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Homeschooling Resources

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Where to start:The FIVE Flavors of Homeschooling -**Watch this video and take the quiz at the end to help you determine what style fits you andyour family best** Useful Terms: TraditionalClassicalUnit StudiesCharlotte MasonDistance/Online/Cyber LearningSpiral versus Mastery based curriculum Secular vs. Religious vs. NeutralCurriculum Guides:Cathy Duffy's Reviews - Extensive List of Homeschool Curriculums Reviews "HomeschoolOn.com" - Homeschool Mom and Blogger’s YouTube videos comparing multiplecurriculums by subject.Facebook Groups - There are many homeschool groups on Facebook that are full of greatinformation and advice from experienced homeschool parent. You can join a group based on acurriculum you are interested in or join a general on and search for reviews.Traditional Curriculums usually have "Advisors" to speak with who can help guide you andanswer any questions. When you go to their website- you can find the contact information andget direct/live help.Other Resources:PA Homeschool LawsWhat you need to do to Homeschool in PAQuick Start Guide to Homeschooling - CHAPS (Christian Homeschool Assoc. of PA) WebsiteSpecial Education InformationAre you a working parent overwhelmed by homeschooling?Check out this Facebook Page; Working Homeschool Mom ClubHomeschooling in PA Information:www.paparentandfamilyalliance.org/

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Things to consider when choosing a traditional homeschool curriculum:Time: How much time do you have to be involved with the teaching, planning and grading ofhomeschooling? Make sure the curriculum you choose falls in line with your available time.There are a lot of different curriculums to choose from. Some rely heavily on parents leading thelessons, while others are more student led.Structure verses Flexible: Lesson planning for the year can also be geared toward your desires.There are a variety of completed teaching plans ready for you to use or you can always createyour own.Family Size: Consider a curriculum that works for the whole family or multiple learners. Theseare great ways to bring all your children together for some subjects and allow them to doindependent learning in others. Some programs allow you to teach the same core lessons butgives you the ability to adapt assignments to each child's learning level. The other option is tobase the curriculum on each child's learning and have separate lessons.Strength & Weakness: Look at what you are comfortable with teaching and what makes younervous. Use this as a guide when deciding what you may use as a teaching method. Don'tforget to consider your child's learning style and struggles also.Costs: There are many options when choosing ways to teach you children. Some programsallow you to purchase have a boxed curriculum which provides teacher and student books forevery subject according to your child's age/grade. There is also the choice of purchasing justone subject/program and supplementing or solely using others in various ways (online classes,free resources, organic life experiences, community programs, websites).+Plus the natural learning they are doingall day when they play, explore, go onwalks, play games and ask those endlessquestions. Play IS the curriculum (as well as reading)and very important learning happensduring this unstructured time in the earlyyears. As children age, they become moredevelopmentally ready to learn moreindependently and the learning carriesover and merges with the life skills they arealso acquiring during this time.Length of Homeschooling Day - By Age

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www paparentandfamilyalliance org Homeschooling in PA Information Where to start The FIVE Flavors of Homeschooling Watch this video and take the quiz at the end to help you determine what style fits you and your family best Useful Terms Traditional Classical Unit Studies Charlotte Mason Distance Online Cyber Learning Spiral versus Mastery based curriculum Secular vs Religious vs Neutral Curriculum Guides Cathy Duffy s Reviews Extensive List of Homeschool Curriculums Reviews HomeschoolOn com Homeschool Mom and Blogger s YouTube videos comparing multiple curriculums by subject Facebook Groups There are many homeschool groups on Facebook that are full of great information and advice from experienced homeschool parent You can join a group based on a curriculum you are interested in or join a general on and search for reviews Traditional Curriculums usually have Advisors to speak with who can help guide you and answer any questions When you go to their website you can find the contact information and get direct live help Other Resources PA Homeschool Laws What you need to do to Homeschool in PA Quick Start Guide to Homeschooling CHAPS Christian Homeschool Assoc of PA Website Special Education Information Are you a working parent overwhelmed by homeschooling Check out this Facebook Page Working Homeschool Mom Club

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Things to consider when choosing a traditional homeschool curriculum Time How much time do you have to be involved with the teaching planning and grading of homeschooling Make sure the curriculum you choose falls in line with your available time There are a lot of different curriculums to choose from Some rely heavily on parents leading the lessons while others are more student led Structure verses Flexible Lesson planning for the year can also be geared toward your desires There are a variety of completed teaching plans ready for you to use or you can always create your own Family Size Consider a curriculum that works for the whole family or multiple learners These are great ways to bring all your children together for some subjects and allow them to do independent learning in others Some programs allow you to teach the same core lessons but gives you the ability to adapt assignments to each child s learning level The other option is to base the curriculum on each child s learning and have separate lessons Strength Weakness Look at what you are comfortable with teaching and what makes you nervous Use this as a guide when deciding what you may use as a teaching method Don t forget to consider your child s learning style and struggles also Costs There are many options when choosing ways to teach you children Some programs allow you to purchase have a boxed curriculum which provides teacher and student books for every subject according to your child s age grade There is also the choice of purchasing just one subject program and supplementing or solely using others in various ways online classes free resources organic life experiences community programs websites Length of Homeschooling Day By Age Plus the natural learning they are doing all day when they play explore go on walks play games and ask those endless questions Play IS the curriculum as well as reading and very important learning happens during this unstructured time in the early years As children age they become more developmentally ready to learn more independently and the learning carries over and merges with the life skills they are also acquiring during this time