Natural Parenting » Homeschool

Homeschooling Without Falling Foul of the Law

naturalparenting — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 18:43:24 +0000

Despite a commonly held belief that taking your children out of school and teaching them at home is likely to run you into trouble with the law, homeschooling is in fact completely legal. There are however laws governing homeschooling and you need to familiarize yourself with these before you start.

The Constitution does not cover education and, while the Department of Education plays a large role in defining the rules governing the provision of education services, the laws covering schooling are established by each individual state and vary considerably from one state to the next.

When it comes to homeschooling, although it is legal in all 50 states, some states adopt a fairly relaxed attitude while others have very restrictive rules. For example, Idaho and Texas place very few restrictions on parents while Massachusetts and New York adopt a very heavy handed approach and require such things as state approval for a student’s curriculum and submission of student achievement test scores. They may even carry out periodic home visits. Other states, such as Pennsylvania, require parents to submit teaching materials used for homeschooling to the local school district for approval.

Over the years there have been many attempts to stop the practice of homeschooling and many parents worry that, even if it is legal today, there is a chance that it will be outlawed in the not too distant future. This is however extremely unlikely and for many years now the courts have consistently ruled in favor of homeschooling. Indeed, in one quite recent case which was taken to the Supreme Court for a ruling the Court reaffirmed the fundamental rights of parents and confirmed the view first expressed by the Supreme Court as far back as 1925 that education is the responsibility of the parents and not of the state.

For parents who are concerned about the legal aspects of homeschooling (or who get themselves into a legal dispute with state authorities) the Home School Legal Defense Association was founded in 1983 and is not only the fount of knowledge on all matters pertaining to the legality of homeschooling, but has also fought many battles on behalf of homeschooling parents.

If you are considering homeschooling then you should certainly not be put off by concerns about your legal position but you must know that there are laws which govern what you can and cannot do and you should acquaint yourself with these.

by Donald Saunders
Parenting4Dummies.com provides information, advice and articles on all aspects of parenting including parenting teenagers and many parents consider it their best homeschooling resource.

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/sizumaru/968854239/

Parental Advantages To Homeschooling

naturalparenting — Mon, 14 May 2007 04:28:39 +0000

Homeschooling is growing in popularity for a number of reasons which include unlimited learning possibilities for children, variety, flexibility and control over the learning materials and also the parental advantages.

Homeschooling is a nurturing environment rich with opportunity.
The homeschooling parent has many opportunities for one-on-one interaction with her child. Making the most of these opportunities make it possible to develop an intimate knowledge of the child’s academic strengths and weaknesses. This gives the parent great flexibility in tailoring each child’s work to that child’s particular needs.

This one-on-one time also has pay-offs for the family itself: strengthening bonds, developing intimacy and nurturing deep relationships. Due to this intimacy, the parent has a unique advantage compared to the best of trained teachers. No one can possibly know a child like his parents. This intimate knowledge is the most solid foundation possible for guiding a child’s education. Parents also have a deep investment in their child’s success. Homeschool parents can develop a broader sense of what a child’s “success” means, way beyond the scope of standardized test scores.

A homeschool parent will search further for alternative strategies, experiment when current strategies are failing and persevere through difficult times. Realistically, no school and no teacher will ever have that level of commitment to a child.

Homeschooling offers great flexibility in making changes to the learning environment.
Move to a comfortable room to work with the child or turn the t.v. captioning on. There are no parent-teacher meetings, monitoring or budget battles.

While it does take some planning, the homeschool parent can also customize the curriculum. There is much greater flexibility when incorporating field trips, outings and hands-on work than is possible in a school setting. A customized curriculum might mean working on 4th grade math and 6th grade reading and college level science experiments, or it might mean significant use of hands-on activities. The parent has many choices that are simply not available within school structures.

This advantage is inherent in the nature of homeschooling, but still worth pointing out. The child will never be left “behind” the other students, nor will he have to sit through boring reviews of material he understands well.

Homeschooling saves time
There is no commute time transporting children to and from school, no evening homework time, no parent-teacher meetings or PTA events and no time spent stressing over the deficiencies of educational services provided.

A wide variety of social opportunities are also open to homeschoolers. They have the chance each day, to interact with people of all ages in a variety of settings. Homeschoolers, through local homeschool groups, also have the opportunity to develop long-lasting, intimate friendships.

How much of an advantage homeschooling has depends upon the family’s level of involvement with the local public school system. If significant services are being provided, then, obviously, there will be much more interaction with the school system. For the most part, however, there will not be struggles over appropriate goals, issues over implementation of the IEP, monitoring to ensure services are being provided, etc.

The communication method that the family chooses to use will be the communication method used with no argument, no battle, no struggle. Deciding to homeschool your children is no easy task and should be taken seriously. But there are some compelling reasons to consider homeschooling, so take a look and decide for yourself.

Joyce Jackson is an educational expert and consultant in northern California. For her latest book and information see http://www.homeschoolingeasy.com.

Buy the Book: So Why Do You Homeschool

Image Source: http://flickr.com/photos/automania/81200164/

Outdoor Learning with Sidewalk Chalk

naturalparenting — Mon, 05 May 2008 07:20:35 +0000

“In today’s society, video games and computers have taken the place of playing outside for many children. Lack of physical activity can lead to obesity and a number of other health problems and children who do not spend enough time playing outdoors are typically deprived of social interactions and natural stimulation. Recent research has found that children who play outside for an average of 90 minutes per day in good weather have less risk of heart trouble later in life.” Importance of Outside Play - Thekidstoystore.com

Author: Peg Baron
When the weather is nice, the kids (and Mom) are itching to get outside and play. I personally like the playing to learn approach. Did you know there’s an outdoor world of math and reading fun that awaits you and all you need is sidewalk chalk, dice, and your imagination? Anything we can do inside on paper can be done outside on the driveway or sidewalk, as long as we don’t care if it eventually gets “erased” by rain or sprinklers. Not only do the kids and I get to exercise our brains but we also get to exercise our bodies. I get to stretch my hamstrings and quads as I bend over to draw game boards or numbers, and the kids get to hop, skip, and jump around. Here are a few favorite sidewalk games I’d like to share. You can adapt any of them to the abilities of your children, and multiple ages can play
together.

Numbered Ladder Game
Draw a long, long ladder with at least 25 rungs, each rung big enough for a kid to stand in. Number each rung starting with 1 and going to 25. You also need a dice.

Rules - Grown-up throws the dice and the child hops up that many spaces on the ladder. If they land on an even number, they have to go back 1 space. Continue on until you have a winner.

Multiplication Ladder

Use the same ladder as above.
Rules - The child rolls 2 dice and multiplies the 2 numbers together.
He/she then totally covers in the answer square with chalk (their choice of color.) They continue until they’ve covered every square they possibly can, and then discuss why there are squares that won’t ever be covered.

Division Ladder

Again, use the same ladder as above.
Rules - Hand the chalk to your child and ask them to put a yellow triangle around any numbers that can be divided by 2. Next have them put a blue circle around any numbers that can be divided by 5, a pink square around any numbers that can be divided by 10, etc.

Numbers Bingo

Draw out as many bingo boards as there are kids and put a number
in each square. The kids can collect a pile of rocks or something for markers. Rules - Depending on the skill level, yell out an addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division problem for them to solve. They then cover the answer with a rock. The one who gets bingo is the winner. You can change the mathematic function with each game.

“Over the years, the hours that children spend playing outside can pay off when it comes to physical, intellectual and social development. Yet, such valuable interaction is fleeting these days. From 1997 to 2003, there was a 50% drop in kids who participated in outdoor activities such as hiking, walking and fishing, according to a University of Maryland study.” Mother Nature; Raising Healthier Kids - Usaweekend.com

The Reading Trail

Draw a trail of boxes and arrows down the sidewalk. Draw a box, then arrows directing them to the next box, about 10 feet away, and so on. At the end could be a beautiful drawing, if you’re artistically inclined, or a small prize, or a hug from you. In each box, depending on your child’s reading level, write a single word or a sentence. Rules - Your child starts at the beginning and moved on when he/she reads the word or sentence.

Reading Obstacle Course

Set up an obstacle course with a sentence or word chalked between each obstacle. For example; sentence, zig zag around cones, sentence, jump through the hula hoop, sentence, balance walk on a length of string, sentence, jump over the blue “river” chalked on the ground. If you want, all your obstacles can be drawn on the sidewalk instead of using real items.
Rules - Read the sentence and go through the obstacle!

Color Me

Are you currently working on body parts, the circulatory system, or the heart? Let the kids chalk it out while narrating what they know. Themes like communities, animal lifecycles, wildlife, nature, your family tree, etc. are fun to draw out. Younger kids can work on color recognition.

The Alphabet Board

Make a giant game board with 25 squares. Put a letter of the alphabet on each square in random order, excluding the letter “x”.

Rules - Each kid has to start at the beginning and take each square one at a time. They have to come up with 5 words that start with that letter/sound before they can move on. To make it harder for the older ones, ask them to also come up with a word or two that end with that letter.

As you can see, it’s fun to learn with a stick of sidewalk chalk in your hand. I hope these games get you outside and get your imagination working as you tweak them to fit your needs. Have a great time and may the rain stay far away from your creations!

“After tens of thousands of years of children playing and working primarily outdoors, the last few generations have seen such interaction with nature vanish almost entirely. The implications — for children’s physical and mental health, and for the future of environmentalism — are immense.” Grist.org

Buy: Double Color Sidewalk Chalk Bucket

About the author:
Peggy Baron plays with her kids in Colorado, and runs
http://cookinkids.com/, a website devoted to helping parents and kids have fun together in the kitchen. Peggy is the editor of the popular Cookin’ Kids Newsletter, a bi-monthly newsletter with fun facts, recipes, jokes, games, cooking safety, and cooking terms wrapped around different themes.

The Ultimate Attachment Parenting Guide

naturalparenting — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 04:11:03 +0000

Are you ready to learn about attachment parenting? You have come to the right place. Our guide to attachment parenting is an ever evolving list of links designed to let you navigate through the basics of attachment parenting without surfing all over the web. If you know of a link that would be helpful, send an email to parenting *at* amuchbetterway.com and I will review it for possible inclusion.

Attachment Parenting

The Family Bed

Diaper Free Baby

Breastfeeding

Infant Massage

Babywearing

Infant Sign Language

Photos of common signs
Wikipedia - Baby Sign
Articles, stories & tips from Sign Babies
Printable Cheat Sheet
Born 2 Sign
Recommended Reading: Sign With Your Baby: Complete Learning Kit

Homeschooling

Positive Discipline

P ositive discipline techniques
Stopspanking.com
Never Hit a Child
10 Reasons not to hit your child
Anti-Spanking position
Recommended Reading: Adventures in Gentle Discipline

Avoiding vaccinations

Dispelling V accination Myths (This Three part article is a MUST read)
Vaccine Information and Choice Network
Vaccine Danger Alert
The Great Thimerosol Coverup
Map of US with each state’s vaccine exemtion laws
Vaccine Exem ption Forms by State
Religious Exemption wthout proving membership in a religion
Legal help obtaining exemptions
$75,000 offered for MD to drink vaccine additives
How to legally avoid unwanted immunizations
Mercury Calculator
Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System & “Hot Lots”
Logic for Not Taking Vaccines
Recommended Reading: How To Raise A Healthy Child In Spite of Your Doctor
Recommended Reading: Raising A Vaccine Free Child

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