When I first started homeschooling, I remember the overwhelming thoughts I had and the uncertainty of whether or not I could really do this. Even now, six years later, I still have fears. On the other hand, I did teach my children to talk, I potty trained them, I taught them to tie their shoes, and the list goes on and on. I have often thought that this is why God allowed me to have my children later than sooner, because he knew that my heart would be to drink in every moment with them - loving them, feeding them, cuddling them, and teaching them!
Early in my homeschooling adventure, I am so thankful that I surrounded myself with other homeschooling and like minded friends. This is where you will find so much support and your best advice. Today I am going to share with you some of the great advice that I got early on and will put in some important links to some really awesome websites.
One of the first things that someone ever told me, was how wonderful unit studies, lapbooking and mini books were when you needed to teach the same subject to multiple grade levels. For instance, if I wanted to teach my 1st, 3rd, and 5th grader about the state of Tennessee, I could give all three of them a coloring page of the TN flag and my 1st grader could color it and write the word "Flag" on the bottom of the page. My 3rd grader could write two sentences about the flag and my 5th grader could do research to find out things like, our state flag was officially adpoted in 1905, but wasn't raised for the first time until 1911. He could find out that it was designed by a Colonel in the Tennessee National Guard and that in 1976 the United States Postal service issued a sheet of stamps that included a stamp of the Tennessee Flag. You could get books from the Library about TN and/or about flags, or both! Imagine the topics and the possibilities of learning this way! If you want to learn more about Unit Studies or Lapbooking check out these two links:
1) http://www.homeschoolshare.com/ - I highly recommend this website, they have so many unit studies and lapbooks that are FREE!
2) http://www.squidoo.com/lapbooking#module12673419 - This website has lots of great pictures and how-tos!
Another great resource that I have discovered is free spelling! Woo hoo! This website gives you free spelling lists for the entire school year and even provides activities to do with each list. The only down side is that they only give lists for grades 1-4. But, four years of FREE spelling "ain't" too bad! On the up side, they also cover a slew of other subjects, with more FREE worksheets.
3) http://www.superteacherworksheets.com/ - Just scroll down the left side of the page to find what you need!
I know I am covering a lot on this post, so I am just going to give you two more links and these are just because I think they are great. Lots of great resources and extras to help you along the way!
4) http://www.millerpadsandpaper.com/ - When the curriculum fairs come in the summer, I think I spend more time at this booth than any other. Love them!
5) http://www.visionforum.com/ - This is another great website that is so full of great helps. They have books, audio books, toys, DVD's, and so much more. Even some great stuff for the parents too.
I hope you find some of these as helpful as I did! And, I will be happy to answer your homeschooling questions. Just leave your questions in the comment section and I will respond!
