Homeschooling Statistics Which May Surprise You

Author: Pam Oliveri
Attending school every day just isn't like it used to be when we were kids. Kids are growing up fast in a fast paced world, and the influence of peer pressure, bullying and drug and alcohol influence has become a reality in our nations public and private schools.
Parents seeking an alternative education method for their children are turning more often to homeschooling as a viable education option. This article is intended to provide some interesting homeschooling statistics that detail homeschooling facts, percentages of students being homeschooled and primary reasons why parents opt to homeschool their kids. If you are at a crossroads of deciding upon the proper education method for your child(ren) hopefully this information will assist you in making your decision.

Is Dual Enrollment Good for Homeschoolers?

Author: jacob
One little aspect concerning going to college as a freshman means that you need to remain a freshman until you start at the University. Taking college classes inside the context of dual enrollment is alright. Whenever college classes are counted toward high school graduation, then they are counted as high school courses, and the student is still regarded a freshman in terms of the university admission. In junior and senior year of high school, you can take college classes that are put on the high school transcript.

Homeschooling Socialization: A Very Full Life!

Author: Jennifer
Many people opposed to homeschooling think that homeschooled children suffer from a lack of a social life. Surprise! Many homeschooled children have a busier activity calendar than public schooled kids. There are communities of homeschoolers that get together, offering students socialization among kids of all ages. There are also many extra-curricular activities to take part in.
Online Homeschooling Groups

Socialisation Opportunities For The Homeschooled Child

Author: Melissa Murdoch
Perhaps the biggest concern your family and friends will express when you tell them that you are going to homeschool is how your children are going to learn to socialise with their peers if they are not in school.  This is a common fear, and it can be valid in some cases, but for most of the homeschooling families that I know, or have met, it is a misplaced fear.

How To Plan A Homeschooling Curriculum

How To Plan A Homeschooling Curriculum
By Kris L Gardener
The best way I've found to plan a homeschooling curriculum is to break it down, then break it down again and again until you've got a manageable amount of information to work with. As always, I advocate as much planning as possible, a significant level of organization, plus a few other tricks to help you along the way!
Break It Down
It can be overwhelming to try to plan a whole homeschooling curriculum, that's why I strongly recommend you first break the curriculum down into subject areas. From there, you can decide on the topics you wish to cover over the period of a year, the sub-topics and finally the lesson plans themselves.
Have in mind specific learning objectives for each subject area before you start. This will assist you in deciding on the topics you wish to cover. Don't worry too much about detailed lesson plans but do be specific about what you want to achieve in each lesson. Also ensure you allow time in each lesson for revision, follow up and your own critique of how it all went. If you're so inclined, you can also include testing time on a regular basis.
You can get curriculum ideas from homeschooling groups online or in your local area, homeschooling websites and also from your state education department.
Don't Forget Why You're Doing This
Document your reasons for homeschooling. Put it up in a prominent place so you remember why you're doing this and to help keep you focused on what you want to achieve.
Have A Timeframe In Mind
How long do you wish to spend (and have your children spend) homeschooling? Make sure you detail this on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis so you know what your commitment should be and so you stick to it!
Keep in mind that homeschooled children generally take less time to complete lessons than children in regular schools. As a general rule, I find that homeschooling my children takes 3 hours or less daily. This will, of course, differ, depending on the age of your children and their ability for independent study, but half a day is usually sufficient for most homeschooling situations. The rest of your child's day can be spent pursuing personal interests or in independent reading, study or specialist lessons such as music, sport etc.
Keep Up The Interest
To keep both yourself and your child motivated and interested, it's a great idea to develop a curriculum or learning topic around a particular theme of interest. Does your child love pirates? Well, a month of pirate related activities and lessons is a great way to keep the interest up. Themes can transcend across all subject areas - math, English, science, social studies, art, music, etc.
Make sure you also include some free time for your children to independently learn or play (depending on their age level). If they show an interest in a lesson beyond its conclusion, allow them to spend some independent time exploring the topic on their own.
Excursions are a great way to escape the 'classroom', extend a learning objective or create a new one. The obvious places to visit are zoos, farms, museums, galleries, exhibitions, aquariums etc, but don't limit yourself to these. A train or bus trip, a visit to an ice-cream, toy or chocolate factory, a visit to an old person's home, even a library or park trip can all be great learning opportunities.
Conclusion
It's all in the planning - the more you plan and document in the beginning, the easier and more successful your homeschooling experience will be. Take advantage of your local community and online resources and play to your child's interests. With these tools under your belt, you're well on your way to becoming a successful homeschooling parent.
Kris Gardener from Homeschool SetUp (http://www.homeschoolsetup.com/free-report.php) is an expat living in Thailand. She has homeschooled her children for several years. Homeschool SetUp offers practical advice and information for homeschooling parents.
Click on the link below to receive a free mini-course detailing the 10 most important steps to successful homeschooling.
Visit Homeschool SetUp
Copyright 2012 Kris Gardener.
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Basic Statistics of Homeschooling in the USA
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Leonard_Forbes]Leonard Forbes

Homeschooling in the USA has grown considerably from its once obscure beginnings to its present status as a justifiable alternative over the regular academic environment.

In 2007, it was estimated that 1.5 million school aged students are being educated in their homes. This number has an estimated growth of 2.9% from the last survey made on 2003. Presently, the statistics of homeschooling in the USA continues to grow.

Successful Homeschooling Stories
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Leonard_Forbes]Leonard Forbes

In order to judge an educational program, you have to see first if the students excelled. One of the factors that made homeschooling popular nowadays is the fact that many and many children are showing excellence in different fields while attending homeschools.