Homeschoolers have a wonderful opportunity to explore the world in a way that sitting at a desk can never do. A hands-on approach to mathematics helps a child not only learn the concept but to really understand it.

In our home, we have just started a new math skill: ordering. So to prepare for these lessons on ordering, I planned a few art projects, some games, and ordered some really good books.

Listed below, you will find the books, projects, and games that I used.

Full list of books:

I always like using stories to teach math concepts. There is something that triggers comprehension when you can experience it in a book. Maybe books word things better than I can. Maybe it is the pictures. Or maybe it is because stories always make an impact on children. Most likely, it is actually the connection children make with the characters.

The Best Bug Parade by Stuart J. Murphy

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen

How Big Is a Foot? by Rolf Myller

One Was Johnny by Maurice Sendak

Mighty Maddie by Stuart J. Murphy

Full list of games:

Game #1:

You will need toys of various sizes. We used stuffed animals. Children put them in order from tallest to shortest, and then shortest to tallest. Key words: short, shorter, shortest, tall, taller, tallest.

Game #2:

You will need building blocks (plastic connecting blocks or wooden stacking blocks will do). Build a series of towers where each tower is taller or shorter than the next one. Children like to build stairs, so this would work too. Key words: short, shorter, shortest, tall, taller, tallest.

Game #3:

You will need stairs to climb. With each step up, talk about how much higher you are, and at the top, you are the highest. With each step down, talk about how much lower you are, and at the bottom, you are the lowest. Key words: high, higher, highest, low, lower, lowest.

Game #4:

You will need various items from your pantry. I used a jar of peanut butter, a can of peanuts, a container of hot chocolate mix, an empty mug, and a coffee tin. I picked items that were both heavy and light and where the size had no bearing on the weight. I had the children order them by weight (estimating the weight by picking it up). Key words: heavy, heavier, heaviest, light, lighter, lightest.

Game #5:

You will need 6 Mason jars (or other glass jars that are all the same size), water, and a metal spoon. Set up tone bottles with various amounts of water and then listen to the pitch of each jar by tapping it with a metal spoon. Make note that the lower the pitch the higher the water level. Key words: high, higher, highest, low, lower, lowest.

Game #6:

Play with stacking cups, stacking rings, and Russian nesting dolls.

Full list of art projects:

Art Project #1:

You will need glue, string, and construction paper. I cut the string by inches (i.e. 1 inch, 2 inches, 3 inches, etc.) until I had 8 strings for each child. The children put them in order by length and then used a ruler to measure them. Then they wrote the number of inches by each string and then glued the string onto the paper. Key words: short, shorter, shortest, long, longer, longest.

Art Project #2:

You will need markers, construction paper, and varying sizes of round lids. Centering a lid on the middle of the page, trace it with a marker. Continue to do this for all lids so that the smallest circle is in the center of the largest circle. The child should be able to see the growing sizes of circles. Key words: small, smaller, smallest, big, bigger, biggest, large, larger, largest.

Art Project #3:

You will need varying sizes of shapes drawn on a paper, scissors, glue, and construction paper. Cut out the shapes and glue them in order by size on the construction paper. Key words: small, smaller, smallest, big, bigger, biggest, large, larger, largest.

Art Project #4:

You will need construction paper, scissors, glue, and cutouts of varying shapes. I recommend that the cutouts have a different number available for each shape (i.e. 1 circle, 2 squares, 3 hearts, etc.) Draw a butterfly on a piece of construction paper. Have the children cut out the butterfly and then glue shapes on their wings. When finished, compare the number of shapes on each butterfly. Key words: more, most, less, least.

Art Project #5:

You will need multiple toys of multiple types (i.e. 5 balls, 3 cars, 6 dolls, and 7 stuffed animals). Make a graph where you have a row for each type of toy and fill in a box for each number of that toy. Compare the lines, determining which row has the most and which row has the least. Key words: more, most, less, least.

As children start maturing into adults, parents may feel insecure about homeschooling. Many parents then discontinue the homeschooling process and happily hand over the reign to outside authorities. But is this really necessary? Is the strictly compartmentalized education provided in schools a better option?

If social concerns are worrying you, look for interest-oriented associations, clubs and societies. It's also an option in many school districts that homeschooled students are still able to participate in band, choir, sports, etc. You'll need to check with school districts about this. These offer a lot of support for leaders, opportunity for shared experience, and foster a sense of belonging. Make up your own group or share this responsibility with someone else. Home education support groups provide fantastic opportunities to meet your child's needs. This is the best way to develop intelligent, self-motivated, healthy and able young people.

If the growing burden of some of the higher level Math or Science seems to be beyond you, enlist the help of someone who knows more. There are also wonderful curriculum's out there done via video or other media to help. Another alternative is to enroll in a school just for that specific class, although you'll need to research what's available to you in that route. I know my son took a science lab class one semester at the local high school. For one class, he took an art class at a local art store and it was an incredible experience for him. We got creative in making a curriculum that fit both his needs and interests. You can even barter your own services and thus save some money. With homeschooling becoming more and more popular, support groups will have innumerable resources that help you find the right teacher for your child.

When my son was in high school, proper documentation was very important to me and figuring out the whole graduation process and further education. For us, we went through a school in Massachusetts called North Atlantic Regional Schools. This is a physical high school in MA. But they also provide documentation for homeschoolers. Even tho we lived physically in another state, my son graduated according to the state of MA. requirements, and ended up eventually with a high school diploma from this school, the same as if he had physically attended this high school. We were assigned a teacher who was a wonderful coach to help us with suggestions for meeting graduation requirements, and anything else we had questions on. We documented our work, sent in supporting paperwork, grades, etc. and at the end my son was given his high school diploma. They also sent supporting documentation out to colleges / tech schools as my son needed to continue his education. He eventually chose a technical school and was the youngest student this school ever had, and graduated from that school.

The underlying principle that guides homeschooling is this: any child has the innate capacity to grow, develop and achieve his or her full potential. All it needs is the right environment and all the right answers. Be the resource person to help find those resources that your student needs, it doesn't have to be you personally teaching that subject. Be there to provide these and think twice before you turn over this responsibility to a third party. We found homeschooling at the high school level to be very rewarding and wouldn't change a thing! Don't be afraid of it.

Is your child coping fine with his or her school work? If not, you might want to consider giving your child home tuition to assist him to establish better grades in school. Most of the time, when your child progresses to a higher level of learning; he or she may not be able to catch up with the more complex and faster pacing school work. This is the best time to engage a home tutor for your child.

If your child is struggling in school, he or she may find home tuition very beneficial as it allows him to catch up with the school work. On the other hand, if your child performs academically well, he or she will find that tuition can help them improve their grades even further. This will enable them to break through their own level of excellence.

Therefore, home tuition is suitable no matter whether your child is academically adept or lacking behind in school work. It will definitely be a good choice for you to hire a home tutor for your child.

When you hire a home tutor, make sure that you get one through a reputable agency. When the tutor comes to your house and tutor your child, you can monitor your child's progress and get any feedback directly from the tutor after every session to find out more about your child's academic adaptation.

So where can you look for a home tutor? Firstly, you can opt to hire local students with experience in home tutoring. With this option, you will be able to save yourself some money. However, you may run a risk of hiring an ineffective tutor depending on his or her expertise in tutoring.

Another way is to go onto the Internet and look for potential tutors. Nowadays, Internet has make communication between people very easy and convenient. You can go to student forums and discussion threads to look for interested parties who wish to teach. Again, you may run a risk of hiring an ineffective tutor depending on his or her experience.

The best way is to go to your local tuition agency and look for a certified tutor. This option will most likely be more expensive than the previous 2 options because of the credential of the tutors. However, if you manage to find a good tutor for your child, every dollar and cent is worthwhile. These tutors are experienced mentors who have their own methods of teaching, and they can allow your child to learn more things faster and more effectively.

Home tuition is definitely worth considering if you want your child to improve his or her grades in school. Just take note that you should not stress your child too much. Study is important, but he or she needs to get a life too!

A good home tutor can really help your child to improve his or her grades in school. Sometimes, it is inevitable that when your child progresses to a higher level of learning, he or she may not be able to cope with the stress and fast learning pace. During this moment, engaging a home tutor for your child seems to be the best choice.

When comparing home tuition and group tuition, home tuition usually costs slightly more. But, your child will get the tutor's full attention and time which will definitely help your child in his or her studies. Moreover, if the tutor has good life value, he or she can pass on to your child subconsciously. This will make your child see the tutor as a life mentor and continue to take in good life values from him or her in the future. So, it is obvious that there are more advantages of giving your child a home tuition when compared to sending him or her to a tuition centre.

So what to look for in a good home tutor? Basically, I think that there are 3 things that a good home tutor must have:

1. The tutor must be motivating. Sometimes, home tuition is more than just getting academic grades. I truly believe that a good tutor should impart good life value to his or her student. The tutor must be able to let your child know how important it is to be motivated in whatever things that he or she does. Without motivation, one cannot achieve great things. With a motivated tutor, your child can also be motivated in the right direction of life and achieve excellent results in both studies and life.

2. The tutor must be knowledgeable. The tutor should be knowledgeable in whatever subjects that he or she teaches. Therefore, you should always ask for references when choosing a home tutor for your child. Also make sure that the tutor can communicate well so that he or she can impart the knowledge successfully to your child.

3. The tutor must be patient. The tutor must be patient when teaching your child. Sometimes, your child needs more time to understand a certain topic. The tutor should be patient and passionate in explaining the details again to your child till he or she fully understand.

A good home tutor can really help your child with his or her academic work. Take your time to screen through potential tutors so as to find the right one for your child.

Although the cost of homeschooling curriculum, supplies and activities can certainly add up, home education does not have to be expensive. Research has shown that homeschooling can be successful regardless of how much or how little a parent spends. Here are 10 steps to inexpensive homeschooling.

1. Set a budget for how much you want to spend for each child per year and resolve to stick to it. Make sure consider the cost of curriculum, books, magazines, supplies, support group dues, legal association dues and outside activities.

2. Use your local library. In addition to providing books and reference materials, public libraries sometimes host story times, reading programs, book clubs, writer's groups, support groups, field trip and volunteer opportunities.

3. Look for free homeschooling materials. You can find textbooks, audio books, novels, lesson plans, printable worksheets and even complete curriculum programs online.

4. Purchase used homeschool books. You can find used curriculum at local used book stores, garage sales, thrift shops and homeschool support group sales. There are also many websites that facilitate buying and selling used materials.

5. When buying new, purchase discount homeschool books. Many online stores like Rainbow Resource and Christian Book Distributors offer great discounts on new materials from popular providers. You can also buy fiction and non-fiction books from Scholastic Book Club's monthly flier for cost savings.

6. Ask your favorite retailers if they offer an educator's discount. Homeschool parents often qualify for teacher's discount programs. If the store requires you to show an official letter or ID card before taking advantage of the discount, print one from your home computer.

7. Purchase high quality materials that can be handed down to younger siblings. Preserve consumable materials by having your child write answers on a separate sheet of paper. You can also cover workbook pages with plastic sheet protectors and have your child write with dry erase markers.

8. Make your own lesson plans, tests, worksheets, flash cards and manipulatives. When possible, avoid purchasing teacher's editions and answer keys.

9. Find low cost extracurricular activities. Schedule field trips for discount or free admission days, or obtain a group discount by attending with other homeschool families. Take music, dance or art lessons from another homeschool mom in order to save money on the cost of tuition.

10. Look for ways to earn income from home. Re-sell used curriculum, tutor students from other families, provide lessons in your areas of expertise or start an at home business.

Homeschoolers who are determined and committed, can significantly lower their homeschooling costs. Some parents who are especially resourceful even manage to homeschool their children for free!

Home school teachers may teach fewer students than public school teachers, but they face challenges in other ways. They must have a good command of most subjects and keep their classroom lively and rich. Educational software can help with this task by providing learning interaction, competition and even instruction in subjects that are more difficult to teach at home, like high school biology dissection.

The beauty of home school software and most types of educational software is that the programs are designed for students to use independently of each other. This means that you do not have to have a large group of students to use the program. Your competitive youngster can race against a computerized opponent or even his own best score using home school software games and activities.

Another benefit of home school software is that, unlike a workbook, it is not a consumable product. One advantage of software is that it can be used by subsequent students when they reach the appropriate age. This will permit you to stretch your home school supply budget.

Not all home school programs are in a game format and you will find many that provide more structured learning. For example, if you would rather not go through the mess of dissection in your home, consider purchasing a simulation program that allows the student to see real graphics of a dissection being performed. You can even couple this program with a few dissections of your own that are a little less messy. As students advance in grades, science software can be used to perform virtual labs or to supplement home school labs.

Home school software is a great way to reinforce concepts you are teaching your students. A typing program is a valuable tool to use to provide practice with typing exercises. You will find many math software programs available that help kids reinforce math skills in fun, challenging ways.

When your older students are ready to prepare for the ACT or another college entrance exam, consider purchasing test prep software. This will give your students the edge that other students may not have. It will also save you the expense of enrolling your child in an expensive SAT/ACT prep course. College entrance prep software provides practice questions, practice exams and answer explanations. It is highly individualized to the user's weaknesses and areas needing improvement. Rather than being constrained by a class schedule, your student can prepare for the exam on his or her own schedule.

One of the benefits of homeschooling is the chance you have to explore the subjects your children are the most interested in, while at the same time ensuring that the basic core concepts in all subjects are covered. For instance, if your children love to learn about the solar system, you can take the time to explore this subject to its fullest. Since software titles exist for many unique topics, home school software can be used to indulge the special learning interests of individual students. Computer programs are a fun, engaging way for children to explore their interests, and when your kids are interacting with the computer, you are freed to work on other areas of your home school, such as checking papers or working with your other children. Realizing the benefits that home school software can provide you and your student, you will want to include the purchase of home school software games in your budget!

Effective Strategies For Home Schooling That You Can Use Starting Today

The concept of home schooling is widely accepted these days, there are many factors involved in deciding to home school, one of these could be, if you feel your child is not showing any improvement in the school system and needs your attention, but there are many more. So what information on home schooling do you need.

There are not many guides which you can follow to make home schooling easier and so you will know how to start a home school and proceed further with your objectives here is some information on home schooling.

Before you get approval from the local and the state authorities, first decide whether you are qualified to teach your child. Home schooling will not be limited to the basics but would include all the essential subjects that would be covered in a traditional school, only the set up differs. You would also need to meet the requirements of the local school officials to make your home schooling legally recognized.

Also, do not impose your decision on your child, just because you think you can teach better. If your child's records show that they are more comfortable in the school environment, you might need to reconsider. This is because changing the way they are taught might affect their potential and mindset thus hampering their progress. If you have finally made up your mind, several other points have to be taken care of. You would have to prepare a list of the subjects to be taught depending on whether the child needs an elementary level education or a high school level. The fundamentals to be covered in higher grade levels will include complex topics.

Another important piece of information on home schooling to be kept in mind is what are your state laws related to home schooling, these might occasionally vary in different areas. Get in touch with the local government officials to find out how it works and what needs to be done. Your child's education is only recognized when it is approved by governing bodies.

In the United States and Canada, the trend of home schooling has been increased tremendously as a matter of choice. This provides an opportunity for the contact between home schooling parents through the Internet for networking and support and to obtain more information on home schooling. Here, they can share tips and express their opinions regarding various aspects of home schooling. Such interchange of thoughts will be beneficial for you and your child. Another advantage is that it will support you toward your goal.

It is understood that when a child is home schooled, they can enjoy a certain level of freedom. This is not possible in an educational institution. Still, it is recommended that you get your child engaged in a schedule and projects which will be an aid to the learning process. You will thus understand where and how further improvement can be made.

There are various ways of teaching a child. However, the same learning mode might not be applicable to everyone. So, you would need to try various methods and decide which one yields the best results. If your child is not learning or improving, all your efforts will be in vain. Now, here you would be required to apply your knowledge and gain an insight as to what basic tools are needed for home schooling. The concept is similar to a class in a regular school which would have a proper set up. While teaching at home, there should be sufficient area where the classes can be taken.

The last but not the least piece of information on home schooling I would like to touch on is the financial aspect which should be within your limits. When you have made a list of all the essentials, estimate the overall cost and whether or not it suits your pocket. There are certain ways to lower the cost; however, it will require some tactics and research. Browse the net and check if you can avail yourself of any rebates or discounts on books or other items needed. Another way is to shop in bulk when you know that the materials will be utilized in the future.

Homeschooling can get to be expensive if you think you need the most highly regarded curriculum or if you think you need tons of books and resources. When you exchange your time for money you can begin to get many books and resources for free that will aid you in your homeschool journey.

You can homeschool for free or almost free if you follow these basic principles:

1. Use free resources - Obviously your local public library will give you the most free resources. With many libraries changing over to the computerized inter library loan system, you can find and receive many books you need even easier than before. I can request something online and have it delivered to my local library down the street in a matter of days. Unless you need a book for more than a month, this system works very well. The internet can provide you with many free worksheets, ideas and resources that can help you avoid purchasing many workbooks and textbooks. Check my bio at the bottom for a complete book that can help you find all the free resources you need for home schooling online.

2. Buy used curriculum - You can find used books and curriculum online or at thrift and garage sales. It will take you a little more time than just buying the books new, but if you want to save money you will need to spend a little time doing it. Ebay tends to be expensive for the buyer but you can sometimes find deals. Homeschoolclassifieds has a very nice searchable database where people can search the "for sale" listings for what they need.

3. Sell used curriculum- Once you are finished with a book or curriculum, you can sell that item and use the profit to buy the next item you need. You'll need to do your research here though. Just because people make money on eBay doesn't mean everything you list will sell. Search the completed listings for the item you want to sell and see how whether it sold and for how much. Also make sure you describe the item correctly and research how to describe it to attract the most buyers. Homeschoolclassifieds is a great place to list items because the cost is very low. Your item may not sell right away but at least it doesn't cost much to have it listed there. If you look up the ISBN number on half.com you can see if your book is worth anything there. That site is not an auction site, so you just wait for a buyer to come and purchase your book. I have had good results there though.

4. Make up your own material - Some children enjoy creating their own books. You can read articles online or get books from the library that can help you get your children started creating their own books. Sometimes they can learn more from developing the ideas in their book than they can from reading a textbook. Their book can have a theme or subject and then everything in the book can relate to that topic. They can take notes on what they have read or write their own stories. Or you can collect free worksheets and unit study ideas online and create your own information for your child to complete.

You can home school for free or almost free, but you will need to be willing to do some work buy shopping and reading and searching online to find what you want to put together. When you purchase resources that are used for a fraction of the cost you pay new, it can be very rewarding. Then you might have extra money in your budget to take a field trip or two.

Are you thinking about home schooling but you don't know where to start? Are you overwhelmed with all of the homeschooling information out there? Do you need help sorting through the home schooling facts?

Well you've come to the right place.

I'll take you through, step-by-step, what you'll need to know to begin your homeschooling adventure.

First you will want to acquaint yourself with the home schooling laws in your state. The easiest way to do this is at the Home School Legal Defense Association web site. From their home page you can click on "in your state" found in the quick menu on the left hand side. Once you do that you will find a map of the states, click on your state and there you will find the home schooling laws of that state.

Second step is to decide how you will home school. Will you use an umbrella program or be totally on your own? What's the difference?

Umbrella programs include ISP's, Charter Schools, and distance learning programs.

An ISP is an independent learning program. It can be private or public. It includes anything from very basic record keeping all the way to providing curriculum.

A charter school is taxpayer funded, but more parent oriented. It's like a private school without the cost. Some charter schools offer home schooling programs. And some of those programs offer classes one or two days a week. The best of both worlds is their motto.

A distance learning program is similar to curriculum in a box or school at home. Lots of times work is done on the computer via the internet.

Being totally on your own requires the filing of paperwork with your state. And depending on your state there will be various degrees of accountability.

Not all of these programs exist in everywhere. Remember to check the laws in your state before proceeding.

Next you'll want to evaluate your level of home schooling comfort. It's not unusual for first time home schoolers to want more support. And it's not unusual to want mere freedom as your comfort level grows.

Now would be the time to start reading. I highly recommend "The Joyful Home Schooler" by Mary Hood,Phd, " A Charlotte Mason Companion" by Karen Andreola, and "The Well Trained Mind" by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer.

Reading these books will give you an excellent overview of home schooling from several different perspectives. Use these books to help you create your home school identity. You'll either be totally convicted by one of them or you will take some from each of them. Either way these books will prove to be useful as you decide what your homeschooling experience will be like. Be sure to read them while making your decisions.

Well that about does it for now. I think I've given you enough information to think about for a little while at least. From here you should be able take your first home schooling steps. Good luck!

Linda Tyler a home schooling mom in San Diego, CA. Please visit my home schooling how to web site. How to get started, how to choose curriculum and how to save money. And if you click on "information" and then click on "what about home schooling laws" you will find a link to the Home School Legal Defense Association.