BookShark

Tag: homeschool benefits

  • How I Found a Homeschool Schedule That Works

    How I Found a Homeschool Schedule That Works

    We have just started our fifth year of homeschooling with BookShark and have changed our schedule through the years to fit various stages of our life. I’ve learned to make my curriculum flex for me and my kids while also trusting it to lay a solid academic foundation. I know that BookShark doesn’t need extra dressing up beyond a healthy layer of real-life exploration. But how I arrange the lessons is up to me!

    The BookShark Instructor’s Guides offer an easy-to-understand four-day schedule that shows me precisely what to cover in each subject each day—what to read, what to talk about, what words to learn, what timeline figures to place in the Timeline Book, what locations to mark on the Markable Map, what Science activities to do, etc. It’s a relief to have a base to work from! I don’t have to spend energy planning lessons.

    Sticking to My Instructor’s Guide… or Not

    Sticking to the schedule benefits my kids since the subjects are so often intertwined. I find we get an an even richer learning experience when we work through the Instructor’s Guide as planned. For example, currently our Science, History, and Readers are all set in a relatively close time period, allowing us to dive deep into the mind-set of early American days. Keeping with the same time period means that the bulk of our lessons all relate back and forth with each other.

    While staying with the schedule is my preferred method, we have frequently found ourselves in a groove and excited to continue a History lesson to the point we may get several days ahead. Most days we want to work on all subjects, and other days we may power through an entire week of Science in one sitting. We can do that! I let the curriculum flex for me!

    We choose to homeschool because it offered our family the greatest flexibility in our school schedule. Even when our schedule may look different from one week to the next, BookShark has worked well with our changes.

    Homeschooling with a Four-day Schedule

    BookShark’s four-day schedule gives our family the opportunity to enjoy an extra family day or a learning day without books. We enjoy museums and will frequently use our extra day off as a field trip day to learn more with hands-on activities at a children’s science museum or an early American homestead.

    We have also used our extra day off to do more in-depth studying of things that interest us at the time. Robotics, foreign language, and crafts frequently fill our fifth day.

    The four-day schedule is a great choice for families who want to enjoy a three-day weekend or who elect one day a week for field trips, extra-curricular activities, or homeschool co-op.

    Using the Fifth Day for Rabbit Holes

    We generally plan for a four-day week, but homeschooling has allowed us the opportunity to jump down the many rabbit holes that come about with learning. We can take our four-day schedule and spread it over five days. This means we may start out talking about an early American family’s water well and then start learning about the water table and finally study the water cycle. We might begin a lesson on the ocean and end up spending an hour with our map discussing geography. I don’t plan these rabbit hole days, but I always welcome them and love that we can adjust our schedule and not stress about getting back on track.

    Stretching a four-day schedule into five days gives us more time to spend on each subject and encourages more in-depth learning on subjects our family is interested in.  

    Keeping a Traditional School Schedule

    Following a local school’s schedule can be important for many families. It is a great way to keep on track with your school year and still get plenty of breaks during the year. When we began our first year homeschooling, we went this route and it worked well for us then. We had plenty of breaks and certainly plenty of days for learning, too.

    Choosing Year-round Schooling

    We currently choose to homeschool year-round. Although we do take a significant number of days off in the summer, I’ve found it works better for our family if we do not take two whole months off school. During the summer, we take more field trips since our local museums, libraries, and parks have great summer programs, packed full of learning opportunities.

    Our family loves to travel, so year-round schooling lets us do school while others are out on break. This means we can take our breaks during the school year in the off-season. Traveling while others are in school means the beaches are less crowded, the airfare is reduced, and the hotels are more affordable. Win-win!

    Year round schooling is a great option to avoid summer boredom while providing room for more breaks throughout the year.

    I found a homeschool schedule that works for me by being flexible and making changes when needed. Being willing to try new routines has helped me find my homeschool groove. Now I’m confident in my choices and know that I can change my schedule each year if I need to!o turn your non-reader into a reader. Some readers bloom later than others! And your investment may pay off in years to come.

    About the Author

    Pamela Gann lives in Alabama with her husband and two kids where they love doing science experiments. They began their homeschool journey back in 2013 and have used BookShark Levels K -4. Pam is a former flight attendant and is married to a pilot, so traveling is not just their passion—it is their livelihood. She blogs about their homeschool and family travel journey at PamGann. Homeschooling for their family takes place on planes, in cars, and most often outside under a shade tree.

  • Help! My Child Doesn’t Like to Read

    Help! My Child Doesn’t Like to Read

    When I started homeschooling many years ago, one of my main goals was to raise readers. As an avid reader myself, I’ve always understood the value of reading. It expands our vocabulary, teaches us, ignites our imagination, challenges us, transports us to amazing worlds, and so much more.

    I knew I wouldn’t be able to teach my girls everything, but if they could read well and enjoyed the process, they would be able to learn anything they wanted to. So I did whatever I could to make reading exciting and accessible. Here are ways to nudge your child toward becoming a lifelong reader.

    Create a Book Loving Home

    First, it’s important that our children know that we, as parents, think books are important. In our home, we have multiple bookshelves that are filled with a variety of books. Our Kindle ereaders get frequent attention. Library trips were (and still are) frequent and positive. We invest in a literature-rich homeschool curriculum.

    My husband and I read regularly, so our kids see us getting caught up in stories and hear us discuss what we’re reading. Remember that our kids tend to value what we value.

    What if you’ve done all you can think of and your child still doesn’t like to read? It’s time to ask yourself some questions.

    • Could your child have a learning disability, like dyslexia, that makes reading hard for him? Sure, we should all challenge ourselves by reading difficult books, but every time we pick up a story, it shouldn’t be a chore.

    We’re lucky that today, more than ever, there’s help available for those who have trouble reading. If this is an issue for your child, I would encourage you to seek assistance instead of deciding that he’s just never going to be a good reader.

    • Is your child a slow reader? Sometimes, especially with longer books, it’s hard to keep motivated when it seems to take forever to finish. Is he slow because he’s having trouble focusing? Is the story or vocabulary too challenging?

    Think about what can be done to break down any barriers for him. Reading isn’t a race, but see if you can help him pick up his pace, so he doesn’t get frustrated or lose interest while reading.

    Does she find the books she is reading boring? Do you let her choose her own books or is she regularly assigned reading material? Maybe she just hasn’t found the right subject to ignite her passion.

    Sure, children have to read books for school, even if they find them boring. Just make sure that you’re encouraging her to read for pleasure as well.

    4 More Tips for Turning a Non-Reader into a Reader

    • Spend part of your day reading aloud together, regardless of your child’s age. Yes, read aloud time is still valuable for teens! There is something very powerful about spending time as a family reading a story. Just be careful to avoid these common read aloud mistakes.
    • If the act of reading is challenging for your child, turn to audio books. By listening to books, instead of reading them, they can still develop the passion for the stories without having to struggle.
    • Introduce your child to a wide variety of books. Encourage her to explore the various genres and topics to find one that excites her. Make up a list and each time you go to the library, have her choose one or two different types. You both might be surprised by what grabs her attention!
    • Make sure your child is reading books that are at the right level for him. Books that are too hard or too easy can turn off a child’s interest. Challenge him to move up his reading material as he grows, but don’t jump so far ahead that every page is difficult for him to understand.

    Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that homeschooling or following any of these tips will raise a reader. However, instead of throwing in the towel claiming, “my child’s just not a reader,” persevere in your efforts to turn your non-reader into a reader. Some readers bloom later than others! And your investment may pay off in years to come.

    About the Author

    Megan Zechman is a veteran homeschool mom of two girls. Over at Education Possible, she shares creative, hands-on learning activities for middle school.

  • Homeschooling to Escape Bullying in Schools

    Homeschooling to Escape Bullying in Schools

    To celebrate going back to school one year, my mom sewed the prettiest pink and purple, paisley bell-bottom pants for me. Because my mom didn’t know bell-bottoms had been out of style for a few years, I was called names and made fun at school that first day back to class. On the outside, I expressed anger and wanted to punch the bullies in the mouth, but on the inside I was crushed.

    When I think about the time and love my mom put into those pants (which we never wore again), I get emotional, yet I’m also grateful that I didn’t resort to fist fighting and that the teasing never went beyond a single occurrence related to the funky pants.

    What is Bullying?

    As a parent, I’ve wrestled with the definition of bullying as I teach my sons the difference between a personality conflict and abuse. The difference is not always obvious to a child or even to an adult, yet understanding the definition of bullying empowers a victim to take a stand if necessary.

    It’s almost impossible to cover every warning sign of a bully, but one simple definition of bullying is intentionally hurting another person or deliberate aggression. As we all know, that definition is still too broad. Other telltale signs of a bullying situation are as follows:

    • continual physical acts and/or verbal abuse over a period of time
    • (on the part of the person being bullied) stressing over not only what just happened but also what may happen in the future
    • the stronger dominating the weaker

    Homeschooling as a Reaction to Bullying

    Bullying immediately brings out that maternal feeling to shield her child from harm. Parents want to do something, and they may consider a huge change—even leaving public school to homeschool.

    So is homeschooling a viable option when a child is facing bullying at school? I say yes! It is a parent’s natural (and good) instinct to shelter her child. If a child is unable to protect himself, it falls to the parents to do so for him. 

    Is homeschooling the easy way out as some critics may say? Should kids be forced to work out their problems on their own, grow a tough hide, learn how to ignore caustic remarks, and fight back when physically confronted? 

    Does homeschooling turn our kids into socially inept sissies who can’t handle the pressures of normal childhood squabbles? 

    No way.

    I homeschooled my boys, and they still learned how to get along with their peers and constructively face relationship problems. My children are now reaching adulthood, and they’re confident, secure, and capable of making decisions that go against the crowd. This didn’t happen because I sent them to public school to duke it out with mean girls or bullies.

    Is Your Child a Victim of Physical or Verbal Bullying?

    When I worked in a lawyer’s office handling divorces, I saw many cases of abuse, and it never got easier to observe. I remember key advice social workers would give an abused spouse—You can never change the person you’re living with. The message was that a victim of abuse has two choices: leave the abuser or live with the abuse.

    When an abused spouse choses to leave, nobody thinks that she is not facing up to real-life problems or trying to escape the real world! In another example, no one thinks poorly of the employee who stands up in the face of workplace bullying to exert his legal right to a safe work environment free from prejudice and abuse.

    Quite the contrary. We applaud victims of abuse when they take a stand to escape a toxic relationship or to assert their rights.

    Bullying is a type of abuse that we don’t tolerate when it happens to adults. Why should a child be forced to stay in an abusive situation that is destroying his sense of safety and confidence? Living in such a fearful situation is no way to build character in a child.

    So, yes, homeschooling is a viable fix for bullying (not an easy fix as homeschooling is a big responsibility and sometimes sacrifice). But homeschooling is good for so much more than merely pulling your children out of a toxic environment of bullying.

    Here are additional ways homeschooling benefits your child socially:

    • When a child studies what interests him and manages his time to do so, he grows in to self-confidence.
    • When a child is focused on his own learning and interacting with others who care for him instead of forced to fend for himself in a doglike pack hierarchy, he can learn true life skills.
    • A child can flourish with social skills when he is involved in public speaking in a co-op setting and focuses on rigorous academics.
    • A warm and loving home is the best place for a child to learn how to build character. School, after all, is an artificial, institutional environment.
    • There are many team building opportunities in homeschooling like 4-H, football, basketball, and volleyball where a child can learn to work out personality conflicts with others.
    • A child has the right to learn in a stress-free environment, supported by adults who love and protect him.

    When I was a student in my paisley bell-bottom pants, homeschooling was not a well-known option to escape bullying at school. Fortunately, what I faced was a one-time episode of teasing and not full blown bullying. So my parents didn’t have the tough decision of handling a toxic learning environment. If you are considering homeschooling because of persistent bullying, don’t listen to the people who accuse you of being too protective or being a helicopter parent. Trust your parental instincts to protect, and know that homeschooling will provide a wealth of positive emotional and social benefits far beyond merely escaping a negative public school environment where bullying is rampant.

    About the Author

    Tina Robertson celebrated the graduation of Mr. Senior in 2013 and Mr. Awesome in 2015. Because of her love for new homeschoolers, she mentors moms through her unique program called New Bee Homeschoolers. She loves all homeschoolers, though, as she shares her free 7 Step Curriculum Planner, unit studies, lapbooks and homeschooling how tos. She can’t sing, dance, or craft, but she counts organizing as a hobby. She is still in the homeschool trenches blogging at Tina’s Dynamic Homeschool Plus.