Thoughts about PE (Physical Education)

For many reasons, PE (physical education) can be a major homeschooling challenge. Although it is not a mandatory part of the curriculum in all states, it is required in some places. If you are struggling with PE in your homeschool environment, consider these ideas:

Active playtime counts! You don't need complex equipment or an expensive gym membership to exercise. Take time every day for active play--tag, Frisbee, dodgeball, basketball all count.

Chores are exercise, too--especially if strenuous outdoor work is involved.

Incorporate exercise into a family service activity. Clean up a park, or help build a playground! Go door to door and gather food for a food bank, or collect used magazines for an abused women's shelter.

Purchase fun exercise DVDs.

Visit parks and playgrounds! Older children may enjoy a visit to a skate park instead of a playground.

Have a dance! Turn up the music real loud and dance around.

Enroll children in community sports.

Field Trips for Less: City Pass

One of the more memorable family field trips we made was wrapped in a vacation last spring. While a lot of learning took place very quickly, we all had a great time. It was not cheap, but it was worth it. For families who can afford the expense, I strongly recommend a family learning vacation.


Although travelling to a distant city can be especially entertaining, it carries an extra expense. Budget-conscious families can always travel to the nearest big city, or explore their own city.

We purchased a Seattle CityPass, which gave us admission to several main Seattle attractions for a single discounted rate. Although it has changed since we used it last year, the Seattle CityPass costs just $59 per adult and $39 per child. For that price, each person gets admission to the Space Needle, Pacific Science Center, Seattle Aquarium, Argosy Cruises Seattle Harbor Tour, Experience Music Project & Science Fiction Museum, and a special ticket that can be used at either the Woodland Park Zoo or the Museum of Flight. These passes also allow the holder to skip the normal ticket lines at these attractions.

As you can see, these locations are both exciting and informative. We had great learning adventures surrounding science, animals, music, and local history and culture.

Because we lived a fair distance from Seattle and we wanted to really enjoy the use of our pass, we opted to stay in a hotel nearby for an entire week. We ate at cheap restaurants and lived like tourists. In addition to the locations on the passes, we went to nearby free attractions as well. It was a great adventure.

CityPass offers packages for Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Hollywood, Houston, Southern California, San Francisco, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle and Toronto. If none of these cities is near you, look for a similar deal package that could create fun learning experiences and memories for your children.

Check out the CityPass site at www.citypass.com.

Surviving Math

As students, many of us shuddered at the word. As homeschool parents, we still don't like it much.


One of the most common questions homeschoolers get asked is, "How do you teach subjects you don't like or aren't very good at?" This is truly one of the biggest challenges of homeschooling. Not every homeschool parent is great at every subject, and some of us stumbled as students in math, science, language arts, or another major subject.

For those of us who struggle with math, how can we teach it?

Learn Along

Homeschool parents who began teaching their children from the start have the benefit of learning alongside their children. Since math is learned in a definite sequence, starting to learn alongside your children and reviewing the basics can help you refresh and be better able to grasp difficult concepts.

Make it Fun

Have fun with numbers. Small children may enjoy using Goldfish crackers to help sovle equations. They can physically build the equations by making piles of crackers, and learn addition, subtraction, multiplication and division by manipulating those piles.

Older children can enjoy playing games online and offline that build math skills.

Apply It

Look for real-life applications to the various math functions you are teaching. For example, paint a fence to learn about area. Go shopping and calculate how much you have saved using coupons. Encourage sports-minded children to calculate statistics. For more ideas on applying math to daily life, consider books like "Mathematics for Consumers" or "Life Skills Mathematics" (available in the Homeschool Skills store (http://homeschool.storenvy.com/collections/20835-books-math)).

Refresher Course

As a college student, I have the added "benefit" (some days it feels like a curse) of taking several required math courses for my degree. I seize these opportunities and try to dread them less because I realize that these classes better prepare me to teach my own children. I strongly recommend parents who have the time and resources to attend classes at a local community college, online school or other institution. It can be a wonderful experience, and it helps you teach your children by example the great value of continuing your education.

Tutors

If math is a subject you feel you can't handle, hire a tutor to teach in your home. Sit in the lessons with your children, and learn how to grasp those concepts. Like attending outside college classes, this helps teach your children the value of continuing learning.

Homeschool Conventions

he season of homeschool conventions is upon us. From coast to coast, there are dozens of major homeschool convention planned before the end of summer. These conventions feature keynote speakers, workshops, fun activities for kids, vendors, and so much more.


While the cost and time demands may deter participation, the opportunity is often worth the cost. Those who have previously attended homeschool conventions can and usually will attest to the benefits of attendance.

The following information is a simple crash-course introduction to the general world of homeschool conventions. For more information, research the specific homeschool convention you will be attending. Links to convention calendars at the bottom of this post!

What

Homeschool conventions are large events organized by homeschool groups, individuals or businesses. Most conventions feature prominent speakers, workshops, exhibits, vendors, and luncheons. Some feature family nights, contests, graduations, talent shows, and other planned activities.

There are several common convention terms that convention-goers should be familiar with.

Keynote: 'Keynote' addresses are speeches given by a speaker of significance, usually a highly credentialed or commonly recognized figure in the homeschooling community. Keynote events are given special importance and are often scheduled without any conflicting or concurrent activities. The names of keynote speakers are easy to find, as they are usually prominently included in all advertising material.

Workshops: Conventions often feature many concurrent workshops that attendees can select from. These workshops are often short and cover a wide variety of homeschooling topics.

Vendor / Exhibitor / Sponsor: These people are attending the workshop to show and sell their products. Usually, these products are assembled in a large vendor exhibit area where attendees can view them.

Who

Homeschool conventions benefit prospective, new and seasoned homeschoolers.

New and prospective homeschoolers benefit immensely from the knowledge and expertise of their seasoned counterparts. The information given by keynote speakers and workshops can be priceless.

Seasoned homeschool pros can benefit from the ideas, encouragement and products presented at these conventions. The annual homeschool convention season can revitalize bored homeschoolers and inspire homeschooling families for the next year.

Why

At the very least, conventions are very encouraging. Being in the company of hundreds (or more!) fellow homeschoolers sends the clear message that, despite how you may feel some days, you are not alone. Conventions can also invigorate the homeschooling spirit by infusing tired, curriculum-weary homeschoolers with new ideas and goals.

Since conventions are area-specific, they give homeschoolers the opportunity to meet and forge friendships with one another.

Speakers usually have significant experience and credentials in their areas of expertise. They are able to provide guidance and direction that can help give your homeschool direction and purpose. If you are struggling with any aspects of homeschooling, look for a convention that offers workshops on those subjects. Attending those workshops can help strengthen those areas of weakness and enrich your homeschool experience.

Conventions attract the best homeschooling products to one central location. Instead of shopping around at different retailers or buying and trying products that don't really fit your needs, shopping the vendors at a convention bring the products to you, in one room. The newest and best products are usually exhibited there, and you may be surprised at what you find! Deals and trial memberships are also common convention offerings.

When & Where

Find homeschool conventions in your area by searching the Internet or contacting your local homeschool organization. I recommend the following sites:

http://www.homeschoolconventions.com/
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/cms_content?page=1140380&sp=1016&event=1016
http://thehomeschoolmagazine.com/HomeschoolConventions.php

Field Trips for Less: Discounts, Deals & Freebies

Shaking up the educational experience with a field trip can keep learning fresh and interesting for busy children and bored teens. It’s not necessary to spend hundreds to go to unusual and exciting places, however.

Another great way to save money is to look for discounts and coupons.

First, check for any discounts you may be eligible for. Veterans, seniors, disabled individuals, etc. can often get a few dollars or a certain percentage shaved off of their price just by showing an ID.

Look for discounts and deals in the community.  Entertainment Books for most areas can be found on Amazon.com (click the product link and do a search for your specific area!) contain many coupons, but the initial price can be steep. Many places offer coupons on their website that can be printed, so always look online before planning a trip. Some grocery stores offer discounted tickets to certain places, such as water parks.

Homeschooling groups that organize field trips together can benefit from group discounts. A later post will provide more information about homeschool groups.

While families on a budget may wonder what they can do to supplement their educational experience, there are many options.

Watch for the word “free.” Free is my favorite price! In Seattle, there are several museums that participate in a free museum night on the first Thursday night of every month. During certain hours, entry to these places is totally and completely free.  In Olympia WA, the children’s museum is free on the first Friday evenings of each month. Look for free events in the community and don’t miss them!

Summer is an especially easy time to find free events. Keep tabs on local newspapers and kid’s magazines. A magazine called “Seattle’s Child” offers a calendar of free and fee events in the Western Washington area. Getting a subscription to magazines like this can provide you with periodic reminders to check for freebies (which can be very useful because, let’s face it, homeschoolers are busy!).

Also, simple searches like “Free events Seattle” or “Free events Houston” etc. can find free events in major cities near you (of course, that only works if you search for cities near you… I don’t generally look in Houston. =D)

What are you favorite ways to find low-cost or free field trips? Share your ideas in the comments below, or in the discussion forums (in the 'Discuss' tab at the top of the page!)

Field Trips for Less: Passes

Field trips aren’t just for public schools—in fact, field trips are ideal for homeschool students. Since homeschool parents do not have to take 20+ children with them, spur-of-the-moment detours and regular errands can become memorable teaching moments. For example, grocery stores can be a very educational place for vigilant homeschooling families (more information on grocery store trips will be posted on a later date).

Families can go to (almost) every single place that the schools go—planetariums, zoos, museums, theater performances, etc. While admission to these places can be expensive, families can get more for their money by considering season/annual passes.

For example, my children love exploring the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Washington. One trip alone would cost our family $35 or more (definitely more when you include paying for parking!). However, we spent $80 on our first trip and purchased an annual membership that allows six named individuals unlimited admission to the regular exhibits, plus 15 free regular IMAX film passes for the year and five free guest passes to the regular exhibits per year. We added my husband’s parents to the pass for an additional $10 apiece—that’s annual admission for less than the cost of a single one-time adult admission! Now, we can take the kids to the Science Center (or their grandparents can) anytime during the year without worrying about the price of admission. In the first month of owning the pass, it’s already paid for itself. Parking, of course, is still a pain.

Another side benefit of certain membership plans, such as the one for the Pacific Science Center, is reciprocal admission programs. By holding a Pacific Science Center pass, we get free admission to more than 290 science centers that participate in the ASTC Passport Program. Since we often travel out-of-state, we are eager to explore all of the science centers we will be able to visit free of charge.

Zoo passes have similar benefits. The Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington, is an amazing place. Their passes are based upon how many people are in your family, and their ages. Adults are $42 apiece and children 3-18 are $11 each. However, you are also granted free or half-price admission to nearly 150 additional zoos and aquariums across the country.

Also consider buying passes for places that aren’t strictly “school” based. One of our favorite places to go as a family is the water park. Homeschool may seem like just a great excuse to justify the expense, but our children have learned the principles of buoyancy (positive and negative), current, etc. by playing in lazy rivers and wave pools. Other principles, like inertia and gravity can also be taught there.

Be creative. Create memories. Have fun! Always remember that school can be more than just an educational experience. It can also build and strengthen relationships.  

Check back Friday for more field trip savings ideas!