests them and that they will feel comfortable reading.

At our house, when we happen to face these struggles, we encourage our teens to read a magazine of choice. Our philosophy is that as long as they are reading it doesn’t matter what it is. My children also love to read cook books, strange, but true. This not only encourages them to read, but will also teach them measuring (Math) and cooking (Home Economics) all in one.

Some ways to motivate your teen to read:

• Schedule trips to the local library or local book store. Let your child pick any book of their choice, and it maybe a magazine, CD, books, or DVD. When the teen feels that they are free and without pressure they will pick something they enjoy and perhaps begin to enjoy reading as well.

• Pen pals - this is a great way for your teen to develop not only their reading skills but their writing skills as well. It is sad that with today’s technology, we hardly ever write a letter, but your teen can email and develop their writing and reading skills in that manner.

• Give them a driver’s manual - many teens are anxious and excited to learn to drive, by giving them a driver’s manual not only will they read but they will learn the rules of driving and be prepared to take their driving test when the time comes.

• Magazine subscriptions - this is a favorite in our household, my children are allowed to pick one subscription each and are very excited to receive a magazine especially for them each month. It is great to see your children excited to receive their subscription and just as excited to begin reading.

• Develop a personal library - encourage your teen to develop a library of their favorite books. The books can be books they have already read or received as gifts. Encourage them to pick out books at local book stores, yard sales or used book stores.

I hope some of these ideas will help spark an interest in your reluctant reader’s mind. Reading is fun and making it fun is half the battle.

Need help with your homeschooling? Need some advise on which direction to take? Contact me for personal coaching, first consultation is Free of charge. Click here for more info.

It seems that one of our biggest struggles is spelling. Sure, we see the National Spelling Bee televised and of course the winners just happen to be home schoolers, but unfortunately I don’t have any of those in my house.

But not to worry because, I found a wonderful book several years ago that we have been using to improve our spelling. If you noticed I said, ‘our’ spelling because this book is great for children aged 8 to adult. Let’s face it we all can use a little help in the spelling department. What better way to teach your children spelling while learning some tips yourself.

The book I am referring to is called Spelling Power. This book contains lists of 5,000 most frequently used words. The words are organized by phonetic principles and spelling rules. With only 15 minutes a day, you can successfully improve your child’s spelling techniques.

So, since the book mentioned that I only needed to use it 15 minutes per day, we decided to put it to the test. We used this particular book for one year and found our children’s vocabulary increased immensely and what was more astonishing was that their spelling improved as well.

This book gives you detailed instructions on how to use the lists appropriately. There are ways to determine the readiness of the child and what list to begin your child with. The list is introduced and they are given daily tests that lasts no longer than 5 minutes. The test is not difficult. You as the teacher will say a word, use the word in a sentence and then repeat the word. The child then repeats the word using the proper pronunciation, which will help improve their spelling. The child will then write the word as best as possible, you will then spell the word and the child will self check the word. The child will know immediately if the spelling is correct and if it is not, it will then be placed on a separate list for the child to work on after the daily test.

The misspelled words are then reviewed by the child. They say the word, look at the word, say the word and spell it out, close the eyes and visualize the word. The child will review the word and spelling and rewrite the word again and then create his own sentence using the word. There are 10 steps to reviewing a misspelled word and once the child is accustomed to doing that after each daily test, they will remember the process and you can also incorporate the use of the dictionary.

This book has helped us tremendously that we continue to use it every year. Since it is adaptable for every grade level from age 8 and up, it works well in our home school environment. We have incorporated the words on each list into our other subjects as well and the children seem to remember the words more and understand their meaning if used on a daily basis and not only during spelling time.

I highly recommend this powerful book for your home school or to use as supplemental work for children attending school outside of the home. Who knows you may have a Spelling Bee champion in the making.

For more tips and coaching advice be sure to visit my coaching page, the initial consultation is free of charge.

This is a question that I am always asked and the answer is ‘Yes’. It is absolutely possible to home school your child for free or for very little.

Thankfully in our age of technology, there are many resources available via the world wide web. The only cost involved would be the paper and ink needed to print out worksheets if you choose to. I always print out paperwork to keep in a portfolio for each child. This is a wonderful way to evaluate their progress and also to have available if needed for end of the year evaluations.

We must not forget the public library which has an abundance of information for FREE

Home schooling for free, can definitely be accomplished. First you must have a plan. I usually will plan out the entire year for each child and know in advance what I will need for each subject that we plan to explore. With this list in hand, I research websites and make a list of ones that are appropriate for each child. We also explore at yard sales, thrift shops and home school fairs for items that are available at low cost or for swapping. We have acquired many different books and manipulatives for free, because we have swapped with other families that no longer have use for them and are in perfect condition.

The best resource however is the internet. We use it on a daily basis for business and have learned to incorporate our schooling into it as well. We are blessed to live in a state that offers a Virtual School at no cost. It is available for grades 6 through 12. The courses are very advanced and challenging but most importantly they are free. If you live in the state of Florida, I encourage you to visit The Florida Virtual School for more information on what they have to offer.

Some great sites available for your children are the following:

AllExperts - this site is staffed by volunteers that are available to answer questions and share their expertise for free.

Askme - this is another great site available to answer any question imaginable and will be answered by staffed volunteers for free.

There are dictionaries and thesauri available online for free as well, check these links:

Dictionary - search the dictionary or thesaurus here for free.

YourDictionary - this is an awesome site that links to about 800 dictionaries in 160 languages, on a wide range of subjects. This is one of our favorite sites.

For Research purposes - I believe you are never to old to research or never too young to start learning to research.

Writing and Research - a collection of sites recommended from PBS Teacher Source.

Great Math Sites:

Harcourt Animated Math Glossary - this site defines every mathematical term students will encounter. This is a great animated site and my children enjoy using it when learning math.

Mrs. Glosser’s Math Goodies - this site has great interactive math lessons that are engaging to students.

Science Sites:

McRel’s Accessible Science Series - a great list of experiments that you can do with your children and instructions for all grade levels are included.

Science Forum for Home Educators - very helpful and popular message boards where science discussions are held and experiments and links are also available.

I have many more sites to share with you that I will share with you in another post. Be sure to come back often. Remember to make learning fun.

As a home schooler or perhaps for the new home schooler, we are always in search of teaching tips. We as parents are natural home schoolers. Why you may ask? As a parent we did not have training but are basically learning on the job, home school parents are doing the same. I asked my children for some tips and those are included as well. Some of the basic teaching tips are listed below and although they may seem basic, it is important to remember that they will help us in making our home school a success.

• Trust God daily
• Don’t be afraid to try new things
• Important to develop a routine
• Always start by explaining the lesson or what is expected from each child.
• Remember to keep eye contact which will help is determining if the child is understands the lesson
• Try not to bore your child with endless talk, this is when they tend to daze off into their own little worlds
• Avoid asking ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions
• Keep your explanations as simple as possible, especially if teaching younger children
• Being creative works very well, especially when explaining or asking questions
• Never stay too long on one subject
• Teach the kids to work together and share the responsibility
• Learn to be more flexible
• Practice your patience
• Involve your children, try to incorporate their interests into your schooling
• Make learning fun - homeschooling will be easier for you and your children

Share your tips with us. I have tons of tips that would not possibly fit on this page. Be sure to visit often, because I will incorporate more tips within my posts.

I have been asked to provide a recommended course of study for each particular grade. Although this is a just a checklist, one must remember that if your child does not fall within the particular parameters does not mean your child is ’slow’ or ‘not learning’. Each child develops differently and each one has their own learning style.

Please remember that this should only be used as a checklist and not as a mandatory list that each child should follow.

Social Studies - the child has the ability to understand and appreciate different cultures, holidays, traditions and customs. Knows the location of their home and school, as well as safety rules and symbols. Can distinguish between work and jobs and role in the family, home, school and community.

Language Arts - the child can follow and give directions, can role play.can recite nursery rhymes, fairy tales. The child has the ability to construct visual images while listening and has oral communication skills. This child will also exhibit beginning writing skills such as manuscript handwriting.

Science - the child can name farm animals, common animals and plants and knows or understands how to care for pets. Can tell the difference between like and unlike plants, indoor plants and the weather and seasons. Knows that the solar system is made up of earth, moon, stars and planets. Knows the senses and it showing interest in experimentation.

Mathematics - can count from 1-20, familiar with clock and calendar, concepts of more, less than and same. Can recognize basic sets, denominations of money, estimation, the number line and sequence of events.

Health and Safety - the child is aware and understands the importance of personal hygiene, including brushing of teeth, good grooming and good eating habits. Aware of the safety to and from school and understands what physical fitness means.

Once again this is just a check list to help guide you when teaching your preschool child. Some may be more advanced and others may just be getting started. But not to worry, because they will all catch up in the end. Most important thing to remember is to make learning fun.

I have been asked to provide a recommended course of study for each particular grade. Although this is a just a checklist, one must remember that if your child does not fall within the particular parameters does not mean your child is ’slow’ or ‘not learning’. Each child develops differently and each one has their own learning style.

Please remember that this should only be used as a checklist and not as a mandatory list that each child should follow. I like to use it to monitor my child’s progress. For instance, I may have a child that is in grade 3 but is exhibiting traits of a child in grade 5. Her reading skills may be that of a 5th grader, but everything else may be of a 3rd grader or lower. Not to worry, because remember children learn at different paces.

With that said, here is a checklist for Preschool.

Colors and Shapes - the child can recognize colors and names of colors, can point out shapes and match shapes or objects according to shape and can copy shapes with pencil or finger.

Motor Skills - the child has the ability to run, jump, skip, hop, march. The child can walk backwards, clap hands, can paste or glue objects to paper. Can build with blocks, zip a zipper, button a clothing article. Can hold a pen or pencil properly and can use scissors to cut out shapes.

Listening Skills - the child can listen to short stories and retell simple stories, follows directions, and can repeat a sequence of sounds, can form vowels and consonants, can recite short bible verses.

Numbers - can count simply from 1-20, understands number concepts from 1-10, understands the concept of empty and full and more and less.

Reading/Writing - this child has been read to daily, looks at books and magazines, pretends to read, can answer questions related to short stories, can recognize some nursery rhymes, can pronounce their name, both first and last. Some can print their name as well.

Emotional Development - this child knows their name and parent’s name, plays with other children, talks easily, can dress them self, brushes their teeth, helps with family chores, can put toys away, can put clothes away, can follow directions, understands day and night.

Once again this is just a check list to help guide you when teaching your preschool child. Some may be more advanced and others may just be getting started. But not to worry, because they will all catch up in the end. Most important thing to remember is to make learning fun.