Home school organization is essential when teaching multi-aged children at the same time.

As a busy home schooling parent, you need to be as efficient as possible. If you have toddlers, babies or preschoolers in your family, you have even less time to waste.

When schooling multiple children, look for ways to make the best use of your time and energy.

Here are five tips that I use to maximize my time and successfully educate my multi-aged family, while trying to keep my home in order and my housework done!

#1 Teach your children together.

Unit studies are a great way of teaching multi-aged kids at the same time - even with different learning styles. They are especially convenient when your children are close in age.

Lessons and projects can be easily adapted to your children's unique learning styles. Expect more from older children and less from younger ones.

#2 Use self-teaching curriculum with older children.

What is self-teaching curriculum?

Curriculum that can be completed independently by students, with minimal teacher involvement. Lessons are written in a conversational style and can be completed without the need for constant or direct teacher instruction.

As a home school parent, you will not spend all your time teaching. Your student gains independence and you? More time.

#3 Swap work.

While you mark your child's work, have them do a job for you. Your children can do many odd jobs around the house.

Fetch or organize laundry, clean the bathroom, play with the baby, change a dirty diaper (always on the top of my list!) or any other project that needs completing.

#4 Involve young children in daily household chores.

While your older children work on lessons, use the time to complete simple projects and housework that your preschoolers can help with.

Do "school" while working on household chores. Young children love to help with laundry - sorting colors, pushing buttons, adding soap, putting clothes into baskets and matching socks.

Nothing compares to the fun interaction and relationship building that occurs while cooking in the kitchen with children! Learning happens and meals get prepared at the same time, albeit with a little more mess.

#5 Include younger children in lessons, whenever you can.

To increase your home school organization, find projects or hands-on activities that everyone can do together. Your younger children will love to participate in your older student's activities.

Buddy-up your older children with the younger ones. The many questions young children ask will definitely reinforce what your older children know and working together helps everyone to develop patience.

It does take extra work, flexibility and patience to achieve a small measure of home school organization. When schooling multiple children, especially with preschoolers around, home school organization often looks like disorganization.

Relax.

Your life home school may never be completely organized. However, the blessings that come from a family working together, far outweigh the challenges of trying to achieve home school organization perfection.

The concept of one-to-one correspondence requires two skills: (1) matching pairs and (2) comparing sets. Matching places two like items together as a pair while comparing determines which set has more or less. In these projects, the key is to focus on the language, emphasizing mathematical terms.

Books to Read
The following books teach one-to-one correspondence using stories. I love the impact a story has on understanding, and these books do a great job of packaging the mathematical ideas in a way that young children can comprehend.

Two of Everything: A Chinese Folk Tale by Lily Toy Hong
Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Seaweed Soup by Stuart J. Murphy
A Pair of Socks by Stuart J. Murphy
Missing Mittens by Stuart J. Murphy
Monster Musical Chairs by Stuart J. Murphy
Just Enough Carrots by Stuart J. Murphy
Some Things Go Together by Charlotte Zolotow

Projects to Learn Matching

Project #1
Take opportunity to point out situations where there is a matching set. Word emphasis: match, even, pair, each.

* There are three cups and three straws. It is even.
* Three children and three cookies. It is a match!
* A pair of socks for your feet. One foot for each sock, and one sock for each foot.

Project #2
Provide the following items and allow the children to sort into pairs. Word emphasis: pair, match.

1 ice cube tray
2 screws
2 washers
2 electrical circuit binders
2 matching butterfly clips
2 matching hair pins
2 pennies
2 matching buttons

Project #3
Have a tea party with stuffed bears. Set one place setting for each bear. You could say, "One seat for each bear, and one bear for each seat." Word emphasis: each.

Project #4
Serve a lunch with matching shapes to make their own snacks. I used cookie cutters to cut the bread, cheese, and lunch meat into matching shapes. I provided at least two different shapes so that they would have to find the match in order to build their sandwiches. Word emphasis: match.

Project #5
Play the memory game. Word emphasis: pair, match.

Projects to Learn Comparing

Project #1
Take opportunity to point out situations where there is not enough or there is too much to go around. Word emphasis: more, less, fewer, even.

* Oops, I grabbed one straw too many. There are three cups and four straws. There are more straws than cups.
* We have six chairs at our table, but only four people in the family sitting at the table. That leaves two empty chairs because there are more chairs than people.
* Today we have company, so we have eight people and only six chairs. We have fewer chairs than people, so we will need two more chairs.
* Three children and four cookies. There are more cookies. If I eat one, it will be even.

Project #2
Invite the children to collect toys to put inside two hula hoops. Then count to see which hula hoop has more toys and which has fewer. Ask, "Which set of toys has more? Which set has fewer?" Word emphasis: set, more, fewer, even.

Project #3
Pour two cups of water and compare the volume. Which cup has more? Which has less? Word emphasis: more, less, even.

Project #4
Make sugar cookies and put chocolate chips on the frosting. Compare two cookies to see which has more chocolate chips. For an added lesson, determine how many chocolate chips need to be added to make them even. Word emphasis: more, fewer, even.

When you have your first child you may dream of them being a child prodigy who can read when they are 2 years old. While there are some children who read very young, others don't "get it" until they are a little older. Here are some tips you can use to help your child learn to read when the time is right for them.

1. Read to children whatever age they are. This will help them the most in developing language and reading skills. Even when your children learn to read, you should still read to them if they enjoy it. Everyone loves a good story.

2. Two and three year olds aren't ready to sit down and learn letters and writing, but you can do some activities that will help them develop their reading readiness. Children of this age are not able to connect between concrete and abstract. Focus on the spoken word at this point in their lives. Encourage your young child to talk about the story you have just read to them.

3. Children who are four or five years old can show a greater readiness for reading. Teach the child sounds and letters when he is most interested in learning. Keep their curiosity alive and don't worry about how fast they are learning. Use every day activities to help your child understand the concept of letters and writing. Help him learn to write his name. He will be most interested in this word than any other word you can teach him. Then move on to teach him how to write and read words like "Mom", "Dad", and the names of everyone in your family. Give them a sense of wonder of how much they can learn just by being able to read.

When your children learn to read early they certainly have a head start in their journey of learning. If your child doesn't learn to read until they are 8 or 10, as long as you have encouraged them and helped them to progress at their own speed with a little bit of progress each week, you know that they learned to read in their own time.

Buying home school curriculum can be expensive. Many people resort to purchasing their curriculum used, which usually works out very well for the buyer and seller. Here are a few warnings to watch out for to make your purchase of used home school curriculum, just what you need:

1. Do your homework - Check eBay and homeschoolclassifieds to see what the going rate is for the book or curriculum you are looking to purchase.

2. Check editions - What edition do you want to purchase? If it doesn't matter, then make sure the books in the set you are purchasing are all the same edition. If you want a particular edition, then make sure you ask questions before buying.

3. If you have any allergies be sure to ask if the books come from a pet-free, smoke-free home. You would hate to start sneezing or coughing every time you opened a used book that you purchased. Even if you don't have allergies, it's usually a good idea to buy a book or curriculum that doesn't smell like animals or smoke.

4. Ask the condition if not stated. Most people state the condition of the book(s) they are selling. If you have any questions about the description or if the description is incomplete - always ask!

5. Complete set - Make sure you ask if all the lessons are in the set if this isn't mentioned in the ad or auction.

6. Set your price. When bidding on an auction for your book or curriculum, make sure you decide ahead of time how much you want to spend. This will keep you from spending more than you want to at the end of the auction when the bidding can get a little crazy.

7. Check the seller's reputation. Make sure you look over any complaints at the site you are purchasing from. On eBay check the seller's feedback ratings and make sure you are dealing with a reputable seller.

Purchasing home school curriculum can be fun and rewarding. I have bought and sold quite a few home school books and have met many wonderful people. Hopefully these tips will help you have a positive experience with purchasing used home school books and curriculum.

Here are some fun activities and exercises you can do with your child to help them get ready to read:

1. Close your eyes and listen - Have your child close their eyes and either make a noise yourself or have the child tell you what noises they hear in the house.

2. Tap after me - Use any small object that makes noise and tap a rhythm on a table or drum. Then have your child repeat this rhythm.

3. What rhymes with this? Think of a word and have your child think of a word that rhymes with that word. Read them nursery rhymes and show them how each line rhymes.

4. Grab bag - place several object in a bag and have your child put his hand in the bag and identify the object without looking at it.

5. Take away - Line up several objects on a tray or table. Have your child look at them and then close his eyes. Remove one of the objects and see if your child can identify the object that you took away.

6. Describe the picture - Pick a picture from a picture book and have your child describe it in as much detail as he wants. Then close the book and hand it to your child and have them find the picture in the book.

7. Follow the line - you can do this game on the ground with chalk or on a piece of paper with a pencil. Draw a circle and have your child either walk on the circle or trace over it. Draw a line with an arrow over it and have them trace the line. Always make sure the arrow is facing from left to right. You can make the line solid or dotted. Some children enjoy drawing a line from one object to the other. Once your child has mastered a straight line, you can make the line jagged or curved if you like, always making sure to go from left to right.

8. Draw simple objects and leave them slightly incomplete. If you draw a person, leave off the nose or arm. If you draw an object like a flower, leave off a few of the petals. Then have your child complete the picture.

9. Complete the shape - Draw a simple shape but make part of the shape a dotted line. Then have your child complete the shape by filling in the dotted line.

10. What doesn't belong? Place 3 or 4 toys that start with the same letter on a table or tray. Add one more toy that does not begin with the same letter. Have your child say the name of each toy and pick out the object that does not begin with the same letter.

From increased free time, to a customized education, high school home-school students experience many benefits when earning their diploma at home.

Unlike their institutionalized peers, home-school students enjoy increased flexibility without rigid time constraints.

Once students finish their schoolwork, they enjoy a greater amount of unrestricted time to pursue interests, develop hobbies, or earn money.

When schooling at home, high school home-school students can also take advantage of many opportunities to advance their education and get ahead in life.

Students can use their increased time to accelerate their education and begin earning their college degree.

Earn College Credit While Still in High School.

Earning college credit while still in high school allows you to maximize your time and complete your education quicker. Take one course and at the same time, earn credit for your high school diploma and college degree.

Conveniently take college courses online, at your local college or through credit by examination.

Although not all credits can be earned this way, in today's economy, credit by examination provides a welcome relief for parents and students pursuing a college education.

Why use credit by examination for YOUR family?

Saves Money.

Credit by examination offers home-school students, an opportunity to earn college credit affordably, saving you 50-80% on college costs.

In some cases up to one third of your college degree can be earned through examination. Think of the money you will save!

Provides Flexibility.

Earning credit by examination is easy and flexible.

You study at your own pace, in your own comfortable space. You have the freedom to study whenever you want, however you want... whatever is best for you.

Saves Time.

Students enjoy increased personal or study time since zero time is wasted sitting in a classroom, or traveling to and from campus.

Complete courses designed for college exams to maximize your time, eliminate any wasted money and achieve success.

By using accredited and guaranteed credit by examination materials, your child studies at home, goes to the testing center just once to test out of the class and... receives credit for "going to class".

It's like skipping school, but still passing with full attendance!

Your family saves time and money, while your high school home-school student accelerates their education and jump-starts their college degree. How cool is that?

Minimize college costs, graduate quicker, and start earning money sooner, with credit by examination!

When I was in school, I looked forward to holiday celebrations as a chance to eat cookies and take a break from the monotony of class work. However, as a homeschooler, I now realize that I can homeschool holidays to enhance our study of culture and history.

In our home, we use holidays to read fiction and nonfiction books, watch holiday specials and documentaries, and work on fun projects. Here are some suggestions for holiday activities and other ideas for homeschooling holidays:

New Year's Day, January 1 - Reevaluate the past year and set goals for the new year. Make party decorations and throw New Year's Eve party. Study art, party planning, time and calendars. Also study other New Year's celebrations around the globe.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, 3rd Monday in January - Commemorates the birth of Martin Luther King Jr. Read and recite MLK's speeches or watch them over the internet. Study the history of nonviolent protest and the Civil Right's Movement.

Groundhog Day, February 2 - If the groundhog sees his shadow on this day, there will be six more weeks of bad weather. If the sky is overcast and the groundhog does not see his shadow, spring will soon arrive. Study weather, weather forecasting, superstitions, and wives' tales.

Valentine's Day, February 14 - Bring cheer to those in a nursing home or VA hospital. Study Cupid, the Roman god of love, and other Greek mythological figures.

President's Day, 3rd Monday in February - Commemorates George Washington's birthday and Abraham Lincoln's birthday. Study the lives and contributions of both presidents, and memorize some of their famous quotations and speeches.

Leap Year, February 29 - Study time, calendars throughout history and the Earth's rotation.

Saint Patrick's Day, March 17 - Study Ireland and Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

Easter, Late March or Early April - Celebrates Christ's resurrection. Study Christianity and compare it to other major religions. Learn about the history and meanings of traditional Easter symbols.

April Fool's Day, April 1 - Read joke books and funny stories. Write jokes and comic strips. Develop public speaking skills by giving a stand up comedy performance.

Mother's Day, 2nd Sunday in May - Honor the women in your family. Study queens, famous women throughout history, and the women's suffrage movement.

Memorial Day, Last Monday in May - This day honors those who died in war. study the Civil War and Decoration day. Learn about other days of remembering the dead, such as the Festival of Lanterns in Japan and Dia de la Muerte in Mexico.

Father's Day, 3rd Sunday in June - Honor the men in your family. Learn about kings, famous heroes, and our country's founding fathers.

Independence Day, July 4 - Commemorates the signing of the Declaration of independence. Study the American Revolution and the United States flag. Sing patriotic songs and learn about our national symbols.

Labor Day, 1st Monday in September - This day honors working people. Learn more about the Industrial Revolution, workplace safety, child labor laws and labor unions.

Grandparent's Day, 1st Sunday after Labor Day - Make cards or gifts for grandparents. Study family history.

Columbus Day, October 12 - Commemorates the day Christopher Columbus reached America. Learn about famous explorers, oceans and sea travel.

Halloween, October 31 - Make your own costumes, and study sewing and drama. This is also a great time to learn about nocturnal animals.

Veteran's Day, November 11 - Commemorates the end of World War I. Visit a VA center or military cemetery. Study the World War I.

Thanksgiving, 4th Thursday in November - Discuss gratitude. Find ways to serve others. Study the dress, food, customs, and surroundings of the Pilgrims and Native Americans.

Christmas, December 25 - Commemorates the birth of Jesus. Make your own decorations and prepare a special meal. Learn about the origins of holiday traditions and Christmas carols. Create special family traditions.

Children often complain that studying history is dull and pointless. However, learning about family heritage is interesting, builds strong roots, bonding across generations, and leads to the study of other time periods and cultures. What better way to homeschool history!

Start by giving your child a glimpse into the past. Show your child old photo albums and identify different family members. Tell your child what was going on in the world at the time the photo was taken. Recount stories about individuals and family events.

Pull out old clothes and mementos, and discuss how things change over the years and go in and out of style. Talk about world events during the year you were born. Include information about:

* technology that was available when you were a child,
* inventions and discoveries that were made,
* economic conditions,
* presidents, and
* famous heroes and celebrities.

Involve other family members in your studies by having your child interview a relative. Let your child listen to grandpa talk about his childhood, and ask questions such as:

* How did people communicate?
* How did people entertain themselves?
* How did most people earn a living?
* What was the political/economic climate?
* What has changed for the better or worse?

During the interviews, your child is not only bonding with a family member, he is learning about another era.

Supplement these discussions with historical fiction, nonfiction books and documentaries. Have a history encyclopedia available and search for information on the internet. As a related homeschool field trip, visit a living history museum.

Don't forget to study your family tree. Learn about famous people and events from your family's homeland. Find out why your ancestors decided to migrate, and think about the traditions you have lost or maintained.

Study stories, traditions, food and dress from your family's country of origin. Compare and contrast them with those of the country in which you currently live. Include homeschool writing activities in your studies by creating a family scrapbook, journal or newsletter.

I'm convinced that there is no bigger waste of time in a traditional classroom than memorizing lists of names and dates only to forget them as soon as you complete the test.

History can go beyond memorization to the study of the lives of famous people and the significance of important events. Homeschooling history provides an opportunity to learn about the past and different cultures. It also gives us a framework for understanding why the world is the way it is.

To successfully homeschool history, begin by following your child's interests. Is your child interested in sports? Put a map on the wall and mark the locations of favorite teams. Track a team's travel schedule, and read biographies about the lives of past and present athletes.

Learn about the history of the sport. Where did it originate? Who invented it? What else was occurring in that country at the time?

A child who is interested in baseball can learn about the Negro Leagues (history), congressional hearings on steroid use (government) and favorite pastimes in other countries (geography). This concept can be applied to any area of interest from horses to dance to inventions.

In addition to following your child's interests, take advantage of the learning opportunities that present themselves daily. Have conversations about current events. Check out interesting books from the library. Read historical fiction, and watch documentaries as a family.

Ask questions like, "Why do we do things this way?" and "Where did this familiar saying originate?" Look for the answers together. Give your child access to homeschooling resources like a history encyclopedia, an atlas, a map and a globe.

As for those names and dates, learn them within the context of your discoveries. Your child will remember more from these exciting adventures than he or she will from outlining a chapter from a history textbook.

If you've ever thought about homeschooling or just wondered what people do that homeschool, here is a basic outline.

1. Parents decide to homeschool their child or children. They use their own resources or purchase books that they want to use to educate their child. Some states have online programs that can be used at home. When you use an online school you are still enrolled in your local school. You just do your work online at home. Parents who don't use an online programs are free to choose the books and resources they think they will need. Students can also have input here on what courses of study they want to pursue.

2. All students must meet the state guidelines. Depending on what state you live in, your guidelines will be different. Some states just require you to take attendance. Some require a letter declaring you will provide 900 hours of instruction and a list of what you intend on teaching. And some states require even more than that. Some states require testing at the end of the school year and some just require an assessment by a certified teacher. Again, it depends on what state you live in and what they require for homeschoolers.

3. Education is now the responsibility of the parents. Just as some public school teachers do a better job than others, some parents do a better job of homeschooling than others. Most parents know their children very well and can do a very good job of helping their children learn.

4. Different learning styles and personalities can now be addressed on a more personal level. Public school classrooms tend to have to cater to the masses, while homeschooling can be more of a tutoring environment. Just as no 2 public school classrooms will be the same, no 2 homeschools will look the same. The personalities of the students and parents will determine what is taught and how it is taught.

Overall, homeschooling can be a very positive experience for both parent and child. The relationship is the most important factor in determining how positive an experience it can be.

Countless times I have heard the question, "But what about socialization?" And I want to respond, "And what about Columbine? Were those shooters appropriately 'socialized?'" Schools did not teach them kindness or forgiveness. Actually, really it was the school system and the other children that made them bitter and full of hatred. I know that from personal experience.

Someone else said to me, "But how are you going to keep your kids from being annoying?" I went to school, and I had many classmates who were annoying. School did not make us "cool." Somebody somewhere is going to find us annoying because not every personality jives with every other personality. That is just the way it is, so why worry about this? Who cares about the popularity contest?

Someone else was concerned about our children not having the ability to stand against peer pressure and being able to make the right decisions. However, experts say that it is those children who have strong relationships with their parents that face these problems and overcome them. It is self-confidence instilled by a loving parent that gives a child the ability to turn away from peer pressure. The anti-drug campaigns on TV say, "Talk to your children because parents make a difference."

So school does not magically make a person "socialized." In fact, I really feel like it does the opposite. I cannot remember where I heard the quote, but someone once said that there is a difference between socialization and socializing. Socialization is the process of learning appropriate social behaviors, and socializing is the opportunity to mingle with other people.

Where in life are you going to be stuck in a place where there are 30 other people just like you, same age, same race, and same social class? School is a "false" social arena because you are not often faced with diversity, different ages and different cultures.

In life, there are many opportunities to socialize. Church, family gatherings, the neighborhood children, the local park in the summer, the play area at the mall in the winter, and play dates with friends are some of the ways that we find ways to socialize. The truth is that you really cannot stop children from socializing unless you lock them up. Children are naturally more outgoing than adults. Children do not see race or status. They just enjoy playing even when they do not know their new friend's name.

However, socialization is a careful and determined plan that a parent teaches their children on appropriate, mature behavior. Children need opportunities to face conflict or to make new friends, but even more, they need a chance to look back at those moments with their parents and see things from a new perspective. They need to be taught social graces by their parents, not by another six year old.

My oldest daughter Makani tells me about playing with her friends, "This little girl said that I was not allowed to play with this other little girl." So we talked about it: how it made her feel, how she should handle it, what she should say. Another time, she came home from a play date with a new attitude problem that we needed to discipline, and yet another time, she faced someone telling her that she was trouble. We had to show her that she was not trouble, and she felt renewed in her self-confidence, ready to face another social outing.

My middle daughter Rowena comes back from the park, saying she did not make any friends, and we talk about how to make friends and what to say and do to be friendly. The next time we go to the park, she exults by telling me, "Mommy, I made three friends." I have watched her come out of her shell, willing to initiate conversation.

With both girls, I find that it is much easier to correct the negative input from others when I can invest more into them than others do. Other children can be quite nasty in how they treat others, and children need time to recover from bullies and verbal abusers. I teach them something new about how to act and then give them another opportunity to face the social arena again.

Here are some of the important character traits a child needs to learn to be mature adults someday:

(1) how to recognize and deal with their own emotions

(2) respect for others, including others' space and possessions

(3) self-respect as well as self-confidence

(4) kindness towards others

(5) problem-solving and conflict resolution

(6) autonomy.